184 results match your criteria: "Katholieke Universiteit-KU Leuven[Affiliation]"

Article Synopsis
  • The stonefish species Synanceia verrucosa and Synanceia horrida are among the most venomous fish, known for causing severe stings in humans, prompting research into their venom components.
  • This study shifted focus from proteins to small molecules in stonefish venom and identified three new substances: γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), choline, and 0-acetylcholine, with GABA being the first of its kind found in fish venom.
  • The research revealed how these venoms activate specific human receptors and demonstrated distinct cytotoxic effects, suggesting a need for further exploration of these small molecules to improve understanding and treatment of sting-related symptoms.
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Introduction: school-based physical activity (PA) programs such as The Daily Mile (TDM) might be vital in the prevention and treatment of mental health problems in adolescents in low-income countries. The aim of this single-arm non-controlled pilot intervention study was to investigate TDM on symptoms of anxiety and depression in adolescents aged 16-17 years in Uganda.

Methods: The Daily Mile (TDM) took place between February and April 2022.

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A dual role for PSIP1/LEDGF in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Sci Adv

November 2024

Lab of Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis, Center for Medical Genetics, Department of Biomolecular Medicine, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy. Current intensified therapeutic protocols coincide with severe side effects, and no salvage therapy is available for primary therapy-resistant or relapsed patients. This highlights the need to identify new therapeutic targets in T-ALL.

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Article Synopsis
  • Unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis (UDP) often occurs after cardiac surgery, particularly on the left side, but this case highlights a rare instance of right-sided UDP following endoscopic coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
  • A 60-year-old male patient was observed with breathing difficulties after his CABG, revealing diminished sounds in the right lung and a diagnosis of UDP and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS).
  • The treatment plan included inspiratory muscle training and CPAP therapy to improve breathing and address the effects of OSAS, while also discussing the significance of ultrasound in diagnosing and monitoring diaphragmatic dysfunction post-surgery.
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In yeasts and higher eukaryotes, chromatin motions may be tuned to genomic functions, with transcriptional activation and the DNA damage response both leading to profound changes in chromatin dynamics. The RAD51 recombinase is a key mediator of chromatin mobility following DNA damage. As functions of RAD51 beyond DNA repair are being discovered, we asked whether RAD51 modulates chromatin dynamics in the absence of DNA damage and found that inhibition or depletion of RAD51 alters chromatin motions in undamaged cells.

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The International Patient Organisation for Primary Immunodeficiencies (IPOPI) held its second Global Multi-Stakeholders' Summit, an annual stimulating and forward-thinking meeting uniting experts to anticipate pivotal upcoming challenges and opportunities in the field of primary immunodeficiency (PID). The 2023 summit focused on three key identified discussion points: (i) How can immunoglobulin (Ig) therapy meet future personalized patient needs? (ii) Pandemic preparedness: what's next for public health and potential challenges for the PID community? (iii) Diagnosing PIDs in 2030: what needs to happen to diagnose better and to diagnose more? Clinician-Scientists, patient representatives and other stakeholders explored avenues to improve Ig therapy through mechanistic insights and tailored Ig preparations/products according to patient-specific needs and local exposure to infectious agents, amongst others. Urgency for pandemic preparedness was discussed, as was the threat of shortage of antibiotics and increasing antimicrobial resistance, emphasizing the need for representation of PID patients and other vulnerable populations throughout crisis and care management.

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Special Section Guest Editorial: Molecular Neurophotonics.

Neurophotonics

April 2024

Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Biochemistry, Molecular, and Structural Biology Unit, Department of Chemistry, Leuven, Belgium.

The editorial introduces the Special Section on Molecular Neurophotonics.

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A Hepatitis E Virus Infection Model in the Mongolian Gerbil: Ready for Antiviral and Vaccine Studies.

Gastroenterology

September 2024

Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Virology, Antiviral Drug & Vaccine Research Group, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address:

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Many statistical models have been proposed in the literature for the analysis of longitudinal data. One may propose to model two or more correlated longitudinal processes simultaneously, with a goal of understanding their association over time. Joint modeling is then required to carefully study the association structure among the outcomes as well as drawing joint inferences about the different outcomes.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Cross-over designs in clinical trials allow researchers to compare treatments within the same subjects, providing more precise estimates of efficacy, especially for new drugs.
  • - A recent study analyzed a new piecewise linear mixed-effects (PLME) model against traditional models—Grizzle's mixed-effects (GME) and Jones & Kenward's mixed-effects (JKME)—to evaluate their performance in analyzing cross-over trial data.
  • - Results indicated that the PLME model outperformed the GME and JKME models in estimating variance-covariance parameters and achieved better model convergence, confirming the hypothesis that high-dose iodine salt significantly lowers diastolic blood pressure (DBP).
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Electrode grids are used in neuroscience research and clinical practice to record electrical activity from the surface of the brain. However, existing passive electrocorticography (ECoG) technologies are unable to offer both high spatial resolution and wide cortical coverage, while ensuring a compact acquisition system. The electrode count and density are restricted by the fact that each electrode must be individually wired.

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Cortical somatostatin long-range projection neurons and interneurons exhibit divergent developmental trajectories.

Neuron

February 2024

VIB Center for Brain and Disease, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; Department of Neurosciences, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address:

The mammalian cerebral cortex contains an extraordinary diversity of cell types that emerge by implementing different developmental programs. Delineating when and how cellular diversification occurs is particularly challenging for cortical inhibitory neurons because they represent a small proportion of all cortical cells and have a protracted development. Here, we combine single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to characterize the emergence of neuronal diversity among somatostatin-expressing (SST+) cells in mice.

