Non-university Institutions Research Articles

Abstracts accepted for the 2021–2023 French Orthopaedic and Traumatology Society meetings: Proportion of women submitters

BackgroundWomen are underrepresented in orthopaedic and trauma surgery worldwide, with proportions of 4%–17% across countries and 9.1% in France. The annual meeting of the French Society for Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery (SOFCOT) provides opportunities for quantifying the representation of women, which has not yet been accurately evaluated. The objectives of this retrospective study were: 1) to evaluate the proportion of women relative to men who submitted abstracts accepted for presentation at annual SOFCOT meetings, 2) to analyse this proportion in each abstract category, and 3) to compare the professional profiles of submitting authors. HypothesisAmong authors with abstracts accepted for presentation at annual SOFCOT meetings, only a minority were women. MethodsThis retrospective study evaluated all abstracts accepted for presentation at the annual SOFCOT meetings held in 2021, 2022, and 2023. For each accepted abstract, the gender and professional profile of the submitting author were assessed. The female/male ratio was determined for each abstract category and professional profile for each of the three years. ResultsThe female/male ratio among authors of abstracts accepted in 2021, 2022, and 2023 was 161/923 (14.9% women), 128/541 (19.1%), and 120/550 (17.9%). The proportion of women was significantly less than the proportion of men for abstracts on the knee (41/333, 11% women (p = 0.0008)), hip (23/209, 9.9% (p = 0.002)), trauma (53 /358, 12,9% (p = 0.017)), and tumours (14/119, 10.5% (p = 0.04)). The proportion of women was also significantly smaller than the proportion of men among residents/fellows (154/491, 23.5% (p < 0.0001)), senior surgeons in non-university institutions (42/400, 11.5% (p < 0.0001)), and senior surgeons in university hospitals (23/164, 12.3% (p = 0.009)). DiscussionThe representation of women compared to men remains low at annual SOFCOT meetings despite being greater than the overall representation of women among orthopaedic surgeons in France. These results highlight the appeal of research and growing interest for orthopaedic surgery among women. Scientific societies and surgical teams must continue to encourage this dynamic. Level of evidenceIII; retrospective case-control study.

Italian academic system disregards scientific merit in faculty hiring processes

Professorships in Italy are assigned following public competitions. However, favouritism affects faculty hiring. Researchers lacking clientelistic support remain excluded from academia and are obliged to seek employment abroad or at non-university institutions, or to abandon their career. Do non-recruited researchers have better or worse scientific capacity than those who have attained professorships in Italy?Files regarding the competitions in bibliometric disciplines won by 186 professors in Florence were analysed. An equal number of professors recruited at other Italian universities and scientists who never attained professorship in Italy were randomly drawn from the pool of individuals having national scientific qualification (the prerequisite for professorship) in the same disciplines as each Florentine professor. H-indexes of the year of qualification (T1), of the Florence call (T2), and in July 2021 (T3) were obtained from Scopus.Non-recruited individuals were more likely (Chi-square test) to show a higher H-index than both Florentine (T1 p = 0.0005, T2 p = 0.0015, T3 p = 0.0095) and non-Florentine professors (T1 p = 0.0078, T2 p = 0.0245, T3 p = 0.0500). Fifty-four non-recruited scientists serve in foreign universities, 100 at national/international research centres. The remaining scientists (25 who continue producing despite precarious employment, and seven who have stopped publishing) were as likely as Florentine (T3 p = 0.69) and non-Florentine (T3 p = 0.14) professors to show a higher H-index.Italian faculty hiring disregards merit. A more challenging qualification would limit the access of researchers with lower scientific capacity, and favour those with greater proficiency. As it stands, competition is useless. Once professors obtain permanent employment, they seem less motivated to publish.

Regulation (EU) 2017/746 (IVDR): practical implementation of annexI in pathology.

Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR) imposes several conditions on pathology departments that develop and use in-house in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IH-IVDs). However, not all of these conditions need to be implemented immediately after the IVDR entered into force on 26May 2022. Based on an amending regulation of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, the requirements for IH-IVDs will be phased in. Conformity with the essential safety and performance requirements of annexI must be ensured from May2022. With this article, we would like to present the practical implementation of the currently valid conditions for IH-IVDs at the Institute of Pathology at the University Hospital of Heidelberg, in order to provide possible assistance to other institutions. In addition to the intensive work on the requirements for IH-IVDs, several guidance documents and handouts provide orientation for the implementation and harmonisation of the requirements for healthcare institutions mentioned in Article5(5). Exchange in academic network structures is also of great importance for the interpretation and practical implementation of the IVDR. For university and nonuniversity institutions, ensuring conformity with the IVDR represents afurther challenge in terms of personnel and time, in addition to the essential tasks of patient care, teaching and research and the further development of methods for optimal and targeted diagnostics, as well as the maintenance of the constantly evolving quality management system.

Regulation (EU) 2017/746 (IVDR): practical implementation of annexI in pathology

Regulation (EU) 2017/746 on in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IVDR) imposes several conditions on pathology institutes that develop and use in-house in vitro diagnostic medical devices (IH-IVDs). However, not all of these conditions need to be implemented immediately after the IVDR entered into force on 26May 2022. Based on an amending regulation of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union, the requirements for IH-IVDs will be phased in. Conformity with the essential safety and performance requirements of annexI must be ensured from May2022. With this article, we would like to present the practical implementation of the currently valid conditions for IH-IVDs at the Institute of Pathology at the University Hospital of Heidelberg, in order to provide possible assistance to other institutions. In addition to the intensive work on the requirements for IH-IVDs, several guidance documents and handouts provide orientation for the implementation and harmonisation of the requirements for healthcare institutions mentioned in Article5(5). Exchange in academic network structures is also of great importance for the interpretation and practical implementation of the IVDR. For university and nonuniversity institutions, ensuring conformity with the IVDR represents afurther challenge in terms of personnel and time, in addition to the essential tasks of patient care, teaching and research and the further development of methods for optimal and targeted diagnostics, as well as the maintenance of the constantly evolving quality management system.

Ovarian serous borderline tumors with recurrent or extraovarian lesions: a Japanese, retrospective, multi-institutional, population-based study.

Ovarian serous borderline tumors (SBT) are typically unilateral and are primarily treated using hysterectomy and bilateral salpingooophorectomy (SO). However, most young patients prefer fertility-sparing surgeries (FSS) with tumorectomy or unilateral SO. Micropapillary morphology and invasive implants have been designated as histopathological risk indicators for recurrence or metastasis, but their clinical impact remains controversial because of limitations like diagnostic inconsistency and incomplete surgical staging. A nationwide multi-institutional population-based retrospective surveillance was conducted with a thorough central pathology review to reveal the clinical features of SBT. Of 313 SBT patients enrolled in the Japanese Society of Clinical Oncology's Surveillance of Gynecologic Rare Tumors, 289 patient records were reviewed for clinical outcomes. The glass slides of patients at stage II-IV or with recurrence or death were re-evaluated by three gynecological pathologists. The 10-year overall and progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 98.6% and 92.3%. The median recurrence period was 40months and 77.0% was observed in the contralateral ovary within 60months. Patients aged ≤ 35years underwent FSS more frequently and relapsed more (p < .001). A clinic-pathological analysis revealed diagnosis during pregnancy, FSS, and treatment at non-university institutes as well as advanced stage and large diameter were independent risk factors of recurrence. Among patients having pathologically confirmed SBTs, PFS was not influenced by the presence of micropapillary pattern or invasive implants. The recurrence rate was lower in this cohort than previous reports, but the clinical impacts of incomplete resection and misclassification of the tumor were still significant on the treatment of SBT.

Towards a green university: case of Lithuanian higher education institutions

The diversity of research on sustainable development shows that the analysis of the field of sustainable development is relevant and timely. Based on the paradigm of sustainable development, which states that it is necessary to live in such a way that the present resources are sufficient for future generations, the issues of social education for sustainable development are an important factor. The question arises whether there is even a single higher education institution at the non-university or university level in Lithuania today where sustainable development issues are not included in study programmes and separate courses related to sustainability are not taught. Various documents related to the Sustainable Development Goals (United Nations, 2015) and their implementation show that without an education system, without education, it is difficult to achieve sustainability. Therefore, the legitimate question arises whether higher educational institutions in Lithuania aspire to become “green” institutions, considering that these institutions are responsible for implementing the ideas of sustainability. The article aims to explore the situation of the Lithuanian HEI moving toward a green university. The research methods used include analysis of scientific literature and documents, content analysis, data processing. It can be assumed that in most Lithuanian higher education institutions, sustainability goals are integrated into the strategic plans and at the level of the institution as an organisation. However, the analysis showed that only a few Lithuanian universities are included in the green university rankings, and those do not reach the highest positions. Only a few universities and one non-university institution declare public information about the movement towards a green university. Only a few state non-university institutions in Lithuania declare social responsibility and provide publicly available social responsibility reports. Discussing the transition of higher education institutions from traditional to green institutions, it is useful to analyse the existing models or measurements of sustainability and the green university (HEI) paradigm. N.B. This article uses the terms non-university higher education institution and university as synonyms, especially when discussing a green university paradigm.

Robots in visceral and thoracic surgery-Quo vadis?

Robotic surgical systems are now an inherent part of the German hospital landscape. In recent years, there has been an enormous increase in installed systems and operations performed, especially in abdominal surgery. Even though there is alack of studies with the highest grade of evidence, the advantages of the technique are obvious-particularly technically demanding operations can now be performed safely and less invasively for patients. Robotics are now being implemented in many non-university institutions. At the Israelite Hospital (Israelitisches Krankenhaus) Hamburg it could be demonstrated that with systematic and modular training, i.e. execution of certain surgical steps, it is possible to significantly flatten the learning curve while maintaining excellent oncological quality, postoperative morbidity and mortality. The costs to have asystem up and running are the main limitations for the implementation of robotic surgery. The acquisition, material and maintenance costs are substantial so that the type of intervention and the training of prospective surgeons are limited by the costs. The robotic approach will fully unroll its disruptive character compared to laparoscopy once it is competitive not only qualitatively in the field of medical contents but also economically. In the future the ROBIN working group of the German Society for General and Visceral Surgery (DGAV) wants to create the basic prerequisites for valid studies by working with registers and could act as an independent central intermediary between hospitals and the industry to promote practical innovations and systematic training for surgeons.

Österreichische Zeitgeschichte—Zeitgeschichte in Österreich: Eine Standortbestimmung in Zeiten des Umbruchs ed. by Marcus Gräser and Dirk Rupnow

Reviewed by: Österreichische Zeitgeschichte—Zeitgeschichte in Österreich: Eine Standortbestimmung in Zeiten des Umbruchs ed. by Marcus Gräser and Dirk Rupnow Tim Corbett Marcus Gräser and Dirk Rupnow, eds., Österreichische Zeitgeschichte—Zeitgeschichte in Österreich: Eine Standortbestimmung in Zeiten des Umbruchs. Vienna: Böhlau, 2021. 872 pp. It is difficult in such a brief review to do justice to an almost nine-hundred-page volume showcasing the work of forty-six individual scholars. Yet the very size of the volume and the breadth of topics addressed therein already speaks to the vibrancy of the field of Austrian contemporary history, which here seems to be consensually defined as reaching from 1918 and the dissolution of the Habsburg Monarchy into the present day. As illustrated in an amusing quote by the pioneering historian Erika Weinzierl, this means that the field in its most contemporary forms comes up "hart an der Grenze zum Journalismus" (cited in Marcus Gräser's contribution, 53). The volume is divided into three thematic categories. "Epochen und Zäsuren" covers historical eras from the First Republic through to Austria in its European Union years. "Felder und Themen" addresses issues within contemporary history as varied as gender, postcolonialism, and sports. And lastly, "Verhältnisse" explores the entanglement of the field with other areas of inquiry such as the economy, environment, politics, culture, and law, as well as with non-university institutions like archives and museums. Readers in search of a comprehensive history of Austria from World War I to the present will be disappointed, for this is not a work of history per se but rather an overview of actors, approaches, and points of discussion underlying the development of the field since its inception in the 1950s and 1960s and the appertaining bodies of historiography. As such, this volume will be most [End Page 95] useful as a reference work for scholars and students working in contemporary Austrian history and related fields and could be viewed as something of a primer on related discourses. Indeed, the self-reflexivity of the volume is one of its most laudable features—given that history as a discipline in this respect can be notoriously stuffy in comparison to other fields in the humanities, as evinced for example in the almost neurotic avoidance of the first-person pronoun in historiographic writing (as though this obviated the subjectivity of the historian as an individual researcher and author). The contributors to this volume are for the most part refreshingly self-aware of their place within a sociopolitical continuum conditioned not only by their own ideological leanings but also personal networks, funding landscapes, and institutional entanglements. Perhaps the most interesting finding in this respect is the relative absence of controversy in this field over the decades, a curiosity explained by various authors through the close personal relationships underlying this comparatively small discipline on the one hand and the postwar schism between left-and right-wing narratives (commonly called Koalitionsgeschichtsschreibung) on the other (see especially the introduction, 15–16, and the somewhat anecdotal reflections of the historian emeritus Helmut Konrad, 30–31, to whose life work this volume is essentially dedicated). Another conspicuous facet of this monumental work is its near-exclusive focus on the inner-Austrian, German-language dimension of the field. The authors appear to have been selected exclusively from inner-Austrian contexts and the historiographies addressed focus predominantly on inner-Austrian research—a reference in the introduction (12) to the large number of German nationals in the field (including the two editors) notwithstanding. This appears strange considering the significant number of individuals and institutions outside Austria, especially in the English-speaking world, specializing in modern Austrian history, culture, and society, including a number of leading publications such as this very journal (despite its traditional focus on literary scholarship, JAS does regularly touch on key issues in contemporary Austrian history, too). This struck me especially with regard to my own area of specialization, namely modern Jewish history in Austria. Following decades of silence and erasure in the aftermath of the Holocaust, scholarly interest in Jewish Austrian history was reignited in the 1980s by a range of English-language scholars such as Marsha Rozenblit, George Berkley, Robert...

Social inclusion as a perspective for the validation of the "DigCompEdu Check-In" questionnaire for teaching digital competence.

Making use of digital technologies and all the possibilities that benefit education is one of the objectives of the European Framework for the Digital Competence of Educators, as well as their potential for personal development and social inclusion, among other aspects. The aim of this study was to validate the «DigCompEdu Check-In» scale as an instrument for the self-reflection of educators regarding their digital competence from the perspective of social inclusion. This questionnaire provides a more accurate view of the digital competence framework and allows self-evaluating the strengths and weaknesses/needs of educators in digital learning. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed, using structural equations. The study sample consisted of 2,262 faculty members from different public universities of Andalusia (Spain). The obtained results show the reliability and validity of the instrument and allow generating accurate scientific knowledge for the improvement of education quality and social inclusion, in both university and non-university institutions.

Health Literacy and Its Associations with Understanding and Perception of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labels among Higher Education Students

(1) Background: Nutrition labels on the front of food packages have increasingly become the focus of research. However, too few studies have placed special emphasis on nutritionally at-risk subpopulations, such as young adults or those with low literacy/numeracy skills. The present study aimed to assess both the perception and objective understanding of three front-of-package labeling (FOPL) formats currently in use on the Belgian market, i.e., the Nutri-Score, Reference Intakes, and Multiple Traffic Lights, among students of varying health literacy (HL) levels. (2) Methods: A web-based survey was carried out among 2295 students of tertiary education in the province of Liège, Belgium. The questionnaire included questions related to general characteristics, objective understanding, and perception in response to the assigned FOPL format and level of HL. (3) Results: With respect to objective understanding, the Nutri-Score outperformed all other labels across all HL levels, and it was similarly understood in students of varying HL levels. Several students’ characteristics appeared to be associated with each cluster of perception, with the Nutri-Score cluster having the highest percentages of disadvantaged students, i.e., those with inadequate HL, from non-university institutions, with low self-estimated nutrition knowledge, and with low self-estimated diet quality. (4) Conclusion: Overall, the findings supported the Nutri-Score as particularly effective in guiding students in their food choices. Of particular importance is the fact that the summarized and graded color-coded nutritional label would be a useful strategy for those disadvantaged by limited HL.

Teacher training and quality of mathematics education

The problem of teacher training in mathematics at the secondary education level is recurrent, as shown in various publications on the history of education. Therefore, it is difficult to understand why so little progress has been made, despite the many complaints and proposals. In this sense, the aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between the training and the processes of improvement in the teaching of mathematics teachers. Currently, content knowledge is almost the only professional reference for most teachers. This is despite the fact that no one disputes the fact that teachers also need to have other knowledge of Didactics of Mathematics and knowledge derived from teaching practice. In this sense, it is important to establish a stable, rigorous and coherent institutional framework between university and non-university institutions involved in initial and continuing teacher training, which will make it possible to seriously and rigorously address the problems we have discussed.

Distribution of Mobile Health Applications amongst Patients with Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease in Germany: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Background: Broadly available digital and mobile health applications (also known as mHealth) have recently gained increasing attention by the vascular community, but very little is known about the dissemination and acceptance of such technologies in certain target populations. The current study aimed to determine the user behaviour and acceptance of such digital technologies amongst patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Methods: A cross-sectional survey of consecutively treated inpatients at 12 university institutions, as well as one non-university institution, was conducted. All admitted patients with symptomatic PAD were surveyed for 30 consecutive days within a flexible timeframe between 1 July and 30 September 2021. The factors associated with smartphone use were estimated via backward selection within a logistic regression model with clustered standard errors. Results: A total of 326 patients participated (response rate 96.3%), thereof 102 (34.0%) were treated for intermittent claudication (IC, 29.2% women, 70 years in median) and 198 were treated for chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI, 29.5% women, 70 years in median). Amongst all of the patients, 46.6% stated that they had not changed their lifestyle and health behaviour since the index diagnosis (four years in median), and 33.1% responded that they were not aware of the reasons for all of their medication orders. Amongst all those surveyed, 66.8% owned a smartphone (IC: 70.6%, CLTI: 64.1%), thereof 27.9% needed regular user support. While 42.5% used smartphone apps, only 15.0% used mobile health applications, and 19.0% owned wearables. One out of five patients agreed that such technologies could help to improve their healthy lifestyle. Only higher age was inversely associated with smartphone possession. Conclusions: The current survey showed that smartphones are prevalent amongst patients with peripheral arterial disease, but only a small proportion used mobile health applications and a considerable number of patients needed regular user support. Almost half of the patients did not change their lifestyle and one third were not aware of the reasons for their medication orders, emphasising room for improvement. These findings can further help to guide future projects using such applications to identify those target populations that are reachable with digital interventions.

Precarity Before and During the Pandemic: International Student Employment and Personal Finances in Australia.

There is mounting evidence of increased international student financial and work precarity over the last decade in Australia. Yet, there has been a little scholarly analysis of which students are most affected by precarity and its sources. Drawing on two surveys of international students in Australia's two largest cities, conducted before and during the pandemic, we investigate the financial and work vulnerabilities of international students. We demonstrate that vulnerability is related to characteristics which describe particular cohorts of students: being from low-income countries, working class families, seeking a low-level qualification, enrolled in a non-university institution, and being without a scholarship. The concepts of "noncitizenship" and "work precarity" are used to explain how the mechanisms of each characteristic heighten vulnerability, thereby contributing to a broader evidence-base about the causality of international student precarity.

Patterns of care analysis for salivary gland cancer: a\xa0survey within the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) and recommendations for daily practice

BackgroundSalivary gland cancer (SGC) is rare and a heterogeneous type of cancer. Prospective randomized trials are lacking. No guideline focusing on standard procedures of radiotherapy (RT) in the treatment of SGC exists. Therefore, we surveyed the members of the German Society of Radiation Oncology (DEGRO) to gain information about current therapeutic strategies of SGC.MethodsAn anonymous questionnaire was designed and made available on the online platform umfrageonline.com. The corresponding link was sent to all DEGRO members who provided their user data for contact purposes. Alternatively, a PDF printout version was sent. Frequency distributions of responses for each question were calculated. The data were also analyzed by type of institution.ResultsSixty-seven responses were received, including answers from 21 university departments, 22 non-university institutions, and 24 radiation oncology practices. Six participants reported that their departments (practice: n = 5, non-university hospital: n = 1) did not treat SGC, and therefore the questionnaire was not completed. Concerning radiation techniques, target volume definition, and concomitant chemotherapy, treatment strategies varied greatly among the participants. Comparing university vs. non-university institutions, university hospitals treat significantly more patients with SGC per year and initiated more molecular pathological diagnostics.ConclusionSGC represents a major challenge for clinicians, as reflected by the inhomogeneous survey results regarding diagnostics, RT approaches, and systemic therapy. Future prospective, multicenter clinical trials are warranted to improve and homogenize treatment of SGC and to individualize treatment according to histologic subtypes and risk factors.

Investigating Attitude, Subject Enrollment, and Achievement in Science before Investing in Higher Education: A Comparison of Universities and Non-University Institutions

Investigating Attitude, Subject Enrollment, and Achievement in Science before Investing in Higher Education: A Comparison of Universities and Non-University Institutions

P–455 Breast cancer recurrence in women with and without controlled ovarian stimulation for fertility preservation. Cohort study

Abstract Study question Do patients diagnosed with breast cancer who undergo ovarian stimulation for fertility preservation prior to chemotherapy have a higher risk of recurrence of the disease? Summary answer There was no statistically significant difference in the hazard ratio for breast cancer recurrence in fertility preservation-stimulated women compared to non-stimulated ones What is known already While many women with early breast cancer benefit from chemotherapy treatments in increasing disease-free survival, they are also at risk of permanent chemotherapy induced ovarian failure. Oocyte cryopreservation with an adapted protocol with letrozole may reduce the possible deleterious effect of the hyper estrogenic state during the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). Although fertility preservation in women diagnosed with breast cancer seems safe, the follow-up periods of most studies are short in time. In addition, follow-up data of COH before neoadjuvant chemotherapy in women with hormone negative tumor receptors is still scarce and briefly reported. Study design, size, duration It was a retrospective cohort study, where 208 women with non-metastatic breast cancer were included. The recruitment period was from 01/01/2009 to 01/12/2019. The minimum follow-up period was 6 months, and the maximum, 130 months. Participants were divided into two cohorts, those who received controlled ovarian hyperstimulation prior to their cancer treatment and those who did not. Patients were followed until disease recurrence, death, loss to follow-up, or end of the study Participants/materials, setting, methods Setting: university hospital in Buenos Aires, Argentina. We included women aged 18 to 45 years with a recent histological diagnosis of non-metastatic breast cancer who had to receive chemotherapy with gonadal toxicity. We excluded patients with a history of previous chemotherapy or radiotherapy for another cancer disease, or menopause. Follow-up was at least an annual clinical check-up and breast imaging. Cohorts were analysed using a Cox-proportional hazards model, adjusted for propensity score for receiving stimulation. Main results and the role of chance We included 208 women, 39 in the COH group and 169 in the non-stimulated group (NSG). The only statistically significant difference was in age: median years 33.7 (interquartile range -IQR- 30.9 to 36.9) and 40.0 years (IQR 36.8 to 44.0), respectively. The median size of cancer nodules was 19.0 millimetres (IQR 10.0–30.0) and 17.0 (IQR 11.0–25.0), p 0.547; percentage of positive lymph nodes: 41.0% vs 39.3%, p 0.841; positive hormonal receptors: 84.6% vs 85.2%, p 0.925; percentage of neoadjuvant chemotherapy: 20.5% vs 11.4%, p 0.128. There were also no statistically significant differences regarding tumour stage, high Ki–67 labelling index, positive breast cancer genes (BRCA 1 or 2), and radiotherapy. Overall, 18.0% of patients had cancer recurrence in the COH group and 20.7% in the NSG (p 0.699). Crude cancer recurrence rates were similar: 5.96 per 100 patients/year (95%CI 2.84–12.50), and 4.65 per 100 patients/year (95%CI 3.34–6.47), respectively. The crude hazard ratio (HR), comparing the COH group vs the NSG was 1.32 (95%CI 0.58–2.97; p 0.507). The adjusted HR using a propensity score for receiving ovarian stimulation treatment was 1.08 (95%CI 0.39–2.98; p 0.887). Results were similar if adjusted for age, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and other confounders. Limitations, reasons for caution This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. There might be unknown or residual confounders that could influence results. Nevertheless, we accounted for treatment bias using a propensity score for ovarian stimulation. Results should be extrapolated with caution, especially in other non-university institutions and populations. Wider implications of the findings: This study provides new evidence on the safety of controlled ovarian stimulation in breast cancer patients prior to chemotherapy treatment, in a Latin American population. Letrozole continues to show safety and efficacy as an adapted protocol in breast cancer. Trial registration number Not applicable

Cancer never stops: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the effect on research within GOG partners

<h3>Objectives:</h3> The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic forced a shift in conducting clinical research. Ensuring the safety of all stakeholders (patients, research personnel, family members), maintaining financial viability, and overcoming operational restrictions (limited access to sites, workforce restrictions, reduced data collection) are barriers to continuing clnical research. GOG Partners, the GOG Foundation industry-sponsored clinical trials group, has been proactive to implement the following: 1) immediate compliance with CDC, FDA, and NIH guidelines with regard to clinical trial management; 2) systems that allowed for remote monitoring and other remote activities (telemedicine patient visits, remote data collection, shipping of drug to patients, virtual study start-up); 3) enhance enrollment opportunites away from university-based sites towards community-based practices; 4) increased frequency of our operations meetings with industry. The objective of this report is to describe how the pandemic affected accrual to GOG Partners' trials. <h3>Methods:</h3> Accrual data for GOG Partners trials over the past 4 years (2017- July 2020) were collected. ‘Pandemic' months were considered March thru July 2020. Information collected included accrual numbers, institution type (university versus non-university), and region of country. Descriptive statistics were analyzed. <h3>Results:</h3> Over the past 4 years, the median monthly accrual to GOG Partners trials was 43 patients (range: 14-95). Between March and July 2020, the median accrual was 59 patients (range: 43-72). For the same 5-month period over the past 3 years (March to July 2017, 2018, 2019) the median accrual was 36 (14-95). Accrual in March 2020 was 69 patients. Accrual decreased to 43 patients in April 2020 and 47 patients in May 2020 with respective z-scores of -0.25 and -0.01. June and July 2020 showed increased accrual with 59 and 72 patients respectively. The median number of participating sites per month over the past 4 years was 32 (9-66). There was an immediate decline in the number of sites participating from April to May 2020 of 36%. The number of sites participating in June and July were 38 and 52, respectively. During the pandemic, the accrual in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific and South Atlantic regions varied from their baselines. These variations followed the trends in COVID-19 spread. Non-university institutions accrued at a near-average rate throughout the months of April and May. During that same period, universities observed a decline in accrual of 48%. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Accrual to GOG Partners' trials increased 37% over the median monthly accrual since the pandemic began. During the pandemic, total monthly accrual fell below or reached the median during only 1 month. Regional diversity of sites participating in GOG Partners' studies helped in preventing a more dramatic drop in participation. While overall accrual has historically shown to be relatively balanced between institution types, non-university institutions were less negatively impacted.

Pharmainnovationen: \xfcberragende Position der USA und Schw\xe4chen der deutschen Forschung

ZusammenfassungDie Innovationskraft von Forschungsleistungen wird oft an Inputs wie Forschungsmitteln oder Outputs wie Patentanmeldungen gemessen. Hier wird ein neuartiger Indikator für pharmazeutische Innovationskraft vorgestellt, der sich auf die weltweiten medizinischen Durchbrüche und die assoziierten Patente konzentriert. Demnach sind US-Unternehmen von 2010 bis 2019 für 55 % der weltweiten medizinischen Durchbrüche verantwortlich, ihre deutschen Konkurrenten für rund 9 %. Bei den zugrundeliegenden Ankerpatenten ist die Dominanz der USA mit 62 % noch größer — aus Deutschland kommen nur 7 % der Ankerpatente. US-Universitäten halten 3,8 % aller Ankerpatente — deutsche Universitäten keine. Die Schwäche der deutschen Universitäten kann nicht durch die deutschen außeruniversitären Forschungsinstitute ausgeglichen werden.

Open access uptake in Germany 2010\u20132018: adoption in a diverse research landscape

This study investigates the development of open access (OA) to journal articles from authors affiliated with German universities and non-university research institutions in the period 2010–2018. Beyond determining the overall share of openly available articles, a systematic classification of distinct categories of OA publishing allowed us to identify different patterns of adoption of OA. Taking into account the particularities of the German research landscape, variations in terms of productivity, OA uptake and approaches to OA are examined at the meso-level and possible explanations are discussed. The development of the OA uptake is analysed for the different research sectors in Germany (universities, non-university research institutes of the Helmholtz Association, Fraunhofer Society, Max Planck Society, Leibniz Association, and government research agencies). Combining several data sources (incl. Web of Science, Unpaywall, an authority file of standardised German affiliation information, the ISSN-Gold-OA 3.0 list, and OpenDOAR), the study confirms the growth of the OA share mirroring the international trend reported in related studies. We found that 45% of all considered articles during the observed period were openly available at the time of analysis. Our findings show that subject-specific repositories are the most prevalent type of OA. However, the percentages for publication in fully OA journals and OA via institutional repositories show similarly steep increases. Enabling data-driven decision-making regarding the implementation of OA in Germany at the institutional level, the results of this study furthermore can serve as a baseline to assess the impact recent transformative agreements with major publishers will likely have on scholarly communication.

Bibliology in Germany — origins, developments and current state

From its origins in the early modern period up until today, German bibliology has undergone a huge transformation both in terms of its relationship to other subjects and its research areas. The article describes the development of bibliology in Germany from its beginnings in bibliographic and librarian contexts, over its evolvement as a field of study in its own rights in the late 18th century, until its current situation as a university subject. Today, German book science is a relatively small discipline which might profit from integration in broader media studies already proposed a decade ago. It has links to many other humanities subjects, especially librarian, literary, linguistic and cultural studies, and sees its task in integrating interdisciplinary research on the book instead of monopolising it. Due to the lack of an overall book theory or model, this also means making use of the research approaches of these adjoining disciplines whenever they seem promising. The bibliological studies on all aspects of books, implicitly oriented on the steps of production, distribution and reception of books and conducted by the few professorial chairs of book science, are complemented by several non-university institutions and research groups.