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Building on group discussions and interviews with life science researchers in Austria, this paper analyses the narratives that researchers use in describing what they feel responsible for, with a particular focus on how they perceive the societal responsibilities of their research. Our analysis shows that the core narratives used by the life scientists participating in this study continue to be informed by the linear model of innovation. This makes it challenging for more complex innovation models [such as responsible research and innovation (RRI)] to gain ground in how researchers make sense of and conduct their research. Furthermore, the paper shows that the life scientists were not easily able to imagine specific practices that would address broader societal concerns and thus found it hard to integrate the latter into their core responsibilities. Linked to this, researchers saw institutional reward structures (e.g. evaluations, contractual commitments) as strongly focused on scientific excellence ("I am primarily paid for publishing..."). Thus, they saw reward structures as competing with—rather than incentivising—broader notions of societal responsibility. This narrative framing of societal responsibilities is indicative of a structural marginalisation of responsibility practices and explains the claim, made by many researchers in our sample, that they cannot afford to spend time on such practices. The paper thus concludes that the core ideas of RRI stand in tension with predominant narrative and institutional infrastructures that researchers draw on to attribute meaning to their research practices. This suggests that scientific institutions (like universities, professional communities or funding institutions) still have a core role to play in providing new and context-specific narratives as well as new forms of valuing responsibility practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the results of an exploratory online survey among German, Austrian, and Swiss hospital chaplains (n = 158, response rate 17%) to identify the ethical conflicts they encounter in their work. Respondents indicated that questions surrounding end-of-life care are predominant among the conflicts faced. Chaplains get involved with these conflicts most often through the patients themselves or through nursing staff. Most encounters occur during pastoral care visits rather than in structured forms of ethics consultation such as clinical ethics committees. The results add to the ongoing discussion of chaplains as agents in ethics consultation within healthcare systems as well as their specific role and contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna, Austria from March 3-7, 2011. A total of 20,000 delegates from 96 countries participated while 79 papers on musculoskeletal were selected by the scientific committee. Researchers from the Netherlands presented data on the use of CT arthrography in assessing intrasubstance from a cadaveric knee. A group from Monza, Italy presented the topic of whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Background/objectives: Monitoring of processed products at the brand level was implemented in Austria, France and Romania on the basis of the Oqali methodology during the Joint Action on Nutrition and Physical Activity (JANPA) to compare the nutritional quality of the food offering. The objective of this paper is to present the results obtained during this study.Subjects/methods: Collected data were those available on product packaging. In total, 2155 soft drinks and 943 breakfast cereals were classified in a standardised list of product families and analysed in a harmonised way. For each product family, mean values for sugar, fat, saturated fat, salt and dietary fibres were compared between countries. Common products across countries were also studied.Results: For all the studied nutrients, significant differences were observed between countries, with a higher sugar content for Romania in regular carbonated and non-carbonated beverages containing fruits, regular lemonades and regular tonics and bitters (together with Austria for tonics), for France in fruit beverages with more than 50% fruit, and for Austria in low-sugar beverages containing tea. For France, higher nutrient contents were also observed for sugar in chocolate-flavoured cereals, filled cereals and cornflakes, and other plain cereals (at a similar level as Romania for cornflakes), and for saturated fats in honey/caramel cereals and crunchy mueslis. These differences were explained by a different food offering in the three countries, but also by differences in nutrient contents for common products. This study also showed high variability of the nutrient content within a product family, suggesting a real potential for product reformulation.Conclusions: National tools, at the branded products level, are essential to monitor the nutritional quality of the food offering, and to follow up on processed food reformulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the relevance of quantitative and qualitative aspects of social networks in a health context. The study combined a stress theoretical perspective with theories of social support and social capital in order to investigate the mechanisms behind the association of social network size and self-rated health. The main research question in the study is whether social integration affects health by changing stressor appraisal (perceived stressor intensity or anticipated stressor