Publications by authors named "Abduelaziz Koek"

Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is closely associated with many aspects of disturbed metabolic health. MASLD encompasses a wide spectrum of liver diseases, ranging from isolated steatosis to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), up to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and ultimately hepatocellular carcinoma. Limited noninvasive diagnostic tools are currently available to distinguish the various stages of MASLD and as such liver biopsy remains the gold standard for MASLD diagnostics.

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Background: Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD, formerly NAFLD), emerges as major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, with chronic patients facing increased risk. Guidelines on MASLD management in primary care (PC) are limited. This study aimed to develop and evaluate a clinical care pathway for use in PC to improve MASLD screening and management, including early detection, communication and treatment, in three European countries (Greece, Spain, the Netherlands).

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Background: Patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) are at increased risk of renal insufficiency, so their renal function must regularly be monitored. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) assessment is challenging as it requires measuring clearance of exogenous markers, which is impractical in most clinical settings. Thus, equations have been formulated to estimate GFR that utilize serum creatinine (Cr) or cystatin C (CysC).

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Objective: Glucose metabolism status (GMS) is linked to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Higher levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are observed in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and NAFLD. We examined the association between GMS, non-invasive tests and AGEs, with liver steatosis and fibrosis.

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Study Objectives: COVID-19 mobility restrictions disrupted daily rhythms worldwide, but how this rhythm disruption differs across age groups is unclear. We examined the course of age-related differences in trajectories of rest-activity rhythm during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and reopening in Singapore. We also evaluated the association of these patterns with mental well-being.

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A key challenge toward future quantum internet technology is connecting quantum processors at metropolitan scale. Here, we report on heralded entanglement between two independently operated quantum network nodes separated by 10 kilometers. The two nodes hosting diamond spin qubits are linked with a midpoint station via 25 kilometers of deployed optical fiber.

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Article Synopsis
  • White matter hyperintensities (WMH) are linked to cognitive impairment but solely measuring their volume doesn't fully explain the cognitive deficits.
  • Lesion network mapping (LNM) offers a new way to assess how WMH connects with brain networks, potentially improving our understanding of their impact on cognition.
  • In a study of 3,485 patients, LNM scores outperformed WMH volumes in predicting cognitive performance, especially in attention, processing speed, and verbal memory, but not for language functions.
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Introduction: This study aims to describe laboratory and clinical factors associated with thrombotic events during prolonged pediatric extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Methods: A secondary analysis of a multi-center prospective study performed between 2012 and 2014. Patients under the age of 19 years that received extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for at least 4 days of therapy were included ( = 385).

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Purpose: Myoclonus after anoxic brain injury is a marker of significant cerebral injury. Absent cortical signal (N20) on somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) after cardiac arrest is a reliable predictor of poor neurological recovery when combined with an overall clinical picture consistent with severe widespread neurological injury. We evaluated a clinical question of if SSEP result could be predicted from other clinical and neurodiagnostic testing results in patients with post-anoxic myoclonus.

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Background And Objective: The Supplementary Motor Area (SMA), a relatively large brain structure predominantly located along the interhemispheric fissure, is an established target for repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). We investigated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of targeting SMA using a double-cone "deep" TMS coil compared to conventional figure-eight coil for treatment of OCD with comorbid Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Methods: Sixty-two patients with treatment-resistant OCD and comorbid MDD participated in the study.

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  • Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of metabolic dysfunction and liver disease, making early detection of conditions like MetALD and ALD crucial.
  • The study tested plasma levels of the enzyme cathepsin D (CTSD) as a potential early indicator of metabolic liver disease in heavy drinkers compared to healthy individuals.
  • Results showed that elevated plasma CTSD levels in patients with MetALD/ALD can signal early disease stages and combining CTSD levels with other clinical measures improves diagnostic accuracy.
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Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common liver disease in adolescents with obesity. Nonetheless, the guidelines for screening and managing this disease are contradictory. The purpose of this study is to non-invasively assess the prevalence, patient characteristics, and potential associated factors of MASLD in this demographic.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the outcomes of intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS) for treating Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), focusing on differences based on biological sex and age.
  • It found that males had a significantly better response to iTBS compared to females, whereas females showed more improvement with a different rTMS protocol (10 Hz).
  • Additionally, patients over 50 years old, especially females, demonstrated better treatment outcomes, highlighting the impact of age on rTMS efficacy.
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Background And Purpose: The total calcification score (TCS) is a visual rating scale to measure primary familial brain calcification (PFBC)-related calcification severity on CT. We investigated the inter- and intrarater agreement of a modified TCS.

