Qucosa - Publikationsserver der Universität Leipzig
Not a member yet
16020 research outputs found
Sort by
Effects of person–occupation political orientation misfit on occupational identification: An experimental study
No full textResearchers and practitioners have become increasingly interested in the role of political orientation in the workplace. Importantly, people do not always agree with other members of their profession when it comes to politics. However, the effects of such person–occupation political orientation misfit on people's work-related attitudes remain unclear. According to the social identity perspective, person–occupation political orientation misfit is likely to lead to the experience of identity threat, which in turn should negatively impact people's occupational identification. To address this idea empirically, the goal of this study was to examine the influence of different political depictions of the field of industrial and organizational (I–O) psychology (i.e. as generally neoliberal, left-wing, pluralistic, or neutral) on I–O psychologists' occupational identification, depending on their personal political orientation (i.e. more or less liberal vs. conservative). Specifically, we hypothesized that experiencing person–occupation political orientation misfit would reduce occupational identification. Results of an experiment (n = 800 I–O psychology academics and practitioners) provided some support for this hypothesis, suggesting specifically that person–occupation political orientation misfit might alienate people with a more conservative political orientation from their occupation
Fecal Calprotectin Concentrations in Cats with Chronic Enteropathies
No full textDiagnosis of feline chronic inflammatory enteropathies (CIE) and the differentiation from small cell intestinal lymphoma (SCL) can be challenging. Intestinally expressed calprotectin (S100A8/A9 protein complex) appears to be part of the complex pathogenesis of feline chronic enteropathies (FCE). Fecal calprotectin is a non-invasive biomarker for intestinal inflammation in humans and dogs but has not yet been evaluated in cats. We hypothesized that fecal calprotectin (fCal) concentrations are increased in FCE, correlate with clinical and/or histologic disease severity, and distinguish cases of CIE from SCL. This case–control study included fecal samples and patient data from cats with CIE (n = 34), SCL (n = 17), other gastrointestinal (GI) diseases (n = 16), and cats with no clinical signs of GI disease (n = 32). fCal concentrations were measured using the immunoturbidimetric fCal turbo assay (Bühlmann Laboratories). Compared to healthy cats, fCal concentrations were significantly increased in CIE, SCL, and other diseases (all p 0.05), or between cats with extra-GI diseases and healthy controls. These findings suggest that fCal may have utility as a clinical biomarker for FCE but not for intestinal disease differentiation. It further supports the role of calprotectin in the pathogenesis of the spectrum of FCE, which includes CIE and SCL
Impact of Shape Irregularity in Medial Sphenoid Wing Meningiomas on Postoperative Cranial Nerve Functioning, Proliferation, and Progression-Free Survival
No full textMedial sphenoid wing meningiomas (MSWM) are surgically challenging skull base tumors. Irregular tumor shapes are thought to be linked to histopathology. The present study aims to investigate the impact of tumor shape on postoperative functioning, progression-free survival, and neuropathology. This monocentric study included 74 patients who underwent surgery for primary sporadic MSWM (WHO grades 1 and 2) between 2010 and 2021. Furthermore, a systematic review of the literature regarding meningioma shape and the MIB-1 index was performed. Irregular MSWM shapes were identified in 31 patients (41.9%). Multivariable analysis revealed that irregular shape was associated with postoperative cranial nerve deficits (OR: 5.75, 95% CI: 1.15–28.63, p = 0.033). In multivariable Cox regression analysis, irregular MSWM shape was independently associated with tumor progression (HR:8.0, 95% CI: 1.04–62.10, p = 0.046). Multivariable regression analysis showed that irregular shape is independently associated with an increased MIB-1 index (OR: 7.59, 95% CI: 2.04–28.25, p = 0.003). A systematic review of the literature and pooled data analysis, including the present study, showed that irregularly shaped meningiomas had an increase of 1.98 (95% CI: 1.38–2.59, p < 0.001) in the MIB-1 index. Irregular MSWM shape is independently associated with an increased risk of postoperative cranial nerve deficits and a shortened time to tumor progression. Irregular MSWM shapes might be caused by highly proliferative tumors
Biomechanical Performance of a Novel Implant Design in Simulated Extraction Sites and Sinuslift Procedures
