Gesundheit – digital und inklusiv

Hintergrund Der Kompetenzerwerb in den Bereichen Arbeitsschutz und Gesundheit ist für Menschen mit Lernschwierigkeiten auf Grund vielfältiger Barrieren erschwert. Die softwarebasierte Vermittlung von gesundheitsbezogenen Kompetenzen stellt eine Möglichkeit dar, die Barrieren in der Gesundheitsbefähigung abzubauen. Methodik Es wurden drei leitfadengestützte Fokusgruppengespräche mit Beschäftigten mit Lernschwierigkeiten und Mitarbeitenden einer WfbM (Werkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung) der Recklinghäuser Werkstätten GmbH geführt. Im Rahmen dessen wurden Kenntnisse zu Gesundheitsförderung und Arbeitsschutz sowie die bevorzugte Lernmethode erfragt. Außerdem wurden Gestaltungskriterien und Entwürfe für barrierefreie Lerninhalte diskutiert. Hierfür stand die Lernsoftware sam® von secova GmbH & Co. KG, Rheine, beispielhaft zur Verfügung. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse wurden in die Revision der Lerninhalte einbezogen und als Handreichung für die barrierefreie Gestaltung digitaler Lerninhalte für die Zielgruppe mit Lernschwierigkeiten aufbereitet. Ergebnisse Anhand multimedialer Inhalte sollte eine didaktische Vielfalt angeboten werden. Zum besseren Verständnis sollten hierbei vereinfachte Sprache und Symbolbilder sowie eine kontrastreiche und übersichtliche Gestaltung verwendet werden. Der Fokus sollte auf den individuellen Bedürfnissen der Adressierten sowie den Gegebenheiten der Einrichtung liegen. Zum Abbau von Barrieren sollten verschiedene didaktische und multimediale Materialien zur Wissensvermittlung genutzt werden. Schlussfolgerung Der Einsatz der Handreichung ist auch in anderen Kontexten vorstellbar und sollte in der Praxis evaluiert werden

Children of Mentally III Parents at Risk Evaluation (COMPARE): Design and Methods of a Randomized Controlled Multicenter Study—Part I

Objectives: Mental disorders are frequent, associated with disability-adjusted life years, societal, and economic costs. Children of parents with a mental illness (COPMI) are at an increased risk to develop disorders themselves. The transgenerational transmission of mental disorders has been conceptualized in a model that takes parental and family factors, the social environment (i.e., school, work, and social support), parent-child-interaction and possible child outcomes into account. The goal of the “Children of Mentally Ill Parents At Risk Evaluation” (COMPARE) study will thus be twofold: (1) to establish the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a high-quality randomized controlled trial (RCT) with the aim of interrupting the intergenerational transmission of mental disorders in COPMI, (2) to test the components of the trans-generational transmission model of mental disorders. Methods: To implement a randomized controlled trial (RCT: comparison of parental cognitive behavioral therapy/CBT with CBT + Positive Parenting Program) that is flanked by four add-on projects that apply behavioral, psychophysiological, and neuro-imaging methods to examine potential moderators and mediators of risk transmission (projects COMPARE-emotion/-interaction/-work/-school). COMPARE-emotion targets emotion processing and regulation and its impact on the transgenerational disorder transmission; COMPARE-interaction focuses especially on the impact of maternal comorbid diagnoses of depression and anxiety disorders and will concentrate on different pathways of the impact of maternal disorders on socio-emotional and cognitive infant development, such as parent-infant interaction and the infant's stress regulation skills. COMPARE-work analyzes the transmission of strains a person experiences in one area of life to another (i.e., from family to work; spill-over), and how stress and strain are transmitted between individuals (i.e., from parent to child; cross-over). COMPARE-school focuses on the psychosocial adjustment, school performance, and subjective well-being in COPMI compared to an adequate control group of healthy children. Results: This study protocol reports on the interdisciplinary approach of COMPARE testing the model of the transgenerational transmission of mental disorders. Conclusion: The combination of applied basic with clinical research will facilitate the examination of specific risk transmission mechanisms, promotion, dissemination and implementation of results into a highly important but largely neglected field. Clinical Trial Registration: DRKS-ID: DRKS00013516 (German Clinical Trials Register, https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00013516)

Proteome changes in autosomal recessive primary microcephaly

Background/aim: : Autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a rare and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by intellectual disability and microcephaly at birth, classically without further organ involvement. MCPH3 is caused by biallelic variants in the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 regulatory subunit-associated protein 2 gene CDK5RAP2. In the corresponding Cdk5rap2 mutant or Hertwig's anemia mouse model, congenital microcephaly as well as defects in the hematopoietic system, germ cells and eyes have been reported. The reduction in brain volume, particularly affecting gray matter, has been attributed mainly to disturbances in the proliferation and survival of early neuronal progenitors. In addition, defects in dendritic development and synaptogenesis exist that affect the excitation-inhibition balance. Here, we studied proteomic changes in cerebral cortices of Cdk5rap2 mutant mice. Material and methods: : We used large-gel two-dimensional gel (2-DE) electrophoresis to separate cortical proteins. 2-DE gels were visualized by a trained observer on a light box. Spot changes were considered with respect to presence/absence, quantitative variation and altered mobility. Result: : We identified a reduction in more than 30 proteins that play a role in processes such as cell cytoskeleton dynamics, cell cycle progression, ciliary functions and apoptosis. These proteome changes in the MCPH3 model can be associated with various functional and morphological alterations of the developing brain. Conclusion: : Our results shed light on potential protein candidates for the disease-associated phenotype reported in MCPH3

Empathy and psychopathology in children and adolescents: the role of parental mental illness and emotion regulation

