Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: the EAS FH Studies Collaboration registry.

Background And Aims: Overweight and obesity are modifiable risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) in the general population, but their prevalence in individuals with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH) and whether they confer additional risk of ASCVD independent of LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) remains unclear.

Methods: Cross-sectional analysis was conducted in 35 540 patients with HeFH across 50 countries, in the EAS FH Studies Collaboration registry. Prevalence of World Health Organization-defined body mass index categories was investigated in adults (n = 29 265) and children/adolescents (n = 6275); and their association with prevalent ASCVD.

Graft Selection in Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Comprehensive Review of Current Trends.

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are common in sports and often require surgical intervention, e.g., ACL reconstruction (ACLR), aimed at restoring knee stability and enabling a return to pre-injury activity levels.

Assessment of the Inter-Frequency Amplitude Ratio (1000/500 Hz) in cVEMP and oVEMP for the Diagnosis of Ménière's Disease.

: to retrospectively evaluate the clinical relevance of the 1000/500 Hz inter-frequency amplitude ratio (IFAR) in cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs and oVEMPs) in patients with unilateral definite Ménière's disease (MD) to identify the pathological ear. : cVEMPs and oVEMPs results obtained at 500 Hz and 1000 Hz were retrospectively analyzed in 28 patients with unilateral definite MD. 1000/500 Hz IFAR were calculated and compared for each ear.

European clinical practice guideline: managing and treating laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.

Objective: To propose a European consensus for managing and treating laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) to guide primary care and specialist physicians.

Methods: Twenty-three European experts (otolaryngologists, gastroenterologists, surgeons) participated in a modified Delphi process to revise 38 statements about the definition, clinical management, and treatment of LPRD. Three voting rounds were conducted on a 5-point scale and a consensus was defined a priori as agreement by 80% of the experts.

The importance of microbiology reference laboratories and adequate funding for infectious disease surveillance.

Microbiology reference laboratories perform a crucial role within public health systems. This role was especially evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Viewpoint, we emphasise the importance of microbiology reference laboratories and highlight the types of digital data and expertise they provide, which benefit national and international public health.

Evaluating pain management practices for cancer patients among health professionals in cancer and supportive/palliative care units: a Belgian survey.

Background: Pain is reported in 66% of cancer patients with advanced disease. Adequate pain management is a cornerstone of comprehensive supportive cancer care.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess pain management in Oncology Units in Belgium.

Molecular Diagnostics for Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis: Clinical and Economic Benefits in the Belgian Healthcare Context.

Unlabelled: (1) Background: Group A Streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis is common, resulting in numerous ambulatory visits. Accurate diagnosis is challenging. This study evaluated the clinical utility, cost, and performance of a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) for GAS detection, comparing it to a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) and throat culture.

Airway epithelium damage in acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Background: The airway epithelium (AE) fulfils multiple functions to maintain pulmonary homeostasis, among which ensuring adequate barrier function, cell differentiation and polarization, and actively transporting immunoglobulin A (IgA), the predominant mucosal immunoglobulin in the airway lumen, via the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR). Morphological changes of the airways have been reported in ARDS, while their detailed features, impact for mucosal immunity, and causative mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to assess epithelial alterations in the distal airways of patients with ARDS.

Development of the "LAser Surgical skills Evaluation for Residents" (LASER) Scale Through a Modified Delphi Method.

Background: The CO laser is frequently used during microlaryngeal surgery (MLS) for a variety of pathology including laryngeal malignancy and stenosis. Learning how to use the laser safely is part of the curriculum for every otolaryngology resident. However, assessment of laryngoscopy technical skills can be challenging for supervisors, making it difficult to adequately provide feedback to trainees.

Rationale and Design of the COPERNIC Trial: A Study of On-treatment ctDNA Changes in Chemo-refractory Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Background: Evidence suggests that ctDNA may be a reliable biomarker to monitor metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) evolution. Nevertheless, evidence on the potential of liquid biopsy in this setting is still low quality, mostly consisting of retrospective studies.

Methods: COPERNIC is an international, multicenter clinical trial.

Chronotype Differences and Symptom Network Dynamics of Post-Pandemic Sleep in Adolescents and Young Adults.

Social restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in altered sleep patterns and mental health challenges, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Our objective was to examine the potential difference in insomnia prevalence and sleep patterns in this population between the first COVID-19 lockdown and the post-lockdown period, with a focus on chronotype. Additionally, we explored the network of sleep-related differences between these two periods.

