Chiral Brownian heat pump

We present the exact analysis of a chiral Brownian motor and heat pump. Optimization of the construction predicts, for a nanoscale device, frequencies of the order of kHz and cooling rates of the order of femtojoule per second.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Estimating Affective Taste Experience Using Combined Implicit Behavioral and Neurophysiological Measures

We trained a model to distinguish an extreme high arousal, unpleasant drink from regular drinks based on a range of implicit behavioral and physiological responses to naturalistic tasting. The trained model predicted arousal ratings of regular drinks, highlighting the possibility to estimate affective experience without having to rely on subjective ratings.</p

Increased epidermal thickness and abnormal epidermal differentiation in keloid scars

Background: The pathogenesis underlying keloid formation is still poorly understood. Research has focused mostly on dermal abnormalities, while the epidermis has not yet been studied. Objectives: To identify differences within the epidermis of mature keloid scars compared with normal skin and mature normotrophic and hypertrophic scars. Methods: Rete ridge formation and epidermal thickness were evaluated in tissue sections. Epidermal proliferation was assessed using immunohistochemistry (Ki67, keratins 6, 16 and 17) and with an in vitro proliferation assay. Epidermal differentiation was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (keratin 10, involucrin, loricrin, filaggrin, SPRR2, SKALP), reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (involucrin) and transmission electron microscopy (stratum corneum). Results: All scars showed flattening of the epidermis. A trend of increasing epidermal thickness correlating to increasing scar abnormality was observed when comparing normal skin, normotrophic scars, hypertrophic scars and keloids. No difference in epidermal proliferation was observed. Only the early differentiation marker involucrin showed abnormal expression in scars. Involucrin was restricted to the granular layer in healthy skin, but showed panepidermal expression in keloids. Normotrophic scars expressed involucrin in the granular and upper spinous layers, while hypertrophic scars resembled normotrophic scars or keloids. Abnormal differentiation was associated with ultrastructural disorganization of the stratum corneum in keloids compared with normal skin. Conclusions: Keloids showed increased epidermal thickness compared with normal skin and normotrophic and hypertrophic scars. This was not due to hyperproliferation, but possibly caused by abnormal early terminal differentiation, which affects stratum corneum formation. Our findings indicate that the epidermis is associated with keloid pathogenesis and identify involucrin as a potential diagnostic marker for abnormal scarring

Sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, in the Netherlands in 2013

Het aantal mensen dat zich bij een Centrum Seksuele Gezondheid heeft laten testen op een seksueel overdraagbare aandoening (soa) is verder gestegen in 2013. Het percentage mensen met een soa is voor het eerst licht gedaald (met 0,4 procent) sinds 2007. Desondanks blijft dit percentage hoog (14,7 procent). Een goed functionerende soa-monitoring blijft daarom essentieel om zicht te houden op relevante trends, opkomende soa binnen groepen die een grotere kans hebben er een op te lopen, en de effectiviteit van preventieprogramma's. De Centra Seksuele Gezondheid (CSG), voorheen soa-poli's, bieden hoogrisicogroepen de mogelijkheid om zich gratis te laten testen op soa en verstrekken medicatie als er een wordt vastgesteld. Het totaal aantal consulten in 2013 bedroeg 133.585 en is met 10 procent toegenomen ten opzichte van 2012. Van alle bezoekers werden de meeste soa gediagnosticeerd bij mensen die ervoor gewaarschuwd waren dat ze mogelijk een soa hadden opgelopen, mensen jonger dan 25 jaar, migranten uit gebieden waar soa en hiv veel voorkomen (bijvoorbeeld Afrika, Zuid-Amerika of Oost-Europa), of mannen die seks hebben met mannen (MSM). Chlamydia Net als in voorgaande jaren was chlamydia de meest gediagnosticeerde soa bij de CSG in 2013 (15.767 diagnoses). Het percentage mensen dat chlamydia had, daalde licht ten opzichte van 2012 (van 12,2 naar 11,8 procent). Chlamydia werd het meest vastgesteld bij heteroseksuelen, zowel mannen als vrouwen, onder de 25 jaar. Na de uitschieter in 2012 van het aantal en percentage mensen met een agressieve variant van chlamydia, lymphogranuloma venereum, zijn deze cijfers weer afgenomen naar het niveau van de jaren daarvoor (7 procent in 2013). Gonorroe Het percentage personen met een gonorroe-infectie bij de CSG bleef in 2013 stabiel ten opzichte van 2012 (3,6 procent in 2012 en 3,4 procent in 2013), nadat het in de voorgaande jaren licht was gestegen. Deze soa werd het meest gediagnosticeerd bij MSM. Het blijft belangrijk om te volgen of de gonorroe-bacterie resistent raakt tegen de antibiotica die in Nederland voorgeschreven worden, de zogenoemde derde generatie cefalosporines. In diverse Europese landen is deze resistentie waargenomen. Hiv Het aantal personen met een hiv-infectie, gediagnosticeerd bij een van de CSG, is in 2013 gelijk gebleven ten opzichte van 2012 (358 versus 356 in 2012). Het percentage positieve testen daalt sinds 2008: van 3,0 procent naar 1,4 procent bij MSM in 2013. Het percentage mensen dat in een laat stadium van een hiv-infectie bij een hiv-behandelcentrum komt, is de afgelopen jaren gedaald. Het is van belang om tijdig de hiv-diagnose te stellen en zo snel mogelijk de behandeling te starten, omdat hierdoor de gezondheidsschade bij de patiënt verkleind kan worden. Ook neemt door behandeling de besmettelijkheid af, waardoor de kans kleiner is dat hiv wordt overgedragen.In 2013, more people were tested for sexually transmitted infections (STI) at Dutch STI clinics than in previous years. Although the percentage of people with an STI showed a slight decrease (0.4 per cent) for the first time since 2007, it remained high at 14.7 per cent. Effective STI monitoring remains essential for the identification of relevant trends, emerging STIs in high-risk groups, and the effectiveness of prevention programmes. STI clinics offer high-risk groups access to free testing for STI and provide care and treatment if an STI is diagnosed. The total number of consultations in 2013 was 133,585, an increase of 10% compared with 2012. In 2013, STI clinic attendees with an STI were mainly people who reported having been notified of their possible exposure to STI, people aged 20-24, people originating from areas in which STI/HIV is common (e.g. Africa, South America or Eastern Europe), and men who have sex with men (MSM). Chlamydia With 15,767 cases, chlamydia remains the most commonly diagnosed STI in 2013. The percentage of people diagnosed with chlamydia was slightly lower in 2013 than in 2012 (11.8 versus 12.2 respectively). Chlamydia was primarily diagnosed in heterosexuals younger than 25 years old and in both men and women. Following the increase in the number and percentage of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV; an aggressive variant of chlamydia) infections in 2012, these numbers declined to a level comparable to previous years in 2013. Gonorrhoea Whereas the percentage of people with a gonorrhoea infection slightly had increased in previous years, the percentage remained stable in 2013 (3.4 per cent) compared with 2012 (3.6 per cent). Gonorrhoea was mostly diagnosed in MSM. It remains important to monitor the resistance of the gonorrhoea bacteria against the antibiotic currently recommended in the Netherlands, a third-generation cephalosporin. A rising rate of resistance to this antibiotic has been observed in several European countries. HIVThe number of people diagnosed with HIV at STI clinics in 2013 was similar to that of 2012 (358 versus 356 respectively). Among MSM, the percentage of positive HIV tests decreased from 3.0 per cent in 2008 to 1.4 per cent in 2013. The percentage of HIV-positive people who were diagnosed at a late stage of the infection has decreased in previous years. Early diagnosis and treatment of an HIV infection is important because of individual health benefits and the potential reduction of HIV transmission

