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Dive into the research topics where Roma Rietjens is active.

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Featured researches published by Roma Rietjens.


European Urology | 2015

Essential Role of Transient Receptor Potential M8 (TRPM8) in a Model of Acute Cold-induced Urinary Urgency

Pieter Uvin; Jan Franken; Silvia Pinto; Roma Rietjens; Luc Grammet; Yves Deruyver; Yeranddy A. Alpizar; Karel Talavera; Rudi Vennekens; Wouter Everaerts; Dirk De Ridder; Thomas Voets

BACKGROUND Acute exposure of part of the skin to cold stimuli can evoke urinary urgency, a phenomenon termed acute cold-induced urgency (ACIU). Despite its high prevalence, particularly in patients with overactive bladder, little is known about the mechanisms that induce ACIU. OBJECTIVE To develop an animal model of ACIU and test the involvement of cold-activated ion channels transient receptor potential (TRP) M8 and TRPA1. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Intravesical pressure and micturition were monitored in female mice (wild-type C57BL/6J, Trpa1(-/-), Trpm8(+/+), and Trpm8(-/-)) and Sprague Dawley rats. INTERVENTIONS An intravesical catheter was implanted. Localized cooling of the skin was achieved using a stream of air or topical acetone. The TRPM8 antagonist (N-(3-aminopropyl)-2-{[(3-methylphenyl) methyl]oxy}-N-(2-thienylmethyl)benzamide (AMTB) or vehicle was injected intraperitoneally. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Frequencies of bladder contractions and voids in response to sensory stimuli were compared using the Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Brief, innocuously cold stimuli applied to different parts of the skin evoked rapid bladder contractions and voids in anesthetized mice and rats. These responses were strongly attenuated in Trpm8(-/-) mice and in rats treated with AMTB. As rodent bladder physiology differs from that of humans, it is difficult to directly extrapolate our findings to human patients. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that ACIU is an evolutionarily conserved reflex rather than subconscious conditioning, and provide a useful in vivo model for further investigation of the underlying mechanisms. Pharmacological inhibition of TRPM8 may be useful for treating ACIU symptoms in patients. PATIENT SUMMARY Brief cold stimuli applied to the skin can evoke a sudden desire to urinate, which can be highly bothersome in patients with overactive bladder. We developed an animal model to study this phenomenon, and found that it depends on a specific molecular cold sensor, transient receptor potential M8 (TRPM8). Pharmacological inhibition of TRPM8 may alleviate acute cold-induced urinary urgency in humans.


Neurourology and Urodynamics | 2016

Urodynamic changes in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis correlate with neurological impairment.

Jan Franken; Thomas Gevaert; Pieter Uvin; K Wauterickx; Anne-Cathérine Boeve; Roma Rietjens; Mathieu Boudes; Jerome J. A. Hendriks; Niels Hellings; Thomas Voets; Dirk De Ridder

Neurogenic bladder dysfunction is a major issue in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). High intravesical pressure should be treated early. Available therapies are insufficient and there is need for drug development and investigation of pathogenesis. Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) in rodents is a well validated model to study MS. Previous research has shown that these animals develop urinary symptoms. However, from clinical studies, we know that symptoms do not necessarily reflect changes in bladder pressure. This paper aims to provide a complete overview of urodynamic changes in a model for detrusor overactivity in MS.


Cell and Tissue Research | 2016

Topographies and isoforms of the progesterone receptor in female human, rat and mouse bladder.