Nonanatomic Posteromedial Bundle Augmentation of the Posterior Cruciate Ligament after Hyperextension Trauma.

The surgical management of posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injuries can be challenging. As most PCL injuries occur in a flexed knee position, the anterolateral bundle is thought to be more commonly injured than the posteromedial bundle (PMB); however, in hyperextension, the PMB plays a more significant role. The smaller size of the PMB compared with the anterolateral bundle and its lower strength may explain why isolated hyperextension PMB injuries can be easily overlooked.

Optimization of the microbiological treatment of sperm for assisted reproductive technology (ART).

In ART, optimized sperm preparation could separate spermatozoa from potentially harmful germs and cells, improving sperm parameters. This study compares the outcome of a routinely used two-layer density gradient with a three-layer protocol in terms of sperm and microbiological parameters. According to the results, a three-layer protocol was more effective.

Monitoring of Haemophilus influenzae isolated from carriage, lower respiratory tract infections and blood over a six-month period in Belgium.

Introduction: H. influenzae carriage may evolve into respiratory or systemic infections. However, no surveillancesystem is in place in Belgium to monitor carriage strains.

Concordance in bacterial colonization profiles between voice prostheses and oral microbiota post-laryngectomy: An experimental study.

Objective: Knowledge about voice prosthesis microbial colonization is vital in laryngectomized patients' quality of life (QoL). Herein, we aimed to explore the relationship between oral microbial patterns, demographic variables and voice prosthesis performance.

Methods: Thirty laryngectomy patients were assessed for microbial colonization in their voice prostheses and oral cavities.

Assessing the Prevalence and Dynamics of Emerging Campylobacterales in Human Stool Samples in Brussels by Filtration Culture.

Thermophilic / is reported to be the first bacterial cause of gastroenteritis worldwide and the most common zoonosis in Europe. Although non-/ sp. are increasingly suspected to be responsible for diarrhoea or to be involved in inflammatory bowel disease, they remain poorly isolated due to their fastidious and non-thermophilic nature.

Humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 in kidney transplant recipients and dialysis patients: IgA and IgG patterns unraveled after SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination.

Background: Infection with SARS-CoV-2 in high-risk groups such as kidney transplant and dialysis patients is shown to be associated with a more serious course of the disease. Four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, crucial knowledge on the immune responses in these patient groups is still lacking. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating the humoral immune response after a SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to vaccination as well as the evolution of immunoglobulins over time.

From Investigating a Case of Cellulitis to Exploring Nosocomial Infection Control of ST1 Using Genomic Approaches.

can cause a large panel of symptoms besides the classic pneumonia presentation. Here we present a case of fatal nosocomial cellulitis in an immunocompromised patient followed, a year later, by a second case of Legionnaires' disease in the same ward. While the first case was easily assumed as nosocomial based on the date of symptom onset, the second case required clear typing results to be assigned either as nosocomial and related to the same environmental source as the first case, or community acquired.

Anti-Arrhythmic Effects of Heart Failure Guideline-Directed Medical Therapy and Their Role in the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: From Beta-Blockers to Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors and Beyond.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) accounts for a substantial proportion of mortality in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), frequently triggered by ventricular arrhythmias (VA). This review aims to analyze the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying VA and SCD in HFrEF and evaluate the effectiveness of guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in reducing SCD. Beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors, and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists have shown significant efficacy in reducing SCD risk.

Intraoperative Ketorolac and Outcomes after Ovarian Cancer Surgery.

Introduction: Surgery is the cornerstone of ovarian cancer treatment. However, surgery and perioperative inflammation have been described as potentially pro-metastagenic. In various animal models and other human cancers, intraoperative administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) appears to have a positive impact on patient outcomes.

Multiple interspecies recombination events documented by whole-genome sequencing in multidrug-resistant clinical isolates.

Introduction: () was long known as an easy-to-treat bacterium, but increasing resistance against beta-lactams and other critically important antibiotics is now a growing concern. We describe here the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis of three non-typeable isolates received in 2018-2019 by the Belgian National Reference Centre (NRC) for , as they presented an unusual multi-resistant profile.

Methods: All three isolates were sequenced by WGS and mapped to the reference isolate Rd KW20.