Effect of pregnancy length on the early development of Bengal kittens.

In cat breeding, an important step is reproduction and obtaining healthy offspring. The main factor determining the survival of newborn kittens is the normal course and length of pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of gestation length on the early development of kittens. It was shown that kittens (premature kittens) later double their body weight (p < .01), have lower daily gains (p < .01) and higher body weight during eye-opening (p < .01), which occurs later than in kittens born on time. In addition, due to a shorter period of prenatal development, they require more time until the day of eye-opening, which, together with the length of pregnancy, was defined as development age.

[Multilocular hepatic masses due to Enterobius vermicularis]. / Multilokuläre hepatische Raumforderungen durch Enterobius vermicularis.

Infestation with Enterobius vermicularis involving extraintestinal manifestation is rare. In a 50-year-old man with lower abdominal pain, computed tomography led to a suspected diagnosis of sigmoid carcinoma with liver metastasis. After ruling out colon cancer by endoscopy, laparoscopic resection of one suspected tumor nodule in the liver was performed. Histopathological examination revealed parasitic granulomas containing pinworms. Hematogenous migration was postulated in the setting of phlebitis with thrombosis of the inferior mesenteric vein.

When to operate after SARS-CoV-2 infection? A review on the recent consensus recommendation of the DGC/BDC and the DGAI/BDA.

Since the eruption of the worldwide SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in late 2019/early 2020, multiple elective surgical interventions were postponed. Through pandemic measures, elective operation capacities were reduced in favour of intensive care treatment for critically ill SARS-CoV-2 patients. Although intermittent low-incidence infection rates allowed an increase in elective surgery, surgeons have to include long-term pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications of SARS-CoV-2 infections (especially "Long Covid") in their perioperative management considerations and risk assessment procedures. This review summarizes recent consensus statements and recommendations regarding the timepoint for surgical intervention after SARS-CoV-2 infection released by respective German societies and professional representatives including DGC/BDC (Germany Society of Surgery/Professional Association of German Surgeons e.V.) and DGAI/BDA (Germany Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine/Professional Association of German Anesthesiologists e.V.) within the scope of the recent literature. The current literature reveals that patients with pre- and perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection have a dramatically deteriorated postoperative outcome. Thereby, perioperative mortality is mainly caused by pulmonary and thromboembolic complications. Notably, perioperative mortality decreases to normal values over time depending on the duration of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

[New WSES-AAST guidelines on trauma of the urogenital tract-Summary and comments]. / Neue WSES-AAST-Leitlinie zum Trauma des Urogenitaltraktes ­ Zusammenfassung und Kommentar.

Different perspectives exist among the various specialist disciplines on the treatment of trauma patients with injuries of the urogenital tract. The multidisciplinary consensus guidelines of the World Society of Emergency Surgery (WSES) and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST), which appeared in autumn 2019, are summarized in this article. They should constitute an aid to making decisions on the optimal treatment of trauma patients with urogenital injuries.

Thiamidol containing treatment regimens in facial hyperpigmentation: An international multi-centre approach consisting of a double-blind, controlled, split-face study and of an open-label, real-world study.

