["Mental Health in Adults with Intellectual Disabilities. Protective and Risk Factors for Depression and Anxiety" - a Cross-sectional Study]. / "Psychische Gesundheit bei erwachsenen Menschen mit intellektueller Behinderung. Schutz- und Risikofaktoren in Bezug auf Depression und Angststörung" ­ eine Querschnittstudie.

Background: There are not many studies investigating mental health of individuals with intellectual disability. The aim of this study is to provide data on depression and anxiety in individuals with intellectual disability. Method: In a cross-sectional study, we assessed women and men with intellectual disability (18-65 years) with a standardized instrument with 2 divisions (division 1: variables "residence", "self-determination capabilities", "violence experiences", division 2: variables "depression" and "anxiety" with the Patient Health Questionaire-4). Univariate and bivariate analysis of the data was performed. Result: Out of a total of 59% men and 41% women, 44 participated in the study (response rate=45%). Overall, 20% (n=9) of the participants had an increased PHQ-2 score. This can be used as an indicator for depression. 18% (n=8) of the subject group indicated an increased GAD-2 score. This can be used as an indicator of anxiety. Risk factors for depressive disorders were "an increased level of disability" (RR=11,8), "living with parents" (RR=6, 7), "limited self-determination capabilities"(RR=6,2) and "fear of new situations" (RR=5:0). Violence experiences were a risk factor (RR=13,3) for anxiety. Conclusion: In view of the special methodological challenges of this study, the target group is very small. Nevertheless, this is one of the first studies in Germany that reveals factors with an impact on the mental health of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The association of experience of violence with anxiety in individuals with intellectual disability represents an important challenge for public health.

[Psychological Well-being of Highly-sensitive Persons in Transition to Parenthood - A Cross-sectional Study]. / Psychological Well-Being von hochsensiblen Personen im Übergang zur Elternschaft ­ eine Querschnittstudie.

BACKGROUND: Well-being of highly sensitive people in the transformation period to parenthood is of increasing concern. This study examines whether the transformation period to parenthood has a higher effect on the psychological well-being (PWB) of highly sensitive people than on not highly sensitive people. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was undertaken of parents (n=614), highly sensitive (n=440) and not highly sensitive (n=174), at the transition to parenthood. Instruments were the Ryff psychological well-being scale. Independent variables and well-being were examined by descriptive and bivariate methods. RESULT: Well-being of highly sensitive parents is associated with transition to parenthood (b=-10,129; p<0.05) compared to the control group (7.3% of highly sensitive <50% of PWB; 0.6% of not highly sensitive <50% of PWB). CONCLUSION: As one of the first studies, this examination looks into the data of highly sensitive parents. It can be stated that there is an urgent need for research in this area. Because with a prevalence of 10-20% highly sensitive people within the population, it can be assumed that highly sensitive mostly young parents, could be an important target group of health promotion.

Prolonged hospital and community-based listeriosis outbreak caused by ready-to-eat scalded sausages.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterial pathogen. Immunocompromised patients are at higher risk of developing invasive listeriosis with high fatality rates. After notification of two patients with Listeria that had stayed in the same hospital (hospital A) before the onset of infection, we began an investigation to ascertain the extent of the outbreak, identify its source and prevent further infections. We conducted active case finding by contacting hospital A, reviewing medical records and retrospectively investigating listeriosis notifications from the German surveillance system (SurvNet). The kitchen (hospital A) and its meat supplier (company X) were inspected and environmental and food samples were taken for microbiological testing. All isolates of L. monocytogenes, together with patient and food-related isolates from Baden-Württemberg 2006 to 2008, were characterised by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Altogether, 16 cases of listeriosis were identified. Serotype 4b with the indistinguishable PFGE patterns (AscI 17a/ApaI 10) was detected from nine patients, five environmental and three ready-to-eat scalded sausage samples from company X, and two food samples from hospital A. All 11 patient cases linked to hospital A were immunosuppressed and were regularly served food during their hospital stay. Ten of these patients received corticosteroids and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Five cases were fatal. Our investigations indicate that ready-to-eat scalded sausages from company X caused this outbreak of listeriosis. Hospital food suppliers should guarantee the absence of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat products, controlled through optimised quality assurance.

[Asbestos in indoor areas]. / Asbest in Innenräumen.

In 1994 the FRG will probably be the first country with a complete ban on asbestos. But it will take until the next century before all the buildings are free from asbestos contamination. The Public Health Services is urged to keep a close watch on asbestos removal operations. The costs will amount to several thousand million DM in Germany. Planning and implementation of all renovation should be carried out on the basis of the asbestos guidelines. A previous measurement program to identify and count the fibres is usually not necessary. The guidelines, discussed in this article, allow to assess the urgency of the renovation operations. Special attention is paid to the six million night-storage heaters in the Federal Republic of Germany. Drinking water contaminated with asbestos is less important for the asbestos concentration of the aerosol in buildings. After a comprehensive synopsis on the so far mostly unpublished fibre concentrations in buildings, comments on the risk assessment concerning the residence in asbestos-contaminated buildings are made.

[The carcinogenic effect of asbestos]. / Die kanzerogene Wirkung von Asbest.

There is a causal correlation between the inhaled dose of asbestos at the working place, the occurrence of asbestosis, and a 5-fold increased mortality rate of lung cancer. Mesothelioma, which appears to be very rare among the general population, is a specific sign of exposure to asbestos fibres. Malignant tumours of the urinary bladder, the gastro-intestinal tract, the larynx and the oesophagus in workers may also be ascribed to the specific exposure in some cases. After a brief outline of the epidemiology of these diseases the carcinogenic effects of asbestos on the cellular and subcellular level are described. It can be shown from most recent literature that asbestos fibres can also trigger epigenetic and genotoxic effects. Numeric mutation of chromosomes, damage of the plasma membrane, and a modification of the immune system are most significant. In the presence of PAH, asbestos acts as a cocarcinogen. Asbestos fibres are positive in the cellular transformation test. Due to its initiating and promoting effects, asbestos proves to be a complete carcinogen. Obviously, asbestos fulfils the criteria of the modern theory of carcinogenesis as a multicausal and multistep process.

Steady-state study of horse-liver ADH: detection of two kinetically heterogeneous components.

New theoretical considerations and a new approximation strategy were applied to the kinetic analysis of the experimental relationship between the reaction velocity in the steady state and the concentrations of ethanol and NAD. It could be shown that horse-liver ADH consists of two kinetically heterogeneous components.