High Level Of Standardization Research Articles

Leveraging the potential of the German operating room benchmarking initiative for planning: A ready-to-use surgical process data set.

We present a freely available data set of surgical case mixes and surgery process duration distributions based on processed data from the German Operating Room Benchmarking initiative. This initiative collects surgical process data from over 320 German, Austrian, and Swiss hospitals. The data exhibits high levels of quantity, quality, standardization, and multi-dimensionality, making it especially valuable for operating room planning in Operations Research. We consider detailed steps of the perioperative process and group the data with respect to the hospital's level of care, the surgery specialty, and the type of surgery patient. We compare case mixes for different subgroups and conclude that they differ significantly, demonstrating that it is necessary to test operating room planning methods in different settings, e.g., using data sets like ours. Further, we discuss limitations and future research directions. Finally, we encourage the extension and foundation of new operating room benchmarking initiatives and their usage for operating room planning.

Preface

The 2023 3rd International Conference on Detection Technology and Intelligence System (DTIS 2023) was held during December 22nd to 24th, 2023 in Wuhan, China (hybrid conference). DTIS 2023 was hosted by Anhui Key Laboratory of Intelligent Equipment Quality and Reliability, China and Institute of Robotics Modern Industry, Anhui Polytechnic University, China. The DTIS is aimed to be an international academic conference for scientists and researchers from the fields of and related to detection technology and intelligence system in China and the rest of the world. Our mission is to foster scientific exchanges and to promote a high-standard level of researches and experiments in China and the international community. The Conference Proceedings of DTIS 2023 covers a wide range of theoretical and applied topics from three major fields: • Detection Technology, including Sensor and Automatic Detection, Nondestructive Inspection, etc. • Intelligent System, including Intelligent Fault Detection and Diagnosis, Artificial Intelligence Method and System, etc. • Automatic Measurement and Control System, including Non-Contact Measurement, Modern Control Technology, etc. The Conference was held both onsite and online, providing an opportunity for those who couldn’t attend the meeting in person to share scientific research achievements and cutting-edge technologies, understand academic development trends, and broaden research ideas. About 100 delegates worldwide participated in the Conference. The Conference was divided into 4 keynote speeches, many oral talks as well as poster presentations. Participants had time at their disposal to present their work and researches, with 30–40 minutes for keynote speech including time for discussion, and 15 minutes for oral presentation. Prof. Zhenmin Zhu (East China Jiaotong University, China), Prof. Dezhang Xu (Anhui Polytechnic University, China), Prof. Ning Sun (Nankai University, China), and Prof. David Bassir (French University of Technology, France) gave keynote speeches on Study on The Technology of 3D Precision Measurement Based on Polarization-Coding Structured Light, The Application of Industrial Internet of Things and Digital Twin Technology, Intelligent Control for Underactuated Cranes with Applications, and Contribution of AI and ML to Crack Detection in Concrete, respectively. The participants actively interacted with each other and the speakers during discussion time. Once again, we must admit that organizing the DTIS 2023 and finalizing the editing process for the post publications has been quite a challenge. We have worked with passion and enthusiasm. We firmly believe that discussions, interactions and publications of this volume can help improve researches and experiments in related fields, offering creative ideas that can be used by researchers to conduct experiments, as well as creating important link between theory and practice. We would like to thank all those who contributed to the success of DTIS 2023, including the conference committee members, speakers, authors, reviewers and all the participants. And we gratefully acknowledge the publishing support from Journal of Physics: Conference Series. The Committee of DTIS 2023 List of Committee Member is available in this pdf.

