Throw in the i-Drone

Although many consider drones to be toys, multiple industries, such as the agriculture and mining industry, already know what advantages professional Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can offer. However, many companies in the construction industry do not seem to be familiar yet with the possible advantages of UAVs for their projects. In our 3TU Lighthouse project “Throw in the I-drone” we, the University of Twente, Delft University of Technology, and BeemFlights, would like to make the construction industry aware of the possibilities UAVs have by demonstrating possible usages, by providing a protocol on how to use them and by simplifying the interpretation of data collecte

PolyArch

The challenge of the future is to minimize the energy consumption of buildings while maintaining an optimal comfort level in the interior. Controlling the energy streams in and out of the building , and especially daylight management, plays an important role. It deals with many, sometimes conflicting functions of the building:Generally a maximum of natural lighting is desired to reduce the need for lighting energy which in today’s buildings accounts for approximately 30% of the total electricity demand. But daylight contains a lot of energy. We need to block sun radiation in summer to prevent overheating, whereas in winter this incoming energy is desired to reduce the need for heating energy.By means of the PolyArch project we aim at clarifying the energy savings potential as well as identifying the technological challenges that need to be tackled in order to get PolyArch market ready. Prototypes of the product will be displayed and tested in the LightVan, a mobile light laboratory. 

PolyArch

The challenge of the future is to minimize the energy consumption of buildings while maintaining an optimal comfort level in the interior. Controlling the energy streams in and out of the building , and especially daylight management, plays an important role. It deals with many, sometimes conflicting functions of the building:Generally a maximum of natural lighting is desired to reduce the need for lighting energy which in today’s buildings accounts for approximately 30% of the total electricity demand. But daylight contains a lot of energy. We need to block sun radiation in summer to prevent overheating, whereas in winter this incoming energy is desired to reduce the need for heating energy.By means of the PolyArch project we aim at clarifying the energy savings potential as well as identifying the technological challenges that need to be tackled in order to get PolyArch market ready. Prototypes of the product will be displayed and tested in the LightVan, a mobile light laboratory. 

Incidental findings on coronary computed tomography in women with selected reproductive disorders

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of incidental findings (IFs) on coronary computed tomography (CCT) in women aged 45–55 years and previously diagnosed with reproductive disorders such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) or preeclampsia (PE). METHODS: A total of 486 middle-aged women with PCOS (n = 101), POI (n = 97) or a history of PE (n = 288) underwent a CCT as part of a prior prospective study. IFs were categorized by their significance (minor, moderate and major). Follow-up information was collected from patients’ records. To investigate the impact of different field of views (FOVs), a subset of scans was analyzed in full FOV and small FOV. RESULTS: In 96/486 (19.8%) women, one or more IFs were detected, of which 54/486 (11.1%) were classified as moderate/major and 48/486 (9.9%) required follow-up. A moderate/major IF was detected in 16/101 (15.9%) women with PCOS, 13/97 (13.4%) women with POI and 25/288 (8.7%) women with a history of PE. In 78 women with an IF detected in the full FOV, the IF was still visible in 60 (76.9%) women in the small FOV. In the full FOV, 46 women required follow-up, but using the small FOV this was reduced to 30 women. CONCLUSION: Using CCT as a cardiovascular disease screening tool in women with selected reproductive disorders increases the probability of detecting IFs that can cause anxiety and may generate extra costs, but can also reveal clinically relevant findings. Using a small FOV centered around the heart resulted in a lower prevalence of IFs and required less follow-up

Microbial Translocation Is Associated with Extensive Immune Activation in Dengue Virus Infected Patients with Severe Disease

Background:Severe dengue virus (DENV) disease is associated with extensive immune activation, characterized by a cytokine storm. Previously, elevated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels in dengue were found to correlate with clinical disease severity. In the present cross-sectional study we identified markers of microbial translocation and immune activation, which are associated with severe manifestations of DENV infection.Methods:Serum samples from DENV-infected patients were collected during the outbreak in 2010 in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Levels of LPS, lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP), soluble CD14 (sCD14) and IgM and IgG endotoxin core antibodies were determined by ELISA. Thirty cytokines were quantified using a multiplex luminex system. Patients were classified according to the 2009 WHO classification and the occurrence of plasma leakage/shock and hemorrhage. Moreover, a (non-supervised) cluster analysis based on the expression of the quantified cytokines was applied to identify groups of patients with similar cytokine profiles. Markers of microbial translocation were linked to groups with similar clinical disease severity and clusters with similar cytokine profiles.Results:Cluster analysis indicated that LPS levels were significantly increased in patients with a profound pro-inflammatory cytokine profile. LBP and sCD14 showed significantly increased levels in patients with severe disease in the clinical classification and in patients with severe inflammation in the cluster analysis. With both the clinical classification and the cluster analysis, levels of IL-6, IL-8, sIL-2R, MCP-1, RANTES, HGF, G-CSF and EGF were associated with severe disease.Conclusions:The present study provides evidence that both microbial translocation and extensive immune activation occur during severe DENV infection and may play an important role in the pathogenesis

Defining the concept of mental dysregulation in patients requiring ambulance and/or emergency department care: protocol for a Delphi consensus study

