Differences in guideline-recommended heart failure medication between Dutch heart failure clinics: an analysis of the CHECK-HF registry.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is associated with poor prognosis, high morbidity and mortality. The prognosis can be optimised by guideline adherence, which also can be used as a benchmark of quality of care. The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in use of HF medication between Dutch HF clinics.

Contemporary use of devices in chronic heart failure in the Netherlands.

Aims: Despite previous surveys regarding device implantation rates in heart failure (HF), insight into the real-world management with devices is scarce. Therefore, we investigated device implantation rates in HF with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in 34 Dutch centres.

Methods And Results: A cross-sectional outpatient registry was conducted in 6666 patients with LVEF < 50% and with information about device implantation available [74 (66-81) years of age; 64% male].

Thin Composite-Wire-Strut Zotarolimus-Eluting Stents Versus Ultrathin-Strut Sirolimus-Eluting Stents in BIONYX at 2 Years.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess 2-year safety and efficacy of the current-generation thin composite-wire-strut durable-polymer Resolute Onyx zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES), compared with the ultrathin-strut biodegradable-polymer Orsiro sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in all-comers and a pre-specified small-vessel subgroup analysis.

Background: The Resolute Onyx ZES is widely used in clinical practice, but no follow-up data beyond 1 year have been published. The randomized BIONYX (Bioresorbable Polymer-Coated Orsiro Versus Durable Polymer-Coated Resolute Onyx Stents) trial (NCT02508714) established the noninferiority of ZES versus SES regarding target vessel failure (TVF) rates.

Treatment Differences in Chronic Heart Failure Patients With Reduced Ejection Fraction According to Blood Pressure.

Background: Prescribed dosages of heart failure (HF) therapy in patients with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction remain lower than guideline recommended. It remains unclear whether systolic blood pressure (BP) influences prescription of HF drugs to HF patients with a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in a European setting. This study aimed to investigate the role of systolic BP on the prescription rate and actual dose of guideline-recommended HF therapy.

Heart failure and chronic kidney disease manifestation and mortality risk associations in type 2 diabetes: A large multinational cohort study.

Aims: To examine the manifestation of cardiovascular or renal disease (CVRD) in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) initially free from CVRD as well as the mortality risks associated with these diseases.

Methods: Patients free from CVRD were identified from healthcare records in England, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden at a fixed date. CVRD manifestation was defined by first diagnosis of cardiorenal disease, or a stroke, myocardial infarction (MI) or peripheral artery disease (PAD) event.

Three contemporary thin-strut drug-eluting stents implanted in severely calcified coronary lesions of participants in a randomized all-comers trial.

Objective: The objective was to assess the 2-year clinical performance of three drug-eluting stents in all-comer patients with severely calcified coronary lesions.

Background: Severe lesion calcification increases cardiovascular event risk after coronary stenting, but there is a lack of data on the clinical outcome of all-comers with severely calcified lesions who were treated with more recently introduced drug-eluting stents.

Methods: The BIO-RESORT trial (clinicaltrials.

Atrial fibrillation in chronic heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction: The CHECK-HF registry.

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is common in chronic heart failure (HF) patients and influences the choice and effects of drug and device therapy. In this large real-world HF registry, we studied whether the presence of AF affects the prescription of guideline-recommended HF therapy.

Methods: We analyzed 8253 patients with chronic HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) from 34 Dutch outpatient clinics included in the period between 2013 and 2016 treated according to the 2012 ESC guidelines.

Proximal LAD Treated With Thin-Strut New-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents: A Patient-Level Pooled Analysis of TWENTE I-III.

Objectives: This study sought to assess 2-year clinical outcome following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with thin-strut new-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients treated in proximal left anterior descending artery (P-LAD) versus non-P-LAD lesions.

Background: In current revascularization guidelines, P-LAD coronary artery stenosis is discussed separately, mainly because of a higher adverse event risk and benefits of bypass surgery.

Methods: The study included 6,037 patients without previous bypass surgery or left main stem involvement from the TWENTE I, II, and III randomized trials.

Paravertebral catheter versus EPidural analgesia in Minimally invasive Esophageal resectioN: a randomized controlled multicenter trial (PEPMEN trial).

Background: Thoracic epidural analgesia is the standard postoperative pain management strategy in esophageal cancer surgery. However, paravertebral block analgesia may achieve comparable pain control while inducing less side effects, which may be beneficial for postoperative recovery. This study primarily aims to compare the postoperative quality of recovery between paravertebral catheter versus thoracic epidural analgesia in patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy.

Medical treatment of octogenarians with chronic heart failure: data from CHECK-HF.

Background: Elderly heart failure (HF) patients are underrepresented in clinical trials, though are a large proportion of patients in real-world practice. We investigated practice-based, secondary care HF management in a large group of chronic HF patients aged ≥ 80 years (octogenarians).

Methods: We analyzed electronic health records of 3490 octogenarians with chronic HF at 34 Dutch outpatient clinics in the period between 2013 and 2016 , 49% women.

Nerve Sparing during Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy Increases the Risk of Ipsilateral Positive Surgical Margins.

Purpose: Available published studies evaluating the association between nerve sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and risk of ipsilateral positive surgical margins were subject to selection bias. In this study we overcome these limitations by using multivariable regression analysis.

Materials And Methods: Patients undergoing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer at 4 institutions from 2013 to 2018 were included in the study.

