10 selected Research Luxembourg results – September 2024

14 October 2024

This article was originally in French and German on science.lu 

Gut Health: How to Speed Up Recovery During Chemotherapy

Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)

A harmful communication between bacteria and intestinal cells is the reason for the common gastrointestinal issues experienced by patients during and after chemotherapy. This finding comes from a large international study, which includes the LIH, revealing how this communication hinders the recovery of the intestine.

Researchers used advanced techniques to study both bacterial genes and the impact of chemotherapy on intestinal cells. They found that when chemotherapy kills intestinal cells, these dying cells release substances that fuel the growth of harmful bacteria called Enterobacteriaceae. This bacterial overgrowth delays the healing process. Therefore, two possible options exist to speed up post-chemotherapy recovery: preventing the death of intestinal cells on one hand, and keeping harmful bacteria at normal levels on the other.

Such findings offer hope for reducing the gastrointestinal side effects of chemotherapy and accelerating patient recovery during treatment.

To the press release / To the publication

Dietary Fiber: A Vitamin Boost for the Gut

Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)

Vitamin B is one of the essential vitamins for our survival, and it turns out that eating more fiber could help absorb more of it. How? A recent study from the LIH shows that in rodents, dietary fiber reduces the consumption of vitamin B by gut bacteria, leaving more available for the host. Vitamin B plays a crucial role in many bodily functions, including maintaining a healthy immune system.

In the study, rodents were fed various diets with different fiber content. Analyses revealed that fiber deprivation led to a significant drop in the B vitamins produced by the microbiota; however, supplementing with complex cereal fibers restored production. Fiber helps “good” gut bacteria thrive, increasing vitamin production, while a lack of fiber causes certain bacteria to use the B vitamins for themselves.

To the press release / To the publication

New Insights into Luxembourg’s Fossil Flora

National Museum of Natural History (MNHN)

Paleontologist Ben Thuy recently completed a comprehensive analysis of the fossil flora from the Early Devonian period found in the Consthum quarry. The Devonian, named after Devon County in England, refers to rock layers that are 400 million years old and marks a major evolutionary shift in plant life, with the emergence of the first forests.

The MNHN study offers significant insights into plant life around 400 million years ago. A wide variety of ancient plant fossils were recorded, including species previously thought not to exist in the region, suggesting that similar plants grew over a vast area and evolved slowly over time.

This work provides valuable information on plant diversity during a crucial period of terrestrialization. It also highlights the need for a taxonomic revision of Early Devonian plant fossils across Europe.

To the publication

The LIH Identifies a Vocal Biomarker for Smoking

Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH)

Can you tell if someone is a smoker just by listening to them speak? A new digital vocal biomarker developed by the “Deep Digital Phenotyping Lab” at LIH can do just that. The method boasts 72% accuracy and works regardless of gender or the language spoken.

Building on their flagship research program, Colive Voice, researchers from the Department of Precision Medicine developed this biomarker for use in clinical and epidemiological research to quickly and accurately assess smoking status. In clinical practice, many patients tend to hide or downplay their smoking habits. The researchers also found that smoking has a greater impact on the female voice than the male voice.

Smoking affects various aspects of vocal cord function and quality, such as the number of vibrations per second. Tobacco is responsible for 12 different types of cancer and kills half of those who do not quit.

To the press release / To the publication

Is There a “Right Time” to Take Chemotherapy?

University of Luxembourg

Do cancer cells respond differently to drugs depending on the time they are administered? The answer is yes: an international team of researchers, including several from Luxembourg, has demonstrated this using a pioneering method. They found that specific treatment times can significantly improve tumor cell death and reduce side effects.

These findings are part of research on chronobiology, the study of biological rhythms in the body and their influence on both diseases and their treatment. Most bodily functions follow the circadian rhythm (a 24-hour cycle), making chronobiology a highly promising field.

