Multimodales Behandlungskonzept beim peritoneal metastasierenden Magenkarzinom unter Einschluss der hyperthermen intraperitonealen Chemoperfusion

Das peritoneal metastasierende Magenkarzinom (pmM) hat trotz positiver Entwicklungen der onkologischen Behandlungsmöglichkeiten in den letzten Jahren eine ausgesprochen schlechte Prognose und gilt somit als Endzustand einer malignen Erkrankung. Die Therapieoptionen beschränkten sich im Allgemeinen auf eine rein palliative Chemotherapie, welche das Überleben, mit zum Teil einer deutlichen Beeinträchtigung des Wohlbefindens, lediglich um wenige Monate verlängert. Die zytoreduktive Chirurgie (CRS) in Verbindung mit einer intraoperativen hyperthermen Chemotherapie (HIPEC) sowie einer perioperativen systemischen Chemotherapie zeigte in internationalen Studien und Beobachtungen bei selektierten Patienten eine deutliche Verlängerung des Gesamtüberlebens mit Verbesserung der Lebensqualität. In der Klinik für Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie des DRK Manniske Krankenhauses Bad Frankenhausen wurden 26 Patienten, bei denen ein pmM nachgewiesen wurde, im Zeitraum von August 2008 bis April 2013 einem multimodalen Behandlungskonzept unterzogen. Dieses Konzept beinhaltete die Kombination aus einer perioperativen Chemotherapie nach dem FLOT-Schema, der zytoreduktiven Chirurgie mit selektiver Peritonektomie und der hyperthermen intraperitonealen Chemotherapie mit Taxotere und Oxaliplatin. Das Patientengut bestand aus 14 weiblichen und 12 männlichen Personen im Alter zwischen 39 und 71 Jahren. Eingeschlossen wurden nur solche Patienten, die einen Karnofsky-Index von > 70% aufwiesen und bei denen bisher keine Vortherapie des pmM durchgeführt wurde. Das genannte Behandlungsverfahren wurde standardisiert abgewickelt und die Langzeitergebnisse durch eine Befragung der Hausärzte oder der Patienten selbst erfasst. Anhand der retrospektiv ausgewerteten Daten konnte gezeigt werden, dass durch das multimodale Behandlungskonzept die Überlebenswahrscheinlichkeit auf 17 Monate gegenüber 6 Monaten bei einer Standardtherapie verlängert wurde

Applied statistics in field and semi-field studies with bees

Field and semi-field studies are important tools in the ecotoxicological risk assessment of plant protection products for bees (honey bees, bumblebees and solitary bees). While these studies represent far more realistic conditions than laboratory tests, they also present a challenge for the analysis and interpretation due to the large and complex datasets. Therefore, in order to correctly answer the underlying ecotoxicological questions, it is crucial that these studies are not only thoroughly planned and conducted, it is also important that they are subjected to adequate statistical analysis. Our aim is to provide a better understanding on how to conduct and interpret statistical analyses in field and semi-field studies with bees made for regulatory purposes. An overview of how study design and statistics should be aligned with each other is given including the specific challenges of (semi-) field trials, as for instance how to address the problem of pseudoreplication if hives are regarded as experimental units. Different statistical tools are compared and their suitability for different data types and questions are discussed. Generalized Linear (Mixed) Models (GLMMs) are evaluated in more detail as they provide a flexible and robust tool for the analysis of honey bee (semi-) field data. Furthermore, some more light is shed on what p-values really tell us, how they can help to interpret data and how they should not be misinterpreted.Field and semi-field studies are important tools in the ecotoxicological risk assessment of plant protection products for bees (honey bees, bumblebees and solitary bees). While these studies represent far more realistic conditions than laboratory tests, they also present a challenge for the analysis and interpretation due to the large and complex datasets. Therefore, in order to correctly answer the underlying ecotoxicological questions, it is crucial that these studies are not only thoroughly planned and conducted, it is also important that they are subjected to adequate statistical analysis. Our aim is to provide a better understanding on how to conduct and interpret statistical analyses in field and semi-field studies with bees made for regulatory purposes. An overview of how study design and statistics should be aligned with each other is given including the specific challenges of (semi-) field trials, as for instance how to address the problem of pseudoreplication if hives are regarded as experimental units. Different statistical tools are compared and their suitability for different data types and questions are discussed. Generalized Linear (Mixed) Models (GLMMs) are evaluated in more detail as they provide a flexible and robust tool for the analysis of honey bee (semi-) field data. Furthermore, some more light is shed on what p-values really tell us, how they can help to interpret data and how they should not be misinterpreted

Tatar-Prussian Connections in the 17th and 18th Centuries: The History of a Relationship

