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E de Vries

Publications and source records attributed to E de Vries.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Does sunlight prevent cancer? A systematic review.

Accumulating evidence for beneficial effects of sunlight on several types of cancer with a high mortality rate makes it necessary to reconsider the health recommendations on sun exposure, which are now mainly based on the increased risks for skin cancer. We reviewed all published studies concerning sun exposure and cancer, excluding skin cancer. All selected studies on prostate (3 ecologic, 3 case-control and 2 cohort), breast (4 ecologic, 1 case-control and 2 cohort) and ovary cancer (2 ecologic and 1 case-control) showed a significantly inverse correlation between sunlight and mortality or incidence. Two ecologic, 1 case-control and 2 prospective studies showed an inverse relation between sunlight and colon cancer mortality; 1 case-control study found no such association. Ecologic studies on non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) mortality and sunlight gave conflicting results: early studies showing mostly positive and later studies showing mostly negative correlations. Three case-control studies and 1 cohort study found a significant inverse association between the incidence of NHL and sunlight. The question of how to apply these findings to (public) health recommendations is discussed.

Breast Neoplasms↗
PubMed2006

[Two patients with mumps].

Two patients, men aged 17 and 19 years respectively, were admitted with parotitis epidemica and orchitis caused by mumps. The second patient also had meningitis. PCR analysis revealed that, in both cases, the causative agentwas a mumps virus that was genetically related to a wild-type virus responsible for an outbreak in Singapore. This viral strain was also responsible for a mumps outbreak at Hotel School The Hague in September 2004. Both patients were not fully vaccinated. Both patients were from regions in which clustering of patients with clinical signs of mumps has been seen. Interestingly, a number of patients with confirmed mumps had been fully vaccinated. Possible explanations for the increase in mumps cases include low vaccination and immunity levels, primary and secondary vaccine failure and the emergence of genetically disparate mumps viruses.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

[Trends, causes, approach and consequences related to the skin-cancer epidemic in the Netherlands and Europe].

The annual incidence of the three main forms of skin cancer has increased rapidly over the past few decades by 2.4% in men and 3.9% in women for basal-cell carcinoma, 3.9% in men and 3.1% in women for melanoma and 1.2% in men and 3.4% in women for squamous-cell carcinoma. The mortality rate has increased less rapidly. There has been an increase of 1.8% per year in rates of melanoma and a decrease of 1.9% in squamous cell carcinoma. The mortality rate for melanoma in younger people appears to have stabilized, however the death rate in older men continues to increase. Possible causes of the increase include excessive exposure to ultraviolet rays, immunosuppression and viruses. Early detection continues to offer the best chance of a cure. Screening older men for melanoma should be considered. Rising incidence and improved survival rates mean that there are likely to be more new patients with skin cancer in the future. Problems in balancing the availability of preventative and curative care may be offset by the timely planning of available manpower, by optimizing medical policy and by implementing new technological developments such as dermatoscopy.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2006

The mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway can inhibit TRAIL-induced apoptosis by prohibiting association of truncated Bid with mitochondria.

Breast cancer cells often show increased activity of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. We report here that this pathway reduces their sensitivity to death ligand tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and present the underlying mechanism. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) inhibited TRAIL-induced apoptosis in a protein synthesis-independent manner. Deliberate activation of MAPK was also inhibitory. In digitonin-permeabilized cells, PKC activation interfered with the capacity of recombinant truncated (t)Bid to release cytochrome c from mitochondria. MAPK activation did not affect TRAIL or tumor necrosis factor (TNF)alpha-induced Bid cleavage. However, it did inhibit translocation of (t)Bid to mitochondria as determined both by subcellular fractionation analysis and confocal microscopy. Steady state tBid mitochondrial localization was prohibited by activation of the MAPK pathway, also when the Bcl-2 homology domain 3 (BH3) domain of tBid was disrupted. We conclude that the MAPK pathway inhibits TRAIL-induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells by prohibiting anchoring of tBid to the mitochondrial membrane. This anchoring is independent of its interaction with resident Bcl-2 family members.

