Outlaw biker crime:The relationship between Outlaw Motorcycle Gang membership and criminal behavior

The central aims of this dissertation were to empirically expand the extant knowledge on the extent to which OMCG membership is associated with the criminal careers of individual members, the ways in which OMCG membership is related to members’ criminal behavior, and the judicial reactions to OMCGs and OMCG membership. A multi-method approach was employed to address these research aims. The findings of the present dissertation contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between OMCG membership and crime. This dissertation suggests that OMCG membership influences the criminal careers of individual members, especially when it comes to membership of one of the most criminal OMCGs. Nevertheless, the involvement of OMCGs as collectives in members’ criminal behavior is limited: OMCGs, in most criminal cases, do not appear to orchestrate the criminal behavior to their members. OMCG membership predominantly contributes to the criminal behavior of individual members through various crime-promoting mechanisms, such as the ‘power of the patch’ and access to criminal ties. At the same time, Dutch law enforcement struggles to legally address OMCGs as criminal collectives and the symbolic contribution of fellow club members to crime through criminal law. Criminal law, after all, is primarily focused on individual liability and, therefore, has difficulties to address collective criminal behavior and criminal groups

A marketing plan for O'Templus Organic Gin

The purpose of the project was to create a marketing plan for the Portuguese brand O’Templus Gin, owned and managed by Oficina de Espíritos in Évora, Portugal. Here O’Templus gin is marketed as an artisanal, organic gin for organic consumers. Information collected to understand the market was consistent with previous research, however there continues to be a lack of information on the organic alcoholic drinks market in Portugal. Identifying the needs of the organic consumer in Portugal, and gauging interest in the product itself, a marketing plan was developed to bring O’Templus to a wider audience

Chronic Q fever associated with systemic sclerosis

Contains fulltext : 205462.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: After the Q fever outbreak in the Netherlands between 2007 and 2010, more than 300 patients with chronic Q fever have been identified. Some patients were also diagnosed with systemic sclerosis, a rare immune-mediated disease. We aimed to increase awareness of concomitant chronic Q fever infection and systemic sclerosis and to give insight into the course of systemic sclerosis during persistent Q fever infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Chronic Q fever patients were identified after the Dutch Q fever outbreak in 2007-2010. Systemic sclerosis was diagnosed by a scleroderma expert and patients fulfilled the 2013 Classification Criteria for Systemic Sclerosis. RESULTS: Four cases presented with chronic Q fever, persistent Coxiella burnetii infection, shortly preceded or followed by the diagnosis of limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis. The three male patients of 60 years or older developed a relatively mild systemic sclerosis, which did not require immunosuppressive therapy during adequate treatment of the chronic Q fever infection. The 58-year-old female patient used immunosuppressives for her newly diagnosed systemic sclerosis at the time she likely developed a chronic Q fever infection. CONCLUSIONS: In this case series, chronic Q fever preceding systemic sclerosis was associated with a mild course of systemic sclerosis without the necessity of immunosuppressive drugs, while chronic Q fever development due to immunocompromised state was associated with a more deteriorating course of systemic sclerosis

Plasma and whole blood exchange in meningococcal sepsis

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Cytokine activation during attacks of the hyperimmunoglobulinemia D and periodic fever syndrome

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Correlation between proinflammatory cytokines and antiinflammatory mediators and the severity of disease in meningococcal infections

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Endurance run increases circulating IL-6 and IL-1ra but downregulates ex vivo TNF-a and IL-1ß production

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Intensive insulin therapy does not alter the inflammatory response in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN95608630]

INTRODUCTION: Strict control of plasma glucose in diabetic and non-diabetic patients has been shown to improve outcome in several clinical settings. There is extensive evidence that glucose can stimulate the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and IL-6, with no effect on the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. We hypothesized that strict glucose regulation results in a change in cytokine balance from a pro-inflammatory state to a more balanced anti-inflammatory condition. In a randomized controlled trial we studied the effect of strict glycemic control on the local and systemic pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory balance in non-diabetic patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass grafting with cardiopulmonary bypass. METHODS: After surgery patients were randomly assigned to intensive insulin therapy (blood glucose between 80 and 110 mg/dl) or conventional insulin therapy (blood glucose less than 200 mg/dl). At 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 24 hours after admission to the intensive care unit, plasma samples and samples from the mediastinal drains were obtained. We measured the concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Both patient groups were comparable in demographics, clinical characteristics and peri-operative data. In the intensive treatment group, glucose levels were significantly lower than in the conventionally treated group. No differences were found between both groups in the concentrations of TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10 in plasma samples or in fluid draining the mediastinal cavity. Levels of IL-6 and IL-10 were significantly higher in mediastinal fluid samples than in plasma samples, suggesting a compartmentalized production of cytokines. CONCLUSION: The protective effect of intensive insulin therapy in patients after cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is not related to a change in cytokine balance from a pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory pattern. Systemic cytokine levels are not representative of the local inflammatory response

Circulating interleukin-6 receptor in patients with sepsis syndrome

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