ORCID Profile
0000-0002-5761-9328
Current Organisation
Utrecht University
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Publisher: Wiley
Date: 07-04-2009
DOI: 10.1111/J.1365-2222.2009.03209.X
Abstract: Mast cells are important effector cells in innate or acquired immunity that contribute to host defence. Excessive activation of mast cells can result in the development of allergic diseases, including atopic asthma. Mast cell activation by IgE and specific antigen induces the cells to release spasmogenic, vasoactive and pro-inflammatory mediators, which enhance airway smooth muscle contraction, vascular permeability and inflammatory cell recruitment. Recently, we have demonstrated that exposure of mast cells to cigarette smoke medium (CSM) triggered mast cells to produce chemokines. On the other hand, smoking may decrease the risk of allergic sensitization, which could be explained by a reduced IgE production or a diminished response of mast cells to activation of the IgE receptor. In this study, we investigated the effect of CSM on the allergic activation of mast cells through IgE and antigen. Primary cultured murine mast cells were exposed to CSM and activated with IgE and antigen or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The release of granules, production of leukotrienes, chemokines and cytokines was determined in the supernatants by ELISA. The effect of CSM exposure on intracellular signalling, especially the nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk)1/2 pathways, was analysed by Western blotting. CSM suppressed IgE-mediated degranulation and cytokine release, but no effect was observed on leukotriene release. CSM induced phosphorylation of Erk1/2 in mast cells. In CSM-exposed mast cells, activating transcription factor (ATF)-1 was phosphorylated after stimulation with IgE/Ag. LPS-activated mast cells were not influenced by CSM. Our study suggests that exposure to cigarette smoke may lead to a reduced allergic activation of mast cells without affecting their response to activation via e.g. bacterial-derived LPS.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-11-2021
Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns were accompanied by an abrupt transition from face-to-face education to online education. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic functioning and mood in Dutch pharmacy students and PhD candidates. A total of n = 341 participants completed an online survey including questions on mood and academic functioning, assessed retrospectively for before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, during COVID-19 lockdown, significantly more time was spent on academic activities, and study grades/output significantly improved. However, the overall effects were of small magnitude, and there was great variability among students, reporting either improved, unchanged or poorer academic functioning. Compared to before COVID-19, the lockdown periods were associated with significantly increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and loneliness, and a significant reduction in optimism and happiness. Significant negative correlations were found between ‘performance quality’ and stress, ‘performance quality’ and fatigue, ‘study grades/output’ and stress, and between ‘study grades/output’ and fatigue. Correlations of mood and items related to academic interactions were not statistically significant. Differential effects were seen when the data was analyzed according to sex, living situation, and ethnicity, revealing that women, students living alone, and those with a migration background reported that COVID-19 lockdowns had greater negative mood effects and a more negative impact on academic functioning. Poorer sleep quality and reduced quality of life were significantly associated with reduced mood, as well as reduced academic performance quality and role satisfaction. Regression analysis revealed that being young and not having a non-Western migration background were predictors of improved performance quality. However, only being young was a significant predictor of improved study grades/output during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased levels of stress and fatigue were significant predictors of both reduced performance quality and poorer study grades/output during the COVID-19 pandemic. In conclusion, for the s le as a whole, the transition to online education during the COVID-19 lockdown was judged as having significant positive effects on academic performance. The lockdown periods were associated with significantly reduced mood and reduced social interactions. It should be taken into account that about one third of students reported academic functioning to be poorer during the COVID-19 pandemic. This represents a substantial group of students who require more attention and guidance to make a successful transition to online education and cope with lockdown-associated stress and fatigue.
Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers Ltd.
Date: 06-2009
DOI: 10.2174/1874467210902020182
Abstract: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are major drugs used in the treatment of inflammation and pain in a wide variety of disorders. The best-known mechanism of action of NSAIDs is the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis as a result of their action on cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. However, data have been accumulating through the years indicating that NSAIDs also act on other targets in cell signaling. It has been established that NSAIDs induce anti-inflammatory effects independent of COX. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) and other inhibitors of COX induce severe bronchospasms and asthmatic attacks in a significant population of asthmatic patients. The etiology of ASA induced asthma is complex and not fully understood, but most evidence points towards an abnormality of arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. Since doses of ASA necessary to treat chronic inflammatory diseases appeared much higher than those required to inhibit PG synthesis, COX-independent mechanisms of NSAIDs were postulated. Recently, we have shown that NSAIDs induced expression of heat shock proteins specially HSP70. Heat shock proteins (HSPs) are normal intracellular proteins that are produced in greater amounts when cells are subjected to stress or injury. Interestingly, a potential pathogenic role for heat shock proteins in diseases such as autoimmune disease, vascular disease has been reported. Because mast cells have been reported to play a role in the pathogenesis of ASA induced asthma, a link between heat shock proteins and this disease could postulated. In this review, an overview is given on aspirin-induced asthma and the cells and mediators that may play a role therein. Mast cell signaling with regard to interaction with NSAIDs and heat shock proteins (HSPs) and toll-like receptors (TLRs) is further highlighted.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 16-11-2021
DOI: 10.3390/JCM10225332
Abstract: In the Netherlands, the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on daily life, with two extensive lockdowns enforced to combat the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These measures included the closure of bars and restaurants, and the transition from face-to-face to online education. A survey was conducted among Dutch pharmacy students and PhD-candidates to investigate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on alcohol consumption, hangovers, and academic functioning. The analysis revealed a significant reduction in both quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption during the COVID-19 lockdown periods. This was accompanied with a significant reduction in hangover frequency and lower hangover severity during COVID-19 lockdown periods. The distribution of scores on academic performance showed great variability between respondents: while some participants reported impairment, others reported improved performance during the COVID-19 pandemic, or no change. Women reported that significantly more time investment was associated with maintaining these performance levels. Consistent among participants was the notion of reduced interactions with teachers and other students. Participants who reported more hangovers and most severe hangovers before COVID-19 benefited from the lockdown periods in terms of improved academic performance. Positive correlations were found between study grades/output and both the frequency and severity of hangovers experienced before COVID-19, suggesting that heavier drinkers, in particular, improved academic performance during the lockdown periods. In conclusion, COVID-19 lockdowns were associated with a significant reduction in both alcohol consumption and experiencing hangovers, which was, among heavier drinkers particularly, associated with significantly improved academic functioning.
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 17-11-2021
DOI: 10.3390/DATA6110120
Abstract: Mixed results have been published on the impact of the 2019 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its associated lockdown periods on academic functioning, mood, and health correlates such as alcohol consumption. Whereas a number of students report an impaired academic performance and increased alcohol intake during lockdown periods, other students report no change or an improvement in academic functioning and a reduced alcohol consumption. This data descriptor article describes the dataset of a study investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic functioning. To investigate this, an online survey was conducted among Dutch pharmacy students, PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers (postdocs) of Utrecht University, the Netherlands. Compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey assessed possible changes in self-reported academic functioning, mood and health correlates such as alcohol consumption, perceived immune functioning and sleep quality. Retrospective assessments were made for four periods, including (1) the year 2019 (the period before COVID-19), (2) the first lockdown period (15 March–11 May 2020), (3) summer 2020 (no lockdown) and (4) the second lockdown (November 2020–April 2021). This article describes the content of the survey and corresponding dataset. The survey had a response rate of 24.3% and was completed by 345 participants.
No related grants have been discovered for Ferdi Engels.