277989 research outputs found
Sort by
Chemotherapy and ovarian tissue, from damage characterization to novel gonadoprotective strategies
No full textChemotherapy-induced gonadotoxicity in children and women of reproductive age is a serious concern for cancer survivors who face the threat of infertility and premature ovarian insufficiency. The extent of ovarian damage depends on the drugs used, cumulative doses, treatment duration and patient age. While high-dose chemotherapy often causes irreversible ovarian failure, lower doses may result in a diminished ovarian reserve or even preserved function. Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is therefore offered as a fertility preservation option to patients at high risk of infertility. This thesis first evaluated fertility in a murine model of chemotherapy-induced diminished ovarian reserve. It went on to demonstrate the impact of low-dose alkylating agents administered to women before cryopreservation. Finally, it led to investigations into novel gonadoprotective strategies to limit the deleterious effects of chemotherapy on the ovary.(MED - Sciences médicales) -- UCL, 202
La dialyse péritonéale dans des situations sortants de l'ordinaire: Myelome et dialyse péritonéale
No full text
Who takes action in a (post)colonial relationship? Discursive representations of former colonial powers and former colonies in royal speeches and social media discourse
No full textThe history of European colonization cannot be separated from that of colonial discourse, that is, from a discourse which conceptualized the coloniser and the colonised as fundamentally different, in such a way that the former would be naturally superior to the latter (Elaref 2023, Botero Camacho 2011). While this discourse justified the atrocities committed during the colonial period, it nowadays still interacts with current representations of former colonial powers – FCPs – and former colonies – FCs – (e.g. Riverda Pichardo, Jost & Benet-Martínez 2022, Khakee 2022, etc.). This study precisely investigates the discursive construction of these representations for three postcolonial pairs (Belgium/Democratic Republic of Congo, United Kingdom/Kenya and Spain/Puerto Rico) in a corpus of discourses produced on the occasion of recent official visits by the monarchs of these three FCPs to these FCs (i.e. official speeches pronounced by these monarchs and reactions on the social media by people in the three FCs). Methodologically, it is based on the linguistic concept of agentivity, which refers to the relation between the groups described in a discourse (here: FCPs and FCs) and the actions mentioned (which they can initiate or undergo) (De Cock & Michaud Maturana 2014). Through an analysis of three parameters related to agentivity (i.e. semantic roles, syntactic functions and syntactic position), it aims to compare: i) the representations of the FCs and FCPs (i.e. are they represented with a similar degree of agentivity and for what kind of actions or situations?), ii) the representations in the official speeches vs. in the social media discourse, iii) the representations when discussing the colonial past vs. later periods of time, and iv) the representations to be found in the three postcolonial pairs.
According to our findings, the three monarchs construct a discourse where the FCs are represented with a much lower degree of agentivity compared to the FCPs, despite some efforts by the Belgian and the British kings to display the DRC and Kenya as agentive countries. By contrast, the FCPS’ agentivity is silenced when the monarchs refer to negative actions committed during the colonial periods. In the social media discourse, by contrast, the FCPs and the FCs are represented with a more equal degree of agentivity, although this agentivity concerns to a large extent specific groups within the countries whose actions are denounced (political leaders in the case of the DRC and Kenya, demonstrators against the Spanish king’s venue in the case of Puerto Rico). The colonial history is displayed in an ambiguous way, with some commentators acknowledging negative actions occurred during the colonial times and others transmitting a discourse with traces of colonialism. These results suggest both a general willingness to address issues related to the (post)colonial history and a difficulty in clearly attributing responsability for the actions associated with it
Current practices and challenges in assisted reproductive technology care pathways in France and Belgium: the AMPLITUDE survey
