Diagnostic Accuracy of Clinical Signs and Biochemical Parameters for External Ventricular CSF Catheter-Associated Infection.

Background And Objectives: Few prospective well-designed diagnostic accuracy studies have been performed to study the parameters of infection in patients suspected for external ventricular catheter-associated infection. Our objective was to analyze the diagnostic accuracy of clinical characteristics and biochemical and microbiological parameters in diagnosing external ventricular CSF catheter-associated infection.

Methods: From 2014 to 2017, we performed a single-center cohort study in consecutive patients at the intensive care unit who required an external ventricular CSF catheter in the Hague, the Netherlands.

Correlation between the number of patient-reported adverse events, adverse drug events, and quality of life in older patients: an observational study.

Background: Previous studies on medication therapy management services, e.g. medication reconciliation and medication review, do not show consistent improvements in patient's health-related quality of life.

Diagnostic accuracy of four different D-dimer assays: A post-hoc analysis of the YEARS study.

Introduction: For exclusion of pulmonary embolism (PE) clinical decision rules in combination with a D-dimer assay are applied. Currently available D-dimer assays are not standardized and it is unknown whether these differences have an impact on diagnostic management of suspected PE. Therefore, the aim is to explore differences between D-dimer assays and their impact on diagnostic outcome.

Medication reviews in hospitalized patients: a qualitative study on perceptions of primary and secondary care providers on interprofessional collaboration.

Background: In-hospital medication reviews are regularly performed. However, discontinuity in care could occur because secondary care providers lack insight into the outpatient history. Furthermore, for the implementation or follow-up of some medication review-based interventions, the help of primary care providers is essential.

The effect of an inpatient geriatric stewardship on drug-related problems reported by patients after discharge.

Background Drug-related problems after discharge are common among older adults with polypharmacy. Medication review during hospitalization has been proposed as one solution. Inpatient medication review is often based on clinical records only.

Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Ameliorates Pristane Induced Diffuse Alveolar Hemorrhage in Mice.

Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a fatal complication in patients with lupus. DAH can be induced in B6 mice by an intraperitoneal injection of pristane. Since human alpha-1-antitrypsin (hAAT) is an anti-inflammatory and immuno-regulatory protein, we investigated the protective effect of hAAT against pristane-induced DAH in B6 mice and hAAT transgenic (hAAT-Tg) mice.

[Using thromboelastography to measure coagulation following massive blood loss].

Thromboelastography is becoming increasingly important for diagnosing coagulation disorders in patients with massive blood loss. This whole-blood measurement provides information about the speed of clot formation, clot strength, and degree of fibrinolysis. The result can be used as a basis for making a faster and better choice of a suitable blood product for the patient with severe blood loss.

[Confusion caused by dietary supplement lithium orotate].

A 38-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with pelvic inflammatory disease. She had been diagnosed as having a tubo-ovarian abscess, for which antibiotic therapy with metronidazole and levofloxacin was indicated. Because the patient was already taking lithium she was prescribed clindamycin instead of metronidazole, a drug that interacts with lithium.

Procalcitonin in cerebrospinal fluid in meningitis: a prospective diagnostic study.

Objectives: Bacterial meningitis is a severe but treatable condition. Clinical symptoms may be ambiguous and current diagnostics lack sensitivity and specificity, complicating diagnosis. Procalcitonin (PCT) is a protein that is elevated in serum in bacterial infection.

Cost-effectiveness analysis of cardiovascular risk factor screening in women who experienced hypertensive pregnancy disorders at term.

Objectives: To assess the cost-effectiveness of post-partum screening on cardiovascular risk factors and subsequent treatment in women with a history of gestational hypertension or pre-eclampsia at term.

Study Design: Two separate Markov models evaluated the cost-effectiveness analysis of hypertension (HT) screening and screening on metabolic syndrome (MetS), respectively, as compared to current practice in women with a history of term hypertensive pregnancy disorders. Analyses were performed from the Dutch health care perspective, using a lifetime horizon.

[Metformin, renal function and lactate: the MetClear Study].

Objective: To map the relation between metformin prescription and renal function in an outpatient setting. To investigate whether there is an association between renal function, metformin concentration and lactate concentration.

Design: Pilot for a prospective observational cohort study.

Anti-Emm in a pregnant patient--case report.

