TY - JOUR T1 - Assessment of the Feasibility of a Future Integrated Larger-Scale Epidemiological Study to Evaluate Health Risks of Air Pollution Episodes in Children. JF - Int J Environ Res Public Health Y1 - 2022 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Natalia Bustos Sierra A1 - Mathieu Gand A1 - D. Van Geel A1 - Delvoye, Maud A1 - Els Vandermassen A1 - Jordy Vercauteren A1 - Christophe Stroobants A1 - Bernard, Alfred A1 - Nelly D Saenen A1 - Nawrot, Tim S A1 - Nancy Roosens A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker KW - Air Pollutants KW - air pollution KW - Biomarkers KW - Child KW - environmental exposure KW - Epidemiologic Studies KW - Feasibility Studies KW - Humans KW - Particulate Matter AB -

Air pollution exposure can lead to exacerbation of respiratory disorders in children. Using sensitive biomarkers helps to assess the impact of air pollution on children's respiratory health and combining protein, genetic and epigenetic biomarkers gives insights on their interrelatedness. Most studies do not contain such an integrated approach and investigate these biomarkers individually in blood, although its collection in children is challenging. Our study aimed at assessing the feasibility of conducting future integrated larger-scale studies evaluating respiratory health risks of air pollution episodes in children, based on a qualitative analysis of the technical and logistic aspects of a small-scale field study involving 42 children. This included the preparation, collection and storage of non-invasive samples (urine, saliva), the measurement of general and respiratory health parameters and the measurement of specific biomarkers (genetic, protein, epigenetic) of respiratory health and air pollution exposure. Bottlenecks were identified and modifications were proposed to expand this integrated study to a higher number of children, time points and locations. This would allow for non-invasive assessment of the impact of air pollution exposure on the respiratory health of children in future larger-scale studies, which is critical for the development of policies or measures at the population level.

VL - 19 CP - 14 M3 - 10.3390/ijerph19148531 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Noninvasive integrative approach applied to children in the context of recent air pollution exposure demonstrates association between fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) and urinary CC16. JF - Environ Res Y1 - 2022 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - Nina Van Goethem A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Natalia Bustos Sierra A1 - Jordy Vercauteren A1 - Christophe Stroobants A1 - Bernard, Alfred A1 - Nawrot, Tim A1 - Nancy Roosens A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker AB -

Exposure to the air pollutant particulate matter (PM) is associated with increased risks of respiratory diseases and enhancement of airway inflammation in children. In the context of large scale air pollution studies, it can be challenging to measure fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) as indicator of lung inflammation. Urinary CC16 (U-CC16) is a potential biomarker of increased lung permeability and toxicity, increasing following short-term PM exposure. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) CC16 G38A (rs3741240) affects CC16 levels and respiratory health. Our study aimed at assessing the use of U-CC16 (incl. CC16 G38A from saliva) as potential alternative for FeNO by investigating their mutual correlation in children exposed to PM. Samples from a small-scale study conducted in 42 children from urban (n = 19) and rural (n = 23) schools examined at two time points, were analysed. When considering recent (lag1) low level exposure to PM as air pollution measurement, we found that U-CC16 was positively associated with FeNO (β = 0.23; 95% CI [-0.01; 0.47]; p = 0.06) in an adjusted analysis using a linear mixed effects model. Further, we observed a positive association between PM and FeNO (β = 0.56; 95% CI [0.02; 1.09]; p = 0.04) and higher FeNO in urban school children as compared to rural school children (β = 0.72; 95% CI [0.12; 1.31]; p = 0.02). Although more investigations are needed, our results suggest that inflammatory responses evidenced by increased FeNO are accompanied by potential increased lung epithelium permeability and injury, evidenced by increased U-CC16. In future large scale studies, where FeNO measurement is less feasible, the integrated analysis of U-CC16 and CC16 G38A, using noninvasive samples, might be a suitable alternative to assess the impact of air pollution exposure on the respiratory health of children, which is critical for policy development at population level.

VL - 216 CP - Pt 1 M3 - 10.1016/j.envres.2022.114441 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Urinary CC16, a potential indicator of lung integrity and inflammation, increases in children after short-term exposure to PM/PM and is driven by the CC16 38GG genotype. JF - Environ Res Y1 - 2022 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - Nina Van Goethem A1 - Berta Tenas Ureña A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Bernard, Alfred A1 - Nelly D Saenen A1 - Nawrot, Tim S A1 - Nancy Roosens A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker KW - Air Pollutants KW - Biomarkers KW - Child KW - environmental exposure KW - Genotype KW - Humans KW - Inflammation KW - Lung KW - Particulate Matter KW - Retinol-Binding Proteins, Plasma KW - Uteroglobin AB -

Particular matter (PM) exposure is a big hazard for public health, especially for children. Serum CC16 is a well-known biomarker of respiratory health. Urinary CC16 (U-CC16) can be a noninvasive alternative, albeit requiring adequate adjustment for renal handling. Moreover, the SNP CC16 G38A influences CC16 levels. This study aimed to monitor the effect of short-term PM exposure on CC16 levels, measured noninvasively in schoolchildren, using an integrative approach. We used a selection of urine and buccal DNA samples from 86 children stored in an existing biobank. Using a multiple reaction monitoring method, we measured U-CC16, as well as RBP4 (retinol binding protein 4) and β2M (beta-2-microglobulin), required for adjustment. Buccal DNA samples were used for CC16 G38A genotyping. Linear mixed-effects models were used to find relevant associations between U-CC16 and previously obtained data from recent daily PM ≤ 2.5 or 10 μm exposure (PM, PM) modeled at the child's residence. Our study showed that exposure to low PM at the child's residence (median levels 18.9 μg/m³ (PM) and 23.6 μg/m³ (PM)) one day before sampling had an effect on the covariates-adjusted U-CC16 levels. This effect was dependent on the CC16 G38A genotype, due to its strong interaction with the association between PM levels and covariates-adjusted U-CC16 (P = 0.024 (PM); P = 0.061 (PM)). Only children carrying the 38GG genotype showed an increase of covariates-adjusted U-CC16, measured 24h after exposure, with increasing PM and PM (β = 0.332; 95% CI: 0.110 to 0.554 and β = 0.372; 95% CI: 0.101 to 0.643, respectively). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study using an integrative approach to investigate short-term PM exposure of children, using urine to detect early signs of pulmonary damage, and taking into account important determinants such as the genetic background and adequate adjustment of the measured biomarker in urine.

VL - 212 CP - Pt B M3 - 10.1016/j.envres.2022.113272 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Development of a multiplex mass spectrometry method for simultaneous quantification of urinary proteins related to respiratory health JF - Scientific Reports Y1 - 2021 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - Nancy Roosens A1 - Bernard, Alfred A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker A1 - Koen De Cremer VL - 11 CP - 1 M3 - 10.1038/s41598-021-89068-9 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Paraben levels in placenta in relation to weight and head circumference at birth in Belgium: an ENVIRONAGE birth cohort study Y1 - 2021 A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - K. Vrijens A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - K.Y. Neven A1 - R.M. Carollo A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - T.S. Nawrot A1 - Christiane Vleminckx JF - International Conference on Food Contaminants 2021, 4th edition Challenges on early –life exposure ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Gender‐dependent association between exhaled nitric oxide and the CC16 38AA genotype in young school children JF - Immunity, Inflammation and Disease Y1 - 2020 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - Nancy Roosens A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Bernard, Alfred A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker AB -

Background

Studies that investigated the association between the CC16 A38G polymorphism and the risk of asthma yielded conflicting results. The aim of this study among schoolchildren was to assess the relationships of CC16 A38G polymorphism with aeroallergen sensitization and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), two outcomes predicting asthma later in life.

Methods

The study included 139 children (72 boys), median age of 7.7. Information on each child's health, lifestyle, and environment was collected through a questionnaire completed by their parents. CC16 genotypes were determined using urinary DNA. We measured FeNO, the CC16 protein in urine and nasal lavage fluid and aeroallergen‐specific immunoglobulin E in nasal mucosa fluid.

Results

Children with the homozygous mutant CC16 38AA genotype had higher odds of increased FeNO (>30 ppb) compared with their peers with the wild‐type genotype 38GG (OR, 9.85; 95% CI, 2.09‐46.4; P = .004). This association was female gender specific (P = .002) not being observed in boys (P = .40). It was also independent of allergic sensitization, which yet emerged as the strongest predictor of FeNO along with the use of bleach for house cleaning. Children with the CC16 38AA genotype had lower covariates‐adjusted urinary CC16 levels than those with 38GG (median, μg/L, 1.17 vs 2.08, P = .02).

Conclusion

Our study suggests that the CC16 38AA allele promotes airway inflammation as measured by FeNO through a gender‐dependent association. Deficient levels of CC16 in the deep lung, measured noninvasively in urine, as a possible proxy for serum CC16, might underlie this promoting effect.

M3 - 10.1002/iid3.332 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Selection of a Noninvasive Source of Human DNA Envisaging Genotyping Assays in Epidemiological Studies: Urine or Saliva? JF - Journal of Biomolecular Techniques : JBT Y1 - 2020 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - D. Van Geel A1 - Delvoye, Maud A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Bernard, Alfred A1 - Nancy Roosens A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker KW - Biomarkers KW - children. KW - genetic epidemiology KW - Genotype KW - Real-time PCR AB -

Genetic epidemiology requires an appropriate approach to measure genetic variation within the population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics and genotyping results of DNA extracted from 2 human DNA sources, selected for their rapid and noninvasive sampling, and the use of simple and standardized protocols that are essential for large-scale epidemiologic studies. Saliva and urine samples were collected at the same day from 20 subjects aged 9-10 yr. Genomic DNA was extracted using commercial kits. Quantitative and qualitative evaluation was done by assessing the yield, the purity, and integrity of the extracted DNA. As a proof-of-concept, genotyping was performed targeting CC16 A38G and uteroglobin-related protein 1 (UGRP1)-112G/A. Saliva was found to provide the highest yield and concentration of total DNA extracted. Salivary DNA showed higher purity and a significantly less degraded state compared to urinary DNA. Consequently, the salivary DNA gave better genotyping results than urinary DNA. Therefore, if the choice exists, saliva is the preferred noninvasive matrix for genotyping purposes in large-scale genetic epidemiologic studies. Only in particular cases using urine could nevertheless be considered useful, although specific limitations need to be taken into account.

VL - 31 CP - 1 M3 - 10.7171/jbt.20-3101-004 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Weight and head circumference at birth in function of placental paraben load in Belgium: an ENVIRONAGE birth cohort study JF - Environmental Health Y1 - 2020 A1 - Karen Vrijens A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Kristof Y. Neven A1 - Riccardo M. Carollo A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Tim S. Nawrot AB -

Background

Parabens are a group of esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid utilized as antimicrobial preservatives in many personal care products. Epidemiological studies regarding the adverse effects of parabens on fetuses are limited. The aim of this study was to determine the association between placental paraben exposure and birth outcomes. We assessed paraben concentrations in placental tissue, which potentially gives a better understanding of fetal exposure than the maternal urinary concentrations which are the current golden standard.

Methods

Placental tissue was collected immediately after birth from 142 mother-child pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. The placental concentrations of four parabens (methyl (MeP), ethyl (EtP), propyl (PrP), and butyl (BuP)) were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass-spectrometry. Generalized linear regression models were used to determine the association between paraben exposure levels and birth outcomes.

Results

The geometric means of placental MeP, EtP, PrP, and BuP were 1.84, 2.16, 1.68 and 0.05 ng/g tissue, respectively. The sum of parabens (∑ parabens, including MeP, EtP and PrP) was negatively associated with birth weight in newborn girls (− 166 g, 95% CI: − 322, − 8.6, p = 0.04) after adjustment for a priori selected covariates. The sum of parabens was negatively associated with head circumference (− 0.6 cm, 95% CI: − 1.1, − 0.2, p = 0.008) and borderline associated with birth length (− 0.6 cm, 95% CI:-1.3, 0.1, p = 0.08). In newborn girls the placental concentration of EtP was negatively associated with head circumference (− 0.6 cm, 95% CI:-1.1, − 0.1, p = 0.01) and borderline significantly associated with birth weight and birth length. Lastly, placental EtP and ∑parabens were negatively associated with placental weight in newborn girls but not in newborn boys (− 45.3 g, 95% CI:-86.2, − 4.4, p = 0.03).

Conclusion

The negative association between maternal paraben exposure and birth outcomes warrants further research and follow-up over time to determine long term effects of gestational exposure to parabens.

