Can Contextualization Increase Understanding During Man-Machine Communication? A Theory-Driven Study

The Internet offers unlimited possibilities for finding health information. However, the user is often faced with the problem of understanding it. Contextualization has a role to play in enhancing the user’s comprehension. We report on a study which addresses this issue, using a theoretical model of communication whose central theme is that of context. A randomized controlled experimental design was chosen, using as a test-bed the website SeniorGezond we had previously developed. The study was composed of a pre-test, the intervention with the website and a post-test. Participants (n=40) were randomly assigned to exposure or no exposure to contextualization with the website. Results show that contextualization increases understanding for non-knowledgeable users. Furthermore, the participant’s cognitive style was found to be a significant factor on understanding. We also found that participants bring their own contexts such as social context and psychological context to support their understanding

Ontwikkelingsprincipes voor de Inrichting van de Informatievoorziening over de Curatieve zorg

Political Scienc

Long-Range Chromosomal Mapping of the Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) Gene Family Cluster

A long-range physical map of the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family cluster, which is located on the long arm of chromosome 19, has been constructed. This was achieved by hybridization analysis of large DNA fragments separated by pulse-field gel electrophoresis and of DNA from human/rodent somatic cell hybrids, as well as the assembly of ordered sets of cosmids for this gene region into contigs. The different approaches yielded very similar results and indicate that the entire gene family is contained within a region located at position 19q13.1–q13.2 between the CYP2A and the D19S15/D19S8 markers. The physical linkage of nine genes belonging to the CEA subgroup and their location with respect to the pregnancy-specific glycoprotein (PSG) subgroup genes have been determined, and the latter are located closer to the telomere. From large groups of ordered cosmid clones, the identity of all known CEA subgroup genes has been confirmed either by hybridization using gene-specific probes or by DNA sequencing. These studies have identified a new member of the CEA subgroup (CGM8), which probably represents a pseudogene due to the existence of two stop codons, one in the leader and one in the N-terminal domain exons. The gene order and orientation, which were determined by hybridization with probes from the 5′ and 3′ regions of the genes, are as follows: cen/3′-CGM7-5′/3′-CGM2-5′/5′-CEA-3′/5′-NCA-3′/5′- CGM1-3′/3′-BGP-5′/3′-CGM9-5′/3′-CGM6-5′/5′-CGM8-3′/PSGcluster/qter

Colesevelam enhances the beneficial effects of brown fat activation on hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis development

Aims Brown fat activation accelerates the uptake of cholesterol-enriched remnants by the liver and thereby lowers plasma cholesterol, consequently protecting against atherosclerosis development. Hepatic cholesterol is then converted into bile acids (BAs) that are secreted into the intestine and largely maintained within the enterohepatic circulation. We now aimed to evaluate the effects of prolonged brown fat activation combined with inhibition of intestinal BA reabsorption on plasma cholesterol metabolism and atherosclerosis development and results APOE∗3-Leiden.CETP mice with humanized lipoprotein metabolism were treated for 9 weeks with the selective b3-adrenergic receptor (AR) agonist CL316,243 to substantially activate brown fat. Prolonged b3-AR agonism reduced faecal BA excretion (-31%), while markedly increasing plasma levels of total BAs (258%), cholic acid-derived BAs (295%), and chenodeoxycholic acid-derived BAs (217%), and decreasing the expression of hepatic genes involved in BA production. In subsequent experiments, mice were additionally treated with the BA sequestrant Colesevelam to inhibit BA reabsorption. Concomitant intestinal BA sequestration increased faecal BA excretion, normalized plasma BA levels, and reduced hepatic cholesterol. Moreover, concomitant BA sequestration further reduced plasma total cholesterol (-49%) and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (-56%), tended to further attenuate atherosclerotic lesion area (-54%). Concomitant BA sequestration further increased the proportion of lesion-free valves (34%) and decreased the relative macrophage area within the lesion (-26%), thereby further increasing the plaque stability index (44%). Conclusion BA sequestration prevents the marked accumulation of plasma BAs as induced by prolonged brown fat activation, thereby further improving cholesterol metabolism and reducing atherosclerosis development. These data suggest that combining brown fat activation with BA sequestration is a promising new therapeutic strategy to reduce hyperlipidaemia and cardiovascular diseases

Carcinoembryonic Antigen Gene Family

The carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) gene family belongs to the immunoglobulin supergene family and can be divided into two main subgroups based on sequence comparisons. In humans it is clustered on the long arm of chromosome 19 and consists of approximately 20 genes. The CEA subgroup genes code for CEA and its classical crossreacting antigens, which are mainly membrane-bound, whereas the other subgroup genes encode the pregnancy-specific glycoproteins (PSG), which are secreted. Splice variants of individual genes and differential post-translational modifications of the resulting proteins, e.g., by glycosylation, indicate a high complexity in the number of putative CEA-related molecules. So far, only a limited number of CEA-related antigens in humans have been unequivocally assigned to a specific gene. Rodent CEA-related genes reveal a high sequence divergence and, in part, a completely different domain organization than the human CEA gene family, making it difficult to determine individual gene counterparts. However, rodent CEA-related genes can be assigned to human subgroups based on similarity of expression patterns, which is characteristic for the subgroups. Various functions have been determined for members of the CEA subgroup in vitro, including cell adhesion, bacterial binding, an accessory role for collagen binding or ecto-ATPases activity. Based on all that is known so far on its biology, the clinical outlook for the CEA family has been reassessed