Molecular Assessment of Staphylococcus Aureus Strains in STAT3 Hyper-IgE Syndrome Patients

Hyper-IgE syndromes (HIES) are a group of inborn errors of immunity (IEI) caused by monogenic defects such as in the gene STAT3 (STAT3-HIES). Patients suffering from HIES show an increased susceptibility to Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ) including skin abscesses and pulmonary infections. To assess if the underlying immune defect of STAT3-HIES patients influences the resistance patterns, pathogenicity factors or strain types of S. aureus . We characterized eleven S. aureus strains isolated from STAT3-HIES patients ( n  = 4) by whole genome sequencing (WGS) to determine presence of resistance and virulence genes. Additionally, we used multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) and protein A ( spa ) typing to classify these isolates. Bacterial isolates collected from this cohort of STAT3-HIES patients were identified as common spa types in Germany. Only one of the isolates was classified as methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). For one STAT3 patient WGS illustrated that infection and colonization occurred with different S. aureus isolates rather than one particular clone. The identified S. aureus carriage profile on a molecular level suggests that S. aureus strain type in STAT3-HIES patients is determined by local epidemiology rather than the underlying immune defect highlighting the importance of microbiological assessment prior to antibiotic treatment.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.Universitätsklinikum Münster (8918

Thromboprophylaxis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer reduces thromboembolism and bleeding

OBJECTIVES: To assess the risk of venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) and bleeding with or without thromboprophylaxis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy in bladder cancer patients scheduled for radical cystectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in 4886 patients with non-metastatic bladder cancer undergoing cystectomy across 28 centres in 13 countries between 1990 and 2021. Inverse probability weighting analyses were performed to estimate the effect of thromboprophylaxis on VTE and bleeding. RESULTS: In 147 patients (3%) VTEs were recorded within the first year. These occurred a median (interquartile range [IQR]) of 127 (82-198) days after bladder cancer diagnosis. Bleeding events occurred in 131 patients (3%) within the first year. These occurred a median (IQR) of 101 (83-171) days after cancer diagnosis. In inverse probability weighting analyses, compared to patients without thromboprophylaxis during chemotherapy, patients with thromboprophylaxis had not only a lower risk of VTE (hazard ratio [HR] 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.12-0.81; P = 0.016) but also a lower bleeding risk (HR 0.03, 95% CI 0.09-0.12; P <0.0001). The retrospective nature of the study was its main limitation. CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective analysis, the benefit of thromboprophylaxis during neoadjuvant chemotherapy before cystectomy is in line with data from randomised trials in other malignancies. Our data suggest thromboprophylaxis is protective against VTEs and should be the standard of care during neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Kriegsgefangenschaft in Großbritannien. Deutsche Soldaten des Zweiten Weltkriegs in britischem Gewahrsam

Die erste umfassende Darstellung der britischen Kriegsgefangenenpolitik. Eine mentalitäts- und alltagsgeschichtliche Studie

Auskunft geben, wenn sie gebraucht wird

Die bayerischen Hochschulbibliotheken betreiben gemeinsam eine virtuelle Auskunft mit QuestionPoint. Die Kooperation geht so weit, dass die Bibliotheken nicht nur die Anfragen der eigenen Benutzer beantworten, sondern auch die der anderen Bibliotheken. Ziel ist es, trotz Personalnot die E-Mail-Auskunft täglich von 8 – 20 Uhr anzubieten und durch kooperative Bearbeitung die Beantwortung zu beschleunigen. Der Beitrag beschreibt das erste Jahr dieses Projekts, in dem neben dem E-Mail-Dienst jetzt auch die Nutzungsmöglichkeit des Chat erprobt werden soll

User Experience Review - Ein einfaches und flexibles Verfahren zur Beurteilung der User Experience durch Experten.

Eine strukturierte Beurteilung der UX Qualität eines Produkts ist wichtig, um Verbesserungen zu identifizieren und um die dafür notwendigen Aufwände gegenüber dem Management zu rechtfertigen. Neben Usability-Tests und dem Einsatz von Fragebögen, sind Experten-Reviews eine kostengünstige Methode, die UX eines Produkts zu beurteilen. Wir stellen ein einfaches und flexibel einsetzbares Verfahren zum Experten-Review vor, das sowohl pragmatische als auch hedonische UX Aspekte berücksichtigt und gleichermaßen geeignet ist, Stärken und Schwächen eines Produkts herauszuarbeiten. Das vorgestellte Verfahren nutzt eher allgemein gehaltene Beschreibungen und Beispiele von UX Qualitäten. Die Auswahl der im Review zu berücksichtigenden UX Qualitäten wird an das konkrete Produkt angepasst. Die Durchführung des Verfahrens und die vorhandenen Materialien werden an einem konkreten Beispiel erklärt. Tipps und Erfahrungen aus einer Reihe von Anwendungen werden mit den Teilnehmern geteilt

Serum (1→3)-β-D-glucan and galactomannan levels in patients with cystic fibrosis: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background Aspergillus fumigatus is frequently encountered in sputum samples of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), which traditionally has been interpreted as saprophytic airway colonization. However, this mere bystander role has been challenged by recent data. There is now evidence that Aspergillus fumigatus accelerates the decline of pulmonary function. (1→3)-β-D-glucan (BDG) and galactomannan (GM) are highly sensitive fungal biomarkers that are used to diagnose invasive fungal disease. However, their diagnostic value in CF patients is largely unknown. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 104 CF patients to determine whether serum BDG and GM levels correlate with parameters such as Aspergillus-positive sputum cultures and lung function. Results Aspergillus fumigatus was persistently detected in 22 of the 104 CF patients (21%). Mean serum BDG and GM levels in the Aspergillus-positive patients were significantly higher than in those without persistent Aspergillus detection (89 versus 40 pg/ml [p = 0.022] and 0.30 versus 0.15 ODI [p = 0.013], respectively). 27 and 7 patients had elevated BDG (≥ 60 pg/ml) or GM levels (> 0.5 ODI), respectivly. BDG and GM levels showed a significant correlation (p = 0.004). Patients with increased serum concentrations of BDG were more frequently Aspergillus-positive (40.7 versus 14.3%, p = 0.004) and had a significantly lower forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) than patients with a normal BDG (61.6 versus 77.1%, p = 0.007). In the multivariate analysis, BDG but not GM or the growth of A. fumigatus, proved to be an independent predictor for the FEV1. Conclusions CF patients with persistent Aspergillus detection have elevated BDG and GM levels which ranged between healthy and invasively infected patients. Serum BDG may be superior to GM and fungal culture in predicting an impaired lung function in CF patients

Comparative Analysis of the Euroimmun CXCL13 Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay and the ReaScan Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Diagnosis of Lyme Neuroborreliosis

Diagnosis of Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is challenging, as long as Borrelia -specific intrathecal antibodies are not yet detectable. The chemokine CXCL13 is elevated in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of LNB patients. Here, we compared the performances of the Euroimmun CXCL13 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CXCL13 ELISA) and the ReaScan CXCL13 lateral flow immunoassay (CXCL13 LFA), a rapid point-of-care test, to support the diagnosis of LNB. In a dual-center case-control study, CSF samples from 90 patients (34 with definite LNB, 10 with possible LNB, and 46 with other central nervous system [CNS] diseases [non-LNB group]) were analyzed with the CXCL13 ELISA and the CXCL13 LFA. </jats:p