VL - 19 CP - 1 M3 - 10.1186/s12940-020-00635-5 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Evaluation de l’exposition humaine aux résidus de pesticides à l’aide de bracelets en silicone Y1 - 2019 A1 - Laure Joly A1 - Raf Aerts A1 - Philippe Szternfeld A1 - K Tsilikas A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Philippe Castelain A1 - M Aerts A1 - J Van Orshoven A1 - B Somers A1 - M Ghendrickx A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse JF - 49e congrès du Groupe Français de recherche sur les Pesticides ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Personal exposure to traffic-related air pollutants and relationships with respiratory symptoms and oxidative stress: A pilot cross-sectional study among urban green space workers. JF - Sci Total Environ Y1 - 2019 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Billie Heene A1 - Claire Demoury A1 - Raf Aerts A1 - Declerck, Priscilla A1 - Brasseur, Olivier A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - Air Pollutants KW - Belgium KW - benzene KW - Cities KW - cross-sectional studies KW - environmental exposure KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Humans KW - Inflammation KW - Oxidative Stress KW - Pilot Projects KW - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons KW - Respiratory System KW - Soot KW - Urban Population KW - Vehicle Emissions AB -

Exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with various adverse health effects including respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Exposure data for some specific pollutants and settings are however still insufficient and mechanisms underlying negative health outcomes are not fully elucidated. This pilot study aimed to assess individual exposure to three traffic-related air pollutants, black carbon (BC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benzene, and the relationship with respiratory and oxidative stress outcomes in a cross-sectional sample of 48 green space workers in Brussels, Belgium. Participants were followed during four consecutive working days in 2016-2017 during which their individual exposure to BC, PAHs, benzene and more generally air pollution was measured using aethalometers, urinary biomarkers (1-hydroxypyrene, 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, S-phenylmercapturic acid) and questionnaires. Data on respiratory health and oxidative stress were collected using questionnaires and respiratory/urinary biomarkers (exhaled nitric oxide [NO], 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine [8-OHdG]). Associations between exposure and health outcomes were investigated using comparison tests and linear regression models, after stratification by present-day smoking status. Spatial variation in BC exposure was high, with concentrations varying between 0.26 and 5.69 μg/m. The highest levels were recorded during transport and, to a lesser extent, in green spaces located in the vicinity of roads with high traffic intensity. Concentrations of PAHs and benzene biomarkers did not systematically exceed the limits of detection. Among smokers, respiratory inflammation increased linearly with exposure to BC measured over the four days of follow-up (β = 8.73, 95% CI: 4.04, 13.41). Among non-smokers, oxidative stress increased linearly with BC measured on the fourth day (β = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.52, 4.24). Despite some limitations, this work supports the hypothesis that BC induces respiratory inflammation and oxidative stress. It also highlights the value of this compound as well as exhaled NO and urinary 8-OHdG biomarkers to detect early/mild effects of air pollution.

VL - 649 M3 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.338 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Personal exposure to traffic-related air pollutants and relationships with respiratory symptoms and oxidative stress: A pilot cross-sectional study among urban green space workers JF - Science of The Total Environment Y1 - 2019 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Billie Heene A1 - Claire Demoury A1 - Raf Aerts A1 - Declerck, Priscilla A1 - Brasseur, Olivier A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - Belgium KW - Black carbon KW - Health outcomes KW - Human biomonitoring KW - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons AB -

Exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with various adverse health effects including respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological diseases. Exposure data for some specific pollutants and settings are however still insufficient and mechanisms underlying negative health outcomes are not fully elucidated. This pilot study aimed to assess individual exposure to three traffic-related air pollutants, black carbon (BC), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and benzene, and the relationship with respiratory and oxidative stress outcomes in a cross-sectional sample of 48 green space workers in Brussels, Belgium. Participants were followed during four consecutive working days in 2016–2017 during which their individual exposure to BC, PAHs, benzene and more generally air pollution was measured using aethalometers, urinary biomarkers (1-hydroxypyrene, 1-naphthol, 2-naphthol, S-phenylmercapturic acid) and questionnaires. Data on respiratory health and oxidative stress were collected using questionnaires and respiratory/urinary biomarkers (exhaled nitric oxide [NO], 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine [8-OHdG]). Associations between exposure and health outcomes were investigated using comparison tests and linear regression models, after stratification by present-day smoking status. Spatial variation in BC exposure was high, with concentrations varying between 0.26 and 5.69 μg/m3. The highest levels were recorded during transport and, to a lesser extent, in green spaces located in the vicinity of roads with high traffic intensity. Concentrations of PAHs and benzene biomarkers did not systematically exceed the limits of detection. Among smokers, respiratory inflammation increased linearly with exposure to BC measured over the four days of follow-up (β = 8.73, 95% CI: 4.04, 13.41). Among non-smokers, oxidative stress increased linearly with BC measured on the fourth day (β = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.52, 4.24). Despite some limitations, this work supports the hypothesis that BC induces respiratory inflammation and oxidative stress. It also highlights the value of this compound as well as exhaled NO and urinary 8-OHdG biomarkers to detect early/mild effects of air pollution.

VL - 649 M3 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.338 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Relationships between aeroallergen levels and hospital admissions for asthma in the Brussels-Capital Region: a daily time series analysis. JF - Environ Health Y1 - 2018 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Nicolas Bruffaerts A1 - Lucie Hoebeke A1 - Ann Packeu A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Sandrine Bladt A1 - Olivier Brasseur A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse AB -

BACKGROUND: Outdoor pollen grain and fungal spore concentrations have been associated with severe asthma exacerbations at the population level. The specific impact of each taxon and the concomitant effect of air pollution on these symptoms have, however, still to be better characterized. This study aimed to investigate the short-term associations between ambient concentrations of various aeroallergens and hospitalizations related to asthma in the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium), an area recording especially high rates of admissions.

METHODS: Based on administrative records of asthma hospitalizations and regular monitoring of 11 tree/herbaceous pollen taxa and 2 fungal spore taxa, daily time series analyses covering the 2008-2013 period were performed. Effects up to 6 days after exposure were captured by combining quasi-Poisson regression with distributed lag models, adjusting for seasonal and long-term trends, day of the week, public holidays, mean temperature and relative humidity. Effect modification by age and air pollution (PM, NO, O) was tested.

RESULTS: A significant increase in asthma hospitalizations was observed for an interquartile range increase in grass (5.9%, 95% CI: 0.0, 12.0), birch (3.2%, 95% CI: 1.1, 5.3) and hornbeam (0.7%, 95% CI: 0.2, 1.3) pollen concentrations. For several taxa including grasses, an age modification effect was notable, the hospitalization risk tending to be higher in individuals younger than 60 years. Air pollutants impacted the relationships too: the risk appeared to be stronger for grass and birch pollen concentrations in case of high PM and O concentrations respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that airborne grass, birch and hornbeam pollen are associated with severe asthma exacerbations in the Brussels region. These compounds appear to act in synergy with air pollution and to more specifically affect young and intermediate age groups. Most of these life-threatening events could theoretically be prevented with improved disease diagnosis/management and targeted communication actions.

VL - 17 CP - 1 M3 - 10.1186/s12940-018-0378-x ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Silicone Wristband Passive Samplers Yield Highly Individualized Pesticide Residue Exposure Profiles. JF - Environ Sci Technol Y1 - 2018 A1 - Raf Aerts A1 - Laure Joly A1 - Philippe Szternfeld A1 - Khariklia Tsilikas A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Philippe Castelain A1 - Jean-Marie Aerts A1 - Jos Van Orshoven A1 - Ben Somers A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - Dietary exposure KW - environmental exposure KW - LC-MS/MS KW - passive sampler KW - Pesticide residues KW - wristband sampler AB -

Monitoring human exposure to pesticides and pesticide residues (PRs) remains crucial for informing public health policies, despite strict regulation of plant protection product and biocide use. We used 72 low-cost silicone wristbands as noninvasive passive samplers to assess cumulative 5-day exposure of 30 individuals to polar PRs. Ethyl acetate extraction and LC-MS/MS analysis were used for the identification of PRs. Thirty-one PRs were detected of which 15 PRs (48%) were detected only in worn wristbands, not in environmental controls. The PRs included 16 fungicides (52%), 8 insecticides (26%), 2 herbicides (6%), 3 pesticide derivatives (10%), 1 insect repellent (3%), and 1 pesticide synergist (3%). Five detected pesticides were not approved for plant protection use in the EU. Smoking and dietary habits that favor vegetable consumption were associated with higher numbers and higher cumulative concentrations of PRs in wristbands. Wristbands featured unique PR combinations. Our results suggest both environment and diet contributed to PR exposure in our study group. Silicone wristbands could serve as sensitive passive samplers to screen population-wide cumulative dietary and environmental exposure to authorized, unauthorized and banned pesticides.

VL - 52 CP - 1 M3 - 10.1021/acs.est.7b05039 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Analyse des données sur l’allergie en Région de Bruxelles-Capitale - Exploitation de quatre bases de données relatives à la morbidité et la mortalité associées à l’asthme et la rhinite allergique. Y1 - 2017 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Koen Simons A1 - Raf Aerts A1 - Claire Demoury A1 - Michele Rasoloharimahefa A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Nicolas Bruffaerts A1 - Lucie Hoebeke A1 - Ann Packeu A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Bianca Cox A1 - Sophie Viart A1 - Charles Pilette A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - asthme KW - bases de données KW - Bruxelles KW - épidémiologie KW - hospitalisations KW - médicaments KW - mortalité KW - rhinite allergique PB - WIV-ISP CY - Bruxelles, Belgique ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Evaluation d’impact de l’exposition à la pollution émise par le trafic routier sur la santé de la population bruxelloise : projet pilote pour les personnes à faible et haut niveau d’exposition. Y1 - 2017 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Raf Aerts A1 - Claire Demoury A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - biomonitoring KW - Bruxelles KW - épidémiologie KW - pollution de l’air KW - santé PB - WIV-ISP CY - Bruxelles, Belgique ER - TY - Generic T1 - Evaluation of SNPs based on DNA extracted from urine as part of the development and use of a kit of non-invasive biomarkers to monitor respiratory health of young children Y1 - 2017 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Bernard, Alfred A1 - Nancy Roosens A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker KW - biomarkers; SNP KW - CHILDREN KW - non-invasive KW - respiratory health JF - qPCR dPCR & NGS 2017 Symposium PB - qPCR dPCR & NGS 2017 Symposium CY - Freising, Germany ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry for Combined Species Identification and Drug Sensitivity Testing in Mycobacteria. JF - J Clin Microbiol Y1 - 2017 A1 - Pieter-Jan Ceyssens A1 - Karine Soetaert A1 - Timke, Markus A1 - An Van den Bossche A1 - Sparbier, Katrin A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Kostrzewa, Markus A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Vanessa Mathys KW - Antitubercular Agents KW - Bacteriological Techniques KW - Humans KW - Mycobacterium tuberculosis KW - Nontuberculous Mycobacteria KW - Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization AB -

Species identification and drug susceptibility testing (DST) of mycobacteria are important yet complex processes traditionally reserved for reference laboratories. Recent technical improvements in matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has started to facilitate routine mycobacterial identifications in clinical laboratories. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of performing phenotypic MALDI-based DST in mycobacteriology using the recently described MALDI Biotyper antibiotic susceptibility test rapid assay (MBT-ASTRA). We randomly selected 72 clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis and nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) strains, subjected them to MBT-ASTRA methodology, and compared its results to current gold-standard methods. Drug susceptibility was tested for rifampin, isoniazid, linezolid, and ethambutol (M. tuberculosis, n = 39), and clarithromycin and rifabutin (NTM, n = 33). Combined species identification was performed using the Biotyper Mycobacteria Library 4.0. Mycobacterium-specific MBT-ASTRA parameters were derived (calculation window, m/z 5,000 to 13,000, area under the curve [AUC] of >0.015, relative growth [RG] of <0.5; see the text for details). Using these settings, MBT-ASTRA analyses returned 175/177 M. tuberculosis and 65/66 NTM drug resistance profiles which corresponded to standard testing results. Turnaround times were not significantly different in M. tuberculosis testing, but the MBT-ASTRA method delivered on average a week faster than routine DST in NTM. Databases searches returned 90.4% correct species-level identifications, which increased to 98.6% when score thresholds were lowered to 1.65. In conclusion, the MBT-ASTRA technology holds promise to facilitate and fasten mycobacterial DST and to combine it directly with high-confidence species-level identifications. Given the ease of interpretation, its application in NTM typing might be the first in finding its way to current diagnostic workflows. However, further validations and automation are required before routine implementation can be envisioned.

