Publications by authors named "A Belmans"
Objectives: Historically, the perfusion-guided sequence suggests to first transplant the side with lowest lung perfusion. This sequence is thought to limit right ventricular afterload and prevent acute heart failure after first pneumonectomy. As a paradigm shift, we adopted the right-first implantation sequence, irrespective of lung perfusion.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlacental growth factor (PlGF)-2 induces angio- and arteriogenesis in rodents but its therapeutic potential in a clinically representative post-infarction left ventricular (LV) dysfunction model remains unclear. We, therefore, investigated the safety and efficacy of recombinant human (rh)PlGF-2 in the infarcted porcine heart in a randomized, placebo-controlled blinded study. We induced myocardial infarction (MI) in pigs using 75 min mid-LAD balloon occlusion followed by reperfusion.
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- The study investigates the impact of high-dose vitamin D supplementation on melanoma relapse in patients who have had curatively resected cutaneous melanoma (CM).* -
- A total of 436 patients were randomly assigned to either a vitamin D treatment group, receiving 100,000 IU monthly, or a placebo group, with follow-up lasting up to 116 months.* -
- Results showed that while vitamin D supplementation significantly increased serum levels, it did not noticeably improve relapse-free survival or reduce melanoma-related deaths compared to the placebo group.*
We assessed the real-world effectiveness of sacubitril/valsartan in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) with an emphasis on those with older age (≥ 75 years) or with New York Heart Association (NYHA) class IV, for whom greater uncertainty existed regarding clinical outcomes. We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on patient-level linkage of electronic healthcare datasets. Data from all adults with HFrEF in Belgium receiving a prescription for sacubitril/valsartan between 01-November-2016 and 31-December-2018 were collected, with a follow-up of > 6 years.
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- Decreased expression of vitamin D receptors (VDR) in melanoma and melanocytic naevi compared to normal skin is observed, revealing a potential link to melanoma characteristics.
- A study involving 407 melanoma patients analyzed how VDR expression correlated with vitamin D levels, demographic factors, VDR genetic variants, and tumor pathology.
- Findings showed higher cytoplasmic VDR expression in patients with greater sun exposure and different genetic variants, while lower nuclear VDR expression was associated with tumor characteristics like mitosis and perineural invasion.