The long-term effect of metabolic bariatric surgery on innate immune cell phenotype and function.

Objectives: Obesity is an important risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This cardiovascular risk remains increased even after substantial weight loss by bariatric surgery. Innate immune cells are important regulators of atherogenesis and can adopt a long-term hyperinflammatory phenotype via epigenetic reprogramming, called "trained immunity".

A multi-site comparison of the multimodal response to an acute social stressor in the MRI environment.

Understanding the mechanisms behind (mal)adaptive stress responses is crucial for addressing stress-related mental disorders, which remain leading contributors to global disability and mortality. However, individual differences in stress responses present a challenge for single studies due to limited sample sizes. Multi-site studies can overcome this by increasing statistical power and generalizability, but it remains unclear whether even optimally harmonized procedures can ensure cross-site comparability.

Characterizing BOLD activation patterns in the human hippocampus with laminar fMRI.

The human hippocampus has been extensively studied at the macroscale using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) but the underlying microcircuits at the mesoscale (i.e., at the level of layers) are largely uninvestigated in humans.

Identifying distinct clusters of ICU survivors by integrating demographic, pre-admission quality of life, and clinical data: a large prospective cohort study.

Purpose: ICU patients differ in pre-ICU health status, comorbidities, and diagnosis, forming a heterogeneous population with diverse long-term outcomes. This study explored whether clustering ICU patients by demographic, pre-admission quality of life, and clinical data, rather than by diagnosis, could identify subgroups that are more informative for patient-centered outcomes post-ICU.

Methods: Data from the MONITOR-IC prospective cohort study were used.

Signals of complexity and fragmentation in accelerometer data.

There is a growing interest to analyze physiological data from a complex systems perspective. Accelerometer data is one type of data that is easy to obtain but often difficult to analyze for insights beyond basic levels of description. Previous work hypothesizes that an individual's activity pattern can be seen as a complex dynamical system.

Changes in walking capacity, pain, and self-reported physical function after derotational osteotomy in adolescents with rotational deformities.

Background: Derotational osteotomy aims to alleviate pain and enhance physical functioning in adolescents with a rotational deformity of the lower extremities, but remains a topic of controversy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of derotational osteotomy on walking capacity, pain, and physical function in individuals with a rotational deformity of the lower extremity.

Methods: Eighteen adolescents ( = 27 limbs) who underwent unilateral or bilateral derotational osteotomy of the femur and/or tibia were included in this study.

Brain topology and cognitive outcomes after cardiac arrest: A graph theoretical analysis of fMRI data.

Introduction: Half of all cardiac arrest patients experience long-term cognitive impairment. Identifying patients at risk is challenging and underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Since postanoxic encephalopathy is diffuse, measures of global network organization might contribute to identifying these patients at risk.

Ethics of disclosure of onset-predictive biomarker test results for genetic frontotemporal dementia in the research context.

Unlabelled: Onset-predictive biomarker tests (OPBTs) for genetic frontotemporal dementia (FTD) may predict symptom onset in coming years. OPBT results could be used as inclusion criterion for clinical trials for FTD, but this requires disclosure of OPBT results to potential participants for informed consent. This creates a dilemma, as disclosure may be psychologically burdensome.

Altered reversal and extinction learning in the DMSXL mouse model of type I myotonic dystrophy (DM1): An exploratory study.

BackgroundCognitive changes in type 1 myotonic dystrophy (DM1) have a pronounced negative effect on quality of life measures. Despite this, the neural basis of these changes is poorly understood. DM1 patients demonstrate deficits in motivation and cognitive flexibility, reflective of apathy and obsessive-compulsive / autistic-like traits.

The scientific value of tractography: accuracy vs usefulness.

Tractography has emerged as a central tool for mapping the cerebral white matter architecture. However, its scientific value continues to be a subject of debate, given its inherent limitations in anatomical accuracy. This concise communication showcases key points of a debate held at the 2024 Tract-Anat Retreat, addressing the trade-offs between the accuracy and utility of tractography.

A transcranial magnetic stimulation study on the role of the right angular gyrus in orienting and reorienting of attention toward threat.

Reorientation of attention to threatening stimuli is a fundamental part of human cognition. Such interaction between cognitive and affective processes is often associated with faster response times. In the present study, the role of the right angular gyrus (AG) in reorienting to threat is examined.

Mapping out overlapping connectivity patterns.

Untangling the functional organisation of a brain region crucial for memory and learning helps reveal how individual differences are linked to variations in recall ability, aging and dopamine receptor distribution.

Biophysical effects and neuromodulatory dose of transcranial ultrasonic stimulation.

Transcranial ultrasonic stimulation (TUS) has the potential to usher in a new era for human neuroscience by allowing spatially precise and high-resolution non-invasive targeting of both deep and superficial brain regions. Currently, fundamental research on the mechanisms of interaction between ultrasound and neural tissues is progressing in parallel with application-focused research. However, a major hurdle in the wider use of TUS is the selection of optimal parameters to enable safe and effective neuromodulation in humans.