No full textWith increasing experience and in an attempt to shorten overall treatment times, implant placement in combination with tooth extractions and sinus lift procedures has become popular. In both cases, primary stability has to be achieved by either engaging apical and oral regions of trabecular bone or by engaging residual host bone beneath the sinus cavity. Extraction sites were formed by pressing a root analog into homogeneous low density polyurethane foam which was used as bone surrogate while a 3 mm thick sheet of medium density foam was used for mimicking a sinus lift situation. Two types (n = 10) of bone level implants with a conventional tapered design and a cervical back taper (NobelActive; control) and a novel design characterized by a shift in core diameter and thread geometry (AlfaGate; test) were placed in these models following conventional osteotomy preparation. Insertion torque was measured using a surgical motor and primary stability was determined by resonance frequency analysis. Statistical analysis was based on Welch two sample t tests with the level of significance set at α = 0.05. In sinuslifting, NobelActive implants required significantly higher insertion torques as compared to AlfaGate (p = 0.000) but did not achieve greater implant stability (p = 0.076). In extraction sites, AlfaGate implants showed both, significantly higher insertion torques (p = 0.004) and significantly greater implant stability (p = 0.000). The novel implant design allowed for greater primary stability when being placed in simulated extraction sockets and sinuslift situations. While in extraction sockets the position of condensing threads in combination with an increase in core diameter is beneficial, the deep cervical threads of the novel implant lead to superior performance in sinuslift situations
High resolution monitoring of valvular interstitial cell driven pathomechanisms in procalcific environment using label-free impedance spectroscopy
No full textIntroduction: Fibro-calcific aortic valve disease has high prevalence and is associated with significant mortality. Fibrotic extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and calcific mineral deposition change the valvular microarchitecture and deteriorate valvular function. Valvular interstitial cells (VICs) in profibrotic or procalcifying environment are frequently used in vitro models. However, remodeling processes take several days to weeks to develop, even in vitro. Continuous monitoring by real-time impedance spectroscopy (EIS) may reveal new insights into this process.
Methods: VIC-driven ECM remodeling stimulated by procalcifying (PM) or profibrotic medium (FM) was monitored by label-free EIS. Collagen secretion, matrix mineralization, viability, mitochondrial damage, myofibroblastic gene expression and cytoskeletal alterations were analyzed.
Results and Discussion: EIS profiles of VICs in control medium (CM) and FM were comparable. PM reproducibly induced a specific, biphasic EIS profile. Phase 1 showed an initial impedance drop, which moderately correlated with decreasing collagen secretion (r = 0.67, p = 0.22), accompanied by mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization and cell death. Phase 2 EIS signal increase was positively correlated with augmented ECM mineralization (r = 0.97, p = 0.008). VICs in PM decreased myofibroblastic gene expression (p < 0.001) and stress fiber assembly compared to CM. EIS revealed sex-specific differences. Male VICs showed higher proliferation and in PM EIS decrease in phase 1 was significantly pronounced compared to female VICs (male minimum: 7.4 ± 4.2%, female minimum: 26.5 ± 4.4%, p < 0.01). VICs in PM reproduced disease characteristics in vitro remarkably fast with significant impact of donor sex. PM suppressed myofibroblastogenesis and favored ECM mineralization. In summary, EIS represents an efficient, easy-to-use, high-content screening tool enabling patient-specific, subgroup- and temporal resolution
A conceptual study on the relationship between daily stressors, stressful life events, and mental health in refugees using network analysis
No full textIntroduction: There is growing recognition that daily stressors, such as social and material deficiencies, can be highly detrimental to the mental health of refugees. These stressors are in addition to stressful life events, which have been widely studied in the context of migration and forced displacement. Despite increasing evidence for an ecological model, there is still no consensus regarding the conceptualization of these highly influential factors. In particular, the demarcation of daily stressors from stressful life events and the categorization of daily stressors require further examination in order to develop usable and accurate tools for researchers, design effective interventions for practitioners and assist politicians in designing meaningful policies.
Methods: To address these challenges, we used data from a sample of 392 unaccompanied young refugees from diverse backgrounds and employed network analysis to examine the relationships between daily stressors, stressful life events, and symptoms of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.
Results: Our findings highlight the significant relationship between daily stressors and mental health, particularly depression. Meaningful clusters of daily stressors include material stressors, social stressors, and social exclusion stressors.
Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the importance of considering daily stressors in the mental health of refugees and suggest that using a network approach offers a viable way to study these complex interrelationships. These findings have implications for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers in understanding and addressing the mental health needs of refugees
Indroduction: The Legacy of Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859): a Critical Reappraisal 250 Years on
No full textEditorial: White matter dementia: neuropathological and neuropsychological underpinnings and state of the art diagnosis methods and treatments
No full textEditorial on the Research Topic:
White matter dementia: neuropathological and neuropsychological
underpinnings and state of the art diagnosis methods and treatment
Fully automated annotation of mitochondrial genomes using a cluster-based approach with de Bruijn graphs
No full textA wide range of scientific fields, such as forensics, anthropology, medicine, and molecular evolution, benefits from the analysis of mitogenomic data. With the development of new sequencing technologies, the amount of mitochondrial sequence data to be analyzed has increased exponentially over the last few years. The accurate annotation of mitochondrial DNA is a prerequisite for any mitogenomic comparative analysis. To sustain with the growth of the available mitochondrial sequence data, highly efficient automatic computational methods are, hence, needed. Automatic annotation methods are typically based on databases that contain information about already annotated (and often pre-curated) mitogenomes of different species. However, the existing approaches have several shortcomings: 1) they do not scale well with the size of the database; 2) they do not allow for a fast (and easy) update of the database; and 3) they can only be applied to a relatively small taxonomic subset of all species. Here, we present a novel approach that does not have any of these aforementioned shortcomings, (1), (2), and (3). The reference database of mitogenomes is represented as a richly annotated de Bruijn graph. To generate gene predictions for a new user-supplied mitogenome, the method utilizes a clustering routine that uses the mapping information of the provided sequence to this graph. The method is implemented in a software package called DeGeCI (De Bruijn graph Gene Cluster Identification). For a large set of mitogenomes, for which expert-curated annotations are available, DeGeCI generates gene predictions of high conformity. In a comparative evaluation with MITOS2, a state-of-the-art annotation tool for mitochondrial genomes, DeGeCI shows better database scalability while still matching MITOS2 in terms of result quality and providing a fully automated means to update the underlying database. Moreover, unlike MITOS2, DeGeCI can be run in parallel on several processors to make use of modern multi-processor systems
Oral Health Screening for Risk Reduction for Early Periprosthetic Joint Infections of Hip and Knee Endoprostheses: Results of a Prospective Cohort Study
No full textThis prospective observational study had two aims: (I) to assess whether a preoperative dental screening before endoprosthesis (EP) implantation with need-based dental intervention would decrease the prevalence of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) and (II) to evaluate whether instructed orthopedic surgeons would achieve similar results in oral screening as dentists. The preoperative oral health statuses of the patients, prior to EP insertion, were either evaluated by the patients’ general dentists (Ia) or, if the patient had not visited a general dentist, by an instructed orthopedic surgeon (Ib). Both the dentist and orthopedic surgeon used standardized risk estimation (low risk, moderate risk, and high risk) for an oral-health-related infectious complication after EP insertion, including a recommendation for further management of the patient. If required, a need-based dental rehabilitation was performed. In addition, retrospective data evaluation of a comparison group (II) was performed, which had not been screened orally preoperatively. A total of 777 patients (screening group (I): n = 402, of which 229 were screened by a dentist (Ia), 173 were screened by an orthopedic surgeon (Ib); comparison group (II): n = 375) were included. No general association between early infection rate and preoperative oral screening in general was found (1% PJI in screening group (I), 1.6% PJI in comparison group (II); p = 0.455). However, screening performance (dentist vs. orthopedic surgeon) had a significant impact on the prevalence of developed PJIs (p = 0.021). Thereby, 100% of observed infections in the screening group (I) occurred in the group with previous oral screening by an orthopedic surgeon (Ib). Furthermore, the C-reactive protein (CRP) value at discharge was significantly lower when general preoperative oral screening had been performed (group I vs. group II, p = 0.03). Only preoperative oral screening by a dentist had the potential to reduce oral-focus-associated EP infections; therefore, increased attention should be paid to the further promotion of interdisciplinary work between dentists and orthopedic surgeons. Dental screenings, using objectifiable criteria, as applied in this study, seem reasonable but require further validation in larger cohorts