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Loss of TRPV4 is insufficient to promote repair in a spinal cord injury contusion model
No full textMicroglia, the primary phagocytes activated after spinal cord injury (SCI), play a key role in containing the lesion and protecting the glial scar from infiltrating immune cells. Although these responses are initially protective, excessive microglial proliferation and sustained pro-inflammatory activation can worsen secondary damage and limit recovery. Modulating microglial activity has been proposed as a potential therapeutic approach to enhance SCI repair. Previous studies suggest that constitutive loss of the mechanosensory channel TRPV4 (transient receptor potential vanilloid 4) reduces microgliosis and inflammation at the lesion site, improving functional outcomes. TRPV4 is a Ca2+-permeable channel implicated in several microglial characteristics, like morphology, motility, proliferation, and phagocytosis. Whereas endogenous TRPV4-activating stimuli are abundant at the lesion site, the microglia-specific contribution of TRPV4 in SCI recovery remains unknown. To investigate this, we used phagocyte-specific Trpv4 conditional knockout mice and phagocyte-specific TRPV4-deficient bone marrow chimeras subjected to contusion SCI. We achieved robust and efficient spinal cord monocyte-derived cell repopulation after bone marrow transplantation and PLX treatment. Surprisingly, TRPV4 deficiency in phagocytes did not enhance functional recovery, reduce microgliosis, or diminish scar formation after SCI. Furthermore, contrary to prior studies, constitutive TRPV4 deficiency did not improve SCI outcomes, indicating that the role of TRPV4 in this context is complex and potentially redundant with other pathways.Acknowledgements
We thank the animal care takers for the maintenance of the mouse colonies at BIOMED; Rosette Beenaerts and Petra Bex for their technical assistance; and Dr. Sam Duwé from the Advanced Optical Microscopy Centre for training, support, and access to the instrumentation. Melanie Mertens is a PhD student supported by the Special Research Foundation UHasselt (BOF21DOC21). This work was supported by FWO research grants (12H8220N, 1209123N, 1SH2E24N) and Special Research Foundation UHasselt (BOF20KP11, BOF21KP06, BOF20DOC16). We thank Prof. Rudi Vennekens and Silvia Pinto for kindly providing the Trpv4 KO mice and Prof. Philippe Gailly for the Trpv4lox/+ mice
Effect of exercise-induced lower limb muscle fatigue on lower limb proprioception and postural control in children with cerebral palsy and typically developing children
No full textDeze studie gaat over het effect van inspanningsgebonden spiervermoeidheid van de onderste ledematen (OL) op de proprioceptie van de OL en de posturale controle bij kinderen met cerebrale parese (CP) en kinderen met een typische ontwikkeling (TDC). Posturale controle en proprioceptie werden voor en na spiervermoeidheid gemeten bij 14 kinderen met CP en 28 TDC. De posturale controle tijdens geblinddoekt stilstaan werd geëvalueerd door verplaatsing (xCOP) en snelheid (vCOP) van het COP in anteroposterior (AP) en mediolaterale (ML) richtingen. Proprioceptie van de heup en enkel werd gemeten via een passief ipsilateraal joint position reproduction (JPR) protocol door het bepalen van de joint reproduction error (JRE). Spiervermoeidheid werd gemeten met een vermoeidheidsprotocol. Na vermoeidheid vertoonden beide groepen significante toenames in xCOP en vCOP in AP-richting. Kinderen met CP hadden significant lagere vCOP in AP-richting en hogere vCOP in ML-richting vergeleken met TDC. Bovendien vertoonden kinderen met CP een hogere xCOP in ML-richting dan TDC. Proprioceptie verslechterde na vermoeidheid in beide groepen. Bovendien vertoonden CP-kinderen consistent hogere JRE-waarden dan TDC. Spiervermoeidheid heeft een vergelijkbare negatieve impact op de posturale controle en proprioceptie bij kinderen met CP en TDC, waarbij CP slechtere basisprestaties liet zien. Dit benadrukt de noodzaak van therapeutische benaderingen, zoals functionele krachttraining, die zowel de basis beperkingen als de vermoeidheidsresistentie aanpakken
Leerlingen en diversiteit: Hoe scholen intercultureel onderwijs bevorderen
No full textAls gevolg van de steeds diverser wordende samenleving staat het onderwijs voor een grote uitdaging: een hervorming van het onderwijssysteem waarbij alle leerlingen zich gezien, gewaardeerd en gestimuleerd voelen. Deze O3-proef kan een bijdrage leveren aan de ontwikkeling van het diversiteitsbewustzijn en interculturele competenties bij jongeren, met als doel leerlingen bewust te maken van diversiteit en interculturaliteit.
De onderzoeksvraag werd in samenwerking met de middelbare school het TISM als volgt geformuleerd: ‘Hoe kan het secundair onderwijs bijdragen aan de diversiteitsontwikkeling en interculturele competenties van leerlingen om multicultureel samen te werken, zowel binnen de schoolcontext als in de maatschappij?
Integrating order picking and delivery decisions in a dynamic setting
No full textThe growing importance of e-commerce retail, accompanied with the need of offering a high customer service level, requires companies to optimise their operations. One possible area of improvement is the integration of order picking and delivery decisions. If a new customer order arrives, the requested items first need to be picked in the warehouse. Afterwards, the items are delivered to the customer’s location. Traditionally, the picking and delivery operations are considered individually and in a sequential manner. By using integrated decision making, however, more efficient operations can be obtained.
