Publications
A systematic review on the effect of DMARDs on fertility in rheumatoid arthritis Vrije Universiteit Brussel KU Leuven
Introduction: Drug therapy could alter fertility in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed to perform a systematic review to evaluate if Disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy influences fertility as this is an important point to consider in shared decision making on RA therapy. Methods: A search was conducted at 18/10/2019 in EMBASE, PubMed (including MEDLINE) and the Web of Science Core Collection. Our inclusion ...
Prediction of cardiovascular events in rheumatoid arthritis using risk age calculations Vrije Universiteit Brussel
BACKGROUND: In younger individuals, low absolute risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may conceal an increased risk age and relative risk of CVD. Calculation of risk age is proposed as an adjuvant to absolute CVD risk estimation in European guidelines. We aimed to compare the discriminative ability of available risk age models in prediction of CVD in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Secondly, we also evaluated the performance of risk age models in ...
Efficacy of golimumab in Belgian patients with active rheumatoid arthritis despite treatment with non-biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs: sub-analysis of the GO-MORE study Hasselt University KU Leuven
cDNA phage display for the discovery of theranostic autoantibodies in rheumatoid arthritis Hasselt University KU Leuven
Morphological substrates in Rheumatoid Arthritis pathogenesis Hasselt University
Engineered glove to evaluate hand disability in rheumatoid arthritis : a pilot-study Ghent University
Erosion-free rheumatoid arthritis Vrije Universiteit Brussel
BACKGROUND: Bone erosions may appear early or later during rheumatoid arthritis (RA), causing joint damage and functional impairment. However, in some patients erosions do not occur, even after several years of disease. This study evaluates the prevalence, clinical relevance and possible predictors of erosion-free RA.
METHODS: Six hundred and eight patients from an early RA cohort (BARFOT) having radiographs of hands and feet at ...
Nesfatin-1 and visfatin expression is associated with reduced atherosclerotic disease risk in patients with rheumatoid arthritis Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Nesfatin is an anti-inflammatory molecule that reduces atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk. By contrast, visfatin has pro-inflammatory properties and is pro-atherogenic. We examined the potential impact of nesfatin and visfatin on atherosclerotic disease in 232 (113 black and 119 white) consecutive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients from 2 centers. Independent relationships of nesfatin and visfatin concentrations with metabolic risk factors, ...
Low levels of PCSK9 are associated with remission in patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with anti-TNF-α Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Background: Proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) targets the LDL-receptor (LDLR) which raises LDL-levels. In addition, PCSK9 has proinflammatory immunological effects. Here, we investigate the role of PCSK9 in relation to the inflammatory activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: PCSK9-levels were determined at baseline by ELISA in 160 patients with RA not previously treated with biologics. The patients started ...