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Objectives: The future state treaty on the admission of students to German medical schools calls for a variety of selection criteria among which at least two are required to be independent of school leaving grades. Against this background, the present study investigated achievement motivation and executive functions as predictors of academic success in medical school., Material and Methods: Second year medical students were assessed for executive functioning by using the Tower of London Test (ToL), a German version of the Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), the Trail Making Test (TMT-A) and for motivation by using the Achievement Motivation Inventory (AMI). Academic success was evaluated twofold, i) whether the first state exam (M1) was passed at the earliest possible, after completion of the second year and ii) via the grades obtained., Results: 81 out of 226 students enrolled participated in our study. Passing the M1 was best explained by semantic fluency including task switching. Moreover, academically successful students achieved significantly higher levels in the AMI-facets "compensatory effort" and "engagement". All students scored above average in the TMT-A and average in the ToL., Conclusion: Alternating semantic fluency-requiring simultaneously inhibition, updating and task shifting-turned out highly predictive of academic success in medical school. Moreover, higher levels in "compensatory effort" and "engagement" suggested that both, increased energy expenditure as response to fear of failure and elevated readiness to exert effort also impacted positively on success., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Objective: The aim of this article is to assess the level of development of clinical ethics consultation in psychiatric institutions in North Rhine-Westphalia., Methods: Survey among medical directors, directors of nursing and administrative directors of all psychiatric acute clinics and forensic psychiatric hospitals in North Rhine-Westphalia., Results: 113 persons working in psychiatric acute clinics responded (response rate: 48 %) and 13 persons working in forensic psychiatric hospitals (response rate 62 %). We received at least one response from 89 % of all psychiatric acute clinics and from 100 % of all forensic psychiatric hospitals. 92 % of the responding psychiatric acute clinics and 29 % of the responding forensic psychiatric hospitals have already implemented clinical ethics consultation., Conclusion: Clinical ethics consultation is more widespread in psychiatric institutions than was hitherto assumed. Future medical ethics research should therefore give greater attention to the methodology and the quality of clinical ethics consultation in psychiatric practice., Competing Interests: Die Autoren geben an, dass kein Interessenkonflikt besteht., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)

Objective: The effects of vaccination against gonadotropin releasing factor (GnRF) with Improvac® (Pfizer Animal Health) were compared with surgical castration in fattening pigs., Material and Methods: A total of 205 pigs were surgically castrated (group K) and 191 were vaccinated twice (group V) using the boar taint vaccine (Improvac®; 2ml s.c.). The first dose was administered atthe age of 12 weeks when the animals were moved into the fattening unit and the second dose in week 18, 4-6 weeks before the planned slaughter date. Live weights were recorded in weeks 1, 4, 12, 18, and 22. In weeks 18 and 20, length and width of the testicles of 171 animals of group V were measured. After slaughtering cold carcass weight, back fat depth, muscle thickness, percent lean meat, and fat and muscle areas of the carcasses were determined. A piece of the neck muscle from each pig was used to conduct a cooking and melting sensory test., Results: While no significant weight difference was evident in week 22 (K=89.4kg; V=88.6kg), cold carcass weight, and back fat and muscle thickness were lower for vaccinates. Vaccinates had higher average daily weight gains (ADW) after the second injection from week 18 up to the cut-off weighing in week 22 (V=1121g; K=1007g; p<0.001) in contrast to average daily weight gains between weeks 12 and 18 (K=740g; V=668g; p<0.001). After the second injection, testicle size of vaccinated pigs decreased significantly. All animals were negative for boar taint by both cooking and melting tests., Conclusion: Boars vaccinated against boar taint had lower ADW before the second vaccination, but compensated the weight difference after complete vaccination. The significant reduction in the testicle size after the second injection indicates a vaccination success. After vaccination no boar taint was detected in carcasses., Clinical Relevance: Vaccination as well as surgical castration reliably prevents the incidence of boar taint. The late rise in daily gain can be beneficial if management is aligned.

Background: Postoperative erectile dysfunction (ED) is one of the potential after-effects of radical prostatectomy. The aim of this study was to learn which caregivers inform the patients prior to the intervention about the risk of ED, which individuals the patients discuss this issue with, and whether the patients preoperatively consider use of a PDE5 inhibitor for proerectile therapy after the operation., Methods: Using the IIEF-5 questionnaire, the preoperative erectile function of 110 patients was evaluated after the hospital admission interview. The patients were asked who had informed them about the risk of postoperative ED. They were also asked in whom they had confided to discuss this issue and whether they were prepared to undergo postoperative proerectile therapy with a PDE5 inhibitor. The patients were subsequently assigned to one of two groups: group I, consisting of those with a preoperative IIEF score > or = 21, or group II, those with a preoperative IIEF score <21., Results: The answers given by groups I and II did not differ significantly. The median patient age was the same, 68, in both groups. In addition to being informed about postoperative ED by the hospital doctor on admission (100%), the patients were informed about this by the following individuals (results for group II in parentheses): board-certified urologist, 81.8% (74%); general practitioner (GP), 27.3%; partner, 12.1% (11.7%); self-help groups, 0% (2.6%); and friends, 3% (6.5%). Patients also discussed the risk of postoperative ED with the following individuals (results for group II in parentheses): local urologist, 66.7% (63.4%); partner, 45.5% (42.9%); hospital doctor, 39.4% (42.9%); GP, 21.2% (23.4%); friends, 9.1% (14.3); or no one, 3% (5.2%). Regarding whether patients were willing to undergo postoperative therapy using a PDE5 inhibitor, 36.4% in group I and 32.5% in group II said yes, 12.1% in group I and 11.7% in group II said no, and 51.5% in group I and 55.8% in group II were undecided., Conclusion: Irrespective of the patient's erectile status, the hospital doctor and the local urologist informed the patients about the risk of postoperative ED. Satisfactory information delivered by at least two people occurred in over 70% of all cases. The most frequent confidant of the patient for discussing this issue was his local urologist. Fewer than 50% of the patients discussed this topic with their partners. Possible reasons for underestimating the importance of sexual function could be the frequent taboo status of sexuality as a discussion topic in relationships, as well as preoperative distress. These circumstances should be taken into account by offering sufficient information, including that on the availability of postoperative proerectile therapy, for both the patient and his partner as early as possible, i.e., at the stage of choosing a treatment option.