Body Integrity Identity Disorder

Introduction: Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) is a rare, infrequently studied and highly secretive condition in which there is a mismatch between the mental body image and the physical body. Subjects suffering from BIID have an intense desire to amputate a major limb or severe the spinal cord in order to become paralyzed. Aim of the study is to broaden the knowledge of BIID amongst medical professionals, by describing all who deal with BIID. Methods: Somatic, psychiatric and BIID characteristic data were collected from 54 BIID individuals using a detaile

Paediatric biobanking: Dutch experts reflecting on appropriate legal standards for practice

Large sets of data and human specimens, such as blood, tumour tissue and DNA, are deposited in biobanks for research purposes, preferably for long periods of time and with broadly defined research aims. Our research focuses on the retention of data and biological materials obtained from children. However important such paediatric biobanks may be, the privacy interests of the children involved and the related risks may not be ignored. The privacy issues arising from paediatric biobanks are the central focus of this article. We first review the international regulations that apply to biobanks and then summarise viewpoints expressed by experts in a round-table discussion. We confine ourselves here to two normative questions: (1) How much control should children's parents or legal representatives, and later the children themselves, have over the stored materials and data? (2) What should be done if research findings emerge that have serious implications for a child's health? On the basis of international legal standards and the views of experts, involved in paediatric biobanking, we argue that biological material of children may only be stored in a biobank for scientific purposes if parents provide their explicit consent, the child is re-contacted at 16 or 18 years of age to reconsider storage and use of its material, and the biobank maintains a limited policy in disclosure of individual research findings to the child's parents. What is Known: • Increasingly, biological material of children is stored in biobanks for research purposes. • Clear standards on the conditions under which children's cells or tissues may be stored and used are lacking. What is New: • According to experts, storage and use of children's materials should only be allowed if performed in accordance with appropriate consent procedures and feedback policie

High-resolution study of planktic foraminifera from the eastern Mediterranean over the last 13 cal ka BP

A unique high-resolution record from the Nile prodelta has been investigated in order to study past hydrological and climatic changes in the southeastern Levantine region over the last 13 cal ka BP. To this end, we used planktic foraminifera (accumulation rates, diversity, assemblages and size properties) as bioindicators of the ecological characteristics of the water column (temperature, salinity, primary production and hydrology). These characteristics were mainly connected to Nile discharges and thermohaline circulation which in turn were controlled by various global and regional climatic forcing factors (e.g., orbital forcing, African and Indian Monsoon, North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO)). Our data showed seven main climatic periods: 1) from 13.0 to 11.5 cal ka BP encompassing the Younger Dryas and characterized by rather cold productive and mixed waters; 2) from 11.5 to 10.1 cal ka BP matching the start of the Holocene and the onset of the African Humid Period (AHP). This period was defined by surface water warming and increasing stratification due to increased river outflow; 3) from 10.1 to 6.4 cal ka BP encompassing the Sapropel deposit (S1) and matching the maximum of the AHP with drastic ecological conditions and maximum water stratification. During this period, the dominant warm taxon Globigerinoides ruber increased significantly in size and accumulation rate marking an opportunistic behavior and a total adaptation to the less saline and stratified waters. After 8.8 cal ka BP, the increase in diversity marked a progressive return to normal conditions; 4) from 6.4 to 2.9 cal ka BP, a progressive aridification period was recorded and the planktic ecosystem returned progressively to equilibrium conditions due to the recovery of thermohaline circulation after S1 and the decrease in Nile runoff; 5) from 2.9 to 1.1 cal ka BP, particular dry conditions were recorded leading to a severe drop in planktic diversity. These conditions seemed to be connected to a negative state of the NAO marking the Roman Humid Period in the western Mediterranean and being anti-phased with the southeastern Mediterranean; 6) from 1.1 to 0.54 cal ka BP, a humid period was recorded matching the Medieval Warm Anomaly and this time connected to a positive NAO. The highest foraminiferal diversity was recorded and the increase in proportions of deep dwellers and eutrophic taxa marked highly productive and mixed waters; 7) from 0.54 cal ka BP to modern time encompassing the Little Ice Age and recorded in our data by a general aridity and surface water warming

