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Manual Dexterity Abilities and Dual Tasking in Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder and Typically Developing Children
No full textPoor manual skills in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) may be dependent on task complexity and due to difficulties in the automatization phase of the motor learning process. Increased task demands and the dual-task paradigm can be used to test these hypotheses.Objectives We aim to investigate (1) manual dexterity abilities using increased levels of difficulty; (2) dual tasking using an experimental protocol of the Tyneside Pegboard Test (TPT).Method Sixteen children with DCD and 16 age-matched typically developing (TD) children were included. Various experimental conditions of the TPT (unimanual, bimanual and dual task) were administered. The dual-task paradigm comprised a primary unimanual task and a cognitive task (auditory non-verbal task). Parents were asked to fill out the eConners questionnaire to report attentional difficulties. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to compare possible differences in effects on the performance of the groups. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between dual-task performance and ADHD index of the eConners questionnaire.Results Children with DCD performed significantly worse in all task conditions (unimanual, bimanual, dual task) compared to TD children. In unimanual and bimanual conditions, they did no not present a higher impact of task constraints. Dual-task performances did not have a differential effect on groups and were not interfered by attentional difficulties.Conclusions Children with DCD exhibit a general slowness in all TPT tasks. Our findings do not support the automatization deficit hypothesis.Acknowledgments
This study was partially funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, RC Linea 1, 2024–2025. Open access funding provided by BIBLIOSA
Equity-Based Startup Engagement by Mid-sized Companies: An Exploratory Analysis of Indirect CVC
No full textModerate thinness and its association with muscle strength of children 5-7 years in Ethiopia: a comparative cross-sectional study
No full textObjective: This study aimed to investigate the association between moderate thinness (MT) and muscle strength among children aged 5-7 years old in Ethiopia.Design: A school-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2022. Their nutritional status (MT v. well-nourished (WN) was identified using BMI-for-age-and-sex; hand grip was measured using a digital grip strength dynamometer, and biceps, quadriceps and gastrocnemius strength were measured with Digital (Handheld) Dynamometry. Independent predictors of muscle strength were identified using a multivariable linear regression model.Setting: The study was conducted in Kindergarten and primary schools of Jimma Town, located in Southwest Ethiopia.Participants: Children 5-7 years old (n 388) with moderate thinness (MT = 194) and well-nourished peers (WN = 194).Results: Children with MT (n 198) had significantly lower grip strength, biceps, quadriceps and gastrocnemius muscle groups than WN children (n 198) (P 001). The mean and sd of grip strength were 415 (sd 256) kg for MT and 56 (sd 204) kg for WN children. Biceps strength was 343 (sd 734) Newton (N) for MT and 48 (1169) N for WN children. Gastrocnemius strength was 301 (69) N for MT and 451 (sd 97) N for WN children. After adjusting for background characteristics, WN children had 138 times higher grip strength (beta = 138, P 001), 1122 times higher biceps strength (beta = 1122, P 001), 1670 times higher quadriceps strength (beta = 1670, P 001) and 1275 times higher gastrocnemius strength (beta = 1275, P 001) than MT children.Conclusion: Children with MT had significantly lower muscle strength than their WN counterparts. This highlights the negative functional effect of wasting.Jimma University Institute of Health, Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics and Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Hasselt University deserve special appreciation for supporting the implementation of this research. Last but not least, we would like to thank the study participants, mothers or caregivers, Jimma Town Educational Office staff, school directors and teachers of the selected schools, as well as the data collectors. This research was supported by Jimma University, Institute of Health, Faculty of Public Health, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics
Towards high and reliable specific detectivity in visible and infrared perovskite and organic photodiodes