OBJECTIVE: Tyrosinase is the rate-limiting enzyme in melanogenesis. Thiamidol is the most potent inhibitor of human tyrosinase out of 50 000 tested compounds. In clinical studies, it was shown to improve facial hyperpigmentation, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation and age spots significantly. To identify the optimal number of daily Thiamidol applications, we conducted a split-face study comparing the efficacy and tolerability of four-times with two-times daily application. Subsequently, we evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of a typical face care regimen containing Thiamidol in a real-world study. METHODS: The split-face study was double-blind, randomized, controlled, including two Thiamidol containing products (serum and day care SPF 30). The serum was applied twice daily on one half of the face and the day care SPF30 twice-daily on the whole face. The real-world study was open-label, observational, including three Thiamidol containing products (day care SPF 30 in the morning, serum and night care in the evening). In both studies, subjects with mild-to-moderate facial hyperpigmentation applied the products over 12 weeks. Assessments included clinical and subjective grading of hyperpigmentation, skin condition, hemi-/modified MASI, chromameter and clinical photography. RESULTS: In the split-face study (n = 34), hyperpigmentation, skin roughness and hMASI improved all significantly (P < 0.001) versus baseline, with first visible results after two weeks of twice-daily application. The four-times daily application led to significant improvement versus the two-times daily application. In the real-world study (n = 83), all evaluated parameters, including skin condition and chromametry (n = 30), improved significantly (P < 0.001) in comparison with baseline and the corresponding preceding visits. The subjects judged the cosmetic properties of the products positively. In both studies, the products were well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Four-times daily Thiamidol improves facial hyperpigmentation significantly more than two-times daily and is well tolerated by the subjects. The real-world study with a typical face care regimen containing Thiamidol shows improvement of facial hyperpigmentation and confirms tolerability. Furthermore, the data provide evidence for the suitability of this three-product Thiamidol regimen for day-to-day life.

OBJECTIF: La tyrosinase est l'enzyme qui limite le taux de mélanogénèse. Le Thiamidol est le plus puissant inhibiteur de la tyrosinase humaine parmi les 50 000 composés testés. Lors d'études cliniques, il a été démontré qu'il améliore de manière significative l'hyperpigmentation du visage, l'hyperpigmentation post-inflammatoire et les taches de vieillesse. Afin d'identifier le nombre optimal d'applications quotidiennes de Thiamidol, nous avons mené une étude hémi-visage comparant l'efficacité et la tolérance d'une application quatre fois par jour à une application deux fois par jour. Par la suite, nous avons évalué l'efficacité et la tolérance d'un régime de soins du visage typique contenant du Thiamidol dans le cadre d'une étude en situation réelle. MÉTHODES: L'étude hémi-visage était en double aveugle, randomisée et contrôlée, incluant deux produits contenant du Thiamidol (sérum et soin de jour SPF 30). Le sérum a été appliqué deux fois par jour sur une moitié du visage, et le soin de jour SPF30 deux fois par jour sur l'ensemble du visage. L'étude en situation réelle était ouverte, observationnelle, et comprenait trois produits contenant du Thiamidol (soin de jour SPF 30 le matin, sérum et soin de nuit le soir). Dans les deux études, les sujets présentant une hyperpigmentation faciale légère à modérée ont appliqué les produits pendant 12 semaines. Les évaluations comprenaient une évaluation clinique et subjective de l'hyperpigmentation, de l'état de la peau, du hémi/modifié MASI, du chromamètre et de la photographie clinique. RÉSULTATS: Dans l'étude hémi-visage (n = 34), l'hyperpigmentation, la rugosité de la peau et l'hMASI se sont tous améliorées de manière significative (P < 0.001) par rapport à la ligne de base, avec des effets devenus visibles aprés deux semaines d'application deux fois par jour. L'application quatre fois par jour a apporté une amélioration significative par rapport à l'application deux fois par jour. Dans l'étude en situation réelle (n = 83), tous les paramѐtres évalués, y compris l'état de la peau et la chromamètrie (n = 30) se sont améliorés significativement (P < 0.001) par rapport à la ligne de base et aux visites précédentes correspondantes. Les sujets ont jugé positivement les propriétés cosmétiques des produits. Dans les deux études, les produits ont été bien tolérés. CONCLUSION: L'application de Thiamidol quatre fois par jour, améliore l'hyperpigmentation du visage de maniѐre plus significative que deux fois par jour et est bien toléré par les sujets. L'étude en situation réelle avec un régime de soins du visage typique contenant du Thiamidol montre une amélioration de l'hyperpigmentation faciale et confirme la tolérance. En outre, les données fournissent des preuves de l'adéquation de ce régime de trois produits à base de Thiamidol pour le soin quotidien.

Intra-abdominal sepsis: new definitions and current clinical standards.

