Um Kotproben für die Beurteilung der Mineralstoffversorgung von Pferden nutzen zu können, bedarf es methodischer Untersuchungen zur Standardisierung der Probenentnahme. Untersucht wurden der Einfluss des Entnahmezeitpunktes sowie die Konzentrationsentwicklung von 28 Mengen- und Spurenelementen über einen 15-Tages-Zeitraum. Als Probanden standen sechs Pferde zur Verfügung, die in drei Fütterungsgruppen eingeteilt waren und Rationen mit unterschiedlichen Mineralstoffkonzentrationen (ohne Ergänzung, mit definierter Zulage und mit freiem Zugang zu einer Mineralleckmasse) erhalten haben. Die Kotproben wurden über 15 Tage an jedem dritten Tag um 7 Uhr und an Tag 6 alle sechs Stunden aus der Ampulla recti gewonnen. Die Analyse der 28 ausgewählten Elemente in den zuvor getrockneten Kotproben erfolgte mithilfe von optischer Emissionsspektrometrie mittels induktiv gekoppelten Plasmas (ICP-OES) bzw. durch Massenspektrometrie mit induktiv gekoppeltem Plasma (ICP-MS). Zur statistischen Auswertung wurde das Verfahren des linearen gemischten Modells einer Varianzanalyse mit festen Effekten (Tiernummer und Entnahmezeitpunkt bzw. Tag) gewählt, nach dem die Residuen mithilfe des Shapiro-Wilk-Testes auf Normalverteilung geprüft wurden. Bei signifikanten Unterschieden (p < 0,05) schloss sich ein Post-hoc-Test mit Bonferroni-Korrektur an. Die Konzentration der im Kot gemessenen Mengen- und Spurenelemente, die zu unterschiedlichen Uhrzeiten genommenen wurden, unterscheidet sich lediglich im Fall von Kalium signifikant. Die Variabilität der Messwerte ist jedoch so gering, dass die Autoren von keinem für die praktische Anwendung bedeutendem Einfluss des Entnahmezeitpunktes ausgehen. Bei einer konstanten Fütterung hat der Zeitpunkt der Probennahme keinen Einfluss auf das Ergebnis. Die Messwerte der 15-Tage-Verlaufstudie präsentierten sich für den Großteil der gemessenen Elemente innerhalb der jeweiligen Fütterungsgruppe gleichbleibend, weshalb davon ausgegangen werden kann, dass bei gleichbleibender Fütterung die Ausscheidung mit dem Kot konstant ist.

Introduction: The tight junction molecule Claudin 18.2 is selectively expressed in healthy and malignant gastric epithelial tissue and is a promising therapy target for high Claudin 18.2 expressing adenocarcinomas of the esophagogastric junction and stomach (AEG/S).

Methods: This study analyzed the prevalence, characteristics and prognostic impact of Claudin 18.2 expression in primary tumor, lymph node and distant metastasis in a large Caucasian AGE/S cohort with 414 patients.

Results: Claudin 18.2 was highly expressed in 17.1% of primary tumors, 26.7% of lymph node metastasis and 16.7% of distant metastasis. High Claudin 18.2 expression in lymph node metastasis and primary tumors correlated significantly (p < 0.001). High expression of Claudin 18.2 was neither associated with histomorphogical subtype, or tumor state, nor with overall survival.

Conclusion: In Caucasian AEG/S patients, 17.1% appeared to be eligible for an anti-Claudin 18.2 therapy. Claudin 18.2 expression itself has no impact on prognosis and is not related to any tumor subtype.

Background

Cross-matching is performed to determine the serological compatibility of donor and recipient blood. Current guidelines recommend that cross-matching should be performed in dogs when an initial transfusion was performed more than 4 days ago or when the transfusion history is unknown.

Hypothesis

Determination at what time point alloantibodies are detected in dogs after transfusion. The hypothesis was that dogs would form alloantibodies within 4 days after a transfusion.

