253 research outputs found
Immunosuppressive effects of clozapine and haloperidol: enhanced production of the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist
No full textThere is some evidence that antipsychotic drugs may have immunosuppressive effects. This study examined the in-vitro effects of different concentrations of antipsychotic agents on cytokine production by human whole blood
Trading rights to consume wind in presence of farm-farm interactions
No full textMichiel Kenis is a PhD researcher at the Energy Systems Integration & Modeling Group at the University of Leuven with a doctoral mandate from the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO). He was a visiting researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His research focuses on cross-border electricity markets. He holds a MSc in energy engineering and a MSc in policy economics, both from the University of Leuven. Luca Lanzilao completed his MSc degree in mathematical engineering from Politecnico di Torino in 2018. Currently, he is pursuing a PhD at KU Leuven. His research focuses on studying the response of the atmospheric boundary layer to wind farm forcing, with particular emphasis on meso-scale phenomena, such as gravity waves. Kenneth Bruninx received a MSc degree in energy engineering in 2011, a MSc in management, and a PhD degree in mechanical engineering in 2016, all from the University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Belgium. Currently, he is an assistant professor at the Faculty of Technology, Policy, and Management of TU Delft, Netherlands and a research fellow at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Belgium. His research interests include market design, policies, and regulation for integrated energy systems. Johan Meyers is a professor of mechanical engineering at KU Leuven since 2009. His research focuses on the simulation of turbulent flows and the atmospheric boundary layer with applications in wind energy. In 2012, he obtained an ERC grant on wind farm control and has been involved in various European projects on wind energy since. He served as the vice president of the European Academy of Wind Energy from 2017 to 2019 and as its president from 2019 to end of 2021. He has been active as an associate editor for Computers & Fluids and is currently an associate editor for Wind Energy Science. Erik Delarue received MSc and PhD degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Leuven, Belgium, in 2005 and 2009, respectively. He is currently an associate professor with the University of Leuven, TME Branch (energy conversion) and active with EnergyVille. His research focus and expertise are on quantitative tools, supporting an efficient operation of, and transition toward, a low-carbon energy system (mathematical modeling of energy systems). Applications relate to flexibility through energy systems integration, market design, and energy policies.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Energie and Industri
In vitro immunoregulatory effects of lithium in healthy volunteers
No full textExamined the in vitro effects of lithium carbonate on the unstimulated and lipolysaccharide (LPS)?+?phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced production of proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-? (TNF?) and interferon-? (IFN?), and negative immunoregulatory cytokines or proteins, such as IL-10 and the IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA)
Depressive symptoms following interferon-a therapy: mediated by immune-induced reductions in brain-derived neurotrophic factor?
No full textInterferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy for the treatment of hepatitis C is known to induce depressive symptoms and major depression in a substantial proportion of patients. While immune activation and disturbances in peripheral tryptophan catabolism have been implicated, the exact underlying mechanism remains unknown. A role for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of mood disorders has recently emerged. This study examined whether depressive symptoms over time are associated with changes in serum BDNF concentration in hepatitis C patients treated with IFN-alpha, and whether BDNF mediates the effects of IFN-alpha-induced immune activation on depressive symptoms. For this purpose, 17 hepatitis C patients received IFN-alpha treatment with ribavirin. Patients were assessed before and at 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 wk after start of treatment. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). In addition, cytokine concentrations and serum BDNF levels were measured at all time-points. Serum levels of BDNF decreased during the course of treatment, and were significantly and inversely associated with total MADRS score. Furthermore, pro-inflammatory cytokine levels predicted lower subsequent BDNF levels, whereas low BDNF levels, as well as increased cytokine levels, were independently associated with the development of depressive symptoms during IFN-alpha treatment. These findings suggest that the effect of IFN-alpha-induced immune activation on depression may be explained in part by alterations in neuroprotective capacity, reflected by decreases in serum BDNF following IFN-alpha treatment
Developmental and psychoneuroimmunological mechanisms in depression
No full textAs the development of more effective treatment options for depression is vital, we investigated the relation between infection/inflammation and depression. Thus, we performed studies using animal models of depression as well as depressive patients. We found that infection in the mouse produced brain changes in proteins regulating the gene expression. The molecules responsible for these changes may be used as a new targets for the treatment of depression. In addition, we found changes in the levels of several genes and proteins within the blood of patients suffering from depressive symptoms, which could be used for a better diagnosis of depression
Influence of psychological stress on immune-inflammatory variables in normal humans. Part II. Altered serum concentrations of natural anti-inflammatory agents and soluble membrane antigens of monocytes and T lymphocytes
No full textThe effects of academic examination stress (AES) on serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-1 receptor (R) antagonist (A), solubles IL-2R, sIL-6R, soluble glycoprotein 130 (sgp130), Clara cell protein (CC16), sCD8 and sCD14 were evaluated in 38 Ss (ages 19-22). Also examined were relationships among changes in the above immune-inflammatory variables, levels of serum cortisol, and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) or the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) scores
The inflammatory response system and the availability of plasma tryptophan in patients with primary sleep disorders and major depression
No full textExamined immune-deficiency markers, i.e., serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, IL-6 receptor (IL-6R), IL-1R antagonist (IL1RA), gp130, and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production by mitogen-stimulated whole blood and the availability of plasma tryptophan in 10 patients with primary sleep disorders, 6 patients with major depression, and 14 healthy volunteers
A race against the clock? On the paradoxes of acting ‘now' in the climate struggle.
No full textsponsorship: This research has been funded by the Research Foundation Flanders and was conducted during a visiting scholarship with Professor Mike Hulme at the Department of Geography of the University of Cambridge. I thank the members of the Climate Change Reading Group and the participants of the seminar where I presented a draft version of this paper, for the fruitful discussion. Most thanks go, of course, to the coauthors and editors of this special issue, for the inspiring collaboration while trying not to run out of time. All potential mistakes or other problems with the article are the sole responsibility of the author. (Research Foundation Flanders)status: Publishe
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