Kongressorte der Frühen Neuzeit im europäischen Vergleich. Der Friede von Baden (1714)

Der europäische Kontinent wurde im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert von zahlreichen Kriegen überzogen. Zugleich wurden mit dem Kongresswesen neue Formen des Friedensschließens erprobt. Der vorliegende Band zeigt ausgehend von den Verhandlungen in Baden 1714 und weiteren Beispielen aktuelle Forschungsperspektiven zur räumlichen »Verortung« dieser frühneuzeitlichen Friedenskongresse auf. In den Gastorten bildeten diese von adliger Kultur geprägten Großveranstaltungen vorübergehende Fremdkörper, was aber nicht das Fehlen von Interaktionen mit den lokalen Gesellschaften bedeutete. Die Beherbergung zahlreicher Menschen unterschiedlichen Standes und Glaubens stellte für die gastgebenden Städte einerseits eine beträchtliche Herausforderung und Belastung dar. Andererseits bot sich damit für sie die Möglichkeit, sich in der europäischen Fürstengesellschaft zu positionieren. Die Frage nach den politischen und rechtlichen Voraussetzungen für die Wahl als Kongressort weist schließlich über den Kontext der einzelnen Städte hinaus und führt zu einer Geschichte frühneuzeitlicher Neutralisierungspraktiken.

Die Organisation von Bildung. Soziologische Analysen zu Schule, Berufsbildung, Hochschule und Weiterbildung

Die Bedeutung von Bildung für Individuen und Gesellschaften ist enorm gestiegen. Dieser Band widmet sich der Organisation von Bildung in Schule, Berufsbildung und Hochschule. Die Beiträge befassen sich mit noch wenig untersuchten Phänomenen der Entstehung, dem Funktionieren und der Entwicklung von Bildungsorganisationen sowie deren Prozessen der Herstellung und (ungleichen) Verteilung von Bildung. Die Organisation von Bildung in Form von Schulen ist allgegenwärtig und gleichzeitig unhinterfragt. Dieser Band diskutiert vor dem Hintergrund der enorm gestiegenen Bedeutung von Bildung für Individuen und Gesellschaften, wie unterschiedliche Typen von Bildungsorganisationen im Bereich von Schule, Berufsbildung oder Hochschule entstehen, funktionieren und sich weiterentwickeln. Er fragt nach den Prozessen, durch die die Subjekte gebildet und Ungleichheiten reproduziert werden. Die theoretisch-konzeptionellen und empirischen Beiträge beleuchten vielfältige Perspektiven und führen bildungs- und organisationssoziologische Forschungsergebnisse innovativ zusammen.

Completeness of Follow-Up Determines Validity of Study Findings: Results of a Prospective Repeated Measures Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND Current reporting guidelines do not call for standardised declaration of follow-up completeness, although study validity depends on the representativeness of measured outcomes. The Follow-Up Index (FUI) describes follow-up completeness at a given study end date as ratio between the investigated and the potential follow-up period. The association between FUI and the accuracy of survival-estimates was investigated. METHODS FUI and Kaplan-Meier estimates were calculated twice for 1207 consecutive patients undergoing aortic repair during an 11-year period: in a scenario A the population's clinical routine follow-up data (available from a prospective registry) was analysed conventionally. For the control scenario B, an independent survey was completed at the predefined study end. To determine the relation between FUI and the accuracy of study findings, discrepancies between scenarios regarding FUI, follow-up duration and cumulative survival-estimates were evaluated using multivariate analyses. RESULTS Scenario A noted 89 deaths (7.4%) during a mean considered follow-up of 30±28months. Scenario B, although analysing the same study period, detected 304 deaths (25.2%, P<0.001) as it scrutinized the complete follow-up period (49±32months). FUI (0.57±0.35 versus 1.00±0, P<0.001) and cumulative survival estimates (78.7% versus 50.7%, P<0.001) differed significantly between scenarios, suggesting that incomplete follow-up information led to underestimation of mortality. Degree of follow-up completeness (i.e. FUI-quartiles and FUI-intervals) correlated directly with accuracy of study findings: underestimation of long-term mortality increased almost linearly by 30% with every 0.1 drop in FUI (adjusted HR 1.30; 95%-CI 1.24;1.36, P<0.001). CONCLUSION Follow-up completeness is a pre-requisite for reliable outcome assessment and should be declared systematically. FUI represents a simple measure suited as reporting standard. Evidence lacking such information must be challenged as potentially flawed by selection bias.

