Recent Submissions

  • Cohort Profile: The LoewenKIDS Study - life-course perspective on infections, the microbiome and the development of the immune system in early childhood.

    Gottschick, Cornelia; Raupach-Rosin, Heike; Langer, Susan; Hassan, Lamiaa; Horn, Johannes; Dorendorf, Evelyn; Caputo, Mahrrouz; Bittner, Martina; Beier, Lea; Rübsamen, Nicole; et al. (Oxford Academic, 2019-02-27)
    [Noabstract available]
  • Knowledge on Antibiotic Use, Self-Reported Adherence to Antibiotic Intake, and Knowledge on Multi-Drug Resistant Pathogens - Results of a Population-Based Survey in Lower Saxony, Germany.

    Raupach-Rosin, Heike; Rübsamen, Nicole; Schütte, Gesa; Raschpichler, Gabriele; Chaw, Pa Saidou; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; HZI,Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7,38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (Frontiers, 2019-01-01)
    Introduction: Assessment of public awareness on antibiotic use and resistance can identify key issues for campaigns addressing these problems. Our aim was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) related to antibiotic use and multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens in a general population in Germany. Methods: We conducted a KAP survey on antibiotics and on MDR pathogens using an online panel recruited from the general population, which was established using stratified random sampling from the population registry in four districts in Lower Saxony, Germany. Results: In the 12 months preceding the survey, 32.3% of the participants had received at least one prescription for antibiotics, 95.7% reported to follow the recommendations of prescribers, and 10.3% reported to stop taking antibiotics as soon as they feel better. Up to 94.9% of the participants had heard of MDR pathogens, 42.7% reported to know somebody who had been tested positive for it, 0.8% had an infection with it, and 37.2% were worried of contracting it. In case of contact with a carrier of MDR pathogens, over 90% would increase hand hygiene and 0.8% would avoid the carrier completely. Participants considered health care workers (75.1%) and everybody in society (87.8%) to be responsible for combating the spread of MDR pathogens. Conclusion: There is a high reported exposure to antibiotics and awareness of the problem of MDR pathogens. Despite personal worries, most of the participants indicated a reasonable, non-stigmatizing behavior toward carriers of MDR pathogens, and that every individual was responsible to avoid their spread.
  • Development and validation of a diagnostic model for early differentiation of sepsis and non-infectious SIRS in critically ill children - a data-driven approach using machine-learning algorithms.

    Lamping, Florian; Jack, Thomas; Rübsamen, Nicole; Sasse, Michael; Beerbaum, Philipp; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Boehne, Martin; Karch, André; HZI, Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig Germany. (BioMedCentral, 2018-03-15)
    BACKGROUND: Since early antimicrobial therapy is mandatory in septic patients, immediate diagnosis and distinction from non-infectious SIRS is essential but hampered by the similarity of symptoms between both entities. We aimed to develop a diagnostic model for differentiation of sepsis and non-infectious SIRS in critically ill children based on routinely available parameters (baseline characteristics, clinical/laboratory parameters, technical/medical support). METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial conducted at a German tertiary-care pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Two hundred thirty-eight cases of non-infectious SIRS and 58 cases of sepsis (as defined by IPSCC criteria) were included. We applied a Random Forest approach to identify the best set of predictors out of 44 variables measured at the day of onset of the disease. The developed diagnostic model was validated in a temporal split-sample approach. RESULTS: A model including four clinical (length of PICU stay until onset of non-infectious SIRS/sepsis, central line, core temperature, number of non-infectious SIRS/sepsis episodes prior to diagnosis) and four laboratory parameters (interleukin-6, platelet count, procalcitonin, CRP) was identified in the training dataset. Validation in the test dataset revealed an AUC of 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70-0.87). Our model was superior to previously proposed biomarkers such as CRP, interleukin-6, procalcitonin or a combination of CRP and procalcitonin (maximum AUC = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.52-0.74). When aiming at a complete identification of sepsis cases (100%; 95% CI: 87-100%), 28% (95% CI: 20-38%) of non-infectious SIRS cases were assorted correctly. CONCLUSIONS: Our approach allows early recognition of sepsis with an accuracy superior to previously described biomarkers, and could potentially reduce antibiotic use by 30% in non-infectious SIRS cases. External validation studies are necessary to confirm the generalizability of our approach across populations and treatment practices.
  • Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke.

