A noise-robust post-processing pipeline for accelerated phase-cycled Na Multi-Quantum Coherences MRI.

Purpose: To develop an improved post-processing pipeline for noise-robust accelerated phase-cycled Cartesian Single (SQ) and Triple Quantum (TQ) sodium (Na) Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of in vivo human brain at 7 T.

Theory And Methods: Our pipeline aims to tackle the challenges of Na Multi-Quantum Coherences (MQC) MRI including low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and time-consuming Radiofrequency (RF) phase-cycling. Our method combines low-rank k-space denoising for SNR enhancement with Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) to robustly separate SQ and TQ signal components.

Intravesical Instillation of Chemotherapy Before Radical Surgery for Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: The REBACARE Trial.

Background And Objective: Intravesical instillation of chemotherapy (IIC) after radical surgery for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) reduces the risk of intravesical recurrence (IVR). However, compliance is low because of possible extravesical leakage after bladder cuff excision. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative IIC in reducing the risk of IVR.

Evaluation of colour vision impairment during acute hypobaric hypoxia in aviation medicine: a randomized controlled trial.

The digitization of aircraft cockpits places high demands on the colour vision of pilots. The present study investigates colour vision changes upon acute exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. The digital Waggoner Computerized Color Vision Test and the Waggoner D-15 were performed by 54 healthy volunteers in a decompression chamber.

Prognostic role of con-/discordant coronary flow reserve and microvascular resistance in coronary microvascular disease: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: Coronary microvascular disease (CMD) is defined as impaired coronary flow reserve (CFR) and/or increased microvascular resistance (MR) without significant epicardial coronary stenosis. This definition allows for discordant CFR and MR values within patients with CMD. The aim of this meta-analysis is to characterise the prognostic value and pathophysiological backgrounds of CFR and MR con-/discordance.

Which variables are associated with recruitment failure? A nationwide review on obstetrical and gynaecological multicentre RCTs (2003-2023).

Objective: We aim to assess which variables are associated with recruitment failure of obstetrical and gynaecological randomised controlled trials (RCTs), leading to an extension of the study period.

Design: Nationwide study.

Setting: A cohort of RCTs supported by the trial centre of the Dutch Consortium of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

Study protocol of the PRINCESS trial-PReoperative INtermittent fasting versus CarbohydratE loading to reduce inSulin resiStance versus standard of care in orthopaedic patients: a randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Surgical trauma induces a metabolic stress response, resulting in reduced insulin sensitivity and hyperglycaemia. Postoperative insulin resistance (IR) is associated with postoperative complications, and extended preoperative fasting may further aggravate the postoperative metabolic stress response. Nutritional strategies, such as carbohydrate loading (CHL), have been successfully used to attenuate postoperative IR.

Perioperative extra corporeal membrane oxygenation in neonates with transposition of the great arteries: 15 years of experience.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can act as a bridge to recovery in both pre-and postoperative patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA). However, literature on its use in these patients is scarce.

Methods: Retrospective single-centre cohort study encompassing all TGA patients who received ECMO between January 2009 and March 2024.

Microplastic Characterization and Transport Mode -A Flow-Integrated Approach to Sampling Urban Waterways.

Concentrations of microplastics are both temporally and spatially variable in streamflow. Yet, an overwhelming number of published field studies do not target a range of flow conditions and fail to adequately capture particle transport within the full flow field. Since microplastic flux models rely on the representativeness of available data, current predictions of riverine exports contain substantial error.

The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in COVID-19 as a recall response susceptible to immune imprinting: A prospective cohort study.

Unlabelled: The antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 does not follow the immunoglobulin isotype pattern of primary responses, conflicting with the current interpretation of COVID-19.

Methods: Prospective cohort study of 191 SARS-CoV-2 infection cases and 44 controls from the second wave of COVID-19. The study stratified patients by severity and analyzed the trajectories of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies and multiple immune variables.

Cellular expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 and amyloid beta deposition in human and rat epileptogenic brain.

Decreased capillary expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) has been linked to increased brain amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ accumulation has also been observed in (a subset of) temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients, suggesting a potential link between epilepsy and AD. This study examines cellular LRP1 expression in human and rat epileptogenic brain tissue to explore LRP1's role in epilepsy.

Guiding the Hand to an Invisible Target.

Numerous devices are being developed to assist visually impaired and blind individuals in performing everyday tasks such as reaching out to grasp objects. Considering that the size, weight, and cost of assistive devices significantly impact their acceptance, it would be useful to know how effective various types of guiding information can be. As an initial exploration of this issue, we conducted four studies in which participants with normal vision were visually guided toward targets.

