Influence of core material and occlusal contact pattern on fatigue behavior of different monolithic ceramic crowns.

This study evaluated the effect of substrate core materials and occlusal contact patterns on the fatigue mechanical behavior and stress distribution of single-unit ceramic crowns. One hundred and twenty monolithic crowns were fabricated from zirconia (YZ - IPS e.max ZirCAD, Ivoclar), lithium disilicate (LD - IPS e.

PTV Margins in MR-guided and Beam-gated SBRT of Liver Metastases: GTV Dose Escalation Can Reduce the Required PTV.

Aims: Determining appropriate PTV margins for SBRT of liver metastases is a non-trivial task, especially with motion management included. The widely used analytical van Herk margin recipe (van Herk et al., 2000) could break down due to (i) a low number of fractions, (ii) non-Gaussian errors, or (iii) non-homogenous dose distributions.

Automation of on-site microbial water quality monitoring from source to tap: Challenges and perspectives.

Ensuring the provision of safe drinking water necessitates thorough monitoring of microbial water quality. While traditional culture-based enumeration of bacterial indicators has served as the gold standard in compliance monitoring since the late 19th century, recent advancements in microbial sensor technology, driven by automation and digitalization, are revolutionizing on-site monitoring capabilities. These innovations offer unparalleled potential for automated, high temporal frequency monitoring with remote, real-time data transmission.

Machine learning models for neurocognitive outcome prediction in preterm born infants.

Background: Outcome prediction after preterm birth is important for long-term neonatal care, but has proven notoriously challenging for neurocognitive outcome. This study investigated the potential of machine learning to improve neurocognitive outcome prediction at two and five years of corrected age in preterm infants, using readily available predictors from the neonatal setting.

Methods: Predictors originating from the antenatal and neonatal period of preterm infants born <30 weeks gestation were used to predict adverse neurocognitive outcome on the Bayley Scale and Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence.

An exploration of governance in teaching hospitals in the Netherlands focused on educational objectives.

Background: Many countries are improving medical education in teaching hospitals through more focus on internal quality assurance, for example by creating new stakeholders like hospital-wide education committees. Adequate oversight is thought essential to ensure the quality of medical education. How teaching hospitals distribute roles and responsibilities for quality control across educational stakeholders to organize this oversight is rarely investigated.

Profiles of testosterone and pre-androgens and sexual function in premenopausal women.

Background: There is inconsistent evidence as to the role of testosterone and pre-androgens in premenopausal female sexual function, and reported associations between blood concentrations of these hormones and female sexual function vary in strength.

Aim: To examine the patterns of testosterone and pre-androgen concentrations and variations in sexual function in premenopausal eumenorrheic women.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a sample of 588 premenopausal eumenorrheic women from the Grollo-Ruzzene Foundation Young Women's Health Study.

Lipid Management in US Commercial and Medicare Enrollees with Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Treatment Patterns and Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Control.

Lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) is the cornerstone for secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), yet many patients exhibit low adherence to therapy and fail to achieve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals. This retrospective cohort study used 2 nationally representative administrative closed claims databases (PharMetrics® Plus and Medicare Fee-for-Service [FFS] Research Identifiable Files) to identify commercial (C) and Medicare (M) enrollees with ASCVD between 2014-2019. Patients were stratified by exposure to statin therapy, ezetimibe and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 monoclonal antibodies (PCSK9i mAb) regimens.

A Randomised, Single Blind, Controlled Trial Comparing Flush Endovenous Laser Ablation with Standard Endovenous Laser Ablation of the Great Saphenous Vein.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare anterior accessory saphenous vein (AASV) reflux after standard endovenous laser ablation (EVLA) vs. flush EVLA (fEVLA) of the great saphenous vein (GSV).

Methods: This was as randomised, single blind, controlled trial (Dutch Trial Register, NL5283).

Cost-effectiveness of an additional hysterectomy after initially conservative treatment for cervical adenocarcinoma in situ.