VL - 55 CP - 2 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28003422?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1128/JCM.02089-16 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Proof-of-concept study of a new LC-ESI-MS/MS-based assay to identify Aspergillus spp. in artificially mixed samples using species/genus-specific proteotypic peptides JF - Mycological Progress Y1 - 2017 A1 - David Triest A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Piérard, Denis A1 - Piarroux, Renaud A1 - Stéphanie Fraselle A1 - Koen De Cremer KW - Aspergillus KW - identification KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - Peptide AB -

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) identification of microorganisms has shown its usefulness in clinical laboratories, but there are some important limitations associated with this technique. In this study, we present proof of concept of a newly developed assay which can resolve most of these MALDI-TOF MS limitations. This assay is based upon multiplex liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) for the targeted identification of different species in mixed samples. Four clinically relevant species of the fungal genus Aspergillus were used in this proof-of-concept study, and mixed samples were artificially prepared with strains of verified identity. The principle of the LC-ESI-MS/MS assay was based upon the detection of targeted Aspergillus species/genus-specific proteotypic peptide markers. Both pure material (i.e., single strains) and artificially mixed Aspergillus samples (with up to four constituents) were tested. Thirty selected Aspergillus species/genus-specific proteotypic peptides were applied in our LC-ESI-MS/MS assay after optimization. An overall success rate of 85 and 92.3% correct identification was obtained when testing the pure material and the artificially mixed Aspergillus samples, respectively. In contrast to MALDI-TOF MS, only one of the constituents of the artificially mixed Aspergillus sample could be correctly identified, whereas a nearly 100% success rate was obtained when testing the pure material. In conclusion, we have developed an innovative LC-ESI-MS/MS assay which has the capacity to determine the composition of mixed samples, and its proof of concept is shown here for Aspergillus species. This LC-ESI-MS/MS assay breaks new ground as a rapid and reliable tool for the identification of fungi and other microorganisms in clinical laboratories, even when dealing with samples in which the presence of multiple species is suspected.

VL - 16 M3 - 10.1007/s11557-017-1273-5 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Application of LC-MS/MS MRM to Determine Staphylococcal Enterotoxins (SEB and SEA) in Milk. JF - Toxins (Basel) Y1 - 2016 A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - Tsilia, Varvara A1 - Rajkovic, Andreja A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - Animals KW - Chromatography, Liquid KW - Enterotoxins KW - Food Contamination KW - milk KW - Peptides KW - Solid phase extraction KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - Tandem Mass Spectrometry AB -

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the important aetiological agents of food intoxications in Europe and can cause gastro-enteritis through the production of various staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) in foods. Due to their stability and ease of production and dissemination, some SEs have also been studied as potential agents for bioterrorism. Therefore, specific and accurate analytical tools are required to detect and quantify SEs. Online solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (online SPE-LC-ESI-MS/MS) based on multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) was used to detect and quantify two types of SE (A and B) spiked in milk and buffer solution. SE extraction and concentration was performed according to the European Screening Method developed by the European Reference Laboratory for Coagulase Positive Staphylococci. Trypsin digests were screened for the presence of SEs using selected proteotypic heavy-labeled peptides as internal standards. SEA and SEB were successfully detected in milk samples using LC-MS/MS in MRM mode. The selected SE peptides were proteotypic for each toxin, allowing the discrimination of SEA and SEB in a single run. The detection limit of SEA and SEB was approximately 8 and 4 ng/g, respectively.

VL - 8 CP - 4 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27104569?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.3390/toxins8040118 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Banana infecting fungus, fusarium musae, is also an opportunistic human pathogen. Bananas as potential carriers and source of fusariosis? Y1 - 2016 A1 - David Triest A1 - Dirk Stubbe A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Pierard,D. A1 - Detandt,M. A1 - Marijke Hendrickx KW - an KW - AS KW - Human KW - IS JF - Diagnose en surveillance van infectieziekten PB - NA CY - NA CP - BVIKM/WIV-ISP U1 - 2561 U2 - 19 mei 2016 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Development and use of non-invasive biomarkers to monitor respiratory health of young children Y1 - 2016 A1 - S. Nauwelaerts A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Olivier J Denis A1 - A. Bernard A1 - Sigrid C.J. De Keersmaecker A1 - Nancy Roosens KW - Biomarkers KW - CHILDREN KW - Development KW - health KW - Institute KW - International KW - Network KW - Respiratory KW - use KW - young JF - Institute Pasteur International Network Scientific Symposium PB - WIV-ISP CY - Paris, France CP - Institut Pasteur U1 - 593 U2 - 29 november-2 december 2016 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Fusarium, clinical relevance and mass spectrometry methods for identification Y1 - 2016 A1 - David Triest A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Pierard,D. KW - Mass KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - method KW - methods KW - rapport PB - WIV-ISP CY - Brussels U1 - 2556 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Fusarium, clinical relevance and mass spectrometry methods for identification. T2 - WIV-ISP Scientific report 2014-2015 Y1 - 2016 A1 - David Triest A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Pierard,D. KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - methods JF - WIV-ISP Scientific report 2014-2015 PB - WIV-ISP CY - Brussels, Belgium UR - NA ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Fusarium musae infected banana fruits as potential source of human fusariosis: May occur more frequently than we might think and hypotheses about infection. JF - Commun Integr Biol Y1 - 2016 A1 - David Triest A1 - Piérard, Denis A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Marijke Hendrickx KW - Fruit KW - Fruits KW - Fusarium KW - Human KW - INFECTION AB -

The banana fruit infecting fungus Fusarium musae was originally known as a distinct population within Fusarium verticillioides. However, recently, Fusarium musae was installed as a separate species and the first cases of human infection associated with Fusarium musae were found. In this article, we report an additional survey indicating that human pathogenic Fusarium musae infections may occur more frequently than we might think. Moreover, we evaluate the hypotheses on how infection can be acquired. A first hypothesis is that banana fruits act as carriers of Fusarium musae spores and thereby be the source of human infection with Fusarium musae. Acquisition is likely to be caused through contact with Fusarium musae contaminated banana fruits, either being imported or after traveling of the patient to a banana-producing country. An alternative hypothesis is that Fusarium musae is not only present on banana fruits, but also on other plant hosts or environmental sources.

VL - 9 CP - 2 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27195070?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1080/19420889.2016.1162934 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Human biomonitoring as a tool for objective exposure assessment: A case-study of a major train accident with acrylonitrile in Belgium Y1 - 2016 A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - De Smedt,T. A1 - Smons,K. A1 - Stove,C. A1 - De Paepe,P. A1 - Nemery,B. A1 - Bader,M. A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Birgit Mertens A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - T. Goen A1 - Schettgen,T. A1 - Herman Van Oyen A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - accident KW - acrylonitrile KW - approach KW - AS KW - assessment KW - biomonitoring KW - exposure KW - exposure assessment KW - health KW - Human KW - Human biomonitoring KW - International KW - Objective KW - Science KW - Societies KW - Society JF - Interdisciplinary Approaches for Health and the Environment PB - NA CY - NA CP - International Society of Exposure Science ISES, U1 - 2516 U2 - 9-13/10/2016 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Human biomonitoring in the Wetteren incident Y1 - 2016 A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - De Smedt ,T. A1 - Simons,K. A1 - Stove,C. A1 - De Paepe,P. A1 - Nemery,B. A1 - Bader,M. A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Birgit Mertens A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - T. Goen A1 - Schettgen,T. A1 - Herman Van Oyen A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - biomonitoring KW - Cost KW - Diagnosis KW - European KW - exposure KW - Human KW - Human biomonitoring KW - Monitoring KW - prevention KW - Wetteren JF - European COST project DiMoPEX, Diagnosis, monitoring, prevention of exposure related non-communicable diseases PB - NA CY - NA CP - DiMoPEX U1 - 2642 U2 - October 18, 2016. ER - TY - Generic T1 - MALDI-TOF for drug resistance testing in mycobacterium tuberculosis Y1 - 2016 A1 - Pieter-Jan Ceyssens A1 - Karine Soetaert A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Sophie Bertrand A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Vanessa Mathys KW - DRUG KW - Drug Resistance KW - MALDI-TOF KW - Mycobacterium KW - resistance KW - TESTING JF - ECCMID 2016 PB - NA CY - NA CP - ECCMID U1 - 39257 U2 - 09/04/2016 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Nicotine Dependence and Urinary Nicotine, Cotinine and Hydroxycotinine Levels in Daily Smokers. JF - Nicotine Tob Res Y1 - 2016 A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - De Smedt, Tom A1 - Dendale, Paul A1 - Nackaerts, Kristiaan A1 - Vanacker, Hilde A1 - Vanoeteren, Jan F A A1 - Van Laethem, Danny M G A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Koen De Cremer KW - ADOLESCENT KW - Adult KW - Biomarkers KW - cotinine KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Linear Models KW - Male KW - middle aged KW - Multivariate Analysis KW - Nicotine KW - Severity of Illness Index KW - SMOKING KW - Smoking cessation KW - Surveys and Questionnaires KW - Tandem Mass Spectrometry KW - Tobacco Use Disorder KW - Young adult AB -

INTRODUCTION: Nicotine dependence and smoking frequency are critical factors for smoking cessation. The aims of this study are (1) to determine if nicotine dependence Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) scores are associated with urinary levels of nicotine metabolites, (2) to assess the relationship of hydroxycotinine/cotinine ratio with FTND score and cigarettes smoked per day (CPD), and (3) to identify significant predictors of cigarettes per day among biomarker concentrations and individual FTND items.

METHODS: Urine samples and questionnaire data of 239 daily smokers were obtained. Nicotine, cotinine and hydroxycotinine urinary levels were determined by UPLC MS/MS.Multiple linear regression models were developed to explore the relationship between nicotine, cotinine, hydroxycotinine levels and separate FTND scores (for all six items).

RESULTS: We found significant correlations between the different urinary biomarker concentrations, and the FTND score. The time before the first cigarette after waking (TTFC) was significantly associated with the nicotine, cotinine and hydroxycotinine concentrations. No association was found between the ratio of hydroxycotinine to cotinine and either the FTND or the CPD. A model including four FTND questions, sex, age, and the cotinine concentration, accounted for 45% of the variance of CPD.

CONCLUSIONS: There are significant relationships between urinary levels of nicotine, cotinine, and hydroxycotinine and the FTND score. Especially the FTND question about TTFC is relevant for explaining the biomarker concentrations. CPD (below 15) was significantly explained by four FTND dependence items and urinary cotinine levels in a regression model.

IMPLICATIONS: We investigated associations between urinary levels of nicotine, cotinine, and hydroxycotinine in daily smokers and the FTND scores for nicotine dependence. We did not find association between the hydroxycotinine/cotinine ratio and CPD. We developed a model that explains the cigarettes smoked daily (CPD) in a group of light smokers by combining FTND items, urinary cotinine levels, sex, and age. Our results might be of importance for clinical use or future studies on larger smoking populations.

VL - 18 CP - 9 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27083213?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1093/ntr/ntw099 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Short-term effect of pollen and spore exposure on allergy morbidity in the Brussels-Capital Region. JF - Ecohealth Y1 - 2016 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Simons, Koen A1 - Lucie Hoebeke A1 - Ann Packeu A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Buyl, Ronald A1 - Coomans, Danny A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - Allergic rhinitis KW - ecology KW - Fungal spore KW - Medication KW - pollen KW - public health AB -

Belgium is among the European countries that are the most affected by allergic rhinitis. Pollen grains and fungal spores represent important triggers of symptoms. However, few studies have investigated their real link with disease morbidity over several years. Based on aeroallergen counts and health insurance datasets, the relationship between daily changes in pollen, fungal spore concentrations and daily changes in reimbursable systemic antihistamine sales has been investigated between 2005 and 2011 in the Brussels-Capital Region. A Generalized Linear Model was used and adjusted for air pollution, meteorological conditions, flu, seasonal component and day of the week. We observed an augmentation in drug sales despite no significant increase in allergen levels in the long term. The relative risk of buying allergy medications associated with an interquartile augmentation in pollen distributions increased significantly for Poaceae, Betula, Carpinus, Fraxinus and Quercus. Poaceae affected the widest age group and led to the highest increase of risk which reached 1.13 (95% CI [1.11-1.14]) among the 19- to 39-year-old men. Betula showed the second most consistent relationship across age groups. Clear identification of the provoking agents may improve disease management by customizing prevention programmes. This work also opens several research perspectives related to impact of climate modification or subpopulation sensitivity.

VL - 13 CP - 2 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27174430?dopt=Abstract M3 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-016-1124-x ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Short-term health effects in the general population following a major train accident with acrylonitrile in Belgium. JF - Environ Res Y1 - 2016 A1 - Simons, K A1 - De Smedt, T A1 - Stove, C A1 - De Paepe, P A1 - Bader, M A1 - Nemery, B A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Birgit Mertens A1 - Göen, T A1 - Schettgen, T A1 - Herman Van Oyen A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - acrylonitrile KW - Adult KW - Belgium KW - Chemical Hazard Release KW - cotinine KW - Dose-Response Relationship, Drug KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Female KW - Headache KW - Humans KW - Irritants KW - Male KW - middle aged KW - Nausea KW - Railroads KW - Self Report KW - SMOKING KW - Surveys and Questionnaires KW - Tremor KW - Valine AB -

BACKGROUND: Following a train derailment, several tons of acrylonitrile (ACN) exploded, inflamed and part of the ACN ended up in the sewage system of the village of Wetteren. More than 2000 residents living in the close vicinity of the accident and along the sewage system were evacuated. A human biomonitoring study of the adduct N-2-cyanoethylvaline (CEV) was carried out days 14-21 after the accident.

