Neuropsychiatric and other side effects of peginterferon-based therapy of chronic hepatitis C infection

The Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was identified in 1989, after extensive research, as a cause of the so-called non-A non-B hepatitis. HCV is an RNA virus belonging to the genus Hepacivirus in the family of Flaviviridae. Six major different genotypes of the virus are discerned. HCV is transmitted via blood-blood contact, and consequently, the majority of HCV patients in western countries are infected by the intravenous use of drugs or by receiving blood transfusion before 1992, the year when screening tests became available. World wide more than 170 million people are chronically infected with HCV. After an acute infection with HCV only about twenty percent of the people is able to clear the virus, the others become chronically infected. Of the patients with a chronic HCV infection, about 20 percent develops progressive fibrosis developing into cirrhosis, ultimately leading to end-stage liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Successful eradication of the virus prevents progression of the liver disease and leads to improved survival

Long-term effects of treatment and response in patients with chronic hepatitis C on quality of life. An international, multicenter, randomized, controlled study

Background: Hepatitis C decreases health related quality of life (HRQL) which is further diminished by antiviral therapy. HRQL improves after successful treatment. This trial explores the course of and factors associated with HRQL in patients given individualized or standard treatment based on early treatment response (Ditto-study). Methods: The Short Form (SF)-36 Health Survey was administered at baseline (n = 192) and 24 weeks after the end of therapy (n = 128). Results: At baseline HRQL was influenced by age, participating center, severity of liver disease and income. Exploring the course of HRQL (scores at follow up minus baseline), only the dimension general health increased. In this dimension patients with a relapse or sustained response differed from non-responders. Men and women differed in the dimension bodily pain. Treatment schedule did not influence the course of HRQL. Conclusions: Main determinants of HRQL were severity of liver disease, age, gender, participating center and response to treatment. Our results do not exclude a more profound negative impact of individualized treatment compared to standard, possibly caused by higher doses and extended treatment duration in the individualized group. Antiviral therapy might have a more intense and more prolonged negative impact on females

Functional biodiversity in the agricultural landscape: relationships between weeds and arthropod fauna

We reviewed studies aimed at understanding functional relationships between weeds and arthropods in agroecosystems as influenced by biodiversity at different scales, with the main goal of highlighting gaps in knowledge, research methods and approaches. We first addressed: (i) the regulation of arthropod communities by weed diversity at genetic, species and habitat levels, (ii) the regulation of weed communities by arthropods through seed predation and dispersal and (iii) belowground weed-insect interactions. We then focussed on methodologies to study weed–arthropod interactions in agricultural landscapes and discuss techniques potentially available for data analysis and the importance of joint weed–arthropod trend detection. Lastly, we discuss the implications of research findings for biodiversity conservation policies (agri-environmental schemes) and suggest some priorities for future work. Results showed that to date research has largely ignored weed–arthropod interactions in agricultural landscapes. No information is available on the role of weed genetic diversity as driver of weed–arthropod interactions, whereas studies on effects of species and habitat diversity often lack a functional perspective and ⁄ or a spatial component. Also, information on how management of the wider agricultural biotope might express positive weed– arthropod functional interactions is scarce. Another area worth being explored is the relationship between weed-leaf ⁄ root herbivores and beneficial arthropods. Tools for spatial data analysis might be useful for elucidating weed–arthropod interactions in agricultural landscapes, but some methodological aspects, e.g. the definition of the most appropriate experimental design and sampling scale ⁄ frequency, must be refined. New studies on weed–arthropod interactions should encompass an explicit spatial component; this knowledge is particularly important for improving IPM ⁄IWM systems and designing more targeted agri-environmental schemes

Background and achievement levels of Islamic schools in the Netherlands : are the reservations justified?

In the past decades, efforts have been made in various countries in Western Europe to set up state-funded Islamic schools. Until recently, it was only in the Netherlands that these efforts were successful. At present, 28 Islamic primary schools are completely funded by the Dutch Government. They are attended by about 7000 pupils, who are largely of Moroccan and Turkish descent. The very existence of these schools is a highly controversial issue. In this article, the achievement levels, behaviour, attitudes and family background of pupils at 16 Islamic schools are compared with those of pupils at 16 schools with a comparable socio-ethnic pupil population and 432 schools from a nationally representative sample (a total of more than 40,000 pupils). With respect to their achievement levels, behaviour and attitudes, the analyses show that there are only very small, if any, differences between the Islamic and the comparable category of schools. However, their achievement levels are considerably lower than at the reference category of schools. With regard to the family background features, there are some minor differences between the pupils at the Islamic and the comparable schools. More of the parents view themselves as belonging to the Islamic community and they attach greater importance to the role of religion in the upbringing of their children. They are also less apt to view themselves as being part of the Dutch cultural community and speak less Dutch. For the time being, it can be concluded that pupils at the Islamic schools do not do any worse or any better than pupils at the schools with a comparable socio-ethnic disadvantage. Time will tell whether these schools will succeed at raising their pupils’ educational performance up to the level of non-disadvantaged pupils and how the pupils will ultimately come to function in Dutch society

Visiewijzer TalentenKracht en Wetenschap &Techniek: handleiding

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