Application of personalised medicine: opportunities and challenges Pharmacotherapy based on individual patient characteristics such as genetic makeup, offers many potential benefits towards more effective treatment of a patients’ disease.
Strict diet combats aging diseases Mice with a severe aging disease live three times longer if they eat thirty percent less. Moreover, they age much healthier than mice that eat as much as they want.
Improved protection against pertussis The international PERISCOPE project has been granted a 30 million Euro European subsidy in order to better map the immune response to pertussis infection and vaccination.
Nanotechnology increasingly used in medical devices The application of nanotechnology to design and produce medical devices is increasing. RIVM provides an overview of nanotechnology enabled medical devices.
Greater influx of migrants not expected to lead to an increase in cases of tuberculosis According to the RIVM report ‘Tuberculosis in the Netherlands 2014’, a total of 823 people were diagnosed with TB last year. That is 21 fewer patients than in 2013.
Replacement possible for products with carcinogenic formaldehyde There seem to be sufficient alternatives available for the majority of disinfectants and preservatives containing the carcinogenic substance formaldehyde.
WHO’s first ever global estimates of foodborne diseases: children under five account for almost one third of deaths Almost one third (30%) of all deaths from foodborne diseases are in children under the age of five years, despite the fact that they make up only 9% of the global population.
Eating less salt can prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and strokes Lowering the amount of salt in processed foods or choosing low-salt alternatives can lead to substantial health benefits when it comes to cardiovascular disease.
Flu season in the winter of 2014 / 2015 more severe and longer than preceding years The flu epidemic in the winter of 2014 / 2015 lasted 21 weeks and as such was the longest epidemic ever recorded in the Netherlands. Nearly two million people suffered from flu-like symptoms.
Virus RNA can help to prevent the spread of infection Using information about the RNA (genetic material) of a virus in reconstructing an outbreak can help to map the extent of the outbreak, the infection source and the way in which the virus is transm