German Experts Research Articles

The Impact of Investments in New Digital Technologies on Wages – Worker-Level Evidence from Germany

AbstractThe strong rise of digitalization, automation, machine learning and other related new digital technologies has led to an intense debate about their societal impacts. The transitions of occupations and the effects on labor demand and workers’ wages are still open questions. Research projects dealing with this issue often face a lack of data on the usage of new digital technologies. This paper uses a novel linked employer–employee data set that contains detailed information on establishments’ technological upgrading between 2011 and 2016, a recent period of rapid technological progress. Furthermore, we are the first to develop a digital tools index based on the German expert database BERUFENET. The new index contains detailed information on the work equipment that is used by workers. Hence, we observe the degree of digitalization on both the establishment level and the worker level. The data allow us to investigate the impact of technology investments on the wage growth of employees within establishments. Overall, the results from individual level fixed effects estimates suggest that investments in new digital technologies at the establishment level positively affect the wages of the establishments’ workers. Sector-specific results show that investments in new digital technologies increase wages in knowledge intensive production establishments and non-knowledge intensive services. The wage growth effects of employees indigital pioneerestablishments relative to the specific reference group of workers indigital latecomerestablishments are most pronounced for low- and medium-skilled workers.

An update on Peginterferon beta-1a Management in Multiple Sclerosis: results from an interdisciplinary Board of German and Austrian Neurologists and dermatologists

BackgroundInterferon (IFN) beta drugs have been approved for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (RMS) for more than 20 years and are considered to offer a favourable benefit-risk profile. In July 2014, subcutaneous (SC) peginterferon beta-1a 125 μg dosed every 2 weeks, a pegylated form of interferon beta-1a, was approved by the EMA for the treatment of adult patients with RRMS and in August 2014 by the FDA for RMS. Peginterferon beta-1a shows a prolonged half-life and increased systemic drug exposure resulting in a reduced dosing frequency compared to other available interferon-based products in MS. In the Phase 3 ADVANCE trial peginterferon beta-1a demonstrated significant positive effects on clinical and MRI outcome measures versus placebo after one year. Furthermore, in the ATTAIN extension study, sustained efficacy with long-term treatment for nearly 6 years was shown.Main textIn July 2016, an interdisciplinary panel of German and Austrian experts convened to discuss the management of side effects associated with peginterferon beta-1a and other interferon beta-based treatments in MS in daily practice. The panel was composed of experts from university hospitals and private clinics comprised of neurologists, dermatologists, and an MS nurse. In this paper we report recommendations regarding best practices for adverse event management, focussing on peginterferon beta-1a. Injection site reactions (ISRs) and influenza-like illness are the most common adverse effects of interferon beta therapies and can present a burden for MS patients leading to non-adherence and discontinuation of therapy. Peginterferon beta-1a shows improved pharmacological properties. In clinical trials, the adverse event (AE) profile of peginterferon beta-1a was similar to other interferon beta formulations. The most common AEs were mild to moderate ISRs, influenza-like illness, pyrexia, and headache. Current information on the underlying cause of skin reactions associated with SC interferon treatment, and the management strategies for these AEs are limited. In pivotal trials, ISRs were mainly characterized and classified by neurologists, while dermatologists were only rarely consulted.ConclusionsThis report addresses expert recommendations on the management of most relevant adverse effects related to peginterferon beta-1a and other interferon betas, based on literature and interdisciplinary experience.

Common Audiological Functional Parameters (CAFPAs): statistical and compact representation of rehabilitative audiological classification based on expert knowledge

Objective: As a step towards objectifying audiological rehabilitation and providing comparability between different test batteries and clinics, the Common Audiological Functional Parameters (CAFPAs) were introduced as a common and abstract representation of audiological knowledge obtained from diagnostic tests.Design: Relationships between CAFPAs as an intermediate representation between diagnostic tests and audiological findings, diagnoses and treatment recommendations (summarised as “diagnostic cases”) were established by means of an expert survey. Expert knowledge was collected for 14 given categories covering different diagnostic cases. For each case, the experts were asked to indicate expected ranges of diagnostic test outcomes, as well as traffic light-encoded CAFPAs.Study sample: Eleven German experts in the field of audiological rehabilitation from Hanover and Oldenburg participated in the survey.Results: Audiological findings or treatment recommendations could be distinguished by a statistical model derived from the experts' answers for CAFPAs as well as audiological tests.Conclusions: The CAFPAs serve as an abstract, comprehensive representation of audiological knowledge. If more detailed information on certain functional aspects of the auditory system is required, the CAFPAs indicate which information is missing. The statistical graphical representations for CAFPAs and audiological tests are suitable for audiological teaching material; they are universally applicable for real clinical databases.

