Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Johns Hopkins University was named a top producer of Fulbright Student grantees for the 15th consecutive year with 27 grants offered to Hopkins students and alumni in the 2024-25 grants cycle The university had the second highest acceptance rate for doctoral institutions at 47.4% and was ninth in the category for total number of grants the Fulbright program is one of the largest and most prestigious international academic exchange programs in the world Exchanges are meant to increase cross-cultural understanding and encourage friendly relations between nations with the full program supporting 9,000 people Spanning 16 countries and nine fields of study this year's Hopkins grantees are making an impact around the globe The Hub caught up with six participating students and alumni to learn more: "My work is based at Krankenhaus Porz am Rhein a hospital that serves a large refugee population from Syria and Ukraine Since many marginalized patients lack access to advanced mapping machines and have lost their electronic health records during migration we're using EKG signals—easily obtainable data—as input for our deep learning model to predict regions of potential disease-causing tissue This serves as a surrogate for advanced mapping techniques I'm also a visiting master's student at the University of Cologne where I'm studying advanced machine learning and computer vision I remember asking the cashier at a grocery store how her day was and she had a three-minute conversation on her day It turned out that Germans do not do small talk they will think it is a very serious question and will tell you honestly whether the day is good or bad "One of the things I noticed about German doctors is that they seem to care less about the hospital hierarchy I was surprised to see the attending physicians roll their patients' beds from the ward to the operating room and accompany them throughout the process They also helped clean the patients after the procedure along with the supporting staff As someone who wants to eventually become a physician I was truly inspired by this and would want to be someone who is approachable and makes my team members around me feel comfortable and supportive." "I came to Guinea as a researcher on the topic of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) This is the practice of maiming the female genitalia It affects over 200 million girls worldwide the prevalence rate is 95% among girls and women aged 15 to 49 This is a topic I am very passionate about and I came to Guinea with the hopes of interviewing cutters to understand their perception of the practice and what they gain from doing it I am conducting qualitative interviews with cutters a population group that is rarely interviewed Even though they are carrying out something I Little by little women are responding back to us I want the results of my study to help with the creation of effective interventions that consider the perspectives of those who sustain FGM/C by doing the cutting "The most rewarding part has been meeting all the amazing people I've encountered so far I presented my topic to top officials in the country volunteered with other health projects taking place in Guinea my short conversations with the security officers in my building have led to English lessons that I hold for them on Sundays I also volunteered to start and lead an English club at the University of Gamal Being able to share my knowledge with people who genuinely benefit from it is an amazing experience." I co-instruct English literature courses at Athens College–Hellenic-American Educational Foundation I am conducting a series of oral history interviews in preparation for the school's centennial "Living in Athens has been an absolute joy with two other teaching fellows at Athens College While I had some familiarity with Greek culture before moving here a lot is still new to me—and my Greek is far from perfect and even strangers have been so gracious to teach me about Greek traditions and explain their origins From helping to celebrate my name day during the first week of school to saving me leftovers from traditional Greek meals the people around me are generous with their time and their culture "The most rewarding part of my experience has been having vibrant in-class discussions with my students Whether discussing To Kill a Mockingbird or 'The Yellow Wall-Paper,' my students approach texts with curiosity and enthusiasm I love