HLA class II antigen expression in colorectal carcinoma tumors as a favorable prognostic marker.

The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of HLA class II antigen expression in colorectal carcinoma (CRC) tumors, its association with the clinical course of the disease, and the underlying mechanism(s). Two tissue microarrays constructed with 220 and 778 CRC tumors were stained with HLA-DR, DQ, and DP antigen-specific monoclonal antibody LGII-612.14, using the immunoperoxidase staining technique. The immunohistochemical staining results were correlated with the clinical course of the disease. The functional role of HLA class II antigens expressed on CRC cells was analyzed by investigating their in vitro interactions with immune cells. HLA class II antigens were expressed in about 25% of the 220 and 21% of the 778 tumors analyzed with an overall frequency of 23%. HLA class II antigens were detected in 19% of colorectal adenomas. Importantly, the percentage of stained cells and the staining intensity were significantly lower than those detected in CRC tumors. However, HLA class II antigen staining was weakly detected only in 5.4% of 37 normal mucosa tissues. HLA class II antigen expression was associated with a favorable clinical course of the disease. In vitro stimulation with interferon gamma (IFNγ) induced HLA class II antigen expression on two of the four CRC cell lines tested. HLA class II antigen expression on CRC cells triggered interleukin-1β (IL-1β) production by resting monocytes. HLA class II antigen expression in CRC tumors is a favorable prognostic marker. This association may reflect stimulation of IL-1β production by monocytes.

Ancora su Hölderlin e gli scrittori di lingua italiana (da Giosue Carducci a Fabio Pusterla)

A discussion of the long-term “Hölderlinism” of Italian poets, starting from Vigolo’s essay on Hölderlin and the music (1966), moving back to Carducci’s translations, with a critical edition of his version of Hölderlin’s Achill (1874, see the leaf reproduced in the appendix), and concluding with a look at later Italian poets up to Pusterla (2004).

Giorgio Vigolo – Quali musiche suonò Hölderlin? (28 aprile 1966)

Giorgio Vigolo’s lecture Quali musiche suonò Hölderlin? (Which Pieces of Music Did Hölderlin Play?), which the Italian poet held in Rome on April 28th 1966, here edited for the first time, with notes, by Giovanna Cordibella.

Di ekonomiše lage fun der jidn in Poiln - un di - jidiše kooperatzie : (arṭiklen un maṭerialn)

Farband fun di Jidiš Kooperaṭiwe Gezelšafṭ in Poiln. Unṭer der algemeiner redaktzie fun Mōše Šālîṭ

Johannis Buxtorfi Epitome grammaticae Hebraeae, breviter et methodicè : ... adjecta succincta de mutatione punctorum vocalium instructio...

Auf d. hinteren Vorsatz viele Anmerkungen von alter Hand, Signatur: "Johannes Bernhardus Waldschmidt, Fr. Anno 1666" Dabei handelt es sich wahrscheinl. um einen Frankfurter Bibliothekar dieser Zeit. - Auf dem Titelblatt weitere Signatur: Philippus Jacobus Waldschmidt, Ff 1652. Überklebte Schnittstelle.

Theoretische und praktische Überlegungen für die Evaluation komplexer Interventionen zur Verbesserung der Behandlungsqualität

Komplexe Interventionen wie z.B. klinische Behandlungspfade leisten einen Beitrag zu verbesserten Patientenergebnissen – falls sie denn gut implementiert sind. Sie stellen hohe Anforderungen an die Evaluation: Im Vorfeld müssen Überlegungen zu Kontext und zu angenommenen Ursache-Wirkungs-Zusammenhängen stattfinden und wichtige Stakeholder sollten dabei einbezogen sein. Bevor nach der Wirkung einer Maßnahme gefragt werden kann, muss zuerst deren Implementierung überprüft werden. Andernfalls können Ergebnisse der Wirkungsanalyse nur teilweise mit der Intervention in Verbindung gebracht, und Evaluationsergebnisse können nur schwer für die Verbesserung der Maßnahme genutzt werden.

Understanding E-Bike Users' Behaviour, Motives, and Barriers to the Use - An Empirical Study with high Potential for Mobility Management

A representative study among e-bike owners and tenants in Switzerland (n = 1652) provides a deeper understanding of e-bike users characteristics, motives, values, usage behavior, and barriers to the use. In a micro simulation the implications of the findings for the energy demand and CO2 emissions are estimated.

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.

Duale versus vollzeitschulische Berufsausbildung in der Schweiz. Zwei Institutionalisierungsmuster der beruflichen Bildung aus rechtfertigungstheoretischer und kantonal vergleichender Perspektive

Der historische und kantonsvergleichende Beitrag zur dualen versus vollzeitschulischen Berufsausbildung verbindet historische, berufsbildende und soziologische Perspektiven, um unterschiedlich verlaufende Institutionalisierungsprozesse nach Branche und Region bei der Entwicklung des Schweizer Berufsbildungssystems nachzuzeichnen. Im Zentrum steht die Frage, wie sich die zentralen, jedoch kontrastreichen, Organisationsmodelle der Berufsbildung – dual oder vollzeitschulisch – etablieren und kantonal durchsetzen konnten. Anhand von exemplarischen Fallstudien der Kantone Luzern und Genf werden rechtfertigungstheoretisch die zentralen Ordnungsprinzipien der Koordination und Legitimation sozialen Handelns, welches in Arbeits- und Bildungsorganisationen der Berufsbildung auf Dauer gestellt wird, verglichen. Gezeigt wird, dass die Organisation der Berufsbildung in den zwei Kantonen durch unterschiedliche Rechtfertigungsbezüge und Kompromisse befördert wurde. Mit dem dualen Berufsbildungsmodell zeichnete sich im historischen Rückblick dabei gleichzeitig eine auch überkantonal gangbare und durchsetzbare Kompromisslösung ab, um die unterschiedlichen bildungspolitischen Interessen und Bestrebungen der Kantone (Berufsbildung als Mittel der Integration und des sozialen Ausgleichs versus Berufsbildung als Mittel der Gewerbeförderung) in einem stark von Verbänden geprägten und gestalteten Modell der beruflichen Bildung zu integrieren und nachhaltig zu stabilisieren.

