Clinical trials

Clinical study on the prevention of intrauterine adhesions after laparoscopic or laparotomic myomectomy. Myomas are common in women of reproductive age and myomectomy can lead to intra-uterine adhesions, which can be detrimental to fertility. This study investigates whether the use of an intrauterine gel can prevent the development of these adhesions.

Rationale: The 2019 Belgian Health Survey shows that the combined oral contraceptive pill is the most commonly used form of contraception. However, the Pearl index of Long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods is significantly better (perfect and typical use \<0.5) compared to the combined oral contraceptive pill (perfect use \<1.0, typical use 2-9). An IUS is an example of a LARC method. IUS insertion might be painful. Because of this, women may be reluctant to opt for an IUS. The traditional technique for an IUS insertion uses a speculum after which a Pozzi tenaculum is placed on the cervix so that the uterus is brought into the stretching position by means of traction. The cavum is then measured by a uterine sound. These actions and the use of these instruments can contribute to the pain experience during insertion. The new technique, transabdominal sonographic (TAS) insertion, could reduce the pain experience during insertion. This new technique uses transabdominal sonography during IUS placement. The placement under constant visualization eliminates the need for Pozzi tenaculum and uterine soundings. Little high quality studies have been conducted on the advantages and disadvantages of the TAS technique as demonstrated by a non-published systematic review of the literature. Research question/goal: Is the insertion of an IUS (Kyleena/Mirena) using the TAS technique less painful than the traditional technique? Study design: A randomized trial (RCT) in which the subject is blinded to the insertion technique. Study population: Women wishing an IUS (Kyleena \& Mirena) Primary and secondary outcomes: The primary outcomes are the pain during insertion (Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) score 0-10) and dislocation: non-fundal position (\> 3mm fundal distance postinsertion) in the uterine cavity (Y/N). Secondary outcomes include the average and worst pain in the first week after insertion (NRS 0-10), expulsion of the IUS, perforation of the uterine wall, failure of insertion, the occurrence of vagal symptoms, use of pain relief the first 7 days after placement, subject satisfaction about the procedure, successful IUS placement.

Rationale: Elective immediate dilation and curettage (D\&C) for miscarriage is associated with the occurrence of intrauterine adhesions (IUA). IUAs may be associated with subsequent subfertility and premature birth. Recent studies have shown that in women with miscarriage, medical treatment (misoprostol/mifepristone) is an effective alternative for curettage. A problem with medication and expectant management is that after initial treatment, sonographic findings during follow-up frequently show incomplete evacuation of uterine retained products of conception (RPOC), which often lead to additional interventions or expectant time-consuming management limiting the benefits of medical treatment. Objective: To assess, in women with a wish for immediate future pregnancy and RPOC after non-surgical management of a miscarriage, as diagnosed with sonography, the effects of operative hysteroscopy versus expectant management. Study design: Multicenter randomized clinical trial. Study population: Patients after non-surgical management of a miscarriage with sonographic evidence of RPOC at the follow-up visit 6 weeks after initial treatment and wish for immediate (within 6 months) future pregnancy. Intervention: operative hysteroscopy versus expectant management. Main study parameters/endpoints: The primary outcome is time to next pregnancy, as substantiated by a positive urinary or serum hCG test. Secondary outcomes are Quality of Life (QOL) scores assessed with the SF-36, HADS and EQ-5D-5L, the need for additional and/or unscheduled treatments and/or visits and complications. Furthermore, data on the course of pregnancy - including miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and live birth - are documented in those women who have an ongoing pregnancy after randomization during the study follow up period. In addition, iMTA PCQ questionnaires and health-costs are measured in all patients to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis. A total of 244 (122 per arm) women will be sufficient to answer the questions on the primary endpoint. Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Women participating in the study will be asked to fill out questionnaires at baseline, 8 weeks and 6 months after randomization. We don not expect specific risks as a result of either the intervention or expectant management.

