Informationsverhalten von Kindern im Internet: eine empirische Studie zur Nutzung von Suchmaschinen

Im Beitrag werden Ergebnisse eines Projektes präsentiert, dessen Ziel gewesen ist, Erkenntnisse über das Informationsverhalten von Kindern im Internet, insbesondere über ihre Rechercheaktivitäten auf Kindersuchmaschinen zu gewinnen. Dabei steht sowohl die Frage im Mittelpunkt, welche Interessen und Themen der Kinder durch die Kindersuchmaschinen bedient werden, als auch das Anliegen aufzuklären, unter welchen Voraussetzungen und Bedingungen die Informationskompetenz der Kinder gefordert werden kann. Die Untersuchungsschwerpunkte liegen auf folgenden Fragestellungen: (1) Von welchen Kindern werden Kindersuchmaschinen, von welchen allgemeine Suchmaschinen genutzt? (2) Wie beurteilen Kinder die Suche auf Kindersuchmaschinen und auf allgemeinen Suchmaschinen? (3) Wonach suchen Kinder, wie verhalten sie sich auf Suchmaschinen, wie gehen sie mit den Suchwerkzeugen um? (4) Welche Anforderungen stellen Suchmaschinentechnologie und "Suchmaschinenlogik" an Kinder und welches Wissen benötigen Kinder, um sie erfolgreich nutzen zu können? (5) Sind Kinder in der Lage, dabei auch ihr eigenes Suchverhalten, die Suchergebnisse und deren Informationsgehalt zu reflektieren? (6) Können Kindersuchmaschinen die Suchinteressen der Kinder bedienen und tragen sie mit ihrem inhaltlichen Zuschnitt entscheidend zur Wissensdistribution bei? (ICB2

Effects of acetyl-DL-leucine on cerebellar ataxia (ALCAT trial): study protocol for a multicenter, multinational, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover phase III trial

BACKGROUND: Cerebellar ataxia (CA) is a frequent and often disabling condition that impairs motor functioning and impacts on quality of life (QoL). No medication has yet been proven effective for the symptomatic or even causative treatment of hereditary or non-hereditary, non-acquired CA. So far, the only treatment recommendation is physiotherapy. Therefore, new therapeutic options are needed. Based on three observational studies, the primary objective of the acetyl-DL-leucine on ataxia (ALCAT) trial is to examine the efficacy and tolerability of a symptomatic therapy with acetyl-DL-leucine compared to placebo on motor function measured by the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) in patients with CA. METHODS/DESIGN: An investigator-initiated, multicenter, European, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 2-treatment 2-period crossover phase III trial will be carried out. In total, 108 adult patients who meet the clinical criteria of CA of different etiologies (hereditary or non-hereditary, non-acquired) presenting with a SARA total score of at least 3 points will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to one of two different treatment sequences, either acetyl-DL-leucine (up to 5 g per day) followed by placebo or vice versa. Each sequence consists of two 6-week treatment periods, separated by a 4-week wash-out period. A follow-up examination is scheduled 4 weeks after the end of treatment. The primary efficacy outcome is the absolute change in the SARA total score. Secondary objectives are to demonstrate that acetyl-DL-leucine is effective in improving (1) motor function measured by the Spinocerebellar Ataxia Functional Index (SCAFI) and SARA subscore items and (2) QoL (EuroQoL 5 dimensions and 5 level version, EQ-5D-5 L), depression (Beck Depression Inventory, BDI-II) and fatigue (Fatigue Severity Score, FSS). Furthermore, the incidence of adverse events will be investigated. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial will inform whether symptomatic treatment with the modified amino-acid acetyl-DL-leucine is a worthy candidate for a new drug therapy to relieve ataxia symptoms and to improve patient care. If superiority of the experimental drug to placebo can be established it will also be re-purposing of an agent that has been previously used for the symptomatic treatment of dizziness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was prospectively registered at www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu (EudraCT no. 2015-000460-34) and at https://www.germanctr.de (DRKS-ID: DRKS00009733 )

Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia Is Associated with Increased Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone in the Dorsal Striatum of Hemi-Parkinsonian Rats