OBJECTIVES: (1) To describe the short-term health effects that were reported by the evacuated residents following the train accident, and (2) to explore the association between the CEV concentrations, extrapolated at the time of the accident, and the self-reported short-term health effects.

METHODS: Short-term health effects were reported in a questionnaire (n=191). An omnibus test of independence was used to investigate the association between the CEV concentrations and the symptoms. Dose-response relationships were quantified by Generalized Additive Models (GAMs).

RESULTS: The most frequently reported symptoms were local symptoms of irritation. In non-smokers, dose-dependency was observed between the CEV levels and the self-reporting of irritation (p=0.007) and nausea (p=0.007). Almost all non-smokers with CEV concentrations above 100pmol/g globin reported irritation symptoms. Both absence and presence of symptoms was reported by non-smokers with CEV concentrations below the reference value and up to 10 times the reference value. Residents who visited the emergency services reported more symptoms. This trend was seen for the whole range of CEV concentrations, and thus independently of the dose.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The present study is one of the first to relate exposure levels to a chemical released during a chemical incident to short-term (self-reported) health effects. A dose-response relation was observed between the CEV concentrations and the reporting of short-term health effects in the non-smokers. Overall, the value of self-reported symptoms to assess exposure showed to be limited. The results of this study confirm that a critical view should be taken when considering self-reported health complaints and that ideally biomarkers are monitored to allow an objective assessment of exposure.

VL - 148 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27085497?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.envres.2016.03.031 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Unique Phylogenetic Lineage Found in the Fusarium-like Clade after Re-examining BCCM/IHEM Fungal Culture Collection Material. JF - Mycobiology Y1 - 2016 A1 - David Triest A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Piérard, Denis A1 - Marijke Hendrickx KW - a KW - additional KW - Analyses KW - AS KW - BCCM/IHEM KW - Belgian KW - culture KW - diversity KW - Dna KW - Fusarium KW - growth KW - IS KW - IT KW - ITS KW - Marker KW - present KW - report KW - sampling KW - Species KW - strain KW - study KW - Type AB -

Recently, the Fusarium genus has been narrowed based upon phylogenetic analyses and a Fusarium-like clade was adopted. The few species of the Fusarium-like clade were moved to new, re-installed or existing genera or provisionally retained as "Fusarium." Only a limited number of reference strains and DNA marker sequences are available for this clade and not much is known about its actual species diversity. Here, we report six strains, preserved by the Belgian fungal culture collection BCCM/IHEM as a Fusarium species, that belong to the Fusarium-like clade. They showed a slow growth and produced pionnotes, typical morphological characteristics of many Fusarium-like species. Multilocus sequencing with comparative sequence analyses in GenBank and phylogenetic analyses, using reference sequences of type material, confirmed that they were indeed member of the Fusarium-like clade. One strain was identified as "Fusarium" ciliatum whereas another strain was identified as Fusicolla merismoides. The four remaining strains were shown to represent a unique phylogenetic lineage in the Fusarium-like clade and were also found morphologically distinct from other members of the Fusarium-like clade. Based upon phylogenetic considerations, a new genus, Pseudofusicolla gen. nov., and a new species, Pseudofusicolla belgica sp. nov., were installed for this lineage. A formal description is provided in this study. Additional sampling will be required to gather isolates other than the historical strains presented in the present study as well as to further reveal the actual species diversity in the Fusarium-like clade.

VL - 44 CP - 3 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27790062?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.5941/MYCO.2016.44.3.121 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Analysis of the short-term effect of pollen and spore exposure on allergy medication sales Y1 - 2015 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Koen Simons A1 - Ann Packeu A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Lucie Hoebeke A1 - Marijke Hendrickx A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - allergy medication KW - exposure KW - pollen KW - sales KW - spores AB -

Allergic rhinitis takes a heavy toll in Belgium. Pollen is an important trigger but fungal spores might also influence the onset of symptoms. The purpose of this study was to assess the health impact of these aeroallergens based on their repercussion on allergy medication sales in the Brussels-Capital Region. Methods: The relationship between daily changes in pollen and spore concentrations and daily changes in reimbursable systemic antihistamine sales has been investigated with times series analysis. 8 pollen and 2 spore species were tested for different age and gender categories. A generalized linear model was used and adjusted for air pollutant concentrations, climate factors, flu, seasonal component and day of the week. Analysis focused on the 2005-2011 period. Results: For most age groups, the relative risk of buying allergy medications associated with an interquartile augmentation in pollen concentrations increased significantly for Betula, Carpinus and Gramineae. Associations existed but were less consistent across ages for Quercus, Fraxinus, and Taxus Cupressaceae. Considering a 10 days cumulative effect, the relative risk reached up to 1,11 (95%CI [1,09-1,12]) for Gramineae among the 19-39 years customers. Risk pattern varied according to gender. Discussion: Little research in this field has been carried out worldwide and extrapolation from previous studies is hazardous given the high influence of the local context. This multidisciplinary study is the first of this kind in Belgium and demonstrates the large health consequences of Gramineae and several common tree species for the Brussels area. It distinguishes itself by its duration, sensitivity and completeness of data (any sale of reimbursable drugs was captured, daily data of various cofactors were used). This work opens several research perspectives related to subpopulation sensitivity or impact of climate modification (changes in pollen concentration, occurrence of novel aeroallergens).

JF - 27th Conference of the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology PB - ISEE CY - São Paulo, Brazil ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Banana infecting fungus, Fusarium musae, is also an opportunistic human pathogen: are bananas potential carriers and source of fusariosis? JF - Mycologia Y1 - 2015 A1 - David Triest A1 - Dirk Stubbe A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Piérard, Denis A1 - Detandt, Monique A1 - Marijke Hendrickx KW - Disease Reservoirs KW - Fusariosis KW - Fusarium KW - Humans KW - Molecular Sequence Data KW - Musa KW - Phylogeny KW - Plant Diseases KW - United States AB -

During re-identification of Fusarium strains in the BCCM™/IHEM fungal collection by multilocus sequence-analysis we observed that five strains, previously identified as Fusarium verticillioides, were Fusarium musae, a species described in 2011 from banana fruits. Four strains were isolated from blood samples or biopsies of immune-suppressed patients and one was isolated from the clinical environment, all originating from different hospitals in Belgium or France, 2001-2008. The F. musae identity of our isolates was confirmed by phylogenetic analysis using reference sequences of type material. Absence of the gene cluster necessary for fumonisin biosynthesis, characteristic to F. musae, was also the case for our isolates. In vitro antifungal susceptibility testing revealed no important differences in their susceptibility compared to clinical F. verticillioides strains and terbinafine was the most effective drug. Additional clinical F. musae strains were searched by performing BLAST queries in GenBank. Eight strains were found, of which six were keratitis cases from the U.S. multistate contact lens-associated outbreak in 2005 and 2006. The two other strains were also from the U.S., causing either a skin infection or sinusitis. This report is the first to describe F. musae as causative agent of superficial and opportunistic, disseminated infections in humans. Imported bananas might act as carriers of F. musae spores and be a potential source of infection with F. musae in humans. An alternative hypothesis is that the natural distribution of F. musae is geographically a lot broader than originally suspected and F. musae is present on different plant hosts.

VL - 107 CP - 1 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25361833?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.3852/14-174 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Development and validation of an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method to measure creatinine in human urine. JF - J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci Y1 - 2015 A1 - Fraselle, S A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Wim Coucke A1 - Glorieux, G A1 - Vanmassenhove, J A1 - Schepers, E A1 - Neirynck, N A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Van Biesen, W A1 - Vanholder, R KW - Biomarkers KW - Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid KW - Creatinine KW - Humans KW - Limit of Detection KW - Linear Models KW - Renal Insufficiency, Chronic KW - Reproducibility of Results KW - Tandem Mass Spectrometry AB -

Despite decades of creatinine measurement in biological fluids using a large variety of analytical methods, an accurate determination of this compound remains challenging. Especially with the novel trend to assess biomarkers on large sample sets preserved in biobanks, a simple and fast method that could cope with both a high sample throughput and a low volume of sample is still of interest. In answer to these challenges, a fast and accurate ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed to measure creatinine in small volumes of human urine. In this method, urine samples are simply diluted with a basic mobile phase and injected directly under positive electrospray ionization (ESI) conditions, without further purification steps. The combination of an important diluting factor (10(4) times) due to the use of a very sensitive triple quadrupole mass spectrometer (XEVO TQ) and the addition of creatinine-d3 as internal standard completely eliminates matrix effects coming from the urine. The method was validated in-house in 2012 according to the EMA guideline on bioanalytical method validation using Certified Reference samples from the German External Quality Assessment Scheme (G-Equas) proficiency test. All obtained results for accuracy and recovery are within the authorized tolerance ranges defined by G-Equas. The method is linear between 0 and 5 g/L, with LOD and LOQ of 5 × 10(-3) g/L and 10(-2) g/L, respectively. The repeatability (CV(r) = 1.03-2.07%) and intra-laboratory reproducibility (CV(RW) = 1.97-2.40%) satisfy the EMA 2012 guideline. The validated method was firstly applied to perform the German G-Equas proficiency test rounds 51 and 53, in 2013 and 2014, respectively. The obtained results were again all within the accepted tolerance ranges and very close to the reference values defined by the organizers of the proficiency test scheme, demonstrating an excellent accuracy of the developed method. The method was finally applied to measure the creatinine concentration in 210 urine samples, coming from 190 patients with a chronic kidney disease (CKD) and 20 healthy subjects. The obtained creatinine concentrations (ranging from 0.12 g/L up to 3.84 g/L) were compared, by means of a Passing Bablok regression, with the creatinine contents obtained for the same samples measured using a traditional compensated Jaffé method. The UHPLC-MS/MS method described in this paper can be used to normalize the concentration of biomarkers in urine for the extent of dilution.

VL - 988 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25756209?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.jchromb.2015.02.026 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Etat des lieux de l'allergie en Région de Bruxelles-Capitale. Recensement des bases de données relatives aux allergies respiratoires dans la région. Y1 - 2015 A1 - Ariane Guilbert A1 - Camille Chasseur A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - allergique KW - asthme KW - bases de données KW - Bruxelles KW - hospitalisations KW - médicaments KW - mortalité KW - Observation KW - rhinite PB - WIV-ISP CY - Bruxelles, Belgique ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Exposure determinants of cadmium in European mothers and their children. JF - Environ Res Y1 - 2015 A1 - Berglund, Marika A1 - Larsson, Kristin A1 - Grandér, Margaretha A1 - Casteleyn, Ludwine A1 - Kolossa-Gehring, Marike A1 - Schwedler, Gerda A1 - Castaño, Argelia A1 - Esteban, Marta A1 - Angerer, Jürgen A1 - Koch, Holger M A1 - Schindler, Birgit K A1 - Schoeters, Greet A1 - Smolders, Roel A1 - Exley, Karen A1 - Sepai, Ovnair A1 - Blumen, Luies A1 - Horvat, Milena A1 - Knudsen, Lisbeth E A1 - Mørck, Thit A A1 - Joas, Anke A1 - Joas, Reinhard A1 - Biot, Pierre A1 - Aerts, Dominique A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Katsonouri, Andromachi A1 - Hadjipanayis, Adamos A1 - Cerna, Milena A1 - Krskova, Andrea A1 - Nielsen, Jeanette K S A1 - Jensen, Janne Fangel A1 - Rudnai, Peter A1 - Kozepesy, Szilvia A1 - Griffin, Chris A1 - Nesbitt, Ian A1 - Gutleb, Arno C A1 - Fischer, Marc E A1 - Ligocka, Danuta A1 - Jakubowski, Marek A1 - M Fátima Reis A1 - Namorado, Sónia A1 - Lupsa, Ioana-Rodica A1 - Gurzau, Anca E A1 - Halzlova, Katarina A1 - Jajcaj, Michal A1 - Mazej, Darja A1 - Tratnik, Janja Snoj A1 - Lopez, Ana A1 - Cañas, Ana A1 - Lehmann, Andrea A1 - Crettaz, Pierre A1 - Den Hond, Elly A1 - Govarts, Eva KW - Adult KW - Cadmium KW - Child KW - Child, Preschool KW - cross-sectional studies KW - environmental exposure KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Environmental Pollutants KW - Europe KW - Humans KW - LIFE STYLE KW - Limit of Detection KW - middle aged KW - mothers KW - regression analysis KW - SMOKING KW - Socioeconomic Factors KW - Young adult AB -

The metal cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental pollutant with documented adverse effects on the kidneys and bones from long-term environmental exposure, but with insufficiently elucidated public health consequences such as risk of cardiovascular disease, hormone-related cancer in adults and developmental effects in children. This study is the first pan-European human biomonitoring project that succeeded in performing harmonized measurements of Cd in urine in a comparable way in mother-child couples from 16 European countries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the overall Cd exposure and significant determinants of Cd exposure. A study population of 1632 women (24-52 years of age), and 1689 children (5-12 years of age), from 32 rural and urban areas, was examined within a core period of 6 months in 2011-2012. Women were stratified as smokers and non-smokers. As expected, smoking mothers had higher geometric mean (gm) urinary cadmium (UCd; 0.24 µg/g crea; n=360) than non-smoking mothers (gm 0.18 µg/g crea; n=1272; p<0.0001), and children had lower UCd (gm 0.065 µg/g crea; n=1689) than their mothers at the country level. Non-smoking women exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home had 14% (95% CI 1-28%) higher UCd than those who were not exposed to ETS at home (p=0.04). No influence of ETS at home or other places on UCd levels was detected in children. Smoking women with primary education as the highest educational level of the household had 48% (95% CI 18-86%) higher UCd than those with tertiary education (p=0.0008). The same observation was seen in non-smoking women and in children; however they were not statistically significant. In children, living in a rural area was associated with 7% (95% CI 1-13%) higher UCd (p=0.03) compared to living in an urban area. Children, 9-12 years had 7% (95% CI 1-13%) higher UCd (p=0.04) than children 5-8 years. About 1% of the mothers, and 0.06% of the children, exceeded the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) appointed by EFSA, corresponding to 1.0 µg Cd/g crea in urine. Poland had the highest UCd in comparison between the 16 countries, while Denmark had the lowest. Whether the differences between countries are related to differences in the degree of environmental Cd contamination or to differences in lifestyle, socioeconomic status or dietary patterns is not clear.

