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Neutralization of the Staphylococcus aureus Panton-Valentine leukocidin by African and Caucasian sera
No full textBackground: The prevalence of 'Staphylococcus aureus' isolates carrying the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene is higher in Africa (≈50%) compared to Europe (< 5%). The study aimed to measure anti-PVL-antibodies in Africans and Germans in a multi-center study and to test whether detected antibodies can neutralize the cytotoxic effect of PVL on polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). Methods: Sera from asymptomatic Africans (n = 22, Nigeria, Gabon) and Caucasians (n = 22, Germany) were used to quantify antibody titers against PVL and α-hemolysin (in arbitrary units [AU]) by ELISA. PMNs from one African and German donor were exposed to 5 nM recombinant PVL to measure the neutralizing effect of serial dilutions of pooled sera from African and Caucasian participants, or donor sera at 0.625 and 2.5% (v/v). Results: Anti-PVL-antibodies were significantly higher in Africans than in Germans (1.9 vs. 0.7 AU, p < 0.0001). The pooled sera from the study participants neutralized the cytotoxic effect of PVL on African and German PMNs in a dose dependent manner. Also, neutralization of PVL on PMNs from the African and German donors had a stronger effect with African sera (half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) = 0.27 and 0.47%, respectively) compared to Caucasian sera (IC50 = 3.51 and 3.59% respectively). Conclusion: Africans have higher levels of neutralizing anti-PVL-antibodies. It remains unclear if or at what level these antibodies protect against PVL-related diseases
Prosopagnosie bei Hochbegabten
No full textZiel dieser Arbeit war, die Prävalenz der kongenitalen Prosopagnosie (cPA), (das Unvermögen, Gesichter wiederzuerkennen) unter Menschen mit Hochbegabung (IQ130+) im Vergleich mit Schülern und Studenten zu ermitteln. Fragebogenbasiertes Screening und diagnostisches Interview ergaben unter 194 Hochbegabten (HB) 15,5%, unter 531 Studenten 2,3% und unter 485 Schülern 1,4% cPA. In Tests aus der Autismusforschung zeigten 68% der HB mit PA und 2% der HB ohne PA Autismus-Spektrum-Merkmale (ASC). Bei 10% der Hochbegabten liegt eine Triple-Assoziation von HB, cPA und ASC vor. Vermutlich verarbeiten sie bevorzugt systematisierbare visuelle Stimuli, da sie Gesichter als Objekte im inferioren Temporalgyrus verarbeiten. Gehirnen Hochbegabter wird eine Kleine-Welt-Netzwerkarchitektur zugeschrieben mit hocheffizienter Informationsausbreitung bei minimalen Leitungskosten. Ein hoher Abstraktionsgrad visueller Informationen könnte Bedingung für die effiziente Informationsausbreitung sein.The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of congenital prosopagnosia (cPA), (the inability to recognize faces) among people with giftedness (IQ130+) compared to high school and university students. Questionnaire-based screening and diagnostic interviewing revealed 15.5% cPA among 194 gifted people (HB), 2.3% among 531 students and 1.4% among 485 pupils. In tests from autism research, 68% of HB with PA and 52% of HB without PA showed autism spectrum traits (ASC). A triple association of HB, cPA and ASC is present in 10% of the gifted. Presumably, they prefer to process systematizable visual stimuli because they process faces as objects in the inferior temporal gyrus. Highly gifted brains are thought to have a small-world network architecture with highly efficient information propagation at minimal conduction cost. A high degree of abstraction of visual information could be a condition for efficient information propagation
Psychological Aspects of Syncopes and Possible Association with Recurrency—The Role of Implantable Loop Recorders
No full textSyncopes are a very common phenomenon and have a high recurrence rate. The differentiation between the psychogenic and physical, especially of arrhythmic origin, remains difficult. In many cases, an implantable loop recorder is used for the detection of possible arrhythmias, leading to syncopes. Yet, the existing literature suggests that psychological factors may play a significant role in recurrent syncopes. We aimed at analyzing the potential role of several psychological factors on the recurrence of arrhythmic or non-arrhythmic syncopes. Methods and results: A total of 119 patients, who had received an implantable loop recorder for recurrent syncopes at our center between 01/2018 and 12/2021, participated in this retrospective cohort study. Anxiety, depression and quality of life were assessed using extensively validated questionnaires (GAD-7, PHQ-9 and SF-12). The mean follow-up after loop recorder implantation was 710 ± 430 days and 50% of patients were female. The mean patient age was 54.8 ± 18.6 years. Most patients had no evidence of structural heart disease (84%), and normal LV function (92%). A statistical analysis revealed that the presence of structural heart disease was the strongest predictor for arrhythmic syncope during follow-up. In patients with non-arrhythmic syncopes, we found significantly higher levels of anxiety (GAD-7 score: 2.5 ± 2.6 vs. 4.8 ± 4.3) and depression (PHQ-9 score: 3.9 ± 3.6 vs. 6.8 ± 5.1), and a lower quality of life (SF-12 score: 33.7 ± 6.4 vs. 29.6 ± 7.8). Discussion: We identified factors as contributors to a better identification of patients at risk for arrhythmic as well as non-arrhythmic syncopes. Especially anxious or depressive symptoms may hinted at non-arrhythmic causes of syncope. However, the study was limited by its retrospective design and low patient number. Further trials should likewise combine the diagnostic yield of loop recorders with psychometric evaluations before implantation and combine it with additional diagnostic measures, such as video monitoring, to further examine the role of psychological factors in the pathomechanism and treatment of syncope
Quantifying resilience and the risk of regime shifts under strong correlated noise
No full textEarly warning indicators often suffer from the shortness and coarse-graining of real-world time series. Furthermore, the typically strong and correlated noise contributions in real applications are severe drawbacks for statistical measures. Even under favourable simulation conditions the measures are of limited capacity due to their qualitative nature and sometimes ambiguous trend-to-noise ratio. In order to solve these shortcomings, we analyze the stability of the system via the slope of the deterministic term of a Langevin equation, which is hypothesized to underlie the system dynamics close to the fixed point. The open-source available method is applied to a previously studied seasonal ecological model under noise levels and correlation scenarios commonly observed in real world data. We compare the results to autocorrelation, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis as leading indicator candidates by a Bayesian model comparison with a linear and a constant model. We show that the slope of the deterministic term is a promising alternative due to its quantitative nature and high robustness against noise levels and types. The commonly computed indicators apart from the autocorrelation with deseasonalization fail to provide reliable insights into the stability of the system in contrast to a previously performed study in which the standard deviation was found to perform best. In addition, we discuss the significant influence of the seasonal nature of the data to the robust computation of the various indicators, before we determine approximately the minimal amount of data per time window that leads to significant trends for the drift slope estimations
Ejaculate for Microbiological Culture: To Wash or Not To Wash?
No full textBacteria can be associated with male infertility. Antibacterial substances (e.g., zinc-containing proteins, antimicrobial peptides) in ejaculates might impair the growth of bacteria in culture. We therefore wanted to test if removing antibacterial substances by washing the ejaculate could improve the detection of bacteria in culture. All ejaculates from patients ≥18 years old, which were obtained for routine diagnostics to assess male infertility were included in this study (no exclusion criteria were applied). Test samples were diluted with 2 mL sterile 0.45% saline, vortexed, and centrifuged (5 min; 7.5 × g). After the removal of 2 mL of the supernatant and resuspension, 10 μL of the pellet was used for aerobic and anaerobic culture. Control samples were cultured identically but without washing. Species identification was done with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time of flight mass spectrometry. A total of 186 samples were included. The data set was stratified into five groups (Gram-negative rods [GNR], anaerobes [AN], 'Enterococcus' spp. [EC], coagulase-negative staphylococci [CNS], and viridans streptococci [VS]). Compared to the control arm, the test arm revealed significant lower proportions for CNS (59.1% versus 44.6%, P < 0.01) and VS (53.8% versus 41.9%, P = 0.03). Similarly, slightly lower proportions of GNR (16.1% versus 15.1%, P = 0.89), AN (19.9% versus 17.2%, P = 0.5), and EC (25.3% versus 23.1%, P = 0.63) were observed. The medians of CFU were lower in test samples compared to the control samples (6.5 × 103 versus 2.5 × 103, P < 0.01) for any bacterial growth. Lower colony counts were also observed for individual bacterial groups. In conclusion, preculture washing of ejaculates results in a decrease in total bacteria count and culture-positive samples
Epistola de gubernatione rei familiaris (niederdt.):Item eyne schone lefflicke lere vn[de] vnderwisinge wo eyn iewelick man syn huß regiren schal
No full textGerman Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of the Limb Deformity-Scoliosis Research Society (LD-SRS) Questionnaire
No full textBackground: Patient-reported outcome measures are gaining increasing importance in clinical research and quality control. Clinical impairment through limb deformities can appear in various forms. This study aimed at translating and culturally adaptating the Limb Deformity-Scoliosis Research Society (LD-SRS) patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) into German by following the scientific rigor of the cross-cultural adaptation process as well as ensuring the reliability of the translated version. The LD-SRS is applicable in children and adults. Methods: The translation was performed in accordance with the creators of the LD-SRS following the Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) guidelines for translation and cultural adaptation. Two forward translations were performed, and after a consensus meeting, a professional translator translated the PROM back to English. The creators reviewed the back translation of the preliminary German version. Thirty patients with upper and lower limb deformities participated in cognitive debriefing interviews. The version was proofread and, finally, the test-retest reliability was estimated. Results: The mean age was 19 years (range 6–61). Twenty-six patients (87%) completed the retest after 6 days (range 3–26). The internal consistency was estimated with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96 (range 0.94–0.97), and the intraclass correlation was 0.92 (range 0.89–0.94), indicating an excellent reliability. The scores were normally distributed. Thereafter, the German version was proofread and finalized. Conclusions: The German translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the LD-SRS score resulted in a high reliability and internal consistency. The German LD-SRS score is readily usable and may be applied in future studies of German-speaking limb deformity patients
Zusammenhaltsorientierte politische Bildung
No full textPolitische Bildung steht im Zentrum vieler Forderungen, wenn in Kontexten von demokratischer Krise und Regression nach Lösungen gesucht wird. Sie kommt häufig dann ins Spiel, wenn es darum geht, auf Vertrauensverluste gegenüber der Demokratie als Regierungsform, dem demokratischen Prozess und den politischen Eliten politisch zu reagieren. Darüber hinaus werden der Demokratieförderung durch politische Bildung auch gesamtgesellschaftlich deeskalisierende und deradikalisierende Effekte zugeschrieben. Das betrifft zuvörderst die Sorge um den gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt, denn Demokratie gilt in der Moderne als wesentlicher Treiber der gesellschaftlichen Inklusion von Bürger:innen.
Der vorliegende Sammelband trägt Arbeiten zusammen, die sich in internationaler Perspektive mit der Instrumentierung eines demokratischen Zusammenhaltsanliegens durch politische Bildung auseinandersetzen. Dabei geht es nicht nur um erklärte Politikziele und die curriculare Operationalisierung demokratischer Bürgerschaftlichkeit (citizenship), sondern auch um die Frage, gegenüber welchen Gruppen sich gesellschaftspolitische Steuerung durch politische Bildung in welchen Steuerungsformen artikuliert. In den Beiträgen wird herausgearbeitet, dass die Umsetzung von Zusammenhaltspolitik in der Bildung neue Grenzziehungen hervorbringen kann. Dies verändet die politische Bildung selbst und stellt die in ihr handelnden Professionellen vor beachtliche Herausforderungen und Handlungsdilemmata
Identifizierung neuer Interaktionspartner des Pals1-Associated Tight Junction Protein (PATJ) mithilfe des mating-based-Split-Ubiquitin Systems (mbSUS)
No full textDer Crumbs-Komplex, bestehend aus den Proteinen Crb, Pals1 und PATJ, ist ein essenzieller Bestandteil für die Aufrechterhaltung der Zellpolarität und reguliert verschiedene zelluläre Prozesse. Obwohl bereits verschiedene Interaktionspartner der PDZ-Domänen von PATJ bekannt sind, sind für viele PDZ-Domänen noch keine Bindungsproteine identifiziert. Ziel meiner Arbeit ist; mittels des mbSUS-Systems neue Interaktionspartner für PATJ zu identifizieren. Durch einen Interaktionsscreen wurden folgende Bindungspartner identifiziert: LAMTOR2, JWA, INF2, ID2 und Thioredoxin-1. Studien haben bereits gezeigt, dass diese Proteine an der Zellproliferation, Tumorprogression und der Regulation von Signalwegen wie dem PI3/AKT/mTOR- und dem RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK-Signalweg, beteiligt sind