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Epithelial Cell Rests of Malassez as Endothelial and Osteoclast Regulators in the Periodontium
No full textEnhancing Autonomy in Supported Employment: A Configurable DWI with Physical Assembly Assistance
No full textIn inclusieve productieomgevingen, zoals bij Bewel en andere maatwerkbedrijven, zijn toegankelijke ondersteuningssystemen essentieel om werknemers met diverse noden te versterken. Hoewel Digitale Werk Instructies(DWI's) de nauwkeurigheid en autonomie kunnen verbeteren, zijn de bestaande oplossingen bij Bewel ofwel beperkt tot enkel schermgebaseerde instructies, ofwel te complex en kostelijk om te configureren en implementeren.
Deze thesis stelt een modulaire, kostenefficiënte en aanpasbare DWI-oplossing voor die klassieke schermgebaseerde instructies combineert met realtime visuele en haptische feedback.
Een gebruikersonderzoek met negen maatwerkers toonde aan dat het systeem de taakefficiëntie en gebruikerservaring verbetert ten opzichte van de DWI-only baseline. De visuele aanwijzingen werden unaniem als duidelijk en nuttig ervaren, terwijl de haptische feedback gemengde reacties opriep. Het ontwikkelde systeem biedt een inclusieve en efficiënte ondersteuning voor taken, toepasbaar in zowel maatwerkbedrijven als reguliere productieomgevingen
Effectiveness of Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative on Early Initiation and Exclusive Breastfeeding Practice: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textBackground: The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) promotes, protects, and supports optimal breastfeeding through facility-based strategies. While prior studies have examined individual BFHI components in specific contexts, global evidence on its overall impact remains limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the BFHI's effectiveness in improving early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding practices worldwide. Methods: A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google for English-language studies. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cluster RCTs, and quasi-experimental designs assessing BFHI's effect on breastfeeding outcomes. Random-effects meta-analysis models were used to estimate the pooled effects with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Heterogeneity was assessed using I2 statistics and p-values. Study quality was appraised using the GRADE approach. Results: Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria. The BFHI was associated with increased early initiation of breastfeeding (pooled RR 1.43; 95% CI: 1.12-1.81; I2 = 97.1%). Positive associations were also observed for exclusive breastfeeding at four months (RR 1.18, 95% CI: 1.08-1.29; I2 = 61.7%) and at six months (RR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.14-2.14; I2 = 82.8%). Substantial heterogeneity reflected variability in study design, BFHI implementation fidelity, and context. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the BFHI is effective in improving breastfeeding practices globally. However, study variability and partial implementation may limit the generalizability of results. High-quality RCTs assessing full BFHI implementation are needed to strengthen evidence and guide global maternal-child health policy.The authors declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. Mahilet Berhanu Habte was financially supported by the Network for Advancement of Sustainable Capacity in Education and Research in Ethiopia (NASCERE) program, within the framework of a VLIRUOS Interuniversity Collaboration. Charlotte Cosemans was financially supported by the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO; 1249025N)
Hoe kan het interieurontwerp van gevangenissen bijdragen aan de rehabilitatie en re-integratie van gedetineerden door middel van een humane benadering?
