Boron Contents of German Mineral and Medicinal Waters and Their Bioavailability in Drosophila melanogaster and Humans

Scope Boron is a trace element that naturally occurs in soil, making mineral and medicinal water important contributors to overall intake. Thus, in a systematic screening, the mean boron concentrations of 381 German mineral and medicinal waters are determined. Methods and results Boron concentrations in mineral and medicinal waters are analyzed by inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Highest boron values find in waters from the southwest of Germany. The boron content of the waters is positively correlated with the concentration of most other analyzed bulk elements, including calcium, potassium, magnesium, and sodium. Mineral waters with either low (7.9 µg L-1 ), medium (113.9 µg L-1 ), or high (2193.3 µg L-1 ) boron content are chosen for boron exposure experiments in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) and humans. In flies, boron-rich mineral water significantly increases boron accumulation, with the accumulation predominantly occurring in the exoskeleton. In humans, serum boron and 24-h urinary boron excretion significantly increase only in response to the intake of boron-rich mineral water. Conclusion Overall, the current data demonstrate that mineral and medicinal waters vary substantially in the content of boron and that boron-rich mineral water can be used to elevate the boron status, both in flies and humans

Standardising personalised diabetes care across European health settings:A person-centred outcome set agreed in a multinational Delphi study

ObjectiveStandardised person-reported outcomes (PRO) data can contextualise clinical outcomes enabling precision diabetes monitoring and care. Comprehensive outcome sets can guide this process, but their implementation in routine diabetes care has remained challenging and unsuccessful at international level. We aimed to address this by developing a person-centred outcome set for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, using a methodology with prospects for increased implementability and sustainability in international health settings.MethodsWe used a three-round questionnaire-based Delphi study to reach consensus on the outcome set. We invited key stakeholders from 19 countries via purposive snowball sampling, namely people with diabetes (N = 94), healthcare professionals (N = 65), industry (N = 22) and health authorities (N = 3), to vote on the relevance and measurement frequency of 64 previously identified clinical and person-reported outcomes. Subsequent consensus meetings concluded the study.ResultsThe list of preliminary outcomes was shortlisted via the consensus process to 46 outcomes (27 clinical outcomes and 19 PROs). Two main collection times were recommended: (1) linked to a medical visit (e.g. diabetes-specific well-being, symptoms and psychological health) and (2) annually (e.g. clinical data, general well-being and diabetes self management-related outcomes).ConclusionsPROs are often considered in a non-standardised way in routine diabetes care. We propose a person-centred outcome set for diabetes, specifically considering psychosocial and behavioural aspects, which was agreed by four international key stakeholder groups. It guides standardised collection of meaningful outcomes at scale, supporting individual and population level healthcare decision making. It will be implemented and tested in Europe as part of the H2O project

Standardising personalised diabetes care across European health settings:A person-centred outcome set agreed in a multinational Delphi study

ObjectiveStandardised person-reported outcomes (PRO) data can contextualise clinical outcomes enabling precision diabetes monitoring and care. Comprehensive outcome sets can guide this process, but their implementation in routine diabetes care has remained challenging and unsuccessful at international level. We aimed to address this by developing a person-centred outcome set for Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, using a methodology with prospects for increased implementability and sustainability in international health settings.MethodsWe used a three-round questionnaire-based Delphi study to reach consensus on the outcome set. We invited key stakeholders from 19 countries via purposive snowball sampling, namely people with diabetes (N = 94), healthcare professionals (N = 65), industry (N = 22) and health authorities (N = 3), to vote on the relevance and measurement frequency of 64 previously identified clinical and person-reported outcomes. Subsequent consensus meetings concluded the study.ResultsThe list of preliminary outcomes was shortlisted via the consensus process to 46 outcomes (27 clinical outcomes and 19 PROs). Two main collection times were recommended: (1) linked to a medical visit (e.g. diabetes-specific well-being, symptoms and psychological health) and (2) annually (e.g. clinical data, general well-being and diabetes self management-related outcomes).ConclusionsPROs are often considered in a non-standardised way in routine diabetes care. We propose a person-centred outcome set for diabetes, specifically considering psychosocial and behavioural aspects, which was agreed by four international key stakeholder groups. It guides standardised collection of meaningful outcomes at scale, supporting individual and population level healthcare decision making. It will be implemented and tested in Europe as part of the H2O project

Sexualisierte Gewalt und Prävention: Wissen schützt! : eine Erhebung zur Situation in Österreich