Animals

Twenty-one anemic dogs were transfused and monitored for at least 4 subsequent days. Exclusion criteria were persistent red blood cell (RBC) agglutination and a previous transfusion.

Methods

Prospective observational study. Cross-matching was performed before the initial DEA 1-compatible transfusion and on days 1, 2, 3, and 4 and if possible, between day 5 and 28, using the tube method without enhancement (major cross-match, recipient controls); recipients were monitored for transfusion reactions.

Results

In 12/21 dogs a positive cross-match (microscopic degree of agglutination [AD] 1+ to 2+) was observed within 4 days after the transfusion. In a nonlinear regression model, no significant association was detected between type of anemia (P = .41), RBC storage time (P = .44), immunosuppressive treatment (P = .75) nor transfusion volume (P = .70) and the occurrence of positive cross-matches within 4 days after transfusion. Another 4 dogs developed a positive cross-match (microscopic AD 1+ to 2+) after 6 to 13 days.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Because production of alloantibodies was detected as early as 1 day after transfusion, cross-matching should be performed before every subsequent transfusion.

Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) is a transboundary, highly contagious, and fatal disease of small ruminants. PPR causes global annual economic losses of between USD 1.5 and 2.0 billion across more than 70 affected countries. Despite the commercial availability of effective PPR vaccines, lack of financial and technical commitment to PPR control coupled with a dearth of refined PPR risk profiling data in different endemic countries has perpetuated PPR virus transmission. In Uganda, over the past 5 years, PPR has extended from northeastern Uganda (Karamoja) with sporadic incursions in other districts /regions. To identify disease cluster hotspot trends that would facilitate the design and implementation of PPR risk-based control methods (including vaccination), we employed the space–time cube approach to identify trends in the clustering of outbreaks in neighbouring space–time cells using confirmed PPR outbreak report data (2007–2020). We also used negative binomial and logistic regression models and identified high small ruminant density, extended road length, low annual precipitation and high soil water index as the most important drivers of PPR in Uganda. The study identified (with 90–99% confidence) five PPR disease hotspot trend categories across subregions of Uganda. Diminishing hotspots were identified in the Karamoja region whereas consecutive, sporadic, new and emerging hotspots were identified in central and southwestern districts of Uganda. Inter-district and cross-border small ruminant movement facilitated by longer road stretches and animal comingling precipitate PPR outbreaks as well as PPR virus spread from its initial Karamoja focus to the central and southwestern Uganda. There is therefore urgent need to prioritize considerable vaccination coverage to obtain the required herd immunity among small ruminants in the new hotspot areas to block transmission to further emerging hotspots. Findings of this study provide a basis for more robust timing and prioritization of control measures including vaccination.

Canine babesiosis caused by Babesia canis (Piana & Galli-Valerio, 1895) is emerging in new regions in Europe since its vector Dermacentor reticulatus (Fabricius, 1794) is expanding its geographic range. In the Berlin/Brandenburg area in northeast Germany, D. reticulatus is highly abundant but in the past only one autochthonous B. canis infection was reported. Since 2015, autochthonous cases were occasionally diagnosed but numbers increased since autumn 2019. The aim of the study was to genotype autochthonous canine Babesia spp. infections from Berlin/Brandenburg. Between 04/2015 and 01/2022, 46 dogs with acute babesiosis were presented to the small animal clinic (one dog was infected twice resulting in 47 samples). There were 32 dogs that had never left Berlin/Brandenburg and 14 others that had not left the region in the 6 weeks prior to disease onset. PCRs targeting the 18S rRNA and the Bc28.1 merozoite surface antigen were positive in 47 and 42 samples, respectively. Sequencing of cloned PCR products identified all samples as B. canis with 17 18S rRNA and 12 Bc28.1 haplotypes. Based on network analysis for 18S rRNA sequences and a previously described polymorphic dinucleotide, samples were assigned to two distinct clusters. One contained 31 and the other 16 samples. Using network analysis, the Bc28.1 haplotypes could also be separated into two clusters differing by at least five polymorphisms. Analyses of sequences from multiple clones indicated the presence of up to five 18S rRNA and eight Bc28.1 haplotypes and thus high parasite variability in an individual host. The genetic diversity could suggest that the parasites in the region have multiple origins, but diversity in individual dogs and dog populations from endemic regions is unknown. The suitability of both markers for genotyping is questionable due to potential intragenomic diversity for the rRNA and high intergenomic variability for the Bc28.1 marker.

Kann man Naturwissen auch einmal vergnüglich vermitteln? Jedenfalls kann man es versuchen!

Vor kurzem habe ich eine Schrift „Beständig durch Bewegung - die Erde“ abgeschlossen. Von der Astronomie, über die Geographie der Erdoberfläche und über die vier Hüllen - die Luft, das Wasser, die Gesteine und die Vegetation - habe ich mir jeweils das Wichtigste erarbeitet, und dies jeweils unter dem Gesichtspunkt ihrer Bewegungsursachen dargestellt. Es war eine Arbeit der Eigenpädagogik, des Interesses von Jugend an. Dass diese Studie im Portal der FU Berlin aufgenommen wurde und auch viele Leser und Leserinnen gefunden hat, hat mich sehr gefreut.

Nun, so dachte ich, könnte man eine Art Theaterstück daraus machen.

Der "Plott" ist so angelegt. Vier sehr bekannte Philosophen erhalten den Auftrag, Näheres zu erkunden, und zwar im Himmel. Da in ihrer Zeit Naturwissenschaft nicht zum Bildungskanon gehörte, ist für sie vieles neu in den Bereichen des unendlich Großen wie des unendlich Kleinen, des sehr Einfachen und des sehr Mannigfaltigen. Sechs Tage dauert der Besuch, am siebten Tag kehren sie zurück, um zu berichten. Es kommt jedoch anders als vorgesehen.

Sie werden von einem Assistenten begleitet, der ein Protokoll zu erstellen hat, das im Archiv zurückgeblieben ist.

Die Anregung, ein fiktives Protokoll zu verfassen, geht auf Jan Potocki´s Roman "Manuscript trouvé a Saragosse" (in deutscher Fassung „Die Handschrift von Saragossa“, die nicht kenntlich macht, dass der Verfasser sich hinter einer erfundenen Gestalt versteckt) zurück.

Introduction: Spinal reflexes reorganize in cerebral palsy (CP), producing hyperreflexia and spasticity. CP is more common among male infants, and gender might also influence brain and spinal-cord reorganization. This retrospective study investigated the frequency of higher-graded EMG responses elicited by electrical nerve-root stimulation during selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), prior to partial nerve- root deafferentation, considering not only segmental level and body side, but also gender.

Methods: Intraoperative neuromonitoring (IOM) was used in SDR to pinpoint the rootlets most responsible for exacerbated stimulation-evoked EMG patterns recorded from lower-limb muscle groups. Responses were graded according to an objective response-classification system, ranging from no abnormalities (grade 0) to highly abnormal (grade 4+), based on ipsilateral spread and contralateral involvement. Non-parametric analysis of data with repeated measures was primarily used in investigating the frequency distribution of these various EMG response grades. Over 7000 rootlets were stimulated, and the results for 65 girls and 81 boys were evaluated, taking changes in the composition of patient groups into account when considering GMFCS levels.

Results: The distribution of graded EMG responses varied according to gender, laterality, and level. Higher-graded EMG responses were markedly more frequent in the boys and at lower segmental levels (L5, S1). Left-biased asymmetry in higher-graded rootlets was also more noticeable in the boys and in patients with GMFCS level I. A close link was observed between higher-grade assessments and left-biased asymmetry.

Conclusions: Detailed insight into the patient's initial spinal-neurofunctional state prior to deafferentation suggests that differences in asymmetrical spinal reorganization might be attributable to a hemispheric imbalance.

