Search

Apple juice aroma profile was obtained using the rapid and solvent free solid phase microextraction (SPME) method and a selective and sensitive gas chromatography - mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analytical system. In this paper, the influence of different parameters for headspace SPME is presented. The volatiles (belonging to ester, terpene and alcohol classes) observed in apple juice, obtained from concentrate in Romania, are common compounds in these types of matrices. The total amount of esters, terpenes and alcohols provide important information about the quality of apple juices. The concentration of total esters was found to be low (63 μg/L), which suggests that the aroma recovering process is insufficient. In the paper were identified 12 terpene natural compounds, with odor activities. The high amount of 3- hexen-1-ol found in the sample, is a clear indication that the studied juice is a processed product, not a fresh single strength apple juice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Monatsschrift Kinderheilkunde is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract Background Disgust sensitivity is defined as a predisposition to experiencing disgust, which can be measured on the basis of the Disgust Scale and its German version, the Questionnaire for the Assessment of Disgust Sensitivity (QADS). In various studies, different factor structures were reported for either instrument. The differences may most likely be due to the selected factor analysis estimation methods and the small non-representative samples. Consequently, the aims of this study were to explore and confirm a theory-driven and statistically coherent QADS factor structure in a large representative sample and to present its standard values. Methods The QADS was answered by N = 2473 healthy subjects. The respective households and participants were selected using the random-route sampling method. Afterwards, the collected sample was compared to the information from the Federal Statistical Office to ensure that it was representative for the German residential population. With these data, an exploratory Promax-rotated Principal Axis Factor Analysis as well as comparative confirmatory factor analyses with robust Maximum Likelihood estimations were computed. Any possible socio-demographic influences were quantified as effect sizes. Results The data-driven and theoretically sound solution with the three highly interrelated factors Animal Reminder Disgust, Core Disgust, and Contamination Disgust led to a moderate model fit. All QADS scales had very good reliabilities (Cronbach's alpha) from .90 to .95. There were no age-differences found among the participants, however, the female participants showed remarkably higher disgust ratings. Conclusions Based on the representative sample, the QADS factor structure was revised. Gender-specific standard percentages permit a population-based assessment of individual disgust sensitivity. The differences of the original QADS, the new solution, and the Disgust Scale - Revised will be discussed.

Objective: The reunification of Germany after the separation between 1949 and 1990 has offered a unique chance of studying the impact of socialization, political transformation, and migration on mental health. The purpose of this article was to compare mental distress, resources, and life satisfaction (1) between residents of East and West Germany and migrants who have fled from East to West Germany before reunification and (2) between three generations., Methods: We assessed anxiety, depression, resilience, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, comparing groups based on their residency and migration, as well as three different birth cohorts. Using a representative survey of 2006, analyses of variance show the differences between these groups. Based on a representative survey ( N = 4,530), the effects of gender (53.6% women), residency/migration (74.4% grown up in the West, 20.4% in the East, 5.3% migrants from the East to the West) from three generations (32% born until 1945, 39% until 1967, and 29% to 1989), and positive and negative mental health indicators were analyzed., Results: Women reported higher distress and lower resilience. Residents of the Western states reported the lowest burden of distress (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and the highest overall life satisfaction, exceeding residents from the Eastern states and migrants from the Eastern to the Western states. Migrants from the Eastern to the Western states, however, reported the lowest resilience and self-esteem. They reported lower satisfaction with income, living conditions (compared to the Western residents), and the lowest levels of satisfaction with family (compared to East and West)., Conclusion: Overall, our data point to inequalities between the Eastern and Western states regarding mental health 16 years after reunification favoring the residents of the Western states by lower distress and life satisfaction. Our data attest to the stresses and adjustments associated with migration from the Eastern to the Western states before reunification. A lower level of mental health and life satisfaction in the oldest generation may be related to the sequelae of World War II and also to aging., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Beutel, Braunheim, Heller, Schmutzer, Decker and Brähler.)

