Het filosofische systeem van Herman Dooyeweerd en de filosofie van de techniek

FDR De bescherming van fundamentele rechten in een integrerend Europa ou

Physical, Chemical and Sensory Properties of Baked Products from Blends of Wheat and African Yam Bean (Sphenostylis stenocarpa) Water-Extractable Proteins

ABSTRACTBlends of wheat flour (WF) and African yam bean water-extractable proteins (AYBWEP) were processed into bread and cookies in the following ratios: 100: 0; 95: 5; 90: 10; 85: 15; 80: 20. The proximate composition, physical, chemical properties and sensory properties of bread and cookies samples from the blends were determined. Breads and cookies produced from the resultant blends were significantly higher (p<0.05) in protein (16.39% – 18.36%) than the control (11.80% – 12.58%). Carbohydrate content decreased from 60.74% with addition of AYBWEP to 52.81% following 20% substitution. The pH of bread samples prepared from whole wheat flour and blends of wheat flour and AYBWEP were significantly different (p<0.05) while bulk density and specific volume were not significantly different (p>0.05). The pH of bread samples and cookies decreased with increase in the proportion of the AYBWEP blend from 5% to 20%. The highest specific volume (3.70ml/g) was observed in bread samples prepared from the control 100: 0 blends while the 80:20 blends had the lowest specific volume (3.10ml/g). There was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the bulk density and thickness of the cookies. The cookies prepared using 80: 20 blends had the higher diameter (22.53cm) and spread factor (54.03cm) compared to the control. Generally, acceptability of the bread and cookies decreased with higher ratios of AYBWEP inclusion. The sensory acceptability scores showed the best AYBWEP substitution level for making bread and cookies was 5% and 10% of the AYBWEP respectively. The results are discussed in the context of the growing importance of promoting the processing and utilization of lesser known local crops in baked products.enrichment

Myocardin-Related Transcription Factors A and B Are Key Regulators of TGF-β1-Induced Fibroblast to Myofibroblast Differentiation

Myofibroblasts are contractile, smooth muscle-like cells that are characterized by the de novo expression of smooth muscle α-actin (SMαA) and normally function to assist in wound closure, but have been implicated in pathological contractures. Transforming growth factor β-1 (TGF-β1) helps facilitate the differentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts, but the exact mechanism by which this differentiation occurs, in response to TGF-β1, remains unclear. Myocardin-related transcription factors A and B (MRTFs, MRTF-A/B) are transcriptional co-activators that regulate the expression of smooth muscle-specific cytoskeletal proteins, including SMαA, in smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts. In this study, we demonstrate that TGF-β1 mediates myofibroblast differentiation and the expression of a contractile gene program through the actions of the MRTFs. Transient transfection of a constitutively active MRTF-A induced an increase in the expression of SMαA and other smooth muscle-specific cytoskeletal proteins, and an increase in myofibroblast contractility, even in the absence of TGF-β1. MRTF-A/B knockdown, in TGF-β1-differentiated myofibroblasts, resulted in decreased smooth muscle-specific cytoskeletal protein expression levels and reduced contractile force generation, as well as a decrease in focal adhesion size and number. These results provide direct evidence that the MRTFs are mediators of myofibroblast differentiation in response to TGF-β1

Frailty as a predictor of mortality in older adults within 5 years of psychiatric admission

Objectives Older adults with psychiatric disorders have a substantially lower life expectancy than age-matched controls. Knowledge of risk factors may lead to targeting treatment and interventions to reduce this gap in life expectancy. In this study, we investigated whether frailty independently predicts mortality in older patients following an acute admission to a geriatric psychiatry hospital. Methods Clinical cohort study with a 5-year follow-up of 120 older patients admitted to a psychiatric hospital between February 2009 and September 2010. On admission, we assessed frailty with a frailty index (FI). We applied Cox regression analyses with time to death as the dependent variable, to examine whether the FI was a predictor for mortality, adjusted for age, sex, level of education, multimorbidity (Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics, CIRS-G scores), functional status (Barthel Index), neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS), and severity of psychiatric symptoms at admission (Clinical Global Impressions Scale of Severity). Results Of the 120 patients, 63 (53%) patients were frail (FI >= 0.25), and 59 (49%) had died within 5 years. The FI predicted mortality with a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.78 (95% CI, 1.06-2.98) per 0.1 point increase, independent of the covariates. Co-morbidity measured by the CIRS-G and functional status measured by the Barthel Index were not significantly associated. Conclusions Frailty was a strong predictor of mortality, independent of age, gender, multimorbidity, and functional status. This implies that frailty may be helpful in targeting inpatient psychiatric treatment and aftercare according to patients' life expectancy

