Ukrainian refugees in Germany: Escape, arrival and everyday life

Die gemeinsame Kurzstudie des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), des Bundesinstituts für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB), des Forschungszentrums des Bundesamtes für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF-FZ) und des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) am DIW Berlin stellt die ersten zentralen Befunde aus der gemeinsamen Studie "Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland" vor. Im Fokus der bundesweiten Studie stehen die Lebensumstände und die damit verbundenen zentralen Unterstützungsbedarfe der ukrainischen Geflüchteten in Deutschland.The short study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), the Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF-FZ) and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) presents the first key findings from the joint study "Refugees from Ukraine in Germany". The focus of the nationwide study is on the living conditions and the associated central support needs of Ukrainian refugees in Germany

Protocol for the saMS trial (supportive adjustment for multiple sclerosis): a randomized controlled trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy to supportive listening for adjustment to multiple sclerosis

BackgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is an incurable, chronic, potentially progressive and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. The disease produces a range of unpleasant and debilitating symptoms, which can have a profound impact including disrupting activities of daily living, employment, income, relationships, social and leisure activities, and life goals. Adjusting to the illness is therefore particularly challenging. This trial tests the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural intervention compared to supportive listening to assist adjustment in the early stages of MS.MethodsThis is a two arm randomized multi-centre parallel group controlled trial. 122 consenting participants who meet eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to receive either Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Supportive Listening. Eight one hour sessions of therapy (delivered over a period of 10 weeks) will be delivered by general nurses trained in both treatments. Self-report questionnaire data will be collected at baseline (0 weeks), mid-therapy (week 5 of therapy), post-therapy (15 weeks) and at six months (26 weeks) and twelve months (52 weeks) follow-up. Primary outcomes are distress and MS-related social and role impairment at twelve month follow-up. Analysis will also consider predictors and mechanisms of change during therapy. In-depth interviews to examine participants’ experiences of the interventions will be conducted with a purposively sampled sub-set of the trial participants. An economic analysis will also take place. DiscussionThis trial is distinctive in its aims in that it aids adjustment to MS in a broad sense. It is not a treatment specifically for depression. Use of nurses as therapists makes the interventions potentially viable in terms of being rolled out in the NHS. The trial benefits from incorporating patient input in the development and evaluation stages. The trial will provide important information about the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of the interventions as well as mechanisms of psychosocial adjustment.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN91377356<br/

A global analysis of Y-chromosomal haplotype diversity for 23 STR loci

In a worldwide collaborative effort, 19,630 Y-chromosomes were sampled from 129 different populations in 51 countries. These chromosomes were typed for 23 short-tandem repeat (STR) loci (DYS19, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS385ab, DYS437, DYS438, DYS439, DYS448, DYS456, DYS458, DYS635, GATAH4, DYS481, DYS533, DYS549, DYS570, DYS576, and DYS643) and using the PowerPlex Y23 System (PPY23, Promega Corporation, Madison, WI). Locus-specific allelic spectra of these markers were determined and a consistently high level of allelic diversity was observed. A considerable number of null, duplicate and off-ladder alleles were revealed. Standard single-locus and haplotype-based parameters were calculated and compared between subsets of Y-STR markers established for forensic casework. The PPY23 marker set provides substantially stronger discriminatory power than other available kits but at the same time reveals the same general patterns of population structure as other marker sets. A strong correlation was observed between the number of Y-STRs included in a marker set and some of the forensic parameters under study. Interestingly a weak but consistent trend toward smaller genetic distances resulting from larger numbers of markers became apparent.Fil: Corach, Daniel. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Caputo, Mariela. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica. Servicio de Huellas Digitales Genéticas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marino, Miguel Eduardo. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Laboratorio de Analisis de ADN; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Purps, Josephine. Charité-Universitätsmedizin; AlemaniaFil: Siegert, Sabine. University of Cologne; AlemaniaFil: Willuweit, Sascha. Charité-Universitätsmedizin; AlemaniaFil: Nagy, Marion. Charité-Universitätsmedizin; AlemaniaFil: Alves, Cíntia. Universidad de Porto; PortugalFil: Salazar, Renato. Universidad de Porto; PortugalFil: Angustia, Sheila M. T.. Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory; FilipinasFil: Santos, Lorna H.. Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory; FilipinasFil: Anslinger, Katja. Universitat Genzentrum Der Ludwing-maximilians; AlemaniaFil: Bayer, Birgit. Universitat Genzentrum Der Ludwing-maximilians; AlemaniaFil: Ayub, Qasim. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; Reino UnidoFil: Wei, Wei. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; Reino UnidoFil: Xue, Yali. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; Reino UnidoFil: Tyler Smith, Chris. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute; Reino UnidoFil: Baeta Bafalluy, Miriam. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Martínez Jarreta, Begoña. Universidad de Zaragoza; EspañaFil: Egyed, Balazs. Eotvos University, Budapest; ArgentinaFil: Balitzki, Beate. Universidad de Basilea; SuizaFil: Tschumi, Sibylle. Universidad de Basilea; SuizaFil: Ballard, David. King; Reino UnidoFil: Syndercombe Court, Denise. King; Reino UnidoFil: Barrantes, Xinia. Poder Judicial, Forensic Sciences Department; Costa RicaFil: Bäßler, Gerhard. Landeskriminalamt Baden-Württemberg; AlemaniaFil: Berger, Burkhard. Universidad de Innsbruck; AustriaFil: Niederstätter, Haral. Universidad de Innsbruck; AustriaFil: Parson, Walther. Universidad de Innsbruck; Austria. University Park; Estados UnidosFil: Davis, Carey. Department of Molecular and Medical Genetics; Estados Unidos. Institute of Applied Genetics; Estados UnidosFil: Furfuro, Sandra. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Laboratorio de Análisis de ADN; ArgentinaFil: Locarno, Laura. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Laboratorio de Análisis de ADN; Argentin

Ukrainian refugees in Germany: Escape, arrival and everyday life

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has triggered the largest movement of refugees in Europe since World War II. More than one million people have fled from Ukraine to Germany since the start of the war. The study “Ukrainian Refugees in Germany (IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Survey)” provides the first representative insights into the living situation of these refugees and their plans for the future. It is being conducted jointly by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), the Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF-FZ), and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin). To collect data for the study, 11,225 Ukrainian refugees were surveyed between August and October 2022

Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland: Flucht, Ankunft und Leben

Die gemeinsame Kurzstudie des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), des Bundesinstituts für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB), des Forschungszentrums des Bundesamtes für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF-FZ) und des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) am DIW Berlin stellt die ersten zentralen Befunde aus der gemeinsamen Studie "Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland" vor. Im Fokus der bundesweiten Studie stehen die Lebensumstände und die damit verbundenen zentralen Unterstützungsbedarfe der ukrainischen Geflüchteten in Deutschland.The short study by the Institute for Employment Research (IAB), the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB), the Research Centre of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF-FZ) and the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) presents the first key findings from the joint study "Refugees from Ukraine in Germany". The focus of the nationwide study is on the living conditions and the associated central support needs of Ukrainian refugees in Germany

Ukrainian Refugees in Germany: Evidence From a Large Representative Survey

This study describes the first wave of the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Survey on Ukrainian Refugees in Germany, a unique panel dataset based on over 11,000 interviews conducted between August and October 2022. The aim of the IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Survey is to provide a data-infrastructure for theory-driven and evidence-based research on various aspects of integration among Ukrainian refugees in Germany, the second most important destination country in the EU after Poland, hosting over a million people who arrived in Germany shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Based on the survey, this study also provides first insights into demographic, educational, linguistic, occupational, and social characteristics of this population. The analyses revealed that the refugee population comprised mostly young and educated individuals, with a significant proportion of females without partners and female-headed separated families. While German language skills were limited, about half of Ukrainian refugees had attended or were attending language courses. However, the integration process faced significant challenges, as the participation of children in day-care was relatively low, and the self-reported life satisfaction was markedly below the average of the German population. The study highlights the need for targeted policy measures to address such issues. Additionally, policies may aim at harnessing the high potential of the Ukrainian refugees for the German labor market. Given that a substantial proportion would like to stay in Germany permanently, policymakers should take note of these findings and aim to facilitate their long-term integration process to ensure that these refugees may thrive in Germany

Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland: Ergebnisse der ersten Welle der IAB-BiB/FReDA-BAMF-SOEP Befragung

Der gemeinsame Forschungsbericht des Instituts für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), des Bundesinstituts für Bevölkerungsforschung (BiB), des Forschungszentrums des Bundesamtes für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF-FZ) und des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) am DIW Berlin stellt vertieft zentrale Befunde aus der gemeinsamen Studie "Geflüchtete aus der Ukraine in Deutschland" vor. Im Fokus der bundesweiten Studie stehen das Ankommen, die aktuellen Lebensumstände sowie Zukunftspläne der ukrainischen Geflüchteten in Deutschland. Die Analysen basieren auf rund 11.700 Interviews mit ukrainischen Männern und Frauen, die im Zeitraum vom 24. Februar bis zum 8. Juni 2022 nach Deutschland gekommen sind. Die Interviews wurden deutschlandweit auf Basis standardisierter Fragebögen online (CAWI) oder per Papierfragebogen (PAPI) im Zeitraum von August bis Oktober 2022 durchgeführt. Im Zuge der Stichprobenziehung wurden zunächst anhand des Ausländerzentralregisters (AZR) 100 Gemeinden mit einem hohen Anteil von ukrainischen Geflüchteten ausgewählt. Die ausgewählten Gemeinden wurden dann gebeten, Adressen dieser Zielpopulation zur Verfügung zu stellen. Durch Verwendung von Gewichten ist die Stichprobe repräsentativ für diese Grundgesamtheit. Die Studie ist als Längsschnittbefragung geplant, im Frühjahr 2023 wird eine zweite Befragungswelle durchgeführt. Erste zentrale Befunde aus der ersten Welle wurden bereits im Dezember 2022 im Rahmen einer Kurzanalyse veröffentlicht

Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI) use in modelling disease progression in diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis: an analysis from the EUSTAR database

BACKGROUND: Patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc) have a poor prognosis. The importance of monitoring subjective measures of functioning and disability, such as the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI), is important as dcSSc is rated by patients as worse than diabetes or hemodialysis for quality of life impairment. This European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) database analysis was undertaken to examine the importance of impaired functionality in dcSSc prognosis. The primary objectives were to identify predictors of death and HAQ-DI score progression over 1 year. HAQ-DI score, major advanced organ involvement, and death rate were also used to develop a comprehensive model to predict lifetime dcSSc progression. METHODS: This was an observational, longitudinal study in patients with dcSSc registered in EUSTAR. Death and HAQ-DI scores were, respectively, analyzed by Cox regression and linear regression analyses in relation to baseline covariates. A microsimulation Markov model was developed to estimate/predict natural progression of dcSSc over a patient's lifetime. RESULTS: The analysis included dcSSc patients with (N = 690) and without (N = 4132) HAQ-DI score assessments from the EUSTAR database. Baseline HAQ-DI score, corticosteroid treatment, and major advanced organ involvement were predictive of death on multivariable analysis; a 1-point increase in baseline HAQ-DI score multiplied the risk of death by 2.7 (p &lt; &nbsp;0.001) and multiple advanced major organ involvement multiplied the risk of death by 2.8 (p &lt; &nbsp;0.05). Multivariable analysis showed that baseline modified Rodnan Skin Score (mRSS) and baseline HAQ-DI score were associated with HAQ-DI score progression at 1 year (p &lt; &nbsp;0.05), but there was no association between baseline organ involvement and HAQ-DI score progression at 1 year. HAQ-DI score, major advanced organ involvement, and death were successfully used to model long-term disease progression in dcSSc. CONCLUSIONS: HAQ-DI score and major advanced organ involvement were comparable predictors of mortality risk in dcSSc. Baseline mRSS and baseline HAQ-DI score were predictive of HAQ-DI score progression at 1 year, indicating a correlation between these endpoints in monitoring disease progression. It is hoped that this EUSTAR analysis may change physician perception about the importance of the HAQ-DI score in dcSSc

