Publications by authors named "Stefanie A Gauw"
Background: Patients treated for Lyme borreliosis (LB) frequently report persistent symptoms. Little is known about risk factors and etiology.
Methods: In a prospective observational cohort study with a follow-up of one year, we assessed a range of microbiological, immunological, genetic, clinical, functional, epidemiological, psychosocial and cognitive-behavioral variables as determinants of persistent symptoms after treatment for LB.
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- Researchers evaluated the effectiveness of three cellular tests for detecting Lyme borreliosis in comparison to standard serological testing, aiming to improve diagnosis, especially in early infection stages.
- The study involved a nationwide analysis in the Netherlands, including 271 patients with Lyme and 269 controls, to determine how well the cellular tests performed in terms of sensitivity (ability to correctly identify infected individuals) and specificity (ability to correctly identify non-infected individuals).
- Findings revealed that the standard serological test had higher specificity than the cellular tests, but the cellular tests varied significantly in sensitivity, indicating mixed results for their reliability in diagnosing Lyme borreliosis.
Article Synopsis
- A large prospective study investigated long-lasting symptoms in adults treated for Lyme borreliosis (LB), comparing these patients to general population and tick-bite controls.
- The study found that 27.2% of LB patients experienced persistent symptoms, notably higher than the 21.2% and 23.3% found in the general population and tick-bite groups, respectively.
- These persistent symptoms included more severe fatigue, cognitive impairment, and pain among erythema migrans patients compared to those without LB, suggesting an association between LB and lingering health issues in some patients.
Background: After antibiotic treatment of Lyme borreliosis, a subset of patients report persistent symptoms, also referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome. The reported prevalence of persistent symptoms varies considerably, and its pathophysiology is under debate. The LymeProspect study has been designed to investigate the prevalence, severity, and a wide range of hypotheses on the etiology of persistent symptoms among patients treated for Lyme borreliosis in the Netherlands.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) and radiofrequency-powered segmental ablation (RPSA) of the incompetent great saphenous vein (GSV) are both known for their excellent technical and clinical outcomes for the treatment of varicose veins. RPSA has reduced postprocedural pain and morbidity with shorter recovery time for the patient compared with EVLA using bare-tip fibers. However, new-generation EVLA devices with less traumatic radial-tip fibers (RTFs) operating at longer wavelengths up to 1470 nm also reduce postprocedural pain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The objective of this study was to compare the long-term results (groin-related recurrence, great saphenous vein [GSV] occlusion rate, Clinical class, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology [CEAP] staging, and quality of life [QoL]) after the treatment of a GSV incompetence by saphenofemoral ligation and stripping (SFL/S) with endovenous laser ablation bare fiber, 980 nm (EVLA).
Methods: Patients with GSV insufficiency and varicose veins were randomized to either undergo SFL/S or EVLA, both of which were performed under tumescent anesthesia. The long-term results, which included the anatomic occlusion rate, varicose vein recurrence at the saphenofemoral junction (SFJ), relief of venous symptoms and QoL, were compared up to 5 years after treatment.
Chronic ulcers ((arterio)venous, decubitus, or postoperative) have no tendency to heal within a period of at least 3 months despite optimal therapy according to internationally accepted guidelines. This retrospective study evaluates the safety and efficacy of an autologous, dermal-epidermal skin substitute (SS) for treating ulcers of various origins. Ulcers were treated within 7 Dutch centers over 5 years.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a non-invasive method for studying the acidity (pH) of airway secretions in patients with inflammatory lung diseases.
Aim: To assess the reproducibility of EBC pH for two commercially available devices (portable RTube and non-portable ECoScreen) in healthy controls, patients with asthma or COPD, and subjects suffering from an acute cold with lower-airway symptoms. In addition, we assessed the repeatability in healthy controls.
An electronic nose in the discrimination of patients with asthma and controls.
J Allergy Clin Immunol
October 2007
Background: Exhaled breath contains thousands of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that could serve as biomarkers of lung disease. Electronic noses can distinguish VOC mixtures by pattern recognition.
Objective: We hypothesized that an electronic nose can discriminate exhaled air of patients with asthma from healthy controls, and between patients with different disease severities.
Background: Roflumilast is a targeted oral once-daily administered phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor with clinical efficacy in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Results from in vitro studies with roflumilast indicate that it has anti-inflammatory properties that may be applicable for the treatment of COPD.
Methods: In a crossover study, 38 patients with COPD (mean (SD) age 63.