HIV and HCV among drug users and people living in prisons in Germany 2022: WHO elimination targets as reflected in practice

People who inject drugs (PWID) and prisoners are considered key populations at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). In 2016, the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) was implemented to eliminate HIV and AIDS by 2030 and the World Health Organization (WHO) presented the first strategy to eliminate viral hepatitis by 2030 as well. Following the objectives of the WHO and the United Nations, the German Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) presented the first integrated overall strategy for HIV and HCV in 2017. This article discusses the situation of PWID and prisoners in Germany with regard to HIV and HCV five years after the adoption of this strategy, on the basis of available data and against the background of the most recent practice in the field. In order to meet the elimination goals by 2030, Germany will have to improve the situation of PWID and prisoners substantially, mainly through the implementation of evidence-based harm reduction measures as well as the promotion of diagnosis and treatment in prisons and in freedom.

Commissioning and operation status of the MAX IV 3 GeV storage ring vacuum system

The 3 GeV electron storage ring of the MAX IV laboratory is the first storage-ring-based synchrotron radiation facility with the inner surface of almost all the vacuum chambers along its circumference coated with non-evaporable getter (NEG) thin film. The coating provides a low dynamic outgassing rate and pumping of active gases. As the NEG coating was applied on an unprecedented scale, there were doubts concerning the storage ring performance. Fast conditioning of the vacuum system and over five years of reliable accelerator operation have demonstrated that the chosen design proved to be good and does not impose limits on the operation. The vacuum system performance is comparable with or better than that of other similar facilities around the world, where conventional designs were implemented. Observed pressure levels are low, and the electron beam lifetime is long and not limited by residual gas density. A summary of the vacuum performance is presented.

Congenital muscular torticollis - a proposal for treatment and physiotherapy

Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a condition manifested by unilateral thickening and/or shortening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. It can lead to local or global consequences (i.e., forced position and limitation of mobility of the cervical spine and head, delay of motor development). Early recognition of CMT symptoms and the implementation of conservative treatment, considered effective in the majority of cases, are an important part of physical therapy in CMT. The aim of the study is to review literature presenting the methods of physical therapy in CMT and to create the authors’ own proposals for treatment, based on the results of this review. Based on subject-matter literature and our own experience, algorithms for the rehabilitation procedure have been proposed, presenting the general scheme of action in CMT and management depending on the clinical form and age of the child in whom therapy was started (up to 5 months and after 6 months). The authors’ proposed algorithm did not strictly specify the frequency of sessions with a physiotherapist, because this is the resultant of many factors. The main ones include the child's age on the day of initiation of therapy, the clinical form of torticollis, the presence of muscle tone disorders and/or skull asymmetry, but also, the correctness of performing exercises proposed as part of the home-based programme, regularity of therapy and compliance with postural programme principles.

The effects of cannabidiol on impulsivity and memory during abstinence in cigarette dependent smokers

Acute nicotine abstinence in cigarette smokers results in deficits in performance on specific cognitive processes, including working memory and impulsivity which are important in relapse. Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating cannabinoid found in cannabis, has shown pro-cognitive effects and preliminary evidence has indicated it can reduce the number of cigarettes smoked in dependent smokers. However, the effects of CBD on cognition have never been tested during acute nicotine withdrawal. The present study therefore aimed to investigate if CBD can improve memory and reduce impulsivity during acute tobacco abstinence. Thirty, non-treatment seeking, dependent, cigarette smokers attended two laboratory-based sessions after overnight abstinence, in which they received either 800 mg oral CBD or placebo (PBO), in a randomised order. Abstinence was biologically verified. Participants were assessed on go/no-go, delay discounting, prose recall and N-back (0-back, 1-back, 2-back) tasks. The effects of CBD on delay discounting, prose recall and the N-back (correct responses, maintenance or manipulation) were null, confirmed by a Bayesian analysis, which found evidence for the null hypothesis. Contrary to our predictions, CBD increased commission errors on the go/no-go task. In conclusion, a single 800 mg dose of CBD does not improve verbal or spatial working memory, or impulsivity during tobacco abstinence.