The purpose of this study is to get a better understanding of the clinical implications (including reproductive problems and obstetric complications), appropriate diagnostic tools and correct surgical treatment of Mullerian anomalies.

Colorectal cancer can be effectively prevented by removal of pre-malignant polyps during colonoscopy. Large (\>=20mm) non-pedunculated colorectal polyps (LNPCPs) require careful assessment before treatment. If submucosal invasive cancer (SMI) is present, it determines whether endoscopic treatment can be curative or whether surgery is needed. Current classification systems to detect SMI are complex, require extensive training, and are underused in non-tertiary hospitals. A simple web-based clinical decision support tool was created using well-established parameters (presence of a demarcated area, polyp size, Paris classification, location, and granularity) to identify SMI within LNPCPs. Crucially, the tool uses only standard endoscopic imaging available in most endoscopy units. This prospective multi-centre study evaluates the accuracy of the tool during live endoscopic assessment. Endoscopists of varying experience will assess 10 large colorectal polyps using the tool, then undergo a randomized educational intervention (either a 10-minute instructional video or a 45-minute interactive training session). They will then assess a further 10 polyps using the tool. A third set of 10 assessments at 3 months evaluates durability of learning. Accuracy is compared to expert opinion.

Background and rationale: Surface electromyography (EMG) is a non-invasive method to measure muscle activity, among others in people after a stroke during gait analysis. Measurement quality is strongly influenced by electrode placement. However, the commonly used SENIAM guidelines do not take individual variations in muscle morphology into account, which can lead to inaccurate measurements. In previous research demonstrated that the standard placement on the triceps surae (medial and lateral gastrocnemius and soleus) was suboptimal at the group level and sometimes even problematic at the individual level. Therefore, new placement guidelines (EPICA guidelines, Electrode Placement for Individual Calf Anatomy) were developed, which are currently being tested in healthy individuals. Method: In this project aims to validate these newly developed guidelines in people after a stroke who exhibit atrophy of their calf muscles. For each participant, electrode positions on the hemiplegic side will be determined according to our guidelines while the participant is lying prone. Circular stickers will be used instead of actual EMG electrodes and will be placed according to the EPICA guidelines as well as according to the SENIAM guidelines. Subsequently, the muscle borders of the triceps surae will be identified on the participant's leg using 2D ultrasound. Afterwards, the distance between the electrodes and the surrounding muscle borders will be measured to map electrode placement on the muscle in order to validate the guidelines. In the second part of this study, 3D ultrasound recordings will be made of the soleus, medial gastrocnemius, and lateral gastrocnemius with the electrodes (stickers) on these muscles, so that during image processing, electrode positions can be visualized relative to the entire muscle, including along the depth axis. In addition, participants who can safely walk without an ankle-foot orthosis will be asked to walk a maximum of five times ten meters. Additionally, an ultrasound probe will be attached to the leg to investigate how the electrode position relates to the muscle-tendon junction during movement. Subsequently, actual electrodes will also be placed to record muscle activity during walking and heel raises. Furthermore, all participants will be asked to do a heel raise to activate the calf muscles. As such, the quality of the EMG signals will be evaluated. Other measurements will included: Fugl-Meyer Assessment of the lower limb, measure passive ankle range of motion with a goniometer, and measure lower leg length with a tape measure. These will be used as descriptive parameters of our study population. Patients will be asked on a voluntary basis to participate in a second, short measurement approximately two weeks after the first session. During this measurement, electrode placement will again be performed according to the EPICA guidelines. 3D ultrasound will again be used to calculate the distances between the electrodes and the muscle borders. This second measurement is necessary to investigate the test-retest reliability of the EPICA guidelines in people after a stroke.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a significant global health concern, with colonoscopy being the primary screening tool for its detection and treatment. Endoscopic techniques such as snare tip soft coagulation (STSC) play a crucial role in reducing adenoma recurrence post-resection. However, assessing endoscopists' proficiency in tip control during these procedures remains challenging. This study aims to develop and validate a web-based scoring system to objectively evaluate endoscopist tip control during STSC application. Research Questions: * Can STSC application on an ex vivo model effectively measure endoscopic tip control across different levels of endoscopists' experience? * Is there a correlation between tip control and endoscopists' polypectomy experience? * Does tip control vary based on endoscopists' specialization? * Can training on the STSC model improve endoscopists' tip control? * Is it feasible to train an AI model using videos scored by expert raters to assess tip control? * Can tip control be used as an objective measure to predict endoscopists' future performance? Research Hypothesis: The investigators hypothesize that developing a model for easy tip control assessment will enable endoscopists to evaluate their proficiency and track progress. Training on the STSC model will enhance tip control, and cut-offs for tip control derived from preliminary data will be refined through this study.

Pharmacokinetic evaluations will be conducted to characterize the cefazolin plasma concentration-time profile, cefazolin penetration into subcutaneous adipose tissue, and paracetamol metabolization as assessed through blood sampling. The study population consists of children aged 2 to 15 years with either normal weight or overweight. All participants are admitted for a minor elective surgical procedure and will receive paracetamol and/or cefazolin as part of standard perioperative care. During the procedure, multiple blood and tissue-fluid samples will be collected to quantify paracetamol and cefazolin concentrations in the bloodstream, as well as cefazolin concentrations in subcutaneous adipose tissue. The study aims to characterize drug concentration-time profiles in blood (paracetamol), plasma (cefazolin), and adipose tissue (cefazolin), and to compare these pharmacokinetic parameters between normal-weight and overweight children. These data are essential to determine whether standard dosing regimens provide adequate drug exposure across different weight categories. Previous research indicates that achieving specific target concentrations in blood and tissue is necessary for optimal therapeutic effect, yet uncertainty remains regarding appropriate dosing in overweight children.

Endovascular procedures for treating brain aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are becoming increasingly popular due to their less invasive nature and lower risk of complications. However, they still face challenges such as difficult catheter navigation and incomplete embolization. This study aims to improve the efficiency and safety of endovascular procedures by developing new preoperative planning methodologies. These methodologies involve mapping the cerebral vasculature and creating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and artificial intelligence (AI) models to simulate blood flow. By using these models, interventional radiologists can better plan catheter navigation and predict embolization outcomes. This could lead to faster, more accurate procedures with reduced radiation exposure for patients.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignancy worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer related death. It can be prevented by endoscopic detection and complete resection of colorectal polyps. The JNET (Japanese NBI Expert Team) classification is clinically useful to predict the histology of large non-pedunculated colorectal polyps (LNPCPs) using narrow-band imaging at endoscopy. Japanese experts can reliably predict histology including the presence and depth of submucosal invasive cancer (SMI) using JNET with accuracy \>87%. On the other hand, the International Evaluation of Endoscopy classification-JNET (IEE-JNET) group demonstrated that ESGE and JGES endoscopists had sufficient accuracy for JNET 1 (93.0%) but insufficient accuracy for JNET 2A/B and 3 (respectively 62.1%, 55.1% and 85.1%). Reliably distinguishing between JNET 2A, 2B and 3 has a profound clinical relevance, since JNET 2A lesions can safely be resected using pEMR whereas JNET 2B lesions should be resected en-bloc (EMR or ESD) due to the increased risk of cancer and JNET 3 lesions are preferably treated with surgery due to the high risk of deeply invasive carcinoma and the necessity of lymph node resection. This study aims to validate a new simplified score, the Colorectal Regular-Irregular Score (CRIS) to fulfill the urgent need for a more effective and easier to use tool to predict LNPCPs histology. CRIS is a simplification of the JNET score which is mainly used by Japanese endoscopists or experts, recent evidence suggests its accuracy when used in everyday endoscopy in the Western world is insufficient. The investigators aim to compare JNET with CRIS for LNPCPs histology prediction amongst Western endoscopists using both original JNET interpretation and a clinically relevant approach. The study consists of three work packages (WPs): Work package one involves an expert online study where twelve expert endoscopists will evaluate 32 high-quality images of colorectal polyps using both JNET and CRIS classifications. Work package two involves an image/video-based online study where non-expert participants will be randomly assigned to rate images and videos using either JNET or CRIS, with performance re-evaluated after three months. Work package three involves a clinical study in a live endoscopy environment where non-expert endoscopists will participate in a randomized controlled trial assessing 10 colorectal polyps using either JNET or CRIS.