VL - 141 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25465922?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.envres.2014.09.042 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Identification of moulds of the Fusarium genus; how useful is MALDI-TOF MS? Y1 - 2015 A1 - David Triest A1 - Dirk Stubbe A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Denis Piérard A1 - A-C Normand A1 - Piarroux,R. A1 - M. Detandt A1 - Marijke Hendrickx KW - Congresses KW - Fusarium KW - identification KW - IS KW - MALDI-TOF KW - MALDI-TOF MS KW - Moulds KW - MS JF - 19th ISHAM Congress PB - NA CY - NA CP - ISHAM U1 - 39217 U2 - 4-8/05/2015 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Use of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry for identification of molds of the Fusarium genus. JF - J Clin Microbiol Y1 - 2015 A1 - David Triest A1 - Dirk Stubbe A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Piérard, Denis A1 - Normand, Anne-Cécile A1 - Piarroux, Renaud A1 - Detandt, Monique A1 - Marijke Hendrickx KW - Belgium KW - Fusariosis KW - Fusarium KW - Humans KW - Microbiological Techniques KW - Sensitivity and Specificity KW - Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization KW - Time Factors AB -

The rates of infection with Fusarium molds are increasing, and a diverse number of Fusarium spp. belonging to different species complexes can cause infection. Conventional species identification in the clinical laboratory is time-consuming and prone to errors. We therefore evaluated whether matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) is a useful alternative. The 289 Fusarium strains from the Belgian Coordinated Collections of Microorganisms (BCCM)/Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology Mycology (IHEM) culture collection with validated sequence-based identities and comprising 40 species were used in this study. An identification strategy was developed, applying a standardized MALDI-TOF MS assay and an in-house reference spectrum database. In vitro antifungal testing was performed to assess important differences in susceptibility between clinically relevant species/species complexes. We observed that no incorrect species complex identifications were made by MALDI-TOF MS, and 82.8% of the identifications were correct to the species level. This success rate was increased to 91% by lowering the cutoff for identification. Although the identification of the correct species complex member was not always guaranteed, antifungal susceptibility testing showed that discriminating between Fusarium species complexes can be important for treatment but is not necessarily required between members of a species complex. With this perspective, some Fusarium species complexes with closely related members can be considered as a whole, increasing the success rate of correct identifications to 97%. The application of our user-friendly MALDI-TOF MS identification approach resulted in a dramatic improvement in both time and accuracy compared to identification with the conventional method. A proof of principle of our MALDI-TOF MS approach in the clinical setting using recently isolated Fusarium strains demonstrated its validity.

VL - 53 CP - 2 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25411180?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1128/JCM.02213-14 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Acrylonitrile exposure assessment in the emergency responders of a major train accident in Belgium: a human biomonitoring study. JF - Toxicol Lett Y1 - 2014 A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - De Smedt, T A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Birgit Mertens A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Bader, M A1 - De Paepe, P A1 - Göen, T A1 - Nemery, B A1 - Schettgen, T A1 - Stove, C A1 - Herman Van Oyen A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - acrylonitrile KW - Adult KW - Belgium KW - Chemical Hazard Release KW - Emergency Responders KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Male KW - middle aged KW - Occupational Exposure KW - Railroads KW - regression analysis KW - Surveys and Questionnaires KW - Valine AB -

BACKGROUND: On May 4, 2013, a train transporting chemicals derailed in Wetteren, Belgium. Several tanks loaded with acrylonitrile (ACN) exploded, resulting in a fire and a leakage of ACN.

OBJECTIVES: To determine exposure to ACN and to assess discriminating factors for ACN exposure in the emergency responders involved in the on-site management of the train accident.

METHODS: The study population consisted of 841 emergency responders. Between May 21 and June 28, they gave blood for the determination of N-2-cyanoethylvaline (CEV) hemoglobin adducts and urine for the measurement of cotinine. They also filled in a short questionnaire.

RESULTS: 163 (26%) non-smokers and 55 (27%) smokers showed CEV concentrations above the reference values of 10 and 200 pmol/g globin, respectively. The 95th percentile in the non-smokers was 73 pmol/g globin and the maximum was 452 pmol/g globin. ACN exposure among the non-smokers was predicted by (1) the distance to the accident, (2) the duration of exposure, and (3) the occupational function.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Emergency responders involved in the on-site management of the train accident were clearly exposed to ACN from the accident. However, the extent of exposure remained relatively moderate with CEV concentrations staying within the ranges described in literature as background for a smoking population. Moreover, the exposure was less pronounced in the emergency responders as compared to that in the local population.

VL - 231 CP - 3 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25128591?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.toxlet.2014.08.013 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Acrylonitrile exposure in the general population following a major train accident in Belgium: a human biomonitoring study. JF - Toxicol Lett Y1 - 2014 A1 - De Smedt, T A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Birgit Mertens A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Bader, M A1 - De Paepe, P A1 - Göen, T A1 - Nemery, B A1 - Schettgen, T A1 - Stove, C A1 - Herman Van Oyen A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse KW - acrylonitrile KW - Adult KW - Belgium KW - Chemical Hazard Release KW - environmental exposure KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Male KW - middle aged KW - Railroads KW - Sewage KW - Surveys and Questionnaires KW - Valine AB -

BACKGROUND: On Saturday May 4, 2013, a train transporting chemicals derailed in the village of Wetteren (Belgium) and caused a leak of acrylonitrile (ACN).

OBJECTIVES: To assess the human exposure to acrylonitrile in the local population with the highest suspected exposure.

METHODS: Between May 18-25, 242 residents participated in the study. N-2-cyanoethylvaline (CEV), a biomarker that is highly specific for ACN exposure, was measured in the blood. To account for potential influence by smoking, cotinine was determined in the urine. Participants also filled in a short questionnaire.

RESULTS: In the evacuated zone, 37.3% of the non-smokers and 40.0% of the smokers had CEV concentrations above the reference values of 10 and 200 pmol/g globin, respectively, at the time of the train accident. Spatial mapping of the CEV concentrations depending on the residential address showed a distribution pattern following the sewage system.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The train derailment resulted in a highly atypical sequence-of-events. In addition to exposure in the direct vicinity of the site of the train derailment, exposure also occurred via the sewage system, into which acrylonitrile had entered shortly after the accident.

VL - 231 CP - 3 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25223249?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.toxlet.2014.09.009 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Application of LC-MS/MS MRM for the discrimination and quantification of staphylococcal enterotoxins in food matrix Y1 - 2014 A1 - V. Tsilia A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - A. Rajkovic A1 - S. Cosijns A1 - M. Davin A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - application KW - conference KW - de KW - discrimination KW - enterotoxin KW - Enterotoxins KW - food KW - LC-MS/MS KW - M KW - ON KW - Quantification KW - S JF - 19th Conference on Food Microbiology PB - NA CY - NA CP - Belgian Society for Food Microbiology U1 - 2308 U2 - 18-19 sept 2014 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Application of LC-MS/MS MRM for the discrimination of staphylococcal enterotoxins in milk Y1 - 2014 A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - V. Tsilia A1 - A. Rajkovic A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - S. Cosijns A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - application KW - discrimination KW - enterotoxin KW - Enterotoxins KW - LC-MS/MS KW - milk PB - Equatox CY - Helsinki U1 - 2313 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Biomonitoring survey of residents and emergency responders exposed to acrylonitrile after the train disaster in Wetteren (Belgium) Y1 - 2014 A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - T. De Smedt A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Gijs,G. A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - Herman Van Oyen KW - acrylonitrile KW - Belgium KW - biomonitoring KW - chemistry KW - Emergencies KW - Emergency KW - environmental KW - International KW - ON KW - residents KW - survey KW - symposium KW - Wetteren JF - 38th International Symposium on Environmental Analytical Chemistry PB - NA CY - NA CP - IAEAC U1 - 2249 U2 - 17-20/06/2014 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The European COPHES/DEMOCOPHES project: towards transnational comparability and reliability of human biomonitoring results. JF - Int J Hyg Environ Health Y1 - 2014 A1 - Schindler, Birgit Karin A1 - Esteban, Marta A1 - Koch, Holger Martin A1 - Castaño, Argelia A1 - Koslitz, Stephan A1 - Cañas, Ana A1 - Casteleyn, Ludwine A1 - Kolossa-Gehring, Marike A1 - Schwedler, Gerda A1 - Schoeters, Greet A1 - Hond, Elly Den A1 - Sepai, Ovnair A1 - Exley, Karen A1 - Bloemen, Louis A1 - Horvat, Milena A1 - Knudsen, Lisbeth E A1 - Joas, Anke A1 - Joas, Reinhard A1 - Biot, Pierre A1 - Aerts, Dominique A1 - Lopez, Ana A1 - Huetos, Olga A1 - Katsonouri, Andromachi A1 - Maurer-Chronakis, Katja A1 - Kasparova, Lucie A1 - Vrbík, Karel A1 - Rudnai, Peter A1 - Naray, Miklos A1 - Guignard, Cedric A1 - Fischer, Marc E A1 - Ligocka, Danuta A1 - Janasik, Beata A1 - M Fátima Reis A1 - Namorado, Sónia A1 - Pop, Cristian A1 - Dumitrascu, Irina A1 - Halzlova, Katarina A1 - Fabianova, Eleonora A1 - Mazej, Darja A1 - Tratnik, Janja Snoj A1 - Berglund, Marika A1 - Jönsson, Bo A1 - Lehmann, Andrea A1 - Crettaz, Pierre A1 - Frederiksen, Hanne A1 - Nielsen, Flemming A1 - McGrath, Helena A1 - Nesbitt, Ian A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Vanermen, Guido A1 - Koppen, Gudrun A1 - Wilhelm, Michael A1 - Becker, Kerstin A1 - Angerer, Jürgen KW - Adult KW - Benzhydryl Compounds KW - Biomarkers KW - Cadmium KW - Child KW - cotinine KW - Creatinine KW - environmental exposure KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Environmental Pollutants KW - Europe KW - Female KW - Humans KW - Internationality KW - Laboratories KW - mothers KW - Phenols KW - Phthalic Acids KW - Reproducibility of Results AB -

COPHES/DEMOCOPHES has its origins in the European Environment and Health Action Plan of 2004 to "develop a coherent approach on human biomonitoring (HBM) in Europe". Within this twin-project it was targeted to collect specimens from 120 mother-child-pairs in each of the 17 participating European countries. These specimens were investigated for six biomarkers (mercury in hair; creatinine, cotinine, cadmium, phthalate metabolites and bisphenol A in urine). The results for mercury in hair are described in a separate paper. Each participating member state was requested to contract laboratories, for capacity building reasons ideally within its borders, carrying out the chemical analyses. To ensure comparability of analytical data a Quality Assurance Unit (QAU) was established which provided the participating laboratories with standard operating procedures (SOP) and with control material. This material was specially prepared from native, non-spiked, pooled urine samples and was tested for homogeneity and stability. Four external quality assessment exercises were carried out. Highly esteemed laboratories from all over the world served as reference laboratories. Web conferences after each external quality assessment exercise functioned as a new and effective tool to improve analytical performance, to build capacity and to educate less experienced laboratories. Of the 38 laboratories participating in the quality assurance exercises 14 laboratories qualified for cadmium, 14 for creatinine, 9 for cotinine, 7 for phthalate metabolites and 5 for bisphenol A in urine. In the last of the four external quality assessment exercises the laboratories that qualified for DEMOCOPHES performed the determinations in urine with relative standard deviations (low/high concentration) of 18.0/2.1% for cotinine, 14.8/5.1% for cadmium, 4.7/3.4% for creatinine. Relative standard deviations for the newly emerging biomarkers were higher, with values between 13.5 and 20.5% for bisphenol A and between 18.9 and 45.3% for the phthalate metabolites. Plausibility control of the HBM results of all participating countries disclosed analytical shortcomings in the determination of Cd when using certain ICP/MS methods. Results were corrected by reanalyzes. The COPHES/DEMOCOPHES project for the first time succeeded in performing a harmonized pan-European HBM project. All data raised have to be regarded as utmost reliable according to the highest international state of the art, since highly renowned laboratories functioned as reference laboratories. The procedure described here, that has shown its success, can be used as a blueprint for future transnational, multicentre HBM projects.

