Berlin, Berlin. Kreativität im Literaturunterricht als Herausforderung für die Lehrerfortbildung

Als offenes Sinnangebot, das zu einem kreativen Umgang mit Fremdem einlädt, hat Literatur im Fremdsprachenunterricht der Sekundarstufe I und II eine zentrale Bedeutung. Lektüre und Diskussion von Literatur kann Schülerinnen und Schüler motivieren und produktiv machen, wenn sie in einem Dialog geführt wird, bei dem es nicht in erster Linie um das Verstehen als ,,richtiges" Aufheben von Fremdheit, sondern um eine mehrstimmige, kreative Auseinandersetzung mit dieser Fremdheit geht. Einen solchen Umgang mit literarischen Texten will ein neues Fortbildungsprogramm an der Universität Lausanne ausprobieren und einüben. Dabei geht es nicht um die Vermittlung fertiger didaktischer Sequenzen, sondern um Impulse für mehr Kreativität im Umgang und Einsatz von Literatur im Unterricht. Am Beispiel einer aktuellen Fortbildung zur deutschsprachigen Literatur über Berlin aus dem 20. und 21. Jahrhundert wird im Folgenden dargelegt, wie Räume geschaffen werden können, in denen ein kreativer Umgang mit Literatur zu erleben ist, der zu einem vergleichbaren Literaturunterricht in den Schulen inspirieren mag.

The effect of combined antiretroviral therapy on the overall mortality of HIV-infected individuals.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the effect of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) on mortality among HIV-infected individuals after appropriate adjustment for time-varying confounding by indication. DESIGN: A collaboration of 12 prospective cohort studies from Europe and the United States (the HIV-CAUSAL Collaboration) that includes 62 760 HIV-infected, therapy-naive individuals followed for an average of 3.3 years. Inverse probability weighting of marginal structural models was used to adjust for measured confounding by indication. RESULTS: Two thousand and thirty-nine individuals died during the follow-up. The mortality hazard ratio was 0.48 (95% confidence interval 0.41-0.57) for cART initiation versus no initiation. In analyses stratified by CD4 cell count at baseline, the corresponding hazard ratios were 0.29 (0.22-0.37) for less than 100 cells/microl, 0.33 (0.25-0.44) for 100 to less than 200 cells/microl, 0.38 (0.28-0.52) for 200 to less than 350 cells/microl, 0.55 (0.41-0.74) for 350 to less than 500 cells/microl, and 0.77 (0.58-1.01) for 500 cells/microl or more. The estimated hazard ratio varied with years since initiation of cART from 0.57 (0.49-0.67) for less than 1 year since initiation to 0.21 (0.14-0.31) for 5 years or more (P value for trend <0.001). CONCLUSION: We estimated that cART halved the average mortality rate in HIV-infected individuals. The mortality reduction was greater in those with worse prognosis at the start of follow-up.

Interactions between Siglec-7/9 receptors and ligands influence NK cell-dependent tumor immunosurveillance.

Alteration of the surface glycosylation pattern on malignant cells potentially affects tumor immunity by directly influencing interactions with glycan-binding proteins (lectins) on the surface of immunomodulatory cells. The sialic acid-binding Ig-like lectins Siglec-7 and -9 are MHC class I-independent inhibitory receptors on human NK cells that recognize sialic acid-containing carbohydrates. Here, we found that the presence of Siglec-9 defined a subset of cytotoxic NK cells with a mature phenotype and enhanced chemotactic potential. Interestingly, this Siglec-9+ NK cell population was reduced in the peripheral blood of cancer patients. Broad analysis of primary tumor samples revealed that ligands of Siglec-7 and -9 were expressed on human cancer cells of different histological types. Expression of Siglec-7 and -9 ligands was associated with susceptibility of NK cell-sensitive tumor cells and, unexpectedly, of presumably NK cell-resistant tumor cells to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Together, these observations have direct implications for NK cell-based therapies and highlight the requirement to consider both MHC class I haplotype and tumor-specific glycosylation.

Prognostic factors affecting long-term outcomes in patients with resected stage IIIA pN2 non-small-cell lung cancer: 5-year follow-up of a phase II study.

The aim was to investigate the efficacy of neoadjuvant docetaxel-cisplatin and identify prognostic factors for outcome in locally advanced stage IIIA (pN2 by mediastinoscopy) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. In all, 75 patients (from 90 enrolled) underwent tumour resection after three 3-week cycles of docetaxel 85 mg m-2 (day 1) plus cisplatin 40 or 50 mg m-2 (days 1 and 2). Therapy was well tolerated (overall grade 3 toxicity occurred in 48% patients; no grade 4 nonhaematological toxicity was reported), with no observed late toxicities. Median overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) times were 35 and 15 months, respectively, in the 75 patients who underwent surgery; corresponding figures for all 90 patients enrolled were 28 and 12 months. At 3 years after initiating trial therapy, 27 out of 75 patients (36%) were alive and tumour free. At 5-year follow-up, 60 and 65% of patients had local relapse and distant metastases, respectively. The most common sites of distant metastases were the lung (24%) and brain (17%). Factors associated with OS, EFS and risk of local relapse and distant metastases were complete tumour resection and chemotherapy activity (clinical response, pathologic response, mediastinal downstaging). Neoadjuvant docetaxel-cisplatin was effective and tolerable in stage IIIA pN2 NSCLC, with chemotherapy contributing significantly to outcomes.

TLR3 deficiency in patients with herpes simplex encephalitis.

