The optimal annual case volume for acute type A aortic dissection surgery in relation to long-term outcomes.

Objectives: Previous analyses of the volume-outcome relationship have focused on short-term outcomes such as early mortality. The current study aims to update a novel statistical methodology, facilitating the evaluation of the relation between procedural volume and time-to-event outcomes such as long-term survival, using surgery for acute type A aortic dissection as an illustrative example.

Methods: This study employed an existing dataset of type A dissection outcomes, retrieved from literature.

Angina Severity and Symptom Improvement Are Associated With Diagnostic Acetylcholine Provocation Dose in Vasospastic Angina.

Background: A coronary function test (CFT) is the recommended diagnostic test to identify coronary vasomotor dysfunction as a cause of symptoms in patients with angina and nonobstructive coronary arteries (ANOCA). Acetylcholine is the commonly used pharmacological agent for spasm provocation. We aimed to investigate an association between severity of symptoms and provocative acetylcholine dose.

Adding Anti-HER2 Therapy to Neoadjuvant Endocrine Therapy Seems Effective in Hormone Receptor and HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Patients Unfit for Chemotherapy: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study.

: Data are lacking on the optimal neoadjuvant systemic treatment (NST) for women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer if they are unfit to receive the combination of chemotherapy and anti-HER2 therapy. The aim of this study was to determine whether the rates of ypT0 and ypN0 differ between patients treated with neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET) versus NET combined with anti-HER2 therapy (NET+aHER2). : Data from the Netherlands Cancer Registry were analysed to identify women diagnosed with primary HR+/HER2+ breast cancer between 2008 and 2019, treated with either NET or NET+aHER2.

Oncological resection and perioperative outcomes of robotic, laparoscopic and open pancreatoduodenectomy for ampullary adenocarcinoma: a propensity score matched international multicenter cohort study.

Background: Ampullary adenocarcinoma (AAC) typically presents at an early stage due to biliary obstruction and therefore might be specifically suitable for minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD). However, studies assessing MIPD specifically for AAC, including the robotic and laparoscopic approach, are limited. The aim of this study is to compare short- and long-term oncological resection and perioperative outcomes of robotic (RPD), laparoscopic (LPD) and open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) performed specifically for AAC.

A novel LC-MS/MS assay for low concentrations of creatinine in sweat and saliva to validate biosensors for continuous monitoring of renal function.

Monitoring of kidney function traditionally relies on plasma creatinine concentrations, necessitating invasive blood draws. Non-invasively obtainable biofluids, such as sweat and saliva, present a patient-friendly alternative with potential for continuous monitoring. This study focusses on developing and validating a novel Liquid Chromatography- tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) assay as a reference test for measuring low creatinine concentrations in sweat and saliva.

Immunoaffinity Intact Top-Down Mass Spectrometry for Quantification of Neuron-Specific Enolase Gamma, a Low-Abundance Protein Biomarker.

Quantification of intact proteins in serum by liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) may be a useful alternative to bottom-up LC-MS or conventional ligand binding assays, due to reduced assay complexity and by providing additional information, such as isoform differentiation or detection of post-translational modifications. The 47.2 kDa lung cancer tumor marker neuron-specific enolase γ (NSEγ) was quantified in a clinically relevant concentration range of 6.

Deferral of routine percutaneous coronary intervention in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation: Rationale and design of the PRO-TAVI trial.

Background: Concomitant coronary artery disease (CAD) is highly prevalent in patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The optimal treatment strategy for CAD is a topic of debate. An initial conservative strategy for CAD in patients undergoing TAVI may be favorable as multiple studies have failed to show an evident beneficial effect of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) on mortality after TAVI.

Tralokinumab Treatment in Adult Atopic Dermatitis Patients: 28-Week Evaluation of Clinical Effectiveness, Safety, Serum Proteins and Total IgE Levels.

Introduction And Objectives: Tralokinumab-a biological that specifically targets interleukin-13-is one of the newer advanced systemic treatments for patients with moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD). Although safety and efficacy have been shown in phase-III clinical trials, daily practice data are needed. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate 28-week safety and effectiveness, serum proteins and total IgE levels in adult AD patients treated with tralokinumab in daily practice.

A multi-aperture encoding scheme for increased SNR in photoacoustic Imaging.