analyzing literary devices and teaching students different ways to look at literature but I especially enjoy hearing how students see themes and ideas manifested in their own lives While some of their experiences match my own teenage years Exchanging stories in the classroom truly speaks to the reciprocal nature of Fulbright and I am grateful to have the opportunity to do it every single day." "My dissertation is on the Spanish poet and dramatist Federico García Lorca and I am working on my research and writing at the Federico García Lorca Center in the poet's hometown of Granada I spend my weekdays at the center's library and I've also gotten to visit several museums and art performances related to Lorca's life and work both for the quality of my research and for me personally to get to learn about Lorca and his context experientially "My favorite thing to do in my downtime is just walk: Granada is gorgeous and I love losing myself in the intricate tilework on a little patio or seeing the changing seasons Granada is full to bursting with cultural activities so there's always something to do in the evenings: go to a contemporary art exhibition or a lecture at the local library on Spanish Surrealism or a sitar concert with the Alhambra as backdrop or a street procession with brass bands and huge effigies decked in flowers and candles for a saint's festival Every week I do an improv acting class and a drawing class through the local university and take a class in Flamenco singing and a class in Flamenco dancing There's always lots of time left over for enjoying good meals with friends I get so many ideas and energy and creativity from the landscapes Getting to read and write about literature here and breathe in this beautiful city is a dream come true." and am in a master's in global health program at National Taiwan University I am currently working on two research projects; one is in post-operative parity outcomes after uterine artery ligation (TLDR: how many people end up pregnant after fibroid removal with this specific method) and another on right to education for students with disabilities in Taiwan I am also a recipient of the Critical Language Enhancement Award where I study Mandarin with a one-on-one tutor 8 hours a week My tutor and I like to have our lessons at different cafes around the city so it's been a really fun way to explore Taipei but I've managed to form friendships with other Fulbrighters I am into journaling and sticker collecting The people here are extremely kind and friendly "I have really enjoyed my master's program There is a large focus on Indigenous and migrant health which I do not think I would've gotten through a public health/global health program in the U.S One of our introductory courses had various field trips throughout Taiwan where we learned about weather preparedness (Taiwan has lots of earthquakes and typhoons) health promotion (Taiwan has a rapidly aging population) If you are interested in a master's abroad "I am currently conducting research for my dissertation on the labor of public health in modern Japan I have primarily been going to archives and reading through sources from the 1890s–1920s Fulbright also encourages community and cultural engagement so I have also been learning an instrument [since] I have not lived in this city before and engaging with my colleagues at the University of Tokyo it has been academically rewarding to take part in seminars and conferences at the University of Tokyo it has been rewarding learning a new skill and experience aspects of the culture that I had not previously The most rewarding aspect might be finding interesting sources for my dissertation like satirical cartoons criticizing the public health policies of the time." Posted in Student Life Tagged scholarships, fulbright scholars The 3,000th E-xtra Design Engineering vascular implant (Jotec/CryoLife) was recently inserted successfully. The endovascular implantation was performed at Cologne University’s academic teaching hospital, Porz am Rhein hospital by senior consultant Thomas May and senior physician Dr Guido Schmitz-Hagnau The procedure was performed on a 72-year-old patient with a thoracoabdominal aneurysm and a conventional vascular prosthesis previously implanted in the area of the infrarenal aorta. According to a company release, based on the relevant medical information, Jotec used E-xtra Design Engineering to develop, produce and deliver a vascular implant tailored to the patient’s anatomy with four external branches and integrated bifurcation in a short space of time. I am so interested in all news in endovascular Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); About 25% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. Specific causes of CRP elevation are unknown so far. We aimed to investigate whether inflammatory arthritis is associated with CRP elevation. Furthermore, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of clinical examination compared to musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) for detection of arthritis. Arthritis is more frequent in CRP + compared to CRP- SSc patients. Compared to MSUS sensitivity of clinical examination is low for the detection of arthritis; this is likely due to skin fibrosis and soft tissue edema. Therefore, regular monitoring via MSUS should be considered as routine assessment in SSc patients. Volume 9 - 2022 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.933809 Objectives: About 25% of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) have elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) levels Specific causes of CRP elevation are unknown so far We aimed to investigate whether inflammatory arthritis is associated with CRP elevation we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of clinical examination compared to musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) for detection of arthritis Methods: Sixty-five patients with SSc (51 females) were enrolled and allocated into a CRP-positive (CRP+ n = 20; CRP elevated for at least two years prior to enrollment) and a CRP-negative (CRP−; n = 45) cohort All patients were examined clinically (modified Rodnan Skin Score received a comprehensive MSUS of their hands and feet as well as laboratory testing (antibody status; CRP) Statistical analyses were performed using non-parametrical tests without adjustments Results: Patient with a disease duration <3 years had higher CRP levels (p = 0.042) Anti-centromere antibodies dominated in CRP- patients (p = 0.013) and anti-Scl70 antibodies in CRP + patients (p = 0.041) Joint effusion and B-mode synovitis prevailed in male (p < 0.00001; p < 0.0001) and CRP + (p = 0.001; p < 0.00001) patients Power Doppler (PD)-synovitis predominated in patients with diffuse SSc (p = 0.0052) Joint effusion and B-/PD-synovitis were mostly confined to wrists sensitivity of clinical examination was as low as 14.6%; specificity was 87.7% Sensitivity was reduced by the presence of soft tissue edema or a mRSS > 10 Conclusion: Arthritis is more frequent in CRP + compared to CRP- SSc patients Compared to MSUS sensitivity of clinical examination is low for the detection of arthritis; this is likely due to skin fibrosis and soft tissue edema regular monitoring via MSUS should be considered as routine assessment in SSc patients The specific cause of the CRP increase and the role of CRP in the pathogenesis of SSc are We hypothesized, that arthritis might contribute to CRP elevation. Therefore, we investigated SSc patients with and without elevated CRP levels for prevalence and localization of arthritis. Joint count 66/68 is an accepted method to clinically quantify arthritis. Musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, are known to have a greater sensitivity for detecting subclinical arthritis than clinical examination (4–8) MSUS is a sensitive method to even detect subclinical inflammatory changes which might on one hand imply the risk of overrating non-significant findings It therefore requires some training in order to be able to avoid potential pitfalls such as false positive ratings MSUS is a well-evaluated imaging method that has the advantage over MRI of providing highly sensitive information in B- and PD-mode of the patient in a short time and without additional burden or the use of contrast agents We thus evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of clinical joint assessment compared to MSUS all patients received MSUS assessment as described below Information on organ involvement and immunomodulatory medication was retrieved from the patient charts Following clinical examination and assessment all patients received MSUS the same day by an experienced rheumatologist and ultrasonographer (SF) who was blinded to the patient’s CRP status and clinical examination results The study was approved by the Freiburg Institutional Review Board (386/17) The study was conducted according to ICH/GCP (in compliance with the declaration