PURPOSE: The abdomen is the second most common source of sepsis and is associated with unacceptably high morbidity and mortality. Recently, the essential definitions of sepsis and septic shock were updated (Third International Consensus Definitions for Sepsis and Septic Shock, Sepsis-3) and modified. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the changes introduced by Sepsis-3 and the current state of the art regarding the treatment of abdominal sepsis. RESULTS: While Sepsis-1/2 focused on detecting systemic inflammation as a response to infection, Sepsis-3 defines sepsis as a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. The Surviving Sepsis Campaign (SSC) guideline, which was updated in 2016, recommends rapid diagnosis and initiating standardized therapy. New diagnostic tools, the establishment of antibiotic stewardship programs, and a host of new-generation antibiotics are new landmark changes in the sepsis literature of the last few years. Although the "old" surgical source control consisting of debridement, removal of infected devices, drainage of purulent cavities, and decompression of the abdominal cavity is the gold standard of surgical care, the timing of gastrointestinal reconstruction and closure of the abdominal cavity ("damage control surgery") are discussed intensively in the literature. The SSC guidelines provide evidence-based sepsis therapy. Nevertheless, treating critically ill intensive care patients requires individualized, continuous daily re-evaluation and flexible therapeutic strategies, which can be best discussed in the interdisciplinary rounds of experienced surgeons and intensive care medicals.

Effect of dietary canthaxanthin and iodine on the production performance and egg quality of laying hens.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of canthaxanthin (CX) and iodine (I) on the production of laying hens, on counteracting debilitation of the vitelline membrane, and on inhibiting Salmonella growth in eggs stored at 30°C. Three hundred hens were reared in cages. Birds were divided into six feeding groups (10 hens × 5 repetitions) that were administered 0, 3 or 6 ppm of CX and 1 or 10 ppm of I with their diets. Laying rate, egg weights, and feed conversion ratios were controlled. The quality of fresh eggs was assessed in wks 25-26, 48-50 and 62-63 of hens lives. An additional batch of eggs was incubated at the temperature of 30°C, and egg quality changes were monitored on days 3, 6 and 9 of storage. Additionally, eggs collected from four experimental groups of hens whose diets had been iodated with 1 or 10 ppm of I and supplemented with 0 or 6 ppm of CX were infected under laboratory conditions with Salmonella, and incubated for 5 and 10 d. The laying rate, egg weights, and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved. Dietary inclusion of CX contributed to a higher resistance of the vitelline membrane of egg yolks, but only for fresh eggs. Vitelline membrane degradation during egg storage at 30°C was significantly counteracted by dietary inclusion of I at a dose of 10 ppm. The same I dose resulted in the complete inhibition of Salmonella growth until day 10 of incubation, but exclusively for eggs collected from 40-week-old hens. Dietary supplementation with 10 ppm of I was found to impart high level of resistance to the vitelline membrane against the growth of Salmonella in case of eggs stored at 30°C; therefore, I was found to be more beneficial by ensuring longer preservation than that of CX. However, dietary supplementation with CX was found to increase the resistance of vitelline membrane in fresh eggs.

Studying the field induced breakup of acoustically levitated drops.

Coulomb fission of charged droplets (The terms drop and droplet are often used synonymous. Throughout this manuscript, to avoid confusion, the terms drop and droplet will be used for liquid spheres with radii in the millimeter range and the micrometer range, respectively. In our experiments, the first correspond to the parent drop while the latter describes the ejected progeny droplets.) is a well-studied natural phenomenon. Controlled droplet fission is already successfully employed in several technological applications. Still, since the occurring surface rupture relies on the exact understanding and description of the liquid gas boundary, some details are still under debate. Most empirical systematic studies observe falling micrometer droplets passing through the electric field inside a plate capacitor. This approach, although easily applicable and reliable, limits the experimental degrees of freedom regarding the observable time and the maximum size of the drops and can only be performed in consecutive individual observations of different subsequent drops. Here we present a novel setup to study the field induced breakup of acoustically levitated drops. The design does not bear any restrictions towards the temporal window of observation, and allows handling of drops of a tunable radius ranging from 10 µm to several millimeters and a real-time monitoring of one single drop. Our comprehensive study includes a time resolved visual inspection, laser shadowgraphy, laser induced fluorescence imaging, and ambient mass spectrometric interrogation of the nascent Taylor cone. The results shown for a millimeter sized drop, previously inaccessible for Coulomb fission experiments, are mostly comparable with previous results for smaller drops. The major difference is the time scale and the threshold potential of the drop rupture. Both values, however, resemble theoretically extrapolations to the larger radius. The technique allows for a systematic study of breakup behavior of drops of different charge, material, and size.

