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Influenza viruses exhibit considerable diversity between hosts. Additionally, different quasispecies can be found within the same host. High-throughput sequencing technologies can be used to sequence a patient-derived virus population at sufficient depths to identify low-frequency variants (LFV) present in a quasispecies, but many challenges remain for reliable LFV detection because of experimental errors introduced during sample preparation and sequencing. High genomic copy numbers and extensive sequencing depths are required to differentiate false positive from real LFV, especially at low allelic frequencies (AFs). This study proposes a general approach for identifying LFV in patient-derived samples obtained during routine surveillance. Firstly, validated thresholds were determined for LFV detection, whilst balancing both the cost and feasibility of reliable LFV detection in clinical samples. Using a genetically well-defined population of influenza A viruses, thresholds of at least 104 genomes per microlitre and AF of ≥5 % were established as detection limits. Secondly, a subset of 59 retained influenza A (H3N2) samples from the 2016–2017 Belgian influenza season was composed. Thirdly, as a proof of concept for the added value of LFV for routine influenza monitoring, potential associations between patient data and whole genome sequencing data were investigated. A significant association was found between a high prevalence of LFV and disease severity. This study provides a general methodology for influenza LFV detection, which can also be adopted by other national influenza reference centres and for other viruses such as SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, this study suggests that the current relevance of LFV for routine influenza surveillance programmes might be undervalued.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of 300 mg camostat mesylate three times daily in a fasted state to treat early phase COVID-19 in an ambulatory setting.We conducted a phase II randomized controlled trial in symptomatic (maximum 5 days) and asymptomatic patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection. Patients were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either camostat mesylate or a placebo. Outcomes included change in nasopharyngeal viral load, time to clinical improvement, the presence of neutralizing antibodies, and safety.Of 96 participants randomized between November 2020 and June 2021, analyses were performed on the data of 90 participants who completed treatment (N = 61 camostat mesylate, N = 29 placebo). The estimated mean change in cycle threshold between day 1 and day 5 between the camostat and placebo group was 1.183 (P = 0.511). The unadjusted hazard ratio for clinical improvement in the camostat group was 0.965 (95% confidence interval, 0.480-1.942, P = 0.921 by Cox regression). The percentage distribution of the 50% neutralizing antibody titer at day 28 visit and frequency of adverse events were similar between the two groups.Under this protocol, camostat mesylate was not found to be effective as an antiviral drug against SARS-CoV-2.ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04625114; November 12, 2020.

Accessory cavitated uterine mass (ACUM) is a very rare, underdiagnosed pathology. It is treated with radical surgery, which results in uterine scarring. Here, we describe the first case of ethanol sclerotherapy of an ACUM, modeled on the treatment of recurring endometrioma. Ethanol sclerotherapy avoids uterine scarring and the secondary risk of uterine rupture and enables the rapid achievement of pregnancy.

Nonpuerperal uterine inversion is a very rare event. We reported on the first ever case of nonpuerperal uterine inversion due to adenomyosis. Magnetic resonance imaging is recommended in cases with an unusual vaginal mass, so that this possible uterine etiology can be taken into consideration.

Seasonal influenza epidemics are associated with high mortality and morbidity in the human population. Influenza surveillance is critical for providing information to national influenza programmes and for making vaccine composition predictions. Vaccination prevents viral infections, but rapid influenza evolution results in emerging mutants that differ antigenically from vaccine strains. Current influenza surveillance relies on Sanger sequencing of the haemagglutinin (HA) gene. Its classification according to World Health Organization (WHO) and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) guidelines is based on combining certain genotypic amino acid mutations and phylogenetic analysis. Next-generation sequencing technologies enable a shift to whole-genome sequencing (WGS) for influenza surveillance, but this requires laboratory workflow adaptations and advanced bioinformatics workflows. In this study, 253 influenza A(H3N2) positive clinical specimens from the 2016–2017 Belgian season underwent WGS using the Illumina MiSeq system. HA-based classification according to WHO/ECDC guidelines did not allow classification of all samples. A new approach, considering the whole genome, was investigated based on using powerful phylogenomic tools including beast and Nextstrain, which substantially improved phylogenetic classification. Moreover, Bayesian inference via beast facilitated reassortment detection by both manual inspection and computational methods, detecting intra-subtype reassortants at an estimated rate of 15 %. Real-time analysis (i.e. as an outbreak is ongoing) via Nextstrain allowed positioning of the Belgian isolates into the globally circulating context. Finally, integration of patient data with phylogenetic groups and reassortment status allowed detection of several associations that would have been missed when solely considering HA, such as hospitalized patients being more likely to be infected with A(H3N2) reassortants, and the possibility to link several phylogenetic groups to disease severity indicators could be relevant for epidemiological monitoring. Our study demonstrates that WGS offers multiple advantages for influenza monitoring in (inter)national influenza surveillance, and proposes an improved methodology. This allows leveraging all information contained in influenza genomes, and allows for more accurate genetic characterization and reassortment detection.

