The association between aberrant salience and psychotic experiences in general population twins, and genetic vulnerability as a modifier.

Background: Previous studies assessing the hypothesis that the construct of 'aberrant salience' is associated with psychosis and psychotic symptoms showed conflicting results. For this reason, the association between measures to index aberrant salience and subclinical psychotic symptoms in a general population sample was analysed. In addition, genetic vulnerability was added to the analysis as a modifier to test the hypothesis that modification by genetic vulnerability may explain variability in the results.

Drug retention after intradiscal administration.

Intradiscal drug delivery is a promising strategy for treating intervertebral disk degeneration (IVDD). Local degenerative processes and intrinsically low fluid exchange are likely to influence drug retention. Understanding their connection will enable the optimization of IVDD therapeutics.

Biomolecular therapies for chronic discogenic low back pain: A narrative review.

Chronic low back pain caused by intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration, also termed chronic discogenic low back pain (CD-LBP), is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal diseases. Degenerative processes in the IVD, such as inflammation and extra-cellular matrix breakdown, result in neurotrophin release. Local elevated neurotrophin levels will stimulate sprouting and innervation of sensory neurons.

The complexity of obesity-related health problems after bariatric surgery: The patient perspective.

Background: Bariatric surgery aims to improve quality of life by means of weight loss. Obesity-related physical and psychological health problems should improve, but long-term data are scarce.

Objectives: To evaluate preoperative physical and mental health problems perceived by the patient and the association with weight loss and quality of life, 5 years after bariatric surgery.

Associations between childhood adversity, psychiatric symptoms, and self-esteem outcomes in adolescents and young adults: An experience sampling study.

Objectives: Self-esteem and self-esteem stability are important factors during adolescence and young adulthood that can be negatively impacted by childhood adversity and psychiatric symptoms. We examined whether childhood adversity and psychiatric symptoms are associated with decreased global self-esteem as well as increased self-esteem instability as measured with experience sampling method. In addition, we examined if childhood adversity moderates the association between psychiatric symptoms and self-esteem outcomes.

Tear biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease screening and diagnosis (the TearAD study): design and rationale of an observational longitudinal multicenter study.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, and due to increasing life expectancy the number of patients is expected to grow. The diagnosis of AD involves the use of biomarkers determined by an amyloid PET scan or cerebrospinal fluid analyses that are either invasive or expensive, and not available in each hospital, thus limiting their usage as a front-line screener. The TearAD study aims to use tear fluid as a potential source for AD biomarkers.

Dyspnea in patients with atrial fibrillation: Mechanisms, assessment and an interdisciplinary and integrated care approach.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained heart rhythm disorder and is often associated with symptoms that can significantly impact quality of life and daily functioning. Palpitations are the cardinal symptom of AF and many AF therapies are targeted towards relieving this symptom. However, up to two-third of patients also complain of dyspnea as a predominant self-reported symptom.

The cardiometabolic depression subtype and its association with clinical characteristics: The Maastricht Study.

Background: Individuals with depression often show an adverse cardiometabolic risk profile and might represent a distinct depression subtype. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a cardiometabolic depression subtype could be identified and to investigate its association with demographics and clinical characteristics (severity, symptomatology, anti-depressant use, persistence and cognitive functioning).

Methods: We used data from The Maastricht Study, a population-based cohort in the southern part of The Netherlands.

Temporal trends of sex differences for COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation, severe disease, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and death: a meta-analysis of 229 studies covering over 10M patients.

This review aims to investigate the association of sex with the risk of multiple COVID-19 health outcomes, ranging from infection to death. Pubmed and Embase were searched through September 2020. We considered studies reporting sex and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outcomes.

Ethnic minority status as social determinant for COVID-19 infection, hospitalisation, severity, ICU admission and deaths in the early phase of the pandemic: a meta-analysis.

Introduction: Early literature on the COVID-19 pandemic indicated striking ethnic inequalities in SARS-CoV-2-related outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to describe the presence and magnitude of associations between ethnic groups and COVID-19-related outcomes.

Methods: PubMed and Embase were searched from December 2019 through September 2020.

Emerging therapeutic targets for narcolepsy.

Introduction: Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) and type 2 (NT2) are chronic sleep disorders primarily characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), disturbed sleep-wake regulation, and reduced quality of life. The precise disease mechanism is unclear, but it is certain that in NT1 the hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) system is affected. Current treatment options are symptomatic - they improve EDS and/or reduce cataplexy.

Predictive Factors in Sacral Neuromodulation: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is an effective treatment in patients with overactive bladder syndrome or nonobstructive urinary retention when conservative treatment fails. Several factors that could impact outcome with SNM have been studied. This systematic review investigated these predictive factors and their relevance for clinical practice.

