KU Leuven

European joint programme HBM4EU - Bridging science and policy: experiences and lessons learned from the key partners in the scientific steering of the initiative

The European Joint Programme HBM4EU was established to address politically relevant questions on chemical risks to public health through a targeted human biomonitoring research programme. Running from 2017 to 2022, it was co-financed by the EU's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovati...

Public antibiotic resistance mechanisms in Salmonella can maintain inhibition by probiotics during antibiotic treatment

Probiotics are being explored as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics that can also inhibit antibiotic-resistant pathogens. However, probiotics generally show a lower killing efficacy against susceptible pathogens compared to traditional antibiotics. Combining probiotics with...

Agreement of markerless and marker-based joint kinetics in team sport-specific change-of-direction movements

Abstract Markerless (ML) motion capture is a practical alternative to marker-based (MB) systems, yet its ability to estimate joint kinetics during team sport-specific movements remains unclear. This study evaluated the agreement between ML and MB lower extremity joint moment esti...

Dual Role of CACNA1C/CaV1.2 in Cardiac and Neuropsychiatric Disease

The CACNA1C gene encodes the α1C subunit of voltage-gated CaV1.2 calcium channels, serving many pivotal functions throughout the body, including in the heart and brain. Clinical and genetic evidence implicates altered expression and/or function of CACNA1C/CaV1.2 in both cardiac a...

An Intensified Training Period Reduces REM Sleep but this Decline Can Be Mitigated by Ketone Ester Supplementation

Introduction: We previously showed that a strenuous training day disrupts sleep efficiency and REM sleep, and that these disturbances can be counteracted by ketone monoester (R)-3-hydroxybutyl-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate (KE) supplementation. However, the impact of prolonged intensifie...

Effects of one night of sleep deprivation on single- and dual-task gait

Abstract Sleep deprivation (SDEP) impairs cognitive control, which may affect movements that rely on these processes, such as walking. To test whether gait changes after one night of SDEP reflect reduced cognitive capacity, we compared its effects with those of dual-task walking...

Prevalence and predictors of abnormal dyspnea during exercise in persons with type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study (PROTECTION trial)

Abstract Aim To determine the prevalence, characteristics, and predictors of abnormal exertional dyspnea in T2D during a maximal exercise test. Methods 97 adults with non-insulin-dependent T2D underwent spirometry, maximal upright cardiopulmonary exercise test with Borg 0–10 dysp...

Controlling Linear and Non‐Linear Mechanics in Multicomponent Hydrogels Through Programmable Supramolecular and Covalent Interactions

ABSTRACT In our native extracellular matrix (ECM), hierarchical interactions—supramolecular and covalent—between multiple components give rise to complex mechanical properties. Reproducing such emergent properties in synthetic hydrogels remains challenging, particularly the non‐l...

Premedication practices prior to neonatal laryngoscopy: a nationwide observational study in Belgian NICUs

Intubation or less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) in neonates both require laryngoscopy, a stressful and painful procedure. This study aimed to document premedication practices before laryngoscopy in Belgium and explore reasons for absence of premedication. Sub-analysi...

Diagnosing Lennox–Gastaut syndrome in adulthood: A scoping review of diagnostic challenges and age‐related electroclinical evolution

OBJECTIVE: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) is a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy typically diagnosed in childhood. The 2022 International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) criteria provide a diagnostic framework built on pediatric data, but their applicability in adulthood i...

Chronology of a late Pleistocene sedimentary sequence at Lommel (Belgium): Insights from luminescence profiling and quartz OSL dating

The Campine region of NE Belgium forms part of the western European Coversand Belt and preserves an important record of Late Pleistocene landscape change and human occupation. At the Lommel–Molse Nete geo-archaeological site, this study uses portable OSL (pOSL) profiling and quar...

Unequal language recognition reconsidered: voluntary migration, expectation interest, and recent challenges

This paper reassesses two influential arguments for unequal language recognition between long-settled groups and immigrants, namely, Kymlicka’s voluntariness argument and Patten’s situational argument, in light of recent objections. Kymlicka claims that immigrants waive language...

Developing AI‐driven decision support for the proactive identification and evaluation of financially distressed companies by Belgian commercial courts

Abstract The early identification and accurate evaluation of financially distressed companies by commercial courts is crucial for maintaining a healthy economic fabric. This enables timely support for struggling companies with recovery potential while also facilitating the swift...

Uncovering lung virome signatures of COPD severity and acute exacerbations in longitudinally sampled AERIS cohort

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is increasingly recognized as a complex disorder in which microbial communities may modulate disease progression and exacerbation risk. We investigated the contribution of the respiratory virome to disease severity and acute exacerbati...

Explaining user-orientation in public service delivery networks: configurations of network structure, process, and context

This study explores configurations of structural, process, and contextual conditions associated with high user-orientation in public service delivery networks. Drawing on Public Service Logic, we conceptualize user-orientation and connect it with interorganizational network resea...

International Modified Delphi Consensus on Assessment and Management of Covert Brain Infarction

BackgroundCovert brain infarction (CBI) is a frequent incidental neuroradiological finding increasingly recognized as clinically relevant due to its association with stroke, cognitive decline, and other adverse outcomes. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding its opti...

The WoKaS-Iso database: workflow for a global compilation of oxygen-18 and deuterium records in karst springs and cave drip water for enhanced understanding of karst systems

For analysing karst hydrogeological systems, observations of karst springs and cave drips are considered indispensable. In addition to hydrometric observations, knowing the oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope ratios has improved the understanding of vadose zone and aquifer dynamic...

A neuromodulable current-mode silicon neuron for robust and adaptive neuromorphic systems

Abstract Neuromorphic engineering makes use of mixed-signal analog and digital circuits to directly emulate the computational principles of biological brains. Such electronic systems offer a high degree of adaptability, robustness, and energy efficiency across a wide range of tas...

Quasi-Monte Carlo Methods for Uncertainty Quantification of Tumor Growth Modeled by a Parametric Semilinear Parabolic Reaction-diffusion Equation

Abstract. We study the application of a quasi-Monte Carlo (QMC) method to a class of semilinear parabolic reaction-diffusion partial differential equations used to model tumor growth. Mathematical models of tumor growth are largely phenomenological in nature, capturing infiltrati...

China’s central bank in practice:understanding the PBoC’s monetary policy toolkit and cross-border legal implications

For international financial lawyers, understanding the role of the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) is increasingly important, because all China-related finance and business transactions take place within a monetary, regulatory, and market infrastructure framework that the PBoC play...