Xanthogranulomatous endometritis is a rare benign pathology mimicking endometrial carcinoma.

ObjectivesTo describe prevalence and incidence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies among Belgian hospital healthcare workers (HCW) in April–December 2020.DesignProspective cohort study. Follow-up was originally planned until September and later extended.SettingMulticentre study, 17 hospitals.Participants50 HCW were randomly selected per hospital. HCW employed beyond the end of the study and whose profession involved contact with patients were eligible. 850 HCW entered the study in April–May 2020, 673 HCW (79%) attended the September visit and 308 (36%) the December visit.Outcome measuresA semiquantitative ELISA was used to detect IgG against SARS-CoV-2 in serum (Euroimmun) at 10 time points. In seropositive samples, neutralising antibodies were measured using a virus neutralisation test. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect SARS-CoV-2 on nasopharyngeal swabs. Participant characteristics and the presence of symptoms were collected via an online questionnaire.ResultsAmong all participants, 80% were women, 60% nurses and 21% physicians. Median age was 40 years. The seroprevalence remained relatively stable from April (7.7% (95% CI: 4.8% to 12.1%) to September (8.2% (95% CI: 5.7% to 11.6%)) and increased thereafter, reaching 19.7% (95% CI: 12.0% to 30.6%) in December 2020. 76 of 778 initially seronegative participants seroconverted during the follow-up (incidence: 205/1000 person-years). Among all seropositive individuals, 118/148 (80%) had a positive neutralisation test, 83/147 (56%) presented or reported a positive RT-qPCR, and 130/147 (88%) reported COVID-19-compatible symptoms at least once. However, only 46/73 (63%) of the seroconverters presented COVID-19-compatible symptoms in the month prior to seroconversion.ConclusionsThe seroprevalence among hospital HCW was slightly higher than that of the general Belgian population but followed a similar evolution, suggesting that infection prevention and control measures were effective and should be strictly maintained. After two SARS-CoV-2 waves, 80% of HCW remained seronegative, justifying their prioritisation in the vaccination strategy.Trial registration numberNCT04373889

The cobas® Liat® Influenza A/B and respiratory syncytial virus assay was tested on nasopharyngeal aspirates. The resolution of invalid samples was performed using a preanalytical step. cobas® Liat® can be used on nasopharyngeal aspirates with a preanalytical processing step, with a slightly diminished performances in detecting respiratory syncytial virus but not for influenza., SCOPUS: ar.j, info:eu-repo/semantics/published

The current COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic started in December 2019. COVID-19 cases are confirmed by the detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in biological samples by RT-qPCR. However, limited numbers of SARS-CoV-2 genomes were available when the first RT-qPCR methods were developed in January 2020 for initial in silico specificity evaluation and to verify whether the targeted loci are highly conserved. Now that more whole genome data have become available, we used the bioinformatics tool SCREENED and a total of 4755 publicly available SARS-CoV-2 genomes, downloaded at two different time points, to evaluate the specificity of 12 RT-qPCR tests (consisting of a total of 30 primers and probe sets) used for SARS-CoV-2 detection and the impact of the virus&rsquo, genetic evolution on four of them. The exclusivity of these methods was also assessed using the human reference genome and 2624 closely related other respiratory viral genomes. The specificity of the assays was generally good and stable over time. An exception is the first method developed by the China Center for Disease Control and prevention. NIID: National Institute for Infectious Diseases (CDC), which exhibits three primer mismatches present in 358 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced mainly in Europe from February 2020 onwards. The best results were obtained for the assay of Chan et al. (2020) targeting the gene coding for the spiking protein (S). This demonstrates that our user-friendly strategy can be used for a first in silico specificity evaluation of future RT-qPCR tests, as well as verifying that the former methods are still capable of detecting circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Hepatitis E is an acute human liver disease in healthy individuals but may become chronic in immunocompromised patients. It is caused by the hepatitis E virus (HEV) and can have a zoonotic origin, particularly in high-income countries. In this study, 383 sera from wild boars were selected for serology; for virological analyses, 69 sera and 61 livers from young wild boars were used. A total of 189 and 235 sera of, respectively, red deer and roe deer were collected for serological analysis. For virological analyses, 84 and 68 sera and 29 and 27 livers from, respectively, red and roe deer were sampled. An apparent seroprevalence of 34% (95% CI 29.71-39.46) was found in wild boars, of 1% (95% CI 0-2.4) in red deer and 3% (95% CI 0.8-4.2) in roe deer. To assess the ELISA screening prevalence, Western blot (WB) analyses were carried out, a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed and different scenarios with varying ELISA specificities relative to WB were analysed. Seroprevalence remained high whatever the scenario in the wild boar population. In wild boar, 4 of 69 sera and 4 of 61 livers were detected as positive for HEV RNA. All sequences obtained from sera belonged to genotype HEV-3. HEV RNA, belonging to genotype HEV-3, was detected in one of 29 red deer livers. Wild boar can be considered as a host reservoir of the virus in Belgium. However, in contrast to the epidemiological role played by them in other countries, the low prevalence in deer makes these species an unlikely reservoir. This evidence needs further investigation to determine in which situation deer can serve as reservoir. These results also raise the question of the dynamics of HEV infection between wild fauna, domestic pigs and humans.

