Burnout - das Zusammenspiel von Stress-Symptomen und Stress-Biomarkern

Einleitung Stressbedingte Erkrankungen, wie z.B. Burnout oder mittelgradige depressive Episode, sind geprägt von Symptomen der Erschöpfung, Depression, Angst sowie somatischen Beschwerden. Stressverarbeitungsstörungen zeigen sich zudem durch Veränderungen in unterschiedlichen physiologischen Parametern. Dazu gehören biologische Marker des vegetativen Nervensystems (z.B. Herzratenvariabilität (HRV)) und der neuronalen Plastizität (z.B. brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)). In dieser Studie ging es darum, zu zeigen, wie eine Verbesserung der subjektiven Stresssymptome nach erfolgreicher Therapie mit einem spezialisierten Behandlungskonzept mit Veränderungen in biologischen Markern von Stress assoziiert ist. Methode Es wurden 74 Patienten mit einer psychiatrischen Diagnose (F32.x (N=42), F33.x (N=29), F4 (N=3)) im Rahmen einer Stressverarbeitungsstörung (Burnout) eingeschlossen, die in stationärer Behandlung mit einem multimodalen Therapieansatz waren. Bei Ein- und Austritt (Dauer des Aufenthalts: 6-8 Wochen) wurden ihnen Fragebögen, z.B. zu Burnout- und Depressionssymptomen, abgegeben sowie die HRV im Schlaf und der BDNF-Spiegel im Blut gemessen. Ergebnisse / Schlussfolgerung Nach dem stationären Aufenthalt zeigte sich bei den Patienten eine signifikante Reduktion der Burnout- und Depressionssymptomatik sowie eine Verbesserung der Schlafqualität. Diese subjektive Verbesserung der Stresssymptome korrelierte deutlich mit einer Erhöhung des BDNF-Spiegels. Die HRV, bzw. die Parasympathikusaktivität im Schlaf zeigte keine signifikante Veränderung. Die Wirkung einer erfolgreichen Therapie scheint sich somit relativ schnell auf der Ebene der neuronalen Plastizität zu zeigen. Es wurde mehrfach belegt, dass eine moderate sportliche Betätigung sich besonders günstig auf den BDNF-Spiegel auswirkt. Das spricht somit für die Wirksamkeit des angewendeten, auf stressbedingte Erkrankungen spezialisierten Therapiekonzepts, das mehrere körperlich aktivierende Elemente integriert, welche die BDNF-Spiegelerhöhung mitunterstützt haben könnten. Dass am Ende des stationären Aufenthaltes bei den Patienten keine Veränderung in der Schlaf-HRV gezeigt werden konnte, weist darauf hin, dass neurovegetative Anpassungen längere Perioden der Erholung und des Stressmanagements beanspruchen könnten

The worldwide costs of dementia in 2019

Introduction: Dementia is a leading cause of death and disability globally. Estimating total societal costs demonstrates the wide impact of dementia and its main direct and indirect economic components. Methods: We constructed a global cost model for dementia, presenting costs as cumulated global and regional costs. Results: In 2019, the annual global societal costs of dementia were estimated at US $1313.4 billion for 55.2 million people with dementia, corresponding to US$23,796 per person with dementia. Of the total, US $213.2 billion (16$448.7 billion (34%) direct social sector costs (including long-term care), and US $651.4 billion (50$1313.4 in 2019. Sixty-one percent of people with dementia live in low-and middle-income countries, whereas 74% of the costs occur in high-income countries. The impact of informal care accounts for about 50% of the global costs. The development of a long-term care infrastructure is a great challenge for low-and middle-income countries. There is a great need for more cost studies, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Discussions of a framework for global cost comparisons are needed

Cognitive screening test in primary care: cut points for low education

OBJECTIVE: To establish the diagnostic accuracy of the Brazilian version of the General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG-Br) compared to the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) in individuals with low educational level. METHODS: Ninety-three patients (≥ 60 years old) from Brazilian primary care units provided sociodemographic, cognitive, and functional data. Receiver operating characteristics, areas under the curve (AUC) and logistic regressions were conducted. RESULTS: Sixty-eight patients with 0–4 years of education. Cases (n = 44) were older (p = 0.006) and performed worse than controls (n = 49) on all cognitive or functional measures (p < 0.001). The GPCOG-Br demonstrated similar diagnostic accuracy to the MMSE (AUC = 0.90 and 0.91, respectively) and similar positive and negative predictive values (PPV/NPV, respectively: 0.79/0.86 for GPCOG-Br and 0.79/0.81 for MMSE). Adjusted cut-points displayed high sensitivity (all 86%) and satisfactory specificity (65%–80%). Lower educational level predicted lower cognitive performance. CONCLUSIONS: The GPCOG-Br is clinically well-suited for use in primary care