Stable Money and Central Bank Independence: Implementing Monetary Institutions in Postwar Germany

Germany prides itself in having one of the most successful central banks and currencies with respect to independence and stability. I show that not only were both imposed on the country after 1945 but that there was also initial resistance to both among German experts and officials. This is a rare case of the successful imposition of institutions from abroad. Events are discussed in light of Peter Bernholz’s requirements for stable money and a successful central bank.

Life Story Work in Foster Care - Results from an Expert Survey in Germany and Great Britain

Life Story Work in Foster Care - Results from an Expert Survey in Germany and Great Britain This article presents the results of an exploratory study on the current practice of life story work in the German foster care system. As life story work with foster and adopted children has a long tradition in the UK, both German and British experts were interviewed. The comparative analysis showed that life story work in the German foster care system is characterized by a rather heterogeneous practice and is considerably less established than in Great Britain. From the point of view of the German experts surveyed, several improvements make sense, such as the introduction of quality standards for life story work and mandated training for pedagogical professionals in the foster care sector. The interviews conducted with the British experts provide valuable ideas for practical applications in Germany.

German universities at the stage of their radical reforming

The present state of the German universities in the context of their actual reformation, which is carried out through the introduction of Anglo-Saxon models of university education, is researched. First of all, it concerns university education transformation in accordance with the American higher education model, since the American university model is considered to be the most successful in European academic circles. However, German university scholars criticize this model (or models) for marketization of the university activities and for mercantilising scientific knowledge. It is determined that German scholars are skeptical about these processes, because in their opinion, this can lead to an increase in the McDonaldization of society, that leads to the unification of social forms of society life and to the loss by the German university as a sociocultural institution of its national identity and its achievements. As you know, this culture was formed under the influence of the ideas of Wilhelm von Humboldt and was the to the success of German universities for many decades. Many influential representatives of German academic science do not accept the idea of turning universities into factories for the production of an educational product with a certain set of market qualities, which is envisaged by the implementation of the main components of the American university model and program provisions of the Bologna Declaration. In this case, it concerns, first of all, the professional training of specialists, mainly undergraduate graduates who do not have a broad scientific world outlook and the necessary personal qualities to solve complex daily problems, but possess formed key competencies. Secondly, it concerns producing knowledge, which is necessary, first of all, for international corporations, and not for society as a whole. In addition, German scientists do not imagine the possibility of planning scientific knowledge production or the realization of scientific discoveries, which, in their opinion, is not a predictable process, but a result of the constant search for truth in conditions that exclude external influence and control. It has been established that German experts insist on the development of clear and objective criteria for the concentration of the results of the university activities, their units and individual scientists, which take into account not only the quantitative scientific research parameters, but also qualitative ones. The development of such criteria, in the opinion of German specialists, is the work of scientists themselves, not external structures in the form of accreditation agencies, supervisory boards, etc.

Handicraft Industry Development of Prerevolutionary Russia: An Investigation on Germanic Russianists of the Early 20th Century

Germanic Russian studies of the first third of the twentieth century had a certain interest in the development of handicraft industry in Russia at the turn of the 19-20th centuries. The researchers focused on the economic aspects of small-scale industry situation, some possible prospects of its further operation. Less attention was paid to social aspects, including the situation of direct producers. At the same time in the early twentieth century German experts in Russia did not deal directly with the functioning of the Russian non-censorship industry as a rule. This problem was analyzed in the work by A. Bargon, who was in Russian captivity during the First World War, and worked in the system of handicraft production in Russia for some time. However, it should be taken into account that the work by A.V. Bargon was published in 1933, in the conditions of the already emerging Nazi dictatorship, and the author was not a professional historian, or an economist. All this left an indelible imprint on his work, which is of a journalistic nature. It is of some source significance and interesting, on the one hand, as the eyewitness evidence of the Russian small industry position during the First World War, and on the other - as a product of Germanic Russian studies during the early-Nazi times. Therefore, a special attention was given to it, also due to the specialized focus of A.V. Bargon's work and the consonance of its assessments to the judgments of some historians from the second half of the 20th century.

A PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE EGYPTIAN NATURAL RESERVES AND ITS IMPACT ON THE EGYPTIANECONOMY - COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN CAPE MAY PROTECTORATE IN USA AND NABQ PROTECTORATE IN EGYPT

After the tourism recession resulting from depletion of resources, poor environmental conditions and deterioration of the social and economic situation, a number of tourism experts pointed to the weakness of Egypt's share of the international tourism movement, which is only 0.57% of the total international tourism, Egypt's tourism product for the global market, and the need to develop it, and through the questionnaire conducted by a group of German experts to the of a dozen countries for the movement of tourism to Egypt, including 140 tourist companies in these countries, it was possible to conclude an important result is the need to develop the Egyptian tourism product. A distinct tourist product for the sake of distinguished tourist markets as a clear goal Egypt seeks to achieve, so increased efforts and trends of the State to direct many investments for the industry and development of Egyptian tourism. As sustainable tourism is a trend that seeks to integrate development movements under a system that has the capacity to absorb all development inputs and deal with them in order to preserve the right of future generations in the presence of resources for development. Therefore, there is a need to dissect the concepts of development and sustainable tourism of natural reserves to achieve the main objective is to study and analyze how the Egyptian economy can benefit from the sustainable development of the Egyptian natural reserves and its impact on the Egyptian economy and how to preserve environmental resources as an important economic components can not be relied upon. On the theoretical method of inductive and analytical deductive and applied, through the review of theoretical studies with a view to exit some theoretical relations, through the tools of research books, research, periodicals, reports and Rasa Scientific and research papers in the Egyptian, Arab and international, followed by field analytical studies and followed the deductive approach, study and analysis of a sample similar to the reserves of positive impact on the local and national economy of the United States, the Cape May Reserve, which was closed and developed within 3 years and then exploited environmentally as a model for the exploitation of nature reserves In the United States of America, and evaluated with the extraction and conclusion of the elements and criteria to be provided in the protected area, and then achieve sustainable tourism development, then the applied study was followed by the applied method of deductive which is based on a practical scientific approach based on a set of steps where applied what has been drawn from the theoretical and analytical study on the Nabq Reserve because it is a protected nature reserves of environmental economic fundamentals and has been developed methodology for analysis, and it has been monitoring the problems and possibilities and limitations and constraints of development, And thus develop a model for the sustainable development of the Nabqah sanctuary in which the elements of environmental economic activities are organized and distributed from a built environment, activities and uses in line with the achievement of the goals of the establishment of protected areas, and contrary to other objectives, whether environmental or history Cultural, legal, and study and analyze its application to the reserve and compare it with the status quo in Egypt. Through analyzing the results, the most important are the various indicators of sustainable development, the sustainable development criteria of the Egyptian reserves and the role of protected areas in sustainable development; the level of exploitation of protected land, recreational activities and future research.

4th International Consensus Conference on Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC4), Lisbon, November 4, 2017 : ABC4 Consensus: Assessment by a Panel of German Experts.

The fourth international advanced breast cancer consensus conference (ABC4) on the diagnosis and treatment of advanced breast cancer (ABC) headed by Professor Fatima Cardoso was once again held in Lisbon on November 2 – 4, 2017. To simplify matters, the abbreviation ABC will be used hereinafter in the text. In clinical practice, the abbreviation corresponds to metastatic breast cancer or locally far-advanced disease. This year the focus was on new developments in the treatment of ABC. Topics discussed included the importance of CDK4/6 inhibition in hormone receptor (HR)-positive ABC, the use of dual antibody blockade to treat HER2-positive ABC, PARP inhibition in triple-negative ABC and the potential therapeutic outcomes. Another major area discussed at the conference was BRCA-associated breast cancer, the treatment of cerebral metastasis, and individualized treatment decisions based on molecular testing (so-called precision medicine). As in previous years, close cooperation with representatives from patient organizations from around the world is an important aspect of the ABC conference. This cooperation was reinforced and expanded at the ABC4 conference. A global alliance was founded at the conclusion of the consensus conference, which aims to promote and coordinate the measures considered necessary by patient advocates worldwide. Because the panel of experts was composed of specialists from all over the world, it was inevitable that the ABC consensus also reflected country-specific features. As in previous years, a team of German breast cancer specialists who closely followed the consensus voting of the ABC panelists in Lisbon and intensively discussed the votes has therefore commented on the consensus in the context of the current German guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer 1 , 2 used in clinical practice in Germany. The ABC consensus is based on the votes of the ABC panelists in Lisbon.