[Postal Survey Among Women With Turkish Migration Background in Germany - Identification, Sample Revision and Response in the InEMa Study]. / Postalische Befragung von Frauen mit türkischem Migrationshintergrund ­ Identifizierung, Stichprobenbereinigung und Response im Rahmen der InEMa-Studie.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Migrants are an important target group for mailed surveys but also difficult to reach. For planning these surveys and invitational health measures, we assessed response figures for women with and without Turkish migration background. METHODS: Women aged 50 years living in Westphalia-Lippe were invited to a postal survey at 2 time points about mammography screening. Turkish migrant women were identified in the contact database by a name-based algorithm. Possible differences in sample revision and response among women with and without Turkish migration background were assessed. RESULTS: Women with Turkish migration background had unknown addresses significantly more often (4.6 vs. 1.7%) and responded to the questionnaires less often (first questionnaire: 14.3 vs. 35.9%; second questionnaire: 70.7 vs. 85.6%). CONCLUSIONS: For postal invitation to participate in healthcare measures, or recruitment of Turkish migrants for studies, differences in current address and readiness to respond must be taken into consideration.

Vitamin D and Mammographic Findings.

Introduction: Pleiotropic immune-modulatory and anti-proliferative effects of vitamin D and hopes to stop cancerogenesis have led to an increased interest in possible reduction of breast cancer with higher vitamin D levels. Mammographic density is an established risk factor for breast cancer risk, and its association with serum vitamin D is complex, as recent studies have shown. Patients and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1103 participants were recruited in the breast diagnostic unit of the Klinikum rechts der Isar, TU Munich. A standardised questionnaire and blood samples for 25-OH-vitamin D were taken on the day of mammography. Histologic results of biopsies in suspicious mammographies were documented. Results: In the 1090 data-sets analysed, vitamin D-deficiency was common among women under 40. Highest vitamin D values were observed in participants aged 60-69 years, but average values for all age cohorts were below 20 ng/ml of vitamin D. 15.6 % of all participants had very low vitamin D values (< 10 ng/ml), 51.3 % were vitamin D-deficient (10-19 ng/ml) and only 5.7 % were above 30 ng/ml, i.e. showed sufficient vitamin D. Patients with malignant results had vitamin D < 10 ng/ml more often (16.9 %; p = 0.61), and only 3.4 % in this group had sufficient vitamin D supply (> 30 ng/ml). There were no significant differences in vitamin D-levels between density groups according to the American College of Radiology (ACR) criteria. Conclusion: Vitamin D values were lower than in comparable US women. Up to now, there is no direct clinical evidence for a relationship between the risk for breast cancer and a specific vitamin D value.

Characterization of key genes of the renin-angiotensin system in mature feline adipocytes and during in vitro adipogenesis.

Obesity is a growing health problem in humans as well as companion animals. In the development and progression of obesity-associated diseases, the members of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) are proposed to be involved. Particularly, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in cats has increased enormously which is often been linked to obesity as well as to RAS. So far, reports about the expression of a local RAS in cat adipocytes are missing. Therefore, we investigated the mRNA expression of various RAS genes as well as the adipocyte marker genes adiponectin, leptin and PPAR-γ in feline adipocytes using quantitative PCR. To characterize the gene expression during adipogenesis, feline pre-adipocytes were differentiated into adipocytes in a primary cell culture and the expression of RAS key genes measured. All major RAS components were expressed in feline cells, but obvious differences in the expression between pre-adipocytes and the various differentiation stages were found. Interestingly, the two enzymes ACE and ACE2 showed an opposite expression course. In addition to the in vitro experiments, mature adipocytes were isolated from subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue. Significant differences between both fat depots were found for ACE as well as AT1 receptor with greater expression in subcutaneous than in visceral adipocytes. Visceral adipocytes had significantly higher adiponectin and PPAR-γ mRNA level compared to the subcutaneous fat cells. Concerning the nutritional status, a significant lower expression of ACE2 was measured in subcutaneous adipocytes of overweight cats. In summary, the results show the existence of a potentially functional local RAS in feline adipose tissue which is differentially regulated during adipogenesis and dependent on the fat tissue depot and nutritional status. These findings are relevant for understanding the development of obesity-associated diseases in cats such as diabetes mellitus.

