KU Leuven

GlycanAge dynamics and their relationship to SCORE2 risk change over six months: a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Chronological age dominates cardiovascular (CVD) risk prediction, but glycan-based measures may better reflect biological ageing. In this secondary analysis of a six-month randomized controlled trial in Slovenia, we examined whether IgG glycosylation–derived biological a...

Oropouche virus causes severe congenital disease in embryonic mice

Abstract The recent outbreak of Oropouche virus (OROV) in Latin-America with unprecedented reports of vertical transmission resulting in congenital malformations and fetal death, redefines the threat posed by this arbovirus. We discovered that injection of a low inoculum of the e...

Who Are the Worst-Off? Objective, Subjective, and Preference-Based Approaches to Measure Older Adults’ Well-Being

Assessing the well-being of older adults requires a multidimensional framework, yet combining dimensions into a single summary measure raises conceptual and methodological challenges. This study examines whether objective, subjective, and preference-based aggregation strategies i...

Endothelial function in relation to low-level chronic residential air pollution in a general population: a cohort study

Background Given the recently updated clean-air targets, this population study assessed endothelial function at low exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤10 µm (PM10) and ≤2.5 µm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and black carbon (BC).Methods In 453 Flemi...

Generative AI bias against scientific novelty: a cautionary tale from a small-sample evaluation of research proposals

Abstract Generative AI (GenAI) tools, and large language models (LLMs) in particular, are being rapidly adopted across the scientific research process, including in funding evaluation and peer review. While their efficiency gains are well documented, their systematic biases remai...

Plasma proteome reflects tissue damage and clinical manifestations in patients with inflammatory myopathies

OBJECTIVE: Tissue-specific biomarkers that are reliable and associated with clinical manifestations of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) are lacking. The blood circulation in individuals serves as a central conduit, allowing communication between tissues and facilitating cle...

Understanding daily positive emotion regulation: examining associations with momentary emotions and anhedonia

Abstract Disturbances in positive emotion play a unique role in mental health problems, but little is known about how positive emotion regulation (ER) processes unfold in daily life. This study aimed to capture the dynamics of daily positive ER processes by investigating (1) whic...

Limits of the illusory truth effect for social-political opinions: Evidence from two experiments and a mini meta-analysis

Repeated exposure to information often increases its perceived truthfulness, a phenomenon known as the illusory truth effect. Although this effect is well established for factual statements, it remains unclear whether repetition similarly influences truth judgments for evaluative...

Protein aggregation inhibitors induce divergent transcriptional responses in a cellular model of ɑ-synuclein seeded aggregation

Abstract Parkinson’s disease (PD), dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are progressive neurodegenerative disorders marked by the pathological aggregation of alpha-synuclein (ɑSyn). Despite significant research efforts, effective therapeutic intervent...

Hints of self-medication? Pathogen exposure-dependent foraging decisions of bumblebees

Abstract Self-medication is the selective consumption of compounds that reduce infection and is a widespread form of adaptive plasticity across animals. However, relevant medicinal floral compounds remain poorly tested in bees. Here, we used robotic flowers to test the hypothesis...

Blame It on God? How Divine Attributions Legitimize Horizontal Inequalities and Shape Redistribution Preferences in Nigeria

ABSTRACT While earlier research has analyzed how religious affiliations and practices impact support for group‐based (or "horizontal") redistribution, no study has yet investigated how divine attributions of group‐based or horizontal inequalities affect these redistributive attit...

Modeling of flopping-mode spin qubits: Beyond the two-site model

We present a flexible modeling framework for flopping-mode spin qubits that captures the spatial structure of the double-well confinement and magnetic-field-gradient profile going beyond conventional low-energy descriptions. By using this approach, we simulate electric dipole spi...

Platinum-nanostructured silicon microneedles with scalable fabrication for EEG biosensing

This study details the development and characterization of a silicon microneedle electrode array for enhanced biopotential recording. Fabricated using a streamlined two-step process, the device design was guided by mechanical analysis to ensure structural stability and minimize s...

Contrasting patterns of trematode and host snail dispersal across clusters of tropical crater lakes

Abstract Background Comparing the genetic diversity and population structure of parasites and their hosts can improve understanding of their respective methods of dispersal, demographic histories, and factors driving genetic differentiation. In parasite taxa such as trematodes wh...

Three‐Dimensional Optical and Computational Reconstruction of Colloidal Electrokinetic Flows via Multiplane Imaging and Multiscale Modeling

ABSTRACT Sorting, filtering, and controlling colloidal particles is crucial in many fields, ranging from chemistry to biology and physics. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) enables selective manipulation of colloids by non‐uniform AC electric fields, yet the associated three‐dimensional na...

Postpartum GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT-2 therapies in women with prior gestational diabetes: current evidence and uncertainties

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 14% of pregnancies and is associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and a substantially increased risk of long-term cardiometabolic disease. Although glucose levels often normalise postpartum, women with prior GDM have a...

P1.015. A Potential Option for Blown-Out Myotomy After Peroral Endoscopic Myotomy

Abstract Topic Benign Disease: Esophageal Function and Motility Case Submission A 52 year old female with an extensive medical history including left lower limb dystrophy and a complex pain problem for which she is wheelchair bound, received several neurostimulators and had a hig...

Single‐stage regenerative approach for persistent RT3 gingival recession following orthodontic improvement of tooth position

Abstract Background Management of gingival recession type 3 (RT3) defects remains a clinical challenge due to interproximal attachment loss and soft tissue deficiency. This case report describes a regenerative strategy for a malpositioned anterior tooth presenting with severe rec...

Characterising caregivers’ contingent responses: Short, slow, and clear speech facilitates infant turn-taking

Bidirectional temporal contingency in infant-caregiver interaction is believed to be instrumental in shaping the development of turn-taking and speech. Likewise, caregivers are known to modulate their voices in a distinctive register when speaking to infants. Yet, less is known a...

Efficacy and safety of fenfluramine in Dravet syndrome: The impact of patient clinical characteristics

Abstract Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of fenfluramine in patients with Dravet syndrome (DS) stratified by age, number of previously attempted antiseizure medications (ASMs), and SCN1A pathogenic variant status. Methods In this post hoc analysis, data from three ran...