Diffraction-limited storage-ring vacuum technology

Some of the characteristics of recent ultralow-emittance storage-ring designs and possibly future diffraction-limited storage rings are a compact lattice combined with small magnet apertures. Such requirements present a challenge for the design and performance of the vacuum system. The vacuum system should provide the required vacuum pressure for machine operation and be able to handle the heat load from synchrotron radiation. Small magnet apertures result in the conductance of the chamber being low, and lumped pumps are ineffective. One way to provide the required vacuum level is by distributed pumping, which can be realised by the use of a non-evaporable getter (NEG) coating of the chamber walls. It may not be possible to use crotch absorbers to absorb the heat from the synchrotron radiation because an antechamber is difficult to realise with such a compact lattice. To solve this, the chamber walls can work as distributed absorbers if they are made of a material with good thermal conductivity, and distributed cooling is used at the location where the synchrotron radiation hits the wall. The vacuum system of the 3 GeV storage ring of MAX IV is used as an example of possible solutions for vacuum technologies for diffraction-limited storage rings.

[Hydrogen sulphide water balneum effect on erythrocyte catalase activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis--in vitro study]

The aim of the study was to investigate, in vitro, hydrogen sulphide water (HSW) balneum effect on erythrocyte catalase activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Erythrocytes from twenty nine consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (11 men, 18 women) aged 54 years were obtained. The control group comprised of 30 healthy subjects with a mean age of about 40 years. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were subdivided into two groups twice: with active disease (18 patients) and in remission (11 patients), and secondly into patients receiving (21 subjects) and not receiving (8 subjects) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For erythrocyte catalase activity evaluation, method of Beers and Sizer was used. Catalase activity was assessed after 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes erythrocytes incubation with HSW. The mean baseline erythrocyte catalase activity (to) was in rheumatoid arthritis patients of about 7.79 +/- 1.39 U/gHb and was significantly higher than in the control group: 6.96 +/- 2.68 U/gHb (p < 0.05). After 5 minutes incubation with HSW (t5) erythrocyte catalase activity increased, in rheumatoid arthritis patients to 8.21 +/- 1.77 U/gHb, after 10 minutes (t10) was 8.14 +/- 2.25 U/gHb, in control group: 7.58 +/- 2.50 U/gHb and 7.68 +/- 3.22 U/gHb, respectively. However the difference was not statistically significant. After 20 minutes of incubation (t20) erythrocyte catalase activity was the highest in the patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (8.33 +/- 1.96 U/gHb) and differed significantly from the patients in remission (6.69 +/- 1.27 U/gHb) and from patients not receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (6.04 +/- 1.08 U/gHb). In rheumatoid arthritis patients erythrocyte catalase activity was higher when compared with control group and increased during incubation with HSW. It seems HSW balneum produce an antioxidant effect on erythrocyte status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

[Hydrogen sulfide water balneum effect on erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis--in vitro study]

The aim of the study was to investigate, in vitro, hydrogen sulphide water balneum effect on erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Erythrocytes from 29 consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (11 men, 18 women) aged 54 years were obtained. The control group comprised of 30 healthy subjects with a mean age of about 40 years. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis were subdivided into two groups: with active disease (18 patients) and in remission (11 patients), and secondly into patients receiving (21 subjects) and not receiving (8 subjects) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. For erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity evaluation, with method of Misra i Fridovich was used. Superoxide dismutase activity was assessed after 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes erythrocytes incubation with hydrogen sulphide water. The mean baseline erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity (T0) was in rheumatoid arthritis patients 1589.95+/-208.41 U/gHb and was 1622.12+/-321+/-321.58 U/gHb in the control group (ns). After 5 and 10 minutes of incubation with hydrogen sulphide water T0-T5 i T5-T10 erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity increased significantly (p<0.05) in rheumatoid arthritis patients. In rheumatoid arthritis patients erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity was higher and increased significantly when compared with control group. It seems that hydrogen sulphide water balneum produces an antioxidant effect on erythrocyte status in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Reduction of neophobia in humans by exposure to novel foods

In the first part of a two-part study we attempted to determine whether individuals consider novel foods (in comparison to familiar foods) to be dangerous and expect to dislike their tastes, and, if so, whether willingness to eat them is systematically related to the degree of perceived danger and expected disliking. A series of multiple regression analyses revealed that disliking and danger are both good predictors of willingness to try novel foods while willingness to try familiar foods is predicted only by disliking. In the second part of the study we examined experimentally the effect of "forced" exposure to novel foods on subsequent neophobia. Some subjects were required to taste seven novel foods while others tasted seven similar familiar foods; all subjects were then given the task of selecting for tasting one member of each of 11 pairs of foods. The pairs were comprised of one novel and one familiar food (different from those used in the exposure to novelty manipulation), and number of novel choices was the measure of neophobia (with fewer choices indicative of greater neophobia). The results were discussed in terms of the usefulness of considering food neophobia as a phobia in the sense in which clinical psychologists use the term.