Diagnostic immunohistochemistry use in Belgian laboratories.

Objectives: In Belgium, the use of IHC testing has grown in the last decade. However, there is a lack of information on the specific indications for which it is reimbursed. The aim of the study is to offer an overview on the use of diagnostic inmunohistochemistry (IHC) testing and its recent trends.

Diagnostic role of CD64 expression on neutrophils as biomarker for blood stream infection in liver cirrhosis: some preliminary findings.

Background: The expression of CD64 on neutrophils (nCD64), measured using flow cytometry, has been proposed as a biomarker for bloodstream infections (BSI). However, data regarding its use in the setting of liver cirrhosis are lacking.

Methods: We compared nCD64 levels in 15 cirrhotic patients with BSI to those in 19 controls, including outpatients with stable decompensated cirrhosis without infection.

Did we observe changes in obstetric interventions in SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnant women at the beginning of COVID-pandemic in Belgium? Results of a nationwide population-based study.

Background: Pregnant women are more vulnerable to the severe effects of COVID-19 compared to their non-pregnant peers. Early in the pandemic, there was a rise in cesarean deliveries and preterm births among infected pregnant women. This study aims to evaluate whether there were any changes in obstetric interventions during the first two waves of the pandemic in Belgium.

Barriers to the Implementation of Infant- and Family-Centered Developmental Care From Focus Groups With Neonatal Care Providers.

Aim: Although infant- and family-centered developmental care (IFCDC) is scientifically grounded and offered in many hospitals to some extent, it has not yet been universally implemented as the standard of care. In this article, we aim to identify barriers to the implementation of IFCDC in Belgian neonatal care from the perspective of neonatal care providers.

Methods: We conducted 8 online focus groups with 40 healthcare providers working in neonatal care services.

Still just a matter of taste? Sensorial appreciation of seafood is associated with more frequent and diverse consumption.

Improving health and sustainability outcomes in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic) nations necessitates a reduction in red meat consumption. Seafood is often overlooked in achieving this goal. However, simply consuming more of familiar fish species places high stress on production of these species.

Long-term follow-up of a series of 24 congenital CMV-infected babies with false negative amniocentesis.

Background: Congenital CMV infection is the most common congenital infection worldwide and a major cause of neurological impairment and sensorineural hearing loss. Fetal CMV infection is confirmed by a positive PCR test in the amniotic fluid (amniocentesis performed after 18-20 weeks of gestation and at least 8 weeks after maternal infection). However, despite a negative antenatal CMV PCR result, some newborns can be tested positive at birth.

Late miscarriage and stillbirth in asymptomatic and symptomatic hospitalised pregnant women in Belgium during the first and second waves of COVID-19: a prospective nationwide population-based study.

Background: Stillbirth has been recognized as a possible complication of a SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy, probably due to destructive placental lesions (SARS-CoV-2 placentitis). The aim of this work is to analyse stillbirth and late miscarriage cases in unvaccinated pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2 during the first two waves (wild-type period) in Belgium.

Methods: Stillbirths and late miscarriages in our prospective observational nationwide registry of SARS-CoV-2 infected pregnant women (n = 982) were classified by three authors using a modified WHO-UMC classification system for standardized case causality assessment.

Implementation of fetal clinical exome sequencing: Comparing prospective and retrospective cohorts.

Purpose: We compared the diagnostic yield of fetal clinical exome sequencing (fCES) in prospective and retrospective cohorts of pregnancies presenting with anomalies detected using ultrasound. We evaluated factors that led to a higher diagnostic efficiency, such as phenotypic category, clinical characterization, and variant analysis strategy.

Methods: fCES was performed for 303 fetuses (183 ongoing and 120 ended pregnancies, in which chromosomal abnormalities had been excluded) using a trio/duo-based approach and a multistep variant analysis strategy.

Viral Agents and Systemic Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines in Vulnerable and Stable Atherosclerotic Carotid Plaques.

Background: To investigate the presence of genetic material of viral agents and the serum level of inflammatory cytokines in patients submitted to carotid endarterectomy having vulnerable versus stable atherosclerotic plaques.

Methods: Data of patients consecutively submitted to carotid endarterectomy for a significant stenosis from July 2019 to December 2019 were prospectively collected. The genetic material of Epstein-Barr (EBV), CitoMegalo (CMV), Herpes Simplex (HSV), Varicella-Zoster (VZV) and Influenza (IV) Viruses was searched in the patient's plaques, both in the "mid" of the plaque and in an adjacent lateral portion of no-plaque area.

Antibody responses to BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine: Infection-naïve individuals with abdominal obesity warrant attention.

Objective: The excess of visceral adipose tissue might hinder and delay immune response. How people with abdominal obesity (AO) will respond to mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 is yet to be established. SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses were evaluated after the first and second dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, comparing the response of individuals with AO with the response of those without, and discerning between individuals with or without prior infection.

Niche partitioning between sympatric wild canids: the case of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) in north-eastern Italy.

Background: Two coexisting species with similar ecological requirements avoid or reduce competition by changing the extent of their use of a given resource. Numerous coexistence mechanisms have been proposed, but species interactions can also be aggressive; thus, generally a subordinate species modifies its realized niche to limit the probability of direct encounters with the dominant species. We studied niche partitioning between two sympatric wild canids in north-eastern Italy: the golden jackal and the red fox, which, based on competition theories, have a high potential for competition.

