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The working group “Analyses in Biological Materials” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area developed and verified the presented biomonitoring method.This analytical method is used to determine two organic selenium species with cationic character in urine. Selenosugar 3 (SeSug 3) and trimethylselenonium (TMSe) can be separated by cation-exchange chromatography and subsequently detected using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP‑MS). Calibration is performed using standard solutions in pooled urine, which are processed and analysed analogously to the samples to be analysed.

The working group “Analyses in Biological Materials” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area developed and verified the presented biomonitoring method.The analytical method described herein allows for the sensitive and specific determination of 2,6‑difluorobenzoic acid (2,6‑DFBA) in the urine of individuals occupationally exposed to 2,6‑difluorosubstituted benzoylurea compounds. 2,6‑DFBA is determined by gas chromatography with mass-spectrometric detection (GC‑MS) after derivatisation. To this end, urine samples are mixed with an internal standard (ISTD), acidified, and purified using solid-phase extraction (SPE). The samples are derivatised with N‑methyl-N‑tert‑butyldimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MTBSTFA) and the analyte concentration is quantified by GC‑MS. The ISTD used is 5‑bromo-2‑fluorobenzoic acid. Calibration is performed using standard solutions prepared in pooled urine.

The working group “Analyses in Biological Materials” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area developed and verified the presented biomonitoring meth-od. This analytical method is used to determine selenite and selenate in urine, which are separated by anion-exchange chromatography and subsequently detected by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP MS). Calibration is performed using standard solutions, which are prepared in pooled urine, processed, and analysed analogously to the samples. The analytical method allows for the sensitive and precise determination of selenite and selenate without in-terferences by other selenium species. The low limits of quantitation enable the determination of very low urinary con-centrations of selenite or selenate. However, selenite and selenate do not normally contribute substantially to total sele-nium content in urine.

The working group “Analyses in Biological Materials” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area developed and verified the presented biomonitoring method. This analytical method is used to determine relevant weakly polar or ionic organic selenium species in urine. They are separated by reversed-phase chromatography and subsequently detected using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP‑MS). Calibration is performed using standard solutions prepared in pooled urine, which are processed and analysed analogously to the samples. The analytical method allows for the selective and sensitive determination of seven selenium species without interferences by other species. The limits of quantitation for the determination of the individual species lie between 0.18 μg/l and 0.34 μg/l urine (as selenium) and are thereby sufficient to measure exposure levels which exceed the background exposure of the general population.

The working group “Analyses in Biological Materials” of the Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area developed and verified the presented biomonitoring method.The method described herein enables the selective and quantitative determination of geraniol metabolites in human urine into the concentration range relevant for environmental exposure. The following four metabolites can be determined using this method: 8‑carboxygeraniol, Hildebrandt acid, geranic acid, and 3‑hydroxycitronellic acid. Hildebrandt acid, geranic acid, and 3‑hydroxycitronellic acid can also arise from the metabolism of citral. The buffered urine samples are enzymatically hydrolysed and, following addition of the internal standards (8‑carboxygeraniol‑d, Hildebrandt acid‑d, and 2,4,6‑octatrienoic acid), processed via liquid-liquid extraction with diethyl ether. The analytes are separated from any matrix components by liquid chromatography, and are then detected via tandem mass spectrometry using electrospray ionisation. The quantitative evaluation is carried out using external calibration in water.

