Optimization of bacteriophage therapy for difficult-to-treat musculoskeletal infections: a bench-to-bedside perspective.

Given the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance, scientists are urgently seeking adjunct antimicrobial strategies, such as phage therapy (PT). However, despite promising results for the treatment of musculoskeletal infections in our center, crucial knowledge gaps remain. Therefore, a prospective observational study (PHAGEFORCE) and a multidisciplinary approach was set up to achieve and optimize standardized treatment guidelines.

IFN-α2 Autoantibody Screening and Functional Evaluation in Viral and Bacterial Infections.

Background: The presence of anti-interferon (IFN)-α2 autoantibodies is a strong indicator of severe disease course during viral infections and is observed in autoimmune diseases (e.g., myasthenia gravis).

Effects of implementing a vaccination tool in the electronic medical record on vaccination coverage of patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases: a prospective cohort study.

Background: The rising incidence of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) requires innovative management strategies, including effective vaccination. We aimed to assess the impact of an electronic medical record (EMR)-integrated vaccination tool on vaccination coverage among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), rheumatological and dermatological conditions.

Methods: A prospective observational study compared vaccination coverage before (2018) and after (2021) implementing the module.

A characterization of the HIV population with limited/exhausted treatment options: a multicenter Belgian study.

Objective: Describe the prevalence and characteristics of people living with HIV (PLWH) in Belgium with limited/exhausted treatment options.

Methods: A cross-sectional, multicenter study involving adult treatment-experienced individuals with limited/exhausted treatment options defined as having a multi-drug resistant HIV-1 or a history of multiple treatment changes. The primary outcome was to determine the prevalence of these individuals and classify them based on their two most recent consecutive HIV-1 viral loads (VLs): suppressed (2 VLs < 50 copies/mL), intermediate (≥1 VL between 50-200 copies/mL), or unsuppressed (2 VLs > 200 copies/mL).

COVID-19 Outcomes in Lung Transplant Recipients Following Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis With Tixagevimab-Cilgavimab During the Omicron BA.5 Surge: A Single Center Analysis.

Lung transplant (LTx) recipients are at high risk for COVID-19 related morbidity and mortality. Data regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with tixagevimab-cilgavimab in this population are scarce. We therefore evaluated COVID-19 breakthrough infections and COVID-19 related complications after PrEP in a retrospective single-center study, including 264 LTx recipients who received PrEP between June 2022 and December 2022, when Omicron BA.

Should treatment decisions in septic arthritis of the native hip joint be based on the route of infection?

: Surgical management of septic arthritis (SA) of the hip aims at treating the infection by either preserving, resecting or replacing the joint. In some cases, joint preservation should be attempted, whereas other cases would benefit from immediate joint resection or replacement. Prognostic factors have been proposed to guide decision-making.

FLUIDOT: A Modular Microfluidic Platform for Single-Cell Study and Retrieval, with Applications in Drug Tolerance Screening and Antibody Mining.

Advancements in lab-on-a-chip technologies have revolutionized the single-cell analysis field. However, an accessible platform for in-depth screening and specific retrieval of single cells, which moreover enables studying diverse cell types and performing various downstream analyses, is still lacking. As a solution, FLUIDOT is introduced, a versatile microfluidic platform incorporating customizable microwells, optical tweezers and an interchangeable cell-retrieval system.

Anatomical barriers against SARS-CoV-2 neuroinvasion at vulnerable interfaces visualized in deceased COVID-19 patients.

Can SARS-CoV-2 hitchhike on the olfactory projection and take a direct and short route from the nose into the brain? We reasoned that the neurotropic or neuroinvasive capacity of the virus, if it exists, should be most easily detectable in individuals who died in an acute phase of the infection. Here, we applied a postmortem bedside surgical procedure for the rapid procurement of tissue, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid samples from deceased COVID-19 patients infected with the Delta, Omicron BA.1, or Omicron BA.

Non-specific symptoms and post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome in patients with Lyme borreliosis: a prospective cohort study in Belgium (2016-2020).

Background: Patients with Lyme borreliosis (LB) may report persisting non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, widespread musculoskeletal pain or cognitive difficulties. When present for more than 6 months and causing a reduction in daily activities, this is often referred to as post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS). This study aimed to compare the occurrence of symptoms between LB patients and controls, to estimate the proportion of LB patients developing PTLDS and to identify risk factors.