Apoptosis↗
PubMed2006

Leukaemia incidence and survival in children and adolescents in Europe during 1978-1997. Report from the Automated Childhood Cancer Information System project.

Leukaemias constitute approximately one-third of cancers in children (age 0-14 years) and 10% in adolescents (age 15-19 years). Geographical patterns (1988-1997) and time trends (1978-1997) of incidence and survival from leukaemias in children (n=29,239) and adolescents (n=1929) were derived from the ACCIS database, including data from 62 cancer registries in 19 countries across Europe. The overall incidence rate of leukaemia in children was 44 per million person-years during 1988-1997. Lymphoid leukaemia (LL) accounted for 81%, acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia (ANLL) for 15%, chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) for 1.5% and unspecified leukaemia for 1.3% of cases. Adjusted for sex and age, incidence of childhood LL was significantly lower in the East and higher in the North than in the British Isles. The overall incidence among adolescents was 22.6 per million person-years. The incidence of LL was rising in children (0.6% per year) and adolescents (1.9% per year). During 1988-1997 5-year survival of children with leukaemias was 73% (95% CI 72-74) and approximately 44% for infants and adolescents. Similar differences in survival between children and adolescents were observed for LL, much less so for ANLL. Survival differed between regions; prognosis was better in the North and West than the East. Remarkable improvements in survival occurred in most of the subgroups of patients defined by diagnostic subgroup, age, sex and geographic categories during the period 1978-1997. For children with ANLL most improvements in survival were observed in the 1990s.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Skin cancer incidence and survival in European children and adolescents (1978-1997). Report from the Automated Childhood Cancer Information System project.

Patterns and trends of melanoma and skin carcinoma incidence and survival of European children (age 0-14 years) and adolescents (age 15-19 years) were investigated. Between 1978 and 1997, a total of 1419 melanoma and 485 skin carcinoma cases were recorded in the cancer registries contributing to the Automated Childhood Cancer Information System (ACCIS) study. During 1988-1997, the incidence of melanoma was 0.7 per million children and 12.9 per million adolescents; corresponding rates for skin carcinomas were 0.3 and 3.7 per million, respectively. The British Isles had the highest incidence of skin cancers in children and adolescents. For Europe, in adolescents melanomas were more common in the North and West, skin carcinomas in the South and East. Between 1978 and 1997 incidence increased annually in adolescents, by 4.1% for melanoma and 2.5% for skin carcinoma. Differences in aetiology between childhood and adolescent skin cancers cannot be excluded. Survival was relatively high and the geographical variations in incidence and survival seem to be associated.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Patient-centred screening for primary immunodeficiency: a multi-stage diagnostic protocol designed for non-immunologists.

Efficient early identification of primary immunodeficiency disease (PID) is important for prognosis, but is not an easy task for non-immunologists. The Clinical Working Party of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) has composed a multi-stage diagnostic protocol that is based on expert opinion, in order to increase the awareness of PID among doctors working in different fields. The protocol starts from the clinical presentation of the patient; immunological skills are not needed for its use. The multi-stage design allows cost-effective screening for PID within the large pool of potential cases in all hospitals in the early phases, while more expensive tests are reserved for definitive classification in collaboration with an immunologist at a later stage. Although many PIDs present in childhood, others may present at any age. The protocols presented here are therefore aimed at both adult physicians and paediatricians. While designed for use throughout Europe, there will be national differences which may make modification of this generic algorithm necessary.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Non-compliance with the re-excision guidelines for cutaneous melanoma in The Netherlands does not influence survival.

