Wanted! Daniel:a Düsentrieb - MINT oder nicht MINT? Das ist hier die Frage

Im Rahmen des Digitaltages haben wir mit Studierenden, Eltern, Führungskräften und vielen anderen über Karriereentscheidungen für und gegen MINT-Berufe diskutiert. Dabei kristallisierten sich fünf verschiedene Bereiche heraus: • Eigenwahrnehmung junger Menschen • Schule • Eltern • Berufliche Aussichten • Politische und privatwirtschaftliche Initiativen Aus den jeweiligen Feldern ergeben sich verschiedene Herausforderungen, aber auch Chancen. So können Kinder aller Geschlechter schon jung erfahren, dass MINT-Kompetenzen das Handwerkszeug zur Lösung von Problemen in allen Lebensbereichen sind. Mit Unterstützung toleranter Eltern, aufmerksamer Lehrenden, spannenden Aufgabenstellungen in der Schule und einem transparenten Verständnis von beruflichen Chancen können wir junge Männer und Frauen für einen individuellen Karrierepfad im MINT-Bereich begeistern. Gesamtgesellschaftlich heben wir dadurch ungenutzte Potenziale und sind auch in Zukunft gewappnet für die Herausforderungen der digitalen Technologien

Corona und Karrieren – Push oder Rückzug für Frauen?

Die Unterschiede zwischen den Geschlechtern in der Arbeitswelt sind z.T. noch gravierend und könnten sich zukünftig weiter zuspitzen. Corona als Brennglas für Digitalisierung und Flexibilisierung kann aber auch zu einem Push beruflicher Chancen führen. Voraussetzungen sind in den Unternehmen v.a. flexible Arbeits- und Organisationsstrukturen, Ergebnis- statt Präsenzkultur, Wertschätzung von Familienarbeit und der dadurch entwickelten Kompetenzen sowie ein gelebtes Gemeinschaftsgefühl innerhalb der Belegschaft; seitens der Mitarbeiter:innen die individuelle Bereitschaft zu flexiblen Arbeitsformen sowie die Identifikation mit dem Unternehmen. Unterstützen können zusätzlich kreative Ideen oder gezielte Maßnahmen seitens der Unternehmen

Redefining the treponemal history through pre-Columbian genomes from Brazil

The origins of treponemal diseases have long remained unknown, especially considering the sudden onset of the first syphilis epidemic in the late 15th century in Europe and its hypothesized arrival from the Americas with Columbus’ expeditions1,2. Recently, ancient DNA evidence has revealed various treponemal infections circulating in early modern Europe and colonial-era Mexico3–6. However, there has been to our knowledge no genomic evidence of treponematosis recovered from either the Americas or the Old World that can be reliably dated to the time before the first trans-Atlantic contacts. Here, we present treponemal genomes from nearly 2,000-year-old human remains from Brazil. We reconstruct four ancient genomes of a prehistoric treponemal pathogen, most closely related to the bejel-causing agent Treponema pallidum endemicum. Contradicting the modern day geographical niche of bejel in the arid regions of the world, the results call into question the previous palaeopathological characterization of treponeme subspecies and showcase their adaptive potential. A high-coverage genome is used to improve molecular clock date estimations, placing the divergence of modern T. pallidum subspecies firmly in pre-Columbian times. Overall, our study demonstrates the opportunities within archaeogenetics to uncover key events in pathogen evolution and emergence, paving the way to new hypotheses on the origin and spread of treponematoses.ISSN:0028-0836ISSN:1476-468

Intervention at the level of the neuroendocrine-immune axis and postoperative pneumonia rate in long-term alcoholics

RATIONALE: Postoperative pneumonia is three to four times more frequent in patients with alcohol use disorders followed by prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay. Long-term alcohol use leads to an altered perioperative hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and immunity. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate HPA intervention with low-dose ethanol, morphine, or ketoconazole on the neuroendocrine-immune axis and development of postoperative pneumonia in long-term alcoholic patients. METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind controlled study, 122 consecutive patients undergoing elective surgery for aerodigestive tract cancer were included. Long-term alcohol use was defined as consuming at least 60 g of ethanol daily and fulfilling the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV criteria for either alcohol abuse or dependence. Nonalcoholic patients were included but only as a descriptive control. Perioperative intervention with low-dose ethanol (0.5 g/kg body weight per day), morphine (15 mug/kg body weight per hour), ketoconazole (200 mg four times daily), and placebo was started on the morning before surgery and continued for 3 d after surgery. Blood samples to analyze the neuroendocrine-immune axis were obtained on the morning before intervention and on Days 1, 3, and 7 after surgery. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: In long-term alcoholic patients, all interventions decreased postoperative hypercortisolism and prevented impairment of the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte type 1:type 2 ratio. All interventions decreased the pneumonia rate from 39% to a median of 5.7% and shortened intensive care unit stay by 9 d (median) compared with the placebo-treated long-term alcoholic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Intervention at the level of the HPA axis altered the immune response to surgical stress. This resulted in decreased postoperative pneumonia rates and shortened intensive care unit stay in long-term alcoholic patients

Altered cell-mediated immunity and increased postoperative infection rate in long-term alcoholic patients

Background: Preoperative alteration of T cell-mediated immunity as well as an altered immune response to surgical stress were found in long-term alcoholic patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate perioperative T cell-mediated immune parameters as well as cytokine release from whole blood cells after lipopolysaccharide stimulation and its association with postoperative infections. Methods: Fifty-four patients undergoing elective surgery of the aerodigestive tract were included in this prospective observational study. Long-term alcoholic patients (n = 31) were defined as having a daily ethanol consumption of at least 60 g and fulfilling the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders for either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence. The nonalcoholic patients (n = 23) were defined as drinking less than 60 g ethanol/day. Blood samples to analyze the immune status were obtained on morning before surgery and on the morning of days 1, 3, and 5 after surgery. Results: Basic patient characteristics did not differ between groups. Before surgery, the T helper 1:T helper 2 ratio (Th1: Th2) was significantly lower (P < 0.01), whereas plasma interleukin 1β and lipopolysaccharide-stimulated interleukin 1ra from whole blood cells were increased in long-term alcoholic patients. After surgery, a significant suppression of the cytotoxic lymphocyte ratio (Tc1:Tc2), the interferon γ:interleukin 10 ratio from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated whole blood cells, and a significant increase of plasma interleukin 10 was observed. Long-term alcoholics had more frequent postoperative infections compared with nonalcoholic patients (54% vs. 26%; P = 0.03). Conclusions: T helper cell-mediated immunity was significantly suppressed before surgery and possibly led to inadequate cytotoxic lymphocyte and whole blood cell response in long-term alcoholic patients after surgery. This altered cell-mediated immunity might have accounted for the increased infection rate in long-term alcoholic patients after surgery

Evidence and consensus-based German guidelines for the management of analgesia, sedation and delirium in intensive care – short version

Targeted monitoring of analgesia, sedation and delirium, as well as their appropriate management in critically ill patients is a standard of care in intensive care medicine. With the undisputed advantages of goal-oriented therapy established, there was a need to develop our own guidelines on analgesia and sedation in intensive care in Germany and these were published as 2nd Generation Guidelines in 2005. Through the dissemination of these guidelines in 2006, use of monitoring was shown to have improved from 8 to 51% and the use of protocol-based approaches increased to 46% (from 21%).Between 2006–2009, the existing guidelines from the DGAI (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Anästhesiologie und Intensivmedizin) and DIVI (Deutsche Interdisziplinäre Vereinigung für Intensiv- und Notfallmedizin) were developed into 3rd Generation Guidelines for the securing and optimization of quality of analgesia, sedation and delirium management in the intensive care unit (ICU). In collaboration with another 10 professional societies, the literature has been reviewed using the criteria of the Oxford Center of Evidence Based Medicine. Using data from 671 reference works, text, diagrams and recommendations were drawn up. In the recommendations, Grade “A” (very strong recommendation), Grade “B” (strong recommendation) and Grade “0” (open recommendation) were agreed.As a result of this process we now have an interdisciplinary and consensus-based set of 3rd Generation Guidelines that take into account all critically illness patient populations.The use of protocols for analgesia, sedation and treatment of delirium are repeatedly demonstrated. These guidelines offer treatment recommendations for the ICU team. The implementation of scores and protocols into routine ICU practice is necessary for their success