Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Nov 2014
Multicenter Study[Implementation of the influenza vaccination recommendation in nursing homes in Germany : results of a survey as part of the national influenza immunization campaign].
Residents and staff of nursing homes are important target groups for influenza vaccination in Germany. The aim of this study was to gain the first insights into whether nursing homes organize activities with respect to vaccination against influenza and whether there is a demand for further information. In the context of the national influenza immunization campaign-which is jointly carried out by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Federal Centre for Health Education (BZgA) on an annual basis-influenza information kits were sent to the management of 10,700 nursing homes in September 2013. ⋯ Overall, only 4.9 % of nursing homes assessed influenza vaccination coverage among their staff annually. A third of all surveyed institutions (33.6 %) expressed a demand for additional influenza vaccine-related information. In conclusion, improved health education is needed to raise awareness about the importance of influenza vaccination among residents and employees of nursing homes in Germany so as to prevent influenza-associated morbidity and mortality in this risk group.
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Oct 2014
[Legal basis and practice of examination of critical in vitro diagnostic devices].
In vitro diagnostic devices (IVD) are categorized into different risk classes depending on the potential consequences of false test results in transfusion medicine or on the individual patient. Test systems of higher risk may be assessed and examined by a third party in addition to the manufacturer's evaluation. ⋯ Comparative testing in a re-evaluation scheme can define the current state of the art. The present European IVD directive stipulates batch testing for high-risk IVDs while the draft version of the new European IVD regulation also foresees independent product testing performed by European reference laboratories.
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Sep 2014
[Gender medicine. Sex- and gender-specific aspects of clinical medicine].
Gender medicine studies sex- and gender-based differences in the development and prevention of diseases, the awareness and presentation of symptoms, and the effectiveness of therapy. Gender medicine is part of personalized medicine, considering differences in biological and psychosocial factors individually. There are differences in genes, chromosomes, hormones, and metabolism as well as differences in culture, environment, and society. ⋯ Women experience more often autoimmune diseases and suffer more frequently from (chronic) pain, neurodegenerative changes, and functional disabilities. Men have shorter life expectancy but relatively more healthy years of life, which is in greater part ascribed to psychosocial determinants. State-of-the-art clinical medicine comprises individual risk factors based on sex- and gender-sensitive health programs in order to improve the health-related quality of life for men and women.
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Bundesgesundheitsblatt Gesundheitsforschung Gesundheitsschutz · Aug 2014
Review[Genetics of primary headache syndromes].
Migraine has an important genetic component. The prototypic monogenic form of migraine is hemiplegic migraine, a rare subtype of migraine with aura, for which three causative genes have been identified. Studies of transgenic animal models have substantially improved our understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of this monogenic model disease as well as of migraine in general. ⋯ With the identification of the first robust genetic risk variants in large genome-wide association studies, our knowledge in this still dynamically expanding field has substantially increased. This review summarizes the current status of migraine genetics, with a special focus on hemiplegic migraine as well as the most recent findings in complex migraine genetics. In addition, the first preliminary findings on the genetics of other types of primary headache disorders (cluster headache, tension-type headache) are briefly reviewed.