Adhesion of human pathogenic bacteria to endothelial cells is facilitated by fibronectin interaction.

Human pathogenic bacteria circulating in the bloodstream need to find a way to interact with endothelial cells (ECs) lining the blood vessels to infect and colonise the host. The extracellular matrix (ECM) of ECs might represent an attractive initial target for bacterial interaction, as many bacterial adhesins have reported affinities to ECM proteins, in particular to fibronectin (Fn). Here, we analysed the general role of EC-expressed Fn for bacterial adhesion.

Holistic View on the Structure of Immune Response: Petri Net Model.

The simulation of immune response is a challenging task because quantitative data are scarce. Quantitative theoretical models either focus on specific cell-cell interactions or have to make assumptions about parameters. The broad variation of, e.

Risk factors and outcomes associated with the carriage of tigecycline- and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium.

Objectives: Vancomycin-resistant E. faecium (VRE) is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections. The emergence of VRE with tigecycline resistance (TVRE) is increasing but its impact on patient outcome is still not well defined.

Endocytosis of BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 Is Partly Driven by a Canonical Tyr-Based Motif.

Clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) and its core endocytic machinery are evolutionarily conserved across all eukaryotes. In mammals, the heterotetrameric adaptor protein complex-2 (AP-2) sorts plasma membrane (PM) cargoes into vesicles via the recognition of motifs based on Tyr or di-Leu in their cytoplasmic tails. However, in plants, very little is known about how PM proteins are sorted for CME and whether similar motifs are required.

Emotion recognition and extraversion of medical students interact to predict their empathic communication perceived by simulated patients.

Background: This study assessed the impact of medical students' emotion recognition ability and extraversion on their empathic communication, as perceived by simulated patients in a training context.

Methods: This study used a crossed-effect data structure and examined 245 students in their fourth year of medical school. The students' personality traits were assessed based on a self-assessment questionnaire of the short form of the Big Five Inventory; their emotion recognition ability was measured using a performance test (Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy-2, Adult Facial Expressions).

Undergraduate medical students need more training in craniomaxillofacial surgery: a comparative study between medical and dental students.

Purpose: To compare the performance in oral, craniomaxillofacial, and facial plastic surgery (CMF)-specific surgical skills between medical students (MS) and dental students (DS) and hence adjust the current CMF training to student-specific needs. The investigators hypothesized that there would be no performance differences between MS and DS.

Methods: The investigators implemented a comparative retrospective item-based analysis of student performance in a CMF-specific objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) from 2008 to 2015.

Examiner effect on the objective structured clinical exam - a study at five medical schools.

Background: The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) is increasingly used at medical schools to assess practical competencies. To compare the outcomes of students at different medical schools, we introduced standardized OSCE stations with identical checklists.

Methods: We investigated examiner bias at standardized OSCE stations for knee- and shoulder-joint examinations, which were implemented into the surgical OSCE at five different medical schools.

Conveying practical clinical skills with the help of teaching associates-a randomised trial with focus on the long term learning retention.

Background: Ensuring that all medical students achieve adequate clinical skills remains a challenge, yet the correct performance of clinical skills is critical for all fields of medicine. This study analyzes the influence of receiving feedback by teaching associates in the context of achieving and maintaining a level of expertise in complex head and skull examination.

Methods: All third year students at a German university who completed the obligatory surgical skills lab training and surgical clerkship participated in this study.

Structured evaluation and need-based restructuring of the cranio-maxillofacial surgery module within surgical clerkship.

Background: Evaluations are important for teaching courses and contribute to educational quality assurance. CMF surgery provides a module in the skills-lab week in preparation for surgical clerkship. Even though the CMF module receives positive evaluations, the students report deviating content.

The effect of written standardized feedback on the structure and quality of surgical lectures: A prospective cohort study.

Background: Lectures remain an important teaching method to present and structure knowledge to many students concurrently. Adequate measures are necessary to maintain the quality of the lectures. The aim of this study was to determine the impact on the lecture quality using written structured feedback and to compare the ratings of surgical lectures between students and surgical peers.

The effect of video-assisted oral feedback versus oral feedback on surgical communicative competences in undergraduate training.

Purpose: Feedback can significantly improve future performance. Reviewing one's performance by video is discussed as useful adjunct to debriefing, particularly for non-technical skills. Communicative competencies are an essential part of daily clinical practice; thus should be taught and assessed during undergraduate training.

Acrofacial Dysostosis, Cincinnati Type, a Mandibulofacial Dysostosis Syndrome with Limb Anomalies, Is Caused by POLR1A Dysfunction.

We report three individuals with a cranioskeletal malformation syndrome that we define as acrofacial dysostosis, Cincinnati type. Each individual has a heterozygous mutation in POLR1A, which encodes a core component of RNA polymerase 1. All three individuals exhibit varying degrees of mandibulofacial dysostosis, and two additionally have limb anomalies.

GAD autoantibody affinity in schoolchildren from the general population.

Aims/hypothesis: Subtyping GAD autoantibody (GADA) responses using affinity measurement allows the identification of GADA-positive children with a family history of type 1 diabetes who are at risk of developing diabetes. Here, we asked whether GADA affinity is a useful marker to stratify the risk of type 1 diabetes in GADA-positive schoolchildren from the general population.

Methods: GADA affinity was measured by competitive binding experiments with [(125)I]-labelled and unlabelled human 65 kDa isoform of GAD (GAD65) in sera from 97 GADA-positive children identified in the Karlsburg Type 1 Diabetes Risk Study of a general schoolchild population in north-eastern Germany.

The 1st International standard for transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3).

One candidate preparation of human sequence recombinant transforming growth factor-β3 (TGF-β3) was formulated and lyophilized at NIBSC prior to evaluation in a collaborative study for its suitability to serve as an international standard. The preparation was tested by 8 laboratories using in vitro bioassays and immunoassays. The candidate preparation 09/234 was judged suitable to serve as an international standard based on the data obtained for biological activity and stability.