A 23-year-old primigravida of North African origin presented with a positive antibody screen at booking at 15 weeks of gestation. An antibody to a high-frequency antigen (HFA) of unknown identity was detected, which was reactive with the red blood cells of the father. This led to several challenges including antibody identification, clinical monitoring to detect signs of haemolytic disease of the foetus and newborn (HDFN) and compatible blood in case perinatal transfusion was needed.

Cardiovascular risk factors in women who had hypertensive disorders late in pregnancy: a cohort study.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine cardiovascular risk factors in women with a history of hypertensive pregnancy disorders at term (HTP) 2.5 years after pregnancy.

Study Design: In a multicenter cohort study in The Netherlands from June 2008 through November 2010, cardiovascular risk factors were compared between women with a history of HTP (HTP cohort, n = 306) and women with a history of normotensive pregnancies at term (NTP cohort, n = 99).

Biochemical cardiovascular risk factors after hypertensive pregnancy disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Unlabelled: The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies assessing biochemical cardiovascular risk factors in women with previous hypertensive pregnancy disorders and women with previous normotensive pregnancies. Data were collected from PubMed and EMBASE (from inception to February 28, 2011) supplemented by manual searches of bibliographies. Included were cohort studies and case-control studies assessing biochemical cardiovascular risk factors in women with previous hypertensive pregnancy disorders compared with women with previous normotensive pregnancies.

Optimizing blood pigment analysis in cerebrospinal fluid for the diagnosis of subarachnoid haemorrhage--a practical approach.

Background: Patients presenting with sudden severe headache may have a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). After a normal head computer tomography (CT), a lumbar puncture is routinely performed to rule out SAH. Photospectrometry is then used to detect bilirubin in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Hb Haaglanden: a new nonsickling β7Glu>Val variant. Consequences for basic diagnostics, screening, and risk assessment when dealing with HbS-like variants.

Introduction: To report a new hemoglobin variant undistinguishable from the common HbS on HPLC. To show the efficiency of the simplest confirmation method for HbS and to discuss the implications that may occur if HbS-like variants are wrongly reported as HbS.

Methods: Basic hematology, separation and measurement of the Hb fractions, 'sickle test,' and molecular analysis.

Feasibility of nonselective testing for hemoglobinopathies in early pregnancy in The Netherlands.

Objective: To examine the feasibility of standardized hemoglobinopathy (HBP) carrier testing for pregnant women in The Netherlands in addition to the standard anemia screening.

Methods: We assessed the prevalence of HBP in women at the time of the first pregnancy visit using both a prospective cohort (N = 703) and a retrospective series of women selected at random (N = 588). For the purpose of analysis, the population was divided into a high risk and a low risk group for HBP based on maternal ethnicity.

10-Year cardiovascular event risks for women who experienced hypertensive disorders in late pregnancy: the HyRAS study.

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the cause of death in 32% of women in the Netherlands. Prediction of an individual's risk for cardiovascular disease is difficult, in particular in younger women due to low sensitive and specific tests for these women. 10% to 15% of all pregnancies are complicated by hypertensive disorders, the vast majority of which develop only after 36 weeks of gestation.

Maternal and paternal thrombophilia: risk factors for perinatal mortality.

Background: Although some paternal components to the predisposition to pre-eclampsia have been demonstrated recently, it is not known whether such paternal factors play a role to thrombophilia-related perinatal mortality.

Objective: To compare the paternal and maternal contribution to perinatal mortality.

Study Design: Data from a prospective registry of perinatal mortality in a Dutch healthcare region were used.

The efficacy of laboratory diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infections in gastric biopsy specimens is related to bacterial density and vacA, cagA, and iceA genotypes.

A total of 500 consecutive patients undergoing upper endoscopy were biopsied and tested for H. pylori infection by the Campylobacter-like organism (CLO) test, culture, histology, and PCR. Serum samples were tested by two different serological assays.

Detection and identification of monoclonal gammopathies by capillary electrophoresis.

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) and immunosubtraction capillary electrophoresis (IS-CE) were compared with the conventional methods agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) and immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE) for detection and identification of paraproteins. In total, 74 paraproteins out of 468 serum samples were detected by both methods. Seventy-three monoclonal bands with concentrations ranging from 0.