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Biomedical subjects

A Bouckaert

Publications and source records attributed to A Bouckaert.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Weight and length of newborns. Differences between boys and girls].

Examination of 8,312 deliveries shows that the difference in weight between boys and girls at birth can be explained completely by the difference in their length. The sex of the child has no influence on the length of the pregnancy. This is influenced by the birth order, the propensity to smoke (tobacco), the mother's weight gain in pregnancy and her social level. The speed of intrauterine growth is influenced by the sex of the fetus, the number of pregnancies she has had, by tobacco, and by the amount of education she has had and her weight gain in pregnancy.

Belgium↗
PubMed1990

[An epidemiological study of hypercholesterolemia in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg].

Epidemiology of hypercholesterolemia in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was studied by the mean of a questionnaire filled out by 17 physicians. 113 patients (50 men and 63 women) were recruited. 43 patients had an isolated hypercholesterolemia (type IIa) and 63 patients had a type IIb. Analysis of associated risk factors showed large variations (13.2% of patients had diabetes, 61% were sedentary). However, 33.5% of patients had at least one associated risk factor. The nutritional assessment showed the well-known dietary errors. A two month's treatment with ciprofibrate has shown a 20% decrease of total cholesterol and a 32% decrease of triglycerides. No serious adverse events were reported.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

[Screening for congenital hip dislocation in Belgium. Results of a survey in maternity wards. Proposals].

Congenital dislocation of the hip (CDH) is probably more frequent in our country than generally appreciated. In most European countries, the incidence of CDH varies from 6 to 20 per thousand living births. The screening for the condition is organized with the help of public services. Our purpose was to survey the maternity wards to estimate the extent of the occurrence in Belgium. A volunteer orthopedic surgeon met with the pediatrician and the obstetrician in every hospital with a maternity ward to complete a questionnaire. We present a detailed analysis of the results of the survey and propose a better system for screening.

Belgium↗
PubMed1989

[Prevention of beta-thalassemia in the French speaking part of Belgium. I. Epidemiologic, clinical, psycho-social and economic justifications].

A study was jointly conducted by three universities in order to determine whether the systematic prevention of beta-thalassaemia and related affections is justified in the French-speaking part of Belgium. In the entire geographical area considered, 19.1% of the population are foreign; 19.2% of births take place within foreign families. Around 59.7% of foreigners come from regions where beta-thalassaemia is endemic. The ethnic minorities are mostly concentrated in the cities and notably in Brussels. Around 4.1% of the minorities ethnically at risk are carriers of beta-thalassaemia. Births of new cases of thalassaemia major can be estimated at 2.9 per year, which would result, in the absence of prevention, in a population of 130 cases of thalassaemia major. In recent years, patient care has improved considerably, as demonstrated by an increasingly early diagnosis and institution of chelating therapy with an attendant gradual drop in ferritin levels. However, study of age histograms reveals that care of patients in non-endemic regions is not as satisfactory as in endemic countries where complete haemoglobinopathy control programmes have been developed. Psycho-social questioning of a sample of families confirmed that thalassaemia major is an affection which seriously impairs the quality of life. Finally, calculations projected over 20 years revealed that systematic prevention would cost from 2.3 to 2.8 times less than a purely curative approach. The authors conclude that a body of epidemiological, clinical, psycho-social, and economic arguments justify without any doubt the prevention of beta-thalassaemia and related affections in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

In-vitro fertilization: how many attempts before success?

Repeated attempts increase the overall rate of success of sterility therapy by in-vitro fertilization. The present study, using data collected between 1983 and 1987 in a Belgian hospital, attempts to investigate the expected number of treatment cycles before success is achieved. The answer requires some knowledge about the degree of independence between success probability and treatment duration. Using mathematical models of implantation, it can be shown that success probability actually decreases during treatment. A method for updating individual probabilities is suggested; it could be used as a prognostic estimation for women undergoing this kind of therapy.

Evaluation Studies as Topic↗
PubMed1989

[The prevention of beta-thalassemia in French-speaking Belgium. II. Proposal of a strategy].

Medico-social surveys and pilot experiments, conducted by the authors in Wallonia and Brussels at the request of the Ministry for the French-Speaking Community, have allowed the definition of a community-scale prevention programme. High-quality information, repeated at regular intervals and adapted to the different environments, is vital for effective voluntary screening. The contents of this information and distribution methods have been specified. Screening will take place on an occasional basis among people at risk who request it, or who accept it as an addition to other planned blood tests (curative or preventive consultations); microcytosis must be considered as a definite indication for further work up. Systematic screening is recommended in the framework of upper secondary education, through cooperation between volunteer teachers and the staff of school medical institutions; teaching methods and means have been reviewed.

Belgium↗
PubMed1987

Medical diagnosis: are expert systems needed?

An evaluation of the pitfalls of computer-aided diagnosis during the last ten years seems to show that increased emphasis on real clinical problems as well as increased use of medical knowledge are required. Since such an approach could fit into the 'expert system' framework, one should expect new developments in that research field to occur soon. However, expert systems can also be designed along the same concepts as previous models of diagnostic reasoning presumably with the same shortcomings.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1985

Fertility of male workers exposed to mercury vapor or to manganese dust: a questionnaire study.

