Evidence-based medicine. Apport des etudes epidemiologiques.

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2000), 55(4), 211-5

Epidemiological studies, more specifically those related to analytical epidemiology are a major determinant of evidence-based medicine. When classifying the value of the different epidemiological studies ... [more ▼]

Epidemiological studies, more specifically those related to analytical epidemiology are a major determinant of evidence-based medicine. When classifying the value of the different epidemiological studies, based on their level of causality, cohort studies are ranked higher than case-control studies, mainly due to the fact that they allow direct collection of information on exposition to risk factors and health consequences. However, case-control studies can also provide an important information, if a specific effort is dedicated to the analyses of the circumstances of the exposition. Meta-analysis increases, by pooling them, the statistical power of individual studies of limited size. Meta-analysis can also be considered as an important source of evidence in the perspective of evidence-based medicine. [less ▲]

Evidence-Based Model Calibration for Efficient Building Energy Services

Doctoral thesis (2012)

Energy services play a growing role in the control of energy consumption and the improvement of energy efficiency in non-residential buildings. Most of the energy use analyses involved in the energy ... [more ▼]

Energy services play a growing role in the control of energy consumption and the improvement of energy efficiency in non-residential buildings. Most of the energy use analyses involved in the energy efficiency service process require on-field measurements and energy use analysis. Today, while detailed on-field measurements and energy counting stay generally expensive and time-consuming, energy simulations are increasingly cheaper due to the continuous improvement of computer speed. This work consists in the development of a simulation-based approach dedicated to whole-building energy use analysis for use in the frame of an energy efficiency service process. Focus is given to the development of a new simplified dynamic hourly building energy simulation tool adapted to energy use analysis of existing buildings, its calibration by means of available energy use data and to the integration of the calibration process into the Energy Service Process. The proposed evidence-based calibration methodology is deeply related to on-field inspection and data collection issues and is developed to fit with the audit/inspection process. After calibration, the model can be used to support the other steps of the Energy Services Process, such as ECOs selection and evaluation and continuous performance verification. The new systematic calibration methodology gives priority to the physical identification of the model’s parameters (i.e. to the direct measurement) and relies on the notion of hierarchy among the source of information (as a function of their reliability) used to identify the value of the parameters. The improved Morris’ sensitivity analysis method is used for “factor fixing” (i.e. distinction between non-influential model’s parameters) and “parameters screening” (i.e. classification of influential parameters by order of importance) in order to orient the data collection work and guide the parameters adjustment process. At the end of the calibration process, the Latin Hypercube Monte Carlo sampling is used to quantify the uncertainty on the final outputs of the calibrated model. The developed simulation tool and the associated calibration method are applied to a synthetic case (“Virtual Calibration Test Bed”) and to real case study building located in Brussels, Belgium. Both applications (real and synthetic cases) allow highlighting the complexity and the limits of calibration as it is used today. Calibration remains a highly underdetermined problem and a compromise has to be found between data collection and modeling efforts and model’s requirements in order to proceed to efficient energy use analysis. At the end of these applications, it is believed that partially manual methods remain more efficient and the best quality assurance when proceeding to calibration of a building energy simulation model. The use of an evidence-based method ensures sticking to reality and avoids bad representation and hazardous adjustment of the parameters. Moreover, it is shown that the intensive use of a sensitivity analysis method is of a great help to orient data collection and parameters adjustment processes. Defining confidence/uncertainty ranges for each parameter, in addition to a “best-guess” value, also allowed quantifying the uncertainty on the final outputs of the model and helped the user in evaluating the quality of the calibrated model. [less ▲]

L’Evidence-Based Practice et les logopèdes en Communauté française de Belgique : résultats préliminaires d'une enquête

in Cahiers de l'ASELF (2012), 9(4),

L’Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) est une démarche qui prend de plus en plus d’importance dans le domaine de la logopédie. Qu’en est-il cependant concrètement sur le terrain en Belgique ? Une enquête ... [more ▼]

L’Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) est une démarche qui prend de plus en plus d’importance dans le domaine de la logopédie. Qu’en est-il cependant concrètement sur le terrain en Belgique ? Une enquête exploratoire a été lancée en mars 2012 avec le soutien de l’Association scientifique et éthique des logopèdes francophones (ASELF) et de l’Union Professionnelle des Logopèdes Francophones (UPLF). L’objectif de cette enquête est d’avoir une idée précise de la manière dont les professionnels procèdent lorsqu’ils sont confrontés à un problème clinique et plus précisément, comment ils recherchent de l’information scientifique le cas échéant. Ces données seront la pierre angulaire d’une réflexion indispensable sur la formation des logopèdes, au cours de leur cursus et dans la vie active. Ce présent article présente les premiers résultats de cette étude. [less ▲]

