Placebo and the law of identification.

Thousands of essays and studies have been published on placebo and nocebo. Yet, despite this plethora of information, we are not much closer to a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental mechanism producing placebo and nocebo effects than we were in 1946, when participants in the Cornell Conferences on Therapy speculated on the roles of authority, belief and expectancy. In this paper, we examine the weaknesses in current placebo and nocebo definitions and theories.

Detection of bovine inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α with a multiplex electrochemiluminescent assay platform.

Commercially available bovine-specific assays are limited in number, and multiplex assays for this species are rare. Our objective was to develop a multiplex assay for the bovine inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α using the Meso Scale Discovery U-PLEX platform. "Do-It-Yourself" ELISA kits that contained polyclonal antibodies, both unlabeled and biotinylated, and the specific recombinant bovine cytokine standard, were purchased for each of these three cytokines.

Incidence and characteristics of Lyme neuroborreliosis in adult patients with facial palsy in an endemic area in the Netherlands.

Making a distinction between facial palsy due to Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) and idiopathic facial palsy (IFP) is of importance to ensure timely and adequate treatment. The study objective was to assess incidence and patient characteristics of facial palsy due to LNB. Hospital records were reviewed of adult patients with facial palsy visiting the departments of neurology and/or otorhinolaryngology of Gelre hospitals between June 2007 and December 2017.

Inhibition of bacterial attachment and biofilm formation by a novel intravenous catheter material using an in vitro percutaneous catheter insertion model.

Introduction: Despite sterile barrier precautions and vigorous skin antisepsis, percutaneous insertion of intravenous catheters has been shown to result in attachment to the catheter surface of bacteria residing in the deep structures of the skin. Such attachment poses the risk of biofilm formation and eventual catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). This study was undertaken to assess whether the non-coated surface treatment of a unique catheter material (ChronoFlex C with BioGUARD™) could inhibit bacterial attachment and biofilm formation.

Rock Physical Controls on Production-induced Compaction in the Groningen Field.

Advancing production from the Groningen gas field to full depletion generates substantial, field-scale deformation, and surface subsidence. Quantifying associated risk requires understanding physical processes in the subsurface, in particular those related to deformation of the Permian sandstone reservoir. Here, we report the results of a large experimental study, using fresh core material taken from the center of the field.