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The thalamus is a complex neural structure with numerous anatomical subdivisions and intricate connectivity patterns. In recent decades, the traditional view of the thalamus as a relay station and "gateway to the cortex" has expanded in recognition of its role as a central integrator of inputs from sensory systems, cortex, basal ganglia, limbic systems, brain stem nuclei, and cerebellum. As such, the thalamus is critical for numerous aspects of human cognition, mood, and behavior, as well as serving sensory processing and motor functions.

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With the increasing success of mapping brain networks and availability of multiple MR- and PET-based connectivity measures, the need for novel methodologies to unravel the structure and function of the brain at multiple spatial and temporal scales is emerging. Therefore, in this work, we used hybrid PET-MR data of healthy volunteers ( = 67) to identify multiplex core nodes in the human brain. First, monoplex networks of structural, functional and metabolic connectivity were constructed, and consequently combined into a multiplex SC-FC-MC network by linking the same nodes categorically across layers.

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Matrix scaffolds for endometrium-derived organoid models.

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)

August 2023

Laboratory of Tissue Plasticity in Health and Disease, Cluster of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, Department of Development and Regeneration, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

The uterus-lining endometrium is essential to mammalian reproduction, receiving and accommodating the embryo for proper development. Despite its key role, mechanisms underlying endometrial biology (menstrual cycling, embryo interaction) and disease are not well understood. Its hidden location in the womb, and thereby-associated lack of suitable research models, contribute to this knowledge gap.

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Organoid models of the pituitary gland in health and disease.

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)

August 2023

Department of Development and Regeneration, Cluster of Stem Cell and Developmental Biology, Laboratory of Tissue Plasticity in Health and Disease, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

The pituitary gland represents the hub of our endocrine system. Its cells produce specific hormones that direct multiple vital physiological processes such as body growth, fertility, and stress. The gland also contains a population of stem cells which are still enigmatic in phenotype and function.

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Intermediate Molecular Phenotypes to Identify Genetic Markers of Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity Risk.

Cells

July 2023

Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer (IBMCC-CIC), Universidad de Salamanca/CSIC, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.

Article Synopsis
  • Cardiotoxicity due to anthracyclines (CDA) is a major concern for cancer patients, but predicting who will develop this complication remains challenging due to its complex genetic basis.
  • Researchers conducted a study using genetically diverse mice treated with doxorubicin and docetaxel to explore the link between intermediate molecular phenotypes (IMPs) in the heart and CDA susceptibility, identifying quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with these traits.
  • The study revealed that specific genetic variants related to IMPs could serve as markers for CDA risk in patients, which may help tailor more personalized treatment strategies for those receiving cancer therapies like anthracyclines.
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CervixFormer: A Multi-scale swin transformer-Based cervical pap-Smear WSI classification framework.

Comput Methods Programs Biomed

October 2023

Department of Biomedical Science and Engineering (BMSE), Institute of Integrated Technology (IIT), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, South Korea. Electronic address:

Background And Objectives: Cervical cancer affects around 0.5 million women per year, resulting in over 0.3 million fatalities.

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The purpose of this paper is to summarise the consensus methodology that was used to inform the International Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport (Amsterdam 2022). Building on a Delphi process to inform the questions and outcomes from the 5th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, the Scientific Committee identified key questions, the answers to which would help encapsulate the current science in sport-related concussion and help guide clinical practice. Over 3½ years, delayed by 2 years due to the pandemic, author groups conducted systematic reviews on each selected topic.

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Objectives: Prenatal surgery is offered for selected fetuses with open spina bifida (OSB) to improve long-term outcome. We studied the effect of fetal OSB surgery on brain development using advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques to quantify the volume, surface area and shape of cerebral structures and to analyze surface curvature by means of parameters that correspond to gyrification.

Methods: We compared MRI data from 29 fetuses with OSB before fetal surgery (mean gestational age (GA), 23 + 3 weeks) and at 1 and 6 weeks after surgery, with that of 36 GA-matched control fetuses (GA range, 21 + 2 to 36 + 2 weeks).

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Article Synopsis
  • A post-hoc analysis of the RAINBOW trial investigated the efficacy of ramucirumab and paclitaxel (RAM+PAC) in patients with liver metastasis (LM) versus those without, highlighting that around 40% of advanced gastric cancer patients have LM, which worsens prognosis.
  • In this study involving 665 patients, those with LM experienced earlier disease progression, but RAM+PAC treatment improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) for both groups, with better outcomes observed in the LM+ group.
  • Despite similar adverse events across both groups, the analysis found no significant predictive relationship between biomarkers and treatment efficacy, suggesting that RAM
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Primary Surgery Not Inferior to Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy for Esophageal Adenocarcinoma.

Ann Thorac Surg

September 2023

Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Chronic Diseases, Metabolism and Ageing, BREATHE, Katholieke Universiteit (KU) Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.

Background: The current gold standard for treatment of locally advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma is neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy followed by surgery. The shift toward neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) was driven by the Chemoradiotherapy for Oesophageal Cancer Followed by Surgery Study (CROSS) trial. This study reassessed, in daily practice, the presumed advantage of nCRT followed by surgery on long-term survival compared with primary surgery, in a group of all adenocarcinomas treated through a transthoracic approach with extensive 2-field lymphadenectomy.

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