University of Antwerp

About: University of Antwerp is a education organization based out in Antwerp, Belgium. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 16682 authors who have published 48837 publications receiving 1689748 citations. The organization is also known as: Universiteit Antwerpen & UAntwerp.

Pre-, Per- and Postoperative Factors Affecting Performance of Postlinguistically Deaf Adults Using Cochlear Implants: A New Conceptual Model over Time

Abstract: Objective: To test the influence of multiple factors on cochlear implant (CI) speech performance in quiet and in noise for postlinguistically deaf adults, and to design a model of predicted auditory performance with a CI as a function of the significant factors. Study Design: Retrospective multi-centre study. Methods: Data from 2251 patients implanted since 2003 in 15 international centres were collected. Speech scores in quiet and in noise were converted into percentile ranks to remove differences between centres. The influence of 15 pre-, per- and postoperative factors, such as the duration of moderate hearing loss (mHL), the surgical approach (cochleostomy or round window approach), the angle of insertion, the percentage of active electrodes, and the brand of device were tested. The usual factors, duration of profound HL (pHL), age, etiology, duration of CI experience, that are already known to have an influence, were included in the statistical analyses. Results: The significant factors were: the pure tone average threshold of the better ear, the brand of device, the percentage of active electrodes, the use of hearing aids (HAs) during the period of pHL, and the duration of mHL. Conclusions: A new model was designed showing a decrease of performance that started during the period of mHL, and became faster during the period of pHL. The use of bilateral HAs slowed down the related central reorganization that is the likely cause of the decreased performance.

Induction of complete and molecular remissions in acute myeloid leukemia by Wilms’ tumor 1 antigen-targeted dendritic cell vaccination

Abstract: Active immunization using tumor antigen-loaded dendritic cells holds promise for the adjuvant treatment of cancer to eradicate or control residual disease, but so far, most dendritic cell trials have been performed in end-stage cancer patients with high tumor loads. Here, in a phase I/II trial, we investigated the effect of autologous dendritic cell vaccination in 10 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The Wilms’ tumor 1 protein (WT1), a nearly universal tumor antigen, was chosen as an immunotherapeutic target because of its established role in leukemogenesis and superior immunogenic characteristics. Two patients in partial remission after chemotherapy were brought into complete remission after intradermal administration of full-length WT1 mRNA-electroporated dendritic cells. In these two patients and three other patients who were in complete remission, the AML-associated tumor marker returned to normal after dendritic cell vaccination, compatible with the induction of molecular remission. Clinical responses were correlated with vaccine-associated increases in WT1-specific CD8+ T cell frequencies, as detected by peptide/HLA-A*0201 tetramer staining, and elevated levels of activated natural killer cells postvaccination. Furthermore, vaccinated patients showed increased levels of WT1-specific IFN-γ–producing CD8+ T cells and features of general immune activation. These data support the further development of vaccination with WT1 mRNA-loaded dendritic cells as a postremission treatment to prevent full relapse in AML patients.

Apoptosis: mechanisms and relevance in cancer.

Abstract: Apoptosis or programmed cell death is a process with typical morphological characteristics including plasma membrane blebbing, cell shrinkage, chromatin condensation and fragmentation. A family of cystein-dependent aspartate-directed proteases, called caspases, is responsible for the proteolytic cleavage of cellular proteins leading to the characteristic apoptotic features, e.g. cleavage of caspase-activated DNase resulting in internucleosomal DNA fragmentation. Currently, two pathways for activating caspases have been studied in detail. One starts with ligation of a death ligand to its transmembrane death receptor, followed by recruitment and activation of caspases in the death-inducing signalling complex. The second pathway involves the participation of mitochondria, which release caspase-activating proteins into the cytosol, thereby forming the apoptosome where caspases will bind and become activated. In addition, two other apoptotic pathways are emerging: endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis and caspase-independent apoptosis. Naturally occurring cell death plays a critical role in many normal processes like foetal development and tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of apoptosis contributes to many diseases, including cancer. On the other hand, apoptosis-regulating proteins also provide targets for drug discovery and new approaches to the treatment of cancer.