Development and external evaluation of a self-learning auto-segmentation model for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases Assessment (COALA).

Objectives: Total tumor volume (TTV) is associated with overall and recurrence-free survival in patients with colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM). However, the labor-intensive nature of such manual assessments has hampered the clinical adoption of TTV as an imaging biomarker. This study aimed to develop and externally evaluate a CRLM auto-segmentation model on CT scans, to facilitate the clinical adoption of TTV.

Intra- and interobserver reliability in measuring aortic root rotation with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Background: The rotational position of the aortic root (AoR) is of substantial clinical interest as it has been associated with severe aortic complications, such as aortic dissections. We described a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR)-based method for measuring AoR rotation and evaluated the reliability of measurements.

Methods: CMR was used for measuring AoR rotation in 50 consecutive healthy subjects.

Reproductive and obstetrical outcomes after treatment of retained products of conception: hysteroscopic removal vs ultrasound-guided electric vacuum aspiration, a prospective follow-up study.

Background: Traditionally, curettage has been the most widely performed surgical intervention for removing retained products of conception. However, hysteroscopic removal is increasingly performed as an alternative because of the potentially lower risk of intrauterine adhesions and higher rates of complete removal. Until recently, studies comparing curettage with hysteroscopic removal regarding reproductive and obstetrical outcomes were limited, and data conflicting.

Operative hysteroscopy versus ultrasound-guided electric vacuum aspiration for removal of retained products of conception: A prospective cohort study.

Objectives: To compare intrauterine adhesion (IUA) formation after hysteroscopic removal (HR) of retained products of conception (RPOC) with IUA formation after ultrasound-guided electric vacuum aspiration (EVA) and externally validate the outcomes of an RCT.

Study Design: This prospective cohort study was conducted from April 2015 until June 2022 in 2 Dutch teaching hospitals and one Belgian university hospital. Women opting for EVA underwent the procedure as soon as possible.

Hysteroscopic morcellation vs. curettage for removal of retained products of conception: a multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Objective: To study the comparison between hysteroscopic morcellation (HM) of retained products of conception (RPOC) with ultrasound (US)-guided electric vacuum aspiration in terms of intrauterine adhesion (IUA) formation, efficacy, and complications.

Design: A randomized controlled, nonblinded trial.

Setting: Three teaching hospitals and one university hospital from April 2015 to June 2022.

Strategies for low-molecular-weight heparin management in pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves: A nationwide survey of Dutch practice.

Background: In this study we investigated current Dutch practice of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) treatment in pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves (MPHV) in order to evaluate how management can be optimized.

Methods: Between December 2020 and February 2021, we conducted a survey among Dutch congenital cardiologists of tertiary centers in the Netherlands. We collected and analyzed written, unstructured, open questionnaires that were send to all 8 specialized pregnancy heart teams.

[Myocardial Infarction and resuscitation of an adolescent: consequences of an unexplained disease].

Background: Morbus Kawasaki is defined by unexplained fever combined with at least 4 out of 5 classic symptoms: bilateral conjunctivitis, polymorphic exanthema, strawberry tongue and red swollen lips, extremity changes and cervical lymphadenopathy. However, these symptoms do not always occur completely or simultaneously.

Case Description: An 18-year old man was admitted after an out of hospital cardiac arrest caused by an occluded aneurysmatic LAD, which was treated with a percutanious coronary intervention.

The first multicentre study on coronary anomalies in the Netherlands: MuSCAT.

Background: Current guidelines on coronary anomalies are primarily based on expert consensus and a limited number of trials. A gold standard for diagnosis and a consensus on the treatment strategy in this patient group are lacking, especially for patients with an anomalous origin of a coronary artery from the opposite sinus of Valsalva (ACAOS) with an interarterial course.

Aim: To provide evidence-substantiated recommendations for diagnostic work-up, treatment and follow-up of patients with anomalous coronary arteries.

Hepatocellular carcinoma and the Fontan circulation: Clinical presentation and outcomes.

Background: Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD) is universal in patients with a Fontan circulation. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of its severe expressions, and, though rare, frequently fatal. The purpose of this study was to describe the clinical presentation, risk factors, and outcomes of HCC in patients with a Fontan circulation.

The hepatotoxic fluoroquinolone trovafloxacin disturbs TNF- and LPS-induced p65 nuclear translocation in vivo and in vitro.

Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) is a severe disease that cannot be detected during drug development. It has been shown that hepatotoxicity of some compounds associated with IDILI becomes apparent when these are combined in vivo and in vitro with LPS or TNF. Among these compounds trovafloxacin (TVX) induced apoptosis in the liver and increased pro-inflammatory cytokines in mice exposed to LPS/TNF.

A network-based approach for identifying suitable biomarkers for oral immunotherapy of food allergy.

Background: Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a promising therapeutic approach to treat food allergic patients. However, concerns with regards to safety and long-term efficacy of OIT remain. There is a need to identify biomarkers that predict, monitor and/or evaluate the effects of OIT.

Non-digestible oligosaccharides scFOS/lcFOS facilitate safe subcutaneous immunotherapy for peanut allergy.

Background: Improving the safety of subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for food allergy is necessary to reduce side effects and achieve long-term tolerance. We determined the effect of dietary supplementation with 1% non-digestible short- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS/lcFOS) on safety and efficacy of SCIT using a peanut allergy mouse model.

Methods: After sensitization, mice received a scFOS/lcFOS or control diet for the rest of the study.

