Publicaties
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Variation in baobab seedling morphology and its implications for selecting superior planting material Universiteit Antwerpen
With the aim of helping to select superior planting material for drought characteristics, baobab seedlings from two countries, one in western and one in south-eastern Africa, were grown in a greenhouse and their growth and morphology were studied. Seedlings were grown for 18 weeks and several morphological characteristics (length, diameter and dry weights of different plant parts, number of leaves, stomatal density, among others) were recorded ...
Characterization and optimization of cell seeding in scaffolds by factorial design: quality by design approach for skeletal tissue engineering KU Leuven
Cell seeding into scaffolds plays a crucial role in the development of efficient bone tissue engineering constructs. Hence, it becomes imperative to identify the key factors that quantitatively predict reproducible and efficient seeding protocols. In this study, the optimization of a cell seeding process was investigated using design of experiments (DOE) statistical methods. Five seeding factors (cell type, scaffold type, seeding volume, seeding ...
Bacterial Vivisection: How Fluorescence-Based Imaging Techniques Shed a Light on the Inner Workings of Bacteria KU Leuven
The rise in fluorescence-based imaging techniques over the past 3 decades has improved the ability of researchers to scrutinize live cell biology at increased spatial and temporal resolution. In microbiology, these real-time vivisections structurally changed the view on the bacterial cell away from the "watery bag of enzymes" paradigm toward the perspective that these organisms are as complex as their eukaryotic counterparts. Capitalizing on the ...
Bacterial community profiling of plastic litter in the Belgian part of the North Sea Instituut voor Landbouw-, Visserij- en Voedingsonderzoek Universiteit Gent
Bacterial colonization of marine plastic litter (MPL) is
known for over four decades. Still, only a few studies on the plastic
colonization process and its influencing factors are reported. In this
study, seafloor MPL was sampled at different locations across the
Belgian part of the North Sea to study bacterial community structure
using 16S metabarcoding. These marine plastic bacterial communities
were ...
known for over four decades. Still, only a few studies on the plastic
colonization process and its influencing factors are reported. In this
study, seafloor MPL was sampled at different locations across the
Belgian part of the North Sea to study bacterial community structure
using 16S metabarcoding. These marine plastic bacterial communities
were ...
The intricate connection between bacterial α-diversity and fungal engraftment in the human gut of healthy and impaired individuals as studied using the in vitro SHIME® model Universiteit Gent
From the estimated 2.2 to 3.8 million fungal species existing on Earth, only a minor fraction actively colonizes the human gastrointestinal tract. In fact, these fungi only represent 0.1% of the gastrointestinal biosphere. Despite their low abundance, fungi play dual roles in human health-both beneficial and detrimental. Fungal infections are often associated with bacterial dysbiosis following antibiotic use, yet our understanding of gut ...
An ecological perspective on phyllosphere bacterial communities in urban environments Universiteit Antwerpen
In this PhD thesis the ecology of phyllosphere bacterial communities is investigated through both observational and experimental studies. In the first part, we aimed to assess the impact of urbanization on phyllosphere bacteria communities on a broad scale, and for that we determined the composition and diversity along a fragmentation and urbanization gradient in cities across Europe. More specifically, we investigated the relationship of urban ...
Contribution of Membrane Vesicle to Reprogramming of Bacterial Membrane Fluidity in Pseudomonas aeruginosa KU Leuven
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen capable of resisting environmental insults by applying various strategies, including regulating membrane fluidity and producing membrane vesicles (MVs). This study examined the difference in membrane fluidity between planktonic and biofilm modes of growth in P. aeruginosa and whether the ability to alter membrane rigidity in P. aeruginosa could be transferred via MVs. To this end, planktonic ...
Bacterial succession and community dynamics of the emerging leaf phyllosphere in spring Universiteit Antwerpen
Every year, deciduous trees shed their leaves, and when new leaves emerge next spring, they establish a characteristic bacterial leaf community. In this exploratory study, we assessed the bacterial phyllosphere (aboveground plant surfaces) of eight London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia) in Antwerp and Milan by sampling weekly during leaf emergence and expansion. We sampled the surfaces of different tree compartments: leaves, leaf buds, ...
The soluble mannose receptor (sMR/sCD206) in critically ill patients with invasive fungal infections, bacterial infections or non-infectious inflammation: a secondary analysis of the EPaNIC RCT KU Leuven
BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal infections (IFI) are difficult to diagnose, especially in critically ill patients. As the mannose receptor (MR) is shed from macrophage cell surfaces after exposure to fungi, we investigate whether its soluble serum form (sMR) can serve as a biomarker of IFI. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of the multicentre randomised controlled trial (EPaNIC, n = 4640) that investigated the impact of initiating supplemental ...