Epidemiology of watersport related traumatic spinal cord injuries in New Zealand (2007-2021).

Background: To investigate the incidence, demographic characteristics, etiologies, surgical interventions, hospital stays, and neurologic outcomes associated with watersport-related traumatic spinal cord injuries (TSCI) in New Zealand.

Methods: Retrospective study collected data from New Zealand's two spinal rehabilitation units, the Auckland Spinal Rehabilitation Unit (ASRU) and the Burwood Spinal Unit (BSU). It included adults aged over 16 years, between January 2007 and December 2021 with new TSCI secondary to traumatic watersport activities.

Dutch Nationwide Cohort Experience with a New PROMs Set in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery: BODY-Q Obesity Module.

Purpose: Patient-reported outcomes are important as obesity is a chronic disease with a substantial impact. A multidisciplinary task force selected six scales (48 questions) from the validated BODY-Q questionnaire. This subset was gradually introduced and evaluated in a mandatory nationwide registry.

Acute pilonidal abscess: Prospective nationwide audit in the Netherlands.

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess Dutch surgical practice and outcomes for acute pilonidal abscess.

Method: Patients with pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) who underwent surgical treatment between 1 March 2020 and 1 March 2021 at 36 participating hospitals were included in a prospective observational cohort study. For the present study, only patients with an acute abscess were included for analysis.

A nationwide snapshot study on outcomes one year after surgery for chronic pilonidal sinus disease.

Aim: Managing pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) remains challenging due to high recurrence rates and morbidity associated with treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes one year after surgical treatment for chronic PSD in the Netherlands.

Method: Patients with PSD who underwent surgical treatment between March 1, 2020, and March 1, 2021, at 36 participating hospitals were included in a prospective observational cohort study.

[Fever and a papule after a visit to a South-African Wild Park].

A 39-year old man presented in our emergency room with fever, lymphadenopathy in his right groin and a red papule with a dark center. He was treated with doxycycline and recovered well. Serology showed with seroconversion after a few weeks.

Head-to-head comparison of composite and individual biomarkers to predict clinical benefit to PD-1 blockade in non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: The efficacy of PD-1 blocking agents in advanced NSCLC has shown prolonged effectiveness, but only in a minority of patients. Multiple biomarkers have been explored to predict treatment benefit, yet their combined performance remains inadequately examined. In this study, we assessed the combined predictive performance of multiple biomarkers in NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab.

Optimising primary molecular profiling in non-small cell lung cancer.

Introduction: Molecular profiling of NSCLC is essential for optimising treatment decisions, but often incomplete. We assessed the efficacy of protocolised molecular profiling in the current standard-of-care (SoC) in a prospective observational study in the Netherlands and measured the effect of providing standardised diagnostic procedures. We also explored the potential of plasma-based molecular profiling in the primary diagnostic setting.

Comparison of MBT biotargets with MBT steel targets for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry identifications of microorganisms in a clinical microbiology laboratory.

MALDI-TOF MS identifications of microorganisms in a clinical laboratory were investigated, comparing steel targets with MBT Biotargets. By using MBT Biotargets, the score values of yeast identifications increased, whereas the score values of Gram-negative bacteria decreased. Switching to MBT Biotargets did not negatively impact overall frequencies of high confidence identifications.

Quality of stapled mesenteric defect closure influences the chance of reopening after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Internal herniation (IH) is a common problem after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB). Routine closure of the mesenteric defects (MDs) reduces the risk of IH. Only very few articles report on risk factors for IH or describe detailed closing techniques.

[Anaemia].

The first scientific article on anaemia was published in 1807, marking a tipping point in modern medicine. Despite a vast bulk of literature on this topic, the interpretation of anaemia is not always straight forward. The most common form of anaemia, the iron deficiency anaemia, shares several characteristics with another common form of anaemia, the anaemia of chronic disease, or better: 'inflammatory anaemia'.

Effect of preharvest conditions on cut-flower quality.

The cut flower industry has a global reach as flowers are often produced in countries around the equator and transported by plane or ship (reefer) mostly to the global north. Vase-life issues are often regarded as linked to only postharvest conditions while cultivation factors are just as important. Here, we review the main causes for quality reduction in cut flowers with the emphasis on the importance of preharvest conditions.