Objective: The German Version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) has recently been published. The questionnaire investigates two common emotion regulation strategies (10 items) on two scales (suppression, reappraisal). Major aims of the study were to assess the reliability and factor structure of the ERQ, to determine population based norms and to investigate relations of suppression and reappraisal to anxiety, depression and demographic characteristics. Methods: In a representative community study (N=2524) we assessed emotion regulation strategies, anxiety, depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and demographic variables. The mean age of the participants was 49.4 (SD 18.2) years. 55.5% were female. The age-groups were represented in comparable proportions. The representativeness of the sample was ensured by drawings of ADM (Arbeitskreis Deutscher Marktforscher) samples und by comparison with the data of German Federal Statistical Office. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis could not fully confirm the original factor structure, we kept the original scaling, except a modification regarding item 8. Internal consistencies were acceptable for the original and the modified version: reappraisal (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.82) and suppression (alpha = 0.76). Norms are presented as percentile scores for age groups and gender. Reappraisal correlated negative with anxiety and depression, whereas we could find a positive relationship of suppression with anxiety and depression. In a linear regression model suppression was predicted by depression, a lower level of education, male gender, and lower income. Conclusions: The ERQ is a short instrument to assess emotion regulation strategies economically, e.g. in larger community based studies. We could demonstrate sufficient psychometric properties of the German version of the ERQ: reliability, factor structure and indicators for construct validity. Because of the cross sectional character of our study it remains unclear whether reappraisal is protective and suppression is unfavourable regarding mental health or whether life circumstances and psychic symptoms lead to a suppression of emotions., GMS Psycho-Social-Medicine; 8:Doc09; ISSN 1860-5214

Background: The aim of this study is two-fold. The first part compares quality of life (QoL) data of prostate cancer patients with those of a representative and age-specific sample of the general population and analyzes the influence of cancer related as well as socio-demographic parameters on QoL. Secondly, differences in QoL depending on the experienced psychological distress will be shown both in prostate cancer patients and in the general population. Material and Methods: A sample of 265 prostate cancer patients completed both the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) during their stay in the hospital. A total HADS cut off score of 15 was used to indicate psychological distress and significant emotional concerns in patients and men of the general population. The results of the patients were compared with those of the general population (N=444). Results: Prostate cancer patients reported significantly worse levels of social and emotional functioning as well as more symptoms like insomnia, constipation and diarrhea compared to the general population. Patients and men of the general population with a total HADS score ≥15 reported lower QoL in all sub-scales except for diarrhea in comparison to people without distress. Discussion: Psychological distress is accompanied by lower QoL and therefore should be taken into consideration when QoL is assessed. Furthermore, clinicians should be trained by professionals to detect distress in their patients and to pay more attention to their emotional concerns, which are strongly associated with the patients’ well-being and QoL during their stay in hospital., GMS Psycho-Social-Medicine; 7:Doc02; ISSN 1860-5214