Photoacoustic imaging creates light-induced ultrasonic signals to provide valuable information on internal body structures and tissue morphology non-invasively. A multi-aperture photoacoustic imaging (MP-PAI) system is an improvement over conventional photoacoustic imaging (PAI) systems in terms of resolution, contrast, and field of view. Previously, a prototype MP-PAI system was introduced based on multiple capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUTs) with shared channels, such that each element in a CMUT shares its channel with its counterpart in other CMUTs.

The role of the plantarflexor muscles on the daily life functioning in typically developing children.

Background: The plantarflexor muscles are important during walking. However, walking is not the only task that is used during daily life, and not much is known about the role of the plantarflexor muscles during other dynamic tasks. Insight into the demand of the plantarflexor muscles during different dynamic tasks might help to establish training or functional assessment for patients who experience plantarflexor weakness.

Response to systemic therapies in patient-derived cell lines from primary and recurrent adult granulosa cell tumors.

In patients with the rare adult-type granulosa cell tumors (aGCT), surgery is the primary treatment for both primary and recurrent disease. In cases of inoperable disease, systematic therapy is administered, but variable response rates and drug resistance complicate predicting the most effective therapy. Drug screen testing on patient-derived cell lines may offer a solution.

One Acne™: a holistic management approach to improve overall skin quality and treatment outcomes in acne with or without sensitive skin.

Acne and sensitive skin can take a profound toll on patients' well-being, which can be exacerbated if the conditions are experienced together. This narrative review aims to identify appropriate treatments to facilitate a holistic management approach to acne (One Acne™), sensitive skin, and acne-induced sequelae and describe the role of treatments in improving skin quality. Topical retinoids are considered the preferred first-line option for acne treatment by dermatologists, either as monotherapy or in combination with other treatments, because of their ability to target various aspects of the disease.

Impact of lifestyle risk factors on atrial fibrillation: Mechanisms and prevention approaches - A narrative review.

Both the development and progression of atrial fibrillation (AF) are affected by a range of modifiable lifestyle risk factors. These key modifiable risk factors encompass obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, smoking, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, alcohol consumption, exercise, sedentary lifestyle and obstructive sleep apnoea. These lifestyle-dependent factors rarely exist in isolation, but rather exist together, exerting a complex influence on the development of AF.

The use of outcome data from quality registries to learn and improve; a Dutch nationwide quantitative analysis in five disease areas.

Background: Clinical quality registries (CQR) aid in measuring, collecting and monitoring outcome data but it is still unknown how these data are used by hospitals to improve the quality of care. This study assessed the current state of outcome-based quality improvement in the Netherlands in 2022 based on data from multiple disease areas and CQRs; cardiothoracic surgery (Netherlands Heart Registration [NHR]), cardiology (NHR), nephrology, (Nefrovision), intensive care (National Intensive Care Evaluation [NICE]), and orthopaedic surgery (Dutch Arthroplasty Register [LROI]).

Methods & Results: The Health Outcomes Management Evaluation (HOME) model was used to assess the current state of outcome-based quality improvement.

In vivo Multi-perspective 3D + t Ultrasound Imaging and Motion Estimation of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms.

Time-resolved three-dimensional ultrasound (3D + t US) is a promising imaging modality for monitoring abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), providing their 3D geometry and motion. The lateral contrast of US is poor, a well-documented drawback which multi-perspective (MP) imaging could resolve. This study aims to show the feasibility of in vivo multi-perspective 3D + t ultrasound imaging of AAAs for improving the image contrast and displacement accuracy.

Quantifying and visualising uncertainty in deep learning-based segmentation for radiation therapy treatment planning: What do radiation oncologists and therapists want?

Background And Purpose: During the ESTRO 2023 physics workshop on "AI for the fully automated radiotherapy treatment chain", the topic of deep learning (DL) segmentation was discussed. Despite its widespread use in radiotherapy, the time needed to evaluate and correct DL segmentations remains burdensome. While segmentation uncertainty could be beneficial for clinicians, there is a lack of understanding on what information should be presented to ease their task.

Evaluating the Impact of Post-Esophagectomy Exercise on 2- and 5-Yr Survival: Findings from the PERFECT Trial.

Purpose: Despite recent treatment advances, esophageal cancer still has poor survival and a high morbidity. Exploratory evidence suggests that exercise can reduce cancer-related mortality and recurrence rates. Here, we investigated the effects of an exercise intervention in the first year after esophagectomy on survival in participants of the Physical ExeRcise Following Esophageal Cancer Treatment (PERFECT) trial.