Publications by authors named "Koekkoek J"
Adequate levels of thyroid hormones (THs) in the fetal brain are vital for early neurodevelopment. Most of TH in fetal brain is derived from circulating thyroxine (T4), which gets locally converted into the biologically active triiodothyronine (T3) by deiodinase enzymes. One of the major routes of TH into the brain is through the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Neurocognitive impairments are common in patients with a brain tumour, and may negatively impact on functioning in daily life, particularly on instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). The EORTC IADL-BN32 questionnaire was developed to measure IADL in this patient population.
Methods: In this international validation study, we evaluated the EORTC IADL-BN32 questionnaire on several psychometric properties in a large sample of patients with a primary or metastatic brain tumour.
Patients with glioblastoma are among the cancer patients with the highest risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE). Long-term thromboprophylaxis is not generally prescribed because of the increased susceptibility of glioblastoma patients to intracranial hemorrhage. This review provides an overview of the current clinical standard for glioblastoma patients, as well as the molecular and genetic background which underlies the high incidence of VTE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose Of Review: To provide up-to-date evidence on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in neuro-oncology, with a focus on the core constructs of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the use of PROs in clinical trials and clinical practice.[Supplemental Digital Content: Video Abstract PROs in Neuro-Oncology.mov].
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Chemotherapy with lomustine is widely considered as standard treatment option for progressive glioblastoma. The value of adding radiotherapy to second-line chemotherapy is not known.
Methods: EORTC-2227-BTG (LEGATO, NCT05904119) is an investigator-initiated, pragmatic (PRECIS-2 score: 34 out of 45), randomized, multicenter phase III trial in patients with first progression of glioblastoma.
Article Synopsis
- The study investigates how exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals affects women's reproductive health by analyzing steroid hormone production (steroidogenesis) in human ovaries across different life stages, including fetal and adult periods.
- A specialized LC-MS/MS method was used to measure levels of 21 steroid hormones in ovarian cultures and follicular fluid, revealing significant differences in hormone profiles between fetal and adult ovaries.
- Findings indicate unique hormone biosynthesis pathways in both fetal and adult tissues, with distinct clusters showing different hormone levels, highlighting the reproductive hormonal dynamics crucial for understanding fertility and development.
Article Synopsis
- * This study examined 66 patients and found that delayed arterial transit times (ATTs) led to significant artifacts in ASL-MRI, impacting its ability to accurately assess tumor perfusion and differentiate between progression types.
- * Results indicated that ASL-MRI tended to show hyperperfusion in the presence of moderate ATT artifacts, while discrepancies in the prediction of tumor progression were noted when ATT artifacts were severe, suggesting a need for improved imaging techniques in these patients.
This narrative review provides an overview of the current knowledge on health-related quality of life (HRQOL), a relevant clinical outcome in patients with epilepsy. It shows that the most important factor determining HRQOL in this patient group is seizure frequency. In particular, seizure-freedom is associated with better HRQOL scores.
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- Glioblastoma patients have a high risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), and researchers aim to understand the genetic and signaling factors that contribute to this risk.
- Using RNA sequencing, researchers compared gene expression profiles of glioblastoma patients with VTE to those without and identified 1246 differentially expressed genes, including GLI1, which is linked to the Sonic Hedgehog signaling pathway.
- The findings suggest that the Sonic Hedgehog pathway may play a significant role in the risk of VTE among glioblastoma patients, particularly those with certain tumor subtypes.
Background: Distinguishing true tumor progression (TP) from treatment-induced abnormalities (eg, pseudo-progression (PP) after radiotherapy) on conventional MRI scans remains challenging in patients with a glioblastoma. We aimed to establish brain MRI phenotypes of glioblastomas early after treatment by combined analysis of structural and perfusion tumor characteristics and assessed the relation with recurrence rate and overall survival time.
Methods: Structural and perfusion MR images of 67 patients at 3 months post-radiotherapy were visually scored by a neuroradiologist.
