Von Kampf und Arbeit der Sudetendeutschen

Inhalt: Dr. Hermann Ullmann : Das Sudetendeutschtum im Gesamtdeutschtum Dr. e. h. Franz Jesser : Sudetendeutsche Kultur- und Sozialentwicklung seit 1919 Dr. Hans Neuwirth : Sudetendeutsche Innenpolitik Franz Hilmer : Deutsches Bauerntum in Bohmen, Mähren und Schlesien Dr. Hans Otto Wagner : Die deutsche Industrie in den Sudetenländern Dr. Fritz Koberg : Die Tscheche

Wettbewerb aller Krankenversicherungen kann Qualität verbessern und Kosten des Gesundheitswesens senken

Das präsentierte und diskutierte Modell eines sozialgebundenen Krankenversicherungswettbewerbs zeigt zum Ersten, dass ein derartiges System an vielen Stellen vom Staat reguliert werden muss. Es ist deutlich komplizierter als die bislang in der Diskussion befindlichen Lehrbuchmodelle und die Reformvorschläge, die lediglich einem Agenda Setting dienen und notwendigerweise nur Prinzipien postulieren. Zum Zweiten zeigt sich, dass die Regulierungsnotwendigkeiten derart vielfältig und letztlich von Werturteilen abhängig sind, so dass eine Reform nicht allein aus einer medizinischen oder wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Rationalität heraus gestaltet werden kann. Insofern ist auch unser Vorschlag noch in hohem Maße diskussions- und damit ergänzungsbedürftig.A draft of a reform towards "socially bounded competition" within the health care system indicates, first of all, that several areas of such an insurance system would have to be regulated by the state. Such a reform is much more complicated than text book models or the proposals of various expert groups imply. Secondly, the necessary regulation is multifaceted and heavenly influenced by value judgements. It therefore cannot be solved by a theoretical discussion alone. If one wishes to implement increased competition in the health insurance system of Germany (or somewhere else), detailed analyses are needed and political decisions have to be made

Menschliche Endlichkeit und Kompensation : Bamberger Hegelwochen 94'

Menschliche Endlichkeit und Kompensation : Bamberger Hegelwochen 94

Kommunikation in Krisen

Das Projekt "Kommunikation in Krisen" analysiert kommunikative Prozesse in Krisen. Diese werden verstanden als eine ereignisbezogene gesellschaftliche Verunsicherung, in deren Folge sich ein temporärer, dynamischer sozialer Zusammenhang zur Bewältigung dieser Verunsicherung herausbildet. Auf der Basis von systematischen Literaturrecherchen und Gesprächen mit ausgewählten Expert*innen aus verschiedenen Akteursbereichen werden kommunikative Prozesse in der aktuell herrschenden COVID-19-Krise aufgezeigt. Um Kommunikation in Krisen systematisch zu beschreiben, wird ein figurationstheoretischer Ansatz verfolgt, der Kommunikation in Krisen als ein Interdependenzgeflecht versteht und die an der Kommunikation beteiligten Akteure, deren jeweiligen handlungsleitenden Orientierungen und kommunikativen Praktiken in den Blick nimmt. Im Zentrum stehen die bereichsspezifischen Handlungslogiken von Akteuren aus den Bereichen: Öffentliche Gesundheit und Sicherheit, Wissenschaft und Forschung, Öffentlichkeit und Journalismus, gruppenspezifische Interessen, Lebenswelt der einzelnen Mitglieder der Gesellschaft. Auf der Basis vorliegender Befunde aus der Forschung und ergänzender Expert*innengespräche werden die Wahrnehmung der Kommunikation in der Krise sowie die verschiedenen handlungsleitenden Orientierungen untersucht. Geleitet vom figurationstheoretischen Ansatz werden erstens der prozesshafte Charakter von Krisen und ihrer kommunikativen Bewältigung herausgearbeitet, zweitens die Vielfalt der an der kommunikativen Aushandlung ihrer Bewältigung beteiligten Akteure sowie drittens die Herausforderungen, die sich aus den vielfältigen rollen- und lebensweltbezogenen Ansprüchen, Erwartungen und Handlungsorientierungen ergeben. Auf dieser Grundlage werden verschiedene bereichsübergreifende Herausforderungen für die Kommunikation in Krisen identifiziert. Diese werden in Form von Spannungsfeldern beschrieben, in denen die Kommunikation in Krise verlaufen kann, etwa zwischen Konsonanz und Vielstimmigkeit, Warnung und Beruhigung, Vereinfachung und Differenzierung, Umfassende Information und Orientierungshilfe, Eigenverantwortung und Regulierung

Protein Microarray-Guided Development of a Highly Sensitive and Specific Dipstick Assay for Glanders Serodiagnostics