burden). The study used a survey of an Austrian student sample (n = 246) to measure two models of hypothetical exposure to a potentially stressful event. The findings indicate that individuals with larger trust and support networks consider potential stressors to be less threatening, which leads to a reduced level of stress symptoms and a better subjective health condition. The influence of network size on stressor appraisal is fully mediated by the perceived social embeddedness that these ties induce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an address given to the Austrian legislature in Vienna, Austria on March 3, 2004. The main focus is on the connection between insights from F.A. Hayek’s research program and experimental economics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper tries to explain how sociology as social research was re-founded in Austria after World-War II. It discusses a basic trend of applied research and demonstrates its theory of science implications and potential. The second half of the paper proposes to look at the increasing endeavors towards interdisciplinary cooperation as the future of the „historical mission“ of sociology. Instead of a further development of „general theory“ trying to hold together a more and more disintegrating field of sociology, thematic areas to focus upon in interdisciplinary studies are seen as the future tasks of social science. This might (and ought to) lead to a new fruitful confrontation with paradigmatic philosophical concepts of a postmodern character. Philosophy rather than general sociological theory should animate empirical research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstracts are presented on the topics of the founding of this journal, research methodology in sociology and sociology in Austria.

Low stakes assessment without grading the performance of students in educational systems has received increasing attention in recent years. It is used in formative assessments to guide the learning process as well as in large-scales assessments to monitor educational programs. Yet, such assessments suffer from high variation in students' test-taking effort. We aimed to identify institutional strategies related to serious test-taking behavior in low stakes assessment to provide medical schools with practical recommendations on how test-taking effort might be increased. First, we identified strategies that were already used by medical schools to increase the serious test-taking behavior on the low stakes Berlin Progress Test (BPT). Strategies which could be assigned to self-determination theory of Ryan and Deci were chosen for analysis. We conducted the study at nine medical schools in Germany and Austria with a total of 108,140 observations in an established low stakes assessment. A generalized linear-mixed effects model was used to assess the association between institutional strategies and the odds that students will take the BPT seriously. Overall, two institutional strategies were found to be positively related to more serious test-taking behavior: discussing low test performance with the mentor and consequences for not participating. Giving choice was negatively related to more serious test-taking behavior. At medical schools that presented the BPT as evaluation, this effect was larger in comparison to medical schools that presented the BPT as assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we report on the outcome of the 2nd International Danube Symposium on advanced biomarker development that was held in Vienna, Austria, in early 2018. During the meeting, cross-speciality participants assessed critical aspects of non-invasive, quantitative biomarker development in view of the need to expand our understanding of disease mechanisms and the definition of appropriate strategies both for molecular diagnostics and personalised therapies. More specifically, panelists addressed the main topics, including the current status of disease characterisation by means of non-invasive imaging, histopathology and liquid biopsies as well as strategies of gaining new understanding of disease formation, modulation and plasticity to large-scale molecular imaging as well as integrative multi-platform approaches. Highlights of the 2018 meeting included dedicated sessions on non-invasive disease characterisation, development of disease and therapeutic tailored biomarkers, standardisation and quality measures in biospecimens, new therapeutic approaches and socio-economic challenges of biomarker developments. The scientific programme was accompanied by a roundtable discussion on identification and implementation of sustainable strategies to address the educational needs in the rapidly evolving field of molecular diagnostics. The central theme that emanated from the 2nd Donau Symposium was the importance of the conceptualisation and implementation of a convergent approach towards a disease characterisation beyond lesion-counting "lumpology" for a cost-effective and patient-centric diagnosis, therapy planning, guidance and monitoring. This involves a judicious choice of diagnostic means, the adoption of clinical decision support systems and, above all, a new way of communication involving all stakeholders across modalities and specialities. Moreover, complex diseases require a comprehensive diagnosis by converging parameters from different disciplines, which will finally yield to a precise therapeutic guidance and outcome prediction. While it is attractive to focus on technical advances alone, it is