Research possibilities in West Germany.

Discusses the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, which awards approximately 330 research fellowships annually to scholars from all over the world, solely on the basis of scholarly competence. Disciplines supported by this foundation include psychology (which is underrepresented), biochemistry, and political science. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cardiovascular disease and mortality in ESRD

Cardiovascular disease is the major killer in ESRD. Cardiovascular death risk is at least an order of magnitude higher in ESRD patients, even after adjusting for age and diabetic status. Cardiac failure is a rapidly lethal condition in ESRD patients which appears to mediate much of the adverse prognostic impact of ischemic heart disease. Left ventricular abnormalities are present at initiation of dialysis in about 80% of dialysis patients. These are very highly predictive of future ischemic heart disease, cardiac failure, and death after 2 years on dialysis therapy. Regression of these abnormalities improves prognosis. The associations between many classical risk factors like hyperlipidemia, smoking and hypertension and cardiac outcomes in ESRD are inconsistent. Many factors unique to ESRD and its therapy may be important. In our prospective 10 year study of 433 patients starting dialysis, the following were major risk factors for cardiac disease: hypertension (concentric LVH, LV dilatation, de novo ischemic heart disease, de novo cardiac failure, inverse relationship with mortality); anemia (LV dilatation, de novo cardiac failure and death); hypoalbuminemia (de novo ischemic heart disease, de novo cardiac failure and death). LV abnormalities tended to worsen on dialysis and improve after transplantation suggesting that a uremic environment is cardiotoxic. Many risk factors act in concert to produce cardiovascular disease in ESRD. Many can be treated, suggesting that the huge burden of disease can be reduced considerably.     

Family status and self-reported health in West Germany

This paper describes an active learning-based education tool which enables dental students to learn preventive techniques relevant to patient dental health behaviour. 2 studies were conducted involving 33, 2nd year (study 1) and 9, 3rd year (study 2) undergraduate dental students. In study 1, snacking behaviour and its antecedents were analysed from detailed 3-day diet diaries completed by the students. Study 2 entailed the students changing one aspect of their sugar/diet behaviour using self-management techniques. It is concluded that dental students can successfully (a) identify antecedents to sugar snacking behaviours on several levels, i.e., cognitive, emotional and situational, (b) set goals and use behaviour change techniques to modify these behaviours, and (c) appreciate that this experience is relevant to similar preventive techniques that they will use in clinical practice. Training in the application of these skills to their own maladaptive behaviours provides a strong educational tool based on psycho-educational theories.     

Cardiovascular mortality among pituitary insufficient patients

The anthelmintic efficacy of milbemycin oxime against dog whipworm, Trichuris vulpis, was evaluated. A total of 21 T. vulpis positive dogs were divided into 3 groups, one (5 dogs) for control and the other two (8 dogs each) for anthelmintic treatment with oral administration of milbemycin oxime.     

Psychological training facilities in Austria and West Germany.

Three tables summarize data on 19 universities in Austria and West Germany. With regard to most of these institutions, such details as names of faculty members, areas of department specialization, admission requirements for American students, credit for studies in the U. S. A., Ph. D. residence requirements, clinical training facilities, areas of clinical training, U. S. psychological journals available, and number of Ph. D. candidates in 1953 are provided. Some characteristics which distinguish activities at these universities as compared with American universities are indicated. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Peripheral nerve maturation in English, West Indian and Turkish newborn infants

Forty-five patients who underwent a 14 by 4 inch jejunoileal bypass for morbid obesity were studied before the operation and at periodic intervals after operation to determine the complications and changes in body composition resulting from this procedure. Body composition studies were determined using 3H2O and 42K. Rapid weight loss occurred in the first 3 months, with a mean loss of 30 percent of excess weight. This weight loss was accompanied by a decrease in exchangeable potassium (Ke) and total body water (TBW) during this interval by 14 and 10 percent, respectively. Although most patients continued to lose excess weight Ke and TBW stabilized at the end of the first year and returned to preoperative values in six patients at the end of 24 months. Analysis of the ratios of body cell mass and total body water to weight shows an improvement of body composition 12 months after operation. Body composition studies permit a quantitative assessment of the nutritional status in patients undergoing jejunoileal bypass. In spite of significant complications (23 percent), surgery for morbid obesity appears to satisfy the objective of allowing desirable loss of fat with relative sparing of muscle and other supporting tissues.     

Identity and politicization among Turkish migrants in Germany: The role of dual identification.

The article examines the role of collective identification processes in the politicization of Turkish migrants in Germany. Building on the suggestion that politicized collective identity is a dual identity, the authors predicted and found that dual identification as both Turkish and German was positively related to politicization among members of the Turkish minority in Germany. This relationship was found in both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses and held up even when the influence of sociodemographic variables, past political activity, and other forms of collective identification were statistically controlled, suggesting a unique and causal role of dual identification. However, there was no evidence that dual identification fosters radicalization or even political violence. The implications for social integration of politicization driven by dual identification are discussed, as is the interplay of dual identification and separatist identification that could underlie the shift from involvement in normative politics to radicalization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The impact of health on retirement behaviour: empirical evidence from West Germany

In this paper, the relative importance of an individual's health status on retirement behaviour is analysed within the framework of a structural, discrete-time hazard rate model which is estimated using a balanced panel of elderly West German men. The results obtained reveal that the presence of chronic complaints or disability have a significant positive impact on the probability of early retirement. Moreover, the relative intensity of the individual preference for leisure appears to be, ceteris paribus, below average among public sector employees. Education, too, is shown to exert considerable influence on retirement behaviour, but the relationship between an individual's educational status and the probability of early retirement appears to be rather complex. A policy-related simulation experiment based on the estimates is carried out in order to assess the effects of changes in the incentive structure of the existing pension scheme.     

Cardiovascular events and mortality in newly and chronically depressed persons > 70 years of age

The role of duration of depressed mood in the prediction of cardiovascular disease (CVD) requires further study, as it has been suggested that emerging depressive symptoms may be a better predictor than persistent depressive symptoms. This prospective cohort study of 3,701 men and women aged > 70 years uses 3 measurement occasions of depressive symptomatology (Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale) during a 6-year period to distinguish persons who were newly (depressed at baseline but not at 3 and 6 years before baseline) and chronically depressed (depressed at baseline and at 3 or 6 years before baseline). Their risk of subsequent CVD events and all-cause mortality was compared with that of subjects who were never depressed during the 6-year period. Outcome events were based on death certificates and Medicare hospitalization records. During a median follow-up of 4.0 years, there were 732 deaths (46.2/1,000 person-years) and 933 new CVD events (64.7/1,000 person-years). In men, but not in women, newly depressed mood was associated with an increased risk of CVD mortality (relative risk 1.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00 to 3.05), new CVD events (relative risk 2.07, 95% CI 1.44 to 2.96), and new coronary heart disease events (relative risk 2.03, 95% CI 1.28 to 3.24) after adjustment for traditional CVD risk factors. The association between newly depressed mood and all-cause mortality was smaller (relative risk 1.40, 95% CI 0.95 to 2.07). Chronic depressed mood was not associated with new CVD events or all-cause mortality. Our findings suggest that newly depressed older men, but not women, were approximately twice as likely to have a CVD event than those who were never depressed. In men, recent onset of depressed mood is a better predictor of CVD than long-term depressed mood.     

Smoking behaviour and attitudes among adult Saudi nationals in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia

Nine massive hemipelvic allografts were used to reconstruct the pelvic ring and the hip articulation after resection of malignant tumors. At follow up of 3 to 10 years, six patients were free of oncologic disease. In the 3 acetabular massive allografts, functional results were close from those standard THR. After resection of hemipelvis and adjacent muscles, patients resume a normal family life (painless hip, poor active motion, walking with a crutch) with a functional result much better than after amputation. Considering these encouraging results in oncologic surgery, we used similar technics for reconstruction of very severe bone loss after iterative failures of THR revisions: some examples are reported at medium follow up.     