Production of donor-derived cytotoxic T lymphocytes with potent anti-leukemia activity for adoptive immunotherapy in high-risk pediatric patients given haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background aimsSomatic cell therapy based on the infusion of donor-derived cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) able to recognize patients’ leukemia blasts (LB) is a promising approach to control leukemia relapse after allogeneic HSCT. The success of this approach strongly depends on the ex vivo generation of high-quality donor-derived anti-leukemia CTL in compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). We previously described a procedure for generating large numbers of donor-derived anti-leukemia CTL through stimulation of CD8-enriched lymphocytes with dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with apoptotic LB in the presence of interleukin (IL)-12, IL-7 and IL-15. Here we report that the use of IFN-DC and the addition of IFNα2b during the priming phase significantly improve the generation of an efficient anti-leukemia T cells response in vitro. MethodsUsing this approach, 20 high-risk pediatric patients given haploidentical HSCT for high-risk acute leukemia were enrolled and 51 batches of advanced therapy medical products (ATMP), anti-leukemia CTL, were produced. ResultsQuality controls demonstrated that all batches were sterile, free of mycoplasma and conformed to acceptable endotoxin levels. Genotype analysis confirmed the molecular identity of the ATMP based on the starting biological material used for their production. The majority of ATMP were CD3+/CD8+ cells, with a memory/terminal activated phenotype, including T-central memory populations. ATMP were viable after thawing, and most ATMP batches displayed efficient capacity to lyse patients’ LB and to secrete interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α. ConclusionsThese results demonstrated that our protocol is highly reproducible and allows the generation of large numbers of immunologically safe and functional anti-leukemia CTL with a high level of standardization.

Preface

The 48th Vietnam Conference on Theoretical Physics (VCTP-48) was held during 31 July - 3 August 2023 in Da Nang city, Viet Nam.The VCTP-48 was organized by the Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) under the auspices of the Vietnamese Theoretical Physics Society (VTPS).The VCTP, formerly known as NCTP, has been an annual activity of VTPS since 1976. The VCTP is aimed to be an international conference for physicists in Vietnam, in the region and worldwide. Our mission is to foster scientific exchanges and to promote a high-standard level of research and education in Vietnam and in South East Asia.The conference covered a wide range of theoretical physics topics from 4 major fields:• Particle, nuclear and astrophysics,• Molecular physics, quantum optics and quantum computation,• Condensed matter physics,• Soft matter, biological and interdisciplinary physics.The conference was divided into 1 opening session, 9 oral sessions and 2 poster sessions. The duration of an invited talk is 40 minutes including time for discussion. The duration of an oral talk is 20 minutes including time for discussion.93 participants participated in the conference. 10 invited talks, 17 oral and 67 poster contributions were presented. The conference program and the abstract book can be found on the conference website: http://iop.vast.vn/vctp/48/.This volume contains 6 selected papers contributed by the participants.We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Unesco’s Category 2 International Centre of Physics (ICP) located at the Institute of Physics, VAST.Editors of the VCTP-48 ProceedingsTrinh Xuan Hoang, Tran Minh Tien, Hoang Anh Tuan, Vu Ngoc Tuoc, and Nguyen Huy VietList of Organizer, Sponsor, Chair, Organizing Committee, Program Committee, Secretariat and Participants are available in this pdf.

2013–2022年云南丽江森林生物多样性国家野外科学观测研究站日气象数据集

Meteorological factors are important environmental elements of field positioning observation stations of CNERN, CERN and CFERN. The acquisition of high-quality observational data through long-term positioning observations is beneficial for advancing our scientific understanding of ecosystem processes and tracking dynamic changes in biodiversity. It also provides important support for the development of regional and national ecological, environmental, and resource security construction initiatives. As one of the Forest Biodiversity National Observation and Research Stations approved in 2021, Lijiang Station has been collecting data in accordance with the CERN meteorological monitoring standards for past consecutive years. Up to now, Lijiang Station has consistently maintained comprehensive data parameters, a structured approach, and a high level of data standardization. These data can serve as important foundation for various research endeavors, including dynamic changes in the structure, processes, and functions of regional forest ecosystems, the formation, evolution, and preservation of regional biodiversity mechanisms, forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, the monitoring, evaluation, and conservation of biodiversity for key wild protected species, and the assessment and innovative exploitation of distinctive biological resources. This dataset comprises 3,652 entries and 39 fields of daily meteorological data spanning from 2013 to 2022. It covers atmospheric elements (air temperature and humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, precipitation, radiation elements) and soil elements (soil stratified temperature and soil heat flux). The release of the dataset offers comprehensive fundamental meteorological data for scientific research in related fields and provides essential data support for local and large-scale networking research.

AI CYBERSECURITY STANDARDISATION AND ITS OVERLAP WITH DSA AND CRA

The provision of digital products and digital services has in common that it integrates more and more artificial intelligence (AI) systems and, above all, the so-called foundation models. Using these elements of artificial intelligence brings several cybersecurity challenges. The key element in achieving the cyber security of digital products and digital services is, firstly, the achievement of a high level of standardization of artificial intelligence and subsequent technical standardization. AI cybersecurity is key to achieving trustworthiness of AI and vice versa. The mentioned facts are also reflected in the latest version of the draft Act on artificial intelligence (AI Act). As part of this paper, the focus is on standardization in the field of cyber security of artificial intelligence and the importance of the foundation models. At the same time the relations of the draft AI Act with the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the draft Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) are highlighted.

Simple performance of the planar SOS-Umu-C–FLD genotoxicity bioassay shown for perfume and packaging material analysis

Planar bioassays are powerful, sustainable tools for nontargeted detection of hazardous compounds in complex samples. They provide more information on a sample than corresponding in vitro assays and are more sustainable in terms of plastic material and solvent consumption. However, instrument investment costs for high-performance thin-layer chromatography are high. Hence, the question arose of whether the sophisticated sensitive planar genotoxicity bioassay could be performed manually without instrumentation under simple conditions. Cheaper plate types were studied as well as manual application of the samples, cell suspension, and substrate solution. As a result, genotoxic compound zones were detected as rose-colored or orange fluorescent resorufin end-product formed upon contact of the genotoxins in tested perfume and packaging materials with a genetically modified Salmonella Typhimurium strain. The simple performance was found to be possible for low sample application volumes. Knowledge on neutral pH value and thickness of the adsorbent layer were further key aspects. Manual spraying was found to be superior to manual immersion if excess liquid was avoided. For high sample volumes and a higher level of standardization, the open-source 2LabsToGo system was proposed as excellent option for low investment costs. Its very low instrumental footprint and the straightforward prioritization strategy help analytical chemistry to balance between technology and nature/ecology to reduce the instrumental footprint and planetary overshoot.

Space standards in affordable housing in England

ABSTRACT This paper examines the state of affordable housing in England, with a focus on regional variations in space standards and standardized dwelling layouts widely used by volume housebuilders. Space standards are not statutory and therefore adopted inconsistently across development types or building typologies in England. The study draws on data obtained from planning applications, analysing 153 housing developments and 9876 newly constructed affordable housing units from different regions in England that were completed and marketed in 2021. Based on this, the study compares space standards and their effectiveness as well as the use of standardized unit types. The analysis reveals that apart from London, the most recent Nationally Described Space Standard (2015) is not yet widely used. Instead, Housing Quality Indicators that preceded the new national standards continue to be the norm for houses built outside of London. The findings demonstrate that there is a high level of standardization in affordable housing in terms of dwelling size and layout, with widely used standard house types often determining the design and size of dwellings more than space standards.

Implementation Challenges for a Multisite Advance Care Planning Pragmatic Trial: Lessons Learned.

Advance care planning (ACP) pragmatic trials are needed. We determined key system-level activities to implement ACP interventions for a cluster-randomized pragmatic trial. We identified patients with serious illness from 50 primary care clinics across three University of California health systems using a validated algorithm. If patients lacked documented ACP within the last 3 years, they were eligible for an intervention: (Arm 1) an advance directive (AD); (Arm 2) AD+PREPAREforYourCare.org; (Arm 3) AD+PREPARE+lay health navigator outreach. Triggered by an appointment, we mailed and sent interventions through automated electronic health record (EHR) messaging. We collaborated with patients/caregivers, clinicians, payors, and national/health system leader advisors. We are currently finalizing 24 months follow-up data. We used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) frameworks to track secular trends and implementation efforts. Required multisite, system-level activities: 1) obtaining leadership, legal/privacy, and EHR approvals; 2) standardizing ACP documentation; 3) providing clinician education; 3) validating an automated serious illness identification algorithm; 4) standardizing ACP messaging with input from over 100 key advisors; 5) monitoring secular trends (e.g., COVID); and 6) standardizing ACP workflows (e.g., scanned ADs). Of 8707 patients with serious illness, 6883 were eligible for an intervention. Across all arms, 99% received the mailed intervention, 78.3% had an active patient portal (64.2% opened intervention), and 90.5% of arm three patients (n=2243) received navigator outreach. Implementing a multisite health system-wide ACP program and pragmatic trial, with automated EHR-based cohort identification and intervention delivery, requires a high level of multidisciplinary key advisor engagement, standardization, and monitoring. These activities provide guidance for the implementation of other large-scale, population-based ACP efforts.

Interlaboratory Reproducibility in Growth and Reporter Expression in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

In recent years, a plethora of new synthetic biology tools for use in cyanobacteria have been published; however, their reported characterizations often cannot be reproduced, greatly limiting the comparability of results and hindering their applicability. In this interlaboratory study, the reproducibility of a standard microbiological experiment for the cyanobacterial model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was assessed. Participants from eight different laboratories quantified the fluorescence intensity of mVENUS as a proxy for the transcription activity of the three promoters PJ23100, PrhaBAD, and PpetE over time. In addition, growth rates were measured to compare growth conditions between laboratories. By establishing strict and standardized laboratory protocols, reflecting frequently reported methods, we aimed to identify issues with state-of-the-art procedures and assess their effect on reproducibility. Significant differences in spectrophotometer measurements across laboratories from identical samples were found, suggesting that commonly used reporting practices of optical density values need to be supplemented by cell count or biomass measurements. Further, despite standardized light intensity in the incubators, significantly different growth rates between incubators used in this study were observed, highlighting the need for additional reporting requirements of growth conditions for phototrophic organisms beyond the light intensity and CO2 supply. Despite the use of a regulatory system orthogonal to Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, PrhaBAD, and a high level of protocol standardization, ∼32% variation in promoter activity under induced conditions was found across laboratories, suggesting that the reproducibility of other data in the field of cyanobacteria might be affected similarly.

Investigating Inter-Day Variations in the Physical Effects of Exoskeletons: Requirements for Long-Term Biomechanical Studies

Exoskeletons potentially reduce physical strain on workers. However, studies investigating the long-term effects of exoskeletons in the workplace are rare, not least because demonstrating physical long-term impacts faces several challenges, including the collection of reliable biomechanical data with the exoskeleton. By examining the potential impact of using an exoskeleton on inter-day measurements, we can provide valuable insights into the suitability of long-term studies. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the inter-day variation in muscle activity (MA) and kinematics of the trunk and legs during lifting, carrying, walking, and static bending with and without a passive back exoskeleton. The majority of results show no significant differences in inter-day variation. However, we found minor significant unilateral variation in knee and ankle kinematics when using the BSE during the lifting, carrying, and walking tasks, as well as in MA of M. biceps femoris when measuring without the BSE during the lifting tasks. Cohen’s d showed small effect sizes, ranging from −0.0045 ≤ d ≤ 0.384 for all significant p-values. While we classify the observed significant differences as minor, it is still crucial to consider day-to-day variations in long-term studies. However, by implementing high levels of standardization in study designs, including precise exoskeleton fitting, consistent assistance level, familiarization with measurement systems, and standardized working tasks, the impact of the exoskeleton on inter-day measurements can be minimized. Additional field studies are necessary to validate our findings in real work conditions.