Overnight affective dynamics and sleep characteristics as predictors of depression and its development in women.

Study Objectives: We examined (1) differences in overnight affective inertia (carry-over of evening affect to the next morning) for positive (PA) and negative affect (NA) between individuals with past, current, and no depression; (2) how sleep duration and quality influence overnight affective inertia in these groups, and (3) whether overnight affective inertia predicts depression development.

Methods: We used data of 579 women from the East-Flanders Prospective Twin Survey. For aim 1 and 2, individuals with past (n = 82), current (n = 26), and without (lifetime) depression (n = 471) at baseline were examined.

Basal protein synthesis rates differ between vastus lateralis and rectus abdominis muscle.

Background: In vivo muscle protein synthesis rates are typically assessed by measuring the incorporation rate of stable isotope labelled amino acids in skeletal muscle tissue collected from vastus lateralis muscle. It remains to be established whether muscle protein synthesis rates in the vastus lateralis are representative of muscle protein synthesis rates of other muscle groups. We hypothesized that post-absorptive muscle protein synthesis rates differ between vastus lateralis and rectus abdominis, pectoralis major, or temporalis muscle in vivo in humans.

Network dynamics of momentary affect states and future course of psychopathology in adolescents.

Background: Recent theories argue that an interplay between (i.e., network of) experiences, thoughts and affect in daily life may underlie the development of psychopathology.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Anxiety disorders are among the most prevalent and disabling neuropsychiatric syndromes in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but no randomized controlled treatment trials of anxiety have been published to date.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the treatment of anxiety in patients with PD.

Methods: Forty-eight patients with PD with anxiety were randomized 1:1 between CBT and clinical monitoring only (CMO).

Demographic risk factors for COVID-19 infection, severity, ICU admission and death: a meta-analysis of 59 studies.

Objective: We aimed to describe the associations of age and sex with the risk of COVID-19 in different severity stages ranging from infection to death.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Data Sources: PubMed and Embase through 4 May 2020.

Symptom-network dynamics in irritable bowel syndrome with comorbid panic disorder using electronic momentary assessment: A randomized controlled trial of escitalopram vs. placebo.

Introduction: Momentary ecological assessment indicated alleviated abdominal pain in escitalopram treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) with comorbid panic disorder. Hitherto, little is known about symptom formation, i.e.

Dorsal Root Ganglion Stimulation for the Management of Intractable Painful Polyneuropathy: A Prospective Pilot Study.

Objectives: Dorsal root ganglion stimulation (DRGS) is a promising neurostimulation modality in the treatment of painful polyneuropathy. The aim of this prospective pilot study was to investigate the effect of DRGS on pain intensity in patients with intractable painful polyneuropathy.

Materials And Methods: Nine patients with chronic, intractable painful polyneuropathy in the lower limbs were recruited.

Early warning signals in psychopathology: what do they tell?

Background: Despite the increasing understanding of factors that might underlie psychiatric disorders, prospectively detecting shifts from a healthy towards a symptomatic state has remained unattainable. A complex systems perspective on psychopathology implies that such symptom shifts may be foreseen by generic indicators of instability, or early warning signals (EWS). EWS include, for instance, increasing variability, covariance, and autocorrelation in momentary affective states-of which the latter was studied.

Network approach of mood and functional gastrointestinal symptom dynamics in relation to childhood trauma in patients with irritable bowel syndrome and comorbid panic disorder.

Objective: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has a high comorbidity with mental disorders. The present paper aims to visualise the interplay between IBS and affect (anxiety and mood) in daily life. Furthermore, this interplay may be different depending on risk factors such as childhood trauma.

On the Clinical Pharmacology of Reactive Oxygen Species.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been correlated with almost every human disease. Yet clinical exploitation of these hypotheses by pharmacological modulation of ROS has been scarce to nonexistent. Are ROS, thus, irrelevant for disease? No.

The association of hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance with incident depressive symptoms over 4 years of follow-up: The Maastricht Study.

Aims/hypothesis: Depression is twice as common in individuals with type 2 diabetes as in the general population. However, it remains unclear whether hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance are directly involved in the aetiology of depression. Therefore, we investigated the association of markers of hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance, measured as continuous variables, with incident depressive symptoms over 4 years of follow-up.

Association of Markers of Microvascular Dysfunction With Prevalent and Incident Depressive Symptoms: The Maastricht Study.

The etiology of late-life depression (LLD) is still poorly understood. Microvascular dysfunction (MVD) has been suggested to play a role in the etiology of LLD, but direct evidence of this association is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate whether direct and indirect markers of early microvascular dysfunction are associated with prevalent and incident LLD in the population-based Maastricht Study cohort.