Introduction Mental health issues appear as a growing problem in modern societies and tend to be more frequent in big cities. Where increased evidence exists for positive links between nature and mental health, associations between urban environment characteristics and mental health are still not well understood. These associations are highly complex and require an interdisciplinary and integrated research approach to cover the broad range of mitigating factors. This article presents the study protocol of a project called Nature Impact on Mental Health Distribution that aims to generate a comprehensive understanding of associations between mental health and the urban residential environment. Methods and analysis Following a mixed-method approach, this project combines quantitative and qualitative research. In the quantitative part, we analyse among the Brussels urban population associations between the urban residential environment and mental health, taking respondents' socioeconomic status and physical health into account. Mental health is determined by the mental health indicators in the national Health Interview Survey (HIS). The urban residential environment is described by subjective indicators for the participant's dwelling and neighbourhood present in the HIS and objective indicators for buildings, network infrastructure and green environment developed for the purpose of this project. We assess the mediating role of physical activity, social life, noise and air pollution. In the qualitative part, we conduct walking interviews with Brussels residents to record their subjective well-being in association with their neighbourhood. In the validation part, results from these two approaches are triangulated and evaluated through interviews and focus groups with stakeholders of healthcare and urban planning sectors. Ethics and dissemination The Privacy Commission of Belgium and ethical committee from University Hospital of Antwerp respectively approved quantitative database merging and qualitative interviewing. We will share project results with a wide audience including the scientific community, policy authorities and civil society through scientific and non-expert communication. This work was supported by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO), grant number BR/175/A3/NAMED. Lauwers, L (corresponding author), Univ Antwerp, Dept Primary & Interdisciplinary Care, Fac Med & Hlth Sci, Antwerp, Belgium. laura.lauwers@uantwerpen.be

CRISPR/Cas9 efficiently induces targeted mutations via non-homologous-end-joining but for genome editing, precise, homology-directed repair (HDR) of endogenous DNA stretches is a prerequisite. To favor HDR, many approaches interfere with the repair machinery or manipulate Cas9 itself. Using Medaka we show that the modification of 5’ ends of long dsDNA donors strongly enhances HDR, favors efficient single-copy integration by retaining a monomeric donor conformation thus facilitating successful gene replacement or tagging., eLife digest CRISPR/Cas9 technology has revolutionized the ability of researchers to edit the DNA of any organism whose genome has already been sequenced. In the editing process, a section of RNA acts as a guide to match up to the location of the target DNA. The enzyme Cas9 then makes a cut in both strands of the DNA at this specific location. New segments of DNA can be introduced to the cell, incorporated into DNA ‘templates’. The cell uses the template to help it to heal the double-strand break, and in doing so adds the new DNA segment into the organism’s genome. A drawback of CRISPR/Cas9 is that it often introduces multiple copies of the new DNA segment into the genome because the templates can bind to each other before being pasted into place. In addition, some parts of the new DNA segment can be missed off during the editing process. However, most applications of CRISPR/Cas9 – for example, to replace a defective gene with a working version – require exactly one whole copy of the desired DNA to be inserted into the genome. In order to achieve more accurate CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, Gutierrez-Triana, Tavhelidse, Thumberger et al. attached additional molecules to the end of the DNA template to shield the DNA from mistakes during editing. The modified template was used to couple a stem cell gene to a reporter that produces a green fluorescent protein into the genome of fish embryos. The fluorescent proteins made it easy to identify when the coupling was successful. Gutierrez-Triana et al. found that the additional molecules prevented multiple templates from joining together end to end, and ensured the full DNA segment was inserted into the genome. Furthermore, the results of the experiments showed that only one copy of the template was inserted into the DNA of the fish. In the future, the new template will allow DNA to be edited in a more controlled way both in basic research and in therapeutic applications.

Why was Kantian idealism so inadequate in Fichte’s eyes that he needed to re-found the whole of philosophy in his Grundlage, based on a thorough re-examination of the intricacies of idealism leading to its ultimate re-definition? In order to answer this question, I will first examine the original question of the «Science of knowledge » (94/95). I will then analyze the meaning of how Fichte, in the Grundlage, typologizes various realisms and idealisms as being either qualitative, quantitative or abstract. This will allow me to show that Fichtean idealism is not determined by any kind of « philosophy of the subject » but rather by the question of the ideality of statement as raised by the problem of the nature of the enunciation of philosophic speech. As a conclusion, I will show how contemporary realism, which is characteristically critical of « idealism », is profoundly mistaken on two fundamental questions: firstly, because it establishes a link between idealism and subjectivity whereas it has been linked to ideality; secondly, because it defines idealism in the light of the categories of reality and of the existence of the thing whereas it is above all about the question of how one ascertains meaning.

