Background: Chronic low-grade inflammatory profile (CLIP) is one of the pathways involved in type 2 diabetes (T2D). Currently, there is limited evidence for ameliorating effects of combined lifestyle interventions on CLIP in type 2 diabetes. We investigated whether a 13-week combined lifestyle intervention, using hypocaloric diet and resistance exercise plus high-intensity interval training with or without consumption of a protein drink, affected CLIP in older adults with T2D. Methods: In this post-hoc analysis of the PROBE study 114 adults (≥55 years) with obesity and type 2 (pre-)diabetes had measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP), pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, tumor-necrosis-factor (TNF)-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1, anti-inflammatory cytokines IL-10, IL-1 receptor antagonist (RA), and soluble tumor-necrosis-factor receptor (sTNFR)1, adipokines leptin and adiponectin, and glycation biomarkers carboxymethyl-lysine (CML) and soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) from fasting blood samples. A linear mixed model was used to evaluate change in inflammatory biomarkers after lifestyle intervention and effect of the protein drink. Linear regression analysis was performed with parameters of body composition (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) and parameters of insulin resistance (by oral glucose tolerance test). Results: There were no significant differences in CLIP responses between the protein and the control groups. For all participants combined, IL-1RA, leptin and adiponectin decreased after 13 weeks (p = 0.002, p < 0.001 and p < 0.001), while ratios TNF-α/IL-10 and TNF-α/IL-1RA increased (p = 0.003 and p = 0.035). CRP increased by 12 % in participants with low to average CLIP (pre 1.91 ± 0.39 mg/L, post 2.13 ± 1.16 mg/L, p = 0.006) and decreased by 36 % in those with high CLIP (pre 5.14 mg/L ± 1.20, post 3.30 ± 2.29 mg/L, p < 0.001). Change in leptin and IL-1RA was positively associated with change in fat mass (β = 0.133, p < 0.001; β = 0.017, p < 0.001) and insulin resistance (β = 0.095, p = 0.024; β = 0.020, p = 0.001). Change in lean mass was not associated with any of the biomarkers. Conclusion: 13 weeks of combined lifestyle intervention, either with or without protein drink, reduced circulating adipokines and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-1RA, and increased inflammatory ratios TNF-α/IL-10 and TNF-α/IL-1RA in older adults with obesity and T2D. Effect on CLIP was inversely related to baseline inflammatory status.
Cities are becoming increasingly vulnerable for climate change and there is an urgent needto become more resilient. This research involves the development of the City climate scanRotterdam (September 2017) methodology to measure, map, scan and assess differentparameters that together give insight in the vulnerability of urban areas and neighborhoods.The research at recent City climate scan / Sketch your city in April 2018 used storytelling andsketching1 as main method to connect stakeholders, motivate action, evoke recognition in ajointly formulated goal, such as taking climate action. The city climate scan also involved thedevelopment of a set of measurement tools that can be applied in different urbanneighborhoods in a low-cost low-tech approach with teams of stakeholders andpractitioners. The city climate scan method was tested in different cities around the globe(Rotterdam, Manila and Cebu) in groups of young professionals and stakeholders in rapidurban appraisals.
Most higher education alumni work in professional fields, making higher education responsible for the provision of high-quality professionalism throughout society. However, higher education does not yet fulfil its role as a provider of methodologies for the renewal of professionalism. In this lecture, Didi Griffioen outlines the characteristics of professionalism, asserting that current methodologies for the continuous renewal of different elements of professionalism are lacking. By positioning itself as provider of these methodologies, higher education can play a more relevant role in society while also contributing to its own professional renewal and innovativeness.
"Rising Tides, Shifting Imaginaries: Participatory Climate Fiction-Making with Cultural Collections," is an transdisciplinary research project that merges information design, participatory art, and climate imaginaries to address the pressing challenge of climate change, particularly the rising sea levels in the Netherlands. The doctoral research project aims to reimagine human coexistence with water-based ecosystems by exploring and reinterpreting audiovisual collections from various archives and online platforms. Through a creative and speculative approach, it seeks to visualize existing cultural representations of Dutch water-based ecosystems and, with the help of generative AI, develop alternative narratives and imaginaries for future living scenarios. The core methodology involves a transdisciplinary process of climate fiction-making, where narratives from the collections are amplified, countered, or recombined. This process is documented in a structured speculative archive, encompassing feminist data visualizations and illustrated climate fiction stories. The research contributes to the development of Dutch climate scenarios and adaptation strategies, aligning with international efforts like the CrAFt (Creating Actionable Futures) project of the New European Bauhaus program. Two primary objectives guide this research. First, it aims to make future scenarios more relatable by breaking away from traditional risk visualizations. It adopts data feminist principles, giving space to emotions and embodiment in visualization processes and avoiding the presentation of data visualization as neutral and objective. Second, the project seeks to make scenarios more inclusive by incorporating intersectional and more-than-human perspectives, thereby moving beyond techno-optimistic approaches and embracing a holistic and caring speculative approach. Combining cultural collections, digital methodologies, and artistic research, this research fosters imaginative explorations for future living.
