Objectives: Pulmonary hypertension is one of the leading causes of death in systemic sclerosis. Early detection and treatment of pulmonary hypertension in systemic sclerosis is crucial. Nailfold capillaroscopy microscopy, vascular autoantibodies AT1R and ETAR, and several candidate-biomarkers have the …

Objective Repeated practice, or spacing, can improve various types of skill acquisition. Similarly, virtual reality (VR) simulators have demonstrated their effectiveness in fostering surgical skill acquisition and provide a promising, realistic environment for spaced training. To explore how spacing …

Zoonoses, biting incidents, hereditary problems, and other issues can threaten the welfare of both humans and dogs. The Dutch government and animal welfare organizations seem to have little effect in their campaigns to influence the behavior of (potential) dog keepers, who can experience dissonance when …

INTRODUCTION: In patients with cancer, low muscle mass has been associated with a higher risk of fatigue, poorer treatment outcomes, and mortality. To determine body composition with computed tomography (CT), measuring the muscle quantity at the level of lumbar 3 (L3) is suggested. However, in patients …

Background A high sedentary time is associated with increased mortality risk. Previous studies indicate that replacement of sedentary time with light- and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity attenuates the risk for adverse outcomes and improves cardiovascular risk factors. Patients with cardiovascular …

Background Providing individualized care based on the context and preferences of the patient is important. Knowledge on both prognostic risk stratification and blended eHealth care in musculoskeletal conditions is increasing and seems promising. Stratification can be used to match patients to the most …

Background High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) is increasingly used in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. It is uncertain whether a broadened Berlin definition of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in which ARDS can be diagnosed in patients who are not receiving ventilation, results …

Aim To identify predictors of late academic or early career dropout, and derive a simple model for identifying nursing students and novice nurses with significant increased dropout risk. Background Dropout from nursing school and the nursing profession is of great concern for students, educators, as …

Twenty years ago, ESPEN published its “Guidelines for nutritional screening 2002”, with the note that these guidelines were based on the evidence available until 2002, and that they needed to be updated and adapted to current state of knowledge in the future. Twenty years have passed, and tremendous …

In this PhD thesis, we aimed to improve understanding of the study progression and success of autistic students in higher education by comparing them to students with other disabilities and students without disabilities. We studied their background and enrollment characteristics, whether barriers in …