Outcome in neonates with necrotizing enterocolitis and patent ductus arteriosus.

BACKGROUND There is no agreement of the influence of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) on outcomes in patients with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). In this study, we assessed the influence of PDA on NEC outcomes. METHODS A retrospective study of 131 infants with established NEC was performed. Outcomes (death, disease severity, need for surgery, hospitalization duration), as well as multiple clinical parameters were compared between NEC patients with no congenital heart disease (n=102) and those with isolated PDA (n=29). Univariate, multivariate and stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed. RESULTS Birth weight and gestational age were significantly lower in patients with PDA [median (95% CI): 1120 g (1009-1562 g), 28.4 wk (27.8-30.5 wk)] than in those without PDA [median (95% CI): 1580 g (1593-1905 g), 32.4 wk (31.8-33.5 wk); P<0.05]. The risk of NEC-attributable fatality was higher in NEC patients with PDA (35%) than in NEC patients without PDA (14%)[univariate odds ratio (OR)=3.3, 95% CI: 1.8-8.6, P<0.05; multivariate OR=2.4, 95% CI: 0.82-2.39, P=0.111]. Significant independent predictors for nonsurvival within the entire cohort were advanced disease severity stage III (OR=27.9, 95% CI: 7.4-105, P<0.001) and birth weight below 1100 g (OR=5.7, 95% CI: 1.7-19.4, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS In patients with NEC, the presence of PDA is associated with an increased risk of death. However, when important differences between the two study groups are controlled, only birth weight and disease severity may independently predict mortality.

Enamel matrix derivative and bone grafts for periodontal regeneration of intrabony defects. A systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the clinical efficacy of regenerative periodontal surgery of intrabony defects using a combination of enamel matrix derivative (EMD) and bone graft compared with that of EMD alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Cochrane Oral Health Group specialist trials, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases were searched for entries up to February 2014. The primary outcome was gain of clinical attachment (CAL). Weighted means and forest plots were calculated for CAL gain, probing depth (PD), and gingival recession (REC). RESULTS Twelve studies reporting on 434 patients and 548 intrabony defects were selected for the analysis. Mean CAL gain amounted to 3.76 ± 1.07 mm (median 3.63 95 % CI 3.51-3.75) following treatment with a combination of EMD and bone graft and to 3.32 ± 1.04 mm (median 3.40; 95 % CI 3.28-3.52) following treatment with EMD alone. Mean PD reduction measured 4.22 ± 1.20 mm (median 4.10; 95 % CI 3.96-4.24) at sites treated with EMD and bone graft and yielded 4.12 ± 1.07 mm (median 4.00; 95 % CI 3.88-4.12) at sites treated with EMD alone. Mean REC increase amounted to 0.76 ± 0.42 mm (median 0.63; 95 % CI 0.58-0.68) at sites treated with EMD and bone graft and to 0.91 ± 0.26 mm (median 0.90; 95 % CI 0.87-0.93) at sites treated with EMD alone. CONCLUSIONS Within their limits, the present results indicate that the combination of EMD and bone grafts may result in additional clinical improvements in terms of CAL gain and PD reduction compared with those obtained with EMD alone. The potential influence of the chosen graft material or of the surgical procedure (i.e., flap design) on the clinical outcomes is unclear. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The present findings support the use of EMD and bone grafts for the treatment of intrabony periodontal defects.

Printed Narrative: The Festival Books for Archduke Ernest of Austria from Brussels and Antwerp 1594

Workshop „The Narrative in Eastern and Western Art“, Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto, 2-5 December 2013 Abstract by Ivo Raband, University of Berne Printed Narrative: The Festival Books for Ernest of Austria from Brussels and Antwerp 1594 During the early modern period the medium of the festival book became increasingly more important as an object of ‘political narration’ throughout Europe. Focusing on Netherlandish examples from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, my talk will focus on the festival books printed for the Joyous Entries of Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595). Ernest was appointed Governor General of the Netherlands by King Philipp II in 1593, being the first Habsburg Prince to reside in Brussels since 30 years. In Brussels and Antwerp, the Archduke was greeted with the traditional Blijde Imkomst, Joyous Entry, which dates back to the fourteenth century and was a necessity to actually become the sovereign of Brabant and Antwerp and to uphold the privileges of the cities. Decorated with ephemeral triumphal arches, stages, and tableaux vivants, both cities welcomed Ernest and, at the same time, demonstrated their civic self-assurance and negotiated their statuses. In honor of these events of civic power, the city magistrates commissioned festival books. These books combine a Latin text with a description of the events and the ephemeral structures, including circa 30 engravings and etchings. Being the only visual manifestation of the Joyous Entries, the books became important representational objects. The prints featured in festival books will be my point of departure for discussing the importance of narrative political prints and the concept of the early modern festival book as a ‘political object’. By comparing the prints from Ernest’s entries with others from the period between 1549 and 1635, I will show how the prints became as important as the event itself. Thus, I want to pose the question of whether it would have been possible to substitute a printed version of the event for the actual ceremony.