Publications by authors named "Pronk A"

Introduction: The general population is chronically exposed to organophosphate pesticides through various routes including ingestion, hand-to-mouth contact, inhalation, and dermal contact. Exposure to organophosphate pesticides during pregnancy impairs fetal development, but the potential long-term effects of gestational organophosphate pesticide exposure are less well understood.

Methods: We investigated associations between gestational organophosphate pesticide exposure and cardiovascular outcomes in 643 children in the Generation R Study, a prospective pregnancy cohort based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

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Aim: In recent years, the paradigm for the treatment of sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease (SPSD) has shifted from surgical excision toward more minimally invasive techniques. Although extensive research has been conducted on the minimal invasive phenolization technique for primary SPSD, literature in recurrent SPSD is lacking. The purpose of this study was to report the long-term outcomes of the phenolization technique for recurrent SPSD.

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This paper investigates the use of ice-based materials combined with Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) to enhance the bending capacity of ice sculptures. Through three-point bending tests and ABAQUS simulations, the study analyses the mechanical behaviour of GFRP and cellulose ice, both separately and together. The results show that FRP improves tensile resistance while cellulose ice adds mass and ductility.

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Background: Climate change is expected to elevate exposure to several environmental health risk factors, including extreme environmental temperatures, air pollution and airborne allergenic pollen. Given their interconnected effects on respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, it is crucial to evaluate these exposures simultaneously. Yet, comprehensive efforts to do so remain limited.

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Background And Aim: This study aims to evaluate the effect of time to Crohn's disease (CD) diagnosis on perianal fistula (PAF) outcomes in patients with a fistula as first manifesting sign.

Methods: In this multicenter, retrospective study, CD patients with a PAF preceding CD diagnosis between November 2015 and June 2022 were included. The primary outcome parameter was the time to CD diagnosis and its correlation with long-term outcomes.

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Aims: Angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) and 4 (ANGPTL4) inhibit lipoprotein lipase to regulate tissue fatty acid (FA) uptake from triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins such as very low density lipoproteins (VLDL). While pharmacological inhibition of ANGPTL3 is being evaluated as a lipid-lowering strategy, systemic ANGPTL4 inhibition is not pursued due to adverse effects. This study aims to compare the therapeutic potential of liver-specific Angptl3 and Angptl4 silencing to attenuate hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis development in APOE*3-Leiden.

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Occupational exposure to particulate matter (PM) can result in multiple adverse health effects and should be minimized to protect workers' health. PM exposure at the workplace can be complex with many potential sources and fluctuations over time, making it difficult to control. Dynamic maps that visualize how PM is distributed throughout a workplace over time can help in gaining better insights into when and where exposure occurs.

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Crosstalk between peripheral metabolic organs and the central nervous system is essential for body weight control. At the base of the hypothalamus, β-tanycytes surround the portal capillaries and function as gatekeepers to facilitate transfer of substances from the circulation into the cerebrospinal fluid and vice versa. Here, we investigated the role of the neuroplasticity gene doublecortin-like (DCL), highly expressed by β-tanycytes, in body weight control and whole-body energy metabolism.

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Article Synopsis
  • Prenatal exposure to non-persistent chemicals like organophosphate pesticides, phthalates, and bisphenols affects growth patterns in children, yet few studies have explored these effects using long-term data.
  • In a study with 777 participants, researchers analyzed weight and BMI growth trajectories from prenatal to age 13, linking chemical exposure through maternal urine samples to these growth patterns.
  • The findings indicated that higher levels of phthalic acid and bisphenol A (BPA) were linked to a growth trajectory showing lower prenatal and higher childhood weight, while organophosphate pesticides were associated with lower odds of an average growth trajectory.
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Workplace exposure is an important source of ill health. The use of wearable sensors and sensing technologies may help improve and maintain worker health, safety, and wellbeing. Input from workers should inform the integration of these sensors into workplaces.

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Background: Mesenchymal stem cell treatment (MST) has emerged as a new therapeutic strategy for Crohn's perianal fistulas. It has been demonstrated that a fibrotic tract on MRI with a MAGNIFI-CD score ≤ 6 is the best predictor for long-term clinical closure. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to analyse the effectiveness of MST for complex Crohn's perianal fistulas based on MRI.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Exposome Project aims to explore how various occupational exposures affect health, focusing on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) to set research priorities.
  • A narrative review was conducted to analyze occupational risk factors linked to six NCD groups, identifying over 200 exposures with varying levels of evidence regarding their health associations.
  • Key findings indicate that certain exposures like diesel engine exhaust have consistent links to lung cancer, while others require more research to better understand their impact on health.
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Postponement of surgical inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care may lead to disease progression. This study aims to determine the influence of delayed surgical IBD procedures on clinical outcomes. This multicenter retrospective cohort study included IBD patients who underwent a surgical procedure during the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic from March 16, 2020, to December 31, 2020, and were compared to a pre-COVID-19 cohort.