Prognostic Value of Nivolumab Clearance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients for Survival Early in Treatment.

Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibitors improved survival of advanced stage non-small cell lung cancer patients, but the overall response rate remains low. A biomarker that identifies non-responders would be helpful to allow treatment decisions. Clearance of immune checkpoint inhibitors is related to treatment response, but its prognostic potential early in treatment remains unknown.

Dialysis withdrawal and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a prospective cohort study.

Background: An important aspect of end-of-life decisions in dialysis patients is elective withdrawal from dialysis therapy. Several studies have shown that clinical factors, such as comorbidity, play a role in dialysis withdrawal. The role of symptoms of anxiety and depression is largely unknown.

Blood platelet RNA profiles do not enable for nivolumab response prediction at baseline in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Anti-PD-(L)1 immunotherapy has emerged as a promising treatment approach for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), though the response rates remain low. Pre-treatment response prediction may improve patient allocation for immunotherapy. Blood platelets act as active immune-like cells, thereby constraining T-cell activity, propagating cancer metastasis, and adjusting their spliced mRNA content.

Treatment of haemorrhoids: rubber band ligation or sclerotherapy (THROS)? Study protocol for a multicentre, non-inferiority, randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Haemorrhoidal disease (HD) is a common condition with significant epidemiologic and economic implications. While it is possible to treat symptomatic grade 1-2 haemorrhoids with rubber band ligation (RBL) or sclerotherapy (SCL), the effectiveness of these treatments compatible with current standards has not yet been investigated with a randomised controlled trial. The hypothesis is that SCL is not inferior to RBL in terms of symptom reduction (patient-related outcome measures (PROMs)), patient experience, complications or recurrence rate.

Mechanistic forecasts of species responses to climate change: The promise of biophysical ecology.

A core challenge in global change biology is to predict how species will respond to future environmental change and to manage these responses. To make such predictions and management actions robust to novel futures, we need to accurately characterize how organisms experience their environments and the biological mechanisms by which they respond. All organisms are thermodynamically connected to their environments through the exchange of heat and water at fine spatial and temporal scales and this exchange can be captured with biophysical models.

Cost-effectiveness of ursodeoxycholic acid in preventing new-onset symptomatic gallstone disease after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery.

Background: The aim was to evaluate the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) prophylaxis for the prevention of symptomatic gallstone disease after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in patients without gallstones before surgery.

Methods: Data from a multicentre, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled superiority trial were used. Patients scheduled for laparoscopic RYGB or sleeve gastrectomy were randomized to receive 900 mg UDCA or placebo for 6 months.

Validation of Two Screening Tools for Anxiety in Hemodialysis Patients.

Background: Symptoms of anxiety are often unrecognized and untreated in dialysis patients. We investigated the diagnostic accuracy of two widely used screening tools for anxiety in hemodialysis patients.

Methods: For this cross-sectional validation study, chronic hemodialysis patients from eight dialysis centers in the Netherlands were included.

PD-1T TILs as a Predictive Biomarker for Clinical Benefit to PD-1 Blockade in Patients with Advanced NSCLC.

Purpose: Durable clinical benefit to PD-1 blockade in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is currently limited to a small fraction of patients, underlining the need for predictive biomarkers. We recently identified a tumor-reactive tumor-infiltrating T lymphocyte (TIL) pool, termed PD-1T TILs, with predictive potential in NSCLC. Here, we examined PD-1T TILs as biomarker in NSCLC.

Treatment of cryptoglandular fistulas with the fistula tract laser closure (FiLaC™) method in comparison with standard methods: first results of a multicenter retrospective comparative study in the Netherlands.

Background: Current surgical closure techniques for sphincter-sparing treatment of high cryptoglandular fistulas in the Netherlands include the mucosal advancement flap procedure (MAF) and ligation of the intersphincteric fistula tract (LIFT). A relatively novel treatment is the fistula tract laser closure (FiLaC™) method. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences in healing and recurrence rates between FiLaC™ and current standard practices.

The association between the susceptibility to Botrytis cinerea and the levels of volatile and non-volatile metabolites in red ripe strawberry genotypes.

The relations between physical and chemical characteristics (e.g., color, firmness, volatile and non-volatile metabolites) of red ripe strawberry fruit and the natural spoilage caused by Botrytis cinerea were investigated.