Regionale kennisarrangementen: verslag van quickscan en kennisdag 2009

In veel regio’s zijn burgers, bestuurders en ondernemers actief betrokken bij de ontwikkeling van hun omgeving. In het kader van gebiedsplannen wordt gewerkt aan doelen op het terrein van landschap, natuur, landbouw en plattelandsontwikkeling. Hierbij komen uiteenlopende (kennis)vragen naar boven. De kennisvragen worden vaak ad hoc gesteld en men weet vaak niet waar men terecht kan. In een aantal regio’s in Nederland wordt dit verschijnsel onderkend en groeit het besef dat het zoeken naar de antwoorden op deze kennisvragen een serieuze bijdrage levert aan gebiedsontwikkeling. Hier wordt een verbinding met onderwijs en onderzoek gemaakt. Omdat ook bij de kennisinstellingen steeds vaker wordt gezocht naar manieren om meer praktijkgerichte werken, ontstaan er samenwerkingsverbanden. Deze verbindingen tussen regio en onderwijs en onderzoek rond kennisvragen, noemen we een regionaal kennisarrangemen

Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports (HYENA): Study Design and Noise Exposure Assessment

An increasing number of people live near airports with considerable noise and air pollution. The Hypertension and Exposure to Noise near Airports (HYENA) project aims to assess the impact of airport-related noise exposure on blood pressure (BP) and cardiovascular disease using a cross-sectional study design. We selected 6,000 persons (45–70 years of age) who had lived at least 5 years near one of six major European airports. We used modeled aircraft noise contours, aiming to maximize exposure contrast. Automated BP instruments are used to reduce observer error. We designed a standardized questionnaire to collect data on annoyance, noise disturbance, and major confounders. Cortisol in saliva was collected in a subsample of the study population (n = 500) stratified by noise exposure level. To investigate short-term noise effects on BP and possible effects on nighttime BP dipping, we measured 24-hr BP and assessed continuous night noise in another sub-sample (n = 200). To ensure comparability between countries, we used common noise models to assess individual noise exposure, with a resolution of 1 dB(A). Modifiers of individual exposure, such as the orientation of living and bedroom toward roads, window-opening habits, and sound insulation, were assessed by the questionnaire. For four airports, we estimated exposure to air pollution to explore modifying effects of air pollution on cardiovascular disease. The project assesses exposure to traffic-related air pollutants, primarily using data from another project funded by the European Union (APMoSPHERE, Air Pollution Modelling for Support to Policy on Health and Environmental Risks in Europe)

Shell Effects in Nuclei with Vector Self-Coupling of Omega Meson in Relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov Theory

Shell effects in nuclei about the stability line are investigated within the framework of the Relativistic Hartree-Bogoliubov (RHB) theory with self-consistent finite-range pairing. Using 2-neutron separation energies of Ni and Sn isotopes, the role of $\sigma$- and $\omega$-meson couplings on the shell effects in nuclei is examined. It is observed that the existing successful nuclear forces (Lagrangian parameter sets) based upon the nonlinear scalar coupling of $\sigma$-meson exhibit shell effects which are stronger than suggested by the experimental data. We have introduced nonlinear vector self-coupling of $\omega$-meson in the RHB theory. It is shown that the inclusion of the vector self-coupling of $\omega$-meson in addition to the nonlinear scalar coupling of $\sigma$-meson provides a good agreement with the experimental data on shell effects in nuclei about the stability line. A comparison of the shell effects in the RHB theory is made with the Hartree-Fock Bogoliubov approach using the Skyrme force SkP. It is shown that the oft-discussed shell quenching with SkP is not consistent with the available experimental data.Comment: 34 pages latex, 18 ps figures, replaced with minor corrections in some figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

Effect of Low Temperature on Growth and Ultra-Structure of Staphylococcus spp

The effect of temperature fluctuation is an important factor in bacterial growth especially for pathogens such as the staphylococci that have to remain viable during potentially harsh and prolonged transfer conditions between hosts. The aim of this study was to investigate the response of S. aureus, S. epidermidis, and S. lugdunensis when exposed to low temperature (4°C) for prolonged periods, and how this factor affected their subsequent growth, colony morphology, cellular ultra-structure, and amino acid composition in the non-cytoplasmic hydrolysate fraction. Clinical isolates were grown under optimal conditions and then subjected to 4°C conditions for a period of 8 wks. Cold-stressed and reference control samples were assessed under transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to identify potential ultra-structural changes. To determine changes in amino acid composition, cells were fractured to remove the lipid and cytoplasmic components and the remaining structural components were hydrolysed. Amino acid profiles for the hydrolysis fraction were then analysed for changes by using principal component analysis (PCA). Exposure of the three staphylococci to prolonged low temperature stress resulted in the formation of increasing proportions of small colony variant (SCV) phenotypes. TEM revealed that SCV cells had significantly thicker and more diffuse cell-walls than their corresponding WT samples for both S. aureus and S. epidermidis, but the changes were not significant for S. lugdunensis. Substantial species-specific alterations in the amino acid composition of the structural hydrolysate fraction were also observed in the cold-treated cells. The data indicated that the staphylococci responded over prolonged periods of cold-stress treatment by transforming into SCV populations. The observed ultra-structural and amino acid changes were proposed to represent response mechanisms for staphylococcal survival amidst hostile conditions, thus maintaining the viability of the species until favourable conditions arise again