Spiking neural networks on FPGA: A survey of methodologies and recent advancements.

The mimicry of the biological brain's structure in information processing enables spiking neural networks (SNNs) to exhibit significantly reduced power consumption compared to conventional systems. Consequently, these networks have garnered heightened attention and spurred extensive research endeavors in recent years, proposing various structures to achieve low power consumption, high speed, and improved recognition ability. However, researchers are still in the early stages of developing more efficient neural networks that more closely resemble the biological brain.

mHealth Intervention for Dementia Prevention through lifestyle Optimisation (MIND-PRO) in a primary care setting: protocol for a randomised controlled trial in people with low SES and/or migration background.

Introduction: The Mobile Health (mHealth) Intervention for Dementia Prevention through lifestyle Optimisation (MIND-PRO) study addresses the increasing prevalence of dementia among populations with lower socio-economic status (SES) and/or a migration background. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of an mHealth intervention designed for self-managing lifestyle modifications with remote coaching to reduce dementia risk factors.

Methods And Analysis: This prospective randomised open-label blinded end point (PROBE) trial follows a type 2 hybrid effectiveness-implementation design with a 12-month intervention period.

The Impact of Relocations Within Nursing Home Care on Long-Term Care Residents According to Stakeholders: A Qualitative Study.

Introduction: Nursing home residents can be faced with relocations within nursing home care for various reasons, whether individual or per group. We aimed to collect a broad stakeholder overview of observed and experienced impacts on residents and aspects that influence the impact.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative study using semistructured interviews followed by one focus group.

Evaluation of efficiency and effectiveness of different recruitment strategies for the FINGER-NL multidomain lifestyle intervention trial via the Dutch Brain Research Registry.

Introduction: Recruitment of participants for intervention studies is challenging. We evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of a participant recruitment campaign through an online registry for the FINGER-NL study, a multi-domain lifestyle intervention trial targeting cognitively healthy individuals aged 60-79 with dementia prevention potential. Additionally, we explored which recruitment strategy successfully reached individuals from underrepresented groups in research.

Policy Versus Practice: Facilitators and Barriers of Chronic Care Integration in Dutch General Practice - a Survey Study.

Introduction: Multimorbidity challenges quality and sustainability of healthcare systems. Care groups were introduced in the Netherlands to promote integration of chronic primary care, but it remains unknown to which degree they facilitate this. This study therefore aims to determine whether Dutch general practices perceive themselves to be capable of delivering integrated chronic care and uncover the role of care groups.

Gastrointestinal complaints after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Impact of microbiota and its metabolites.

Unexplainable gastrointestinal complaints occasionally occur after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) surgery. We therefor investigated the impact of microbiota composition and metabolites on gastrointestinal complaints after RYGB. In the BARICO study (Bariatric surgery Rijnstate and Radboudumc neuroimaging and Cognition in Obesity), microbiota and metabolites were measured before surgery, and 6, and 24 months after surgery.

Motion tracking with automated pose estimator can enhance ankle-foot-orthoses alignment.

Background: Ankle-foot orthoses are commonly prescribed to address motor impairments in individuals with neurological disorders. Proper alignment of Ankle-foot orthoses, commonly assessed by the ground reaction force in relation to the knee joint center and the shank-to-vertical angle, is crucial for their effectiveness but is time-consuming. This study validates automated pose estimator DeepLabCut on measuring these metrics using 2D videos with force vector overlay in individuals with neurological disorders wearing ankle-foot orthoses.

The relationship between parameters and effects in transcranial ultrasonic stimulation.

Transcranial ultrasonic stimulation (TUS) is rapidly gaining traction for non-invasive human neuromodulation, with a pressing need to establish protocols that maximise neuromodulatory efficacy. In this review, we aggregate and examine empirical evidence for the relationship between tunable TUS parameters and in vitro and in vivo outcomes. Based on this multiscale approach, TUS researchers can make better informed decisions about optimal parameter settings.

Changes in child and adolescent mental health across the COVID-19 pandemic (2018-2023): Insights from general population and clinical samples in the Netherlands.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected child and adolescent mental health and at the end of the pandemic (April 2022) child mental health had not returned to pre-pandemic levels. We investigated whether this observed increase in mental health problems has continued, halted, or reversed after the end of the pandemic in children from the general population and in children in psychiatric care.

Methods: We collected parent-reported and child-reported data at two additional post-pandemic time points (November/December 2022 and March/April 2023) in children (8-18 years) from two general population samples ( = 818-1056 per measurement) and one clinical sample receiving psychiatric care ( = 320-370) and compared these with data from before the pandemic.

The frequency and types of resident relocations in Dutch nursing homes: a nationwide cohort study of electronic health record data.

Purpose: One third of Dutch nursing home residents relocated at least once during length of stay. Roughly 75 percent were individual relocations and the other 25 percent concerned group relocations. The average yearly number of individual relocations was about 3 times as high in the first 4 months after admission compared with later periods.