Thomas Gevaert; Roma Rietjens; Thomas Voets; Wouter Everaerts; Dirk De Ridder

Steroid hormones such as progesterone are known to influence bladder function. Progesterone effects are mediated by the progesterone receptor (PR) but no detailed studies of PR in bladder exist. We have investigated the presence, topography and subtypes of PR in mouse, rat and human bladder. Fresh tissue samples were obtained from cystectomies in female humans, rats and mice (n = 7 per group). Tissue samples were processed for immunohistochemistry (IHC), immunofluorescence (IF) and western blot (WB) and, for each species, a panel of specific PR antibody clones was used. Interpretation of IHC/IF was carried out by light/fluorescent microscopy and of WB via standard WB software. IHC/IF in female human bladder showed PR on the interstitial cells in the lamina propria and between detrusor smooth muscle cells, whereas in female rat and mouse bladder, PR was only found on the urothelium. WB in human bladder showed a 78-kD and a 60-kDa band, respectively, corresponding to a modified PR isoform A and PR isoform C. WB in rat and mice bladder showed a 60 kDa band and a 37 kDa band, respectively corresponding with PR isoform C and an unknown isoform. This is the first detailed investigation of the precise location and presence of several isoforms of PR in bladder, together with a comparison of these data between human, rat and mouse. Our study has revealed complex PR families in bladders from the various species studied and demonstrates obvious inter-species differences in PR topography and isoforms.


European Urology | 2018

Intravesical Activation of the Cation Channel TRPV4 Improves Bladder Function in a Rat Model for Detrusor Underactivity

Yves Deruyver; Emmanuel Weyne; Karel Dewulf; Roma Rietjens; Silvia Pinto; Nele Van Ranst; Jan Franken; Matthias Vanneste; Maarten Albersen; Thomas Gevaert; Rudi Vennekens; Dirk De Ridder; Thomas Voets; Wouter Everaerts

BACKGROUND Improvement of bladder emptying by modulating afferent nerve activity is an attractive therapeutic strategy for detrusor underactivity. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a sensory ion channel in urothelial cells that contribute to the detection of bladder filling. OBJECTIVE To investigate the potential benefit of intravesical TRPV4 agonists in a pelvic nerve injury rat model for detrusor underactivity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Female wild-type and Trpv4 knockout rats underwent sham surgery or bilateral pelvic nerve injury (bPNI). Four weeks later, rats underwent cystometry with infusion of the TRPV4 agonist GSK1016790A. Bladders were harvested for in vitro pharmacological studies, quantitative reverse polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Data are expressed as median ± interquartile range. Statistical comparisons were made using the Mann-Witney U test and Wilcoxon signed rank test as appropriate. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS Rats with bPNI showed a phenotype characteristic of detrusor underactivity with lower-amplitude voiding contractions, decreased voiding frequency, and increased postvoid residual. Intravesical application of GSK1016790A increased voiding frequency and reduced postvoid residual in wild-type, but not Trpv4-/-, rats. In isolated bladder strips, GSK1016790A did not induce relevant contractions, indicating that the observed improvements in bladder function are the result of increased afferent signalling through TRPV4 activation, rather than a local effect on the detrusor. The altered urinary phenotype of Trpv4-/- mice was not apparent in the Trpv4-/- rat model, suggesting species-related functional variations. Our results are limited to the preclinical setting in rodents. CONCLUSIONS Intravesical activation of TRPV4 improves bladder dysfunction after bPNI by increasing afferent signalling. PATIENT SUMMARY We demonstrate that the sensory protein transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) can be targeted to improve bladder function in animals that have iatrogenic injury to the nerves innervating the bladder. Further research is required to determine whether these results can be translated to patients with an underactive bladder.


EJNMMI research | 2015

(18F)FDG-PET brain imaging during the micturition cycle in rats detects regions involved in bladder afferent signalling

Yves Deruyver; Roma Rietjens; Jan Franken; Silvia Pinto; Ann Van Santvoort; Cindy Casteels; Thomas Voets; Dirk De Ridder