Mouse strain differences in response to oral immunotherapy for peanut allergy.

Background: Promising therapies for food allergy are emerging, mostly based on animal experimentation. However, different mouse strains are used, which may make it hard to compare experiments. The current study investigated whether the immunological differences between C3H/HeOuJ (C3H) and BALB/c mice lead to differences in efficacy of peanut-specific immunotherapy.

Butyrate Enhances Desensitization Induced by Oral Immunotherapy in Cow's Milk Allergic Mice.

Background: In previous studies, we showed that a fructo-oligosaccharide- (FOS-) supplemented diet enhanced oral immunotherapy (OIT) efficacy in a mouse model for cow's milk allergy. Fermentation of FOS by intestinal bacteria leads to production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) including butyrate.

Aim: To investigate the contribution of butyrate in the enhanced efficacy of OIT + FOS.

Trovafloxacin-Induced Liver Injury: Lack in Regulation of Inflammation by Inhibition of Nucleotide Release and Neutrophil Movement.

The fluoroquinolone trovafloxacin (TVX) is associated with a high risk of drug-induced liver injury (DILI). Although part of the liver damage by TVX+TNF relies on neutrophils, we have recently demonstrated that liver recruitment of monocytes and neutrophils is delayed by TVX. Here we show that the delayed leukocyte recruitment is caused by a combination of effects which are linked to the capacity of TVX to block the hemichannel pannexin 1.

Dietary Supplementation with Nondigestible Oligosaccharides Reduces Allergic Symptoms and Supports Low Dose Oral Immunotherapy in a Peanut Allergy Mouse Model.

Scope: A major downside of oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergy is the risk of severe side effects. Non-digestible short- and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides (scFOS/lcFOS) reduce allergy development in murine models. Therefore, it is hypothesized that scFOS/lcFOS can also support the efficacy of OIT in a peanut allergy model.

Improved Efficacy of Oral Immunotherapy Using Non-Digestible Oligosaccharides in a Murine Cow's Milk Allergy Model: A Potential Role for Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells.

Background: Oral immunotherapy (OIT) is a promising therapeutic approach to treat food allergic patients. However, there are some concerns regarding its safety and long-term efficacy. The use of non-digestible oligosaccharides might improve OIT efficacy since they are known to directly modulate intestinal epithelial and immune cells in addition to acting as prebiotics.

The efficacy of oral and subcutaneous antigen-specific immunotherapy in murine cow's milk- and peanut allergy models.

Background: Antigen-specific immunotherapy (AIT) is a promising therapeutic approach for both cow's milk allergy (CMA) and peanut allergy (PNA), but needs optimization in terms of efficacy and safety.

Aim: Compare oral immunotherapy (OIT) and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in murine models for CMA and PNA and determine the dose of allergen needed to effectively modify parameters of allergy.

Methods: Female C3H/HeOuJ mice were sensitized intragastrically (i.

A translational approach to capture gait signatures of neurological disorders in mice and humans.

A method for capturing gait signatures in neurological conditions that allows comparison of human gait with animal models would be of great value in translational research. However, the velocity dependence of gait parameters and differences between quadruped and biped gait have made this comparison challenging. Here we present an approach that accounts for changes in velocity during walking and allows for translation across species.

Prediction of the Carcinogenic Potential of Human Pharmaceuticals Using Repeated Dose Toxicity Data and Their Pharmacological Properties.

In an exercise designed to reduce animal use, we analyzed the results of rat subchronic toxicity studies from 289 pharmaceutical compounds with the aim to predict the tumor outcome of carcinogenicity studies in this species. The results were obtained from the assessment reports available at the Medicines Evaluation Board of the Netherlands for 289 pharmaceutical compounds that had been shown to be non-genotoxic. One hundred forty-three of the 239 compounds not inducing putative preneoplastic lesions in the subchronic study did not induce tumors in the carcinogenicity study [true negatives (TNs)], whereas 96 compounds were categorized as false negatives (FNs) because tumors were observed in the carcinogenicity study.

Chronic fatigue syndrome in women assessed with combined cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Objective: In chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), only a few imaging and histopathological studies have previously assessed either cardiac dimensions/function or myocardial tissue, suggesting smaller left ventricular (LV) dimensions, LV wall motion abnormalities and occasionally viral persistence that may lead to cardiomyopathy. The present study with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging is the first to use a contrast-enhanced approach to assess cardiac involvement, including tissue characterisation of the LV wall.

Methods: CMR measurements of 12 female CFS patients were compared with data of 36 age-matched, healthy female controls.

Pulmonary hypertension and pregnancy outcomes: data from the Registry Of Pregnancy and Cardiac Disease (ROPAC) of the European Society of Cardiology.

Aims: To describe the outcomes of pregnancy in women with pulmonary hypertension.

Methods And Results: In 2007 the European Registry on Pregnancy and Heart Disease was initiated by the European Society of Cardiology. Consecutive patients with all forms of cardiovascular disease, presenting with pregnancy, were enrolled with the aim of investigating the pregnancy outcomes.

Three cases of hepatocellular carcinoma in Fontan patients: Review of the literature and suggestions for hepatic screening.

The Fontan procedure has been used since 1971 as a palliative treatment for various (functionally) univentricular hearts. The systemic venous blood flows passively to the pulmonary arteries, without passing through a functional ventricle. This results in chronic systemic venous congestion, which may lead to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.