Measuring economic effects of stimulating business R&D

Behandelt de economische effecten van subsidies voor research & ontwikkeling aan bedrijven. De impact van die extra subsidies op middellange termijn wordt geschat met behulp van het PRISMA-model SCALES.

Milk fatty acids in relation to feeding practices on Dutch organic farms

Various recent studies have indicated positive interactions between organic animal production and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, particularly CLA and omega-3. In this paper, we present the monitoring results of 15 organic farms concerning the rela-tionship between feeding practices and fatty acid pattern. The results indicate a strong negative effect of maize and grass silage and concentrate feeding on CLA levels in milk fat. On the other hand, feeding fresh grass has a positive effect. Omega-3 levels in milk fat seem less related to feed characteristics: similar relations to those with CLA seem to exist, but feed composition explains the variation in omega-3 levels only to a limited extent, while there is a large farm influence. This might be related to the energy balance of the cows. A comparison of measured CLA and omega-3 levels in organic milk with common levels in conventional milk shows a small difference during the stable period. Effects of adding oil - as a possibility to improve the level of CLA and omega-3 in a way that is organically acceptable - are explored, but effects remain small

Biologische producten en gezondheid. Resultaten melkonderzoek 2005

In het verleden is al aangetoond dat de biologische productiemethode maatschappelijke voordelen heeft op terreinen als milieu, biodiversiteit, bodemkwaliteit, dierenwelzijn en pesticidenresidu. Indirect dragen deze kwaliteiten bij aan de gezondheid van de mens. Nu beginnen ook steeds meer onderzoeksresultaten beschikbaar te komen waaruit blijkt dat de biologische productiemethode ook leidt tot voedsel dat meer gezonde stoffen bevat. Biologische producten blijken gemiddeld gelijk of hoger te scoren op gezonde stoffen o.a. vitamine C gehaltes, mineralen, anti-oxidanten en eiwitkwaliteit dan reguliere producten. En biologische producten blijken gelijk of lager te scoren op ongezonde stoffen zoals nitraat, residuen van bestrijdingsmiddelen en contaminanten. Als verkennend onderzoek naar verschillen in koemelk werd in februari 2005 koemelk van 5 biologische en 5 gangbare buurbedrijven onderzocht. Een duidelijk verschil in bedrijfsvoering is dat biologische koeien minder krachtvoer en meer klaver en gras eten. De hoeveelheid CLA's en omega-3-vetzuren was in de onderzochte biologische melk significant hoger. In smaak was er geen eenduidig verschil in beoordeling. Ook de gezondheidstoestand van de koeien werd gemeten via immunologisch onderzoek. Hieruit bleek dat biologische koeien beter kunnen reageren op infecties, ze zijn dus robuuster. Deze gezondheidsmeting van de koe past in de hypothese dat de cyclus van een gezonde bodem, gezonde gewassen, gezonde dieren ook leidt tot gezonde producten voor de mens. Bij de vernieuwende meetmethoden voor 'geordendheid' van de structuur (biofotonen en voedingskristallisaties) scoort de biologische melk systematisch hoger op 'geordendheid', 'integratie’ en ‘coördinatie'. Uit onderzoek naar voederrantsoenen en naar moedermelk blijkt dat hogere CLA-gehaltes in de keten doorgeven worden via het voer (veel gras en klaver), naar de koemelk tot in de menselijke moedermelk

Specificity Protein 2 (Sp2) Is Essential for Mouse Development and Autonomous Proliferation of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts

BACKGROUND: The zinc finger protein Sp2 (specificity protein 2) is a member of the glutamine-rich Sp family of transcription factors. Despite its close similarity to Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4, Sp2 does not bind to DNA or activate transcription when expressed in mammalian cell lines. The expression pattern and the biological relevance of Sp2 in the mouse are unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Whole-mount in situ hybridization of mouse embryos between E7.5 and E9.5 revealed abundant expression in most embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues. In order to unravel the biological relevance of Sp2, we have targeted the Sp2 gene by a tri-loxP strategy. Constitutive Sp2null and conditional Sp2cko knockout alleles were obtained by crossings with appropriate Cre recombinase expressing mice. Constitutive disruption of the mouse Sp2 gene (Sp2null) resulted in severe growth retardation and lethality before E9.5. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from Sp2null embryos at E9.5 failed to grow. Cre-mediated ablation of Sp2 in Sp2cko/cko MEFs obtained from E13.5 strongly impaired cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrate that Sp2 is essential for early mouse development and autonomous proliferation of MEFs in culture. Comparison of the Sp2 knockout phenotype with the phenotypes of Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4 knockout strains shows that, despite their structural similarity and evolutionary relationship, all four glutamine-rich members of the Sp family of transcription factors have distinct non-redundant functions in vivo

Specificity protein 2 (Sp2) is essential for mouse development and autonomous proliferation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts

Background: The zinc finger protein Sp2 (specificity protein 2) is a member of the glutamine-rich Sp family of transcription factors. Despite its close similarity to Sp1, Sp3 and Sp4, Sp2 does not bind to DNA or activate transcription when expressed in mammalian cell lines. The expression pattern and the biological relevance of Sp2 in the mouse are unknown. Methodology/Principal Findings: Whole-mount in situ hybridization of mouse embryos between E7.5 and E9.5 revealed abundant expression in most embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues. In order to unravel the biological relevance of Sp2, we have targeted the Sp2 gene by a tri-loxP strategy. Constitutive Sp2null and conditional Sp2cko knockout alleles were obtained by crossings with appropriate Cre recombinase expressing mice. Constitutive disruption of the mouse Sp2 gene (Sp2null) resulted in severe growth retardation and lethality before E9.5. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from Sp2null embryos at E9.5 failed to grow. Cre-mediated ablation of Sp2 in Sp2cko/cko MEFs obtained from E13.5 strongly impaired cell proliferation. Conclusions/Significance: Our results demonstrate that Sp2 is essential for early mouse development and autonomous proliferation of MEFs in culture. Comparison of the Sp2 knockout phenotype with th

Practical Applications as a Source of Credibility: A Comparison of Three Fields of Dutch Academic Chemistry

In many Western science systems, funding structures increasingly stimulate academic research to contribute to practical applications, but at the same time the rise of bibliometric performance assessments have strengthened the pressure on academics to conduct excellent basic research that can be published in scholarly literature. We analyze the interplay between these two developments in a set of three case studies of fields of chemistry in the Netherlands. First, we describe how the conditions under which academic chemists work have changed since 1975. Second, we investigate whether practical applications have become a source of credibility for individual researchers. Indeed, this turns out to be the case in catalysis, where connecting with industrial applications helps in many steps of the credibility cycle. Practical applications yield much less credibility in environmental chemistry, where application-oriented research agendas help to acquire funding, but not to publish prestigious papers or to earn peer recognition. In biochemistry practical applications hardly help in gaining credibility, as this field is still strongly oriented at fundamental questions. The differences between the fields can be explained by the presence or absence of powerful upstream end-users, who can afford to invest in academic research with promising long term benefits

Candidate CSPG4 mutations and induced pluripotent stem cell modeling implicate oligodendrocyte progenitor cell dysfunction in familial schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is highly heritable, yet its underlying pathophysiology remains largely unknown. Among the most well-replicated findings in neurobiological studies of schizophrenia are deficits in myelination and white matter integrity; however, direct etiological genetic and cellular evidence has thus far been lacking. Here, we implement a family-based approach for genetic discovery in schizophrenia combined with functional analysis using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We observed familial segregation of two rare missense mutations in Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) (c.391G > A [p.A131T], MAF 7.79 × 10−5 and c.2702T > G [p.V901G], MAF 2.51 × 10−3). The CSPG4A131T mutation was absent from the Swedish Schizophrenia Exome Sequencing Study (2536 cases, 2543 controls), while the CSPG4V901G mutation was nominally enriched in cases (11 cases vs. 3 controls, P = 0.026, OR 3.77, 95% CI 1.05–13.52). CSPG4/NG2 is a hallmark protein of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). iPSC-derived OPCs from CSPG4A131T mutation carriers exhibited abnormal post-translational processing (P = 0.029), subcellular localization of mutant NG2 (P = 0.007), as well as aberrant cellular morphology (P = 3.0 × 10−8), viability (P = 8.9 × 10−7), and myelination potential (P = 0.038). Moreover, transfection of healthy non-carrier sibling OPCs confirmed a pathogenic effect on cell survival of both the CSPG4A131T (P = 0.006) and CSPG4V901G (P = 3.4 × 10−4) mutations. Finally, in vivo diffusion tensor imaging of CSPG4A131T mutation carriers demonstrated a reduction of brain white matter integrity compared to unaffected sibling and matched general population controls (P = 2.2 × 10−5). Together, our findings provide a convergence of genetic and functional evidence to implicate OPC dysfunction as a candidate pathophysiological mechanism of familial schizophrenia

Health-related Quality of Life and Pain in a Real-world Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Population: Results From the PRO-CAPRI Study in the Netherlands

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine generic, cancer-specific, and prostate cancer-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL), pain and changes over time in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in daily practice. Patients and Methods: PRO-CAPRI is an observational, prospective study in 10 hospitals in the Netherlands. Patients with mCRPC completed the EQ-5D, European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF) every 3 months and European Organization for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Prostate Cancer Module (EORTC QLQ-PR25) every 6 months for a maximum of 2 years. Subgroups were identified based on chemotherapy pretreatment. Outcomes were generic, cancer-specific, and prostate cancer-specific HRQoL and self-reported pain. Descriptive statistics were performed including changes over time and minimal important differences (MID) between subgroups. Results: In total, 151 included patients answered 873 questionnaires. The median follow-up from the start of the study was 19.5 months, and 84% were treated with at least 1 life-prolonging agent. Overall, patients were in good clinical condition (Eatern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1 in 78%) with normal baseline hemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase. At inclusion, generic HRQoL was high with a mean EQ visual analog score of 73.2 out of 100. The lowest scores were reported on role and physical functioning (mean scores of 69 and 76 of 100, respectively), and fatigue, pain, and insomnia were the most impaired domai