AIM: To evaluate causes and consequences of not adhering to the clinical practice guideline for cutaneous malignant melanoma. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of the clinical records of 454 subjects whose pathological reports were obtained from a population-based cancer registry to assess determinants and effects of non-compliance of physicians with the excision policy and the related clinical practice guideline for patients with primary localized cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). A comparative analysis was performed of patients who did and did not undergo re-excision (compliance versus non-compliance with the guideline). Subjects diagnosed in 1988, 1993 and 1997, just 1 year after publication of the (adapted) guideline, were followed until death due to any cause or until July 1st 2003. RESULTS: Old age was the most important determinant of non-compliance. After adjusting for age at diagnosis, gender, subsite and Breslow thickness there was no significant difference in overall survival between the compliance group and the non-compliance group. CONCLUSIONS: Non-compliance to the guideline is more common in older patients and in patients with melanoma in the head and neck region. After adjusting for confounders, a significant effect of complying with the guidelines on overall survival could not be observed.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Risks of second primary breast and urogenital cancer following female breast cancer in the south of The Netherlands, 1972-2001.

A cohort of 9919 breast cancer patients from the population-based Eindhoven Cancer Registry was followed for vital status and development of second cancer. Person-year analysis was applied to determine the risk of second primary breast or urogenital cancer among breast cancer patients and to assess its correlation with age, treatment and time since the first breast cancer diagnosis. Women with previous breast cancer have an elevated risk of overall second breast or urogenital cancer. The largest relative risk was observed for second breast cancer (SIR (standardised incidence ratio) 3.5; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.2-3.8) and second ovarian cancer (SIR 1.7; 95% CI 1.2-2.3). The absolute excess risk was highest for second breast cancer (64/10,000 patients/year). However, breast cancer has an inverse relationship to risk of cervical cancer. Changes in behavioural risk factors are important for lowering the risk of second cancer after breast cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Primary malignancy after primary female breast cancer in the South of the Netherlands, 1972-2001.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of second primary cancers among women with previous breast cancer and calculate the excess burden of second cancer in the population. METHODS: A population-based longitudinal study was conducted using the Eindhoven cancer registry data on 9919 breast cancer patients diagnosed in the period 1972-2000 and followed until 2001. Standardised incidence ratios (SIR) and absolute excess risks (AER) were calculated. RESULTS: In total, 1298 (13%) women developed a second primary cancer. The risk of overall second cancer was higher among breast cancer patients compared to the general population (SIR: 2.8; 95% CI: 2.6-2.9), with an AER of 115 second cancers for every 10,000 breast cancer patients per year. High SIR and AER were observed for breast cancer (SIR: 4.1; 95% CI: 3.8-4.4; AER: 64/10,000 patients/year) and ovarian cancer (SIR: 2.0; 95% CI: 1.5-2.7; AER: 4.5/10,000 patients/year). CONCLUSIONS: Our recent data show that women with previous breast cancer have an elevated risk of developing a second cancer compared to the general population. Excess burden for the population is especially high for second cancers of the breast, ovary and colon. Screening may only be justified for breast, ovary and colon cancer in certain groups of patients.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Public awareness about risk factors could pose problems for case-control studies: the example of sunbed use and cutaneous melanoma.

In a large case-control study we found no association between sunbed use and melanoma risk, but indications for potential recall and recruitment biases made the interpretation of the results difficult. Associations with skin phototype (adj OR for skin type I vs. IV: (2.6, 95% CI 1.5-4.8)), hair colour (adj OR red/blond vs. brown/black 2.0 (95% CI 1.4-2.8)) and number of naevi on both arms (OR>10 vs. 10 3.13 (95% CI: 2.47; 3.97)) were comparable to previous studies, but negative associations were found between sun exposure and melanoma risk (adj. OR 0.87 (95% CI: 0.65-1.18)) and in cases between sun exposure and naevus count. These observations led us to speculate that cases may have underreported their sun exposure and, most likely, their sunbed exposure. High percentages of sunbed use among controls indicated possible recruitment bias: eligible controls who were sunbed users were probably more likely to accept the invitation to participate than non-users, possibly due to a feeling of 'guilt' or 'worry' about their habits. Such selective participation may have strongly influenced the risk estimates of sunbed use in our study.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Acceptance criteria of pancreas grafts: how do surgeons decide in Europe?

