Indicators for energy security Kruyt, Bert; van Vuuren, D.P.; de Vries, H.J.M. ...
Energy policy,
06/2009, Volume:
37, Issue:
6
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
The concept of energy security is widely used, yet there is no consensus on its precise interpretation. In this research, we have provided an overview of available indicators for long-term security ...of supply (SOS). We distinguished four dimensions of energy security that relate to the availability, accessibility, affordability and acceptability of energy and classified indicators for energy security according to this taxonomy. There is no one ideal indicator, as the notion of energy security is highly context dependent. Rather, applying multiple indicators leads to a broader understanding. Incorporating these indicators in model-based scenario analysis showed accelerated depletion of currently known fossil resources due to increasing global demand. Coupled with increasing spatial discrepancy between consumption and production, international trade in energy carriers is projected to have increased by 142% in 2050 compared to 2008. Oil production is projected to become increasingly concentrated in a few countries up to 2030, after which production from other regions diversifies the market. Under stringent climate policies, this diversification may not occur due to reduced demand for oil. Possible benefits of climate policy include increased fuel diversity and slower depletion of fossil resources.
Abstract Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors. Particularly in adult patients, the vast majority of gliomas belongs to the heterogeneous group of diffuse gliomas, i.e . glial tumors ...characterized by diffuse infiltrative growth in the preexistent brain tissue. Unfortunately, glioblastoma, the most aggressive (WHO grade IV) diffuse glioma is also by far the most frequent one. After standard treatment, the 2-year overall survival of glioblastoma patients is approximately only 25%. Advanced knowledge in the molecular pathology underlying malignant transformation has offered new handles and better treatments for several cancer types. Unfortunately, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients have not yet profited as although numerous experimental drugs have been tested in clinical trials, all failed miserably. This grim prognosis for GBM is at least partly due to the lack of successful drug delivery across the blood–brain tumor barrier (BBTB). The human brain comprises over 100 billion capillaries with a total length of 400 miles, a total surface area of 20 m2 and a median inter-capillary distance of about 50 μm, making it the best perfused organ in the body. The BBTB encompasses existing and newly formed blood vessels that contribute to the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to the tumor and facilitate glioma cell migration to other parts of the brain. The high metabolic demands of high-grade glioma create hypoxic areas that trigger increased expression of VEGF and angiogenesis, leading to the formation of abnormal vessels and a dysfunctional BBTB. Even though the BBTB is considered ‘leaky’ in the core part of glioblastomas, in large parts of glioblastomas and, even more so, in lower grade diffuse gliomas the BBTB more closely resembles the intact blood–brain barrier (BBB) and prevents efficient passage of cancer therapeutics, including small molecules and antibodies. Thus, many drugs can still be blocked from reaching the many infiltrative glioblastoma cells that demonstrate ‘within-organ-metastasis’ away from the core part to brain areas displaying a more organized and less leaky BBTB. Hence, drug delivery in glioblastoma deserves explicit attention as otherwise new experimental therapies will continue to fail. In the current review we highlight different aspects of the BBTB in glioma patients and preclinical models and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of drug delivery approaches for the treatment of glioma patients. We provide an overview on methods to overcome the BBTB, including osmotic blood–brain barrier disruption (BBBD), bradykinin receptor-mediated BBTB opening, inhibition of multidrug efflux transporters, receptor-mediated transport systems and physiological circumvention of the BBTB. While our knowledge about the molecular biology of glioma cells is rapidly expanding and is, to some extent, already assisting us in the design of tumor-tailored therapeutics, we are still struggling to develop modalities to expose the entire tumor to such therapeutics at pharmacologically meaningful quantities. Therefore, we must expand our knowledge about the fundamentals of the BBTB as a step toward the design of practical and safe devices and approaches for enhanced drug delivery into the diseased brain area.
The coarse-grained Martini force field is widely used in biomolecular simulations. Here we present the refined model, Martini 3 ( http://cgmartini.nl ), with an improved interaction balance, new bead ...types and expanded ability to include specific interactions representing, for example, hydrogen bonding and electronic polarizability. The updated model allows more accurate predictions of molecular packing and interactions in general, which is exemplified with a vast and diverse set of applications, ranging from oil/water partitioning and miscibility data to complex molecular systems, involving protein-protein and protein-lipid interactions and material science applications as ionic liquids and aedamers.
Abstract
Objectives
With the spread of COVID-19, the Netherlands implemented a policy to keep citizens physically distanced. We hypothesize that consequent reduction in the frequency of social ...contacts, personal losses, and the experience of general threats in society reduced well-being.