The objective is to refresh the geography of Belgium using interactions between places by means of a community detection algorithm (Louvain Method) inspired by Complex theory and Data Sciences. Places that are tightly related are optimally clustered into communities, leading to a new and optimal partition of Belgium. Migrations and commuting movements (Census11) are here analysed. We obtain a mosaic of “interaction fields” that are here interpreted in terms of methodological choices, human and urban geography as well as Belgian political dilemmas. They give the opportunity to remind that researchers have to control the impact of their methodological choices and that each type of data leads to a different geographical partitioning, with one major unexpected common spatial feature in Belgium: the pre-eminence of the provincial borders. This perfectly fits with current political questioning. L’objectif est d’apporter un regard neuf sur la géographie de la Belgique à l’aide de données relationnelles et d’un algorithme de détection de communautés (Méthode de Louvain) inspiré de l’ingénierie mathématique et des sciences de données. Les lieux qui sont fortement liés en termes d’échanges sont ici classés de façon optimale en « communautés », conduisant à une partition innovante de la Belgique. Nous nous limitons ici aux mouvements de navettes et aux déménagements (migrations) issus du dernier recensement (Census11).Les différentes partitions de la Belgique sont discutées et interprétées d’un point de vue géographique et méthodologique. Ces résultats nous donnent l’occasion de rappeler qu’il importe de maîtriser les choix méthodologiques et que chaque type de données conduit à une partition différente qu’il convient d’interpréter en fonction de la théorie. De manière surprenante, une tendance spatiale inattendue apparaît à travers les résultats obtenus : la prééminence des frontières provinciales. Ce résultat interpelle au vu des questionnements politiques actuels en Belgique.

The period covered by this bibliographical review (1995-2000) is characterized by an important development of the theoretical researches in transport geography. This new trend is illustrated by a great diversity of materials, which can be divided into three sub-groups: network analysis, modelling techniques and spatial analysis of road transport externalities. But a significant part of papers with a strong descriptive component indicates that empirical studies still constitute a concern of the Belgian geographers, especially in connection with new research areas as the developing world and the geography of cruise shipping. La période couverte par la présente revue bibliographique (1995-2000) est caractérisée par un important développement des recherches théoriques dans le domaine de la géographie des transports. Cette nouvelle tendance est illustrée par une grande diversité de contributions qui peuvent être regroupées en trois sous-catégories: l’analyse des réseaux, les techniques de modélisation et l’analyse spatiale des externalités liées au transport routier. Une part substantielle d’articles présente une composante descriptive importante, ce qui montre que les études à caractère empirique constituent toujours une préoccupation des géographes belges, particulièrement dans les nouveaux domaines de recherche que sont les pays en voie de développement et la géographie des croisières.

Le phénomène de déconcentration urbaine constitue une réalité à laquelle de nombreuses métropoles doivent désormais faire face. Perturbant les modèles de localisation des activités à l’échelle métropolitaine, ce processus n’est pas sans bouleverser de nombreux paradigmes, notamment en ce qui a trait aux dynamiques de mobilité. Bien que le lien entre forme urbaine et navettage ait fait l’objet de nombreuses études, les enjeux de cette réorganisation spatiale demeurent mal connus, leurs résultats étant souvent contradictoires. Parallèlement, les préoccupations environnementales grandissantes des métropoles se traduisent par une multiplication des inventaires, plans et politiques visant à réduire leurs émissions de GES. Ainsi, quels impacts la localisation des activités métropolitaines, sous l’influence du phénomène de déconcentration des activités, peut-elle avoir sur le navettage métropolitain et, par conséquent, sur les émissions de GES reliées au transport? À Montréal, le secteur des transports s’avère effectivement crucial en termes de réduction des émissions de GES, ce qui fournit un cadre d’étude particulièrement intéressant pour répondre à cette question., A number of metropolitan areas are confronted with the process of urban diffusion. Under such circumstances, metropolitan-wide urban activity location models are disrupted by this process and pose a challenge to a range of paradigms, particularly those that address the dynamics of mobility. Although a vast literature exists on the relationship between urban form and commuting, the issues that surround spatial reorganization are not clearly defined, and research findings contradict each other. At the same time, metropolitan environmental awareness is growing, leading to greenhouse gas emission inventories, climate change plans and policies to reduce metropolitan emissions. The question on the implications of the diffusion of activities at the metropolitan level on commuting patterns and thus on transportation greenhouse gas emissions can be raised. This paper offers new insights into this question by examining how the transportation sector can play a vital role in Montréal in contributing to the reduction of GHGs.

