Comparative study of the relationship between children\u27s personality and their choice of library reading at the third grade level

The purpose, then, was to compare preferences in types of library reading to types of personality as shown in third grade personality-preference inventory. The study confined itself to the following six categories: artistic-creative, scientific, mechanical, social science, outdoors, and persuasive

Entwicklung und Einflussgrößen der gesunden Lebenserwartung

Die demographische Alterung stellt eine bedeutende Herausforderung der deutschen Gesundheitspolitik dar. Die zentrale Frage lautet heute nicht mehr, ob die Bevölkerung immer älter wird, sondern ob hinzugewonnene Lebensjahre bei guter Gesundheit verbracht werden können. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Überblick über den Forschungsstand zur Entwicklung und zu Einflussgrößen der gesunden Lebenserwartung gegeben. Die für Deutschland vorliegenden Ergebnisse sprechen insgesamt dafür, dass die Bevölkerung immer länger lebt und auch länger gesund bleibt. Diese positive Entwicklung könnte auch den prognostizierten Ausgabenanstieg im Gesundheitssystem dämpfen. Allerdings profitieren nicht alle Bevölkerungsgruppen gleichermaßen vom Anstieg der gesunden Lebenszeit, da große soziale Ungleichheiten in den Chancen auf ein langes und gesundes Leben bestehen. -- Demographic ageing is a major challenge of health policy in Germany. The main question is no longer if the population of Germany is getting older, but whether gained life years will be in a healthy condition or not. This paper gives an overview on current research and evidence regarding trends and determinants of the healthy life expectancy. Recent Evidence for Germany seems to suggest that the population of Germany is going to live even longer and in a better health state. These positive trends may attenuate the expected increase of health costs during the process of demographic ageing. On the other hand there is evidence that not all parts of the population benefit from rising life expectancy. There are lasting social inequalities regarding the chances of a long and healthy life.Gesunde Lebenserwartung,Bevölkerungsentwicklung,Soziale Ungleichheit,healthy life expectancy,demographic change,social inequality

Frequent epigenetic inactivation of RASSF2 in thyroid cancer and functional consequences

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Ras association domain family (RASSF) encodes for distinct tumor suppressors and several members are frequently silenced in human cancer. In our study, we analyzed the role of RASSF2, RASSF3, RASSF4, RASSF5A, RASSF5C and RASSF6 and the effectors MST1, MST2 and WW45 in thyroid carcinogenesis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Frequent methylation of the <it>RASSF2 </it>and <it>RASSF5A </it>CpG island promoters in thyroid tumors was observed. <it>RASSF2 </it>was methylated in 88% of thyroid cancer cell lines and in 63% of primary thyroid carcinomas. <it>RASSF2 </it>methylation was significantly increased in primary thyroid carcinoma compared to normal thyroid, goiter and follicular adenoma (0%, 17% and 0%, respectively; p < 0.05). Patients which were older than 60 years were significantly hypermethylated for <it>RASSF2 </it>in their primary thyroid tumors compared to those younger than 40 years (90% vs. 38%; p < 0.05). <it>RASSF2 </it>promoter hypermethylation correlated with its reduced expression and treatment with a DNA methylation inhibitor reactivated <it>RASSF2 </it>transcription. Over-expression of RASSF2 reduced colony formation of thyroid cancer cells. Functionally our data show that RASSF2 interacts with the proapoptotic kinases MST1 and MST2 and induces apoptosis in thyroid cancer cell lines. Deletion of the MST interaction domain of RASSF2 reduced apoptosis significantly (p < 0.05).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These results suggest that <it>RASSF2 </it>encodes a novel epigenetically inactivated candidate tumor suppressor gene in thyroid carcinogenesis.</p

Entwicklung und Einflussgrößen der gesunden Lebenserwartung

"Die demographische Alterung stellt eine bedeutende Herausforderung der deutschen Gesundheitspolitik dar. Die zentrale Frage lautet heute nicht mehr, ob die Bevölkerung immer älter wird, sondern ob hinzugewonnene Lebensjahre bei guter Gesundheit verbracht werden können. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Überblick über den Forschungsstand zur Entwicklung und zu Einflussgrößen der gesunden Lebenserwartung gegeben. Die für Deutschland vorliegenden Ergebnisse sprechen insgesamt dafür, dass die Bevölkerung immer länger lebt und auch länger gesund bleibt. Diese positive Entwicklung könnte auch den prognostizierten Ausgabenanstieg im Gesundheitssystem dämpfen. Allerdings profitieren nicht alle Bevölkerungsgruppen gleichermaßen vom Anstieg der gesunden Lebenszeit, da große soziale Ungleichheiten in den Chancen auf ein langes und gesundes Leben bestehen." (Autorenreferat)"Demographic ageing is a major challenge of health policy in Germany. The main question is no longer if the population of Germany is getting older, but whether gained life years will be in a healthy condition or not. This paper gives an overview on current research and evidence regarding trends and determinants of the healthy life expectancy. Recent Evidence for Germany seems to suggest that the population of Germany is going to live even longer and in a better health state. These positive trends may attenuate the expected increase of health costs during the process of demographic ageing. On the other hand there is evidence that not all parts of the population benefit from rising life expectancy. There are lasting social inequalities regarding the chances of a long and healthy life." (author's abstract

Psychische und körperliche Gewalterfahrungen in den vergangenen 12 Monaten in der Allgemeinbevölkerung

Gewalterfahrungen können erhebliche psychosoziale und gesundheitliche Auswirkungen haben. In der bevölkerungsrepräsentativen Studie zur Gesundheit Erwachsener in Deutschland (DEGS1) wurde ein Instrument zur Erfassung körperlicher und psychischer Gewalterfahrung (sowohl aus der Opfer- und als auch aus der Täterperspektive) implementiert. Dieses Instrument wurde in der Altersgruppe 18–64 Jahre (n = 5939) eingesetzt. Ziel der vorliegenden Publikation ist es, den Anteil von Personen, denen innerhalb der letzten 12 Monate mehrfach Gewalt widerfuhr oder die infolge der Gewalterfahrung stark beeinträchtigt waren, zu berichten, sowie den Anteil der Personen, die mehrfach Gewalt ausgeübt haben. Des Weiteren werden die Konfliktpartner von Gewaltopfern bzw. Tätern beschrieben und besondere Konstellationen von Gewalterfahrungen in Bezug auf die gesundheitsbezogene Lebensqualität dargestellt. Abschließend wird der Zusammenhang zwischen ausgewählten Einflussfaktoren und dem Risiko, Gewaltopfer zu werden oder Gewalt auszuüben, untersucht. 2,7 % der Frauen und 4,3 % der Männer berichten von mehrfachen Erfahrungen körperlicher Gewalt in den letzten 12 Monaten oder erlebten sich durch diese Erfahrung stark beeinträchtigt; von psychischer Gewalt berichteten 18,9 % der Frauen und 15,4 % der Männer. Frauen sind häufiger als Männer sowohl Opfer als auch Täterin von Gewalt in der Familie. Männer berichten dagegen häufiger von Opfer- und Tätererfahrungen außerhalb des engeren familiären Umfelds. Unabhängig davon, ob sie Opfer oder Täter körperlicher oder psychischer Gewalt waren, ist das psychische Wohlbefinden von Personen mit Gewalterfahrungen signifikant schlechter als das von Personen ohne Gewalterfahrung. Erfahrungen von Gewalt in der Kindheit und Jugend erhöhen das Risiko, später Gewaltopfer oder Gewalttäter zu werden. Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse beschreiben psychische und körperliche Gewalterfahrungen als einen Teil von Gewalthandlungen in der Allgemeinbevölkerung näher und geben so Hinweise auf mögliche Präventionspotenziale.Experiences of violence may have considerable psychosocial and health implications. A violence screening tool was implemented in the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Adults (DEGS1) to depict the perpetrators’ and victims’ point of view. The study participants were between 18 and 64 years old (n = 5939). The aim of this article is to assess the percentage of people who experienced physical and psychological violence in the last 12 months or who suffered negative effects on their quality of life as a consequence or who were perpetrators of multiple acts of violence. The characteristics of victims, offenders, and their conflict partners are described. Furthermore, specific constellations of violence experience with regard to health-related quality of life are described. Finally, the association between being a victim of violence and different factors is estimated. In total, 2.7 % of women and 4.3 % of men reported multiple experiences of physical violence in the last 12 months or having their lives negatively impacted as a consequence of violence. Experience of psychological violence was reported by 18.9 % of women and 15.4 % of men. Women are more likely than men to be both perpetrator and victim within the family. Men are more likely than women to be both the perpetrator and victim outside of the family environment. Regardless of whether they are the victim or perpetrator of violence, the psychological well-being is significantly worse than those of people who did not experience violence. Experience of violence in childhood and adolescence increases the risk of becoming victim or perpetrator of violence later on in life. The findings presented here describe the psychological and physical experience of violence as one part of violence committed in the whole population. Some prevention advice is also presented

Advancing Our Functional Understanding of Host–Microbiota Interactions: A Need for New Types of Studies

Multicellular life evolved in the presence of microorganisms and formed complex associations with their microbiota, the sum of all associated archaea, bacteria, fungi, and viruses. These associations greatly affect the health and life history of the host, which led to a new understanding of “self” and establishment of the “metaorganism” concept.1 The Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) 1182 aims at elucidating the evolution and function of metaorganisms. Its annual conference, the Young Investigator Research Day (YIRD), serves as a platform for scientists of various disciplines to share novel findings on host–microbiota interactions, thereby providing a comprehensive overview of recent developments and new directions in metaorganism research. Even though we have gained tremendous insights into the composition and dynamics of host‐associated microbial communities and their correlations with host health and disease, it also became evident that moving from correlative toward functional studies is needed to examine the underlying mechanisms of interactions within the metaorganism. Non‐classical model organisms in particular possess significant potential to functionally address many open questions in metaorganism research. Here, we suggest and introduce a roadmap moving from correlation toward a functional understanding of host–microbiota interactions and highlight its potential in emerging ecological, agricultural, and translational medical applications

International differences in self-reported health measures in 33 major metropolitan areas in Europe.

The increasing concentration of populations into large conurbations in recent decades has not been matched by international health assessments, which remain largely focused at the country level. We aimed to demonstrate the use of routine survey data to compare the health of large metropolitan centres across Europe and determine the extent to which differences are due to socio-economic factors

Discovery of Sexual Dimorphisms in Metabolic and Genetic Biomarkers

Metabolomic profiling and the integration of whole-genome genetic association data has proven to be a powerful tool to comprehensively explore gene regulatory networks and to investigate the effects of genetic variation at the molecular level. Serum metabolite concentrations allow a direct readout of biological processes, and association of specific metabolomic signatures with complex diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders has been shown. There are well-known correlations between sex and the incidence, prevalence, age of onset, symptoms, and severity of a disease, as well as the reaction to drugs. However, most of the studies published so far did not consider the role of sexual dimorphism and did not analyse their data stratified by gender. This study investigated sex-specific differences of serum metabolite concentrations and their underlying genetic determination. For discovery and replication we used more than 3,300 independent individuals from KORA F3 and F4 with metabolite measurements of 131 metabolites, including amino acids, phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, acylcarnitines, and C6-sugars. A linear regression approach revealed significant concentration differences between males and females for 102 out of 131 metabolites (p-values<3.8 x 10(-4); Bonferroni-corrected threshold). Sex-specific genome-wide association studies (GWAS) showed genome-wide significant differences in beta-estimates for SNPs in the CPS1 locus (carbamoyl-phosphate synthase 1, significance level: p<3.8 x 10(-10); Bonferroni-corrected threshold) for glycine. We showed that the metabolite profiles of males and females are significantly different and, furthermore, that specific genetic variants in metabolism-related genes depict sexual dimorphism. Our study provides new important insights into sex-specific differences of cell regulatory processes and underscores that studies should consider sex-specific effects in design and interpretation

Mobile SARS‑CoV‑2 screening facilities for rapid deployment and university-based diagnostic laboratory

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has created a public crisis. Many medical and public institutions and businesses went into isolation in response to the pandemic. Because SARS-CoV-2 can spread irrespective of a patient's course of disease, these institutions’ continued operation or reopening based on the assessment and control of virus spread can be supported by targeted population screening. For this purpose, virus testing in the form of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis and antibody detection in blood can be central. Mobile SARS-CoV-2 screening facilities with a built-in biosafety level (BSL)-2 laboratory were set up to allow the testing offer to be brought close to the subject group's workplace. University staff members, their expertise, and already available equipment were used to implement and operate the screening facilities and a certified diagnostic laboratory. This operation also included specimen collection, transport, PCR and antibody analysis, and informing subjects as well as public health departments. Screening facilities were established at different locations such as educational institutions, nursing homes, and companies providing critical supply chains for health care. Less than 4 weeks after the first imposed lockdown in Germany, a first mobile testing station was established featuring a build-in laboratory with two similar stations commencing operation until June 2020. During the 15-month project period, approximately 33,000 PCR tests and close to 7000 antibody detection tests were collected and analyzed. The presented approach describes the required procedures that enabled the screening facilities and laboratories to collect and process several hundred specimens each day under difficult conditions. This report can assist others in establishing similar setups for pandemic scenarios