Methods
Data were collected from 1,679 Dutch community-dwelling participants aged 65–102 years comprising a longitudinal online panel. Social and emotional loneliness and mental health were measured in May 2020, that is, 2 months after the implementation of the measures, and earlier in October and November 2019.
Results
In this pandemic, the loneliness of older people increased, but mental health remained roughly stable. The policy measures for physical distancing did not cause much social isolation but personal losses, worries about the pandemic, and a decline in trust in societal institutions were associated with increased mental health problems and especially emotional loneliness.
Discussion
The consequences of long-term social isolation and well-being must be closely monitored.
Asymmetric hydrogenations are increasingly being used to introduce stereogenic centres into products used in the life sciences industries. There are a number of potential pitfalls when moving from a ...laboratory reaction to a manufacturing process, not least of which is safety. Time-to-market pressure leads to short development times, which in the past could be a large barrier for the implementation of catalytic steps; now there are new ways to minimise this problem. The potential problems associated with impurities and other methods that can shut down the hydrogenation reactions are highlighted in this critical review (353 references).
Reversible control over the functionality of biological systems via external triggers may be used in future medicine to reduce the need for invasive procedures. Additionally, externally regulated ...biomacromolecules are now considered as particularly attractive tools in nanoscience and the design of smart materials, due to their highly programmable nature and complex functionality. Incorporation of photoswitches into biomolecules, such as peptides, antibiotics, and nucleic acids, has generated exciting results in the past few years. Molecular motors offer the potential for new and more precise methods of photoregulation, due to their multistate switching cycle, unidirectionality of rotation, and helicity inversion during the rotational steps. Aided by computational studies, we designed and synthesized a photoswitchable DNA hairpin, in which a molecular motor serves as the bridgehead unit. After it was determined that motor function was not affected by the rigid arms of the linker, solid-phase synthesis was employed to incorporate the motor into an 8-base-pair self-complementary DNA strand. With the photoswitchable bridgehead in place, hairpin formation was unimpaired, while the motor part of this advanced biohybrid system retains excellent photochemical properties. Rotation of the motor generates large changes in structure, and as a consequence the duplex stability of the oligonucleotide could be regulated by UV light irradiation. Additionally, Molecular Dynamics computations were employed to rationalize the observed behavior of the motor–DNA hybrid. The results presented herein establish molecular motors as powerful multistate switches for application in biological environments.
Purpose
Breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy often experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite that potentially affect dietary habits. This study assessed the intake of ...energy, macronutrients and food groups before and during chemotherapy in breast cancer patients compared with women without cancer, and determined the association between symptoms and energy and macronutrient intake.
Methods
This study included 117 newly diagnosed breast cancer patients scheduled for chemotherapy and 88 women without cancer. Habitual intake before chemotherapy was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. Two 24-h dietary recalls were completed on random days for each participant during the whole chemotherapy treatment for patients and within 6 months after recruitment for women without cancer. Shortly, after the dietary recall, participants filled out questionnaires on symptoms.
Results
Before chemotherapy, habitual energy and macronutrient intake was similar for breast cancer patients and women without cancer. During chemotherapy, breast cancer patients reported a significantly lower total energy, fat, protein and alcohol intake than women without cancer, as shown by a lower intake of pastry and biscuits, cheese, legumes and meat products. A decline in subjective taste perception, appetite and hunger and experiencing a dry mouth, difficulty chewing, lack of energy and nausea were associated with a lower energy intake.
Conclusions
Symptoms induced by chemotherapy are associated with lower dietary intake and manifested by a lower intake of specific food groups. To ensure an optimal dietary intake during chemotherapy, it is important to monitor nutritional status and symptom burden during chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.
There is a high prevalence of shoulder problems in manual wheelchair users (MWUs) with a spinal cord injury. How shoulder load relates to shoulder problems remains unclear. This study aimed to ...develop a machine-learning-based methodology to estimate the shoulder load in wheelchair-related activities of daily living using wearable sensors. Ten able-bodied participants equipped with five inertial measurement units (IMU) on their thorax, right arm, and wheelchair performed activities exemplary of daily life of MWUs. Electromyography (EMG) was recorded from the long head of the biceps and medial part of the deltoid. A neural network was trained to predict the shoulder load based on IMU and EMG data. Different cross-validation strategies, sensor setups, and model architectures were examined. The predicted shoulder load was compared to the shoulder load determined with musculoskeletal modeling. A subject-specific biLSTM model trained on a sparse sensor setup yielded the most promising results (mean correlation coefficient = 0.74 ± 0.14, relative root-mean-squared error = 8.93% ± 2.49%). The shoulder-load profiles had a mean similarity of 0.84 ± 0.10 over all activities. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using wearable sensors and neural networks to estimate the shoulder load in wheelchair-related activities of daily living.
