Diagnostic reference level curves for paediatric fluoroscopic imaging in the Netherlands.

Objectives: Establishing paediatric DRLs is challenging due to sparse data availability. The objective was to assess paediatric fluoroscopic dose levels in Dutch clinical practice, as current diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) need updating following the European Guidelines on DRLs for Paediatric Imaging (PiDRL).

Material And Methods: Air Kerma-area Product (KAP) values were retrospectively collected from paediatric patients (0-18 years) who underwent fluoroscopic procedures in nine Dutch hospitals between 01-01-2017 and 01-06-2021.

Chronic kidney disease and incident cancer risk: an individual participant data meta-analysis.

Background: Studies examining the association of chronic kidney disease (CKD) with cancer risk have demonstrated conflicting results.

Methods: This was an individual participant data meta-analysis including 54 international cohorts contributing to the CKD Prognosis Consortium. Included cohorts had data on albuminuria [urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR)], estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), overall and site-specific cancer incidence, and established risk factors for cancer.

Air pollution and long COVID: association with pulmonary function and radiological abnormalities 3-15 months post-COVID.

While studies have examined associations between air pollution and subjective long COVID outcomes such as fatigue and symptoms, no studies have focused on objective lung health measures. This study aimed to assess the impact of air pollution, examined through different exposure methods (exposures assigned via geospatial model, versus residential and personal measurements) on pulmonary function and radiological abnormalities in long COVID patients. We recruited 95 patients who attended a hospital outpatient clinic 3-6 months post-infection, during which pulmonary function was assessed via spirometry (FEV1,FVC,FEV1/FVC ratio) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), along with a chest CT.

Air pollution and diseases: signaling, G protein-coupled and Toll like receptors.

Air pollution is a significant public health issue that impacts lung health, particularly in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and individuals with pre-existing respiratory conditions. Both natural and anthropogenic sources of air pollution give rise to a variety of toxic compounds, including particulate matter (PM), ozone (O₃), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Exposure to these pollutants is strongly associated with the development and exacerbation of respiratory diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).

Management on late diagnosed Fournier's gangrene in elderly patient and it's complication: A case reports.

Introduction And Importance: One of the risk factors linked to mortality in Fournier Gangrene (FG) is the elderly. When this risk is present and diagnosed too late, patient care may become difficult. This case report discusses the treatment of an older patient with late-diagnosed Fournier's gangrene and its consequences in this background.

A review of methodologic & data considerations for vaccine safety surveillance in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccine safety surveillance systems are vital for the post-market safety monitoring of novel and well-established vaccines, given the sample size, representativeness and follow-up time in clinical trials. The introduction of COVID-19 vaccines during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for safety surveillance. Here, we discuss methodologic considerations for epidemiologic study design and real world data for passive and active surveillance systems for COVID-19 vaccines in the United States (U.

Protocol for using treeLFA to infer multimorbidity patterns in the form of disease topics from diagnosis data in biobanks.

Research on multimorbidity patterns promotes our understanding of the common pathological mechanisms that underlie co-occurring diseases. Here, we present a protocol to infer multimorbidity clusters in the form of disease topics from large-scale diagnosis data using treeLFA, a topic model based on the Bayesian binary non-negative matrix factorization. We describe steps for installing software, preparing input data, and training the model.

Kidney Tubular Biomarkers Predict Risk of Death and Heart Failure Readmission in Acute Heart Failure.

Background: Kidney dysfunction, defined by measures of glomerular health, in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (HF) is associated with death and HF readmission. We aimed to determine if kidney tubule damage and dysfunction are associated with these outcomes in acute HF.

Methods: In AKINESIS (Acute Kidney Injury Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin [NGAL] Evaluation of Symptomatic Heart Failure Study), 218 individuals admitted with acute HF experiencing acute kidney injury were matched with 218 individuals without acute kidney injury.

Fractionation and biological evaluation of passion fruit Pectins: HG and RG-I backbone ratios are associated with TLR2-1 interaction and signaling.

