"Der Fall Sparbier" or: the woman, who defied Hitler

"Der Beitrag beschäftigt sich mit der Bedeutung des außergewöhnlichen Falls der Annaliese Teetz (geborene Sparbier, 1910-1992), Nazi-Deutschlands einziger Kapitänin, und der gleichfalls außergewöhnlichen Art, mit der sie kämpfte und die nationalsozialistische Bürokratie benutzte, um ihre professionelle Karriere voranzutreiben. Fest von ihrer seemännischen Berufung überzeugt, ließ sich Annaliese Sparbier durch die Vorurteile und Gegnerschaft seitens der Schiffahrtsindustrie und vieler NSDAP-Funktionäre nicht einschüchtern. Nachdem Hitler besonderen Befehl gegeben hatte, sie aus der Seefahrt zu entfernen, bot sie dem Führer die Stirn und machte sich mit Erfolg die systemimmanenten Eigenheiten des nationalsozialistischen Staatsapparates zunutze. Sie setzte sich schließlich gegen höchste Nazikreise durch, machte ihr Steuermannsexamen und wurde Kapitän eines kleinen Frachters im norwegischen Kriegsgebiet. Annaliese Sparbiers einzigartiger Fall trägt bei zur Vielfalt der Reaktionen von Frauen auf das Naziregime, zur Entstehung einer feministischen Bewegung in Deutschland sowie zur Mitwirkung von Frauen an der Seefahrt." (Autorenreferat

Individual patient data meta-analysis of diagnostic and prognostic studies in obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive medicine

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice a diagnosis is based on a combination of clinical history, physical examination and additional diagnostic tests. At present, studies on diagnostic research often report the accuracy of tests without taking into account the information already known from history and examination. Due to this lack of information, together with variations in design and quality of studies, conventional meta-analyses based on these studies will not show the accuracy of the tests in real practice. By using individual patient data (IPD) to perform meta-analyses, the accuracy of tests can be assessed in relation to other patient characteristics and allows the development or evaluation of diagnostic algorithms for individual patients. In this study we will examine these potential benefits in four clinical diagnostic problems in the field of gynaecology, obstetrics and reproductive medicine. METHODS/DESIGN: Based on earlier systematic reviews for each of the four clinical problems, studies are considered for inclusion. The first authors of the included studies will be invited to participate and share their original data. After assessment of validity and completeness the acquired datasets are merged. Based on these data, a series of analyses will be performed, including a systematic comparison of the results of the IPD meta-analysis with those of a conventional meta-analysis, development of multivariable models for clinical history alone and for the combination of history, physical examination and relevant diagnostic tests and development of clinical prediction rules for the individual patients. These will be made accessible for clinicians. DISCUSSION: The use of IPD meta-analysis will allow evaluating accuracy of diagnostic tests in relation to other relevant information. Ultimately, this could increase the efficiency of the diagnostic work-up, e.g. by reducing the need for invasive tests and/or improving the accuracy of the diagnostic workup. This study will assess whether these benefits of IPD meta-analysis over conventional meta-analysis can be exploited and will provide a framework for future IPD meta-analyses in diagnostic and prognostic research

The FOAM study : Is Hysterosalpingo foam sonography (HyFoSy) a cost-effective alternative for hysterosalpingography (HSG) in assessing tubal patency in subfertile women? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

This is an investigator initiated trial, VU medical center Amsterdam is the sponsor, contact information: prof. CJM de Groot, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Tel: + 31-204444444. This study is funded by ZonMw, a Dutch organization for Health Research and Development, project number 837001504. ZonMW gives financial support for the whole project. IQ Medical Ventures provides the ExEm FOAM® kits. The funding bodies have no role in the design of the study; collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; and in writing the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Geostrategy and navyports in the Indian Ocean since c. 1970

The Indian Ocean has been, and remains, of vital strategic importance as an arena of superpower rivalry and intervention, the highway for the carriage of Middle East oil, and the theatre of local conflicts. Against this background the paper discusses naval deployment by external and internal powers, and focuses in particular on the navyport and other support systems that have been crucial to that deployment. These support systems are not simply important for the projection of naval power, but also for their contribution to urban development, and it is proposed that their impacts can be clarified by recognising four types of major navyport: (1) the metropolitan Bombay-type; (2) the big-city Cochin-type; (3) the small-town Berbera-type; and (4) the "pure" navyport á la Diego Garcia.Indian Ocean naval strategy and deployment navyports port studies