Untersuchungen zur pädagogischen Frühförderung hörgeschädigter Kinder in Bayern

Die Qualität der pädagogischen Frühförderung hörgeschädigter Kinder in Bayern wurde auf den Ebenen Struktur-, Prozess- und Ergebnisqualität evaluiert. Die erforderlichen Daten konnten in umfangreichen Befragungen der Mitarbeiterinnen in den pädagogisch-audiologischen Beratungs- und Frühförderstellen erhoben werden. Die Auswertung erfolgte als ein Soll-Ist-Vergleich. Hierbei liefern fachwissenschaftlich anerkannte und reflektierte Standards (Soll) die Bezugsnorm zur Beurteilung der tatsächlich erreichten Standards in der pädagogisch-audiologischen Frühförderung (Ist). Im Ergebnis werden Mängel in der Strukturqualität deutlich, die sich nachteilig auf die Prozessqualität in Hinblick auf die Kinder und Eltern sowie die Ergebnisqualität in Hinblick auf die Frühförderinnen auswirken

The "terminological Babel" in education. A decisive plea for conceptual clarity by reflected definitions of technical terms

Die Unschärfe pädagogischer Grundbegriffe in der Fachliteratur wird seit Jahrzehnten moniert. Dennoch hat sich die Situation bis heute kaum verbessert. Der Verzicht auf definitorische Ausschärfung einzelner Termini wird damit gerechtfertigt, dass bestimmte mehrdeutige Begriffe nicht definiert werden könnten oder müssten. In jüngster Zeit wurden die Thesen der Undefinierbarkeit und der Definitionsentbehrlichkeit sogar auf die gesamte erziehungswissenschaftliche Terminologie ausgeweitet und Vorzüge vager Begriffe angeführt. Undefinierbarkeit ergebe sich aus der Sachlage, dass Definitionen ohnehin unweigerlich in infinite Regresse einmündeten und es keinen absoluten Referenzrahmen für Begriffsbestimmungen gebe. Als Gründe für die Ablehnung von Definitionen werden etwa angeführt, dass der Bedeutungsgehalt eines Begriffs stets bereits aus dem Kontext ersichtlich sei und keine Instanz die Macht besitze, bestimmte Definitionen durchzusetzen. Der Beitrag setzt sich kritisch mit den Argumenten der Verfechter dieser Thesen auseinander und unterstreicht das Erfordernis einer präzisen Begriffsfestlegung. Es wird dabei der Standpunkt eingenommen, dass vieldeutige Begriffe in einer wissenschaftlichen Disziplin zur Verständlichkeit zu erläutern sind, bevor sie an zentraler Stelle in Vorträgen oder Schriften eingesetzt werden. Dies gilt, solange kein allgemeines Einvernehmen über die Bedeutung der Termini, wie zum Beispiel „Lernen“, „Erziehung“, „Bildung“ oder „Sozialisation“, in der Erziehungswissenschaft hergestellt ist. Diese Position wird mit konkreten Beispielen gestützt. (DIPF/Orig.)For decades the vagueness of basic terms in pedagogical terminology used in academic literature has been criticized within the scientific community. Despite of this ongoing debate, the situation has barely improved up to the present. Rather, the lack of precisely defining specific concepts has been justified by the arguments that ambiguous terms simply cannot or need not be defined. Only recently, these theses of indefinability and definitional dispensability have even been generalized to any kind of technical terminology in pedagogy and it has been argued that vague and ambiguous terms have benefits and advantages. It is been stated by others that indefinability resulted from the facts that definitions inevitably lead to infinite regresses and lack an absolute frame of reference. The position that definitions are dispensable is backed up for instance by the arguments that the meaning of a term can always be inferred from its context and that no authority were powerful enough to establish particular definitions anyway. The present article critically reflects the arguments of the advocates of these theses, claiming for the necessity of clear-cut terminology. The authors take the view that it is essential to clarify ambiguous key terms prior to using them in talks or publications to warrantee comprehensibility. This is to be applied as long as there is no scholarly consensus in educational science on how terms, such as „learning“, „education“, „bildung“ or „socialization“ are to be determined. This position is illustrated by specific examples. (DIPF/Orig.

Effectiveness of an app-based intervention to reduce substance use, gambling, and digital media use in vocational school students: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: Substance-related and addictive disorders are among the most common mental disorders in adolescence and young adulthood. Vocational school students are a risk group for problematic substance use and addictive behavior. However, the availability of evidence-based prevention concepts and programs is underdeveloped in the vocational school setting. Methods/design: A two-arm cluster randomized waitlist-controlled trial will be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of an app-based intervention to decrease substance use, gambling, and digital media use in vocational school students in Germany. Vocational students will participate in an app-based intervention that is designed to support voluntary commitment to abstain from or reduce substance or digital media use over a period of 2 weeks. The "education-as-usual" control arm will have access to the intervention after data collection is completed. One of the primary outcome measures will be the use of alcohol, nicotine, and digital media 30 days after the intervention. Several secondary outcome measures will also be included, such as cannabis consumption, gambling, symptoms of stress, physical activity, mindfulness, well-being, impulsivity and sensation seeking, and readiness to change. A total of 4500 vocational students from 225 classes will be recruited and randomized across three German federal states. Discussion: This study protocol describes the design of an RCT testing the effectiveness of an app-based intervention to reduce addictive behaviors in vocational school students. It is expected that this approach will be feasible for and effective in the vocational school setting and that the study provides comprehensive information on the key factors involved in temporary abstaining or reducing substance or digital media use. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00023788. Registered on 20 January 2021

B Cell Characteristics at Baseline Predict Vaccination Response in RTX Treated Patients

Background: Vaccination is considered as most efficient strategy in controlling SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spread. Nevertheless, patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases receiving rituximab (RTX) are at increased risk to fail humoral and cellular responses upon vaccination. The ability to predict vaccination responses is essential to guide adequate safety and optimal protection in these patients. Methods: B- and T- cell data before vaccination were evaluated for characteristics predicting vaccine responses in altogether 15 patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases receiving RTX. Eleven patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on other therapies, 11 kidney transplant recipients (KTR) on regular immunosuppression and 15 healthy controls (HC) served as controls. A multidimensional analysis of B cell subsets via UMAP algorithm and a correlation matrix were performed in order to identify predictive markers of response in patients under RTX therapy. Results: Significant differences regarding absolute B cell counts and specific subset distribution pattern between the groups were identified at baseline. In this context, the majority of B cells from vaccination responders of the RTX group (RTX IgG+) were naïve and transitional B cells, whereas vaccination non-responders (RTX IgG-) carried preferentially plasmablasts and double negative (CD27-IgD-) B cells. Moreover, there was a positive correlation between neutralizing antibodies and B cells expressing HLA-DR and CXCR5 as well as an inverse correlation with CD95 expression and CD21low expression by B cells among vaccination responders. Summary: Substantial repopulation of the naïve B cell compartment after RTX therapy appeared to be essential for an adequate vaccination response, which seem to require the additional capability of antigen presentation and germinal center formation. Moreover, expression of exhaustion markers represent negative predictors of vaccination responses

First virological and pathological study of Go¨ttingen Minipigs with Dippity Pig Syndrome (DPS)

Dippity Pig Syndrome (DPS) is a well-known but rare complex of clinical signs affecting minipigs, which has not been thoroughly investigated yet. Clinically affected animals show acute appearance of red, exudating lesions across the spine. The lesions are painful, evidenced by arching of the back (dipping), and the onset of clinical signs is generally sudden. In order to understand the pathogenesis, histological and virological investigations were performed in affected and unaffected Göttingen Minipigs (GöMPs). The following DNA viruses were screened for using PCR-based methods: Porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV), which is a porcine roseolovirus (PCMV/PRV), porcine lymphotropic herpesviruses (PLHV-1, PLHV-2, PLHV-3), porcine circoviruses (PCV1, PCV2, PCV3, PCV4), porcine parvovirus 1 (PPV1), and Torque Teno sus viruses (TTSuV1, TTSuV2). Screening was also performed for integrated porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV-A, PERV-B, PERV-C) and recombinant PERV-A/C and their expression as well as for the RNA viruses hepatitis E virus (HEV) and SARS-CoV-2. Eight clinically affected and one unaffected GöMPs were analyzed. Additional unaffected minipigs had been analyzed in the past. The analyzed GöMPs contained PERV-A and PERV-B integrated in the genome, which are present in all pigs and PERV-C, which is present in most, but not all pigs. In one affected GöMPs recombinant PERV-A/C was detected in blood. In this animal a very high expression of PERV mRNA was observed. PCMV/PRV was found in three affected animals, PCV1 was found in three animals with DPS and in the unaffected minipig, and PCV3 was detected in two animals with DPS and in the unaffected minipig. Most importantly, in one animal only PLHV-3 was detected. It was found in the affected and unaffected skin, and in other organs. Unfortunately, PLHV-3 could not be studied in all other affected minipigs. None of the other viruses were detected and using electron microscopy, no virus particles were found in the affected skin. No porcine virus RNA with exception of PERV and astrovirus RNA were detected in the affected skin by next generation sequencing. This data identified some virus infections in GöMPs with DPS and assign a special role to PLHV-3. Since PCMV/PRV, PCV1, PCV3 and PLHV-3 were also found in unaffected animals, a multifactorial cause of DPS is suggested. However, elimination of the viruses from GöMPs may prevent DPS

