Leistungsstark und gerecht? Entwicklungen von Grundschulsystemen im europäischen Vergleich

With the ET 2020 framework European countries have agreed to strive to increase the quality and equity of their educational systems. This study investigates to which extent countries and especially Germany have succeeded in both. Trends over time in educational quality with regard to achievement levels, heterogeneity, equality, equity, participatory and recognition justice amongst 18 European Union members states were investigated using data from PIRLS 2001 to 2016 and TIMSS 2003 to 2015. Results indicate that only 5 countries show positive developments in both equity and quality. (DIPF/Orig.

Severe infections of Panton-Valentine leukocidin positive Staphylococcus aureus in children

Infections caused by Panton-Valentine leukocidin-positive Staphylococcus aureus (PVL-SA) mostly present as recurrent skin abscesses and furunculosis. However, life-threatening infections (eg, necrotizing pneumonia, necrotizing fasciitis, and osteomyelitis) caused by PVL-SA have also been reported.We assessed the clinical phenotype, frequency, clinical implications (surgery, length of treatment in hospitals/intensive care units, and antibiotic treatments), and potential preventability of severe PVL-SA infections in children.Total, 75 children treated for PVL-SA infections in our in- and outpatient units from 2012 to 2017 were included in this retrospective study.Ten out of 75 children contracted severe infections (PVL-methicillin resistant S aureus n = 4) including necrotizing pneumonia (n = 4), necrotizing fasciitis (n = 2), pyomyositis (n = 2; including 1 patient who also had pneumonia), mastoiditis with cerebellitis (n = 1), preorbital cellulitis (n = 1), and recurrent deep furunculosis in an immunosuppressed patient (n = 1). Specific complications of PVL-SA infections were venous thrombosis (n = 2), sepsis (n = 5), respiratory failure (n = 5), and acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 3). The median duration of hospital stay was 14 days (range 5-52 days). In 6 out of 10 patients a history suggestive for PVL-SA colonization in the patient or close family members before hospital admission was identified.PVL-SA causes severe to life-threatening infections requiring lengthy treatments in hospital in a substantial percentage of symptomatic PVL-SA colonized children. More than 50% of severe infections might be prevented by prompt testing for PVL-SA in individuals with a history of abscesses or furunculosis, followed by decolonization measures

CERN’s beam instrumentation R&D study for FCC-ee

The Future Circular Collider (FCC) R&D study was started in 2021 as a comprehensive feasibility analysis of CERN’s future accelerator project encompassing technical, administrative and financial aspects. As part of the study, Beam Instrumentation (BI) is a key technical infrastructure that will have to face unprecedented challenges. In the case of electron-positron FCC-ee, these are represented, among others, by the size of the accelerator, the amount of radiation produced along the ring and in machine-detector interaction region, the presence of the top-up booster and collider ring in the same tunnel. In this contribution we will present the current FCC-ee BI study and discuss its status and perspectives

Bioreactor manufactured cartilage grafts repair acute and chronic osteochondral defects in large animal studies

Objectives Bioreactor‐based production systems have the potential to overcome limitations associated with conventional tissue engineering manufacturing methods, facilitating regulatory compliant and cost‐effective production of engineered grafts for widespread clinical use. In this work, we established a bioreactor‐based manufacturing system for the production of cartilage grafts. Materials & Methods All bioprocesses, from cartilage biopsy digestion through the generation of engineered grafts, were performed in our bioreactor‐based manufacturing system. All bioreactor technologies and cartilage tissue engineering bioprocesses were transferred to an independent GMP facility, where engineered grafts were manufactured for two large animal studies. Results The results of these studies demonstrate the safety and feasibility of the bioreactor‐based manufacturing approach. Moreover, grafts produced in the manufacturing system were first shown to accelerate the repair of acute osteochondral defects, compared to cell‐free scaffold implants. We then demonstrated that grafts produced in the system also facilitated faster repair in a more clinically relevant chronic defect model. Our data also suggested that bioreactor‐manufactured grafts may result in a more robust repair in the longer term. Conclusion By demonstrating the safety and efficacy of bioreactor‐generated grafts in two large animal models, this work represents a pivotal step towards implementing the bioreactor‐based manufacturing system for the production of human cartilage grafts for clinical applications

Necrotising enterocolitis and trefoilfactor 3 in intestines of premature born infants and in human milk

Die nekrotisierende Enterokolitis (NEC) ist eine der schwerwiegendsten Erkrankungen Frühgeborener. Muttermilch enthält Peptide, die vor einer NEC schützen. Trefoilfaktor 3 (TFF 3) ist ein wichtiges protektives Peptid der intestinalen Mukosa. In dieser Studie wurde TFF 3 mittels eines spezifischen ELISA (Dr. EM Vestergaard, Department of Clinical Biochemistry des Aarhus University Hospitals in Skejby/ Aarhus, Dänemark) in Muttermilch hinsichtlich einer Abhängigkeit der TFF 3-Konzentration vom Gestationsalter bei Entbindung beziehungsweise der postpartalen Zeit untersucht. Anfänglich wurde zudem die TFF 3-Konzentration in Stuhlproben Früh- und Neugeborener in Hinblick auf eine entwicklungsbhängige Expression von TFF 3 im Darm gemessen. Die Stuhl-/ Muttermilchproben wurden an der Klinik für Neonatologie der Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Campus Mitte, in den erste fünf Wochen post partum an definierten Tagen, gesammelt. Da TFF 3 bei Entzündungen hochreguliert wird, untersuchten wir den Einfluss eines Amnioninfektionssyndrom und von entzündlichen Geschehen auf die TFF 3-Konzentration in Muttermilch. Wir haben TFF 3 erstmalig in Muttermilch nachgewiesen. Die TFF 3-Konzentration in Muttermilch fiel nach etwa zwei Wochen post partum signifikant ab. Die statistische Analyse ergab keine signifikante Abhängigkeit der TFF 3-Konzentration in Muttermilch vom Gestationsalter bei Entbindung. Peripartale Entzündungen oder Amnioninfektionen führten nicht zu einer signifikanten Änderung der TFF 3-Konzentration in Muttermilch. Stuhl stellt keine geeignete Matrix zur Messung von TFF 3 dar. Ob TFF 3 in humaner Milch einen protektiven Effekt in Bezug auf die Erkrankung Frühgeborener an einer NEC darstellt, und ob TFF 3 in humanem Darm entwicklungsabhängig exprimiert wird, bedarf weiterer Forschung.Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most serious diseases in preterm born infants. Human milk contains peptides that protect against NEC. Trefoil factor 3 (TFF 3) is an important protective peptid in intestinal mucosa. In this study TFF 3 was examined in human milk, using a specific ELISA (Dr. EM Vestergaard, Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Aarhus University Hospitals in Skejby/ Aarhus, Denmark) concerning dependence of TFF 3-concentrations on gestational age at delivery and post partal time respectively. Initially TFF 3-concentrations in stools of preterm and term born infants were measured, regarding intestinal developmentally regulated expression. The samples of stool and human milk were collected at the Department of Neonatology at the Charité Berlin, Campus Mitte, within five weeks after delivery, at predifined days. As TFF 3 is upregulated in inflammations, we analysed the influence of amniotic infection syndromes and inflammatory processes on TFF 3-concentrations in human milk. We were the first to detect TFF 3 in human milk. TFF 3-concentrations in human milk decreased significantly around two weeks after delivery. The statistical analysis showed no significant dependence of TFF 3-concentrations on gestational age at delivery. Peripartal inflammations or amniotic infections did not change TFF 3-concentrations in human milk significantly. Stool is not an appropriate matrix for measuring TFF 3. Whether TFF 3 in human milk has a protective effect on NEC in preterm infants, and whether TFF 3 is expressed developmentally in human intestines, requires further research

»Das Erbe der Lynchjustiz spukt nach wie vor in den Köpfen herum« : ein Gespräch mit Prof. Simon Wendt, Amerikanist an der Goethe-Universität, über Rassismus und Protestbewegung in den USA

Nach dem Mord an dem Afroamerikaner George Floyd durch Polizeigewalt kam es in den USA und weltweit zu heftigen und anhaltenden Protesten gegen Rassismus. Doch viele Afroamerikaner sind skeptisch und wagen kaum zu hoffen, dass sich jemals wirklich etwas ändern wird. Prof. Simon Wendt, Amerikanist an der Goethe-Universität, spricht im Interview über die Hintergründe des amerikanischen Rassismus