28,950 results match your criteria: "VU-University[Affiliation]"

Orthodontic aligner therapy outcomes in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Int J Paediatr Dent

August 2024

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Special Dental Care and Orthodontics, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face unique challenges in oral care. Aligner therapy offers a promising alternative to conventional approaches for this patient group.

Aim: To evaluate orthodontic aligner therapy outcomes in children with ASD using the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) Index and the Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need (ICON), and to investigate whether concomitant disorders affect ICON, PAR scores, and treatment duration.

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Background: Evidence shows that online interventions could prevent depression. However, to improve the effectiveness of preventive online interventions in individuals with subthreshold depression, it is worthwhile to study factors influencing intervention outcomes. Outcome expectancy has been shown to predict treatment outcomes in psychotherapy for depression.

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Background: Patients with severe mental health issues who live in isolated rural areas are difficult to reach and treat. Providing effective treatment is difficult because mental health problems are complex and require specialized knowledge from a range of professionals. Task-sharing with lay mental health workers (LMHWs) has potential but requires proper training and supervision to be effective.

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Release of contraction stress of dental resin composites by water sorption.

Dent Mater

October 2024

Department of Dental Materials Science, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081LA Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Unlabelled: Polymerization shrinkage of bonded resin composite restorations will result in the development of curing contraction stresses during setting and can cause debonding of the restoration or failure of the surrounding tooth structure. However, the hygroscopic expansion that occurs after exposure of the restorative to the wet oral environment can compensate for this shrinkage.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the hygroscopic expansion of six commercial resin composites and relate it to their composition, mechanical properties, shrinkage, and contraction stress development.

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The association of inflammatory markers with frailty and in-hospital mortality in older COVID-19 patients.

Exp Gerontol

October 2024

Department of Internal Medicine, Section Geriatric Medicine, Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Introduction: During the COVID19 pandemic, older patients hospitalized for COVID-19 exhibited an increased mortality risk compared to younger patients. While ageing is associated with compromised immune responses and frailty, their contributions and interplay remain understudied. This study investigated the association between inflammatory markers and mortality and potential modification by frailty among older patients hospitalized for COVID-19.

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The Genetic Architecture of the Human Corpus Callosum and its Subregions.

bioRxiv

July 2024

Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Marina del Rey, CA, USA.

Article Synopsis
  • The corpus callosum (CC) is crucial for communication between the brain's hemispheres, affecting motor responses and executive functions.
  • Research investigates genetic factors underlying its structure, linking them to neuropsychiatric disorders and brain development.
  • An AI tool was created to analyze CC morphology using large datasets, which revealed genetic overlaps with conditions like ADHD and bipolar disorder, highlighting important biological processes in CC development.
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Background: Digital speech assessment has potential relevance in the earliest, preclinical stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We evaluated the feasibility, test-retest reliability, and association with AD-related amyloid-beta (Aβ) pathology of speech acoustics measured over multiple assessments in a remote setting.

Methods: Fifty cognitively unimpaired adults (Age 68 ± 6.

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Background: Several treatment modalities for heavy menstrual bleeding are available. However, many women report being unsatisfied in their search for an appropriate and effective treatment. The aim of this study is to gain insights in the experienced impact of heavy menstrual bleeding and the motives and considerations of women during the decision-making process for treating heavy menstrual bleeding.

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Background: Adherence to home-based exercise (HBE) recommendations is critical in physiotherapy for patients with low back pain (LBP). However, limited research has explored its connection with clinical outcomes. This study examined how adherence to HBE relates to changes in physical function, pain intensity, and recovery from LBP in patients undergoing physiotherapy treatment.

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  • A study investigated whether adding group schema therapy (GST) to individual trauma-focused treatment (imagery rescripting, ImRs) improves outcomes for patients with PTSD and cluster C personality disorders (PD).* -
  • 130 adult outpatients were randomly assigned to receive either ImRs alone or ImRs plus GST, with results measured one year later to assess PTSD severity and other secondary outcomes.* -
  • Both treatment groups showed significant reductions in PTSD severity, but there was no notable difference between the two, suggesting that standard trauma-focused treatment may be the better first-line option for these patients.*
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Advances in the treatment of cancer have significantly improved mortality rates; however, this has come at a cost, with many treatments still limited by their toxic side effects. Mucositis in both the mouth and gastrointestinal tract is common following many anti-cancer agents, manifesting as ulcerative lesions and associated symptoms throughout the alimentary tract. The pathogenesis of mucositis was first defined in 2004 by Sonis, and almost 20 years on, the model continues to be updated reflecting ongoing research initiatives and more sophisticated analytical techniques.

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Purpose: For many individuals with a psychotic disorder societal recovery is not accomplished. Research on societal recovery trajectories is mostly focussed on patients with a first episode psychosis. The present study aims to identify distinct societal trajectories in those with long duration of illness, through the identification of patient subgroups that are characterized by homogeneous trajectories.

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Associations Between Glucose Metabolism Measures and Amyloid-β and Tau Load on PET 14 Years Later: Findings From the Framingham Heart Study.

Diabetes Care

October 2024

Alzheimer Center Limburg, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Department of Psychiatry & Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.

Article Synopsis
  • The study investigated the relationship between glucose metabolism and the development of tau pathology, a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease, in middle-aged adults without dementia.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 288 participants, examining their fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels and later PET scans for amyloid-β and tau loads.
  • Results showed that elevated plasma glucose correlated with increased tau load after 14 years, particularly in individuals who were not carriers of the APOE ε4 allele, while insulin levels and HOMA-IR did not show significant associations with either amyloid-β or tau.
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Measurable residual disease (MRD) is detected in approximately a quarter of AML chemotherapy responders, serving as a predictor for relapse and shorter survival. Immunological control of residual disease is suggested to prevent relapse, but the mechanisms involved are not fully understood. We present a peripheral blood single cell immune profiling by mass cytometry using a 42-antibody panel with particular emphasis on markers of cellular immune response.

