Realist Approach to Social Policies (RASP) study to reduce socioeconomic health inequalities through systems change: protocol for a research project combining mixed-methods realist research with institutional action research.

Introduction: Health inequalities are rooted in inequality in vital resources for health, including financial resources, a supportive informal network, a stable living situation, work or daytime activities or education and literacy. About 25% of Dutch citizens experience deprivation of such resources. Social policy consists of crucial instruments for improving resources in those groups but can also have adverse effects and lead to additional burdens.

First report of causing calyx-end rot of pear () in The Netherlands.

Pear () is an important fruit crop in the Netherlands, with a total production of 400,000 tons in 2020, and 'Conference' is the main pear cultivar that comprises 80% of total pear production area. In the Netherlands, pears are kept in controlled atmosphere cold storage (-0.5°C) up to 11 months after harvest.

[Conflicts of interest in scientific advisory panels].

Independence is crucial for the quality and credibility of scientific recommendations and guidelines. The composition of advisory committees requires a full understanding of the relationships and interests of prospective committee members. In addition to financial relationships, intellectual interests, professional interests, and reputation may also play a role.

Comparison of Substance-Based and Whole-Effluent Toxicity of Produced Water Discharges from Norwegian Offshore Oil and Gas Installations.

When assessing the environmental risks of offshore produced water discharges, it is key to properly assess the toxicity of this complex mixture. Toxicity can be assessed either through the application of whole-effluent toxicity (WET) testing or based on its substance-based chemical composition or both. In the present study, the toxicity assessed based on WET and substance-based was compared for 25 offshore produced water effluents collected for the Norwegian implementation of the Oslo-Paris convention risk-based assessment program.

[Dairy products help aged care residents to maintain strong bones].

A well-performed and large intervention study by Iuliano et al. showed that protein and calcium supplementation via regular dairy products reduces the risk of fractures and falls in vitamin D replete older adults in aged care facilities. The study was performed in Australia, which raises the question whether their intervention might also be effective in aged care facilities in the Netherlands.

Early life antibiotics and childhood gastrointestinal disorders: a systematic review.

Background: In adults, there is increasing evidence for an association between antibiotic use and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders but in children, the evidence is scarce.

Objective: Assess the association between exposure to antibiotics in the first 2 years of life in term born children and the presence of chronic GI disorders later in childhood.

Design: For this systematic review the MEDLINE, Embase, WHO trial register and Web of Science were systematically searched from inception to 8 June 2020.

Nutrition and lifestyle intervention in type 2 diabetes: pilot study in the Netherlands showing improved glucose control and reduction in glucose lowering medication.

Introduction: Prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is increasing rapidly and lifestyle interventions to reverse diabetes are seen as a possible solution to stop this trend. New practice-based evidence is needed to gain more insight in the actual, and above all scientific, basis for these claims.

Methods: This observational study with a pretest post-test design aimed to pilot a 6-month multicomponent outpatient group-based nutrition and lifestyle intervention programme on glycaemic control and use of glucose lowering medication in motivated T2D patients with a body mass index (BMI) >25 kg/m in the Netherlands (February 2015-March 2016).

Qualitative and quantitative interpretations of the least restrictive means.

Within healthcare ethics and public health ethics, it has been the custom that medical and public health interventions should adhere to the principle of the least restrictive means. This principle holds that public health measures should interfere with the autonomous freedom of individuals to the least possible or necessary extent. This paper contributes to the discussion on how best to conceptualize what counts as the least restrictive means.

Tropical land carbon cycle responses to 2015/16 El Niño as recorded by atmospheric greenhouse gas and remote sensing data.

The outstanding tropical land climate characteristic over the past decades is rapid warming, with no significant large-scale precipitation trends. This warming is expected to continue but the effects on tropical vegetation are unknown. El Niño-related heat peaks may provide a test bed for a future hotter world.

Engineering the unicellular alga Phaeodactylum tricornutum for high-value plant triterpenoid production.

Plant triterpenoids constitute a diverse class of organic compounds that play a major role in development, plant defence and environmental interaction. Several triterpenes have demonstrated potential as pharmaceuticals. One example is betulin, which has shown promise as a pharmaceutical precursor for the treatment of certain cancers and HIV.

[Polymicrobial infections: ecosystems with special properties].

Bacteria often live together in complex communities. Insight into these microbial ecosystems is essential to make it possible to intervene when these ecosystems lead to disease. Bacteria do not only respond to their host, but they also affect each other, which may have far-reaching consequences for the course of the disease.

Impacts of climate change on rice production in Africa and causes of simulated yield changes.

This study is the first of its kind to quantify possible effects of climate change on rice production in Africa. We simulated impacts on rice in irrigated systems (dry season and wet season) and rainfed systems (upland and lowland). We simulated the use of rice varieties with a higher temperature sum as adaptation option.

[Active anti-smoking policy is a moral duty of government; responsibility for reducing smoking lies with both the individual and society].

Tobacco discouragement, smoking cessation and tobacco endgame policies are sometimes criticised for being unduly paternalistic: governments should respect citizens' freedom and not take over their individual responsibility for healthy behaviour. In this commentary, I argue that very strict tobacco policies can be justified on multiple grounds, including the harm principle, the public good of maintaining a healthy society, and the reduction of health inequities. The moral reasons governments have to protect people against the harms of smoking do not limit or infringe upon the responsibility of each individual to take care of her own health: responsibility for healthy behaviour is not a zero-sum game.

[Tasty food for cancer patients: the impact of smell and taste alterations on eating behaviour].

- This article provides an overview of smell and taste changes in cancer patients and the influence of these changes on eating behaviour and food preferences.- Taste changes seem to be more common than alterations in the sense of smell.- The changes in taste and smell are often temporary; smell and taste functions mostly return to their previous level after treatment cessation.

A fitness assay for comparing RNAi effects across multiple C. elegans genotypes.

Background: RNAi technology by feeding of E. coli containing dsRNA in C. elegans has significantly contributed to further our understanding of many different fields, including genetics, molecular biology, developmental biology and functional genomics.

[Zoonotic bacterium: duty to notify advisable].

Vibrio vulnificus is a zoonotic bacterium that can be found in raw fish (mainly eel and oysters) and seawater. Human infections may extend from wound infections to fasciitis necroticans or primary sepsis with a mortality rate of more than 50%. Although V.

[Nutrition and oropharyngeal cancer].

The conclusion of a recent systematic review of the literature on the relation between nutrition, physical activity and cancer is that more than 30% of all cases of cancer can be prevented by improving nutrition and increasing physical activity. In The Netherlands, 1 out of 100 men and 1 out of 160 women develop oropharyngeal cancer. The major risk factors are smoking tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption.

Ancient paralogy in the cpDNA trnL-F region in Annonaceae: implications for plant molecular systematics.

The plastid trnL-F region has proved useful in molecular phylogenetic studies addressing diverse evolutionary questions from biogeographic history to character evolution in a broad range of plant groups. An important assumption for phylogenetic reconstruction is that data used in combined analyses contain the same phylogenetic signal. The trnL-F region is often used in combined analyses of multiple chloroplast markers.