Projects
Understanding the medicalization of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) through the optics of the practising community in Egypt. University of Antwerp
Unraveling the ophthalmological phenotype and etiopathogenetic mechanisms in pseudoxanthoma elasticum Ghent University
Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an autosomal recessive disorder, characterised by skin and eye symptoms, as well as heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) disease, due to calcification of elastic fibres in these organs. It is caused by defects (mutation) in a transporter protein, ABCC6. Neither the substrate of this transporter, nor how it causes PXE is presently known. The first objective of this project is to get more insights into the ...
A rhetorical study of mediatized debates on mental health: towards a critical mental health literacy. Ghent University
Mental health problems are a worldwide concern and also highly prevalent in Flanders. In addition to a high-performance mental health care, this requires appropriate help-seeking behaviour by the general public which includes recognition, management and prevention of mental health problems as well as reducing stigma towards mental health patients. Because public understandings of mental health influence whether or not and in what ways people ...
On epigenetics and how 'environmental' factors contribute to the long-term legacy of pediatric critical illness KU Leuven
Critically ill patients are patients who, due to a variety of triggering medical conditions, require vital organ support to avoid imminent death. Despite major progress in intensive care the patients still face a high mortality risk. Moreover, critical illness is hallmarked by features of accelerated aging where many patients experience an adverse legacy of the illness long after hospital discharge. This is mostly described for adults and ...
Acquisition and consolidation of writing skills in Parkinson’s disease: effects and working action of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) KU Leuven
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder causing slowness and decreased movement size, affecting writing performance. Current available treatments for PD patients are unable to slow down the course of the disease, can induce motor fluctuations and offer only limited symptomatic relief. Motor relearning may partially alleviate the functional impact of PD. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) has the potential to boost ...
Interpreter-mediated Psychotherapy: Interaction and Perception, Process and Outcome Ghent University
Due to current political and demographic developments, multilingual psychotherapy for refugees and migrants is becoming increasingly relevant. Interpreters are often indispensable in bridging the language barrier between patient and therapist. Their presence is, however, not without consequences: the dyadic relationship between therapists and patients becomes a triad. In this project we analyze how therapists, patients and interpreters ...
Effect of early palliative care on quality of life of patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer, a randomized controlled trial. Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Muscle plasticity in growing children with cerebral palsy: from myogenesis to treatment KU Leuven
Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common life-disabling pathology in children. It is caused by a brain lesion, resulting in impaired muscle function. Since muscles are highly plastic tissues, altered muscle growth is a major problem. Yet, its treatment is hindered by insufficient understanding of its pathogenesis. This is the first project to comprehensively describe the time course of macro- and microscopic changes in lower limb muscles of ...
Synaptic density, tau and multiparametric PET-MR for quantitative functional assessment and prognosis in mild cognitive and behavioural impairment KU Leuven
With annually 9.9 million new cases worldwide and as one of the
costliest diseases, the impact of dementia cannot be underestimated.
Although research in this domain has made significant progress,
major challenges still lie ahead. There is a growing need of
biomarkers with the capacity to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in
an early stage, predict prognosis for prodromal patients and monitor
...