Joint Modules and Internationalisation in Higher Education

This volume places the development of the Joint Module «Comparative Studies in Adult Education and Lifelong Learning» (COMPALL) in the context of international development in higher education and adult education. Based on this framework, the authors discuss the development of the joint module in terms of its institutional and didactical structure as well as participants’ motivation and diversity. The book is divided into three parts: (1) Internationalisation in Higher Education, (2) Internationalisation of Higher Education: The Case of Adult Education, and (3) Internationalisation of Higher Education: The Example of COMPALL.</P

Influence of the biotope on the tick infestation of cattle and on the tick-borne pathogen repertoire of cattle ticks in Ethiopia

Background: The majority of vector-borne infections occur in the tropics, including Africa, but molecular eco- epidemiological studies are seldom reported from these regions. In particular, most previously published data on ticks in Ethiopia focus on species distribution, and only a few molecular studies on the occurrence of tick-borne pathogens or on ecological factors influencing these. The present study was undertaken to evaluate, if ticks collected from cattle in different Ethiopian biotopes harbour (had access to) different pathogens. Methods: In South-Western Ethiopia 1032 hard ticks were removed from cattle grazing in three kinds of tick biotopes. DNA was individually extracted from one specimen of both sexes of each tick species per cattle. These samples were molecularly analysed for the presence of tick-borne pathogens. Results: Amblyomma variegatum was significantly more abundant on mid highland, than on moist highland. Rhipicephalus decoloratus was absent from savannah lowland, where virtually only A. cohaerens was found. In the ticks Coxiella burnetii had the highest prevalence on savannah lowland. PCR positivity to Theileria spp. did not appear to depend on the biotope, but some genotypes were unique to certain tick species. Significantly more A. variegatum specimens were rickettsia-positive, than those of other tick species. The presence of rickettsiae ( R. africae ) appeared to be associated with mid highland in case of A. variegatum and A. cohaerens . The low level of haemoplasma positivity seemed to be equally distributed among the tick species, but was restricted to one biotope type. Conclusions: The tick biotope, in which cattle are grazed, will influence not only the tick burden of these hosts, but also the spectrum of pathogens in their ticks. Thus, the presence of pathogens with alternative (non-tick-borne) transmission routes, with transstadial or with transovarial transmission by ticks appeared to be associated with the biotope type, with the tick species, or both, respectively

The more the micropapillary pattern in stage I lung adenocarcinoma, the worse the prognosis: a retrospective study on digitalized slides

Although the majority of lung adenocarcinomas show mixed pattern, only the predominant component is taken into account according to the novel classification. We evaluated the proportion of different patterns and their impact on overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Patterns were recorded according to predominance and their proportions were rated and calculated by objective area measuring on digitalized, annotated slides of resected stage I lung adenocarcinomas. Spearman’s rank correlation, Kaplan-Meier models and the log rank test were used for statistical evaluation. Two hundred forty-three stage I adenocarcinoma were included. Lepidic pattern is more frequent in tumours without recurrence (20 vs. 8%), and lepidic predominant tumours have favourable prognosis (OS 90.5%, DFS 89.4%), but proportions above 25% are not associated with improving outcome. Solid and micropapillary patterns are more frequent in patients with recurrence (48 vs. 5% and 13 vs. 4%) and predominance of each one is associated with unfavourable prognosis (OS 64.1%, DFS 56.3% and OS 28.1%, DFS 28.1%, respectively). Above 25%, a growing proportion of solid or micropapillary pattern is not associated with worsening prognosis. In contrast, tumours having micropapillary pattern as secondly predominant form a different intermediate group (OS 51.1%, DFS 57.8%). Our study was based on measured area of each growth pattern on all available slides digitalized. This is the most precise way of determining the size of each component from the material available. We propose using predominant and secondly predominant patterns for prognostic purposes, particularly in tumours having solid or micropapillary patterns. © 2018 Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Natur

Az Affektív Idegtudományi Személyiség Skálák (Affective Neuroscience Personality Scales) magyar változata

A Jaak Panksepp evolúciós alapokon nyugvó affektív idegtudományi elméletének keretein belül végzett kutatások új szemléletet jelentenek a személyiség megértésében abban a tekintetben, hogy feltárhatóvá válnak a személyiség affektív alapjai. A Panksepp és Davis által kidolgozott Affektív Idegtudományi Személyiség Skálák (ANPS) széles körben használt és elterjedt önjellemző mérőeszköz az elsődleges érzelmi vonások mérésére. Az ANPS három pozitív (KERESÉS, GONDOSKODÁS, JÁTÉKOSSÁG) és három negatív érzelmi skálát tartalmaz (DÜH, SZOMORÚSÁG, FÉLELEM), hetedik skálája pedig a Spiritualitás. Jóllehet az ANPS kérdőív 15 nyelven elérhető, magyar változata még nem készült. Jelen tanulmány célja e hiány pótlása és a kérdőív hazai adaptálása során kapott eredmények ismertetése. Egészséges felnőttek ( N = 910) körében végeztünk adatgyűjtést keresztmetszeti kutatás keretében. Az ANPS kérdőív mellett a résztvevők kitöltötték a Viselkedéses Gátló és Aktiváló Rendszer Skálákat (BIS/BAS) és a Pozitív és Negatív Affektivitás Skálákat (PANAS). Az ANPS kérdőív valamennyi skálája jó reliabilitásmutatóval rendelkezik (Cronbach-α = 0,74–0,90). A megerősítő faktorelemzés alátámasztja mind a kétfaktoros, mind a hatfaktoros érzelmi modellt. A konvergens és diszkriminatív validitás vizsgálata a várt eredményeket hozta. Az ANPS skálák magyar adaptációja megfelelő pszichometriai mutatókkal rendelkezik, és alkalmas az elsődleges érzelmi rendszerek mérésére. A kérdőív nemcsak affektív idegtudományi, klinikai pszichológiai és kulturális összehasonlító kutatásokban alkalmazható önkitöltős mérőeszközként, hanem olyan vizsgálatokban is, amelyek evolúciós pszichológiai szemléletben értelmezik az érzelmeket és a személyiséget

Clinical case report of Hepatozoon canis in the city of Cali

El Hepatozoon canis es un protozoario que parasita los leucocitos de los caninos, su huésped definitivo es la garrapata común (Riphicephalus sanguineus) y el perro es el huésped intermediario, el cual adquiere la infección al ingerir una garrapata infectada con el parásito, este continúa su multiplicación y diseminación en el perro ocasionando sintomatología y daños multisistémicos en el organismo (1). La hepatozoonosis canina es una enfermedad poco estudiada y confundida a nivel mundial con otras enfermedades transmitidas por garrapatas como lo son la Babesiosis y la Ehrlichiosis al presentar cuadros clínicos similares en los pacientes. En el reporte de este caso se evidenció un cuadro clínico poco especíifico con la enfermedad la cuál fue confirmada mediante frotis sanguíneo y observación microscópica al ser una de las formas más adecuadas para la diferenciación del parásito por su morfología específica. Los pacientes con Hepatozoon canis pueden ser asintomáticos o presentar variación en su sintomatología (2). Los pocos reportes a nivel mundial sobre el Hepatozoon canis llevan a un desconocimiento de clínicos y propietarios los cuales descartan la enfermedad y relacionan su sintomatología con otras enfermedades logrando así la no identificación de este protozoo, un mal abordaje y la no resolución del problema. Por esta razón la importancia de reportar y describir este caso clínico, para elaborar guías de abordaje clínico basados en la evidencia, los cuales sean de fácil acceso para los médicos veterinarios (3Hepatozoon canis is a protozoan that parasitizes canine leukocytes, its definitive host is the common tick (Riphicephalus sanguineus) and the dog is the intermediate host, which acquires the infection by ingesting a tick infected with the parasite, it continues its multiplication and dissemination in the dog causing symptoms and multisystemic damage in the body. Canine hepatozoonosis is a disease little studied and confused worldwide with other diseases transmitted by ticks such as Babesiosis and Ehrlichiosis, as it presents similar clinical pictures in patients. In the report of this case, nonspecific clinical picture with the desease was evidenced which was confirmed by blood smear and microscopic observation as it is one of the most appropriate ways for the differentiation of the parasite due to its specific morphology, patients with Hepatozoon canis can be asymptomatic or present variation in their symptoms. The few reports worldwide on Hepatozoon canis lead to a lack of knowledge of clinicians and owners who rule out the disease and relate its symptoms to other diseases, thus achieving a poor approach and nonresolution of the problem. For this reason, the importance of reporting and describing this clinical case, to develop evidence- based medical approach guides which are easily accessible to veterinarians.PregradoMédico(a) Veterinario(a) y Zootecnist

GrassPlot v. 2.00 – first update on the database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

Abstract: GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). Following a previous Long Database Report (Dengler et al. 2018, Phyto- coenologia 48, 331–347), we provide here the first update on content and functionality of GrassPlot. The current version (GrassPlot v. 2.00) contains a total of 190,673 plots of different grain sizes across 28,171 independent plots, with 4,654 nested-plot series including at least four grain sizes. The database has improved its content as well as its functionality, including addition and harmonization of header data (land use, information on nestedness, structure and ecology) and preparation of species composition data. Currently, GrassPlot data are intensively used for broad-scale analyses of different aspects of alpha and beta diversity in grassland ecosystems

Invalidity of Tokyo guidelines in acute biliary pancreatitis : A multicenter cohort analysis of 944 pancreatitis cases

There is a noteworthy overlap between the clinical picture of biliary acute pancreatitis (AP) and the 2018 Tokyo guidelines currently used for the diagnosis of cholangitis (AC) and cholecystitis (CC). This can lead to significant antibiotic and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) overuse.We aimed to assess the on-admission prevalence of AC/CC according to the 2018 Tokyo guidelines (TG18) in a cohort of biliary AP patients, and its association with antibiotic use, ERCP and clinically relevant endpoints.We conducted a secondary analysis of the Hungarian Pancreatic Study Group's prospective multicenter registry of 2195 AP cases. We grouped and compared biliary cases (n = 944) based on the on-admission fulfillment of definite AC/CC according to TG18. Aside from antibiotic use, we evaluated mortality, AC/CC/AP severity, ERCP performance and length of hospitalization. We also conducted a literature review discussing each criteria of the TG18 in the context of AP.27.8% of biliary AP cases fulfilled TG18 for both AC and CC, 22.5% for CC only and 20.8% for AC only. Antibiotic use was high (77.4%). About 2/3 of the AC/CC cases were mild, around 10% severe. Mortality was below 1% in mild and moderate AC/CC patients, but considerably higher in severe cases (12.8% and 21.2% in AC and CC). ERCP was performed in 89.3% of AC cases, common bile duct stones were found in 41.1%.Around 70% of biliary AP patients fulfilled the TG18 for AC/CC, associated with a high rate of antibiotic use. Mortality in presumed mild or moderate AC/CC is low. Each of the laboratory and clinical criteria are commonly fulfilled in biliary AP, single imaging findings are also unspecific-AP specific diagnostic criteria are needed, as the prevalence of AC/CC are likely greatly overestimated. Randomized trials testing antibiotic use are also warranted

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Chestnut Honey Is Effective against Mixed Biofilms at Different Stages of Maturity

The irresponsible overuse of antibiotics has increased the occurrence of resistant bacterial strains, which represents one of the biggest patient safety risks today. Due to antibiotic resistance and biofilm formation in bacteria, it is becoming increasingly difficult to suppress the bacterial strains responsible for various chronic infections. Honey was proven to inhibit bacterial growth and biofilm development, offering an alternative solution in the treatment of resistant infections and chronic wounds. Our studies included chestnut honey, valued for its high antibacterial activity, and the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and S. epidermidis, known to form multi-species biofilm communities. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of chestnut honey were determined for each bacterial strain. Afterwards, the mixed bacterial biofilms were treated with chestnut honey at different stages of maturity (incubation times: 2, 4, 6, 12, 24 h). The extent of biofilm inhibition was measured with a crystal violet assay and demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). As the incubation time increased and the biofilm became more mature, inhibition rates decreased gradually. The most sensitive biofilm was the combination MRSA-S. epidermidis, with a 93.5% inhibition rate after 2 h of incubation. Our results revealed that chestnut honey is suitable for suppressing the initial and moderately mature stages of mixed biofilms

Novel chymotrypsin C (CTRC) variants from real-world genetic testing of pediatric chronic pancreatitis cases

Chymotrypsin C (CTRC) protects the pancreas against unwanted intrapancreatic trypsin activity through degradation of trypsinogen. Loss-of-function CTRC variants increase the risk for chronic pancreatitis (CP). The aim of the present study was to characterize novel CTRC variants found during genetic testing of CP cases at a pediatric pancreatitis center.We used next-generation sequencing to screen patients. We analyzed the functional effects of CTRC variants in HEK 293T cells and using purified enzymes.In 5 separate cases, we detected 5 novel heterozygous CTRC variants: c.407C>T (p.Thr136Ile), c.550G>A (p.Ala184Thr), c.627Cdup (p.Ser210Leufs∗?, where the naming indicates a frame shift with no stop codon), c.628T>C (p.Ser210Pro), and c.779A>G (p.Asp260Gly). Functional studies revealed that with the exception of p.Ser210Leufs∗?, the CTRC variants were secreted normally from transfected cells. Enzyme activity of purified variants p.Thr136Ile, p.Ala184Thr, and p.Asp260Gly was similar to that of wild-type CTRC, whereas variant p.Ser210Pro was inactive. The frame-shift variant p.Ser210Leufs∗? was not secreted but accumulated intracellularly, and induced endoplasmic reticulum stress, as judged by elevated mRNA levels of HSPA5 and DDIT3, and increased mRNA splicing of XBP1.CTRC variants p.Ser210Pro and p.Ser210Leufs∗? abolish CTRC function and should be classified as pathogenic. Mechanistically, variant p.Ser210Pro directly affects the amino acid at the bottom of the substrate-binding pocket while the frame-shift variant promotes misfolding and thereby blocks enzyme secretion. Importantly, 3 of the 5 novel CTRC variants proved to be benign, indicating that functional analysis is indispensable for reliable determination of pathogenicity and the correct interpretation of genetic test results