Galactomannan testing of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid is useful for diagnosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in hematology patients

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with hematological malignancies in the setting of profound neutropenia and/or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Early diagnosis and therapy has been shown to improve outcomes, but reaching a definitive diagnosis quickly can be problematic. Recently, galactomannan testing of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid has been investigated as a diagnostic test for IPA, but widespread experience and consensus on optical density (OD) cut-offs remain lacking.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We performed a prospective case-control study to determine an optimal BAL galactomannan OD cutoff for IPA in at-risk patients with hematological diagnoses. Cases were subjects with hematological diagnoses who met established definitions for proven or probable IPA. There were two control groups: subjects with hematological diagnoses who did not meet definitions for proven or probable IPA and subjects with non-hematological diagnoses who had no evidence of aspergillosis. Following bronchoscopy and BAL, galactomannan testing was performed using the Platelia <it>Aspergillus </it>seroassay in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were 10 cases and 52 controls. Cases had higher BAL fluid galactomannan OD indices (median 4.1, range 1.1-7.7) compared with controls (median 0.3, range 0.1-1.1). ROC analysis demonstrated an optimum OD index cutoff of 1.1, with high specificity (98.1%) and sensitivity (100%) for diagnosing IPA.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results also support BAL galactomannan testing as a reasonably safe test with higher sensitivity compared to serum galactomannan testing in at-risk patients with hematological diseases. A higher OD cutoff is necessary to avoid over-diagnosis of IPA, and a standardized method of collection should be established before results can be compared between centers.</p

Population Structure of Staphylococcus aureus from Remote African Babongo Pygmies

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium that colonizes humans worldwide. The anterior nares are its main ecological niche. Carriers of S. aureus are at a higher risk of developing invasive infections. Few reports indicated a different clonal structure and profile of virulence factors in S. aureus isolates from Sub-Saharan Africa. As there are no data about isolates from remote indigenous African populations, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of S. aureus nasal carriage in Gabonese Babongo Pygmies. The isolates were characterized regarding their susceptibility to antibiotic agents, possession of virulence factors and clonal lineage. While similar carriage rates were found in populations of industrialized countries, isolates that encode the genes for the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) were clearly more prevalent than in European countries. Of interest, many methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates from Babongo Pygmies showed the same genetic background as pandemic methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) clones. We advocate a surveillance of S. aureus in neglected African populations to control the development of resistance to antibiotic drugs with particular respect to MRSA and to assess the impact of the high prevalence of PVL-positive isolates

Wave patterns generated by an axisymmetric obstacle in a two-layer flow

Gravity waves generated by a moving obstacle in a two-layer stratified fluid are investigated. The experimental configuration is three-dimensional with an axisymmetric obstacle which is towed in one of the two layers. The experimental method used in the present study is based on a stereoscopic technique allowing the 3D reconstruction of the interface between the two layers. Investigation into the wave pattern as a function of the Froude number, Fr, based on the relative density of the fluid layers and the velocity of the towed obstacle is presented. Specific attention is paid to the transcritical regime for which Fr is close to one. Potential energy trapped in the wave field patterns is also extracted from the experimental results and is analyzed as a function of both the Froude number, Fr, and the transcritical similarity parameter Γ. In particular, a remarkable increase in the potential energy around Fr = 1 is observed and a scaling allowing to assemble data resulting from different experimental parameters is proposed

Prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among pigs on German farms and import of livestock-related MRSA into hospitals

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and molecular characteristics of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) among pigs and estimate the impact of this animal reservoir on human healthcare. Nasal swabs were derived from 1,600 pigs at 40 German farms. The MRSA were characterized using S. aureus protein A (spa) typing, multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and detection of toxin genes. In a retrospective case control study, we compared risk factors for the carriage of MRSA between patients carrying spa types found among regional pigs and patients with other MRSA molecular types. Pigs carrying MRSA were identified on 70% of the farms (spa types t011, t034, t108, t1451 and t2510, all associated with MLST sequence type ST398). Contact to pigs and cattle were independent risk factors for the carriage of these spa types in patients at hospital admission. Our results indicate that livestock represents a relevant reservoir for the import of MRSA into regional German hospitals

Increasing risk of revision due to deep infection after hip arthroplasty: A study on 97,344 primary total hip replacements in the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register from 1987 to 2007

Background and purpose Over the decades, improvements in surgery and perioperative routines have reduced the incidence of deep infections after total hip arthroplasty (THA). There is, however, some evidence to suggest that the incidence of infection is increasing again. We assessed the risk of revision due to deep infection for primary THAs reported to the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register (NAR) over the period 1987–2007

Ethanol‐Lock Therapy for the Prevention of Central Venous Access Device Infections in Pediatric Patients With Intestinal Failure

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141158/1/jpen0067.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141158/2/jpen0067-sup-0001.pd