The purpose of this investigation was to determine the proportion of influenza-like illness (ILI) attributable to specific viruses during the influenza A(H1N1)2009 pandemic and to describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of ILI due to respiratory viruses in Belgium. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from ILI patients by general practitioners (GPs) and paediatricians (PediSurv) and analysed for viruses. Of 139 samples collected from children

« L’espace n’est pas économiquement neutre. Son introduction n’apporte pas des raffinements de détail : elle change tout » (Ponsard, 1988). De fait, si le rôle de l’espace et des territoires dans la structuration des échanges et des interactions économiques constitue l’objet d’étude des géographes et des auteurs de sciences régionales depuis toujours, ce rôle a été assez peu considéré en économie jusqu’à l’article séminal de Krugman (1991). L’une des explications avancées est celle des contraintes de modélisation (Thisse, 1997) : les externalités, les rendements croissants et la concurrence stratégique sont en effet incontournables dès lors qu’on souhaite parler d’espace de façon pertinente.

Resume Comment expliquer l’existence de poches de chomage eleve au sein des villes ? La theorie economique identifie deux explications concurrentes : les effets nefastes sur le marche du travail associes a la segregation residentielle, et l’eloignement de ces zones aux lieux d’emplois. Notre travail statistique portant sur l’agglomeration bruxelloise confirme l’hypothese d’un chomage urbain exacerbe par la segregation residentielle mais ne permet pas de conclure quant au role de la distance aux emplois.

This article evaluates the performance of 3 rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs), in correlation with the influenza subtypes and the viral load. A total of 236 samples were prospectively analyzed with BinaxNOW Influenza A/B, Directigen EZ Flu A and B, and bioNexia Influenza A+B. The results were compared to cell cultures and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Positive samples were further subtyped. Thirty-seven samples were positive for influenza A, and 57, for influenza B. For A(H1N1), the sensitivities were 71.42% for BinaxNOW, 78.57% for Directigen, and 67.85% for bioNexia. Eight samples were positive for A(H3N2), and only the bioNexia test had 1 false-negative result. Lowest sensitivities were observed for influenza B/Yamagata, (56.86% for BinaxNOW and Directigen and 39.21% for bioNexia). The 3 evaluated RIDTs were more efficient at detecting influenza A(H3N2) than for A(H1N1) and B/Yamagata. Highest viral loads in the samples were associated with better rate of detection.

Zoonotic transmission of hepatitis E virus (HEV) is of special concern, particularly in high income countries were waterborne infections are less frequent than in developing countries. High HEV seroprevalences can be found in European pig populations. The aims of this study were to obtain prevalence data on HEV infection in swine in Belgium and to phylogenetically compare Belgian human HEV sequences with those obtained from swine. An ELISA screening prevalence of 73% (95% CI 68.8–77.5) was determined in Belgian pigs and a part of the results were re-evaluated by Western blot (WB). A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed and scenarios varying the ELISA specificity relative to WB were analysed. The seroprevalences estimated by the different scenarios ranged between 69 and 81% and are in agreement with the high exposure of the European pig population to HEV. Pig HEV sequences were genetically compared to those detected in humans in Belgium and a predominance of genotype 3 subtype f was shown in both swine and humans. The high HEV seroprevalence in swine and the close phylogenetic relationships between pig and human HEV sequences further support the risk for zoonotic transmission of HEV between humans and pigs.

This article presents the first results of a survey on the occupations of geographers, conducted by the Belgian National Committee of Geography. Among those who graduated in geography from Belgian universities between 1970 and 1998, 47% now teach in secondary or higher education, 47% are employed elsewhere, 5% do not work and are currently not looking for a job and only 1% are registered as unemployed. Recently, the proportion of people employed outside education has strongly increased. Geographical studies lead hardly ever to unemployment. L’article présente les premiers résultats d’une enquête relative à l’emploi des géographes, menée sous les auspices du Comité National Belge de Géographie. Parmi les diplômés en géographie issus des universités belges entre 1970 et 1998, 47 % sont aujourd’hui occupés dans l’enseignement secondaire ou supérieur, 47 % travaillent dans un autre secteur, 5 % n’ont aucune occupation professionnelle et ne recherchent actuellement pas d’emploi et 1 % seulement sont inscrits comme demandeurs d’emploi. Ces derniers temps, le nombre de diplômés employés hors enseignement a fortement augmenté. Les études de géographie débouchent rarement sur une situation de chômage.

Background. Tissue-engineered products are usually composed of living cells and their supporting matrices that have been grown in vitro, using a combination of engineering and life sciences principles. Apligraf is a bilayered product composed of neonatal-derived dermal fibroblasts and keratinocytes, and Type I bovine collagen. Objective. To evaluate in a prospective, multicentered open study, the effects of tissue therapy with a tissue-engineered skin (Apligraf) with partial or full-thickness excisional wounds. Methods. One hundred and seven patients participated in this study. The tissue-engineered skin was applied once, immediately after excisional surgery, usually for skin cancer, and patients were followed for up to one year. Results. The safety results were impressive, with no clinical or laboratory evidence of rejection. Clinically, graft persistence was good to excellent in 77 of 105 (73.3%) of patients at one week, falling to 56.6% and 53.6% at two weeks and one month respectively. Conclusion. To date, this is the largest experience with a tissue-engineered skin product in acute wounds, and this study suggests that tissue therapy may be safe and useful.

