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FEIPEL Véronique
Units
Laboratory for Functional Anatomy
Person in charge of the Unit : Oui
The Laboratoires d'Anatomie, Biomécanique et Organogenèse (LABO, Faculty of Medicine) and d'Anatomie Fonctionnelle (LAF, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences) form a research group dedicated to human and animal anatomy, biomechanics and embryology. LABO/LAF's research is organized around complementary themes: - biomechanics, modeling and functional assessment - macroscopic and microscopic anatomy - embryology and teratology - forensic medicine and forensic anthropology - HOX genes and ovarian function
Laboratory of Anatomy, Biomechanics and Organogenesis
Person in charge of the Unit : Oui
The Laboratoires d'Anatomie, Biomécanique et Organogenèse (LABO, Faculty of Medicine) and d'Anatomie Fonctionnelle (LAF, Faculty of Human Motor Sciences) form a research group dedicated to human and animal anatomy, biomechanics and embryology. LABO/LAF's research is organized around complementary themes: biomechanics, modeling and functional assessment macroscopic and microscopic anatomy embryology and teratology forensic medicine and forensic anthropology HOX genes and ovarian function Neurobiomechanics Applied physical anthropology in paleoanthropology
ULB Interdisciplinary Research Institute for Sports
Person in charge of the Unit : Oui
U-IRIS is intended to bring together research skills existing at ULB in the fields of sports and physical activity in order to stimulate collaboration and interdisciplinary research. The research carried out within U-IRIS could be the basis of evidence-based advice in various fields of sport and physical activity. ULB and each of U-IRIS partner groups, as well as their existing activities, platforms, infrastructures and collaborations, will gain in visibility, both internally and externally in a promising and rapidly evolving field. The research carried out by U-IRIS is designed to be both fundamental and applied. It is developed around five major axes: - clinics / sports medicine - high level sports / performance - rehabilitation / handicap and sports - sports and society (including education through sports) - prevention / public health / nutrition. The groups participating in U-IRIS represent the Faculties of Philosophy and Social Sciences, Medicine, Psychology and Educational Sciences, Motor Sciences, the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, the School of Public Health, the Research Department, ULB-Sports and the Erasme Academic Hospital.
Projetcs
Macroscopic and microscopic anatomy
Comparative anatomy of the Achilles tendon This project, carried out in collaboration between LAF, LABO, the Swedish School of Sports and the Histology Laboratory, aims to study the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of the human and primate Achilles tendon to clarify contradictions in the literature concerning the twisting of fibers, the existence of sub-tendons and the preferential location of overload lesions within the tendon. To this end, this study combines several in vivo and in vitro techniques to answer these questions, including classical dissection and morphometry, stereophotogrammetry, histology and medical imaging. Anatomy of the components involved in the thoraco-lumbar fascia, including the interfascial trigone: The aim of this research project is to characterize the microscopic anatomical, morphological and functional aspects of the lumbar interfascial trigone belonging to the thoracolumbar fascia, in order to identify its potential clinical involvement in low back pain. Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of hamstrings and their connective tissues: The central objective of this research project is to characterize the anatomical variations of the hamstrings, in particular at the level of connective tissue (tendon, paratenon and myotendinous junction), likely to influence the biomechanical behavior of the IJs and thus constitute a risk factor in the development of muscle injuries.
The laboratory is currently involved in research into the identification of individuals in forensic anthropology. This work concerns the identification of individuals based on fragments of the lower limb (distal end of the femur and proximal end of the tibia). This research is carried out using the identified osteological collection created within LABO's Forensic Medicine and Anthropology Unit. They are based not only on conventional data collected during anthropometric measurements, but also on comparisons of these same measurements taken by CT-Scan.
Museum of Anatomy and Embryology Louis Deroubaix
The enhancement of the historical collections of the Louis Deroubaix Museum of Anatomy and Embryology and the reflection on the teaching of morphology have a triple interest: didactic, historical and museological. The 3D digitization of these collections is currently underway, opening up new perspectives for both teaching and museum valorization. This innovative approach will enable us to explore applications in virtual reality and 3D printing.