No full textINTRODUCTION: This study aimed to evaluate current practices in assisted reproductive technology (ART) patient care, identifying potential areas for improvement. Collective data will further provide key insights in gaps and potential new tools to enhance ART care practices for patients and healthcare professionals. METHODS: An online questionnaire comprising 22 multiple choice questions was distributed to ART specialists in France and Belgium between September and November 2023. Responses were analyzed overall and by country. Descriptive analysis used 5-point Likert scales (converted to numerical scores) for comparative insights. Qualitative data were reported as frequencies (%), and quantitative data as means and standard deviations. RESULTS: A total of 166 IVF specialists participated in the survey out of 487 contacted, 130 from France (78.3%) and 36 from Belgium (21.7%). Most respondents (92.8%) scheduled the first consultation within three months, with all Belgian specialists meeting this timespan compared to 90.8% in France. Notably, 30.8% of French specialists and 29.5% of Belgian specialists scheduled appointments within one month. During initial consultations, 73.3% provided patients with informational materials, and 61.5% informed them about psychological support options. To assess lifestyle factors, clinicians primarily used oral questionnaires (91.9%), with a higher prevalence of written questionnaires in Belgium compared to France (37.1% vs. 15.9%). When patients struggled to understand treatment instructions, 82.6% of clinicians took time to re-explain, and 60.9% referred patients to nursing staff for further assistance. Most respondents (90.7%) provided digital tools for injection training, while 74.7% offered training sessions conducted by paramedical staff. Most reported treatment errors included dosage and handling mistakes and nurse injection errors. Psychological support was offered by 80% of respondents for IVF failures, with variations between countries in follow-up approaches. Overall, clinicians rated patients’ knowledge of different ART aspects as relatively low, with average scores ranging from 2.43/5 to 3.30/5, depending on the items. DISCUSSION: The main areas for improvement highlighted in this study were patient education and support throughout the care pathway. Differences in practices between France and Belgium were also observed, highlighting the importance of context-adapted approaches. Our observations may further facilitate the development of tailored tools aimed at improving ART care practice
Conservative endometrioma surgery: The combined technique versus CO2-laser vaporization only (BLAST: Belgium LAser STudy): Clinical protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial.
No full textBACKGROUND: The surgical management of endometrioma(s) remains challenging. Although laparoscopic surgery is a well-established treatment of endometrioma(s), caution is required to minimize ovarian damage. Several surgical techniques have been described to treat endometrioma(s): classical cystectomy, ablative techniques, or a combination of both. As cystectomy is strongly associated with a reduction in ovarian reserve, this randomized controlled trial (RCT) aims to determine to what extent the two other surgical procedures may affect ovarian reserve by comparing changes in serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels concentrations after each type of surgery. METHODS: This is a multicenter, non-blinded, RCT with parallel groups (group 1 (combined technique) versus group 2 (CO2 laser vaporization only)) and allocation 1:1. Four Belgian centers will be involved. Main inclusion criteria are symptomatic patients (pain and/or infertility), 18-40 years (both inclusive) with an endometriotic cyst (mean diameter of ≥ 2.5 cm and ≤ 8 cm) and AMH level ≥ 0.7 ng/mL. Suspicion of malignancy, a contralateral endometrioma of > 2 cm, use of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogues around timing of surgery or previous oophorectomy are exclusion criteria. The primary aim is the evaluation of the difference in serum AMH levels between baseline and 3 months postoperatively (or delta AMH). The secondary outcomes include differences in AMH levels at 6 and 12 months postoperatively, cyst recurrence rate, evolution of pain pattern and fertility outcomes. DISCUSSION: The present study will help us to answer the question on which surgical technique for endometrioma(s) has the most favorable outcome in patients wishing to preserve their reproductive potential. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04151433. Registered on November 5th, 2019
Organo-mineral interactions in permafrost environments affected by physical degradation
No full textThe permafrost carbon-climate-feedback is still poorly quantified at present. The uncertainties are partly attributable to the unknown contribution of the thawing of ice-rich permafrost, which manifests by thermokarst terrains. Another source of uncertainty relates to the proportion of organic carbon (OC) that is linked to mineral surfaces or mineral elements, as mineral-interacting OC. These stabilization mechanisms are presumed to render the corresponding OC fraction less accessible to decomposition, leading to fewer emissions as GHGs. This work investigates the abundance, nature and control of mineral-OC interactions in cross-arctic permafrost soils and sediments affected by thermokarst disturbances. Chemical stabilization mechanisms have been shown to stabilize on average 31 ± 12% of total OC, and this pool of mineral-interacting OC is preserved in materials exported by thermo-erosion processes. We also show that historical permafrost thaw dynamics have a decisive influence on the concentration and proportion of mineral-interacting OC in permafrost environments