Some Toll and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) provide immunity to experimental infections in animal models, but their contribution to host defense in natural ecosystems is unknown. We report a dominant-negative TLR3 allele in otherwise healthy children with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) encephalitis. TLR3 is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS), where it is required to control HSV-1, which spreads from the epithelium to the CNS via cranial nerves. TLR3 is also expressed in epithelial and dendritic cells, which apparently use TLR3-independent pathways to prevent further dissemination of HSV-1 and to provide resistance to other pathogens in TLR3-deficient patients. Human TLR3 appears to be redundant in host defense to most microbes but is vital for natural immunity to HSV-1 in the CNS, which suggests that neurotropic viruses have contributed to the evolutionary maintenance of TLR3.

Phimose : Sind topische Kortikosteroide eine Alternative zur chirurgischen Behandlung [Phimosis : are topical corticosteroids an alternative to surgical treatment?]

Hintergrund: Die physiologische Phimose ist bereits bei der Geburt vorhanden und wächst sich in den meisten Fällen aus. Während 10% der Knaben im Alter von drei Jahren noch eine Phimose haben, nimmt diese Prävalenz auf 6-8% im Alter von sieben Jahren und 1% im Alter von 16 Jahren ab. Man spricht von einer pathologischen Phimose, wenn die Vorhaut Vernarbungen infolge von wiederholten Entzündungen oder forcierten Retraktionsversuchen aufweist. Dennoch ist die Unterscheidung zwischen pathologischer und physiologischer Phimose schwierig, und eine chirurgische Behandlung (Zirkumzision, Vorhautplastik) ist häufig. Eine topische Kortikosteroidbehandlung wird seit mehreren Jahren wegen seiner anti-inflammatorischen und immunsuppressiven Wirkung (Verminderung der Kollagenproduktion) angewendet. Es gibt aber keine Evidenz bezüglich Wirksamkeit und Sicherheit dieser Behandlung.

Resident health-related quality of life in Swiss nursing homes.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) levels and their determinants in those living in nursing homes are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate different HRQOL domains as a function of the degree of cognitive impairment and to explore associations between them and possible determinants of HRQOL. METHOD: Five HRQOL domains using the Minimum Data Set - Health Status Index (MDS-HSI) were investigated in a large sample of nursing home residents depending on cognitive performance levels derived from the Cognitive Performance Scale. Large effect size associations between clinical variables and the different HRQOL domains were looked for. RESULTS: HRQOL domains are impaired to variable degrees but with similar profiles depending on the cognitive performance level. Basic activities of daily living are a major factor associated with some but not all HRQOL domains and vary little with the degree of cognitive impairment. LIMITATIONS: This study is limited by the general difficulties related to measuring HRQOL in patients with cognitive impairment and the reduced number of variables considered among those potentially influencing HRQOL. CONCLUSION: HRQOL dimensions are not all linearly associated with increasing cognitive impairment in NH patients. Longitudinal studies are required to determine how the different HRQOL domains evolve over time in NH residents.

The difference of disease perception by juvenile idiopathic arthritis patients and their parents : analysis of the JAMAR questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The JAMAR (Juvenile Arthritis Multidimensional Assessment Report) has been developed to evaluate the perception of the patient and his parents on different items: well-being, pain, functional status, quality of life, disease activity, disease course, side effects of medication, therapeutic compliance and satisfaction with illness outcome. Our aim was to compare disease's perception by JIA patients and their parents. METHODS: We included into the study 100 consecutive patients over 7 years of age. We asked both parent and child to complete the JAMAR questionnaire. For each patient we recorded demographic and disease related data. We examined the level of disagreement between children and parents for the quantitative items of the JAMAR: VAS Pain, VAS Disease Activity, VAS Well Being, Juvenile Arthritis Functional Score, HRQoL. Then we looked for a relation between discordance-rate and demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS: Children and parents' median scores for all five items were similar. Individual dyads agreement was low, with a large amount of pairs (80) discordant for at least one item. We found higher MD VAS and JADAS in more discordant dyads, suggesting that when the disease is more active discordance between child and parent increase. CONCLUSION: The JAMAR questionnaire is an important tool that helps clinicians to detect divergent child and parent's disease perceptions. It is essential that both patients and parents fill the JAMAR questionnaire for a complete clinical and psychosocial evaluation.

Kirsikankierrelehtivirus hieskoivulla Suomessa

Seloste artikkelista: Jalkanen, R., Büttner, C. & von Bargen, S. 2007. Cherry leaf roll virus abundant on Betula pubescens in Finland. Silva Fennica 41 (4) : 755-762

Relação do tamanho de sementes de milho e doses de fungicida no controle de Stenocarpella maydis

Para o controle integrado de doenças, o tratamento químico das sementes de milho (Zea mays) torna-se indispensável, sendo a sua eficácia e influenciada por vários fatores, entre eles o tamanho das sementes. O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a relação do tamanho da semente e doses do fungicida thiabendazole no controle de Stenocarpella maydis, considerando-se diferentes tamanhos de sementes e doses do fungicida. As sementes classificadas nas peneiras 19, 22 e 24 foram inoculadas com S. maydis e tratadas com o fungicida thiabendazole em três doses, sendo avaliadas a incidência do patógeno e desempenho das sementes por meio de testes de qualidade fisiológica. Constatou-se com o tratamento fungicida, aumento na germinação, maior peso de plântulas e redução de tombamento provocado por S. maydis, havendo comportamento diferenciado do tratamento químico em relação ao tamanho de sementes e doses do produto.

L'ex Crown Princess d'Allemagne [Cecilie, épouse du fils de Guillaume II, Friedrich Wilhelm] : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 59371

Le prince Joachim de Prusse : [photographie de presse] / [Agence Rol]

Référence bibliographique : Rol, 59373