Acute abdominal compartment syndrome: current diagnostic and therapeutic options.

BACKGROUND: If untreated, the abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) has a mortality of nearly 100 %. Thus, its early recognition is of major importance for daily rounds on surgical intensive care units. Intraabdominal hypertension (IAH) is a poorly recognized entity, which occurs if intraabdominal pressure arises >12 mmHg. Measurement of the intravesical pressure is the gold standard to diagnose IAH, which can be detected in about one fourth of surgical intensive care patients. PURPOSE: The aim of this manuscript is to outline the current diagnostic and therapeutic options for IAH and ACS. While diagnosis of IAH and ACS strongly depends on clinical experience, new diagnostic markers could play an important role in the future. Therapy of IAH/ACS consists of five treatment "columns": intraluminal evacuation, intraabdominal evacuation, improvement of abdominal wall compliance, fluid management, and improved organ perfusion. If conservative therapy fails, emergency laparotomy is the most effective therapeutic approach to achieve abdominal decompression. Thereafter, patients with an open abdomen require intensive care and are permanently threatened by the quadrangle of fluid loss, muscle proteolysis, heat loss, and an impaired immune function. As a consequence, complication rate dramatically increases after 8 days of open abdomen therapy. CONCLUSION: Despite many efforts, the mortality of patients with ACS remains unacceptably high. Permanent clinical education and surgical trials will be necessary to improve the outcome of our critically ill surgical patients.

Peripapillary Choroidal Thickness and Choroidal Area in Glaucoma, Ocular Hypertension and Healthy Subjects by SD-OCT.

BACKGROUND: The exact pathogenesis of open angle glaucoma and ocular hypertension remains unclear. Hemodynamic influences are discussed as potential risk factors and the choroid may play an important role in the pathogenesis of open angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. The current study investigates peripapillary choroidal thickness and choroidal area in patients with open angle glaucoma, subjects with ocular hypertension and healthy subjects using spectral-domain OCT. It furthermore assesses the association between peripapillary choroidal thickness and age, central corneal thickness, refractive error and intraocular pressure. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospectively recorded data of 213 eyes of 177 open angle glaucoma patients, 73 eyes of 50 subjects with ocular hypertension and 152 eyes of 116 healthy control subjects were analyzed by fitting a linear mixed model including age and disease. RESULTS: Peripapillary choroidal thickness was thinnest in glaucoma patients (125 µm), followed by healthy subjects (127 µm) and ocular hypertensive subjects (135 µm). A marginally significant difference was present between ocular hypertension and glaucoma (p=0.059). Thickest choroids were found superiorly and thinnest choroids inferiorly. Choroidal area was highest in the supero-nasal and lowest in the infero-temporal sectors. Choroidal thickness decreased with age, no significant correlation was evident between peripapillary choroidal thickness and refractive error or intraocular pressure. Peripapillary choroidal thickness and central corneal thickness are significantly negative correlated in healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: There is a trend towards thicker choroids in ocular hypertensive subjects compared to healthy subjects or glaucoma patients. Thickest choroids are found superiorly, thinnest inferiorly. Interestingly, choroidal area is thinnest in the temporal-inferior sector, one of the regions where glaucomatous damage tends to start.

