© 2025 SURF
Toen mijn vroegere scriptiebegeleider Evert Bisschop Boele mij vroeg of ik nieuwsgierig zou zijn naar een onderzoeksproject over Sacred Harp (letterlijk “Heilige Harp”), een soort religieuze koormuziek, dacht ik eerst aan vrome kloosterzangen en brave koorknapen. Een opname van een internationaal zangevenement in Ierland bewees op een fantastische wijze het tegendeel.
LINK
Praktische toepassingen van FinTech (FinTech=de digitale transformatie van, met name, de financieel-zakelijke dienstverlening)
LINK
Hanze MAG-podcast Q&A door dummies S01E03.Van AI hebben onze dummies ‘bizar weinig’ verstand, maar ze zijn er wel heel nieuwsgierig naar. Hanze-lector Rix Groenboom weet er alles van, dus hoog tijd om flink wat vragen op hem af te vuren.Van schaakcomputer tot ChatGPT, in ruim twintig is AI razendsnel geëvolueerd, maar nooit is er meer aandacht voor geweest als het afgelopen jaar. Dankzij vooral ChatGPT maakt de hele wereld nu ineens kennis met alle mogelijkheden die AI biedt.Maar wat is nu eigenlijk AI? Waarom is een rekenmachine geen AI, maar een chatbot wel? Hoe voed je AI op? Hoe herkent ie fake news? Wat is een Large Language Model (LLM)? Hoe maak je onderscheid tussen AI-content en door mensen gemaakte content? En moeten we ons zorgen maken over de snelheid waarmee AI zich momenteel ontwikkelt? Wat is Q&A door dummies?Weten dat je iets niet weet is het begin van wijsheid… Wat dat betreft zijn onze hosts/dummies Maikel en Mattheüs al heel wijs. Ze weten heel goed dat ze niets weten, maar ze laten het er niet bij zitten!Elke maand interviewen ze een nieuwe expert, niet gehinderd door enige kennis van zaken. Maar wel met grenzeloze nieuwsgierigheid en een goede dosis humor. Daarnaast behandelen ze kijkersvragen die jij – ja jij! – kan insturen door een dm (of mailtje) te sturen naar één van de socials van HanzeMag.Onze experts komen uit allerlei vakgebieden en kunnen onderzoekers, lectoren, docenten, ondernemers, politici, dictators, banketbakkers, ervaringsdeskundigen en/of fulltime helpdeskmedewerkers zijn. Ben je nieuwsgierig maar hou je niet van suffe colleges? Zoek je een amusante en informatieve show om een half uurtje mee te vullen? Zoek niet verder, dit is… Q&A door Dummies!Presentatie: Maikel van Duinen & Mattheüs DouwesBeeld: Bas SwavingGeluid: Cazism
LINK
Overgewicht bij jongeren is een groot probleem. Diverse factoren spelen daarbij een rol. Dat zijn kortweg een dosis aanleg en een ongunstige omgeving. Aan aanleg is niet veel te veranderen, aan de omgeving wel.
