Integrated use of Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease Prediction Tools and Risk Prognostication.

Background: Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is the most common genetic cause of kidney failure. Specific treatment is indicated upon observed or predicted rapid progression. For the latter, risk stratification tools have been developed independently based on either total kidney volume or genotyping as well as clinical variables.

Cardiac arrhythmias during and after thoracic irradiation for malignancies.

Background: Cardiac arrhythmia has been reported as a significant complication of thoracic radiotherapy. Both bradyarrhythmias and tachyarrhythmias have been reported, highlighting the arrhythmia-modulating potential of radiation in certain oncologic therapies. This study aimed to analyse the arrhythmic burden in patients with cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIEDs) undergoing thoracic irradiation, examining both immediate effects of radiotherapy and long-term sequelae post-therapy.

Practice variation in surgical treatment for lumbar degenerative disc disease: exploring regional and hospital factors influencing surgical rates.

The presence of significant, unwarranted variation in treatment suggests that clinical decision making also depends on where patients live instead of what they need and prefer. Historically, high practice variation in surgical treatment for lumbar degenerative disc disease (LDDD) has been documented. This study aimed to investigate current regional variation in surgical treatment for sciatica resulting from LDDD.

Impact of evidence-based guidelines on healthcare utilisation and costs for disc related sciatica in the Netherlands: a population-based, cross-sectional study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of high-quality evidence supporting surgical treatment of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) on healthcare practice in the Netherlands by examining changes in healthcare utilisation, including the timing of surgery, and the healthcare costs for patients with LDH.

Design: A retrospective, cross-sectional study was performed using population-based, longitudinal data obtained from the Dutch Healthcare Authority (2007-2020) and NIVEL's primary care (2012-2020) administrative databases.

Setting: The study was conducted within the healthcare system of the Netherlands.

Cardiomuscular Biomarkers in the Diagnosis and Prognostication of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Myocarditis.

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are approved for multiple cancers but can result in ICI-associated myocarditis, an infrequent but life-threatening condition. Elevations in cardiac biomarkers, specifically troponin-I (cTnI), troponin-T (cTnT), and creatine kinase (CK), are used for diagnosis. However, the association between temporal elevations of these biomarkers with disease trajectory and outcomes has not been established.

Biochemical characterization of a glycoside hydrolase family 43 β-D-galactofuranosidase from the fungus Aspergillus niger.

β-D-Galactofuranose (Galf) and its polysaccharides are found in bacteria, fungi and protozoa but do not occur in mammalian tissues, and thus represent a specific target for anti-pathogenic drugs. Understanding the enzymatic degradation of these polysaccharides is therefore of great interest, but the identity of fungal enzymes with exclusively galactofuranosidase activity has so far remained elusive. Here we describe the identification and characterization of a galactofuranosidase from the industrially important fungus Aspergillus niger.

The feruloyl esterase from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus shows broad specificity for processing pre-biotic feruloylated xylooligosaccharides at high temperatures.

Ferulic acid has antioxidant properties of interest to the food industry and can be released from natural plant fibres using feruloyl esterases. Esterases active at high temperatures are highly desirable but currently underrepresented. Here we report the biochemical characterization of the feruloyl esterase from Thermobacillus xylanilyticus.

[Skin-to-skin caesarean section: better patient care].

Five years ago, we described the skin-to-skin caesarean section, a procedure in which parental participation, slow delivery and direct skin-to-skin contact are important aspects. By multiple research, the skin-to-skin CS has been shown to have positive outcomes for the child and parents, as long as there is attention for neonatal thermal regulation. These outcomes should lead to cost reduction, versus the extra personnel costs for the nurse.

Practice Variation Research in Degenerative Lumbar Disc Surgery: A Literature Review on Design Characteristics and Outcomes.

Study Design: Literature review.

Objective: To describe whether practice variation studies on surgery in patients with lumbar degenerative disc disease used adequate study methodology to identify unwarranted variation, and to inform quality improvement in clinical practice. Secondary aim was to describe whether variation changed over time.

