Background: There is a lack of reliable epidemiological data on prevalence and comorbidity rates of mental disorders in the migrant population in Germany. Despite existing national and international data on the extent...Background: There is a lack of reliable epidemiological data on prevalence and comorbidity rates of mental disorders in the migrant population in Germany. Despite existing national and international data on the extent of psychosocial burdens in migrant populations the prevalence among the study population remains unclear. The aim of this study was to collect prevalence data for the largest migrant population in Germany-individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds—using a culturally and linguistically sensitive approach. Methods: The study employs a cross-sectional design. The multi-centre study (Hamburg, Berlin) is based on a sample of individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds living in the two cities stratified by age, gender, and education. The study programme consists of three phases: 1) a qualitative focus group to collect information on how to increase the participation rate of the target population as a minority group in Germany;2) a translation phase to create culture and linguistic sensitive versions of the assessment tools (e.g., the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) for Turkish speaking individuals;and 3) a baseline community study to assess the lifetime, 12-month and four-week prevalence and comorbidity rates of mental disorder, health care utilization and help-seeking behaviour in individuals of Turkish migration backgrounds living in Germany. Discussion: The study provides important data on the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders and health care utilization of individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds. Furthermore, the study is an important step towards gaining a better understanding of potential barriers to participation, creating resources for difficult-to- reach minorities, and understanding the need for assessing mental disorders in migrant populations. These results can offer a starting point for the initiation of the necessary structural changes for mental health care services and policies for groups with migration backgrounds.展开更多
Objective: As noted in previous reviews, the prevalence rates for somatoform disorders in the elderly that have been reported are highly heterogeneous. The main aim of this paper is to identify the reasons for the sub...Objective: As noted in previous reviews, the prevalence rates for somatoform disorders in the elderly that have been reported are highly heterogeneous. The main aim of this paper is to identify the reasons for the substantial variation in prevalence rates and discuss the potential of future diagnostic criteria to address current difficulties. Methods: We conducted a selective review of the literature on the prevalence of somatoform disorders in elderly populations. Results: We found significant conceptual differences between the described diagnostic groups and the criteria applied across studies. Moreover, substantial disparities related to sample selection, age cut-offs, and applied measures were revealed. Conclusions: A general conceptual confusion exists throughout the literature regarding somatoform disorders in the elderly that significantly hinder the comparison and integration of results and can lead to premature conclusions. The redefinition of the somatoform disorder category in the next version of the DSM should be taken as an opportunity to address this issue and facilitate research.展开更多
Several studies have tackled the evaluation of the biocompatibility of nanomaterials in cell and tissue.Nonetheless to date,a quantitative technique for the assessment of the total intracellular nanocarrier dose admin...Several studies have tackled the evaluation of the biocompatibility of nanomaterials in cell and tissue.Nonetheless to date,a quantitative technique for the assessment of the total intracellular nanocarrier dose administered has not been introduced.In this paper we develop two rapid and sensitive assays for the measurement of internalized nanomaterials in macrophages to be applied as vehicular carriers for drug delivery and contrast imaging applications.Five commercially available polystyrene particles with different diameters(from 20 to 1000 nm)were used and imaged by using a 3dimensional confocal imaging techniques.The two proposed assays are:“volumetric”assay which evaluate the spherical volume of internalized particles and 2)“max-flat”assay which evaluate the total differential area between cells and internalized particles.These two assays were then compared to a reference method.Among these three assays,the“max-flat”assay was found to be the most reliable and accurate to quantify and investigate the total content of internalized nanomaterials.The“max-flat”assay also allowed for a 3dimensional subcellular investigation of the adaptation and localization mechanisms between cytoskeleton and internalized materials,which may help to further increase the selectivity and delivery of active and passive biopolymers.Therefore,we believe that the here presented assays could become a useful tool to address many biomaterials questions,especially where the key issue is the quantitative assessment of dose effect issues related to the size-dependence response of nanomaterials.展开更多
文摘Background: There is a lack of reliable epidemiological data on prevalence and comorbidity rates of mental disorders in the migrant population in Germany. Despite existing national and international data on the extent of psychosocial burdens in migrant populations the prevalence among the study population remains unclear. The aim of this study was to collect prevalence data for the largest migrant population in Germany-individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds—using a culturally and linguistically sensitive approach. Methods: The study employs a cross-sectional design. The multi-centre study (Hamburg, Berlin) is based on a sample of individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds living in the two cities stratified by age, gender, and education. The study programme consists of three phases: 1) a qualitative focus group to collect information on how to increase the participation rate of the target population as a minority group in Germany;2) a translation phase to create culture and linguistic sensitive versions of the assessment tools (e.g., the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) for Turkish speaking individuals;and 3) a baseline community study to assess the lifetime, 12-month and four-week prevalence and comorbidity rates of mental disorder, health care utilization and help-seeking behaviour in individuals of Turkish migration backgrounds living in Germany. Discussion: The study provides important data on the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders and health care utilization of individuals with Turkish migration backgrounds. Furthermore, the study is an important step towards gaining a better understanding of potential barriers to participation, creating resources for difficult-to- reach minorities, and understanding the need for assessing mental disorders in migrant populations. These results can offer a starting point for the initiation of the necessary structural changes for mental health care services and policies for groups with migration backgrounds.
文摘Objective: As noted in previous reviews, the prevalence rates for somatoform disorders in the elderly that have been reported are highly heterogeneous. The main aim of this paper is to identify the reasons for the substantial variation in prevalence rates and discuss the potential of future diagnostic criteria to address current difficulties. Methods: We conducted a selective review of the literature on the prevalence of somatoform disorders in elderly populations. Results: We found significant conceptual differences between the described diagnostic groups and the criteria applied across studies. Moreover, substantial disparities related to sample selection, age cut-offs, and applied measures were revealed. Conclusions: A general conceptual confusion exists throughout the literature regarding somatoform disorders in the elderly that significantly hinder the comparison and integration of results and can lead to premature conclusions. The redefinition of the somatoform disorder category in the next version of the DSM should be taken as an opportunity to address this issue and facilitate research.
基金supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft(DFG TI696/1-1,Ge-rmany)National Council of Science and Technology(CONACYT,Mexico)CRANN-Science Founda-tion Ireland.
文摘Several studies have tackled the evaluation of the biocompatibility of nanomaterials in cell and tissue.Nonetheless to date,a quantitative technique for the assessment of the total intracellular nanocarrier dose administered has not been introduced.In this paper we develop two rapid and sensitive assays for the measurement of internalized nanomaterials in macrophages to be applied as vehicular carriers for drug delivery and contrast imaging applications.Five commercially available polystyrene particles with different diameters(from 20 to 1000 nm)were used and imaged by using a 3dimensional confocal imaging techniques.The two proposed assays are:“volumetric”assay which evaluate the spherical volume of internalized particles and 2)“max-flat”assay which evaluate the total differential area between cells and internalized particles.These two assays were then compared to a reference method.Among these three assays,the“max-flat”assay was found to be the most reliable and accurate to quantify and investigate the total content of internalized nanomaterials.The“max-flat”assay also allowed for a 3dimensional subcellular investigation of the adaptation and localization mechanisms between cytoskeleton and internalized materials,which may help to further increase the selectivity and delivery of active and passive biopolymers.Therefore,we believe that the here presented assays could become a useful tool to address many biomaterials questions,especially where the key issue is the quantitative assessment of dose effect issues related to the size-dependence response of nanomaterials.