No full textPerovskite and organic photodiodes have emerged as promising candidates for ultraviolet-visible and near-infrared photodetection owing to their tunable optoelectronic properties, solution processability and potential for low-cost fabrication. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent advancements in these technologies. We focus on the characterization methodologies critical for assessing device performance, particularly specific detectivity (D*), the key metric for benchmarking photodetectors. We highlight state-of-the-art devices, identifying their architectures, materials and performance metrics, while analysing their fundamental charge recombination processes and device-level factors limiting further improvement. Finally, we discuss future research directions and technological innovations necessary to bridge the gap between laboratory-scale devices and their practical utilization in real-world applications. Our aim is to provide a roadmap for advancing the field towards next-generation high-performance and commercially viable photodiodes for ultraviolet-visible and infrared detection.N.G. thanks the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Office of Sponsored Research (OSR) under Award ORFS-2023-OFP-5544. K.V. acknowledges the European Research Council (ERC, grant agreement 864625). O.J.S. acknowledges funding from the Research Council of Finland through Project No. 357196
Systemic extracellular vesicle concentrations are elevated in insulin-resistant obesity but remain unaffected by exercise training
No full textBackground: Obesity is associated with impaired interorgan crosstalk, contributing to insulin resistance and dysregulated lipid metabolism. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as important mediators in these processes and are known to be modulated by lifestyle interventions such as exercise. Here, we investigated how exercise impacts circulating EV levels in individuals with different metabolic phenotypes. Methods: EDTA-plasma was obtained during an exercise intervention in three metabolically distinct groups (n=10 each): lean, insulin-sensitive obesity (IS) , and insulin-resistant obesity (IR). Samples were collected at rest, after 60min of exercise, and following 60min of recovery, both before and after a 12-week training program. Plasma was filtered through a 0,8µm polycarbonate membrane, and EVs were isolated using size exclusion chromatography (SEC, 12 x 1mL fractions). EV concentration and size were assessed by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA, Zetaview®). Glycerol concentrations were measured in adipose tissue microdialysates at corresponding timepoints. Results: Individuals with IR displayed significantly higher circulating EV concentrations compared with lean and IS participants (7,6×10¹⁰ vs 2,8x10¹⁰ and 2,3×10¹⁰ particles/mL; p<0.0001). EV levels further increased during recovery compared to rest (5,9×10¹⁰ to 9,7×10¹⁰; p<0.05). No significant difference in concentration was observed after a 12-week training intervention in either group. Mean EV size (~ 132nm) remained unchanged across all timepoints and groups. HOMA-IR showed the strongest positive correlation with EV concentration (r=0,61; p<0.0001), while BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and android-to-gynoid (A/G) ratio showed a slightly positive association with systemic EV concentrations (r=0,30; p<0.001). No correlation was observed between circulating EV levels and subcutaneous adipose tissue lipolysis, as reflected by microdialysate glycerol concentrations. Conclusions: The obese insulin resistant state is accompanied by elevated systemic EV concentrations, yet neither an acute exercise nor 12-week training intervention substantially altered these levels. Further proteomics analyses are warranted to clarify the functional impact of exercise on circulating EVs
Tracking down the origin and subsequent spread of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.619
No full textSince late 2020, the emergence of variants of concern (VOCs) of SARS-CoV-2 has been of concern to public health, researchers and policymakers. Mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome-for which clear evidence is available indicating a significant impact on transmissibility, severity and/or immunity-illustrate the importance of genomic surveillance and monitoring the evolution and geographic spread of novel lineages. Lineage B.1.619 was first detected in Switzerland in January 2021, in international travellers returning from Cameroon. This lineage was subsequently also detected in Rwanda, Belgium, Cameroon, France, and many other countries and is characterised by spike protein amino acid mutations N440K and E484K in the receptor binding domain, which are associated with immune escape and higher infectiousness. In this study, we perform a phylogeographic analysis to track the geographic origin and subsequent dispersal of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.619. We employ a recently developed travel history-aware phylogeographic model, enabling us to incorporate genomic sequences with associated travel information. We estimate that B.1.619 most likely originated in Cameroon, in November 2020. We estimate the influence of the number of air-traffic passengers on the dispersal of B.1.619 but find no significant effect, illustrative of the complex dispersal patterns of SARS-CoV-2 lineages. Finally, we examine the metadata associated with infected Belgian patients and report a wide range of symptoms and medical interventions.SLH acknowledges support from the Research Foundation—
Flanders (‘Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek—Vlaanderen’,
G0D5117N). GB, SD and SLH acknowledge support from the
Research Foundation—Flanders (‘Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk
Onderzoek—Vlaanderen’, G0E1420N). GB and BP acknowledge support from the Internal Funds KU Leuven (Grant No.