The implications of this research are significant. By identifying the most effective times and combinations of medications, the study paves the way for more personalized and precise cancer therapies.

To the press release / To the publication

Online Virality: Understanding the Phenomenon

Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH)

What is the story behind the Harlem Shake, and the secret to its massive success? How do memes influence our perception of history? These questions, and many others, are explored in the new book published by the C2DH, Online Virality.

The book delves into the various ways to analyze the circulation, reception, and evolution of viral digital content. It brings together authors from diverse disciplines, including history, information and communication sciences, computer science, and more. The authors examine virality at different levels, from global phenomena to more localized case studies (historical memes, memes based on TV shows, political memes tied to specific events).

Among the fascinating topics covered, the book analyses no less than 447 posts related to the #Chadolf #Kitler phenomenon (a meme combining the image of a cat with that of Hitler, either to denounce Nazism or trivialize it) to understand how imagery can serve distinct ideological purposes.

To the press release / To the publication

High School Students Launch Luxembourg Balloon into the Stratosphere

Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)

On September 14th, a Luxembourg balloon with an 11-meter diameter, launched by the LIST and students from Lycée Atert-Rédange, headed toward the stratosphere.

The balloon ascended at a speed of 5 meters per second, carrying a payload filled with scientific experiments. This project marks the culmination of several months of preparation and collaboration between LIST and the high school. It flew to an altitude of around 30 kilometers, at the edge of space, while collecting essential data. Among the LIST experiments onboard, a new type of thermal gauge developed using inkjet printing technology was designed to test its resistance to the extreme conditions of near space—such as low temperatures (down to -40°C), very low pressures, and cosmic radiation.

For the students of Lycée Atert-Rédange, this project was an opportunity to apply the knowledge they had learned in class in a highly practical way.

To the press release

Dancing Esch!

Luxembourg Centre for Contemporary and Digital History (C2DH)

How Did People Dance at Popular Balls in Luxembourg’s Mining Region? The “Dancing Esch” project (2021-2024) is exploring this question in detail. Between 1920 and 1980, many of these events took place in cafés, organized either by café owners or local associations. The orchestras that played at these balls were mostly made up of miners or factory workers.

Dancing Esch! offered performative and participatory experiences in the form of balls created from archival materials and oral history. These creative reenactments covered two historical periods: the interwar years and the post-WWII “Trente Glorieuses” (30 years of prosperity). This methodology, inspired by anthropology and historical research, had a threefold objective: to share research with the local public (public history), raise questions about the past (experimental methodology), and collect documentation on the balls as they have been passed down in collective memory (musical recordings, photo and video documentation).

According to the C2DH press release, the goal of this work is to “promote a sensory, not just intellectual, understanding of the past.”

To the publication

Child Poverty: Luxembourg Among the Lowest Ranked Countries in the EU

STATEC

In 2023, the risk of poverty for Luxembourgish children reached 24%. The Grand Duchy remains one of the lowest-ranked countries in the EU concerning poverty among those under 18. The poverty rate is even more pronounced in single-parent households, with 44% affected by poverty.

However, certain measures have helped mitigate these difficulties. For example, the risk of child poverty has decreased by 4 percentage points thanks to the Childcare Service Voucher (Chèque Service Accueil, CSA), which improves household living standards. When household consumption and savings are also taken into account alongside income, the risk of poverty for children is reduced by half.

To the publication

Luxembourg is One of the Countries with the Most Volunteers

STATEC

In Luxembourg, 35% of the population engaged in volunteer activities in 2022. This makes the country the fourth in Europe with the highest proportion of volunteers. Most volunteers dedicate their time to charitable (25.3%) and sports associations (24.9%). They are more often of Luxembourgish nationality, aged between 61 and 80, come from affluent households, are highly educated, happy, and do not feel lonely.

The study shows that individuals’ sense of well-being and feeling of social integration are closely linked to their involvement in volunteering.

To the press release

Author: Diane Bertel

Similar articles