Quality measurement of out-patient neuropsychological therapy after stroke in Germany: definition of indicators and retrospective pilot study.

Background: In contrast to the hospital setting, today little work has been directed to the definition, measurement, and improvement of the quality of out-patient medical and therapeutic care. We developed a set of indicators to measure the quality of out-patient neuropsychological therapy after stroke.

Methods: The indicators cover core and interdisciplinary aspects of out-patient neuropsychological work such as mediation of patients into social care in case of need.

Unmet Need for Social and Emotional Support and Lack of Recalled Screening Is Associated with Depression in the Long-Term Course After Stroke.

Purpose: Details on adequate care and prevalence of depression in long-term stroke aftercare are limited. We aimed to determine long-term depression rates after stroke and to test for an association between depression and inadequate screening, socio-economic complications and lack of sub-optimal care.

Patients And Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 57 patients were re-invited into the clinic 2-3 years after stroke.

Impact of COPD and anemia on motor and cognitive performance in the general older population: results from the English longitudinal study of ageing.

Background: Cognitive and motor-performance decline with age and the process is accelerated by decline in general health. In this study, we aimed to estimate the effects of COPD and HB levels on cognitive and motor performance in the general older population and assess potential interaction.

Methods: The English Longitudinal Study of Aging is a population-based cohort study including measurements of lung-function and HB levels together with cognitive and motor performance testing.

Social work support and unmet social needs in life after stroke: a cross-sectional exploratory study.

Background: Stroke patients are often affected by long-term disabilities with needs concerning social issues. There is relatively little consideration of social recovery of patients and the support required to return to work, receive social benefits, participate in daily life activities, maintain contact with family and friends and to organize financial affairs. In our study we aimed to investigate if existing tools record social needs adequately.

Identifying unmet needs in long-term stroke care using in-depth assessment and the Post-Stroke Checklist - The Managing Aftercare for Stroke (MAS-I) study.

Introduction: Detailed data on the long-term consequences and treatment of stroke are scarce. We aimed to assess the needs and disease burden of community-dwelling stroke patients and their carers and to compare their treatment to evidence-based guidelines by a stroke neurologist.

Methods: We invited long-term stroke patients from two previous acute clinical studies ( = 516) in Berlin, Germany to participate in an observational, cross-sectional study.

Pulmonary dysfunction and development of different cardiovascular outcomes in the general population.

Background: Pulmonary dysfunction and cardiovascular disease are major causes of impaired health status in later life, and co-development of these diseases has been reported.

Aim: To better understand the pathobiology involved in the co-development of these diseases.

Methods: We investigated the impact of pulmonary dysfunction on the development of cardiovascular disease among people aged≥50 years in the English longitudinal study of ageing (ELSA).

Validation of a metabolite panel for early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.

Background: Accurate, early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) would enable more effective clinical management and a reduction in T2D complications. Therefore, we sought to identify plasma metabolite and protein biomarkers that, in combination with glucose, can better predict future T2D compared with glucose alone.

Methods: In this case-control study, we used plasma samples from the Bavarian Red Cross Blood Transfusion Center study (61 T2D cases and 78 non-diabetic controls) for discovering T2D-associated metabolites, and plasma samples from the Personalized Medicine Research Project in Wisconsin (56 T2D cases and 445 non-diabetic controls) for validation.

Social work after stroke: identifying demand for support by recording stroke patients' and carers' needs in different phases after stroke.

Background: Previous studies examining social work interventions in stroke often lack information on content, methods and timing over different phases of care including acute hospital, rehabilitation and out-patient care. This limits our ability to evaluate the impact of social work in multidisciplinary stroke care. We aimed to quantify social-work-related support in stroke patients and their carers in terms of timing and content, depending on the different phases of stroke care.

Metabolite profiling in plasma and tissues of ob/ob and db/db mice identifies novel markers of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Aims/hypothesis: Metabolomics approaches in humans have identified around 40 plasma metabolites associated with insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes, which often coincide with those for obesity. We aimed to separate diabetes-associated from obesity-associated metabolite alterations in plasma and study the impact of metabolically important tissues on plasma metabolite concentrations.

Methods: Two obese mouse models were studied; one exclusively with obesity (ob/ob) and another with type 2 diabetes (db/db).

Association of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis with age, sex and season differs depending on the affected organ.

Setting: Data from tuberculosis (TB) cases in Germany who are continuously monitored for the purposes of epidemiological surveillance and disease control.

Objective: To examine the distribution of age, sex, place of birth, seasonality and recurrence of TB disease in different types of TB organ manifestations, with particular focus on lymph nodes and pleura.

Design: All TB cases reported to the Berlin State Office for Health and Social Affairs (LAGeSo) in Berlin, Germany, between 2001 and 2012 were analysed.

A new metabolomic signature in type-2 diabetes mellitus and its pathophysiology.

Objective: The objective of the current study was to find a metabolic signature associated with the early manifestations of type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Research Design And Method: Modern metabolic profiling technology (MxP™ Broad Profiling) was applied to find early alterations in the plasma metabolome of type-2 diabetic patients. The results were validated in an independent study.

Chlamydia trachomatis inhibits telomeric DNA damage signaling via transient hTERT upregulation.

Epidemiological data exist to support a positive association between Chlamydia trachomatis (Ctr) infection and gynecological cancers; however, putative cellular mechanisms for this association are lacking. Here, we identified Ctr-induced perturbations to host cell phenotypes in vitro that persisted after clearance of infection and could directly contribute to host cell transformation. In particular, human telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) mRNA expression and catalytic subunit activity were increased in acute infected late passage IMR90E1A cells.

The SH2-domain of SHIP1 interacts with the SHIP1 C-terminus: impact on SHIP1/Ig-α interaction.

The SH2-containing inositol 5'-phosphatase, SHIP1, negatively regulates signal transduction from the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). The mode of coupling between SHIP1 and the BCR has not been elucidated so far. In comparison to wild-type cells, B cells expressing a mutant IgD- or IgM-BCR containing a C-terminally truncated Ig-α respond to pervanadate stimulation with markedly reduced tyrosine phosphorylation of SHIP1 and augmented activation of protein kinase B.