Projektarbeit: Struktur und Methode

Der Ausgangspunkt für die pädagogische Entwicklung an der Universitätsschule Dresden ist die Bestimmung, dass Lernen sich, wie es die kulturhistorische Theorie (u.a. Vygotskij, 2002) bestimmt, im Dialog vollzieht, bzw. wird das Lernen dem Konstruktivismus folgend als Ko-Konstruktionsprozess zwischen Schüler*innen und auch zwischen Schüler*innen und Lehrer*innen verstanden. Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt das Konzept und die Umsetzung der Projektarbeit als Kern des Lehr-Lernsettings an der Universitätsschule dar. In einem ersten Schritt wird das Konzept der Projektarbeit mit seinen Prämissen und Charakteristika skizziert, bevor im Anschluss die Projektarbeit exemplarisch für drei Altersstufen dargelegt wird. Anhand dessen werden die didaktisch-methodische Umsetzung und auch die Heranführung der Schüler*innen an die Projektarbeit deutlich. Nach der Differenzierung der Projektarbeit in der Primarstufe, der Mittelstufe und der Oberstufe werden zwei Aspekte der Umsetzung der Projektarbeit in der Universitätsschule noch einmal näher beleuchtet: Zum einen wird die Standardisierung von schulischen Prozessen zur Ermöglichung von individualisierter Entwicklung in kooperativen Lernprozessen über die Projektarbeit und zum anderen die Verbindung zwischen Projektarbeit und Digitalisierung in dieser Schule herausgearbeitet. Abschließend wird die aktuelle Umsetzung der Projektarbeit in der Universitätsschule Dresden als Entwicklung in einem Ko-Konstruktionsprozess von Praxis und Wissenschaft skizziert. At the University School Dresden, the starting point for the pedagogical development is the determination that learning takes place in dialogue as described by cultural-historical theory (e.g., Vygotskij, 2002); or, according to constructivism, learning is understood as co-construction process between students as well as between students and teachers. This paper presents the concept and implementation of project work as the core of the teaching-learning setting at the University School Dresden. In a first step, the concept of project work with its premises and characteristics is outlined, before project work is exemplified for three age groups. The didactic-methodical implementation and also the introduction of the pupils to the project work are elaborated. After the differentiation of project work at the primary, the intermediate and the advanced levels, two aspects of the implementation of project work are examined in more detail: on the one hand, the standardization of school processes which aim at enabling individualized development in cooperative learning processes via project work, and, on the other hand, the connection between project work and digitalization. Finally, the current implementation of project work at the University School Dresden is outlined as a co-construction process of practice and science

Effect and safety of treatment with ACE-inhibitor Enalapril and β-blocker metoprolol on the onset of left ventricular dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy - a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background: X-linked Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most frequent human hereditary skeletal muscle myopathy, inevitably leads to progressive dilated cardiomyopathy. We assessed the effect and safety of a combined treatment with the ACE-inhibitor enalapril and the β-blocker metoprolol in a German cohort of infantile and juvenile DMD patients with preserved left ventricular function. Methods, Trial design: Sixteen weeks single-arm open run-in therapy with enalapril and metoprolol followed by a two-arm 1:1 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled treatment in a multicenter setting. Inclusion criteria: DMD boys aged 10–14 years with left ventricular fractional shortening [LV-FS] ≥ 30% in echocardiography. Primary endpoint: time from randomization to first occurrence of LV-FS < 28%. Secondary: changes of a) LV-FS from baseline, b) blood pressure, c), heart rate and autonomic function in ECG and Holter-ECG, e) cardiac biomarkers and neurohumeral serum parameters, f) quality of life, and g) adverse events. Results: From 3/2010 to 12/2013, 38 patients from 10 sites were centrally randomized after run-in, with 21 patients continuing enalapril and metoprolol medication and 17 patients receiving placebo. Until end of study 12/2015, LV-FS < 28% was reached in 6/21 versus 7/17 patients. Cox regression adjusted for LV-FS after run-in showed a statistically non-significant benefit for medication over placebo (hazard ratio: 0.38; 95% confidence interval: 0.12 to 1.22; p = 0.10). Analysis of secondary outcome measures revealed a time-dependent deterioration of LV-FS with no statistically significant differences between the two study arms. Blood pressure, maximal heart rate and mean-NN values were significantly lower at the end of open run-in treatment compared to baseline. Outcome analysis 19 months after randomization displayed significantly lower maximum heart rate and higher noradrenalin and renin values in the intervention group. No difference between treatments was seen for quality of life. As a single, yet important adverse event, the reversible deterioration of walking abilities of one DMD patient during the run-in period was observed. Conclusions: Our analysis of enalapril and metoprolol treatment in DMD patients with preserved left ventricular function is suggestive to delay the progression of the intrinsic cardiomyopathy to left ventricular failure, but did not reach statistical significance, probably due to insufficient sample size. Clinical trial registration: DRKS-number 00000115, EudraCT-number 2009–009871-36

