Psychiatric morbidity among adults in The Netherlands: the NEMESIS-Study. I. Objectives, design and methods. Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine prevalence, incidence and course of psychiatric disorders in non-institutionalised Dutch adults. DESIGN: Prospective and cross-sectional. SETTING: Trimbos Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands. METHOD: A multistage, stratified random sampling procedure was used to obtain a sample of 7076 adults (18-64 years). Respondents were interviewed throughout 1996 in their homes. The main diagnostic instrument was the 'Composite international diagnostic interview' (CIDI), designed to assess lifetime prevalence of mental disorders according to Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 3rd revised edition (DSM-III-R). The diagnostic categories were: affective disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia and other non-affective psychoses, and substance use disorders (dependence and abuse). The sample was weighted towards national census data on sex, age, marital status and urbanicity. RESULTS: The results of the first measurement (1996) will be described in the next article (1997:2353-60). The response rate was 64.2%. There were no indications that the psychiatric morbidity of non-respondents differed from respondents. The same respondents will be interviewed again after 12 (1997) and after 36 months (1999).     

Note: three-dimensional stereolithography for millimeter wave and terahertz applications

Metal-coated polymers shaped by 3D stereolithography are introduced as a new manufacturing method for passive components for millimeter to terahertz electromagnetic waves. This concept offers increased design capabilities and flexibilities while shortening the manufacturing process of complex shapes, e.g., corrugated horns, mirrors, etc. Tests at 92.5, 140, and 170 GHz are reported.     

Making minor rural road networks safer: The effects of 60 km/h-zones

For safety reasons a maximum speed limit of 60 km/h has been applied to minor rural roads in the Netherlands since 1998. To support this structurally, a part of these roads have also received additional physical measures in a so-called “low cost design” that is expected to reduce the number of traffic casualties by 10–20%. This measure has been implemented as much as possible in an area oriented way. To measure the design's effectivity, road safety in 20 specific rural areas was studied for 5 years before changes were implemented and, on average, 3.5 years thereafter. The study examined 851 km of roads, and a control study was done on 2105 km of comparable roads with a speed limit of 80 km/h. Both the study and the control roads are managed by water boards. Results show that the measures implemented on the roads in the 60 km/h-zones had statistically significant effects (p < 0.05) on casualty accidents (−24% overall), especially at intersections (−44%). This high reduction is probably caused by the concentration of technical interventions at intersections. Both outcomes are somewhat higher than previously expected and are comparable with the outcome of a meta-analysis of safety effects on area-wide urban traffic calming schemes. However, the cost-effectiveness ratio of the 60 km/h zones measures (€33,000 per prevented KSI-casualty) is much more favourable than the ratio in urban 30 km/h-zones (€86,000 per prevented KSI-casualty).     

Construction and measurement of the pre-series twin aperture resistive quadrupole magnet for the LHC beam cleaning insertions

CERN's Large Hadron Collider (LHC) requires 48 twin aperture resistive quadrupoles in the beam cleaning insertions. Canada is contributing these magnets to CERN in the framework of the TRIUMF-LHC collaboration contracts. A pre-series magnet was produced by Canadian industry and delivered in March 2001. This magnet incorporates important design changes that resulted from experience with a prototype magnet. The construction of this pre-series magnet and the measurements made at ALSTOM and at CERN are reported. A comparison is made between high precision pole distance measurements and the magnetic measurements performed with a rotating coil mole. Conclusions for series production and possibilities for multipole corrections are outlined.     

A population perspective on diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease

For Parkinson's disease (PD), little is known about how the choice of diagnostic criteria affects research results. Using data on PD from three community studies (from Argentina, the Netherlands, Italy), we compared the impact on prevalence of several sets of diagnostic criteria. Each set was based on cardinal signs--resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, impaired postural reflexes--and required that other parkinsonism be excluded. Some sets had additional requirements related to duration of symptoms, asymmetry of signs, or response to medication. In terms of prevalence, much lower estimates were associated with the requirements of asymmetry of signs and response to medication. The assessment of these clinical features may not be practical in community studies. Impaired postural reflexes, as a cardinal sign, seemed superfluous. For community studies of PD, we recommend the following diagnostic criteria: at least two of resting tremor, bradykinesia, or rigidity, in the absence of other apparent causes of parkinsonism.     

Effect of hot-air drying on flavour compounds of bell peppers (Capsicum annuum)

