Rapid and accurate detection of pathogens is a fundamental step in infection management and ensuring an optimum antimicrobial therapy is provided to the patient, ultimately reducing the antimicrobial resistance selection and medical costs of healthcare.
This thesis regards the processes of change that people undergo when they develop depressive symptoms. In the TRANS-ID (transitions in depression) Tapering study, over 50 patients were monitored with 5 questionnaires each day for a period of 4 months during and shortly after antidepressant tapering. We found that in some patients depressive symptoms returned gradually over a period of weeks or months, sometimes so gradually that the patient themselves did not notice the change. In other patients, depressive symptoms returned very suddenly, sometimes even within a day. In both cases it would be useful if signals of returning depression could be detected in an early stage, as this could help prevent depressive recurrence in the future. We investigated two ways of doing this: (1) by investigating general indicators of instability that have been shown to precede transitions in a wide range of natural systems, and (2) by monitoring feelings of restlessness, a symptom that many patients experience in the stages preceding depression. Even though general indicators of instability could be found in some participants who experienced depressive recurrence, these signals were not found consistently enough to accurately predict depression. However, by monitoring restlessness we could predict whether depressive symptoms would recur in the near future in over 70% of participants. This predictive accuracy was comparable or slightly better than the predictive accuracy of state-of-the-art methods using more classically obtained data. Monitoring restlessness appears to be a promising new method to detect depressive symptoms in an early stage.
Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for most abdominal cancers. Although advancements in surgical techniques and perioperative care have made surgery safer for all patient groups, especially older patients are still at a higher risk for complications and functional decline.
In this PhD thesis, we proposed a suitable way to stabilize gusperimus (an immunosuppressive agent) by forming nanoparticles of the drug called squalene-gusperimus nanoparticles (Sq-GusNPs) using the squalenoylation platform.
Patients with cardiovascular diseases and risk factors are regarded a high risk group as a whole.
Based on the chapters in this thesis it can be concluded that an upper blepharoplasty results in aesthetically and functionally pleasing results, with the most favourable results occurring after a skin-only upper blepharoplasty whereas special attention should be paid to the excision shape.
Discussing the successes and failures of global collaborative initiatives.