ObjectiveAlthough empathy is known to be a strength, recent studies suggest that empathy can be a risk factor for psychopathology under certain conditions in children. This study examines parental mental illness as such a condition. Further, it aims to investigate whether maladaptive emotion regulation (ER) mediates the relationship between empathy and psychopathological symptoms of children.MethodsParticipants were 100 children of parents with a mental illness (55% female) and 87 children of parents without a mental illness (50% female) aged 6 - 16 years and their parents.ResultsGreater cognitive empathy was related to more psychopathological symptoms in COPMI, but not in COPWMI. In addition, in COPMI maladaptive ER mediated this relationship. In contrast, greater affective empathy was associated with more psychopathological symptoms regardless of whether parents had a mental illness.ConclusionOur findings highlight the importance of implementing preventive programs for COPMI that specifically target the reduction of maladaptive ER

Resilience of benthic deep-sea fauna to mining activities

With increasing demand for mineral resources, extraction of polymetallic sulphides at hydrothermal vents, cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts at seamounts, and polymetallic nodules on abyssal plains may be imminent. Here, we shortly introduce ecosystem characteristics of mining areas, report on recent mining developments, and identify potential stress and disturbances created by mining. We analyze species' potential resistance to future mining and perform meta-analyses on population density and diversity recovery after disturbances most similar to mining: volcanic eruptions at vents, fisheries on seamounts, and experiments that mimic nodule mining on abyssal plains. We report wide variation in recovery rates among taxa, size, and mobility of fauna. While densities and diversities of some taxa can recover to or even exceed pre-disturbance levels, community composition remains affected after decades. The loss of hard substrata or alteration of substrata composition may cause substantial community shifts that persist over geological timescales at mined sites. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) under the MIDAS project; FCT [IF/00029/2014/CP1230/CT0002, SFRH/ BPD/110278/2015]; Spanish RTD project NUREIEV [CTM2013-44598-R]; Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [SGR 1068]; Generalitat de Catalunya autonomous government; European Union Horizon research and innovation programme [689518]; Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia [UID/MAR/04292/2013]; German Ministry of Research (BMBF) [03F0707A-G]; Program Investigador FCT [IF/01194/2013/CP1199/CT0002]info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Gesundheit – digital und inklusiv: eine Lernsoftware barrierearm gestalten

Hintergrund: Der Kompetenzerwerb in den Bereichen Arbeitsschutz und Gesundheit ist für Menschen mit Lernschwierigkeiten auf Grund vielfältiger Barrieren erschwert. Die softwarebasierte Vermittlung von gesundheitsbezogenen Kompetenzen stellt eine Möglichkeit dar, die Barrieren in der Gesundheitsbefähigung abzubauen. Methodik: Es wurden drei leitfadengestützte Fokusgruppengespräche mit Beschäftigten mit Lernschwierigkeiten und Mitarbeitenden einer WfbM (Werkstatt für Menschen mit Behinderung) der Recklinghäuser Werkstätten GmbH geführt. Im Rahmen dessen wurden Kenntnisse zu Gesundheitsförderung und Arbeitsschutz sowie die bevorzugte Lernmethode erfragt. Außerdem wurden Gestaltungskriterien und Entwürfe für barrierefreie Lerninhalte diskutiert. Hierfür stand die Lernsoftware sam® von secova GmbH & Co. KG, Rheine, beispielhaft zur Verfügung. Die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse wurden in die Revision der Lerninhalte einbezogen und als Handreichung für die barrierefreie Gestaltung digitaler Lerninhalte für die Zielgruppe mit Lernschwierigkeiten aufbereitet. Ergebnisse: Anhand multimedialer Inhalte sollte eine didaktische Vielfalt angeboten werden. Zum besseren Verständnis sollten hierbei vereinfachte Sprache und Symbolbilder sowie eine kontrastreiche und übersichtliche Gestaltung verwendet werden. Der Fokus sollte auf den individuellen Bedürfnissen der Adressierten sowie den Gegebenheiten der Einrichtung liegen. Zum Abbau von Barrieren sollten verschiedene didaktische und multimediale Materialien zur Wissensvermittlung genutzt werden. Schlussfolgerung: Der Einsatz der Handreichung ist auch in anderen Kontexten vorstellbar und sollte in der Praxis evaluiert werden

Clinical phenotyping of plasma thrombospondin-2 reveals relationship to right ventricular structure and function in pulmonary hypertension

Background Converging evidence from proteogenomic analyses prioritises thrombospondin-2 (TSP2) as a potential biomarker for idiopathic or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We aimed to assess TSP2 levels in different forms of pulmonary hypertension (PH) and to define its clinical phenotype. Methods Absolute concentrations of TSP2 were quantified in plasma samples from a prospective single-centre cohort study including 196 patients with different forms of PH and 16 disease controls (suspected PH, but normal resting pulmonary haemodynamics). In an unbiased approach, TSP2 levels were related to 152 clinical variables. Results Concentrations of TSP2 were increased in patients with PH versus disease controls (p<0.001 for group comparison). The discriminatory ability of TSP2 levels to distinguish between patients and controls was superior to that of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (p=0.0023 for comparison of areas under the curve). Elevation of TSP2 levels was consistently found in subcategories of PAH, in PH due to lung disease and due to left heart disease. Phenotypically, TSP2 levels were robustly related to echocardiographic markers that indicate the right ventricular (RV) response to chronically increased afterload with increased levels in patients with impaired systolic function and ventriculoarterial uncoupling. Focusing on PAH, increased TSP2 levels were able to distinguish between adaptive and maladaptive RV phenotypes (area under the curve 0.87, 95% CI 0.76–0.98). Interpretation The study indicates that plasma TSP2 levels inform on the presence of PH and associate with clinically relevant RV phenotypes in the setting of increased afterload, which may provide insight into processes of RV adaptability