Geïntegreerde bestrijding van rozenschildluis Aulacapsis rosae in roos

In dit project is gekeken naar de bestrijdingsmogelijkheden van de rozenschildluis Aulacaspis rosae met insecticiden en met natuurlijke vijanden. Daarnaast werd de ontwikkeling van de plaag in de praktijk nauwkeurig vervolgd. Bij telers zijn twee spontaan optredende sluipwespen gevonden: Arrhenophagus chionaspidis en Adelencyrtus aulacaspidis. Gedetailleerde kooiproeven zijn uitgevoerd om het effect van natuurlijke vijanden te vergelijken en praktijkervaring is opgedaan met de introductie van de commercieel beschikbare predatoren Rhizobius lophantae, Chilocorus nigritus en Karnyothrips melaleucus en de sluipwesp Encarsia citrina. Elk van deze natuurlijke vijanden blijkt in de praktijk een bijdrage te kunnen leveren aan de bestrijding van de schildluis. Het lieveheersbeestje Rhizobius lophantae gaf het beste resultaat. De predator kon zich jaarrond vestigen, mits schildluis aanwezig was en geen breedwerkende middelen werden toegepast. Binnen het project werden de gangbare insecticiden en fungiciden getest op deze predator. Vooral neonicotinoïden en tripsmiddelen zoals Conserve en Vertimec zijn dodelijk voor het lieveheersbeestje. Het in roos veel gebruikte fungicide Meltatox zou alleen bovendoor toegepast moeten worden om de vestiging van Rhizobius niet te storen. Hygiëne en het op tijd signaleren van de plaag blijven de eerste stappen naar de uitroeiing van de plaag. Telers kunnen kiezen voor vroegtijdig spuiten bij lage druk van schildluizen en de verspreiding van schildluis op deze manier beperkt houden. Uitroeiing van de plaag is echter vaak een onmogelijke taak. In een aantal gevallen verspreidt de plaag zich volvelds en is niet meer in te tomen met insecticiden. De rol van natuurlijke vijanden, voornamelijk van Rhizobius lophantae, wordt dan belangrijk in een geïntegreerde aanpak. This project aimed at developing strategies to help rose growers to improve management of the rose scale Aulacaspis rosae. The development of A. rosae in the presence of absence of beneficials was studied on commercial rose farms in a detailed field study. Two spontaneous occurring parasitoids were found at growers: Arrhenophagus chionaspidis and Adelencyrtus aulacaspidis. Commercially available predators Rhizobius lophantae, Chilocorus nigritus and Karnyothrips melaleucus, and the parasitoid Encarsia citrina were released in experimental cages as well as at growers and their efficacy were evaluated. The cocinellid Rhizobius lophantae gave the best results. The project aimed also at gaining a clearer understanding of the incidence of pesticides on some natural enemies of the rose scale. Neonicotinoids and the insecticides against thrips Conserve (spinosad) and Vertimec (abamectine) need to be avoided, as they are both lethal for Rhizobius. Negative side-effects of the fungicide Meltatox (dodemorf) might be reduced by spraying the crop only from above, thereby minimizing the direct contact with predators In the crop. Hygiene and early detection of the pest remain the first steps towards the eradication of the pest. Growers can opt for early sprays at low infestation level of scales and limit in this way the spread of Aulacaspis. But eradication of the pest is often an impossible task. In some cases, the pest spreads in the entire greenhouse and is not controlled anymore with insecticides. The role of natural enemies, aspecially Rhizobius lophantae, is than from great importance in an integrated approach

Cocos (Keeling) Corals Reveal 200 Years of Multidecadal Modulation of Southeast Indian Ocean Hydrology by Indonesian Throughflow

The only low latitude pathway of heat and salt from the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, known as Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), has been suggested to modulate Global Mean Surface Temperature (GMST) warming through redistribution of surface Pacific Ocean heat. ITF observations are only available since ~1990s, and thus, its multidecadal variability on longer time scales has remained elusive. Here we present a 200 year bimonthly record of geochemical parameters (d 18 O-Sr/Ca) measured on Cocos (Keeling) corals tracking sea surface temperature (SST; Sr/Ca) and sea surface salinity (SSS; seawater-d 18 O-d 18 O sw ) in the southeastern tropical Indian Ocean (SETIO). Our results show that SETIO SSS and d 18 O sw were impacted by ITF transport over the past 60 years, and therefore, reconstructions of Cocos d 18 O sw hold information on past ITF variability on longer time spans. Over the past 200 years ITF leakage into SETIO is dominated by the interannual climate modes of the Pacific Ocean (El Niño—Southern Oscillation) and Indian Ocean (Indian Ocean Dipole). Pacific decadal climate variability (represented by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation) significantly impacted ITF strength over the past 200 years determining the spatiotemporal SST and SSS advection into the Indian Ocean on multidecadal time scales. A comparison of our SETIO d 18 O sw record to GMST shows that ITF transport varied in synchrony with global warming rate, being predominantly high/low during GMST warming slowdown/acceleration, respectively. This hints toward an important role for the ITF in global warming rate modulation