Isolation, N-glycosylations and Function of a Hyaluronidase-Like Enzyme from the Venom of the Spider Cupiennius salei.

STRUCTURE OF CUPIENNIUS SALEI VENOM HYALURONIDASE Hyaluronidases are important venom components acting as spreading factor of toxic compounds. In several studies this spreading effect was tested on vertebrate tissue. However, data about the spreading activity on invertebrates, the main prey organisms of spiders, are lacking. Here, a hyaluronidase-like enzyme was isolated from the venom of the spider Cupiennius salei. The amino acid sequence of the enzyme was determined by cDNA analysis of the venom gland transcriptome and confirmed by protein analysis. Two complex N-linked glycans akin to honey bee hyaluronidase glycosylations, were identified by tandem mass spectrometry. A C-terminal EGF-like domain was identified in spider hyaluronidase using InterPro. The spider hyaluronidase-like enzyme showed maximal activity at acidic pH, between 40-60°C, and 0.2 M KCl. Divalent ions did not enhance HA degradation activity, indicating that they are not recruited for catalysis. FUNCTION OF VENOM HYALURONIDASES Besides hyaluronan, the enzyme degrades chondroitin sulfate A, whereas heparan sulfate and dermatan sulfate are not affected. The end products of hyaluronan degradation are tetramers, whereas chondroitin sulfate A is mainly degraded to hexamers. Identification of terminal N-acetylglucosamine or N-acetylgalactosamine at the reducing end of the oligomers identified the enzyme as an endo-β-N-acetyl-D-hexosaminidase hydrolase. The spreading effect of the hyaluronidase-like enzyme on invertebrate tissue was studied by coinjection of the enzyme with the Cupiennius salei main neurotoxin CsTx-1 into Drosophila flies. The enzyme significantly enhances the neurotoxic activity of CsTx-1. Comparative substrate degradation tests with hyaluronan, chondroitin sulfate A, dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate with venoms from 39 spider species from 21 families identified some spider families (Atypidae, Eresidae, Araneidae and Nephilidae) without activity of hyaluronidase-like enzymes. This is interpreted as a loss of this enzyme and fits quite well the current phylogenetic idea on a more isolated position of these families and can perhaps be explained by specialized prey catching techniques.

Systematisch benachteiligt? Bildungsbeteiligung und -erfolg von Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund

Wie erklären sich die ungleichen Bildungschancen von Jugendlichen mit und ohne Migrationshintergrund? Der Artikel geht dieser Frage anhand von Daten aus den Städten Bern und Zürich nach. Während Jugendliche aus dem nichtdeutschsprachigen Ausland im Vergleich zu Schweizer Jugendlichen im Nachteil sind, haben Jugendliche aus Deutschland und Österreich sogar einen Vorteil. Dabei zeigt sich, dass diese Unterschiede weniger auf sprachliche Schwierigkeiten als vielmehr auf Effekte der sozialen Herkunft zurückzuführen sind

Prospective analysis of adrenal function in patients with acute exacerbations of COPD: the Reduction in the Use of Corticosteroids in Exacerbated COPD (REDUCE) trial

OBJECTIVE To analyze prospectively the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and clinical outcome in patients treated with prednisone for exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DESIGN Prospective observational study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Patients presenting to the emergency department were randomized to receive 40 mg prednisone daily for 5 or 14 days in a placebo-controlled manner. The HPA axis was longitudinally assessed with the 1 μg corticotropin test and a clinical hypocortisolism score at baseline, on day 6 before blinded treatment, at hospital discharge, and for up to 180 days of follow-up. Prednisone was stopped abruptly, irrespective of the test results. Patients discharged with pathological test results received instructions about emergency hydrocortisone treatment. RESULTS A total of 311 patients were included in the analysis. Mean basal and stimulated serum total cortisol levels were highest on admission (496±398 and 816±413 nmol/l respectively) and lowest on day 6 (235±174 and 453±178 nmol/l respectively). Pathological stimulation tests were found in 63, 38, 9, 3, and 2% of patients on day 6, at discharge, and on days 30, 90, and 180 respectively, without significant difference between treatment groups. Clinical indicators of hypocortisolism did not correlate with stimulation test results, but cortisol levels were inversely associated with re-exacerbation risk. There were no hospitalizations or deaths as a result of adrenal crisis. CONCLUSION Dynamic changes in the HPA axis occur during and after the treatment of acute exacerbations of COPD. In hypocortisolemic patients who were provided with instructions about stress prophylaxis, the abrupt termination of prednisone appeared safe.