    Schregel, Katharina; Behme, Daniel; Tsogkas, Ioannis; Knauth, Michael; Maier, Ilko; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Bähr, Mathias; Schäper, Jörn; Hinz, José; et al. (2018-01-18)
    This manuscript describes a streamlined protocol for the management of patients with acute ischemic stroke, which aims at the minimization of time from hospital admission to reperfusion. Rapid restoration of cerebral blood flow is essential for the outcomes of patients with acute ischemic stroke. Endovascular treatment (EVT) has become the standard of care to accomplish this in patients with acute stroke due to large vessel occlusion (LVO). To achieve reperfusion of ischemic brain regions as fast as possible, all in-hospital time delays have to be carefully avoided. Therefore, management of patients with acute ischemic stroke was optimized with an interdisciplinary standard operating procedure (SOP). Stroke neurologists, diagnostic as well as interventional neuroradiologists, and anesthesiologists streamlined all necessary processes from patient admission and diagnosis to EVT of eligible patients. Target times for every step were established. Actually achieved times were prospectively recorded along with clinical data and imaging scores for all endovascularly treated stroke patients. These data were regularly analyzed and discussed in interdisciplinary team meetings. Potential issues were evaluated and all staff involved was trained to adhere to the SOP. This streamlined patient management approach and enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration reduced time from patient admission to reperfusion significantly and was accompanied by a beneficial effect on clinical outcomes.
  • Immune monitoring after pediatric liver transplantation - the prospective ChilSFree cohort study.

    Goldschmidt, Imeke; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael; Mutschler, Frauke; Junge, Norman; Pfister, Eva Doreen; Möhring, Tamara; d'Antiga, Lorenzo; McKiernan, Patrick; Kelly, Deirdre; et al. (2018-05-16)
    Although trough levels of immunosuppressive drugs are largely used to monitor immunosuppressive therapy after solid organ transplantation, there is still no established tool that allows for a validated assessment of functional degree of immunosuppression or the identification of clinically relevant over- or under-immunosuppression, depending on graft homeostasis. Reliable non-invasive markers to predict biopsy proven acute rejection (BPAR) do not exist. Literature data suggest that longitudinal measurements of immune markers might be predictive of BPAR, but data in children are scarce. We therefore propose an observational prospective cohort study focusing on immune monitoring in children after liver transplantation. We aim to describe immune function in a cohort of children before and during the first year after liver transplantation and plan to investigate how the immune function profile is associated with clinical and laboratory findings. In an international multicenter prospective approach, children with end-stage liver disease who undergo liver transplantation are enrolled to the study and receive extensive immune monitoring before and at 1, 2, 3, 4 weeks and 3, 6, 12 months after transplantation, and whenever a clinically indicated liver biopsy is scheduled. Blood samples are analyzed for immune cell numbers and circulating levels of cytokines, chemokines and factors of angiogenesis reflecting immune cell activation. Statistical analysis will focus on the identification of trajectorial patterns of immune reactivity predictive for systemic non-inflammatory states, infectious complications or BPAR using joint modelling approaches. The ChilSFree study will help to understand the immune response after pLTx in different states of infection or rejection. It may provide insight into response mechanisms eventually facilitating immune tolerance towards the graft. Our analysis may yield an applicable immune panel for non-invasive early detection of acute cellular rejection, with the prospect of individually tailoring immunosuppressive therapy. The international collaborative set-up of this study allows for an appropriate sample size which is otherwise difficult to achieve in the field of pediatric liver transplantation.
  • Survival of children after liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.

