Improving quality of life: adjuvant psychological therapy for patients with cancer

The present paper describes a psychological treatment programme — Adjuvant Psychological Therapy (APT) — that has been developed specifically for patients with cancer-related psychosocial disorders. APT is brief (average six sessions), directed at current problems and conducted with individual patients together with their partners or spouses, if possible. Therapy focuses on the personal meaning of cancer to the patient and his or her coping strategies. An outline of APT together with a clinical ilustration is given. A randomised trial has demonstrated that APT produces significant improvement in psychological distress and thus in the quality of life of patients with cancer.Presented at the Symposium Psychotherapeutic Interventions in Cancer Patients, Flims, Switzerland, 12–14 January 1995     

Personal and Social Factors Influencing Age at First Sexual Intercourse

Early initiation of sexual activity is aconcern, in part because of increased risk of sexuallytransmitted diseases, including HIV, and unwantedpregnancies among young people. In this study, 241 high schoolers were administered a questionnaire toestablish the relationships between age at first sexualintercourse and personal qualities (sexual style,attractiveness, physical maturity, restraint, autonomy expectations, and attitudes to gender roles),smoking and drug use, and aspects of the social context(social activities, media impact, peer norms). Therewere few effects of sex of respondent and none in which respondents' sex impacted on age ofinitiation. Overall (and among the male sample),perceptions of greater physical maturity, greater use ofuncommon (mostly illicit) drugs, and expectations of earlier autonomy significantly differentiatedbetween early and later initiators. This group offactors tends to confirm the view that early experienceof sexual intercourse is correlated with problembehaviors and a press toward adultbehaviors. For girls, this pattern was even clearer,with use of uncommon drugs being replaced as asignificant contributor to early sexual experience byrelative lack of restraint. We conclude that the desire to achieve thetransition to adulthood at an earlier age than theirpeers constitutes a powerful incentive for young peopleto become sexually active.     

Effect of a diet rich in linseed oil on complex viscosity and blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)

Summary The influence of a diet rich in linseed oil (10 % in weight) with a content of 61.2 % of -linolenic fatty acid on blood pressure and complex blood viscosity was investigated in spontaneously hypertensive rats. A decrease in blood pressure by 59 mm Hg was found compared to the age-matched, untreated control group. The viscous () and elastic () components of viscosity were also reduced at various shear rates ( ). The same applies to the aggregation index, which is a measure of the aggregation tendency of red blood cells (RBC).Of course, the effects on blood viscosity cannot explain the observed degree of blood-pressure lowering. Nevertheless, a decrease in the viscosity can improve the flow conditions in the microcirculation, which may lead to a better oxygen supply.Supported by the Alfred-Teufel-Stiftung.This study is part of the unpublished doctoral thesis of M. Schäch     

Neue Perspektiven in der endokrinen Therapie gynäkologischer Malignome

Today, endocrine therapies are a mainstay in the treatment of gynaecological cancers. In spite of their significant advantages, optimisation has been necessary in order to overcome certain disadvantages, such as the development of resistance and the appearance of tissue specific agonistic effects. The modern view of the signalling mechanisms of tumour cells opens new perspectives for endocrine therapy of gynaecological cancers. In this overview, our new understanding of the non-genomic effects of oestrogen and their interaction with growth factor-signal induction will be presented, as will the resulting consequences for endocrine therapies and the perspectives for their continued development.     

Psychosoziale Anpassung bei chronischen Arthritiden

We sought to measure psychosocial adaptation in children and adolescents with different forms of chronic arthritis and to determine associated factors. Mothers of 68 children aged 8–17 years with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or reactive arthritis reported behaviour problems (CBCL), children reported their actual stress level (SSK), functional disability in conducting activities of daily living (CHAQ) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) including self-esteem (KINDL-R). Children and adolescents with JIA or reactive arthritis reported lower self-esteem compared to normative data. Almost 20% of the samples were reported to have serious behaviour problems, mostly social isolation and depression/anxiety. Children with lower HRQOL, more functional limitations and a higher stress level showed more behaviour problems. Self-esteem and behaviour problems may be relevant outcome measures in children and adolescents with chronic arthritis and useful to monitor psychosocial support in this population.     

Alexithymia and Pathological Gambling

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to study the relationship between alexithymia and gambling in a community sample of pathological gamblers. Pathological, problem and non-problem gamblers were recruited from the community via advertisements and completed an assessment of their gambling behavior and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Alexithymia was higher among male pathological gamblers who identified slot machines, cards, and lotteries as their primary gambling problem. High alexithymics scored higher on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual symptoms related to poor self-regulation, communication, and problem-solving skills. Although a correlational study, the evidence suggests that further investigation of the clinical significance of alexithymia in individuals with severe gambling pathology is indicated.     

Kläranlagen und Kanalnetz in der Stadt Dresden

In the context of the project ANTI-Resist, subsidized by BMBF, samples have been taken and analyzed in the sewer network of Dresden and in the central sewage treatment plant. For a better comprehension of the other articles in this journal, the present article describes structure and function of Dresden’s wastewater system. Dresden’s sewer system has been laid out as a combined system principally. Thereby wastewater and rainwater run together to the sewage treatment plant. For technological reasons, not all the combined water that accrues at rainfalls can be passed through the sewage treatment plant. To keep the water pollution as low as possible, discharges of combined water into the waters are minimized by a sophisticated run-off management. In addition to the central sewage treatment plant Dresden-Kaditz, the city of Dresden has three smaller sewage treatment plants. All these plants are mechanical-biological plants with elimination of nitrogen and phosphorous, using the activated sludge process.     

Shuntchirurgie 2020

By the end of 2010 in Europe approximately 320,000 patients had been treated with hemodialysis due to end-stage renal disease. The prevalent population of patients treated with hemodialysis will increase further in the future. The documentation of renal replacement therapy is done mainly on a volunteer basis. The data published on renal replacement therapy in Germany and especially in Switzerland are insufficient but in Austria they are excellent. To perform hemodialysis the creation and maintenance of a permanent vascular access (shunt or dialysis catheter) is necessary. The increasing age of the population, the increase in diabetic and vascular nephropathy and further secondary diseases are responsible even now for complications with the vascular access. Nephrologists, vascular surgeons and interventionalists will be faced with these issues even more in future. The training and continuous education of ??vascular access surgeons?? is a task which clearly needs closer attention. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary cooperation between nephrologists, vascular surgeons, interventionalists, diabetologists, cardiologists and also general practitioners must be further increased and improved. This will ensure that for the increasing number of multimorbid elderly patients an adequate and timely vascular access can be optimally and competently created and the long-term function of this access can be maintained.