Déterminer les pénuries de main d’œuvre et les besoins de la migration économique en provenance des pays tiers dans l’Union Européenne

La note de synthèse présente les principaux résultats de l’étude réalisée en 2015 « Déterminer les pénuries de main d’œuvre et les besoins de la migration économique en provenance des pays tiers dans l’Union européenne ». L’utilité de cette étude est basée sur le fait que le marché du travail européen est confronté à de nombreux défis : une société vieillissante, des changements technologiques de plus en plus rapides, un besoin croissant de main d’œuvre qualifiée et des incertitudes quant à la future croissance des économies européennes et l’employabilité de la population autochtone

Intestinal Acid Sphingomyelinase Protects From Severe Pathogen-Driven Colitis

Inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are emerging as a global problem with increased evidence and prevalence in numerous countries. A dysregulated sphingolipid metabolism occurs in patients with ulcerative colitis and is discussed to contribute to its pathogenesis. In the present study, we determined the impact of acid sphingomyelinase (Asm), which catalyzes the hydrolysis of sphingomyelin to ceramide, on the course of Citrobacter (C.) rodentium-driven colitis. C. rodentium is an enteric pathogen and induces colonic inflammation very similar to the pathology in patients with ulcerative colitis. We found that mice with Asm deficiency or Asm inhibition were strongly susceptible to C. rodentium infection. These mice showed increased levels of C. rodentium in the feces and were prone to bacterial spreading to the systemic organs. In addition, mice lacking Asm activity showed an uncontrolled inflammatory Th1 and Th17 response, which was accompanied by a stronger colonic pathology compared to infected wild type mice. These findings identified Asm as an essential regulator of mucosal immunity to the enteric pathogen C. rodentium

Deconstructing maternal sensitivity: Predictive relations to mother-child attachment in home and laboratory settings

Despite the well-documented importance of parental sensitivity for child development, there is a lack of consensus regarding how best to assess it. We investigated the factor structure of maternal caregiving behavior as assessed at 12 months by the Maternal Behavior Q-Sort (Pederson, Moran, & Bento, 1999) with 274 mother-infant dyads. Subsequently, we examined associations between these empirically-derived dimensions and child attachment, assessed in the home and laboratory (final N = 157). Three dimensions of maternal behavior were identified, corresponding fairly closely to Ainsworth’s original scales. They were labeled Cooperation/Attunement, Positivity, and Accessibility/Availability. Only Cooperation/Attunement consistently predicted home-based attachment at 15 months and 2 years, and at comparable strength to the overall sensitivity score, suggesting that this construct may be central to sensitivity. At 18 months, compared to their primarily secure counterparts, different types of laboratory-assessed insecure attachment were associated with different patterns of maternal behavior. Mothers in avoidant relationships (n = 18) were low on Cooperation/Attunement and Accessibility/Availability, but fairly high on Positivity. Mothers of disorganized infants (n = 11) were Cooperative/Attuned but somewhat less Positive toward, and less Accessible/Available to, their infants. A multi-dimensional approach to parental behavior may facilitate the identification of parenting precursors of insecure parent-child relationships

Ergebnisse der NUBBEK-Studie zu Qualitätsdimensionen in der Kindertagesbetreuung: Interpretation aus bindungstheoretischer Sicht

"Ziel dieses Beitrags ist es, die verschiedenen Qualitätsdimensionen in der außerfamiliären Tagesbetreuung von Kindern im Kindergartenalter anhand der Daten der Nationalen Untersuchung zur Bildung, Betreuung und Erziehung in der frühen Kindheit (NUBBEK) näher zu betrachten und daraus Implikationen für Politik und Praxis abzuleiten. Die Bindungstheorie dient dabei als theoretisches Rahmenmodell. Verbesserungsbedarf zeigt sich vor allem im Bereich Betreuung und Pflege der Kinder, aber auch in den Bereichen Lesen, Mathematik, Naturwissenschaften und Diversität. Aus Sicht der Bindungstheorie sollten Verbesserungsmaßnahmen jedoch nicht isoliert auf einzelne Fähigkeitsbereiche abzielen, sondern immer den Beziehungsaspekt als wichtige Grundvoraussetzung für erfolgreiches Lernen mit einbeziehen." (Autorenreferat)"Using data from the national study on education and care in early childhood (NUBBEK), the authors examined different dimensions of center based child care quality. Attachment theory serves as a theoretical framework to formulate recommendations for policymakers and practitioners. The data suggest a need of improvement especially in the area of Personal Care Routines, but also in the domains Literacy, Mathematics, Science/Environment and Diversity. However, based on attachment theory efforts to improve quality should not only focus on single competence domains, but always take into account the studentcaregiver- relationship as a major precondition for successful learning." (author's abstract

