No genetic evidence for involvement of Deltaretroviruses in adult patients with precursor and mature T-cell neoplasms

Background The Deltaretrovirus genus comprises viruses that infect humans (HTLV), various simian species (STLV) and cattle (BLV). HTLV-I is the main causative agent in adult T-cell leukemia in endemic areas and some of the simian T-cell lymphotropic viruses have been implicated in the induction of malignant lymphomas in their hosts. BLV causes enzootic bovine leukosis in infected cattle or sheep. During the past few years several new Deltaretrovirus isolates have been described in various primate species. Two new HTLV-like viruses in humans have recently been identified and provisionally termed HTLV-III and HTLV-IV. In order to identify a broad spectrum of Deltaretroviruses by a single PCR approach we have established a novel consensus PCR based on nucleotide sequence data obtained from 42 complete virus isolates (HTLV-I/-II, STLV-I/-II/-III, BLV). The primer sequences were based on highly interspecies-conserved virus genome regions. We used this PCR to detect Deltaretroviruses in samples from adult patients with a variety of rare T-cell neoplasms in Germany. Results: The sensitivity of the consensus PCR was at least between 10-2 and 10-3 with 100% specificity as demonstrated by serial dilutions of cell lines infected with either HTLV-I, HTLV-II or BLV. Fifty acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) samples and 33 samples from patients with various rare mature T-cell neoplasms (T-PLL, Sezary syndrome and other T-NHL) were subsequently investigated. There were no cases with HTLV-I, HTLV-II or any other Deltaretroviruses. Conclusions: The results rule out a significant involvement of HTLV-I or HTLV-II in these disease entities and show that other related Deltaretroviruses are not likely to be involved. The newly established Deltaretrovirus PCR may be a useful tool for identifying new Deltaretroviruses

Issues of Implied Trust in Ethical Hacking

Crowdwork involves paid work organised through online platforms. As a relatively new form of employment, a range of issues have emerged around work practices and contractual arrangements between the three parties: task requesters, crowdworkers, and platform owners. In this paper we examine some of the issues associated with workers’ experience of crowdwork that have been raised in recent years. We then outline how the affordances offered by another emerging technology, blockchain, could be used to address some of those issues. Based on a conceptual, scenario-based exercise, we argue that there is considerable potential for blockchain technology to manage the transaction-based aspects of crowdwork processes and contractual arrangements to make them fairer and more transparent, but without necessarily incurring excessive overhead costs. However, despite the claimed “democratizing” effect of blockchain, some structural issues associated with managing work are not likely to be improved by blockchain-based solutions

Der städtebauliche Vertrag als rechtliches Instrument der Kooperation mit Privaten bei der Baulandentwicklung

Die Arbeit stellt die Einsatzmöglichkeiten und die Grenzen städtebaulicher Verträge anhand zahlreicher Fälle aus der Praxis dar. Ausgehend von der Erkenntnis, daß ein optimales wirtschaftliches Verhandlungsergebnis mehr voraussetzt als eine rechtlich fehlerfreie Vertragskonstruktion, beleuchtet die Arbeit auch die Erfolgsbedingungen des Vertragsmanagements und der Vertragsgestaltung. Teil 1 gibt einen Überblick über den städtebaulichen Vertrag als rechtliches Instrument der Kooperation mit Privaten bei der Baulandentwicklung und -erschließung. Dabei werden insbesondere die unterschiedlichen Interessen und Ziele der Gemeinde und des Vorhabenträgers einbezogen. Der zweite Teil lotet die Grenzen städtebaulicher Verträge aus und geht auf strafrechtliche Risiken ein. Teil 3 widmet sich der ausführlichen Darstellung der einzelnen Vertagstypen des § 11 BauGB, des Erschließungsvertrages nach § 124 BauGB und des Durchführungsvertrages zum vorhabenbezogenen Bebauungsplan nach § 12 BauGB. Sodann untersucht Teil 4 die Erfolgsbedingungen des Vertragsmanagement als Teil des kommunalen Flächenmanagements. Besonders eingegangen wird dabei auf die Notwendigkeit einer angemessenen Organisations- und Kommunikationsstruktur, die städtebauliche Kalkulation sowie die realistische Einschätzung der eigenen Verhandlungsposition. Die Schwierigkeiten des Vertragsmanagements, die beim Abschluß städtebaulicher Verträge zu bewältigen sind, werden eingehend behandelt. Zentrale Aspekte der Vertragsgestaltung, insbesondere mögliche Sicherungen zur Erfüllung der vertraglichen Pflichten, sind Gegenstand von Teil 5. Abschließend betrachtet Teil 6 die Folgen von Leistungsstörungen. Erfaßt werden Leistungsstörungen in der Sphäre der Gemeinde, Leistungsstörungen in der Sphäre des Vorhabenträgers sowie Vertragsanpassungsansprüche bei Änderungen der wirtschaftlichen Rahmenbedingungen

THE DOSIS AND DOSIS 3D EXPERIMENTS ON-BOARD THE INTERNA- TIONAL SPACE STATION - CURRENT STATUS AND LATEST DATA FROM THE DOSTELS AS ACTIVE INSTRUMENTS

Besides the effects of the microgravity environment, and the psychological and psychosocial problems encountered in confined spaces, radiation is the main health detriment for long duration human space missions. The radiation environment encountered in space differs in nature from that on earth, consisting mostly of high energetic ions from protons up to iron, resulting in radiation levels far exceeding the ones encountered on earth for occupational radiation workers. Accurate knowledge of the physical characteristics of the space radiation field in dependence on the solar activity, the orbital parameters and the different shielding configurations of the International Space Station ISS is therefore needed. For the investigation of the spatial and temporal distribution of the radiation field inside the European COLUMBUS module the experiment DOSIS (Dose Distribution Inside the ISS) under the lead of DLR has been launched on July 15th 2009 with STS-127 to the ISS. The experimental package was transferred from the Space Shuttle into COLUMBUS on July 18th. It consists of a combination of passive detector packages (PDP) distributed at 11 locations inside the European Columbus Laboratory and two active radiation detectors (Dosimetry Telescopes = DOSTELs) with a DDPU (DOSTEL Data and Power Unit) in a Nomex pouch (DOSIS MAIN BOX) mounted at a fixed location beneath the European Physiology Module rack (EPM) inside COLUMBUS. The active components of the DOSIS experiment were operational from July 18th 2009 to June 16th 2011. After refurbishment the hardware has been reactivated on May 15th 2012 as active part of the DOSIS 3D experiment and provides continuous data since this activation. The presentation will focus on the latest results from the two DOSTEL instruments as absorbed dose, dose equivalent and the related LET spectra gathered within the DOSIS (2009 - 2011) and DOSIS 3D (since 2012) experiment. The CAU contributions to DOSIS and DOSIS 3D are financially supported by BMWi under Grants 50WB0826, 50WB1026, 50WB1232 and 50WB1533

Molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease in two patients with MLL-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia and haploidentical transplantation after relapse

This report describes the clinical courses of two acute myeloid leukemia patients. Both had MLL translocations, the first a t(10;11)(p11.2;q23) with MLL-AF10 and the second a t(11;19)(q23;p13.1) with MLL-ELL fusion. They achieved a clinical remission under conventional chemotherapy but relapsed shortly after end of therapy. Both had a history of invasive mycoses (one had possible pulmonary mycosis, one systemic candidiasis). Because no HLA-identical donor was available, a haploidentical transplantation was performed in both cases. Using a specially designed PCR method for the assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD), based on the quantitative detection of the individual chromosomal breakpoint in the MLL gene, all patients achieved complete and persistent molecular remission after transplantation. The immune reconstitution after transplantation is described in terms of total CD3+/CD4+, CD3+/CD8+, CD19+, and CD16+/CD56+ cell numbers over time. The KIR and HLA genotypes of donors and recipients are reported and the possibility of a KIR-mediated alloreactivity is discussed. This report illustrates that haploidentical transplantation may offer a chance of cure without chronic graft-versus-host disease in situations where no suitable HLA-identical donor is available even in a high-risk setting and shows the value of MRD monitoring in the pre- and posttransplant setting

Active radiation measurements over one solar cycle with two DOSTEL instruments in the Columbus laboratory of the International Space Station

Two DOSimetry TELescopes (DOSTELs) have been measuring the radiation environment in the Columbus module of the International Space Station (ISS) since 2009 in the frame of the DOSIS and DOSIS 3D projects. Both instruments have measured the charged particle flux rate and dose rates in a telescope geometry of two planar silicon detectors. The radiation environment in the ISS orbit is mostly composed by galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) and its secondary radiation and protons from the inner radiation belt in the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) with sporadic contributions of solar energetic particles at high latitudes. The data presented in this work cover two solar activity minima and corresponding GCR intensity maxima in 2009 and 2020 and the solar activity maximum and corresponding GCR intensity minimum in 2014/2015. Average dose rates measured in the Columbus laboratory in the ISS orbit from GCR and SAA are presented separately. The data is analyzed with respect to the effective magnetic shielding and grouped into different cut-off rigidity intervals. Using only measurements in magnetically unshielded regions at low cut-off rigidity and applying a factor for the geometrical shielding of the Earth, absorbed dose rates and dose equivalent rates in near-Earth interplanetary space are estimated for the years 2009 to 2022

The use of the 1 mm laparoscope to assist in port insertion in pelvic oncological surgery

BACKGROUND: A 1 mm minilaparoscope (Lifeline Biotechnoligies, Florida, USA) was assessed for aiding port site insertions. METHODS: Ten consecutive patients having laparoscopic procedures in a gynaecological oncology unit were included. Minilaparoscopy was feasible in all cases and was used to insert the umbilical port under direct vision in all patients. In one case, a thick band of abdominal adhesions was identified and a further lateral port site was inserted to aid their dissection. RESULTS: The minilaparoscope correctly identified all 10 patients with peritoneal disease and identified all patients who were suitable for debulking procedures. CONCLUSION: Minilaparoscopy with the 1 mm endoscope appears to be safe and accurate and we feel that it has a place in helping the surgeon identify adhesions and peritoneal disease as well as assisting further port site insertion safely and with minimal complications