Influence of Dietary Advice Including Green Vegetables, Beef, and Whole Dairy Products on Recurrent Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Since no treatment exists for children suffering from upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) without immunological disorders, we searched for a possible tool to improve the health of these children.

Aim: We evaluated whether dietary advice (based on food matrix and food synergy), including standard supportive care, can decrease the number and duration of URTIs in children with recurrent URTIs.

Design And Setting: This study was a multicenter randomized controlled trial in two pediatric outpatient clinics in the Netherlands, with 118 children aged one to four years with recurrent URTIs.

Telehealth and telemedicine applications for the diabetic foot: A systematic review.

The aim of this systematic review is to assess the peer-reviewed literature on the psychometric properties, feasibility, effectiveness, costs, and current limitations of using telehealth and telemedicine approaches for prevention and management of diabetic foot disease. MEDLINE/PubMed was searched for peer-reviewed studies on telehealth and telemedicine approaches for assessing, monitoring, preventing, or treating diabetic foot disease. Four modalities were formulated: dermal thermography, hyperspectral imaging, digital photographic imaging, and audio/video/online communication.

A randomised comparison of the effect of haemodynamic monitoring with CardioMEMS in addition to standard care on quality of life and hospitalisations in patients with chronic heart failure : Design and rationale of the MONITOR HF multicentre randomised clinical trial.

Background: Assessing haemodynamic congestion based on filling pressures instead of clinical congestion can be a way to further improve quality of life (QoL) and clinical outcome by intervening before symptoms or weight gain occur in heart failure (HF) patients. The clinical efficacy of remote monitoring of pulmonary artery (PA) pressures (CardioMEMS; Abbott Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA) has been demonstrated in the USA.

Sacubitril/Valsartan Across the Spectrum of Ejection Fraction in Heart Failure.

Background: While disease-modifying therapies exist for heart failure (HF) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), few options are available for patients in the higher range of LVEF (>40%). Sacubitril/valsartan has been compared with a renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system inhibitor alone in 2 similarly designed clinical trials of patients with reduced and preserved LVEF, permitting examination of its effects across the full spectrum of LVEF.

Methods: We combined data from PARADIGM-HF (LVEF eligibility≤40%; n=8399) and PARAGON-HF (LVEF eligibility≥45%; n=4796) in a prespecified pooled analysis.

Three-year clinical outcome in all-comers with "silent" diabetes, prediabetes, or normoglycemia, treated with contemporary coronary drug-eluting stents: From the BIO-RESORT Silent Diabetes study.

Background: Patients with coronary disease may have unknown diabetes or prediabetes. We evaluated 3-year outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with contemporary drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with silent diabetes, prediabetes, and normoglycemia.

Methods: All BIO-RESORT trial (NCT01674803) participants without known diabetes, enrolled at our center, were invited for oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) and measurements of fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c).

Differences in long-term quality of life between hemithyroidectomy and total thyroidectomy in patients treated for low-risk differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Background: The long-term health-related quality-of-life implications of treating low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer with total thyroidectomy or hemithyroidectomy is important to patients but remains poorly understood.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional mailed survey, we compared long-term health-related quality-of-life in low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer survivors treated with hemithyroidectomy to those treated with total thyroidectomy between 2005 and 2016 at a university hospital. European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life core Questionnaire version 3.

Thin, Very Thin, or Ultrathin Strut Biodegradable or Durable Polymer-Coated Drug-Eluting Stents: 3-Year Outcomes of BIO-RESORT.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the 3-year safety and efficacy of treating all-comer patients with 3 contemporary drug-eluting stents (DES).

Background: The BIO-RESORT (Comparison of Biodegradable Polymer and Durable Polymer Drug-Eluting Stents in an All Comers Population) (TWENTE III) randomized trial (NCT01674803) found similar 1-year safety and efficacy for the 2 biodegradable-polymer DES (i.e.

Correction to: Cross-border comparison of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and AMR prevention measures: the healthcare workers' perspective.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13756-019-0577-4.].

Human Memory Th17 Cell Populations Change Into Anti-inflammatory Cells With Regulatory Capacity Upon Exposure to Active Vitamin D.

Autoimmune diseases are characterized by an aberrantly activated immune system, resulting in tissue damage and functional disability in patients. An important therapeutic goal is to restore the deregulated immunological balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory T cells. This imbalance is illustrated by elevated levels and activity of memory Th17 cell populations, such as Th17, Th1/Th17, and Th17.

Cross-border comparison of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and AMR prevention measures: the healthcare workers' perspective.

Background: Cross-border healthcare may promote the spread of multidrug-resistant microorganisms (MDRO) and is challenging due to heterogeneous antimicrobial resistance (AMR) prevention measures (APM). The aim of this article is to compare healthcare workers (HCW) from Germany (DE) and The Netherlands (NL) on how they perceive and experience AMR and APM, which is important for safe patient exchange and effective cross-border APM cooperation.

Methods: A survey was conducted amongst HCW ( = 574) in hospitals in DE ( = 305) and NL ( = 269), using an online self-administered survey between June 2017 and July 2018.

Intraoperative Lipid-Rich Nutrition in the Detection of Chylothorax in Minimally Invasive Ivor Lewis Esophagectomy.

. Chylothorax is a rare but severe complication after esophagectomy with an incidence of 1.9% to 8.