Passion fruit mesocarp is rich in pectin, and high-temperature/pressure modification of this pectin has been shown to yield bioactive fragments with anticancer potential. To clarify the structure-function relationship of passion fruit pectins, we purified native and modified pectins using two fractionation methods. Comprehensive chemical characterization revealed molecular weight as the primary difference between fractions, along with varying proportions of homogalacturonan (HG) and rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I).

Total tumor volume predicts overall survival and response to induction chemotherapy in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases: An ancillary study of the phase 3 CAIRO5 trial.

Introduction: This study aimed to assess whether total tumor volume (TTV) outperforms RECIST1.1 for treatment response assessment in patients with colorectal liver metastases (CRLM), and to investigate TTV as a predictive biomarker for the optimal systemic treatment regimen for individual patients with initially unresectable CRLM.

Methods: Patients with initially unresectable liver-only CRLM from the phase 3 CAIRO5 trial (NCT02162563) were included.

The Influence of Vasopressor-Induced Arterial Blood Pressure Elevation on Muscle-Recorded Motor Evoked Potentials.

Background: Transcranial electrical stimulation muscle-recorded motor evoked potentials (Tc-mMEPs) are used to monitor the spinal cord motor tracts during spinal surgery. There is considerable intra- and interindividual variability in the signals recorded, causing a high incidence of false positive warnings. Inadequate blood pressure is commonly blamed for false positive warnings and is usually managed with fluid and vasopressor therapy.

Feasibility of implementing an intervention in general practice for deprescribing of glucose-lowering medication in overtreated elderly.

Background: Elderly patients with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) are frequently overtreated with glucose-lowering medication.

Objective: This feasibility study evaluated the implementation of a deprescribing programme (DPP) for general practices, consisting of education, a patient selection tool, practice visits, and an expert support panel, before scaling it in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods: Quantitative evaluation included the number of patients with T2D eligible for deprescribing using medical records and study progress data.

Perceptions of hypnotherapy for children with functional abdominal pain: a qualitative study.

Background: Hypnotherapy is an effective treatment for children with functional abdominal pain in secondary care. However, children usually present first to general practitioners (GPs) in Dutch primary care, and it is unknown how children, parents, and GPs perceive hypnotherapy in this setting.

Objective: To explore the perceptions of children, parents, and GPs about hypnotherapy in primary care for children with functional abdominal pain.

Network Meta-Analysis of Quality of Life in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Background: Although the effects of various combinations of treatments on mortality and morbidity outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) have been evaluated, the impact on quality of life is unknown. This study evaluated and compared the composite impact of pharmacological therapies on quality of life in HFrEF using a frequentist network meta-analysis and systematic review methodology.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomized controlled trials published between January 1, 2021 and August 10, 2024.

Support Needs of Parents of Children With Congenital Anomalies Across Europe: A EUROlinkCAT Survey.

Background: Parents and carers of children with congenital anomalies can experience stress when managing their child's healthcare needs. It is important that they are well supported. This study explored the support needs of parents/carers of children with a congenital anomaly across Europe.

Ethnic differences in protein biomarkers of peripartum cardiomyopathy: a proteomic study on the EORP cohort.

Aims: The diagnosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is often delayed due to the absence of disease-specific biomarkers. Recently, serum proteins-QSOX1, adiponectin (ADIPOQ) and ITIH3-have shown potential for improving diagnostic accuracy, especially when used with NT-proBNP. However, the influence of ethnicity on their expression remains unclear.

DNA methylation influences human centromere positioning and function.

Maintaining the epigenetic identity of centromeres is essential to prevent genome instability. Centromeres are epigenetically defined by the histone H3 variant CENP-A. Prior work in human centromeres has shown that CENP-A is associated with regions of hypomethylated DNA located within large arrays of hypermethylated repeats, but the functional importance of these DNA methylation (DNAme) patterns remains poorly understood.

Predicting total body water in infants aged 0.5-24 months and the implications for measuring breast milk intake: a secondary analysis of isotope dilution data.

Background: Total body water (TBW) is commonly used to derive estimates of body composition. The deuterium oxide dose-to-mother (DTM) technique for measuring breast milk intake requires an estimate of infant TBW. The DTM calculation employs a prediction equation for estimating infant TBW from body weight (TBW), but the general validity of this equation is unknown.