Nationale 'good practices' voor de VWA: Studie naar drie soortgelijke autoriteiten in Nederland

In 2005 researchers from Wageningen UR and LNV DK conducted exploratory research for VWA into the good practices of three inspectorates - PD, IVW-DL and AFM - as part of the review of the financial system, subject to the financial articles, due to be implemented in EU member states on 1 January 2006. In these three cases, the main focus was on the implementation of auditing activities and the method of financing. The findings for these cases and the findings of the cases from EU member states will be used in the scenario study. In all, three reports will be published in the framework of this investigation.Financial Economics,

Assessment of hormonal parameters in long-term karate Practitioners

Introduction: Karate is a Japanese martial art which is widely practiced in the Western world as a form of self-defense, as well as a discipline to achieve physical and mental balance.However, little is known with respect to its specific psychobiological effects, particularly in relation to the influence that karate may exert on the endocrine system. Thus, in the present study we analyzed the effects of regular karate practice on several hormonal parameters. Methods: 27 healthy volunteer subjects participated in the study, of whom 15 were allocated to the experimental group, and 12 were assigned to the control group. Experimental subjects were karate players with a minimum of 3 years of practice in this discipline. Blood samples for the quantification of hormonal parameters (TSH, T3, T4, PTH, ACTH, cortisol, and DHEA) were taken in both groups. To compare the means of the control and experimental group, a t-test for independent groups was performed in each dependent variable. Results: Significant differences between the experimental and control group were found in T3, T4, and cortisol, with karate players showing lower blood levels of these hormones than control. Conclusions: These findings reveal that long-term karate practice is associated to a significant endocrine modulation, which suggests interesting psychobiological implications, and lends itself to potential clinical considerations. Further research is needed to properly assess the scope of the peculiar hormonal profile displayed by advanced karate practitioners.Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Immune modulation after long-term karate practice

Introduction: Karate is a Japanese martial arts system which traces its roots back to China, and is nowadays widely popular both as a method of self-defense, as well as a discipline with potential physical and psychological benefits. However, karate has been scarcely investigated from a psychobiological perspective, and its effects on the immune system remain virtually unknown. Therefore, we designed the present study with the aim of analyzing the effects of several years of regular karate practice on different immune parameters. Methods: 27 healthy volunteer subjects participated in the study, 15 being allocated to the experimental group, and 12 to the control group. Experimental subjects were all karate players who had practiced this martial art for a minimum of three years. Blood samples for the quantification of immune parameters (leukocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, lymphocytes, IgG, IgA, IgM, IgE) were taken in both groups. As statistical analysis, a t-test for independent groups was performed in each dependent variable. Results: Compared to the control group, karate practitioners exhibited a significantly higher number of leukocytes, monocytes, and lymphocytes, as well as greater serum concentrations of IgG and IgM. Conclusions: Our findings show that long-term karate practice is related to a broad modulation of immune parameters, including leukocytes counts as well as immunoglobulin concentrations. This peculiar immunomodulatory profile, apart from its psychobiological relevance, may have noteworthy clinical implications. Further investigation would be necessary to fully elucidate the influence that long-term karate training can exert on the immune system.Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Reimbursed medication adherence enhancing interventions in 12 european countries:Current state of the art and future challenges

Background: Medication non-adherence jeopardises the effectiveness of chronic therapies and negatively affects financial sustainability of healthcare systems. Available medication adherence-enhancing interventions (MAEIs) are utilised infrequently, and even more rarely reimbursed. The aim of this paper was to review reimbursed MAEIs across selected European countries. Methods: Data on reimbursed MAEIs were collected from European countries at the ENABLE Cost Action expert meeting in September 2021. The identified MAEIs were analysed and clustered according to their characteristics, direct vs. indirect relation to adherence, and the targeted adherence phase. Results: Out of 12 contributing countries, 10 reported reimbursed MAEIs, 28 in total, of which 20 were identified as MAEIs targeting adherence directly. Reimbursed MAEIs were most often performed by either doctors (n = 6), nurses (n = 6), or pharmacists (n = 3). The most common types of MAEIs were education (n = 6), medication regimen management (n = 5), and adherence monitoring feedback (n = 4). Only seven reimbursed MAEIs were technology-mediated, whereas 11 addressed two interlinked phases of medication adherence, i.e., implementation and persistence. Conclusion: Our review highlights the scarcity of reimbursed MAEIs across the selected European countries, and calls for their more frequent use and reimbursement

Nationale 'good practices' voor de VWA: Studie naar drie soortgelijke autoriteiten in Nederland

In 2005 researchers from Wageningen UR and LNV DK conducted exploratory research for VWA into the good practices of three inspectorates - PD, IVW-DL and AFM - as part of the review of the financial system, subject to the financial articles, due to be implemented in EU member states on 1 January 2006. In these three cases, the main focus was on the implementation of auditing activities and the method of financing. The findings for these cases and the findings of the cases from EU member states will be used in the scenario study. In all, three reports will be published in the framework of this investigation

Europese 'good practices' voor de VWA: De implementatie van EG- verordening 882/2004 in Belgie, het Verenigd Koninkrijk, Duitsland en Denemarken

This report presents the results from a study of four countries. Information was collected on Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, and interviews were also held in those countries, to obtain an insight into their policies and implementation of controls on feed and food safety. The study was requested by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to prepare for the implementation of EC Regulation 882/2004 in 2006 and to provide support for the reform of the funding system for the Dutch Food and Non-Food Authority (VWA). The study focused on a search for good practices for the reform of the VWA's funding system