Evidence-based semiquantitative methodology for prioritization of foodborne zoonoses.

in Foodborne Pathogens and Disease (2009), 6(9), 1083-96

OBJECTIVES: To prioritize an extended list of food- and water-borne zoonoses to allow food safety authorities to focus on the most relevant hazards in the food chain. METHODS: An evidence-based ... [more ▼]

OBJECTIVES: To prioritize an extended list of food- and water-borne zoonoses to allow food safety authorities to focus on the most relevant hazards in the food chain. METHODS: An evidence-based semiquantitative methodology was developed. Scores were given by 35 scientific experts in the field of animal and public health, food, and clinical microbiology and epidemiology to 51 zoonotic agents according to five criteria related to public health (severity and occurrence in humans), animal health (severity of disease coupled with economic consequences and occurrence in animals), and food (occurrence in food). The scoring procedure was standardized and evidence-based as experts were provided, for each zoonotic agent, a same set of up-to-date help information data related to the five criteria. Independently, the relative importance of the five criteria was weighted by seven food chain risk managers. The zoonotic agents were ranked based on overall weighted scores and were grouped in four statistically different levels of importance. RESULTS: The following foodborne zoonotic pathogens were classified as "most important": Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli. A second group of "significant importance" included Toxoplasma gondii, the agent of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Clostridium botulinum, Staphylococcus aureus, Cryptosporidium parvum, Mycobacterium bovis, Echinococcus granulosus, Streptococcus spp., Echinococcus multilocularis, Yersinia enterocolitica, Mycobacterium avium, Fasciola hepatica, Giardia intestinalis, and Rotavirus. CONCLUSIONS: This methodology allowed to rank 51 zoonotic agents with objectivity and taking account of a combined input from risk assessors and risk managers. Applications: These results support food safety policy makers to establish the multiannual monitoring program of foodborne zoonoses. They also enable to identify knowledge gaps on specific zoonotic agents and to formulate key research questions. Principally, this method of prioritization is of general interest as it can be applied for any other ranking exercise and in any country. [less ▲]

Evidences géochimiques élémentaires et isotopiques de la transition Boréal-Atlantique dans une tourbière belge

Conference (2006)

Evidencia de determinantes de patogenia en las regiones Long Terminal Repeats (LTRs) del genoma del virus de la leucemia bovina (BLV)

Poster (2011, September 26)

Evidencia de determinantes de patogenia en las regiones Long Terminal Repeats (LTRs) del genoma del virus de la leucemia bovina (BLV) Sabrina M. Rodríguez1*, Karina Trono2, Leandro R. Jones3 1 Molecular ... [more ▼]

Evidencia de determinantes de patogenia en las regiones Long Terminal Repeats (LTRs) del genoma del virus de la leucemia bovina (BLV) Sabrina M. Rodríguez1*, Karina Trono2, Leandro R. Jones3 1 Molecular and Cellular Epigenetics, Interdisciplinary Cluster for Applied Genoproteomics (GIGA), University of Liège (ULg), Belgium. 2 Instituto de Virología, CICVyA, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria INTA-Castelar, CC 25 (1712), Castelar. 3 División de Biología Molecular, Estación de Fotobiología Playa Unión, CC 15, Rawson, Chubut 9103, Argentina. *E-mail: sabrina.rodriguez@ulg.ac.be El resultado de la infección por el virus de la leucemia bovina (BLV) es diverso. La mayoría de los animales infectados resultan portadores asintomáticos (AL) y cerca del 30% desarrolla una condición benigna denominada linfocitosis persistente (LP). La forma tumoral o linfosarcoma (LS) afecta a un 1-5% de los bovinos infectados. Las bases genético-moleculares del desarrollo de las distintas formas clínicas son desconocidas. Las Repeticiones Terminales Largas (Long Terminal Repeats, LTR) del genoma viral constituyen determinantes genéticos de patogenia en el caso de otros retrovirus. Sin embargo, esta posibilidad no ha sido evaluada para el BLV. Los análisis para probar la correlación entre los caracteres clínicos y genotípicos entre especies deben ser corregidos incluyendo la filogenia del grupo. De otra manera, la historia evolutiva compartida puede comprometer la independencia estadística del análisis. Sobre estas bases, el objetivo de este trabajo consistió en estudiar la influencia de las variaciones genéticas de las regiones regulatorias LTR del BLV en el desarrollo de las diferentes formas clínicas de la infección mediante métodos comparativos filogenéticos, cladísticos y probabilísticos. Con este fin, se secuenció la región 5´LTR de 40 provirus obtenidos a partir de bovinos naturalmente infectados con BLV que presentaron las diferentes formas clínicas (AL, PL, LS). Fueron identificadas siete posiciones polimórficas que mostraron una asociación aparente con la presentación clínica. Una reconstrucción de la filogenia del grupo fue realizada a partir de las secuencias de la región env obtenidas para 28 de los 40 provirus estudiados en este trabajo. En conjunto, los análisis comparativos cladísticos y probabilísticos basados en el alineamiento empírico de las secuencias y la filogenia del grupo sugieren que las posiciones 41 y 56 del 5´LTR podrían estar correlacionadas con la presentación clínica. Los análisis probabilísticos indicaron además una asociación con la patogénesis viral para las posiciones 373, 450, 494 y 505, aunque los soportes estadísticos correspondientes fueron menores en comparación con los soportes obtenidos para las posiciones 41 y 56. Estas observaciones indican que las regiones LTR del BLV podrían constituir determinantes de patogenia. [less ▲]

