Size-effects in the Density of States in NS and SNS junctions

The quasiparticle local density of states (LDOS) is studied in clean NS and SNS junctions with increasing transverse size, from quasi-one-dimensional to three-dimensional. It is shown that finite transverse dimensions are related to pronounced effects in the LDOS, such as fast oscillations superimposed on the quasiparticle interference oscillations (for NS) and additional peaks in the bound state spectrum in the subgap region (for SNS). Also, the validity of the Andreev approximation is discussed. It turns out to be an acceptable approximation in all situations tested.Comment: 9 pages, RevTex, 5 figures, accepted in Phys. Rev.

The role of water in human picornavirus transmission

The overall research question of the work presented in this thesis was whether the presence of human picornaviruses in the aquatic environment poses a problem to public health. A multidisciplinary approach was used to determine the extent to which human picornaviruses circulate in the general population, and if and to which extent people are exposed to which human picornaviruses in surface waters, closing their aquatic cycle. This thesis offered new insights in the prevalence of several human picornaviruses in the Dutch environment indicating circulation in the sampled human population by environmental surveillance. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the environmental surveillance was estimated, and the usefulness, of culture and PCR data, with respect to water treatment processes and exposure probabilities, was evaluated. The omniprevalence of the diverse family of human picornaviruses (enteroviruses, parechoviruses, hepatitis A viruses, Aichi viruses, Saffold viruses and cosaviruses) in sewage and surface water was demonstrated, as well as virus evolution dynamics for several of the detected picornaviruses. Exposure to such waters e.g. through water recreation of children may lead to a public health risk although risk factors could not be identified. To conclude, although the multidisciplinary approach presented in this thesis yielded a lot of information on a role of water in the transmission of picornaviruses, we could not generally state that the presence of picornaviruses in water used for drinking and recreational purposes is considered to constitute a potential public health risk. Except when vulnerable individuals, such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and immune-compromised individuals are exposed to these contaminated waters. Further studies should address the possible picornavirus transmission routes, including water, to be able to protect the public health and to implement possible intervention measures

The role of water in human picornavirus transmission

The overall research question of the work presented in this thesis was whether the presence of human picornaviruses in the aquatic environment poses a problem to public health. A multidisciplinary approach was used to determine the extent to which human picornaviruses circulate in the general population, and if and to which extent people are exposed to which human picornaviruses in surface waters, closing their aquatic cycle. This thesis offered new insights in the prevalence of several human picornaviruses in the Dutch environment indicating circulation in the sampled human population by environmental surveillance. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the environmental surveillance was estimated, and the usefulness, of culture and PCR data, with respect to water treatment processes and exposure probabilities, was evaluated. The omniprevalence of the diverse family of human picornaviruses (enteroviruses, parechoviruses, hepatitis A viruses, Aichi viruses, Saffold viruses and cosaviruses) in sewage and surface water was demonstrated, as well as virus evolution dynamics for several of the detected picornaviruses. Exposure to such waters e.g. through water recreation of children may lead to a public health risk although risk factors could not be identified. To conclude, although the multidisciplinary approach presented in this thesis yielded a lot of information on a role of water in the transmission of picornaviruses, we could not generally state that the presence of picornaviruses in water used for drinking and recreational purposes is considered to constitute a potential public health risk. Except when vulnerable individuals, such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and immune-compromised individuals are exposed to these contaminated waters. Further studies should address the possible picornavirus transmission routes, including water, to be able to protect the public health and to implement possible intervention measures

Sex and gender-stratified risks of psychological factors for adverse clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Contains fulltext : 220970.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Psychological factors are associated with adverse prognosis in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD). However, it is unknown whether these risk factors differ between women and men. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched to identify studies assessing the risk of psychological factors for major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in samples with IHD. Psychological factors included anger/hostility, anxiety, depression, psychological distress, social support, Type A behavior pattern, Type D personality, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). RESULTS: A total of 44 articles (64 separate reports) including 227,647 women and 321,894 men reporting confounder-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) or relative risks (RRs) were included in the primary analysis. Results based on random-effects models showed that the association between psychological factors (all combined) and MACE was stronger in men (n = 321,236; 57 reports; HR = 1.37, 95%CI 1.27-1.48) than in women (n = 226,886; 56 reports; HR = 1.21, 95%CI 1.12-1.30; p = .017). A subset of the studies focusing on women showed significant associations between anger/hostility, depression, and distress with MACE. For men, statistically significant associations were found for anxiety, depression, and distress with MACE. CONCLUSIONS: Psychological factors are associated with MACE in samples with IHD in both women and men, with a small, but significant higher risk for men. Because of the limited number of studies on other psychological factors than depression and anxiety and the current major focus on MACE reflecting lesions in the major coronary arteries which is more typical in men than women, more research is needed to better identify sex and gender differences in IHD

Sex- and gender stratified risks of psychological factors for incident ischemic heart disease: Systematic review and meta analysis

Background Psychological factors are associated with an increased risk of developing ischemic heart disease (IHD). Women more often report psychological factors, and sex and gender differences are present in IHD. In this meta‐analysis we examine the risks of psychological factors for IHD incidence in women and men. We hypothesize that a broad range of psychological factors are related to a higher risk for incident IHD, with a higher risk for women. Methods and Results PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched for studies assessing the risk between psychological factors and incident IHD. Psychological factors included depression, anxiety or panic disorder, social support, hostility, anger, personality (type D), type A behavior pattern, posttraumatic stress disorder, and psychological distress. In the primary analyses, 62 studies (77 separate reports) that included 2 145 679 women and 3 119 879 men and reported confounder‐adjusted hazard ratios or relative risks were included. Pooled effect confounder‐adjusted estimates from random‐effects models showed that psychological factors (all combined) were associated with incident IHD in women (hazard ratio: 1.22; 95% CI, 1.14–1.30) and men (hazard ratio: 1.25; 95% CI, 1.19–1.31). No sex and gender differences were found for these pooled effect estimates (P=0.547). Conclusions Psychological factors are associated with incident IHD in both women and men, but no significant differences were observed between women and men. IHD is predominantly being studied as obstructive coronary artery disease, which is more prevalent in men. Data are needed on psychological predictors and other manifestations of IHD such as coronary microvascular disease, which is more common in women

Replication Data for: Sex and gender-stratified risks of psychological factors for incident ischemic heart disease and prognosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis: S&G-stratified meta-analysis of psychological risk factors for IHD

We assessed sex and gender (S&G)-related risks of psychological factors for the development (incidence) and progression (prognosis) of IHD in a meta-analysis. This data package contains summaries and relevant files of the steps that we followed. Background: Literature searches were conducted using PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Studies examining depression, anxiety, social support, anger/hostility, personality, post-traumatic stress disorder, and psychological distress for the incidence or prognosis of IHD were included. Screening and data-extraction were performed in duplicate. Authors (n=187) were asked to provide S&G-stratified data, when not present in the article. Random-effect analyses including subgroup analyses (e.g. on age, sample size, follow-up time, and type of IHD) were performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis. Primary analyses included 2,373,326 women and 3,441,773 men

Isolation of Legionella pneumophila from Pluvial Floods by Amoebal Coculture

Viable Legionella pneumophila bacteria were isolated by amoebal coculture from pluvial floods after intense rainfall and from water collected at sewage treatment plants. Several isolated L. pneumophila strains belonged to sequence types that have been previously identified in patients