CoLabS: A collaborative space for transdisciplinary work in sustainable community development.

Currently, the need for transdisciplinary approaches and collaboration, to reduce the gap between science and practice, is continuously rising along with the need for sustainable development. An increase in knowledge transfer, meetings and overall communication among researchers and practitioners is a logical consequence of the previous. However, the resulting higher transaction costs, mainly related to transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions (and additional financial costs) involved in face-to-face meetings, are in direct conflict with the urgent need to reduce our carbon footprint. This research explored the development of an online platform, "CoLabS", specifically designed as a virtual meeting and learning space to support collaboration within and between communities to accelerate sustainable community development efforts. While the move towards online collaboration in virtual environments has steadily increased in the past decade, it has now become essential due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the feedback provided by focus groups, the collaboratory platform's design and usability as well as the technical aspects and its functionality are discussed in this paper.

Impact of different magnification levels on visual caries detection with ICDAS.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this in vitro study was to examine the effect of different levels of magnification on the accuracy and reliability of visual caries detection using ICDAS criteria. METHODS: Occlusal surfaces of 100 extracted molars were assessed by 14 examiners (3rd and the 4th year dental students and dentists) using no magnification aids, a 2.5× Galilean loupe, a 4.5× Keplerian loupe, or a surgical microscope with 10× magnification. The assessments were repeated on a different day. Sensitivity, specificity, AUC and reliabilities were calculated according to the gold standard of histology. RESULTS: We found that with increasing magnification, the number of surfaces rated as "sound" (ICDAS code 0) decreased, while the number of surfaces with a localized enamel breakdown (ICDAS code 3) increased. While the sensitivities increased, the values of the specificities decreased to an unacceptably low level irrespective of the clinical experience of the examiners. CONCLUSIONS: ICDAS seems to be optimized for natural vision up to 2.0× magnification and not for high magnifications. The use of powerful magnification in visual caries detection involves the risk of unnecessary and premature invasive treatment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This paper discusses when it does and does not make sense to use magnification devices for visual caries detection using ICDAS criteria. Strong magnifications should be refrained from for this purpose.

A quality-adjusted survival analysis (Q-TWiST) of rituximab plus CVP vs CVP alone in first-line treatment of advanced follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the impact of treatment on health states that affect patients' quality of life in advanced follicular lymphoma. METHODS: A quality-adjusted time without symptoms of disease or toxicity of treatment (Q-TwiST) analysis was performed on data from a phase III clinical trial (Marcus et al, 2008). RESULTS: Cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone plus rituximab (R-CVP)-treated patients gained a mean of 15.17 months in TWiST, 8.33 months in Q-TwiST, and 11.30 months less in disease relapse, without increase in toxicity compared with cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (CVP)-treated patients. CONCLUSION: Rituximab plus CVP-treated patients reached a significant and clinically meaningful improvement within 12 months in quality-adjusted survival compared with CVP.

Improvement in patient-reported outcomes in a rituximab trial in patients with severe rheumatoid arthritis refractory to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of treatment with rituximab plus methotrexate on patient-reported outcomes in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who experienced inadequate response to anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy. METHODS: Patients with active RA were randomly assigned to rituximab (1,000 mg on days 1 and 15) or placebo. The primary end point was the proportion of patients with an American College of Rheumatology 20% response at week 24. Additional goals were to assess treatment effects on pain, fatigue, functional disability, health-related quality of life, and disease activity by comparing mean changes between groups. The analysis was conducted in the intent-to-treat population. The proportion of patients who achieved the minimum clinically important difference on the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) disability index (DI), Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F), and Short Form 36 (SF-36) was determined. RESULTS: Rituximab patients had statistically significantly greater pain relief. The FACIT-F showed significantly greater improvement in rituximab patients than placebo patients from weeks 12 through 24. Mean improvement from baseline in functional disability (measured by the HAQ DI) was significantly greater in rituximab patients from weeks 8 to 24. The mean +/- SD change from baseline for the SF-36 Physical Component Score was 6.64 +/- 8.74 for rituximab patients and 1.48 +/- 7.32 for placebo patients (P < 0.0001). The mean change from baseline for the SF-36 Mental Component Score was 5.32 +/- 12.41 for rituximab patients and 2.25 +/- 12.23 for placebo patients (P = 0.0269). CONCLUSION: Rituximab produced rapid, clinically meaningful, and statistically significant improvements in patient-reported pain, fatigue, functional disability, health-related quality of life, and disease activity. These effects were sustained throughout the study.

[Principles of a medical-psychological long-term single case study]. / Grundlagen einer medizinisch-psychologischen Langzeit-Einzelfalluntersuchung.

Using time plots of serial measurements of physiologic as well as psychologic parameters (blood pressure, body weight, pulse rate and an adjective list by Sokolow) possible evaluation strategies applicable to extended data sets are demonstrated. The data set used in this study has been compiled over a seven year period by daily sampling of the aforementioned parameters by a male patient. Preliminary findings indicate, that covariation between parameters differs, when data of distant time sections are considered.

[Treatment and resocialization of sexual delinquents by anti-androgen and psychotherapy]. / Zur Behandlung und Resozialisierung von Sexualdelinquenten mit Antiandrogenen und Psychotherapie.

The author presents the results obtained in the treatment of 40 sexual offenders receiving antiandrogens as well as psycho and sociotherapy. The paper covers the following topics: pathogenesis of sexual perversion, choice of treatment, therapeutic methodology (with particular reference to the above-mentioned combined treatment), duration of the treatment (long-term therapy), problems concerning provisory liberation and the continuation of treatment in ambulatory, prognosis, therapeutic results. The majority of these inmate-patients were treated for a period of 2 to 4 years. For 27 individuals, treatment was considered terminated after 3 to 6 years. The therapeutic results of the above-mentioned group were considered very good, that is: to date, 70% did not suffer relapse. Only 7 individuals out of these 27 relapsed and all within their first year of treatment. Thirteen out of 40 are still undergoing treatment (1 to 4 years). The majority have been liberated and continue being treated in ambulatory.

[Peritoneoscopy with 2 optical devices: reduced risk - better diagnostic results (author's transl)]. / Laparoskopie mit zwei Optiken: Verringerung des Risikos - Erhöhung der Aussagekraft

Peritoneoscopy with 2 optical devices was performed in two cases; the technique of this procedure is described. The method allows inspection of areas, which cannot be seen during routine peritoneoscopy, especially of the anterior abdominal wall and of intraabdominal organs covered by adhesions. In addition, this method allows to find out, whether the anterior abdominal wall and vessels in it were injured by the troikart; the risk of the procedure is reduced thereby. Using a second optical device allows to visualize areas, which cannot be studied during routine peritoneoscopy because of intraabdominal adhesions. Thus better diagnostic results can be achieved with this method as compared to the routine technique.