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Individual differences in environmental sensitivity at physiological and phenotypic level: Two sides of the same coin? KU Leuven

Sofie Weyn, Karla Van Leeuwen, Luc Goossens, Guy Bosmans, Wim Van Den Noortgate, Erika Lutin, Anne Sophie Bröhl, Flore Geukens, Patricia Bijttebier
Young adolescents are hypothesized to differ in their environmental sensitivity, at both phenotypic (i.e., Sensory Processing Sensitivity [SPS]) and physiological (i.e., biological stress response) level. This is the first study that investigated whether individual differences in environmental sensitivity at physiological level could be predicted by individual differences at phenotypic level, as measured with the HSC scale. A total of 101 ...

Influence of temperature during incubation on the mRNA levels of temperature sensitive ion channels in the brain of broiler chicken embryos. KU Leuven

Sara Verlinden, Tomas Norton, Mona Larsen, Nadia Everaert
Thermosensation is crucial for the survival of any organism. In animals, changes in brain temperature are detected via sensory neurons, their cell bodies are located in the trigeminal ganglia. Transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channels are the largest temperature sensing family. In mammals, 11 thermoTRPs are known, as in poultry, there are only three. This research further elucidates TRP mRNA expression in the brain of broiler embryo's. ...

Effect of extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal on respiratory quotient measured by indirect calorimetry Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Idris Ghijselings, Brecht Joris Bockstael, Elisabeth De Waele, Joop Jonckheer

New Findings: What is the main observation in this case? Several studies have reported progressive hypoxaemia once extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal is started in patients with hypercapnic respiratory failure, possibly attributable to an altered respiratory quotient. What insights does it reveal? In this quality control report, we show that the respiratory quotient exhibits only minimal alteration when extracorporeal carbon dioxide ...

Methods for the Cost-Effective Production of Bacteria-Derived Double-Stranded RNA for in vitro Knockdown Studies KU Leuven

Thomas Wolf Verdonckt, Jozef Vanden Broeck
RNA interference (RNAi) is a highly conserved pathway for the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. It has become a crucial tool in life science research, with promising potential for pest-management applications. To induce an RNAi response, long double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) sequences specific to the target gene must be delivered to the cells. This dsRNA substrate is then processed to small RNA (sRNA) fragments that direct the ...

Knockdown of ecdysone receptor in male desert locusts affects relative weight of accessory glands and mating behavior KU Leuven

Joachim Van Lommel, Jozef Vanden Broeck
Locusts have been known as pests of agricultural crops for thousands of years. Recently (2018-2021) the world has faced the largest swarms of desert locusts, Schistocerca gregaria, in decades and food security in large parts of Africa and Asia was under extreme pressure. There is an urgent need for the development of highly specific bio-rational pesticides to combat these pests. However, to do so, fundamental research is needed to better ...

The submariners' sleep study Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Martine Van Puyvelde, Gerard Rietjens, Pieter Helmhout, Olivier Mairesse, Jeroen Van Cutsem, Nathalie Pattyn

The submarine working and living environment is an isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environment where a continuous on-watch is required to fulfill the tactical objectives. The current study examined whether a physiological and behavioral adjustment to an operational watch standing scheme occurred in terms of hormonal secretion (i.e., melatonin and cortisol) and sleep during a 67-day undersea mission. The crew followed a strict scheme of ...

Learn to breathe, breathe to learn? No evidence for effects of slow deep breathing at a 0.1 Hz frequency on reversal learning. KU Leuven

Martina D'Agostini, Nathalie Claes, Mathijs Franssen, Andreas von Leupoldt, Ilse Van Diest
This study sought to investigate whether slow deep breathing (SDB) facilitates reversal learning. We also explored whether SDB modulates the renewal effect. After learning a series of cue-outcome associations (early acquisition phase) in a predictive learning task, 37 participants paced their breathing according to a normal (NPB group; 0.2 Hz) or a slow (SDB group; 0.1 Hz) pattern while completing the reversal and renewal phases. Response ...

Monitoring Internal and External Load During Volleyball Competition KU Leuven

Jean-Marie Aerts
PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the relationships between continuously measured internal and external load variables during volleyball competition. METHODS: A total of 8 male elite volleyball athletes (Belgian Liga A and Liga B) were monitored during official competition matches. In total, 63 individual measurements are included in this study. The authors used heart-rate (HR) data as internal load and accelerometer-based activity ...

In asthma positive phase III slopes can result from structural heterogeneity of the bronchial tree Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Sylvia Verbanck, Brody Harry Foy

We have previously identified bronchial generations 5-7 as the locus of maximum contribution to the convective portion of the phase III slope in computed tomography (CT)-based lung models of patients with asthma. In the present study, we examined how phase III slope is generated locally, by specifically interrogating at individual branch points, the necessary condition for a phase III slope to occur: some degree of convective flow sequencing ...

A Mammary Organoid Model to Study Branching Morphogenesis KU Leuven

Larissa Mourão Gomes De Almeida E Silva, Colinda Scheele
Branching morphogenesis is the process that gives rise to branched structures in several organs, such as the lung, the kidney, and the mammary gland. Although morphologically well described, the exact mechanisms driving branch elongation and bifurcation are still poorly understood. Signaling cues from the stroma and extracellular matrix have an important role in driving branching morphogenesis. Organoid models derived from primary mammary ...