The goal of this observational study is to learn if radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a minimally invasive thermoablation technique, can safely reduce symptoms and improve quality of life in adults with symptomatic benign thyroid nodules or autonomously functioning thyroid nodules. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does RFA improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) as measured by the ThyPRO-39 questionnaire? * Does RFA effectively reduce nodule volume and related symptoms (compressive or cosmetic)? Participants will: * Undergo a radiofrequency ablation procedure of the thyroid nodule performed under ultrasound guidance in an outpatient setting. * Complete quality of life questionnaires (ThyPRO-39) before treatment and at follow-up visits. Attend follow-up visits at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months with: * Ultrasound assessments of the thyroid nodule * Symptom and cosmetic scoring * Blood tests to monitor thyroid function * Safety checks for possible complications

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. In the care of people with cancer, it is essential to pay sufficient attention to individual care needs and quality of life. One component of non-cancer-directed care, care aimed at addressing symptoms independent of the cancer or tumor, may be palliative care. Palliative care can be initiated at any point along the disease trajectory and can therefore be provided simultaneously with tumor-directed care. When initiated in a timely manner, palliative care can significantly improve the quality of life of both the person living with a life-threatening condition and their family. Pain management and attention to physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs are central to this approach. Research shows that people with cancer develop palliative care needs well before the terminal phase. Communication about care needs, and palliative care in particular, is therefore essential for the timely initiation of palliative care. However, to date, palliative care is often initiated too late or not at all, frequently resulting in suboptimal care during the final months of life. Communication about palliative care is postponed or avoided by both healthcare professionals and people with cancer. Efforts are being made at various levels to make palliative care more discussable and to initiate it in a timely manner. At present, however, these efforts primarily focus on the role of healthcare services and professionals. By focusing solely on healthcare providers, palliative care has not yet been fully integrated as a standard component of oncological practice. The literature indicates that, in addition to barriers, there are also opportunities at the level of the person with cancer when it comes to initiating a conversation about palliative care with their physician, provided that adequate support is available. The health promotion approach, which focuses on the role of various personal and environmental factors in stimulating healthy behavior, is well suited to addressing this need for change in patient-initiated communication about palliative care. Health promotion makes use of theoretical behavioral models, for which evidence demonstrates that their application leads to more effective behavioral interventions and successful behavior change. These models have also been shown to be promising in promoting behaviors related to palliative care and in enhancing patient empowerment.

