Ten-year trends in benzodiazepine use in the Dutch population

Background In the past decades knowledge on adequate treatment of affective disorders and awareness of the negative consequences of long-term benzodiazepine use increased. Therefore, a decrease in benzodiazepine use is expected, particularly in prolonged use. The aim of this study was to assess time trends in benzodiazepine use. Methods and material Data from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam (LASA) were used to investigate trends in benzodiazepine use between 1992 and 2002 in two population-based samples aged 55-64 years. Differences between the two samples with respect to benzodiazepine use and to sociodemographic, physical health and mental health characteristics were described and tested with chi- square tests and logistic regression analyses. Results Benzodiazepine use remained stable over 10 years, with 7.8% in LASA-1 (n = 874) and 7.9% in LASA-2 (n = 919) (p = 0.90) with a persisting preponderance in women and in people with low education, low income, chronic physical diseases, functional limitations, cognitive impairment, depression, anxiety complaints, sleep problems and when using antidepressants. Long-term use remained high with 70% in 1992 and 80% in 2002 of total benzodiazepine use. Conclusion In the Dutch population aged 55-64, overall benzodiazepine use remained stable from 1992 to 2002, with a high proportion of long-term users, despite the effort to reduce benzodiazepine use and the renewal of the guidelines. More effort should be made to decrease prolonged benzodiazepine use in this middle-aged group, because of the increasing risks with ageing. © The Author(s) 2011

A benzene-degrading nitrate-reducing microbial consortium displays aerobic and anaerobic benzene degradation pathways

All sequence data from this study were deposited at the European Bioinformatics Institute under the accession numbers ERS1670018 to ERS1670023. Further, all assigned genes, taxonomy, function, sequences of contigs, genes and proteins can be found in Table S3.In this study, we report transcription of genes involved in aerobic and anaerobic benzene degradation pathways in a benzene-degrading denitrifying continuous culture. Transcripts associated with the family Peptococcaceae dominated all samples (2136% relative abundance) indicating their key role in the community. We found a highly transcribed gene cluster encoding a presumed anaerobic benzene carboxylase (AbcA and AbcD) and a benzoate-coenzyme A ligase (BzlA). Predicted gene products showed >96% amino acid identity and similar gene order to the corresponding benzene degradation gene cluster described previously, providing further evidence for anaerobic benzene activation via carboxylation. For subsequent benzoyl-CoA dearomatization, bam-like genes analogous to the ones found in other strict anaerobes were transcribed, whereas gene transcripts involved in downstream benzoyl-CoA degradation were mostly analogous to the ones described in facultative anaerobes. The concurrent transcription of genes encoding enzymes involved in oxygenase-mediated aerobic benzene degradation suggested oxygen presence in the culture, possibly formed via a recently identified nitric oxide dismutase (Nod). Although we were unable to detect transcription of Nod-encoding genes, addition of nitrite and formate to the continuous culture showed indication for oxygen production. Such an oxygen production would enable aerobic microbes to thrive in oxygen-depleted and nitrate-containing subsurface environments contaminated with hydrocarbons.This study was supported by a grant of BE-Basic-FES funds from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. The research of A.J.M. Stams is supported by an ERC grant (project 323009) and the gravitation grant “Microbes for Health and Environment” (project 024.002.002) of the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. F. Hugenholtz was supported by the same gravitation grant (project 024.002.002). B. Hornung is supported by Wageningen University and the Wageningen Institute for Environment and Climate Research (WIMEK) through the IP/OP program Systems Biology (project KB-17-003.02-023).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sestak's proposal of term "tempericity" for non-equilibrium temperature and modified Tykodi's thermal science classification with regard to methods of thermal analysis

Rovnovážná (termodynamická) teplota tělesa je definována nultým zákonem termodynamiky jako veličina získaná teploměrem za teplotní rovnováhy mezi tělesem a teploměrem. Termín teplota je ale používán i jako popis okamžitého teplotního stavu během procesů, kde není dosaženo teplotní rovnováhy. Tykodiho návrh na rozdělení věd o teple na tři oblasti byl pozměněn k vyjádření závislosti teploty na čase a místě uvnitř systému. Tyto tři oblasti byly nazvány termostatikou (rovnovážná termodynamika), termostedikou (termodynamika stavů = stacionární stavy) a termokinetika (věda o teple zabývající se nestabilními - nestacionárními stavy). Rovnovážná teplota je využívána pouze termostatikou. Pro ostatní oblasti, kde je uplatněn Newtonův zákon chlazení a/nebo jakýkoliv ze dvou Fourierových zákonů, není možné použít rovnovážnou teplotu vycházející z nultého zákona. Termická analýza, která studuje nestabilní stavy (teplota je funkcí času t a prostorové souřadnice x), by měla být podoblastí termokinetiky a s ní související modely kinetiky by měly zahrnovat místní změny teploty vyvolané samo-ochlazením a samo-ohřevem procesy probíhajícími uvnitř vzorku.The equilibrium (thermodynamic) temperature of a body is defined by zeroth law of thermodynamics as a quantity obtained by thermometer as a result of thermal equilibrium between the body and the thermometer. However, the term temperature is also used for description of any instantaneous thermal state during processes where no thermal equilibrium is reached. The proposal of Tykodi to divide thermal science into three branches has been modified to express the dependence of temperature on time and position inside a system. The three branches have been called thermostatics (equilibrium thermodynamics), thermostatics (thermodynamics of steady = stationary states) and thermokinetics (thermal science dealing with unsteady—non-stationary states). Equilibrium temperature is used only at thermostatics. For other branches of thermal science where the Newton cooling law and/or any of both Fourier laws are applied, no equilibrium temperature with respect to zeroth law is expected. Thermal analysis studying unsteady states (temperature is a function of time t as well as of space coordinates x) should be subject of thermokinetics, and the appropriate kinetic models should include the local temperature changes evoked by selfcooling or self-heating due to process running inside sample