BACKGROUND: We recently developed a model of stratified exercise therapy, consisting of (i) a stratification algorithm allocating patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) into one of the three subgroups ('high muscle strength subgroup' representing a post-traumatic phenotype, 'low muscle strength subgroup' representing an age-induced phenotype, and 'obesity subgroup' representing a metabolic phenotype) and (ii) subgroup-specific exercise therapy. In the present study, we aimed to test the construct validity of this algorithm.METHODS: Data from five studies (four exercise therapy trial cohorts and one cross-sectional cohort) were used to test the construct validity of our algorithm by 63 a priori formulated hypotheses regarding three research questions: (i) are the proportions of patients in each subgroup similar across cohorts? (15 hypotheses); (ii) are the characteristics of each of the subgroups in line with their proposed underlying phenotypes? (30 hypotheses); (iii) are the effects of usual exercise therapy in the 3 subgroups in line with the proposed effect sizes? (18 hypotheses).RESULTS: Baseline data from a total of 1211 patients with knee OA were analyzed for the first and second research question, and follow-up data from 584 patients who were part of an exercise therapy arm within a trial for the third research question. In total, the vast majority (73%) of the hypotheses were confirmed. Regarding our first research question, we found similar proportions in each of the three subgroups across cohorts, especially for three cohorts. Regarding our second research question, subgroup characteristics were almost completely in line with the proposed underlying phenotypes. Regarding our third research question, usual exercise therapy resulted in similar, medium to large effect sizes for knee pain and physical function for all three subgroups.CONCLUSION: We found mixed results regarding the construct validity of our stratification algorithm. On the one hand, it is a valid instrument to consistently allocate patients into subgroups that aligned our hypotheses. On the other hand, in contrast to our hypotheses, subgroups did not differ substantially in effects of usual exercise therapy. An ongoing trial will assess whether this algorithm accompanied by subgroup-specific exercise therapy improves clinical and economic outcomes.
MULTIFILE
Background: Previous studies found that 40-60% of the sarcoidosis patients suffer from small fiber neuropathy (SFN), substantially affecting quality of life. SFN is difficult to diagnose, as a gold standard is still lacking. The need for an easily administered screening instrument to identify sarcoidosis-associated SFN symptoms led to the development of the SFN Screening List (SFNSL). The usefulness of any questionnaire in clinical management and research trials depends on its interpretability. Obtaining a clinically relevant change score on a questionnaire requires that the smallest detectable change (SDC) and minimal important difference (MID) are known. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the SDC and MID for the SFNSL in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Patients with neurosarcoidosis and/or sarcoidosis-associated SFN symptoms (N=138) included in the online Dutch Neurosarcoidosis Registry participated in a prospective, longitudinal study. Anchor-based and distribution-based methods were used to estimate the MID and SDC, respectively. Results: The SFNSL was completed both at baseline and at 6-months’ follow-up by 89/138 patients. A marginal ROC curve (0.6) indicated cut-off values of 3.5 points, with 73% sensitivity and 49% specificity for change. The SDC was 11.8 points. Conclusions: The MID on the SFNSL is 3.5 points for a clinically relevant change over a 6-month period. The MID can be used in the follow-up and management of SFN-associated symptoms in patients with sarcoidosis, though with some caution as the SDC was found to be higher.
Introduction: Besides dyspnoea and cough, patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or sarcoidosis may experience distressing non-respiratory symptoms, such as fatigue or muscle weakness. However, whether and to what extent symptom burden differs between patients with IPF or sarcoidosis and individuals without respiratory disease remains currently unknown. Objectives: To study the respiratory and non-respiratory burden of multiple symptoms in patients with IPF or sarcoidosis and to compare the symptom burden with individuals without impaired spirometric values, FVC and FEV1 (controls). Methods: Demographics and symptoms were assessed in 59 patients with IPF, 60 patients with sarcoidosis and 118 controls (age ≥18 years). Patients with either condition were matched to controls by sex and age. Severity of 14 symptoms was assessed using a Visual Analogue Scale. Results: 44 patients with IPF (77.3% male; age 70.6±5.5 years) and 44 matched controls, and 45 patients with sarcoidosis (48.9% male; age 58.1±8.6 year) and 45 matched controls were analyzed. Patients with IPF scored higher on 11 symptoms compared to controls (p<0.05), with the largest differences for dyspnoea, cough, fatigue, muscle weakness and insomnia. Patients with sarcoidosis scored higher on all 14 symptoms (p<0.05), with the largest differences for dyspnoea, fatigue, cough, muscle weakness, insomnia, pain, itch, thirst, micturition (night, day). Conclusions: Generally, respiratory and non-respiratory symptom burden is significantly higher in patients with IPF or sarcoidosis compared to controls. This emphasizes the importance of awareness for respiratory and non-respiratory symptom burden in IPF or sarcoidosis and the need for additional research to study the underlying mechanisms and subsequent interventions.