Background Following German reunification, physical health indicators in the formerly separated states (German Democratic Republic- East/ Federal Republic of Germany-West) have converged. However, it remains unclear how these societal changes have impacted somatic complaints, a major indicator of physical and mental health. Therefore, we investigated how somatic symptom reporting in men and women evolved regarding residency. Methods We administered cross-sectional surveys representative of the German population with comparable sample size in 1994 (N = 3047), 2001 (N = 2050), 2013 (N = 2508) and 2019 (N = 2531) following random route procedure. Men and women aged 14-99 reported demographics and filled the Gießen Complaint List, a standardized questionnaire, to assess major physical symptoms. Results Residency in the Eastern states was a determinant of higher symptom load in 2001 (β = 0.11, SE = 0.02, [95% CI = 0.07 to 0.15], p < .001) where symptom reporting has been consistently higher compared to the West from 1994 through 2013. However, in 2019, the pattern reversed and residency in the East was associated with lower symptom load (β = -0.15, SE =0.02, [95% CI = -0.19 to -0.11], p < .001). Predictors of high symptom load among all surveys were higher age, female sex, and low household income. Conclusions Symptom reporting did not converge, but reversed in 2019, with a higher symptom load in the Western states. This finding is particularly intriguing since other determinants, e.g., socioeconomic factors have converged, but have remained unfavorable in the East., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

During the pandemic, the extent of subsequent mental health strains is an important issue. A representative face-to-face survey was conducted to assess mental health consequences in the general population and to identify mental health risk factors. In a representative German sample (N = 2,503), we assessed depression and anxiety symptoms by the PHQ-4 and loneliness by a validated item. An earlier survey (2018) which used the same methods and had comparable response rates served as comparison. Scores of depression and anxiety symptoms increased from an average of 0.89 (SD = 1.21) and 0.77 (SD = 1.17) in 2018 to 1.14 (SD = 1.23) and 1.05 (SD = 1.31) in 2020. Loneliness did not increase (M = 1.35, SD = 0.68 in 2018; M = 1.38, SD = 0.78 in 2020), affecting about one in four participants to some degree. Younger participants and women were most likely to report depression, anxiety, and loneliness. As in the previous survey, social inequality factors contributed to distress and loneliness. The small overall increase of distress was consistent with recent German panel studies. In future studies and mental health interventions female sex, younger age, and socioeconomic disparities need to be considered as vulnerability factors for distress., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

We estimate (1) sexual activity and sexual desire in women living with and without a partner across the age range in Germany and (2) changes over 11 years. A representative survey of 1345 (response rate: 65%) women between 18 and 99 years from 2016 was compared to a survey of 1314 women age 18-91 from 2005 (response rate: 53%). Sexual activity was assessed as having been physically intimate with someone in the past year; frequency of sexual desire was rated for the past 4 weeks. In 2016, the great majority of women living with a partner were sexually active and indicated sexual desire until the age of 60, which decreased thereafter. Compared to 2005, fewer women cohabited with a partner. Across the age range, women living without a partner reported considerably less sexual activity and desire. The overall proportion of women reporting partnered sexual activity decreased from 67% to 62% in 2016, and absent sexual desire increased from 24% to 26%. Declines of sexual activity and desire affected mostly young and middle-aged women. The decline of sexual activity and desire seems to be due to a reduced proportion of women living with a partner. There was also a generation effect with younger and middle-aged women without a partner becoming less sexually active and experiencing less desire compared to the previous survey. While surveys were methodologically comparable, interpretations are limited by the absence of longitudinal data.

The study determines how burden and patterns of somatic symptom reporting developed over almost four decades in the general German population. Additionally, we studied how socio-demographic factors affected the degree of somatic symptoms. Population-based samples representative for West Germany between 18 and 60 years of age were analyzed comparing three cross-sectional samples of 1975 (N = 1601), 1994 (N = 1416), and 2013 (N = 1290) by conducting a three-way analysis of variance (sex, age, survey). The prevalence rates for somatic symptoms in men and women were lower in the more recent surveys; this affected women most strongly. Exhaustion and musculoskeletal complaints remained leading symptoms (affecting 25%, resp. 11% of the men and 30%, resp. 19% of the women). There was a slight increase in women's prevalence of exhaustion from 1994 (15%) to 2013 (19%). As determined by stepwise multiple regression, somatic symptoms were consistently associated with female sex and higher age. In the 2013 survey, education became an additional negative predictor of somatic symptom load, while the impact of age and sex on somatic symptoms reporting decreased. Somatic symptoms remain a major burden in the general population. Findings are interpreted with regard to improved living and health care conditions, different cohort experiences, and more public health information.