    Baumann, Ulrich; Adam, René; Duvoux, Christophe; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Karam, Vincent; D'Antiga, Lorenzo; Chardot, Christophe; Coker, Ahmet; Colledan, Michele; Ericzon, Bo-Goran; et al. (2018-01-01)
    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in childhood differs from adult HCC because it is often associated with inherited liver disease. It is, however, unclear whether liver transplantation (LT) for HCC in childhood with or without associated inherited disease has a comparable outcome to adult HCC. On the basis of data from the European Liver Transplant Registry (ELTR), we aimed to investigate if there are differences in patient and graft survival after LT for HCC between children and adults and between patients with underlying inherited versus noninherited liver disease, respectively. We included all 175 children who underwent LT for HCC and were enrolled in ELTR between 1985 and 2012. Of these, 38 had an associated inherited liver disease. Adult HCC patients with (n = 79) and without (n = 316, matched by age, sex, and LT date) inherited liver disease served as an adult comparison population. We used multivariable piecewise Cox regression models with shared frailty terms (for LT center) to compare patient and graft survival between the different HCC groups. Survival analyses demonstrated a superior longterm survival of children with inherited liver disease when compared with children with HCC without inherited liver disease (hazard ratio [HR], 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10-0.90; P = 0.03) and adults with HCC with inherited liver disease (HR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.06-1.25; P = 0.09). There was no survival difference between adults with and without inherited disease (HR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.66-1.66; P = 0.84). In conclusion, the potential survival advantage of children with an HCC based on inherited disease should be acknowledged when considering transplantation and prioritization for these patients. Further prospective studies accounting for tumor size and extension at LT are necessary to fully interpret our findings. Liver Transplantation 24 246-255 2018 AASLD.
  • Global, regional, and national levels and causes of maternal mortality during 1990-2013: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013.

    Kassebaum, Nicholas J; Bertozzi-Villa, Amelia; Coggeshall, Megan S; Shackelford, Katya A; Steiner, Caitlyn; Heuton, Kyle R; Gonzalez-Medina, Diego; Barber, Ryan; Huynh, Chantal; Dicker, Daniel; et al. (2014-09-13)
    The fifth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 5) established the goal of a 75% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR; number of maternal deaths per 100,000 livebirths) between 1990 and 2015. We aimed to measure levels and track trends in maternal mortality, the key causes contributing to maternal death, and timing of maternal death with respect to delivery. We used robust statistical methods including the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) to analyse a database of data for 7065 site-years and estimate the number of maternal deaths from all causes in 188 countries between 1990 and 2013. We estimated the number of pregnancy-related deaths caused by HIV on the basis of a systematic review of the relative risk of dying during pregnancy for HIV-positive women compared with HIV-negative women. We also estimated the fraction of these deaths aggravated by pregnancy on the basis of a systematic review. To estimate the numbers of maternal deaths due to nine different causes, we identified 61 sources from a systematic review and 943 site-years of vital registration data. We also did a systematic review of reports about the timing of maternal death, identifying 142 sources to use in our analysis. We developed estimates for each country for 1990-2013 using Bayesian meta-regression. We estimated 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) for all values. 292,982 (95% UI 261,017-327,792) maternal deaths occurred in 2013, compared with 376,034 (343,483-407,574) in 1990. The global annual rate of change in the MMR was -0·3% (-1·1 to 0·6) from 1990 to 2003, and -2·7% (-3·9 to -1·5) from 2003 to 2013, with evidence of continued acceleration. MMRs reduced consistently in south, east, and southeast Asia between 1990 and 2013, but maternal deaths increased in much of sub-Saharan Africa during the 1990s. 2070 (1290-2866) maternal deaths were related to HIV in 2013, 0·4% (0·2-0·6) of the global total. MMR was highest in the oldest age groups in both 1990 and 2013. In 2013, most deaths occurred intrapartum or postpartum. Causes varied by region and between 1990 and 2013. We recorded substantial variation in the MMR by country in 2013, from 956·8 (685·1-1262·8) in South Sudan to 2·4 (1·6-3·6) in Iceland. Global rates of change suggest that only 16 countries will achieve the MDG 5 target by 2015. Accelerated reductions since the Millennium Declaration in 2000 coincide with increased development assistance for maternal, newborn, and child health. Setting of targets and associated interventions for after 2015 will need careful consideration of regions that are making slow progress, such as west and central Africa.
  • Changes in risk perceptions during the 2014 Ebola virus disease epidemic: results of two consecutive surveys among the general population in Lower Saxony, Germany.