The history of the Tatar soldiers in the armies of Prussia and Saxony has hitherto only rarely been the subject of scholarly publications, but it offers a useful starting point for illuminating Christian-Islamic relations in the 17th and 18th centuries. Tatar soldiers were to be found in the Bosniak, Hussar, Cossack and Towarczys units of the Prussian and Saxon Army as well as in the short-lived Tatar Pulk of the Prussian army. At the same time diplomatic exchanges took place between Lipka Tatars, Crimean Tatars, Prussians and Saxons, beginning in the 15th century and lasting until 1786. A Tatar Muslim population has resided in the geographic center of Europe – in Lithuania and Poland – for more than 600 years. Its presence probably also shaped the distinctive collective image of this ethnic group formed by its German neighbors, the inhabitants of the former East Prussia, Masovia, Kujawia, Silesia and West Prussia.The history of the Tatar soldiers in the armies of Prussia and Saxony has hitherto only rarely been the subject of scholarly publications, but it offers a useful starting point for illuminating Christian-Islamic relations in the 17th and 18th centuries. Tatar soldiers were to be found in the Bosniak, Hussar, Cossack and Towarczys units of the Prussian and Saxon Army as well as in the short-lived Tatar Pulk of the Prussian army. At the same time diplomatic exchanges took place between Lipka Tatars, Crimean Tatars, Prussians and Saxons, beginning in the 15th century and lasting until 1786. A Tatar Muslim population has resided in the geographic center of Europe – in Lithuania and Poland – for more than 600 years. Its presence probably also shaped the distinctive collective image of this ethnic group formed by its German neighbors, the inhabitants of the former East Prussia, Masovia, Kujawia, Silesia and West Prussia

Maine Impact Week 2021 Faculty Mentor Impact Awards : Kristina Cammen

Earlier this year, we asked students to nominate faculty members who had an important impact on them and the response was incredible. Through online videos and announcements, we are featuring the nine faculty members who won 2021 Faculty Mentor Impact Awards. Click the download button for a machine-generated, English transcript

Cost effective, experimentally robust differential-expression analysis for human/mammalian, pathogen and dual-species transcriptomics.

As sequencing read length has increased, researchers have quickly adopted longer reads for their experiments. Here, we examine 14 pathogen or host-pathogen differential gene expression data sets to assess whether using longer reads is warranted. A variety of data sets was used to assess what genomic attributes might affect the outcome of differential gene expression analysis including: gene density, operons, gene length, number of introns/exons and intron length. No genome attribute was found to influence the data in principal components analysis, hierarchical clustering with bootstrap support, or regression analyses of pairwise comparisons that were undertaken on the same reads, looking at all combinations of paired and unpaired reads trimmed to 36, 54, 72 and 101 bp. Read pairing had the greatest effect when there was little variation in the samples from different conditions or in their replicates (e.g. little differential gene expression). But overall, 54 and 72 bp reads were typically most similar. Given differences in costs and mapping percentages, we recommend 54 bp reads for organisms with no or few introns and 72 bp reads for all others. In a third of the data sets, read pairing had absolutely no effect, despite paired reads having twice as much data. Therefore, single-end reads seem robust for differential-expression analyses, but in eukaryotes paired-end reads are likely desired to analyse splice variants and should be preferred for data sets that are acquired with the intent to be community resources that might be used in secondary data analyses

Comparing methods of assessing dog rabies vaccination coverage in rural and urban communities in Tanzania

Rabies can be eliminated by achieving comprehensive coverage of 70% of domestic dogs during annual mass vaccination campaigns. Estimates of vaccination coverage are, therefore, required to evaluate and manage mass dog vaccination programs; however, there is no specific guidance for the most accurate and efficient methods for estimating coverage in different settings. Here, we compare post-vaccination transects, school-based surveys, and household surveys across 28 districts in southeast Tanzania and Pemba island covering rural, urban, coastal and inland settings, and a range of different livelihoods and religious backgrounds. These approaches were explored in detail in a single district in northwest Tanzania (Serengeti), where their performance was compared with a complete dog population census that also recorded dog vaccination status. Post-vaccination transects involved counting marked (vaccinated) and unmarked (unvaccinated) dogs immediately after campaigns in 2,155 villages (24,721 dogs counted). School-based surveys were administered to 8,587 primary school pupils each representing a unique household, in 119 randomly selected schools approximately 2 months after campaigns. Household surveys were conducted in 160 randomly selected villages (4,488 households) in July/August 2011. Costs to implement these coverage assessments were $12.01,$66.12, and $155.70 per village for post-vaccination transects, school-based, and household surveys, respectively. Simulations were performed to assess the effect of sampling on the precision of coverage estimation. The sampling effort required to obtain reasonably precise estimates of coverage from household surveys is generally very high and probably prohibitively expensive for routine monitoring across large areas, particularly in communities with high human to dog ratios. School-based surveys partially overcame sampling constraints, however, were also costly to obtain reasonably precise estimates of coverage. Post-vaccination transects provided precise and timely estimates of community-level coverage that could be used to troubleshoot the performance of campaigns across large areas. However, transects typically overestimated coverage by around 10%, which therefore needs consideration when evaluating the impacts of campaigns. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these different methods and make recommendations for how vaccination campaigns can be better monitored and managed at different stages of rabies control and elimination programs

New directions in achievement assessment. Experiences with talks between parents and children on achievement reports

Leistungsbewertung in Schulen wird zwischen den Beteiligten meist sehr kontrovers diskutiert. Erlasse geben einen Rahmen vor und lassen Schulen zunehmend Möglichkeiten der eigenen Gestaltung. In einigen Grundschulen in Niedersachsen sind an die Stelle des Halbjahreszeugnisses verbindliche Eltern-Kind-Zeugnis-Gespräche getreten. Die Ergebnisse einer Elternbefragung können als Ermutigung gewertet werden, neue Wege zu beschreiten. (DIPF/Orig.)Assessment of achievement in schools is usually discussed controversely by those concerned. Ministerial ordinances provide the frames and increasingly leave room for schools to make their own arrangements. In some elementary schools in Lower Saxony the semi-annual achievement reports have been replaced by obligatory talks between parents and children. The results of interviewing parents can be taken as an encouragement. (DIPF/Orig.