Preface

The 47th Vietnam Conference on Theoretical Physics (VCTP-47) was held during 1-4 August 2022 in Tuy Hoa city, Phu Yen province, Viet Nam.The VCTP-47 was organized by the Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) under the auspices of the Vietnamese Theoretical Physics Society (VTPS).The VCTP, formerly known as NCTP, has been an annual activity of VTPS since 1976. The VCTP is aimed to be an international conference for physicists in Vietnam, in the region and worldwide. Our mission is to foster scientific exchanges and to promote a high-standard level of research and education in Vietnam and in South East Asia.The conference covered a wide range of theoretical physics topics from 4 major fields:• Particle, nuclear and astro-physics,• Molecular physics, quantum optics and quantum computation,• Condensed matter physics,• Soft matter, biological and interdisciplinary physics.The conference was divided into 1 opening session, 9 oral sessions and 2 poster sessions. The duration of an invited talk is 30-40 minutes including time for discussion. The duration of an oral talk is 20 minutes including time for discussion.The meeting was held onsite but all the sessions were broadcasted online on the Google Meet platform. There was only one fully online session with three invited speakers presenting their talks from abroad. For online viewing, the PDF files of the posters had be uploaded on to the conference website before the poster sessions.136 participants participated in the conference. 11 invited talks, 17 oral and 55 poster contributions were presented. The conference program and the abstract book can be found on the conference website: http://iop.vast.vn/vctp/47/.This volume contains selected papers contributed by the participants.We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Unesco’s Category 2 International Centre of Physics (ICP) located at the Institute of Physics, VAST.Editors of the VCTP-47 ProceedingsTrinh Xuan Hoang, Tran Minh Tien, Hoang Anh Tuan, and Vu Ngoc TuocList of Organizer, Sponsor, Chair, Organizing Committee, Program Committee, Secretariat, Participants are available in this Pdf.

Quality Measurement for Soft Tissue Sarcomas in Germany: First Results of the Certified Sarcoma Centres

Introduction: Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are rare diseases. A high level of standardization and centralization was lacking in Germany until 2018. Methods: By developing an evidence-based guideline and a certification system for sarcoma centres, foundations for structured, guideline-based, and centralized sarcoma care were defined. First results of the certified sarcoma centres are presented. Results: The first 3 years of data collection show good results for case volume, presentation rates in pretherapeutic and postoperative tumour boards, psycho-oncological counselling, and study rates. However, other indicators (e.g., preoperative or postoperative radiotherapy for operated high-risk STS without GIST, counselling rates social services) still have potential for improvement. Based on these results, the set of indicators could be further improved. Conclusions: A sarcoma-specific quality assurance scheme that includes guideline-derived quality indicators was developed. In future, a broader database will allow further insights into sarcoma care in Germany.

SPECIFICS OF INNOVATIVE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC SYSTEMS IN THE STATE

The article is devoted to analysis of the specifics of innovative development of socio-economic systems in the state. The authors prove that the innovative behavior of socio-economic systems is diverse. Violent products have a high quality associated with a high level of standardization, unification and manufacturability and low prices typical of mass production. Many violents are multinational companies which create an oligopolistic market. Patents seek to avoid direct competition with leading corporations. In specialized production, the stock of competitiveness of the product arises mainly due to the high consumer value of the product. The patent has to pinpoint and enforce it. Small enterprises actively promote new products and technologies, massively creating new services on their basis. This accelerates the process of diffusion of innovations. Medium and small businesses focused on meeting local and national needs are engaged in commutator enterprises (connectors). An expletive (pioneer) strategy is associated with the creation of new or with the radical transformation of old market segments. Each of the types of companies (violents, commutants, patents and explerents) has its own characteristics and different degree of implementation of the strategy for achieving the competitiveness of the products.