important to develop a patient-centric approach, thus asking "What can we do with our expertise to help patients?" [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Scored Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) is the only malnutrition (risk) assessment tool that combines patient-generated measures with professional-generated (medical) factors. We aimed to apply international standards to produce a high quality, validated, translation and cultural adaptation of the original PG-SGA for the Austrian, German, and Swiss setting.Methods: Analogue to methodology used for the Dutch, Portuguese, and Thai versions of PG-SGA, the ten steps of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research's principles of good practice for translation and cultural adaptation were followed. Comprehensibility and difficulty of the translation were assessed in 103 patients and 104 healthcare professionals recruited from all three German-speaking countries. Content validity of the translation was assessed among healthcare professionals (HCP). Item and scale indices were calculated for content validity (I-CVI; S-CVI), comprehensibility (I-CI; S-CI), and difficulty (I-DI; S-DI).Results: Patients' perceived comprehensibility and difficulty of the PG-SGA fell within the range considered to be excellent (S-CI = 0.90, S-DI = 0.90), HCP-perceived content validity (S-CVI = 0.90) was also excellent, while HCP-perceived comprehensibility fell within the high range of acceptable (S-CI = 0.87). The professional component of the PG-SGA was perceived as below acceptable (S-DI = 0.72) with the physical exam being rated the most difficult (I-DI=0.29-0.75).Conclusions: The systematic approach resulted in a high-quality validation of the German language version of the PG-SGA, that is internationally comparable, comprehensible, easy to complete, and considered relevant for use in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: The objective of this study was to investigate the nature, management, and outcome of major injuries related to equestrian sports and to define the at-risk groups for serious and life-threatening injuries.Methods: We analyzed demographic, pre-hospital, clinical, and outcome data from an international population-based prospective trauma database (TraumaRegister DGU®). Patients with major injuries (Injury Severity Score [ISS] ≥9 points) related to equestrian sports activities were included (January 1, 1993, to December 31, 2012). Clinical and outcome parameters were stratified for four different types of injury mechanisms: fall from horse (FFH), horse-kick (HK), horse crush (HC), and carriage-related accidents (CRA). Participating countries included Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Slovenia, Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. Statistical analyses were performed with SPSS (Version 22, IBM Inc., Armonk, NY).Results: The Database identified 122,000 documented patients, of whom 679 were equestrian incidents. Among these, the four major injury mechanisms were: FFH (n = 427), HK (n = 188), HC (n = 34), and the CRA (n = 30). Females were more likely to sustain FFH (75.5%, p < 0.001), leading to head injuries (n = 204, 47.8%) and spinal fractures (n = 109, 25.5%). HK injuries often resulted in facial fractures (29.3%, p < 0.001). Individuals sustaining HC injuries had a high risk for pelvic (32.4%, p < 0.001) and abdominal injuries (35.2%, p < 0.001). In contrast to the FFH cohort, the CRA cohort involved older males (57 ± 13 years), with chest (63.3% p = 0.001), and extremity injuries, resulting in significant injury severity (ISS 20.7 ± 10.6). In the CRA cohort, 16% were in haemorrhagic shock on scene, and also the highest in-hospital mortality (14.8%, p = 0.006) was observed.Conclusions: Young female riders are at risk from falling, horse-kicks, and crush-injuries. Older males in carriage-related accidents sustained the highest injury severity and mortality rate, and must specifically be targeted by future prevention initiatives. Level of evidence Descriptive Epidemiologic Study, Level II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postoperative junctional ectopic tachycardia (JET) is a frequent complication after pediatric cardiac surgery. Current recommendations on how and when to treat JET are inconsistent. We evaluated the management strategies of postoperative JET in German-speaking countries. We sent an online survey to 30 centers of pediatric cardiology that perform surgery for congenital heart defects in Germany (24), Austria (4), and Switzerland (2). The survey asked 18 questions about how and in what treatment sequence postoperative JET was managed. All 30 centers completed the survey (100% return rate). There was general agreement that the management of JET is based on administration of antiarrhythmic drugs, body surface cooling, and temporary pacing. Many centers presented treatment algorithms based on published literature, all centers named amiodarone as the first drug of choice. Significant disagreement was found concerning the timing and sequential order of additional therapeutic measures and particularly about the dosing of amiodarone and the role of R-wave synchronized atrial pacing.Conclusion: This survey reveals that from center to center, the treatment of postoperative JET may vary substantially. Future work should focus on those treatment modalities where a high rate of variation is found. Such studies may be of value to achieve commonly adopted treatment recommendations. What is known: • Treatment of