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Acta Clin Belg 2022 May 19:1-9. Epub 2022 May 19.

Department of Interventional Therapy, Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University, Xining, China.

Background: We carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the safety and effectiveness of hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) compared with transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC).

Methods: Eligible studies were searched by MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, Embase, and Web of Science from January 1995 to January 2022, investigating eligible literature comparing HAIC and TACE for patients with HCC. The main outcome measures included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), adverse events (AEs), objective response rate (ORR), and diseases control rate (DCR). Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 May 16:1-10. Epub 2022 May 16.

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, Istanbul University, Istanbul Medical School, Istanbul, Turkey.

Objectives: There are studies on associations between obesity and mortality in nursing home (NH) residents, but the presence of concomitant muscle weakness has not been examined. We considered that self-reported weakness might be a low muscle strength proxy marker. We aimed to examine associations of obesity alone, self-reported muscle weakness alone, and their combination with mortality in NH residents. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Apr;77(sup1):1-33

MD, PhD, FERC. Emergency department, Ghent University - Hospital, Belgium.

Acta Clin Belg 2022 May 11:1-6. Epub 2022 May 11.

Department of Cardiology, Saint Lucas Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Background: There is a growing number of patients with ventricular paced rhythm, who present to the emergency department with chest pain. The diagnosis of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and subsequent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is often postponed, as the 12 leads-electrocardiogram (ECG) is discarded as not interpretable. There is a growing body of literature that suggests that Smith-modified Sgarbossa criteria can be applied for the diagnosis of STEMI in patients with paced rhythms. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 May 3:1-9. Epub 2022 May 3.

Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium.

Background: This study seeks to examine if and how the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted changes in the use and uptake of a national out-of-hours (OOH) telephone triage service by younger and older patients seeking non-urgent unplanned care in Flanders (Belgium).

Methods: A descriptive study was conducted using registry data obtained from the 1733 OOH telephone triage service in a Flemish region of Belgium. All calls received between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2020 were analyzed. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 May 3:1-7. Epub 2022 May 3.

Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Objectives: Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have a genuine risk of developing liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, potentially resulting in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a risk that remains even after sustained viral response (SVR). Glycomics-based biomarkers are an attractive tool to closely monitor these patients during and after antiviral treatment, as alterations in the abundance of N-glycans reflect an altered state of the liver. This study assessed serum glycomics for the evaluation of inflammation-related fibrosis regression during and after treatment of HCV with DAAs. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 May 2:1-5. Epub 2022 May 2.

Department of Nephrology, AZ Delta General Hospital, Roeselare, Belgium.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are historically classified by The Bohan and Peter criteria. The presentation of IIM is versatile and clinical-serological findings can aid in diagnosing the underlying form of IIM. Over the past years, the discovery and the use of myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSA) and myositis-associated autoantibodies (MAA) have led to a more heterogeneous classification by the European League Against Rheumatism and American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR). Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Apr 25:1-4. Epub 2022 Apr 25.

Department of Infectious Diseases, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Background: Gastrointestinal symptoms are not uncommon in patients infected with (. However, the reports on intestinal infection were rare. We report a case of disseminated infection with intestine involvement. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Apr 4:1-8. Epub 2022 Apr 4.

Department of Internal Medicine & Infectious diseases, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Objectives: Hospital point prevalence surveys (PPS) are shown to help identifying determinants for inappropriate antimicrobial therapy (AMT) and create feedback opportunities to optimize AMT.

Methods: PPS were performed at the AZNikolaas hospital, on four wards with high consumption rates of three alert antibiotics (AB) to judge their appropriateness. The impact of a multidisciplinary interaction between a medical microbiologist, a clinical pharmacist and the prescriber on inappropriate AMT, hospital costs and intravenous AMT days, was analyzed. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Mar 16:1-9. Epub 2022 Mar 16.

Department of Geriatric Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Background: A palliative care approach (PCA), including advanced care planning (ACP), should be considered for patients with limited life expectancy. The Belgian Palliative Care Indicators Tool (Be-PICT) has been released to help identify patients who may benefit from such approach. This study aimed at measuring 1-year mortality and describe the quality of life in older inpatients, according to baseline Be-PICT results. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Mar 9:1-11. Epub 2022 Mar 9.

Department of Intensive Care, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Objectives: Intensive care unit (ICU) survivors are often left with impairments in physical, mental and cognitive functioning (Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)). We evaluated the organization, the feasibility for caregivers and patients and the patients' appreciation of a post-ICU consultation aiming to detect these PICS-symptoms.