Nergal y la deidad doble del friso del Banquete infernal de Pozo Moro

An enthroned figure with human body and two identical and superposed animal heads rules the scene called Underworld Feast from Pozo Moro’s Orientalizing monument. Identification of this figure with a deity assimilated with Nergal and his twin, Erra, or their corresponding Lugal-irra and Meslamta-ea, Lords of the Underworld, is proposed. Though their cult spread through Syria and the Phoenician environment, especially in Samaria, it is in the Upper Euphrates where there seems to be a concentration of a surprising amount of clues that would allow us to specify that it was there that the idea or the image that we finally see shown in Pozo Moro was conceived: the implantation of Nergal’s cult in the zone; the special proximity of the iconographic elements of Neohittite origin that can be seen at the Pozo Moro friezes; the frequency of the representation of Hybrid beings devouring humans that find their reflection in the Underworld Feast; the permanence in the zone of Phoenician communities still in the 7th century B.C., etc. It is possible that the transference process took place through a Phoenician deity related to the Underworld, but we do not have enough clues to specify which one it could be.<br><br>Preside la escena del Banquete infernal del monumento orientalizante de Pozo Moro una figura entronizada con cuerpo humano y dos cabezas animales idénticas y superpuestas. Se propone identificarla con una deidad asimilable a Nergal con su gemelo Erra, o sus correspondientes Lugal-irra y Meslamta-ea, señores del Inframundo. Aunque su culto se extendió por Siria y el entorno de Fenicia, especialmente en Samaria, es el Alto Éufrates donde parece concentrarse un sorprendente conjunto de indicios que permitirían precisar que fue allí donde se gestó la idea o la imagen que vemos finalmente plasmada en Pozo Moro: la implantación en la zona del culto de Nergal; especial proximidad en cuanto a los elementos iconográficos de origen neohitita que aparecen en los frisos de Pozo Moro; frecuencia de las representaciones de seres híbridos en su relivaria y la constatación de iconografía de seres híbridos devorando humanos que encuentran su reflejo en el Banquete infernal; permanencia en la zona de comunidades fenicias aún en el siglo VII a.C., etc. Es posible que el proceso de transferencia se hubiera realizado a través del culto de alguna deidad fenicia relacionada con el Inframundo, pero no contamos con indicios que permitan precisar de cual pudo tratarse

No Evidence for XMRV in German CFS and MS Patients with Fatigue Despite the Ability of the Virus to Infect Human Blood Cells In Vitro

BACKGROUND: Xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus (XMRV), a novel human retrovirus originally identified in prostate cancer tissues, has recently been associated with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a disabling disease of unknown etiology affecting millions of people worldwide. However, several subsequent studies failed to detect the virus in patients suffering from these illnesses or in healthy subjects. Here we report the results of efforts to detect antibody responses and viral sequences in samples from a cohort of German CFS and relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with fatigue symptoms. METHODOLOGY: Blood samples were taken from a cohort of 39 patients fulfilling the Fukuda/CDC criteria (CFS), from 112 patients with an established MS diagnosis and from 40 healthy donors. Fatigue severity in MS patients was assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Validated Gag- and Env-ELISA assays were used to screen sera for XMRV antibodies. PHA-activated PBMC were cultured for seven days in the presence of IL-2 and DNA isolated from these cultures as well as from co-cultures of PBMC and highly permissive LNCaP cells was analyzed by nested PCR for the presence of the XMRV gag gene. In addition, PBMC cultures were exposed to 22Rv1-derived XMRV to assess infectivity and virus production. CONCLUSION: None of the screened sera from CFS and MS patients or healthy blood donors tested positive for XMRV specific antibodies and all PBMC (and PBMC plus LNCaP) cultures remained negative for XMRV sequences by nested PCR. These results argue against an association between XMRV infection and CFS and MS in Germany. However, we could confirm that PBMC cultures from healthy donors and from CFS patients can be experimentally infected by XMRV, resulting in the release of low levels of transmittable virus

