Publications by authors named "Y M Smulders"

This sentence often concludes medical research articles. We argue that 'more research is needed' is an empty phrase. There is always room for synthesis of previously existing and currently added knowledge, allowing for a conclusion on what we now know.

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Isolated systolic hypertension is typical for the elderly, but also occurs in younger adults. Increased pulse wave amplification between the elastic aorta and arteries to the arm can result in a higher peripheral (brachial) blood pressure, while central (aortic) systolic blood pressure is normal. A 21-year-old athletic man was referred because of an arterial blood pressure of 160/85 mmHg.

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Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk scores provide point estimates of individual risk without uncertainty quantification. The objective of the current study was to demonstrate the feasibility and clinical utility of calculating uncertainty surrounding individual CVD-risk predictions using Bayesian methods.

Study Design And Setting: Individuals with established atherosclerotic CVD were included from the Utrecht Cardiovascular Cohort-Secondary Manifestations of ARTerial disease (UCC-SMART).

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Objectives: Glucocorticoids (GC) are important in the treatment of autoinflammatory disorders. Oral prednisolone ≤5 mg/day can be effective, but such doses are at or even below physiological daily endogenous GC production. We hypothesised that their immunosuppressive effect might be explained by high hepatic bioavailability of oral GC, exposing the liver to supraphysiological GC via the portal circulation.

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Article Synopsis
  • Most labs in The Netherlands provide an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) when plasma creatinine levels are checked, using a formula based on factors like gender, age, and sometimes race.
  • This eGFR reporting has helped identify chronic kidney disease better, but the formulas have their limitations.
  • A new formula has been suggested that eliminates the need for a race correction factor, and the article discusses the pros and cons of using plasma creatinine formulas, along with answers to ten common questions.
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