Allergen challenge tests in allergen immunotherapy: State of the art.

Treatment effects in allergen immunotherapy (AIT) studies are based on symptomatic improvement, and evaluations of naturally exposed patients do often show weak efficacy. Allergen challenge tests, such as conjunctival (CAC), nasal (NAC), or bronchial (BAC) challenge tests, or challenges in allergen exposure chambers (AEC) are accepted by regulators for AIT phase II studies only. This review aims to describe different allergen challenge test methods, summarizes safety and limitations for each, and discusses their potential for use in AIT trials. Organ-specific allergen challenges provide information about individual reactivity, reaction threshold, and organ-specific efficacy of AIT. AECs, targeting all affected organs simultaneously, were developed to investigate disease mechanisms and treatment effects under controlled and reproducible conditions. A high level of standardization is existing for NAC only; in CAC and BAC, the toolbox is limited to subjective symptom scoring with no validated objective parameters identified yet. AECs are complex and heterogenous; correlation of systems and comparability of study data is claimed. All challenge methods are safe when conducted by experienced staff.

К ПОСТАНОВКЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ МАРКЕРОВ КАМЕННЫХ ИНДУСТРИЙ ЭПОХИ ЭНЕОЛИТА И БРОНЗЫ ГОРНО-ЛЕСНОГО ЗАУРАЛЬЯ

The authors propose to discuss the methodology of searching for the defi nitive indicators of flaking techniques of the Eneolithic — Bronze Age in the mountain-forest Trans-Urals. The methodology is based on a step-by-step cross-referencing analysis of raw materials, technological and morphological characteristics of stone artifacts. The multilayer settlement Shaitanskoe 4–6 stone tools assemblage (the Kirovgrad district, Sverdlovsk Oblast) served as the main resource for the analysis. Main stages of the site’s populating correlated with the Eneolithic and the Bronze Age (Cherkaskul culture). Arrowheads were chosen as the key category of artifacts. This choice was based on both the large number of these artifacts (more than 100 items) and their fairly reliable cultural and chronological verification by the well-known interments and single-layer sites of the Urals and the adjacent territories. The Eneolithic flaking technique demonstrated a pronounced variability of tools. Pressure flaking technique used for obtaining blanks of a certain type (blades, microblades, and flakes of preset shapes and sizes) formed the lithic industry basis. During the Bronze Age, the emphasis shifted towards biface-production-oriented striking and counter striking knapping techniques. One of the Bronze Age lithic industry markers was a significant amount of characteristic waste, defected and good blanks as opposed to a small group of two-sided retouched tools with a high level of standardization and manufacturing quality (arrowheads, knives of an asymmetrical triangular shape with an arc-shaped side blade, scrapers of geometric shapes, etc.). The Eneolithic population preferred siliceous and clay shales, high-quality homogeneous jaspers, some types of chalcedony of gray and yellow, homogeneous flint of greenish and greenish-gray shades, and rhyolites of similar colors. During the Bronze Age, most popular materials were mottled flint of mediocre quality, siliceous shales of dark shades, siliceous quartz and chalcedony of light tones, and some varieties of jasper.

Mining the literature for ethics statements: A step towards standardizing research ethics

Ethical aspects of research continue to gain attention, be that in the process of proposing and planning research or performing, documenting or publishing it. One of the ways in which this trend manifests itself is the increasingly common addition of ethics statements to publications in fields like biomedicine, psychology or ethnography. Such ethics statements in publications provide the reader with a window into some of the practical yet typically hidden aspects of research ethics. As more and more publications are becoming available in full text and in machine readable formats through repositories like Europe PubMed Central, we propose to mine the literature for ethics statements and to extract information about the various aspects of research ethics that they address. The more standardized these statements are, the better the mined materials can be converted into structured and queryable information that can in turn be used to inform efforts towards higher levels of standardization in research ethics. This paper sketches out the motivation for such mining and outlines some methodological approaches that could be leveraged towards this end.

Impact of urbanization on standard of living of farmers in Gozarah district of Herat province of Afghanistan

This research is conducted to study the impact of urbanization on standard of living of farmers in Gozara district of Herat province of Afghanistan in 2019. Based on the research requirements four villages from within the radius of five kilometers of districts’ centers as villages having high urban influenced and four villages outside the radius of five kilometers of districts’ centers as villages having low urban influenced have been selected. From each village 10 farmers totally 80 farmers have been randomly selected. Ex post facto research design applied for this research. Pre prepared questionnaires have been distributed to the respondents and collected data have been analyzed statistically and the findings showed that there were significant differences between the respondents of high and low urban influenced villages with respect to the standard of living dimensions such as annual income and investments. 40 per cent of respondents in high urban influenced villages had high level of standard of living. 30 per cent and 20 per cent of the respondents of high and low urban influenced villages have been completely shifted from agriculture activities to business activities. In high urban influenced villages, variables such as security problem, and marketing orientation had significant relationship with the standard of living of respondents at one per cent level. Whereas in low urban influenced villages, variables such as education, social participation, economic motivation, security problem, marketing orientation and self-confidence were found to be significant at one per cent level.

The current understanding of germline predisposition in non-syndromic sagittal craniosynostosis: a systematic review.

The objective of this literature review was to provide a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the current understanding of the genetic etiology for non-syndromic sagittal craniosynostosis. Using the PubMed database and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), we systematically reviewed relevant records on germline genetics in children with non-syndromic sagittal craniosynostosis. Two hundred two records were identified, of which 25 were included following title and abstract screening and subsequent full-text review. The 25 records in combination included 829 children with non-syndromic sagittal craniosynostosis. A likely pathogenic or pathogenic germline variant was reported for 9.8% of the 827 patients for whom germline genetic testing was performed. The reported variants were distributed across 50 different genes, with more than one variant detected in 13 genes. Based on the existing literature, genetic predisposition is likely to play a role in at least 9% of children with non-syndromic sagittal craniosynostosis. Future studies will benefit from international consensus in terms of diagnostic nomenclature and a higher level of standardization across study methodologies and bioinformatic approaches.

Digitally supported shared decision-making and treat-to-target in rheumatology: a qualitative study embedded in a multicenter randomized controlled trial

Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) represent a cornerstone in the management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, PRO are currently recorded mainly on paper and only during on-site appointments. Electronic PRO (ePRO) enable continuous remote monitoring and could improve shared decision-making (SDM) and implementation of a treat-to-target (T2T) approach. This study aims to investigate patient and physician experiences, perceived drawbacks and benefits of using an ePRO web-app (ABATON RA) to digitally support SDM and T2T. A qualitative study embedded in a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT) consisting of interviews with RA patients and physicians that were subsequently analyzed using deductive-inductive qualitative content analysis. Between August 2021 and May 2022, interviews with ten RA patients and five physicians were completed. Three key themes emerged in the analysis: (i) App user experiences; (ii) perceived drawbacks of app-supported rheumatology care; and (iii) perceived benefits of app-supported rheumatology care. Continuous ePRO collection and a high level of standardization strained some RA patients. Certain ePRO seemed outdated and were hard to understand. Patients and physicians appreciated having an improved overview of disease activity, capturing disease flares and continuous remote monitoring. Paper- and time-saving were associated with using ePRO. Physicians feared to become too focused on ePRO data, stressed the lack of ePRO monitoring reimbursement and app interoperability. For RA patients and physicians, benefits seemed to outweigh observed drawbacks of the digitally supported SDM using ePRO. The software was easy to use and could lead to a better understanding of the individual disease course, resource allocation and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.