Melk kan nog gezonder

Melk biedt niet alleen bescherming aan zuigelingen en pasgeboren zoogdieren. Ook gespeende dieren en volwassenen profiteren van de gezonde inhoudsstoffen in melk. Dankzij nieuwe technieken heeft ASG zicht op voermethoden die het gehalte aan gezondheidsbevorderende stoffen in melk verhoge

Chronic sleep reduction in adolescents - clinical cut-off scores for the Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire (CSRQ)

The Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire is a validated questionnaire that measures symptoms of prolonged insufficient and/or poor sleep and therefore accounts for individuals’ sleep need and sleep debt. This study extends its psychometric properties by providing cut-off scores, using a matched sample of 298 healthy adolescents (15.38 ± 1.63 years, 37.9% male, mean Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire score: 32.98 ± 6.51) and 298 adolescents with insomnia/delayed sleep–wake phase disorder (15.48 ± 1.62 years; 37.9% male, mean Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire score: 42.59 ± 7.06). We found an area under the curve of 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.81–0.87). Cut-off scores for optimal sensitivity, optimal specificity and based on Youden's criterion are provided. These cut-off scores are highly relevant for use of the Chronic Sleep Reduction Questionnaire in future studies and clinical practice

Sustainable care improvement programs supported by undergraduate health care education

Background: The Care for Better Region program was developed to achieve sustainable care improvement focusing onfall prevention. Key ingredients involved improvement teams developing and implementing a falls reduction plan, PracticeDevelopment; facilitation of improvement teams by lecturers and undergraduate health care students; an implementation phase.This study evaluates the impact of this program on: (1) the number of falls incidents, and (2) the sustainability

Duurzame onkruidbestrijding boomkwekerij en gemeenten

Zowel de gemeenten alsook de laanboomsector in Rivierenland werken hard aan de verlaging van de milieubelasting door vermindering van de toepassing van herbiciden op verhardingen (door gemeenten) en in laanboompercelen (door kwekers). De vermindering wordt door beide partijen o.a. bereikt door inzet van innovatieve technieken bij de mechanische en chemische onkruidbestrijding. In dit onderzoek is nagegaan of samenwerking van beide partijen, bij toepassing van nieuwe sensortechnieken voor de chemische onkruidbestrijding zoals de Weed –iT en Weedseeker, mogelijk is

Niet-chirurgische embryotransplantatie

Praktijkcentrum Sterksel verbetert de genetische kwaliteit van de zeugenstapel door middel van niet-chirurgische embryotransplantatie. In juni zijn de eerste embryo's ingebracht. Naast de verbetering van kwaliteit van de zeugenstapel wordt onderzocht of niet-chirurgische embryotransplantatie een interessante techniek is voor bredere toepassing in de praktijk. Het project wordt uitgevoerd in samenwerking met TOPIGS

Predicting sepsis-related mortality and ICU admissions from telephone triage information of patients presenting to out-of-hours GP cooperatives with acute infections:A cohort study of linked routine care databases

BackgroundGeneral practitioners (GPs) often assess patients with acute infections. It is challenging for GPs to recognize patients needing immediate hospital referral for sepsis while avoiding unnecessary referrals. This study aimed to predict adverse sepsis-related outcomes from telephone triage information of patients presenting to out-of-hours GP cooperatives.MethodsA retrospective cohort study using linked routine care databases from out-of-hours GP cooperatives, general practices, hospitals and mortality registration. We included adult patients with complaints possibly related to an acute infection, who were assessed (clinic consultation or home visit) by a GP from a GP cooperative between 2017–2019. We used telephone triage information to derive a risk prediction model for sepsis-related adverse outcome (infection-related ICU admission within seven days or infection-related death within 30 days) using logistic regression, random forest, and neural network machine learning techniques. Data from 2017 and 2018 were used for derivation and from 2019 for validation.ResultsWe included 155,486 patients (median age of 51 years; 59% females) in the analyses. The strongest predictors for sepsis-related adverse outcome were age, type of contact (home visit or clinic consultation), patients considered ABCD unstable during triage, and the entry complaints”general malaise”, “shortness of breath” and “fever”. The multivariable logistic regression model resulted in a C-statistic of 0.89 (95% CI 0.88–0.90) with good calibration. Machine learning models performed similarly to the logistic regression model. A “sepsis alert” based on a predicted probability >1% resulted in a sensitivity of 82% and a positive predictive value of 4.5%. However, most events occurred in patients receiving home visits, and model performance was substantially worse in this subgroup (C-statistic 0.70).ConclusionSeveral patient characteristics identified during telephone triage of patients presenting to out-of-hours GP cooperatives were associated with sepsis-related adverse outcomes. Still, on a patient level, predictions were not sufficiently accurate for clinical purposes

Redefining the clostridioides difficile sigma(B) regulon: sigma(B) activates genes involved in detoxifying radicals that can result from the exposure to antimicrobials and hydrogen peroxide

In many Gram-positive bacteria, the general stress response is regulated at the transcriptional level by the alternative sigma factor sigma B (sigma(B)). In C. difficile, sigma(B) has been implicated in protection against stressors such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antimicrobial compounds. Here, we used an anti-us antibody to demonstrate time-limited overproduction of sigma(B) in C difficile despite its toxicity at higher cellular concentrations. This toxicity eventually led to the loss of the plasmid used for anhydrotetracycline-induced sigma(B) gene expression. Inducible sigma(B) overproduction uncouples sigma(B) expression from its native regulatory network and allows for the refinement of the previously proposed sigma(B) regulon. At least 32% of the regulon was found to consist of genes involved in the response to reactive radicals. Direct gene activation by C. difficile 0 8 was demonstrated through in vitro runoff transcription of specific target genes (cd0350, cd3614, cd3605, and cd2963). Finally, we demonstrated that different antimicrobials and hydrogen peroxide induce these genes in a manner dependent on this sigma factor, using a plate-based luciferase reporter assay. Together, our work suggests that lethal exposure to antimicrobials may result in the formation of toxic radicals that lead to sigma(B)-dependent gene activation.IMPORTANCE Sigma B is the alternative sigma factor governing stress response in many Gram-positive bacteria. In C. difficile, a sigB mutant shows pleiotropic transcriptional effects. Here, we determine genes that are likely direct targets of sigma(B) by evaluating the transcriptional effects of sigma(B) overproduction, provide biochemical evidence of direct transcriptional activation by sigma(B), and show that sigma(B)-dependent genes can be activated by antimicrobials. Together, our data suggest that sigma(B) is a key player in dealing with toxic radicals.Molecular basis of bacterial pathogenesis, virulence factors and antibiotic resistanc

Etherscapes: Massless, Elastic, Technology and Control

This thesis is an exploration into the ether of the digital aesthetic. It attempts to capture a segment of the continually morphing space then deconstruct and analyse it through electronic and new media art. Herein you will find a questioning of technology and control within electronic and new media art as an investigation into better understanding the current media image and visual culture that so powerfully influences the modern social construct. By nature this argument has existed for some years but only now with advancements in technology and more affordable realisation of ideas by media artists, the topic of the digital aesethetic, technology and control has become relevant for popular debate. As war lingers in our minds, terrorism hits headlines, and experiements in cloning human DNA take place, the technology that society demands can only necessarily be seen as a major contributing factor to today's strange times. However, strange or not, the questions I wish to discuss; Does technology determine contemporary society or do we determine technology? Where does the control exist