    Obenauer, Julie; Rübsamen, Nicole; Garsevanidze, Ekaterine; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2018-05-15)
    The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak 2014 received extensive news media coverage, which faded out before the outbreak ended. News media coverage impacts risk perception; it is, however, unclear if the components of risk perception (affective and cognitive responses) change differently over time. In an online panel, we asked participants (n = 1376) about EVD risk perceptions at the epidemic's peak (November 2014) and after news media coverage faded out (August 2015). We investigated worry (affective response), perceived likelihood of infection, perceived personal impact, and coping efficacy (dimensions of cognitive response), and knowledge about transmission. Differences between the surveys with respect to manifestations of affective and cognitive dimensions were tested using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The association between individual change in knowledge and worries about EVD in the first survey was investigated using linear regression. In November 2014, the survey was filled in by 974 participants. Ten months later, 662 of them were still members of the online panel and were invited to the follow-up survey. Among the 620 respondents, affective response decreased between the surveys. Knowledge about EVD also decreased; however, participants worried about EVD in 2014 had increased knowledge in 2015. Perceived likelihood of infection decreased over time, while perceived personal impact and coping efficacy did not. Risk communication appealing to cognitive reactions by informing clearly on the risk of infection in unaffected countries may decrease inappropriate behaviors.
  • Antibiotic use on paediatric inpatients in a teaching hospital in the Gambia, a retrospective study.

    Chaw, Pa Saidou; Schlinkmann, Kristin Maria; Raupach-Rosin, Heike; Karch, André; Pletz, Mathias W; Huebner, Johannes; Nyan, Ousman; Mikolajczyk, Rafael; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2018-01-01)
    Antibiotics are useful but increasing resistance is a major problem. Our objectives were to assess antibiotic use and microbiology testing in hospitalized children in the Gambia. We conducted a retrospective analysis of paediatric inpatient data at The Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul, The Gambia. We extracted relevant data from the admission folders of all patients (aged > 28 days to 15 years) admitted in 2015 (January-December), who received at least one antibiotic for 24 h. We also reviewed the microbiology laboratory record book to obtain separate data for the bacterial isolates and resistance test results of all the paediatric inpatients during the study period. Over half of the admitted patients received at least one antibiotic during admission (496/917) with a total consumption of 670.7 Days of Antibiotic Therapy/1000 Patient-Days. The clinical diagnoses included an infectious disease for 398/496, 80.2% of the patients on antibiotics, pneumonia being the most common (184/496, 37.1%). There were 51 clinically relevant bacterial isolates, More than half of the admitted patients received antibiotics. The reported antibiotic resistance was highest to the most commonly used antibiotics such as ampicillin. Efforts to maximize definitive antibiotic indication such as microbiological testing prior to start of antibiotics should be encouraged where possible for a more rational antibiotic use.
  • Effects of Workflow Optimization in Endovascularly Treated Stroke Patients - A Pre-Post Effectiveness Study.

    Schregel, Katharina; Behme, Daniel; Tsogkas, Ioannis; Knauth, Michael; Maier, Ilko; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Hinz, José; Liman, Jan; Psychogios, Marios-Nikos; et al. (2016-01-01)
    Endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke has become standard of care for patients with large artery occlusion. Early restoration of blood flow is crucial for a good clinical outcome. We introduced an interdisciplinary standard operating procedure (SOP) between neuroradiologists, neurologists and anesthesiologists in order to streamline patient management. This study analyzes the effect of optimized workflow on periprocedural timings and its potential influence on clinical outcome. Data were extracted from a prospectively maintained university hospital stroke database. The standard operating procedure was established in February 2014. Of the 368 acute stroke patients undergoing endovascular treatment between 2008 and 2015, 278 patients were treated prior to and 90 after process optimization. Outcome measures were periprocedural time intervals and residual functional impairment. After implementation of the SOP, time from symptom onset to reperfusion was significantly reduced (median 264 min prior and 211 min after SOP-introduction (IQR 228-32 min and 161-278 min, respectively); P<0.001). Especially faster supply of imaging and prompt transfer of patients to the angiography suite contributed to this effect. Time between hospital admission and groin puncture was reduced by half after process optimization (median 64 min after versus 121 min prior to SOP-introduction (IQR 54-77 min and 96-161 min, respectively); P<0.001). Clinical outcome was significantly better after workflow optimization as measured with the modified Rankin Scale (common odds ratio (OR) 0.56; 95% CI 0.32-0.98; P = 0.038). Optimization of workflow and interdisciplinary teamwork significantly improved the outcome of patients with acute ischemic stroke due to a significant reduction of in-hospital examination, transportation, imaging and treatment times.
  • Poor knowledge of vaccination recommendations and negative attitudes towards vaccinations are independently associated with poor vaccination uptake among adults - Findings of a population-based panel study in Lower Saxony, Germany.