Seborrheic keratoses (SKs) are common benign nonmelanocytic epidermal tumors with characteristic clinical features, which are thought to allow a straightforward diagnosis in most situations. As a result, it is an accepted practice to destroy them without histopathologic confirmation. However, systematic reviews of histologic specimens reveal an erroneous clinical diagnosis or associated malignant tumors in a number of cases, including malignant melanomas. We describe a patient with a clinically typical-appearing SK, which was biopsied and histologically proven to be a malignant melanoma arising in the SK. Our report is a reminder that the reliability of clinical diagnosis of SKs needs to be questioned. In addition, a biopsy of SKs is not only warranted but necessary in order to identify a malignant melanoma that would otherwise be misdiagnosed or even completely missed.

Two recent techniques are here used to delineate the urban agglomeration of Brussels : a fractal methodology for extracting the border between urban and not-urban surfaces, and a network analysis based on modularity applied on two different interaction matrices (telephone fluxes, commuting). In order to define spatial subsets in which relationships between places are more intense. These methods have the advantage of not depending upon a priori defined thresholds : thresholds are fixed by the methods and data themselves (endogenous). These methods have been applied on the entire territory of Belgium (Blondel, Krings and Thomas, 2010 ; Tannier and Thomas, 2012) and are here discussed for Brussels only. Results are further compared to more traditional delineations. Observed differences are mainly observed at the outskirts of the agglomeration but are very important in terms of policy : the urban-rural limit depends upon the criterion (definition, threshold) and method used. The two methods used here have the advantage of not depending upon arbitrary choices. Deux techniques récentes sont utilisées ici pour délimiter l’aire urbaine bruxelloise : d’une part une méthode fractale pour extraire la bordure entre tissus urbain et non-urbain, d’autre part une technique d’analyse de réseaux basée sur la modularité est appliquée à deux matrices d’interactions spatiales différentes (flux téléphoniques et navettes) afin de définir des ensembles dans lesquels les relations entre lieux sont plus intenses. Ces méthodes présentent l’avantage de ne pas dépendre de seuils de valeurs définis a priori. Les seuils de valeurs sont ici fixés par les méthodes et les données elles-mêmes (endogènes). Ces méthodes ont été appliquées à la Belgique entière (Blondel, Krings et Thomas, 2010 ; Tannier et Thomas, 2012) et sont ici discutées pour Bruxelles uniquement. Les résultats sont comparés avec des découpages plus traditionnels. Conformément à l’attente, les différences se marquent ici essentiellement à la marge du milieu d’études, mais sont à considérer en cas de décision politique : la limite urbain-rural dépend du critère (définition et seuils) et de la méthode utilisés ! Les deux méthodes utilisées ici ont l’avantage de se libérer de choix arbitraires.

Nombreuses sont les contradictions imputees a l’œuvre de Danto, telles, pour les plus spectaculaires, « ontologie versus historicisme » ou « essentialisme versus contextualisme », voire « substantialisme versus pluralisme postmoderne ». Pour tenter de sortir de ces paradoxes, qui qualifient trop souvent le cheminement de Danto, nous tentons de revenir a l’exacte nature de son essentialisme qui, ouvrant (1981) et fermant (2013) sa reflexion sur l’art, en constitue l’armature profonde. Nous montrons, chemin faisant, comment la clarification de cet « essentialisme » permet de relativiser, voire de pulveriser, certaines des plus lourdes contradictions qui lui sont reprochees.

The daily commute is still the main source of traffic congestion. Despite transport research emphasis on commuters, the work end of home to work travel receives less attention. However, employers influence the commute behaviour of employees in different ways. The Belgian database Home-to-Work-Traffic (HTWT) contains information on accessibility, work regimes and mobility management initiatives of 7460 worksites of large employers in Belgium. In a spatial multilevel regression model both contextual and worksite factors are incorporated to investigate the share of cycling employees. While controlling for different economic, physical and other factors, the provision of bicycles by the employer seems to be successful, while the effect of bicycle facilities is less clear, partly due to the fact that bicycle facilities are more popular in less cycle-friendly areas. Het dagelijkse pendelverkeer is nog steeds de voornaamste bron van verkeerscongestie. Ondanks de nadruk die transportonderzoek legt op dit pendelverkeer, blijft de werkkant van het woon-werkverkeer onderbelicht. Nochtans beïnvloeden werkgevers het pendelgedrag van hun werknemers op verschillende manieren. De Belgische databank woon-werkverkeer bevat informatie over de bereikbaarheid, de arbeidstijden en mobility management maatregelen van 7460 werklocaties van grote werkgevers gevestigd in België. In een ruimtelijk multilevel regressiemodel zijn zowel omgevings- als werklocatiefactoren opgenomen om het aandeel fietsende werknemers te verklaren. Rekening houdend met economische, fysische en andere factoren, lijkt het actief aanbieden van fietsen door de werkgever een succesvolle maatregel, terwijl het effect van de klassieke fietsvoorzieningen minder duidelijk is, onder meer omdat deze vooral terug te vinden zijn in minder fietsvriendelijke gebieden.

