So2Sat POP - A Curated Benchmark Data Set for Population Estimation from Space on a Continental Scale.

Obtaining a dynamic population distribution is key to many decision-making processes such as urban planning, disaster management and most importantly helping the government to better allocate socio-technical supply. For the aspiration of these objectives, good population data is essential. The traditional method of collecting population data through the census is expensive and tedious. In recent years, statistical and machine learning methods have been developed to estimate population distribution. Most of the methods use data sets that are either developed on a small scale or not publicly available yet. Thus, the development and evaluation of new methods become challenging. We fill this gap by providing a comprehensive data set for population estimation in 98 European cities. The data set comprises a digital elevation model, local climate zone, land use proportions, nighttime lights in combination with multi-spectral Sentinel-2 imagery, and data from the Open Street Map initiative. We anticipate that it would be a valuable addition to the research community for the development of sophisticated approaches in the field of population estimation.

[Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection on Symptoms and Therapy of Inflammatory Bowel Disease]. / Auswirkungen einer SARS-CoV-2-Infektion auf Symptomatik und Therapie chronisch-entzündlicher Darmerkrankungen.

INTRODUCTION: The influence of a SARS-CoV-2 infection on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has not yet been well characterized and it is unclear whether this requires an adaptation of the immunosuppressive therapy. METHODS: A national register was established for the retrospective documentation of clinical parameters and changes in immunosuppressive therapy in SARS-CoV-2 infected IBD patients. RESULTS: In total, only 3 of 185 IBD patients (1.6 %) were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection because of abdominal symptoms. In the course of COVID-19 disease, 43.5 % developed diarrhea, abdominal pain or hematochezia (risk of hospitalization with vs. without abdominal symptoms: 20.0 % vs. 10.6 %, p < 0.01). With active IBD at the time of SARS-CoV-2 detection, there was an increased risk of hospitalization (remission 11.2 %, active IBD 23.3 % p < 0.05). IBD-specific therapy remained unchanged in 115 patients (71.4 %); the most common change was an interruption of systemic therapy (16.2 %). DISCUSSION: New abdominal symptoms often appeared in SARS-CoV-2 infected IBD patients. However, these only rarely led to SARS-CoV-2 testing. A high IBD activity at the time of SARS-CoV-2 detection was associated with an increased risk of hospitalization.

Comparing Physical Container Closure Integrity Test Methods and Artificial Leak Methodologies.

The sterility of drug products intended for parenteral administration is a critical quality attribute (CQA) because it serves to ensure patient safety and is thus a key requirement by health authorities. While sterility testing is a probabilistic test, the assurance of sterility is a holistic concept including adequate design of manufacturing facilities, process performance, and product design. Container closure integrity testing (CCIT) is necessary to confirm the integrity of a container closure system (CCS), until the end of a product's shelf life. The new and revised United States Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapter <1207> is a comprehensive guidance on CCI. Nevertheless, practical considerations including the choice of CCIT methods, the acceptance criteria, or the positive control samples (artificial leaks) must be addressed by the pharmaceutical manufacturer.This study is the first to provide a systematic comparison of four commonly used physical CCIT (pCCIT) methods [Helium (He) leak, vacuum decay, laser-based headspace analysis (HSA), and dye ingress] and four commonly used modes of creating artificial leaks (laser-drilled micro holes, copper wire introduced leaks, and two types of capillary leaks).The results from these experiments provide comprehensive data to allow a direct comparison of the capabilities of the individual methods. The results confirmed that the He leak detection method, which is considered the "gold-standard" for pCCIT regarding method sensitivity, indeed demonstrates the highest detection sensitivity (lowest detection limit). In comparison to the dye ingress method, HSA and vacuum decay also demonstrated better detection sensitivity in our study.Capillary leaks with orifice diameter (capillary leak with flow according to an ideal orifice) and micro holes yielded similar leak rates, whereas capillaries with nominal diameters yielded significantly lower leak rates. In conclusion, method sensitivity cannot be compared by means of a leak diameter, but requires the consideration of multiple impacting factors (e.g., path length, uniformity).LAY ABSTRACT: Sterility of drug products intended for parenteral administration is a critical quality attribute to ensure patient's safety and is thus a key requirement by health authorities. The absence of microbial contamination must be demonstrated by container closure integrity (CCI) of the container closure system (CCS). Currently, the revised United States Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapter <1207> provides the most extensive guidance on how CCI should be assessed. Nevertheless, practical considerations on the choice of an appropriate CCIT method, artificial leaks or the choice of an acceptance criteria are lacking and must be addressed by the pharmaceutical manufacturer.This study provides a systematic comparison of four commonly used physical CCIT (pCCIT) methods [Helium (He) leak, vacuum decay, laser-based headspace analysis (HSA) and dye ingress] and four commonly used modes of creating artificial leaks (laser-drilled micro holes, copper wire introduced leaks, and two types of capillary leaks).

