Bridging the gap between therapy research and practice in a person-centered/experiential therapy training program : the Leuven systematic case study research protocol

The goal of the Leuven Systematic Case Study Research Protocol project is to stimulate practice-oriented research in order to bridge the gap between research and practice. In this article we give a progress report of the project, in which a set of Dutch-language research instruments was created and tested with postgraduate trainees in person-centered/experiential therapy at the University Leuven (Belgium). We begin by presenting the general framework for the protocol, including the three major domains of therapy process, therapy outcome, and client/therapist characteristics. Then we give an overview of the quantitative and qualitative instruments used. We explain how the project has been implemented in the postgraduate program. To evaluate the success of the project, we analyzed the answers of our trainees on a questionnaire. We give an overview of the clinical cases involved and the variety of research questions that have been formulated in the individual case studies. Finally we discuss the value of this pilot project

Functional surface micropatterns by dewetting of thin polymer films

Patterned polymer surfaces are of great importance with respect to an increasing number of technological and bio-medical applications, due to their great versatility in terms of chemical composition, properties and processing techniques. Surface micro-patterning by spontaneous dewetting of thin polymer films represents a versatile and robust process to fabricate surfaces with controlled topography and chemistry at the micro-scale. In this Thesis, we used polymer dewetting in combination with complementary approaches to engineer both surface chemistry and the ordering of the dewetting patterns. The dewetting of poly(D,L-glycolide-co-lactide) (PLGA) thin films on polystyrene (PS) was combined with the grafting of protein-repellent poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), in order to form topographical and chemical surface micropatterns consisting in protein-adhesive PS domains surrounded by protein-repellent PEG-grafted PLGA films. The produced micropatterned surfaces were used for site-specific protein adsorption, and represent a promising platform for biological applications, such as proteomics, single-cell studies and tissue engineering. Spatially ordered surface micropatterns were obtained by combining polymer dewetting with microcontact printing and colloidal lithography, respectively. The dewetting of thin PS films was guided within specific regions of the substrate by prestamping of the silicon substrate with self-assembled monolayers of an alkylsilane by microcontact printing. Ordered micropatterns consisting in arrays of holes with tunable size were obtained by exploiting the spontaneous dewetting of poly(4-vinyl pyridine) (P4VP) thin films on PS from the holes produced by colloidal imprinting with two-dimensional colloidal crystals assembled on the polymer bilayer

Calpain cleavage and subcellular characterisation of the ferlin family.

The ferlins are a family of C2-domain containing proteins. C2 domains regulate vesicle fusion in synaptotagmins, and animal models of ferlin deficiency display pathologies related to Ca2+-dependent vesicle fusion. Dysferlin mutations cause limb-girdle muscular dystrophy due to defective membrane repair. Our group has previously shown that Ca2+-dependent proteases, calpains, cleave dysferlin following membrane injury, releasing mini-dysferlinC72, that we hypothesise mediates membrane repair. Otoferlin mutations cause non-syndromic deafness, while no pathology causing mutations have been identified in other ferlins. My project establishes that dysferlin and myoferlin, type-I ferlins, are present at the plasma membrane and endo-lysosomal pathway while otoferlin and Fer1L6, type-II ferlins, are present at the plasma membrane and recycling trans-Golgi compartments. I also show that dysferlin is cleaved to mini-dysferlinC72 following injury in all cell types by the ubiquitous calpains-1 and -2 in the alternatively spliced exon 40a, indicating dysferlin cleavage is a fundamental response to membrane injury. Exon 40a-containing dysferlin recruits to sites of membrane injury in myotubes, indicating mini-dysferlinC72 may function directly at sites of injury. Finally, I have shown that calpains also cleave otoferlin and myoferlin. Cleavage of other ferlins indicates ferlin cleavage is an evolutionarily conserved event, predating the split between type-I and type-II ferlins

