The protection of personal and medical data - a call for confidentiality

Personal data and privacy are increasingly being threatened by a boom in technological development - the replacement of conventional networks of communication with the perfected combination of computer and telecommunications. The subsequent high degree of transparency has the potential to damage the individual's right to 'informational self-determination'. The most common ways of unlawfully entering a computer data system, the reasons why an individual's information is treated as confidential and the ethical issues involved, international and local statutory instruments that protect such personal information, and ways to stop the outflow of personal information are discussed

Metal Investments: Distrust Killer or Inflation Hedging?

This study investigates long run metals properties using the extended version of Mccown and Zimmerman (2006) multifactor CAPM-model. By adding extra explanatory variables we improve the explanation power of the existing model in terms of R-squared. Taking German invertors\u27 perspective and using prices of gold, silver and platinum over the period 1985-2010, our findings show that metals are true zero market beta assets. We further show that the determinants of metal prices are dependent on market conditions reflected by different betas for stable and crisis periods. The inclusion of a new variable, economic sentiment index in the models shows explanation power for gold. Its significant negative effect reveals gold position as a safe haven in times of distrust. Our results show that gold is the only metal co-integrated with the consumer price index (CPI) of Germany, thus the only metal providing inflation hedging to the German investor in the long run. Our results are consistent with the theories that metals provide long term hedge against unemployment

Herd Behaviour and Trading Among Dutch Pension Funds

In this paper we provide evidence that repudiates the popular belief that Dutch pension funds are long-term passive institutional traders; rather like active traders they trade about eight and half percent of their portfolio on monthly basis. Using a unique data sample, our results affirm significant feedback trading strategies, both momentum and contrarian, and robust herding behaviour in investments of Dutch PFs. Our findings contradict with some previous evidence and advance the suggestions that both the institutional lagged demand for a stock and performance triggers contrarian investments in Dutch PFs; and their trading behaviour substantially varies across asset classes. Furthermore, the recent financial turmoil has a positive impact on both turnover and herding while it negatively affects the feedback trading

Cyclische episoden van verwardheid en bewegingsstoornissen: denk aan hypoglykemieën en insulinoom

Insulinomen zijn zeldzame neuroendocriene tumoren van de pancreas die zich presenteren met neuroglycopene en autonome symptomen geïnduceerd door hypoglykemische episoden. Het ontstaan is vaak sluipend en door aspecifieke symptomen als bewegingsstoornissen en passagère gedragsveranderingen wordt het ziektebeeld wellicht niet tijdig herkend. We beschrijven twee ziektegeschiedenissen met cyclisch optredende gedragsveranderingen en bewegingsstoornissen ten gevolge van al langer bestaande, niet eerder herkende insulinomen. De behandelopties worden besproken waarbij de meest gangbare therapie (chirurgie) niet de eerste keus hoeft te zijn bij oudere patiënten met co-morbiditeit. Met medicamenteuze therapie kunnen patiënten gedurende een langere periode klachtenvrij blijven zonder significante complicaties

Distribution of TT virus (TTV), TTV-like minivirus, and related viruses in humans and nonhuman primates

AbstractTT virus (TTV) and TTV-like minivirus (TLMV) are small DNA viruses with single-stranded, closed circular, antisense genomes infecting man. Despite their extreme sequence heterogeneity (>50%), a highly conserved region in the untranslated region (UTR) allows both viruses to be amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). TTV/TLMV infection was detected in 88 of 100 human plasma samples; amplified sequences were differentiated into TTV and TLMV by analysis of melting profiles, showing that both viruses were similarly prevalent. PCR with UTR primers also detected frequent infection with TTV/TLMV-related viruses in a wide range of apes (chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, gibbons) and African monkey species (mangabeys, drills, mandrills). These findings support the hypothesis for the co-evolution of TTV-like viruses with their hosts over the period of primate speciation, potentially analogous to the evolution of primate herpesviruses

Circulating C3 is Necessary and Sufficient for Induction of Autoantibody-Mediated Arthritis in a Mouse Model

Objective. For the inflammation characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis, the relative contribution of mediators produced locally in the synovium versus those circulating systemically is unknown. Complement factor C3 is made in rheumatoid synovium and has been proposed to be a crucial driver of inflammation. The aim of this study was to test, in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, whether C3 synthesized within the synovium is important in promoting inflammation. Methods. Radiation bone marrow chimeras between normal and C3−/− mice were constructed in order to generate animals that expressed or lacked expression of C3 only in hematopoietic cells. Parabiotic mice were made by surgically linking C3−/− mice to irradiated wild-type mice to obtain animals having C3 only in the circulation. Arthritis was induced by injection of serum from arthritic K/BxN mice.Results In bone marrow chimeras, synthesis of C3 by radioresistant cells was necessary and sufficient to confer susceptibility to serum-transferred arthritis. Parabionts having C3 only in the circulation remained sensitive to arthritis induction, and the cartilage of these arthritic mice contained deposits of C3. Conclusion. In a mouse model in which the alternative pathway of complement activation is critical to the induction of arthritis by autoantibodies, circulating C3 was necessary and sufficient for arthritis induction.Stem Cell and Regenerative Biolog

Long-term (> 10 years) clinical outcomes of instrumented posterolateral fusion for spondylolisthesis

PURPOSE: Despite the rapid increase in instrumented spinal fusions for a variety of indications, most studies focus on short-term fusion rates. Long-term clinical outcomes are still scarce and inconclusive. This study investigated clinical outcomes > 10 years after single-level instrumented posterolateral spinal fusion for lumbar degenerative or isthmic spondylolisthesis with neurological symptoms. METHODS: Cross-sectional long-term follow-up among the Dutch participants of an international multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing osteogenic protein-1 with autograft. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), EQ-5D-3L and visual analogue scale (VAS) for leg and back pain, as well as questions on satisfaction with treatment and additional surgery. RESULTS: The follow-up rate was 73% (41 patients). At mean 11.8 (range 10.1-13.7) years after surgery, a non-significant deterioration of clinical outcomes compared to 1-year follow-up was observed. The mean ODI was 20 ± 19, mean EQ-5D-3L index score 0.784 ± 0.251 and mean VAS for leg and back pain, respectively, 34 ± 33 and 31 ± 28. Multiple regression showed that diagnosis (degenerative vs. isthmic spondylolisthesis), graft type (OP-1 vs. autograft) and 1-year fusion status (fusion vs. no fusion) were not predictive for the ODI at long-term follow-up (p = 0.389). Satisfaction with treatment was excellent and over 70% of the patients reported lasting improvement in back and/or leg pain. No revision surgeries for non-union were reported. CONCLUSION: This study showed favourable clinical outcomes > 10 years after instrumented posterolateral spinal fusion and supports spondylolisthesis with neurological symptoms as indication for fusion surgery

Noninvasive immuno-PET imaging of CD8 + T cell behavior in influenza A virus-infected mice

Immuno-positron emission tomography (immuno-PET) is a noninvasive imaging method that enables tracking of immune cells in living animals. We used a nanobody that recognizes mouse CD8α and labeled it wit