Het toevoegen van perspulp aan droogvoer voor vleesvarkens

Dit rapport gaat in op de verstrekking van perspulp via het droogvoer. Naast de technische resultaten en de gezondheid van met perspulp gevoerde dieren is er ook aandacht voor de effecten op vleeskwaliteit, ammoniakemissie, mestproductie en -samenstelling, voertechniek en stof. Hiertoe zijn twee experimenten uitgevoer

The diagnostic accuracy of lung ultrasound to determine PiCCO-derived extravascular lung water in invasively ventilated patients with COVID-19 ARDS

Background: Lung ultrasound (LUS) can detect pulmonary edema and it is under consideration to be added to updated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) criteria. However, it remains uncertain whether different LUS scores can be used to quantify pulmonary edema in patient with ARDS. Objectives: This study examined the diagnostic accuracy of four LUS scores with the extravascular lung water index (EVLWi) assessed by transpulmonary thermodilution in patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 ARDS. Methods: In this predefined secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized-controlled trial (InventCOVID), patients were enrolled within 48 hours after intubation and underwent LUS and EVLWi measurement on the first and fourth day after enrolment. EVLWi and ∆EVLWi were used as reference standards. Two 12-region scores (global LUS and LUS–ARDS), an 8-region anterior–lateral score and a 4-region B-line score were used as index tests. Pearson correlation was performed and the area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROCC) for severe pulmonary edema (EVLWi &gt; 15 mL/kg) was calculated. Results: 26 out of 30 patients (87%) had complete LUS and EVLWi measurements at time point 1 and 24 out of 29 patients (83%) at time point 2. The global LUS (r = 0.54), LUS–ARDS (r = 0.58) and anterior–lateral score (r = 0.54) correlated significantly with EVLWi, while the B-line score did not (r = 0.32). ∆global LUS (r = 0.49) and ∆anterior–lateral LUS (r = 0.52) correlated significantly with ∆EVLWi. AUROCC for EVLWi &gt; 15 ml/kg was 0.73 for the global LUS, 0.79 for the anterior–lateral and 0.85 for the LUS–ARDS score. Conclusions: Overall, LUS demonstrated an acceptable diagnostic accuracy for detection of pulmonary edema in moderate–to–severe COVID-19 ARDS when compared with PICCO. For identifying patients at risk of severe pulmonary edema, an extended score considering pleural morphology may be of added value. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT04794088, registered on 11 March 2021. European Clinical Trials Database number 2020–005447-23.</p

Quantifying resilience of humans and other animals

All life requires the capacity to recover from challenges that are as inevitable as they are unpredictable. Understanding this resilience is essential for managing the health of humans and their livestock. It has long been difficult to quantify resilience directly, forcing practitioners to rely on indirect static indicators of health. However, measurements from wearable electronics and other sources now allow us to analyze the dynamics of physiology and behavior with unsurpassed resolution. The resulting flood of data coincides with the emergence of novel analytical tools for estimating resilience from the pattern of micro-recoveries observed in natural time series. Such dynamic indicators of resilience (DIORs) may be used to monitor the risk of systemic failure across systems ranging from organs to entire organisms. These tools invite a fundamental rethink of our approach to the adaptive management of health and resilience

How to Conduct International Geriatric Rehabilitation Research?

With an ageing global population and an increasing focus on aging in place, the number of people in need of geriatric rehabilitation (GR) is rapidly increasing. As current GR practice is very heterogenous, cross-country comparisons could allow us to learn from each other and optimise the effectiveness of GR. However, international GR research comes with many challenges. This article summarises the facilitators and barriers relating to the recruitment of rehabilitation centres, the inclusion of patients, and data collection, as experienced by experts in the field of international GR research. The three most important methodological recommendations for conducting cross-national collaborative research in the field of GR are (1) make use of existing (inter)national networks and social media to aid recruitment of GR centres; (2) clearly define the GR treatment, setting, and patient characteristics in the inclusion criteria; and (3) use a hierarchical study structure to communicate transparently and regularly with both national and local coordinators. International GR research would greatly benefit from the implementation of a core dataset in regular GR care. Therefore, future studies should focus on developing an international consensus regarding the outcomes and corresponding cross-culturally validated measurement instruments to be used during GR