Intellectual disability, unusual facial morphology and hand anomalies in sibs

Here we report on a Portuguese family with three sisters who shared moderate intellectual disability, unusual facial morphology (short palpebral fissures; broad nasal tip; thin upper and lower vermillion; broad and pointed chin) and hand anomalies in two of them (short left third and fifth right metacarpals in one case; marked syndactyly between the third and fourth fingers in another). One of the sisters had microcephaly and short stature, and the other two were obese. Obesity and somewhat similar facial features were also present in the otherwise healthy mother. Despite the overlap with several known syndromes (Albright osteodystrophy; Filippi syndrome; Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome; microdeletion 2q37), we suggest this condition is previously unreported, and most likely displays an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance

Geïntegreerde bestrijding van citruswolluis Planococcus citri in roos

Citruswolluis, Planococcus citri (Risso), is een van de belangrijkste plagen geworden in de rozenteelt onder glas. Er is inmiddels veel praktijkervaring met de toepassing van biologische bestrijders om haarden uit te roeien. Voor de professionele tuinbouw is de effectiviteit van deze aanpak doorgaans onvoldoende, en moet alsnog met insecticiden worden ingegrepen. Onderzoek is uitgevoerd naar de inzet van natuurlijke vijanden op zeer kleine wolluis-haarden om de uitbreiding van wolluisaantasting te voorkomen naar nog niet aangetaste planten. De relevantie van het loslaten van verschillende natuurlijke vijanden ter bestrijding van wolluis in kasrozen wordt besproken. Uit het project leek dat feromoonvallen een goede hulpmiddel kunnen zijn om de aanwezigheid van wolluis te bepalen, maar niet geschikt zijn om snel wolluis-haarden te detecteren en te traag zijn om de telers te waarschuwen dat wolluis toeneemt. Bij telers met zware wolluis-problemen kon aantasting met wolluizen met larven van het lieveheerbeestje Cryptolaemus montrouzieri en de sluipwespen Anagyrus pseudococci of Leptomastix dactylopii worden verminderd, maar de bestaande uitzet-strategieën van natuurlijke vijanden waren niet voldoende om de wolluizen helemaal uit te roeien. Er werd geen toegevoegde waarde gevonden van de twee nieuwe soorten lieveheerbeestjes Nephus includens en Scymnus syriacus. Het massaal preventief introduceren van natuurlijke blijken het meest perspectiefvol bij telers die wolluis in het lopen van het jaar verwachten. Wekelijkse introducties van larven van Cryptolaemus of van de goedkopere gaasvliegen en de vestiging daarvan dienen op praktijkschaal verder onderzocht te worden. Since early 2000 the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri (Risso), has become a key pest in roses cultivated in greenhouses in The Netherlands. There has been a lot of practical experience with the application of biological control agents to eradicate outbreaks. The effectiveness of this approach is usually insufficient for professional horticulture and the Integrated Pest Management often ends with applications of insecticides. Research was carried out on the introductions of natural enemies on small mealybugs hot spots in order to avoid the spread of mealybug infestations to healthy plants. The relevance of introducing natural enemies for controlling mealybugs in greenhouse roses is discussed. In this project, pheromone traps seemed to be a good tool to detect the presence of mealybugs, but were not suitable for the detection of hotspots or to warn growers about outbreaks. At growers with high level of infestation, we could reduce damages caused by the pest with introduction of the labybug Cryptolaemus montrouzieri and parasitoids Anagyrus pseudococci or Leptomastix dactylopii. However, the introductions of beneficials were not effective enough to eradicate the pest. Introductions of Nephus includens and Scymnus syriacus were less effective than Cryptolaemus. Massive preventive releases of beneficials seem to give the best solution for growers who are expecting problems with mealybugs. Weekly introductions of larvae of Cryptolaemus or cheaper larvae of lacewings with alternative food to enhance their survival in the crop will be further investigated

Strategie ter beheersing van citruswolluis in de potplantenteelt : onderzoek 2003

In 2002 is door PPO Glastuinbouw een methode ontwikkeld om een aantasting van het gewas door citruswolluis aan te kunnen tonen. Hierbij werd gebruik gemaakt van feromoonvallen. Onduidelijk is nog hoe de feromoonval precies in de praktijk gebruikt kan worden. Dit verslag rapporteert over onderzoek naar het gebruik van feromoonvallen in de praktijk. Het doel van het onderzoek was het onderzoeken van de mogelijkheid van het gebruik van feromoonvallen voor het plannen van de biologische en chemische bestrijding van de citruswolluis (Planococcus citri), en het vaststellen van de relatie tussen de vangst in de feromoonval en de wolluispopulatie in gewas