Background Dyskinesias associated with involuntary movements and painful muscle contractions are a common and severe complication of standard levodopa (L-DOPA, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) therapy for Parkinson's disease. Pathologic neuroplasticity leading to hyper-responsive dopamine receptor signaling in the sensorimotor striatum is thought to underlie this currently untreatable condition. Methodology/Principal Findings Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was employed to evaluate the molecular changes associated with L-DOPA-induced dyskinesias in Parkinson's disease. With this technique, we determined that thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) was greatly increased in the dopamine-depleted striatum of hemi-parkinsonian rats that developed abnormal movements in response to L-DOPA therapy, relative to the levels measured in the contralateral non-dopamine-depleted striatum, and in the striatum of non-dyskinetic control rats. ProTRH immunostaining suggested that TRH peptide levels were almost absent in the dopamine-depleted striatum of control rats that did not develop dyskinesias, but in the dyskinetic rats, proTRH immunostaining was dramatically up-regulated in the striatum, particularly in the sensorimotor striatum. This up-regulation of TRH peptide affected striatal medium spiny neurons of both the direct and indirect pathways, as well as neurons in striosomes. Conclusions/Significance TRH is not known to be a key striatal neuromodulator, but intrastriatal injection of TRH in experimental animals can induce abnormal movements, apparently through increasing dopamine release. Our finding of a dramatic and selective up-regulation of TRH expression in the sensorimotor striatum of dyskinetic rat models suggests a TRH-mediated regulatory mechanism that may underlie the pathologic neuroplasticity driving dopamine hyper-responsivity in Parkinson's disease.Morris K. Udall Center for Excellence in Parkinson’s Research at MGH/MITNational Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH NS38372)American Parkinson Disease Association, Inc.University of Alabama at BirminghamMassachusetts General HospitalNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (U.S.) (NIDDK/NIH grant R01 DK58148)National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (U.S.) (R01 NINDS/NIH grant NS045231)Stanley H. and Sheila G. Sydney FundMichael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Researc

Reward-Related Dorsal Striatal Activity Differences between Former and Current Cocaine Dependent Individuals during an Interactive Competitive Game

Cocaine addiction is characterized by impulsivity, impaired social relationships, and abnormal mesocorticolimbic reward processing, but their interrelationships relative to stages of cocaine addiction are unclear. We assessed blood-oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) signal in ventral and dorsal striatum during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in current (CCD; n = 30) and former (FCD; n = 28) cocaine dependent subjects as well as healthy control (HC; n = 31) subjects while playing an interactive competitive Domino game involving risk-taking and reward/punishment processing. Out-of-scanner impulsivity-related measures were also collected. Although both FCD and CCD subjects scored significantly higher on impulsivity-related measures than did HC subjects, only FCD subjects had differences in striatal activation, specifically showing hypoactivation during their response to gains versus losses in right dorsal caudate, a brain region linked to habituation, cocaine craving and addiction maintenance. Right caudate activity in FCD subjects also correlated negatively with impulsivity-related measures of self-reported compulsivity and sensitivity to reward. These findings suggest that remitted cocaine dependence is associated with striatal dysfunction during social reward processing in a manner linked to compulsivity and reward sensitivity measures. Future research should investigate the extent to which such differences might reflect underlying vulnerabilities linked to cocaine-using propensities (e.g., relapses)

Investigation on Mycobacterium tuberculosis Diversity in China and the Origin of the Beijing Clade

Contains fulltext : 124314.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Abstracts from the 8th International Conference on cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications

This work was supported by a restricted research grant of Bayer AG

Kinder und Fernsehen: Das Problem mit der Medienerziehung

In dem Beitrag werden ausgewählte Argumentationslinien der allgemeinen Mediendiskussion nachgezeichnet: Werbung und Konsumorientierung, Gewalt und Verrohung, Sex und Pornographie. Diese Reizthemen, die sich am »neuen« Medienangebot orientieren, machen deutlich, dass es engagierten Eltern und Pädagogen einerseits darum geht, den Wildwuchs aus der Etablierungsphase der privaten Sender zu beschneiden und die Möglichkeiten des Kinder- und Jugendschutzes auszuloten. Andererseits wird unterstellt, dass Familien nicht (mehr) in der Lage sind, den Medienkonsum ihrer Kinder zu kontrollieren und die Kinder zu einem sinnvollen Medienumgang zu erziehen. Die Ziele und Aufgaben der Medienpädagogik werden in dieser gesellschaftspolitischen Debatte im Spannungsfeld zwischen Prävention und aktiver Mediennutzung perpetuiert. (DIPF/Orig.