Pilot implementation of a sonography simulator in gynecological medical training and continuing education: A practical report.

Objective: In addition to patient consent, learning sonography requires considerable time and personnel resources. To implement patient-friendly and resource-saving ultrasound teaching, a comprehensively equipped sonography simulator (SoSim) was purchased at the Medical Interprofessional Training Centre (MITZ) of the Faculty of Medicine at TU Dresden. In a first step, the SoSim training was trialed in a sample (n=5) in cooperation with the Clinic and Polyclinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics at Dresden University Hospital (GYN).

Large-scale sampling of the freshwater microbiome suggests pollution-driven ecosystem changes.

Freshwater microbes play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle. Anthropogenic stressors that lead to changes in these microbial communities are likely to have profound consequences for freshwater ecosystems. Using field data from the coordinated sampling of 617 lakes, ponds, rivers, and streams by citizen scientists, we observed linkages between microbial community composition, light and chemical pollution, and greenhouse gas concentration.

No long-term effects of antenatal synthetic glucocorticoid exposure on epigenetic regulation of stress-related genes.

Antenatal synthetic glucocorticoid (sGC) treatment is a potent modifier of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In this context, epigenetic modifications are discussed as potential regulators explaining how prenatal exposure to GCs might translate into persistent changes of HPA axis "functioning". The purpose of this study was to investigate whether DNA methylation and gene expression profiles of stress-associated genes (NR3C1; FKBP5; SLC6A4) may mediate the persistent effects of sGC on cortisol stress reactivity that have been previously observed.

Neurocognitive development of novelty and error monitoring in children and adolescents.

The abilities to monitor one's actions and novel information in the environment are crucial for behavioural and cognitive control. This study investigated the development of error and novelty monitoring and their electrophysiological correlates by using a combined flanker with novelty-oddball task in children (7-12 years) and adolescents (14-18 years). Potential moderating influences of prenatal perturbation of steroid hormones on these performance monitoring processes were explored by comparing individuals who were prenatally exposed and who were not prenatally exposed to synthetic glucocorticoids (sGC).