Publications by authors named "Wal H"

Aims: Iron deficiency (ID) is highly prevalent in patients with heart failure (HF) and associated with morbidity and poor prognosis, but pathophysiological mechanisms are unknown. We aimed to identify novel biological pathways affected by ID.

Methods And Results: We studied 881 patients with HF from the BIOSTAT-CHF cohort.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to provide an overview of value-based healthcare (VBHC) strategies and/or components within military medicine. For this purpose, the extent to which VBHC has been applied within a military health system (MHS), with emphasis on military trauma care was assessed.

Design: This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The study assessed the impact of early anti-TNF treatment for children diagnosed with Crohn's disease, focusing on high-risk individuals.
  • It involved tracking the health outcomes of 331 children over 2 years, comparing those who started anti-TNF therapy within 90 days of diagnosis to those who did not.
  • Results showed that early anti-TNF users had significantly better rates of achieving remission and mild/inactive disease at one year, especially among high-risk patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cardiac tamponade is a leading cause of death in blunt thoracic trauma. Ultrasound improved the recognition of cardiac tamponade and therefore has a vital role in acute critical situations in the Emergency Department and in the Intensive Care Unit. Besides recognition of cardiac tamponade, treatment protocols are important.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Traumatic injury is a leading cause of morbidity globally, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). In high-income countries (HICs), it is well documented that military and civilian integration can positively impact trauma care in both healthcare systems, but it is unknown if this synergy could benefit LMICs. This case series examines the variety of integration between the civilian and military systems of various countries and international partnerships to elucidate if there are commonalities in facilitators and barriers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Forests that regrow naturally on abandoned fields are important for restoring biodiversity and ecosystem services, but can they also preserve the distinct regional tree floras? Using the floristic composition of 1215 early successional forests (≤20 years) in 75 human-modified landscapes across the Neotropic realm, we identified 14 distinct floristic groups, with a between-group dissimilarity of 0.97. Floristic groups were associated with location, bioregions, soil pH, temperature seasonality, and water availability.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tropical forests disappear rapidly because of deforestation, yet they have the potential to regrow naturally on abandoned lands. We analyze how 12 forest attributes recover during secondary succession and how their recovery is interrelated using 77 sites across the tropics. Tropical forests are highly resilient to low-intensity land use; after 20 years, forest attributes attain 78% (33 to 100%) of their old-growth values.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Whereas the combination of anaemia and chronic kidney disease (CKD) has been extensively studied in patients with heart failure (HF), the contribution of iron deficiency (ID) to this dysfunctional interplay is unknown. We aimed to assess clinical associates and pathophysiological pathways related to ID in this multimorbid syndrome.

Methods And Results: We studied 2151 patients with HF from the BIOSTAT-CHF cohort.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreading from Wuhan, Hubei province in China, is an expanding global pandemic with significant morbidity and mortality. Even though respiratory failure is the cardinal form of severe COVID-19, concomitant cardiac involvement is common. Myocarditis is a challenging diagnosis due to heterogeneity of clinical presentation, ranging from mild symptoms to fatal arrhythmia and cardiogenic shock (CS).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Home gardens (HGs) are hotspots of in situ agrobiodiversity conservation. We conducted a case study in Tabasco, México, on HG owners' knowledge of HG ecological, economical and socio-cultural multifunctionality and how it relates to agrobiodiversity as measured by species richness and diversity. The term multifunctionality knowledge refers to owners' knowledge on how HGs contribute to ecological processes, family economy, as well as human relations and local culture.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: There is increasing recognition that heart failure (HF) and cancer are conditions with a number of shared characteristics.

Objectives: To explore the association between tumour biomarkers and HF outcomes.

Methods: In 2,079 patients of BIOSTAT-CHF cohort, we measured six established tumour biomarkers: CA125, CA15-3, CA19-9, CEA, CYFRA 21-1 and AFP.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Patients with advanced heart failure (AdHF) who are ineligible for heart transplantation (HTx) can become candidates for treatment with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) in some countries, but not others. This reflects the lack of a systematic analysis of the usefulness of LVAD systems in this context, and of their benefits, limitations and cost-effectiveness. The SWEdish evaluation of left Ventricular Assist Device (SweVAD) study is a Phase IV, prospective, 1:1 randomized, non-blinded, multicentre trial that will examine the impact of assignment to mechanical circulatory support with guideline-directed LVAD destination therapy (GD-LVAD-DT) using the HeartMate 3 (HM3) continuous flow pump vs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In November 2016, the urban dry streams (wadis) of the city of Haifa in Northern Israel were on fire. However, it was not just the fire that was threatening urban areas. Post-fire precipitation could turn into urban floods, further aggravating the fire damages.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aims: Iron deficiency (ID) is common in heart failure (HF) patients and negatively impacts symptoms and prognosis. The aetiology of ID in HF is largely unknown. We studied determinants and the biomarker profile of ID in a large international HF cohort.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Recent terrorist attacks and mass shooting incidents in major European and North American cities have shown the unexpected influx of large volumes of patients with complex multi-system injuries. The rise of subspecialisation and the low violence-related penetrating injuries among European cities, show the reality that most surgical programs are unable to provide sufficient exposure to penetrating and blast injuries. The aim of this study is to describe and create a collaborative program between a major South African trauma service and a NATO country military medical service, with synergistic effect on both partners.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In heart failure (HF), levels of NT-proBNP are influenced by the presence of concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF), making it difficult to distinguish between HF versus AF in patients with raised NT-proBNP. It is unknown whether levels of GDF-15 are also influenced by AF in patients with HF. In this study we compared the plasma levels of NT-proBNP versus GDF-15 in patients with HF in AF versus sinus rhythm (SR).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Importance: Iron deficiency is present in half of patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with increased morbidity and an impaired prognosis. Iron deficiency due to low iron storage (LIS) and defective iron utilization (DIU) are not entirely the same clinical problem, although they generally receive the same treatment.

Objective: To define and describe similarities and differences between LIS and DIU in patients with HF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Tropical forests are rapidly converted for agriculture but can regrow naturally through processes called secondary succession, which vary by forest type.
  • Analysis of 1,403 plots across the Neotropics reveals that in wet forests, succession moves from low to high wood density, while in dry forests, it goes from high to low due to different environmental stresses.
  • Understanding these patterns can help optimize species selection for reforestation efforts by matching the wood density of chosen species to that of early successional communities in the specific climate conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Old-growth tropical forests harbor an immense diversity of tree species but are rapidly being cleared, while secondary forests that regrow on abandoned agricultural lands increase in extent. We assess how tree species richness and composition recover during secondary succession across gradients in environmental conditions and anthropogenic disturbance in an unprecedented multisite analysis for the Neotropics. Secondary forests recover remarkably fast in species richness but slowly in species composition.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Macroalgae (or seaweeds) are considered potential biomass feedstocks for the production of renewable fuels and chemicals. Their sugar composition is different from that of lignocellulosic biomasses, and in green species, including , the major sugars are l-rhamnose and d-glucose. DSM 6423 utilized these sugars in a hydrolysate to produce acetic acid, butyric acid, isopropanol, butanol, and ethanol (IBE), and 1,2-propanediol.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF