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Dimensions of Alexithymia and Identification of Emotions in Masked and Unmasked Faces
No full textAlexithymia, a multifaceted personality construct, is known to be related to difficulties in the decoding of emotional facial expressions, especially in case of suboptimal stimuli. The present study investigated whether and which facets of alexithymia are related to impairments in the recognition of emotions in faces with face masks. Accuracy and speed of emotion recognition were examined in a block of faces with and a block of faces without face masks in a sample of 102 healthy individuals. The order of blocks varied between participants. Emotions were recognized better and faster in unmasked than in masked faces. Recognition performance was worst and slowest for participants starting the task with masked faces. In the whole sample, there were no correlations of alexithymia facets with accuracy and speed of emotion recognition for masked and unmasked faces. In participants starting the task with masked faces, the facet externally oriented thinking was positively correlated with reaction latencies of correct responses for masked faces. Our findings indicate that an externally oriented thinking style could be linked to a less efficient identification of emotions from faces wearing masks when task difficulty is high and support the utility of a facet approach in alexithymia research
Spiral-curricular blended learning for the mathematics education in physics teacher training courses
No full textA good physics education depends on a good, transferable mathematics
education. A concept for a cross-modular blended learning math course
developed for the first two semesters of our physics teacher trainee study
program is introduced. The course covers the important new mathematics
required for the development of the conceptual understanding of the classical
experimental physics mechanics and electrodynamics. It is based on three pillars:
parallelism of the math topics to the physics lectures, spiral-curricularity to
prior knowledge and high quality digitally available interactive materials such as
interactive videos, formative tests and exercises to foster a self-regulated learning
of the students in online as well as face-to-face learning environments. The
blended learning math course and its face-to-face math seminars are integrated
into the experimental physics modules. Results of surveys among the first two
cohorts of course participants indicate that the design of the math course is well
accepted and the interactive videos are very well received by the students. Initial
tests on the learning effectiveness indicate a sufficient development of long term
knowledge by the students
Code, Context, Canon: A Transferable Framework for Computational Canon Studies
No full textThis poster presents a computational framework for studying canonisation, comprising three steps: code, context and canon. This represents a general workflow involving the conversion of text to data through code, the subsequent analysis and visualisation of that data, and the eventual extraction of evidence and conclusions. We will closely examine the transferability of each step when applying it to the study of canonisation
Resistance of Varroa destructor against Oxalic Acid Treatment: A Systematic Review
No full textAs Varroa destructor is one of the most important pathogens of Apis mellifera, there are numerous treatment methods, including pharmaceutical and biotechnological approaches. However, the rapid development of resistance to synthetic acaricides by Varroa destructor has become a significant concern. To date, there have been no investigations into the development of resistance to organic acids. This review examines the potential risk of oxalic acid resistance development by evaluating literature sources from the past 30 years following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Median annual efficacies are calculated and reviewed over time for several application methods. An efficacy higher than 70% is determined as not resistant. Independent of the method of application, no resistance development can be observed, although there are some outliers of the annual median. These outliers can be explained by brood status or study setting. However, the result is limited by the low number of efficacy values, and further standardised studies are needed
Vorinostat Treatment of Gastric Cancer Cells Leads to ROS-Induced Cell Inhibition and a Complex Pattern of Molecular Alterations in Nrf2-Dependent Genes
No full textHistone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) show high antineoplastic potential in preclinical studies in various solid tumors, including gastric carcinoma; however, their use in clinical studies has not yet yielded convincing efficacies. Thus, further studies on cellular/molecular effects of HDACi are needed, for improving clinical efficacy and identifying suitable combination partners. Here, we investigated the role of oxidative stress in gastric cancer cells upon treatment with HDACi. A particular focus was laid on the role of the Nrf2 pathway, which can mediate resistance to cell-inhibitory effects of reactive oxidative species (ROS). Using fluorescence-based ROS sensors, oxidative stress was measured in human gastric cancer cell lines. Activation of the Nrf2 pathway was monitored in luciferase reporter assays as well as by mRNA and proteomic expression analyses of Nrf2 regulators and Nrf2-induced genes. Furthermore, the effects of ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) and Nrf2-knockdown on HDACi-dependent antiproliferative effects were investigated in colorimetric formazan-based and clonogenic survival assays. HDACi treatment led to increased oxidative stress levels and consequently, treatment with NAC reduced cytotoxicity of HDACi. In addition, vorinostat treatment stimulated expression of a luciferase reporter under the control of an antioxidative response element, indicating activation of the Nrf2 system. This Nrf2 activation was only partially reversible by treatment with NAC, suggesting ROS independent pathways to contribute to HDACi-promoted Nrf2 activation. In line with its cytoprotective role, Nrf2 knockdown led to a sensitization against HDACi. Accordingly, the expression of antioxidant and detoxifying Nrf2 target genes was upregulated upon HDACi treatment. In conclusion, oxidative stress induction upon HDAC inhibition contributes to the antitumor effects of HDAC inhibitors, and activation of Nrf2 represents a potentially important adaptive response of gastric cancer cells in this context
