Nutritional intake and growth until two years of age in moderate and late preterms.

Background And Aim: Moderate and late preterm infants (MLPTI) (gestational age 32 0/7-36 6/7 weeks), are at risk for suboptimal growth. This study evaluated adherence to nutritional recommendations until 6 months corrected age (CA), growth until 2 years CA, and associations between nutritional intake and growth until 2 years CA.

Methods: We prospectively collected nutritional intakes from 100 MLPTI during the first week of life and at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months CA.

Mitral valve disease in ankylosing spondylitis: an autoimmune disease manifestation? A case report.

Background: Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease of primarily the joints of the spine. In the literature, AS is known to have cardiac manifestations. Most frequently, this is aortic regurgitation.

Ablation Index-guided point-by-point ablation versus Grid annotation-guided dragging for pulmonary vein isolation: A randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Radiofrequency (RF) atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation using a catheter dragging technique may shorten procedural duration and improve durability of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) by creating uninterrupted linear ablation lesions. We compared a novel AF ablation approach guided by Grid annotation allowing for "drag lesions" with a standard point-by-point ablation approach in a single-center randomized study.

Methods: Eighty-eight paroxysmal or persistent AF patients were randomized 1:1 to undergo RF-PVI with either a catheter dragging ablation technique guided by Grid annotation or point-by-point ablation guided by Ablation Index (AI) annotation.

Comparison of the predictive value of ten risk scores for outcomes of atrial fibrillation patients undergoing radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation.

Background: A significant number of patients experience recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) after ablation. Various risk scores have been described that may predict outcomes after AF ablation. In this study, we aimed to compare ten previously described risk scores with regard to their predictive value for post-ablation AF recurrence and procedural complications.

Management of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

Long-term glucocorticoid (GC) therapy is frequently indicated to treat autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases in daily clinical practice. Two of the most devastating untoward effects are bone loss and fractures. Doses as low as 2.

Impact of local left atrial wall thickness on the incidence of acute pulmonary vein reconnection after Ablation Index-guided atrial fibrillation ablation.

Background: Although Ablation Index (AI)-guided ablation facilitates creation of lesions of consistent depth, pulmonary vein (PV) reconnection is still commonly observed after AI-guided pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). The present study aimed to investigate the impact of local left atrial wall thickness on the incidence of acute PV reconnection after AI-guided atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation.

Methods And Results: Seventy patients (63% paroxysmal AF, 67% male, mean age 63 ± 8 years) who underwent preprocedural CT imaging and AI-guided AF ablation were studied.

Osteoporosis in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an update in epidemiology, pathogenesis, and fracture prevention.

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic disabling disease characterized by a symmetrical articular involvement due to ongoing joint inflammation, if left insufficiently treated. Local and generalized bone loss is one of the main extra-articular complications of RA and leads to an increased risk for fragility fractures, which further impair functional ability, quality of life, and life expectancy. Therefore, there is an urgent need for good fracture risk management in the vulnerable RA patient.

Differences between gap-related persistent conduction and carina-related persistent conduction during radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation.

Background: During pulmonary vein isolation (PVI), nonisolation after initial encircling of the pulmonary veins (PVs) may be due to gaps in the initial ablation line, or alternatively, earliest PV activation may occur on the intervenous carina and ablation within the wide-area circumferential ablation (WACA) circle is needed to eliminate residual conduction. This study investigated prognostic implications and predictors of gap-related persistent conduction (gap-RPC) and carina-related persistent conduction (carina-RPC) during PVI.

Methods And Results: Two hundred fourteen atrial fibrillation (AF) patients (57% paroxysmal, 61% male, mean age 62 ± 9 years) undergoing first contact force-guided radiofrequency PVI were studied.

Surgical treatment of pulmonary metastases in the Netherlands: data from the Dutch Lung Cancer Audit for Surgery.

Objectives: Surgical resection is widely employed as a potential curative treatment option for patients with limited lung metastases originating from a wide range of primary tumours. However, there are no clear national or international practice guidelines and, thereby, the risk for potential practice variation exists. This study aims to define the current practice for the surgical treatment of pulmonary metastases in the Netherlands by using data from the Dutch Lung Cancer Audit for Surgery (DLCA-S).

Opportunistic screening for atrial fibrillation with a single lead device in geriatric patients.

Objective: To determine the diagnostic yield of repeated screening for atrial fibrillation (AF) among geriatric patients.

Methods: A pragmatic prospective cohort study into applying opportunistic screening for AF with a handheld single lead ECG device (SLD) in a geriatric cohort. Consecutive patients of 65 years old and older visiting the geriatric outpatient clinic were eligible for inclusion.

