A distinct CD38+CD45RA+ population of CD4+, CD8+, and double-negative T cells is controlled by FAS.

The identification and characterization of rare immune cell populations in humans can be facilitated by their growth advantage in the context of specific genetic diseases. Here, we use autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome to identify a population of FAS-controlled TCRαβ+ T cells. They include CD4+, CD8+, and double-negative T cells and can be defined by a CD38+CD45RA+T-BET- expression pattern. These unconventional T cells are present in healthy individuals, are generated before birth, are enriched in lymphoid tissue, and do not expand during acute viral infection. They are characterized by a unique molecular signature that is unambiguously different from other known T cell differentiation subsets and independent of CD4 or CD8 expression. Functionally, FAS-controlled T cells represent highly proliferative, noncytotoxic T cells with an IL-10 cytokine bias. Mechanistically, regulation of this physiological population is mediated by FAS and CTLA4 signaling, and its survival is enhanced by mTOR and STAT3 signals. Genetic alterations in these pathways result in expansion of FAS-controlled T cells, which can cause significant lymphoproliferative disease

Der Elternbildfragebogen für Kinder- und Jugendliche (EBF-KJ). Ergebnisse zur Reliabilität und Validität

Der EBF-KJ ist ein klinisch ausgerichteter Fragebogen zur Erfassung der Repräsentation der Eltern-Kind-Beziehung aus der Sicht von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Er basiert auf der systemischen Familientheorie und der Familienstresstheorie. Der Fragebogen umfasst 36 Items pro Elternteil, die sich auf drei Ressourcenskalen (Kohäsion, Identifikation, Autonomie), fünf Risikoskalen (Konflikte, Ablehnung/Gleichgültigkeit, Bestrafung, emotionale Grenzüberschreitung, Ängste/Überprotektion) und die Zusatzskala Hilfe verteilen. Der vorliegende Beitrag begründet die inhaltliche Konstruktion und stellt wichtige psychometrische Eigenschaften des EBF-KJ vor. Insgesamt wurden 785 Schüler sowie 197 Patienten einer Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrischen Klinik im Alter von 10 bis 20 Jahren (M: 14,1) untersucht. Konfirmatorische Faktorenanalysen bestätigten die faktorielle Validität. Die interne Konsistenz lag bei 12 Skalen über .80. Weiterhin belegten systematische Korrelationen zwischen dem EBF-KJ und dem FEE (Schumacher, Eisemann & Brähler, 2000) die konvergente und diskriminante Validität beider Verfahren. Alle Skalen des EBF-KJ wiesen signifikante Zusammenhänge mit psychopathologischen Symptomen in Eltern- und Jugendfragebögen auf. ABSTRACT: Conceptually, the PRSQ is based on systemic family theory and family stress theory. The questionnaire consists of 36 items representing three resource-scales (”cohesion”, ”identification”, ”autonomy”), five risk-scales (”conflicts”, ”rejection/neglect”, ”punishment”, ”emotional burden”, ”fears/overprotection”) and one additional scale ”aid”. The study establishes the theoretical framework and presents main psychometric properties. A school-based sample of 785 participants and a clinic-referred sample of 197 outpatients aged 10 to 20 years (mean: 14.1) were surveyed. Construct validity was shown by confirmatory factor analyses. The internal consistencies of 12 of the 16 PRSQ scales were above .80. Systematic correlations between the German EMBU (FEE, Schumacher et al., 2000) and the PRSQ scales pointed to convergent and discriminant validity. Moreover, all PRSQ scales turned out to be significantly correlated with psychopathological symptoms as measured by questionnaires

Burkholderia stabilis outbreak associated with contaminated commercially-available washing gloves, Switzerland, May 2015 to August 2016.

We describe an outbreak of <i>Burkholderia stabilis</i> associated with contaminated washing gloves, a commercially available Class I medical device. Triggered by an increase in <i>Burkholderia cepacia</i> complex (BCC) bacteremias and the detection of BCC in unopened packages of washing gloves, an ad hoc national outbreak committee comprising representatives of a public health organisation, a regulatory agency, and an expert association convened and commissioned an outbreak investigation. The investigation included retrospective case finding across Switzerland and whole genome sequencing (WGS) of isolates from cases and gloves. The investigation revealed that BCC were detected in clinical samples of 46 cases aged 17 to 91 years (33% females) from nine institutions between May 2015 and August 2016. Twenty-two isolates from case patients and 16 from washing gloves underwent WGS. All available outbreak isolates clustered within a span of < 19 differing alleles, while 13 unrelated clinical isolates differed by > 1,500 alleles. This BCC outbreak was rapidly identified, communicated, investigated and halted by an ad hoc collaboration of multiple stakeholders. WGS served as useful tool for confirming the source of the outbreak. This outbreak also highlights current regulatory limitations regarding Class I medical devices and the usefulness of a nationally coordinated outbreak response