Global, regional, and national burden of disorders affecting the nervous system, 1990–2021:a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

BackgroundDisorders affecting the nervous system are diverse and include neurodevelopmental disorders, late-life neurodegeneration, and newly emergent conditions, such as cognitive impairment following COVID-19. Previous publications from the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk Factor Study estimated the burden of 15 neurological conditions in 2015 and 2016, but these analyses did not include neurodevelopmental disorders, as defined by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11, or a subset of cases of congenital, neonatal, and infectious conditions that cause neurological damage. Here, we estimate nervous system health loss caused by 37 unique conditions and their associated risk factors globally, regionally, and nationally from 1990 to 2021.MethodsWe estimated mortality, prevalence, years lived with disability (YLDs), years of life lost (YLLs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), with corresponding 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs), by age and sex in 204 countries and territories, from 1990 to 2021. We included morbidity and deaths due to neurological conditions, for which health loss is directly due to damage to the CNS or peripheral nervous system. We also isolated neurological health loss from conditions for which nervous system morbidity is a consequence, but not the primary feature, including a subset of congenital conditions (ie, chromosomal anomalies and congenital birth defects), neonatal conditions (ie, jaundice, preterm birth, and sepsis), infectious diseases (ie, COVID-19, cystic echinococcosis, malaria, syphilis, and Zika virus disease), and diabetic neuropathy. By conducting a sequela-level analysis of the health outcomes for these conditions, only cases where nervous system damage occurred were included, and YLDs were recalculated to isolate the non-fatal burden directly attributable to nervous system health loss. A comorbidity correction was used to calculate total prevalence of all conditions that affect the nervous system combined.FindingsGlobally, the 37 conditions affecting the nervous system were collectively ranked as the leading group cause of DALYs in 2021 (443 million, 95% UI 378–521), affecting 3·40 billion (3·20–3·62) individuals (43·1%, 40·5–45·9 of the global population); global DALY counts attributed to these conditions increased by 18·2% (8·7–26·7) between 1990 and 2021. Age-standardised rates of deaths per 100 000 people attributed to these conditions decreased from 1990 to 2021 by 33·6% (27·6–38·8), and age-standardised rates of DALYs attributed to these conditions decreased by 27·0% (21·5–32·4). Age-standardised prevalence was almost stable, with a change of 1·5% (0·7–2·4). The ten conditions with the highest age-standardised DALYs in 2021 were stroke, neonatal encephalopathy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, diabetic neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, neurological complications due to preterm birth, autism spectrum disorder, and nervous system cancer.InterpretationAs the leading cause of overall disease burden in the world, with increasing global DALY counts, effective prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies for disorders affecting the nervous system are needed.FundingBill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation.<br/

Are physiotherapists employing person-centred care for people with dementia? An exploratory qualitative study examining the experiences of people with dementia and their carers

This is the final version of the article. Available from BioMed Central via the DOI in this record.Background People with dementia may receive physiotherapy for a variety of reasons. This may be for musculoskeletal conditions or as a result of falls, fractures or mobility difficulties. While previous studies have sought to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions for people with dementia, little research has focused on the experiences of people receiving such treatment. The aim of this study was to gain an in-depth understanding of people’s experiences of receiving physiotherapy and to explore these experiences in the context of principles of person-centred care. Methods Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with people with dementia or their carers between September 2016 and January 2017. A purposive sampling strategy recruited participants with dementia from the South West of England who had recently received physiotherapy. We also recruited carers to explore their involvement in the intervention. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results A total of eleven participants were recruited to the study. Six people with dementia were interviewed and five interviews undertaken separately with carers of people with dementia. Three themes were identified. The first explores the factors that enable exercises to be undertaken successfully, the second deals with perceived resource pressures, and the final theme “the physiotherapy just vanished” explores the feeling of abandonment felt when goals and expectations of physiotherapy were not discussed. When mapped against the principles of person-centred care, our participants did not describe physiotherapy adopting such an approach. Conclusion Lack of a person-centred care approach was evident by ineffective communication, thus failing to develop a shared understanding of the role and aims of physiotherapy. The incorporation of person-centred care may help reduce the frustration and feelings of dissatisfaction that some of our participants reported.The primary author is a PhD researcher funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula. This research was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care South West Peninsula (NIHR CLAHRC South West Peninsula). The views expressed are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care