Background Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a disorder of brain vasculature that causes various structural changes in the brain parenchyma, and is associated with various clinical symptoms such as cognitive impairment and gait disorders. Structural changes of brain arterioles cannot be visualized with routine imaging techniques in vivo. However, optical coherence tomography (OCT) is thought to be a “window to the brain”. Thus, retinal vessel parameters may correlate with CSVD characteristic brain lesions and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers (CSF) of the neuropathological processes in CSVD like endothelial damage, microglial activation and neuroaxonal damage. Methods We applied OCT-based assessment of retinal vessels, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and CSF biomarker analysis in a monocentric prospective cohort of 24 patients with sporadic CSVD related stroke and cognitive impairment. MRI lesions were defined according to the STandards for ReportIng Vascular changes on nEuroimaging (STRIVE). Biomarkers were assessed using commercially available ELISA kits. Owing to the unavailability of an age-matched control-group lacking MRI-characteristics of CSVD, we compared the retinal vessel parameters in CSVD patients (73.8 ± 8.5 years) with a younger group of healthy controls (51.0 ± 16.0 years) by using an age- and sex-adjusted multiple linear regression analysis model. Results Among the parameters measured with OCT, the Wall to Lumen Ratio (WLR) but not Mean Wall Thickness (MWT) of the superior branch of the retinal artery correlated significantly with the volume of white matter hyperintensities on MRI (r s = − 0.5) and with CSF-levels of Chitinase 3 like 1 protein (r s = − 0.6), zona occludens 1 protein (r s = − 0.5) and GFAP (r s = − 0.4). MWT and WLR were higher in CSVD than in controls (28.9 μm vs. 23.9 μm, p = 0.001 and 0.32 vs. 0.25, p = 0.001). Conclusions In this exploratory study, WLR correlated with the volume of white matter hyperintensities, and markers of vascular integrity, microglial activation, and neuroaxonal damage in CSVD. Further prospective studies should clarify whether retinal vessel parameters and CSF biomarkers may serve to monitor the natural course and treatment effects in clinical studies on CSVD.

Background: Physicians, especially psychiatrists, have a high risk of job-related stress, and mental impairment. In our study we examined changes in private and occupational stress factors and mental health within a decade. The legislative reduction of physicians' working hours in Germany during this period made it possible to investigate the impact of working hours in particular.Methods: Questionnaires were administered at two psychiatrist meetings (2006 and 2016) about job and family situation, depressiveness, burnout and effort-reward imbalance. A total of N = 1,797 datasets were analyzed.Results: Working hours and free weekends were associated with mental health indices. Correlation analyses showed that a reduction in weekly working hours and working days at weekends was related to reduced scores for effort-reward-imbalance, burnout and depression.Conclusions: Our data show changes in workplace stress and mental health in psychiatrists in a decade in which a reduction in working hours has been required by law. These results can provide indications of effective prevention strategies in the professional context of physicians working in psychiatry.

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Zusammenfassung Ziel der Studie Mobbing am Arbeitsplatz gilt als interpersoneller Stressfaktor. Beruflicher Stress und mentale Gesundheit bei Ärztinnen und Ärzten rücken zunehmend in den Fokus der Öffentlichkeit. Inwiefern Mobbing dabei eine Rolle spielt ist noch kaum untersucht. Die Studie soll daher Daten zu Prävalenz von Mobbing unter KlinikärztInnen in Deutschland und möglichen Zusammenhängen mit beruflichem Stress und mentaler Gesundheit liefern. Methoden Im Rahmen zweier Querschnittstudien wurden 692 KlinikärztInnen des Fachgebietes Psychiatrie/Psychotherapie (P/PT) und 667 KlinikärztInnen der Intensivmedizin (IM) auf Kongressen befragt. Zum Einsatz kamen standardisierte Fragebögen zu Mobbingerfahrung, Berufsstress und mentaler Gesundheit (Einzelitem aus dem COPSOQ, BDI-II, ERI, MBI). Ergebnisse Mobbing erlebten 4,6% (N=61) der Befragten. In der Tendenz sind IM und Frauen häufiger betroffen (nicht signifikant) und es zeigten sich Korrelationen mit Berufsstress (ERI), Overcommitment (OC), Emotionaler Erschöpfung (MBI) und Depressivität (BDI-II). Schlussfolgerung Unsere Daten an einer großen Kohorte von Ärztinnen und Ärzten in Fachgebieten mit unterschiedlichem Belastungsprofil zeigen, dass ein nicht unerheblicher Anteil von Mobbing betroffen ist und Mobbing in Zusammenhang mit dem Erleben von Berufsstress sowie Beeinträchtigungen der mentalen Gesundheit stehen. Daraus lassen sich Implikationen zu institutionellen und individuellen Präventions- und Unterstützungsangeboten ableiten.