Methods: A single-center prospective observational pilot study was conducted during an 18 month-period in the surgical ICU of a tertiary care hospital. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Mar 7:1-5. Epub 2022 Mar 7.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, University Hospitals Ghent, Ghent, Belgium.

Objectives: Neonatal intensive care has changed extensively over the last decades resulting in improved survival of extreme preterm infants. However, improved survival is associated with prolonged hospitalization, mechanical ventilation and use of invasive devices, which are all predisposing factors for LOS. LOS is known to increase short- and long-term morbidities resulting in impaired neurodevelopmental outcome. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Mar 2:1-8. Epub 2022 Mar 2.

Emergency Department, Antwerp University Hospital, Edegem, Belgium.

Background: The decision to transfer a nursing home (NH) resident to an emergency department (ED) is multifactorial and challenging but many of the emergency physician-staffed emergency medical service (EP-EMS) interventions and ED transfers are probably inappropriate.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional study in three EP-EMSs in Belgium over a period of three years. We registered indicators that are potentially associated with inappropriate transfers: patient characteristics, availability of written do not resuscitate (DNR) orders or treatment restrictions, involvement of a general practitioner (GP) and availability of transfer notes. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Feb 16:1-9. Epub 2022 Feb 16.

Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Objectives: Currently existing pneumococcal vaccines have contributed to a major reduction in pneumococcal disease. However, there remains an unmet need for vaccine coverage of serotypes not included in PCV13 to further reduce the burden of disease. The objective of this review is to assess the potential impact of implementation of the investigational 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) in the childhood and adult immunization programme in Belgium and Europe. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Jan 31:1-9. Epub 2022 Jan 31.

Department of Hematology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Background: Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare myeloproliferative disease that results from a clonal proliferation of abnormal mast cells in one or more extra-cutaneous organs. Systemic mastocytosis with an associated hematological neoplasm (SM-AHN) is the second most common subgroup and is diagnosed when WHO criteria for both SM and a hematological neoplasm of non-mast cell lineage are met. The SM-AHN category as currently proposed is highly heterogeneous in terms of pathogenesis, clinical presentation, and prognosis. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Jan 25:1-7. Epub 2022 Jan 25.

Gerontology and Geriatrics, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Objective: To determine whether routine screening with the Flemish version of the Triage Risk Screening Tool (fTRST) is a valid approach to determine which patients on cardiac care wards are at risk for inhospital functional decline and would benefit from geriatric expertise consultation.

Methods: A secondary data-analysis of the G-COACH before-cohort, describing patient profiles and routine care processes, in 189 older adults on two cardiac care wards in the University Hospitals Leuven between September 2016 and June 2017. Inhospital functional decline was defined as an increase of at least one point on the Katz Index of Activities of Daily Living or death between hospital admission and discharge. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Jan 25:1-7. Epub 2022 Jan 25.

Department of Pediatric Emergency Care, Dr. Sami Ulus Maternity and Child Health and Diseases Training and Research Hospital, Gunesevler, Turkey.

Introduction: It is mentioned that the acute renal angina index (aRAI), a new concept, can be used in emergency departments to calculate and accurately predict the risk of developing acute kidney injury (AKI). The aims of the study included: to evaluate the predictive performance of the aRAI (AKI risk classification tool) in predicting AKI in the pediatric emergency department.

Method: Patients who met the criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome were examined. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Jan 17:1-2. Epub 2022 Jan 17.

Occupational Health Services, Mediwet Vzw, External Service for Prevention and Protection, Gent, Belgium.

Acta Clin Belg 2022 Jan 10:1-8. Epub 2022 Jan 10.

Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

Background And Aim: The rise in long-term antidepressant use is concerning. Long-term antidepressant (AD) use, much longer than recommended by guidelines, can result in risk of adverse events and generate unnecessary costs. In order to mitigate these risks, patients views about their antidepressants and how to discontinue need to be taken into account. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Dec 27:1-10. Epub 2021 Dec 27.

The Swedish Institute for Health Economics, Lund, Sweden.

Objectives: The Canagliflozin and Renal Events in Diabetes with Established Nephropathy Clinical Evaluation (CREDENCE) trial showed reduced renal and cardiovascular (CV) events in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and diabetic kidney disease (DKD) treated with canagliflozin 100 mg added to Standard of Care (SoC) versus SoC alone. This led to an extension of the canagliflozin 100 mg European marketing authorisation, making canagliflozin the first pharmacological therapy to receive authorisation for the treatment of DKD since the RENAAL and IDNT trials more than 20 years ago. Given the importance of cost-effectiveness analyses in health care, this study aimed to leverage the CREDENCE trial outcomes to estimate the cost-effectiveness of canagliflozin 100 mg from the perspective of the Belgian healthcare system. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Dec 20:1-7. Epub 2021 Dec 20.