Ultrasmooth Micromilling of Stainless Steel by Ultrashort Pulsed Laser Ablation Using MHz Bursts.

Ultrashort pulsed (USP) laser burst ablation has attracted numerous interests for its great potential in enhancing ablation efficiency and reducing the heat-affected zone. However, little attention has been paid to the influence of burst ablation on the processed surface quality. To fill this research gap, the present study conducts a comprehensive investigation on the surface processing of stainless steel using ultrashort pulsed laser burst ablation.

Hyphenation of 2D NMR With Hydrogenative PHIP.

Parahydrogen induced polarisation (PHIP) is often used to enhance the sensitivity of NMR, with the purpose of extending the applicability of the technique. Nuclear spin hyperpolarisation obtained via PHIP is generally localised on the protons derived from the addition of para-enriched hydrogen to an unsaturated substrate. This limitation has been previously addressed by pulse schemes that can spread this hyperpolarised magnetisation through the entire network of J-coupled protons in the product molecule.

Single-cell DNA sequencing reveals pervasive positive selection throughout preleukemic evolution.

The representation of driver mutations in preleukemic hematopoietic stem cells (pHSCs) provides a window into the somatic evolution that precedes acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we isolate pHSCs from the bone marrow of 16 patients diagnosed with AML and perform single-cell DNA sequencing on thousands of cells to reconstruct phylogenetic trees of the major driver clones in each patient. We develop a computational framework that can infer levels of positive selection operating during preleukemic evolution from the statistical properties of these phylogenetic trees.

Intra-patient comparison of microarchitecture of tumour negative lymph nodes from oesophageal cancer patients - Results from the MRC Oe02 trial.

Background: Regional lymph node (LN) status is a key prognostic factor in oesophageal cancer (OeC). Tumour-derived antigens can activate immune reactions in LNs, potentially reflecting the host's anti-tumour immune response. It remains unclear whether this response is homogeneous across all tumour negative LNs (LNneg) within individual OeC patients.

Wall teichoic acid glycosylation of bovine-associated Staphylococcus aureus strains.

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the major causes of bovine mastitis, a disease with detrimental effects on health and wellbeing. Current control measures are costly, laborious and not always effective in eradicating S.

SIRE: Scale-invariant, rotation-equivariant estimation of artery orientations using graph neural networks.

The orientation of a blood vessel as visualized in 3D medical images is an important descriptor of its geometry that can be used for centerline extraction and subsequent segmentation, labeling, and visualization. Blood vessels appear at multiple scales and levels of tortuosity, and determining the exact orientation of a vessel is a challenging problem. Recent works have used 3D convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for this purpose, but CNNs are sensitive to variations in vessel size and orientation.

Degradation rates and ageing effects of UV on tyre and road wear particles.

Tyre and road wear particles (TRWPs) are estimated to be the largest source of microplastics in the environment and due to the intrinsic use of tyres in our society this will continue to grow. Understanding their degradation mechanisms and subsequent accumulation over time is important to gain insights into the fate and impact of these particles in the environment. Accelerated UV-ageing was performed on cryomilled tyre tread particles and TRWPs from a road simulator to investigate the abiotic degradation of rubber.

Follow-up after first-Line nivOlumab plus ipilimumab in patients with diffuse pleuRal mesotheliomA: a real-world Dutch cohort study-FLORA.

Background: Diffuse pleural mesothelioma (dPM) is an aggressive malignancy, primarily treated with palliative systemic therapy. Since 2022, nivolumab-ipilimumab (nivo/ipi) has replaced chemotherapy as the standard first-line treatment for dPM in the Netherlands. Chemotherapy remains a rational second-line treatment.

The effect of β-casein addition on properties and rennet behavior of reassembled casein micelles.

Bovine milk contains four types of caseins with β-casein being one of the most abundant. Previous studies on cow milk have reported seemingly contradictory effects of β-casein on milk renneting behavior. The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of how β-casein affects the properties and renneting behavior of casein micelles by using a model system of reassembled casein micelles (RCMs).

HBM4EU E-waste study - An untargeted metabolomics approach to characterize metabolic changes during E-waste recycling.

E-waste contains hazardous chemicals that may be a direct health risk for workers involved in recycling. We conducted an untargeted metabolomics analysis of urine samples collected from male e-waste processing workers to explore metabolic changes associated with chemical exposures in e-waste recycling in Belgium, Finland, Latvia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, and Portugal. Questionnaire data and urine samples were obtained from workers involved in the processing of e-waste (sorting, dismantling, shredding, pre-processing, metal, and non-metal processing), as well as from controls with no known occupational exposure.