Contrastieve onderzoeksmodellen onder de loep

Conference (2009)

Potato (Solanum Tuberosum L.) Tuber Ageing Induces Changes In The Proteome And Antioxidants Associated With The Sprouting Pattern

in Journal of Experimental Botany (2009), 60(4), 1273-1288

Allergie au venin d'hyménoptère et tests de laboratoires : de nouvelles approches pour la prise en charge des patients à haut risque de réaction sévère

in Revue Médicale de Liège (2009), 64(11), 570-5

The consequences of Hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis are very severe but it is not obvious to predict which reactions will occur in one single patient when he is stung for the second time. For a couple of ... [more ▼]

The consequences of Hymenoptera venom anaphylaxis are very severe but it is not obvious to predict which reactions will occur in one single patient when he is stung for the second time. For a couple of years, many new laboratory tests have been experimented and many studies published. CAST, BAT, WB, tryptase, sIgE and sIgG4 are the new valuable additional diagnostic tools that can help the decision to perform an immunotherapy or to discontinue this therapy after 3 years. The aim of our study was to determine which could be the profile of a desensitized patient and to screen for good candidates for venom immunotherapy. [less ▲]

Bariatric surgery in patients with Type 2 diabetes: benefits, risks, indications and perspectives.

in Diabètes & Métabolism (2009), 35(6 Pt 2), 537-43

Obesity plays a key role in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and weight loss is a major objective, although difficult to achieve with medical treatments. Bariatric surgery has proven its ... [more ▼]

Obesity plays a key role in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and weight loss is a major objective, although difficult to achieve with medical treatments. Bariatric surgery has proven its efficacy in obtaining marked and sustained weight loss, and is also associated with a significant improvement in glucose control and even diabetes remission. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass appears to be more effective in diabetic patients than the restrictive gastroplasty procedure. This may be explained not only by greater weight reduction, but also by specific hormonal changes. Indeed, increased levels of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) may lead to improved beta-cell function and insulin secretion as well as reduced insulin resistance associated with weight loss. The presence of T2DM in obese individuals is a further argument to propose bariatric surgery, and even more so when diabetes is difficult to manage by medical means and other weight-related complications may occur. Bariatric surgery is associated with a better cardiovascular prognosis and reduced mortality, even though acute and long-term complications are present. The observation that surgical rerouting of nutrients triggers changes in the release of incretin hormones that, in turn, ameliorate the diabetic state in the absence of weight loss has led to the recent development of innovative surgical procedures. Thus, bariatric surgery may be said to be progressing towards so-called 'metabolic surgery', which merits further evaluation in patients with T2DM within a multidisciplinary approach that involves both surgeons and endocrinologists. [less ▲]

Glycoprotein L sets the neutralization profile of murid herpesvirus 4.

in Journal of General Virology (The) (2009), 90(Pt 5), 1202-14

Antibodies readily neutralize acute, epidemic viruses, but are less effective against more indolent pathogens such as herpesviruses. Murid herpesvirus 4 (MuHV-4) provides an accessible model for tracking ... [more ▼]

Antibodies readily neutralize acute, epidemic viruses, but are less effective against more indolent pathogens such as herpesviruses. Murid herpesvirus 4 (MuHV-4) provides an accessible model for tracking the fate of antibody-exposed gammaherpesvirus virions. Glycoprotein L (gL) plays a central role in MuHV-4 entry: it allows gH to bind heparan sulfate and regulates fusion-associated conformation changes in gH and gB. However, gL is non-essential: heparan sulfate binding can also occur via gp70, and the gB-gH complex alone seems to be sufficient for membrane fusion. Here, we investigated how gL affects the susceptibility of MuHV-4 to neutralization. Immune sera neutralized gL(-) virions more readily than gL(+) virions, chiefly because heparan sulfate binding now depended on gp70 and was therefore easier to block. However, there were also post-binding effects. First, the downstream, gL-independent conformation of gH became a neutralization target; gL normally prevents this by holding gH in an antigenically distinct heterodimer until after endocytosis. Second, gL(-) virions were more vulnerable to gB-directed neutralization. This covered multiple epitopes and thus seemed to reflect a general opening up of the gH-gB entry complex, which gL again normally restricts to late endosomes. gL therefore limits MuHV-4 neutralization by providing redundancy in cell binding and by keeping key elements of the virion fusion machinery hidden until after endocytosis. [less ▲]

Un outil d'aide à la décision pour la gestion des chablis en Région wallonne

in Innovations Agronomiques (2009), (6), 113-123

In order to efficiently manage post-storm damages, we developed a computer software that would be used as a decision support system by the public authorities to make the best decisions as soon as possible ... [more ▼]

In order to efficiently manage post-storm damages, we developed a computer software that would be used as a decision support system by the public authorities to make the best decisions as soon as possible after the storm, as well by showing an overview of the present situation as by comparing efficiency of several prospective simulations. The model was built on the basis of previous windthrow events in Europe and its parameters were defined after a full literature review. The system dynamics approach was used to simulate the complex scheme composed by post-storm management operations (inventory, selling, harvesting, transport and transformation). Thirty parameters can be modified by the operator to simulate the crisis situation. The main entry system is the amount of damage, which can be estimated in a very short time (3 days) by using the regional forest inventory network. The first results showed a great potential to predict evolution of a windthrow crisis and the bottlenecks which have to be solved to improve post-storm management. Of course, a validation in real conditions should confirm tool efficiency and possibility to extend its scale. [less ▲]

Range disjunctions, speciation, and morphological transformation rates in the liverwort genus Leptoscyphus

in Evolution (2009), 63

Parameter estimation and structural model updating using modal methods in the presence of nonlinearity

Conference given outside the academic context (2009)

Evolution des paramètres floristiques au cours de la dynamique post culturale dans les jachères du site Bibara dans le Parc National de la Ruvubu (Burundi).

in Bulletin Scientifique de l'Institut National pour l'Environnement et la Conservation de la Nature (INECN) (2009), 7

Functional analysis of an FLC-LIKE gene in root chicory

in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology. Part A, Physiology (2009), 153A(2/Suppl.), 198-199

Vernalization is known to promote flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana by inhibiting the expression of a strong repressor: FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). The recent cloning of an FLC-LIKE gene in sugar beet (Beta ... [more ▼]

Vernalization is known to promote flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana by inhibiting the expression of a strong repressor: FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC). The recent cloning of an FLC-LIKE gene in sugar beet (Beta vulgaris; BvFL1) and – here – in root chicory (Cichorium intybus; CiFL1) suggests the conservation of FLC biological function during evolution of eudicots. Hence physiological questions that remain difficult to address in Arabidopsis can be studied in other species. We investigated the correlation between CiFL1 expression and plant-age dependent responsiveness to vernalization. We also studied the effect of post-vernalization growing temperature, which can stabilize or erase the vernalized state. [less ▲]