News
Two grants (NWO and ZonMW) for Utrecht researchers
Utrecht researchers Magdalena Harakalova, Frank van Steenbeek, Folkert Asselbergs and Jeroen Bakkers have obtained prestigious funding to further build infrastructure on genetic cardiomyopathies (severe diseases of the cardiac muscle).
Mathematical brain model helpful in epilepsy surgery
Removing as small a brain area as possible to stop epileptic seizures. That is epilepsy surgery.
Microbiome compositional changes may precede the development of inflammatory bowel disease
The gut microbiome of people at increased risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) displays IBD-like signatures. The presence of such IBD-like microbiome signatures might precede the onset of IBD. This was concluded from a study, recently published in Gastroenterology, investigating the intestinal microbiome in IBD-discordant and IBD-concordant twin pairs coordinated by UMC Utrecht in collaboration with the UMC Groningen, Netherlands Twin Register and a consortium of Dutch IBD centers.
'Live' measurements of cell signals show need for combination therapy in colorectal cancer
'Live' metingen van celsignalen tonen noodzaak van combinatietherapie bij dikkedarmkanker
Treating artery stenosis with sound waves
By aiming high-frequency sound waves at a narrowing – a plaque – in the artery, it is broken down layer by layer. That is the theory behind the Hifu treatment (High Intensity Focused Ultrasound). This method has recently been successfully tested in patients with carotid stenosis in the groin. This non-invasive operation can be an alternative to patients in the long term to surgery or stent placement.
Dec 1: Rheumatologists compare rheumatoid arthritis drugs in difficult-to-treat patients
Dutch rheumatologists have started a clinical study in patients with difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA). They compare the efficacy of adding either tocilizumab or prednisone in patients who do not benefit sufficiently from treatment with the conventional RA drug methotrexate.
Exercise as medicine after a stroke
People sit too much and do not exercise enough. Also after a stroke. This increases the risk of another stroke and premature death. Roderick Wondergem investigated the health risks and developed a coaching program. “Excessive sitting is habitual behavior. To break that habit, confidence in one's own abilities is crucial.”