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The periodontal status of 8862 dentulous and partially dentulous inhabitants of the Federal Republic of Germany was investigated in various dental practices, using the CPITN, developed by the World Health Organization. The results show that a total of only 4.3% of those examined have a healthy periodontal apparatus and thus require no periodontal treatment. At least detailed oral hygiene instruction needs to be given to 95.7% of all subjects. Furthermore, 80% patients with periodontal disease require scaling or root planing, and 10% of them require periodontal surgery. The treatment of shallow gingival pocketing (CPITN 3) is predominant in every age group, and every fifth patient aged 35 years or more is need of periodontal surgery. This high frequency rate of periodontal disease illustrates the urgent necessity in regular dental practice for each and every patient to undergo periodontal screening. Such screening, based on the time saving CPITN, is to be recommended as it ensures fast, reliable determination of the periodontal status of each individual patient and the treatment needs involved.

The simultaneous presence of psoriasis and atopic dermatitis was checked for in 1065 patients with psoriasis and was found in 18 of them (1.7%), which is in keeping with the statistical probability. In these 18 the efflorescence was also examined histologically. All 18 (100%) reported marked pruritus; white dermatographism was observed in 16 patients (89%); in 15 patients (83%) psoriatic phenomenas could be produced, and 11 patients (61%) also had allergic rhinitis or bronchial asthma. Immunologically, 16 of the 18 patients (89%) showed elevated IgE levels, the geometric mean level being 888 IU/ml. The HLA-Cw6 was positive in 9 patients (50%).

Perioperative risk research with biomedical (biochemical, physiological) methods must grow up as a main topic in surgical research. However, operative risk has also to be analysed with methods of clinimetrics, such as formal (objective) decision making and epidemiology. Only by this way a convincing practical dimension is added to basic scientific statements. ASA-classification of the preoperative physical status is a global index for estimating the operative risk. It contains objective findings, subjective impressions and the final clinical judgement. For this reason it is so flexible. For a multicentre trial on perioperative risk and histamine an empirical index was constructed using both the ASA-classification and the Mannheim-Munich risk check list.

The programme "Discussions on Hypertension" is a programme for group treatment of obese essential hypertensives in medical practices on the basis of behavioural therapy. A co-operation model was developed between the Department for General Medicine of the "Medizinische Hochschule Hannover", the Institute for Medical Psychology of the "Philipps-Universität Marburg" and the company Galenus Mannheim and was offered to doctors in general practice. The effects of the programme on the modifying of the risk profile for coronary heart disease was investigated in a controlled study in 137 patients by nine general practitioners. 81 patients were enrolled in the experimental group and 56 patients were assigned to a control group that was not using the programme. The experimental and control groups were comparable with respect to sociodemographic, psychological and medical parameters. Three months after completing the programme, the results of the study was shown in specific effect both on the psychological criteria of success (well-being, health knowledge, healthy behaviour, salt use and compliance) and in a reduction of the diastolic blood pressure in spite of a reduction of the antihypertensive drug treatment. The blood lipid levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) and the blood glucose level were also favourably affected. Patients in the experimental group had reduced their weight by an average of 5.6 kg. The patients in the control group only by 0.8 kg. Overall, there was a marked reduction in the proportion of patients with several risk factors in the experimental group, so that the programme can be attributed a preventive effect.

According to the general development in breast diagnosis the positions of the single modalities are described by showing the development of breast diagnosis at the X-ray department of the UFK Marburg. In this context special emphasis is placed on ultrasound mammography and its clinical application at the UFK Marburg during the past 10 years. Automated water coupling and hand held real-time ultrasound are compared with another and the effects of ultrasound mammography on invasive breast diagnostic modalities and on breast surgery are pointed out by means of statistical results.

Implementation of the radiological information system SIMEDOS in the central department of diagnostic radiology in the Marburg University Hospital is discussed. Special attention is given to the clinical and organizational problems of the department, as well as the planning and preparation phases of system implementation. This system has been in use for 10 months and our experience concerning problem-solving and the various user groups is described.

The study deals with the question as to what extent and under which existing personal characteristics does thrombocytapheresis on the cell separator (Fenwal CS-3000) lead to psychological stress for the blood donor? A comparison is made with the stress experienced during the established 450 ml full-blood donation. Because of the different procedural conditions, it was postulated that the donation on the cell separator creates greater psychological stress than the established type of donation. To examine this hypothesis, a sample group of 76 cell-separator and full-blood donors were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning the stress they experienced and their attitude before, during, and after the donation. Their personalities were also examined. A control group of 45 full-blood donors was examined in the same way. No significant statistical difference was found regarding the extent of stress under both conditions of donation. These findings are verified by the general satisfaction expressed by the cell-separator donors. Although it is confirmed that the personal cost to the donor is greater, it involves, on the other hand, a greater commitment, a positive evaluation of the more intimate involvement of the donor, and an increase in self-esteem. Since it could not be proven that there is an increase in the amount of stress during cell-separator donation, it also seems plausible that no clear decrease in stress would be observed after repeated donations. On the whole, it seems that the cell separator is well accepted by the donors. The extent of experienced stress is related to the donor's habitual anxiety and negative expectations. Since negative expectations can be influenced, it is to be expected that an informative conversation in a quiet atmosphere would further decrease the stress experienced.