Introduction: Up to 64% of the general population reports experiencing chronic pain, with the hip being one of the most frequent sites. An association has been shown between chronic back pain, obesity and depression. To date, a similar association has not been investigated with chronic hip pain., Methods: A total of 2,515 subjects were chosen as a representative cross-section of the German population. Each was provided with a questionnaire that included the Regional Pain Scale, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), Beck Depression Inventory-Primary Care and Winkler social class index. Participant height and weight values were obtained from self-reports. Using logistic regression methodology, we analysed the association between hip pain, obesity and increased depression scores., Results: A total of 124 (4.9%) subjects reported chronic hip pain and an additional 39 (1.5%) reported chronic hip pain that was disabling. Hip pain affected 1-5 sites (oligolocular) in 47% of cases, and was widespread (6-19 sites) in 50%. Obesity and increased values on the depression scale were associated with an increased likelihood of chronic hip pain (odds ratio [OR] 2.55 and 8.53, respectively) compared with subjects without pain. Increased values on the depression scale (OR 28.22) increased the likelihood of experiencing disabling chronic hip pain in comparison with pain free individuals., Conclusions: Hip pain is rarely the sole site of pain. Obesity and increased values on the depression scale are associated with chronic hip pain. Increased values on the depression scale are associated with disabling chronic hip pain., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

Background: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) might predispose to and resilience might protect against chronic noncancer pain (CNCP). We studied whether ACE are positively associated with CNCP, whether resilience was negatively associated with CNCP and whether resilience buffered a potential association of ACE with CNCP., Methods: A cross-sectional survey (N = 2,425) representative for the adult German general population was conducted in 2013. The following questionnaires were used: Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire for CNCP stages; Childhood Trauma Screener for ACE; Brief Resilient Coping Scale for resilience; Patient Health Questionnaire 4 for psychological symptom burden; Giessen Subjective Complaints List for somatic symptom burden. To test the association of ACE and resilience with CNCP stages, logistic regression analyses including sociodemographic variables and psychological and somatic symptom burden as possible confounders were calculated., Results: No statistically significant associations between any CNCP and disabling CNCP respectively with physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; emotional and physical neglect if compared to no chronic pain were found in uni- and multivariate analyses. There was a small effect of combined ACE and a small attenuating effect of resilience on any and disabling CNCP in univariate, but not in multivariate analysis. Large associations were found between age > 65 years with any CNCP (OR 6.51 [95% confidence interval 3.38 to 12.51)] and disabling CNCP (OR 9.33 [95% confidence interval 2.39 to 36.41]), respectively, if compared to no pain., Conclusions: There was no pain-proneness by single and combined ACE for and no protection by resilience for any and for disabling CNCP in the general adult German population., Significance: There is no pain-proneness due to adverse childhood experiences for any and disabling chronic noncancer pain. Resilience does not protect against any and disabling chronic noncancer pain. Older age is the strongest predictor of any and disabling chronic noncancer pain., (© 2018 European Pain Federation - EFIC®.)

