Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Opacification of the lens of the eye (cataract) is usually due to aging. It is a painless, progressive condition that affects contrast and color perception and alters refraction, leading to visual loss that may be total. In cataract surgery, the turbid lens is replaced by an artificial lens. An estimated 600 000 to 800 000 such procedures are performed in Germany each year. ⋯ In Germany, cataract surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. Artificial lenses with various additional functions are available nowadays; the choice of lens depends on the needs of the individual patient. Patients must be adequately informed about the advantages and disadvantages of the different lens systems.
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Depression is one of the most common mental disorders worldwide. The German National Disease Management Guideline on Unipolar Depression (NDGM), (Nationale Versorgungsleitlinie, NVL), updated in 2022, contains recommendations on the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic depressive disorders. ⋯ There are effective treatments for depression and a variety of supportive measures that can be applied with great benefit by primary care physicians, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and complementary care providers. The updated guideline aims to further improve the early detection, definitive diagnosis, treatment, and interdisciplinary care of people with depression.
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Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most common genital disease worldwide in women of sexually active age, with a prevalence of 23-29%. Its traditional definition as dysbiosis, i.e., a disruption of the normal balance of the vaginal microbiota, with a massive increase of facultative and obligate anaerobic bacteria (mainly Gardnerella spp.) and a loss of lactobacilli, accurately describes the change in the vaginal microbiota, but does not explain the underlying pathophysiology. ⋯ The simplistic view of BV as dysbiosis, characterizable by microscopic reference methods, has so far led to inadequate therapeutic success. An evaluation of molecular genetic testing methods that would be suitable for routine use and the development of therapeutic agents that are effective against biofilms are urgently needed if the "bacterial vaginosis syndrome" is to be effectively treated.