Ein Blick durchs Berliner Fenster: Ein Interview mit Saša Ilić (Belgrad)

Kann man den Körper eines Verschwundenen noch einmal beleben und ihm eine Stimme geben, damit er sein Schicksal preisgibt? Wie kann man das fremde Trauma erzählen? Der Belgrader Schriftsteller Saša Ilić hat sich auf Spuren des Jugoslawienkrieges begeben. Als Schauplatz für seinen Roman wählte er Berlin

Ausbruch aus dem Unbewussten: Ein Interview mit Dalibor Šimpraga

Es wird nicht still um Kroatiens lost generation der 1990er und das Lesen lohnt sich. Das meint jedenfalls Dalibor Šimpraga, der als Schriftsteller den Anspruch hat, postsozialistische Verfahren in der Literatur zu erproben. Nun hat er einen Roman veröffentlicht, der den Blick für die Epiphanien des Alltags schärft

MOLNUPIRAVIR COMPARED TO NIRMATRELVIR/RITONAVIR FOR COVID-19 IN HIGH-RISK PATIENTS WITH HAEMATOLOGICAL MALIGNANCY IN EUROPE. A MATCHED-PAIRED ANALYSIS FROM THE EPICOVIDEHA REGISTRY

Introduction: Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir/ritonavir are antivirals used to prevent progression to severe SARS-CoV-2 infections, which reduce both hospitalization and mortality rates. Nirmatrelvir/ritonavir was authorised in Europe in December 2021, while molnupiravir is not yet licensed in Europe as of February 2022. Molnupiravir may be an alternative to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, because it displays less frequent drug-drug interactions and contraindications. A caveat connected to molnupiravir derives from the mode of action inducing viral mutations. In clinical trials on patients without haematological malignancy, mortality rate reduction of molnupiravir appeared less pronounced than that of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Little is known about the comparative efficacy of the two drugs in patients with haematological malignancy at high-risk of severe COVID-19. Thus, we here assess the effectiveness of molnupiravir compared to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in our cohort of patients with haematological malignancies. Methods: Clinical data of patients treated either with molnupiravir or nirmatrelvir/ritonavir monotherapy for COVID-19 were retrieved from the EPICOVIDEHA registry. Patients treated with molnupiravir were matched by sex, age (±10 years), and baseline haematological malignancy severity to controls treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. Results: A total of 116 patients receiving molnupiravir for the clinical management of COVID-19 were matched to an equal number of controls receiving nirmatrelvir/ritonavir. In each of the groups, 68 (59%) patients were male; with a median age of 64 years (IQR 53-74) for molnupiravir recipients and 64 years (IQR 54-73) for nirmatrelvir/ritonavir recipients; 57% (n=66) of the patients had controlled baseline haematological malignancy, 13% (n=15) stable, and 30% (n=35) had active disease at COVID-19 onset in each of the groups. During COVID-19 infection, one third of patients from each group were admitted to hospital. Although a similar proportion of vaccinated patients was observed in both groups (molnupiravir n=77, 66% vs nirmatrelvir/ritonavir n=87, 75%), those treated with nirmatrelvir/ritonavir had more often received four doses (n=27, 23%) as compared to patients treated with molnupiravir (n=5, 4%, p<0.001). No differences were detected in COVID-19 severity (p=0.39) or hospitalization (p=1.0). No statistically significant differences were identified in overall mortality rate (p=0.78) or in survival probability (d30 p=0.19, d60 p=0.67, d90 p=0.68, last day of follow up p=0.68). In all patients, deaths were either attributed to COVID-19 or the infection contributed to death as per treating physician's judgement. Conclusions: In high-risk patients with haematological malignancies and COVID-19, molnupiravir showed rates of hospitalization and mortality comparable to those of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir in this matched-pair analysis. Molnupiravir appears to be a plausible alternative to nirmatrelvir/ritonavir for COVID-19 treatment in patients with haematological malignancy

Age, Successive Waves, Immunization, and Mortality in Elderly COVID-19 Haematological Patients: EPICOVIDEHA Findings

Introduction: elderly patients with haematologic malignancies face the highest risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes. The infection impact in different age groups remains unstudied in detail. Methods: We analysed elderly patients (age groups: 65-70, 71-75, 76-80 and >80 years old) with hematologic malignancies included in the EPICOVIDEHA registry between January 2020 and July 2022. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were conducted to identify factors influencing death in COVID-19 patients with haematological malignancy. results: the study included data from 3,603 elderly patients (aged 65 or older) with haematological malignancy, with a majority being male (58.1%) and a significant proportion having comorbidities. The patients were divided into four age groups, and the analysis assessed COVID-19 outcomes, vaccination status, and other variables in relation to age and pandemic waves.tThe 90-day survival rate for patients with COVID-19 was 71.2%, with significant differences between groups. The pandemic waves had varying impacts, with the first wave affecting patients over 80 years old, the second being more severe in 65-70, and the third being the least severe in all age groups. factors contributing to 90-day mortality included age, comorbidities, lymphopenia, active malignancy, acute leukaemia, less than three vaccine doses, severe COVID-19, and using only corticosteroids as treatment. Conclusions: These data underscore the heterogeneity of elderly haematological patients, highlight the different impact of COVID waves and the pivotal importance of vaccination, and may help in planning future healthcare efforts

Correction: Need for ICU and outcome of critically ill patients with COVID-19 and haematological malignancies: results from the EPICOVIDEHA survey

Peer reviewe

Decoding the historical tale: COVID-19 impact on haematological malignancy patients-EPICOVIDEHA insights from 2020 to 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened risks for individuals with hematological malignancies due to compromised immune systems, leading to more severe outcomes and increased mortality. While interventions like vaccines, targeted antivirals, and monoclonal antibodies have been effective for the general population, their benefits for these patients may not be as pronounced.Peer reviewe

Einleitung : Begriff und Denkfigur der Synergie

Synergie ist heute ein Schlüsselbegriff in Wissenschaft, Kunst und Publizistik. Seine Verwendung in ökonomischen Zusammenhängen, wo "Synergieeffekte" zum Versprechen von Effizienz- und Gewinnmaximierung avancierten, ist besonders präsent. Th eoretiker und Praktiker aus so heterogenen Disziplinen wie Medizin, Naturwissenschaft, Soziologie und Ingenieurwesen greifen auf den Synergiebegriff zurück, um – allgemein gesprochen – kooperativen Mehrwert zu verdeutlichen. Stets wird die komplexe Gesamtwirkung betont, die durch Synergie hervorgerufen wird und für die der aristotelische Satz "Das Ganze ist mehr als die Summe seiner Teile" gilt. Unter Rekurs auf die Erkenntnis der Übersummativität des Ganzen setzten sich Synergie-Konzepte seit den 1970er Jahren in der Systemtheorie und in interdisziplinären Forschungs- und Praxisfeldern als produktives Paradigma durch. Trotz dieser bemerkenswerten Konjunktur bleiben Genese und Bedeutung des Begriffs erstaunlich vage. Auf diese Situation reagiert der vorliegende Band. Er versammelt nicht nur Reflexionen zu Geschichte, Kontinuität und Aktualität des Synergiediskurses, sondern auch wichtige zeitgenössische Stimmen, die diesen maßgeblich mitgeprägt haben

Vladimir Sukachev's concept of biogeocoenosis

In search for an ecological concept defining a "whole complex of organisms inhabiting a given region" with more methodological value than 'complex organism' or 'biome' and 'biotic community', the British phytocenologist Arthur Tansley introduced the term 'ecosystem' in 1935. [...] Independently of each other, other scientists from different countries also recognized the interconnectedness of all phenomena on the Earth's surface, resulting in the parallel coining of various notions. The Russian Botanist Vladmir Sukachev (1880–1967) introduced the term 'biogeotsenoz' ('biogeocoenosis' or 'biogeocoenose'), which was broadly used in the Soviet Union and throughout Eastern Europe. It was introduced into Russian in two stages: Following the forestologist Georgii Morozov (1867–1920), who systematically implemented Karl Möbius's term 'biocoenosis', Sukachev first suggested the term 'geotsenoz' ('geocoenosis') in 1942. It was meant to link the earth's surface with its inhabitants and abiotic environmental factors in a dynamic unit. However, in 1944, he changed geocoenosis into biogeocoenosis (BGC), implementing an integral connection with Vladimir Vernadsky's (1863–1945) concepts of the biosphere and the biogeochemical cycles. According to Sukachev, BGC came close to Tansley's notion of the ecosystem which also brings together a biocoenosis with its habitat (the ecotope). However, both terms were not used synonymously: as a more general term, ecosystem was not precise enough to classify the unit of nature itself, whereas the BGC, in accordance with Vernadsky's concept of 'living matter', did not include all abiogenic abiotic factors of the ecosystem. Also, the notions of 'facies' and 'landshaft', which were used by physical geographers, were discussed as similar conceptualization

The Inner Orient in Slovene Literature

Около 1900 года, в результате некоторых изменений на политической арене „ориентальные“ Балканы приблизились к Словении, что дало толчок для развития корреспондирующих дискурсов. Роман словенского писателя Владимира Бартола „Аламут“ (1938) рассматривается в качестве яркого примера возникшего интереса к исламской мысли, проходящего все же сквозь призму западного восприятия. Философско-психологический подход Бартола к мотивам заговора и убийства, а также проблематизация аксиомы ассасинов „ничто не истинно, а значит, все дозволено“, связывают его с такими писателями и мыслителями, как Фридрих Ницше, Федор Достоевский, Зигмунд Фрейд, а с эстетической точки зрения – с Шарлем Бодлером. Бартол, отталкиваясь от достоверной восточной истории об ассасинах, употреблявших, как принято считать, наркотики, об искусственном рае за стенами горной крепости Аламут, о современных политических неурядицах и убийствах в королевстве Югославия и прочих странах Европы, отталкиваясь от эстетических, религиозных, психологических и философских дискурсов эпохи модерна, выдвигает на передний план неоднозначное сочетание тайного знания, власти и политической практики. Анализ литературной структуры и интертекстуальных перекличек подводит к мысли, что довольно часто восточное обрамление экзотичности, таинственности и угрозы служит исторической декорацией для первостепенного нарратива, транслирующего интеллектуальную исключительность, равно как и мощь инаковости (otherness), присущие западной культуре рубежа XX столетия. В перформативном обрамлении саморефлексирующей метатеатральной фабулы Бартола выявляется, что ориентальная инаковость задумана как „внутренний Восток“ европейского модернизма – не только в ее диалектическом подходе к наследию античности, средневековой мысли и религии, взобравшихся ввысь и защищающих новый Олимп мысли, но – взглянув в зеркало психоанализа – еще и в подступающих видениях и наваждениях, отражающих затемненные стороны ее культурного подсознания, которые разворачивают свою театральность как на художественном, так и на политическом уровнях