Rehabilitation Services for Young-Onset Dementia: Examples from High- and Low–Middle-Income Countries
No full textThe WHO Dementia Global Action Plan states that rehabilitation services for dementia are required to promote health, reduce disability, and maintain quality of life for those living with dementia. Current services, however, are scarce, particularly for people with young-onset dementia (YOD). This article, written by an international group of multidisciplinary dementia specialists, offers a three-part overview to promote the development of rehabilitation services for YOD. Firstly, we provide a synthesis of knowledge on current evidence-based rehabilitative therapies for early-onset Alzheimer’s disease (EOAD), behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), primary progressive aphasia (PPA), and posterior cortical atrophy (PCA). Secondly, we discuss the characteristics of rehabilitation services for YOD, providing examples across three continents for how these services can be embedded in existing settings and the different roles of the rehabilitation multidisciplinary team. Lastly, we conclude by highlighting the potential of telehealth in making rehabilitation services more accessible for people with YOD. Overall, with this paper, we aim to encourage clinical leads to begin introducing at least some rehabilitation into their services, leveraging existing resources and finding support in the collective expertise of the broader multidisciplinary dementia professional community
The Delicate Skin of Preterm Infants: Barrier Function, Immune-Microbiome Interaction, and Clinical Implications
No full textThe skin of preterm infants is a delicate organ with critical structural and functional differences as compared to term born infants. Unique features contribute to an increased susceptibility to injury, infection, thermal instability, and water loss. During rapid, often accelerated adaption of the physical barrier function of preterm skin, a parallel and mutual development of host skin immunity and skin microbiome seem to be crucial for skin homeostasis. Recent advances in molecular biology have enabled researchers to gain a deeper understanding of the microbial community composition of preterm skin and the important relationship with microbiome composition of other body sites. Nevertheless, several questions remain to be answered, including niche factors and environmental influences on skin maturation. In line with that, evidence-based guidelines on skin care practice in preterm infants are missing. This review articles aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge of preterm infant skin development including immune and barrier function, host-microbial interactions, and potential clinical implications
Etablierung und Erprobung eines Phytotoxizitätstestes mit Myriophyllum spicatum für die Umweltbewertung von Chemikalien
No full textDie vorliegende Arbeit beinhaltet Ergebnisse aus der Etablierung und Erprobung eines neuen biologischen Testverfahrens mit dem zweikeimblättrigen Ährigen Tausendblatt Myriophyllum spicatum in einem sedimentfreien Einphasen-Testsystem. Dazu wurden drei verschiedene Wirksubstanzen auf ihre Phytotoxizität gegenüber Myriophyllum untersucht und unter Verwendung von Konzentrations-Wirkungs-Modellen Toxizitätsparameter ermittelt. Ein Ziel war u.a. die Identifikation geeigneter Endpunkte, die für eine Toxizitätsbewertung herangezogen werden können. Die im Rahmen eines Laborvergleichstestes durchgeführten Untersuchungen zeigen, dass das entwickelte Verfahren in seiner Anwendung praktikabel und die Ergebnisse reproduzierbar sind. Außerdem konnte bewiesen werden, dass es sich im Vergleich zu bereits etablierten und angewandten Phytotoxizitätsprüfungen, wie dem Algen- und Lemnatest, um ein hinreichend sensitives Verfahren handelt
(1 → 3)-β-d-Glucan-guided antifungal therapy in adults with sepsis: the CandiSep randomized clinical trial
No full textPurpose: To investigate whether (1 → 3)‑β‑d‑Glucan (BDG)‑guidance shortens time to antifungal therapy and
thereby reduces mortality of sepsis patients with high risk of invasive Candida infection (ICI).
Methods: Multicenter, randomized, controlled trial carried out between September 2016 and September 2019 in 18
intensive care units enrolling adult sepsis patients at high risk for ICI. Patients in the control group received targeted
antifungal therapy driven by culture results. In addition to targeted therapy, patients in the BDG group received anti‑
fungals if at least one of two consecutive BDG samples taken during the first two study days was ≥ 80 pg/mL. Empiri‑
cal antifungal therapy was discouraged in both groups. The primary endpoint was 28‑day‑mortality.
Results: 339 patients were enrolled. ICI was diagnosed in 48 patients (14.2%) within the first 96 h after enrollment. In
the BDG‑group, 48.8% (84/172) patients received antifungals during the first 96 h after enrollment and 6% (10/167)
patients in the control group. Death until day 28 occurred in 58 of 172 patients (33.7%) in the BDG group and 51 of
167 patients (30.5%) in the control group (relative risk 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.80–1.51; p = 0.53). Median time
to antifungal therapy was 1.1 [interquartile range (IQR) 1.0–2.2] days in the BDG group and 4.4 (IQR 2.0–9.1, p < 0.01)
days in the control group.
Conclusions: Serum BDG guided antifungal treatment did not improve 28‑day mortality among sepsis patients with
risk factors for but unexpected low rate of IC. This study cannot comment on the potential benefit of BDG‑guidance in
a more selected at‑risk population