postoperative junctional ectopic tachycardia is predominantly based on administration of antiarrhythmic drugs, therapeutic cooling, and temporary pacing. • Amiodarone is the antiarrhythmic drug of choice in this context. What is new: • Dosing and duration of administration of amiodarone differ relevantly from center to center. • The sequential order of drug administration, therapeutic cooling, and pacing is not consistent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While the central role of HbA1c levels for the prediction of micro- and macrovascular complications in patients with type 1 diabetes is generally accepted; recommendations in current guidelines and the level of metabolic control actually achieved during routine care differ widely. Limited information is available on factors that influence metabolic control in the pediatric age group and during the transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care. In a large prospective multicenter database (DPV-Wiss), 338,330 individual HbA1c measurements from 27,035 patients with type-1 diabetes (94,074 observation years) were recorded between 1995 and 2005. Data were anonymously transmitted from 207 institutions. HbA1c values were mathematically standardized to the DCCT normal range (4.05-6.05%). The SAS 9.1 software was used for statistical analysis using nonparametric statistics. Median HbA1c for all measurements was 7.8%, with a strong effect of diabetes duration: median HbA1c at onset was 9.1%, during the first 2 years of diabetes 7.1% with a subsequent increase to 7.9% in patients beyond the remission phase (>2 years, 20,314 patients); a strong age dependency was present. HbA1c above the recommended guidelines was found in 23%. For all age groups, girls/women had higher HbA1c values compared to boys (mean difference 0.1%, p<0.0001). Seasonal variation was remarkably small with the lowest HbA1c values in September (mean: 7.86%) and highest values in January (8.08%; p<0.0001). Some improvement in HbA1c was observed comparing three periods: 1995-1997, 1998-2000 and 2001-2005; after remission the median HbA1c decreases from 8.5% to 7.6%. In a multivariate model, a significant influence on HbA1c was detected for age (p<0001), duration of diabetes (p<0.0001), gender (p<0.02), minority status (p<0.0001), season (p<0.0001), treatment period (p<0.0001), insulin therapy (p<0.0001) and center effect (p<0.0001).Conclusions: Both patient-related and treatment-related variables have a strong influence on metabolic control achieved in pediatric and young adult patients with T1DM. In contrast to wide-spread belief, metabolic control is only marginally better in summer compared to winter. Some improvement in metabolic control was observed during the last 10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: In this investigation the predictive value of the pediatric symptom checklist (PSC) in relation to the child behaviour checklist (CBCL) was studied in preschool children. Thirty nursery schools in the city and province of Salzburg participated in the study and a total of 179 correctly completed questionnaires (82 male and 97 female children) were analysed. Questionnaires were completed by the parents. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (SPSS 11.0). Predictive validity was determined by non-parametric correlations and calculations of sensitivity and specificity, as well as an ROC analysis. The mean PSC at 10.74 +/- 6.8 was found to be below both international and Austrian values for this age group and was also found to differ significantly between girls (9.33 +/- 6.2) and boys (12.4 +/- 7.1; p < 0.01). The recommended international cut-off point at 24 is too high. CBCL analysis resulted in 12.6% impaired (T value between 60 and 64) and 8.2% pathological children (T value > 64). PSC sensitivity in relation to the CBCL total score was 15.7% and specificity 98.5%. The cut-off was optimized with the help of ROC analysis and optimum specificity (80.2%) and sensitivity (81.1%) were obtained at a cut-off value of 15.5. This cut-off would allow 24.6% to be detected as impaired, which is somewhat above the frequency (20.2%) found by CBCL.Conclusion: To summarize, the PSC is a valid psychosocial screening instrument, at least for this age group, and thus applicable for German-speaking countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to estimate the number of infants who died of unrecognized congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) in Austria and the Czech Republic within the past 13 years, before the introduction of adequate neonatal screening. The study was based on retrospective analysis of neonatal screening cards of 242 infants who died suddenly between 7 days and 12 months of age and whose cause of death could not be identified. 