Deepening of Partnership between Germany and Ukraine

The article delineates the strengthening of the partnership between Germany and Ukraine. Germany was among the first countries to recognise independence of Ukraine. Nowadays, it is one of its key partners and friends. After gaining independence, a lot of programs and agreements were developed in Ukraine to enhance bilateral relations. After the Revolution of Dignity, Germany considerably broadened its obligations in the field of technical and financial cooperation. Within the cooperative framework, Germany focuses its attention on three paramount areas: 1) stable economic growth; 2) democracy, civil society, public administration, and decentralisation; 3) energy efficiency. Germany has allocated millions of euros for restoring communal infrastructure in the east of Ukraine destroyed in the conflict and facilities used by internally displaced persons. It has also provided cold-resistant accommodation for more than 2,300 people. Given a great number of familiarising and training programmes for various target groups, specifically for employees of regional state administrations, Ukrainian entrepreneurs, lawyers, and judges, German experts seek to share their experience and practices with representatives of Ukrainian authorities. Furthermore, cooperation with the Verkhovna Rada was launched, enabling us to recruit alumni of German higher educational institutions for practice. The intensity of the political dialogue and remarkable political interest Germany shows in the course of stable, peaceful, and democratic development of sovereign Ukraine are the genuinely important factors for the relations between Germany and Ukraine. The German government consistently and unequivocally supports Ukraine in its legal aspiration to restore territorial integrity and sovereignty. Keywords: Germany, German-Ukrainian relations, political dialogue, democratic development, partnership.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer : Use of cabazitaxel taking into consideration current data

At the 2016 ASCO annual meeting, new data from two randomized phaseIII studies concerning taxane-based chemotherapy as a treatment option for patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) were presented. The focus is on the clinical impact of these data. Agroup of German experts in the field of urogenital-oncologic expertise discussed the clinical impact with respect to the current data. The study results support the current clinical data. They confirm the efficacy and safety of cabazitaxel beyond first-line therapy with docetaxel for patients with mCRPC. Cabazitaxel is an important treatment option after docetaxel progression. With respect to the performance status of apatient, it is adequate to reduce the dosage to 20 mg/m2 cabazitaxel.

Social organization, constraints and opportunities for kitchen garden implementation: ScalA and ScalA-FS assessment tools in Morogoro and Dodoma, Tanzania

Tanzania is the second largest country in East Africa with about 50 million inhabitants in 2014, and it is also considered as one of the poorest countries in the world. The country strongly depends on agriculture production. Like many other poor countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania sees food security as a central part of development and poverty reduction efforts. This work aims to investigate the opportunities and constraints of implementing a policy of “Kitchen Gardens” as a practice for two regions of Tanzania. The research was carried out with a qualitative approach through a first round of semi-structured interviews using a Scaling up Assessment Tool (ScalA), and a second round with a questionnaire survey, using a Scaling up Assessment Tool for Food Security (ScalA-FS) by Tanzanian and German experts from the Trans-SEC project. The experts assessed implementation suitability and the institutional requirements of Kitchen Garden across the food value chains in two Tanzanian regions with different climate regions, namely Dodoma (semi-arid) and Morogoro (sub-humid). Kitchen Garden assessments did not differ significantly between these regions. The ScalA tools provided a range of statements that allowed an overview of the structural situation to be obtained, which could enable Kitchen Garden activity to be incentivized and scaled up. However, a number of specific aspects, potentials, challenges, and likely bottlenecks of implementation related to their feasibility and institutional requirements, were indicated, which should be carefully monitored during implementation. Adopting the recommended strategies could help to close gaps in implementation, enhance community empowerment and social network development, reduce food insecurity and improve the health of the communities.