Introduction From the patient and staff perspective, care delivery for patients experiencing a mental health problem in ambulance and emergency department (ED) settings is challenging. There is no uniform and internationally accepted concept to reflect people with a mental health problem who require emergency care, be it for, or as a result of, a mental health or physical health problem. On initial presentation to the emergency service provider (ambulance or ED), the cause of their healthcare condition/s (mental health and/or physical health) is often initially unknown. Due to this (1) the prevalence and range of underlying causes (mental and/or physical) of the patients presenting condition is unknown; (2) misattribution of physical symptoms to a mental health problem can occur and (3) diagnosis and treatment of the initial somatic complaint and cause(s) of the mental/physical health problem may be hindered. This study will name and define a new concept: 'mental dysregulation' in the context of ambulance and ED settings. Methods and analysis A Delphi study, informed by a rapid literature review, will be undertaken. For the literature review, a steering group (ie, persons with lived experience, ED and mental health clinicians, academics) will systematically search the literature to provide a working definition of the concept: mental dysregulation. Based on this review, statements will be generated regarding (1) the definition of the concept; (2) possible causes of mental dysregulation and (3) observable behaviours associated with mental dysregulation. These statements will be rated in three Delphi rounds to achieve consensus by an international expert panel (comprising persons with lived experience, clinicians and academics). Ethics and dissemination This study has been approved by the Medical Ethical Committee of the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht (reference number: 258-000-2023_Geurt van der Glind). Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journal publication(s), scientific conference(s) and to key stakeholders

B-cell targeting with anti-CD38 daratumumab:implications for differentiation and memory responses

B cell–targeted therapies, such as CD20-targeting mAbs, deplete B cells but do not target the autoantibody-producing plasma cells (PCs). PC-targeting therapies such as daratumumab (anti-CD38) form an attractive approach to treat PC-mediated diseases. CD38 possesses enzymatic and receptor capabilities, which may impact a range of cellular processes including proliferation and differentiation. However, very little is known whether and how CD38 targeting affects B-cell differentiation, in particular for humans beyond cancer settings. Using in-depth in vitro B-cell differentiation assays and signaling pathway analysis, we show that CD38 targeting with daratumumab demonstrated a significant decrease in proliferation, differentiation, and IgG production upon T cell–dependent B-cell stimulation. We found no effect on T-cell activation or proliferation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that daratumumab attenuated the activation of NF-κB in B cells and the transcription of NF-κB–targeted genes. When culturing sorted B-cell subsets with daratumumab, the switched memory B-cell subset was primarily affected. Overall, these in vitro data elucidate novel non-depleting mechanisms by which daratumumab can disturb humoral immune responses. Affecting memory B cells, daratumumab may be used as a therapeutic approach in B cell–mediated diseases other than the currently targeted malignancies.</p

B-cell targeting with anti-CD38 daratumumab:implications for differentiation and memory responses

B cell–targeted therapies, such as CD20-targeting mAbs, deplete B cells but do not target the autoantibody-producing plasma cells (PCs). PC-targeting therapies such as daratumumab (anti-CD38) form an attractive approach to treat PC-mediated diseases. CD38 possesses enzymatic and receptor capabilities, which may impact a range of cellular processes including proliferation and differentiation. However, very little is known whether and how CD38 targeting affects B-cell differentiation, in particular for humans beyond cancer settings. Using in-depth in vitro B-cell differentiation assays and signaling pathway analysis, we show that CD38 targeting with daratumumab demonstrated a significant decrease in proliferation, differentiation, and IgG production upon T cell–dependent B-cell stimulation. We found no effect on T-cell activation or proliferation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that daratumumab attenuated the activation of NF-?B in B cells and the transcription of NF-?B–targeted genes. When culturing sorted B-cell subsets with daratumumab, the switched memory B-cell subset was primarily affected. Overall, these in vitro data elucidate novel non-depleting mechanisms by which daratumumab can disturb humoral immune responses. Affecting memory B cells, daratumumab may be used as a therapeutic approach in B cell–mediated diseases other than the currently targeted malignancies

Time since Onset of Disease and Individual Clinical Markers Associate with Transcriptional Changes in Uncomplicated Dengue

Dengue virus (DENV) infection causes viral haemorrhagic fever that is characterized by extensive activation of the immune system. The aim of this study is to investigate the kinetics of the transcriptome signature changes during the course of disease and the association of genes in these signatures with clinical parameters. Sequential whole blood samples from DENV infected patients in Jakarta were profiled using affymetrix microarrays, which were analysed using principal component analysis, limma, gene set analysis, and weighted gene co-expression network analysis. We show that time since onset of disease, but not diagnosis, has a large impact on the blood transcriptome of patients with non-severe dengue. Clinical diagnosis (according to the WHO classification) does not associate with differential gene expression. Network analysis however, indicated that the clinical markers platelet count, fibrinogen, albumin, IV fluid distributed per day and liver enzymes SGOT and SGPT strongly correlate with gene modules that are enriched for genes involved in the immune response. Overall, we see a shift in the transcriptome from immunity and inflammation to repair and recovery during the course of a DENV infection. Time since onset of disease associates with the shift in transcriptome signatures from immunity and inflammation to cell cycle and repair mechanisms in patients with non-severe dengue. The strong association of time with blood transcriptome changes hampers both the discovery as well as the potential application of biomarkers in dengue. However, we identified gene expression modules that associate with key clinica