Literature and a pilot study performed in 2019 indicate room for enhancing openness to discuss ethical sensitive issues within and between teams, and improving goal-oriented care and decision-making for the benefit of the patient at end-of-life, worldwide and more specifically in Belgium and in the Ghent University Hospital. The CODE study intervention performed in 2021 suggests already an improvement in goal oriented care operationalized via written Do-Not-Intubate and Do-Not-Attempt Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (DNI-DNACPR orders in the Ghent University Hospital. In this study, the investigators found a nearly doubling of the incidence in written DNI-DNACPR in patient potentially receiving excessive treatment (PET) (from 19.7% to 29.7%, p\<0.001) and in patients hospitalized for the first time (from 1.9% to 3.4%, p=0.011) without increasing one-year mortality, after coaching doctors during 4 months in self-reflective and empowering leadership, and coping with group dynamics. However, the investigators found no improvement in the perception of the quality of the ethical climate by clinicians, more specifically by nurses. Despite the fact that ethical decision-making is considered a strategic priority in the Ghent University Hospital and an intense communication campaign, clinicians identified also a much smaller number of PET during this interventional study than during the observational pilot study in 2019. Although fading attention for the study over time and visibility of the electronic CODE alert to identify PET was claimed as the main reasons by 75% and 50.7% of the nurses, respectively, 95% expressed the desire to keep on using this alert in the future. This underscores a deeper concern in nurses. More than 40% expressed fear of blaming doctors or skepticism regarding the impact of identifying PET. Nonetheless, 35% acknowledged improvement in interdisciplinary meetings about end-of-life issues since study initiation. These findings highlights the need to additionally coach the entire team in future studies. Indeed, creating a safe climate which enhances inter-professional shared decision-making for the benefit of the patient requires both, specific self-reflective and empowering leadership skills in doctors and head nurses (including the management of group dynamics in the interdisciplinary team), and confidence in speaking up in nurses and other health care professionals. This is what the investigators want to develop with this intervention. These skills will also help clinicians during patient and family meetings which will enable clinicians to better take into account the patient's and family's wishes.

The goal of this study is to understand why some people become stuck in repetitive negative thinking, which is common among individuals with depression and anxiety. Repetitive negative thinking involves repeatedly focusing on negative events, worries, or problems. These thoughts can be difficult to control and may worsen emotional distress and daily functioning. Researchers believe that repetitive negative thinking may be related to changes in how different brain networks communicate with each other. This study will examine how the brain responds during emotion regulation tasks in people who tend to ruminate compared with healthy individuals. To do this, researchers will use a brain-imaging technique called functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). This method measures brain activity using harmless infrared light while participants perform tasks on a computer. The main questions this study aims to answer are: How does the brain respond to emotional situations in people who experience repetitive negative thinking? Are there differences in brain activity between people with depression or anxiety and healthy individuals during emotion regulation? Participants will include 50 healthy volunteers and 50 individuals with depression or anxiety who experience repetitive negative thinking. Participants will: Wear a lightweight brain-imaging device (fNIRS) placed on the head to measure brain activity Complete computer tasks involving emotional images and different emotion-regulation strategies, such as reinterpreting, suppressing, or distracting from emotions Listen to different types of spoken feedback (criticism, praise, or neutral comments) and imagine receiving them from someone they know Report their emotional feelings during the tasks Complete several questionnaires about mood, thinking patterns, and emotional experiences During the experiment, researchers will also record physiological responses such as heart activity and skin reactions, which are related to emotional responses. The results of this study may help researchers better understand the brain mechanisms underlying rumination and may contribute to the development of more effective treatments for depression and anxiety.

This cross-sectional study seeks to characterize the overall polyphenol metabotype in patients with T2DM in comparison to age-matched individuals without diabetes. Additionally, the study aims to identify factors that influence the polyphenol metabotype (transit time and gut microbial capacity to degrade polyphenols in particular).

Background: Due to fear of injury and risk of fractures, many people with osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) avoid vigorous exercise that is likely to improve muscle and bone weakness common in this disorder. Low-intensity muscle strength training with blood flow restriction (BFR-LI) via an inflatable cuff leads to similar improvements in muscle size and strength to conventional high-intensity strength training but has not been applied in OI.Objectives: To evaluate the effect of BFR-LI on muscle and bone health and quality of life in adults with OI type I.Methods: For this randomized controlled trial, 40 adults (18-65y) with OI type I will be recruited. Exclusion criteria include pregnancy or \<6 months postpartum, deep vein thrombosis, acute fractures, recent surgery, regular vigorous exercise, or contraindications to exercise. Participants will be randomly assigned to perform BFR-LI or standard care. The BFR-LI group will perform home-based exercises 2-3 times/week for 12 weeks at low training intensity (20% of 1-repetition maximum) which will increase every 4 weeks. Muscle and bone parameters will be evaluated using scans (peripheral computed tomography and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry) and muscle strength tests, and quality of life (mental well-being, participation, pain and fatigue) by the PROMIS questionnaire at baseline, immediately, three, and six months after training.

