The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on medical teaching in obstetrics and gynecology-A nationwide expert survey among teaching coordinators at German university hospitals.

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed severe challenges on medical education at German university hospitals. In this first German nationwide expert survey, we addressed the responsible university teaching coordinators in obstetrics and gynecology departments and investigated their experiences during the pandemic as well as their opinions on future developments, especially with regard to the broader implementation of e-learning in the standard curriculum.

Methods: The questionnaire included 42 items and was disseminated among teaching coordinators at all 41 departments of obstetrics and gynecology at German university hospitals via an email that included a weblink to the online survey provider.

Experiences with alternative online lectures in medical education in obstetrics and gynecology during the COVID-19 pandemic-possible efficient and student-orientated models for the future?

Purpose: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic posed an eminent challenge for medical teachers worldwide. Face-to-face lectures and seminars were no longer possible, and alternatives had to be found. E-learning concepts quickly emerged as the only practicable solutions and also offered the opportunity to evaluate whether traditional face-to-face lectures could be translated into an online format, independent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The role of gender-specific factors in the choice of specialty training in obstetrics and gynecology: results from a survey among medical students in Germany.

Purpose: The field of obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN) is facing growing competition for young professionals in Germany, with high interest rates among female graduates and a declining proportion of male students who choose residency training in the field. The aim of this study is to analyze general and gender-dependent factors that influence the decision for or against specialty training in OB/GYN among medical students in Germany.

Methods: Between February and November 2019, n = 346 medical students in their 5th and 6th year of undergraduate training at Heidelberg University received a questionnaire with 44 items.

RIG-I/MAVS and STING signaling promote gut integrity during irradiation- and immune-mediated tissue injury.

The molecular pathways that regulate the tissue repair function of type I interferon (IFN-I) during acute tissue damage are poorly understood. We describe a protective role for IFN-I and the RIG-I/MAVS signaling pathway during acute tissue damage in mice. Mice lacking mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS) were more sensitive to total body irradiation- and chemotherapy-induced intestinal barrier damage.

Card9 controls Dectin-1-induced T-cell cytotoxicity and tumor growth in mice.

Activation of the C-type lectin receptor Dectin-1 by β-glucans triggers multiple signals within DCs that result in activation of innate immunity. While these mechanisms can potently prime CD8 cytotoxic T-cell (CTL) responses without additional adjuvants, the Dectin-1 effector pathways that control CTL induction remain unclear. Here we demonstrate that Dectin-1-induced CTL cross-priming in mice does not require inflammasome activation but strictly depends on the adapter protein Card9 in vitro.