Epidemiology of enuresis in Turkish children

The treatment and favorable outcome of a bitch with uterine torsion and two retained fetuses are described. The condition was corrected surgically by ovariohysterectomy. Complications (i.e., septic shock, peritonitis, and hemostatic abnormalities) were managed with aggressive medical therapy. Torsion of the gravid uterus in dogs is a life-threatening condition which can have a successful outcome if medical complications encountered in the pre- and postoperative periods are treated quickly and effectively.     

Habitual physical activity in a population residing in the city of Barcelona

OBJECTIVES: To describe the sociodemographic distribution of habitual physical activity and to analyse its relationship with self-perceived health status and occupational status, among the population older that 16 years of age in the city of Barcelona, Spain. METHODS: A sample of 1,885 adult men and 2,196 women answered the Health Interview Survey of Barcelona in 1992. Those whose habitual activity required high physical exertion or walking were considered as active. Bivariate and multivariate analyses adjusting logistic regression models were used to study the relationship between habitual physical activity and the rest of variables, for each occupational situation. RESULTS: Fifty six percent of adults reported being physically active. Physical activity was lower among workers than non workers, although workers reported more physical exertion (14.5% in men and 8.0% in women). Physical activity was associated with occupation and educational level among male workers, but only with occupation among female workers. In the non working population, physical activity was lower among those who perceived their health status as fair or poor, compared with those that described it as good or very good, (ORa in men was 0.2, 95% confidence interval = 0.1-0.5; ORa in women was 0.5, 95% confidence interval = 0.3-0.8). CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the Barcelona population were physically active in an habitual manner. Among workers, this activity was mainly determined by the occupation. Non-workers with a poor self-perceived health status did less physical activity.     

Importance of outside hospital mortality as a first acute ischemic heart event: the Quebec Cardiovascular Study

Among 4371 men aged 35 to 64 in 1973 who were randomly selected, living in Quebec City suburbs, without clinical evidence of ischemic heart disease (IHD) at entry and followed for 16 years, 426 had a first acute IHD event; of these, 296 had a nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI), 50 a fatal MI (death within four weeks of the acute event) and 80 an early death, ie, they died before the diagnosis of MI was made. Among these 80 early deaths attributed to IHD in the absence of any other apparent cause, 55 men died within 1 h from the onset of symptoms or were found dead in their bed (group A) while 25 died more than 1 h after the onset of symptoms (group B). In this population, a first acute IHD event carried a 31% (130 of 426) case fatality within the first four weeks. Groups A and B accounted for 42% (55 of 130) and 19% (25 of 130) of the total acute ischemic mortality, respectively. As expected, fatal events increased with age, but the proportion of early deaths over the total IHD mortality was as frequent in younger men as in older men. Smoking, increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure and serum cholesterol were associated with increased nonfatal events. A similar association, except for serum cholesterol, was observed for all fatal events. No significant risk factor profile differentiated early from late fatal events. In conclusion, in this population, nearly a third of men with a first IHD event died, most of them outside the hospital. None of the main established risk factors differentiated men with a fatal MI from those with an early death.     

Dermatology in Germany

In Germany, dermatology has a long tradition as a medical specialization. The first dermatological university departments were established about 120 years ago. From the beginning, venerology was integrated in this field. Today it also covers andrology, allergy, medical cosmetology, mycology, dermatosurgery, phlebology and photodermatology. This broad spectrum more and more gives rise to competition with other medical fields. About 77% (n = 3281) of all German dermatologists (n = 4240 in 1997) work in private practices. The others are employed in clinical departments. The official number of working physicians in Germany in 1997 was 343,556; about 1.5% of them were dermatologists. This means that one dermatologist takes care of 20,000 people. The overwhelming majority of dermatological patients directly contacts the specialist and are not referred by general practitioners (GPs) who comprise about 40% of all German physicians. This is a great advantage over those countries in which patients primarily have to consult the GP. At present, there is a discussion initiated by GPs to change this system in Germany and to reestablish the GP's role as "gatekeeper". Dermatologists together with other specialists are trying to prevent this an to maintain the traditional broad spectrum of German dermatology.