Burkholderia mallei, the causative agent of glanders, is a clonal descendant of Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis, which has lost its environmental reservoir and has a restricted host range. Despite limitations in terms of sensitivity and specificity, complement fixation is still the official diagnostic test for glanders. Therefore, new tools are needed for diagnostics and to study the B. mallei epidemiology. We recently developed a highly sensitive serodiagnostic microarray test for human melioidosis based on the multiplex detection of B. pseudomallei proteins. In this study, we modified our array tests by using anti-horse IgG conjugate and tested sera from B. mallei-infected horses (n = 30), negative controls (n = 39), and horses infected with other pathogens (n = 14). Our array results show a sensitivity of 96.7% (confidence interval [CI] 85.5 to 99.6%) and a specificity of 100.0% (CI, 95.4 to 100.0%). The reactivity pattern of the positive sera on our array test allowed us to identify a set of 12 highly reactive proteins of interest for glanders diagnosis. The B. mallei variants of the three best protein candidates were selected for the development of a novel dipstick assay. Our point-of-care test detected glanders cases in less than 15 min with a sensitivity of 90.0% (CI, 75.7 to 97.1%) and a specificity of 100.0% (CI, 95.4 to 100.0%). The microarray and dipstick can easily be adopted for the diagnosis of both B. mallei and B. pseudomallei infections in different animals. Future studies will show whether multiplex serological testing has the potential to differentiate between these pathogens

Surface cleaning and sample carrier for complementary high-resolution imaging techniques

Nowadays, high-resolution imaging techniques are extensively applied in a complementary way to gain insights into complex phenomena. For a truly complementary analytical approach, a common sample carrier is required that is suitable for the different preparation methods necessary for each analytical technique. This sample carrier should be capable of accommodating diverse analytes and maintaining their pristine composition and arrangement during deposition and preparation. In this work, a new type of sample carrier consisting of a silicon wafer with a hydrophilic polymer coating was developed. The robustness of the polymer coating toward solvents was strengthened by cross-linking and stoving. Furthermore, a new method of UV-ozone cleaning was developed that enhances the adhesion of the polymer coating to the wafer and ensures reproducible surface-properties of the resulting sample carrier. The hydrophilicity of the sample carrier was recovered applying the new method of UV-ozone cleaning, while avoiding UV-induced damages to the polymer. Noncontact 3D optical profilometry and contact angle measurements were used to monitor the hydrophilicity of the coating. The hydrophilicity of the polymer coating ensures its spongelike behavior so that upon the deposition of an analyte suspension, the solvent and solutes are separated from the analyte by absorption into the polymer. This feature is essential to limit the coffee-ring effect and preserve the native identity of an analyte upon deposition. The suitability of the sample carrier for various sample types was tested using nanoparticles from suspension, bacterial cells, and tissue sections. To assess the homogeneity of the analyte distribution and preservation of sample integrity, optical and scanning electron microscopy, helium ion microscopy, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry were used. This demonstrates the broad applicability of the newly developed sample carrier and its value for complementary imaging. © 2020 Author(s)

p5 Peptide-Loaded Human Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Neurological Recovery After Focal Cerebral Ischemia in a Rat Model.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells markedly attenuated brain infarct size and improved neurological function in rats. The mechanisms for neuronal cell death have previously been defined in stress states to suggest that an influx of calcium ions into the neurons activates calpain cleavage of p35 into p25 forming a hyperactive complex that induces cell death. Now we report that p5, a 24-residue peptide derived from p35, offers protection to neurons and endothelial cells in vitro. In vivo administration of human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) loaded with this therapeutic peptide to post-stroke rats had no effect on the infarct volume. Nevertheless, the treatment led to improvement in functional recovery in spatial learning and memory (water maze), bilateral coordination and sensorimotor function (rotating pole), and asymmetry of forelimb usage (cylinder test). However, the treatment may not impact on cutaneous sensitivity (adhesive tape removal test). In addition, the double immunofluorescence with human cell-specific antibodies revealed that the number of surviving transplanted cells was higher in the peri-infarcted area of animals treated with hADMSCs + P5 than that in hADMSC-treated or control animals, concomitant with reduced number of phagocytic, annexin3-positive cells in the peri-infarcted region. However, the combination therapy did not increase the vascular density in the peri-infarcted area after stroke. In conclusion, administration of hADMSC-loaded p5 peptide to post-stroke rats created conditions that supported survival of drug-loaded hADMSCs after cerebral ischemia, suggesting its therapeutic potential in patients with stroke

Plasma amyloid beta X-42/X-40 ratio and cognitive decline in suspected early and preclinical Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTION: Blood-based biomarkers are a cost-effective and minimally invasive method for diagnosing the early and preclinical stages of amyloid positivity (AP). Our study aims to investigate our novel immunoprecipitation-immunoassay (IP-IA) as a test for predicting cognitive decline.METHODS: We measured levels of amyloid beta (Aβ)X-40 and AβX-42 in immunoprecipitated eluates from the DELCODE cohort. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves, regression analyses, and Cox proportional hazard regression models were constructed to predict AP by Aβ42/40 classification in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and conversion to mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or dementia.RESULTS: We detected a significant correlation between AßX-42/X-40 in plasma and CSF (r = 0.473). Mixed-modeling analysis revealed a substantial prediction of AßX-42/X-40 with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.81 for AP (sensitivity: 0.79, specificity: 0.74, positive predictive value [PPV]: 0.71, negative predictive value [NPV]: 0.81). In addition, lower AβX-42/X-40 ratios were associated with negative PACC5 slopes, suggesting cognitive decline.DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that assessing the plasma AβX-42/X-40 ratio via our semiautomated IP-IA is a promising biomarker when examining patients with early or preclinical AD.HIGHLIGHTS: New plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 measurement using immunoprecipitation-immunoassay Plasma Aβ42/Aβ40 associated with longitudinal cognitive decline Promising biomarker to detect subjective cognitive decline at-risk for brain amyloid positivity.</p