Is watch and wait a safe and effective way to treat rectal cancer in older patients?

Introduction: The aim was assess the oncological and functional outcome of the watch-and-wait (W&W) approach in older patients with a clinical (near)complete response after neoadjuvant treatment for rectal cancer.

Material And Methods: Patients were included in a W&W-approach (2004-2019) when digital rectal examination, endoscopy and MRI showed a (near)clinical complete response. Patients underwent endoscopy and MRI every 3 months during the first year, and 6-monthly thereafter.

Pneumonectomy for Lung Cancer Treatment in The Netherlands: Between-Hospital Variation and Outcomes.

Background: Pneumonectomy in lung cancer treatment is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Its use is reserved only for patients in whom a complete oncological resection by (sleeve) lobectomy is not possible. It is unclear whether a patients' risk of receiving a pneumonectomy is equally distributed.

E-Patient Counseling Trial (E-PACO): Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy.

Improving patient education focusing on bowel preparation before a colonoscopy leads to cleaner colons. Endoscopy units must obtain informed consent and perform a risk assessment for sedative use prior to a colonoscopy. The current practice in the Netherlands to achieve these goals is nurse counseling in an outpatient setting.

Myocardial blood flow and myocardial flow reserve values in N-ammonia myocardial perfusion PET/CT using a time-efficient protocol in patients without coronary artery disease.

Background: Cardiac imaging by means of myocardial Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) is being used increasingly to assess coronary artery disease, to guide revascularization decisions with more accuracy, and it allows robust quantitative analysis of both regional myocardial blood flow (MBF) and myocardial flow reserve (MFR).Recently, a more time-efficient protocol has been developed in combination with a residual activity correction algorithm in which a stress acquisition is performed directly after completion of the rest acquisition to subtract remaining myocardial radioactivity.The objective of this study is to define flow values of myocardial blood flow (MBF) and Myocardial Flow Reserve (MFR) with N-ammonia (NH) myocardial perfusion PET/CT on patients without coronary artery disease using a time-efficient protocol, since reference values for this particular type of study are lacking in literature.

Dutch Lung Surgery Audit: A National Audit Comprising Lung and Thoracic Surgery Patients.

Background: The nationwide Dutch Lung Surgery Audit (DLSA) started in 2012 to monitor and evaluate the quality of lung operations in The Netherlands as an improvement tool. This outline describes the establishment, structure, and organization of the audit by the Dutch Society of Lung Surgeons (NVvL) and the Dutch Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (NVT), in collaboration with the Dutch Institute for Clinical Auditing. In addition, the first 4-year results are presented.

National Comparison of Hospital Performances in Lung Cancer Surgery: The Role of Case Mix Adjustment.

Background: When comparing hospitals on outcome indicators, proper adjustment for case mix (a combination of patient and disease characteristics) is indispensable. This study examines the need for case mix adjustment in evaluating hospital outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer surgery.

Methods: Data from the Dutch Lung Cancer Audit for Surgery were used to validate factors associated with postoperative 30-day mortality and complicated course with multivariable logistic regression models.

The effectiveness of two types of MADS for OSA therapy.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine differences in effectiveness between two types of mandibular advancement device (MAD).

Material And Methods: In this retrospective, cohort study, the two devices used were MAD type "Somnodent-Flex" (MAD 1) and MAD type "Herbst" (MAD 2). One hundred thirty-seven patients participated in this study, 67 patients were treated with MAD 1, and 70 patients with MAD 2.

Critical issues and current challenges in osteoporosis and fracture prevention. An overview of unmet needs.

Osteoporosis is a silent disease with increasing prevalence due to the global ageing population. Decreased bone strength and bone quality is the hallmark of osteoporosis which leads to an increased risk of fragility fractures in elderly. It has been estimated that approximately ~50% of women will suffer during their lifetime from an osteoporotic fracture.

Dexa Body Composition Assessment in 10-11 Year Healthy Children.

Introduction: Obesity is a growing health problem associated with metabolic derangements and cardiovascular disease. Accumulating evidence links the accumulation of visceral adipose tissue (VAT) to these obesity related health risks in adults. Childhood obesity is associated with a lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease and poses a serious challenge to future health care.

Screening for coeliac disease in adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus: myths, facts and controversy.

This review aims at summarizing the present knowledge on the clinical consequences of concomitant coeliac disease (CD) in adult patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). The cause of the increased prevalence of CD in T1DM patients is a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Current screening guidelines for CD in adult T1DM patients are not uniform.