Article Synopsis
- A study examines how to identify bioactive per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in environmental samples, as only a few of these compounds are regularly monitored.
- It combines toxicity testing, targeted chemical analyses, and suspect screening to find unknown substances in PFAS-contaminated sediments, particularly looking at their interaction with the thyroid hormone distributor protein, transthyretin (TTR).
- The researchers determined that certain PFAS, like PFHpS and PFOS, have varying potencies for TTR binding, but not all observed bioactivity in sediment samples was linked to the known PFAS, leading to the identification of five additional candidates through suspect screening.
Zebrafish embryos (ZFE) is a widely used model organism, employed in various research fields including toxicology to assess e.g., developmental toxicity and endocrine disruption.
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- - The study examined the recurrence of seizures in glioma patients after withdrawing antiseizure medication (ASM), comparing those with short-term, medium-term, and long-term seizure freedom post-antitumour treatment.
- - Out of 109 patients, 47% with short-term seizure freedom, 31% with medium-term, and 44% with long-term experienced recurrent seizures, indicating no significant difference in risk across these groups.
- - Overall, the findings suggest that the risk of seizure recurrence remains relatively similar for patients regardless of how long they have been seizure-free after their cancer treatment.
Tumor-related epilepsy (TRE) is a frequent and major consequence of brain tumors. Management of TRE is required throughout the course of disease and a deep understanding of diagnosis and treatment is key to improving quality of life. Gross total resection is favored from both an oncologic and epilepsy perspective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of passive sampling devices (PSDs) as an appropriate alternative to conventional methods of assessing human exposure to environmental toxicants was studied. One-time purposive sampling by a silicone wristband was used to measure insecticide residues in 35 volunteer pepper farmers in the Vea irrigation scheme in the Guinea savannah and the Weija irrigation scheme in the coastal savannah ecological zones of Ghana. A GC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for quantifying 18 insecticides used by farmers in Ghana.
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- There is a lack of comprehensive data on steroid hormones in rat models, especially during early development and in unconventional matrices like the liver.
- The researchers developed a new method using enzymatic solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to measure 23 steroid hormones in liver and plasma from both adult and neonatal rats.
- Their optimized protocol, featuring a recombinant enzyme mix, allows for efficient sample processing and sensitivity in detecting steroid hormones, providing new reference intervals and enhancing understanding of hormone dynamics in early developmental stages.
Preoperative clinical MRI protocols for gliomas, brain tumors with dismal outcomes due to their infiltrative properties, still rely on conventional structural MRI, which does not deliver information on tumor genotype and is limited in the delineation of diffuse gliomas. The GliMR COST action wants to raise awareness about the state of the art of advanced MRI techniques in gliomas and their possible clinical translation. This review describes current methods, limits, and applications of advanced MRI for the preoperative assessment of glioma, summarizing the level of clinical validation of different techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPreoperative clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols for gliomas, brain tumors with dismal outcomes due to their infiltrative properties, still rely on conventional structural MRI, which does not deliver information on tumor genotype and is limited in the delineation of diffuse gliomas. The GliMR COST action wants to raise awareness about the state of the art of advanced MRI techniques in gliomas and their possible clinical translation or lack thereof. This review describes current methods, limits, and applications of advanced MRI for the preoperative assessment of glioma, summarizing the level of clinical validation of different techniques.
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- A study evaluated the effectiveness of a triple therapy of levetiracetam, valproic acid, and clobazam (LEV + VPA + CLB) for patients with glioma and refractory epilepsy to see how it compares to other ASM triple therapies.
- The research involved analyzing data from 90 patients who had persistent seizures after trying other treatments, finding no significant difference in treatment failure rates between LEV + VPA + CLB and other combinations after 12 months.
- The results suggest that the LEV + VPA + CLB combination is as effective as other triple therapy options for managing seizures in glioma patients, although further studies are needed for confirmation.