Rheumatoid Arthritis:Strategies that Work

Lems, W.F. [Promotor]Boers, M. [Promotor]Voskuijl, A.E. [Copromotor]Schaardenburg, D. van [Copromotor

Collaborative Consumption On Mobile Applications: A Study Of Multi-sided Digital Platform GoCatch

This paper examines the role of IT in developing collaborative consumption. We present a study of the multi-sided platform goCatch, which is widely recognized as a mobile application and digital disruptor in the Australian transport industry. From our investigation, we find that goCatch uses IT to create situational-based and object-based opportunities to enable collaborative consumption and in turn digital disruption to the incumbent industry. We also highlight the factors to consider in developing a mobile application to connect with customers, and serve as a viable competitive option for responding to competition. Such research is necessary in order to better understand how service providers extract business value from digital technologies to formulate new breakthrough strategies, design compelling new products and services, and transform management processes. Ongoing work will reveal how m-commerce service providers can extract business value from a collaborative consumption model

HIV-1 Conserved Mosaics Delivered by Regimens with Integration-deficient, DC-targeting Lentivirus Induce Robust T Cells

Background: To be effective against HIV-1, vaccine-induced T cells must selectively target functionally conserved and, at the same time, protective epitopes present on the majority of currently circulating and reactivated HIV-1 strains, and rapidly reach protective frequencies upon exposure to the virus. Heterologous prime-boost regimens using virally vectored vaccines are currently the most promising strategy towards achieving this goal, nevertheless, induction of robust longterm memory remains challenging. To this end, lentiviral vectors induce high frequencies of memory cells due to their low-inflammatory nature, while typically inducing only low antivector immune responses. Methods: We describe construction of novel candidate vaccines ZVex.tHIVconsv1 and ZVex.tHIVconsv2, which are based on an integration-deficient lentiviral vector platform with preferential transduction of human dendritic cells and express bivalent mosaic of conserved-region T-cell immunogens with a high global HIV-1 match. Results: Each of the two mosaics was individually immunogenic and together in heterologous prime-boost regimens with nonreplicating simian (chimpanzee) adenovirus or non-replicating poxvirus MVA vaccines induced very high frequencies of plurifunctional and broadly cross-reactive T cells in BALB/c and outbred CD1-SWISS mice. Conclusions: These data support further development of this vaccine concept

Cruising for Olivia: Lesbian Celebrity and the Cultural Politics of Coming out in Sport

Objective The relationship between low birth weight and elevated blood pressure in adult life is well established but presently unexplained. Both microvascular dysfunction and insulin resistance have been proposed as a possible explanation. We have examined the relation between birth weight and blood pressure in 30 healthy subjects exhibiting a wide range of insulin sensitivity, and assessed whether microvascular function and/or insulin resistance may underlie this relationship. Methods Birth weight data were obtained from birth announcements. Blood pressure was measured with an ambulatory blood pressure monitor and insulin sensitivity was assessed by the hyperinsulinaemic, euglycaemic clamp technique. Microvascular function, i.e. capillary recruitment and endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilatation in the skin, was evaluated by videomicroscopy and iontophoresis of acetylcholine and sodium nitroprusside. Results Birth weight was significantly associated with blood pressure (r = -0.50; P <0.05), capillary recruitment (r = +0.52; P <0.05), acetylcholine-mediated vasodilatation (r = +0.40; P <0.05), insulin sensitivity (r = +0.62; P <0.01) and waist-to-hip ratio (r = -0.42; P <0.05). Regression analysis showed a significant association of birth weight with 24 h systolic blood pressure (regression coefficient: -7.6 mmHg/kg; 95% confidence interval: -13.0 to -1.0). Adjustment for capillary recruitment and waist-to-hip ratio decreased the regression coefficient by 39 and 41%, respectively. The results were similar after adjustment for age, sex or body mass index. Conclusion These results suggest that capillary recruitment and body fat distribution may partly explain the relationship between birth weight and blood pressure. J Hypertens 18:1421-1427 (C) 2000 Lippincott Wiliiams & Wilkins

NLT-modules volgen in een academische omgeving

Het onderwijzen van een NLT-module vereist gespecialiseerde achtergrondkennis. Menig VO-docent moet er eerst goed voor gaan zitten om een nieuwe module op school te geven. Het BètaPlus programma aan de JCU biedt een extra voorbereidingsmogelijkheid. VO-docenten worden betrokken in NLT-onderwijs dat door een vakspecialist in een academische omgeving wordt gegeven. De leerlingen kunnen zich oriënteren op vervolgstudies: ze maken kennis met universitaire werkwijzen en voorzieningen

Economic impact of extended time on peritoneal dialysis as a result of using polyglucose: the application of a Markov chain model to forecast changes in the development of the ESRD programme over time

BACKGROUND: The use of polyglucose as a peritoneal dialysis (PD) fluid extends time on PD treatment. It is anticipated, therefore, that the share of patients treated with PD will be positively influenced. The relationship between extension of PD treatment time and an increase of the PD treatment share, however, is complex and needs further investigation. In this paper, a Markov chain model was applied to investigate the impact of extended time on PD treatment for the PD share in all dialysis patients in The Netherlands. Furthermore, the economic impact of the extended time on treatment (ETOT) was explored. METHODS: Scenarios were forecast over a 10 year period using aggregate data from the End-Stage Renal Registry in The Netherlands (Renine). Three scenarios were simulated in which the median PD technique survival was extended by 8, 10 and 12 months. Two other scenarios explored the impact of the combined effect of ETOT of 10 months together with a 10% and 20% increase of PD inflow shares. Reductions of costs to society due to ETOT were estimated using Dutch cost data on renal replacement therapies. RESULTS: PD share increases from 30.0% in the null scenario to 34.5% in the scenario with an ETOT of 10 months and an increased PD inflow share of 20%. The reduction in total costs to society of the renal replacement therapies is 0.96%. The average societal costs per discounted patient year for haemodialysis (HD) are 84 100 euros. For PD, these costs are 60 300 euros. A shift from HD to PD results in average cost savings of 28% per patient year. CONCLUSIONS: In view of high dialysis costs to society, a reduction of 0.96% can be considered to be relevant for healthcare policy makers

Bioincompatible Impact of Different Peritoneal Dialysis Fluid Components and Therapeutic Interventions as Tested in a Rat Peritoneal Dialysis Model

Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is associated with functional and structural changes of the peritoneal membrane. In this paper, we describe the impact of different factors contributing to peritoneal incompatibility of PD fluid installation including presence of a catheter, volume loading, and the PD fluid components itself. These factors initiate recruitment and activation of peritoneal immune cells such as macrophages and mast cells, as well as activation of peritoneal cells as mesothelial cells in situ. We provide an overview of PD-associated changes as seen in our rat PD-exposure model. Since these changes are partly reversible, we finally discuss therapeutic strategies in the rat PD model with possible consequences of long-term PD in the relevant human setting