Background: Surveys have indicated an increase of sexual activity in aging men; recently, however, a decrease of sexual activity has been reported in young men., Aim: To assess (i) sexual activity and desire and their determinants across the age range in a population-based male sample and (ii) their changes over 11 years., Methods: A representative survey of men (N = 1,095) 18 to 93 years old from 2016 was compared with a survey from 2005 (N = 1,106 men) with the same age range. Samples were drawn from the German population at random using standardized sampling procedures. Questions were filled out by participants in the presence of a trained interviewer. Sexual activity was compared using logistic regression with the factors survey (2005 vs 2016), living with a partner (yes vs no), and age. Frequency of sexual desire was compared using analysis of covariance with the factors survey (2005 vs 2016), living with a partner (yes vs no), and the covariate age., Outcomes: Sexual activity was assessed as having been intimate with someone in the past year; frequency of sexual desire was evaluated within the past 4 weeks., Results: The great majority of men cohabiting with a partner in 2016 was sexually active and indicated sexual desire until 70 years of age; half did so at an older age. Across the age range, men living without a partner reported considerably less sexual activity and desire. Compared with 2005, fewer men reported living with a partner. The overall proportion of men reporting sexual activity deceased from 81% to 73% in 2016 and absent sexual desire increased from 8% to 13%., Clinical Translation: The findings highlight the relevance of living with a partner for sexual activity and desire. We advocate using a measure of sexual activity that encompasses many variants of intimate behavior., Strengths and Limitations: Large and methodologically comparable population-based samples were compared. However, interpretations are limited by the absence of longitudinal data. We did not assess the effect of having a partner living elsewhere., Conclusion: Sexual activity and desire decreased, especially in the young and middle-age groups. The decrease of men living with a partner contributed to this decreased sexual activity and desire. There was a generation effect, with younger and middle-age men living without a partner becoming less sexually active and experiencing less desire compared with the previous survey. The findings unveil changes in sexual activity and desire in a short time span. Beutel ME, Burghardt J, Tibubos AN, et al. Declining Sexual Activity and Desire in Men-Findings From Representative German Surveys, 2005 and 2016. J Sex Med 2018;15:750-756., (Copyright © 2018 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships of common emotion regulation strategies (suppression and reappraisal) to self-reported fatigue and depersonalization/derealization symptoms. Specifically, we tested the moderating effect of suppression and reappraisal on the link of fatigue with depersonalization and derealization symptoms. Opposite effects were expected for both emotion regulation strategies assuming that cognitive reappraisal has an adaptive buffering effect, while suppression intensifies the association of fatigue and depersonalization/derealization experiences., Methods: In a representative study (N = 2524) we assessed emotion regulation strategies, fatigue, depersonalization/derealization, distress, and demographic variables via questionnaires. 55.5% of the participants were female, mean age was 49.4 (SD = 18.2) years with age groups represented in comparable proportions., Results: In line with the assumptions, moderated regression analyses revealed an interaction effect of emotion regulation strategies and fatigue. Simple slope analyses indicated a buffering effect of cognitive reappraisal on the positive relation of fatigue with depersonalization and derealization symptoms. In contrast, suppression fosters the positive correlation of fatigue and depersonalization and derealization experiences., Limitations: Our study is limited to these two habitual emotion regulation strategies employing a cross sectional design., Conclusion: Our findings provide comprehensive empirical data investigating depersonalization/derealization symptoms from the perspective of emotion regulation research. Cognitive reappraisal might help people suffering from fatigue to prevent depersonalization and derealization tendencies., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

While adverse childhood experiences have been shown to contribute to adverse health outcomes in adulthood, specifically distress and somatic symptoms, few studies have examined their joint effects with resilient coping style on adult adjustment. Hence, we aim to determine the association between resilient coping and distress in participants with and without reported childhood adversities. A representative German community sample (N = 2508) between 14-92 years (1334 women; 1174 men) was examined by the short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Brief Resilience Coping Scale, standardized scales of distress and somatoform symptoms. Childhood adversity was associated with reduced adjustment, social support and resilience. It was also strongly associated with increased distress and somatoform complaints. Resilient coping was not only associated with lower distress, it also buffered the effects of childhood adversity on distress. Our study corroborates the buffering effect of resilience in a representative German sample. High trait resilient subjects show less distress and somatoform symptoms despite reported childhood adversities in comparison to those with low resilient coping abilities.

Objective: Weight-related discrimination is prevalent and associated with health impairments for those who are targeted, which underscores the need of antidiscrimination legislation. This study is the first to examine public support of weight-related antidiscrimination laws or policies in Germany, compared to the US and Iceland., Methods: In a representative German population sample (N = 2,513), public support for general and employment-specific weight-related antidiscrimination policies, weight-based victimization, and weight bias internalization were measured through established self-report questionnaires., Results: Half of the German population sample agreed with antidiscrimination policies. General antidiscrimination laws received lower support than employment-specific laws. Support for policies considering obesity a physical disability was greatest in Germany, whereas support for employment-specific antidiscrimination laws was lower in Germany than in the US and Iceland. Total support for weight-related antidiscrimination policies was significantly predicted by lower age, female gender, obese weight status, residence in West Germany, church membership, and readiness to vote in elections., Conclusion: German support for weight-related antidiscrimination policies is moderate. Increasing awareness about weight-related discrimination and laws prohibiting this behavior may help to promote policy acceptance., (© 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.)