Clinical evaluation of the Korb goggle test for quantifying dry eye

Purpose: To evaluate the use of moisture chamber goggles in diagnosing dry eye. Methods: Participants (1 0 contact lens wearers and 10 non-contact lens wearers) completed a Comprehensive Dry Eye Questionnaire (CDEQ) and the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI). Subjects were also asked to subjectively rank their dry eye symptoms from one to ten. Tear break-up times (TBUT) were measured non-invasively before, during and after goggle-wear using a modified Keratometer. The time it took to report relief of dry eye symptoms while wearing the goggles was recorded. Results: We used the Pearson Correlation test to compare subjective and objective measurements of dry eye with the amount of time it took to report relief of symptoms with the goggles on. We found a correlation between initial subjective rank of dry eye symptoms and goggle-wear time (p = 0.028). However, we found no significant correlation between goggle-wear time and dry eye questionnaire scores nor length of TBUT. A one-way analysis ofvariance (ANOVA) was performed to compare the differences between the contact lens group and non-contact lens group. All comparisons yielded a p-value of greater than 0.05 (not significant). Conclusions: Moisture chamber goggles are not recommended for the evaluation of dry eye severity in the clinical setting. There was little correlation between goggle wear-time and subjective and objective measures of dry eye. The test is time-consuming and patients will have difficulty assessing when relief of their dry eye symptoms is achieved. It would be more useful for assessing dry eye in a patient that wanted or required a noninvasive procedure

Situative Unterrichtswahrnehmung Lernender im kaufmännischen Bereich : ein Blick ins Klassenzimmer

Bei der Entwicklung von Fachwissen, Interesse und Motivation von Lernenden stellen Unterrichtsmerkmale wie Strukturiertheit und inhaltliche Relevanz zentrale Einflussfaktoren dar. Wie wirksam diese Merkmale sind, ist davon abhängig, wie sie einerseits von der Lehrperson gestaltet und andererseits von den Lernenden wahrgenommen werden. Um solche Lehr-Lern-Prozesse in kaufmännischen Berufsfachschulklassen besser zu verstehen, verfolgt das Schweizer Leading House LINCA das Ziel, neben den Kompetenzen der Lernenden auch die Unterrichtswahrnehmung von Lernenden und Lehrenden zu erfassen. Der vorliegende Forschungsbeitrag stellt die situativ erfasste Perspektive von Lernenden auf ihren Unterricht vor. Neben theoretisch-konzeptionellen Grundlagen werden erste deskriptive Befunde vorgestellt. Die Schülerperspektive gewährt einen konkreten Einblick in den Unterricht im Fach Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft an kaufmännischen Berufsfachschulen in der deutschsprachigen Schweiz. Dabei wird die Wahrnehmung der Lernenden im Hinblick auf ausgewählte Unterrichtsmerkmale wie Strukturiertheit und inhaltliche Relevanz in konkreten Unterrichtsstunden fokussiert. Die Daten wurden im Rahmen einer Pilotierungsstudie in sieben Klassen (N=147) im Mai und Juni 2013 erhoben. Im Anschluss an die videographierte Unterrichtslektion wurden jeweils mit mehrheitlich geschlossenen Fragen Unterrichtsmerkmale erhoben. In drei der sieben Unterrichtslektionen wurde das Thema „Mehrwertsteuer“ eingeführt. Die empirischen Befunde geben im Rahmen eines ersten explorativen Feldzugangs Aufschluss über die Merkmalsausprägungen in unterschiedlichen kaufmännischen Berufsfachschulklassen und über deren Zusammenhänge zu situativem Interesse und der kognitiver Aktivität der Lernenden

Socioeconomic inequalities in cancer incidence and mortality - a spatial analysis in Bremen, Germany

Aim: Several international studies have already investigated the influence of socioeconomic factors on the risk of cancer. For Germany, however, the data are still insufficient. We examined the effects of social differences on cancer incidence and mortality on the population of Bremen, a town in northwest Germany. Subjects and methods: Data were obtained from the Bremen Cancer Registry, a population-based registry. The database comprised 27,430 incident cases, newly diagnosed between 2000 and 2006. The allocation of social class for each patient was based on the home address at the time of diagnosis, which led to the corresponding town district, which again could be linked to the “Bremen discrimination index.” Based on this index, cases were allocated to five categories, for which we compared standardized incidence ratios (SIR) and mortality ratios (SMR) for different cancers: prostate, breast, lung, colorectal, bladder, uterine, ovarian, cervical, malignant melanoma of the skin, non-melanoma skin cancer and all cancer sites summarized. Results: The influence of social status was observed for different cancer sites. An inverse association was ascertained for all cancer sites (only men) and for tumors of the oral cavity and pharynx, and for lung, cervical and bladder cancers. A positive correlation was observed for female breast cancer, malignant melanoma, non-melanoma skin tumors and prostate cancer. Conclusions: In spite of the methodical restrictions, our analyses suggest an association between social factors and cancer incidence and mortality. The results are in agreement with international studies. Many of the observed social class differences could probably be explained by known risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity

Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Datenauswertung in epidemiologischen Krebsregistern

Population-based (epidemiological) cancer registries are institutions for the collection, storage, processing, analysis and interpretation of data on the incidence, prevalence and mortality of cancers within defined registration areas. Since the fifties cancer registries have provided comparative statistics. Since 2009, all new cases of cancer nationwide are being systematically registered in Germany. However, in interpreting cancer registry data there are several important aspects that should be kept in mind

Splice-site mutations cause Rrp6-mediated nuclear retention of the unspliced RNAs and transcriptional down-regulation of the splicing-defective genes

Background: Eukaryotic cells have developed surveillance mechanisms to prevent the expression of aberrant transcripts. An early surveillance checkpoint acts at the transcription site and prevents the release of mRNAs that carry processing defects. The exosome subunit Rrp6 is required for this checkpoint in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, but it is not known whether Rrp6 also plays a role in mRNA surveillance in higher eukaryotes. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have developed an in vivo system to study nuclear mRNA surveillance in Drosophila melanogaster. We have produced S2 cells that express a human b-globin gene with mutated splice sites in intron 2 (mut bglobin). The transcripts encoded by the mut b-globin gene are normally spliced at intron 1 but retain intron 2. The levels of the mut b-globin transcripts are much lower than those of wild type (wt) ß-globin mRNAs transcribed from the same promoter. We have compared the expression of the mut and wt b-globin genes to investigate the mechanisms that downregulate the production of defective mRNAs. Both wt and mut b-globin transcripts are processed at the 39, but the mut bglobin transcripts are less efficiently cleaved than the wt transcripts. Moreover, the mut b-globin transcripts are less efficiently released from the transcription site, as shown by FISH, and this defect is restored by depletion of Rrp6 by RNAi. Furthermore, transcription of the mut b-globin gene is significantly impaired as revealed by ChIP experiments that measure the association of the RNA polymerase II with the transcribed genes. We have also shown that the mut b-globin gene shows reduced levels of H3K4me3. Conclusions/Significance: Our results show that there are at least two surveillance responses that operate cotranscriptionally in insect cells and probably in all metazoans. One response requires Rrp6 and results in the inefficient release of defective mRNAs from the transcription site. The other response acts at the transcription level and reduces the synthesis of the defective transcripts through a mechanism that involves histone modifications

Strengthening health data on a rare and heterogeneous disease: sarcoma incidence and histological subtypes in Germany

Background: The population-based incidence of sarcoma and its histological subtypes in Germany is unknown. Up-to-date information on a disease with an incidence comparable to other cancer entities is of high public health relevance. The aim of this study was to determine this incidence and to detect significant changes in incidence trends using data from German epidemiological cancer registries. Methods: Pooled data from the German Centre for Cancer Registry Data with a primary diagnosis occurring in 2013 were used. To date, this is the latest data on cancer incidence available for Germany. All German cancer registries with sufficient completeness were included (10 out of 11), covering a population of 70.0 million people, representing 87% of the German population. All malignant sarcomas according to the RARECARE Project and the WHO classification 2002 were considered for analysis and, above all, gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST) of uncertain behaviour. Sensitivity analysis was performed excluding certain histologies. Results: The analysis included 3404 cases in men and 3442 cases in women diagnosed in 2013. The age adjusted sarcoma incidence (European standard) was 7.4 (men) and 6.6 (women) per 100,000 inhabitants. About 70% of sarcomas were soft tissue sarcomas, about 22% GIST, and about 9% bone sarcomas. The most common histological subtypes besides GIST were fibrosarcomas (14%) and liposarcomas (12%) in men and complex mixed and stromal neoplasms (22%), non-uterine leiomysarcomas (10%) and fibrosarcomas (9%) in women. Considering the trend for the years of diagnosis 2004 to 2013, there was a significant increase in incidence for GIST while the incidence of soft tissue sarcomas (only men) as well as of bone sarcoma stayed constant over time. As to soft tissue sarcoma in women, the incidence stayed constant up to the year 2009 and significantly decreased afterwards. Conclusion: This study is the first detailed analysis of a German-wide population-based sarcoma incidence showing results comparable to the incidence detected in the RARECARE Project

