Biomassa-afhankelijk doseren van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen

Recentelijk zijn enkele doorbraken gerealiseerd op het gebied van biomassa-afhankelijk doseren in open teelten. Het gaat hierbij om plaatsspecifieke dosering van bepaalde herbiciden en fungiciden op basis van de hoeveelheid bovengrondse biomassa onder de spuitdoppen. Om dit effectief te maken, zijn toegesneden sensoren, beslisregels en spuitapparatuur nodig. Plaatsspecifieke dosering van loofdodingsmiddelen in consumptieaardappelen is nu praktijkrijp middels MLHD-PHK (Minimum Lethal Herbicide Dose-Potato Haulm Killing) in combinatie met de N-sensor (stikstof-sensor), of SensiSpray. In de testfase werd een reductie van gemiddeld 50% in het gebruik van loofdodingsmiddel t.o.v. gangbare praktijk bereikt. In dit artikel wordt een overzicht gegeven van onderwerpen op het gebied van biomassa-afhankelijk doseren van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen waarbij de Plant Science Groep (PSG) van Wageningen UR trekker van de ontwikkeling is

Exposure to low-dose radiation and the risk of breast cancer among women with a familial or genetic predisposition:a meta-analysis

Women with familial or genetic aggregation of breast cancer are offered screening outside the population screening programme. However, the possible benefit of mammography screening could be reduced due to the risk of radiation-induced tumours. A systematic search was conducted addressing the question of how low-dose radiation exposure affects breast cancer risk among high-risk women. A systematic search was conducted for articles addressing breast cancer, mammography screening, radiation and high-risk women. Effects of low-dose radiation on breast cancer risk were presented in terms of pooled odds ratios (OR). Of 127 articles found, 7 were selected for the meta-analysis. Pooled OR revealed an increased risk of breast cancer among high-risk women due to low-dose radiation exposure (OR = 1.3, 95% CI: 0.9- 1.8). Exposure before age 20 (OR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.3-3.1) or a mean of a parts per thousand yen5 exposures (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.1-3.0) was significantly associated with a higher radiation-induced breast cancer risk. Low-dose radiation increases breast cancer risk among high-risk women. When using low-dose radiation among high-risk women, a careful approach is needed, by means of reducing repeated exposure, avoidance of exposure at a younger age and using non-ionising screening techniques

Duurzame maïsteelt op zandgrond : verslag van een deskundigendag, gehouden op 22 april 2010

Voor de melkveehouderij op zandgrond is de maïsteelt belangrijk. Zetmeelrijke, eiwitarme maïs combineert uitstekend met zetmeelarm maar eiwitrijk gras, wat goed is voor de koe maar ook voor het milieu omdat een maïsgewas zeer efficiënt met water omgaat en omdat een rantsoen met maïs de emissies van lachgas en ammoniak beperkt. Bovendien kan door de voeding van maïs op krachtvoer worden bespaard. Daar staat tegenover dat op veel bedrijven bij de maïsteelt te veel meststoffen en herbiciden naar het grond- en oppervlaktewater verloren gaan. Dat maakt het voor waterbeheerders moeilijk te voldoen aan de kwaliteitsnormen die de Kaderrichtlijn Water (KRW) stelt. Ook de maïstelers zijn daar niet blij mee, omdat dit duidt op een slechte benutting van grondstoffen. De teeltkosten zijn dan te hoog, de gewasopbrengsten te laag, of de bodemkwaliteit lijdt eronder

De ontwikkeling van niet beviste sublitorale mosselbanken 2009 - 2012

In de Nederlandse kustwateren vindt mosselzaadvisserij en mosselkweek plaats. Deze wateren herbergen echter belangrijke natuurwaarden en de meeste wateren zijn derhalve aangewezen als natuurgebied, wat Nederland verplicht om er voor te zorgen dat de natuurwaarden in deze gebieden in stand blijven. Verbetering van de kwaliteit is vooral mogelijk ten aanzien van bodemfauna en de vorming van biogene structuren met mossels (en de daaraan geassocieerde biodiversiteit). Het is in de Waddenzee echter niet goed bekend hoe gesloten (i.e. onbeviste) sublitorale mosselzaadbanken zich ontwikkelen in de tijd en welke specifieke natuurwaarden ze herbergen. Om hier inzicht in te verkrijgen is een monitorprogramma, welke loopt van 2010 t/m 2013, opgesteld waarin gesloten sublitorale mosselbanken gevolgd worden

Correction:Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG) guideline for the gene–drug interaction between CYP2D6 and opioids (codeine, tramadol and oxycodone) (European Journal of Human Genetics, (2021), 10.1038/s41431-021-00920-y)

The Data statement was partly wrong and should have read as below. DATA AVAILABILITY All data and material are either included in the Supplementary information or publicly available (i.e., the published articles, PubMed). The guidelines and background information are available on the website of the Royal Dutch Pharmacists Association (KNMP) (Pharmacogenetic Recommendations. Available from: https://www.knmp.nl/). The guidelines and background information will be available on PharmGKB.org

Reporting of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide in the Netherlands: descriptive study