Recent advances in enzymatic synthesis of β-glucan and cellulose.

Bottom-up synthesis of β-glucans such as callose, fungal β-(1,3)(1,6)-glucan and cellulose, can create the defined compounds that are needed to perform fundamental studies on glucan properties and develop applications. With the importance of β-glucans and cellulose in high-profile fields such as nutrition, renewables-based biotechnology and materials science, the enzymatic synthesis of such relevant carbohydrates and their derivatives has attracted much attention. Here we review recent developments in enzymatic synthesis of β-glucans and cellulose, with a focus on progress made over the last five years.

[Reduction in the number of paediatric tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies in the Netherlands between 2005 and 2018].

Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy (ATE) and adenoidectomy have been among the most frequently performed procedures in children for approximately 100 years. Randomized controlled trials were performed in the Netherlands to study the effectiveness of ATEs and adenoidectomies in children with upper respiratory tract infections. Subsequently, evidence-based guidelines were developed and implemented.

Regional and hospital variation in commonly performed paediatric otolaryngology procedures in the Netherlands: a population-based study of healthcare utilisation between 2016 and 2019.

Objective: In the past few decades, there has been an increase in high-quality studies providing evidence on the effectiveness of commonly performed procedures in paediatric otolaryngology. We believe that now is the time to re-evaluate the care process. We aimed to analyse (1) the regional variation in incidence and referrals of adenoidectomies, tonsillectomies and ventilation tube insertions in children in the Netherlands between 2016 and 2019, (2) whether regional surgical rates, referral rates and in-hospital surgical rates were associated with one another, and (3) the hospital variation in healthcare costs, which indicates the utilisation of resources.

A promiscuous glycosyltransferase generates poly-β-1,4-glucan derivatives that facilitate mass spectrometry-based detection of cellulolytic enzymes.

Promiscuous activity of a glycosyltransferase was exploited to polymerise glucose from UDP-glucose via the generation of β-1,4-glycosidic linkages. The biocatalyst was incorporated into biocatalytic cascades and chemo-enzymatic strategies to synthesise cello-oligosaccharides with tailored functionalities on a scale suitable for employment in mass spectrometry-based assays. The resulting glycan structures enabled reporting of the activity and selectivity of celluloltic enzymes.

The impact of new evidence on regional variation in paediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy: a historical review.

Background: Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy have been among the most commonly performed procedures in children for approximately 100 years. These procedures were the first for which unwarranted regional variation was discovered, in 1938. Indications for these procedures have become stricter over time, which might have reduced regional practice variation.

Changes in healthcare utilisation for paediatric tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in the Netherlands: a population-based study.

Objectives: Tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy in children are controversial subjects with large regional variation in surgical rates, partly explained by cultural differences and lack of high-quality evidence on indications for surgery. A quality of care cycle was executed on this topic in the Netherlands. The objective of this study was to estimate changes in healthcare utilisation for paediatric tonsil surgery in the Netherlands.

The Relationship of Tinnitus Distress With Personality Traits: A Systematic Review.

An association between tinnitus distress with anxiety and depression is described in literature. A similar relationship might exist between tinnitus distress and personality traits, especially since associations between personality traits and other chronic diseases are already revealed. In this systematic review, we aim to investigate whether personality is a risk factor for tinnitus distress.

Impact of surgical intervention trials on healthcare: A systematic review of assessment methods, healthcare outcomes, and determinants.

Background: Frameworks used in research impact evaluation studies vary widely and it remains unclear which methods are most appropriate for evaluating research impact in the field of surgical research. Therefore, we aimed to identify and review the methods used to assess the impact of surgical intervention trials on healthcare and to identify determinants for surgical impact.

Methods: We searched journal databases up to March 10, 2020 for papers assessing the impact of surgical effectiveness trials on healthcare.

Succession of physiological stages hallmarks the transcriptomic response of the fungus to lignocellulose.

