Publications by authors named "Geys L"

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, causing increased vulnerability to infections and disability among young adults. Ever since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections, there have been concerns among people with MS (PwMS) about the potential interactions between various disease-modifying therapies and COVID-19. The COVID-19 in MS Global Data Sharing Initiative (GDSI) was initiated in 2020 with the aim of addressing these concerns.

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Article Synopsis
  • - As of September 2022, a lack of standardized core data elements for multiple sclerosis (MS) hindered effective data sharing and collaboration in healthcare and research.
  • - A global task force of 20 experts developed a core dataset of 44 variables in eight categories to improve data consistency from real-world data sources, which includes demographic information, disease history, MRI results, and treatment details.
  • - The resulting MS Data Alliance Core Dataset aims to assist newly formed and existing registries, promoting data harmonisation and improving research outcomes in the field of MS.
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Background: Investigating low-prevalence diseases such as multiple sclerosis is challenging because of the rather small number of individuals affected by this disease and the scattering of real-world data across numerous data sources. These obstacles impair data integration, standardization, and analysis, which negatively impact the generation of significant meaningful clinical evidence.

Objective: This study aims to present a comprehensive, research question-agnostic, multistakeholder-driven end-to-end data analysis pipeline that accommodates 3 prevalent data-sharing streams: individual data sharing, core data set sharing, and federated model sharing.

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Background And Objectives: Certain demographic and clinical characteristics, including the use of some disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), are associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection severity in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Comprehensive exploration of these relationships in large international samples is needed.

Methods: Clinician-reported demographic/clinical data from 27 countries were aggregated into a data set of 5,648 patients with suspected/confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

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Background: Interferon-β, a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for MS, may be associated with less severe COVID-19 in people with MS.

Results: Among 5,568 patients (83.4% confirmed COVID-19), interferon-treated patients had lower risk of severe COVID-19 compared to untreated, but not to glatiramer-acetate, dimethyl-fumarate, or pooled other DMTs.

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Article Synopsis
  • The Multiple Sclerosis Data Alliance (MSDA) aims to enhance the accessibility and discovery of real-world data (RWD) related to multiple sclerosis.
  • The MSDA Catalogue, which is globally available, compiles detailed information about various data sources, including governance and data quality control methods, and currently features 38 data sources from five continents.
  • The catalogue reveals trends in data collection, highlighting that personal and basic disease data are most commonly gathered, while aspects like fatigue and cognition measurements are less frequently recorded, ultimately aiding collaboration and reducing discovery times for MS RWD.
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In the context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the constant needs of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and their caregivers were urgently highlighted. The present study aims to capture the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in several aspects of the quality of life of PwMS, in perception and behavior to COVID-19 and multiple sclerosis (MS), as well as concerning healthcare, working conditions, and the willingness toward COVID-19 vaccination. This study is an initiative of the Hellenic Academy of Neuroimmunology (HEL.

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Background And Objectives: People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are a vulnerable group for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), particularly those taking immunosuppressive disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). We examined the characteristics of COVID-19 severity in an international sample of people with MS.

Methods: Data from 12 data sources in 28 countries were aggregated (sources could include patients from 1-12 countries).

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Background: We need high-quality data to assess the determinants for COVID-19 severity in people with MS (PwMS). Several studies have recently emerged but there is great benefit in aligning data collection efforts at a global scale.

Objectives: Our mission is to scale-up COVID-19 data collection efforts and provide the MS community with data-driven insights as soon as possible.

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Unlabelled: Essentials Obesity is a potential risk factor for development of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). Obese ADAMTS-13-deficient mice were triggered with von Willebrand factor (VWF). Depletion of hepatic and splenic macrophages protects against thrombocytopenia in this model.

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Previous studies, predominantly based on increased or decreased plasma levels, have reported conflicting data on a potential functional role of ADAMTS13 in the pathogenesis of liver diseases, including non‑alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The aim of the current study was to evaluate whether ADAMTS13 deficiency affects development of NASH. Therefore, male wild‑type (WT) and Adamts13 deficient (Adamts13‑/‑) mice were kept on a steatosis‑inducing diet devoid of methionine and choline (MCD) or a control diet (MCC) for 4 weeks.

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Objective: A potential strategy to treat obesity - and the associated metabolic consequences - is to increase energy expenditure. This could be achieved by stimulating thermogenesis through activation of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and/or the induction of browning of white adipose tissue (WAT). Over the last years, it has become clear that several metalloproteinases play an important role in adipocyte biology.

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ADAMTS13 cleaves ultralarge multimeric von Willebrand Factor (VWF), thereby preventing formation of platelet-rich microthrombi. ADAMTS13 is mainly produced by hepatic stellate cells, and numerous studies have suggested a functional role of ADAMTS13 in the pathogenesis of liver diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate a potential role of ADAMTS13 in formation of hepatic microthrombi and development of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and furthermore to evaluate whether plasmin can compensate for the absence of ADAMTS13 in removal of thrombi.

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Background & Aims: Increased prevalence of obesity is paralleled by an increase in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We previously found that the expression of ADAMTS5 (A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase with Thrombospondin type 1 motifs; member 5) is enhanced in expanding adipose tissue. However, no information is available on a potential role in liver pathology.

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The effect of cluster of differentiation (CD)36 on regulatory T cells (Treg) was investigated in gonadal (GN) adipose tissues and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of wild-type (WT) and CD36 deficient (CD36(-/-)) mice kept on standard fat (SFD, lean) or on high fat diet (HFD, obese). GN adipose tissue mass was smaller, but MLN size larger for obese CD36(-/-) versus obese WT mice. Overall, the reduction of Treg cells in GN adipose tissue and MLN after a HFD is much more prominent in WT than CD36(-/-) mice.

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Background: BMI and ADAMTS13 levels are positively correlated in man. Development of obesity is associated with angiogenesis and inflammation, and increased ADAMTS13 synthesis in the liver.

Methods: Male wild-type (WT) and ADAMTS13 deficient (Adamts13-/-) mice were kept on normal chow (SFD) or high fat diet (HFD) for 15 weeks.

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Despite their necessity and relevance, studies examining the professional self-image of nurses and instruments to measure this professional self-image in the homecare setting are scarce. This study highlights both the positive self-image of home nurses and the existence of a delicate balance between the large degree of autonomy that home nurses have and the need to feel supported in their professional role and responsibility. The practice environment, including time pressure, workload, and insufficient support, needs to be addressed to keep it from having a negative impact on the professional self-image of home nurses in the long-term.

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Aims And Objectives: To investigate the pressure ulcer prevalence in home nursing patients and to evaluate guideline adherence of measures for the prevention of pressure ulcers and the participation of informal carers in pressure ulcer prevention.

Background: Since 2002, the Belgian Guideline for the Prevention of Pressure Ulcers was published on the Internet, but no information was available on guideline adherence in home care.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of pressure ulcer prevalence and guideline adherence was performed in a cluster randomized sample of 2779 clients of nine regional nursing departments in Flanders, Belgium.

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Aim: To gain insight into the core interventions in home nursing.

Methods: In this descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study two questionnaires, based on the nursing interventions classification, were used to collect data from 501 nurses working in an organization for home nursing in Belgium. Response rate was 88%.

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