Since customers demand very fast deliveries, the use of an online optimisation strategy is preferred, as it allows to consider new customer orders very quickly in the current operating schedule. While previous research considered the integration of picking and delivery in a static problem setting, its impact in a dynamic setting is yet unstudied.
We propose new metaheuristic algorithms to solve the integrated picking and delivery problem in a dynamic setting. The performance of several algorithms, i.e., a simple sequential algorithm, an iterative algorithm and two integrated algorithms, is compared to show the benefits of using a more involved optimisation strategy
How can a 15th century Irish tower house, currently in a state of neglect, be adaptively reused to meet contemporary societal needs while preserving its historical and architectural integrity and be used as a guideline for other tower house projects.
No full textProcess and design guidelines for inkjet-printed organic photovoltaic cells - using the example of PM6:Y6
No full textInkjet printing (IJP) is a promising non-contact and digital technique for the precise deposition and patterning of functional materials on reduced areas, enabling versatile applications in both indoor and outdoor environments. In this work, we present processing and design guidelines for IJP the active layer of organic photovoltaics (OPVs), covering ink preparation with non-halogenated solvents, film printing, and post-treatment. The benchmark PM6:Y6 system, a well-known high-performance donor-acceptor combination that remains relatively unexplored in the IJP field, and a commercially available IJP system are selected as a case study. Trends in power conversion efficiency (PCE) were observed with respect to the studied parameters, providing insight into the morphology-performance relationship of IJP films. Maximum optimized PCEs of 3.31% under 1 sun and 4.37% under 500 lux indoor illumination were achieved for IJP active layers produced at ambient conditions. This study highlights not only the feasibility of eco-friendly, inkjet-printed OPVs, but also general process trends to guide the fabrication of efficient, miniaturized devices for the Internet of Things (IoT), wearable electronics, and other low-power electronics applications.This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 948922 – 3DALIGN) (T.-Y. Chou, T. Sinha and F. MolinaLopez). Tsu-yu Chou acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO), project number G065021N (Junior Research Project). Tanmay Sinha acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) through a PhD Fundamental research Fellowship no. 1160623N and no. 1160625N. Bernhard Siegmund acknowledges funding from the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) through a Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship no. 12AOC24N (SOFIA). The authors acknowledge Prof. Bart Goderis (KU Leuven) and the DUBBLE (Dual Belgian Beamlines) at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility ESRF for access to the beamline BM26 to perform GIWAXS
Intersectional policy-making as a political process: exploring the emergence of intersectionality in organizational equality policies
No full textCorrection: Partially hydrolyzed, whey-based infant formula with six human milk oligosaccharides, B. infantis LMG11588, and B. lactis CNCM I-3446 is safe, well tolerated, and improves gut health: a staged analysis of a randomized trial
No full text[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1628847.]
Atherosclerosis after pre-eclampsia: systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textObjective Pre-eclampsia complicates up to 8% of pregnancies and is associated with increased risk of ischemic cardiac and cerebral disease, which may be prevented through management of cardiovascular risk when early disease stages are detected. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the prevalence of clinical and subclinical atherosclerosis in women after pre-eclamptic vs non-pre-eclamptic pregnancy with advancing maternal age.Methods A systematic search of the literature was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Web of Science for studies reporting on the prevalence of atherosclerosis in women with a previous pre-eclamptic pregnancy and those with a previous uncomplicated pregnancy. Any systemic atherosclerosis documented using ultrasound or computed tomography was included. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to compute the odds ratio (OR) with 95% CI for the association between pre-eclampsia and the presence of atherosclerosis. Subgroup analysis was conducted according to average maternal age at evaluation.Results A total of 11 articles were included (13 217 participants). The average maternal age at evaluation ranged from 32 to 60 years. Within this age range, the pooled OR for the presence of atherosclerotic plaque after pre-eclampsia was 1.57 (95% CI, 1.39-1.78). The pooled OR of developing atherosclerotic plaque after a pre-eclamptic vs non-pre-eclamptic pregnancy increased gradually with advancing maternal age. The OR was not significant in the 30-39-year-old group (0.64 (95% CI, 0.10-4.15)), but the odds of finding an atherosclerotic plaque were significantly increased after pre-eclamptic pregnancy in the 40-49-year-old group (OR, 1.59 (95% CI, 1.34-1.89)) and 50-60-year-old group (OR, 2.00 (95% CI, 1.30-3.08)). At any given age, the percentage plaque prevalence in formerly pre-eclamptic women was roughly equal to that seen 10 years later in women with a previous non-pre-eclamptic pregnancy.Conclusions Women with a previous pre-eclamptic pregnancy exhibit atherosclerosis more frequently and approximately 10 years earlier compared with women with a previous non-pre-eclamptic pregnancy. Targeted primary prevention is required to reduce morbidity and mortality from premature cardiovascular disease in women after pre-eclampsia. (c) 2025 The Author(s). Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology.ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We thank Dr Marieke Schor from Maastricht University for her help with setting up the systematic search.
Disclosure
Grant funding was received from the Dutch Heart Foundation (grant number: 02-001-2023-0141). A.v.H. declares receipt of grant funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Abbott Vascular and Sanofi. In addition, his institution received consulting fees from Celecor Therapeutics. Furthermore, A.v.H. is on the Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) for the COMBINE-INTERVENE trial and is a chairperson for the Dutch Guideline Committee on Cardiac Rehabilitation