Background: Lung fibroblasts are implicated in abnormal tissue repair in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The exact mechanisms are unknown and comprehensive analysis comparing COPD- and control fibroblasts is lacking. Aim: To gain insight in the role of lung fibroblasts in COPD pathology …

Background A healthy lifestyle is indispensable for the prevention of noncommunicable diseases. However, lifestyle medicine is hampered by time constraints and competing priorities of treating physicians. A dedicated lifestyle front office (LFO) in secondary/tertiary care may provide an important contribution …

We describe the incidence, practice and associations with outcomes of awake prone positioning in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a national multicenter observational cohort study performed in 16 intensive care units in the Netherlands (PRoAcT−COVID-study). …

Introduction It is unknown how awake prone positioning was practiced in patients with COVID–19 in the second wave of the national outbreak in the Netherlands. Objectives We studied the practice of awake prone positioning in COVID–19 patients admitted to the ICU because of acute hypoxemic respiratory …

Kalambo District in the Rukwa region of Tanzania is an important sunflower-growing area in the country. Several initiatives have been launched to develop the sunflower subsector, and more are planned. The key challenge facing farmers is increased productivity. This can be achieved by ensuring that their …

BACKGROUND : There is uncertainty about how much positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) should be used in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). OBJECTIVE : To investigate whether a higher PEEP strategy is superior to a lower PEEP strategy …

Background after hospitalisation for cardiac disease, older patients are at high risk of readmission and death. Objective the cardiac care bridge (CCB) transitional care programme evaluated the impact of combining case management, disease management and home-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on hospital …

Low-grade inflammation and metabolic syndrome are seen in many chronic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Lifestyle interventions which combine different non-pharmacological therapies have shown synergizing effects in improving outcomes in patients with other chronic …

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of a comprehensive secondary prevention programme on weight loss and to identify determinants of weight change in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We performed a secondary analysis focusing on the subgroup of overweight CAD patients (BMI ≥27 kg/m2) …

Rationale: Currently use of muscle thickness measured with ultrasound is suggested as an indicator for overall muscle mass in nutritional assessment. However, not much is known about how the muscle thickness measured in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) compares to the muscle …