Montmorency Tart Cherries, MTC, (Prunus cerasus L.) possess a high anthocyanin content as well as one of the highest oxygen radical absorbance capacities of fruits at common habitual portion sizes. MTC have been shown to contribute to reducing plasma lipids, plasma glucose and fat mass in rats and strikingly, …

Canalization, an intrinsic robustness of development to external (environmental) or internal (genetic) perturbations, was first proposed over half a century ago. However, whether the robustness to environmental stress (environmental canalization [EC]) and to genetic variation (genetic canalization) are …

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity is a growing health problem worldwide. The most effective strategy to reduce weight is energy restriction (ER). ER has been shown to be beneficial in disease prevention and it reduces chronic inflammation. Recent studies suggest that reducing the protein quantity of …

Numerous databases containing information about DNA, RNA, and protein variations are available. Gene‐specific variant databases (locus‐specific variation databases, LSDBs) are typically curated and maintained for single genes or groups of genes for a certain disease(s). These databases are widely considered …

Genetic assays are very useful tools for clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. This thesis addresses the development of electrochemical microRNA genosensor, envisioned to be used as a clinical diagnostic tool. Dysregulation of numerous microRNAs have been reported to be closely associated to diseases. …

Het poliovirus bestaat uit drie serotypen. Deze serotypen kunnen poliomyelitis veroorzaken bij mensen en primaten. Dit kan resulteren in spierverlammingen met lichaamsmisvorming of dood tot gevolg. Om poliomyelitis te voorkomen zijn er in de loop der jaren twee soorten vaccins ontworpen. Het geïnactiveerde …

Small RNAs are important regulators of genome function, yet their prediction in genomes is still a major computational challenge. Statistical analyses of pre-miRNA sequences indicated that their 2D structure tends to have a minimal free energy (MFE) significantly lower than MFE values of equivalently …

Next-generation sequencing technology allows culture- independent analysis of species and genes present in a complex microbial community. Such metagenomics may overcome the inability to culture microbes in isolation. Microbial communities of interest are for example responsible for making biogas. Many …

Vanwege een toenemende frequentie van carbapenem-resistente Pseudomonas aeruginosa moet er onderzoek worden gedaan naar het epidemiologisch beeld van deze bacterie in Nederland. In dit onderzoek wordt er vooral gekeken naar de epidemiologie en daarnaast naar de mogelijke resistentie mechanismen. Om een …

Microbacterium aurum strain B8.A was isolated from the sludge of a potato starch-processing factory on the basis of its ability to use granular starch as carbon- and energy source. Extracellular enzymes hydrolyzing granular starch were detected in the growth medium of M. aurum B8.A, while the type strain …