Learned Symptom-Specific Fear Toward a Visceral Sensation and Its Impact on Perceptual Habituation.

Objective: Impaired habituation of bodily sensations has been suggested as a contributing factor to chronic pain. We examined in healthy volunteers the influence of fear learning toward a nonpainful sensation in the esophagus on the perceptual habituation of this sensation.

Methods: In a homoreflexive fear learning paradigm, nonpainful electrical sensations in the esophagus were used as a conditioned stimulus (CS).

Neural correlates of hierarchical predictive processes in autistic adults.

Bayesian theories of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) suggest that atypical predictive mechanisms could underlie the autistic symptomatology, but little is known about their neural correlates. Twenty-six neurotypical (NT) and 26 autistic adults participated in an fMRI study where they performed an associative learning task in a volatile environment. By inverting a model of perceptual inference, we characterized the neural correlates of hierarchically structured predictions and prediction errors in ASD.

Diagnosing enterovirus meningitis via blood transcriptomics: an alternative for lumbar puncture?

Background: Meningitis can be caused by several viruses and bacteria. Identifying the causative pathogen as quickly as possible is crucial to initiate the most optimal therapy, as acute bacterial meningitis is associated with a significant morbidity and mortality. Bacterial meningitis requires antibiotics, as opposed to enteroviral meningitis, which only requires supportive therapy.

USA300, A strain of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, crossing Belgium's borders: outbreak of skin and soft tissue infections in a hospital in Belgium.

Objective: to investigate an outbreak of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) USA300 in a hospital setting, and the effect of infection control measures.

Design: outbreak investigation and retrospective chart review.

Setting: local inpatient and outpatient clinic.

Exhaled nitric oxide in childhood allergic asthma management: a randomised controlled trial.

Objective: We investigated the potential yield of incorporating fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements in childhood allergic asthma management.

Methods: Ninety-nine children with persistent allergic asthma were included in this multicentre, single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Treatment was based on the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines.