68 research outputs found
Ascitesâ neutrophil function is significantly impaired in patients with decompensated cirrhosis but can be restored by autologous plasma incubation
Systemic immune cell dysfunction is a typical feature of liver diseases and
increases the risk of bacterial infection, especially spontaneous bacterial
peritonitis. We evaluated functional properties of neutrophil granulocytes in
blood and ascites of patients both with and without decompensated cirrhosis.
We collected blood and ascites samples from 63 patients with cirrhosis and
eight without cirrhosis. Phagocytosis activity (PA) and oxidative burst
activity (OBA) were evaluated after ex vivo stimulation with E. coli, while
fluorescence signals were measured by flow cytometry. Ascitesâ neutrophil
function tests were repeated after incubation with autologous plasma. Ascitesâ
neutrophils showed an impaired PA and OBA (median blood PA 98.1% (86.8â99.8)
vs. ascitesâ PA 50.5% (0.4â97.3), pâ<â0.0001; median blood OBA 98.7%
(27.5â100) vs. ascitesâ OBA 27.5% (0.3â96.7), pâ<â0.0001). Patients with non-
cirrhotic ascites showed higher PA but equally suppressed OBA. Ascitesâ
neutrophil function could be partially restored after incubation with
autologous plasma (median increase PA: 22.5% (â49.7 â +93.2), pâ=â0.002; OBA:
22.8% (â10.4 â +48.8), pâ=â0.002). Ascitesâ neutrophils of patients with
cirrhosis are functionally impaired, but could be partially restored after
incubation with plasma. Further investigations are needed to identify the
factors in ascites that are associated with neutrophilsâ function
Folgen der schnellen Entwicklung der Beförderungsverfahren mit Spezialschiffen (Container-Schiffe, Roll-on/Roll-of-Schiffe, LeichtertrĂ€ger (LASH), Seeleichter) fĂŒr den Ausbau und den Betrieb der HĂ€fen und der Binnenwasserstrassen. Wirtschaftliche Vorteile, technische Merkmale, Integration in den Verkehr und Probleme der Normung
Farewell, welfare state â hello, welfare regions? Chances and constraints of welfare management in the German federal system
The German welfare state is in crisis. Alarming long-term demographic trends, the still not fully digested consequences of German unification and the current economic downturn in much of the Eurozone have combined to create an urgent need for welfare reform. Yet the constitutional arrangements which govern the German political system, and well-entrenched political practice, mean that any such reform process is a daunting challenge. Thus, the welfare crisis is also a crisis of German-style co-operative federalism. Current empirical evidence makes for uncomfortable reading, and triggers debate on the nature of the German federation: have the two constitutional principles of federalism and establishing equal living conditions throughout the federation become mutually exclusive? However, as much of the welfare state is centred on the best utilisation of scarce financial resources, it is debatable to what extent alterations in the functional distribution of welfare responsibilities among the territorial levels of government can be regarded as a solution for the current problems. The article concludes that in the search for long-term sustainability of the welfare state the territorial dimension is likely to remain a secondary issue
Outcome Prediction in Patients with Severe COVID-19 Requiring Extracorporeal Membrane OxygenationâA Retrospective International Multicenter Study
The role of veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation therapy (V-V ECMO) in
severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is still under debate and conclusive
data from large cohorts are scarce. Furthermore, criteria for the selection of patients that benefit most
from this highly invasive and resource-demanding therapy are yet to be defined. In this study, we
assess survival in an international multicenter cohort of COVID-19 patients treated with V-V ECMO
and evaluate the performance of several clinical scores to predict 30-day survival. Methods: This is
an investigator-initiated retrospective non-interventional international multicenter registry study
(NCT04405973, first registered 28 May 2020). In 127 patients treated with V-V ECMO at 15 centers in
Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, and the United States, we calculated the Sequential Organ
Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II (SAPS II), Acute Physiology And Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II) Score, Respiratory Extracorporeal Membrane
Oxygenation Survival Prediction (RESP) Score, Predicting Death for Severe ARDS on V-V ECMO
(PRESERVE) Score, and 30-day survival. Results: In our study cohort which enrolled 127 patients,
overall 30-day survival was 54%. Median SOFA, SAPS II, APACHE II, RESP, and PRESERVE were 9,
36, 17, 1, and 4, respectively. The prognostic accuracy for all these scores (area under the receiver
operating characteristicâAUROC) ranged between 0.548 and 0.605. Conclusions: The use of scores
for the prediction of mortality cannot be recommended for treatment decisions in severe COVID-19
ARDS undergoing V-V ECMO; nevertheless, scoring results below or above a specific cut-off value
may be considered as an additional tool in the evaluation of prognosis. Survival rates in this cohort of
COVID-19 patients treated with V-V ECMO were slightly lower than those reported in non-COVID-19
ARDS patients treated with V-V ECMO
withdrawn 2017 hrs ehra ecas aphrs solaece expert consensus statement on catheter and surgical ablation of atrial fibrillation
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JANUAR 1933. Anmerkungen zu Hans-Ulrich Wehlers Interpretation der âMachtergreifungâ aus verfassungshistorischer Sicht
Die Ereignisse des Januar 1933 sind fĂŒr die âMachtergreifungâ entscheidend gewesen. DarĂŒber besteht Einigkeit. Nicht aber darĂŒber, wie sie zu interpretieren sind. Im 4. Band seiner âDeutschen Gesellschaftsgeschichteâ deutet Hans-Ulrich Wehler im Lichte der Theorie vom âDeutschen Sonderwegâ das Geschehen so, dass die âfolgenschweren Entscheidungen, die zum 30. Januar 1933 fĂŒhrtenâ, im âkleinen Kreisâ von ReprĂ€sentanten der traditionellen Machteliten (Industrie, GroĂagrarier, Reichswehr) getroffen worden seien. Die Akteure hĂ€tten dabei, âhabituellâ in die mentalen Strukturen ihrer Provenienz eingebunden, im Sinne der âkollektiven Interessen und Machtzieleâ dieser Eliten gehandelt. An diesem âstrukturgeschichtlichenâ Interpretationsansatz wird in dem Beitrag eine grundsĂ€tzliche Kritik sowohl im Hinblick auf die Fakten als auch auf die methodische Vorgehensweise geĂŒbt und dem eine verfassungshistorisch orientierte Interpretation gegenĂŒber gestellt
Spenkuch, Hartwin: Das PreuĂische Herrenhaus. Adel und BĂŒrgertum in der Ersten Kammer des Landtages 1854-1918
HĂŒrten, Heinz: Reichswehr und Ausnahmezustand. Ein Beitrag zur Verfassungsproblematik der Weimarer Republik in ihrem ersten JahrfĂŒnft
Brandt, Hartwig: Der lange Weg in die demokratische Moderne. Deutsche VerfassungsÂgeschichte von 1800 bis 1945
Burgdorf, Wolfgang: Reichskonstitution und Nation. Verfassungsreformprojekte fĂŒr das Heilige Römische Reich Deutscher Nation
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