An Inspirational Milieu

Abstract This paper focuses on the provenance, conservation history, and critical fortuna of some selected Western European paintings that were placed in Saint Petersburg between 1850 and 1917. In my research, I link archival information with scientific bibliography and material data for three purposes: Firstly, I compare the two stays in Russia, in 1861 and 1862, by the German expert Gustav Friedrich Waagen with the 1865 visit to St. Petersburg of the Italian connoisseur Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle. Secondly, I investigate Cavalcaselle’s alleged meeting with the Russian expert Fedor Antonovich Bruni regarding the technique, fruition, and state of conservation of the paintings Saint Sebastian Barbarigo by Titian, Apollo and Marsyas Litta by Bronzino, and Virgin and Child with the Infant Saint John, now attributed to Pontormo. Thirdly, I explore to what extend Duke of Leuchtenberg’s art gallery, Nikolai Dmitrievich Bykov’s collection, and some other private collections, among them those of Princess Kotchubey, Counts Buturlin and Stroganov, and Armenian general Lazarev, were accessible to Western scholars. The research results will enable art historians, curators, and restorers to fill in some blanks in the provenance research and conservation history of these Western masterpieces that used to enrich the Saint Petersburg art scene before the October Revolution.

Former Nazi Officers in the Near East: German Military Advisors in Syria, 1949–56

ABSTRACTIn the early days of the Cold War, Syria was the first Arab country where former officers of the German Wehrmacht played an active role as military advisors. This was due, in part, to the fact that Germany was not burdened by its past political relations to Arab states for, in contrast to the Western powers, Germany which had never had territorial ambitions in the Near East. Even in the very early stages, German advisors contributed considerably to the development of Syria's armed forces and military intelligence. The advisory activities of German experts became even more intensive as a result of increased trade between the two countries; however, in 1956 the political situation in Syria worsened and the country began moving towards the Eastern Bloc putting an end to the non-official activities of German military advisors.

From prescription-only (Rx) to over-the-counter (OTC) status in Germany 2006-2015: pharmacological perspectives on regulatory decisions.

Little is known about the extent of switches from prescription-only (Rx) to over-the-counter (OTC) status in Europe and about the pharmacological properties of the switched substances. The objectives of this study were to provide an overview of the substances that were switched from Rx to OTC status in Germany between 2006 and 2015 and to assess their pharmacological properties. Session minutes of the German Expert Advisory Committee for Prescription-Only Issues, changes to the German Ordinance on Prescription-Only Medicines and the Summary of Product Characteristics of the switched substances were analysed. Pharmacological properties were studied in relation to the EU Guideline on Changing the Classification for the Supply of a Medicinal Product for Human Use (the 'EU switch guide'). Between 2006 and 2015, seven substances (almotriptan, omeprazole, benzydamine, ibuprofen/pseudoephedrine, racecadotril, ketotifen and levonorgestrel) were switched from Rx to OTC status in Germany. In all cases, the OTC status was restricted to certain indications, doses, pack sizes, or other limitations. Notwithstanding recommendations of the EU switch guide, some of the switched substances might interact with commonly used drugs potentially resulting in serious adverse drug reactions or have contraindications or warnings regarding substantial parts of the population. The stipulations of the EU switch guide were fully met for only some switches, while this was not completely the case for others. Further development of guidance on balancing risks and benefits of OTC availability is recommended.

Towards a design theory of computer-supported organizational participation

PurposeEmployees demand high responsibility and empowerment, while keeping their work communal and flexible. Initiatives that foster organizational participation (OP) can contribute to the fulfillment of such work conditions. Research in sociology and psychology demonstrated positive effects on job satisfaction as well as on productivity. However, adoption of social software is widely spread in firms, research on the determinants of computer-supported OP is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to describe the elements to consider when designing OP processes that aim to be beneficial for both the employer as well as the employees.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted 20 guided expert interviews to propose a nascent design theory, following a socio-technical approach that promotes democratic and humanistic principles.FindingsBuilding on the expert interview, the process model includes a topic horizon and a collaboration phase, which creates proposals that have to be decided in order to produce results. The authors show how employee competence and leadership commitment are as important as the workload and support as well as an option for anonymous communication. The authors propose a set of features and explain principles of implementation.Research limitations/implicationsDespite the authors’ best efforts to diversify the authors’ set of experts, the findings have a limited generalizability as the authors only interviewed a few selected German experts that were either members of the board, HR or IT managers, often concerned with organizing rather than only participating in computer-supported organizational participation (CSOP) processes. Besides testing the model in practise, future research should also consider surveying a broader (and more international) set of employers and employees.Practical implicationsThe authors propose a step-by-step procedure to introduce CSOP. Despite identifying many pitfalls, the research demonstrates that CSOP promises a wide variety of benefits to both employers as well as the employees of an organization, including increased satisfaction as well as productivity.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to propose a nascent design theory for CSOP. The authors derive a number of requirements to consider when implementing an information management system that seeks to improve both the efficiency and equality of employers and employees and lead to a win-win situation for both. The authors describe valid constructs for firms with spatially and timely dispersed teams and more than 50 employees. The research is based on 20 expert interviews, conducted with senior managers of medium and large German enterprises.