Chlamydia trachomatis infections, which most frequently are asymptomatic, are major public health concerns globally. The 2015 European C. trachomatis guideline provides: up-to-date guidance regarding ...broader indications for testing and treatment of C. trachomatis infections; a clearer recommendation of using exclusively-validated nucleic acid amplification tests for diagnosis; advice on (repeated) C. trachomatis testing; the recommendation of increased testing to reduce the incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease and prevent exposure to infection; and recommendations to identify, verify and report C. trachomatis variants. Improvement of access to testing, test performance, diagnostics, antimicrobial treatment and follow-up of C. trachomatis patients are crucial to control its spread. For detailed background, evidence base and discussions, see the background review for the present 2015 European guideline on the management of Chlamydia trachomatis infections (Lanjouw E, et al. Int J STD AIDS. 2015).
Background
Surgeons have traditionally been reluctant to perform total pancreatectomy because of concerns for brittle diabetes and poor quality of life (QoL). Several recent studies have suggested ...that outcomes following total pancreatectomy have improved, but a systematic review is lacking.
Methods
A systematic review was undertaken of studies reporting on outcomes after total pancreatectomy for all indications, except chronic pancreatitis. PubMed, EMBASE (Ovid), and Cochrane Library were searched (2005–2018). Endpoints included functional outcome and QoL.
Results
A total of 21 studies, including 1536 patients, fulfilled the eligibility criteria. During a median follow‐up of 20·8 (range 1·5–96·0) months, 18·6 per cent (45 of 242 patients) were readmitted for endocrine‐related morbidity, with associated mortality in 1·6 per cent (6 of 365 patients). No diabetes‐related mortality was reported in studies including only patients treated after 2005. Symptoms related to exocrine insufficiency were reported by 43·5 per cent (143 of 329 patients) during a median follow‐up of 15·9 (1·5–96·0) months. Overall QoL, reported by 102 patients with a median follow‐up of 28·6 (6·0–66·0) months, using the EORTC QLQ‐C30 questionnaire, showed a moderately reduced summary score of 76 per cent, compared with a general population score of 86 per cent (P = 0·004).
Conclusion
Overall QoL after total pancreatectomy is affected adversely, in particular by the considerable impact of diarrhoea that requires better treatment. There is also room for improvement in the management of diabetes after total pancreatectomy, particularly with regards to prevention of diabetes‐related morbidity.
Antecedentes
Los cirujanos tradicionalmente se han mostrado reacios a realizar una pancreatectomía total (total pancreatectomy, TP) debido a la preocupación por la aparición de diabetes lábil y la mala calidad de vida (quality of life, QoL). Varios estudios recientes han sugerido que el resultado de la TP ha mejorado, sin embargo no existe una revisión sistemática.
Métodos
Se ha realizado una revisión sistemática de los estudios que incluían los resultados después de una TP efectuada para todas las indicaciones, excepto para una pancreatitis crónica. Se realizaron búsquedas en PubMed, Embase (Ovid) y Cochrane Library (2005‐2018). Los resultados principales eran el resultado funcional y la calidad de vida.
Resultados
En total, 21 estudios cumplieron los criterios de elegibilidad, incluyendo 1.536 pacientes que se habían sometido a una TP. Durante una mediana de seguimiento de 20,8 meses (rango 1,5‐96,0), el 18,6% de los pacientes (45 de 242) fueron reingresados por morbilidad relacionada con la función endocrina, con una mortalidad asociada del 1,6% (6 de 365 pacientes). No hubo mortalidad relacionada con la diabetes en los estudios que incluyeron solo aquellos pacientes tratados después de 2005. Se observaron síntomas relacionados con insuficiencia exocrina en un 43,5% de los pacientes (143 de 329) durante una mediana de seguimiento de 15,9 meses (rango 1,5‐96,0). La calidad de vida global, informada para 102 pacientes con una mediana de seguimiento de 28,6 meses (rango 6,0‐66,0) utilizando el cuestionario EORTC QLQ‐C30, mostró una puntuación sumatoria moderadamente reducida del 76% en comparación con la puntuación del 86% para la población general (P = 0,004).
Conclusión
Es necesario seguir mejorando el manejo de la diabetes después de la TP, sobre todo en lo que respecta a la prevención de la morbilidad relacionada con la diabetes. La calidad de vida global se ve afectada después de la TP y, especialmente, el impacto de la diarrea es considerable y requiere mejorar este aspecto en el futuro.
Report of a systematic review of outcomes following total pancreatectomy.
Diabetes and diarrhea should be improved
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