Effect of antibiotic-loaded chitosan nanodroplets on isolated from chronic ulcers of the lower limbs.

To investigate the effect of a new platform of nanocarriers, called nanodroplets (NDs), to enhance the activity of vancomycin (Vm), against bacterial colonies isolated from chronic ulcers of the lower limbs. Oxygen-loaded nanodroplets (OLNDs) or oxygen-free nanodroplets (OFNDs) were loaded with Vm (Vm-OLNDs and Vm-OFNDs). MIC and minimal bactericidal concentrations were evaluated for Vm, OLNDs and OFNDs loaded with Vm, OLNDs and OFNDs.

Risk factors associated with adverse fetal outcomes in pregnancies affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a secondary analysis of the WAPM study on COVID-19.

Objectives To evaluate the strength of association between maternal and pregnancy characteristics and the risk of adverse perinatal outcomes in pregnancies with laboratory confirmed COVID-19. Methods Secondary analysis of a multinational, cohort study on all consecutive pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from February 1, 2020 to April 30, 2020 from 73 centers from 22 different countries. A confirmed case of COVID-19 was defined as a positive result on real-time reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR) assay of nasal and pharyngeal swab specimens.

Optimization of analytical assay performance of antibody-gated indicator-releasing mesoporous silica particles.

Antibody-gated indicator delivery (gAID) systems based on mesoporous silica nano- and microparticle scaffolds are a promising class of materials for the sensitive chemical detection of small-molecule analytes in simple test formats such as lateral flow assays (LFAs) or microfluidic chips. Their architecture is reminiscent of drug delivery systems, only that reporter molecules instead of drugs are stored in the voids of a porous host particle. In addition, the pores are closed with macromolecular "caps" through a tailored "gatekeeping" recognition chemistry so that the caps are opened when an analyte has reacted with a "gatekeeper".

Development of a lateral flow test for rapid pyrethroid detection using antibody-gated indicator-releasing hybrid materials.

The employment of type-I pyrethroids for airplane disinfection in recent years underlines the necessity to develop sensing schemes for the rapid detection of these pesticides directly at the point-of-use. Antibody-gated indicator-releasing materials were thus developed and implemented with test strips for lateral-flow assay-based analysis employing a smartphone for readout. Besides a proper matching of pore sizes and gating macromolecules, the functionalization of both the material's outer surface as well as the strips with PEG chains enhanced system performance.

The "Cocoon," first alongside midwifery-led unit within a Belgian hospital: Comparison of the maternal and neonatal outcomes with the standard obstetric unit over 2 years.

Objectives: Our aim was to compare maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with a low-risk pregnancy attending the "Cocoon," an alongside midwifery-led birth center and care pathway, with women with a low-risk pregnancy attending the traditional care pathway in a tertiary care hospital in Belgium.

Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of maternal and neonatal outcomes of women with a low-risk pregnancy who chose to adhere to the Cocoon pathway of care (n = 590) and women with a low-risk pregnancy who chose the traditional pathway of care (n = 394) from March 1, 2014, to February 29, 2016. We performed all analyses using an intention-to-treat approach.

Change in prevalence of gestational diabetes and obstetric complications when applying IADPSG screening criteria in a Belgian French speaking University Hospital. A retrospective cohort study.

Background: In April 2012 our institution chose to switch from a two- step criteria for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) screening, to the International Association of Diabetes in Pregnancy Study Group (IADSPG) criteria. This shift led to an increased prevalence of GDM in our pregnant population. We designed a study in order to estimate the magnitude of the increase in GDM prevalence before and after the switch in screening strategy.

Combination of line immunoassays Mikrogen recomLine CMV IgG and recomLine CMV IgG Avidity helps to date the onset of CMV primary infection.

CMV IgG avidity assays are widely used and can be helpful in pregnant women to date the onset of CMV primary infection; however, these tests are not standardized and sometimes give inconclusive results. We evaluated the performances of Mikrogen recomLine CMV IgG and IgG Avidity compared to the VIDAS CMV IgG Avidity. On a first sample set of 89 sequential sera collected from 40 women with precisely determined onset of CMV primary infection, the combination of Mikrogen recomLine CMV IgG and IgG Avidity showed an accurate interpretation in 83.

Incidence of amplification failure in DMPK allele due to allelic dropout event in a diagnostic laboratory.

Background: Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is caused by an expanded CTG repeat in the non-coding 3' UTR of the DMPK gene. PCR and Southern Blot Analysis (SBA) of long-range PCR represent the routine molecular testing most widely used for DM1 diagnosis. However, in these conventional methods artifacts such as allele dropout (ADO) represent a risk of misdiagnosis for DM1.

Umbilical Microbiome and Laparoscopic Surgery: A Descriptive Clinical Study.

Background: The human skin microbiome consists of colonizing and pathogen germs. The umbilical dimple is a humid environment prone to bacterial colonization and growth. In the laparoscopic era, the umbilicus has become the most common site of entrance into the peritoneum.