Risk factors for immune-related adverse effects during CPI therapy in patients with head and neck malignancies – a single center study

IntroductionCheckpoint inhibitors, such as PD1 inhibitors, represent an important pillar in the therapy of advanced malignancies of the head and neck region. The most relevant complications are immune-related adverse effects (irAEs), which represent an immense burden for patients. Currently, no sufficient stratification measures are available to identify patients at increased risk of irAEs. The aim of this retrospective study was to examine whether demographic, histopathological, clinical, or laboratory values at the start of CPI therapy represent a risk factor for the later occurrence of autoimmune complications.Material and methodsData from 35 patients between 2018 and 2021 who received therapy with nivolumab or pembrolizumab for head and neck malignancy were analyzed and assessed for any associations with the subsequent occurrence of irAEs.ResultsIrAE developed in 37% of patients, with pneumonitis being the most common form (14%). Pneumonitis was found in patients with an average significantly lower T-stage of primary tumors. An increase in basophilic leukocytes was found in patients with dermatitis later in the course. When thyroiditis developed later, the patients had a higher CPS score and lower monocyte levels.DiscussionEven though individual laboratory values at the beginning of therapy might show a statistical association with the later occurrence of irAEs, neither demographic, histopathological, nor laboratory chemistry values seem to be able to generate a sound and reliable risk profile for this type of complication. Therefore, patients need to be educated and sensitized to irAEs, and regular screening for irAEs should be carried out

Progesterone From Ovulatory Menstrual Cycles Is an Important Cause of Breast Cancer

Many factors, including reproductive hormones, have been linked to a woman\u27s risk of developing breast cancer (BC). We reviewed the literature regarding the relationship between ovulatory menstrual cycles (MCs) and BC risk. Physiological variations in the frequency of MCs and interference with MCs through genetic variations, pathological conditions and or pharmaceutical interventions revealed a strong link between BC risk and the lifetime number of MCs. A substantial reduction in BC risk is observed in situations without MCs. In genetic or transgender situations with normal female breasts and estrogens, but no progesterone (P4), the incidence of BC is very low, suggesting an essential role of P4. During the MC, P4 has a strong proliferative effect on normal breast epithelium, whereas estradiol (E2) has only a minimal effect. The origin of BC has been strongly linked to proliferation associated DNA replication errors, and the repeated stimulation of the breast epithelium by P4 with each MC is likely to impact the epithelial mutational burden. Long-lived cells, such as stem cells, present in the breast epithelium, can carry mutations forward for an extended period of time, and studies show that breast tumors tend to take decades to develop before detection. We therefore postulate that P4 is an important factor in a woman\u27s lifetime risk of developing BC, and that breast tumors arising during hormonal contraception or after menopause, with or without menopausal hormone therapy, are the consequence of the outgrowth of pre-existing neoplastic lesions, eventually stimulated by estrogens and some progestins

Дизайн-проект ортопедического стула-опоры для детей с ограниченными возможностями

Разработка дизайна ортопедического стула-опоры для реабилитации и обучению правильному сидению детей с нарушением функции мышц шеи, спины, нижних конечностей. Объектом исследования является ортопедический стул-опора. Целью работы является дизайн-проектирование ортопедического стула-опоры для детей с ограниченными возможностями. В результате исследования был разработан дизайн ортопедического стула-опоры. Созданы 3D модель и макет объекта.Development of the design of an orthopedic chair-support for rehabilitation and training in proper seating of children with impaired function of the muscles of the neck, back, lower limbs. The object of the study is an orthopedic chair-support. The aim of the work is to design an orthopedic chair-support for children with disabilities. As a result of the study, the design of an orthopedic chair-support was developed. 3D model and the layout of the object were created