Hepatitis C virus prevalence in The Netherlands: migrants account for most infections.

A population-based anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence is important for surveillance purposes and it provides insight into the burden of disease. The outcomes of recent studies in the general Dutch population as well as recent HCV data from specific risk groups including migrants, men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs), were implemented in a modified version of the Workbook Method (a spreadsheet originally designed for HIV estimations), to estimate Dutch HCV seroprevalence. The estimated national seroprevalence of HCV was 0·22% (min 0·07%, max 0·37%), corresponding to 28 100 (min n = 9600, max n = 48 000) HCV-infected individuals in The Netherlands. Of these, first-generation migrants from HCV-endemic countries (HCV prevalence ≥2%) accounted for the largest HCV-infected group, followed by IDUs and HIV-positive MSM.

[Male urethritis in general practice. STDs more common at a younger age]. / Urethritis bij de man in de huisartsenpraktijk. Soa's vooral op jongere leeftijd.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the incidence of urethritis in men in Dutch general practice, the applied diagnostic procedures in relation to existing guidelines, and the underlying causes. DESIGN: Descriptive. METHOD: The incidence of urethritis in the period 1998-2007 was calculated from data received from 45 GP sentinel stations. The network of participating general practices is nationally representative of age, sex and geographical distribution, and of distribution between town and countryside. From 2004 to 2007 additional questionnaires for each patient were filled in by the general practitioner, and were analysed for applied diagnostics and final diagnosis. RESULTS: From 1998-2003 the incidence of urethritis increased from 17 to 25 per 10,000 men and decreased to 20 per 10,000 men in 2007. The highest incidence of urethritis was found in urban areas and in the 15-34 years age group. Penile discharge was reported in 82% of the men for whom a questionnaire was filled out. In 10% of the men without discharge the first voided urine sediment was assessed for the presence of leucocytes. Diagnostic tests were generally carried out on urethral smears and sometimes on urine samples. 10.5% of the men were not tested. In 76% of men both gonorrhoea and Chlamydia were tested and found to be positive in 11% and 28% respectively. The remaining cases (62%) were defined as non-specific urethritis, in which in the majority no microbiological pathogen was identified. Urethritis was more often caused by gonorrhoea and/or Chlamydia in younger men, while it was more often diagnosed as non-specific urethritis in older men. CONCLUSION: One third of men with urethritis who underwent laboratory tests had a Chlamydia or gonorrhoea infection. In the majority of cases no pathogen was identified. Compliance with the diagnostic guidelines for urethritis may be improved by more frequent testing of first voided urine samples.

The social aspects of food biotechnology: a European view.

The application of the modern biotechnology to food, notably through the use of GM, has raised concern amongst the European public. Values that underlie this public concern about food biotechnology, include perceptions of: trust, choice, need, and care for a sustainable society and natural balance. Recommendations are advocated for addressing these social aspects, in terms of improving consumer choice, promoting greater public involvement in decision making and achieving a sustainable society. A model of risk analysis for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and genetically modified food that incorporates this social dimension, through the integration of risk analysis with a social impact analysis is proposed, in order to build greater popular trust into the decision making processes.

Effects of dietary carbohydrates on glucose and lipid metabolism in golden Syrian hamsters.

Frequent coexistence of insulin resistance, central obesity, and hypertriglyceridemia in the same individual suggests an underlying common pathogenesis. Insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia can be induced by carbohydrate feeding in rats. Golden Syrian hamsters are believed to be resistant to the metabolic effects of dietary carbohydrates. We investigated the effects of diets containing 60% fructose or sucrose on glucose and lipid metabolism in hamsters, both in the fasting state and during an intravenous glucose tolerance test. Fructose caused obesity (weight after treatment: 131 +/- 7 gm in the control group, 155 +/- 5 gm in the fructose group, 136 +/- 7 gm in sucrose group, p < 0.04). Fructose also reduced glucose disappearance rate (KG: 2.69% +/- 0.39% in the control group, 1.45% +/- 0.18% in the fructose group, p < 0.02). Sucrose caused a marginal decrease in glucose disappearance (KG: 1.93% +/- 0.21%, p = 0.08 vs the control group). Only fructose feeding increased fasting plasma nonesterified fatty acids (0.645 +/- 0.087 mEq/L in the control group, 1.035 +/- 0.083 mEq/L in the fructose group, 0.606 +/- 0.061 mEq/L in the sucrose group, p < 0.002), plasma triglycerides (84 +/- 6 mg/dl in the control group, 270 +/- 65 mg/dl in the fructose group, 94 +/- 16 mg/dl in the sucrose group, p < 0.0002), and liver triglycerides (1.88 +/- 0.38 mg/gm liver weight in the control group, 2.35 =/- 0.24 mg/gm in the fructose group, 1.41 +/- 0.13 mg/gm in the sucrose group, p < 0.04). Previous studies in the rat have suggested that dietary carbohydrates induce insulin resistance by increasing plasma nonesterified fatty acids and triglycerides, which are preferentially used by the muscles. The present report shows that sucrose also can cause some decrease in glucose disappearance in the hamster without causing hypertriglyceridemia or increasing plasma nonesterified fatty acids. Thus other mechanisms may also contribute to the insulin resistance in the hamster. These findings suggest that hamsters provide a good model for investigation of hormonal and nutritional regulation of glucose and lipid metabolism.