Bedeutung und Aufbau von Vertrauen in der sozialpädagogischen Familienbegleitung

Der Aufbau von Vertrauen wird in Theorie und Praxis Sozialer Arbeit als Voraussetzung für Hilfe diskutiert. Wenn eine sozialpädagogische Familienbegleitung (SPF) als Massnahme im zivilrechtlichen Kindesschutzbereich angeordnet ist, geht ihr Hilfeauftrag mit einem Schutzauftrag einher, manchmal auch gegen den Willen der Betroffenen. Es ist anzunehmen, dass der Aufbau einer vertrauensvollen Zusammenarbeit erschwert ist. Der Beitrag beleuchtet auf der Grundlage einer rekonstruktiven Studie den Aufbau von Vertrauen im Ausgangspunkt solcher Familienbegleitungen und fokussiert auf vertrauensrelevante Ausgangsbedingungen

An observational study on trajectories and outcomes of chronic low back pain patients referred from a spine surgery division for chiropractic treatment

Background: A close collaboration between surgeons and non-surgical spine experts is crucial for optimal care of low back pain (LBP) patients. The affiliation of a chiropractic teaching clinic to a university hospital with a large spine division in Zurich, Switzerland, enables such collaboration. The aim of this study was to describe the trajectories and outcomes of patients with chronic LBP referred from the spine surgery division to the chiropractic teaching clinic. Methods: The patients filled in an 11-point numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain intensity and the Bournemouth Questionnaire (BQ) (bio-psycho-social measure) at baseline and after 1 week, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months. Additionally, the Patient’s Global Impression of Change (PGIC) scale was recorded at all time points apart from baseline. The courses of NRS and BQ were analyzed using linear mixed model analysis and repeated measures ANOVA. The proportion of patients reporting clinically relevant overall improvement (PGIC) was calculated and the underlying factors were determined using logistic regression analyses. Results: Between June 2014 and October 2016, 67 participants (31 male, mean age = 46.8 ± 17.6 years) were recruited, of whom 46 had suffered from LBP for > 1 year, the rest for > 3 months, but < 1 year. At baseline, mean NRS was 5.43 (SD 2.37) and mean BQ was 39.80 (SD 15.16) points. NRS significantly decreased [F(5, 106.77) = 3.15, p = 0.011] to 4.05 (SD 2.88) after 12 months. A significant reduction was not observed before 6 months after treatment start (p = 0.04). BQ significantly diminished [F(5, 106.47) = 6.55, p < 0.001] to 29.00 (SD 17.96) after 12 months and showed a significant reduction within the first month (p < 0.01). The proportion of patients reporting overall improvement significantly increased from 23% after 1 week to 47% after 1 month (p = 0.004), when it stabilized [56% after 3 and 6 months, 44% after 12 months]. Reduction in bio-psycho-social impairment (BQ) was of higher importance for overall improvement than pain reduction. Conclusions: Chiropractic treatment is a valuable conservative treatment modality associated with clinically relevant improvement in approximately half of patients with chronic LBP. These findings provide an example of the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in the treatment of chronic back pain patients

Sustainability assessments of energy scenarios: citizens’ preferences for and assessments of sustainability indicators