Objective: Several European and American guidelines recommend to perform an additional hysterectomy in patients with cervical adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS), who initially received conservative treatment and who completed childbearing during follow-up. This study aimed to evaluate cost-effectiveness of performing an additional hysterectomy in comparison to expectative management.

Methods: This post-hoc analysis was based on a retrospective cohort of patients diagnosed with AIS, who were conservatively treated by a radical (i.

The effect of prosthetic alignment on lower limb kinetics in people with a transtibial bone-anchored prosthesis: An experimental within-subject study.

Background: The alignment of a bone-anchored prosthesis has consequences for the external moments around the residual joints and implant, and these external moments can lead to serious negative long-term effects. A clear understanding of the relationship between transtibial prosthetic alignment and external joint and implant moment for bone-anchored prosthetic users is still lacking.

Research Question: What is the effect of systematic frontal plane prosthetic alignment changes on lower limb external joint moments in people with a transtibial bone-anchored prosthesis?

Methods: Participants underwent gait analysis on an instrumented dual belt treadmill.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Dissociation in a Clinical Sample of Refugees in the Netherlands: Evidence for a Dissociative Subtype.

An increasing number of studies have been investigating the co-occurrence of posttraumatic symptoms and dissociation in trauma-exposed samples. As traumatized refugees are particularly susceptible to developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between PTSD and dissociation in a traumatized refugee sample. Cross-sectional data from a clinical refugee sample ( = 526) were collected.

Methodological Insights on Biomarker-Based Patient Selection: A Review of Scientific Advice Procedures at the European Medicines Agency.

Biomarkers play a pivotal role in the selection and enrollment of trial participants. Particularly, predictive biomarkers help tailor medical care to individual patients; however, also prognostic biomarkers require consideration at the design stage. At the time of initiating a clinical trial, there may be uncertainty about whether a biomarker is predictive or prognostic, and the trial design may need to account for this.

Long-term hemodynamic responses and reverse remodeling after pharmacotherapy in HFpEF versus HFrEF: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

The acute response to therapeutic afterload reduction differs between heart failure with preserved (HFpEF) versus reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), with larger left ventricular (LV) stroke work augmentation in HFrEF compared to HFpEF. This may (partially) explain the neutral effect of HFrEF-medication in HFpEF. It is unclear whether such differences in hemodynamic response persist and/or differentially trigger reverse remodeling in case of long-term afterload reduction.

Evaluating a Virtual Community-of-Practice as Implementation Strategy for the Needs Assessment Framework in Intellectual Disability Care: A Quasi-Experimental Multi-Methods Study.

Background: The Needs Assessment Framework (NAF) stimulates awareness of care staff to consider perspectives of clients with intellectual disabilities in decisions on involuntary care. We explored the effect of implementers' participation in a Virtual Community-of-Practice (VCoP) for designing implementation plans, on NAF implementation and staff awareness.

Method: A quasi-experimental design was used to compare implementation and awareness by care staff (n = 54) between organisations that implemented NAF with VCoP participation (N = 4) and organisations that implemented NAF as usual (N = 3).

Optimising diagnostics for hard-of-hearing infants: factors associated with successful MRI scanning without general anaesthesia.

Purpose: Scanning during infancy is often required in otology, preferably without general anaesthesia. This study aims to determine the success rate of MRI of the head without general anaesthesia for infants, and to identify predictors for a successful scan.

Methods: Data was extracted from the electronic patient file for patients who received MRI of the head without general anaesthesia between 01-01-2019 and 31-12-2022 at an age younger than 6 months.

Characterizing biomarkers of ageing in Singaporeans: the ABIOS observational study protocol.

Ageing is the primary driver of age-associated chronic diseases and conditions. Asian populations have traditionally been underrepresented in studies understanding age-related diseases. Thus, the Ageing BIOmarker Study in Singaporeans (ABIOS) aims to characterise biomarkers of ageing in Singaporeans, exploring associations between molecular, physiological, and digital biomarkers of ageing.

