Towards long-term standardised carbon and greenhouse gas observations for monitoring Europe's terrestrial ecosystems : a review

Research infrastructures play a key role in launching a new generation of integrated long-term, geographically distributed observation programmes designed to monitor climate change, better understand its impacts on global ecosystems, and evaluate possible mitigation and adaptation strategies. The pan-European Integrated Carbon Observation System combines carbon and greenhouse gas (GHG; CO2, CH4, N2O, H2O) observations within the atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems and oceans. High-precision measurements are obtained using standardised methodologies, are centrally processed and openly available in a traceable and verifiable fashion in combination with detailed metadata. The Integrated Carbon Observation System ecosystem station network aims to sample climate and land-cover variability across Europe. In addition to GHG flux measurements, a large set of complementary data (including management practices, vegetation and soil characteristics) is collected to support the interpretation, spatial upscaling and modelling of observed ecosystem carbon and GHG dynamics. The applied sampling design was developed and formulated in protocols by the scientific community, representing a trade-off between an ideal dataset and practical feasibility. The use of open-access, high-quality and multi-level data products by different user communities is crucial for the Integrated Carbon Observation System in order to achieve its scientific potential and societal value.Peer reviewe

Hospital costs associated with posttraumatic stress disorder in somatic patients: A retrospective study

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder is likely to affect clinical courses in the somatic hospital ward when appearing as comorbidity. Thus, this study aimed to assess the costs associated with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder in a somatic hospital and to analyze if reimbursement appropriately compensated additional costs. Methods: The study used data from a German university hospital between 2011 and 2014, analyzing 198,819 inpatient episodes. Inpatient's episodes were included for analysis if they had a somatic primary diagnosis and a secondary diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. Costs were calculated based on resource use and compared to reimbursement. Analyses were adjusted for sex, age and somatic comorbidities. Results: N = 219 Inpatient's episode were found with primary somatic disorder and a comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder. Inpatients episodes with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder were compared to 34,229 control episodes, which were hospitalized with the same main diagnosis. Post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with additional hospital costs of €2311 [95%CI €1268 - €3355], while reimbursement rose by €1387 [€563 - €2212]. Results indicate that extra costs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder are not fully reimbursed. Male patients showed higher hospital costs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder. On average, post-traumatic stress disorder was associated with an extra length of stay of 3.4 days [2.1-4.6 days]. Conclusion: Costs associated with post-traumatic stress disorder were substantial and exceeded reimbursement, indicating an inadequate reimbursement for somatic patients with comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder

Tick-borne encephalitis virus infections in Germany. Seasonality and in-year patterns. A retrospective analysis from 2001-2018

Background Little is known regarding the changing seasonality of infections with the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and the incidence of the resulting disease over the last two decades. Seasonal patterns have to our knowledge not previously been systematically investigated and are poorly understood. We investigate emerging seasonal changes in clinical aspects like potentially increasing hospitalization during the year, variations in clinical symptoms and disease severity during the season and seasonal dynamics of fatal outcomes. Material and methods TBEV infection became a notifiable disease in Germany in 2001. We used the national reporting dataset spanning from 2001–2018, provided by the Robert Koch-Institute (RKI). There were general epidemiological variables available, including “symptom onset”, “age” and “sex”. Furthermore, several variables documented disease severity. These included “CNS symptoms”, “myelitis”, “fatal outcome” and “hospitalization”. Potential factors influencing the occurrence of CNS symptoms, myelitis, hospitalizations and fatal outcome were analyzed using logistic regression models. Linear trends, including the “time point in year” at which TBEV infection related symptoms were detected, were tested using calendar year as a continuous covariate. In addition, seasonal trends and age and sex specific differences were exploratively tested for non-linear effects using restricted cubic splines with knot locations based on Harrell's recommended percentiles. Finally, the dynamic relationship between in-seasonal trends year of detection, sex and age was tested using interaction terms. Results 6,073 TBEV infection cases from 2001–2018 were included in our analysis. We find that from 2001–2018 TBEV infections are reported 0.69 days earlier each year (p<0.001). There was no detectable seasonal variation regarding the occurrence of fatal outcome, CNS and myelitis. However, there was a significant changing trend regarding hospitalizations over the course of the year: The risk for hospitalization increases until August, decreases again from October on. Conclusion We present epidemiological evidence that the TBE season in Germany has shifted to start earlier over the last years, beginning approximately 12 days earlier in 2018 than it did in 2001. There are seasonal patterns regarding a higher risk of hospitalization during August.Peer Reviewe

