Present Request for an Adequate Program of Church Work Among the Youth, with Special Emphasis upon the Returning Service Personnel

We do not propose to give a complete outline, detailed in every respect, or what is to be done. The situation differs with every individual and community, not to say race and age. The purpose of this paper is to set forth the facts as seen in life, that we may all study them in their true light and consider them for what they are. There is nothing new and startling presented here, but the facts which have appeared time and time again do appear here

„Steroidprofile“: diagnostische Fingerabdrücke endokriner Erkrankungen. Das neue Steroidlabor am Zentrum für Kinderheilkunde und Jugendmedizin

Im Januar 2001 hat in der Abteilung Allgemeine Pädiatrie und Neonatologie (Leiter: Prof. Dr. Ludwig Gortner) am Zentrum für Kinderheilkunde und Jugendmedizin ein neu etabliertes Labor seine Tätigkeit aufgenommen. Sein Profil bietet für die Bereiche Forschung und Entwicklung, aber auch als klinische Serviceeinrichtung eine bundesweit einzigartige endokrinologische Analytik an, nämlich die Identifizierung und Quantifizierung von Steroiden oder Steroidhormonen mittels Gaschromatographie-Massenspektrometrie

Sex differences in age-related decline of urinary insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-3 levels in adult bonobos and chimpanzees

There is increasing interest in the characterization of normative senescence in humans. To assess to what extent aging patterns in humans are unique, comparative data from closely-related species, such as non-human primates, can be very useful. Here we use data from bonobos and chimpanzees, two closely-related species that share a common ancestor with humans, to explore physiological markers that are indicative of aging processes. Many studies on aging in humans focus on the somatotropic axis, consisting of growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), and IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs). In humans, IGFBP-3 levels decline steadily with increasing age. We used urinary IGFBP-3 levels as an alternative endocrine marker for IGF-I, to identify the temporal pattern known to be related with age-related changes in cell proliferation, growth, and apoptosis. We measured urinary IGFBP-3 levels in samples from 71 bonobos and 102 chimpanzees. Focusing on samples from individuals aged ten years or older we found that urinary IGFBP-3 levels decline in both ape species with increasing age. However, in both species, females start with higher urinary IGFBP-3 levels than males, experience a steeper decline with increasing age, and converge with male levels around the age of 30 to 35 years. Our measurements of urinary IGFBP-3 levels indicate that bonobos and chimpanzees mirror human patterns of age-related decline in IGFBP-3 in older individuals (< 10 years) of both sexes. Moreover, like humans, both ape species show sex-specific differences in IGFBP-3 levels with females having higher levels than males, a result that correlates with sex-differences in life expectancy. Using changes in urinary IGFBP-3 levels as a proxy for changes in GH and IGF-I levels that mark age-related changes in cell proliferation, this approach provides an opportunity to investigate trade-offs in life history strategies in cross-sectional and in longitudinal studies, both in captivity and in the wild

Fault Detection and Classification in Transmission Line Using Wavelet Transform and ANN

In recent years, there is an increased interest in fault classification algorithms. The reason, behind this interest is the escalating power demand and multiple interconnections of utilities in grid. This paper presents an application of wavelet transforms to detect the faults and further to perform classification by supervised learning paradigm. Different architectures of ANN are tested with the statistical attributes of a wavelet transform of a voltage signal as input features and binary digits as outputs. The proposed supervised learning module is tested on a transmission network. It is observed the Layer Recurrent Neural Network (LRNN) architecture performs satisfactorily when it is compared with the simulation results. The transmission network is simulated on Matlab. The performance indices Mean Square Error (MSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Sum Square Error (SSE) are used to determine the efficacy of the neural network

DIAGNOSIS OF ENDOCRINE DISEASE: Steroid Hormone Analysis in Diagnosis and Treatment of DSD Position Paper of EU COST Action BM 1303 "DSDnet".

Disorders or differences in sex development (DSD) comprise a heterogeneous group of conditions with an atypical sex development. For optimal diagnosis highly specialized laboratory analyses are required across European countries. Working group 3 of EU COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Action BM 1303 "DSDnet" "Harmonisation of Laboratory Assessment" has developed recommendations on laboratory assessment for DSD regarding the use of technologies and analytes to be investigated. This position paper on steroid hormone analysis in diagnosis and treatment of DSD was compiled by a group of specialists in DSD and/or hormonal analysis, either from participating European Countries or international partner countries. The topics discussed comprised analytical methods (immunoassay/mass spectrometry based methods), matrices (urine/serum/saliva) and harmonisation of laboratory tests. The following positions were agreed upon: Support of the appropriate use of immunoassay and mass spectrometry based methods for diagnosis and monitoring of DSD. Serum/plasma and urine are established matrices for analysis. Laboratories performing analyses for DSD need to operate within a quality framework and actively engage in harmonisation processes so that results and their interpretation are the same irrespective of the laboratory they are performed in. Participation in activities of peer comparison such as sample exchange or when available subscribing to a relevant external quality assurance program should be achieved. The ultimate aim of the guidelines is the implementation of clinical standards for diagnosis and appropriate treatment of DSD to achieve the best outcome for patients, no matter where patients are investigated or managed

Atopic status and latex sensitization in a cohort of 1,628 students of health care faculties

Abstract BACKGROUND: Atopic diseases have increased since the second half of the previous century. Atopic workers are at higher risk to be sensitized to latex, and the first years of exposure are supposed to be especially risky. OBJECTIVE: To assess atopic status and rate of latex sensitization in health care students starting their exposure to latex gloves. METHODS: We analyzed medical surveillance data from 1,628 health care students from 2010 to 2016. Students completed a questionnaire focused on their previous and current latex exposure and personal and family histories of allergic diseases; underwent skin prick testing with common allergens and latex extract (and/or total and latex-specific immunoglobulin E in serum); and underwent a medical examination. RESULTS: Skin prick test results for common inhalant allergens showed that 807 of 1,628 students (49.6%) had atopy. Atopy by skin prick testing was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.18-1.86), a personal history of oculorhinitis or asthma (odds ratio 10.22, 95% confidence interval 7.4-14.13), and atopic eczema (odds ratio 1.87, 95% confidence interval 1.05-3.36) at multivariate regression analysis. Eleven students (0.7% of total population) were found to be sensitized to latex and all had atopy. CONCLUSION: Despite the high prevalence of atopy in health care students of Trieste, the latex sensitization rate is very low and comparable to general population. This is reasonably due to the low exposure to latex gloves at the time of the evaluation and to low latex release from the gloves currently used in our hospital