Mitochondrial DNA Content in Human Omental Adipose Tissue

Background: Impairment of mitochondrial function plays an important role in obesity and the development of insulin resistance. The aim of this project was to investigate the mitochondrial DNA copy number in human omental adipose tissue with respect to obesity. Methods: The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content per single adipocyte derived from abdominal omental adipose tissue was determined by quantitative RT-PCR in a group of 75 patients, consisting of obese and morbidly obese subjects, as well as non-obese controls. Additionally, basal metabolic rate and fat oxidation rate were recorded and expressed as total values or per kilogram fat mass. Results: MtDNA content is associated with obesity. Higher body mass index (BMI) resulted in a significantly elevated mtDNA count (ratio = 1.56; p = 0.0331) comparing non-obese (BMI < 30) to obese volunteers (BMI ≥ 30). The mtDNA count per cell was not correlated with age or gender. Diabetic patients showed a trend toward reduced mtDNA content. A seasonal change in mtDNA copy number could not be identified. In addition, a substudy investigating the basal metabolic rate and the fasting fat oxidation did not reveal any associations to the mtDNA count. Conclusions: The mtDNA content per cell of omental adipose tissue did not correlate with various clinical parameters but tended to be reduced in patients with diabetes, which may partly explain the impairment of mitochondrial function observed in insulin resistance. Furthermore, the mtDNA content was significantly increased in patients suffering from obesity (BMI above 30). This might reflect a compensatory response to the development of obesity, which is associated with impairment of mitochondrial functio

Efeito país de origem e comportamento do consumidor: a percepção feminina sobre cosméticos

This study analyses the country of origin effect related to trust, affect, loyalty, hedonic value and utilitarian value on the consumers perception about cosmetics. For this matter, an experimental research was done, in which the same sample of moisturizer cream were distributed for three different groups who experienced, rated the product and after completed a questionnaire. The only difference in the application of the experiment was in reference to the country of origin of the moisturizer cream. The results demonstrated hat the group who received the moisturizer cream thinking it was produced inFrancehad higher averages in relation to all the analyzed constructs, compared to the control group. Conversely, compared to the control group, the group that experienced the moisturizer cream thinking it was produced inChinahad lower averages in relation to the analyzed constructs, except the construct that measures the utilitarian value of the product.Este estudo analisa o efeito do país de origem no que diz respeito à confiança, ao afeto, à lealdade, ao valor hedônico e ao valor utilitário percebido pelas consumidoras em relação aos cosméticos. Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa de caráter experimental, na qual foram distribuídas amostras de um mesmo creme hidratante para três grupos diferentes que o experimentaram, avaliaram o produto e, posteriormente, responderam um questionário sobre o mesmo. A única diferença entre os grupos experimentais diz respeito à informação sobre o país de origem do creme hidratante. Os resultados evidenciaram que o grupo que recebeu o creme hidratante pensando ser produzido na França mostrou médias mais altas em relação a todos os construtos analisados, quando comparados ao grupo de controle. De forma oposta, o grupo que experimentou o creme hidratante pensando ser produzido na China mostrou médias mais baixas em relação aos construtos analisados, quando comparadas ao grupo de controle, com exceção do construto que avaliava o valor utilitário do produto.

Survival of adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Germany and the United States.

BACKGROUND: Adulthood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a rare disease. In contrast to childhood ALL, survival for adults with ALL is poor. Recently, new protocols, including use of pediatric protocols in young adults, have improved survival in clinical trials. Here, we examine population level survival in Germany and the United States (US) to gain insight into the extent to which changes in clinical trials have translated into better survival on the population level. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database in the US and 11 cancer registries in Germany. Patients age 15-69 diagnosed with ALL were included. Period analysis was used to estimate 5-year relative survival (RS). RESULTS: Overall 5-year RS was estimated at 43.4% for Germany and 35.5% for the US (p = 0.004), with a decrease in survival with increasing age. Survival was higher in Germany than the US for men (43.6% versus 37.7%, p = 0.002) but not for women (42.4% versus 40.3%, p\u3e0.1). Five-year RS estimates increased in Germany and the US between 2002 and 2006 by 11.8 and 7.3 percent units, respectively (p = 0.02 and 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Survival for adults with ALL continues to be low compared with that for children, but a substantial increase in 5-year survival estimates was seen from 2002 to 2006 in both Germany and the US. The reasons for the survival differences between both countries require clarification