of Helsinki) All patients gave written informed consent prior to any study related measures Patients were assigned to the CRP positive (CRP+) or CRP negative (CRP−) cohorts according to their CRP status over the last two years preceding study enrollment The cut-off value for the highly sensitive CRP used in this study was <5 mg/L CRP-status was deemed positive or negative if at least 75% of the CRP values were positive (>5 mg/L) or negative (<5 mg/L) in at least three half-yearly visits within the last two years Confounding conditions such as the presence of an infection etc.) were accounted for insofar as patients with other reasons for CRP elevation than SSc were not eligible for study participation In order to minimize any potential therapy bias patients were only included into the study if they had been on a stable therapy for at least one year prior to the study visit Patients positive for anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) diagnosed with an overlap syndrome or with myositis were excluded from study participation For all ultrasound scans an Esaote MyLab Twice ultrasound machine was used (Esoate and all scans were performed by the same physician (SF) with 9 years of experience in MSK ultrasound All musculoskeletal scans were obtained using an 18 MHz linear array at 10-18 MHz in B-mode and at 10.2 MHz in Power Doppler (PD) mode (750 PRF) talonavicular and upper ankle joints as well as metatarsophalangeal joints (MTPs) were examined and evaluated in all patients to get an extensive image of the patient’s joint involvement and DIPs were scanned both at dorsal and palmar sites the Mann–Whitney U test was used to compare age severity and frequencies of ultrasound findings and to compare clinical scores in the two cohorts (CRP+ and CRP−) The Spearman rank correlation test was carried out to compare the results of the clinical and ultrasound examination R-values > 0.1–0.5 indicate a moderate and >0.5–1 a strong correlation The remaining calculations were carried out employing the Fisher’s exact test whereby binary distributed characteristics can be examined in two different cohorts The data was either presented as mean value ± standard deviation or relative frequencies (%) with information on the total number The level of significance was set at p < 0.05 Statistical analyses were guided/supervised by expert biostatisticians (MK Ortmann Statistik©; see section “Acknowledgments”) STROBE-diagram of group allocation as well as inclusion and exclusion criteria are shown Baseline characteristics of all study participants at the study visit Thirty-six patients had anti-centromere antibodies (55.4%) two patients had anti-centromere and anti-Scl-70 antibodies (3.1%); in nine patients neither anti-centromere nor anti-Scl-70 antibodies (13.8%) were present When comparing patients positive for anti-Scl-70 antibodies to patients positive for anti-nucleosome antibodies we found that anti-nucleosome antibodies were more frequent in CRP- patients (p = 0.013) whereas in CRP+ patients anti-Scl-70 antibody-positivity was more common (p = 0.041) SSc-patients with tender joints in clinical examination were significantly compromised in all HAQ-domains of joint function and mobility, despite the domains of dressing/grooming and activity. Patients with tender joints also reported significantly higher values on the VAS for joint pain and their disease intensity, see Table 2 Correlations between tender joints on clinical examination versus total HAQ score Localization and prevalence of joint effusion and arthritis in CRP+ and CRP− patients joint effusion as well as synovitis in B- and PD-mode was most frequently found in the first and second MTP joints the talo-navicular joints as well as the wrists joint effusion was significantly more frequent in CRP + patients in the talo-navicular joints (p = 0.0181) and B-mode synovitis was more frequent in the MTP I (p = 0.021) and MTP III joints (p = 0.0075) compared to the CRP- patients PD-mode synovitis are shown correlated with patient characteristics Location (X-axis) and frequency (Y-axis; absolute numbers) of joint involvement on ultrasound evaluation is shown Panel (A) shows joints with effusion on ultrasound evaluation Panel (B) shows joints with B-mode synovitis on ultrasound evaluation Panel (C) shows joints with PD-mode synovitis on ultrasound evaluation Significantly more CRP + than CRP- patients showed calcifications in ultrasound examinations of their joint and ligament structures (p = 0.028) arthritis was more common in SSc-patients with continuously elevated CRP levels In the following we outline the findings on patient level In clinical examination 52% (34/65) of the patients showed at least one painful and/or swollen joint In 25% (16/65) of the patients joint effusion and/or synovitis in B- and/or PD-mode could be detected in a clinically conspicuous joint In 88% of all examined patients there was at least one effused joint detectable in MSUS (n = 57/65; 220 joints with effusions) 40% showed B-mode-synovitis (n = 26/65; 60 joints B-mode positive) and 17% were PD-positive (n = 11/65 2853 joints were examined both clinically and by MSUS Fifteen percent (32/220) of joints that showed at least effusion in MSUS were conspicuous in clinical examination 25% (5/20) of the joints that were PD-positive had arthritis in clinical examination only 9% (32/357) of the joints that indicated pathologies (pain and/or swelling) on clinical examination showed pathological findings in MSUS These data show that the majority of clinically conspicuous joints (91%) were not confirmed by MSUS in patients with arthralgia MSUS could detect clinically inapparent arthritis and was markedly superior to clinical examination in terms of sensitivity and specificity: Clinical examination showed a sensitivity of 14.6% and a specificity of 87.7% A high mRSS > 10 significantly reduced the specificity of clinical examination to 85.2% (p = 0.0012) sensitivity was only nominally reduced by the presence of soft tissue edema or a high mRSS > 10 Differentiation between limited and diffuse SSc resulted in a sensitivity of 11.3% and a specificity of 93.7% for limited SSc and a sensitivity of 18.1% and a specificity of 79.6% for diffuse SSc In the case of joints that were both swollen and tender in clinical assessment the sensitivity of clinical examination decreased to 1.8% compared to MSUS whether the presence of inflammatory arthritis in clinical and/or ultrasound examination is associated with elevated CRP levels in patients with SSc The connection between arthritis and increased CRP values in patients with SSc has already been examined by various working groups in the past (6, 7, 15, 16), however, not always using MSUS for diagnosis of arthritis but X-ray (15) which is clearly less sensitive and cannot always distinguish active from previous being a mere snapshot of the inflammatory activity all the above mentioned studies focused on hand joints only whereas we examined both the joints of the hands and feet in order to also map the weight-bearing joints and to provide a more comprehensive overview of potentially affected joints Our data show that the joints of CRP + SSc patients more frequently present inflammatory arthritis than those of CRP− SSc patients male patients had significantly more frequently joint effusions and B-mode synovitis and patients with diffuse SSc had significantly more often PD-mode synovitis we therefore excluded patients with rheumatoid arthritis myositis or elevated rheumatoid factor and/or anti-CCP antibodies from participation in our study Previous studies described pathological changes in especially the MCP and PIP joints, as well as the wrists and ankles (8, 20) which showed a particular involvement of the wrists ankles and the MTP joints with B- and PD-mode positive arthritis mainly occurring in the wrists and MTP joints we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of clinical examination compared to musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSUS) and clinical evaluation often failed to detect synovial inflammation An advantage of our study is the larger number of joints assessed by a more sensitive imaging modality applying stringent methodology The above studies had in common that clinical examination missed joint involvement, but all joints identified in clinical examination showed pathologies in MSUS (6, 7) Some patients presented with signs of arthritis in clinical examination but did not have any correlates in MSUS Other patients who were clinically unremarkable had pathological changes in MSUS even if there is clinically no evidence of arthritis MSUS should be considered in patients reporting joint pain A confounding factor limiting the sensitivity of clinical examination and explaining in part the high number of painful joints without ultrasound correlates is skin thickening and puffiness/edema in SSc patients changes in skin can lead to severe periarticular skin tension Patients often