Dtsch Arztebl Int
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Obstetric brachial plexus palsy is rare, but the limb impairments are manifold and often long-lasting. Physiotherapy, microsurgical nerve reconstruction, secondary joint corrections, and muscle transpositions are employed with success. The role of conservative and operative treatment options should be regularly reviewed. ⋯ The potential for scientific analysis is limited, due to the rarity and interindividual variability of the lesions and the varying effects on function and growth. Expectations and compliance are different in every patient. Surgical techniques are not yet standardized. Knowledge of the consequences for joint growth and congruence is inadequate. Today, functional improvement can be achieved by surgery in most clinical manifestations of obstetric brachial plexus palsy, within the framework of an interdisciplinary treatment concept.
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The German AGnES (community-based, e-health-assisted systemic support for primary care) project allows general practitioners (GPs) to delegate certain elements of medical care, including house calls, to qualified AGnES employees and thereby provide primary care to a larger number of patients. AGnES projects of various types have been carried out in a number of German federal states from 2005 onward. In this article, an evaluation of the AGnES projects to date is presented. ⋯ Structural redundancy is avoided by directly placing the AGnES employees in the general practitioners' practices. Based on the results of the AGnES projects, the law in Germany has now been amended to enable implementation of the AGnES project in the regular health care system from January 2009 onward. The next steps to be taken are the establishment of adequate reimbursement within the catalog of the statutory health insurance scheme and a detailed definition of the required qualifications.
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Lyme disease is the most frequent tick-borne infectious disease in Europe. The discovery of the causative pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi in 1982 opened the way for the firm diagnosis of diseases in several clinical disciplines and for causal antibiotic therapy. At the same time, speculation regarding links between Borrelia infection and a variety of nonspecific symptoms and disorders resulted in overdiagnosis and overtreatment of suspected Lyme disease. ⋯ After appropriate antibiotic therapy, the outcome is favorable. In approximately 95% of cases neuroborreliosis is cured without long-term sequelae. When chronic borreliosis is suspected, other potential causes of the clinical syndrome must be painstakingly excluded.