SOFT POWER: TRAINING OF VET TEACHERS AND TRAINERS (RESULTS OF THE RUSSIAN-GERMAN COOPERATION)

Introduction. Nowadays, in Russia the system of interaction between educational institutions and enterprises-employers in training of specialists is being built again after more than a twenty-year period of dissociation. Sharing experiences with other countries on networking and strengthening of education relations with production is very useful for establishing this process. The aim of the publication is to present the results of the Russian-German cooperation in the field of preparation of the qualified pedagogical staff for the system of vocational education as one of the key conditions for ensuring the proper quality of vocational education. Methodology and research methods. The methods involve the methodology of comparative research; methods of collecting empirical information; conceptual and terminological analysis, interpretation, modeling, and problem method. Results. The approaches to preparation of pedagogical staff of the VET system in Germany and Russia are revealed and compared. Specifics of the German model are shown: existence of several skill levels of teachers of vocational education, distribution of zones of their responsibility, variability of providers of additional education, its market nature and minimum participation in its regulation of the state. Features of the modern Russian theory and training experience of instructors of vocational training are described. Despite the existing distinctions of systems of professional education of two countries, the similarity of the Russian and German methods of vocational education is observed. The conclusion is drawn on a community of requirements imposed in Germany and Russia to category of the workers who are carrying out staff training for manufacturing sectors. It is confirmed by the German experts on the basis of the analysis of the standard «Teacher of Vocational Education, Professional Education and Additional Professional Education». Also, the standard was checked and compared to AEVO (the regulatory base defining federal requirements to instructors-teachers in Germany). Scientific novelty consists in justification of modern model of training for VET teachers and trainers. The model provides implementation of variable modular curricula of additional vocational education for VET teachers and trainers. The most fruitful Russian and German experience is integrated; the international requirements and advanced technologies are considered when creating the model of training. Practical significance. Except the model of training for VET teachers and trainers, the education guidance «Methods of Vocational Education» is worked out. The education guidance summary is outlined in the present article.

ИНФУЗИОННАЯ ТЕРАПИЯ В ПЕРИОПЕРАЦИОННОМ ПЕРИОДЕ

Goal: to familiarize Russian anesthesiologists with the most recent data of the evidence-based medicine about peri-operative infusion therapy. The right choice of the infusion therapy strategy and tactics is a mandatory component of the successful management of the peri-operative period. The most significant changes have recently occurred specifically in this field. First the concept of restrictive tactics of infusion therapy emerged and won its popularity very fast. Then some reasonable doubts appeared about feasibility and safety of using HES solutions. Both affect basic principles of infusion therapy and the recent changes are to be considered from the position of the evidence-based medicine. British and German experts attended these issues and published the relevant guidelines in 2011 and 2016. Comparison and analysis of the implementation opportunities in Russia and recommendations make the subject of this publication. Conclusion: It is necessary to implement the international recommendations for peri-operative infusion therapy with adjustment to relevant Russian regulations in the anesthesiology and intensive care departments.

HER2 testing in gastric cancer - results of a German expertmeeting

Valid HER2 testing is essential for optimal therapy of patients with HER2 positive gastric cancer and the correct use of first-line treatment. While each breast cancer is routinely being tested for the HER2 status, HER2 testing in gastric cancer has still not become part of the routine and is often only done upon request by the therapist. An interdisciplinary German expert group took the challenges of HER2 testing in gastric cancer as an opportunity to address essential aspects and questions for the practical use of HER2 testing in this indication from the perspective of pathologists and therapists. The recommendations made in this manuscript reflect the consensus of all participants and correspond to their opinions and long-term experience.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease--What's new

Clinical guidelines are essential in implementing and maintaining nationwide stage-specific diagnostic and therapeutic standards. In 2015, the first German expert consensus guideline defined the evidence for epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases in adults and children. The German S2k-guideline used an approved development process with de novo literature research since 2010, international guideline adaptation, or good clinical practice. Other recent evidence-based national guidelines and current references were included.