To improve patient selection for surgery of bone metastases, one must first have an accurate understanding of the incidence and consequences of surgery before weighing adverse event risks in comparison to benefits. Therefore, ...

In attempts to contain increasing health care costs while maintaining high quality, the concept of low-value care has gained widespread attention over recent years. This thesis specifically addresses low-value laboratory ...

This summarizing discussion further addresses the question how telomere shortening is associated with IPF and other PF-ILDs at multiple levels, and the consequences of these findings for our understanding of pulmonary ...

This thesis describes the physical activity behaviors and factors and settings which influence this behavior in Dutch youth with and without a chronic disease and disability. In addition, the (possible) changes in ...

To maintain tissue homeostasis, cells need to duplicate and equally divide their genetic information over two new daughter cells. This process is tightly controlled, and for good reason: faulty cell division brings the ...

Test-tube treatment (IVF/ICSI) is frequently being used to treat infertility worldwide, but unfortunately only 35% of the transferred embryos implant. Endometrial scratching, a procedure in which a biopsy is taken from the ...

Cancer predominantly affects older adults. In the Netherlands, one-third of all patients with cancer is aged 75 years or older and due to aging of the population, this proportion is expected to rise during the upcoming ...

Aortic coarctation is a common but complex congenital heart condition, characterized by a narrowing of the proximal part of the descending aorta. Despite early surgical correction, the narrowing often recurs at a later ...

The aim of this thesis was to provide further insight into the role of the innate immune response against RSV. First, I studied the transcriptomic profile of local and systemic neutrophils during severe bronchiolitis in ...

Nowadays, nearly 90% of neonates with severe congenital heart disease (CHD) survive into adulthood. However, neonates with CHD are at increased risk of long-term neurodevelopmental sequelae, including motor delay (30-60%), ...