CIC/ATXN1-rearranged tumors in the central nervous system are mainly represented by sarcomas: A comprehensive clinicopathological and epigenetic series.

CIC fusions have been described in two different central nervous system (CNS) tumor entities. On one hand, fusions of CIC or ATXN1 genes belonging to the same complex of transcriptional repressors, were reported in the CIC-rearranged, sarcoma (SARC-CIC). The diagnosis of this tumor type, which was recently added to the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of CNS tumors, is difficult mainly because the data concerning its histopathology (as compared to its soft tissue counterpart), immunoprofile, and clinical as well as radiological characteristics are scarce in the literature.

Frameless robot-assisted stereotactic biopsies for lesions of the brainstem-a series of 103 consecutive biopsies.

Purpose: Targeted treatment for brainstem lesions requires above all a precise histopathological and molecular diagnosis. In the current technological era, robot-assisted stereotactic biopsies represent an accurate and safe procedure for tissue diagnosis. We present our center's experience in frameless robot-assisted biopsies for brainstem lesions.

Clinical outcomes in unselected patients treated with the PROMUS Element platinum-chromium, everolimus-eluting stent: Final five-year results from the PE PROVE Study.

Objectives: The goal of this analysis was to evaluate the final 5-year safety and effectiveness of the PROMUS Element platinum-chromium everolimus-eluting stent in unselected patients treated in routine clinical practice.

Background: The prospective, open-label PROMUS Element™ European Post-Approval Surveillance Study (PE-PROVE) enrolled 1,010 "real-world" patients who received the PROMUS Element stent. Adverse event rates were low at 1-year, and the incidence of stent thrombosis was 0.

Duration of dual anti-platelet therapy - State of the art after the DAPT and PEGASUS-TIMI 54 trials.

Dual anti-platelet therapy is prescribed in the setting of coronary heart disease for the prevention of stent thrombosis and acute thrombotic events. The optimal duration of dual anti-platelet therapy is still under debate as numerous trials have shown non-inferiority of a strategy of early cessation of one of the agents as compared to the standard practice whereas two larger trials have demonstrated benefit of prolonging dual anti-platelet therapy.

Ratio of high-sensitivity troponin to creatine kinase-MB in takotsubo syndrome.

Background: Takotsubo syndrome (TT) and myocardial infarction (MI) share numerous similarities in clinical presentation, ECG modifications and biomarker elevation. We sought to determine whether the ratio of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-TnT) to the myocardial fraction of creatine kinase (CKMB) could be a potent discriminator between TT and MI patients.

Methods: We separately present analysis of data from retrospective files and prospectively recruited patients presenting with TT (35 retrospective and 42 prospective), NSTEMI (48 retrospective and 75 prospective) and STEMI (20 retrospective and 39 prospective).

Device-associated thrombus formation after left atrial appendage occlusion: A systematic review of events reported with the Watchman, the Amplatzer Cardiac Plug and the Amulet.

Objectives: This study aimed to provide a systematic review of device-associated thrombosis (DAT) after left atrial appendage occlusion (LAAO) with the Watchman, Amplatzer Cardiac Plug, and Amulet devices.

Background: DAT is known as a complication of LAAO but data about its clinical impact is scarce.

Methods: A systematic review of studies evaluating the incidence, treatment and clinical implications of DAT from January 2008 to September 2015 was conducted.

Cardiopoietic cell therapy for advanced ischaemic heart failure: results at 39 weeks of the prospective, randomized, double blind, sham-controlled CHART-1 clinical trial.

Aims: Cardiopoietic cells, produced through cardiogenic conditioning of patients' mesenchymal stem cells, have shown preliminary efficacy. The Congestive Heart Failure Cardiopoietic Regenerative Therapy (CHART-1) trial aimed to validate cardiopoiesis-based biotherapy in a larger heart failure cohort.

Methods And Results: This multinational, randomized, double-blind, sham-controlled study was conducted in 39 hospitals.

Environmental triggers of acute myocardial infarction: results of a nationwide multiple-factorial population study.

Objective: The objective of this study was to study the independent environmental triggers of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in a multifactorial environmental population model.

Methods And Results: Daily counts of all STEMI patients who underwent urgent percutaneous coronary intervention over the period 2006-2009 in Belgium were associated with average daily meteorological data and influenza-like illness incidence data. The following meteorological measures were investigated: particulate matter less than 10 μM (PM10) and less than 2.

Active and total myeloperoxidase in coronary artery disease and relation to clinical instability.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between serum total and active myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels and the presence of coronary artery disease in consecutive patients evaluated by coronary angiography and to correlate the levels of the enzyme with instability.

Methods And Results: Prospective analysis of serum samples of patients before coronary angiography. Total and active MPO concentrations were assessed by the sandwich Elisa and SIEFED® methods.

The STIB score: a simple clinical test to predict clopidogrel resistance.

Background: High platelet reactivity (HPR) to clopidogrel is associated with an increased risk of ischaemic complications during and after coronary interventions and concerns up to 50% of patients undergoing PCI.

Aim Of The Study: The aim of the study was to identify patients with HPR to clopidogrel using bedside clinical information obtained in the Stent Thrombosis In Belgium (STIB) trial.

Methods: Data on platelet reactivity using the VerifyNow® point-of-care assay were obtained in 844 patients undergoing PCI for stable coronary artery disease 12 to 24 hours after a 600-mg loading dose of clopidogrel was given.