The fertility of male workers exposed to mercury vapor or to manganese dust was assessed with the use of the questionnaire developed by Levine et al [1980]. In the mercury group (concentration of mercury in urine ranging from 5.1 to 272.1 micrograms/g creatinine), no statistically significant difference was found between the observed number of children and that expected on the basis of the reproductive experience of a well-matched control group. On the contrary, by comparison with their corresponding controls, the manganese-exposed workers exhibited a statistically significant deficit in the number of children during their period of exposure to the metal. The airborne concentration of manganese dusts at the different workplaces ranged from 0.07 to 8.61 mg/m3 with a geometric mean of 0.94 mg/m3.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

The diffusion of a vanguard technique: the case of nuclear medicine in Belgium.

How does a new technology spread across a country? Which are the factors influencing its spreading across time and space? We have attempted to answer to those questions through the example of nuclear medicine. We have used a macro-economic approach, based on regional and diachronic data (43 areas and three larger 'regions' from 1974 to 1982). Two separate fields have taken advantage of the use of radioisotopes: in vivo and in vitro tests. The rates of growth of those two techniques have been completely different and their future evolution will probably also be in sharp contrast. On the contrary, the regional distribution of the utilization rates is similar in both fields: it seems related to the density of specialists who are accessible for the patients and also to the regional ways of practice which feature the prescription of other types of tests.

Belgium↗
PubMed1985

Methods for estimating the duration of bacterial carriage.

In two cohort studies on asymptomatic pharyngeal carriage of meningococci and of streptococci among schoolchildren, four methods are used to estimate the duration of bacterial carriage. A first estimate of the mean duration is given by the quotient of prevalence by incidence rate. A second method is based on the estimation of the actual length of truncated observations. A third estimate is given by the analysis of carriage survivorship according to a life table. A fourth method is the fitting of a negative exponential model to the carriage survival curve. For meningococci, the estimates of the median duration of carriage range from 7.7 up to 10.2 months, and from 11.1 up to 14.5 months for the mean. For streptococci, the median values vary from 1.9 up to 2.1 months, and from 2.3 up to 4.4 months for the mean duration. The validity and the consistency of the different estimates are discussed.

Actuarial Analysis↗
PubMed1985

Simulation of vaccination and resistance in leprosy using an epidemiometric model.

Epidemiometric models are useful in studying disease dynamics in populations. Such a model was developed for leprosy and proved useful, but did not take into account age- and sex-specific incidence rates. This paper presents a new version of the model which makes provisions for age and sex differential rates according to the type of leprosy and which includes more realistic parameters for death rates, population variations, and natural growth rates. This new version of the epidemiometric model was used to stimulate the effects of various vaccines and drug resistance on the incidence of leprosy in a population.

Epidemiologic Methods↗
PubMed1984

Mortality in meningococcal disease in Belgium.

A survey of children admitted with meningococcal disease to 53 paediatric units in Belgium between 1975 and 1979 was made in order to assess the case mortality rate (CMR) and to identify risk factors associated with death. A total of 309 cases (226 bacteriologically confirmed and 83 unconfirmed) was recorded. The overall CMR was 6.1 per cent. It was 4.4 for bacteriologically confirmed cases and 10.8 for unconfirmed cases. The CMR was higher for septicaemia without meningitis (22.2 per cent) than for meningitis with or without signs of septicaemia (3.4 per cent). The risk of death was not related to the sex or nationality of the patients. Age was a major determinant of the CMR, independently of the clinical picture. The highest risk of death was in children under one year of age. Poor socio-economic conditions were a significant risk factor. Failure to recognise the severity of the disease by some poorly educated mothers, and the admission of the patient to a hospital lacking adequate facilities for managing severely affected children, were the two significant causes of delay of adequate treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Longitudinal study of asymptomatic meningococcal carriage in two Belgian populations of schoolchildren.

In Brussels, a 15-month longitudinal survey was conducted in two primary schools, from March 1975 to May 1976, in order to analyse the dynamic of asymptomatic meningococcal carriage, during an epidemic mainly caused by serogroup B, serotype 2 Neisseria meningitidis. In the first school, which is situated in a suburban area with upper-middle socio-economic status of residents, a mean prevalence of carriers of 10 per cent, an acquisition rate of eight per 1000 months, and a mean duration of carriage of 12.4 months were observed among 158 schoolchildren aged six to 11 years old. In the second school, which is situated in a densely populated area with low socio-economic status of residents, a mean prevalence of carriers of 33 per cent, an acquisition rate of 28 per 1000 months, and a mean duration of carriage of 11.7 months were observed among 203 schoolchildren aged three to 14 years old. For both schools, the median duration of carriage was estimated at 9.4 months. The differences of prevalence and incidence of acquisition between the two schools cannot be explained by age, sex or ethnic factors and are probably related to socio familial variables. The theoretical relationship between prevalence, incidence and duration of meningococcal carriage was for the first time demonstrated in this study. The results also suggest that populations of low socio-economic status and living in densely populated areas constitute a target population for meningococcal disease prevention.

Adolescent↗