First sequence-confirmed case of infection with the new influenza A(H1N1) strain in Germany

Here, we report on the first sequence-confirmed case of infection with the new influenza A(H1N1) virus in Germany. Two direct contacts of the patient were laboratory-confirmed as cases and demonstrate a chain of direct human-to-human transmission

The Individual Propensity to Take a Smell At Products

"Need for Smell" (NFS) refers to an individual's propensity to obtain olfactory information in purchase decision-making. Qualitative investigations as well as psychometric analyses based on the Rasch measurement model provide evidence for a three dimensional structure of NFS. Further directions for the development of a NFS scale are provided

Awareness and perception of multidrug-resistant organisms and antimicrobial therapy among internists vs. surgeons of different specialties: Results from the German MR2 Survey

Background: Recently, antibiotic resistance rates have risen substantially and care for patients infected with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) has become a common problem in most in – and outpatient settings. The objectives of the study were to compare the awareness, perception, and knowledge of MDRO and rational antibiotic use between physicians from different medical specialties in German hospitals. Methods: A 35-item questionnaire was sent to specialists in internal medicine (internists), gynecologists, urologists, and general surgeons (non-internists) in 18 German hospitals. Likert-scales were used to evaluate awareness and perception of personal performance regarding care for patients infected with MDRO and rational use of antibiotics. Additionally, two items assessing specific knowledge in antibiotic therapy were included. The impact of medical specialty on four predetermined endpoints was assessed by multivariate logistic regression. Results: 43.0 (456/1061) of recipients responded. Both internists and non-internists had low rates of training in antibiotic stewardship. 50.8 of internists and 58.6 of non-internists had attended special training in rational antibiotic use or care for patients infected with MDRO in the 12 months prior to the study. Internists deemed themselves more confidently to choose the indications for screening patients for colonization with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (P=0.004) and to initiate adequate infection control measures (P=0.002) than other specialties. However, there was no significant difference between internists and other specialists regarding the two items assessing specific knowledge in antibiotic therapy and infection control. Conclusion: Among the study participants, a considerable need for advanced training in the study subjects was seen, regardless of the medical specialty

Framing research on school principals' identities

This paper provides a basis for a tentative framework for guiding future research into principals’ identity construction and development. It is situated in the context of persisting emphases placed by government policies on the need for technocratic competencies in principals as a means of demonstrating success defined largely as compliance with demands for the improvement in student test scores. Often this emphasis is at the expense of forwarding a broader view of the need, alongside these, for clear educational values, beliefs and practices that are associated with these. The framework is informed by the theoretical work of Wenger and Bourdieu as well as recent empirical research on the part played by professional identity and emotions in school leadership. In the paper, we highlight different lines of inquiry and the issues they raise for researchers. We argue that the constructions of school leadership identities are located in time, space and place, and emotions reflect complex leadership identities situated within social hierarchies which are part of wider structures and social relations of power and control

Activism and Legitimation in Israel's Jurisprudence of Occupation

Colonial law need not exclude the colonized in order to subordinate them, and ‘activist’ courts can advance the effect of subordination no less than ‘passive’ courts. As a case study, this article examines the jurisprudential legacy of the Israeli Supreme Court in the context of the prolonged Israeli occupation of Palestine. Applying insights from legal realist, law and society, and critical legal studies scholarship, the article questions the utility of using the activist and passive labels. It illustrates how the Israeli activist court, through multiple legal and discursive moves, has advanced and legitimated the colonization of Palestine; that the court is aware of its role; and that arguments that focus on the court’s informal role do not mitigate this legitimating effect. Unlike other scholars, the article shows that the Israeli court’s role—by extending the power of judicial review to the military’s actions in the occupied areas—is neither novel nor unique or benevolent, as the British colonization of India and the US colonization of Puerto Rico show

An appeal for strengthening genomic pathogen surveillance to improve pandemic preparedness and infection prevention: the German perspective

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the importance of viable infection surveillance and the relevant infrastructure. From a German perspective, an integral part of this infrastructure, genomic pathogen sequencing, was at best fragmentary and stretched to its limits due to the lack or inefficient use of equipment, human resources, data management and coordination. The experience in other countries has shown that the rate of sequenced positive samples and linkage of genomic and epidemiological data (person, place, time) represent important factors for a successful application of genomic pathogen surveillance. Planning, establishing and consistently supporting adequate structures for genomic pathogen surveillance will be crucial to identify and combat future pandemics as well as other challenges in infectious diseases such as multi-drug resistant bacteria and healthcare-associated infections. Therefore, the authors propose a multifaceted and coordinated process for the definition of procedural, legal and technical standards for comprehensive genomic pathogen surveillance in Germany, covering the areas of genomic sequencing, data collection and data linkage, as well as target pathogens. A comparative analysis of the structures established in Germany and in other countries is applied. This proposal aims to better tackle epi- and pandemics to come and take action from the “lessons learned” from the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

A genome-wide CRISPR screen identifies a restricted set of HIV host dependency factors

Host proteins are essential for HIV entry and replication and can be important nonviral therapeutic targets. Large-scale RNA interference (RNAi)-based screens have identified nearly a thousand candidate host factors, but there is little agreement among studies and few factors have been validated. Here we demonstrate that a genome-wide CRISPR-based screen identifies host factors in a physiologically relevant cell system. We identify five factors, including the HIV co-receptors CD4 and CCR5, that are required for HIV infection yet are dispensable for cellular proliferation and viability. Tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase 2 (TPST2) and solute carrier family 35 member B2 (SLC35B2) function in a common pathway to sulfate CCR5 on extracellular tyrosine residues, facilitating CCR5 recognition by the HIV envelope. Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) mediates cell aggregation, which is required for cell-to-cell HIV transmission. We validated these pathways in primary human CD4 + T cells through Cas9-mediated knockout and antibody blockade. Our findings indicate that HIV infection and replication rely on a limited set of host-dispensable genes and suggest that these pathways can be studied for therapeutic intervention