University of Amsterdam

About: University of Amsterdam is a education organization based out in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Randomized controlled trial. The organization has 59309 authors who have published 140894 publications receiving 5984137 citations. The organization is also known as: UvA & Universiteit van Amsterdam.

The benefits of interventions for work-related stress.

Abstract: In this quantitative meta-analysis is sought to determine the effectiveness of occupational stress-reducing interventions and the populations for which such interventions are most beneficial. 48 experimental studies were included in the analysis. Four intervention types were distinguished: cognitive-behavioural interventions, relaxation techniques, multimodal programs, and organisation-focused interventions. A small but significant overall effect was found. A moderate effect was found for cognitive-behavioural interventions and multimodal interventions, and a small effect was found for relaxation techniques. The effect size for organization-focused interventions was nonsignificant. Effects were most pronounced on the following outcome categories: complaints, psychologic resources and responses, and perceived quality of work life. The conclusion of the study was that stress management interventions are effective. Cognitive-behavioural interventions are more effective than the other intervention types.

Comorbidity: a network perspective.

Abstract: The pivotal problem of comorbidity research lies in the psychometric foundation it rests on, that is, latent variable theory, in which a mental disorder is viewed as a latent variable that causes a constellation of symptoms. From this perspective, comorbidity is a (bi)directional relationship between multiple latent variables. We argue that such a latent variable perspective encounters serious problems in the study of comorbidity, and offer a radically different conceptualization in terms of a network approach, where comorbidity is hypothesized to arise from direct relations between symptoms of multiple disorders. We propose a method to visualize comorbidity networks and, based on an empirical network for major depression and generalized anxiety, we argue that this approach generates realistic hypotheses about pathways to comorbidity, overlapping symptoms, and diagnostic boundaries, that are not naturally accommodated by latent variable models: Some pathways to comorbidity through the symptom space are more likely than others; those pathways generally have the same direction (i.e., from symptoms of one disorder to symptoms of the other); overlapping symptoms play an important role in comorbidity; and boundaries between diagnostic categories are necessarily fuzzy.

Transient optical emission from the error box of the gamma-ray burst of 28 February 1997

Abstract: For almost a quarter of a century1, the origin of γ-ray bursts— brief, energetic bursts of high-energy photons—has remained unknown. The detection of a counterpart at another wavelength has long been thought to be a key to understanding the nature of these bursts (see, for example, ref. 2), but intensive searches have not revealed such a counterpart. The distribution and properties of the bursts3 are explained naturally if they lie at cosmological distances (a few Gpc)4, but there is a countervailing view that they are relatively local objects5, perhaps distributed in a very large halo around our Galaxy. Here we report the detection of a transient and fading optical source in the error box associated with the burst GRB970228, less than 21 hours after the burst6,7. The optical transient appears to be associated with a faint galaxy7,8, suggesting that the burst occurred in that galaxy and thus that γ-ray bursts in general lie at cosmological distance.

The anatomy of memory : an interactive overview of the parahippocampal-hippocampal network

Abstract: Converging evidence suggests that each parahippocampal and hippocampal subregion contributes uniquely to the encoding, consolidation and retrieval of declarative memories, but their precise roles remain elusive. Current functional thinking does not fully incorporate the intricately connected networks that link these subregions, owing to their organizational complexity; however, such detailed anatomical knowledge is of pivotal importance for comprehending the unique functional contribution of each subregion. We have therefore developed an interactive diagram with the aim to display all of the currently known anatomical connections of the rat parahippocampal-hippocampal network. In this Review, we integrate the existing anatomical knowledge into a concise description of this network and discuss the functional implications of some relatively underexposed connections.

Circulating MicroRNAs: Novel Biomarkers and Extracellular Communicators in Cardiovascular Disease?

Abstract: In the past few years, the crucial role of different micro-RNAs (miRNAs) in the cardiovascular system has been widely recognized. Recently, it was discovered that extracellular miRNAs circulate in the bloodstream and that such circulating miRNAs are remarkably stable. This has raised the possibility that miRNAs may be probed in the circulation and can serve as novel diagnostic markers. Although the precise cellular release mechanisms of miRNAs remain largely unknown, the first studies revealed that these circulating miRNAs may be delivered to recipient cells, where they can regulate translation of target genes. In this review, we will discuss the nature of the stability of miRNAs that circulate in the bloodstream and discuss the available evidence regarding the possible function of these circulating miRNAs in distant cell-to-cell communication. Furthermore, we summarize and discuss the usefulness of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers for a wide range of cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, atherosclerosis, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.