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Az ipar és a munkaerőpiac jelenével és jövőjével foglalkozó szakirodalmak jelentős része kijelenti, hogy napjainkban a negyedik ipari forradalom zajlik. Tanulmányunkban arra vállalkozunk, hogy feltárjuk a digitális transzformáció oktatásra és munkaerőpiacra gyakorolt hatását, valamint megvizsgáljuk, hogy az elmúlt évtizedekben milyen változások mentek végbe a magyar lakosság legmagasabb iskolai végzettsége tekintetébe. Célunk, hogy rávilágítsunk a megszerzett képzettségek és az ipar 4.0. megjelenése közötti összefüggésekre. A Központi Statisztikai Hivatal népszámlálási adatai segítségével bemutatjuk, hogy hogyan alakult a magyar népesség iskolázottsága az elmúlt évtizedekben. Arra a következtetésre jutottunk, hogy a rendkívüli gyorsaságú digitális fejlődés hatására a társadalmi és a gazdasági környezet egyaránt jelentős változáson ment keresztül. A magyar népesség iskolázottsága az elmúlt évtizedekben folyamatosan növekszik, drasztikusan csökken az iskolázatlanok aránya, ezzel párhuzamosan nő a közép- és felsőfokú végzettséget szerzők aránya. Ez egy nagyon pozitív trend, hiszen felgyorsult világunkban a jövő munkavállalóinak ahhoz, hogy sikeresek legyenek a munkaerőpiacon, új készségeket kell elsajátítaniuk. A gyors technológiai fejlődés hatására az oktatási rendszerben számos megoldandó, eddig ismeretlen probléma kell majd megoldást találni. Annak érdekében pedig, hogy gazdaságunk a legnagyobb előnyt profitálhassa a jelenleg is zajló negyedik ipari forradalomból, az ipar, az oktatás és a munkaerőpiac minden eddiginél összehangoltabb működésére van szükség.

A professzionalizációs szakirodalom egyik kulcsfogalma az autonómia, a történeti szociológiai kutatások azonban eddig csekély mértékben alkalmazták szisztematikusan. A blokkot bevezető szöveg célja az autonómia fogalmát tárgyaló szociológiai irodalom nagyobb fordulópontjainak bemutatása, a fogalom kontextualizálása, valamint a hazai hivatások 19–20. századi fejlődésének történetéből vett példákkal annak illusztrálása, hogy milyen és hányféle akadályba ütközve folyt a születő hivatások autonómiáért vívott küzdelme. Az elméleti irodalom és a blokk két elméleti tanulmánya (Randall Collins és Hannes Siegrist írásai) alapján három fő elemzési dimenziót emelhetünk ki. Egyrészt a hivatásgyakorlók és a társadalom (kliensek, felhasználók, fogyasztók) viszonyát; másrészt a hivatás(ok) és az állam kapcsolatát; és végezetül a hivatás és a többi foglalkozás vagy hivatás között fennálló viszonyokat. A blokkban szereplő történeti szociológiai esettanulmányok ezeknek a dimenzióknak a sajátosságait mutatják meg egy-egy kiválasztott hivatás (a tanárok, az ügyvédek és a gyógyszerészek) esetében.

Q fever is a disease of high zoonotic potential, but interest in its causative agent is rather low although it causes some public health problems in Hungary. The prevalence of Q fever is highly variable by country. The main reservoirs of the disease are the same domestic ruminant species everywhere, but the epidemiological profile depends on the features of the specific reservoir. The aim of this large-scale study was to demonstrate the importance of Q fever in different species as a possible source for human infection in most regions of Hungary. A total of 851 serum samples from 44 dairy farms, 16 sheep flocks, 4 goat farms and 3 zoos located in different parts of Hungary were tested. The presence of antibodies to Coxiella burnetii was surveyed in dairy cattle (n = 547), goats (n = 71), sheep (n = 200) and zoo animals (n = 33). The animal species tested in Hungary showed different seroprevalence values of C. burnetii infection. Seropositivity by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was found in 258 out of 547 (47.2%) cows and in 69 out of 271 (25.5%) small ruminants, among them in 47 out of 200 (23.5%) sheep and in 22 out of 71 (31.0%) goats. Antibodies to C. burnetii were not detected in zoo animals. Seropositivity was demonstrated in 44 out of 44 (100%) dairy cattle farms, with at least one serum sample found to be positive on each farm. The seropositivity rate of small ruminant farms was 55.0% (11 positive out of 20 tested), with 9 out of 16 (56.3%) sheep flocks and 2 out of 4 (50.0%) goat herds showing seropositivity.

