Modelling the risk factors for accidents in recreational divers: results from a cross-sectional evaluation in Belgium.

Introduction: Characterisation of the recreational diving community could help to identify scuba divers at risk for accidents.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional evaluation in a federation for recreational scuba divers in Belgium (Duiken.Vlaanderen).

Role of hospital and patient factors in the outcome of reoperations for primary hyperparathyroidism: a retrospective multicenter cohort study.

Background: There are few data on outcomes after reintervention for persistent or recurrent primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). The authors hypothesized that the variation in outcomes at the hospital level after reoperation would be significant. After accounting for this variability, some patient-level clinical criteria could be identified to help inform treatment decisions in this patient population.

Differential expression of epigenetic modifiers in early and late cardiotoxic heart failure reveals DNA methylation as a key regulator of cardiotoxicity.

Background: Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity is a well-known serious clinical entity. However, detailed mechanistic insights on how short-term administration leads to late and long-lasting cardiotoxicity, are still largely undiscovered. We hypothesize that chemotherapy provokes a memory effect at the level of epigenomic DNA modifications which subsequently lead to cardiotoxicity even years after cessation of chemotherapy.

Precision surgery: the role of intra-operative real-time image guidance - outcomes from a multidisciplinary European consensus conference.

Developments within the field of image-guided surgery are ever expanding, driven by collective involvement of clinicians, researchers, and industry. While the general conception of the potential of image-guided surgery is to improve surgical outcome, the specific motives and goals that drive can differ between the different expert groups. To establish the current and future role of intra-operative image guidance within the field of image-guided surgery a Delphi consensus survey was conducted during the 2 European Congress on Image-guided surgery.

European multicentre study on outcome of surgery for sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism.

Background: International multicentre outcome studies of surgery for primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT), especially for rate of conversion to bilateral neck surgery and persistent hypercalcaemia, are scarce.

Methods: Eurocrine® is a European database for endocrine surgery. Data are entered according to predefined data fields.

Salvage Versus Primary Robot-assisted Radical Prostatectomy: A Propensity-matched Comparative Effectiveness Study from a High-volume Tertiary Centre.

Background: Salvage robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (sRARP) is a potential treatment option for locally recurrent prostate cancer (PCa) after nonsurgical primary treatment. There are minimal data comparing outcomes between propensity-matched sRARP and primary robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

Objective: The primary objective is to compare perioperative, oncological, and functional outcomes of sRARP with primary RARP, and the secondary is to compare outcomes between sRARP after whole and focal gland therapy.

Clinical symptoms of limited exercise capacity linked to AAI-DDD functionality: An in silico and in vivo approach.

Background: Exercise capacity is an important aspect of quality of life in patients undergoing pacemaker implantation. Device algorithms for ventricular pacing avoidance have been developed to avoid unnecessary and potentially harmful effects of right ventricular pacing. However, little data exists on the immediate response of these algorithms to sudden AV block during exercise.

Effect of an Integrated, Multidisciplinary Nationwide Approach to Type 1 Diabetes Care on Metabolic Outcomes: An Observational Real-World Study.

Achieving good metabolic control in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) remains a challenge, despite the evolutions in diabetes technologies over the past decade. Here we investigate the evolution of metabolic control in people with T1D, where care is provided by specialized centers with access to technology, diabetes education, and regular follow-up. Data were cross-sectionally collected between 2010 and 2018 from more than 100 centers in Belgium.

Proof-of-concept trial results of the HeartMan mobile personal health system for self-management in congestive heart failure.

This study tested the effectiveness of HeartMan-a mobile personal health system offering decisional support for management of congestive heart failure (CHF)-on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), self-management, exercise capacity, illness perception, mental and sexual health. A randomized controlled proof-of-concept trial (1:2 ratio of control:intervention) was set up with ambulatory CHF patients in stable condition in Belgium and Italy. Data were collected by means of a 6-min walking test and a number of standardized questionnaire instruments.

Low MicroRNA-126 Levels in Right Ventricular Endomyocardial Biopsies Coincide With Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy in Heart Transplant Patients.

Unlabelled: Endothelium-enriched microRNAs (miRs) are involved in the development of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). Recently, serum-derived miR-126-3p and -5p, known endothelial microRNAs with a crucial function in angiogenesis and re-endothelialization, provided additional predictive power for cardiac allograft vasculopathy in addition to clinical predictors. However, their myocardial expression in and relationship with CAV are still unknown.

Techniques and Outcomes of Salvage Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (sRARP).

Background: Salvage Robot-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (sRARP) has been described as feasible treatment for the management of localised prostate cancer (PCa) recurrence after primary treatment. However, no large reports have published cancer and quality outcomes.

Objective: To report perioperative, functional and oncologic outcomes of sRARP in patients with localised PCa recurrence.

Usefulness of the Indocyanine Green (ICG) Immunofluorescence in laparoscopic and robotic partial nephrectomy.