VL - 217 CP - 6 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24405937?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.ijheh.2013.12.002 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Exposure determinants of cadmium in European mothers and their children JF - Environ.Res. Y1 - 2014 A1 - Berglund,M. A1 - Larsson,K. A1 - Grander,M. A1 - Casteleyn,L. A1 - Kolossa-Gehring,M. A1 - Schwedler,G. A1 - Castano,A. A1 - M. Esteban A1 - Angerer,J. A1 - Koch,H.M. A1 - Schindler,B.K. A1 - Schoeters,G. A1 - Smolders,R. A1 - Exley,K. A1 - Sepai,O. A1 - Blumen,L. A1 - Horvat,M. A1 - Knudsen,L.E. A1 - Morck,T.A. A1 - Joas,A. A1 - Joas,R. A1 - Biot,P. A1 - Aerts,D. A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Andromachi Katsonouri A1 - Hadjipanayis,A. A1 - Cerna,M. A1 - Krskova,A. A1 - Nielsen,J.K. A1 - Jensen,J.F. A1 - Rudnai,P. A1 - Kozepesy,S. A1 - Griffin,C. A1 - Nesbitt,I. A1 - Gutleb,A.C. A1 - M. Fischer A1 - Ligocka,D. A1 - Jakubowski,M. A1 - Reis,M.F. A1 - Namorado,S. A1 - Lupsa,I.R. A1 - Gurzau,A.E. A1 - Halzlova,K. A1 - Jajcaj,M. A1 - Mazej,D. A1 - Tratnik,J.S. A1 - Lopez,A. A1 - Canas,A. A1 - Lehmann,A. A1 - Crettaz,P. A1 - E. Den Hond A1 - Govarts,E. KW - accident KW - Adult KW - adults KW - adverse effects KW - age KW - an KW - Area KW - Areas KW - article KW - AS KW - at KW - Belgium KW - biomonitoring KW - Brussels KW - Cadmium KW - cancer KW - cardiovascular KW - Cardiovascular disease KW - Cardiovascular-disease KW - CHILDREN KW - CI KW - Comparison KW - consequences KW - Countries KW - Cyprus KW - CZECH KW - Czech Republic KW - de KW - determinant KW - DETERMINANTS KW - dietary KW - differences KW - disease KW - education KW - Educational level KW - Educational-level KW - effect KW - effects KW - electronic KW - environment KW - environmental KW - environmental exposure KW - Environmental Health KW - Environmental tobacco KW - Environmental tobacco smoke KW - ET KW - ETS KW - European KW - European countries KW - exposure KW - Flemish KW - food KW - Food Chain KW - general KW - Germany KW - GM KW - health KW - health consequences KW - hospital KW - household KW - Human KW - Human biomonitoring KW - Hungary KW - Institute KW - intake KW - International KW - Ireland KW - IS KW - journal KW - Kidney KW - Laboratories KW - LEVEL KW - levels KW - LIFESTYLE KW - living KW - Long-term KW - Luxembourg KW - measurement KW - measurements KW - Medicine KW - métal KW - Mother KW - mothers KW - national KW - Netherlands KW - nonsmokers KW - Observation KW - OCCUPATIONAL KW - ON KW - pattern KW - PATTERNS KW - period KW - Places KW - POPULATION KW - portugal KW - prevention KW - Project KW - public KW - public health KW - Public-health KW - Research KW - risk KW - Rural KW - SAFETY KW - School KW - Science KW - Service KW - Smoke KW - smokers KW - SMOKING KW - SOCIAL KW - Socioeconomic KW - Socioeconomic status KW - Socioeconomic-status KW - Spain KW - State KW - status KW - study KW - study population KW - Sweden KW - Switzerland KW - The Netherlands KW - tobacco KW - Toxicology KW - United Kingdom KW - United-kingdom KW - Universities KW - university KW - urban KW - Urinary KW - urine KW - WHO KW - WIV-ISP KW - WOMEN AB - The metal cadmium (Cd) is a widespread environmental pollutant with documented adverse effects on the kidneys and bones from long-term environmental exposure, but with insufficiently elucidated public health consequences such as risk of cardiovascular disease, hormone-related cancer in adults and developmental effects in children. This study is the first pan-European human biomonitoring project that succeeded in performing harmonized measurements of Cd in urine in a comparable way in mother-child couples from 16 European countries. The aim of the study was to evaluate the overall Cd exposure and significant determinants of Cd exposure. A study population of 1632 women (24-52 years of age), and 1689 children (5-12 years of age), from 32 rural and urban areas, was examined within a core period of 6 months in 2011-2012. Women were stratified as smokers and non-smokers. As expected, smoking mothers had higher geometric mean (gm) urinary cadmium (UCd; 0.24microg/g crea; n=360) than non-smoking mothers (gm 0.18microg/g crea; n=1272; p<0.0001), and children had lower UCd (gm 0.065microg/g crea; n=1689) than their mothers at the country level. Non-smoking women exposed to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) at home had 14% (95% CI 1-28%) higher UCd than those who were not exposed to ETS at home (p=0.04). No influence of ETS at home or other places on UCd levels was detected in children. Smoking women with primary education as the highest educational level of the household had 48% (95% CI 18-86%) higher UCd than those with tertiary education (p=0.0008). The same observation was seen in non-smoking women and in children; however they were not statistically significant. In children, living in a rural area was associated with 7% (95% CI 1-13%) higher UCd (p=0.03) compared to living in an urban area. Children, 9-12 years had 7% (95% CI 1-13%) higher UCd (p=0.04) than children 5-8 years. About 1% of the mothers, and 0.06% of the children, exceeded the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) appointed by EFSA, corresponding to 1.0microgCd/g crea in urine. Poland had the highest UCd in comparison between the 16 countries, while Denmark had the lowest. Whether the differences between countries are related to differences in the degree of environmental Cd contamination or to differences in lifestyle, socioeconomic status or dietary patterns is not clear VL - epub U1 - 2316 M3 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2014.09.042 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Hair mercury and urinary cadmium levels in Belgian children and their mothers within the framework of the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES projects. JF - Sci Total Environ Y1 - 2014 A1 - Pirard, Catherine A1 - Koppen, Gudrun A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Govarts, Eva A1 - Dewolf, Marie-Christine A1 - Van De Mieroop, Els A1 - Aerts, Dominique A1 - Biot, Pierre A1 - Casteleyn, Ludwine A1 - Kolossa-Gehring, Marike A1 - Schwedler, Gerda A1 - Angerer, Jürgen A1 - Koch, Holger M A1 - Schindler, Birgit K A1 - Castaño, Argelia A1 - Esteban, Marta A1 - Schoeters, Greet A1 - Den Hond, Elly A1 - Sepai, Ovnair A1 - Exley, Karen A1 - Horvat, Milena A1 - Bloemen, Louis A1 - Knudsen, Lisbeth E A1 - Joas, Reinhard A1 - Joas, Anke A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Charlier, Corinne KW - Belgium KW - Cadmium KW - Child KW - Diet KW - environmental exposure KW - Environmental Monitoring KW - Environmental Pollutants KW - Female KW - Hair KW - Humans KW - Male KW - mercury KW - seafood AB -

A harmonized human biomonitoring pilot study was set up within the frame of the European projects DEMOCOPHES and COPHES. In 17 European countries, biomarkers of some environmental pollutants, including urinary cadmium and hair mercury, were measured in children and their mothers in order to obtain European-wide comparison values on these chemicals. The Belgian participant population consisted in 129 school children (6-11 years) and their mothers (≤ 45 years) living in urban or rural areas of Belgium. The geometric mean levels for mercury in hair were 0.383 μg/g and 0.204 μg/g for respectively mothers and children. Cadmium in mother's and children's urine was detected at a geometric mean concentration of respectively 0.21 and 0.04 μg/l. For both biomarkers, levels measured in the mothers and their child were correlated. While the urinary cadmium levels increased with age, no trend was found for hair mercury content, except the fact that mothers hold higher levels than children. The hair mercury content increased significantly with the number of dental amalgam fillings, explaining partially the higher levels in the mothers by their higher presence rate of these amalgams compared to children. Fish or seafood consumption was the other main parameter determining the mercury levels in hair. No relationship was found between smoking status and cadmium or mercury levels, but the studied population included very few smokers. Urinary cadmium levels were higher in both mothers and children living in urban areas, while for mercury this difference was only significant for children. Our small population showed urinary cadmium and hair mercury levels lower than the health based guidelines suggested by the WHO or the JECFA (Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives). Only 1% had cadmium level slightly higher than the German HBM-I value (1 μg/l for adults), and 9% exceeded the 1 μg mercury/g hair suggested by the US EPA.

VL - 472 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24333995?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2013.11.028 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Human biomonitoring Wetteren Y1 - 2014 A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Sébastien Fierens KW - Human KW - Wetteren JF - Tuesday Seminar PB - NA CY - NA CP - WIV-ISP U1 - 2241 U2 - 06/05/2014 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Proteomic detection as an alternative for the quantification of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins Y1 - 2014 A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - V. Tsilia A1 - A. Rajkovic A1 - S. Cosijns A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - additional KW - alternative KW - an KW - analysi KW - analysis KW - approach KW - approaches KW - AS KW - at KW - bacteria KW - cause KW - Common KW - Control KW - detection KW - Development KW - disease KW - Diseases KW - Efficiency KW - enterotoxin KW - Enterotoxins KW - environment KW - estimation KW - food KW - Foodborne Diseases KW - foodborne outbreaks KW - Foods KW - Gastroenteritis KW - identification KW - identify KW - Immunoassay KW - IS KW - matrix KW - Meat KW - method KW - methods KW - microorganism KW - milk KW - ON KW - outbreak KW - Peptides KW - poisoning KW - prevention KW - PROCESSES KW - protein KW - purification KW - Quantification KW - RANGE KW - Sample KW - Samples KW - Selection KW - specific KW - staphylococcus KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - structure AB -

Food poisoning caused by ingestion of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins is one of the most common foodborne diseases. Staphylococcus aureus is a well-studied, omnipresent bacterium which is not only found in the environment but is also part of the commensal mammalian flora. This microorganism produces enterotoxins, protein by their structure which can cause gastro-enteritis, emesis or act as superantigen. The methods used to its confirmation in food samples are mainly of microbiological character and are not quantitative. They may not be used in prevention of any foodborne outbreaks or to properly identify them. Besides, none of those methods allow unambiguous identification, nor quantification, as molecular tools are inefficient at proving the existence of the toxins in foods and immunoassays are not specific enough, not suitable for quantification and more importantly limited in the range of toxins they can identify. The proteomic approach method for the specific detection and quantification of each toxin is achieved through the analysis of peptides (toxin fragments) unique to a toxin. The peptides are obtained by extraction, purification and concentration of the enterotoxins out of the matrix and submitted to a proteotypic digestion by trypsin, The goal was to select two specific peptides per toxin to ensure proper identification and quantification. With a recognizable extraction concept the toxin is isolated from the incriminated matrix. During the process of method development the toxin was spiked at various steps down the extraction procedure to a matrix for additional control of the extraction losses. The spiked amount of toxins (1000 ng of each enterotoxin) is not representative of a real contamination but was used for the estimation. The major conclusions were that the extraction efficiency was dependent (eg milk vs meat) on the food matrix and the selection of the proteotypicpeptides