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Introduction: Up to 50% of pulmonary embolism (PE) patients have perfusion defects or residual vascular obstruction during follow-up despite adequate anticoagulant treatment, and a similar percentage experience chronic functional limitations and/or dyspnoea post-PE. We aimed to evaluate the association between pulmonary perfusion defects or residual vascular obstruction and functional recovery after PE.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis including studies assessing both the presence of perfusion defects or residual vascular obstruction and functional recovery ( persistent symptoms, quality of life, exercise endurance).

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Obesity represents a major public health emergency worldwide, and its etiology is shaped by a complex interplay of environmental and genetic factors. Over the last decade, polygenic risk scores (PRS) have emerged as a promising tool to quantify an individual's genetic risk of obesity. The field of PRS in obesity genetics is rapidly evolving, shedding new lights on obesity mechanisms and holding promise for contributing to personalized prevention and treatment.

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Molecular events accompanying aggregation-induced energy quenching in fucoxanthin-chlorophyll proteins.

Biochim Biophys Acta Bioenerg

November 2024

Institute of Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Avenue de la Terrasse, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France.

In high light, the antenna system in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms switches to a photoprotective mode, dissipating excess energy in a process called non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Diatoms exhibit very efficient NPQ, accompanied by a xanthophyll cycle in which diadinoxanthin is de-epoxidized into diatoxanthin. Diatoms accumulate pigments from this cycle in high light, and exhibit faster and more pronounced NPQ.

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Background: No established medical treatment options currently exist for patients with non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma (NFPMA). Somatostatin analogues may prevent tumour growth, but randomised controlled trials are lacking. somatostatin receptor assessment with Ga-DOTATATE PET could help in selecting patients for treatment.

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Although both short and long sleep duration are associated with elevated hypertension risk, our understanding of their interplay with biological pathways governing blood pressure remains limited. To address this, we carried out genome-wide cross-population gene-by-short-sleep and long-sleep duration interaction analyses for three blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic, and pulse pressure) in 811,405 individuals from diverse population groups. We discover 22 novel gene-sleep duration interaction loci for blood pressure, mapped to 23 genes.

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Introduction: Our aim was to develop and evaluate the performance of population-based sex-specific and unisex prescriptive fetal abdominal circumference growth charts in predicting small-for-gestational-age (SGA) birthweight, severe SGA (sSGA) birthweight, and severe adverse perinatal outcomes (SAPO) in a low-risk population.

Methods: This is a post hoc analysis of the Dutch nationwide cluster-randomized IRIS study, encompassing ultrasound data of 7,704 low-risk women. IRIS prescriptive unisex and IRIS sex-specific abdominal circumference (AC) fetal growth charts were derived using quantile regression.

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Article Synopsis
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) is an important protein that helps cancer cells stick together, move, grow, and survive, so targeting it could help treat tough cancers like pancreatic cancer.
  • Researchers tested a new series of special compounds and found one that effectively stopped the growth of different pancreatic cancer cells and reduced their movement.
  • In experiments with mice, this compound not only slowed down tumor growth but also showed it wasn’t harmful, making it a strong candidate for future cancer treatments that target FAK.
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The aim of the present study is to identify a more reliable reference point in three-dimensional cephalometric analysis to replace the Porion point used in two-dimensional analysis, enhancing the accuracy of assessments. The methodology assessed potential alternative landmarks for three-dimensional cephalometric analysis. Utilizing a segmenting technique, anatomical landmarks were accurately pinpointed from the external acoustic meatus of 26 Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans.

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How end-of-life care was limited during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal survey study among healthcare providers (the CO-LIVE study).

BMC Palliat Care

July 2024

Department of Public and Occupational Health, Expertise Center for Palliative Care, Amsterdam UMC, VU University, Van Der Boechorststraat 7, Amsterdam, 1081 BT, the Netherlands.

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the way in which end-of-life care was provided, underwent a lot of changes and therefor different domains of end-of-life care were impacted. The aim of this study is to describe whether health care providers considered end-of-life care (in medical, nursing, psychosocial and spiritual care) limited by the pandemic through the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and examine associations with COVID-19 related circumstances of care (e.g.

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Role of Exercise Hemodynamics in the Prediction of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension in BMPR2 Mutation Carriers.

Chest

November 2024

School of Medicine, Université Paris-Saclay, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France; Service de Pneumologie et Soins Intensifs Respiratoires, AP-HP, Hôpital Bicêtre, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France; INSERM UMRS 999, Hôpital Marie Lannelongue, Le Plessis-Robinson, Paris, France. Electronic address:

Background: Exercise hemodynamics are recommended for early detection of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and have been suggested to be predictive of future development of PAH in high-risk populations such as BMPR2 mutation carriers. However, the optimal exercise hemodynamic screening parameter remains to be determined. Recent data suggest that pulmonary vascular distensibility (α) may serve as a useful parameter for early detection of PAH.

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Article Synopsis
  • Susac syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and primary angiitis of the central nervous system often present similar symptoms, making accurate diagnosis a challenge; the study aimed to improve this through a new scoring system called the SPAMS score.
  • The research involved 99 patients from South America and utilized an elastic-net model to determine important MRI features for distinguishing between these conditions.
  • The SPAMS score demonstrated high diagnostic accuracy, effectively differentiating SuS from MS and PACNS, highlighting the importance of specific MRI findings for timely interventions and potentially better patient outcomes.
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