implications for HPV vaccination policies

Background In Germany, immunization against human papillomaviruses (HPV) is free of charge for all females aged 12 to 17 years. Since HPV infection rates rise soon after first intercourse, immunization against HPV should be completed before sexual debut. Knowledge of country-specific data on age at first intercourse and related risk factors is important to optimize prevention of HPV and other sexually transmitted infections. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to describe sexual behavior in young women in Germany. Secondary aims were to identify factors that are (i) associated with younger age at first intercourse and (ii) with HPV vaccine uptake. Methods Between 2010 and 2012, we conducted a cross-sectional study among randomly selected women aged 20 to 25 years in Germany. We used a structured, self-administered questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data, information on sexual habits such as age at first intercourse, and information on HPV vaccine uptake. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with younger age at first intercourse and with HPV vaccine uptake. Results A total of 823 women (response rate: 14.2%) participated, 785 (95.4%) of which reported having had intercourse already. 70% of these women experienced first intercourse before the age of 18 years. However, less than 5% were younger than 14 years at sexual debut. Younger age at first intercourse was independently associated with a higher number of sexual partners, smoking, and past pregnancies. HPV vaccine uptake was associated with higher education, whereas smoking and a migrant background reduced the chance of being vaccinated. Conclusion In Germany, only a small proportion of women experienced first intercourse before the age of 14 years. Younger age at first intercourse was associated with behavior that might increase the risk of HPV infections or other sexually transmitted infections. Therefore, to optimize the HPV vaccination strategy, HPV vaccination series should be completed before the age of 14 years in Germany

Evidence for the late MMN as a neurophysiological endophenotype for dyslexia.

Dyslexia affects 5-10% of school-aged children and is therefore one of the most common learning disorders. Research on auditory event related potentials (AERP), particularly the mismatch negativity (MMN) component, has revealed anomalies in individuals with dyslexia to speech stimuli. Furthermore, candidate genes for this disorder were found through molecular genetic studies. A current challenge for dyslexia research is to understand the interaction between molecular genetics and brain function, and to promote the identification of relevant endophenotypes for dyslexia. The present study examines MMN, a neurophysiological correlate of speech perception, and its potential as an endophenotype for dyslexia in three groups of children. The first group of children was clinically diagnosed with dyslexia, whereas the second group of children was comprised of their siblings who had average reading and spelling skills and were therefore "unaffected" despite having a genetic risk for dyslexia. The third group consisted of control children who were not related to the other groups and were also unaffected. In total, 225 children were included in the study. All children showed clear MMN activity to/da/-/ba/contrasts that could be separated into three distinct MMN components. Whilst the first two MMN components did not differentiate the groups, the late MMN component (300-700 ms) revealed significant group differences. The mean area of the late MMN was attenuated in both the dyslexic children and their unaffected siblings in comparison to the control children. This finding is indicative of analogous alterations of neurophysiological processes in children with dyslexia and those with a genetic risk for dyslexia, without a manifestation of the disorder. The present results therefore further suggest that the late MMN might be a potential endophenotype for dyslexia

Katamnestische Untersuchung und Entwicklung eines Screening-Fragebogens bei Patienten mit Asperger-Syndrom und Patienten mit tiefgreifenden Entwicklungsstörungen

Diese Langzeituntersuchung an erwachsenen Asperger-Autisten zeigt, dass die untersuchten Patienten relativ gut adaptiert sind, trotz deutlicher Defizite in der Lebensbewältigung. Die Auswertung eines eigens entwickelten Screeningfragebogens für erwachsene Asperger-Autisten sowie deren Eltern und Betreuer zeigte signifikante Unterschiede im Antwortverhalten zwischen unterschiedlichen Patientengruppen und lässt die Fragebögen prinzipiell als Screeninginstrument geeignet erscheinen

Les reseaux hvdc multi-terminaux: des defies multipes en genie electrique high voltage direct current grid multiterminals: many challenges in electrical engineering

Electrical installation using high voltage need to be improve to make the exchanges of power under the sea with security and to connect the offshore sources. Alterative grid show limits in those applications. High voltage direct current (HVDC) installation can be a solution to those cases, if some technological and scientist problem are solved. Challenge are in every level of the electrical engineering work, in the whole system, with the material used, and the way their used. This article introduce the main challenges in the domain of electrical engineering to solve in case of the exploitation of a HVDC grid

Проблемы процесса управления в техносферной безопасности

В статье будет рассмотрены проблемы техносферной безопасности через интеграционный подход, как самый эффективный в сфере управления природопользования. Самые важные проблемы будут обобщены в вопросах государственного регулирования, также будут выявлены факторы влияния на эффективность управления данного процесса

An ecologic study

Background: Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) are among the most common antimicrobial-resistant pathogens causing nosocomial infections. Although antibiotic use has been identified as a risk factor for VRE, it remains unclear which antimicrobial agents particularly facilitate VRE selection. Here, we assessed whether use of specific antimicrobial agents is independently associated with healthcare-associated (HA) VRE rates in a university hospital setting in Berlin, Germany . Methods: We conducted the study between January 2014 and December 2015 at the Charité-university hospital of Berlin, Germany. From the hospital pharmacy, we extracted data for all antibacterials for systemic use (anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC)-classification J01) and calculated ward specific antibiotic consumption in defined daily doses (DDDs) per 100 patient-days (PD). We used the microbiology laboratory database to identify all patients with isolation of invasive or non-invasive VRE and calculated HA-VRE incidence as nosocomial VRE-cases per 100 patients and HA-VRE incidence density as nosocomial VRE- cases per 1000 PD. We defined VRE isolates as hospital-acquired if they were identified three days or later after hospital admission and otherwise as community-acquired (CA-VRE). We performed univariable and multivariable regression analyses to estimate the association of the frequency of HA-VRE per month with antibiotic use and other parameters such as length of stay, type of ward or presence of at least one CA-VRE on ward. In a second analysis, we considered only patients with VRE infections. Results: We included data from 204,054 patients with 948,380 PD from 61 wards. Overall, 1430 VRE-cases were identified of which 409 (28.6%) were considered hospital-acquired (HA). We found that carbapenem use in the current month and prior-month use of glycopeptides increased the risk for HA-VRE by 1% per 1 DDD/100 PD and 3% per 1 DDD/100 PD, respectively. However, when only VRE from clinical samples were considered, only glycopeptide use showed a statistically significant association. In both models, detection of at least one patient with CA-VRE on a ward in the current month significantly increased the risk of HA-VRE, thereby indicating nosocomial spread of VRE. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the risk of HA-VRE is associated with specific antimicrobial agents. Prudent use of these antimicrobial agents might reduce nosocomial VRE rates. That appearance of at least one CA-VRE case on the ward increased the risk of HA-VRE detection highlights the importance of strict hand hygiene practices to interrupt person-to-person transmission of VRE

Analysis of the construction of the hightemperature gas infrared radiator with the use of virtual prototyping

Method of virtual prototyping with the following mathematical modeling was used to simulate the heat-mass exchange and combustion during the operation of high-temperature gas infrared radiators, and to find optimal technical solutions for its design. The most authoritative and approved software product Ansys Multiphysics was used. The results of the mathematical modeling of heat and mass transfer in a turbulent reaction medium with combustion reproduce the experimental data produced by a measurement in real operating conditions of the gas-fired infrared heat emitter. The temperature distribution along the height of the ceramic nozzle was established. Obtained results enable estimation of the ignition and combustion zones