Deferral vs. performance of percutaneous coronary intervention of functionally non-significant coronary stenosis: 15-year follow-up of the DEFER trial.

Aims: Stenting an angiographically intermediate but functionally non-significant stenosis is controversial. Nevertheless, it has been questioned if deferral of a functionally non-significant lesion on the basis of fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurement, is safe, especially on the long term. Five-year follow-up of the DEFER trial showed that outcome after deferral of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of an intermediate coronary stenosis based on FFR ≥ 0.

[Percutaneous coronary intervention vs coronary artery bypass grafting for patients with stable angina pectoris].

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) must be considered among stable angina pectoris patients who remained symptomatic despite optimal medical treatment and to improve prognosis of patients with large myocardial lschemia when occurring at low workload. PCI is preferred for single coronary artery stenosis, while CABG is recommended for severe multivessel disease patients, particularly when diabetes is present. There is no simple decisional algorithm, and, for patients with multivessel disease, each situation must be debated within a multidisciplinary decision-making team (Heart Team), taking into consideration risks and benefits of PCI vs CABG, patients' comorbidities and local experience.

One-year clinical outcomes after sirolimus-eluting coronary stent implantation in diabetics enrolled in the worldwide e-SELECT registry.

Background: Diabetes mellitus has worse outcome after percutaneous coronary intervention.

Aim: We assessed stent thrombosis (ST), major adverse cardiac events (MACE), and major bleeding rates at 1 year after implantation of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) in patients with diabetes mellitus in a large multicenter registry.

Methods: From May 2006 to April 2008, 15,147 unselected consecutive patients were enrolled at 320 centers in 56 countries in a prospective, observational registry after implantation of ≥ 1 SES.

Midterm clinical outcome following Edwards SAPIEN or Medtronic Corevalve transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI): Results of the Belgian TAVI registry.

Objective: To assess midterm (3 years) clinical outcomes of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in Belgium using the Edwards SAPIEN valve or the Medtronic CoreValve transcatheter heart valve (THV).

Background: Medium and long term follow-up data of both THVs are still relatively scarce, although of great clinical relevance for a relatively new but rapidly expanding treatment modality. Therefore, reporting mid- and long term clinical outcome data, coming from large "real world" national registries, remains contributive.

Treatment and clinical outcomes of transcatheter heart valve thrombosis.

Background: Valve thrombosis has yet to be fully evaluated after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. This study aimed to report the prevalence, timing, and treatment of transcatheter heart valve (THV) thrombosis.

Methods And Results: THV thrombosis was defined as follows (1) THV dysfunction secondary to thrombosis diagnosed based on response to anticoagulation therapy, imaging modality or histopathology findings, or (2) mobile mass detected on THV suspicious of thrombus, irrespective of dysfunction and in absence of infection.

One-year outcomes in 1,010 unselected patients treated with the PROMUS Element everolimus-eluting stent: the multicentre PROMUS Element European Post-Approval Surveillance Study.

Aims: The PROMUS™ Element™ European Post-Approval Surveillance Study (PE-Prove) is a prospective, open-label, multicentre observational study designed to assess outcomes following PROMUS Element everolimus-eluting stent implantation in an unselected patient population.

Methods And Results: A total of 1,010 patients were enrolled at 40 clinical sites in Europe, including 24.9% with medically treated diabetes, 50.

Impact of gender difference in hospital outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention. Results of the Belgian Working Group on Interventional Cardiology (BWGIC) registry.

Aims: To determine whether there are gender-based differences in in-hospital outcomes among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods And Results: We studied a large cohort using clinical data from a registry of 130,985 PCI procedures in Belgium, from January 2006 to February 2011. Compared to males, females were significantly older (70.

Depth of valve implantation, conduction disturbances and pacemaker implantation with CoreValve and CoreValve Accutrak system for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation, a multi-center study.

Background: Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) is now considered an indispensable treatment strategy in high operative risk patients with severe, symptomatic aortic stenosis. However, conduction disturbances and the need for Permanent Pacemaker (PPM) implantation after TAVI with the CoreValve prosthesis still remain frequent.

Methods And Results: We aimed to evaluate the implantation depth, the incidence and predictors of new conduction disturbances, and the need for PPM implantation within the first month after TAVI, using the new Accutrak CoreValve delivery system (ACV), compared to the previous generation CoreValve (non-ACV).

Platelet reactivity and cardiovascular events after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with stable coronary artery disease: the Stent Thrombosis In Belgium (STIB) trial.

Aims: The Stent Thrombosis In Belgium (STIB) trial aimed to determine whether assessing platelet reactivity (PR) in patients with stable coronary artery disease undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) could predict the risk of ischaemic complications and adverse clinical events up to 30 days post PCI.

Methods And Results: PR before intervention was determined in 891 patients undergoing PCI for stable angina pectoris. Twelve to 24 hours before PCI, all patients received a 600 mg clopidogrel dose followed by 75 mg daily, and 500 mg of aspirin followed by 80-100 mg daily.

Projected inhibition of platelet aggregation with ticagrelor twice daily vs. clopidogrel once daily based on patient adherence data (the TWICE project).

Aim: Twice daily dosing is often perceived as inferior to once daily dosing due to a higher likelihood of missing a dose. However, more important is the extent to which drug action is maintained when doses are delayed or missed. We compared the estimated inhibition of platelet aggregation (eIPA) for ticagrelor twice daily and clopidogrel once daily, based on their pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic relationships and patient dosing history data.