Herpesviruses mimic zygotic genome activation to promote viral replication.

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is crucial for maternal to zygotic transition at the 2-8-cell stage in order to overcome silencing of genes and enable transcription from the zygotic genome. In humans, ZGA is induced by DUX4, a pioneer factor that drives expression of downstream germline-specific genes and retroelements. Here we show that herpesviruses from all subfamilies, papillomaviruses and Merkel cell polyomavirus actively induce DUX4 expression to promote viral transcription and replication.

Dealing With the Complexity of Effective Population Size in Conservation Practice.

Effective population size () is one of the most important parameters in evolutionary biology, as it is linked to the long-term survival capability of species. Therefore, greatly interests conservation geneticists, but it is also very relevant to policymakers, managers, and conservation practitioners. Molecular methods to estimate rely on various assumptions, including no immigration, panmixia, random sampling, absence of spatial genetic structure, and/or mutation-drift equilibrium.

[Obtaining a Second Opinion in Germany: an Analysis of the Billing Data of the Health Insurer AOK Nordost].

Objectives: The aim of this billing data analysis was to examine the implementation of the second opinion directive in Germany and to investigate how often informing patients about their right to a second opinion (SO) and obtaining a SO are documented.

Methods: To examine the frequency of "informing about SO" and "obtaining an SO", insured patients who received an indication for tonsillectomy, tonsillotomy or hysterectomy in 2019 or 2020 were included, as well as insured patients who received an indication for shoulder arthroscopy in Q2-Q3 2020. Data were analyzed descriptively.

Correlation between Obesity and Socioeconomic and Psychological Characteristics of Students Attending Different Rural School Types.

Unlabelled: We examined the prevalence of obesity in two types of schools-a comprehensive school and a grammar school-in a rural German region of Brandenburg.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, BMI values were measured in 114 students in grades 5, 7, and 10. In addition to the demographic data, data on nutrition, physical activity, and mental well-being were collected using a questionnaire.

[Factors that influence the use of sepsis-related competencies in health professionals and how they promote their patients' sepsis knowledge: Results of a mixed methods study with health professionals].

Background: Sepsis is a life-threatening and relatively common emergency which is often recognized too late or not at all. Therefore, the "SepsisWissen" (SepsisKnowledge) project aimed to bring about changes in health care professionals' behavior in the area of sepsis prevention and early detection. It addressed the health care professionals themselves (e.

Protecting mass-gathering events in a pandemic with testing tracks and transparent information: an experimental study with festival guests.

To enable future open-air festivals during a pandemic, model festivals tested restricted access and behavioural rules to prevent SARS-CoV-2 transmissions. However, the uptake of health-protective measures depends on informed acceptance, meaning people are more likely to follow measures if they understand their effectiveness and related disease risks. With a series of online surveys, we studied risk perceptions of 6,500 festival guests and the association of perceived effectiveness of protective behaviours with reported compliance.

Herpesviruses mimic zygotic genome activation to promote viral replication.

DUX4 is a germline transcription factor and a master regulator of zygotic genome activation. During early embryogenesis, DUX4 is crucial for maternal to zygotic transition at the 2-8-cell stage in order to overcome silencing of genes and enable transcription from the zygotic genome. In adult somatic cells, DUX4 expression is silenced and its activation in adult muscle cells causes the genetic disorder Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD).

Does the second opinion directive in Germany reach the patient? A parallel-convergent mixed-methods study.

Background: A Second Opinion Directive (SOD) was introduced in Germany in December 2018 for elective surgeries such as hysterectomy, tonsillotomy, tonsillectomy, and shoulder arthroscopy. The aim of the SOD is to avoid surgeries which are not medically induced and to support patients in their decision-making process. A physician who indicates an SOD-relevant procedure must inform the patient about the SOD and its specifications.

Pioneer factors in viral infection.

Pioneer factors are transcription factors sharing the fascinating ability to bind to compact chromatin and thereby alter its transcriptional fate. Most pioneer factors are known for their importance during embryonic development, for instance, in inducing zygotic genome activation or cell fate decision. Some pioneer factors are actively induced or downregulated by viral infection.

Interprofessional collaboration and patient-reported outcomes: a secondary data analysis based on large scale survey data.

Background: While interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is widely considered a key element of comprehensive patient treatment, evidence focusing on its impact on patient-reported outcomes (PROs) is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between employee-rated IPC and PROs in a clinical inpatient setting.

Methods: We conducted a secondary data analysis of the entire patient and employee reported data collected by the Picker Institute Germany in cross-sectional surveys between 2003 and 2016.

[Recommendations for a Core Curriculum for Master's Degree Programs in Health Services Research].

The aim of the present study was to develop recommendations for a core curriculum for master's degree programs in health services research. For this purpose, a standardized online survey of university lecturers was conducted in the first step. In the second step, the curricula of the existing study programs were analyzed.

Second opinion opportunity declined: patient typology and experiences regarding the decision-making process preceding elective surgeries in Germany.

Background: To address the problem of overuse of elective surgery and to support patients in their decision-making process, a Second Opinion Directive was introduced in Germany, which enables patients with statutory health insurance to obtain a second opinion for certain surgical indications. The study aims to identify, based on the experiences of patients who have undergone elective surgery, the role of seeking a second opinion in reaching their decision.

Methods: Sixty-two patients who had undergone an elective surgery (hysterectomy, tonsillectomy, shoulder arthroscopy) were recruited using purposive sampling and interviewed during October to December 2020.

[Necessity and Ways to Develop Care Goals for the Health System in Germany - a Position Paper of the DNVF].

Goals for health and health care are an indispensable basic requirement for a functioning health care system. The dilemma of the German health care system is that it has not been designed in a planned way, but that it has grown historically. In recent years, it has developed through the free play of forces into what it is today.

Interprofessional collaboration and patient-reported outcomes in inpatient care: a systematic review.

Background: Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is seen as the "gold standard" of comprehensive care, but credible evidence concerning the effects on patient-reported outcomes (PRO) is lacking. The aim of this systematic review is to study the effect of IPC on PRO in inpatient care.

Methods: We systematically searched six electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science/Social Science Citation Index, CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), Current Contents (LIVIVO), CINAHL, and Embase) for studies published between 1997 and 2021.

Physicians' Perspectives on the Implementation of the Second Opinion Directive in Germany-An Exploratory Sequential Mixed-Methods Study.

A new Second Opinion Directive (SOD) was introduced in Germany in December 2018 for hysterectomy, tonsillotomy, and tonsillectomy to support shared decision making and to avoid unnecessary surgeries. Owing to its recent implementation, evidence and insights regarding outcomes and challenges encountered with the SOD are lacking, notably from the physicians' perspective. To assess this, we undertook an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design with an initial qualitative phase followed by a quantitative evaluation.

Relationship between volume and outcome for gastroschisis: A systematic review.

Background: Newborns with gastroschisis need surgery to reduce intestines into the abdominal cavity and to close the abdominal wall. Due to an existing volume-outcome relationship for other high-risk, low-volume procedures, we aimed at examining the relationship between hospital or surgeon volume and outcomes for gastroschisis.

Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search in Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL and Biosis Previews in June 2021 and searched for additional literature.

Contextualising the association of socioeconomic deprivation with hospitalisation rates of myocardial infarction in a rural area in eastern Germany.

Introduction: Evidence on the association of socioeconomic deprivation with occurrence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is available from international studies and urban settings in western Germany. This study aimed to assess this association based on small geographical areas in a rural setting in eastern Germany.

Methods: This study used routine data of all patients with AMI who were treated in the Hospital Brandenburg in the city of Brandenburg, Germany, between May 2019 and May 2020.

Educating Pharmacists on the Risks of Strong Opioids With Descriptive and Simulated Experience Risk Formats: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

High opioid prescription rates in the United States and Europe suggest miscalibrated risk perceptions among those who prescribe, dispense, and take opioids. Findings from cognitive decision science suggest that risk perceptions and behaviors can differ depending on whether people learn about risks by experience or description. This study investigated effects of a descriptive versus an experience-based risk education format on pharmacists' risk perceptions and counseling behavior in the long-term administration of strong opioids to patients with chronic noncancer pain.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on professional practice and patient volume in medical practices: A survey among German physicians and psychotherapists.

Introduction: This study examines the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on outpatient care in the German federal state of Brandenburg during the first 'lockdown' between 22 March and 4 May 2020, focusing on the burden for physicians and psychotherapists in outpatient practices and on alternative ways to provide care, in particular telehealth.

Methods: We conducted an online cross-sectional survey among outpatient health care professionals. The responses of n=277 physicians and n=87 psychotherapists were included in the analysis.

A systematic review on the effectiveness of implementation strategies to postpone elective caesarean sections to ≥ 39 + (0-6) weeks of gestation.

Background: Caesarean sections often have no urgent indication and are electively planned. Research showed that elective caesarean section should not be performed until 39 + (0-6) weeks of gestation to ensure best neonatal and maternal health if there are no contraindications. This was recommended by various guidelines published in the last two decades.

Second opinion programmes in Germany: a mixed-methods study protocol.

Introduction: Second opinion programmes aim to support the patients' decision-making process and to avoid treatments that are unnecessary from a medical perspective. The German second opinion directive, introduced in December 2018, constitutes a new legal framework in statutory health insurance for seeking second opinions for elective procedures and so far includes tonsillectomy, tonsillotomy, hysterectomy and shoulder arthroscopy. The directive mandates physicians who recommend one of the above-mentioned surgeries to inform their patients of their legal right to visit a certified second opinion provider.