In 2008 a total of 844 439 people (397 651 men and 446 788 women) died in Germany; that was 2% more than in 2007. This is reported by the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) on the basis of the results of the cause of death and population statistics.

The cause of death was, as in previous years, a disease of the heart / circulatory system. According to preliminary results (43 151 904 women men and 211) was over 881% of all deceased such disorder before. Particularly in the elderly were heart / circulatory disease the number one killer: About 91% of thereto deceased were over 65 years. Women reach on average older age and died therefore more likely to have a heart / circulatory disease. At a heart attack, who belongs to this group of diseases, 62 670 died people, of whom 54% men (34 066 deceased) and 46% women (28 604 Deceased).

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Young labor force between 15 and 20 years, according to the current health Reportes the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) with an average of 1,8 sick leave nearly twice as likely as their counterparts on sick leave between 45 and 55 years. However, the older workers in case of illness are averaging almost 14 days about eight days longer sick than the new entrants with less than six days.

For Dr. Sabine Voermans, director of prevention at the TK, shows the need for future action: "The average age of employees in German companies rising steadily for several years This situation should companies and health insurance questions and offer appropriate programs to health. future older employees to promote. "

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News from the cartilage research

Scientists of the German Society for Rheumatology (DGRh) have recently cleared, causing the breakdown of cartilage in joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. An endogenous substance on the surface of the cartilage cells controls the destructive process. If it is blocked, this can stop the joint destruction. News from the cartilage research is one of the central themes of the 37. Congress of DGRh from 23. to 26. September 2009 in Cologne. The DGRh meet there together with the Association for Orthopaedic Rheumatology (ARO) and the Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology (GKJR).

In the Western world more than 40 60 percent of the age group suffer from osteoarthritis of the large joints. In addition, people with inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) - in Germany, there are half a million RA patients. These diseases destroy the articular cartilage. Unlike bone can hardly replace this in the adult. "In many rheumatic diseases the progressive destruction of articular cartilage determines the consequences of disease significantly," explains Professor Dr. med. Thomas Pap from workspace osteoarthritis of the competence network rheumatism, the research platform of DGRh. What matters, therefore, the Director of the Institute of Experimental Musculoskeletal Medicine at the University of Münster, to understand the pathological processes and intervene as early as possible.

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Consuming acrylamide with food does not cause "brain cancer". This is what scientists from Maastricht University report in the journal "Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention". They had followed study participants for more than 16 years, asked them about their eating habits and recorded the occurrence of brain tumors. They found no connection whatsoever to acrylamide intake.

This study provides further evidence that acrylamide in bread, coffee, potato chips, cookies and "French" no cancer risk emanates.

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Inflammation and paralysis in animals undone / Heidelberg neurologist published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America"

Common antihypertensive drugs can cure in animal models of inflammation, as they occur in similar form in multiple sclerosis (MS). This discovery by Dr. Michael Platten, chief consultant of the Department of Neuro-Oncology at Heidelberg University Hospital and Head of the Research Group Experimental made Neuroimmunology at the German Cancer Research Center and his team in cooperation with scientists at Stanford University in California: When ACE inhibitors and AT1R blockers Marked blood pressure medication can suppress the occurrence of inflammation in mice suffering from a multiple sclerosis (MS) comparable autoimmune disease. The results are combined with a simultaneously filed a publication Bochum working group, which also supports the new role of ACE inhibitors, published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)."

The renin-angiotensin system (RAAS) is a system of messengers and receptors that regulates blood pressure in the body. The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) provides increases blood pressure produces angiotensin II, which exerts its effect mainly via the angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R). Drugs that inhibit the enzyme ACE or block the receptor AT1R are used by millions to lower blood pressure. Scientific trials and clinical observations have confirmed the suspicion that RAAS plays a decisive role in immunological processes.

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Hopes for a better therapy in acute hepatitis and lower transplant rate in affected patients.

"This is a great success for research into acute hepatitis," says Prof. Dr. Alexander Gerbes, Deputy Director of the Medical Clinic and Polyclinic II of the Ludwig Maximilians University (LMU) on the Großhadern campus. And means a new strategy with which the excessive inflammation in the liver can possibly one day be combated. Acute liver inflammation mainly affects young people and can be associated with severe liver damage. In the worst case, only a liver transplant will help. However, the team around Prof. Gerbes at the Leber Centrum München (lcm) has "only" tested the new method on mice - but with great success.

