Publications by authors named "G J M Martens"
Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation technique, has been shown to increase exercise performance in strength and cycling studies but its effects on running endurance remain unclear. The objectives of this randomized sham-controlled crossover trial were to assess tDCS efficacy on submaximal treadmill running time to exhaustion (TTE). Forty-five healthy male runners aged between 18 and 32 years (mean maximal oxygen consumption: 46.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCirculating tumor DNA (ctDNA) quantification surpasses cancer antigen 15 to 3 for metastatic breast cancer surveillance. Clinical translation, however, is limited because of uncertainties about the optimal method and clinically valid ctDNA decision thresholds. Plasma-SeqSensei Breast Cancer IVD kit (PSS) is a novel assay for ctDNA molecular counting, detecting ≥0.
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- The study focuses on SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.214.2, identified in Belgium in January 2021, which has a mutation that may affect its transmissibility and immune evasion, similar to the Omicron variant.
- This variant spread significantly in Central Africa and Europe, with its origin traced back to the Republic of the Congo, and its transmission correlated with human travel patterns.
- In Belgian nursing homes, the variant led to moderately severe outcomes, and unique immune responses in elderly patients suggest a need for targeted nasal vaccine strategies against emerging variants.
Article Synopsis
- Robotic kidney transplant (RKT) is explored as a safe alternative to open kidney transplant (OKT), despite previous selection biases affecting patient comparisons.
- A study comparing outcomes from 50 RKT patients and 100 OKT patients found that while RKT had longer operative and warm ischemia times, it also resulted in less blood loss and lower rates of post-operative complications.
- Overall, RKT demonstrates significant advantages over OKT, suggesting its potential to become the new standard of care for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD).
Cobas EGFR mutation Test v2 was FDA-approved as qualitative liquid biopsy for actionable EGFR variants in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It generates semiquantitative index (SQI) values that correlate with mutant allele levels, but decision thresholds for clinical use in NSCLC surveillance are lacking. We conducted long-term ctDNA monitoring in 20 subjects with EGFR-mutated NSCLC; resulting in a 155 on-treatment samples.
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