Analysis of lifestyle factors in patients with concomitant chronic pancreatitis and liver cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Chronic pancreatitis (CP) and liver cirrhosis (LC) are common gastroenterological disorders but their co-incidence is considered to be rare. This study was designed to identify lifestyle factors that are associated with the development of concomitant LC in patients with CP. METHODS: In a retrospective case-control study between 2000 and 2005 122 patients with both CP and LC and 223 matched control patients with CP and no known liver disease were identified in 11 European university medical centers. Another 24 patients and 48 CP controls were identified in the period between 2006 and 2012. RESULTS: Alcoholism was most commonly regarded as aetiology for both CP (82.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 75.0-88.0%) and LC (79.5%; 95% CI: 72.0-85.7%) as compared to controls with CP only (68.6%; 95% CI: 62.7-74.1%). The preferred type of alcoholic beverage and pattern of alcohol intake were the only significant lifestyle factors in multivariate analysis. Frequency of alcohol intake (p = 0.105) and smoking status (p = 0.099) were not significant in bivariate analysis and dropped out of the multivariate model. Recurrent and chronic pancreatic pain was observed more often in patients with only CP, whereas gallstones were more common in individuals with both chronic disorders. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that certain lifestyle factors might be important for the development of concomitant CP and LC. More studies will be needed to identify additional genetic and environmental factors underlying this association.

Effects of systemic administration of a local anesthetic on pain in acute pancreatitis: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Intravenous local anesthetics may ameliorate pain and clinical course in patients with major abdominal surgery. AIM: To investigate their effects in acute pancreatitis. METHODS: Forty-six consecutive patients with acute pancreatitis randomly received intravenous procaine (2 g/24 h) or placebo for 72 hours in a double-blind fashion. Pain severity (visual analog scale, 0-100), on-demand pain medication (metamizole and/or buprenorphine), and the clinical course were monitored every 24 hours. RESULTS: Data of 44 patients were subjected to intention-to-treat analysis. Although there were no differences between groups before treatment, procaine treatment was associated with a stronger decrease in pain compared with placebo (median visual analog scale decrement, -62 vs -39, P = 0.025). Moreover, there was a greater proportion of patients with adequate (≥ 67%) pain reduction (75% vs 43%, P = 0.018), less use of additional analgesics (P = 0.042), and overall analgesic superiority (P = 0.015). Compared with placebo, the proportion of patients hospitalized after 2 weeks was reduced by 80% after procaine treatment (P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the hypothesis that systemic administration of local anesthetics might improve pain and accelerate clinical recovery in acute pancreatitis.

Colloidal ZnO quantum dots in ultraviolet pillar microcavities.

Three dimensional light confinement and distinct pillar microcavity modes in the ultraviolet have been observed in pillar resonators with embedded colloidal ZnO quantum dots fabricated by focused ion beam milling. Results from a waveguide model for the mode patterns and their spectral positions are in excellent agreement with the experimental data.

Colloidal quantum dots in all-dielectric high-Q pillar microcavities.

We have fabricated all-dielectric high-Q optical pillar resonators with embedded colloidal CdSe/ZnS quantum dots or rods as light emitters by focused ion beam milling. Three-dimensional light confinement and distinct pillar microcavity modes are observed. Results from a waveguide model for the mode patterns and their spectral positions are in excellent agreement with the experimental data. Cavities with elliptical cross sections show higher quality factors in the short axis direction than do circular resonators of the same cross-sectional area.