Internet use among patients with psychosomatic disorders: what are the health-related demands and needs?

While Internet-based health-related offers for various disorders are increasing, little is known about the way patients with psychosomatic disorders use the Internet. We conducted a questionnaire survey in outpatient clinics at two university hospitals' Departments of Psychosomatic Medicine. Seventy-four percent of N = 274 patients had Internet home access and 60 percent of those patients reported health-related Internet use.

Quality-of-life in wasp venom allergy - validation of the German version of the "Vespid Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire" (VQLQ-d).

Background: Little is known about the quality of life of patients who are allergic to insect venom. This fact is due to the lack of specific instruments assessing the interaction of type 1 allergy and its psychological burden.

Patients And Methods: The only established questionnaire on health-related quality-of-life in patients with wasp venom allergies is the "Vespid Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire" (VQLQ).

Heart rate variability as a measure of cardiac autonomic function in anorexia nervosa: a review of the literature.

Objective: Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) exhibit a wide range of autonomic system disturbances; these patients have also high mortality risk due to cardio-vascular complications. Origin and pathogenesis of such changes are not absolutely clear.

Methods: Relevant publications were drawn from PUBMED using the keywords 'anorexia nervosa' AND 'autonomic'.

[Somatoform disorder or neurological syndrome? Complex mental and movement disorder and autonomic dysfunction in a 65-year-old patient - Case 1/2011].

History And Admission Findings: A 65-year-old female patient presented with increasing vertigo, tendency to fall, dry cough and, in addition, numerous psychic and somatic symptoms since 6 years. Former diagnostic attempts did not yield clarifying results. In part, the patient had not followed up on former recommendations for further diagnostic procedures.

Six-year follow-up of patients with functional bowel disorders, with and without previous psychotherapy.

Introduction: Long-term follow-up studies in patients with functional bowel disorders are rare.

Methods: Of 85 patients with functional bowel disorders diagnosed in 2000, forty-eight patients responded to a postal questionnaire 6 years later (2006).

Results: Gastrointestinal symptom severity was similar to that at the initial diagnosis.

Attentional processing of food pictures in individuals with anorexia nervosa--an eye-tracking study.

Background: Etiologic models of anorexia nervosa (AN) suggest that cognitive factors play a crucial role in the disorder's psychopathology. Attentional aspects of food processing in AN remain largely unknown. Both an early attentional bias (vigilance) and inattentiveness (avoidance) to food pictures have been reported in patients with eating disorders.

Weight bias in work settings - a qualitative review.

Background: Studies have repeatedly demonstrated the influence of physical appearance on behavior and treatment of individuals in work settings. A high proportion of obese individuals in the USA have reported perceived discrimination in the work place due to their body weight. The present review examines the specific kind, context and extent of a weight bias in work settings.

Processing of pictorial food stimuli in patients with eating disorders--a systematic review.

Objective: The processing of food cues in eating-disordered patients has recently been increasingly investigated. Outlined is current evidence from pictorial food stimuli studies.

Method: PubMed and PsychINFO were searched for quantitative pictorial food stimuli studies investigating healthy controls and expert-diagnosed eating-disordered patients.

[When eating becomes a disease - Binge-eating-disorder as comorbid eating disorder in obesity - Case 07/2009].

History And Admission Findings: A 30-year-old obese female patient with binge eating behaviour, depressive symptoms and poorly regulated diabetes mellitus was admitted to the department of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy

Investigations: The body mass index at time of admission was 38 kg/m(2). Fasting and postprandial blood glucose values were markedly increased. HbA(1c) level was 10.

[Fear of allowing sugar into the cell--case 05/2009. Comorbidity of diabetes mellitus and eating disorders].

History And Admission Findings: An 19-year-old female patient was admitted to our department of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy for the treatment of her metabolically deranged type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Investigations: Exploration and assessment revealed a typical eating disorder symptomatology. The body mass index at time of admission was 18.

Vomiting and feeling fat--coincidence of achalasia and bulimia nervosa.

Objective: In clinical practice it is often difficult to distinguish between organic and psychological vomiting.

Method: We present a case of a 34-year-old woman with an 18-month history of vomiting with the initial diagnosis of bulimia nervosa (BN). However, the patient showed an unusual vomiting behavior.

[The consequences of subcutaneous India ink injection to produce factitial disease. Bilateral mastectomy, lymph node dissection, irradiation, and continued suspicion of neoplasia].

A 68-year-old woman with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus presented with blue nodules on the ventral aspect of the thorax. According to the past history, these lesions had developed repeatedly. She had already had bilateral mastectomies and lymph node dissection.

Late enhancement using multidetector row computer tomography: a feasibility study with low dose 80 kV protocol.

Aims: Detecting stenoses of coronary arteries with multidetector row computer tomography (MDCT) is a well feasible non-invasive method. However, there is still the problem of deciding whether a stenosis is hemodynamically relevant or not. Objective of the present study was to validate the feasibility of a low dose protocol for MDCT using 80 kV for detecting late enhancement.

Psychological burden of food allergy.

One fifth of the population report adverse reactions to food. Reasons for these symptoms are heterogeneous, varying from food allergy, food intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome to somatoform or other mental disorders. Literature reveals a large discrepancy between truly diagnosed food allergy and reports of food allergy symptoms by care seekers.

[Doctors' strike 2006: psychological and physical distress of striking doctors].

Background And Objective: From March to June 2006 doctors at university hospitals in Germany went on strike. As they are part of the caring profession, doctors are exposed to extraordinary moral misgivings and ethical conflicts when it comes to striking. Against this background this study investigated for the first time effects of walkout on working relations, individual capacity and mental symptoms among striking doctors.

[Digestive and predigestive functions in patients with eating disorders].

Patients with eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, AN; bulimia nervosa, BN) frequently exhibit gastrointestinal symptoms and altered gastrointestinal functions, especially delayed gastric emptying. These symptoms are regarded as secondary to the disordered eating behaviour, vomiting or laxative misuse. They often improve during successful therapy.

Prediction of treatment response to rivastigmine in Alzheimer's dementia.

Objectives: To predict the treatment response to rivastigmine in patients with Alzheimer's dementia using neuropsychological and EEG data.

Methods: A neuropsychological examination and a quantitative EEG study were done in 20 patients with Alzheimer's dementia before initiating treatment with rivastigmine. After one week of treatment a second EEG examination was done.

Mid-term results and quantitative comparison of postoperative shoulder function in traumatic and non-traumatic rotator cuff tears.

Introduction: The objective of this study was to compare the postoperative range of motion (ROM) and patient satisfaction after surgical reconstruction of traumatic and non-traumatic rotator cuff tears.

Materials And Methods: The cases of 46 consecutive patients who underwent the same standardised surgical reconstruction and postoperative rehabilitation protocol between 1993 and 1998 were reviewed. Traumatic (group I, n=20, average age 34.

Inhibition of the IL-4/IL-13 receptor system prevents allergic sensitization without affecting established allergy in a mouse model for allergic asthma.

Background: IL-4 and IL-13 are considered as key regulators for the development of atopic disease.

Objective: This study addresses the therapeutic potential of an IL-4/IL-13 inhibitor on the basis of a mutated IL-4 variant (Q116D, Y119D) during allergic sensitization and in established disease in a murine asthma model with persistent airway pathologic condition.

Methods: BALB/c mice were sensitized with ovalbumin intranasally.