Community mobilisation is an essential part of cervical cancer screening programmes to increase demand for screening services. While there are different methods of community mobilisation, in... Show moreCommunity mobilisation is an essential part of cervical cancer screening programmes to increase demand for screening services. While there are different methods of community mobilisation, in Ethiopia community conversations during traditional coffee ceremonies appear to be a context appropriate and effective method. Linkage of community mobilisation with existing community networks can increase uptake of cervical cancer screening and improve continuous support and care among community members. Show less
This pilot study was performed to investigate the feasibility of pre-surgical pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in morbidly obese patients with uncontrolled asthma, undergoing bariatric surgery. Four... Show moreThis pilot study was performed to investigate the feasibility of pre-surgical pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in morbidly obese patients with uncontrolled asthma, undergoing bariatric surgery. Four morbidly obese female patients with asthma participated in a 12-week PR program (exercise, diet, and psychological intervention) before undergoing bariatric surgery, and the outcomes were compared to a matched group of seven female controls (bariatric surgery only). In patients who participated in PR, asthma control and asthma quality of life improved dramatically after 3 months of PR. Besides, asthma control was better at the moment of surgery. The results of this pilot study show that PR is feasible in morbidly obese asthmatics and should be considered for a selected group of patients with uncontrolled asthma before undergoing bariatric surgery. Show less
Anguelova, G.V.; Vlugt, E. de; Vardy, A.N.; Zwet, E.W. van; Dijk, J.G. van; Malessy, M.J.A.; Groot, J.H. de 2017
We suggest short range stiffness (SRS) at the elbow joint as an alternative diagnostic for EMG to assess cocontraction. Elbow SRS is compared between obstetric brachial plexus lesion (OBPL)... Show moreWe suggest short range stiffness (SRS) at the elbow joint as an alternative diagnostic for EMG to assess cocontraction. Elbow SRS is compared between obstetric brachial plexus lesion (OBPL) patients and healthy subjects (cross-sectional study design). Seven controls (median 28years) and five patients (median 31years) isometrically flexed and extended the elbow at rest and three additional torques [2.1,4.3,6.4Nm] while a fast stretch stimulus was applied. SRS was estimated in silico using a neuromechanical elbow model simulating the torque response from the imposed elbow angle. SRS was higher in patients (250±36Nm/rad) than in controls (150±21Nm/rad, p=0.014), except for the rest condition. Higher elbow SRS suggested greater cocontraction in patients compared to controls. SRS is a promising mechanical alternative to assess cocontraction, which is a frequently encountered clinical problem in OBPL due to axonal misrouting. Show less
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized, lipid bilayer-enclosed particles involved in intercellular communication. EVs are increasingly being considered as drug delivery vehicles or as cell... Show moreExtracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized, lipid bilayer-enclosed particles involved in intercellular communication. EVs are increasingly being considered as drug delivery vehicles or as cell-free approach to regenerative medicine. However, one of the major challenges for their clinical application is finding a scalable EV isolation method that yields functional EVs. Although the golden standard for EV isolation is ultracentrifugation (UC), a recent study suggested that isolation using size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) yielded EVs with more intact biophysical properties. Whether this also leads to differences in functionality remained to be investigated. Therefore, we investigated possible differences in functionality of cardiomyocyte progenitor cell-derived EVs isolated using UC and SEC. Western blot analysis showed higher pERK/ERK ratios in endothelial cells after stimulation with SEC-EVs compared to UC-EVs, indicating that SEC-EVs bear higher functionality. Therefore, we propose to use SEC-EVs for further investigation of EVs' therapeutic potential. Further optimization of isolation protocols may accelerate clinical adoption of therapeutic EVs. Show less
Purpose: The moving rectangle method is used to disentangle the contributions of rectangularization and life span extension to the increase in life expectancy. It requires the choice of an endpoint... Show morePurpose: The moving rectangle method is used to disentangle the contributions of rectangularization and life span extension to the increase in life expectancy. It requires the choice of an endpoint of the survival curve that approaches the maximum age at death. We examined the effect of choosing different end points on the outcomes of this method. Methods: For five developed countries, survival curves from age 50 years were constructed per calendar year from 1922 onward. Survival values of 0.1, 0.01, and 0.001 were chosen as end points of the survival curve, and the contributions of rectangularization and life span extension to the increase in life expectancy were calculated using the moving rectangle method. Results: The choice of different survival values as end points profoundly influenced the estimated contributions of rectangularization and life span extension to the increase in life expectancy. When choosing 0.001, rectangularization contributed most years, whereas when choosing 0.1, life span extension contributed most years. Conclusions: When the moving rectangle method is used to estimate the contributions of rectangularization and life span extension to the increase in life expectancy, its outcomes depend on the choice of the endpoint of the survival curve. Show less
