Biomedical subjects

M Vissers

Publications and source records attributed to M Vissers.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Exposure to wheat allergen and fungal alpha-amylase in the homes of bakers.

BACKGROUND: Few data are available on exposure to occupational allergens in dwellings occupied by inhabitants with occupational exposure to allergens. In small bakeries working and living often takes place in the same building. It is possible that allergens from the bakery can be transported into the homes of the bakers, via the clothes or shoes of the baker. OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to investigate exposure to occupational allergens, wheat and fungal alpha-amylase in the homes of bakers, and evaluate potential determinants of exposure. Sensitization in family members to occupational allergens was investigated in a small preliminary survey. METHODS: Floor dust samples were collected in the homes of 34 bakers. Levels of wheat and fungal alpha-amylase allergens were determined in an extract of the dust samples. Blood samples were collected from bakers and their family members to determine the prevalence of sensitization to occupational allergens. RESULTS: The concentration of wheat and alpha-amylase allergens ranged from 38.9 to 172.4 microgeq/m(2) (GM), to 10.5-76.7 ngeq/m(2) (GM). Higher levels of dust and allergens were measured when the house could be reached directly through the bakery, and in houses with textile floor covers. Higher concentrations were also measured when bakers brought their work clothes and shoes into the house and when textiles from the bakery were laundered at home. Some family members appeared to be sensitized to wheat flour and alpha-amylase, but it cannot be excluded that they became sensitized because of their incidental presence in the bakery. CONCLUSIONS: Occupational allergens can be found in house dust from the homes of bakers and levels are associated with hygienic behaviour and distance to the bakery.

Air Pollutants, Occupational↗

PubMed1999

The VATAM guidelines.

Evaluation and assessment of the impact of information and communication technology in medicine is gaining interest. Unfortunately, till now there were no agreed upon approaches. The objective of the VATAM project is to develop guidelines that will assist assessors to set-up and execute studies. This paper describes the background of the VATAM project and provides an account of the current state of the guidelines. It concludes with an indication of the developments that will take place in the short term to further elaborate the guidelines and some considerations for consolidation of VATAM's results.

Databases, Factual↗

PubMed1999

Inventory of validation approaches in selected health telematics projects.

This paper presents the results from an inventory of validation approaches and methodologies which have been used in selected health telematics projects. The inventory was performed in the VATAM Validation of Telematic Applications in Medicine project, HC1115HC. The purpose of the inventory was to analyse the methodologies and their application assumptions in order to identify possibilities for harmonization and consolidation. The inventory was performed using five validation dimensions: IT-development; quality; user; technology assessment and marketing. The inventory results show that possibilities exist to synthesise methodologies and to provide practical guidance and support for projects that are developing health telematics applications. All stakeholders in health telematics projects, i.e. users, health care decision-makers, developers, suppliers and IT-industries, can benefit from practical validation guidelines and support for validation when guidelines are represented in a usable, easy to access and informative way.

Humans↗

PubMed1998

Combining a scientific approach and prototyping in the design of EHCR systems.

In this paper, it is emphasized that electronic medical record systems cannot totally be developed in the traditional way. The underlying process of how physicians or nurses are searching for information is not fully understood. Therefore, a method that combines a scientific approach and prototyping is advocated. With the help of this advocated approach, these questions could be answered in a way that was also scientifically sound. In this contribution, two examples of the use of this method are presented. One concerns the determination of the optimum granularity of the narrative parts of the electronic healthcare record (EHCR) and the other concerns the use and impact of stand-alone protocol systems.

Clinical Protocols↗

PubMed1988

The human neutrophil serine proteinases, elastase and cathepsin G, can mediate glomerular injury in vivo.

We infused microgram quantities of active or inactive PMN elastase and cathepsin G into the renal arteries of rats. Both active and inactive elastase localized to the glomerular capillary wall equally, and in amounts that could be achieved physiologically in GN. However, elastase-perfused rats developed marked proteinuria (196 +/- 32 mg/24 h) compared with control rats receiving inactive elastase (19 +/- 2 mg/24 h, p less than 0.005). Similar results were seen with active and inactive cathepsin G. Neither elastase nor cathepsin G infusion was associated with histologic evidence of glomerular injury. We conclude that the PMN neutral serine proteinases elastase and cathepsin G can mediate marked changes in glomerular permeability in vivo due to their proteolytic activity, and thus, may contribute to the proteinuria observed in PMN-dependent models of GN.

Animals↗

PubMed1980

Hemoglobin Volga, beta 27 (B9) Ala replaced by Asp: functional and clinical correlations of an unstable hemoglobin.

Hb Volga (beta 27 Ala replaced by Asp) on the basis of physical tests is only a mildly unstable hemoglobin yet it is associated with a gross reticulocytosis. This is partly explicable by an increased oxygen affinity with a compensating erythrocytosis but there is also brisk hemolysis. It is not certain that this hemolysis is due to precipitation of the hemoglobin as in vitro inclusion body formation is not remarkable and there is no evidence of preferential proteolysis of the abnormal subunits, at least in the reticulocytes. There is increased autoxidation and it may be the consequence of this that is the prime cause of hemolysis.

Alanine↗