Initial Decline in Glomerular Filtration Rate With Finerenone in HFmrEF/HFpEF: A Prespecified Analysis of FINEARTS-HF.

Background: An initial decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) often leads to reluctance to continue life-saving therapies in patients with heart failure (HF).

Objectives: The goal of this study was to describe the association between initial decline in eGFR and subsequent clinical outcomes in patients randomized to placebo or finerenone.

Methods: In this prespecified analysis of FINEARTS-HF (Finerenone Trial to Investigate Efficacy and Safety Superior to Placebo in Patients with Heart Failure), we examined the association between initial decline in eGFR (≥15%) from randomization to 1 month and subsequent outcomes in patients assigned to finerenone or placebo.

The course of physical fitness and nutritional status in patients following prehabilitation before esophageal cancer surgery: Results from the PRIOR study.

Introduction: This study evaluates the course of physical fitness and nutritional status during curative therapy for esophageal cancer, after implementation of a prehabilitation program. Additionally, the impact of baseline physical fitness level and severe postoperative complications on the course of individual patients were explored.

Materials And Methods: This multicenter, observational cohort study included patients with esophageal cancer following curative treatment.

Real-World Evidence of the Prevalence of Driver Mutations in Anorectal Melanoma.

Introduction: Anorectal melanoma is a rare neoplasm with an aggressive behavior and poor prognosis. Recently, recurrent gene mutations related to anorectal melanoma have been identified in a small series of cases, and this holds promise for targeted therapies, analogous to cutaneous melanoma. The purpose of this study was to analyze testing rates and prevalence of mutations in anorectal melanoma in the Dutch population.

Finerenone, Obesity, and Heart Failure With Mildly Reduced/Preserved Ejection Fraction: Prespecified Analysis of FINEARTS-HF.

Background: Obesity is associated with excessive adipocyte-derived aldosterone secretion, independent of the classical renin-angiotensin-aldosterone cascade, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists may be more effective in patients with heart failure (HF) and obesity.

Objectives: This study sought to examine the effects of the nonsteroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone compared with placebo, according to body mass index (BMI) in FINEARTS-HF (FINerenone trial to investigate Efficacy and sAfety superioR to placebo in paTientS with Heart Failure).

Methods: A total of 6,001 patients with HF with NYHA functional class II, III, and IV, a left ventricular ejection fraction of ≥40%, evidence of structural heart disease, and elevated natriuretic peptide levels were randomized to finerenone or placebo.

Quality of life of women with a screen-detected versus clinically detected breast cancer in the Netherlands: a prospective cohort study.

Purpose: Breast cancer (BC) screening enables early detection of BC, which may lead to improved quality of life (QoL). We aim to compare QoL between women with a screen-detected and clinically detected BC in the Netherlands.

Methods: We used data from the 'Utrecht cohort for Multiple BREast cancer intervention studies and Long-term evaluation' (UMBRELLA) between October 2013 and March 2022.

Baseline characteristics of patients with heart failure with mildly reduced or preserved ejection fraction: The FINEARTS-HF trial.

Aims: To describe the baseline characteristics of participants in the FINEARTS-HF trial, contextualized with prior trials including patients with heart failure (HF) with mildly reduced and preserved ejection fraction (HFmrEF/HFpEF). The FINEARTS-HF trial is comparing the effects of the non-steroidal mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist finerenone with placebo in reducing cardiovascular death and total worsening HF events in patients with HFmrEF/HFpEF.

Methods And Results: Patients with symptomatic HF, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≥40%, estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥ 25 ml/min/1.

Pulmonary artery pressure monitoring in chronic heart failure: effects across clinically relevant subgroups in the MONITOR-HF trial.

Background And Aims: In patients with chronic heart failure (HF), the MONITOR-HF trial demonstrated the efficacy of pulmonary artery (PA)-guided HF therapy over standard of care in improving quality of life and reducing HF hospitalizations and mean PA pressure. This study aimed to evaluate the consistency of these benefits in relation to clinically relevant subgroups.