This study aims to investigate whether the combination of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is more effective for treating repetitive negative thinking (RNT) in patients with the symptom of high rumination. High ruminators will be included (Group1, active tDCS-CBT group; Group2, sham tDCS-CBT group). All patients will receive active or sham tDCS.

Biologics are effective agents for the treatment of psoriasis. The newest generation of biologics block interleukin 17 and 23. Physicians always prescribe these drugs in a fixed dose, but this may lead to under- and overdosing in some patients. Underdosing may lead to inadequate response or loss of response over time. Overdosage, on the other hand, can lead to higher risk of side effects and higher costs for the healthcare system. In daily clinical practice, physicians often tackle this real-world issue by blind trial- and- error dose modifications or switching to another biologic. In this study, we want to rationalize these dose modifications and optimize dosing based on the drug concentrations, measured in the blood of the patient (i.e. therapeutic drug monitoring). Depending on the drug concentration, the interval between injections will be lengthened or shortened with the aim to reach the required drug concentration to reach the best clinical result. The trial will be conducted in 14 Belgian hospitals where patients will be divided into 2 study groups: a group that will be advised on the dosing scheme of their biologic based on the measured drug concentration and a group that continues dosing as in daily clinical practice. We will monitor if the clinical response and quality of life remains stable. With this study, we will track drug concentrations as we believe that they can guide dosing of biologics and we hope to achieve better safety, lower healthcare expenses and higher patients' treatment satisfaction while striving for the best clinical response.

Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Despite constantly improving resuscitation techniques, the chances of survival remain limited. During cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), a closure of the airway may occur, impeding ventilation. This phenomenon also complicates the interpretation of the end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) in the capnogram. The extent to which airway closure occurs is quantified by the Airway Opening Index (AOI). This can be calculated from the capnogram and is seen as a measure of the quality of CPR applied as well as a possible indicator to predict the outcome of CPR. In this study, we analyse capnogram data from approximately 150 cases, collected during interventions for OHCA and logged in the Lazarus database (UZ Gent and AZORG) to answer three research questions below: 1. What is the prevalence of AOI during CPR? 2. Is there a correlation between AOI and return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC)? 3. Does the application of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) affect the AOI and ROSC? A mathematical model for calculating AOI, based on a method from previous work by Bandhari et al. \[1\] will be developed. Using this model, the AOI will be calculated from the individual capnograms for all cases in the Lazarus database. In addition, a multivariable regression model will be used to analyse whether AOI can be used to predict ROSC. Corrections will be made for relevant confounders such as age, gender, witnessed arrest and rhythm pattern. Finally, it is investigated whether PEEP has a positive influence on AOI. This study aims to contribute to better insights into airway dynamics during CPR and the optimization of ventilation in OHCA.