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection that is endemic in many developing countries in the tropics and subtropics afflicting more than 207 million people primarily in rural areas. After malaria,... Show moreSchistosomiasis is a parasitic infection that is endemic in many developing countries in the tropics and subtropics afflicting more than 207 million people primarily in rural areas. After malaria, it is the second most important parasitic infection in terms of socio-economic and public health. Investigation of the host-parasite interaction at the molecular level and identification of biomarkers of infection and infection-related morbidity would be of value for improved strategies for treatment and morbidity control. To this end, we conducted a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabonomics study involving a well-characterized cohort of 447 individuals from a rural area in Uganda near Lake Victoria with a high prevalence of Schistosoma mansoni, a species predominantly occurring in Africa including Madagascar and parts of South America. Cohort samples were collected from individuals at five time-points, before and after (one or two times) chemotherapy with praziquantel (PZQ). Using supervised multivariate statistical analysis of the recorded one-dimensional (1D) NMR spectra, we were able to discriminate infected from uninfected individuals in two age groups (children and adults) based on differences in their urinary profiles. The potential molecular markers of S. mansoni infection were found to be primarily linked to changes in gut microflora, energy metabolism and liver function. These findings are in agreement with data from earlier studies on S. mansoni infection in experimental animals and thus provide corroborating evidence for the existence of metabolic response specific for this infection. Show less
Soonawala, D.; Geerts, J.W.H.J.; Mos, M. de; Yazdanbakhsh, M.; Visser, L.G. 2011
We investigated the type and strength of the immune response to schistosome antigens in a group of 20 Dutch travelers who had been infected with Schistosoma spp during a group visit to Mali in 1991... Show moreWe investigated the type and strength of the immune response to schistosome antigens in a group of 20 Dutch travelers who had been infected with Schistosoma spp during a group visit to Mali in 1991 and 8 non infected controls At the time, 9 had Katayama syndrome (KS), and 11 remained asymptomatic All had been treated with praziquantel Eight years later, serology remained positive in all 20 formerly infected travelers The lymphocyte proliferative responses and cytokine responses (interleukin 13 [IL-13] IL 10, and interferon [IFN gamma] responses to soluble egg antigens and the IL 13, IL 10, and IL 5 response to adult worm antigen) were stronger in the travelers than in the controls and tended to be stronger in those with KS compared with those who had remained asymptomatic In conclusion Schistosoma infection induced a memory immune response, and people who experienced KS tended to have a stronger immune response to schistosome antigens than their asymptomatic counterparts Show less
Purpose: Sensitive diagnosis, monitoring of disease progression and the evaluation of chemotherapeutic interventions are of prime importance for the improvement of control and prevention strategies... Show morePurpose: Sensitive diagnosis, monitoring of disease progression and the evaluation of chemotherapeutic interventions are of prime importance for the improvement of control and prevention strategies for Schistosomiasis. The aim of the present study was to identify novel markers of Schistosoma mansoni infection and disease using urine samples from a large cohort from an area endemic for S. mansoni. Experimental design: Urine samples were collected and processed on an automated sample clean-up and fractionation system combining strong cation exchange and reversed phase, and analyzed by MS (MALDI ToF MS). The ClinPro Tools(TM) (CPT) software and the Discrete Wavelet Transformation-Support Vector Machine (DWT-SVM) procedure were used for classification and statistical analysis. Results: We observed a large difference in urinary peptide profiles between children and adults but classification based on infection was possible only for children. Here, in the external validation data set, 93% of the infected children were classified correctly with DWT-SVM (versus 76% for CPT). In addition 91% of low-infected children were classified correctly using DWT-SVM (versus 85% for CPT). The discriminating peptides were identified as fragments of collagen 1A1 and 1A3, and uromodulin. Conclusions and clinical relevance: In conclusion, we provide the usefulness of a peptidomics profiling approach combined with DWT-SVM in the monitoring of S. mansoni infection. Show less
Schistosomiasis is a parasitic infection caused by Schistosoma flatworms, prime examples of multicellular parasites that live in the mammalian host for many years. Glycoconjugates derived from the... Show moreSchistosomiasis is a parasitic infection caused by Schistosoma flatworms, prime examples of multicellular parasites that live in the mammalian host for many years. Glycoconjugates derived from the parasite have been shown to play an important role in many aspects of schistosomiasis, and some of them are present in the circulation of the host. The aim of this study was to identify novel glycoconjugates related to schistosomiasis in urine of Schistosoma mansoni-infected individuals using a combination of glycopeptide separation techniques and in-depth mass spectrometric analysis. Surprisingly, we characterized a heterogeneous population of novel aberrantly O-glycosylated peptides derived from the C terminus of human apolipoprotein C-III (apoC-III) in urine of S. mansoni-infected individuals that were not detected in urine of non-infected controls. The glycan composition of these glycopeptides is completely different from what has been described previously for apoC-III. Most importantly, they lack sialylation and display a high degree of fucosylation. This study exemplifies the potential of mass spectrometry for the identification and characterization of O-glycopeptides without prior knowledge of either the glycan or the peptide sequence. Furthermore, our results indicate for the first time that as a result of S. mansoni infection the glycosylation of a host protein is altered. Molecular & Cellular Proteomics 9: 667-681, 2010. Show less
