Vorderingsverslag betreffende het onderzoek naar de invloed van de exploratie- en exploitatieactiviteiten op het Continentaal Plat en de territoriale zee: periode januari - december 2015

Dit rapport beschrijft de stand van het onderzoek naar de effecten van zandwinning door ILVO-Aquatisch Milieu en Kwaliteit in het jaar 2015 en de planning voor 2016, overeenkomstig Artikel 4 van het ‘Samenwerkingsakkoord tussen de Federale Overheid en het Vlaamse Gewest van 21 december 2005 betreffende het onderzoek naar de invloed van de exploratie- en exploitatieactiviteiten op het Belgisch Continentaal Plat (BCP) op de sedimentafzettingen en op het marien milieu’ (KB 2006/261)

Macrolide resistance in porcine streptococci: a human health hazard?

In order to obtain better insights into the possible exchange of resistance genes between human and porcine streptococci, macrolide and lincosamide resistant streptococci from tonsillar and colon swabs from pigs and pork carcass swabs were isolated and their resistance phenotypes and genotypes were determined. The sequences of the erm(B) genes of 21 human streptococci, 22 porcine streptococci and 15 streptococci isolated from pork carcasses were compared. From each of the 33 pigs and from 88 of 99 carcass swabs, at least one resistant streptococcal strain was isolated. The predominant phenotype was the constitutively expressed MLSB phenotype, mostly encoded by the erm(B) gene. Identical erm(B) gene sequences were present in strains from humans, pigs and pork carcasses

Predictive Value of EGFR-PI3K-AKT-mTOR-Pathway Inhibitor Biomarkers for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma:A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND: Understanding molecular pathogenesis of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) has considerably improved in the last decades. As a result, novel therapeutic strategies have evolved, amongst which are epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies. With the exception of cetuximab, targeted therapies for HNSCC have not yet been introduced into clinical practice. One important aspect of new treatment regimes in clinical practice is presence of robust biomarkers predictive for therapy response.METHODS: We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane library. Articles were included if they investigated a biomarker for targeted therapy in the EGFR-PI3K-AKT-mTOR-pathway.RESULTS: Of 83 included articles, 52 were preclinical and 33 were clinical studies (two studies contained both a preclinical and a clinical part). We classified EGFR pathway inhibitor types and investigated the type of biomarker (biomarker on epigenetic, DNA, mRNA or protein level).CONCLUSION: Several EGFR-PI3K-AKT-mTOR-pathway inhibitor biomarkers have been researched for HNSCC but few of the investigated biomarkers have been adequately confirmed in clinical trials. A more systematic approach is needed to discover proper biomarkers as stratifying patients is essential to prevent unnecessary costs and side effects.</p

A multimarker QPCR-based platform for the detection of circulating tumour cells in patients with early-stage breast cancer

BACKGROUND: The detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) has been linked with poor prognosis in advanced breast cancer. Relatively few studies have been undertaken to study the clinical relevance of CTCs in early-stage breast cancer. METHODS: In a prospective study, we evaluated CTCs in the peripheral blood of 82 early-stage breast cancer patients. Control groups consisted of 16 advanced breast cancer patients and 45 healthy volunteers. The CTC detection was performed using ErbB2/EpCAM immunomagnetic tumour cell enrichment followed by multimarker quantitative PCR (QPCR). The CTC status and common clinicopathological factors were correlated to relapse-free, breast cancer-related and overall survival. RESULTS: Circulating tumour cells were detected in 16 of 82 (20%) patients with early-stage breast cancer and in 13 out of 16 (81%) with advanced breast cancer. The specificity was 100%. The median follow-up time was 51 months (range: 17 -60). The CTC positivity in early-stage breast cancer patients resulted in significantly poorer relapse-free survival (log rank test: P ¼ 0.003) and was an independent predictor of relapse-free survival (multivariate hazard ratio ¼ 5.13, P ¼ 0.006, 95% CI: 1.62 -16.31). CONCLUSION: The detection of CTCs in peripheral blood of early-stage breast cancer patients provided prognostic information for relapse-free survival

Validation of skeletal muscle mass assessment at the level of the third cervical vertebra in patients with head and neck cancer

Background: Low skeletal muscle mass (SMM) is associated with adverse outcomes. SMM is often assessed at the third lumbar vertebra (L3) on abdominal imaging. Abdominal imaging is not routinely performed in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). We aim to validate SMM measurement at the level of the third cervical vertebra (C3) on head and neck imaging. Material and methods: Patients with pre-treatment whole-body computed tomography (CT) between 2010 and 2018 were included. Cross-sectional muscle area (CSMA) was manually delineated at the level of C3 and L3. Correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Cohen's kappa was used to assess the reliability of identifying a patient with low SMM. Results: Two hundred patients were included. Correlation between CSMA at the level of C3 and L3 was good (r = 0.75, p < 0.01). Using a multivariate formula to estimate CSMA at L3, including gender, age, and weight, correlation improved (r = 0.82, p < 0.01). The agreement between estimated and actual CSMA at L3 was good (ICC 0.78, p < 0.01). There was moderate agreement in the identification of patients with low SMM based on the estimated lumbar skeletal muscle mass index (LSMI) and actual LSMI (Cohen's κ: 0.57, 95%CI 0.45–0.69). Conclusions: CSMA at C3 correlates well with CSMA at L3. There is moderate agreement in the identification of patients with low SMM based on the estimated lumbar SMI (based on measurement at C3) and actual LSMI