University Medical Center Utrecht

Post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) are associated with distinct clinical phenotypes two years after SARS-CoV-2 infection: A data-driven approach

It is important to determine whether the persistent cognitive and fatigue complaints, as part of post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), are associated with underlying patterns and specific symptoms clusters. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate symptom clus...

Change in hearing loss and its association with general health in a community-based longitudinal study of middle-aged individuals: The Busselton healthy ageing study

Introduction With the ageing of the global population, disabling hearing loss is a major health concern. While age and sex are established determinants, the relation between general and environmental health factors and the progression of hearing loss remains incompletely understo...

Genetic evidence for the psychosis continuum: polygenic score analysis

Background The psychosis continuum conceptualises psychotic phenomena as existing on a spectrum from subclinical experiences to psychotic disorders. Despite epidemiological and clinical evidence in support of this model, few studies have examined polygenic liability across the se...

Treatment restrictions after acute stroke across nine European countries and their association with 90-day mortality: a post hoc analysis of the PRECIOUS randomised controlled trial

Background In patients with acute stroke, early withholding or withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies is associated with an increased risk of death. We used practice variation across nine European countries to assess whether this relation may be causal. Methods We performed a po...

Dried Urine Spots for Quantification of C0 (Free) Carnitine Excretion: A Validated Method for Follow-Up and Confirmatory Testing of Primary Carnitine Deficiency

Primary carnitine deficiency (PCD), caused by Organic Cation Transporter Novel 2 (OCTN2) deficiency, is detected by newborn screening (NBS) through low blood free carnitine (C0) concentrations. Confirmation of the diagnosis may be supported by demonstrating increased urinary C0 e...

Plasma metabolomics reveals candidate biomarkers associated with individual treatment response in psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a clinically heterogeneous inflammatory disease for which optimal treatment selection remains unclear. Robust biomarkers that predict treatment response and identify patient-specific factors to inform treatment choice could advance precision medicine...

Polymer Coating Adhesion Drives Functional and Biological Outcomes in Meniscus Implants

Achieving stable integration of drug-releasing polymer coatings with load-bearing meniscus implants remains a challenge in biomaterials engineering. In this study, four surface modification strategies, femtosecond-pulsed laser treatment, oxygen plasma, polydopamine, and an ethyl-...

Sex-dependent DNA methylation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shows well-established sex differences in incidence, age at onset and progression, but their biological basis is unclear. We hypothesised that the DNA methylation changes associated with ALS differ between the sexes, which would point to sex-sp...

Applying 177Lu-Dotatate for Hereditary Neuroendocrine Tumours: The Role in MEN1

Abstract Introduction Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is the most common genetic syndrome causing neuroendocrine tumours (NET) with metastatic duodenopancreatic NET (dpNET) forming the predominant cause of MEN1-related mortality. Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy w...

Losing Control: Why Absence of Controlling Influences Should be Replaced by Absence of Alienating Influences as a Criterion for Autonomous Action in Bioethics

ABSTRACT According to Faden and Beauchamp's influential model, an action is autonomous when it is done intentionally with understanding and in the absence of controlling influences. Recent debates concerning nudges have shown, however, that this last condition gives limited ethic...

Diagnostic value of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in staging histological subtypes of invasive bladder cancer

Abstract This study assessed the diagnostic value of [ 18 F]FDG-PET/CT in staging histological subtypes (HSs) of invasive bladder cancer. In 112 patients with ≥ 75% HS-content, 87% of primary tumours were FDG-avid, 9% were non-assessable (due to high FDG-avid urine), and only 5%...

Core outcome set for quality of life of family caregivers of adults with epilepsy: A Delphi consensus study

OBJECTIVE: Epilepsy significantly affects daily functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of those living with the condition. Less is known about HRQOL of family caregivers of adults with epilepsy, yet the functioning of patients and caregivers is interlinked, and ca...

Divergence Between Marker Expression and Phenotype During Human Corneal Endothelial Cell Expansion

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to compare whether conventional marker-based assessments adequately reflect phenotypic stability during serial passaging of two established culture protocols for primary human corneal endothelial cells (CEnCs). Methods: Primary CEnCs were is...

Delayed diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome in out-of-hours primary care: insights from a case-control study

Adequate triage of acute chest discomfort in out-of-hours services in primary care (OHS-PC) is crucial for minimising delays in the diagnosis of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and subsequently limit myocardial damage. The objective was to identify predictors of delayed ACS diagno...

EXPRESS: Bayesian networks to estimate prognosis in vascular cognitive impairment and small vessel disease: integrated analyses of interdependent contributors to multiple outcomes

BACKGROUND: Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) and small vessel disease (SVD) involve interconnected factors influencing multiple outcomes, also beyond cognitive decline. Bayesian networks (BNs) can help unravel these complex interrelations, which we demonstrate in this proof-of...

Endometrial scratching in patients with unexplained infertility who have a good prognosis for natural conception: a randomized controlled trial (SCRaTCH-OFO).

STUDY QUESTION: Does endometrial scratching improve live birth rates in patients with unexplained infertility who have a good prognosis for natural conception (Hunault score ≥ 30%)? SUMMARY ANSWER: The cumulative live birth rate per intention-to-treat (ITT) was 64% and 57% in the...

Prehospital Stroke Treatment Trials in Conventional EMS Settings: An Expert Consensus Statement on Operational, Ethical, and Technological Priorities

Prehospital stroke trials enable assessments of ultraearly administration of treatments and management strategies, but face unique challenges in their design, conduct, and analysis. We outline important considerations and recommendations for planning prehospital stroke trials, fo...

Post-Translational Modifications and Functional Heterogeneity of Human Serum Albumin Formulations

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the most abundant plasma protein and plays essential roles in regulating oncotic pressure, transporting endogenous and exogenous compounds, and maintaining redox balance. Because of its biochemical properties, HSA is widely used in clinical medicine,...

Ancillary testing in paediatric non-CNS solid tumours: a real-world comparison with WHO criteria

Aims Paediatric tumour pathology poses diagnostic challenges due to morphological variation, overlap and the rarity and diversity of neoplasms, for which the WHO provides a comprehensive diagnostic framework. In clinical practice, however, diagnostic reasoning starts with an unkn...

Divergent medulloblastoma chromatin states disclose KDM2B as a selective dependency

Abstract Medulloblastoma is a biologically heterogeneous childhood cerebellar tumor harboring frequent chromatin-modifying gene alterations. How these alterations promote transcriptional programs governing malignancy remains poorly defined. To address this knowledge gap, we evalu...