The influence of hot-air drying on the composition of both volatile and non-volatile flavour compounds of different Dutch bell pepper cultivars was investigated. Contents of glucose, fructose, ascorbic, citric, and oxalic acid decreased significantly after drying, while the levels of sucrose, malic, fumaric, and cis-aconitic acid increased. Glucose, fructose and ascorbic acid probably participate in Maillard reactions during heating. Different effects of drying could be distinguished on the composition of volatile compounds. The majority of these compounds evaporated during drying. Some compounds were partly retained in the dried bell peppers, whereas others disappeared completely. Gas chromatography-sniffing port analysis revealed that compounds with mainly “fresh” odour notes like lettuce/grassy/green bell pepper ((Z-2-3-hexenal), fruity/almond ((E)-2-hexenal), fruity (octanal), lettuce/green bell pepper ((Z)-3-hexenol), and grassy/green bell pepper ((Z)-2-hexenal) decreased or disappeared after drying. Another group of compounds increased or were formed during drying, like 4-octen-3-one, (E)-2-heptenal, (E)-2-octenal, (E,Z)- and (E,E)-2,4-heptadienal, decanal, and (E)-2-nonenal; most are known as autoxidation products of unsatu-rated fatty acids. The increased levels of 2-methylpropionic and 2- and 3-methylbutyric acid, 2-metlhylpropanal, and 2- and 3-methylbutanal seemed to be due to Strecker degradation. Gas chromatography-sniffing port analysis showed that the latter three compounds had distinct cacao, sweaty, and spicy odour characteristics.     

In vitro and in vivo detection of functional somatostatin receptors in canine insulinomas

Ten dogs with hypoglycemia due to insulinomas were studied to assess the expression of somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) in canine insulinomas and its potential diagnostic value. METHODS: The response of circulating glucose and insulin concentrations to the subcutaneous administration of a somatostatin analog, octreotide, was measured. SSTRs were visualized in vitro by autoradiography. [Iodine-125-Tyr3]-octreotide and [125I-Tyr11]-somatostatin-14 (SRIF-14) were used as radioligands. SPECT was performed 6 hr after the injection of [111In-DTPA-D-Phe1]-octreotide. RESULTS: After subcutaneous injection of 50 micrograms octreotide, plasma glucose concentration rose from 2.3 +/- 0.2 mmol/liter to 3.2 +/- 0.3 mmol/liter at 3.5 hr (p < 0.05) and plasma insulin concentration decreased from 451 +/- 135 pmol/liter to a nadir of 249 +/- 115 pmol/liter at 30 min (p < 0.05). In vitro autoradiography revealed that all primary insulinomas and their metastases had specific SSTRs for both [125I-Tyr3]-octreotide and [126I-Tyr11]-SRIF-14. Scatchard analysis of SSTR binding in the tumor tissue of one dog revealed high-affinity binding sites for [125I-Tyr3]-octreotide (dissociation constant (Kd) 1.7 nM, maximum binding capacity (Bmax) 499 fmol/mg membrane protein). The primary tumor and/or metastases in five of six dogs could be visualized and localized by SPECT with [111In-DTPA-D-Phe1]-octreotide. In the remaining dog, multiple metastases (< 3 mm) were found in the liver at necropsy, apparently too small to be visualized by SPECT. CONCLUSION: The in vitro autoradiography and ligand binding studies indicate that canine insulinomas express one type of SSTR. This is in contrast with findings in humans where, on the basis of ligand binding studies, different subtypes of SSTRs have been identified. The uniformity of SSTRs, their high frequency of expression and the high incidence of metastatic disease make canine insulinomas very suitable for investigation of the value of SRIF analogs in the diagnosis and treatment of metastasized endocrine pancreatic tumors.     

Acute liver necrosis induced by iodine-131-MIBG in the treatment of metastatic carcinoid tumors

Iodine-131-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) is used in the treatment of carcinoid tumors. Temporary palliation with complete subjective symptomatic response has been reported in these patients. This treatment is usually well tolerated and side-effects are generally limited to nausea, mild hepatic toxicity with spontaneous recovery and temporary myelosuppression. Our case report shows that repeated treatment with [131I]MIBG in a patient with extensive carcinoid liver metastasis may cause severe hepatic toxicity leading to death. Factors such as concomitant use of 5-fluorouracil and the progressive nature of the disease may have contributed to this event.     

Two- and Three-Dimensional Constructions Based on Leonardo Grids

In 1989 I made a drawing of a net on a cube, consisting of 12 lines/elements. They were connected in a way that, a couple of months later, I recognised them in 899v in Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus. I don’t know which moment impressed me the most: my own discovery of a very simple and powerful connecting system or the discovery of the Leonardo drawings, which implied that my own discovery was in fact a rediscovery. What we see in Leonardo’s drawings are some examples of roof constructions built with a lot of straight elements. These drawings can be ‘translated’ into the following definition: On each element we define four points at some distance of each other – two points somewhere in the middle and two points closer to the ends. To make constructions with these elements we need only connect a middle point of one element to an end point of another one in a regular over-under pattern. Out of the simple definition of the elements, I designed many different patterns for my so-called “+ - - +” structures: domes, spheres, cylinders and other models were made.     

The fracture resistance of all-ceramic crowns on supporting structures with different elastic moduli

This in vitro study evaluated the fracture resistance of all-ceramic crowns as a function of the elastic modulus of the supporting die. All-ceramic crowns were made for dies with three different elastic moduli and two different crown lengths. The occlusal surface was loaded in compression with a 12.7-mm steel ball. The fracture load increased markedly with the increase in elastic modulus. The largest increase was seen when only the occlusal surface of the crown was covered. The characteristic fracture load of the complete-crown restorations was more than double that of the occlusal-cover restorations in the dies with the lowest modulus of elasticity, while for the dies with the highest modulus of elasticity the difference in the characteristic fracture load for the two configurations was not significant.