[What Makes Happy Doctors? Job Satisfaction of General Practitioners in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania - a Representative Cross-sectional Study]. / Was macht Ärzte glücklich? Berufszufriedenheit von Hausärzten in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - eine repräsentative Querschnittsstudie.

AIM: Studies provide evidence for the importance of general practitioners (GPs) job satisfaction for a secure and high quality health care provision. This study focuses on job satisfaction of GPs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (MV), a rural area threatened by a lack of GPs. We investigate how satisfied GPs are with their job and which factors influence their job satisfaction. METHODS: All 1 133 GPs working in MV in December 2011 were asked to complete a 57-item-questionnaire. The response rate reached 50.1%. RESULTS: The sample is representative for GPs in MV. Levels of job satisfaction are high and correlate with age and sex: females and GPs below 50 years of age are more satisfied. Factors contributing to high job satisfaction include a good doctor-patient relationship, fair pay, and the variety of reasons for doctor-patient consultations in primary care. Although all GPs were dissatisfied with bureaucracy, this factor has little impact on GPs' overall job satisfaction. CONCLUSION: In light of the imminent lack of GPs, in future it will be important to improve factors that have been demonstrated to increase job satisfaction.

Experimental and numerical characterization of the sound pressure in standing wave acoustic levitators.

A novel method for predictions of the sound pressure distribution in acoustic levitators is based on a matrix representation of the Rayleigh integral. This method allows for a fast calculation of the acoustic field within the resonator. To make sure that the underlying assumptions and simplifications are justified, this approach was tested by a direct comparison to experimental data. The experimental sound pressure distributions were recorded by high spatially resolved frequency selective microphone scanning. To emphasize the general applicability of the two approaches, the comparative studies were conducted for four different resonator geometries. In all cases, the results show an excellent agreement, demonstrating the accuracy of the matrix method.

CUX1: target of Akt signalling and mediator of resistance to apoptosis in pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The transcription factor CUX1 is known as a regulator of cell differentiation and cell cycle progression. Previously, CUX1 was identified as a modulator of invasiveness in various cancers. Based on expression profiles suggesting a role for CUX1 in mediating chemoresistance, the aim of this study was to characterise the effect of CUX1 on apoptosis as well as its regulation by signalling pathways modulating drug resistance in pancreatic cancer. METHODS: The effect of CUX1 on TRAIL- (tumour necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) and drug-induced apoptosis was analysed using overexpression and knock-down strategies. Regulation of CUX1 by phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt signalling was examined at the mRNA and protein level. The effect of CUX1 knock-down by nanoparticle-complexed small interfering RNA (siRNA) in vivo was analysed in a murine xenograft model. Furthermore, CUX1 RNA and protein expression was evaluated in human pancreatic cancer and adjacent normal tissues. RESULTS: Knock-down of CUX1 resulted in significantly enhanced TRAIL- and drug-induced apoptosis, associated with increased PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) cleavage and caspase activity. Vice versa, overexpression of CUX1 inhibited apoptosis. CUX1 expression was induced by activation of Akt/protein kinase B signalling, and decreased by PI3K inhibitors. The antiapoptotic effect of CUX1 was associated with upregulation of BCL2 and downregulation of tumour necrosis factor alpha. CUX1 was significantly overexpressed in pancreatic cancers, as analysed by in situ hybridisation and immunohistochemistry. In vivo, silencing of CUX1 by intratumourally administered polyethylenimine-complexed siRNA led to reduced tumour growth and increased apoptosis in pancreatic cancer xenografts. CONCLUSION: CUX1 was identified as an important mediator of tumour cell survival in pancreatic cancer in vitro and in vivo.