Methods: The effect of PA-guided HF therapy was evaluated in the MONITOR-HF trial among predefined subgroups based on age, sex, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular ejection fraction, HF aetiology, cardiac resynchronization therapy, and implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

Optimisation of medication reconciliation using queueing theory: a computer experiment.

Background: Medication reconciliation (MedRec) in hospitals is an important tool to enhance the continuity of care, but completing MedRec is challenging.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate whether queueing theory could be used to compare various interventions to optimise the MedRec process to ultimately reduce the number of patients discharged prior to MedRec being completed. Queueing theory, the mathematical study of waiting lines or queues, has not been previously applied in hospital pharmacies but enables comparisons without interfering with the baseline workflow.

Phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitors do not influence lactate kinetics and clinical outcomes in patients with septic shock: A multicentre cohort study.

Purpose: We investigated the association between the administration of phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitors (PDE3i) and lactate kinetics, resolution of organ failure, ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS) and hospital mortality in a retrospective cohort of patients with septic shock and persistently elevated lactate concentrations.

Material And Methods: Patients with septic shock and two arterial lactate concentrations ≥4 mmol/L with at least 4 h between measurements were eligible. Clinical data of the first four days of admission were collected in an online database.

Cost-effectiveness of temperature monitoring to help prevent foot ulcer recurrence in people with diabetes: A multicenter randomized controlled trial.

Aims: Diabetes-related foot ulcers are common, costly, and frequently recur. Multiple interventions help prevent these ulcers. However, none of these have been prospectively investigated for cost-effectiveness.

Nationwide Association of Surgical Performance of Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy With Patient Outcomes.

Importance: Suboptimal surgical performance is hypothesized to be associated with less favorable patient outcomes in minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). Establishing this association may lead to programs that promote better surgical performance of MIE and improve patient outcomes.

Objective: To investigate associations between surgical performance and postoperative outcomes after MIE.

The optimal treatment for patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer: minimally invasive lobectomy versus stereotactic ablative radiotherapy - a nationwide cohort study.

Objectives: The aim of the Early-Stage LUNG cancer (ESLUNG) study was to compare outcomes after minimally invasive lobectomy (MIL) and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Materials And Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, patients with clinical stage I NSCLC (according to TNM7), treated in 2014-2016 with MIL or SABR, were included. 5-year overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were calculated and compared between patients treated with MIL and a propensity score (PS)-weighted SABR population with characteristics comparable to those of the MIL group.

A direct comparison in diagnostic performance of CDUS, FDG-PET/CT and MRI in patients suspected of giant cell arteritis.

Objectives: This study directly compares diagnostic performance of Colour Duplex Ultrasound (CDUS), Fluor-18-deoxyglucose Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography (FDG-PET/CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in patients suspected of giant cell arteritis (GCA).

Methods: Patients with suspected GCA were included in a nested-case control pilot study. CDUS, whole body FDG-PET/CT and cranial MRI were performed within 5 working days after initial clinical evaluation.

Gait Adaptability and the Effect of Ocular Disorders on Visually Guided Walking in Parkinson's Disease.

Gait disorders are a disabling feature of Parkinson's disease (PD). To avoid falls, people with PD should be able to adequately adapt their gait. This requires correct response inhibition and integration of visual information.

The Assessment of Burden of ColoRectal Cancer (ABCRC)-tool; a validity and reliability study.

Introduction: Follow-up care after treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC) is increasingly focused on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functional outcomes. The Assessment of Burden of ColoRectal Cancer (ABCRC)-tool is developed to measure these outcomes and support patient-oriented care. The tool comprises items assessing burden of disease and lifestyle parameters.

Complication Prediction after Esophagectomy with Machine Learning.

Esophageal cancer can be treated effectively with esophagectomy; however, the postoperative complication rate is high. In this paper, we study to what extent machine learning methods can predict anastomotic leakage and pneumonia up to two days in advance. We use a dataset with 417 patients who underwent esophagectomy between 2011 and 2021.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Late Local Toxic Effects in Patients With Irradiated Breast Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is proposed as treatment for late local toxic effects after breast irradiation. Strong evidence of effectiveness is lacking.

Objective: To assess effectiveness of HBOT for late local toxic effects in women who received adjuvant radiotherapy for breast cancer.