RPCA-based techniques for pattern extraction, hotspot identification and signal correction using data from a dense network of low-cost NO sensors in London.

High-density low-cost air quality sensor networks are a promising technology to monitor air quality at high temporal and spatial resolution. However the collected data is high-dimensional and it is not always clear how to best leverage this information, particularly given the lower data quality coming from the sensors. Here we report on the use of robust Principal Component Analysis (RPCA) using nitrogen dioxide data obtained from a recently deployed dense network of 225 air pollution monitoring nodes based on low-cost sensors in the Borough of Camden in London.

Predicting the next Pogačar: a data analytical approach to detect young professional cycling talents.

The importance of young athletes in the field of professional cycling has sky-rocketed during the past years. Nevertheless, the early talent identification of these riders largely remains a subjective assessment. Therefore, an analytical system which automatically detects talented riders based on their freely available youth results should be installed.

Associations between two nursing workload scales and the cost of intensive care unit nursing staff: A retrospective study of one Belgian hospital.

Aims: The aim of this study was to assess associations between a general nursing funding scale and an intensive care unit specific nursing workload scale and the cost of nursing staff.

Background: Nurse staffing represents the most important cost in the intensive care unit, so it is essential to evaluate it accurately. In addition, the assessment of nursing workload is important for the daily management of the intensive care unit and to ensure quality of care.

Risk Factors for Prolonged Length of Stay of Older Patients in an Academic Emergency Department: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Emergency departments (EDs) are challenged with a growing population of older patients. These patients are at risk for a prolonged length of stay (LOS) at the ED and face more complications and poorer clinical outcomes. We aimed to identify risk factors for a prolonged LOS of older patients at the ED.

Synthesis of novel curcuminoids accommodating a central β-enaminone motif and their impact on cell growth and oxidative stress.

Curcuminoids are high-potential drugs targeting multiple components of vital signaling pathways without being toxic, and are therefore considered to be valuable lead structures in medicinal chemistry. Unfortunately, most curcuminoids poorly reach their site of action because of low bioavailability issues, (partly) associated with the labile β-diketo structure. In that respect, curcumin derivatives bearing a central β-enaminone fragment may have improved solubility and intestinal stability, and therefore may represent a new class of analogs with higher bioactivity.

Transmission of HIV Drug Resistance and the Predicted Effect on Current First-line Regimens in Europe.

Background: Numerous studies have shown that baseline drug resistance patterns may influence the outcome of antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, guidelines recommend drug resistance testing to guide the choice of initial regimen. In addition to optimizing individual patient management, these baseline resistance data enable transmitted drug resistance (TDR) to be surveyed for public health purposes.

Response of the nonbiting midge Chironomus riparius to multigeneration toxicant exposure.

The ability of the nonbiting midge Chironomus riparius to withstand long-term toxicant exposure has been attributed to genetic adaptation. Recently, however, evidence has arisen that supports phenotypic plasticity. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate if Chironomus riparius indeed copes with prolonged toxicant exposure through phenotypic plasticity.

How to make the medical consultation more successful from a patient's perspective? Tips for doctors and patients from lay people in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Objective: The aim of this study is to generate empirically based 'tips' from lay people on how medical consultations could become more successful from a patient perspective.

Methods: 258 Lay people in the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, distributed over 32 focus groups, were invited to formulate 'tips' for doctors as well as patients after rating the quality of communication from videotaped consultations and discussing their arguments in focus groups.

Results: Tips were remarkably similar across the four countries.

Validation of a CT-based determination of the glenohumeral index.

The amount of bony support by the glenoid can be determined using the glenohumeral index, i.e. the maximum anteroposterior (AP) diameter of the humeral head divided by the maximum AP dimension of the glenoid.

The use of hypnosedative drugs in a university hospital: has anything changed in 10 years?

Aim: Our goal was to investigate the use of hypnosedatives (HSs) before and during hospitalization, explore the relationship between their use and various demographic and clinical variables, and compare the results with data from a similar 2000 study with particular interest in adherence to hospital formulary guidelines.

Methods: A cross-sectional observational survey of 326 hospitalized patients recruited from ten wards of the Ghent University Hospital, Gent, Belgium, with a patient interview and by evaluating medical and nursing files.

Results: In 30.

Serotonin1A receptor deletion does not interact with maternal separation-induced increases in startle reactivity and prepulse inhibition deficits.

Rationale: Early life stress is a risk factor for the development of psychopathology in later life. Consequences of adverse life events, however, may depend on the genetic makeup of an individual. Reduced serotonin(1A) receptor function may predispose to the development of anxiety disorders.

Contribution of drug related problems to hospital admission in the elderly.

Purpose: To investigate the frequency and type of drug related problems (DRPs) in geriatric patients (> 65 years), and to assess their contribution to hospital admission; to explore the appropriateness of drug therapy according to the Beers' criteria.