Associations of perceived work strain with nicotine dependence in a community sample.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about work strain and smoking, and even less about work strain and nicotine dependence. AIM: To investigate the relations of perceived work strain with nicotine dependence among an adult general population sample. METHOD: Cross sectional survey with a probability sample of residents of a northern German area with 4075 participants, aged 18-64 years (participation rate 70.2%). The current study is based on 2549 participants who were working 15 or more hours per week. Face to face at-home computer aided interviews (World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview) were carried out. Work strain, defined as high work demand and low work control, was assessed with a questionnaire. Nicotine dependence was diagnosed according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) of the American Psychiatric Association. In addition, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND) was used. RESULTS: Subjects with work strain had an odds ratio of 1.6 (95% CI 1.2 to 2.3) for nicotine dependence compared to those who had no work strain. In a general linear model, higher work strain was associated with a stronger relation between work demand and work control and the FTND. The findings were adjusted for alcohol use disorders, occupational status, age, and sex. CONCLUSION: Perceived work strain is related to nicotine dependence in this general adult population.

Photodissociation dynamics of pyrrole: evidence for mode specific dynamics from conical intersections.

The H and D atom elimination mechanisms in the photodissociation of jet cooled pyrrole and pyrrole-d1 have been studied by photofragment velocity map imaging. The molecules were excited to the 1 1A2 (pi sigma*) state at lambda = 243 nm and to the 1 1B2 (pi pi*) state at lambda = 217 nm. H/D atoms were detected by (2 + 1) resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) at lambda = 243 nm. The analysis of the images and the resulting translational energy distributions from the 1 1A2 state demonstrates the existence of two decay pathways, fast mode-specific cleavage of the NH bond in the excited state (channel A) and internal conversion (IC) to the electronic ground state (S0) followed by unimolecular decomposition of the vibrationally hot S0 molecules (channel B). The angular distributions of the H/D atoms from the direct dissociation in the excited state are strongly anisotropic, whereas the decay of the S0 molecules leads to spatially isotropic distributions. The results at lambda = 217 nm indicate that the 1 1B2 state undergoes an ultrafast radiationless transition to 1 1A2 followed by the abovementioned direct mode-specific NH bond fission on the 1 1A2 potential energy surface (channel A') or conversion to S0 and subsequent unimolecular decomposition (channel B'). The latter pathway may also be initiated by a direct relaxation from 1 1B2 to S0. The anisotropy parameter of beta approximately -1 for the direct NH bond fission at lambda = 217 nm is in accordance with the expectations for a perpendicular electronic excitation and a dissociation lifetime that is short compared to the rotational period of the molecules. The fast decay dynamics of both excited electronic states can be rationalized with reference to the theoretically predicted conical intersections between the pi pi*, pi sigma*, and S0 potential energy surfaces and the antibonding nature of the pi sigma* potential energy surface with respect to the NH bond [A. L. Sobolewski, W. Domcke. C. Dedonder-Lardeux and C. Jouvet, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2002, 4, 1093].

[Characteristics of patients with alcohol- or drug problems in medical practices "addiction" in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern]. / Charakteristika von Patienten mit Alkohol- oder Drogenproblemen in den Schwerpunktpraxen "Sucht" in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

BACKGROUND: The pilot scheme "Medical practices with emphasis on addiction" examines one approach in the outpatient treatment of patients with addiction. Nine medical practices in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania participate in this project, and the goal is to lower the threshold for the utilisation of help and to provide a long-term relationship between the patient and the physician. GOAL: Results of the first survey of patients and physicians are presented as part of the scientific evaluation of the entire project. METHOD: Data of 876 patients was assessed. There is data about the severity of alcohol dependence (SESA), about negative consequences of drinking and about utilisation of help for n = 627 patients. These were compared with a sample of n = 153 subjects with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence from a population-based survey. Medical doctors provided information on the duration and quality of patient contact, current drug consumption and content of treatment for n = 472 patients. RESULTS: Of all patients, 51 % were treated for more than 3 years in the respective practice. Among the patients, 45 % were current drug users, further help was recommended for 77 %. In comparison with the reference group, patients with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in those practices were more severely dependent, reported more problems concerning health, work, or finances and utilised addiction-specific help more often. DISCUSSION: The medical practices under examination undertake the task to provide long-term support for patients with addiction diagnoses and encourage patients to utilize more help from further sources. Their patients with alcohol diagnoses differ substantially from persons in the general population with regard to severity of dependence and related problems. This justifies an intensive medical and psychosocial support by specialised practitioners.