A vaccinia rabies recombinant virus was contructed and shown to induce the synthesis of rabies virus glycoprotein in infected cells and to induce rabies virus neutralizing antibodies and protection in susceptible animals. Active when orally administered, this recombinant is a good candidate for the development of vaccines for wild animal rabies vectors. This recombinant was found stable, safe for target and non-target animal species, and protective for most of the rabies vectors. After extensive experimental studies conducted under controlled conditions, it as used in limited field trials and in an extensive open field trial. The preliminary results confirmed its basic properties and potential for rabies eradication.

Il s’agit, dans cet article, de faire saillir les traits les plus marquants de la pensée économique de Fichte. On montre que l’organisation du marché et des échanges en général participe d’une vision franchement étatique et protectionniste. Mais l’interventionnisme de l’État a pour fondement la théorie juridique de la propriété comme espace de liberté. Si communisme fichtéen il y a, il s’agit d’un communisme de la liberté, conçu comme répartition des sphères d’action. Là est sans doute l’un des traits les plus originaux de Fichte puisque la mise en commun propre à la notion de communisme ne repose pas sur l’idée d’une égalité stricte entre les citoyens, mais bien plutôt sur l’idée de la liberté de chacun d’entre eux. L’étatisme a paradoxalement ici pour fondement une certaine forme d’individualisme. En un mot, toujours plus de liberté égale toujours plus d’État.

Background: Cutaneous metastatic disease is an important finding that may represent the first sign of systemic cancer, or, if already known, that may change tumor staging and thus dramatically altered therapeutic plans. Although cutaneous metastases are relatively frequent in patients with cutaneous melanoma, they are less so from ocular melanoma. Objective: To demonstrate the value of HMB-45, staining in the detection of ocular melanoma metastatic to skin. Methods: The immunohistochemical stain HMB-45 a monoclonal antibody directed against intact human melanoma cells, was employed on a skin biopsy specimen from a cutaneous tumor. Results: HMB-45 staining was positive in the atypical hyperchromatic cells of the deep dermis. Conclusion: HMB-45 may be of value in the detection of ocular melanoma metastatic to skin. Cutaneous metastatic disease is a somewhat common and extremely important diagnosis. Although cutaneous metastases from cutaneous melanoma are relatively frequent, those from ocular melanomas are less so. Use of histochemical staining, especially the HMB-45 stain, allows confirmation of the diagnosis.

In the THÜNEN tradition, Urban Economy is a striking abstraction, giving models that keep the main features of the wide diversity of real word cities. Nevertheless, this paradigm less suits the modern urban spatial structures (polycentrism, weak centripetal forces, etc.), particularly the peri-urban form of metropolitan areas, which are an urban/rural integrated space. In this paper, we propose a classical micro-economic urban model combined with a " SIERPINSKI's carpet " geometry, a fractal form which suits for fit together urban and rural areas in a hierarchical structure. Subject to a budget constraint, a household maximises a Cobb-Douglas/CES function, where household's taste for diversity is modelled with the CES sub-utility functions. Equilibrium is realised on the land market. Household's optimum depends on the accessibility to hierarchically arranged amenities. Distances between cells are calculated following the metric of the SIERPINSKI's carpet. An analytical solution is found and simulations show some effects of the fractal geometry. The land rent gradient depends on the accessibility to urban and rural amenities and it is not monotonous in the distance from the CBD, as in Thünen's models. SIERPINSKI's form produces results very different from Thünen's one when commuting cost is low, amenity taste is high or when substituability between amenities is weak., L'Économie Urbaine à la THÜNEN est une abstraction remarquable : la famille de modèles qui la constitue conserve des traits essentiels de l'infinie complexité des villes réelles. Cependant, elle est moins adaptée aux formes urbaines modernes (polycentrisme, relâchement des forces centripètes, etc.), en particulier au périurbain, en tant qu'il est un espace mixte. Cela nous conduit à proposer un modèle où l'on garde un programme microéconomique classique d'économie urbaine, mais qui fonctionne dans la géométrie d'un tapis de SIERPINSKI, fractale qui permet de styliser un emboîtement hiérarchique de zones rurales et de centres urbains dans une aire métropolitaine. Un ménage maximise, sous contrainte budgétaire, une fonction d'utilité COBB-DOUGLAS - CES, les sous-fonctions CES rendant compte du goût pour la variété d'aménités urbaines et rurales. L'équilibre se réalise sur le marché foncier, à partir de l'optimum microéconomique des ménages. Ce dernier dépend de l'accessibilité aux diverses aménités selon leur rang hiérarchique, donc finalement des distances qui sont calculées selon la métrique du tapis de SIERPINSKI. On est conduit à calculer les distances entre les cellules de la grille pour cette fractale. Le modèle admet une solution analytique complétée par des simulations numériques qui montrent les effets de la géométrie fractale. Le gradient de rente foncière dépend de l'accessibilité aux aménités urbaines et rurales et il n'est plus, comme chez THÜNEN, monotone en la distance à l'origine. La forme fractale produit des résultats nettement différents de la ville thünienne lorsque le coût des migrations alternantes est faible, que le goût pour les aménités est important ou que la substituabilité de ces aménités entre elles est faible.