    Akmatov, Manas K; Rübsamen, Nicole; Deyneko, Igor V; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2018)
    The aims of this study were to (a) assess knowledge of official vaccination recommendations and attitudes towards vaccinations among adults and (b) examine their association with vaccination uptake among adults.
  • Influence of demographic changes on the impact of vaccination against varicella and herpes zoster in Germany - a mathematical modelling study.

    Horn, Johannes; Damm, Oliver; Greiner, Wolfgang; Hengel, Hartmut; Kretzschmar, Mirjam E; Siedler, Anette; Ultsch, Bernhard; Weidemann, Felix; Wichmann, Ole; Karch, André; et al. (2018)
    Epidemiological studies suggest that reduced exposure to varicella might lead to an increased risk for herpes zoster (HZ). Reduction of exposure to varicella is a consequence of varicella vaccination but also of demographic changes. We analyzed how the combination of vaccination programs and demographic dynamics will affect the epidemiology of varicella and HZ in Germany over the next 50 years.
  • Partial verification bias and incorporation bias affected accuracy estimates of diagnostic studies for biomarkers that were part of an existing composite gold standard.

    Karch, Annika; Koch, Armin; Zapf, Antonia; Zerr, Inga; Karch, André; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2016-10)
    To investigate how choice of gold standard biases estimates of sensitivity and specificity in studies reassessing the diagnostic accuracy of biomarkers that are already part of a lifetime composite gold standard (CGS).
  • ["I cannot kiss my wife"- An Analysis of Daily Experiences of MRSA-carriers].

    Raupach-Rosin, H; Klett-Tammen, C J; Schmalz, O; Karch, A; Castell, S; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2016-12)
    Objectives: There are no data available on the quality of care after discharge from hospital and only limited data are available on the psychosocial effects of being an MRSA carrier within the German health system.Methods:Patients who tested positive for MRSA in the previous year were invited to take part in focus groups.Results:2 focus groups with a total of 9 MRSA-carriers were conducted. The level of knowledge about MRSA differed between participants. In some cases, lack of information led to uncertainty and inappropriate measures to counteract MRSA. Some participants restricted their social contacts, especially to children, in order to prevent transmission. Patients experienced stigmatization in the health care system more often in inpatient care than in the outpatient sector. Only in a few cases both eradication therapy and swabs for control purposes were carried out.Conclusions:Information about the appropriate treatment and management of MRSA should be made available to patients more easily; in particular, patients need to be informed that MRSA is no threat to healthy individuals. Despite the desire of MRSA-carriers to become MRSA negative, treatment and control of MRSA seem to have low priority in the ambulant health care sector in Germany.
  • Population-level impact, herd immunity, and elimination after human papillomavirus vaccination: a systematic review and meta-analysis of predictions from transmission-dynamic models.

    Brisson, Marc; Bénard, Élodie; Drolet, Mélanie; Bogaards, Johannes A; Baussano, Iacopo; Vänskä, Simopekka; Jit, Mark; Boily, Marie-Claude; Smith, Megan A; Berkhof, Johannes; et al. (2016-11)
    Modelling studies have been widely used to inform human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination policy decisions; however, many models exist and it is not known whether they produce consistent predictions of population-level effectiveness and herd effects. We did a systematic review and meta-analysis of model predictions of the long-term population-level effectiveness of vaccination against HPV 16, 18, 6, and 11 infection in women and men, to examine the variability in predicted herd effects, incremental benefit of vaccinating boys, and potential for HPV-vaccine-type elimination.
  • Effects of pathogen dependency in a multi-pathogen infectious disease system including population level heterogeneity - a simulation study.