Results of a randomized controlled trial analyzing telemedically supported case management in the first year after living donor kidney transplantation: A budget impact analysis from the healthcare perspective

We analyze one-year costs and savings of a telemedically supported case management program after kidney transplantation from the perspective of the German Healthcare System. Recipients of living donor kidney transplantation (N = 46) were randomly allocated to either (1) standard aftercare or (2) standard aftercare plus additional telemedically supported case management. A range of cost figures of each patient's medical service utilization were calculated at month 3, 6 and 12 and analyzed using two-part regression models. In comparison to standard aftercare, patients receiving telemedically supported case management are associated with substantial lower costs related to unscheduled hospitalizations (mean difference: €3,417.46 per patient for the entire one-year period, p = 0.003). Taking all cost figures into account, patients receiving standard aftercare are associated, on average, with one-year medical service utilization costs of €10,449.28, while patients receiving telemedically supported case management are associated with €5,504.21 of costs (mean difference: € 4,945.07 per patient, p < 0.001). With estimated expenditures of €3,001.5 for telemedically supported case management of a single patient, we determined a mean difference of €1,943.57, but this result is not statistically significant (p = 0.128). Sensitivity analyses show that the program becomes cost-neutral at around ten participating patients, and was beneficial starting at 15 patients. Routine implementation of telemedically supported case management in German medium and high-volume transplant centers would result in annual cost savings of €791,033 for the German healthcare system. Patients with telemedically supported case management showed a lower utilization of medical services as well as better medical outcomes. Therefore, such programs should be implemented in medium and high-volume transplant centers

In-hospital outcomes of self-expanding and balloon-expandable transcatheter heart valves in Germany

Introduction!#!The effect of valve type on outcomes in transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TF-TAVR) has recently been subject of debate. We investigate outcomes of patients treated with balloon-expanding (BE) vs. self-expanding (SE) valves in in a cohort of all these procedures performed in Germany in 2018.!##!Methods!#!All patients receiving TF-TAVR with either BE (N = 9,882) or SE (N = 7,413) valves in Germany in 2018 were identified. In-hospital outcomes were analyzed for the endpoints in-hospital mortality, major bleeding, stroke, acute kidney injury, postoperative delirium, permanent pacemaker implantation, mechanical ventilation &amp;gt; 48 h, length of hospital stay, and reimbursement. Since patients were not randomized to the two treatment options, logistic or linear regression models were used with 22 baseline patient characteristics and center-specific variables as potential confounders. As a sensitivity analysis, the same confounding factors were taken into account using the propensity score methods (inverse probability of treatment weighting).!##!Results!#!Baseline characteristics differed substantially, with higher EuroSCORE (p &amp;lt; 0.001), age (p &amp;lt; 0.001) and rate of female sex (p &amp;lt; 0.001) in SE treated patients. After risk adjustment, no marked differences in outcomes were found for in-hospital mortality [risk adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for SE instead of BE 0.94 (96% CI 0.76;1.17), p = 0.617] major bleeding [aOR 0.91 (0.73;1.14), p = 0.400], stroke [aOR 1.13 (0.88;1.46), p = 0.347], acute kidney injury [OR 0.97 (0.85;1.10), p = 0.621], postoperative delirium [aOR 1.09 (0.96;1.24), p = 0.184], mechanical ventilation &amp;gt; 48 h [aOR 0.98 (0.77;1.25), p = 0.893], length of hospital stay (risk adjusted difference in days of hospitalization (SE instead of BE): - 0.05 [- 0.34;0.25], p = 0.762) and reimbursement [risk adjusted difference in reimbursement (SE instead of BE): - €72 (- €291;€147), p = 0.519)] There is, however, an increased risk of PPI for SE valves (aOR 1.27 [1.15;1.41], p &amp;lt; 0.001). Similar results were found after application of propensity score adjustment.!##!Conclusions!#!We find broadly equivalent outcomes in contemporary TF-TAVR procedures, regardless of the valve type used. Incidence of major complications is very low for both types of valve

Two-year post-discharge costs of care among patients treated with transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement in Germany

