321 research outputs found
Plasma testosterone in fetal rats and their mothers on day 19 of gestation
Plasma testosterone levels were higher in pooled samples from male fetuses than from female fetuses on day 19 of pregnancy. Plasma testosterone from female fetuses with males located caudally in the uterus was higher than from females that lacked such males. Testosterone level of both male and female fetuses was correlated with maternal testosterone. No correlation was found between maternal testosterone and number of males in the litter, male-to-female ratio, or litter size. These results corroborate earlier findings of a sex difference in plasma testosterone levels on fetal day 19 in rats, and provide support for the hypothesis that female rats receive androgens from males located caudally in the uterus. No evidence was found that testosterone of pregnant females is affected by the sex ratio or size of her litter
Does the chronically ill population in the Netherlands switch their health insurer as often as the general population? Empirical evidence from a nationwide survey study
BACKGROUND: Consumer mobility is an important aspect of a health insurance system based on managed competition. Both the general population and insured with a chronic illness should enjoy an equal opportunity to switch their insurer every year. We studied possible differences in the rates of switching between these two groups in the Netherlands. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was sent to 1500 members of Nivel's Dutch Health Care Consumer Panel (response rate: 47%) and to 1911 chronically ill members of the National Panel of the Chronically ill and Disabled (response rate: 84%) in February 2016. Associations between switching and background characteristics were estimated using logistic regression analyses with interaction effects. RESULTS: In general, we did not find significant differences in switching rates between the general population and chronically ill population. However, a combination of the population and background characteristics demonstrated that young insured with a chronic illness switched significantly less often than young insured from the general population (1% versus 17%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that the group of young people with a chronic illness is less inclined to switch insurer. This observation suggests that this group might either face difficulties or barriers which prevents them from switching, or that they experience a high level of satisfaction with their current insurer. Further research should therefore focus on unravelling the mechanisms which explain the differences in switching rates
Is networking different with doctors working part-time? Differences in social networks of part-time and full-time doctors
Background: Part-time working is a growing phenomenon in medicine, which is expected to
influence informal networks at work differently compared to full-time working. The opportunity to
meet and build up social capital at work has offered a basis for theoretical arguments.
Methods: Twenty-eight teams of medical specialists in the Netherlands, including 226 individuals
participated in this study. Interviews with team representatives and individual questionnaires were
used. Data were gathered on three types of networks: relationships of consulting, communication
and trust. For analyses, network and multilevel applications were used. Differences between
individual doctors and between teams were both analysed, taking the dependency structure of the
data into account, because networks of individual doctors are not independent. Teams were
divided into teams with and without doctors working part-time.
Results and Discussion: Contrary to expectations we found no impact of part-time working on
the size of personal networks, neither at the individual nor at the team level. The same was found
regarding efficient reachability. Whereas we expected part-time doctors to choose their relations
as efficiently as possible, we even found the opposite in intended relationships of trust, implying that
efficiency in reaching each other was higher for full-time doctors. But we found as expected that in
mixed teams with part-time doctors the frequency of regular communication was less compared
to full-time teams. Furthermore, as expected the strength of the intended relationships of trust of
part-time and full-time doctors was equally high.
Conclusion: From these findings we can conclude that part-time doctors are not aiming at
efficiency by limiting the size of networks or by efficient reachability, because they want to contact
their colleagues directly in order to prevent from communication errors. On the other hand,
together with the growth of teams, we found this strategy, focussed on reaching all colleagues, was
diminishing. And our data confirmed that formalisation was increasing together with the growth of
teams.
An Atlas of Halpha and R Images and Radial Profiles of 63 Bright Virgo Cluster Spiral Galaxies
Narrow-band Halpha and broadband R images and radial profiles are presented
for 63 bright spiral galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. The sample is complete for
Sb-Scd galaxies with B magnitude less than 12 and inclination less than 75
degrees. Isophotal radii, disk scalelengths, concentration parameters, and
integrated fluxes are derived for the sample galaxies.Comment: 46 pages, 8 figures, including 15 pages of atlas images. Higher
resolution postscript versions of the image and radial profile figures are
available at http://www1.union.edu/~koopmanr/preprints.html . Accepted for
publication in Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie
Childhood maltreatment and adulthood victimization:An evidence-based model
There is ample evidence showing that childhood maltreatment increases two to three fold the risk of victimization in adulthood. Various risk factors, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, dissociation, self-blame, and alcohol abuse are related to revictimization. Although previous research examined associations between risk factors for revictimization, the evidence is limited and the proposed models mostly include a handful of risk factors. Therefore, it is critical to investigate a more comprehensive model explaining the link between childhood maltreatment and adulthood (re)victimization. Accordingly, this study tested a data-driven theoretical path model consisting of 33 variables (and their associations) that could potentially enhance understanding of factors explaining revictimization. Cross-sectional data derived from a multi-wave study were used for this investigation. Participants (N = 2156, age mean = 19.94, SD = 2.89) were first-year female psychology students in the Netherlands and New Zealand, who responded to a battery of questionnaires and performed two computer tasks. The path model created by structural equation modelling using modification indices showed that peritraumatic dissociation, PTSD symptoms, trauma load, loneliness, and drug use were important mediators. Attachment styles, maladaptive schemas, meaning in life, and sex motives connected childhood maltreatment to adulthood victimization via other factors (i.e., PTSD symptoms, risky sex behavior, loneliness, emotion dysregulation, and sex motives). The model indicated that childhood maltreatment was associated with cognitive patterns (e.g., anxious attachment style), which in turn were associated with emotional factors (e.g., emotion dysregulation), and then with behavioral factors (e.g., risky sex behavior) resulting in revictimization. The findings of the study should be interpreted in the light of the limitations. In particular, the cross-sectional design of the study hinders us from ascertaining that the mediators preceded the outcome variable.</p
