FASTER and SCOTT&EVA trainings for adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental condition with a prevalence rate above 1%, characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction; restrictive, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities; and a preference for sameness and routines. The majority of adult ASD patients suffer from comorbid conditions such as depression and anxiety. Therapy options for adult ASD patients are lacking, with presently no available evidence-based interventions in Germany. Recently, two interventions to improve social responsiveness have been published. FASTER (“Freiburger Asperger-Spezifische Therapie für ERwachsene” = Freiburg Asperger-specific therapy for adults) is a manualized group psychotherapy program including three modules on psychoeducation, stress regulation management, and non-verbal and verbal social communication training with videotaped tasks. SCOTT&EVA (“Social Cognition Training Tool”, and its enhancement “Emotionen Verstehen und Ausdruecken” = understanding and expressing emotions) is a computer-based training program to enhance social cognition including video and audio material of emotional expressions and complex real-life social situations. Initial studies for both programs have shown good feasibility and efficacy. Methods Three hundred sixty adult participants with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will take part in a randomized controlled three-armed multi-center trial to prove the efficacy of manualized group psychotherapy and a manualized computer-based training program. Both interventions will be compared with a treatment as usual (TAU) group, aiming to establish evidence-based psychotherapy approaches for adult individuals with ASD. The primary outcome is evaluated by parents, spouses, or others who have sufficient insight into the respective participant’s social communication and interaction, and will be measured with the Social Responsiveness Scale. First, each of both interventions will be compared to TAU. If at least one of the differences is significant, both interventions will be compared against each other. The primary outcome will be measured at baseline (T0) and 4 months after baseline (T1). Discussion The trial is the first to validate psychiatric therapeutic and training interventions for adult ASD patients in Germany. A trial is needed because the prevalence of ASD in adulthood without intellectual disability is high, and no evidence-based intervention can be offered in Germany. Trial registration German Clinical Trial Register DRKS00017817. Registered on 20 April 2020.Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001659Universitätsklinikum Freiburg (8975)Peer Reviewe

The Orphan Response Regulator Aor1 Is a New Relevant Piece in the Complex Puzzle of Streptomyces coelicolor Antibiotic Regulatory Network

ABSTARCT: Streptomyces coelicolor, the best-known biological antibiotic producer, encodes 29 predicted orphan response regulators (RR) with a putative role in the response to environmental stimuli. However, their implication in relation to secondary metabolite production is mostly unexplored. Here, we show how the deletion of the orphan RR Aor1 (SCO2281) provoked a drastic decrease in the production of the three main antibiotics produced by S. coelicolor and a delay in morphological differentiation. With the aim to better understand the transcriptional events underpinning these phenotypes, and the global role of Aor1 in Streptomyces, a transcriptional fingerprint of the Δaor1 mutant was compared to a wild-type strain. RNA-Seq analysis revealed that the deletion of this orphan regulator affects a strikingly high number of genes, such as the genes involved in secondary metabolism, which matches the antibiotic production profiles observed. Of particular note, the sigma factor SigB and all of the genes comprising its regulon were up regulated in the mutant. Our results show that this event links osmotic stress to secondary metabolite production in S. coelicolor and indicates that the RR encoded by aor1 could be a key regulator in both of these processes. Key words: Streptomyces, two-component systems, antibiotic production, orphan response regulator, crosstalk, stress respons

Friedrich Naumann und die Armenische Frage. Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit und die Verfolgung der Armenier vor 1915

Schmuhl H-W. Friedrich Naumann und die Armenische Frage. Die deutsche Öffentlichkeit und die Verfolgung der Armenier vor 1915. In: Kieser H-L, Schaller DJ,, eds. Der Völkermord an den Armeniern und die Shoa/ The Armenian Genocide and the Shoa. 2. Aufl. Zürich; 2003: 503-516