Methods: Cross-sectional observational survey of 110 elderly patients admitted during three non-consecutive months to the geriatric ward of a university hospital. Explorative assessment of appropriateness of drug therapy prior to hospital admission based on the Beers' criteria.

Early-life blockade of 5-HT(1A) receptors alters adult anxiety behavior and benzodiazepine sensitivity.

Background: Early-life stress may affect 5-HT(1A) receptor circuitry, which could result in increased anxiety in later life. An increased anxiety phenotype in 5-HT(1A) receptor KO mice (1AKO) mice has been ascribed to 5-HT(1A) receptor absence during the early postnatal period. Thus, subtle and transient serotonergic changes during the early postnatal period may lead to an increased risk for developing stress-related disorders during adulthood.

Stress-induced hyperthermia and infection-induced fever: two of a kind?

Stress exposure activates the autonomic nervous system and leads to a body temperature increase (stress-induced hyperthermia, SIH). On the other hand, an activation of the immune system in response to an infection leads to fever. Both processes increase body temperature, and the relation between SIH and infection-induced fever has been subject to debate.

Translational aspects of pharmacological research into anxiety disorders: the stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) paradigm.

In anxiety research, the search for models with sufficient clinical predictive validity to support the translation of animal studies on anxiolytic drugs to clinical research is often challenging. This review describes the stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH) paradigm, a model that studies the activation of the autonomic nervous system in response to stress by measuring body temperature. The reproducible and robust SIH response, combined with ease of testing, make the SIH paradigm very suitable for drug screening.

Prevalence and epidemiology of HIV type 1 drug resistance among newly diagnosed therapy-naive patients in Belgium from 2003 to 2006.

This study is the first prospective study to assess the prevalence, epidemiology, and risk factors of HIV-1 drug resistance in newly diagnosed HIV-infected patients in Belgium. In January 2003 it was initiated as part of the pan-European SPREAD program, and continued thereafter for four inclusion rounds until December 2006. Epidemiological, clinical, and behavioral data were collected using a standardized questionnaire and genotypic resistance testing was done on a sample taken within 6 months of diagnosis.

Buflomedil for intermittent claudication.

Background: Intermittent claudication (IC) is pain caused by chronic occlusive arterial disease, that develops in a limb during exercise and is relieved with rest. Buflomedil is a vasoactive agent used to treat peripheral vascular disease. However, its clinical efficacy for IC has not yet been critically examined.

Buflomedil for intermittent claudication.

Background: Intermittent claudication (IC) is pain caused by chronic occlusive arterial disease, that develops in a limb during exercise and is relieved with rest. Buflomedil is a vasoactive agent used to treat peripheral vascular disease. However, its clinical efficacy for IC has not yet been critically examined.

Effects of genetic background and null mutation of 5-HT1A receptors on basal and stress-induced body temperature: modulation by serotonergic and GABAA-ergic drugs.

The stress-induced hyperthermia procedure, in which effects of drugs on basal (T(1)) and stress-induced body temperature (T(2)) are measured, predicts anxiolytic drug effect. Serotonergic drugs alter these responses and here, we studied the role of 5-HT(1A) receptors in stress-induced hyperthermia by using 5-HT(1A) receptor knockout mice. Three strains (129/Sv, Swiss Webster and C57Bl6) were used because genetic background can significantly modulate the null phenotype.

Mouse strain differences in autonomic responses to stress.

In humans, anxiety disorders are often accompanied by an overactive autonomic nervous system, reflected in increased body temperature (BT) and heart rate (HR). In rodents, comparable effects are found after exposure to stress. These autonomic parameters can give important information on stress and anxiety responses in mice.

Barriers to academic detailers: a qualitative study in general practice.

Background: International research has proved that academic detailing positively influences the prescribing behaviour of physicians. In the North-East Flanders region of Belgium, a quantitative study of the feasibility and acceptability of academic detailing in general practice has demonstrated that academic detailers are appreciated by physicians.

Objective: In addition to the quantitative study, a qualitative study was carried out to determine physicians' attitudes to academic detailing and their objections against it.

[Information about drugs from physicians and pharmacists].

Good quality information is essential for those who prescribe, deliver or use medications. This information should meet quality criteria: it should be evidence based, practice oriented, easy to find and topical. Pharmacists and physicians receive information from different sources and of valable quality.

Pharmaceutical policy regarding generic drugs in Belgium.

Pressure to control pharmaceutical expenditure and price competition among pharmaceutical companies are fuelling the development of generic drug markets in EU countries. However, in Belgium, the market for generic drugs is underdeveloped compared with other countries. To promote the use of generic drugs, the government introduced a reference pricing (RP) scheme in 2001.