perceive this as joint pain In a purely clinical examination this distinction is difficult to make MSUS offers the possibility to differentiate whether or not there is true inflammatory arthritis the joints of CRP + SSc patients exhibited arthritis more often than the joints of CRP− SSc patients The underlying pathophysiological mechanisms require further investigation Arthritis might represent one possible cause of CRP elevation Given the poor sensitivity of clinical joint examination the implementation of joint ultrasound into daily clinical routine should be considered standardized X-ray examinations of the joints affected were not available we do not have information about the erosive state or other manifestations of radiographic bone damage in this cohort or the effects of a continuously elevated CRP might have had in these patients the subgroups of patients with tendon friction rubs (TFR) or calcinosis cutis were too small to deduct a meaningful statement from Bearing in mind that especially TFR is usually associated with early and more severe SSc focusing on these manifestations and its connection to CRP levels might be a valid target for a consecutive study One of the strengths of our study is that we only enrolled patients with CRP values available over the last two years enabling us to truly tell apart CRP + patients from CRP− patients we assessed a comparatively high number of joints both clinically and ultrasonographically which makes our study one of the largest ultrasound study in the field of SSc Whether CRP+ patients will benefit more than CRP- patients from immunosuppressive treatment such as methotrexate mycophenolate or tocilizumab is an important question relevant for personalized treatment of SSc The results of our study should be useful to design future prospective randomized trials which may address treatment stratification based on CRP levels The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article/Supplementary material further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author Data are available upon reasonable request The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Ethik-Kommission der Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Engelberger Straße 21, 79106 Freiburg E-Mail: ZWtmckB1bmlrbGluaWstZnJlaWJ1cmcuZGU= Telefax 0761/270 – 72630 (386/17) The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study and RV contributed to conception and design of the study DF wrote the first draft of the manuscript All authors contributed to manuscript revision We gratefully acknowledge all patients involved in this study and thank Dr Francesca Rumi for valuable support in statistical questions Manuel Keute (from Ortmann Statistics@) for his valuable input during revision of manuscript The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2022.933809/full#supplementary-material Supplementary Figure 1 | Image examples of synovitis grades 0-III° in B- and PD-mode are shown for wrists and of synovitis grades 0-II° in B- and PD-mode for MTP I joints f: ulnar view longitudinal; joint effusion II°; B-mode synovitis II°; PD-mode synovitis II°; peritendinitis around the extensor digitorum tendon h: longitudinal plane; joint effusion II°; B-mode synovitis III°; PD-mode synovitis III° R: radius; U: ulna; L: lunate; C: capitate; T: triquetrum j: no joint effusion; no synovitis in B- or PD-mode l: joint effusion I°; B-mode synovitis I°; no synovitis in PD-mode n: no joint effusion; B-mode synovitis I°; PD-mode synovitis I° p: no joint effusion; B-mode synovitis II°; PD-mode synovitis II° MTP head: metatarsophalangeal head; PB: phalangeal base *White asterisks indicate distinct skin thickening Association of C-reactive protein with high disease activity in systemic sclerosis: results from the canadian scleroderma research group Inflammatory stays inflammatory: a subgroup of systemic sclerosis characterized by high morbidity and inflammatory resistance to cyclophosphamide Magnetic resonance imaging and musculoskeletal ultrasonography detect and characterize covert inflammatory arthropathy in systemic sclerosis patients with arthralgia Psoriatic arthritis: correlation between imaging and pathology Ultrasonographic features of the hand and wrist in systemic sclerosis Ultrasonographic hand features in systemic sclerosis and correlates with clinical Google Scholar Power Doppler ultrasound of the hand and wrist joints in systemic sclerosis Google Scholar 2013 classification criteria for systemic sclerosis: an American college of rheumatology/European league against rheumatism collaborative initiative Standardization of the modified rodnan skin score for use in clinical trials of systemic sclerosis Reliability of ultrasonography to detect synovitis in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review of 35 studies (1,415 patients) Musculoskeletal ultrasound including definitions for ultrasonographic pathology Google Scholar and monitoring tenosynovitis and other tendon abnormalities in patients with rheumatoid arthritis- the role of musculoskeletal ultrasound Reliability of a consensus-based ultrasound score for tenosynovitis in rheumatoid arthritis Radiological hand involvement in systemic sclerosis Synovial involvement assessed by power Doppler ultra-sonography in systemic sclerosis: results of a cross-sectional study Arthritis in patients with systemic sclerosis The “sclerodermic hand”: a radiological and clinical study Scleroderma and erosive polyarthritis: a disease entity PubMed Abstract | CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar Articular involvement in systemic sclerosis Voll RE and Finzel S (2023) Inflammatory arthritis in systemic sclerosis is associated with elevated C-reactive protein and requires musculoskeletal ultrasound for reliable detection Copyright © 2023 Feldmann, Jandova, Heilmeier, Kollert, Voll and Finzel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Stephanie Finzel, U3RlcGhhbmllLkZpbnplbEB1bmlrbGluaWstZnJlaWJ1cmcuZGU= Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish ob ihr Kölner Stadtteil bereits ans Netz angeschlossen ist und steigen Sie um Klimaschutz und der effiziente Einsatz von Energie gehen Hand in Hand In unseren Heizkraftzwerken nutzen wir den eingesetzten Brennstoff (Erdgas) um gleichzeitig Strom und Wärme zu erzeugen In Ballungsräumen wie Köln ist Fernwärme besonders sinnvoll weil viele Haushalte ans Fernwärmenetz angeschlossen werden können Sie eignet sich auch zur Warmwasserbereitung Da Sie keine eigene Heizungsanlage im Haus haben ist der Wartungsaufwand für Sie sehr gering Schornsteinfeger-Gebühren und zusätzliche Versicherungen entfallen Sollte sich die Gasspeicherumlage zum 1.7.2025 erneut verändern wird der vereinbarte Arbeitspreis zu diesem Termin entsprechend angepasst Die unten genannten Preise sind Bruttopreise Arbeitspreis pro kWh für die verbrauchte Wärmemenge inkl Arbeitspreis pro kWh für den Ausstoß von CO2 Warmwasserpreis pro m³ (nur bei gesonderter Messung) inkl Jahresgrundpreis pro kW zur Leistungsvorhaltung für die ersten 300 kW Anschlussleistung Jahresgrundpreis pro kW zur Leistungsvorhaltung für alle weiteren kW Anschlussleistung Aufgrund der Erhöhung der Gasspeicherumlage zum 1.1.2025 werden die Verbrauchspreise entsprechend angepasst Wir bauen unser Fernwärmenetz stetig für unsere Kundinnen und Kunden aus Dienstleistend übernimmt das für uns die RheinNetz GmbH wo Sie schon heute Fernwärme in Köln beziehen können Geben Sie einfach Ihre Adresse ein und schauen Sie nach ob wir auch Sie schon mit Fernwärme beliefern können Hinweis: Die Karte zeigt eine vereinfachte Darstellung unseres Fernwärmenetzes und ist nicht lagegenau Die Karte ersetzt außerdem keine Leitungsauskünfte denn der Schutz Ihrer Daten ist uns wichtig Damit Ihr Browser nicht automatisch Daten an Google Maps übermittelt Unsere Fernwärme erzeugen wir mit hocheffizienten Kraftwerken und generieren damit nicht nur einen Effizienzvorteil Diesen Vorteil übernehmen Sie im Gebäudeenergieausweis indem Sie unsere zertifizierten Primärenergiefaktoren zur Anwendung bringen Das heißt für Sie: Ein Gebäude mit Fernwärmeanschluss wird über den Energieausweis energetisch aufgewertet Wir lassen den Primärenergiefaktor unserer Netze regelmäßig überprüfen Damit ist diese Form der Heizung zukunftsorientiert und umweltschonend Ein sehr starker Einflussfaktor auf die auszuweisende Höhe der CO -Emissionen und auf die Ermittlung des Primärenergiefaktors ist die Berechnungsmethode Sowohl für die Ermittlung der Treibhausgasemissionen als auch für die Ermittlung des Primärenergiefaktors aus Kraft-Wärme-Kopplungsanlagen gibt es verschiedene Die für den jeweiligen Anwendungsfall heranzuziehende Berechnungsmethode wird in der Regel von der entsprechenden Verordnung/Gesetz vorgegeben Bitte beachten Sie diesbezüglich die Hinweise zu den Tabellen Treibhausgasemissionen werden seit Inkrafttreten des Gebäudeenergiegesetzes stets mit Vorketten berechnet dass der gesamte Lebensweg mit einbezogen wird also die