The effect of sample site and collection procedure on identification of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Background: Sample collection is a key driver of accuracy in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Viral load may vary at different anatomical sampling sites and accuracy may be compromised by difficulties obtaining specimens and the expertise of the person taking the sample. It is important to optimise sampling accuracy within cost, safety and accessibility constraints.

Case report: Extreme respiratory sinus arrhythmia in a non-athlete female student - a peculiar finding at the Physiology practicum.

During an ECG-training course, a case of extreme respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) was found in a 19-year-old slender, female student who was not active in sports. The heart rate (HR) fluctuated from above 100 to below 60 beats per minute (bpm), often from one beat to the next. The pattern was repetitive and appeared to be linked to respiration, representing an extreme form of RSA.

Economic analysis of hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of ischaemic diabetic foot ulcers.

Introduction: The aim was to determine the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of additional hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) compared to standard care (SC) for ischaemic diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) regarding limb salvage and health status.

Methods: An economic analysis was conducted, comprising cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses, with a 12-month time horizon, using data from the DAMO₂CLES multicentre randomised clinical trial. Cost-effectiveness was defined as cost per limb saved and cost-utility as cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY).

Sexual response in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a case-control study.

Objective: To study genital response and sexual arousal in women with and without polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and assess associations with sex steroid levels.

Design: This observational prospective case-control study was conducted from March 2017 until March 2020.

Setting: University Hospital.

Unraveling Sex Differences in Kidney Health and CKD: A Review of the Effect of Sex Hormones.

Sexual dimorphism plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of CKD. Men with CKD often exhibit faster kidney function decline, leading to higher rates of kidney failure and mortality compared with women. Studies suggest that sex hormones may influence this apparent dimorphism, although the mechanisms underlying these influences remain poorly understood.

Predictors of long-term success after high-density mapping-guided substrate ablation procedures for ventricular tachycardia in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Introduction: High-density (HD) substrate mapping may increase success of catheter ablation targeting ventricular tachycardia (VT). However, despite its use, recurrent VT is not uncommon. We aim to investigate factors that are associated with outcomes after HD mapping-guided substrate ablation procedures for VT in patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy.

-related disorder in 87 adults: Natural history and self-sustainability.

Purpose: is one of the most frequently mutated genes in intellectual disability cohorts. Thus, far few adult-aged patients with -related disorder have been described, which limits our understanding of the disease's natural history and our ability to counsel patients and their families.

Methods: Data on patients aged 18+ years with -related disorder were collected through an online questionnaire completed by clinicians and parents.

Diagnosing primary lateral sclerosis: a clinico-pathological study.

Background:  Primary lateral sclerosis (PLS) is a rare motor neuron disease characterized by upper motor neuron degeneration, diagnosed clinically due to the absence of a (neuropathological) gold standard. Post-mortem studies, particularly TDP-43 pathology analysis, are limited.

Methods: This study reports on 5 cases in which the diagnostic criteria for PLS were met, but in which neuropathology findings showed (partially) conflicting results.

The presence of Clostridioides difficile in faeces before and after faecal microbiota transplantation and its relation with recurrent C. difficile infection and the gut microbiota in a Dutch cohort.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to investigate the presence of Clostridioides difficile in faeces of patients with recurrent C. difficile infection (rCDI) before and after faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and to identify risk factors for faecal C. difficile and C.

Time-restricted feeding does not improve daily rhythms in locomotion and drinking disrupted by artificial light at night.

Exposure to artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts natural darkness and desynchronizes daily rhythms in physiological processes and behavior. Previously, in rats, we have shown that dim ALAN disturbed the central circadian control and the temporal organization of behavior, and hormonal and metabolic pathways. The measurements of undisturbed daily behavioral (locomotor activity, feeding and drinking) patterns revealed reduced amplitudes and a transitory activity peak in the middle of the light (i.

Rethinking village malaria workers in Cambodia: Perspectives from the communities, programme managers, and international stakeholders.

Since the early 2000s, malaria cases in Cambodia have declined steadily. Village malaria workers (VMWs) have played a critical role in reducing malaria transmission and progress towards malaria elimination. To prevent malaria re-establishment, however, implementation strategies need to consider carefully the changing healthcare needs in the communities as well as challenges to, and opportunities for, programme adaptation.

Safety and Effectiveness of a Biosimilar Recombinant Growth Hormone in Adults with Growth Hormone Deficiency: Analysis of Final Data from PATRO Adults, an International Post-Marketing Surveillance Study.

Purpose: Long-term studies are needed to investigate the safety of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) for the treatment of growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in routine practice. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of biosimilar rhGH (somatropin; Omnitrope) in adults with GHD.

Methods: PAtients TReated with Omnitrope (PATRO) Adults was a post-marketing surveillance study conducted across Europe.

A unified framework for diagnostic test development and evaluation during outbreaks of emerging infections.

Evaluating diagnostic test accuracy during epidemics is difficult due to an urgent need for test availability, changing disease prevalence and pathogen characteristics, and constantly evolving testing aims and applications. Based on lessons learned during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we introduce a framework for rapid diagnostic test development, evaluation, and validation during outbreaks of emerging infections. The framework is based on the feedback loop between test accuracy evaluation, modelling studies for public health decision-making, and impact of public health interventions.

Plasma proteomics improves prediction of coronary plaque progression.

Aims: Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) offers detailed imaging of plaque burden and composition, with plaque progression being a key determinant of future cardiovascular events. As repeated CCTA scans are burdensome and costly, there is a need for non-invasive identification of plaque progression. This study evaluated whether combining proteomics with traditional risk factors can detect patients at risk for accelerated plaque progression.

Isoleucine-to-valine substitutions support cellular physiology during isoleucine deprivation.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (ARSs) couple tRNAs with their corresponding amino acids. While ARSs can bind structurally similar amino acids, extreme specificity is ensured by subsequent editing activity. Yet, we found that upon isoleucine (I) restriction, healthy fibroblasts consistently incorporated valine (V) into proteins at isoleucine codons, resulting from misacylation of tRNAIle with valine by wildtype IARS1.

Sex differences in the efficacy of angiotensin receptor blockers on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes among individuals with type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease: post hoc analyses of the RENAAL and IDNT trials.

Aims/hypothesis: Our aim was to assess sex differences in the efficacy of angiotensin receptor blockers (i.e. losartan and irbesartan) on kidney and cardiovascular outcomes in individuals with type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease.

Decision-Making Interventions for Pelvic Organ Prolapse: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Environmental Scan.

People diagnosed with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) face preference-sensitive treatment decisions. We conducted a systematic review, meta-analysis, and narrative synthesis to determine the effect of decision-making interventions for prolapse on patient-reported outcomes. To gain a more complete understanding of all potentially accessed resources, we also conducted an environmental scan to determine the quantity and quality of online interventions for prolapse decision-making.

Using Projective IRT to Evaluate the Effects of Multidimensionality on Unidimensional IRT Model Parameters.

The application of unidimensional IRT models requires item response data to be unidimensional. Often, however, item response data contain a dominant dimension, as well as one or more nuisance dimensions caused by content clusters. Applying a unidimensional IRT model to multidimensional data causes violations of local independence, which can vitiate IRT applications.