Materials And Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with PFBC or Fahr syndrome who visited the outpatient clinic of a Dutch academic hospital were included.

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Objectives: To compare oncological outcomes in patients with early-stage high-intermediate or high-risk endometrial cancer undergoing surgical staging by laparotomy, conventional laparoscopy, or robot-assisted laparoscopy.

Methods: Patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2021 with stage I-II (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2009), high-intermediate or high-risk endometrial cancer who underwent staging surgery, were identified in the Netherlands Cancer Registry. Five-year disease-free survival and overall survival were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between groups were evaluated using log-rank testing.

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  • Integration of mobile health data collection in cohort studies allows for more detailed tracking of health and lifestyle behaviors over time, particularly during the transition from university to the workforce, which can impact young adults' mental well-being.
  • The Health@NUS study aims to investigate the health behaviors and well-being trajectories of young adults during this transition by using mobile health technology to gather data over two years.
  • A total of 776 participants were enrolled, primarily female, Chinese, and undergraduate students, with regular assessments and data collection through devices like Fitbit and smartphone apps.
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Aim: Identifying abuse or neglect in one child (index) implicates risk to other children residing in the same home (contacts). While child protection investigators may interview and visually examine contacts, there is lack of consensus regarding when contacts should have a medical assessment. Our goal was to describe the prevalence, characteristics and predictors of abuse and neglect among contacts medically assessed by a child maltreatment evaluation centre over a 5-year period.

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Background: Cancer arising in the periampullary region can be anatomically classified in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), distal cholangiocarcinoma (dCCA), duodenal adenocarcinoma (DAC), and ampullary carcinoma. Based on histopathology, ampullary carcinoma is currently subdivided in intestinal (AmpIT), pancreatobiliary (AmpPB), and mixed subtypes. Despite close anatomical resemblance, it is unclear how ampullary subtypes relate to the remaining periampullary cancers in tumor characteristics and behavior.

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The roles of Ca-induced calcium release in synaptic plasticity and metaplasticity are poorly understood. The present study has addressed the role of intracellular Ca stores in long-term potentiation (LTP) and a form of heterosynaptic metaplasticity known as synaptic tagging and capture (STC) at CA1 synapses in mouse hippocampal slices. The effects of two compounds, ryanodine and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), were examined on LTP induced by three distinct induction protocols: weak (w), compressed (c) and spaced (s) theta-burst stimulation (TBS).

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Background: Despite differences in tumour behaviour and characteristics between duodenal adenocarcinoma (DAC), the intestinal (AmpIT) and pancreatobiliary (AmpPB) subtype of ampullary adenocarcinoma and distal cholangiocarcinoma (dCCA), the effect of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) on these cancers, as well as the optimal ACT regimen, has not been comprehensively assessed. This study aims to assess the influence of tailored ACT on DAC, dCCA, AmpIT, and AmpPB.

Patients And Methods: Patients after pancreatoduodenectomy for non-pancreatic periampullary adenocarcinoma were identified and collected from 36 tertiary centres between 2010 - 2021.

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Deep brain stimulation (DBS) holds promise for neuropsychiatric conditions where imbalance in network activity contributes to symptoms. Treatment-resistant Combat post-traumatic stress disorder (TR-PTSD) is a highly morbid condition and 50% of PTSD sufferers fail to recover despite psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy. Reminder-triggered symptoms may arise from inadequate top-down ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) control of amygdala reactivity.

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It is unclear whether patients with basal ganglia calcifications (BGC) should undergo infectious disease testing as part of their diagnostic work-up. We investigated the occurrence of possibly associated infections in patients with BGC diagnosed with Fahr's disease or syndrome and consecutively performed a systematic review of published infectious diseases associated with BGC. In a cross-sectional study, we evaluated infections in non-immunocompromised patients aged ≥ 18 years with BGC in the Netherlands, who were diagnosed with Fahr's disease or syndrome after an extensive multidisciplinary diagnostic work-up.

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Introduction: White matter hyperintensities of presumed vascular origin (WMH) are associated with cognitive impairment and are a key imaging marker in evaluating cognitive health. However, WMH volume alone does not fully account for the extent of cognitive deficits and the mechanisms linking WMH to these deficits remain unclear. We propose that lesion network mapping (LNM), enables to infer if brain networks are connected to lesions, and could be a promising technique for enhancing our understanding of the role of WMH in cognitive disorders.

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