“Race” versus “ethnicity”?:Critical race essentialism and the exclusion and oppression of migrants in the Netherlands.

Howard Winant subordinates “ethnicity” to “race” as the central structuring principle in society. By contrast, Andreas Wimmer takes racism as a particular form of ethnic boundary making. Their debate in this journal (vol. 38, no. 13, 2015) mainly concentrates on the US. This article brings the critical race (CR) literature on migrants’ exclusion and oppression in the Netherlands to this debate. It discusses several essentialist shortcomings of this literature. First, CR authors do not contextualize “race” and racism, which repeatedly results in misreadings of the Dutch context. Second, their imposed totalizing notions of racism undermine the explanatory value of the concept. Third, the evidence for their claims remains inconclusive. Fourth, their contributions to the struggle against migrants’ exclusion and oppression are limited. To avoid these shortcomings, I argue for a differentiation between “race”/racism and “ethnicity”/ethnicism as two separate concepts that need to be applied and understood in a non-essentialist way

Additional research into unequal treatment in letter selection at the municipality of Eindhoven. Is there a dilution and reversal of the diversity policy?

This report builds upon the previous one of March 2023 on the second restudy we did in Eindhoven municipality about its diversity policy and its impact. It is based on 26 interviews with selectors to assess the propositions for further research developed in the March 2023 report. It should be read together with the March 2023 report

Additional research into unequal treatment in letter selection at the municipality of Eindhoven. Is there a dilution and reversal of the diversity policy?

This report builds upon the previous one of March 2023 on the second restudy we did in Eindhoven municipality about its diversity policy and its impact. It is based on 26 interviews with selectors to assess the propositions for further research developed in the March 2023 report. It should be read together with the March 2023 report

Introduction of primary screening using high-risk HPV DNA detection in the Dutch cervical cancer screening programme:a population-based cohort study

Background: In January 2017, the Dutch cervical cancer screening programme transitioned from cytomorphological to primary high-risk HPV (hrHPV) DNA screening, including the introduction of self-sampling, for women aged between 30 and 60 years. The Netherlands was the first country to switch to hrHPV screening at the national level. We investigated the health impact of this transition by comparing performance indicators from the new hrHPV-based programme with the previous cytology-based programme. Methods: We obtained data from the Dutch nationwide network and registry of histo- and cytopathology (PALGA) for 454,573 women eligible for screening in 2017 who participated in the hrHPV-based programme between 1 January 2017 and 30 June 2018 (maximum follow-up of almost 21 months) and for 483,146 women eligible for screening in 2015 who participated in the cytology-based programme between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2016 (maximum follow-up of 40 months). We compared indicators of participation (participation rate), referral (screen positivity; referral rate) and detection (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) detection; number of referrals per detected CIN lesion). Results: Participation in the hrHPV-based programme was significantly lower than that in the cytology-based programme (61% vs 64%). Screen positivity and direct referral rates were significantly higher in the hrHPV-based programme (positivity rate: 5% vs 9%; referral rate: 1% vs 3%). CIN2+ detection increased from 11 to 14 per 1000 women screened. Overall, approximately 2.2 times more clinical irrelevant findings (i.e. ≤CIN1) were found in the hrHPV-based programme, compared with approximately 1·3 times more clinically relevant findings (i.e. CIN2+); this difference was mostly due to a national policy change recommending colposcopy, rather than observation, of hrHPV-positive, ASC-US/LSIL results in the hrHPV-based programme. Conclusions: This is the first time that comprehensive results of nationwide implementation of hrHPV-based screening have been reported using high-quality data with a long follow-up. We have shown that both benefits and potential harms are higher in one screening round of a well-implemented hrHPV-based screening programme than in an established cytology-based programme. Lower participation in the new hrHPV programme may be due to factors such as invitation policy changes and the phased roll-out of the new programme. Our findings add further to evidence from trials and modelling studies on the effectiveness of hrHPV-based screening

The Complete Genome Sequence of Thermoproteus tenax: A Physiologically Versatile Member of the Crenarchaeota