A koronavírus-járvány megjelenése sokként érte fogyasztói társadalmunkat. Egyik napról a másikra radikálisan átalakította felgyorsult életünket. Az egészségügyi kockázatok csökkentése, valamint a gazdaság összeomlásának elkerülése érdekében olyan változásokat követelt meg a munkáltatóktól és a munkavállalóktól egyaránt, melyre korábban még nem volt példa. A bevezetett kényszerintézkedések jelentős hatást gyakoroltak a foglalkoztatottság alakulására is; a munkanélküliek száma megemelkedett, az otthoni munkavégzés általánossá vált, a pályaelhagyók aránya nőtt, a külföldön munkát vállaló személyek száma pedig csökkent a krízis előtti időszakhoz képest. A digitális transzformáció nyújtotta lehetőségek és eszközök nemcsak az otthoni munkavégzés során bizonyultak hatékonynak, hozzájárultak az online oktatás megvalósításához, a kapcsolatok ápolásához és az online szolgáltatások (pl. vásárlás, rekreációs tevékenységek) térnyeréséhez is. A témában való elmélyülés érdekében hazai (Szellő 2020, Józsa 2018, Nemeskéri et al. 2016) és nemzetközi (Statista 2020, Gajendran- Harrison 2007, Caseli-Coleman 2006) szakirodalmi forráselemezést végzünk, valamint az elérhető statisztikai adatokat (ÁSZ, KSH, NFSZ) elemezzük, az eredményeket összevetjük egy korábbi, home office témakörben lefolytatott saját kérdőíves vizsgálat (Pirohov-Tóth, 2020) eredményeivel. Az online adatfelvétel 2020. május 25-től június 1-ig zajlott 321 fő bevonásával. Elemzésünkben a kérdőív adatai segítségével statisztikai elemzést végzünk annak érdekében, hogy a feltárt munkaerő-piaci problémák megoldására átfogó, komplex foglalkoztatást segítő javaslatokat tudjunk kidolgozni. A jövőben – a foglalkoztatottság növelés érdekében ‒ szükségessé válik a megváltozott munkaerő-piaci igényeknek megfelelő átképzések biztosítása a munkával nem rendelkezők számára, ahol lehetőségük nyílik az új készségek (kreativitás, önálló munkavégzés, rugalmasság, gyors alkalmazkodás) elsajátítására is. Hazánk gazdasági visszarendeződése és a foglalkoztatás újbóli fellendítése érdekében pedig szükségessé válik a munkaerő-piaci szereplők szoros együttműködése, valamint az állam által nyújtott lehetőségek igénybevétele. The coronavirus pandemic has had a shocking effect on our consumer society. From one day to another, it has changed our accelerated lives radically. To reduce health risks and to avoid economic collapse, it demanded both the employers and the employees to make changes that were formerly unprecedented. The forced measures taken exerted a significant impact on employment, as well; the number of the unemployed has increased, home office work has become general, the rate of career changers has grown and the number of those working abroad has lowered as compared to the period before the crisis. The possibilities and tools offered by digital transformation have proved to be effective not only in home office work but have contributed to implementing online education, keeping contacts and the spread of online services (e.g. shopping or recreation activities), as well. To search deeper in the topic, we have made a source analysis of the domestic (Szellő 2020, Józsa 2018, Nemeskéri et al. 2016) and the international (Statista 2020, Gajendran- Harrison 2007, Caseli-Coleman 2006) literature, have analysed the available statistical data (ÁSZ, KSH, NFSZ), and have compared the results to the outcomes of an own query research (Pirohov-Tóth, 2020) implemented earlier in the home office topic. Online data collection was implemented between May 25 2020 and June 1 with the involvement of 321 persons. Using the data gained from the query, we made an analysis in order to become able to elaborate proposals supporting complex employment that could solve the revealed labour market problems. To enhance employment, in the future it will be necessary to provide re-trainings meeting the labour market demands for the unemployed where they can acquire new skills (creativity, independent work, flexibility, rapid adaption etc.), as well. To support the economic recovery of our country and to re-boost employment, the tight cooperation of labour market participants and the utilization of possibilities offered by the state will be inevitable.

Kiss Zsuzsanna (2012): Hagyományos és modern kulturális határok. Zala megye nyilvános élete az 1860-as években.

Osteoarthritis (OA) as the most common joint disease is a major public health concern.To investigate the effect of multimorbidity on functional and quality of life outcomes in women with generalized osteoathritis (hand and knee arthritis, GOA).In this cross-sectional study, patients according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for OA were invited. The control group consisted of subjects without any musculoskeletal symptoms, osteoarthritis or inflammatory rheumatic disease. Comorbidity count was calculated from the investigated comorbidities. In the GOA group, the function was assessed by Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC), Cochin Hand Scale, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), while quality of life was measured in both groups with the EuroQol-5D Scale. Interaction between summarized comorbidity count, age, body mass index (BMI) and scores were analysed. Descriptive statistics, two-sample t-test and Pearson's correlation test were used for data analysis.The study groups included 200-200 participants with a similar age spread. Significant correlation was demonstrated in both study groups between higher comorbidity count and older age (0.37, p0.001, and 0.24, p0.001 in the GOA and the control group, respectively) and higher BMI (0.18, p: 0.01, and 0.45, p0.001 in the GOA and the control group, respectively). In GOA, the increasing comorbidity number had a negative effect on the measured outcomes.Age and BMI showed strong correlation with multimorbidity in both groups. The lower correlation between BMI and comorbidity count in the GOA group requires further investigation and may suggest different interactions. Orv Hetil. 2020; 161(32): 1332-1340.

Until recently, the diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has been associated with severe life-long motor disability in adults and with early death in infants. The new experimental therapeutic approaches of the last few years have become more and more promising, while nusinersen was approved for the treatment of SMA in December 2016 in the USA, and in May 2017 in Hungary. Our paper presents mechanisms and clinical benefits of this new medication, and highlights some of the other therapeutic strategies still in experimental stages.

Until recently, the diagnosis of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has been associated with severe life-long motor disability in adults and with early death in infants. The new experimental therapeutic approaches of the last few years have become more and more promising, while nusinersen was approved for the treatment of SMA in December 2016 in the USA, and in May 2017 in Hungary. Our paper presents mechanisms and clinical benefits of this new medication, and highlights some of the other therapeutic strategies still in experimental stages.A spinalis izomatrophia (SMA) diagnózisa néhány éve még többségében élethosszig tartó mozgáskorlátozottságot, cse­csemők esetén pedig a biztos korai halált jelentette. Az el­múlt évek széles körű terápiás próbálkozásai egyre ígéretesebbnek tűntek, míg 2016 decemberében az USA-ban, majd 2017 májusában Magyarországon is megkapta a forgalmazási engedélyt az első, SMA terápiájára kifejlesztett hatóanyag, a nusinersen. Cikkünk az új terápiás lehetőség lényegét, eddigi eredményeit és az egyelőre kísérleti stádiumban lévő további lehetőségeket tárgyalja.

A methodology utilizing HPLC was suggested and validated for determination of the glycerol in beer. The chromatographic separation was carried out on a Waters Sugar-Pak1 (6.5 mm i.d. by 300 mm in l...

The buffering capacity of wort plays an important role in determining the pH of beer. The technological factors influencing buffering capacity of wort were investigated as the first steps toward th...

Thrombo-haemorrhagic events are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in essential thrombocythemia. The aim of this study was to estimate the incidence of thrombotic events and the impact of the JAK2V617F, MPL (W515L, W515K, W515R, W515A and S505N) and CALR (type-1, type-2) mutations on 101 essential thrombocythaemia patients (72 females and 29 males with a mean age of 61 years) diagnosed in a Southern Hungarian regional academic centre. The incidence of major thrombosis was 13.86 %. Sixty percent of the patients carried the JAK2V617F mutation. The MPL mutations were analysed by sequencing and the W515L was the only one we could identify with an incidence of 3.96 %. Type-2 CALR mutation could be identified in 3 cases among the patients who had JAK2/MPL-unmutated ET. Statistical analyses revealed that the JAK2V617F mutation was associated with significantly increased levels of platelet (p = 0.042), haemoglobin (p = 0.000), red blood cell (p = 0.000) and haematocrit (p = 0.000) and hepatomegaly (p = 0.045) at diagnosis compared to JAK2V617F negative counterparts, however there was no significant association between the JAK2V617F mutation status (relative risk: 1.297, 95 % CI 0.395-4.258; p = 0.668) and subsequent thrombotic complications. The impact of JAK2V617F, MPL W515L and CALR mutations on the clinical findings at the diagnosis of ET was obvious, but their statistically significant role in the prediction of thrombotic events could not be proven in this study. Our results indirectly support the concept that, besides the quantitative and qualitative changes in the platelets, the mechanisms leading to thrombosis are more complex and multifactorial.