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) was measured by fluoroimmunoassay and positive samples were subsequently genotyped. Three infants out of 242 may have had unrecognized CAH due to CYP21 (steroid 21-hydroxylase) gene defect. Their newborn 17-OHP levels and CYP21 genotypes were 706 nmol/l and del/conv//del/conv, 53 nmol/l and I2//I2, and 811 nmol/l and I2//Gln318stop, respectively. CAH due to CYP21 defect can lead to sudden unexpected death without prior symptoms typical for the condition. Hence, newborn screening would have prevented these deaths had it been available. In addition, we have shown that the I2 point mutation that is expected to lead to simple virilizing form may lead to a fatal outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A retrospective study consisting of a data analysis of the Salzburg Child Protection Team (CPT) documentation and medical documentation was carried out. The objective was to investigate the frequency and distribution of maltreatment diagnoses and the spectrum of clinical symptoms of children reported to the interdisciplinary Salzburg CPT between 1996 and 2001.Results and Discussion: The documentation covered a total of 286 children and adolescents (117 boys, 169 girls; mean age: 6.9+/-4.9 years) that the CPT suspected of being maltreated. The annual mean frequency of children reported to the CPT was 0.72% of all inpatients, with maltreatment being confirmed in 0.44% of the cases (61.2% of the children reported). The maltreatment could be classified into physical (26.9%), sexual (14.0%), neglect (17.5%) and Munchhausen's syndrome by proxy (2.4%). In 17.5% of the suspected cases the suspicion of maltreatment was subsequently judged to be incorrect, while in 21.7% of the cases, doubt remained. In 43% of all cases the suspected perpetrators were one or both parents, and in 8.3% the perpetrator was a person from outside the family. The police were informed in 20.3% of the cases, and the Youth Welfare Department was informed in 62.6% of the cases. In conclusion, the frequency of maltreatment diagnoses is lower than expected.Conclusion: Although the work of CPT can be considered to be effective and useful, better diagnostic selectivity and specificity and a long-term follow-up are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Hypoglycaemia is a major side-effect of insulin treatment. It is known that young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) show a higher risk of hypoglycaemia than older children. This study was performed to analyse the incidence of hypoglycaemia within the first 14 days (day 1-day 14) of insulin treatment in children at the onset of T1DM and to evaluate the influence of age and insulin dosage. The Paediatric Quality Initiative (DPV), including data from 121 centres in Germany and Austria, provided anonymous data of 1,680 patients (age 0.7-18.8 years; 799 girls) at the onset of T1DM. Hypoglycaemia was defined as a blood glucose level (BG) <2.8 mmol/l (50 mg/dl). The hypoglycaemia rate rose continuously from day 2 (4.8%) to day 5 (11.2%) and then remained stable between 8.7%-11.2% until day 14. The hypoglycaemia rate was higher in younger than in older children (P <0.0001). Multiple regression analysis revealed an influence of age (P <0.0001), insulin dosage (P = 0.0034), and route of initial treatment (P = 0.0052) on the hypoglycaemia rate. From day 2 to day 14, the insulin dosage itself was higher in females than in males (P = 0.0147), in patients with high HbA1c (P = 0.0001), high BG (P <0.0001), or low pH (P <0.0001). There was no influence of age on the insulin dosage.Conclusion: During the first 14 days after onset of type 1 diabetes mellitus, young children, intravenous-treated patients and patients receiving a high insulin dosage are at particular risk of developing hypoglycaemia. In order to avoid hypoglycaemia, blood glucose should be measured frequently and the insulin dosage should be carefully adjusted. Low blood glucose levels should be treated promptly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Meningococcal disease may present as sepsis, meningitis or a combination of both. Impaired fibrinolysis and massive elevation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is a characteristic feature of meningococcal sepsis. Previously, an association between mortality and the functional 4G/5G promoter polymorphism of the PAI-1gene in a cohort of UK and Dutch children with meningococcal sepsis was reported. We carried out a prospective, multicentre study to investigate the association of the 4G/5G PAI-1 polymorphism, diagnosis, and outcome in meningococcal disease in a Central European and UK population. Blood samples and clinical information of 347 previously healthy children with meningococcal infection were collected from 95 paediatric hospitals in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Austria from 2000 until 2002. Mortality was significantly associated with the 4G/4G genotype (12 of 90 (13%) vs. 15 of 240 (6%), P = 0.037), resulting in an odds ratio of 2.31. The diagnosis of sepsis (independent of symptoms of meningitis) was significantly more frequent in carriers of the 4G/4G genotype (P = 0.01), resulting in an odds ratio of 2.21 to develop sepsis. Meningitis was not associated with the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism, and allele frequencies were similar in patient and control groups.Conclusion: Our data show a correlation between the 4G/4G genotype in the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 gene and poor outcome in children with meningococcal infection. In addition, 4G homozygous patients were prone to develop sepsis. We found no influence of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 polymorphism on the susceptibility to invasive meningococcal infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Hypoglycaemia is frequently the limiting factor in achieving optimal glycaemic control. Therefore, insulin therapy, the incidence of hypoglycaemia, and glycaemic control were investigated in 6309 unselected children with type 1 diabetes in a large-scale multicentre study. Using standardised computer-based documentation, the incidence of severe hypoglycaemia, HbA1( c) levels, insulin regimen, diabetes duration, and the number of patients attending