Estimating the Costs and the Disease Burden Associated With Campylobacter Infections and Sequelae in the Netherlands

Campylobacter infections pose an important public health problem in the Netherlands. Approximately 79,000 persons per year are estimated to experience symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. Further annually some 1400 ReA cases, 60 GBS cases and 11 IBD cases are associated with a previous Campylobacter infection. Using a stochastic simulation model the disease burden and the cost-of-illness of Campylobacter infections and its sequelae were estimated. Estimates of the Campylobacter-associated disease burden and costs-of-illness were 1185 DALYs (90% C.I. 693 - 1845 DALYs) per year and some 21 million E (90% C.I. 10 - 38 million E) per year respectively.Campylobacter, sequelae, cost-of-illness, disease burden, Netherlands, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Design for non-designers (D4ND)

This article exposes a methodology of design workshops for non-designers (D4ND) developed in an academic context interested in (1) deepening the explanation for what is the design for non-designers and (2) the strategies which may be to provide the tools of design thinking to non-designers. It is not a matter of transposing formal training structures to non-formal training, but rather, to explore new pedagogical processes involving design students to be applied to non-designers. Design is seen here as a discipline supported by an active learning process, critical, and directed towards problem-solving. We use the word design in its broadest sense, contemplating a humanist vision capable of generating social transformations, promoting more democratic actions that aim at a better, more just and equal world. At an individual level, it can empower people (students and non-designers) to increase their quality of life. In the first part, we address the assumption of D4ND project, beginning by describing its goals and identifying its actors. Later we questioned the work process through design and how to create knowledge through the implementation of the workshops. In the second part, we expose the methodology of the exercise of D4ND and present a synthesis of its outputs: five projects. We conclude with an analysis of the outcomes of this pedagogical experience, at the level of the students, as well as the team teachers. Closing this paper with the perspective of the future of the D4ND project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Vascularity and perfusion of human gliomas xenografted in the athymic nude mouse.

The vascularisation and perfusion of seven subcutaneously xenografted human glioma lines established from surgical specimens has been analysed using an anti-collagen type IV antibody to visualise the vascular walls in combination with a perfusion marker (Hoechst 33342). A computer-based digital image processing system was employed for quantitative analysis of the parameters. The vascular architecture of individual tumours belonging to the same tumour line showed a consistent similarity, while substantial differences occurred between the various tumour lines derived from different patients. Despite the presence of a large inter-tumour variation in vascular area as a proportion of the tumour area, this vascular parameter clearly showed tumour line-specific characteristics. The perfused fraction of the tumour vessels also showed a large inter-tumour variation for all tumour lines ranging from 20% to 85%, but the majority of tumours of all lines had perfusion fractions of more than 55%. Despite large variation, the perfused vascular area as a proportion of the tumour cross-sectional area exhibited clear tumour line-specific tendencies. These observations suggest that consistent differences in vascular parameters are present between glioma xenograft lines, although the tumour lines all originated from histologically similar human high-grade gliomas. These differences may have important consequences for treatment and clinical behaviour of this type of tumour

In vivo (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy and morphometric analysis of the perfused vascular architecture of human glioma xenografts in nude mice.

The relationship between the bioenergetic status of human glioma xenografts in nude mice and morphometric parameters of the perfused vascular architecture was studied using (31)P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), fluorescence microscopy and two-dimensional digital image analysis. Two tumour lines with a different vascular architecture were used for this study. Intervascular distances and non-perfused area fractions varied greatly between tumours of the same line and tumours of different lines. The inorganic phosphate-nucleoside triphosphate (P(i)/NTP) ratio increased rapidly as mean intervascular distances increased from 100 microm to 300 microm. Two morphometric parameters - the percentage of intervascular distances larger than 200 microm (ivd200) and the non-perfused area fraction at a distance larger than 100 microm from a nearest perfused vessel (area100), - were deduced from these experiments and related to the P(i)/NTP ratio of the whole tumour. It is assumed that an aerobic to anaerobic transition influences the bioenergetic status, i.e. the P(i)/NTP ratio increased linearly with the percentage of ivd200 and the area100

The role of preclinical SPECT in oncological and neurological research in combination with either CT or MRI

Preclinical imaging with SPECT combined with CT or MRI is used more and more frequently and has proven to be very useful in translational research. In this article, an overview of current preclinical research applications and trends of SPECT combined with CT or MRI, mainly in tumour imaging and neuroscience imaging, is given and the advan- tages and disadvantages of the different approaches are de- scribed. Today SPECT and CT systems are often integrated into a single device (commonly called a SPECT/CT system), whereas at present combined SPECT and MRI is almost always carried out with separate systems and fiducial markers to combine the separately acquired images. While preclinical SPECT/CT is most widely applied in oncology research, SPECT combined with MRI (SPECT/MRI when integrated in one system) offers the potential for both neuroscience applications and oncological applications. Today CT and MRI are still mainly used to localize radiotracer binding and to improve SPECT quantification, although both CT and MRI have additional potential. Future technology developments may include fast sequential or simultaneous acquisition of (dynamic) multimodality data, spectroscopy, fMRI along with high-resolution anatomic MRI, advanced CT procedures, and combinations of more than two modalities such as combina- tions of SPECT, PET, MRI and CT all together. This will all strongly depend on new technologies. With further advances in biology and chemistry for imaging molecular targets and (patho)physiological processes in vivo, the introduction of new imaging procedures and promising new radiopharmaceu- ticals in clinical practice may be accelerated

Особливості імуно-гормонального та мікробіологічного статусу у жінок з різними морфологічними формами поліпів ендометрія

Обследовано 58 женщин с полипами эндометрия. Выявлены особенности микробиологического пейзажа, гормонального и иммунного статуса в зависимости от морфологических форм полипов эндометрия. проведенный анализ позволил выделить группы риска по развитию полипов эндометрия. показано, что полип эндометрия следует рассматривать не как местный процесс, а как реакцию эндометрия в ответ на повреждение гормонального и иммунного гомеостаза, что необходимо учитывать при выборе лечения данной патологии58 women with endometrial polyps were investigated. Specific microflora and hormonal and immune status depending on the morphological forms of endometrial polyps were found. The analysis performed allowed to allocate risk groups according to development of endometrial polyp. It was shown that endometrial polyp shall be considered as endometrial reaction in response to hormonal and immune homeostasis disorder, rather than local process. This should be borne in mind when choosing treatment for this patholog