Projects
Gerodent PLUS: primary oral care for home-dwelling elderly Ghent University
The aim of Gerodent PLUS is to promote good oral health and to create the currently absent continuity in the provision of oral care for the rapidly growing group of vulnerable elderly living at home at the level of primary care regions.This goal is pursued through (1) improved interprofessional collaboration between caregivers and (2) improving access to care for frail and care-dependent elderly people who stay at home or in a form of ...
Evaluation of the optimized oral health-related section of the BelRAI and its incorporation in the interRAI Suite of Instruments KU Leuven
The purposes of this project are as follows:
1) contribute to the incorporation of an oral health assessment (OHR-RAI) into a holistic assessment tool for the health and well-being of frail elderly (inter-RAI suite of instruments)
2) raise awareness among the elderly themselves, their caregivers and policymakers about poor oral health and the importance of oral health in frail elderly.
3) improving daily oral care for ...
Schopenhauer and the evil of being. Radical evol and death in Post-Kantian metaphysics. KU Leuven
How to optimise the involvement of qualified private practioners in Tuberculosis care and control in India: An analysis of Public Private Mix – DOTS in India Institute of Tropical Medicine
Developing broad-spectrum antiviral drugs for pandemic preparedness KU Leuven
Antiviral drugs will be key in the management of future virus outbreaks. For each virus family with epidemic/pandemic potential, stockpiles of potent drugs are needed that can be deployed when a new pathogen emerges. Such broader-acting drugs (targeting conserved viral functions) are needed as of “day one” of an outbreak, for treatment and prophylaxis (e.g. in HCW and frail patients). In combination with quarantine measures, such drugs will ...
Residents’ expierences of quality of care and staff experiences of a positive working environment in Flemish nursing homes KU Leuven
This project aims to investigate the relation between staffing variables, work environment variables, rationing of care, and the outcomes of nursing home residents and care workers. The study recognizes the challenges faced by nursing home care workers in providing high-quality care to an aging and increasingly frail population, while coping with limited resources and workforce shortages. The research objectives include exploring the ...
Development and pilot-testing of RATHER-NH – an innovative complex intervention to Reduce Avoidable Transitions between Hospital or Emergency Room and Nursing Home Vrije Universiteit Brussel
remain at risk of hospitalisations, which can be detrimental for them
and their families and is related to high societal costs. While some
hospitalisation is necessary and appropriate, about 67% of
hospitalisations of NH residents are considered potentially avoidable
and unnecessary. Yet, there remains a lack of strong evidence on
...
The Contribution of Chronic (Retro)Virus Infections to Inflammaging: A Multi-Cohort, Cross-Omics Approach KU Leuven
The fast aging global population challenges the current public health system. Aging is associated with many changes in the immune system, this project focuses on one of them: chronic low-grade inflammation also known as ‘inflammaging’. We hypothesize that exogenous (HIV-1, HTLV-1) as well as endogenous retroviruses share the ability to induce inflammation through type I interferon (IFN), but that age-, gender- and cell-specific mechanisms ...
Intermittent exogenous ketosis. A novel approach to beneficially impact muscular plasticity during catabolic stress conditions. KU Leuven
We recently demonstrated intermittent exogenous ketosis (IEK) by oral ketone ester ingestion to inhibit the neural and hormonal dysregulations, and to markedly stimulate muscle capillary density during exercise training. We also found IEK in a mouse model of cancer cachexia to substantially inhibit muscular deterioration and prolong survival. In this project we further explore the effects of IEK on muscle angiogenesis, metabolism, and ...