The goal of the BEET IT study is to examine if preoperative intake of beetroot juice can ameliorate gastrointestinal (GI) recovery after colorectal surgery and thereby help to reduce the duration of postoperative ileus (POI) and prevent prolonged POI. Adult patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery are randomized 1:1 to consume either concentrated beetroot juice (active intervention) or nitrate-depleted concentrated beetroot juice (placebo) during the week before their surgery. Blood, tissue and/or fecal samples are collected at specific time points pre- and/or postoperatively to study markers related to inflammation, oxidative stress and GI function. Patients are followed from the week before surgery (start of the intervention) until 3 months post-surgery. The study takes place at 5 hospitals in Flanders, Belgium.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether using Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) improves outcomes for adults who experience out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, a condition where the heart suddenly stops beating. PEEP is used during ventilation, which may enhance oxygen levels by keeping the airways open throughout CPR. This study aims to determine if using PEEP during CPR helps restart the heart more effectively, improves survival rates, and enhances survival with good neurologic outcomes after a cardiac arrest compared to standard CPR without PEEP. Researchers will randomly assign participants to one of two groups: one receiving CPR with PEEP set at 5 cm of water pressure and the other receiving standard CPR without PEEP. Participants will be treated by emergency medical teams trained in advanced life support, and specialised sensors will measure airflow and airway pressure during resuscitation. Additionally, the study will evaluate potential side effects associated with PEEP, such as increased pressure within the chest or lung injuries. Findings from this trial will guide recommendations on the usage of PEEP in standard CPR practices to potentially improve patient outcomes.

In current treatments for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), the creation of multiple embryos is a common practice. The decision to transfer an embryo is traditionally based on the morphological assessment by an embryologist, which, due to its nature, must be considered subjective. In certain regions, invasive embryo biopsy techniques, such as Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A), are used to detect chromosomal abnormalities and support decision-making regarding embryo transfer. However, there is a medical need to improve the outcomes of IVF/ICSI cycles through non-invasive and objective methods. As an academic center, our goal is to investigate promising innovative methods that, if successful, can be integrated into standard care. The aim of the Aurora blastocyst study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Aurora test in selecting five-day-old embryos for fresh or frozen embryo transfer. Additionally, the study assesses whether the use of the Aurora test results in an increase in clinical pregnancy rates and live birth rates. The Aurora test is a non-invasive test for evaluating oocyte competence and subsequently the embryo obtained in an ICSI cycle (In Vitro Fertilization). This test is performed on cumulus cells (CC) surrounding the oocyte and uses mRNA expression profiles to evaluate the developmental potential of the oocytes. The test has been developed and validated for patients stimulated with human menopausal gonadotropins (HP-hMG), an ovulatory dose of hCG, and a single embryo transfer on day 3. The test will be performed by Fertiga nv, upon receiving patients cumulus cells. At our center, based on earlier research, the standard care involves a single embryo transfer on day 5. In this study, embryo selection based on morphology is compared with embryo selection based on morphology and the Aurora test. Finally, this study aims to evaluate the impact of the Aurora test score on the embryologist's selection decision for transferring a five-day-old embryo for single embryo transfer, by assessing parameters such as pregnancy rates and live birth rates.

Pharmacokinetics of antibiotics in critically ill neonates, infants and children on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Pharmacokinetics of antibiotics in critically ill neonates, infants and children

Transarterial radioembolization (TARE) is a key treatment option for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a primary form of liver cancer. TARE is a minimally invasive therapy in which radioactive microspheres are delivered through a microcatheter near the tumour into the liver's blood vessels. Although TARE can significantly improve survival, treatment outcomes remain variable and difficult to predict, mainly because of complex liver vasculature and unpredictable distribution of radioactive microspheres due to uncertain parameters such as catheter tip location, catheter orientation, and injection velocity. The long-term goal would be to make these treatments more predictable and effective by developing a patient-specific pre-treatment planning platform. Blood flow and microsphere transport will be modelled in a digital model of the patient-specific hepatic arterial tree (based on clinical imaging) using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), in combination with Monte Carlo-based radiation dosimetry. Using CFD simulations, we will investigate how variations in treatment parameters influence the microsphere distribution, aiming to better understand their role in treatment variability. This will allow us to predict the dose distribution of a certain treatment and determine potentially a more optimal set of treatment parameters. This research contributes to the broader field of cancer research by laying the foundations for a digital tool for personalized pre-treatment planning. The insights gained could support interventional radiologists in optimizing treatment planning, improving tumor targeting, and minimizing radiation exposure to healthy liver tissue in future TARE procedures.