JF - ProteoMMX³ strictly quantitative T3 - ProteoMMX³ strictly quantitative - Book of Abstracts PB - NA CY - NA CP - University of Liverpool in association with the British Society for Proteome Research U1 - 2237 U2 - March 24-27th 2014 ER - TY - Generic T1 - A urinary protein biomarkers panel to discriminate progressive from non-progressive chronic kidney disease using a targeted proteomics method Y1 - 2014 A1 - Stéphanie Fraselle A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Wim Coucke A1 - Glorieux,G. A1 - Vanmassenhove,J. A1 - Schepers,E. A1 - Neirynck,N. A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Van Biesen,W. A1 - Vanholder,R. KW - Absolute KW - additional KW - Affect KW - age KW - Albuminuria KW - ALL KW - alternative KW - an KW - analysi KW - analysis KW - AS KW - association KW - at KW - Belgian KW - Biomarkers KW - blood KW - chronic KW - clinic KW - conference KW - Control KW - Creatinine KW - Diagnosis KW - Discriminant Analysis KW - Discussion KW - disease KW - factors KW - Follow KW - general KW - general population KW - General-population KW - Group KW - High risk KW - HIGH-RISK KW - hospital KW - INFORMATION KW - IS KW - Kidney KW - Literature KW - Marker KW - Markers KW - Mass KW - measurement KW - method KW - methods KW - MODEL KW - models KW - objectives KW - ON KW - Patient KW - patients KW - Peptides KW - POPULATION KW - poster KW - protein KW - Proteins KW - Proteomics KW - protocol KW - RENAL KW - result KW - results KW - risk KW - Sample KW - Samples KW - SELECTED KW - serum KW - STANDARD KW - standards KW - Still KW - Universities KW - university KW - university hospital KW - Urinary KW - urine KW - Validate KW - Weight AB -

I

JF - BePAc (2nd Conference of the Belgian Proteomics Association) T3 - From analytical to functional proteomics PB - NA CY - NA CP - Belgian Proteomics Association U1 - 2319 U2 - 18 - 19 December 2014 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Usefulness of urinary nicotine metabolite levels to estimate smoking frequency Y1 - 2014 A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - P. Dendale A1 - K Nackaerts A1 - H. Vanacker A1 - J Vanoeteren A1 - P Roosebrouck A1 - F. Achten A1 - Van Laethem,D. A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - conference KW - European KW - health KW - LEVEL KW - levels KW - ON KW - SMOKING KW - Urinary JF - European Conference on Tobbacco or Health PB - Turkish Association for Cancer Research and Control, National coalition on Tobacco or Health and European Cancer Leagues (ECL) CY - Istanbul CP - Turkish Association for Cancer Research and Control+National coalition on Tobacco or Health+European Cancer Leagues (ECL) U1 - 2240 U2 - 26-29 March 2014 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Antifungal susceptibilities within the Fusarium genus and use of MALDI-TOF MS Y1 - 2013 A1 - David Triest A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Dirk Stubbe A1 - Denis Piérard A1 - M. Detandt A1 - Marijke Hendrickx ED - Koninklijke Nederlande Planteziektenkundige Vereniging KW - Fusarium JF - 28 th meeting of the Fusarium working group of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Planteziektenkundige Vereniging CP - Koninklijke Nederlande Planteziektenkundige Vereniging U1 - 2201 U2 - 30/10/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Biomonitoring survey of residents and rescue workers for acrylonitrile after the train disaster in Wetteren (Belgium) Y1 - 2013 A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - T. De Smedt A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Gijs,G. A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - Herman Van Oyen KW - Belgium KW - residents KW - survey KW - worker KW - Workers JF - BEMS meeting PB - NA CY - NA CP - Belgian environmental mutagen society U1 - 2204 U2 - 22/11/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Biomonitoring survey of residents and rescue workers for acrylonitrile after the train disaster in Wetteren (Belgium) Y1 - 2013 A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - T. De Smedt A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Gijs,G. A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - Herman Van Oyen KW - / KW - acrylonitrile KW - Belgium KW - biomonitoring KW - residents KW - survey KW - Wetteren KW - worker KW - Workers JF - / PB - NA CY - NA CP - Vlaamse Wetenschappelijke Vereniging voor Arbeidsgeneeskunde (VWVA) U1 - 35260 U2 - 04/12/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - A biomonitoring survey of the residents and the rescue workers for acrylonitrile after the train disaster in Wetteren (Belgium) Y1 - 2013 A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - T. De Smedt A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - Herman Van Oyen KW - accident KW - acrylonitrile KW - ALL KW - Analyses KW - at KW - Belgian KW - Belgium KW - biomonitoring KW - blood KW - chemicals KW - conference KW - data KW - Data collection KW - demand KW - distribution KW - ET KW - Europe KW - European KW - exposure KW - function KW - Half-Life KW - health KW - Human KW - human exposure KW - INFORMATION KW - IS KW - living KW - measure KW - method KW - methods KW - nonsmokers KW - objectives KW - observed KW - ON KW - Participation KW - past KW - pattern KW - People KW - person KW - POPULATION KW - Populations KW - PRODUCTS KW - public KW - public health KW - Public-health KW - Questionnaire KW - RANGE KW - Reference Values KW - residence KW - residents KW - result KW - results KW - Sample KW - Samples KW - Service KW - Services KW - Smoke KW - smokers KW - SMOKING KW - SOCIAL KW - specific KW - Statistical KW - status KW - study KW - survey KW - System KW - time KW - tobacco KW - urine KW - values KW - Wetteren KW - WHO KW - worker KW - Workers AB - presentation at the 6th EUROPEAN PUBLIC HEALTH CONFERENCE - Health in Europe: are we there yet? Learning from the past, building the future JF - 6th EUROPEAN PUBLIC HEALTH CONFERENCE Health in Europe: are we there yet? Learning from the past, building the future PB - NA CY - NA CP - European Public Health Association (EUPHA) U1 - 235 U2 - 13-16/11/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Mercury and cadmium levels in Belgian children and their mothers Y1 - 2013 A1 - C Pirard A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Koppen,G. A1 - Dewolf,M.C. A1 - Van de Mieroop,E. A1 - Aerts,D. A1 - Biot,P. A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Charlier,C. KW - Belgian KW - Cadmium KW - CHILDREN KW - environmental KW - health KW - LEVEL KW - levels KW - mercury KW - Monitoring KW - Mother KW - mothers KW - OCCUPATIONAL KW - ON KW - symposium AB - Aims Within the frame of the EU projects DEMOCOPHES and COPHES, a harmonized European human biomonitoring pilot study was set up involving 17 European countries. The biomonitoring study consisted in measuring in each participating country the level of some environmental pollutant biomarkers in children and their mothers. Here we present the results of cadmium and mercury levels in respectively the urine and hair of the Belgian participants. Methods From October 2011 until February 2012, 129 Belgian school children (6-11y) and their mothers (≤ 45y) living in urban and rural areas of Brussels were selected to provide morning urine, hair, and information on their life style, diet and home environment. Cadmium levels were measured in centrifuged and acidified urine by ICP-MS (LOQ=0.01µg/g), while total mercury was analyzed by FIMS on hydrolyzed hairs (LOQ=0.08µg/g). Results The geometric mean level for mercury in hair were 0.383µg/g and 0.204µg/g for respectively mothers and children. Cadmium in mother's and children's urine was detected at a geometric mean concentration of respectively 0.21 and 0.04µg/L. Cadmium was detected in 99.2% of mother's urines and 86.4% of children's urines while 95.3 and 80.3% of mother's and children's hair showed mercury levels higher than the LOQ. Conclusions The levels of mercury in hair and cadmium in urine were higher in mothers than in children. The cadmium levels were higher in the urban area in both mothers and their children, and boys had increased levels compared to girls. Fish consumption and amalgam fillings in mothers were determinants of hair mercury levels JF - I International Symposium on biological monitoring in occupational and environmental health CP - Kate Jones,Health and Safety Laboratory,UK U1 - 2141 U2 - 1 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - On-line solid-phase extraction with ultra performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry for the detection of nicotine, cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine in urine to strengthen human biomonitoring and smoking cessation studies. JF - J Pharm Biomed Anal Y1 - 2013 A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - Chromatography, Liquid KW - cotinine KW - environmental exposure KW - Humans KW - Nicotine KW - Reproducibility of Results KW - Sensitivity and Specificity KW - SMOKING KW - Smoking cessation KW - Solid phase extraction KW - Tandem Mass Spectrometry KW - Tobacco Smoke Pollution AB -

At the time of writing, this work appears to be the first published report on the coupling of on-line solid phase extraction (SPE) with ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) for the simultaneous detection of nicotine, cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine in human urine. The advantages of both on-line SPE (speed, automation, less labor intensive) coupled with UPLC-MS/MS (speed, sensitivity) offer a viable option for efficient and economical biomonitoring studies for the assessment of active and passive exposure to tobacco smoke and clinical studies focusing on smoke cessation techniques. In a first approach, a 1:100 dilution of the urine was applied to screen for both passive and active exposure. Intra- and inter-batch reproducibility of this fast method (10min) was assessed for three concentration levels and were found to be less than 8% for each analyte while the accuracy was between 89 and 113%. To further improve the sensitivity of this approach when focusing only on passive smokers, the performance of a 1:10 dilution with the on-line SPE UPLC-MS/MS system was also tested. Results indeed show better sensitivity (LOQ's 1.0, 1.0 and 5.0μg/l for respectively cotinine, nicotine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine) and good analytical performance for all other analytical parameters on the low levels tested here. Both methods were applied to measure the concentration of nicotine, cotinine and trans-3'-hydroxycotinine in the urine of 53 volunteers (smokers and non-smokers) recruited via an internal call at the Scientific Institute of Public Health. For non-smokers and smokers, cotinine levels e.g. were respectively between 1.0-470μg/l and 97-2381μg/l. Both these on-line SPE UPLC-MS/MS methods showed their potential for dedicated future large biomonitoring projects as they made it possible to analyze large series of samples in a fast, sensitive, robust and cost-efficient manner.

