Een orienterend microscopisch onderzoek naar samenstellende bestanddelen van een 9-tal gedroogde soepen

Negen monsters gedroogde soep, t.w. 3 tomatensoep, 3 groentesoep en 3 kippesoep van 3 merken werden op de gebruikelijke wijze microscopisch op samenstelling onderzocht. Het resultaat werd in twee tabellen weergegeven

The microscopic detection of animal proteins in feeds

In the framework of the European Union funded research project STRATFEED for detection and identification of animal proteins in feeds, the microscopic method was optimized at several key steps and better documented. A check list was developed for uniform reporting. Characters of bone fragments, hairs, muscles and gills are fully documented. A so-called muscle ratio has been developed for the identification of muscle fibers at the level of vertebrate classes (mammals, birds and fishes). Both the improved protocol and the entire range of characters which can be observed, are documented in a Decision Support System called ARIES (Animal Remains Identification and Evaluation System). A second internet-based system called STRATFEED-DSS exclusively assists in identification of animal particles in feeds. A new strategy with microscopy as screening technique and either DNA or protein identification as confirmation technique is proposed. The advantages of this combination are the extremely low level of false negatives, low detection limits and the heat-resistant nature of microscopic detection, together with the possibility of a very specific identification of particles by one of the other methods

Understanding and responding to prescribing patterns of sodium valproate-containing medicines in pregnant women and women of childbearing age in Western Cape, South Africa

Growing evidence of the teratogenic potential of sodium valproate (VPA) has changed prescribing practices across the globe; however, the impact of this research and the consequent dissemination of a Dear Health Care Professional Letter (DHCPL) in December 2015, recommending avoidance of the teratogen VPA in women of childbearing age (WOCBA) and pregnant women in South Africa, is unknown. We explored trends and reasons for VPA use among pregnant women and WOCBA in the public sector in Western Cape Province from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017. Methods: Using the provincial health information exchange that collates routine electronic health data via unique patient identifiers, we analysed clinical and pharmacy records from 2015 to 2017 to determine prescription patterns of VPA and other antiepileptic drug (AED) and mood-stabilising medicine (MSM) use in WOCBA and pregnant women. Senior clinicians and policy makers were consulted to understand the determinants of VPA use. Results: At least one VPA prescription was dispensed to between 8205 (0.79%) and 9425 (0.94%) WOBCA from a cohort of approximately 1 million WOCBA attending provincial health care facilities per year

Een orienterend microscopisch onderzoek naar samenstellende bestanddelen van een 9-tal gedroogde soepen

Negen monsters gedroogde soep, t.w. 3 tomatensoep, 3 groentesoep en 3 kippesoep van 3 merken werden op de gebruikelijke wijze microscopisch op samenstelling onderzocht. Het resultaat werd in twee tabellen weergegeven

Telomere dysfunction-induced foci (TIF) formation after <i>WRN</i> knockdown.

<p><b>A</b>. Representative confocal micrograph images of cells from two telomerase positive cell lines, HeLa and MCF7, and three ALT cell lines, VA-13, Saos-2 and U-2 OS. Cells were fixed 48 hours after transfection with scrambled control (SC) <i>siRNAs</i>, <i>WRN siRNAs</i> or <i>TRF2 siRNAs</i> and subjected to fluorescent <i>in situ</i> hybridization (FISH) with a Cy3-labeled telomeric PNA probe and immunofluorescently labeled with an antibody to phosphorylated histone 2A (γH2AX). As TRF2 is a member of the shelterin complex, <i>TRF2</i> knockdown was used as a positive control. The telomere is labeled with a Cy3-PNA probe in red, γH2AX in green, and the nucleus is stained with DAPI (blue). <b>B</b>. A graphical representation of at least three independent experiments were averaged to yield the percentage of each cell type with γH2AX co-localization with the telomere, indicative of telomere dysfunction induced foci (TIF). Western blots confirm the ability of <i>TRF2 siRNAs</i> to reduce TRF2 expression.</p

Microscopic recognition and identification of fish meal in compound feeds

<p>Fish meal is an accepted ingredient in compound feed. Unauthorised application is primarily enforced by visual inspection, i.e., microscopy. In order to document the visually available diversity, fragments of bones and scales of 17 teleost fish species belonging to seven different orders were investigated for their diversity in the presence of structural elements: lacunae and canaliculae in bone fragments and type of growth rings and teeth of scale fragments. Despite the classical division into cellular bones and acellular bones of teleost fish, i.e., whether or not possessing osteocytes, the current examinations revealed patterns of lacunae, in some types accompanied with canaliculae, in all 17 species investigated. In total seven types of bone structures were defined, and six types of scale structures. Profiles with the relative frequency of each bone type per species were established. The share of acellular bone fragments appeared to be related to the evolutionary position of the species. Results of proficiency tests for the detection of fish meal reveal that in most cases the sensitivity and specificity for the detection of fish meal ranges from sufficient to perfect. Only some specified circumstances can hamper proper recognition and identification, most notably salmon bone fragments mimicking bone fragments from terrestrial animals, and pieces of hydrolysed proteins or minerals mimicking acellular fish bone fragments. The expertise gained in this study would help to improve the distinction between fish meal and terrestrial animal material in compound feed, and it supports the application of the species-to-species ban with respect to the valorisation of by-products from fish farms in aquafeed. In a broader perspective, the current expertise might be helpful to detect fraud throughout the feed/food production chain. The matrix of characteristics versus species is implemented in a data model running in the expert system ‘Determinator’ for facilitating identification.</p

Cost-effectiveness of endovascular treatment in large vessel occlusion stroke with mild prestroke disability: results from the HERMES collaboration

Background: The clinical and economic benefit of endovascular treatment (EVT) in addition to best medical management in patients with stroke with mild preexisting symptoms/disability is not well studied. We aimed to investigate cost-effectiveness of EVT in patients with large vessel occlusion and mild prestroke symptoms/disability, defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 1 or 2. Methods: Data are from the HERMES collaboration (Highly Effective Reperfusion Evaluated in Multiple Endovascular Stroke Trials), which pooled patient-level data from 7 large, randomized EVT trials. We used a decision model consisting of a short-run model to analyze costs and functional outcomes within 90 days after the index stroke and a long-run Markov state transition model (cycle length of 12 months) to estimate expected lifetime costs and outcomes from a health care and a societal perspective. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio and net monetary benefits were calculated, and a probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. Results: EVT in addition to best medical management resulted in lifetime cost savings of $2821 (health care perspective) or$5378 (societal perspective) and an increment of 1.27 quality-adjusted life years compared with best medical management alone, indicating dominance of additional EVT as a treatment strategy. The net monetary benefits were higher for EVT in addition to best medical management compared with best medical management alone both at the higher (100 000$/quality-adjusted life years) and lower (50 000$/quality-adjusted life years) willingness to pay thresholds. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed decreased costs and an increase in quality-adjusted life years for additional EVT compared with best medical management only. Conclusions: From a health-economic standpoint, EVT in addition to best medical management should be the preferred strategy in patients with acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion and mild prestroke symptoms/disability