Epidemiology and economic burden of meningococcal disease in Germany: A systematic review.

Introduction: Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a notifiable disease in Germany and other European countries. Due to the high lethality of the disease and the risk of long-term consequences, IMD prevention is of high public health relevance despite the low number of cases in the population. This study aims to describe key epidemiological and economic parameters of IMD in Germany to support national decision-making processes for implementing enhanced prevention measures.

Reliable quantification of plasma HDV RNA is of paramount importance for treatment monitoring: A European multicenter study.

Objectives: Quantification of plasma hepatitis D virus (HDV) RNA is the essential tool for patient management under antiviral therapy. The aim of this European multicenter study was to improve the comparability of quantitative results reported by different laboratories using the CE/IVD-labeled RoboGene HDV RNA Quantification Kit 2.0 (Roboscreen GmbH) with different manual or automated nucleic acid extraction protocols/platforms and amplification/detection devices.

Agreement of measured and calculated muscle activity during highly dynamic movements modelled with a spherical knee joint.

The inclusion of muscle forces into the analysis of joint contact forces has improved their accuracy. But it has not been validated if such force and activity calculations are valid during highly dynamic multidirectional movements. The purpose of this study was to validate calculated muscle activation of a lower extremity model with a spherical knee joint for running, sprinting and 90°-cutting.

Comparison of Gait Characteristics Between Patients With Nontraumatic and Posttraumatic Medial Knee Osteoarthritis.

Objective: To compare knee kinematics and kinetics during walking in patients with posttraumatic versus nontraumatic medial compartment knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: Participants with medial compartment knee OA were classified as nontraumatic (n = 122) or posttraumatic (n = 93) based on evidence of previous anterior cruciate ligament tear, confirmed arthroscopically. Kellgren/Lawrence severity scores and mechanical axis angle (MAA) were determined from radiographs.

Anhydrous Amorphous Calcium Oxalate Nanoparticles from Ionic Liquids: Stable Crystallization Intermediates in the Formation of Whewellite.

The mechanisms by which amorphous intermediates transform into crystalline materials are not well understood. To test the viability and the limits of the classical crystallization, new model systems for crystallization are needed. With a view to elucidating the formation of an amorphous precursor and its subsequent crystallization, the crystallization of calcium oxalate, a biomineral widely occurring in plants, is investigated.