VL - 76 U1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23313774?dopt=Abstract M3 - 10.1016/j.jpba.2012.12.018 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Phylogeny, MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry and antifungal susceptibility testing of the Fusarium strains in the BCCm/ICHEM collection Y1 - 2013 A1 - David Triest A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Dirk Stubbe A1 - Denis Piérard A1 - M. Detandt A1 - Marijke Hendrickx KW - Belgische KW - Fusarium KW - Mass KW - Mass Spectrometry KW - Phylogeny KW - strain JF - Meting van Belgische Vereniging voor Menselijke en Dierlijke Mycologie PB - NA CY - NA CP - Belgische Vereniging voor menselijke en dierlijke mycologie U1 - 2202 U2 - 14/11/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - A proteomics approach for the quantification of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins a and b in several matrices using uplc-msms analysis. Y1 - 2013 A1 - S. Cosijns A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - Stéphanie Fraselle A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - analysi KW - analysis KW - approach KW - approaches KW - enterotoxin KW - Enterotoxins KW - food KW - Food Analysis KW - ON KW - Proteomics KW - Quantification KW - staphylococcus KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - symposium AB - In number of foodborne outbreaks S. aureus intoxications stand highly ranked next to those caused by other pathogens like Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and others. In number of outbreaks and human cases per causative agent in strong evidence food-borne outbreaks in the EU, bacterial toxins share the second place together with foodborne viruses. Among bacterial toxins, staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) was by far the most important etiological agent. The largest proportion of strong evidence outbreaks caused by staphylococcal toxins was attributed to mixed or buffet meals (28.9%), followed by cheese (18.4%). This indicates that milk, milk derived products and ready-to-eat (RTI) foods require attention in detecting and quantifying SEs. We developed and are validating method to specifically quantify SEs in pork meat using stable isotope dilution and UPLC–MSMS analysis. Pork meat was spiked with SEA and/or SEB. Next we extract the SEs from the meat using isoelectric point precipitation and ultrafiltration. Afterwards the sample was overnight digested with trypsin to obtain SE-derived peptides. Only the endogenous peptides that are unique to their respective SE are selected for analysis with LC–MSMS. Additionally all samples are spiked with internal standards (IS). These IS are isotopically labelled equivalents of the unique endogenous tryptic peptides and show the same chemical behavior as the endogenous peptides. Both the endogenous peptide and its respective IS should elute from the column at the same retention time, assuring high specificity of the method. The sample is then injected and analysed using online Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) –UPLC–MS/MS. Analytes of interest are trapped on the SPE-column, while e.g. interfering salts are flushed to the waste. Afterwards, the peptides are back-flushed from the SPE-column onto the analytical column where the separation occurs. The MS/MS is programmed to search for the parent-daughter mass transition for each unique endogenous peptide and IS. These parent-daughter transitions are unique for each peptide and can be used to detect the SEs very specifically. We are currently validating this method according to ISO 2002/657/EC. When comparing the MS spectra peaks found for the IS and the endogenous peptides we were able to identify and quantify the presence of SEA and/or SEB in the spiked meat. We are in the process of method validation where we will determine linearity, matrix effect, repeatability, trueness, recovery, LOD and LOQ of the method. We developed and are validating method to specifically detect SEs in pork meat. This method could be used to quantify SEs in food poisoning once the presence of S. aureus is proven or it could also be used (in parallel with current immunologic methods) to directly confirm and quantify SEs. Currently, only SEA and SEB are identified and quantified, but the method will be JF - 6th Internation Symposium on Recent Advances in Food Analysis PB - NA CY - NA CP - RAFA U1 - 2243 U2 - 5-8/11/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - The setup of a biomonitoring survey of the residents and the rescue workers for acrylonitrile after the train disaster in Wetteren (Belgium) Y1 - 2013 A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - T. De Smedt A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Sébastien Fierens A1 - Christiane Vleminckx A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - An Van Nieuwenhuyse A1 - Herman Van Oyen KW - Belgium KW - conference KW - European KW - health KW - public KW - public health KW - Public-health KW - residents KW - survey KW - worker KW - Workers JF - European Public Health Conference CP - EUPHA U1 - 2205 U2 - 14-16/11/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Simultaneous identification of Staphylococcus aureus Enterotoxins A & B using online SPE-UPLC-MSMS Y1 - 2013 A1 - S. Cosijns A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Stéphanie Fraselle A1 - A. Rajkovic A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - Context KW - enterotoxin KW - Enterotoxins KW - European KW - food KW - identification KW - staphylococcus KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - System AB - presentation at 2013 EFFoST Annual Meeting - Bio-based Technologies in the Context of European Food Innovation Systems on 13-15 November 2013 | Bologna, Italy JF - EFFoST Annual Meeting: Bio-based Technologies in the Context of European Food Innovation Systems PB - NA CY - NA CP - EFFoSt U1 - 2215 U2 - 12-15/11/2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Urinary nicotine metabolites: usefulness as biomarkers of smoking status Y1 - 2013 A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Gurzau,A.E. A1 - Reis,M.F. A1 - Koppen,G. A1 - Horvat,M. A1 - Lupsa,I.R. A1 - Namorado,S. A1 - Aerts,D. A1 - Mazej,D. A1 - Aguiar,P. A1 - Tratnik,J.S. A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Koen De Cremer ED - K. Jones KW - an KW - AS KW - Biomarkers KW - environmental KW - health KW - International KW - metabolites KW - Monitoring KW - OCCUPATIONAL KW - ON KW - SMOKING KW - status KW - symposium KW - Urinary AB - Aims Nicotine is metabolised to cotinine (COT) and further to trans-3'-hydroxycotinine (HCOT) by the cytochrome P450 CYP2A6 enzyme. It has been demonstrated that the ratio of HCOT to COT is an index of CYP2A6 activity, thus a marker of nicotine metabolism, with higher ratios indicating faster metabolism. Evidence shows that the ratio, in urine, saliva or plasma, could predict responses to smoking cessation medication and guide pharmacotherapy. Since the literature about the association between this ratio and the cigarettes smoked per day (cpd) is not uniform, our aim was to investigate this relationship using urine samples from smoking females living in Romania, Portugal, Belgium and Slovenia. Methods Urine samples from mothers (aged up to 45 years) who participated in the EU project DEMOCOPHES(LIFE09/ENV/BE/00410) were used. The concentrations of COT and HCOT were determined by online-SPE UPLC MS/MS and subsequently normalised to creatinine content. The amount of cpd was available from the questionnaires. Results and conclusions As expected, a strong positive correlation between COT and HCOT levels was found. Regarding the association between HCOT/COT ratio and cpd, no correlation was observed when the data were globally considered. We confirmed that the correlation between cpd and cotinine differed according to the HCOT/COT ratio: higher correlations for slow metabolizers (low ratio) and almost no correlation for fast metabolizers (high ratio). A new analytical strategy is in progress to fully explore the usefulness of this ratio as biomarker of cigarette consumption. JF - International Symposium on biological monitoring in occupational and environmental health CY - Manchester CP - Kate Jones,Health and Safety Laboratory,UK U1 - 2140 U2 - 9-11 September 2013 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Application of an on-line SPE-UPLC-MS-MS method to screen for exposure to environmental tobacco smoke Y1 - 2012 A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - an KW - application KW - chemistry KW - environmental KW - Environmental tobacco KW - Environmental tobacco smoke KW - exposure KW - International KW - method KW - ON KW - Smoke KW - symposium KW - tobacco AB - presentation during 37th international Symposium on Environmental Analytical Chemistry 2012 JF - 37th international Symposium on Environmental Analytical Chemistry PB - NA CY - NA CP - University of Antwerp,Department Chemistry U1 - 1903 U2 - 22-25 May 2012 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Democophes Belgium: Contaminants present in urine and hair explained by lifestyle information from questionnaires Y1 - 2012 A1 - Koppen,G. A1 - Dewolf,M.C. A1 - Van de Mieroop,E. A1 - Caeyers,T. A1 - Govarts,E. A1 - Nelen,V. A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - C Pirard A1 - Covaci,A. A1 - Vanermen,G. A1 - Aerts,D. A1 - Biot,P. A1 - Steering committee members ED - Andromachi Katsonouri KW - Belgium KW - contaminant KW - contaminants KW - Democophes KW - environment KW - Hair KW - health KW - Human KW - INFORMATION KW - LIFESTYLE KW - POLICIES KW - POLICY KW - Questionnaire KW - Questionnaires KW - urine JF - Human biomonitoring: linking environment to health and supporting policy CP - Dr Andromachi katsonouri U1 - 1986 U2 - October22-25, 2012 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Democophes Belgium: to communicate and how to communicate, that's the question Y1 - 2012 A1 - Koppen,G. A1 - Dewolf,M.C. A1 - Van de Mieroop,E. A1 - Caeyers,T. A1 - Nelen,V. A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - C Pirard A1 - Covaci,A. A1 - Vanermen,G. A1 - Aerts,D. A1 - Biot,P. A1 - Andromachi Katsonouri KW - Belgium KW - Democophes KW - environment KW - health KW - POLICIES KW - POLICY JF - Juman biomonitoring : linking environment to health and supporting policy, PB - NA CY - NA CP - Dr Andromachi katsonouri U1 - 1985 U2 - October 22-25, 2012 ER - TY - RPRT T1 - Democophes National report on human biomonitoring in mothers and children -Belgium Y1 - 2012 A1 - Koppen,G. A1 - Caeyers,T. A1 - Govarts,E. A1 - Van de Mieroop,E. A1 - Dewolf,M.C. A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - C Pirard A1 - Vanermen,G. A1 - Schoeters,G. KW - Belgium KW - CHILDREN KW - Democophes KW - Human KW - Mother KW - mothers KW - national KW - National Report KW - ON KW - report PB - Federal public Service Public Health CY - Brussels U1 - 1984 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Detection of Staphyloccocus aureus enterotoxin B using online SPE-UPLC-MSMS Y1 - 2012 A1 - S. Cosijns A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Stéphanie Fraselle A1 - A. Rajkovic A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - 2012 KW - conference KW - detection KW - enterotoxin KW - food KW - Food Microbiology KW - microbiology KW - ON KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry JF - Seventeenth conference on food microbiology 2012 PB - NA CY - NA CP - Belgian Society for Food Microbiology (BSFM) U1 - 2051 U2 - 20/09/2012-21/09/2012 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Development and application of a fast method for the determination of nicotine, cotinine and 3-hydroxycotinine in urine to detect active and passive exposure to tobacco smoke Y1 - 2012 A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - application KW - Development KW - exposure KW - method KW - report KW - Smoke KW - tobacco KW - urine AB - not available PB - WIV/ISP CY - Brussels VL - 2 U1 - 1905 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Identification and quantification of Staphyloccocus aureus using online SPE-UPLC-MSMS Y1 - 2012 A1 - S. Cosijns A1 - Mirjana Andjelkovic A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - A. Rajkovic ED - Heperkan,D ED - Karbancioglu-Guler,F. ED - Daskaya-Dikmen,C. KW - 2012 KW - detection KW - enterotoxin KW - identification KW - International KW - Quantification KW - Staphylococcus aureus KW - symposium KW - ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry AB - presentation at FoodMicro 2012, the 23rd International ICFMH Symposium 2012 Istanbul, Turkey JF - 23rd International ICFMH symposium FoodMicro 2012 CP - Heperkan,D, Karbancioglu-Guler,F., Daskaya-Dikmen,C. U1 - 2050 U2 - 03/09/2012-07/09/2012 ER - TY - Generic T1 - On the importance of correcting urinary cadmium results obtained by ICP-MS for MoO interferences Y1 - 2012 A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - Cadmium KW - chemistry KW - environmental KW - International KW - ON KW - result KW - results KW - symposium KW - Urinary AB - presentation at ISEAC-37: The 37th edition of the International Symposium on Environmental Analytical Chemistry 2012 JF - 37 th International Symposium on Environmental Analytical Chemistry PB - NA CY - NA UR - http://www.speciation.net/Events/ISEAC37-The-37th-edition-of-the-International-Symposium-on-Environmental-Analytical-Chemistry-;~/2012/01/17/5990.html CP - University of Antwerp,Department Chemistry U1 - 1904 U2 - 22-25 May 2012 ER - TY - Generic T1 - A targeted proteomics method to detect urinary biomarkers of kidney disease Y1 - 2012 A1 - Stéphanie Fraselle A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Vanmassenhove,J. A1 - Glorieux,G. A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - F. Bolle A1 - Joris Van Loco A1 - Van Biesen,W. A1 - Vanholder,R. KW - Acute Kidney Injury KW - Affect KW - age KW - alternative KW - an KW - AS KW - association KW - Belgian KW - Biomarkers KW - blood KW - Carbon KW - care KW - Categories KW - chronic KW - Clinical KW - conference KW - Creatinine KW - detection KW - Diagnosis KW - disease KW - Diseases KW - effect KW - effects KW - Evolution KW - factors KW - general KW - general population KW - General-population KW - intervention KW - IS KW - Isotopes KW - Kidney KW - Kidney Diseases KW - Literature KW - Mass KW - matrix KW - measurement KW - method KW - morbidity KW - mortality KW - Muscle KW - Nitrogen KW - ON KW - Order KW - outcome KW - Patient KW - patients KW - Peptides KW - POPULATION KW - protein KW - Proteins KW - Proteomics KW - r KW - RENAL KW - Reproducibility KW - result KW - results KW - risk KW - Sample KW - Samples KW - Search KW - SENSITIVITY KW - Sensitivity and Specificity KW - serum KW - standards KW - time KW - Urinary KW - urine AB -

Acute and chronic kidney diseases are associated with an increased morbidity and mortality. Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a major clinical problem frequently encountered among intensive care unit patients while chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects up to 13% of the general population with high risk of progression to end-stage renal disease. Traditional markers currently used for diagnosis such as serum creatinine, display poor sensitivity and specificity, because they are influenced by several non-renal factors such as age, race and muscle mass. An accurate detection of kidney damage is crucial to enable more appropriate therapeutic intervention to potentially improve the outcome. In the last decade there has been an extensive search for new blood and urinary biomarkers. With the evolution of new technologies, such as proteomics, several candidate protein biomarkers emerged suggesting earlier and more accurate detection of kidney disease than is currently possible with traditional markers.Several of these markers were selected from the literature and a targeted proteomics method able to detect a panel of urinary biomarkers of kidney disease was developed. An online SPE-UPLC-MS/MS (using a triple quadrupole XEVO-TQ-S) was applied. For each protein, between 1 and 4 unique peptide(s) were chosen ending either by a lysine (K) or an arginine (R) in order to be obtained by cleavage using trypsin. MRM transitions of 59 peptides corresponding to 33 biomarkers are followed, with a minimum of 2 mass transitions per peptide and using a 12 minutes chromatographic run time. The 59 corresponding labelled AQUA peptides, containing heavy isotopes of carbon (

JF - BePAC (1st Conference of the Belgian Proteomics Association) T3 - From analytical to functional proteomics PB - NA CY - NA CP - BePA U1 - 2106 U2 - 29-30/11/2012 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Uitdagingen van chemische analyses Y1 - 2012 A1 - Koen De Cremer KW - Analyses JF - Informatiedag: Europese humane Biomonitoring projecten(DEMO)COPHES: resultaten PB - NA CY - NA CP - Federal public health Service Environment and health U1 - 2199 U2 - 28/11/2012 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Fast and sensitive detection of nicotine metabolites using on-line SPE-UPLC-MS-MS technique Y1 - 2010 A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - detection KW - health KW - Human KW - metabolites KW - POLICIES KW - POLICY JF - From Human Biomonitoring to Policy: a sustainable 'marriage' between health and environment, PB - NA CY - NA CP - Vlaamse Gemeenschap U1 - 1999 U2 - Oktober 27-28 2010 ER - TY - Generic T1 - Use of on-line SPE-UPLC-MS-MS techniques to strengthen and economize human biomonitoring studies Y1 - 2010 A1 - Koen De Cremer A1 - Ilse Van Overmeire A1 - Joris Van Loco KW - Benefit KW - benefits KW - Human KW - Technique KW - use JF - Human Biomonitoring: Political Benefits - Scientific Challenges PB - NA CY - NA CP - UBA U1 - 1998 U2 - November 26-28 2010 ER -