OBJECTIVES: Some donor factors, such as age, cause of death, and obesity, affect the outcomes of pancreas transplantation. Donors with a high-risk profile are usually not declined for pancreas donation. The purpose of our study was to investigate differences between accepted and refused pancreata after being procured and offered. METHODS: In a retrospective study we analyzed all offered pancreata (n = 1360) in the "Eurotransplant Area" between May 25, 2002 and September 18, 2003. Included in this study were 525 pancreata transplanted (38.6%) and 608 pancreata refused for medical reasons (44.7%). A total of 227 pancreata (16.7%) refused for other than medical reasons were excluded from this analysis. RESULTS: The significant differences in the donor profiles between transplanted and refused pancreata were cause of death (P < .001), donor age (P < .001), body mass index (BMI, P < .001), serum lipase and amylase (P < .05) at the time of procurement, and a history of smoking (P = .001) or alcohol abuse (P < .001). No differences were found for serum sodium (P = .188), blood leukocytes (P = .349), serum glucose at the time of procurement (P = .155), amylase and lipase at the time of admission (P = .34; P = .758), and vasopressor use at the time of admission or at the procedure (P = .802; P = .982). CONCLUSION: Even after procuring and offering potentially good pancreata, nearly half the organs are refused for medical reasons. Acceptance criteria in the Eurotransplant region reveal a conservative attitude toward pancreas acceptance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Predictions of skin cancer incidence in the Netherlands up to 2015.

BACKGROUND: Skin cancer is an important, growing public health problem among white caucasians, causing a heavy burden on dermatologists and general practitioners. OBJECTIVES: To predict the future incidence of skin cancer in the Netherlands up to 2015. METHODS: Expected numbers of skin cancer cases in the Netherlands up to 2015 were calculated by trend modelling of observed rates for melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) between 1989 and 2000 obtained from the Netherlands Cancer Registry and for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) obtained from the Eindhoven Cancer Registry; these rates were then multiplied by the predicted age distributions. Incidence rates were fitted to four different models, and predictions were based on the best fitting model. RESULTS: An increase of 80% in the total number of skin cancer patients is expected in the Netherlands: from 20 654 in 2000 to 37 342 in 2015. The total number of melanoma cases is expected to increase by 99%, with the largest increase for males (males aged 35-64, 111%; males aged > or = 65, 139%). Numbers of patients with SCC will increase overall by 80%, mainly among older males and females (increase of 79%) and females aged 35-64 (increase of 93%). The number of cases of BCC will increase by 78%, with the largest increase for the combined groups, those aged 15-64 (males, 66% increase; females, 94% increase), especially for sites other than the head and neck. The contribution of demographic changes (ageing effect) was largest for males with BCC and SCC (35-44%). CONCLUSIONS: If incidence rates for skin cancers in the Netherlands continue to increase and population growth and ageing remain unabated, a rise in annual demand for care of more than 5% could occur, putting a heavy burden on general practitioners and dermatologists. In the absence of marked changes in current ultraviolet radiation exposure, these increases will probably continue after 2015.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Vaccination against the nematode Haemonchus contortus with a thiol-binding fraction from the excretory/secretory products (ES).

Fractionated excretory/secretory products (ES) of adult Haemonchus contortus were evaluated as protective antigens. The proteins were successively eluted from a Thiol Sepharose column using 25 mM cysteine followed by 25 mM Dl-dithiothreitol (DTT). Sheep were vaccinated three times and challenged with 5000 third stage infective larvae (L3) of H. contortus. Highest level of protection was found in sheep vaccinated with the DTT-eluted fraction in which egg output and worm burden were reduced by 52 and 50%, respectively, compared to the adjuvant control group. There was a positive correlation between fecundity (number of eggs per female) and the cumulative EPG or worm burden. Serum and mucus antibody levels of ES-specific immunoglobulins increased after immunizations and after challenge for IgG, IgA and IgE. The harvesting of H. contortus from animals clustered per group revealed the presence of cysteine protease activity in the ES of all groups but in addition to that, metalloprotease activity was also detected in the groups vaccinated with the DTT-eluted fraction, total ES and adjuvant only, in contrast to previous batches of ES (completely inhibited by E64) obtained from non vaccinated animals.