Specifically, it is a so-called transcription factor that plays a central role in the pathological process of acute hepatitis and NF-kappaB is called. Under this symbol a group of molecules is summarized, the on and off a variety of genes. "Especially in the Kupffer cells of the liver is NF-kappaB highly active in acute hepatitis," says Prof. Gerbes. About active, to be exact, which is why researchers are looking for a long time looking for ways to specifically inhibit factor only in the Kupffer cells. The Kupffer cells in the liver ensure that metabolites or bacteria to be picked out from the portal vein and disposed of.

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THC is the main active ingredient of cannabis. If this is injected into rats, which are separated from their mothers from birth, these pups lose their dependence on opiates (morphine, heroin). This results from Valerie Dauge and its Working Group of the Laboratory for Physiopathology of ZNSKrankheiten (UPMC / CNRS / Inserm) were in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology from 24. June 2009 published [1]. They could lead to the development of therapeutic alternatives of replacement therapies.

To study the mental disorders, neurobiologists have developed animal models, such as the model of the separation mother / newborn. In this model, rats are daily separated from their mothers for several hours, which later may lead to a long-term Hirnfunktionsstorung. The research group led by Valerie Dauge has analyzed the impact of such divisions, connected to THCInjektionen, opposite to the behavior of opiates.

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German patients particularly poorly informed

Interviews with more than 10.000 citizens from 9 europäischern countries went into the first pan-European study to the understanding of cancer screening, which the Harding Center for Risk Literacy (Harding Center for Risk Literacy) together with the Society for Consumer Research (GfK-Nürnberg e. V. ) has performed. The results amaze: Europeans prove to be defective informed optimist when it comes to early detection - especially the Germans.

The Federal Ministry of Health has declared the strengthening of patient autonomy to "national health goal". But are the citizens in Germany and Europe really informed enough to decide competently? As for the knowledge of Europeans for the benefit of cancer screening, so the answer is in any case clear: No, they are not.

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A placebo-controlled study of the renowned Cleveland State University in the US proves what know most about 1500 patients already from personal experience: Surgical migraine therapy, the so-called "Migraine surgery" is - also according to scientific standards - effective. Experts describe the study as the basis for the long-overdue recognition of a treatment method that for almost ten years impressive achievements shows and migraine patients and helps to -Patients new quality of life. Unique results in an elaborate study design

The prospective, randomized study (Guyuron et al .; 2009) was carried out in an elaborate, placebo-controlled framework: While some of the patients was actually operated, was a second part merely a sham operation. The value of the study corresponds to the force as the gold standard in pharmacological research double-blind trials process.

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Who has never smoked, not massively overweight, a week more than three and a half hours is physically active and eat healthily, has compared to a person who behaves contrary, a reduced order 78 percent risk of chronic disease. considered detail, the risk of diabetes decreases with such a healthy lifestyle even to 93 percent and the risk of heart attack by 81 percent. The risk of stroke is reduced while nevertheless still by half and the risk of cancer to 36 percent. This is the result of a large Potsdamer long-term study that directs Heiner Boeing of the German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE).

Besides Heiner Boeing also has the DIfE visiting scientist Earl S. Ford from National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion in Atlanta, USA, contributed significantly to the present investigation. The researchers published their results in the current issue of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine (Ford et al, 2009, 169. 1-8).

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Expert Warns of unexplored substances in colorful cans

Energy drinks to increase the performance tremendously - but according to the findings from the experts is a cup of coffee with lots of sugar at least as effective. Professor Aloys Berg, director of sports nutrition at the University of Freiburg, emphasizes the men's lifestyle magazine "Men's Health" (Issue 8 / 2009, EVT 15.07.2009) that the effect of energy drinks was mainly due to the combination of sugar and caffeine , The many other substances of, usually expensive, sweet drinks evaluated the expert with outright skepticism.

In particular, are the side effects of taurine, which is found in most energy drinks, so far not scientifically investigated adequately explains Berg. Animal studies have shown, according to him, that taurine can cause numerous side effects such as respiratory disorders. Caution should be even with the energy drink ingredient inositol. The metabolite is found in nearly all animal and human cells - but the potential hazards of overdose are completely unclear. The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) recommends that no more than 100 milligrams inositol per day. Therefore necessarily the amounts have to be considered on the Energy cans.

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