Molecular detection of SARS-COV-2 in exhaled breath at the point-of-need.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the need for improved technologies to help control the spread of contagious pathogens. While rapid point-of-need testing plays a key role in strategies to rapidly identify and isolate infectious patients, current test approaches have significant shortcomings related to assay limitations and sample type. Direct quantification of viral shedding in exhaled particles may offer a better rapid testing approach, since SARS-CoV-2 is believed to spread mainly by aerosols.

A Novel Homozygous Stop Mutation in IL23R Causes Mendelian Susceptibility to Mycobacterial Disease.

Purpose: Mendelian susceptibility to mycobacterial disease (MSMD) is caused by inborn errors of IFN-γ immunity. The most frequent genetic defects are found in IL12 or a subunit of its receptor. IL23R deficiency in MSMD has only been reported once, in two pediatric patients from the same kindred with isolated disseminated Bacille Calmette-Guérin disease.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Vancomycin Continuous Infusion in Patients Treated at Home in an Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy Program.

Vancomycin is commonly used in outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) of Gram-positive infections. Therapeutic drug monitoring and adverse event monitoring pose a challenge. Outcome data of vancomycin in OPAT (vOPAT) are limited.

Thromboprophylaxis in COVID-19: Weight and severity adjusted intensified dosing.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) frequently occurs in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The optimal dose of anticoagulation for thromboprophylaxis in COVID-19 is unknown.

Aims: To report VTE incidence and bleeding before and after implementing a hospital-wide intensified thromboprophylactic protocol in patients with COVID-19.

Safety and efficacy of phage therapy in difficult-to-treat infections: a systematic review.

According to the latest reports from WHO, the incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections is increasing worldwide, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality and a rising pressure on health-care systems. However, the development of new antibiotics is an expensive and time-consuming process, urging scientists to seek alternative antimicrobial strategies. Over the past few decades, the concept of therapeutic administration of bacteriophages (also known as phages) has gained popularity worldwide.

Overall performance of a drug-drug interaction clinical decision support system: quantitative evaluation and end-user survey.

Background: Clinical decision support systems are implemented in many hospitals to prevent medication errors and associated harm. They are however associated with a high burden of false positive alerts and alert fatigue. The aim of this study was to evaluate a drug-drug interaction (DDI) clinical decision support system in terms of its performance, uptake and user satisfaction and to identify barriers and opportunities for improvement.

The 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20): expected added value.

Objectives: Currently existing pneumococcal vaccines have contributed to a major reduction in pneumococcal disease. However, there remains an unmet need for vaccine coverage of serotypes not included in PCV13 to further reduce the burden of disease. The objective of this review is to assess the potential impact of implementation of the investigational 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV20) in the childhood and adult immunization programme in Belgium and Europe.

A public health value-based healthcare paradigm for HIV.

Background: HIV patients face considerable acute and chronic healthcare needs and battling the HIV epidemic remains of the utmost importance. By focusing on health outcomes in relation to the cost of care, value-based healthcare (VBHC) proposes a strategy to optimize quality of care and cost-efficiency. Its implementation may provide an answer to the increasing pressure to optimize spending in healthcare while improving patient outcomes.

Visualizing in deceased COVID-19 patients how SARS-CoV-2 attacks the respiratory and olfactory mucosae but spares the olfactory bulb.

Anosmia, the loss of smell, is a common and often the sole symptom of COVID-19. The onset of the sequence of pathobiological events leading to olfactory dysfunction remains obscure. Here, we have developed a postmortem bedside surgical procedure to harvest endoscopically samples of respiratory and olfactory mucosae and whole olfactory bulbs.

Repolarization abnormalities on admission predict 1-year outcome in COVID-19 patients.

Background: ECG abnormalities in COVID-19 have been widely reported, however data after discharge is limited. The aim was to describe ECG abnormalities on admission and following recovery of COVID-19, and their associated mortality.

Methods: All patients hospitalized in a tertiary care hospital between March 7th and July 1st 2020 with COVID-19 were included in a retrospective registry.

Bacteriophage Therapy for Difficult-to-Treat Infections: The Implementation of a Multidisciplinary Phage Task Force ().

In times where only a few novel antibiotics are to be expected, antimicrobial resistance remains an expanding global health threat. In case of chronic infections caused by therapy-resistant pathogens, physicians have limited therapeutic options, which are often associated with detrimental consequences for the patient. This has resulted in a renewed interest in alternative strategies, such as bacteriophage (phage) therapy.

Management of periprosthetic infection after reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Background: Periprosthetic shoulder infection (PSI) remains a devastating complication after reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA). Currently, scientific data related to the management of PSI are limited, and the optimal strategy and related clinical outcomes remain unclear. Guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America for the management of periprosthetic joint infection are mainly based on data from patients after hip and knee arthroplasty.