Abomasum↗
PubMed2004

Lower incidence rates but thicker melanomas in Eastern Europe before 1992: a comparison with Western Europe.

The objective of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of melanoma across Europe with regard to Breslow thickness and body-site distribution. Incidence data from Cancer Incidence in 5 Continents and the EUROCARE-melanoma database were used: 28?117 melanoma cases from 20 cancer registries in 12 European countries, diagnosed between 1978 and 1992. Regression analysis and general linear modelling were used to analyse the data. Melanomas in Eastern Europe were on average 1.4 mm thicker (P<0.05) than in Western Europe and appeared more often on the trunk. From 1978 to 1992, their Breslow thickness had decreased in Western but not Eastern Europe. There was a latitude gradient in incidence, with highest rates in southern regions in Eastern Europe and an inverse gradient in Western Europe, with highest rates in the North. Mortality:incidence ratios were less favourable in southern parts across Europe, especially in Eastern Europe. If Eastern European populations copy the sunbathing behaviour of the West it is likely that in the near future a higher melanoma incidence can be expected there.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A single nucleotide polymorphism map of the mitochondrial genome of the parasitic nematode Cooperia oncophora.

The 13,636 bp mitochondrial (mt) genome sequence of the trichostrongylid nematode Cooperia oncophora was determined. Like the mt genomes of other nematodes it is AT rich (76.75%) and cytidine is the least common nucleoside in the coding strand. There are 2 ribosomal RNA (rrn) genes, 22 transfer RNA (trn) genes and 12 protein coding genes. The relatively short AT-rich region (304 bp) and the lack of a non-coding region between two of the NADH dehydrogenase genes, nad3 and nad5, makes the mt genome of C. oncophora one of the smallest known to date, having only 525 bp of non-coding regions in total. The majority of the C. oncophora protein encoded genes are predicted to end in an abbreviated stop codon like T or TA. In total, 426 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) were mapped on the mt genome of C. oncophora, which is an average of 1 polymorphism per 32 bp. The most common SNPs in the mt genome of C. oncophora were G/A (59.2%) and C/T (28.4%) transitions. Synonymous substitutions (86.4%) were favoured over non-synonymous substitutions. However, the degree of sequence conservation between individual protein genes of different parasitic nematode species did not always correspond to the relative number of non-synonymous SNPs. The mt genome sequence of C. oncophora presents the first mt genome of a member of the Trichostrongyloidea and will be of importance in refining phylogenetic relationships between nematodes. The, still limited, SNP map presented here provides a basis for obtaining insight into the genetic diversity present in the different protein coding genes, trn, rrn and non-coding regions. A more detailed study of the more variable regions will be of use in determining the population genetic structure of C. oncophora. Ultimately this knowledge will add to the understanding of the host-parasite relationship.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2004

Mechanism of action of Drosophila Reaper in mammalian cells: Reaper globally inhibits protein synthesis and induces apoptosis independent of mitochondrial permeability.

Drosophila Reaper can bind inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) and thereby rescue caspases from proteasomal degradation. In insect cells, this is sufficient to induce apoptosis. Reaper can also induce apoptosis in mammalian cells, in which caspases need to be activated, usually via the mitochondrial pathway. Nevertheless, we find that Reaper efficiently induces apoptosis in mammalian cells in the absence of mitochondrial permeabilisation and cytochrome c release. Moreover, this capacity was only marginally affected by deletion of Reaper's amino-terminal IAP-binding motif. Independent of this motif, Reaper could globally suppress protein synthesis. Deletion of 20 amino acids from the carboxy-terminus of Reaper fully abrogated its potential to inhibit protein synthesis and to induce apoptosis in the absence of IAP-binding. Our findings indicate that the newly identified capacity of Reaper to suppress protein translation can operate in mammalian cells and may be key to its pro-apoptotic activity.

Amino Acid Motifs↗