SUPPORTING RESEARCH COLLABORATION – ON THE NEEDS OF VIRTUAL RESEARCH TEAMS

Virtual teams are increasingly common in research as in corporate reality. While collaborative work in enterprises has received considerable attention, detailed understanding of collaborative work in virtual research teams is missing. To close this gap, we develop a model of the collaborative research process from idea generation to communication. We illustrate that the research phases require different support functions on the individual as well as on the team level. We explain that software tools, in particular social software, can provide support for collaborative work in virtual research teams

Endothelial damage and dysfunction in acute graft-versus-host disease

Altres ajuts: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) TRR221 (B11 Z02), TRR225 (B08)Clinical studies have suggested a potential involvement of endothelial dysfunction and damage in the development and severity of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD). Accordingly, we found an increased percentage of apoptotic caspase 3 positive blood vessels in duodenal and colonic mucosa biopsies of patients with severe aGvHD. In murine experimental aGvHD, we detected severe microstructural endothelial damage and reduced endothelial pericyte coverage accompanied by reduced expression of endothelial tight junction proteins leading to increased endothelial leakage in aGvHD target organs. During intestinal aGvHD, colonic vasculature structurally changed, reflected by increased vessel branching and vessel diameter. As recent data demonstrated an association of endothelium-related factors and steroid refractory aGvHD (SR-aGvHD), we analyzed human biopsies and murine tissues from SR-aGvHD. We found extensive tissue damage but low levels of alloreactive T-cell infiltration in target organs, providing the rationale for T-cell independent SR-aGvHD treatment strategies. Consequently, we tested the endothelium-protective PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil, which reduced apoptosis and improved metabolic activity of endothelial cells in vitro. Accordingly, sildenafil treatment improved survival and reduced target organ damage during experimental SR-aGvHD. Our results demonstrate extensive damage, structural changes, and dysfunction of the vasculature during aGvHD. Therapeutic intervention by endothelium-protecting agents is an attractive approach for SR-aGvHD complementing current anti-inflammatory treatment options

Acute myeloid leukemia: negative prognostic impact of early blast persistence can be in part overcome by a later remission prior to post-induction therapy

In acute myeloid leukemia, there is an ongoing debate on the prognostic value of the early bone marrow assessment in patients receiving intensive therapy. In this retrospective study, we analyzed the prognostic impact of the early response in 1,008 patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia, who were treated at our institution with intensive chemotherapy followed by consolidation chemotherapy and/or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We found that early blast persistence has an independent negative prognostic impact on overall survival, eventfree survival and relapse-free survival. This negative prognostic impact may only be overcome in patients showing at least a partial remission at the early bone marrow assessment and who subsequently achieve blast clearance by additional induction chemotherapy prior to consolidation therapy with allogeneic HSCT. In accordance, we propose that the time slope of remission is an additional leukemia-related dynamic parameter that reflects chemosensitivity and thus may inform post-induction therapy decision-making. In addition to patient-related factors, European LeukemiaNet risk group, measurable residual disease monitoring and donor availability, this may particularly apply to European LeukemiaNet intermediate-risk patients, for whom a decision between consolidation chemotherapy and allogeneic HSCT remains challenging in many cases

Endothelial damage and dysfunction in acute graft-versus-host disease

Clinical studies suggested that endothelial dysfunction and damage could be involved in the development and severity of acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD). Accordingly, we found increased percentage of apoptotic Casp3+ blood vessels in duodenal and colonic mucosa biopsies of patients with severe aGVHD. In murine experimental aGVHD, we detected severe microstructural endothelial damage and reduced endothelial pericyte coverage accompanied by reduced expression of endothelial tight junction proteins leading to increased endothelial leakage in aGVHD target organs. During intestinal aGVHD, colonic vasculature structurally changed, reflected by increased vessel branching and vessel diameter. Because recent data demonstrated an association of endothelium-related factors and steroid refractory aGVHD (SR-aGVHD), we analyzed human biopsies and murine tissues from SR-aGVHD. We found extensive tissue damage but low levels of alloreactive T cell infiltration in target organs, providing the rationale for T-cell independent SR-aGVHD treatment strategies. Consequently, we tested the endothelium-protective PDE5 inhibitor sildenafil, which reduced apoptosis and improved metabolic activity of endothelial cells in vitro. Accordingly, sildenafil treatment improved survival and reduced target organ damage during experimental SR-aGVHD. Our results demonstrate extensive damage, structural changes, and dysfunction of the vasculature during aGVHD. Therapeutic intervention by endothelium-protecting agents is an attractive approach for SR-aGVHD complementing current anti-inflammatory treatment options

The use of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents as an outcome criterion to evaluate family oriented support for young carers in Germany: an integrative review of the literature

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Young people below the age of 18, whose lives are affected by looking after a relative with a disability or long-term illness, are called young carers. Evidence based family oriented support for young carers and their families in Germany is currently being developed. To allow for scientific evaluation, an outcome criterion needs to be chosen. Until today, there are no assessment instruments available, which focus on young carer's specific demands and needs. As HRQOL seems to be an adequate alternative outcome criterion, an integrative review of the literature was carried out to verify this assumption.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The aim of the integrative review was to get information about a) the concept and the common definition of HRQOL in children, b) preferable HRQOL assessment techniques in children, and c) the relevance of HRQOL measures for the population of young carers. An additional aim of the review was to give advice on which instrument fits best to assess young carer's HRQOL in Germany. Searches were conducted in PubMed in order to obtain papers reporting about a) the development or psychometric assessment of instruments measuring HRQOL in children and adolescents up to the age of 18, and b) on the conceptual framework of HRQOL in children.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>HRQOL is a multidimensional construct covering physical, emotional, mental, social, and behavioural components of well-being and functioning as subjective perceived by a person depending on the cultural context and value system one is living in. Young carer's problems and needs are well covered by these common domains of HRQOL. Since no specific HRQOL-measures are available to address young carers, a generic one has to be chosen which a) has been created for use in children, b) allows self- and proxy-report, and c) has good psychometric testing results. Comparing four generic measures with currently best published psychometric testing results, items of the KIDSCREEN cover young carer's specific problems most accurate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The KIDSCREEN questionnaires seems adequate to evaluate the intervention as their items cover young carer's needs and problems most accurate.</p