    Bakuli, Abhishek; Klawonn, Frank; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2017-12-13)
    Increased computational resources have made individual based models popular for modelling epidemics. They have the advantage of incorporating heterogeneous features, including realistic population structures (like e.g. households). Existing stochastic simulation studies of epidemics, however, have been developed mainly for incorporating single pathogen scenarios although the effect of different pathogens might directly or indirectly (e.g. via contact reductions) effect the spread of each pathogen. The goal of this work was to simulate a stochastic agent based system incorporating the effect of multiple pathogens, accounting for the household based transmission process and the dependency among pathogens.
  • The Risk of Hospitalizations with Injury Diagnoses in a Matched Cohort of Children and Adolescents with and without Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Germany: A Database Study.

    Lindemann, Christina; Langner, Ingo; Banaschewski, Tobias; Garbe, Edeltraut; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr.7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2017)
    Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder in children and adolescents worldwide, and children with ADHD have elevated risk of injuries. Our aim was to assess the risk of hospitalizations with injury diagnoses and their various subtypes in children and adolescents with newly diagnosed ADHD compared to those without ADHD, as well as to study sex effects on this risk in the setting of the German health care system.
  • Effect of Disease Definition on Perceived Burden of Acute Respiratory Infections in Children: A Prospective Cohort Study Based on Symptom Diaries.

    Zoch, Beate; Günther, Annette; Karch, André; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsfrschung GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany. (2017-10)
    Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are among the most frequent childhood diseases in Western countries. Assessment of ARI episodes for research purposes is usually based on parent-administered retrospective questionnaires or prospective symptom diaries. The aim of our analysis was to compare the effect of ARI definitions on the corresponding disease burden in a prospective cohort study using symptom diaries.
  • A feasibility trial to examine the social norms approach for the prevention and reduction of licit and illicit drug use in European University and college students

    Pischke, Claudia R; Zeeb, Hajo; van Hal, Guido; Vriesacker, Bart; McAlaney, John; Bewick, Bridgette M; Akvardar, Yildiz; Guillén-Grima, Francisco; Orosova, Olga; Salonna, Ferdinand; et al. (2012-10-18)
    Abstract Background Incorrect perceptions of high rates of peer alcohol and tobacco use are predictive of increased personal use in student populations. Correcting misperceptions by providing feedback has been shown to be an effective intervention for reducing licit drug use. It is currently unknown if social norms interventions are effective in preventing and reducing illicit drug use in European students. The purpose of this paper is to describe the design of a multi-site cluster controlled trial of a web-based social norms intervention aimed at reducing licit and preventing illicit drug use in European university students. Methods/Design An online questionnaire to assess rates of drug use will be developed and translated based on existing social norms surveys. Students from sixteen universities in seven participating European countries will be invited to complete the questionnaire. Both intervention and control sites will be chosen by convenience. In each country, the intervention site will be the university that the local principal investigator is affiliated with. We aim to recruit 1000 students per site (baseline assessment). All participants will complete the online questionnaire at baseline. Baseline data will be used to develop social norms messages that will be included in a web-based intervention. The intervention group will receive individualized social norms feedback. The website will remain online during the following 5 months. After five months, a second survey will be conducted and effects of the intervention on social norms and drug use will be measured in comparison to the control site. Discussion This project is the first cross-national European collaboration to investigate the feasibility of a social norms intervention to reduce licit and prevent illicit drug use among European university students. Final trial registration number DRKS00004375 on the ‘German Clinical Trials Register’.
  • Cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccination in Germany.

    Damm, Oliver; Horn, Johannes; Mikolajczyk, Rafael T; Kretzschmar, Mirjam E E; Kaufmann, Andreas M; Deleré, Yvonne; Ultsch, Bernhard; Wichmann, Ole; Krämer, Alexander; Greiner, Wolfgang; et al. (2017)
    The aim of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in addition to the current cervical cancer screening programme in Germany using a dynamic transmission model.

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