a treatment centre were investigated for the age groups 0-<5 years ( n =782), 5-<7 years ( n =1053), and 7-<9 years ( n =4474). The average HbA1( c) level was 7.6% (no significant difference between age groups). Young children had more severe hypoglycaemic events (31.2/100 patient years) as compared to older children (19.7; 21.7/100 patient years, P <0.05) independent of the treatment regimen. Our data suggest that diabetes centres treating less than 50 patients per year have a higher incidence of hypoglycaemia in 0-<5-year-old children (43.0/100 patient years) as compared to larger centres (24.1/100 patient years; P <0.0001). Significant predictors of hypoglycaemia were younger age ( P <0.0001), longer diabetes duration ( P <0.0001), higher insulin dose/kg per day ( P <0.0001), injection regimen ( P <0.0005), and centre experience ( P <0.05).Conclusion: Despite modern treatment, young children have an elevated risk for developing severe hypoglycaemia compared to older children, especially when treated at smaller diabetes centres. The therapeutic goal of carefully regulating metabolic control without developing hypoglycaemia has still not been achieved. Further advances in diabetic treatment may result from giving more attention to hypoglycaemia in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: This study was performed to investigate whether the body mass index (BMI) of diabetic children at manifestation is related to the non-random risk distribution in Austria and whether there is an association with the BMI of the background population. All newly diagnosed cases aged <15 years (n=1644) from 1989 to 2000 were allocated to districts using the postal code. BMI at the time of diagnosis was derived from the Austrian incidence data sheet in 99.3% of the registered cases. Data on BMI of the whole population >14 years of age for the year 1991 and birth weight for the years 1989-1999 were derived from Statistics Austria. Linear regression as well as ecological regression (Poisson) models with correction for non-linearity were used. BMI at diabetes manifestation was positively associated with year of diagnosis (P<0.05) and the age at diagnosis (P<0.01). An increase in BMI when moving from West to East (P<0.01) and a higher BMI at diagnosis in boys than girls (P<0.01) was observed. The ecological regression model showed a positive significant association of BMI in newborns and a positive trend of BMI in the background population with incidence rates.Conclusion: our data support the hypothesis that obesity may be a risk factor not only for type 2 but for type 1 in children acting as an accelerator for the clinical manifestation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Until recently, most children with diabetes mellitus had type 1 diabetes (T1DM). The prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is on the rise in North America, especially in risk populations such as the American Indians. Few epidemiological data on the incidence of the disease exist in Europe. In a prospective population-based epidemiological study, all newly diagnosed cases of diabetes mellitus in patients under 15 years of age were registered nation-wide in Austria between 1999 and 2001. Differential diagnosis (according to the American Diabetes Association diagnostic criteria) was based on clinical case definition. During the 3 years of the study period, 529 cases of DM <15 years were documented, of which 510 were clinically assigned to T1DM (271 boys, 239 girls) resulting in an incidence rate of 12.4/100,000. In the same network, eight cases were diagnosed as T2DM (one boy, seven girls) and two cases with an atypical form of T2DM (two girls). The age of onset of T2DM was 12-15 years and all patients were overweight (body mass index >90th percentile). The calculated incidence for T2DM <15 years in Austria was 0.25/100,000.Conclusion: at present, type 2 diabetes mellitus is rare but exists in children aged under 15 years in Austria. Follow-up of this registration will help to describe the secular trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unlabelled: Thermal stress has been postulated to play a major role in the aetiology of sudden infant death (SID). The human uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1), expressed in brown adipose tissue dissipates the transmitochondrial proton gradient as heat and plays a central role in energy homeostasis and thermogenesis. A common Bcl I polymorphism in the promoter region of the UCP-1 gene is associated with reduced UCP-1 adipose tissue mRNA and obesity. In addition, a common sequence variation in the beta3-adrenergic receptor gene (beta3-AR), Trp64Arg, has been linked to a decreased resting metabolic rate. To determine whether the UCP-1 Bcl I polymorphism and/or the Trp64Arg variant of beta3-AR are associated with the occurrence of SID, we determined the allele frequencies of these polymorphisms in 53 Austrian SID victims and 54 controls by nested PCR and restriction digestion using DNA extracted from Guthrie cards. We found that the allele frequencies of both polymorphisms did not differ between the SID and control groups (0.65/0.35 versus 0.72/0.28 for UCP-1 Bcl I, and 0.89/0.11 versus 0.93/0.07 for beta3-AR Trp64Arg in SID victims versus controls, respectively). Conclusion: Our data do not support a major association between the occurrence of sudden infant death and two common functional polymorphisms in the human uncoupling protein-1 and beta3-adrenergic receptor genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]