Imbricaric Acid and Perlatolic Acid: Multi-Targeting Anti- Inflammatory Depsides from Cetrelia monachorum

In vitro screening of 17 Alpine lichen species for their inhibitory activity against 5-lipoxygenase, microsomal prostaglandin E 2 synthase-1 and nuclear factor kappa B revealed Cetrelia monachorum (Zahlbr.) W.L. Culb. & C.F. Culb. As conceivable source for novel anti-inflammatory compounds. Phytochemical investigation of the ethanolic crude extract resulted in the isolation and identification of 11 constituents, belonging to depsides and derivatives of orsellinic acid, olivetolic acid and olivetol. The two depsides imbricaric acid (4) and perlatolic acid (5) approved dual inhibitory activities on microsomal prostaglandin E 2 synthase-1 (IC 50 = 1.9 and 0.4 µM, resp.) and on 5-lipoxygenase tested in a cell-based assay (IC 50 = 5.3 and 1.8 µM, resp.) and on purified enzyme (IC 50 = 3.5 and 0.4 µM, resp.). Additionally, these two main constituents quantified in the extract with 15.22 % (4) and 9.10 % (5) showed significant inhibition of tumor necrosis factor alpha-induced nuclear factor kappa B activation in luciferase reporter cells with IC 50 values of 2.0 and 7.0 µM, respectively. In a murine in vivo model of inflammation, 5 impaired the inflammatory, thioglycollate-induced recruitment of leukocytes to the peritoneum

Effect and safety of treatment with ACE-inhibitor Enalapril and β-blocker metoprolol on the onset of left ventricular dysfunction in Duchenne muscular dystrophy - a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract Background X-linked Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most frequent human hereditary skeletal muscle myopathy, inevitably leads to progressive dilated cardiomyopathy. We assessed the effect and safety of a combined treatment with the ACE-inhibitor enalapril and the β-blocker metoprolol in a German cohort of infantile and juvenile DMD patients with preserved left ventricular function. Methods Trial design Sixteen weeks single-arm open run-in therapy with enalapril and metoprolol followed by a two-arm 1:1 randomized double-blind placebo-controlled treatment in a multicenter setting. Inclusion criteria: DMD boys aged 10–14 years with left ventricular fractional shortening [LV-FS] ≥ 30% in echocardiography. Primary endpoint: time from randomization to first occurrence of LV-FS < 28%. Secondary: changes of a) LV-FS from baseline, b) blood pressure, c), heart rate and autonomic function in ECG and Holter-ECG, e) cardiac biomarkers and neurohumeral serum parameters, f) quality of life, and g) adverse events. Results From 3/2010 to 12/2013, 38 patients from 10 sites were centrally randomized after run-in, with 21 patients continuing enalapril and metoprolol medication and 17 patients receiving placebo. Until end of study 12/2015, LV-FS < 28% was reached in 6/21 versus 7/17 patients. Cox regression adjusted for LV-FS after run-in showed a statistically non-significant benefit for medication over placebo (hazard ratio: 0.38; 95% confidence interval: 0.12 to 1.22; p = 0.10). Analysis of secondary outcome measures revealed a time-dependent deterioration of LV-FS with no statistically significant differences between the two study arms. Blood pressure, maximal heart rate and mean-NN values were significantly lower at the end of open run-in treatment compared to baseline. Outcome analysis 19 months after randomization displayed significantly lower maximum heart rate and higher noradrenalin and renin values in the intervention group. No difference between treatments was seen for quality of life. As a single, yet important adverse event, the reversible deterioration of walking abilities of one DMD patient during the run-in period was observed. Conclusions Our analysis of enalapril and metoprolol treatment in DMD patients with preserved left ventricular function is suggestive to delay the progression of the intrinsic cardiomyopathy to left ventricular failure, but did not reach statistical significance, probably due to insufficient sample size. Clinical trial registration DRKS-number 00000115, EudraCT-number 2009–009871-36

IC₅₀ values of positive controls in mPGES-1, 5-LO and NF-κB assays (n=3).

<p>* n.d., not determined.</p

Effect of lichen crude extracts on mPGES-1 (A), purified 5-LO enzyme (B), 5-LO in PMNL (C) and NF-κB (D); n=3-5.

<p>Effect of lichen crude extracts on mPGES-1 (A), purified 5-LO enzyme (B), 5-LO in PMNL (C) and NF-κB (D); n=3-5.</p