Introduction: Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) consists of microsurgical partial deafferentation of sensory nerve roots (L1-S2). It is primarily used today in decreasing spasticity in young cerebral palsy (CP) patients. Intraoperative monitoring (IOM) is an essential part of the surgical decision-making process, aimed at improving functional results. The role played by SDR-IOM is examined, while realizing that connections between complex EMG responses to nerve-root stimulation and a patient's individual motor ability remain to be clarified.

Methods: We conducted this retrospective study, analyzing EMG responses in 146 patients evoked by dorsal-root and rootlet stimulation, applying an objective response-classification system, and investigating the prevalence and distribution of the assessed grades. Part1 describes the clinical setting and SDR procedure, reintroduced in Germany by the senior author in 2007.

Results: Stimulation-evoked EMG response patterns revealed significant differences along the segmental levels. More specifically, a comparison of grade 3+4 prevalence showed that higher-graded rootlets were more noticeable at lower nerve root levels (L5, S1), resulting in a typical rostro-caudal anatomical distribution.

Conclusions: In view of its prophylactic potential, SDR should be carried out at an early stage in all CP patients suffering from severe spasticity. It is particularly effective when used as an integral part of a coordinated, comprehensive spasticity program in which a team of experts pool their information. The IOM findings pertaining to the anatomical grouping of grades could be of potential importance in adjusting the SDR-IOM intervention to suit the specific individual constellation, pending further validation.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT03079362.

An adult female, entire domestic rat (Rattus norvegicus forma domestica) presented with swollen auricles and incoordination. The rat was diagnosed with bilateral otitis externa. Radiographs of the skull revealed bilateral otitis externa/media. Bacterial culture of a swap from the external ear canals identified large numbers of Pasteurella pneumotropica as well as fewer Streptococcus merionis, Bacteroides fragilis and Fusobacterium spp. Microscopic examination of a deep skin scraping and a core needle biopsy of the pinnae diagnosed lymphoma. The animal was euthanased after being treated unsuccessfully symptomatically for 10 days. Postmortem examination revealed a cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, mycosis fungoides, associated with bilateral otitis externa/media and metastases into several lymph nodes, thymus and lungs. Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma has not been reported in pet rats to date. Lymphoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in rats presented with swelling of the pinnae.

Certain postmortem case constellations require intensive investigation of the pattern of drug use over a long period before death. Hair analysis of illicit drugs has been investigated intensively over past decades, but there is a lack of comprehensive data on hair concentrations for antidepressants, antipsychotics, and benzodiazepines. This study aimed to obtain data for these substances. A LC-MS/MS method was developed and validated for detection of 52 antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, and metabolites in hair. Hair samples from 442 postmortem cases at the Institute of Legal Medicine of the Charité-University Medicine Berlin were analyzed. Postmortem hair concentrations of 49 analytes were obtained in 420 of the cases. Hair sample segmentation was possible in 258 cases, and the segments were compared to see if the concentrations decreased or increased. Descriptive statistical data are presented for the segmented and non-segmented cases combined (n = 420) and only the segmented cases (n = 258). An overview of published data for the target substances in hair is given. Metabolite/parent drug ratios were investigated for 10 metabolite/parent drug pairs. Cases were identified that had positive findings in hair, blood, urine, and organ tissue. The comprehensive data on postmortem hair concentrations for antidepressants, antipsychotics, and benzodiazepines may help other investigators in their casework. Postmortem hair analysis results provide valuable information on the drug intake history before death. Pattern changes can indicate if drug intake stopped or increased before death. Results should be interpreted carefully and preferably include segmental analysis and metabolite/parent drug ratios to exclude possible contamination.

Introduction: Several studies and meta-analysis showed Single-port or Single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SPL) to be superior over Multiport laparoscopic surgery (MPL) mainly in terms of postoperative pain and cosmetic result. But very little is known whether these results are only a short-term effect or are persistent on the long run after SPL. We therefore evaluated and compared long-term outcomes regarding cosmesis and chronic pain after SPL and MPL.