direkten Umwelteffekte plus die von den vorgelagerten Prozessketten ausgehenden Umwelteffekte Konkret führt dies zu einer Erhöhung der ausgewiesenen Treibhausgasemissionen obwohl sich an der jeweiligen Erzeugungsanlage und der Fahrweise der jeweiligen Anlage nichts geändert hat Mit Inkrafttreten des „Gesetzes zur Einsparung von Energie und zur Nutzung erneuerbarer Energien zur Wärme- und Kälteerzeugung in Gebäuden“ – kurz „Gebäudeenergiegesetz (GEG)“ – zum 1.11.2020 ändert sich die Methodik zur Bestimmung des Primärenergiefaktors (PEF) von Fernwärmesystemen 2018 behalten die derzeitigen Zertifikate zum Primärenergiefaktor trotzdem ihre Gültigkeit GEG 2020 ist damit derzeit der Primärenergiefaktor der nachfolgenden Tabelle anzuwenden Zur Beurteilung der hohen Anlageneffizienz ist zusätzlich der Anteil der KWK-Erzeugung ausgewiesen § 22 (3) GEG:2020-08; Liegt der ermittelte und veröffentlichte Wert des PEF eines Wärmenetzes ohne Erneuerbare Energien unter einem Wert von 0,3 ist als PEF der Wert von 0,3 zu verwenden wenn der PEF nicht vom Fernwärmeversorgungsunternehmen ermittelt und veröffentlicht wurde 4) Prognose Carnot-Methode (DIN EN 15316-4-5: 2017-09 Abschnitt 6.2.2.1.6.3) Gemäß CO2KostAufG müssen für Wärmelieferungen die bei der Wärmeerzeugung entstehenden CO -Emissionen nach der "Finnischen Methode" für jedes Netz gesondert ermittelt werden -Emissionen nach der "Finnischen Methode" kann allerdings erst nach Ablauf des betreffenden Kalenderjahres begonnen werden da für die Berechnung die Energie-Einsatzmengen sowie die Wärme-Absatzmengen des jeweiligen Kalenderjahres erforderlich sind Da RheinEnergie in der Fernwärme "rollierend" abrechnet werden nicht alle Wärmezähler zum Stichtag 31.12 Zwangsläufig basiert die Ermittlung der Wärme-Absatzmengen des betreffenden Kalenderjahres teilweise auf hochgerechneten Verbrauchsdaten Die Wärmelieferung der RheinEnergie erfolgt aus Wärmenetzen die aus Wärmeerzeugungsanlagen gespeist werden welche dem Europäischen Emissionshandel unterliegen Für Wärme aus diesen Wärmeerzeugungsanlagen ist (gemäß § 3 Absatz 4 Nummer 4 Buchstabe b CO2KostAufG) als maßgeblicher Zertifikatepreis der Durchschnittspreis der Versteigerungen nach § 8 Absatz 1 TEHG in dem der Rechnungsstellung vorangegangenen Kalenderjahr heranzuziehen Die Festpreise pro Emissionszertifikat nach § 10 Absatz 2 Satz 2 BEHG gelten nicht Weiterhin führt die Ermittlung der CO2-Kosten nach der "Finnischen Methode" zu abweichenden Kostenergebnissen im Vergleich zu dem von RheinEnergie seit 2015 für alle Teilnetze einheitlich in Rechnung gestellten CO Der durchschnittliche Zertifikatepreis 2022 (für das Kalenderjahr 2023) betrug 80,40 €/t Der durchschnittliche Zertifikatepreis 2023 (für das Kalenderjahr 2024) betrug 83,68 €/t Der durchschnittliche Zertifikatepreis 2024 (für das Kalenderjahr 2025) betrug 65,01 €/t welche Informationen der Vermieter den Mietern in der Heizkostenabrechnung anzugeben hat Hiezu gehören bei der Versorgung mit Fernwärme: der Anteil der eingesetzten Energieträger der Primärenergiefaktor des Fernwärmenetzes Im Rahmen der Heizkostenverordnung gibt es jedoch keine Festlegung auf eine bestimmte Berechnungsmethodik Eine Aussage zur korrekten Auswahl der oben angegebenen Werte für die Verwendung in der Heizkostenabrechnung können wir als Versorger leider nicht treffen nutzen Sie dieses Dokument für eine Anfrage Lesen Sie hier unsere allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen für einen Fernwärmebezug nach Lesen Sie hier ergänzende Geschäftsbedingungen für einen Fernwärmebezug nach welche technischen Anforderungen Ihre Immobilie für einen Anschluss ans Fernwärmenetz erfüllen muss Der Nachweis über die energetische Bewertung nach FW 309-1:2014 zum Download welcher Primärenergiefaktor dem Versorgungssystem Merheim bescheinigt wurde Hier weisen wir den Energieeinsatz für das Fernwärmentz Innenstadt und Deutz aus Finden Sie hier die Werte für den Energieeinsatz für das Fernwärmenetz neue Stadt und Bocklemünd Hier finden Sie eine Übersicht über die eingesetzte Energie für das Fernwärmenetz Merheim Wir beantworten sie gerne und informieren Sie über Möglichkeiten und Voraussetzungen Sie sind in ein Gebäude mit Fern­wärme gezogen Dann melden Sie sich mit Ihrem Fernwärme-Zählerstand bei uns an Der einfache Weg zur effizienten Heizung: unser Pachtmodell mit Rundum-Service Verordnungen und ergänzende Bestimmungen zu Strom Der Ausbau des Fernwärmenetzes ist einer der Bausteine unseres Klimaschutzprogramms "Energie & Klima"