Section of Geriatrics, Department of Internal Medicine and Paediatrics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.

Vitamin-D receptors are found in a variety of cells with the potential to regulate many cellular functions. Higher COVID-19 severity has been reported in individuals, which are known to have lower vitamin-D levels. The relation between vitamin-D and COVID-19 has been analysed with a number of studies but only few met high standards. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Dec 14:1-7. Epub 2021 Dec 14.

Central Administration, Secretariat of the Board of Governors, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Hospital, Gent University, Gent, Belgium.

Introduction: Health-care organizations are facing a high burden of ergonomic occupational accidents, and prevention is a continuous point of interest. In this manuscript, we describe the characteristics of ergonomic accidents in a large Belgian university hospital and discuss the value of near misses.

Methods: Combining databases, we identified the frequency [number of accidents × 10 hours worked per year], severity (number of days off work × 10 hours worked per year), and profile of the victims of occupational ergonomic accidents (with absence from work) or incidents or near-misses (without absence from work). Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Dec 9:1-7. Epub 2021 Dec 9.

Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Objective: It is well recognized that nitrous oxide abuse can lead to vitamin B deficiency presenting with neurological complications. Nevertheless, establishing this diagnosis can be challenging, and treatment guidelines are lacking.

Methods: In this paper, we present a case series of eight patients and discuss the diagnostic challenges and treatment options for vitamin B deficiency due to nitrous oxide abuse presenting with neurologic complications. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Dec 9:1-4. Epub 2021 Dec 9.

Department of Nephrology, AZ Delta, Roeselare, Belgium.

Objective: Aseptic meningitis is a rare, but possible severe side effect after SARS-CoV-2 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination.

Case Presentation: Recently, a first case of aseptic meningitis after the first shot of mRNA-BNT162b2 SARS-CoV-2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccine was reported. We present the first case of a 34-year-old woman without relevant medical history developing aseptic meningitis after her 2 Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Dec 7:1-5. Epub 2021 Dec 7.

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), Respiratory Division, Brussels, Belgium.

Objectives: Prevalence of MRSA in patients with CF has risen over the past decades, and chronic infection with MRSA is associated with worse outcome in this patient group.

Methods: This retrospective observational study investigated long-term eradication rate in pediatric and adult CF patients with chronic MRSA infection, using a 6-month eradication regimen containing 2 oral antibiotics, combined with topical decolonisation measures. Respiratory tract cultures were performed at least every three months, from the first MRSA-positive culture onwards. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Dec 1:1-8. Epub 2021 Dec 1.

Department of Microbiology and National Reference Centre for Respiratory Pathogens, Antwerp University Hospital (UZA), Edegem, Belgium.

Introduction: The B.1.617. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Nov 21:1-10. Epub 2021 Nov 21.

Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM).

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Nov 22:1-7. Epub 2021 Nov 22.

Department of Paediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.

Introduction: The aim of our study was to evaluate the factors influencing the choice between a deceased donor (DD) and living donor kidney transplantation (LD KT) for children and adolescents with chronic kidney disease (CKD) from the perspective of parents and physicians.

Methods: Patients with CKD stages 4 and 5 at the University Hospitals of Ghent, Leuven and Antwerp were included. Between February 2019 and March 2020, the corresponding questionnaires were distributed among parents and physicians in order to evaluate the potential differences between the medical recommendation and parental choice. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Nov 18:1-9. Epub 2021 Nov 18.

Clinical Pathology Department, Clinique Notre-Dame de Grâce, Gosselies, Belgium.

Health care workers (HCWs) are at the frontline for combatting the ongoing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. To describe recent or past infections, the novel development of serological assays enabled the assessment of the immune response developed in coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Here, we investigate SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in high-risk HCWs in a Belgian general hospital after both the first and the second waves. Read More

Acta Clin Belg 2021 Nov 18:1-6. Epub 2021 Nov 18.

Miguel Servet Ophthalmology Research Group (GIMSO), Aragón Institute for Health Research (Iis-aragón), Zaragoza, Spain.

Background: Fish-eye disease (FED) is due to a partial deficiency in LCAT activity. Nevertheless, Familial lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency (FLD), also called Norum disease, appears when the deficiency is complete. They are both rare genetic disorders inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Read More