Meta-Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies and Network Analysis-Based Integration with Gene Expression Data Identify New Suggestive Loci and Unravel a Wnt-Centric Network Associated with Dupuytren’s Disease

Dupuytren´s disease, a fibromatosis of the connective tissue in the palm, is a common complex disease with a strong genetic component. Up to date nine genetic loci have been found to be associated with the disease. Six of these loci contain genes that code for Wnt signalling proteins. In spite of this striking first insight into the genetic factors in Dupuytren´s disease, much of the inherited risk in Dupuytren´s disease still needs to be discovered. The already identified loci jointly explain ~1% of the heritability in this disease. To further elucidate the genetic basis of Dupuytren´s disease, we performed a genome-wide meta-analysis combining three genome-wide association study (GWAS) data sets, comprising 1,580 cases and 4,480 controls. We corroborated all nine previously identified loci, six of these with genome-wide significance (p-value < 5x10-8). In addition, we identified 14 new suggestive loci (p-value < 10−5). Intriguingly, several of these new loci contain genes associated with Wnt signalling and therefore represent excellent candidates for replication. Next, we compared whole-transcriptome data between patient- and control-derived tissue samples and found the Wnt/β-catenin pathway to be the top deregulated pathway in patient samples. We then conducted network and pathway analyses in order to identify protein networks that are enriched for genes highlighted in the GWAS meta-analysis and expression data sets. We found further evidence that the Wnt signalling pathways in conjunction with other pathways may play a critical role in Dupuytren´s disease

Progressive skin fibrosis is associated with a decline in lung function and worse survival in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis in the European Scleroderma Trials and Research (EUSTAR) cohort.

Objectives To determine whether progressive skin fibrosis is associated with visceral organ progression and mortality during follow-up in patients with diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc). Methods We evaluated patients from the European Scleroderma Trials and Research database with dcSSc, baseline modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) ≥7, valid mRSS at 12±3 months after baseline and ≥1 annual follow-up visit. Progressive skin fibrosis was defined as an increase in mRSS &gt;5 and ≥25% from baseline to 12±3 months. Outcomes were pulmonary, cardiovascular and renal progression, and all-cause death. Associations between skin progression and outcomes were evaluated by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariable Cox regression. Results Of 1021 included patients, 78 (7.6%) had progressive skin fibrosis (skin progressors). Median follow-up was 3.4 years. Survival analyses indicated that skin progressors had a significantly higher probability of FVC decline ≥10% (53.6% vs 34.4%; p&lt;0.001) and all-cause death (15.4% vs 7.3%; p=0.003) than non-progressors. These significant associations were also found in subgroup analyses of patients with either low baseline mRSS (≤22/51) or short disease duration (≤15 months). In multivariable analyses, skin progression within 1 year was independently associated with FVC decline ≥10% (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.20 to 2.65) and all-cause death (HR 2.58, 95% CI 1.31 to 5.09). Conclusions Progressive skin fibrosis within 1 year is associated with decline in lung function and worse survival in dcSSc during follow-up. These results confirm mRSS as a surrogate marker in dcSSc, which will be helpful for cohort enrichment in future trials and risk stratification in clinical practice