No full textDeze thesis onderzoekt hoe interieurontwerp in gevangenissen kan bijdragen aan de rehabilitatie en re-integratie van gedetineerden via een humane benadering. Vanuit de historische evolutie van straf, van publieke vernedering naar herstelgerichte detentie, wordt gekeken hoe architectuur en inrichting dit kunnen ondersteunen. Filosofen zoals Beccaria en Foucault benadrukken de nood aan rationele straf en de invloed van ruimtelijke ordening. Vandaag kampen gevangenissen nog steeds met overbevolking, verouderde infrastructuur en mentale gezondheidsproblemen. Onderzoek toont aan dat klassieke gevangenissen met weinig daglicht, harde materialen en gebrek aan privacy het welzijn ondermijnen. Daartegenover staan kleinschalige, mensgerichte detentievormen die autonomie en sociale interactie bevorderen, met positieve effecten op re-integratie. Internationale voorbeelden zoals Bastøy en Storstrøm tonen hoe natuurlijke materialen, open ruimtes en contact met de natuur stress verminderen. Observaties in Tongeren en Hasselt bevestigen deze inzichten: goede lichtinval, gemeenschappelijke ruimtes en warme materialen verbeteren het welzijn. De thesis besluit dat humane detentie-architectuur cruciaal is voor succesvolle re-integratie. Ze moet balans vinden tussen veiligheid en menswaardigheid en investeren in ontwerp dat psychologische en sociale behoeften ondersteunt. Deze visie werd toegepast in het masterproject rond het herontwerp van bezoek-, keuken- en celruimtes in de gevangenis van Hasselt
Assessment of perceptive accuracy for detecting walking speed variations in persons with multiple sclerosis and healthy controls during overground walking at fastest speed
No full textDual energy for pulmonary vein isolation using focal ablation technology integrated with a three-dimensional mapping system: SmartfIRE 12-month results
No full textAims The multicentre, single-arm SmartfIRE study assessed the safety and effectiveness of the novel dual-energy THERMOCOOL SMARTTOUCH SF (DE STSF) contact-force sensing catheter with multimodality generator to deliver radiofrequency (RF) and unipolar biphasic pulsed field (PF) ablation. Three-month follow-up showed a 100% acute success rate with an acceptable safety profile. Results at 12 months postablation are summarized here.Methods and results Patients with symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation underwent pulmonary vein isolation with the recommendation of PF ablation at posterior/inferior and RF ablation at the anterior/ridge/carina segments. The 12-month effectiveness endpoint was freedom from documented symptomatic and asymptomatic atrial arrhythmia on or off antiarrhythmic therapy (assessed by electrocardiogram, remote arrhythmia monitoring, and 24-h Holter), including acute procedural failures. Safety was assessed as the incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) related to device and/or procedure. Quality of life was evaluated via Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality-of-Life (AFEQT) scores, and healthcare utilization was assessed as hospitalization for cardiovascular events and antiarrhythmic drug (AAD) use. Of 149 patients enrolled, 140 had the study catheter inserted (safety population analysis set), and 136 met the eligibility criteria and had ablation energy delivered (per-protocol analysis set). Freedom from symptomatic and asymptomatic atrial arrhythmia at 12 months was 71.5% (84.2% when using standard-of-care monitoring only). The clinical success rate (freedom from symptomatic arrhythmia) was 86.4%, and single procedural success was 81.0% (n = 136). The rate of device- and/or procedure-related SAEs was 3.6% (5/140 patients; two cardiac tamponades, two pulmonary vein stenosis, one anaphylactic shock). At 12 months, the overall AFEQT score increased by a median 26.9 points vs. baseline. Cardiovascular hospitalization rate reduced from 20.1 to 11.9% during the 12 months before vs. after ablation, respectively. The use of Class I/III AAD decreased from 60.3% at baseline to 23.9% at 6-12 months postablation. Post hoc analysis showed that patients with high adherence to recommended inter-tag distance and PF/RF index during ablation (n = 47) had a 12-month freedom from atrial arrhythmia recurrence of 86.9%, while the remaining patients (n = 88) had a rate of 64.0%.Conclusion The 12-month follow-up of the SmartfIRE study demonstrated the effectiveness, safety, and healthcare benefits of ablation using the DE STSF platform.Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05752487 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05752487)Clinical Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05752487 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05752487)Funding
This study was supported by Biosense Webster, Inc., part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech.
