Do men who have sex with men recognise syphilis symptoms? A syphilis awareness campaign in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Introduction: Syphilis incidence is rising among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM). To improve early health-seeking behaviour, we developed an online syphilis symptom score tool for GBMSM to self-identify a higher likelihood of infectious syphilis and promoted its use via an online and offline awareness campaign.

Methods: From October 2018 through September 2019, a dedicated website on syphilis including the online symptom score tool was promoted.

Intestinal Fatty Acid Binding Protein as a Predictor of Early Mesenteric Injury Preceding Clinical Presentation: A Case Report.

Introduction: Diagnosing non-occlusive mesenteric ischaemia (NOMI) in patients is complicated, due to poor signs and symptoms and non-specific laboratory tests, leading to a high mortality rate. This case study presents the rare case of a patient who developed mesenteric ischaemia after an emergency thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair (TEVAR) for a type B aortic dissection (TBAD) and peri-operative cardiogenic shock. Study outcomes revealed that intestinal fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) identified early mucosal damage two days before the clinical presentation.

Pancreatic Tumor Organoid-Derived Factors from Cachectic Patients Disrupt Contractile Smooth Muscle Cells.

Patients with pancreatic cancer often suffer from cachexia and experience gastrointestinal symptoms that may be related to intestinal smooth muscle cell (SMC) dysfunction. We hypothesized that pancreatic tumor organoids from cachectic patients release factors that perturb the SMC's contractile characteristics. Human visceral SMCs were exposed to conditioned medium (CM) from the pancreatic tumor organoid cultures of cachectic ( = 2) and non-cachectic ( = 2) patients.

Lipocalin-2 and neutrophil activation in pancreatic cancer cachexia.

Background: Cancer cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by body weight loss and systemic inflammation. The characterization of the inflammatory response in patients with cachexia is still limited. Lipocalin-2, a protein abundant in neutrophils, has recently been implicated in appetite suppression in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer cachexia.

Determinants of PrEP Uptake, Intention and Awareness in the Netherlands: A Socio-Spatial Analysis.

PrEP uptake in the Netherlands is growing but remains at suboptimal levels. Hence, the analysis of hurdles is paramount. Given the initial focus of PrEP provision among men-who-have-sex-with-men (MSM) via a demonstration project that was launched in June 2015, AmPrEP in Amsterdam, and pharmacies in the main urban areas (so called "Randstad", entailing Amsterdam, Utrecht, Leiden, The Hague and Rotterdam), investigating regional differences is necessary.