C14/18/094). GB, SD and NB acknowledge support from the
Research Foundation—Flanders (‘Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk
Onderzoek—Vlaanderen’, G098321N). SD also acknowledges
support from the ‘Fonds National de la Recherche Scientifique’
(F.R.S.-FNRS, Belgium; grant n◦F.4515.22) and from the European
Union Horizon 2020 project MOOD (grant agreement n◦874850).
This work was supported by Agence Française de Développement
through the AFROSCREEN project (grant agreement CZZ3209),
coordinated by ANRS | Maladies infectieuses émergentes in
partnership with Institut Pasteur and IRD. We would additionally
like to thank members from the AFROSCREEN Consortium
(https://www.afroscreen.org/en/network/) for their work and
support on genomic surveillance in Africa
Single molecule counting detects low-copy glycine receptors in hippocampal and striatal synapses
No full textGlycine receptors (GlyRs) are heteropentameric chloride channels that mediate fast inhibitory neurotransmission in the brainstem and spinal cord, where they regulate motor and sensory processes. GlyRs are clustered in the post-synaptic membrane by strong interactions of the β subunit with the scaffold protein gephyrin. Even though GlyRβ mRNA is highly expressed throughout the brain, the existence of synaptic GlyRs remains controversial as there is little conclusive evidence using conventional fluorescence microscopy and electrophysiological recordings. Here we exploit the high sensitivity and spatial resolution of single molecule localisation microscopy (SMLM) to investigate the presence of GlyRs at inhibitory synapses in the brain, focusing on several areas of the telencephalon. Making use of a knock-in mouse model expressing endogenous mEos4b-tagged GlyRβ, we identified few GlyRs in sub-regions of the hippocampus. Dual-colour SMLM revealed that these sparse receptors are integrated within the post-synaptic gephyrin domain, pointing to a possible role in maintaining the structural integrity of inhibitory synapses. In contrast, we found functionally relevant numbers of synaptic GlyRs at inhibitory synapses in the ventral striatum. Our results highlight the strength of SMLM to detect few and sparsely distributed synaptic molecules in complex samples and to analyse their organisation with high spatial precision.This research was funded by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-20-CE11-0002, InVivoNanoSpin, to CGS), Inserm (IRP RESiSTER, to CGS), and Fonds voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (11N1422N, V419721N, to BB). SC was supported by a postdoctoral contract through the ANR projects InVivoNanoSpin (ANR-20-CE11-0002) and NeurATRIS (ANR-11-INBS-0011). The SMLM setup was acquired with the support of the Fédération pour la Recherche sur le Cerveau (FRC/Neurodon, opération Rotary – Espoir en Tête, to CGS), and an ERM equipment grant from UPSaclay (to CGS). We also acknowledge support of the international exchange programme ECOS Sud (C21S02, to CGS and Gonzalo Yévenes, UdeC, Chile).