Here, we report on the complete genome sequence of the hyperthermophilic Crenarchaeum Thermoproteus tenax (strain Kra 1, DSM 2078(T)) a type strain of the crenarchaeotal order Thermoproteales. Its circular 1.84-megabase genome harbors no extrachromosomal elements and 2,051 open reading frames are identified, covering 90.6% of the complete sequence, which represents a high coding density. Derived from the gene content, T. tenax is a representative member of the Crenarchaeota. The organism is strictly anaerobic and sulfur-dependent with optimal growth at 86 degrees C and pH 5.6. One particular feature is the great metabolic versatility, which is not accompanied by a distinct increase of genome size or information density as compared to other Crenarchaeota. T. tenax is able to grow chemolithoautotrophically (CO2/H-2) as well as chemoorganoheterotrophically in presence of various organic substrates. All pathways for synthesizing the 20 proteinogenic amino acids are present. In addition, two presumably complete gene sets for NADH:quinone oxidoreductase (complex I) were identified in the genome and there is evidence that either NADH or reduced ferredoxin might serve as electron donor. Beside the typical archaeal A(0)A(1)-ATP synthase, a membrane-bound pyrophosphatase is found, which might contribute to energy conservation. Surprisingly, all genes required for dissimilatory sulfate reduction are present, which is confirmed by growth experiments. Mentionable is furthermore, the presence of two proteins (ParA family ATPase, actin-like protein) that might be involved in cell division in Thermoproteales, where the ESCRT system is absent, and of genes involved in genetic competence (DprA, ComF) that is so far unique within Archaea

“Hot standards” for the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus

Within the archaea, the thermoacidophilic crenarchaeote Sulfolobus solfataricus has become an important model organism for physiology and biochemistry, comparative and functional genomics, as well as, more recently also for systems biology approaches. Within the Sulfolobus Systems Biology (“SulfoSYS”)-project the effect of changing growth temperatures on a metabolic network is investigated at the systems level by integrating genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and enzymatic information for production of a silicon cell-model. The network under investigation is the central carbohydrate metabolism. The generation of high-quality quantitative data, which is critical for the investigation of biological systems and the successful integration of the different datasets, derived for example from high-throughput approaches (e.g., transcriptome or proteome analyses), requires the application and compliance of uniform standard protocols, e.g., for growth and handling of the organism as well as the “–omics” approaches. Here, we report on the establishment and implementation of standard operating procedures for the different wet-lab and in silico techniques that are applied within the SulfoSYS-project and that we believe can be useful for future projects on Sulfolobus or (hyper)thermophiles in general. Beside established techniques, it includes new methodologies like strain surveillance, the improved identification of membrane proteins and the application of crenarchaeal metabolomics

Factors Influencing Decision-Making for or against Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Postmenopausal Hormone Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Patients in the EvAluate-TM Study

Background: Decision-making for or against neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy in postmenopausal patients with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer does not follow any clear guidelines, and some patients may unnecessarily undergo chemotherapy and be exposed to the associated toxicity. The aim of this study was to identify the patient population for whom this issue may bear relevance. Methods: Patients being treated with letrozole in the prospective multicenter noninterventional EvAluate-TM study were recruited. The percentage of patients receiving chemotherapy and factors associated with chemotherapy administration were identified. Results: In all, 3,924 (37.4%) patients received chemotherapy before treatment with letrozole. Of these, 293 (20%) underwent neoadjuvant therapy. Younger age was predictive for both adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapy. Overall, decisions in favor of administering chemotherapy are more likely to be made in patients with a higher body mass index (BMI), and neoadjuvant chemotherapy is administered at a higher rate in women with a lower BMI. Concomitant medication influenced the overall decision-making regarding chemotherapy, irrespective of whether it was given on a neoadjuvant or adjuvant basis. Conclusion: There is an ongoing debate as to whether all of the many patients who receive chemotherapy actually benefit from it. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is frequently administered in this patient population, and this should encourage further research to resolve current clinical and research issues