Europese 'good practices' voor de VWA: De implementatie van EG- verordening 882/2004 in Belgie, het Verenigd Koninkrijk, Duitsland en Denemarken

This report presents the results from a study of four countries. Information was collected on Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany and Denmark, and interviews were also held in those countries, to obtain an insight into their policies and implementation of controls on feed and food safety. The study was requested by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality to prepare for the implementation of EC Regulation 882/2004 in 2006 and to provide support for the reform of the funding system for the Dutch Food and Non-Food Authority (VWA). The study focused on a search for good practices for the reform of the VWA's funding system.Agricultural and Food Policy,

Adsorptive filter for the removal of arsenic in drinking water

Fil: Francisca, F.M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Carro Perez, M.E. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Krapp, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina.Fil: Panique Lazcano, D.R. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina.The presence of arsenic in water used for human consumption is a widespread problem in several regions around the world. Cordoba Province at the center of Argentine has aquifers that naturally contain As and are the main source of drinking water for dispersed rural population. Due to health issues generated by the natural presence of arsenic in aquifers, different remediation techniques have been developed in recent decades for the removal of this compound from water. Available alternatives for arsenic removal include chemical oxidation, precipitation, coagulation, reverse osmosis, adsorption, biological degradation and electrokinetic (Litter et al., 2010). However, adsorption was preferred in many cases due to its low cost and the wide range of reactive materials that may be used for arsenic retention (Mohan and Pittman, 2007; Maji et al., 2008; Jovanović y Rajaković, 2010; Carro Perez and Francisca, 2013a). The adsorbing surfaces or reactive media usually includes activated alumina, iron-based media or other oxides, bauxite, hematite, feldspar, laterite, clay minerals (eg. bentonite and kaolin), activated carbon, cellulosic material, blast furnace slag, surfactant modified zeolite and ion exchange resin, among other. In this work, a low cost natural material is characterized with the purpose of assessing its sorbent capacity. Available batch and column tests experimental results are used for the development and calibration of a domestic filter for the removal of As in drinking water.Fil: Francisca, F.M. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Carro Perez, M.E. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina.Fil: Krapp, A. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina.Fil: Panique Lazcano, D.R. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba; Argentina.Otras Ingeniería del Medio Ambient

Role of apoptosis and cell proliferation in the testicular dynamics of seasonal breeding mammals: A study in the Iberian mole, Talpa occidentalis

Apoptosis and cell proliferation are two important cellular processes known to be involved in the normal functioning of the testis in nonseasonally breeding mammals, but there is some controversy concerning their roles in the gonads of males from seasonally breeding species. We have studied the processes of apoptosis and cell proliferation in the testes of males of the Iberian mole (Talpa occidentalis), a species showing a strict seasonal reproduction pattern. Both males and females are sexually active during the winter and completely inactive in the summer, with two transitional periods, in the autumn and the spring. Adult males from these four reproductive stages were captured, and their testes were immunohistochemically studied for the presence of apoptotic and proliferation molecular markers as well for other testicular and meiotic cell-specific markers. We found that apoptosis varies in a season-dependent manner in the testes of male moles, affecting mainly late zygotene and pachytene cells during the period of sexual inactivity, but it does not differentially affect the number of Sertoli cells. More interestingly, apoptosis is not responsible for the massive germ-cell depletion occurring during mole testis regression. In addition, a wave of spermatogonial cell proliferation appears to restore the number of spermatogonia lost during the period of testis inactivity. According to current knowledge, data from moles indicate that mammals do not form a homogeneous group regarding the mechanisms by which the cell-content dynamics are regulated in the testes of males from seasonally breeding species. © 2010 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Inc.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Expression of genes controlling testicular development in adult testis of the seasonally breeding iberian mole

Most testicular features undergo major circannual variation in seasonal breeding species. Although the ultimate cause of these variations is known to be the photoperiod in most cases, very little is known about the genetic mechanisms by which these changes are modulated in the testis. Many genes involved in testis development are known to be expressed in the adult testis as well. Since these genes encode genetic regulatory factors, it is reasonable to suspect that they could play some role in the control of the adult testis function. Using immunological detection techniques and RT-Q-PCR, we have studied the spatio-temporal expression pattern of WT1, SF1, SOX9, AMH, and DMRT1 in 4 representative stages of the circannual cycle of the testes of Talpa occidentalis, a mole species with strict seasonal reproduction. AMH is not expressed at any stage of the cycle, showing that inactive adult testes are functionally different from pre-pubertal, juvenile ones. The continuous presence of primary spermatocytes may explain the permanent repression of AMH in the mole testis. WT1 and SF1 are down-regulated and SOX9 is up-regulated in regressed mole testes, suggesting that the modulation of the expression of these genes may be involved in the control of circannual gonad variation. Furthermore, SOX9 and DMRT1 show clear spermatogenic stage-dependent expression patterns. Both genes are expressed more intensely during the proliferative stages of spermatogonia, although SOX9 expression is limited to Sertoli cells, whereas DMRT1 is expressed in both Sertoli and spermatogonial cells. Available data suggest that intratesticular levels of testosterone could regulate circannual spermatogenic variations of seasonal breeders by modulating the expression of DMRT1 to control spermatogonial proliferation. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe