The DZHK research platform: maximisation of scientific value by enabling access to health data and biological samples collected in cardiovascular clinical studies.

The German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK) is one of the German Centres for Health Research and aims to conduct early and guideline-relevant studies to develop new therapies and diagnostics that impact the lives of people with cardiovascular disease. Therefore, DZHK members designed a collaboratively organised and integrated research platform connecting all sites and partners. The overarching objectives of the research platform are the standardisation of prospective data and biological sample collections among all studies and the development of a sustainable centrally standardised storage in compliance with general legal regulations and the FAIR principles. The main elements of the DZHK infrastructure are web-based and central units for data management, LIMS, IDMS, and transfer office, embedded in a framework consisting of the DZHK Use and Access Policy, and the Ethics and Data Protection Concept. This framework is characterised by a modular design allowing a high standardisation across all studies. For studies that require even tighter criteria additional quality levels are defined. In addition, the Public Open Data strategy is an important focus of DZHK. The DZHK operates as one legal entity holding all rights of data and biological sample usage, according to the DZHK Use and Access Policy. All DZHK studies collect a basic set of data and biosamples, accompanied by specific clinical and imaging data and biobanking. The DZHK infrastructure was constructed by scientists with the focus on the needs of scientists conducting clinical studies. Through this, the DZHK enables the interdisciplinary and multiple use of data and biological samples by scientists inside and outside the DZHK. So far, 27 DZHK studies recruited well over 11,200 participants suffering from major cardiovascular disorders such as myocardial infarction or heart failure. Currently, data and samples of five DZHK studies of the DZHK Heart Bank can be applied for.

[The role of university hospitals in regional health care management for coping with the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Die Rolle der Universitätskliniken im regionalen medizinischen Versorgungsmanagement zur Bewältigung der COVID-19 Pandemie.

INTRODUCTION: The complex and dynamic situation in the current pandemic requires a regionally coordinated and interconnected cooperation between the different stakeholders within the health care system, such as the inpatient sector or the public health service. The aim of this study is to analyze health care management during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 with a focus on regional networking and communication structures. METHODS: As part of the BMBF-funded project "egePan Unimed", an online questionnaire on pandemic management was sent to the boards of all 35 German university hospitals in November 2020. The questionnaire focused on the core topics of regional networking, crisis management, data exchange, and communication with political stakeholders. The questionnaire consisted of 37 closed and three open-ended questions. After piloting, the invitation to the survey was extended three times by mail and once by telephone. RESULTS: The results (n=25, response 71.4%) show that 68% of the clinics surveyed were connected to representatives from the inpatient sector and 86% to representatives from the public health service. Networking with representatives from the outpatient sector was less common (26%). Of the university hospitals surveyed, 84% had a leadership role in a regional COVID-19 pandemic management effort. Data exchange with regional hospitals in the course of pandemic management took place at 75% of the participating university hospitals and with supra-regional hospitals at 67% of the clinics surveyed. CONCLUSION: To manage regional medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, university hospitals often assumed a coordinating role in the complex pandemic care process. There were often structured collaborations with regional clinics and health departments and comparatively few cooperations with the outpatient care sector. However, this cooperation has the potential to prevent overcrowding in hospitals.

No More Broken Promises: Challenges and Opportunities for Key Populations in Demanding More Transparency, Accountability, and Participation in the Global Response Against the HIV and AIDS Epidemic.

The global fight against HIV/AIDS continues to pose challenges: infection rates are on the rise in many settings, stigma and discrimination remain rampant, and the global response is under increasing financial pressure. There is a high risk of losing what has been achieved so far in the fight against HIV and AIDS, but also the momentum to meet the so-called Fast Track targets for 2030. In light of these trends, it is fundamental to focus on the human rights of key populations (KPs)-especially to health, non-discrimination, access to information, and to equal and meaningful participation in political and public affairs-by placing them at the center of the global HIV response. Such rights, and the demand for more transparency, accountability, and participation (TAP), have been recognized as both a necessary social justice imperative, and as a way to build more responsive, inclusive, and sustainable health systems. This article will argue that embracing TAP as key guiding principles of the global HIV response (especially in low- and middle-income countries) could have the potential to create the conditions for KPs to have their human rights fulfilled, and to expand their participation in the decision-making processes that guide the efforts against the epidemic. It will then propose a number of avenues for further engagement between different communities of practice in terms of research, agendas, and policy and practices that could be beneficial in maximizing the impact of the global efforts to end HIV/AIDS.

Health-related on-pack communication and nutritional value of ready-to-eat breakfast cereals evaluated against five nutrient profiling schemes.

BACKGROUND: There is an ongoing debate regarding health-related on-pack information appearing on products with low nutritional quality. The purpose of the study was to contribute to this discussion by examining the relationship between health-related on-pack information and the overall nutritional value of highly processed ready-to-eat breakfast cereals (RTECs). METHODS: Maximum variation sampling was used to select 128 highly processed RTECs in Germany in 2010. In 2012, two additional samples were collected in Norway (n =38) and Germany (n =73) to allow for comparisons of products from countries with different regulations concerning nutrient profiles. All products were evaluated against five nutrient profiling models from government-related agencies. Mann-Whitney U Tests and Chi-square statistics was used to compare the nutrient profiles of different product categories. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify on-pack information on German products predicting a satisfactory nutritional profile. RESULTS: The majority of RTECs displayed health-related information on the packaging, but only 4-36% of German products met the criteria of the different nutrient profiles. The rate was lower for cereals marketed to children, Norwegian cereals performed better (36-64%). Health-related on-pack information was not consistently related to the nutrient profiles. The following on-pack criteria predicted a satisfactory nutrient profile on RTECs of the German 2010 sample: i) cereals not marketed to children, ii) clean labelling (free-from claims) and possibly organic labelling and whole grain claims. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the implementation of a mandatory nutrient profiling scheme for products with health-related on-pack information could contribute to a consistent relationship between health-related information on RTECs and the overall nutritional value of the product. Improvements should also consider the provision of a simple nutritional labelling scheme on the front of the packaging, standardized serving sizes, accurate product names, and clearly defined whole grain claims.