A pill for the partner via the chlamydia patient? Results from a mixed method study among sexual health care providers in the Netherlands.

Chlamydia prevalence in the Netherlands remains high despite targeted efforts. Effective Partner Notification (PN) and Partner Treatment (PT) can interrupt transmission and prevent re-infections. Patient Initiated Partner Treatment (PIPT) may strengthen chlamydia control. This study explores the current practice of PN and PT, and benefits of, and barriers and facilitators for PIPT among professionals in sexual health care in the Netherlands

SIRT1 mediates FOXA2 breakdown by deacetylation in a nutrient-dependent manner

The Forkhead transcription factor FOXA2 plays a fundamental role in controlling metabolic homeostasis in the liver during fasting. The precise molecular regulation of FOXA2 in response to nutrients is not fully understood. Here, we studied whether FOXA2 could be controlled at a post-translational level by acetylation. By means of LC-MS/MS analyses, we identified five acetylated residues in FOXA2. Sirtuin family member SIRT1 was found to interact with and deacetylate FOXA2, the latter process being dependent on the NAD +-binding catalytic site of SIRT1. Deacetylation by SIRT1 reduced protein stability of FOXA2 by targeting it towards proteasomal degradation, and inhibited transcription from the FOXA2-driven G6pase and CPT1a promoters. While mutation of the five identified acetylated residues weakly affected protein acetylation and stability, mutation of at least seven additional lysine residues was required to abolish acetylation and reduce protein levels of FOXA2. The importance of acetylation of FOXA2 became apparent upon changes in nutrient levels. The interaction of FOXA2 and SIRT1 was strongly reduced upon nutrient withdrawal in cell culture, while enhanced Foxa2 acetylation levels were observed in murine liver in vivo after starvation for 36 hours. Collectively, this study demonstrates that SIRT1 controls the acetylation level of FOXA2 in a nutrient-dependent manner and in times of nutrient shortage the interaction between SIRT1 and FOXA2 is reduced. As a result, FOXA2 is protected from degradation by enhanced acetylation, hence enabling the FOXA2 transcriptional program to be executed to maintain metabolic homeostasis

Class of exactly solvable SO(n) symmetric spin chains with matrix product ground states

We introduce a class of exactly solvable SO(n) symmetric Hamiltonians with matrix product ground states. For an odd $n\geq 3$ case, the ground state is a translational invariant Haldane gap spin liquid state; while for an even $n\geq 4$ case, the ground state is a spontaneously dimerized state with twofold degeneracy. In the matrix product ground states for both cases, we identify a hidden antiferromagnetic order, which is characterized by nonlocal string order parameters. The ground-state phase diagram of a generalized SO(n) symmetric bilinear-biquadratic model is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figure