The aim of the Functional Assessment Center is to provide a space for data collection, both for clinical activities (e.g., the establishment of objective functional assessments for patients suffering from orthopedic or neurological pathologies) and for a variety of research purposes. The general research theme is linked to the development of quantified movement analysis methods applied to musculoskeletal disorders. Past research has focused on the design and development of 6 ddl articulated mechanical systems (three-dimensional electrogoniometry), the design of new experimental protocols, and the creation of data processing and visualization software; all scientific tools that have been integrated into numerous European research projects. The expertise acquired in theoretical and applied kinematics has enabled us to tackle the development of biomechanical models applied to joint complexes such as the shoulder and foot. A new technique for digitizing anatomical markers by manual palpation has been developed at LAF allowing to address the kinematics of the scapula, spine, temporomandibular joint and foot, considered as a multi-segment complex. The reliability and reproducibility of the new models have been assessed in numerous post-graduate studies, international communications and publications. These reproducibility studies have enabled us to build up reference databases that are used in our clinical assessments, ensuring their quality and relevance. The research tools we have developed have been applied in clinical research to answer the questions of various health practitioners (physicians, surgeons, physiotherapists). The functional examination reports developed are not only integrated into the hospital's IT system, but are also provided to the patient in PDF format, along with videos enabling doctors to match the results (tables, graphs, conclusions) with these videos. The methodologies developed are also used by our young researchers forming our team for their own research and doctorate.
Macroscopic and microscopic anatomy
Comparative anatomy of the Achilles tendon : This project, carried out in collaboration between LABO, LAF, the Swedish School of Sports and the Histology Laboratory, aims to study the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of the human and primate Achilles tendon to clarify contradictions in the literature concerning the twisting of fibers, the existence of sub-tendons and the preferential location of overload lesions within the tendon. To this end, this study combines several in vivo and in vitro techniques to answer these questions, including classical dissection and morphometry, stereophotogrammetry, histology and medical imaging. Anatomy of the components involved in the thoraco-lumbar fascia, including the interfascial trigone: The aim of this research project is to characterize the microscopic anatomical, morphological and functional aspects of the lumbar interfascial trigone belonging to the thoracolumbar fascia, in order to identify its potential clinical involvement in low back pain. Macroscopic and microscopic analysis of hamstrings and their connective tissues: The central objective of this research project is to characterize the anatomical variations of the hamstrings, in particular at the level of connective tissue (tendon, paratenon and myotendinous junction), likely to influence the biomechanical behavior of the IJs and thus constitute a risk factor in the development of muscle injuries.
The Functional Evaluation Center collects and analyzes biomechanical data for clinical (e.g. objective functional assessments of patients suffering from orthopedic or neurological pathologies) and research purposes. The general research theme is linked to the development of quantified movement analysis (QMA) methods applied to musculoskeletal disorders. Past research has focused on the design and development of 6 ddl articulated mechanical systems (three-dimensional electrogoniometry), the design of new experimental protocols, and the creation of data processing and visualization software; scientific tools which have been integrated into numerous European research projects. Our expertise in theoretical and applied kinematics has enabled us to tackle the development of biomechanical models applied to joint complexes such as the shoulder and foot. A new technique for digitizing anatomical markers by manual palpation has been developed. This has enabled us to study the kinematics of the scapula, the spine, the temporomandibular joint and the foot, considered as a multi-segment complex. The reliability and reproducibility of the new models have been assessed. Studies have enabled us to build reference databases that are used in our clinical assessments, ensuring their quality and relevance. The research tools we have developed have been applied in clinical research to answer the questions of various health practitioners (physicians, surgeons, physiotherapists). The functional examination reports developed are integrated into the hospital's IT system, but are also provided to the patient in PDF format, along with videos enabling doctors to match the results (tables, graphs, conclusions) with these videos (see appendix for an example of a report). The methodologies developed are also used by our young researchers for their own research.
Museum of Anatomy and Embryology Louis Deroubaix
The enhancement of the historical collections of the Louis Deroubaix Museum of Anatomy and Embryology and the reflection on the teaching of morphology have a triple interest: didactic, historical and museological. The 3D digitization of these collections is currently underway, opening up new perspectives for both teaching and museum valorization. This innovative approach will enable us to explore applications in virtual reality and 3D printing.
Posture, gait and motion analysis in subjects with low back pain
Chronic low back pain is a symptom often encountered throughout the world, and it has a considerable impact on society. When confronted with it, sufferers may adopt a behaviour that consists of avoiding any movement that could exacerbate the pain. This can lead to a vicious circle of fear, immobility and pain. This has a negative impact on rehabilitation, quality of life and morale. A wide range of therapeutic approaches can be used, including medication, manipulation, massage, physical activity, relaxation, biopsychosocial approaches and surgery, including lumbar arthrodesis, to reduce long-term pain. The contribution of functional analysis (statics, posture, movement, walking) to the development, diagnosis and therapeutic monitoring of patients suffering from low back pain is promising, but clinical studies supporting its relevance are rare. With our study, we aim to help verify the clinical relevance of functional analysis by studying the static (spinal curvatures, posture) and dynamic (movement and walking) differences that we might encounter in people with lumbar arthrodesis compared with asymptomatic people, and to better understand the role of functional assessment and optimise its use in clinical practice.