BackgroundThis feasibility study established an experimental protocol to evaluate brain activation patterns using fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18F)FDG-PET) during volume-induced voiding and isovolumetric bladder contractions in rats.MethodsFemale Sprague-Dawley rats were anaesthetized with urethane and underwent either volume-induced voiding cystometry or isovolumetric cystometry and simultaneous functional PET brain imaging after injection of (18F)FDG in the tail vein. Brain glucose metabolism in both groups was compared to their respective control conditions (empty bladder). Relative glucose metabolism images were anatomically standardized to Paxinos space and analysed voxel-wise using Statistical Parametric Mapping 12 (SPM12).ResultsDuring volume-induced voiding, glucose hypermetabolism was observed in the insular cortex while uptake was decreased in a cerebellar cluster and the dorsal midbrain. Relative glucose metabolism during isovolumetric bladder contractions increased in the insular and cingulate cortices and decreased in the cerebellum.ConclusionsOur findings demonstrate that volume-induced voiding as well as isovolumetric bladder contractions in rats provokes changes in brain metabolism, including activation of the insular and cingulate cortices, which is consistent with their role in the mapping of bladder afferent activity. These findings are in line with human studies. Our results provide a basis for further research into the brain control of the lower urinary tract in small laboratory animals.


Neurourology and Urodynamics | 2018

Characterization of voiding function and structural bladder changes in a rat model of neurogenic underactive bladder disease

Emmanuel Weyne; Karel Dewulf; Yves Deruyer; Roma Rietjens; Wouter Everaerts; Trinity J. Bivalacqua; Dirk De Ridder; Frank Van der Aa; Maarten Albersen

To create an animal model for neurogenic underactive bladder disease (UAB) and identify markers to describe secondary myogenic changes in the bladder wall.


European Urology Supplements | 2015

797 Essential role of TRPM8 in a model of acute cold-induced urgency

Pieter Uvin; Jan Franken; Silvia Pinto; Roma Rietjens; Luc Grammet; Yves Deruyver; Yeranddy A. Alpizar; Karel Talavera; Rudi Vennekens; Wouter Everaerts; Dirk De Ridder; Thomas Voets

Affiliations: KU Leuven, Laboratory of Ion Channel Research, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Herestraat 49 box 802, 3000 Leuven KU Leuven, Laboratory of Experimental Urology, Department of Development and Regeneration, Herestraat 49 box 7003 41, 3000 Leuven TRP Research Platform Leuven (TRPLe) Co-first authors Corresponding author: KU Leuven Laboratory of Ion Channel Research Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine Herestraat 49 bus 802 B-3000 Leuven, Belgium Tel.: +32-16-330217 E-mail: [email protected]


Neurobiology of Aging | 2014

Early decrease of type 1 cannabinoid receptor binding and phosphodiesterase 10A activity in vivo in R6/2 Huntington mice

Maarten Ooms; Roma Rietjens; Janaki Raman Rangarajan; Kathleen Vunckx; Sara Valdeolivas; Frederik Maes; Uwe Himmelreich; Javier Fernández-Ruiz; Guy Bormans; Koen Van Laere; Cindy Casteels


The Journal of Urology | 2013

31 THE ROLE OF TRPA1 IN THE BLADDER COOLING REFLEX; A POSSIBLE NEW THERAPEUTIC TARGET

Pieter Uvin; Mathieu Boudes; Jan Franken; Silvia Pinto; Wouter Everaerts; Anne-Cathérine Boeve; Roma Rietjens; Yeranddy A. Alpizar; Grzegorz Owsianik; Karel Talavera; Dirk De Ridder; Thomas Voets


Neurourology and Urodynamics | 2013

The bladder-cooling reflex is a local phenomenon, mediated by TRPA1

Pieter Uvin; Jan Franken; Mathieu Boudes; Wouter Everaerts; Silvia Pinto; Anne-Cathérine Boeve; Roma Rietjens; Yeranddy A. Alpizar; Grzegorz Owsianik; Karel Talavera; Dirk De Ridder; Thomas Voets

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Dirk De Ridder

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Thomas Voets

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Jan Franken

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Wouter Everaerts

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Silvia Pinto

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Yves Deruyver

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Pieter Uvin

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Yeranddy A. Alpizar

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Cindy Casteels

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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Karel Talavera

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

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