115 research outputs found
Aktueller Stand der Seminarprogramme für die Weiterbildung zum Facharzt für Allgemeinmedizin
No full textAktueller Stand der Seminarprogramme für die Weiterbildung zum Facharzt für Allgemeinmedizin
No full textMycobacterium tuberculosis and trypanosoma brucei as models for the TLR-dependent activation of the innate immune system
No full textIncludes bibliographical references
Seminar program for postgraduate specialty training in general practice: proposal for a 5-year thematic catalogue
No full textIntroduction: In different German regions, seminar programs have been conducted for General practice residents. In each region, selection and teaching of learning content is conducted in a different manner. So far, no structured, standardized curriculum has been implemented nationwide. We have investigated, if the development of a common 5-year program of learning topics is conceivable between the different university departments of General practice in Germany.Method: The seminar program working group of the DEGAM (German College of General Practitioners and Family Physicians) has conducted an online survey based on information gathered via preliminary telephone conference (n=7; physicians with postgraduate teaching experience) among all German university departments of General Practice and two non-university teaching institutions, identified via the internet. 884 topics were extracted from 14 Seminar programs. The topics were entered in a database, discussed and categorized: Practice management/practice work flow/standardized documentation forms/quality management (n=33 topics), common acute and chronic diseases, including disease management programs (n=29 topics), communication, neurological, psychological and psychiatric consultations (n=24 topics), common medical problems, including eye, ear, nose, throat, skin and pediatric problems (n=99 Topics) family physicians general approach, including epidemiology, shared decision making, test of time (n=42 Topics). These topics have been rated for priority and desirable number of teaching-units.Results: A catalogue of 111 topics was designed, encompassing 160 teaching units. There is a suggestion of wide topics collections plus an add-on catalogue.Conclusion: A proposal for a 5-year-thematic catalogue for postgraduate training of general practice residents in Germany has been developed. This newly developed curriculum has the potential to improve knowledge and skills that have not been covered during in-house and ambulatory general practice residencies
Mouse models for pathogenic African trypanosomes: unravelling the immunology of host-parasite-vector interactions
No full textAfrican trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease that affects a variety of mammals, including humans, on the sub-Saharan African continent. To understand the diverse parameters that govern the host-parasite-vector interactions, mouse models for the disease have proven to be a cornerstone. Despite the fact that most trypanosomes cannot be considered natural pathogens for rodents, experimental infections in mice have shed a tremendous amount of light on the general biology of these parasites and their interaction with and evasion of the mammalian immune system. Different aspects including inflammation, vaccine failure, antigenic variation, resistance/sensitivity to normal human serum and the influence of tsetse compounds on parasite transmission have all been addressed using mouse models. In more recent years, the introduction of various 'knock-out' mouse strains has allowed to analyse the implication of various cytokines, particularly TNF, IFNgamma and IL-10, in the regulation of parasitaemia and induction of pathological conditions during infection
Crystal structure of the complex between Nb474 and Trypanosoma congolense fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase
No full textTNF-alpha plays a key role in the regulation of the experimental infection with Trypanosoma brucei
No full textOver the past years, TNF-alpha-induction was shown to be associated with the clinical severity of African trypanosome infections. In this context, a profound study was made in order to analyze (i) the components involved in infection-associated TNF-alpha induction, and (ii) the possible effect of TNF-alpha on the trypanosome itself. Results showed that the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG), released from the trypanosome surface by the activation of a phospholipase C, triggers TNF-alpha secretion by macrophages. On the other hand, the membrane-bound GPI/VSG was found to induce a LPS hypersensitivity in macrophages. Close analysis of the effects of trypanosomiasis-associated TNF-alpha induction in vivo, revealed that TNF-alpha is crucial for the control of the level of parasitaemia. Moreover, it was demonstrated that TNF-alpha exerts a direct in vitro trypanolytic activity on trypanosomes when isolated during the peak stage of infection. Finally, TNF-alpha was found to play a crucial role in the trypanosomiasis-associated induction of suppressive macrophages. Together, these results indicate that trypanosome-induced TNF-alpha-production might play a key role in the infection-associated immunopathology and immunosuppression, and in the outcome of natural trypanosome infections
Mechanisms controlling anaemia in Trypanosoma congolense infected mice.
No full textTrypanosoma congolense are extracellular protozoan parasites of the blood stream of artiodactyls and are one of the main constraints on cattle production in Africa. In cattle, anaemia is the key feature of disease and persists after parasitaemia has declined to low or undetectable levels, but treatment to clear the parasites usually resolves the anaemia. The progress of anaemia after Trypanosoma congolense infection was followed in three mouse strains. Anaemia developed rapidly in all three strains until the peak of the first wave of parasitaemia. This was followed by a second phase, characterized by slower progress to severe anaemia in C57BL/6, by slow recovery in surviving A/J and a rapid recovery in BALB/c. There was no association between parasitaemia and severity of anaemia. Furthermore, functional T lymphocytes are not required for the induction of anaemia, since suppression of T cell activity with Cyclosporin A had neither an effect on the course of infection nor on anaemia. Expression of genes involved in erythropoiesis and iron metabolism was followed in spleen, liver and kidney tissues in the three strains of mice using microarrays. There was no evidence for a response to erythropoietin, consistent with anaemia of chronic disease, which is erythropoietin insensitive. However, the expression of transcription factors and genes involved in erythropoiesis and haemolysis did correlate with the expression of the inflammatory cytokines Il6 and Ifng. The innate immune response appears to be the major contributor to the inflammation associated with anaemia since suppression of T cells with CsA had no observable effect. Several transcription factors regulating haematopoiesis, Tal1, Gata1, Zfpm1 and Klf1 were expressed at consistently lower levels in C57BL/6 mice suggesting that these mice have a lower haematopoietic capacity and therefore less ability to recover from haemolysis induced anaemia after infection
Chronic Trypanosoma congolense infections in mice cause a sustained disruption of the B-cell homeostasis in the bone marrow and spleen
No full textTrypanosoma congolense is one of the main species responsible for Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT). As preventive vaccination strategies for AAT have been unsuccessful so far, investigating the mechanisms underlying vaccine failure has to be prioritized. In T.brucei and T.vivax infections, recent studies revealed a rapid onset of destruction of the host B-cell compartment, resulting in the loss of memory recall capacity. To assess such effect in experimental T.congolense trypanosomosis, we performed infections with both the cloned Tc13 parasite, which is considered as a standard model system for T.congolense rodent infections and the noncloned TRT55 field isolate. These infections differ in their virulence level in the C57BL/6 mouse model for trypanosomosis. We show that early on, an irreversible depletion of all developmental B cells stages occur. Subsequently, in the spleen, a detrimental decrease in immature B cells is followed by a significant and permanent depletion of Marginal zone B cells and Follicular B cells. The severity of these events later on in infection correlated with the virulence level of the parasite stock. In line with this, it was observed that later-stage infection-induced IgGs were largely nonspecific, in particular in the more virulent TRT55 infection model
Evaluation von berufsbegleitenden Seminarprogrammen während der Weiterbildung zum Facharzt/ärztin für Allgemeinmedizin in Deutschland
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