A Multimodal Stress-Prevention Program Supplemented by Telephone-Coaching Sessions to Reduce Perceived Stress among German Farmers: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This study compared the effectiveness of a 12-day stress-prevention program (SGS) supplemented by individualized, structured, four-session telephone-coaching to that of an SGS without telephone-coaching in entrepreneurs from the green professions presenting with increased stress levels. All participants went through the SGS before being randomized either to the telephone-coaching group (TC) or to the control group without telephone-coaching (noTC). SGS included four key therapeutic elements: stress-management intervention, relaxation, physical exercise, and balneotherapy. The primary outcome was the current degree of subjectively experienced stress assessed with the Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) at a 9-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included burnout symptoms, well-being, health status, sleep disorders, expectation of self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, ability to work, pain, and days of sick leave. Assessments were conducted at baseline, 12 days (end of program), and 1 (start telephone-coaching), 3, 6 (end of telephone-coaching), and 9 months. Data from 103 adults (TC = 51; noTC = 52), mostly fulltime farmers, were available for analysis (mean age: 55.3; 49.1% female). Participants experienced significant immediate improvement in all outcome measurements, which declined somewhat during the first three months after the end of SGS and then remained stable for at least another six months. While within-group changes from baseline to 9 months showed significant improvements at medium to large effect sizes for all target variables (PSQ-total, TC: -13.38 (±14.98); 95%-CI: (-17.68; -9.07); noTC: -11.09 (±14.15); 95%-CI: (-15.11; -7.07)), no statistically significant differences were found between the groups at any time and for any target variable (between-group ANCOVA for PSQ-total at 9 months, parameter estimator for the group: -1.58; 95%-CI: (-7.29; 4.13)). The stress-prevention program SGS is a feasible, effective, and practical way to reduce perceived stress and improve participants' resources. Four subsequent telephone-coaching sessions do not seem to contribute to a further improvement in the results.

[The "popular saint" Therese of Konnersreuth and her stigmata : An historical example for the interaction of psyche and religiosity]. / Die "Volksheilige" Therese Neumann von Konnersreuth und ihre Stigmata : Ein historisches Beispiel zur Wechselwirkung von Psyche und Religiosität.

BACKGROUND: In present times, we see ourselves confronted by the challenge of engaging increasingly diverse views of the world, god and healing in a constructive dialogue. Consequently, it is important to research into the contrary effects of religiosity on the human psyche. METHODS: Original- and literary medical historian research RESULTS: Gottfried Ewald (1888-1963), a psychiatric expert at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen, was appointed 90 years ago with the task of examining Therese Neumann (1898-1962), colloquially known as Resl of Konnersreuth. In 1927, Ewald retrospectively confirmed the diagnosis of "most severe hysteria with blindness and partial paralysis". Within the context of regular pastoral care, Resl's "hysterical blindness" disappeared on 24.06.1923. This remission might be ascribed to a positive effect of religiosity on mental health. Besides the beneficial effects of religiosity on healing, pathogenic phenomena of religion can also be seen in the case of Resl. During Lent in 1926, Resl experienced ecstatic states as well as blood-stained tears. On Good Friday in 1926, bleeding of the scalp occurred; since Holy Saturday 1927, she experienced stigmata on her hands and the soles of her feet. Ewald assessed the latter as probably being genuine, although he spoke in favor of a clinical observation in hospital to obtain scientifically substantiated findings. DISCUSSION: The story of Resl of Konnersreuth shows the contrary influences of religiosity on mental health in one and the same individual. CONCLUSION: Detailed psychiatric historical and ethical research on the interaction of the psyche and religiosity can provide information about mechanisms that channel the psychic power of religiosity to promote remission. It is further important to take a religious and spiritual history of the patients.

[Carl Wernicke (1848-1905) and the "Wernicke-Kleist-Leonhard school". Connections to "Erlangen School" of psychiatry]. / Carl Wernicke (1848­1905) und die "Wernicke-Kleist-Leonhard Schule". Beziehungen zur "Erlanger Schule" der Psychiatrie.

BACKGROUND: To celebrate Carl Wernicke's 170th anniversary, the paper aims at analysing possible connections of Wernicke and his "Wernicke-Kleist-Leonhard (WKL) school" to the "Erlangen school" of psychiatry. METHODS: Relevant primary and secondary literature as well as archival material were examined to test the hypothesis. RESULTS: Wernicke's efforts to realise his nosological system in clinical practice were continued by his pupil Karl Kleist (1879-1960). After Wernicke's tragic early death Kleist worked under Gustav Specht's "Erlangen school of psychiatry". Karl Leonhard (1904-1988), who worked under Specht as well as under Kleist, continued Wernicke's and Kleist's research and ended up with a very differentiated classification of endogenous psychoses. DISCUSSION: Specht's "Erlangen school" of psychiatry can be regarded as a link in the development of the "Wernicke-Kleist-Leonhard school". Wernicke's description of "anxiety psychosis" motivated Specht to study the emotion of anxiety in "manic-depressive disorder". Specht's study again stimulated Leonhard's concept of "anxiety-happiness psychosis". Generally, Specht's intensive focus on bipolarity has influenced Leonhard's concept of cycloid psychoses. Specht's description of "pathologic affect" had an impact on Leonhard's concept of "affect-laden paraphrenia". CONCLUSION: Modern methods of neuro-imaging open a new perspective to Wernicke's localisation theory. The natural-scientific-philosophical "double orientation" of the WKL school motivates an increased integration of philosophical elements (ethics, religiosity, spirituality) in the field of psychiatry, psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy.

Synthesis of M + 4 Stable Isotopomers of Ergometrine and Ergometrinine.

The priority ergot alkaloids ergometrine and ergometrinine are highly toxic mycotoxins naturally occurring in different types of grains (i.e. rye, wheat, rice), as well as grain-based foods and, therefore, have gained increasing importance for food safety over the last years. The application of HPLC-MS/MS for the analysis of ergot alkaloids in food presupposes the availability of isotopically labelled internal standards. Thus, a multistep synthesis was developed for ergometrine-(N-13CD3) and its epimer ergometrinine-(N-13CD3) with a mass shift of four units compared with the parent compounds. The synthesis is based on the preparation of stable isotope labelled lysergic acid that was coupled with (S)-alaninol. The chemical synthesis of both compounds has been achieved in six steps with an overall yield of 1 % (ergometrine-(N-13CD3)) and 0.6 % (ergometrinine-(N-13CD3)), respectively. Structural identification was performed by MS analysis as well as 1H and 13C NMR.

Gaming and Religion: The Impact of Spirituality and Denomination.

A previous investigation from Korea indicated that religion might modulate gaming behavior (Kim and Kim in J Korean Acad Nurs 40:378-388, 2010). Our present study aimed to investigate whether a belief in God, practicing religious behavior and religious denomination affected gaming behavior. Data were derived from a Western cohort of young men (Cohort Study on Substance Use Risk Factors, n = 5990). The results showed that a stronger belief in God was associated with lower gaming frequency and smaller game addiction scale scores. In addition, practicing religiosity was related to less frequent online and offline gaming. Finally, Christians gamed less frequently and had lower game addiction scale scores than subjects without religious denomination. In the future, these results could prove useful in developing preventive and therapeutic strategies for the Internet gaming disorder.