Enhanced CH emissions from global wildfires likely due to undetected small fires.

Monitoring methane (CH) emissions from terrestrial ecosystems is essential for assessing the relative contributions of natural and anthropogenic factors leading to climate change and shaping global climate goals. Fires are a significant source of atmospheric CH, with the increasing frequency of megafires amplifying their impact. Global fire emissions exhibit large spatiotemporal variations, making the magnitude and dynamics difficult to characterize accurately.

Non-thermal plasma as promising anti-cancer therapy against bladder cancer by inducing DNA damage and cell cycle arrest.

Bladder cancer often recurs, necessitating innovative treatments to reduce recurrence. We investigated non-thermal plasma's potential as a novel anti-cancer therapy, focusing on plasma-activated solution (PAS), created by exposing saline to non-thermal plasma. Our study aims to elucidate the biological effects of PAS on bladder cancer cell lines in vitro, as well as the combination with mitomycin C (MMC), using clinically relevant settings.

Ex vivo assessment of human neutrophil motility and migration.

Neutrophils are pivotal in orchestrating tumor-induced systemic inflammation and are increasingly recognized for their critical involvement in both the initiation and progression of cancer. A fundamental facet of neutrophil biology is their migratory capacity, which enables them to extravasate and infiltrate tumors in other tissues, where they carry out essential effector functions. Unraveling the intricate mechanisms of neutrophil motility and migration is crucial for comprehending immune responses and inflammatory processes, shedding light on their substantial contribution to cancer progression.

Fixation for Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus Leads to Successful Clinical Outcomes in 9 out of 10 Patients: a Systematic Review.

Importance: Osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) with an osteochondral fragment are amendable for fixation. Fixation aims to stabilize the osteochondral fragment while retaining the native cartilage. Though fixation for OLT is a promising treatment, no systematic overview of the literature on its efficacy and safety exists.

Discovery of a DNA methylation profile in individuals with Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss syndrome.

Pathogenic heterozygous variants in CHD4 cause Sifrim-Hitz-Weiss syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with brain anomalies, heart defects, macrocephaly, hypogonadism, and additional features with variable expressivity. Most individuals have non-recurrent missense variants, complicating variant interpretation. A few were reported with truncating variants, and their role in disease is unclear.

Seasonal changes in bay water column properties and their influence on the distribution of dissolved and particulate substances along the south coast of Curaçao (Caribbean Sea).

As endpoints of watersheds, bays concentrate erosion- and human-derived substances such as dissolved inorganic nutrients and pollutants. We investigated the water movement and biogeochemistry of two bays in Curaçao: Piscadera Bay and Spaanse Water, during the dry (May 2022 and 2023) and wet seasons (November 2021 and 2023). Bay-ocean exchange was limited during the dry season, enhancing nutrient concentrations in the bays.

Regulatory workshop on standardisation of clinical procedures, endpoints and data robustness of human challenge studies - A stakeholder meeting report.

Inno4Vac, a public-private partnership funded by the IMI2/EU/EFPIA Joint Undertaking (IMI2 JU), brings together academic institutions, SMEs, and pharmaceutical companies to accelerate and de-risk vaccine development. The project has made significant strides in the selection and production of challenge agents for influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and toxigenic Clostridioides difficile for controlled human infection model studies (CHIMs). A regulatory workshop held on March 20, 2024, addressed the standardisation of clinical procedures, ethical considerations, endpoints, and data integrity, highlighting the ongoing initiatives related to these CHIMs.

Risk characterisation of chemicals of emerging concern in real-life water reuse applications.

Water reuse is a viable option to address temporal or structural water shortages. However, the ubiquitous presence of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs) in natural systems, especially the aquatic environment, represents a significant obstacle to water reuse and the receiving environment. Therefore, an extensive literature review was performed to identify current water reuse practices at field scale, reported types and levels of CECs and their associated risks for human and environmental health.