Background: An important principle underlying the Dutch Euthanasia Act is physicians' responsibility to alleviate patients' suffering. The Dutch Act states that euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide are not punishable if the attending physician acts in accordance with criteria of due care. These criteria concern the patient's request, the patient's suffering (unbearable and hopeless), the information provided to the patient, the presence of reasonable alternatives, consultation of another physician and the applied method of ending life. To demonstrate their compliance, the Act requires physicians to report euthanasia to a review committee. We studied which arguments Dutch physicians use to substantiate their adherence to the criteria and which aspects attract review committees' attention. Methods: We examined 158 files of reported euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide cases that were approved by the review committees. We studied the physicians' reports and the verdicts of the review committees by using a checklist. Results: Physicians reported that the patient's request had been well-considered because the patient was clear-headed (65%) and/or had repeated the request several times (23%). Unbearable suffering was often substantiated with physical symptoms (62%), function loss (33%), dependency (28%) or deterioration (15%). In 35%, physicians reported that there had been alternatives to relieve patients' suffering which were refused by the majority. The nature of the relationship with the consultant was sometimes unclear: the consultant was reported to have been an unknown colleague (39%), a known colleague (21%), otherwise (25%), or not clearly specified in the report (24%). Review committees relatively often scrutinized the consultation (41%) and the patient's (unbearable) suffering (32%); they had few questions about possible alternatives (1%). Conclusion: Dutch physicians substantiate their adherence to the criteria in a variable way with an emphasis on physical symptoms. The information they provide is in most cases sufficient to enable adequate review. Review committees' control seems to focus on (unbearable) suffering and on procedural issues

Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG) guideline for the gene-drug interaction of DPYD and fluoropyrimidines

Despite advances in the field of pharmacogenetics (PGx), clinical acceptance has remained limited. The Dutch Pharmacogenetics Working Group (DPWG) aims to facilitate PGx implementation by developing evidence-based pharmacogenetics guidelines to optimize pharmacotherapy. This guideline describes the starting dose optimization of three anti-cancer drugs (fluoropyrimidines: 5-fluorouracil, capecitabine and tegafur) to decrease the risk of severe, potentially fatal, toxicity (such as diarrhoea, hand-foot syndrome, mucositis or myelosuppression). Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD, encoded by the DPYD gene) enzyme deficiency increases risk of fluoropyrimidine-induced toxicity. The DPYD-gene activity score, determined by four DPYD variants, predicts DPD activity and can be used to optimize an individual's starting dose. The gene activity score ranges from 0 (no DPD activity) to 2 (normal DPD activity). In case it is not possible to calculate the gene activity score based on DPYD genotype, we recommend to determine the DPD activity and adjust the initial dose based on available data. For patients initiating 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine: subjects with a gene activity score of 0 are recommended to avoid systemic and cutaneous 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine; subjects with a gene activity score of 1 or 1.5 are recommended to initiate therapy with 50% the standard dose of 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine. For subjects initiating tegafur: subjects with a gene activity score of 0, 1 or 1.5 are recommended to avoid tegafur. Subjects with a gene activity score of 2 (reference) should receive a standard dose. Based on the DPWG clinical implication score, DPYD genotyping is considered "essential", therefore directing DPYD testing prior to initiating fluoropyrimidines

Two Decades of Research on Euthanasia from the Netherlands. What Have We Learnt and What Questions Remain?

Two decades of research on euthanasia in the Netherlands have resulted into clear insights in the frequency and characteristics of euthanasia and other medical end-of-life decisions in the Netherlands. These empirical studies have contributed to the quality of the public debate, and to the regulating and public control of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. No slippery slope seems to have occurred. Physicians seem to adhere to the criteria for due care in the large majority of cases. Further, it has been shown that the majority of physicians think that the euthanasia Act has improved their legal certainty and contributes to the carefulness of life-terminating acts. In 2005, eighty percent of the euthanasia cases were reported to the review committees. Thus, the transparency envisaged by the Act still does not extend to all cases. Unreported cases almost all involve the use of opioids, and are not considered to be euthanasia by physicians. More education and debate is needed to disentangle in these situations which acts should be regarded as euthanasia and which should not. Medical end-of-life decision-making is a crucial part of end-of-life care. It should therefore be given continuous attention in health care policy and medical training. Systematic periodic research is crucial for enhancing our understanding of end-of-life care in modern medicine, in which the pursuit of a good quality of dying is nowadays widely recognized as an important goal, in addition to the traditional goals such as curing diseases and prolonging life

Evaluation of low-dose aspirin in the prevention of recurrent spontaneous preterm labour (the APRIL study) : A multicentre, randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

Funding: MdB, LV, TN, BM, MO and CdG received funding from ZonMw, The Dutch Organisation for Health Research and Development (grant number 836041006). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Ecologische ontwikkeling in een voor menselijke activiteiten gesloten gebied in de Nederlandse Waddenzee: tussenrapportage zes jaar na sluiting (najaar 2012)

Met ingang van november 2005 is in navolging van Duitsland en Denemarken een klein deel van de Nederlandse Waddenzee gesloten voor (potentieel) schadelijke menselijke activiteiten. Het betreft een geulsysteem ten zuiden van Rottumerplaat. Doel van deze sluiting is om de ongestoorde ontwikkeling van de natuur in de Waddenzee te kunnen volgen. De droogvallende platen en eilanden rond Rottum genieten reeds langer een hoog beschermingsniveau. Toegang is zeer beperkt, en er wordt al meer dan 20 jaar niet meer op schelpdieren gevist