Acknowledgements
We thank all SmartfIRE study personnel and patients for their valuable participation in this trial. We thank the following individuals for their efforts in trial execution, statistical analysis, and input during the development of this
article: Sarah Rabau, Liesbeth Vanderlinden, Li Wan, Jennifer Maffre, Guixia Huang, Farid Jamshidian, Yanmin Wang, Erin Rogers, and Swati Trivedi. Medical writing and editorial assistance was provided in accordance with
Good Publication Practice guidelines by Michelle Hughes, PhD, of Lumanity Communications, Inc. (Yardley, PA, USA), under the guidance of the authors, and was funded by Biosense Webster, Inc. (Irvine, CA, USA), part of Johnson & Johnson MedTech
On the Complexity of the Realisability Problem for Visit Events in Trajectory Sample Databases
No full textTrajectory sample databases store finite sequences of measured space-time locations of moving objects, along with a speed bound for each object. These databases can be seen as uncertain databases. We propose a language that allows the formulation of queries about the uncertainty in trajectory sample databases. As part of that language, we introduce the notion of visit events, which are used to describe certain constraints on the movement of an object. In our language, an atomic query asks whether a moving object can, given its limitations, realise such an event. We give complexity results for this realisability problem, in various settings
De impact van SEW op collectief psychologisch eigenaarschap: een empirische studie
No full textFamiliebedrijven zijn een belangrijk onderdeel van de Belgische economie: maar liefst 77% van alle
vennootschappen met personeel in België zijn familiebedrijven. Ze trekken steeds meer de aandacht,
mede door hun unieke bedrijfscultuur en dynamiek, die grotendeels te verklaren is door hun socio
emotionele waarde (SEW). Deze SEW is onderverdeeld in vijf dimensies: familiecontrole, identificatie
met het familiebedrijf, emotionele verbondenheid, sociale relaties en de wens om controle over te dragen
aan de volgende generatie. Het concept van psychologisch eigenaarschap (PE) biedt hierbij een
waardevolle aanvulling, aangezien het de individuele en collectieve gevoelens van eigenaarschap binnen
familiebedrijven verklaart. Binnen de literatuur bestaat hier nog een duidelijke leemte, die dit onderzoek
probeert te vullen.
Na een grondige literatuurstudie werd empirisch onderzoek uitgevoerd op basis van data van 347
respondenten uit Belgische familiebedrijven. Via regressieanalyses werden de relaties tussen elke SEW
dimensie en collectief psychologisch eigenaarschap (CPE) getest. Uit de resultaten bleek dat enkel de B
dimensie (sociale relaties) en de I-dimensie (identificatie met het bedrijf) een significant verband
vertonen met CPE. Wanneer SEW als geheel werd getest, bleek het wel een significante relatie met CPE
te hebben. Dit verschil kan worden verklaard doordat andere dimensies mogelijk indirect bijdragen aan
PE via de B- en I-dimensie.
Een robuustheidstest toonde aan dat geen van de individuele SEW-dimensies sign
Renal Outcomes After Lung or Combined Heart-Lung Transplantation in Pulmonary Hypertension
No full textRenal impairment is considered a contra-indication for lung (LTX) or combined heart-lung (HLTX) transplantation due to increased mortality. We hypothesized that renal impairment in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is the result of reduced cardiac output and should be partly reversible after LTX. We performed a retrospective analysis in 67 consecutive PAH and CTEPH patients who underwent (H)LTX, to investigate the postoperative evolution of renal function in function of baseline renal function using a mixed model effect test. Furthermore, we assessed potential predictors for postoperative renal dysfunction, renal replacement therapy (RRT) and mortality by multivariate analyses. Median baseline eGFR was 74 mL/min/1.73m(2). Fourteen patients were classified as KDIGO 3 preoperatively, 38 patients as KDIGO 2. Renal function significantly declined after 1 and 2 years in all patients. In patients with impaired renal function (KDIGO 2 and 3), we observed a significant improvement in eGFR 1 month after (H)LTX (p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively). Baseline renal impairment <= 60 mL/min/1.73m(2) was associated with early RRT but not with further renal function deterioration, long-term RRT, or mortality. Age was a predictor of renal function decline and mortality. We conclude that renal function evolution can be biphasic after (H)LTX in PAH and CTEPH patients with baseline renal impairment, with initial improvement due to resolution of cardio-renal syndrome. Mild to moderate renal impairment was not significantly associated with renal deterioration or increased mortality.We thank L. Vanwalleghem for his contribution to the data collection. The University Hospitals of Leuven are part of the European Reference Network for rare lung diseases (ERN‐Lung)