Determination of the oligosaccharide composition in different wort samples is important to monitor their change during the brewing process with different yeast types. In our work, the concentration of fermentable and non-fermentable sugars were monitored by capillary electrophoresis to observe the effect of two different types of yeasts, Saccharomyces pastorianus and Saccharomycodes ludwigii. The former first ferments the monosaccharides, then the higher sugar oligomers, such as maltose and maltotriose, to ethanol, while the latter fully ferments the monosaccharides, but ferments only very low percentages of the oligosaccharides. Therefore, breweries use Saccharomycodes ludwigii to produce beers with low alcohol content. The CE-LIF traces of the wort samples represented unique oligosaccharide signatures.

Background. A number of well-known acquired and putative inherited etiological factors contribute to the development of venous leg ulcer (VLU). Aim. In this study we set out to perform a meta-analysis of putative genetic and acquired factors predisposing to VLU development. Methods. VLU patients (n=157) were divided into three subgroups in accordance with their acquired etiological factors. The frequencies of four genetic factors were determined: the R506Q (Leiden) mutation of the F5 gene, the G20210A mutation of the F2 (prothrombin) gene, the 2451 A/G SNP of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) 3′ UTR, and the −308 G/A SNP of the tumor necrosis factor α (TNFA) promoter. Results. The −308 TNFA SNP exhibited a higher frequency among VLU patients without known acquired predisposing factor in their history, than among patients with thrombosis or soft tissue infection in their history (Fisher P=0.0173). Conclusions. This study has demonstrated that the group of VLU patients is heterogeneous in their genetic predisposing factors. Further large-scale studies are needed to delineate the associations among genetic and acquired etiological factors with regard to VLU development and to integrate the consequences of the already known genetic factors to the management of VLU.

UVB irradiation has been shown to trigger a broad range of changes in gene expression in human skin; however, factors governing these events are still not well understood. In this study, we show that human constitutive photomorphogenic protein-1 (huCOP1), an E3 ligase, contributes to the orchestration of UVB response of keratinocytes. Accordingly, our data show that (i) huCOP1 protein is expressed both in the nucleus and in the cytoplasm of cultured keratinocytes, (ii) UVB reduces the levels of the huCOP1 mRNA and protein, and (iii) induces changes in the subcellular localization of huCOP1. Finally, we show that gene-specific silencing of huCOP1 induces the accumulation of the tumor suppressor p53 protein, which is further increased after UVB irradiation.

Newly hatched Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chicks were fed diets containing different levels of retinoids (vitamin A) or beta-carotene. Group A received a commercial diet containing 10000 IU vitamin A per kilogram. The diets of Groups B, C, and D contained no vitamin A but were supplemented with 1-, 2.5-, and 5-fold retinol equivalents of beta-carotene. Each group contained 16 quails in a 1:1 sex ratio. At 8 weeks of age the quails were immunized orally with Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Boosters were given three times at two-week intervals. Blood samples were taken at two-week intervals until 14 weeks of age. The anti-NDV IgY titre was determined by a locally developed direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Groups A and B showed nearly the same antibody response. This indicates that the preformed vitamin A and the equivalent beta-carotene have the same immunomodulatory effect. Groups receiving higher doses of beta-carotene (Groups C and D) exhibited significantly higher plasma IgY levels compared to Groups A and B. The results indicate that elevated doses of beta-carotene have a slight effect on the adaptive immune response in Japanese quail.

International audience; In eukaryotes the TFIID complex is required for preinitiation complex assembly which positions RNA polymerase II around transcription start sites. On the other hand, histone acetyltransferase complexes including SAGA and ATAC, modulate transcription at several steps through modification of specific core histone residues. In this study we investigated the function of Drosophila melanogaster proteins TAF10 and TAF10b, which are subunits of dTFIID and dSAGA, respectively. We generated a mutation which eliminated the production of both Drosophila TAF10 orthologues. The simultaneous deletion of both dTaf10 genes impaired the recruitment of the dTFIID subunit dTAF5 to polytene chromosomes, while binding of other TFIID subunits, dTAF1 and RNAPII was not affected. The lack of both dTAF10 proteins resulted in failures in the larval-pupal transition during metamorphosis and in transcriptional reprogramming at this developmental stage. Surprisingly, unlike dSAGA mutations, dATAC subunit mutations resulted in very similar changes in the steady state mRNA levels of approximately 5000 genes as did ablation of both dTaf10 genes, indicating that dTAF10- and/or dTAF10b-containing complexes and dATAC affect similar pathways. Importantly, the phenotype resulting from dTaf10+dTaf10b mutation could be rescued by ectopically added ecdysone, suggesting that dTAF10- and/or dTAF10b-containing complexes are involved in the expression of ecdysone biosynthetic genes. Indeed, in dTaf10+dTaf10b mutants, cytochrome genes, which regulate ecdysone synthesis in the ring gland, were underrepresented. Therefore our data support the idea that the presence of dTAF10 proteins in dTFIID and/or dSAGA is required only at specific developmental steps. We propose that distinct forms of dTFIID and/or dSAGA exist during Drosophila metamorphosis, wherein different TAF compositions serve to target RNAPII at different developmental stages and tissues.

Three of the four independently induced Ketel(D) dominantnegative female sterile mutations that identify the Drosophila importin-beta gene, originated from a C4114--> T transition and the concurrent replacement of Pro446 by Leu (P446L). CD spectroscopy of representative peptides with Pro or Leu in the crucial position revealed that upon the Pro-->Leu exchange the P446L mutant protein loses flexibility and attains most likely an open conformation. The P446L mutation abolishes RanGTP binding of the P446L mutant form of importin-beta protein and results in increased RanGDP binding ability. Notably, the P446L mutant importin-beta does not exert its dominant-negative effect on nuclear protein import and has no effect on mitotic spindle-related functions and chromosome segregation. However, it interferes with nuclear envelope formation during mitosis-to-interphase transition, revealing a novel function of importin-beta.

Cardiovascular disease is the biggest challenge in terms of life expectancy in developed countries. Adenosine contributes to the adaptation of the heart to ischemia and hypoxia, because adenosine, in addition to its metabolite role in the nucleic acid metabolism, is the endogenous agonist of the ubiquitous adenosine receptor family. Adenosine receptor activation is beneficial in most cases, it improves the balance between energy supply and consumption, reduces injury caused by stressors and inhibits the unfavorable tissue remodeling. Pharmacological manipulation of cardioprotective effects evoked by adenosine is an important, although to date not sufficiently utilized endeavor that may have therapeutic and preventive implications in cardiovascular diseases. As the ligand binding site of adenosine receptors is accessible from the extracellular space, it is especially important to know the adenosine concentration of the interstitial fluid ([Ado](ISF)). However, in the functioning heart, [Ado](ISF) values range in an extremely wide interval, spanning from nano- to micromolar concentrations, as estimated by the commonly used methods. Our recently developed procedure, the receptorial responsiveness method (RRM), may resolve this problem in certain cases. RRM enables quantification of an acute increase in the concentration of a pharmacological agonist, uniquely in the microenvironment of the receptors of the given agonist. As a limitation, concentration of agonists with short half-life (just like adenosine) at their receptors can only be quantified with the equieffective concentration of a stable agonist exerting the same action. In a previous study using RRM, inhibition of the transmembrane nucleoside transport in the euthyroid guinea pig atrium produced an increase in [Ado](ISF) that was equieffective with 18.8 +/- 3 nM CPA (N6-cyclopentyladenosine, a stable, selective A1 adenosine receptor agonist). This finding is consistent with observations of others, i.e., in the normoxic heart, adenosine flow is directed into the cell interior, and thus transport blockade elevates the extracellular adenosine level. In turn, nucleoside transport inhibition in the hyperthyroid guinea pig atrium caused a rise in [Ado](ISF) equieffective with 46.5 +/- 13.7 nM CPA. In sum, our work team was the first to demonstrate that adenosine transport in the hyperthyroid atrium has the same direction but is more intense as/than that in the euthyroid one.