Thomas Isabelle. Transport et localisation : de la théorie à la pratique et/ou de la pratique à la théorie. Quelques éléments de réflexion . In: Géographes associés n°18, 1er semestre 1996. Le Géoforum Franco-Britannique de Rouen. Libres débats sur les géographies britannique et française. pp. 47-49.

Summary: The authors review the current situation regarding vaccines available for immunising foxes and other wild animals, with reference to modified strains of rabies virus and recombinant vaccinia-rabies virus. Field trials conducted in Europe and North America are summarised.

Five 13- to 18-month old Belgian Blue bulls were used in this experiment. Four bulls (Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5) were inoculated intratesticularly with 10(5) plaque-forming units of bovine herpesvirus-4 (BHV-4) in each testicle (Day 0). The challenge BHV-4 strain was previously isolated from testicle cells of a bull exhibiting orchitis and azoospermia. The fifth bull (No. 1) was used as a control and received the same volume of uninfected cell culture supernatant. For 5 days, beginning on Day 51 post-infection, two bulls (Nos. 4 and 5) and the control bull (No. 1) received 0.1 mg kg-1 of dexamethasone. Unilateral castrations were then performed at regular intervals for viral examination. Treatment with dexamethasone reactivated latent BHV-4, but no clinical signs were observed in treated bulls until the end of the experiment (Day 93). Only Bull 3 showed conjunctivitis and temporary azoospermia. The virus was recovered from various samples showing that: (i) BHV-4 can be present in a latent state in the testicles and mononuclear blood cells; (ii) dexamethasone reactivates the virus; (iii) the virus is excreted by nasal and ocular routes. Each infected bull seroconverted and a booster antibody response appeared after dexamethasone treatment as shown by immunofluorescence. Neutralizing antibodies were detected in each bull by complement-dependent neutralization test with titres higher than those obtained by a classical neutralization test. No booster response of neutralizing antibodies was observed after dexamethasone treatment. The antigenically relevant envelope BHV-4 proteins were identified by Western blotting using sera samples from the animals. DNA restriction endonuclease profiles of viruses reisolated after primary infection and reactivation showed only small differences.

This paper presents the results of the survey conducted under the auspices of the Belgian National Committee of Geography. The survey focused on the present employment and complementary studies of Belgian geography alumni of all Belgian universities that graduated before 2003. With respect to employment and to a large extent with respect to complementary studies and degrees, it is shown that the trend of obtaining a teacher’s certificate is declining as well as of being employed in secondary and higher education. By contrast, spatial and regional planning, research and consulting, GIS, and ecology and environmental management have gained considerable interest as potential fields of employment outside education. The proportion of geography graduates being unemployed remains very low. This should keep the field quite attractive in the coming years.

Swine-origin pandemic human influenza A(H1N1)2009 rapidly spread around the world since its initial reporting on the 25th of April 2009. To counter the virus, different vaccines were developed. In Belgium, the Pandemrix vaccine of GSK was used. Part of the Belgian population was vaccinated, especially those belonging to risk groups (immunodepressed patients, healthcare providers, patients with chronic disease, pregnant women….). In general, vaccine immunogenicity is less effective in immunodepressed patients than in immunocompetent patients. In this study the immunogenicity of the Pandemrix vaccine was investigated by measuring neutralizing antibodies against A(H1N1)2009 in sera collected from immunocompetent and immunodepressed patients such as hemodialysed and renal transplanted patients. In total 32 healthy volunteers (control group), 106 hemodialysed patients and 112 renal transplanted patients were recruited. Neutralizing antibodies were measured in sera collected before (day 0) and 1 month after a single shot vaccination (day 30) using a seroneutralisation (SN) assay followed by an immunoenzyme colorimetric reaction to detect influenza A(H1N1)2009 antigen in infected cells. Geometric mean (GM) titers were determined at subject level by individual GM of quadruplicates at each time point. Individual and group level titer ratios (day 30/day 0) with 95% confidence intervals were determined as well. The GM titer ratio for the healthy control group was 38 (23-62). For the dialysed patients, the GM titer ratio was 11 (8-17) and for the group of renal transplanted patients, the GM titer ratio was 5 (3-6). Differences in GM titer ratio between the healthy control group and each group of immunodepressed patients were significant (p