The trend towards the organ sparing and robotic assisted surgeries is clear and is going to expand in the future. Hence, the tools surgeons need to facilitate such minimallly invasive approaches are going to be even more important. The Indocyanine green (ICG) is a water-soluble, relatively hydrophobic dye which bounds to plasma protein and can be used intraoperatively as real time contrast agent.

Randomized Trial of Sacroiliac Joint Arthrodesis Compared with Conservative Management for Chronic Low Back Pain Attributed to the Sacroiliac Joint.

Background: Sacroiliac joint pain is increasingly recognized as a cause of low back pain. We compared the safety and effectiveness of minimally invasive sacroiliac joint arthrodesis using triangular titanium implants and conservative management in patients with chronic sacroiliac joint pain.

Methods: This study was a prospective, multicenter randomized controlled trial of adults with chronic sacroiliac joint pain assigned to either conservative management or sacroiliac joint arthrodesis with triangular titanium implants.

Anterior laryngeal electrodes for recurrent laryngeal nerve monitoring during thyroid and parathyroid surgery: New expanded options for neural monitoring.

Objectives/hypothesis: Intraoperative neural monitoring is a useful adjunct for the laryngeal nerve function assessment during thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Typically, monitoring is performed by measurement of electromyographic responses recorded by endotracheal tube (ETT) surface electrodes. Tube position alterations during surgery can cause displacement of the electrodes relative to the vocal cords, leading to false positive loss of signal.

International neuromonitoring study group guidelines 2018: Part II: Optimal recurrent laryngeal nerve management for invasive thyroid cancer-incorporation of surgical, laryngeal, and neural electrophysiologic data.

The purpose of this publication was to inform surgeons as to the modern state-of-the-art evidence-based guidelines for management of the recurrent laryngeal nerve invaded by malignancy through blending the domains of 1) surgical intraoperative information, 2) preoperative glottic function, and 3) intraoperative real-time electrophysiologic information. These guidelines generated by the International Neural Monitoring Study Group (INMSG) are envisioned to assist the clinical decision-making process involved in recurrent laryngeal nerve management during thyroid surgery by incorporating the important information domains of not only gross surgical findings but also intraoperative recurrent laryngeal nerve functional status and preoperative laryngoscopy findings. These guidelines are presented mainly through algorithmic workflow diagrams for convenience and the ease of application.

A Personal Decision Support System for Heart Failure Management (HeartMan): study protocol of the HeartMan randomized controlled trial.

Background: Heart failure (HF) is a highly prevalent chronic disease, for which there is no cure available. Therefore, improving disease management is crucial, with mobile health (mHealth) being a promising technology. The aim of the HeartMan study is to evaluate the effect of a personal mHealth system on top of standard care on disease management and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in HF.

Risk Factors for Continued Opioid Use in Conservative Versus Surgical Management of Low Back Pain Originating From the Sacroiliac Joint.

Study Design: Secondary analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial.

Objectives: To identify risk factors for continued opioid use after conservative management (CM) or minimally invasive surgical management (MISM) of low back pain (LBP) originating from the sacroiliac joint.

Methods: Patients were randomized either to CM (n = 49) or MISM (n = 52).

Effect of Continuous Glucose Monitoring on Glycemic Control, Acute Admissions, and Quality of Life: A Real-World Study.

Context: Randomized controlled trials evaluating real-time continuous glucose monitoring (RT-CGM) patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) show improved glycemic control, but limited data are available on real-world use.

Objective: To assess impact of RT-CGM in real-world settings on glycemic control, hospital admissions, work absenteeism, and quality of life (QOL).

Design: Prospective, observational, multicenter, cohort study.

The impact of drop-out in cardiac rehabilitation on outcome among coronary artery disease patients.

Background The effect of adherence to cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on outcome is not clear. Therefore, we aimed to assess the impact of drop-out for non-medical reasons of CR on event-free survival in coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods A total of 876 patients who attended CR after acute coronary syndrome (ACS), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) were included.

The Relationship Between Serotonin-2A Receptor and Cognitive Functions in Nondemented Parkinson's Disease Patients with Visual Hallucinations.

Background: There is growing evidence that the serotonergic system, in particular serotonin 2A receptors, is involved in neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), including cognitive processing and visual hallucinations. However, the relationship between serotonin 2A receptor availability, visual hallucinations, and cognitive profile is unknown. The objective of this study was to investigate the level of serotonin 2A receptor availability in brain regions affected by visual hallucinations and to test the association with cognitive/behavioral changes in patients who have PD with visual hallucinations.

Referred leg pain originating from the sacroiliac joint: 6-month outcomes from the prospective randomized controlled iMIA trial.

Background: The first results from the randomized, controlled iFuse Implant System Minimally Invasive Arthrodesis (iMIA) trial showed that minimally invasive surgical management (MISM) of low back pain originating from the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) by placing transarticular triangular titanium implants reduced pain more effectively than conservative management (CM). We now conducted a separate analysis of the iMIA data to assess whether the referred leg pain (RLP) component of SIJ-associated pain may also be affected by MISM or CM.

Methods: Data from 101 patients, recruited between June 2013 and May 2015 at nine European spine care centers, were included.