Une évocation pythagoricienne des Enfers chez Tibulle (I, 3, 59-66)

in Etudes Classiques (2003), 71(2), 175-180

Evolutie van de spiereiwitturnover in vivo van vleestieren bij gebruik van anabolica

in Medelingen van de Vereniging van Nederlandstalige Voedingonderzoekers (1983)

Évolution (1979-2008) des services d'hospitalisation en Belgique. Quels liens avec la hiérarchie urbaine ?

in Bulletin de la Société Géographique de Liège (2009), 53

This research compares the spatial pattern of services provided in hospitals just before the introduction of the moratorium stopping the growth of the hospital sector (1979) with the current situation ... [more ▼]

This research compares the spatial pattern of services provided in hospitals just before the introduction of the moratorium stopping the growth of the hospital sector (1979) with the current situation (2008) by their relationship to urban hierarchy. The method used to analyze this relationship is the application of the statistic coefficient ϒ. This work shows that this relationship is significant for the two studied periods. However, the presence of a nearby faculty of medicine appears to interfere significantly on this relationship. The study also highlights a slight tendency to the strengthening of the aforementioned relationship. Besides, it demonstrates the existence of different spatial behaviours depending on the type of service. [less ▲]

Evolution and predictive factors of relapse in ulcerative colitis patients treated with mesalazine after a first course of corticosteroids.

in Journal of Crohn's & colitis (2011), 5(3), 196-202

INTRODUCTION: Mesalazine remains the first line treatment for the induction and the maintenance of remission in mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). Its efficacy as a maintenance treatment after a ... [more ▼]

INTRODUCTION: Mesalazine remains the first line treatment for the induction and the maintenance of remission in mild to moderate ulcerative colitis (UC). Its efficacy as a maintenance treatment after a first flare treated with corticosteroids has not been specifically studied. The aims of our work were to study a cohort of UC patients treated with mesalazine after a course of oral systemic corticosteroids and to identify predictive factors of relapse and of colectomy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We studied retrospectively a cohort of 143 UC patients, who never received immunosuppressive drugs, and treated for the first time with oral corticosteroids for a flare. Among patients responding to corticosteroids, we studied the group treated by mesalazine after the flare. RESULTS: Fifty% (n=52) achieved a complete clinical remission with steroid weaning. In this group, 67% (n=35) received oral mesalazine. Seventy-five % of patients treated by mesalazine relapsed (median 29 months, range: 1-156). Fourteen % required a colectomy (median 11 months, range: 1-24). Kaplan Meier curve showed a relapse rate and a colectomy rate over one year of 26% and 11% respectively. In multivariate analysis, male gender and short duration of disease were predictive factors of the time-to-relapse. No factor was predictive of time-to-colectomy. CONCLUSION: Maintenance efficacy of mesalazine over one year after a first course of corticosteroids for a disease flare is reasonably high. The longer-term relapse rate becomes higher in male patients with a short disease duration. An immunosuppressive treatment could be discussed in case of further relapse despite improved medication-adherence. Medication-adherence should first be assessed and promoted. An immunosuppressive treatment could be discussed in case of further relapse despite improved medication-adherence. [less ▲]