Resume Les auteurs retrouvent la trace d’une famille hongroise ochronotique ayant emigre de Slovaquie vers la Hongrie il y a 300 ans. Les membres de la famille vivant dans une communaute villageoise relativement fermee, la mutation genetique s’est maintenue silencieusement au cours des âges avant que les symptomes cliniques ne se developpent. Une analyse de l’arbre genealogique a pu detecter – au moyen d’une technique d’amplification PCR allele-specifique – la mutation p.G161R du gene HGD, qui a abouti a un genotype specifique apparu dans la population slovaque. Nous avons trouve un membre de cette famille heterozygote, ayant des enfants presentant des genotypes alcaptonurie-homozygote et heterozygote connu, d’ou un risque eleve d’alcaptonurie chez leurs descendants. Un conseil genetique leur est, par consequent, fortement recommande afin de minimiser les facteurs de risque.

Primary and secondary forms of Photorhabdus luminescens Hm and Xenorhabdus nematophilus N2-4 were grown at 18 and 28(deg)C for 24 to 96 h, and we made determinations of the fatty-acid compositions of total lipids and of the fluidity measured by 5-doxyl-stearic acid embedded in liposomes made from total lipids. The levels of the unsaturated fatty acids 16:1 and 18:1 (those with chain lengths of 16 or 18 and one double bond) generally were higher in primary-phase variants of P. luminescens grown at 18(deg)C than in those grown at 28(deg)C. Prolonged culture at 18(deg)C caused the level of 18:1 to fall and reach that observed at 28(deg)C. The ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids rose with prolonged culture times in variants of each species at both phases. When grown at 18(deg)C, the proportion of 16:1 in X. nematophilus was lower than in P. luminescens; the patterns of temperature-induced changes were similar in these species. X. nematophilus contained a greater percentage of short-chain fatty acids (i.e., with chain lengths of

An unbalanced Y;autosome translocation leading to a male with a 45,X karyotype is rare with about 30 published cases. A male with a 45,X karyotype as a result of a unique, submicroscopic, unbalanced Y;16 translocation is presented with alpha-thalassemia/mental retardation syndrome.

Splicing and nuclear export of RNA are obligatory steps in gene expression by eukaryotic cells. Not only have novel splicing events been identified during the replication cycle of retro- and pararetroviruses, but the resulting combination of spliced and unspliced products requires specialized mechanisms for nuclear export, which in turn is a key regulatory step for virus replication.

Eukaryotic cells contain many fibrillarin-associated small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) that possess long complementarities to mature rRNAs. Characterization of 21 novel antisense snoRNAs from human cells followed by genetic depletion and reconstitution studies on yeast U24 snoRNA provides evidence that this class of snoRNAs is required for site-specific 2′-O-methylation of preribosomal RNA (pre-rRNA). Antisense snoRNAs function through direct base-pairing interactions with pre-rRNA. The antisense element, together with the D or D' box of the snoRNA, provide the information necessary to select the target nucleotide for the methyltransfer reaction. The conclusion that snoRNAs function in covalent modification of the sugar moieties of ribonucleotides demonstrates that eukaryotic small nuclear RNAs have a more versatile cellular function than earlier anticipated.