Laut der ÖIF-Studie aus 2011 sind rund 21 % der Frauen und 8 % der Männer in Österreich in ihrer Kindheit von sexualisierter Gewalt mit Körperkontakt betroffen. Zahlreiche Studien belegen den Nutzen und das Potenzial zielgerichteter Präventionsmaßnahmen. Nach wie vor jedoch erschweren Mythen und Vorurteile sowie eine mangelhafte Sensibilisierung der Bevölkerung den Zugang zu professioneller Unterstützung. Wirksame Prävention auf allen Ebenen vom Individuum über die Familie bis hin zu Organisationen und der Gesamtgesellschaft ist noch keine Selbstverständlichkeit.Vorliegende Dissertation hat es sich zum Ziel gesetzt, einen Überblick über die Situation der Prävention sexualisierter Gewalt in Österreich zu geben.In einem ausführlichen theoretischen Teil werden Prävalenz, Historie, Folgen sexualisierter Gewalt und Grundlagen ihrer Prävention beleuchtet.Die Datenerhebungen der empirischen Untersuchung erfolgten 2011 und 2015 mittels der Befragung von insgesamt 332 österreichischen Einrichtungen, welche sich im engeren und weiteren Sinne mit der Prävention sexualisierter Gewalt befassen. Ausgewertet werden konnten die Daten von 95 teilnehmenden Organisationen.Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Angebote im sekundär- und tertiärpräventiven Bereich weit besser ausgebaut sind als im primärpräventiven Bereich. Speziell für Mädchen und Frauen besteht ein flächendeckendes Beratungsnetz auch in den Regionen, während andere wichtige Zielgruppen wie beispielsweise Buben, Burschen und Männer oder Menschen mit Behinderungen kaum angesprochen werden. In Österreich existieren insgesamt nur sechs Fachstellen für die Prävention sexualisierter Gewalt.Auch Institutionen, in denen das Risiko von sexualisierter Gewalt betroffen zu sein besonders hoch ist, können nur vereinzelt Schutz- und Präventionskonzepte vorweisen.Die Autorinnen fordern verstärkte fachliche Auseinandersetzungen in den Ausbildungseinrichtungen sowie in der Forschung. Ziel muss es sein, einen Forschungs-Praxis-Transfer zu implementieren und so die Präventionsarbeit weiter zu entwickeln. Fachliche Standards und Qualitätskriterien sind notwendig, um das Ausmaß sexualisierter Gewalt nachhaltig zu reduzieren.According to the ÖIF-study from 2011 in Austria about 21 % of all women and 8 % of all men are concerned by sexualized violence including physical contact during their childhood.Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefit and great potential of targeted prevention measures. As before however myths and prejudices as well as deficient sensitization of the society make it difficult to access professional support. Effective prevention at all levels concerning individuals, families, organisations and the whole society has not yet become a matter of course.The objective of this dissertation is to give an overview of the situation of the prevention of sexualized violence in Austria.The comprehensive theoretical section examines prevalence, history, consequences of sexualized violence and foundations of prevention.Data collection of the empirical study was conductet in 2011 and 2015 by questioning 332 austrian institutions which deal with the prevention of sexualized violenze in a narrower or wider sense.The data of 95 participating organisations could be evaluated.The results show that secondary and tertiary prevention measures are far better developed than primary offers. Especially for girls and women a nationwide network exists whereas other important target groups like boys, men or people with disabilities are hardly ever addressed. In Austria only six competence centres for the prevention of sexualized violence exist.Also institutions, in which the risk of being concerned by sexualized violence is particularly high, just can show protective and preventative concepts rarely.The authors demand an enhanced engagement in educational institutions as well as in research. The aim must be the implementation of a research-practice-transfer to develop preventative work. Professional standards and quality criteria are needed to reduce the extent of sexualized violence.eingereicht von Mag.a(FH) Eva Schrenk und Mag.a Yvonne SeidlerAbweichender Titel laut Übersetzung des Verfassers/der VerfasserinZusammenfassungen in Deutsch und EnglischKarl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Dissertation, 2018OeBB(VLID)258135

Fat Quality Impacts the Effect of a High-Fat Diet on the Fatty Acid Profile, Life History Traits and Gene Expression in Drosophila melanogaster

Feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) has been shown to alter phenotypic and metabolic parameters in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the impact of fat quantity and quality remains uncertain. We first used butterfat (BF) as an example to investigate the effects of increasing dietary fat content (3–12%) on male and female fruit flies. Although body weight and body composition were not altered by any BF concentration, health parameters, such as lifespan, fecundity and larval development, were negatively affected in a dose-dependent manner. When fruit flies were fed various 12% HFDs (BF, sunflower oil, olive oil, linseed oil, fish oil), their fatty acid profiles shifted according to the dietary fat qualities. Moreover, fat quality was found to determine the effect size of the response to an HFD for traits, such as lifespan, climbing activity, or fertility. Consistently, we also found a highly fat quality-specific transcriptional response to three exemplary HFD qualities with a small overlap of only 30 differentially expressed genes associated with the immune/stress response and fatty acid metabolism. In conclusion, our data indicate that not only the fat content but also the fat quality is a crucial factor in terms of life-history traits when applying an HFD in D. melanogaster

Ticagrelor Monotherapy or Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Drug‐Eluting Stent Implantation: Per‐Protocol Analysis of the GLOBAL LEADERS Trial

International audienceBackground In the GLOBAL LEADERS trial, ticagrelor monotherapy beyond 1 month compared with standard antiplatelet regimens after coronary stent implantation did not improve outcomes at intention‐to‐treat analysis. Considerable differences in treatment adherence between the experimental and control groups may have affected the intention‐to‐treat results. In this reanalysis of the GLOBAL LEADERS trial, we compared the experimental and control treatment strategies in a per‐protocol analysis of patients who did not deviate from the study protocol. Methods and Results Baseline and postrandomization information were used to classify whether and when patients were deviating from the study protocol. With logistic regressions, we derived time‐varying inverse probabilities of nondeviation from protocol to reconstruct the trial population without protocol deviation. The primary end point was a composite of all‐cause mortality or nonfatal Q‐wave myocardial infarction at 2 years. At 2‐year follow‐up, 1103 (13.8%) of 7980 patients in the experimental group and 785 (9.8%) of 7988 patients in the control group qualified as protocol deviators. At per‐protocol analysis, the rate ratio for the primary end point was 0.88 (95% CI, 0.75–1.03; P =0.10) on the basis of 274 versus 325 events in the experimental versus control group. The rate ratio for the key safety end point of major bleeding was 1.00 (95% CI, 0.79–1.26; P =0.99). The per‐protocol and intention‐to‐treat effect estimates were overall consistent. Conclusions Among patients who complied with the study protocol in the GLOBAL LEADERS trial, ticagrelor plus aspirin for 1 month followed by ticagrelor monotherapy was not superior to 1‐year standard dual antiplatelet therapy followed by aspirin alone at 2 years after coronary stenting. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov ; Unique identifier: NCT01813435