Background: Given the multitude of scenarios on the future of our energy systems, multi-criteria assessments are increasingly called for to analyze and assess desired and undesired effects of possible pathways with regard to their environmental, economic and social sustainability. Existing studies apply elaborate lists of sustainability indicators, yet these indicators are defined and selected by experts and the relative importance of each indicator for the overall sustainability assessments is either determined by experts or is computed using mathematical functions. Target group-specific empirical data regarding citizens’ preferences for sustainability indicators as well as their reasoning behind their choices are not included in existing assessments. Approach and results: We argue that citizens’ preferences and values need to be more systematically analyzed. Next to valid and reliable data regarding diverse sets of indicators, reflections and deliberations are needed regarding what different societal actors, including citizens, consider as justified and legitimate interventions in nature and society, and what considerations they include in their own assessments. For this purpose, we present results from a discrete choice experiment. The method originated in marketing and is currently becoming a popular means to systematically analyze individuals’ preference structures for energy technology assessments. As we show in our paper, it can be fruitfully applied to study citizens’ values and weightings with regard to sustainability issues. Additionally, we present findings from six focus groups that unveil the reasons behind citizens’ preferences and choices. Conclusions: Our combined empirical methods provide main insights with strong implications for the future development and assessment of energy pathways: while environmental and climate-related effects significantly influenced citizens’ preferences for or against certain energy pathways, total systems and production costs were of far less importance to citizens than the public discourse suggests. Many scenario studies seek to optimize pathways according to total systems costs. In contrast, our findings show that the role of fairness and distributional justice in transition processes featured as a dominant theme for citizens. This adds central dimensions for future multi-criteria assessments that, so far, have been neglected by current energy systems models

The Cutaneous Lesions of Dioxin Exposure: Lessons from the Poisoning of Victor Yushchenko

Several million people are exposed to dioxin and dioxin-like compounds, primarily through food consumption. Skin lesions historically called "chloracne” are the most specific sign of abnormal dioxin exposure and classically used as a key marker in humans. We followed for 5 years a man who had been exposed to the most toxic dioxin, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD), at a single oral dose of 5 million-fold more than the accepted daily exposure in the general population. We adopted a molecular medicine approach, aimed at identifying appropriate therapy. Skin lesions, which progressively covered up to 40% of the body surface, were found to be hamartomas, which developed parallel to a complete and sustained involution of sebaceous glands, with concurrent transcriptomic alterations pointing to the inhibition of lipid metabolism and the involvement of bone morphogenetic proteins signaling. Hamartomas created a new compartment that concentrated TCDD up to 10-fold compared with serum and strongly expressed the TCDD-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 1A1, thus representing a potentially significant source of enzymatic activity, which may add to the xenobiotic metabolism potential of the classical organs such as the liver. This historical case provides a unique set of data on the human tissue response to dioxin for the identification of new markers of exposure in human populations. The herein discovered adaptive cutaneous response to TCDD also points to the potential role of the skin in the metabolism of food xenobiotic

Molecular Diagnosis of Analbuminemia: A New Case Caused by a Nonsense Mutation in the Albumin Gene

Analbuminemia is a rare autosomal recessive disorder manifested by the absence, or severe reduction, of circulating serum albumin (ALB). We report here a new case diagnosed in a 45 years old man of Southwestern Asian origin, living in Switzerland, on the basis of his low ALB concentration (0.9 g/L) in the absence of renal or gastrointestinal protein loss, or liver dysfunction. The clinical diagnosis was confirmed by a mutational analysis of the albumin (ALB) gene, carried out by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP), heteroduplex analysis (HA), and DNA sequencing. This screening of the ALB gene revealed that the proband is homozygous for two mutations: the insertion of a T in a stretch of eight Ts spanning positions c.1289 + 23–c.1289 + 30 of intron 10 and a c.802 G > T transversion in exon 7. Whereas the presence of an additional T in the poly-T tract has no direct deleterious effect, the latter nonsense mutation changes the codon GAA for Glu244 to the stop codon TAA, resulting in a premature termination of the polypeptide chain. The putative protein product would have a length of only 243 amino acid residues instead of the normal 585 found in the mature serum albumin, but no evidence for the presence in serum of such a truncated polypeptide chain could be obtained by two dimensional electrophoresis and western blotting analysis