M & L Jaargang 29/2

Catheline Metdepenninghen Kleurrijke bloementuilen in de Sint-Salvatorkerk in Harelbeke. [Colourful bouquets in Harelbekes Saint Salvator Church.]Hekken in zwart en goud zijn ons ondertussen zo vertrouwd, dat we er nog nauwelijks bij nadenken. Gelukkig zijn er oplettende restaurateurs, zoals Nicky Vergouwen, die onder de strenge uitmonstering van de hekken in de Sint-Salvatorskerk in Harelbeke een onverwachte polychromie ontdekte in typisch 18de-eeuwse heldere kleurtinten.Veerle Stinckens Een buitengewoon duo. De restauratie van twee monumentale schilderijen van Jan Erasmus Quellin. [An extraordinary pair. The restoration of two monumental paintings by Jan Erasmus Quellin.]Door de enorme afmetingen van twee geschilderde doeken van Jan Erasmus Quellin in de abdijkerk van Tongerlo konden deze niet naar een atelier vervoerd worden. Veerle Stinckens schetst het relaas van deze toch wel afwijkende opdracht, waarbij het kerkinterieur noodgedwongen tot restauratieatelier werd omgebouwd.Vanessa De Geest Het Zandhof. Een prefab woning van architect Charles Van Nueten. [The Zandhof. A prefab building by architect Charles Van Nueten.]Moeilijk te geloven dat dit traditionele duinhuisje en de moderne atelieruitbreiding door dezelfde architect ontworpen werden. Charles Van Nueten toont zich een handige kameleon, die heel diverse opdrachten en stijlen beheerst. Vanessa De Geest geeft een mooi overzicht van zijn loopbaan en realisaties.Luc Van de Sijpe Vergeten beton? De Bunkergordel Bruggenhoofd Gent. [Lost concrete? The bunker line Bruggenhoofd Ghent.]Zelfs de Duitse oorlogspropaganda kon er niet omheen: aan de bunkergordel Bruggenhoofd Gent boden Belgische soldaten drie dagen weerstand tegen een overweldigende overmacht. De strijd van de verdedigers leverde hen minder dan een voetnoot op in de geschiedenis van de Tweede Wereldoorlog. De linie werd deels ontmanteld en dichtgemetseld en raakte in vergetelheid. Tot Luc Van de Sijpe besloot hier iets aan te doen. Hij inventariseerde de restanten van de linie, ontsloot ze voor het publiek via de website bunkergordel en herwaardeerde zo de laatste getuigenissen van een vergeten verdedigingslinie.Summar

Absolute Frequency Atlas from 915 nm to 985 nm based on Laser Absorption Spectroscopy of Iodine

This article reports on laser absorption spectroscopy of iodine gas between 915 nm and 985 nm. This wavelength range is scanned utilizing a narrow linewidth and mode-hop-free tunable diode-laser whose frequency is actively controlled using a calibrated wavelength meter. This allows us to provide an iodine atlas that contains almost 10,000 experimentally observed reference lines with an uncertainty of 50 MHz. For common lines, good agreement is found with a publication by Gerstenkorn et al. [S. Gerstenkorn, P. Luc, Atlas du spectre d'absorption de la molecule d'iode 14800-20000 cm$^{-1}$, Paris: Editions du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), 1978]. The new rich dataset allows existing models of the iodine molecule to be refined and can serve as a reference for laser frequency calibration and stabilization.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, link to online data depositor

Adverse Outcome Pathway Networks I: Development and Applications.

Based on the results of a SETAC-sponsored Horizon Scanning exercise focused on advancing the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework, the development of guidance related to AOP network development was identified as a critical need. This not only included questions focusing directly on AOP networks, but also on related topics such as mixture toxicity assessment and the implementation of feedback loops within the AOP framework. A set of two papers has been developed to begin exploring these concepts. In the present paper (part I), derivation of AOP networks is considered in the context of how it differs from development of individual AOPs. We then propose the use of filters and layers to tailor AOP networks to suit the needs of a given research question or application. We briefly introduce a number of analytical approaches that may be used to characterize the structure of AOP networks. These analytical concepts are further described in a dedicated, complementary paper (part II). Finally, we present a number of case studies that illustrate concepts underlying development, analysis and application of AOP networks. The concepts described in this paper, and in its companion paper focused on AOP network analytics, are intended to serve as a starting point for further development of the AOP network concept, but also to catalyze AOP network development and application by the different stakeholder communities. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

From mRNA expression of drug disposition genes to in vivo assessment of CYP-mediated biotransformation during zebrafish embryonic and larval development

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordThe zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo is currently explored as an alternative for developmental toxicity testing. As maternal metabolism is lacking in this model, knowledge of the disposition of xenobiotics during zebrafish organogenesis is pivotal in order to correctly interpret the outcome of teratogenicity assays. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity in zebrafish embryos and larvae until 14 d post-fertilization (dpf) by using a non-specific CYP substrate, i.e., benzyloxy-methyl-resorufin (BOMR) and a CYP1-specific substrate, i.e., 7-ethoxyresorufin (ER). Moreover, the constitutive mRNA expression of CYP1A, CYP1B1, CYP1C1, CYP1C2, CYP2K6, CYP3A65, CYP3C1, phase II enzymes uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) and sulfotransferase 1st1 (SULT1ST1), and an ATP-binding cassette (ABC) drug transporter, i.e., abcb4, was assessed during zebrafish development until 32 dpf by means of quantitative PCR (qPCR). The present study showed that trancripts and/or the activity of these proteins involved in disposition of xenobiotics are generally low to undetectable before 72 h post-fertilization (hpf), which has to be taken into account in teratogenicity testing. Full capacity appears to be reached by the end of organogenesis (i.e., 120 hpf), although CYP1—except CYP1A— and SULT1ST1 were shown to be already mature in early embryonic development