Validity of a Consumer-Based Wearable to Measure Clinical Parameters in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Healthy Controls: Observational Study.

Background: Consumer-based wearables are becoming more popular and provide opportunities to track individual's clinical parameters remotely. However, literature about their criterion and known-groups validity is scarce.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the validity of the Fitbit Charge 4, a wrist-worn consumer-based wearable, to measure clinical parameters (ie, daily step count, resting heart rate [RHR], heart rate variability [HRV], respiratory rate [RR], and oxygen saturation) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and healthy controls in free-living conditions in Belgium by comparing it with medical-grade devices.

Clinical relevance of pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacterial isolates in three reference centres in Belgium: a multicentre retrospective analysis.

Background/objectives: Assessing the clinical relevance of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) isolated from respiratory samples can be challenging. The epidemiology and pathogenicity of NTM species vary geographically. We aimed to outline the clinical relevance and associated radiological patterns of NTM species isolated in Belgium.

Treatment failure and hospital readmissions in severe COPD exacerbations treated with azithromycin versus placebo - a post-hoc analysis of the BACE randomized controlled trial.

Background: In the BACE trial, a 3-month (3 m) intervention with azithromycin, initiated at the onset of an infectious COPD exacerbation requiring hospitalization, decreased the rate of a first treatment failure (TF); the composite of treatment intensification (TI), step-up in hospital care (SH) and mortality.

Objectives: (1) To investigate the intervention's effect on recurrent events, and (2) to identify clinical subgroups most likely to benefit, determined from the incidence rate of TF and hospital readmissions.

Methods: Enrolment criteria included the diagnosis of COPD, a smoking history of ≥10 pack-years and ≥ 1 exacerbation in the previous year.

An atypical case of a pulmonary mass in an immunocompromised patient.

Objectives: Pulmonary lymphomatoid granulomatosis (PLG) is a rare angiocentric and angiodestructive EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorder which almost always affects the lungs. PLG is more commonly diagnosed in patients with immunodeficiency and is associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). 'Drug induced PLG' or 'iatrogenic immunodeficiency-associated lymphoproliferative disorder' is a special form of PLG described in patient with inflammatory bowel diseases treated with Azathioprine.

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorders following liver transplantation: Where are we now?

Liver transplantation has emerged as a life-saving treatment for several patients with acute liver failure, end stage liver disease and primary hepatic malignancies. However, long term immunosuppressive therapy aiming to reduce the risk of transplant rejection increases the incidence of several complications including malignancies. This is illustrated by the observation of a high ratio between observed and expected cases of lymphoproliferative disorders following liver transplantation.

Efflux pump ABCB1 single nucleotide polymorphisms and dose reductions in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma treated with sunitinib.

Unlabelled: There is growing evidence that sunitinib plasma levels have an impact on treatment outcome in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). We studied the impact of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in sunitinib pharmacokinetics, and additionally, sunitinib pharmacodynamics on dose reductions of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed germ-line DNA retrieved from mRCC patients receiving sunitinib as first-line therapy.