Background: Understanding how fungi degrade lignocellulose is a cornerstone of improving renewables-based biotechnology, in particular for the production of hydrolytic enzymes. Considerable progress has been made in investigating fungal degradation during time-points where CAZyme expression peaks. However, a robust understanding of the fungal survival strategies over its life time on lignocellulose is thereby missed.

Growing a circular economy with fungal biotechnology: a white paper.

Fungi have the ability to transform organic materials into a rich and diverse set of useful products and provide distinct opportunities for tackling the urgent challenges before all humans. Fungal biotechnology can advance the transition from our petroleum-based economy into a bio-based circular economy and has the ability to sustainably produce resilient sources of food, feed, chemicals, fuels, textiles, and materials for construction, automotive and transportation industries, for furniture and beyond. Fungal biotechnology offers solutions for securing, stabilizing and enhancing the food supply for a growing human population, while simultaneously lowering greenhouse gas emissions.

Increased S-100 B levels are associated with fractures and soft tissue injury in multiple trauma patients.

Background: S-100 B protein was identified as a biomarker for traumatic brain injury, but studies suggest that extracranial injuries may also lead to increased S-100 B serum levels. In this study, we aim to quantify the impact of injury patterns on S-100 B levels in patients with suspected multiple trauma.

Methods: Patients with suspected multiple trauma treated at a Level 1 Trauma centre in Switzerland were included in this retrospective patient chart review.

Enzymatic synthesis of N-acetyllactosamine from lactose enabled by recombinant β1,4-galactosyltransferases.

Utilising a fast and sensitive screening method based on imidazolium-tagged probes, we report unprecedented reversible activity of bacterial β1,4-galactosyltransferases to catalyse the transgalactosylation from lactose to N-acetylglucosamine to form N-acetyllactosamine in the presence of UDP. The process is demonstrated by the preparative scale synthesis of pNP-β-LacNAc from lactose using β1,4-galactosyltransferase NmLgtB-B as the only biocatalyst.

Mesopredatory fishes from the subtropical upwelling region off NW-Africa characterised by their parasite fauna.

Eastern boundary upwelling provides the conditions for high marine productivity in the Canary Current System off NW-Africa. Despite its considerable importance to fisheries, knowledge on this marine ecosystem is only limited. Here, parasites were used as indicators to gain insight into the host ecology and food web of two pelagic fish species, the commercially important species Linnaeus, 1758, and Johnson, 1865 Fish specimens of ( = 104) and ( = 91), sampled from the Canary Current System off the Senegalese coast and Cape Verde Islands, were examined, collecting data on their biometrics, diet and parasitisation.

Lighten up the dark: metazoan parasites as indicators for the ecology of Antarctic crocodile icefish (Channichthyidae) from the north-west Antarctic Peninsula.

Due to its remote and isolated location, Antarctica is home to a unique diversity of species. The harsh conditions have shaped a primarily highly adapted endemic fauna. This includes the notothenioid family Channichthyidae.

Association of Behavior With Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Among Attendees of an Outdoor Music Festival: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: To date, factors associated with noise-induced hearing loss at music festivals have not yet been analyzed in a single comprehensive data set. In addition, little is known about the hearing loss-associated behavior of music festival attendees.

Objectives: To assess which factors are associated with the occurrence of a temporary threshold shift (TTS) after music exposure and to investigate the behavior of music festival attendees.

Parasite fauna of the Antarctic dragonfish Parachaenichthys charcoti (Perciformes: Bathydraconidae) and closely related Bathydraconidae from the Antarctic Peninsula, Southern Ocean.

Background: As members of the Notothenioidei - the dominant fish taxon in Antarctic waters - the family Bathydraconidae includes 12 genera and 17 species. The knowledge of these species inhabiting an isolated environment is rather fragmentary, including their parasite fauna. Studies on fish hosts and their associated parasites can help gain insights into even remote ecosystems and be used to infer ecological roles in food webs; however, ecological studies on the Bathydraconidae are scarce.