Inhibition of procoagulant pathways may improve outcome in sepsis. We examined whether a dual short-acting thrombin (factor II) and factor X (FX)a inhibitor (SATI) ameliorates sepsis-induced disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and is organ-protective. Escherichia coli were infused for 2 h in 22 anesthetized baboons. The control (CO) group (n = 8) received sterile isotonic solution only. In the treatment groups, SATI was administered starting 15 minutes after the end of the bacterial exposure. In the low-dose group (LD-SATI, n = 8), SATI was infused with 75 μg/kg/h for the first hour, followed by 23 μg/kg/h until the end of the study. In the high-dose SATI group (HD-SATI, n = 6), 225 μg/kg/h was administered for the first hour followed by continuous infusion of 69 μg/kg/h until termination of the study. Sepsis-induced DIC was attenuated, as reflected by lower peak thrombin-antithrombin complexes (threefold) and D-dimer levels (twofold) in both SATI groups compared to the CO. This coincided with strongly improved cell/organ protection assessed by decreased levels of lactate dehydrogenase (threefold), creatinine (twofold), aspartate aminotransferase (threefold), and amylase (twofold) compared to the CO group. Anuria, which started at 8 h in the CO group, was prevented in both SATI groups. Peak interleukin-6 release at 12 h was prevented in the treatment groups. In both SATI groups, fewer catecholamines were necessary and no bleeding complications were observed. Dual inhibition of thrombin and FXa preserved activation of coagulation, protected organ function and ameliorated inflammation in severe Gram-negative sepsis in baboons. SATI could be a novel therapeutic agent against sepsis-induced DIC.

Complex problem solving (CPS) can be interpreted as the number of psychological mechanisms that allow us to reach our targets in difficult situations, that can be classified as complex, dynamic, non-transparent, interconnected, and multilayered, and also polytelic. The previous results demonstrated associations between the personality dimensions neuroticism, conscientiousness, and extraversion and problem-solving performance. However, there are no studies dealing with personality disorders in connection with CPS skills. Therefore, the current study examines a clinical sample consisting of people with personality and/or depressive disorders. As we have data for all the potential personality disorders and also data from each patient regarding to potential depression, we meet the whole range from healthy to impaired for each personality disorder and for depression. We make use of a unique operationalization: CPS was surveyed in a simulation game, making use of the microworld approach. This study was designed to investigate the hypothesis that personality traits are related to CPS performance. Results show that schizotypal, histrionic, dependent, and depressive persons are less likely to successfully solve problems, while persons having the additional behavioral characteristics of resilience, action orientation, and motivation for creation are more likely to successfully solve complex problems.

The relationship between cognitive abilities and students’ achievement in math is well documented. However, theoretical views on the chronological development of cognitive ability and math success remain controversial. Empirically, mutual effects between these concepts amongst primary school children have not yet been adequately addressed, because longitudinal data have mostly been limited to two measurement time points. The present study aims to fill this gap by investigating whether cognitive abilities can predict math success across time (unidirectional effect) or whether a reciprocal effect according to the theory of mutualism is more in line with longitudinal data. It also provides information on the stability of intelligence and mathematics achievement in primary school children. Taking into account four measurement occasions, cognitive ability, and achievement in math, N = 1726 primary school students were annually examined. We analyzed construct-specific latent variables and cross-lagged effects over four years. Results indicate a unidirectional cross-lagged relationship pattern rather than a mutual effect between reasoning ability and math achievement. However, over time, the influence of math achievement on cognitive ability increases slightly, which stresses the importance of knowledge acquisition in math for cognitive development over time, and a fairly high stability of cognitive ability and mathematics achievement in primary school age.

This quantitative study reveals the usage of history textbooks in upper secondary school settings in comparison with already published data taken from lower secondary school settings. A retrospective survey was conducted using a sample of 147 Austrian university students from different disciplines to identify distinct profiles of history textbook use in relation to students’ conception of history through latent profile analyses and other quantitative approaches. The analyses reveal two clusters of students’ perceptions of how they acquire historical knowledge through textbooks. The results suggest that students who more frequently worked with textbooks in their history classes showed a greater tendency towards content orientation. More frequent detailed interaction with the textbook (that is, reading authorial texts and solving tasks) promotes critical comprehension of historical content. Options for further research are also discussed.

Intact parathyroid hormone (PTHi) plays a central role in the regulation of mineral and bone metabolism. Due to post-translational modifications of the hormone, the interpretation of elevated PTHi values is challenging and may benefit from an expanded analytical panel. Within this project, additional parameters of calcium–phosphate metabolism, such as non-oxidised parathyroid hormone (noxPTH), calcidiol, vitamin D binding protein (VDBP), and fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) were evaluated in a control population of 177 individuals as well as 182 patients with renal, gastroenterological, and liver diseases. While PTHi and noxPTH levels were up to 10-fold higher in dialysis patients, the proportion of noxPTH on PTHi was significantly higher for all patient groups showing signs of inflammation. However, no strong confounders for PTHi could be identified. The correlation between CRP and the proportion of oxidised PTHi in total PTHi suggests an influence of inflammatory oxidative stress on the proportion of active noxPTH. Apart from the established role of vitamin D, the addition of noxPTH and its proportion of total PTHi in the assessment of unclear PTHi elevations seems reasonable, whereas there is no evidence for the standardised analysis of further parameters such as FGF23 and VDBP.