Körperliche Beschwerden verschiedener Art kommen sehr häufig in der Allgemeinbevölkerung vor und sind in vielen Fällen nicht auf eine eindeutige medizinische Ursache zurück zu führen. Nicht organisch erklärbare körperliche Beschwerden werden als somatoforme Symptome bezeichnet und bilden die Kernsymptome somatoformer Störungen. Diese gehören zu den häufigsten psychischen Störungen in Deutschland und Europa und sind mit erhöhtem Leiden und verstärktem Krankheitsverhalten verbunden. In diesem publikationsbasierten Cumulus werden drei Studienfelder und drei darauf basierende Studien vorgestellt, die eine sehr wichtige Rolle bei der Untersuchung körperlicher Beschwerden und somatoformer Störungen spielen: 1. Kultursensitivität, 2. Inanspruchnahmeverhalten und 3. Beeinträchtigung. Zu 1. Der kulturelle Hintergrund beeinflusst die Wahrnehmung körperlicher Symptome, die Art der am häufigsten vorkommenden Symptome und die Symptompräsentation vor anderen Personen. Obwohl ca. 19% der in Deutschland lebenden Personen einen anderen kulturellen Hintergrund haben (d. h. Migranten), ist ihre psychische Gesundheit noch kaum untersucht. Im ersten Artikel in diesem Cumulus wurde untersucht, inwiefern zwei der am häufigsten eingesetzten Fragebögen zur Messung von somatoformen Störungen und Depressionen bei Deutschen und in Deutschland lebenden Migranten das Gleiche messen (Messinvarianz). Messinvarianz ist eine wichtige Vorraussetzung für die Interpretation von Studien im Bereich der Migrationsforschung. Messinvarianz konnte für beide Fragebögen bestätigt werden. Zu 2. Somatoforme Störungen sind mit einer erhöhten Inanspruchnahme medizinischer Leistungen verbunden. Bisher ist der Einfluss psychischer Faktoren auf das Inanspruchnahmeverhalten kaum untersucht. Des Weiteren wurden bislang vor allem selektierte Stichproben analysiert. Der zweite Artikel in diesem Cumulus untersucht Prädiktoren für das Inanspruchnahmeverhalten in der deutschen Allgemeinbevölkerung, in einer Sub-Gruppe von Personen mit vielen somatoformen Beschwerden und einer Sub-Gruppe mit wenigen somatoformen Beschwerden. Die Intention, beim hypothetischen Vorliegen gewisser Beschwerden einen Arzt aufzusuchen wurde in die Analysen mit einbezogen. Es zeigte sich in allen drei Gruppen die gleichen Prädiktoren für die Arzt-Inanspruchnahme. Die Intention, einen Arzt aufzusuchen war neben der Anzahl und Schwere der körperlichen Beschwerden, der psychischen Gesundheit und der Berufstätigkeit der wichtigste Prädiktor. Zu 3. Die Beeinträchtigung durch Beschwerden ist eines der wichtigsten Kriterien bei der Diagnose psychischer Störungen. Beeinträchtigung ist dabei definiert als eine Einschränkung oder die fehlende Möglichkeit, etwas so auszuführen wie es für einen Menschen normal ist. Bisher ist aber nicht untersucht worden, wo der Normalbereich bei der Beeinträchtigung durch körperliche Beschwerden liegt. Im dritten Artikel dieses Cumulus wird ein Fragebogen zur Erfassung von Beeinträchtigung durch körperliche Beschwerden in einer repräsentativen Stichprobe evaluiert und Normwerte für Personen mit mindestens einer körperlichen Beschwerde präsentiert. Diese Ergebnisse können zur Einordnung der Beeinträchtigung klinischer Gruppen herangezogen werden. Außerdem wird der Einfluss von Beeinträchtigung auf das Inanspruchnahmeverhalten untersucht. Abschließend werden die Ergebnisse der drei Artikel zusammenfassend diskutiert und ein Ausblick auf weitere Studienmöglichkeiten gegeben., Different bodily complaints are very common in the general population. For many of the most frequent bodily complaints no medical explanation can be found. Consequently they are called medically unexplained or somatoform. Somatoform complaints constitute the core symptoms of somatoform disorders. These are among the most frequent mental disorders in Germany and Europe and are associated with high disability and abnormal illness behavior. In this publication-based cumulus three articles are presented. These base on three areas which are of major importance for investigations about bodily complaints or somatoform disorders. These areas are the following: 1. Culture sensitivity, 2. Health care utilization, and 3. Disability. Ad 1. The perception and presentation of bodily complaints, as well as the most frequent bodily symptoms are influenced by the cultural background. Persons with another cultural background (i. e. migrants) share approximately 19% of the German population. However, their mental health has only rarely been investigated. In the first article in this cumulus it is analysed to what extent two common questionnaires for the assessment of somatoform disorders and depression measure the same in Germans as in migrants in Germany (i. e. measurement invariance). Measurement invariance is a crucial precondition for the interpretation of studies on migrants. It was fulfilled for both questionnaires. Ad 2. Somatoform disorders are related to high health care utilization. The influence of psychological factors on health care utilization has rarely been investigated so far. Also, most studies investigating health care utilization studied selected samples. In the second article in this cumulus predictors for health care utilization are analysed. A representative sample of the German general population as well as a sub-group of persons with many somatoform complaints and a sub-group of persons with few somatoform complaints are investigated. Beside other predictors the intention to visit a doctor in the hypothetical situation of having different bodily complaints was analysed. In all three groups the same predictors for health care utilization were found. Beside the number and severity of bodily complaints, the mental health, and the employment status, the intention to visit a doctor was an important predictor. Ad 3. The disability by complaints is one of the most important criteria in diagnosing mental disorders. Thereby, disability is defined as any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human. However, it has not been investigated what the range of normal disability by bodily symptoms is. In the third article in this cumulus a questionnaire for the assessment of disability by bodily symptoms is evaluated in a representative sample of the German general population. Also, normative data for people with at least one bodily complaint are presented and the influence of disability on health care utilization is investigated. The normative data can be used to describe clinical samples. The results of the three articles are discussed and perspectives for further studies are described.