Acknowledgements
We thank Hans Maric (Virchow Center, University of Würzburg) for the Sylite probe, Carmen Villmann and Natascha Schäfer (Universitätsklinikum Würzburg) for the collection of brain and spinal cord tissue, Krishna Gaete Riquelme (Universidad de Concepción, Chile) for technical assistance, Nicolas Froger (MAPREG, France) for the supply of mouse embryos, Elisabeth Piccart and Petra Bex (UHasselt, Belgium) for brain slice patch clamp training, and Fabrice Schmitt (Zeiss) and Michael Schumacher (NeuroBicêtre, Inserm, UPSaclay) for their generous help with the setting up of the super-resolution imaging platform. We also acknowledge the proficient technical support by Zeiss and Abbelight
Theoretical and experimental study on the band gap of binary ZnS-CdS nanocomposites and expected best photocatalysts
No full textIn this study, ZnS-CdS nanocomposites were synthesized using a hydrothermal method to investigate their photocatalytic activity. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirmed the formation of hexagonal structure for cadmium sulfide and zinc sulfide nanocomposites and the results of the scanning electron spectroscopy (SEM) indicated that by adding ZnS to cadmium sulfide's structure the size of the nanoparticles decreases, which is a clear sign of improved photocatalytic activity. Using absorption coefficient and UV-visible spectroscopy (UV), the band gap of pure CdS was obtained as 2.7 eV, by adding the Zn content the gap will decrease. The photocatalytic activity of prepared nanocomposites was studied by photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) organic dye, and the synthesized sample with 0.1 M of zinc solution shows a smaller gap and size. In the next step, cadmium sulfide nanoparticles with different percentages of zinc were simulated and their HOMO-LUMO gaps were calculated by Density Functional Theory (DFT). In comparison to the other well-known functionals, it was found that M05 shows a better agreement with experimental results. The computational results confirm that the sample with 10% zinc content is a good candidate for photocatalytic activity.Thias work is supported by Sahand University of Technology with contract number [23681
Complete remission with olaparib in BRIP1-mutated metastatic high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma: case study and literature review-an example of a genomic profiling-based tumor treatment, in a cancer type with high unmet clinical need
No full textBackground and purpose: Patients with high-grade metastatic sarcoma have a poor prognosis and limited treatment options, mostly involving chemotherapy with palliative intent. In the past years, next generation sequencing has proven its benefit in cancer diagnostics and prediction of treatment response to targeted therapy. Patient/material and methods: We present a case of response and long-term complete remission under treatment with the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARP-inhibitor) olaparib in a patient with metastatic high-grade pleomorphic sarcoma, with an next generation sequencing detected BRIP1-mutation. Additionally, a literature search regarding the pathophysiology of BRIP1-mutations and the role of PARPinhibitors in BRIP1-mutated cancer was conducted. Results: A 67-year-old female patient was diagnosed with a high-grade intra-abdominal pleomorphic sarcoma, which was surgically resected. One year later, metastatic lesions in the right lung were observed. Genomic profiling identified a BRIP1-mutation. Based on this finding, the patient was included in the PRECISION-2 olaparib study, which evaluates the efficacy of olaparib in advanced cancers of any type harboring mutations in a homologous recombination gene. Within 2 months of olaparib treatment, regression of the pulmonary metastases was observed with ongoing complete remission for currently 36 months. A review of the available literature highlights the importance of BRIP1 in the homologous recombination repair pathway and its role as a cancer susceptibility gene. Studies in BRIP1-mutated breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer suggest a clinical benefit of PARP-inhibitor use. Interpretation: We here describe the first case of a metastatic BRIP1-mutated sarcoma, undergoing a complete radiologic response to olaparib treatment. We highlight an underexplored role of homologous recombination deficiency in non-traditional cancer types and postulate a tumor-agnostic approach to the use of PARP-inhibitors in BRIP1-mutated tumors.This case study has not received any direct funding. The pre-sented patient has been treated in the PRECISION-2 olaparib study. In this PRECISION-2 study, AstraZeneca and Merck were responsible for medication supply and financial contributions. None of these companies took part in the writing of this article.David Creytens was financially supported by a senior clinical research fellowship from the Research Foundation Flanders (1800725N)
Acts of Deviation
No full textThe exhibition Acts of Deviation shows various art objects that are the results of Maria Konschake's doctoral research Acts of Deviation: Artistic Reflections on Memory and Identity in Connection with Jewellery (2021-2025). This research is a study on (memory-related) deviation as an artistic strategy to reflect on whether objects are carriers of memories and how this relates to the formation and representation of identity. A focus was put on jewellery. The project took place at Hasselt University and PXL-MAD School of Arts and was supervised by Prof. Dr. David Huycke and Dr. Karen Wuytens.
This PhD Research in the Arts was funded and supported by the Special Research Fund (BOF) of Hasselt University (BOF21DOC04)