Occupational exposure to gases/fumes and mineral dust affect DNA methylation levels of genes regulating expression
Many workers are daily exposed to occupational agents like gases/fumes, mineral dust or biological dust, which could
induce adverse health effects. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, have been suggested to play a role. We
therefore aimed to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) upon occupational exposures in never-smokers and
investigated if these DMRs associated with gene expression levels. To determine the effects of occupational exposures
independent of smoking, 903 never-smokers of the LifeLines cohort study were included. We performed three genome-wide
methylation analyses (Illumina 450 K), one per occupational exposure being gases/fumes, mineral dust and biological dust,
using robust linear regression adjusted for appropriate confounders. DMRs were identified using comb-p in Python. Results
were validated in the Rotterdam Study (233 never-smokers) and methylation-expression associations were assessed using
Biobank-based Integrative Omics Study data (n = 2802). Of the total 21 significant DMRs, 14 DMRs were
The Dutch health insurance reform: switching between insurers, a comparison between the general population and the chronically ill and disabled
Background: On 1 January 2006 a number of far-reaching changes in the Dutch health insurance
system came into effect. In the new system of managed competition consumer mobility plays an
important role. Consumers are free to change their insurer and insurance plan every year. The idea
is that consumers who are not satisfied with the premium or quality of care provided will opt for
a different insurer. This would force insurers to strive for good prices and quality of care.
Internationally, the Dutch changes are under the attention of both policy makers and researchers.
Questions answered in this article relate to switching behaviour, reasons for switching, and
differences between population categories.
Methods: Postal questionnaires were sent to 1516 members of the Dutch Health Care Consumer
Panel and to 3757 members of the National Panel of the Chronically ill and Disabled (NPCD) in
April 2006. The questionnaire was returned by 1198 members of the Consumer Panel (response
79%) and by 3211 members of the NPCD (response 86%). Among other things, questions were
asked about choices for a health insurer and insurance plan and the reasons for this choice.
Results: Young and healthy people switch insurer more often than elderly or people in bad health.
The chronically ill and disabled do not switch less often than the general population when both
populations are comparable on age, sex and education.
For the general population, premium is more important than content, while the chronically ill and
disabled value content of the insurance package as well. However, quality of care is not important
for either group as a reason for switching.
Conclusion: There is increased mobility in the new system for both the general population and
the chronically ill and disabled. This however is not based on quality of care. If reasons for switching
are unrelated to the quality of care, it is hard to believe that switching influences the quality of care.
As yet there are no signs of barriers to switch insurer for the chronically ill and disabled. This
however could change in the future and it is therefore important to monitor changes.
Internal medicine specialists' attitudes towards working part-time: a comparison between 1996 and 2004
BACKGROUND: Although medical specialists traditionally hold negative views towards working part-time, the practice of medicine has evolved. Given the trend towards more part-time work and that there is no evidence that it compromises the quality of care, attitudes towards part-time work may have changed as well in recent years. The aim of this paper was to examine the possible changes in attitudes towards part-time work among specialists in internal medicine between 1996 and 2004. Moreover, we wanted to determine whether these attitudes were associated with individual characteristics (age, gender, investments in work) and whether attitudes of specialists within a partnership showed more resemblance than specialists' attitudes from different partnerships. METHODS: Two samples were used in this study: data of a survey conducted in 1996 and in 2004. After selecting internal medicine specialists working in general hospitals in The Netherlands, the sample consisted of 219 specialists in 1996 and 363 specialists in 2004. They were sent a questionnaire, including topics on the attitudes towards part-time work. RESULTS: Internal medicine specialists' attitudes towards working part-time became slightly more positive between 1996 and 2004. Full-time working specialists in 2004 still expressed concerns regarding the investments of part-timers in overhead tasks, the flexibility of task division, efficiency, communication and continuity of care. In 1996 gender was the only predictor of the attitude, in 2004 being a full- or a part-timer, age and the time invested in work were associated with this attitude. Furthermore, specialists' attitudes were not found to cluster much within partnerships. CONCLUSION: In spite of the increasing number of specialists working or preferring to work part-time, part-time practice among internal medicine specialists seems not to be fully accepted. The results indicate that the attitudes are no longer gender based, but are associated with age and work aspects such as the number of hours worked. Though there is little evidence to support them, negative ideas about the consequences of part-time work for the quality of care still exist. Policy should be aimed at removing the organisational difficulties related to part-time work and create a system in which part-time practice is fully integrated and accepted
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