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Background: The routine use of MRI in rectal cancer treatment allows the use of a strict definition for low rectal cancer. This study aimed to compare minimally invasive total mesorectal excision in MRI-defined low rectal cancer in expert laparoscopic, transanal and robotic high-volume centres.

Methods: All MRI-defined low rectal cancer operated on between 2015 and 2017 in 11 Dutch centres were included.

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Obesity is a complex multicausal disease that can cause morbidity and mortality, and there is need for improved knowledge on the underlying mechanisms. Using a mouse model of increased T cell responsiveness, we show that development of obesity can be driven by immune cells. This was confirmed with bone marrow transplantation and adoptive T cell transfer to several recipient mouse models.

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Background: We aimed to summarize the published evidence on the fall risk reducing potential of cardiovascular diagnostics and treatments in older adults.

Methods: Design: scoping review and evidence map.

Data Sources: Medline and Embase.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Challenges of this exposome approach include the need for minimally invasive and sensitive biological sample collection methods, particularly in situations like remote work or pandemics.
  • * The aim of the review was to identify and evaluate existing self-sampling techniques for biological samples in occupational exposome studies, providing a guide for future research to overcome sampling challenges.
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Article Synopsis
  • The study examines the effects of phthalate exposure during pregnancy on brain development in children, using data from 775 mother-child pairs.
  • It found that higher maternal levels of monoethyl phthalate (mEP) correlate with reduced gray matter volumes in children by age 10, which is linked to lower IQ at age 14.
  • Additionally, a similar effect was observed in girls concerning monoisobutyl phthalate (mIBP) and white matter volumes, indicating that prenatal phthalate exposure negatively impacts cognitive development into adolescence.
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Background: Fetal exposure to organophosphate (OP) pesticides might lead to fetal metabolic adaptations, predisposing individuals to adverse metabolic profiles in later life.

Objective: We examined the association of maternal urinary OP pesticide metabolite concentrations in pregnancy with offspring body mass index (BMI) and fat measures at 10 years of age.

Methods: Between 2002 and 2006, we included 642 mother-child pairs from the Generation R Study, a population-based prospective cohort study in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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Background: Total mesorectal excision has been the gold standard for the operative management of rectal cancer. The most frequently used minimally invasive techniques for surgical resection of rectal cancer are laparoscopic, robot-assisted, and transanal total mesorectal excision. As studies comparing the costs of the techniques are lacking, this study aims to provide a cost overview.

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Background: RCTs are essential in guiding clinical decision-making but are difficult to perform, especially in surgery. This review assessed the trend in volume and methodological quality of published surgical RCTs over two decades.

Methods: PubMed was searched systematically for surgical RCTs published in 1999, 2009, and 2019.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Methods: Researchers used time-restricted feeding (TRF) to see if it could mitigate atherosclerosis in mice experiencing CD from shifting their light-dark cycles and compared TRF groups to those with normal food access.
  • * Findings: TRF did not stop certain inflammatory responses but reduced atherosclerotic lesions and improved inflammation-related responses, suggesting it might be a useful strategy for preventing asCVD in shift workers, needing further research in humans.
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Introduction: Organ preservation is associated with superior functional outcome and quality of life (QoL) compared with total mesorectal excision (TME) for rectal cancer. Only 10% of patients are eligible for organ preservation following short-course radiotherapy (SCRT, 25 Gy in five fractions) and a prolonged interval (4-8 weeks) to response evaluation. The organ preservation rate could potentially be increased by dose-escalated radiotherapy.

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Objectives: This study investigates the associations between the Danish version of a job exposure matrix for COVID-19 (COVID-19-JEM) and Danish register-based SARS-CoV-2 infection information across three waves of the pandemic. The COVID-19-JEM consists of four dimensions on transmission: two on mitigation measures, and two on precarious work characteristics.

Methods: The study comprised 2 021 309 persons from the Danish working population between 26 February 2020 and 15 December 2021.

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