Introduction: Integrated palliative care (IPC) should be responsive to patients’ palliative care needs. However, knowledge about the best way to provide IPC is scarce. Evidence is mainly based on perspectives of professionals and carers. Therefore, the InSup-C project conducted a qualitative study on the experiences of patients’ and their carers’ with care provision in several IPC initiatives in five European countries. The aim of this study was to examine how IPC initiatives respond to patients’ problems and needs. Methods: IPC initiatives, i.e. cross-sector collaborations between professionals to provide palliative care, were recruited in five European countries (Belgium, Germany, Hungary, The Netherlands and the UK) between June 2014 and August 2015. From these initiatives patients with cancer, COPD and Chronic Heart failure (CHF) with a prognosis less than 12 months and their carers were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at baseline and after 3 months using uniform interview protocols. Interview protocols focused on patients’ problems and needs, identification of professionals in patients' care networks, quality of relationships with professionals and inter-professional collaboration. Interviews were transcribed verbatim. Transcriptions were coded using an internationally agreed codebook based on a qualitative thematic approach. Results: Hundred and seventy-five patients and 90 family carers were interviewed. Of 157 patients, 10% were from Belgium, 22% were from Germany, 22% were from the United Kingdom, 27% were from Hungary and 20% were from the Netherlands. Regarding diagnostic group, 62% had cancer, 13% had CHF and 25% had COPD. Mean age was 67 years and 55% were female. Of 90 family caregivers, 17% were from Belgium, 11% were from Germany, 14% were from the United Kingdom, 33% were from Hungary and 24% were from the Netherlands. Mean age was 59 years and 68% were female. The following four themes emerged from the data and related to person-centred care: - Compassionate care: Patients and carers valued professionals who saw the person beyond the illness and who were involved with them. This enabled a personal relationship and care that was being tailored to patient’s holistic problems and needs. - Patient-centred information: Patients and carers found it important that professionals were honest in giving information about prognosis and treatment possibilities and were patient in their explanation. This allowed patients and carers to ask questions and give their opinions. Patient-centred information provided trust and support in times of uncertainty. - Availability of caregivers: Patients and carers appreciated professionals who ‘were there’ for them, that they knew who to contact in case of needs and that professionals responded adequately when it was necessary. - Inter-professional collaboration: Patients and carers found it important that professionals transferred information and consulted each other when necessary. This resulted in professionals who were up-to-date about the patient and prevented them from telling their story over and over again. It also gave them a sense of trust when they experienced that professionals in their network looked after them together. When the four themes were available in care provision patients and carers were satisfied about care received. Many examples of person-centred care were reported, resulting in patients and carers who experienced care provision as a safety net of professionals who feel responsible and work together in order to adequately respond to their palliative care needs. In cases where these components were absent or insufficiently present, it sometimes resulted in unmet needs, uncertainty or dissatisfaction. Indeed, examples of professionals who only focused on the illness instead of seeing patients as a person or who did not collaborate properly were also reported. Frequent complaints were based on a lack information transfer in the professional-patient and/or professional-professional relationship. Although not always desirable, instances of patients or family caregivers who actively transferred information between professionals themselves were reported. In some cases, assertiveness of patients or carers concerning their dissatisfaction lead to improved care experiences. Country specific differences were found regarding availability of medicines, the role of hospices and main professionals. Discussion and conclusion: These results provide valuable insight in the aspects that are deemed important by patients and their carers from five European countries in order to realise person-centred integrated palliative care. These will contribute to the improvement of integrated palliative care in Europe and will therefore be interesting for both clinicians and policy makers who are involved in this field. On behalf of InSup-C: EU FP7 funded project on integrated palliative care in Europe

Although the A1 adenosine receptor (A1 receptor), the main adenosine receptor type in cardiac muscle, is involved in powerful cardioprotective processes such as ischemic preconditioning, the atrial A1 receptor reserve has not yet been quantified for the direct negative inotropic effect of adenosine. In the present study, adenosine concentration-effect (E/c) curves were constructed before and after pretreatment with FSCPX (8-cyclopentyl-N3-[3-(4-(fluorosulfonyl)benzoyloxy)propyl]-N1-propylxanthine), an irreversible A1 receptor antagonist, in isolated guinea pig atria. To prevent the intracellular elimination of the administered adenosine, NBTI (S-(2-hydroxy-5-nitrobenzyl)-6-thioinosine), a nucleoside transport inhibitor, was used. As expected, NBTI alone and FSCPX-pretreatment alone shifted the adenosine E/c curve to the left and right, respectively. However, in the presence of NBTI, FSCPX-pretreatment appeared to increase the maximal response to adenosine. By means of the receptorial responsiveness method (RRM), our recently developed procedure, adenosine E/c curves generated in the presence of NBTI were corrected for the bias caused by the endogenous adenosine accumulated by NBTI. The corrected curves indicate a substantial A1 receptor reserve for the direct negative inotropy evoked by adenosine. In addition, our results suggest that accumulation of an endogenous agonist may bias the E/c curve constructed with the same or similar agonist that can lead to seemingly paradoxical results.