Abstract Background This study presents data on post-discharge costs of care among patients treated with transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement over a two year period. Methods Based on a prospective clinical trial, post-discharge utilization of health services and status of assistance were collected for 151 elderly patients via 2250 monthly telephone interviews, valued using standardized unit costs and analysed using two-part regression models. Results At month 1 post-discharge, total costs of care are substantially elevated (monthly mean: €3506.7) and then remain relatively stable over the following 23 months (monthly mean: €622.3). As expected, the majority of these costs are related to in-hospital care (~98% in month 1 post-discharge and ~72% in months 2–24). Patients that died during follow-up were associated with substantially higher cost estimates of in-hospital care than those surviving the two-year study period, while patients’ age and other patient characteristics were of minor relevance. Estimated costs of outpatient care are lower at month 1 than during the rest of the study period, and not affected by the event of death during follow-up. The estimated costs of nursing care are, in contrast, much higher in year 2 than in year 1 and differ substantially by gender and type of procedure as well as by patients’ age. Overall, these monthly cost estimates add up to €10,352 for the first and €7467.6 for the second year post-discharge. Conclusions Substantial cost increases at month 1 post-discharge and in case of death during follow-up are the main findings of the study, which should be taken into account in future economic evaluations on the topic. Application of standardized unit costs in combination with monthly patient interviews allows for a far more precise estimate of the variability in post-discharge health service utilization in this group of patients than the ones given in previous studies. Trial registration German Clinical Trial Register Nr. DRKS00000797

Energy-resolved magnetic domain imaging in TbCo alloys by valence band photoemission magnetic circular dichroism

Equipe 101 : Nanomagnétisme et électronique de spinInternational audienceWe report magnetic domain imaging of a terbium cobalt (TbCo) alloy thin film with a high perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in one- and two-photon photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM). Both photoemission processes deliver a clear magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) whose strength is strongly energy dependent. Comparing the energy dependence of the MCD signal in one- and two-photon photoemission, we conclude that the magnetic contrast is mainly an initial state effect. Our results ultimately show that MCD contrast can be obtained in PEEM in valence band photoemission from a material supporting all-optical magnetization switching. This opens the way for the investigation of the all-optical switching process with simultaneous ultrahigh temporal and spatial resolution

Coronary artery bypass grafting versus stent implantation in patients with chronic coronary syndrome and left main disease: insights from a register throughout Germany

Background!#!Recent randomized controlled trials have sparked debate about the optimal treatment of patients suffering from left main coronary artery disease. The present study analyzes outcomes of left main stenting versus coronary bypass grafting (CABG) in a nationwide registry in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS).!##!Methods!#!All cases suffering from CCS and left main coronary artery disease treated either with CABG or stent, were identified within the database of the German bureau of statistics. Logistic or linear regression models were used with 20 baseline patient characteristics as potential confounders to compare both regimens.!##!Results!#!In 2018, 1318 cases with left main stenosis were treated with CABG and 8,920 with stent. Patients assigned for stenting were older (72.58 ± 9.87 vs. 68.63 ± 9.40, p &amp;lt; 0.001) and at higher operative risk, as assessed by logistic EuroSCORE (8.77 ± 8.45 vs. 4.85 ± 4.65, p &amp;lt; 0.001). After risk adjustment, no marked differences in outcomes were found for in-hospital mortality and stroke (risk adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for stent instead of CABG: aOR mortality: 1.08 [95% CI 0.66; 1.78], p = 0.748; aOR stroke: 0.59 [0.27; 1.32], p = 0.199). Stent implantation was associated with a reduced risk of relevant bleeding (aOR 0.38 [0.24; 0.61], p &amp;lt; 0.001), reduced prolonged ventilation time (aOR 0.54 [0.37 0.79], p = 0.002), and postoperative delirium (aOR 0.16 [0.11; 0.22], p &amp;lt; 0.001). Furthermore, stent implantation was associated with shorter hospital stay (- 6.78 days [- 5.86; - 7.71], p &amp;lt; 0.001) and lower costs (- €10,035 [- €11,500; - €8570], p &amp;lt; 0.001).!##!Conclusion!#!Left main stenting is a safe and effective treatment option for CCS-patients suffering from left main coronary artery disease at reasonable economic cost. Coronary artery bypass grafting versus stent implantation in patients with chronic coronary syndrome and left main disease: insights from a register throughout Germany. All cases with chronic coronary syndrome and left main stenosis treated in 2018 in Germany either with left main stenting or coronary bypass grafting were extracted from a nation-wide database. In-hospital outcomes were compared after logistic regression analysis