Methods: We conducted a comparative study with propensity score matching of all patients undergoing SPL or MPL between October 2008 and December 2013 in terms of postoperative cosmetic results and chronic pain. Follow-up data were obtained from mailed patient questionnaires and telephone interviews. Postoperative cosmesis was assessed using the patients overall scar opinion on a 10-point scale and the Patients scale of the standardized Patient and Observer Scar assessment scale (POSAS). Chronic pain was assessed by 10-point scales for abdominal and umbilical scar pain.

Results: A total of 280 patients were included in the study with 188 patients (67.1%) after SPL and 92 patients (32.9%) following MPL. 141 patients (50.4%) underwent a cholecystectomy and 139 patients (49.6%) underwent an appendectomy. The mean follow-up time was 61.1 ± 19.1 months. The mean wound satisfaction assed by the overall scar and the PSOAS Patients scale score of the patients showed no significant difference between MPL and SPL. Patients after SPL reported more overall complains than after MPL (8.7% vs. 2.5%, respectively), but without statistical significance (p = 0.321). Umbilical pain scores were comparable between the two groups (1.4 ± 1.0 vs. 1.4 ± 1.0, p = 0.831).

Conclusion: We found no difference in long-term cosmetic outcomes after SPL and MPL. Chronic pain at the umbilical incision site was comparable on the long run.

Aim: To provide an overview on the available treatments to prevent and reduce gynecomastia and/or breast pain caused by antiandrogen therapy for prostate cancer.

Methods: The German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) expert panel summarized available evidence published and assessed the validity of the information on efficacy and treatment-related toxicity.

Results: Eight randomized controlled trials and one meta-analysis were identified. Two randomized trials demonstrated that prophylactic radiation therapy (RT) using 1 × 10 Gy or 2 × 6 Gy significantly reduced the rate of gynecomastia but not breast pain, as compared to observation. A randomized dose-finding trial identified the daily dose of 20 mg tamoxifen (TMX) as the most effective prophylactic dose and another randomized trial described that daily TMX use was superior to weekly use. Another randomized trial showed that prophylactic daily TMX is more effective than TMX given at the onset of gynecomastia. Two other randomized trials described that TMX was clearly superior to anastrozole in reducing the risk for gynecomastia and/or breast pain. One comparative randomized trial between prophylactic RT using 1 × 12 Gy and TMX concluded that prophylactic TMX is more effective compared to prophylactic RT and furthermore that TMX appears to be more effective to treat gynecomastia and/or breast pain when symptoms are already present. A meta-analysis confirmed that both prophylactic RT and TMX can reduce the risk of gynecomastia and/or breast pain with TMX being more effective; however, the rate of side effects after TMX including dizziness and hot flushes might be higher than after RT and must be taken into account. Less is known regarding the comparative effectiveness of different radiation fractionation schedules and more modern RT techniques.

Conclusions: Prophylactic RT as well as daily TMX can significantly reduce the incidence of gynecomastia and/or breast pain. TMX appears to be an effective alternative to RT also as a therapeutic treatment in the presence of gynecomastia but its side effects and off-label use must be considered.

Study design: Survey study.

Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI)-associated pneumonia (SCI-AP) is associated with poor functional recovery and a major cause of death after SCI. Better tackling SCI-AP requires a common understanding on how SCI-AP is defined. This survey examines clinical algorithms relevant for diagnosis and treatment of SCI-AP.

Setting: All departments for SCI-care in Germany.

Methods: The clinical decision-making on SCI-AP and the utility of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for diagnosis of ‘clinically defined pneumonia’ were assessed by means of a standardized questionnaire including eight case vignettes of suspected SCI-AP. The diagnostic decisions based on the case information were analysed using classification and regression trees (CART).

Results: The majority of responding departments were aware of the CDC-criteria (88%). In the clinical vignettes, 38–81% of the departments diagnosed SCI-AP in accordance with the CDC-criteria and 7–41% diagnosed SCI-AP in deviation from the CDC-criteria. The diagnostic agreement was not associated with the availability of standard operating procedures for SCI-AP management in the departments. CART analysis identified radiological findings, fever, and worsened gas exchange as most important for the decision on SCI-AP. Frequently requested supplementary diagnostics were microbiological analyses, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin. For empirical antibiotic therapy, the departments used (acyl-)aminopenicillins/β-lactamase inhibitors, cephalosporins, or combinations of (acyl-)aminopenicillins/β-lactamase inhibitors with fluoroquinolones or carbapenems.

Conclusions: This survey reveals a diagnostic ambiguity regarding SCI-AP despite the awareness of CDC-criteria and established SOPs. Heterogeneous clinical practice is encouraging the development of disease-specific guidelines for diagnosis and management of SCI-AP.

Purpose: The postnatal period is a vulnerable time for parents and children but epidemiological and health care utilisation data for Germany on parental mental health during early childhood is scarce. This protocol describes the rationale, aim and study design of a population-based cohort study to assess the occurrence and determinants of psychosocial stress and mental health disorders, as well as the use and cost of health care and social services in early childhood.

Methods: As part of the collaborative SKKIPPI project, we will contact a random sample of 30,000 infants listed in the residents’ registration offices of three German towns and we expect to include 6,000 mother–child pairs. Both parents are invited to fill out an online screening questionnaire. Mothers with indications of psychosocial stress will be interviewed to assess mental health disorders, regulatory problems of their children, as well as health care and social services utilisation, with a follow-up assessment after 6 months.

Results: After description of sociodemographic and health data, we will analyse occurrences, patterns, and potential determinants (maternal age, social status, household factors, migration status etc.) of psychosocial stress and mental health disorders in the mothers and their children in early childhood.

Conclusions: Our study will identify potential risk and protective factors for postnatal mental health and health care utilization of psychosocially burdened families. This will help to improve prevention and treatment strategies to strengthen the parent–child relationship, to reduce persisting vulnerability of children, and to improve health care and social services.

Trial registration: The study has been registered in the German Clinical Trial Registry on February 8th 2019 (DRKS-ID: DRKS00016653).

Objectives: To evaluate differences in collagen density as detected by dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) of wrist ligaments between patients with calcium pyrophosphate-dihydrate deposition disease (CPPD) and a control group in order to gain insight into changes of the extracellular matrix in response to crystal deposition.

Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 28 patients (18 with CPPD, 10 controls) who underwent DECT of the wrist. Collagen density maps were reconstructed from the DECT datasets and used to measure densities in regions of interest (ROIs) placed in the scapholunate (SL) ligament (dorsal, palmar, proximal), lunotriquetral (LT) ligament, and extensor carpi radialis (ECR) tendon, (n = 260 measurements). The presence of calcifications on standard CT images in these regions was assessed by a blinded reader. Densities were compared with nonparametric tests, and linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the impact of age, sex, and CT- detected calcium deposition on collagen density.

Results: Collagen density in the SL ligament was significantly higher in CPPD patients than in controls (overall mean: 265.4 ± 32.1 HU vs. 196.3 ± 33.8 HU; p < 0.001). In the ECR tendon, collagen densities did not differ significantly (p = 0.672): 161.3 ± 20.1 HU in CPPD vs. 163.6 ± 12.0 HU in controls. Regression analysis showed that diagnosis, but not age or calcification, had a significant impact on collagen density.

Conclusion: Collagen density of the SL ligament is significantly higher in CPPD patients than in control patients. Further research is needed to understand these changes in the extracellular matrix of ligaments in CPPD.

Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of collagen-sensitive maps derived from dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for the detection of lumbar disk pathologies in a feasibility setting.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and DECT datasets acquired in patients who underwent periradicular therapy of the lumbar spine from June to December 2019. Three readers scored DECT collagen maps, conventional CT, and MRI for presence, type, and extent of disk pathology. Contingency table analyses were performed to determine diagnostic accuracy using MRI as standard of reference. Interrater agreement within and between imaging modalities was evaluated by computing intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) and Cohen’s kappa. Correlation between sum scores of anteroposterior disk displacement was determined by calculation of a paired t test.

Results: In 21 disks in 13 patients, DECT had a sensitivity of 0.87 (0.60–0.98) and specificity of 1.00 (0.54–1.00) for the detection of disk pathology. Intermodality agreement for anteroposterior disk displacement was excellent for DECT (ICC 0.963 [0.909–0.985]) and superior to CT (ICC 0.876 [0.691–0.95]). For anteroposterior disk displacement, DECT also showed greater within-modality interrater agreement (ICC 0.820 [0.666–0.916]) compared with CT (ICC 0.624 [0.39–0.808]).

Conclusion: Our data suggest that collagen-sensitive imaging has an added benefit, allowing more accurate evaluation of the extent of disk displacement with higher interrater reliability. Thus, DECT could provide useful diagnostic information in patients undergoing CT for other indications or with contraindications to MRI.

Objective: To evaluate the performance of dynamic contrast-enhanced CT (DCE-CT) in detecting and quantitatively assessing perfusion parameters in patients with arthritis of the hand compared with dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI) as a standard of reference.

Materials and methods: In this IRB-approved randomized prospective single-centre study, 36 consecutive patients with suspected rheumatoid arthritis underwent DCE-CT (320-row, tube voltage 80 kVp, tube current 8.25 mAs) and DCE-MRI (1.5 T) of the hand. Perfusion maps were calculated separately for mean transit time (MTT), time to peak (TTP), relative blood volume (rBV), and relative blood flow (rBF) using four different decomposition techniques. Region of interest (ROI) analysis was performed in metacarpophalangeal joints II–V and in the wrist. Pairs of perfusion parameters in DCE-CT and DCE-MRI were compared using a two-tailed t test for paired samples and interpreted for effect size (Cohen’s d). According to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (RAMRIS) scoring results, differentiation of synovitis-positive and synovitis-negative joints with both modalities was assessed with the independent t test.

Results: The two modalities yielded similar perfusion parameters. Identified differences had small effects (d 0.01–0.4). DCE-CT additionally differentiates inflamed and noninflamed joints based on rBF and rBV but tends to underestimate these parameters in severe inflammation. The total dose-length product (DLP) was 48 mGy*cm with an estimated effective dose of 0.038 mSv.

Conclusion: DCE-CT is a promising imaging technique in arthritis. In patients with a contraindication to MRI or when MRI is not available, DCE-CT is a suitable alternative to detect and assess arthritis.

Background: Sexual minorities such as lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people have an increased risk for suicide, whose reasons are not sufficiently understood. We aimed to test if differences in LGB acceptance explain variations in general suicide rates on a country level.

Methods: We used linear regression models to explain the variation in age-standardized suicide rates in 34 OECD countries based on LGB acceptance, which was recently assessed in large international surveys polling the general population about their attitude towards homosexuality. We included economic and sociological variables, which have been shown to be related to suicide rates in previous work, as covariates. We then used backward elimination, leave-one-out cross-validation, and the Bayesian information criterion to identify best-fitting models (i.e., to select relevant predictors).

Results: All employed model selection methods favored a 4-predictor model, where higher LGB acceptance, fertility rate, religiosity, and unemployment rate were significantly related to lower suicide rates. Suicide rates were well explained by this sparse model (R2 adjusted = 0.442). In the full model with all predictors, as well as in the selected four-predictor model, higher LGB acceptance was significantly related to lower suicide rates.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that low LGB acceptance, as measured by international surveys, might be a risk factor for suicide.