Publications by authors named "Graaf K"

Objective: To evaluate reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the Infant Crying and Parent Well-Being (ICPW) tool in identifying parents struggling with infant crying in the first year of life.

Study Design: The original ICPW tool was translated into Dutch following established guidelines. The internal consistency and criterion validity of the Dutch ICPW tool were evaluated using a cross-sectional design.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The interaction of perfluorinated molecules, also known as "forever chemicals" due to their pervasiveness, with their environment remains an important yet poorly understood topic. In this work, the self-assembly of perfluorinated molecules with multivalent hosts, pillar-[5]-arenes, is investigated. It is found that perfluoroalkyl diacids and pillar-[5]-arenes rapidly and strongly complex with each other at aqueous interfaces, forming solid interfacially templated films.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Nesprin proteins, which are components of the linker of nucleoskeleton and cytoskeleton (LINC) complex, are located within the nuclear envelope and play prominent roles in nuclear architecture. For example, LINC complex proteins interact with both chromatin and the cytoskeleton. Here, we report that the Drosophila Nesprin MSP300 has an additional function in autophagy within larval body wall muscles.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Evidence-based parenting programmes have strong evidence in preventing and mitigating violence, but in-person programmes are challenging to deliver at scale. ParentApp is an open-source, offline-first app-based adaptation of the Parenting for Lifelong Health for Parents and Teens programme to promote playful and positive parenting, reduce risks for sexual violence victimisation, and prevent violence against adolescents. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ParentApp compared to an attention-control group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Several lines of evidence demonstrate that increased neuronal excitability can enhance proteomic stress. For example, epilepsy can enhance the proteomic stress caused by the expression of certain aggregation-prone proteins implicated in neurodegeneration. However, unanswered questions remain concerning the mechanisms by which increased neuronal excitability accomplishes this enhancement.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

atl atlastin; ALR autophagic lysosome reformation; ER endoplasmic reticulum; GFP green fluorescent protein; HSP hereditary spastic paraplegia; Lamp1 lysosomal associated membrane protein 1 PolyUB polyubiquitin; RFP red fluorescent protein; spin spinster; mTor mechanistic Target of rapamycin; VCP valosin containing protein.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: House dust mite (HDM) is a major cause of respiratory allergic diseases. Dendritic cells (DCs) play a central role in orchestrating adaptive allergic immune responses. However, it remains unclear how DCs become activated by HDM.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Purpose: Frequent consumption of industrially processed foods has been associated with obesity. However, it is unknown what drives this association. Food textures of industrially processed foods that stimulate energy overconsumption may be an important driver of this association.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Several health organizations recommend lowering the consumption of sweet-tasting foods. The rationale behind this recommendation is that a lower exposure to sweet foods may reduce preferences for sweet tasting foods, thus lowering sugar and energy intake, and in turn aiding in obesity prevention. However, empirical data supporting this narrative are lacking.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The ɸC31 integrase system is widely used in Drosophila melanogaster to allow transgene targeting to specific loci. Over the years, flies bearing any of more than 100 attP docking sites have been constructed. One popular docking site, termed attP40, is located close to the Nesprin-1 orthologue msp-300 and lies upstream of certain msp-300 isoforms and within the first intron of others.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Aim: To examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of parents of infants with colic and on healthcare use.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Data of 64 parents of infants with colic prepandemic and 43 parents of infants with colic during the pandemic were analysed using validated questionnaires on parental stress, depression and anxiety.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Nutri-Score front-of-pack label, which classifies the nutritional quality of products in one of 5 classes (A to E), is one of the main candidates for standardized front-of-pack labeling in the EU. The algorithm underpinning the Nutri-Score label is derived from the Food Standard Agency (FSA) nutrient profile model, originally a binary model developed to regulate the marketing of foods to children in the UK. This review describes the development and validation process of the Nutri-Score algorithm.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Sensory properties inform likes and dislikes, but also play an important functional role in guiding food choice and intake behavior. Odors direct food choice and stimulate sensory-specific appetites and taste helps to anticipate calorie and nutrient content of food. Food textures moderate eating rate and the energy consumed to satiation and post-ingestive metabolism.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Awareness of food sensory cues in our surroundings may influence our eating behaviour in different ways. For example, exposure to non-consciously perceived odours may influence food choice but not appetite. Moreover, this type of exposure may mainly influence the food choice of starters or desserts but not of main courses.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Overweight, obesity and cardiometabolic diseases are major global health concerns. Lifestyle factors, including diet, have been acknowledged to play a key role in the solution of these health risks. However, as shown by numerous studies, and in clinical practice, it is extremely challenging to quantify dietary behaviors as well as influencing them via dietary interventions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: In developed countries, diet-related health inequalities between people with different levels of socioeconomic advantage persist. However, there is limited qualitative evidence to inform the design of effective healthy eating (HE) strategies in socioeconomically disadvantaged populations (SDPs). The purpose of this review was to explore the characteristics influencing HE strategies for SDPs and develop a new understanding of how and why they influence their success.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Worldwide initiatives currently aim to reduce free sugar intakes, but success will depend on consumer attitudes towards sugar and the alternatives. This work aimed to explore attitudes towards sugar, sweeteners and sweet-tasting foods, towards consumption and related policies, in a sample of the general public of the UK. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with 34 adults (7 males, ages: 18-65 years).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mouth is the first part of the gastrointestinal tract. During mastication sensory signals from the mouth, so-called oro-sensory exposure, elicit physiological signals that affect satiation and food intake. It has been established that a longer duration of oro-sensory exposure leads to earlier satiation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This systematic review with meta-analyses aimed to identify the sensory and physical characteristics of foods/beverages which increase satiation and/or decrease/delay subsequent consumption without affecting acceptability. Systematic searches were first undertaken to identify review articles investigating the effects of any sensory and physical food characteristic on food intake. These articles provided some evidence that various textural parameters (aeration, hardness, homogeneity, viscosity, physical form, added water) can impact food intake.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Smokers may reduce their health risk by switching to electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use. As e-cigarettes are not harmless, concerns exist about e-cigarette use by nonsmokers and youth. E-liquids are available in many different flavors that increase sensory appeal.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The mRNA export pathway is responsible for the transport of mRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, and thus is essential for protein production and normal cellular functions. A partial loss of function allele of the mRNA export factor Nxt1 in Drosophila shows reduced viability and sterility. A previous study has shown that the male fertility defect is due to a defect in transcription and RNA stability, indicating the potential for this pathway to be implicated in processes beyond the known mRNA transport function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Widespread acceptance of a vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) will be the next major step in fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, but achieving high uptake will be a challenge and may be impeded by online misinformation. To inform successful vaccination campaigns, we conducted a randomized controlled trial in the UK and the USA to quantify how exposure to online misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines affects intent to vaccinate to protect oneself or others. Here we show that in both countries-as of September 2020-fewer people would 'definitely' take a vaccine than is likely required for herd immunity, and that, relative to factual information, recent misinformation induced a decline in intent of 6.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Various global public health agencies recommend minimizing exposure to sweet-tasting foods or beverages. The underlying rationale is that reducing exposure to the perception of sweet tastes, without regard to the source of sweetness, may reduce preferences for sweetness, added sugar intake, caloric intake, and body weight. However, the veracity of this sequence of outcomes has yet to be documented, as revealed by findings from recent systematic reviews on the topic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF