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Due to an increasing awareness of the potential hazardousness of air pollutants, new laws, rules and guidelines have recently been implemented globally. In this respect, numerous studies have addressed traffic-related exposure to particulate matter using stationary technology so far. By contrast, only few studies used the advanced technology of mobile exposure analysis. The Mobile Air Quality Study (MAQS) addresses the issue of air pollutant exposure by combining advanced high-granularity spatial-temporal analysis with vehicle-mounted, person-mounted and roadside sensors. The MAQS-platform will be used by international collaborators in order 1) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to road structure, 2) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to traffic density, 3) to assess air pollutant exposure in relation to weather conditions, 4) to compare exposure within vehicles between front and back seat (children) positions, and 5) to evaluate "traffic zone"- exposure in relation to non-"traffic zone"-exposure. Primarily, the MAQS-platform will focus on particulate matter. With the establishment of advanced mobile analysis tools, it is planed to extend the analysis to other pollutants including including NO2, SO2, nanoparticles, and ozone.
Giftige Zwerge in der Umwelt? : Über Wirkungen von Nanomaterialien in aquatischen Ökosystemen
(2011)
Plastic products leach chemicals that induce in vitro toxicity under realistic use conditions
(2021)
Plastic products contain complex mixtures of extractable chemicals that can be toxic. However, humans and wildlife will only be exposed to plastic chemicals that are released under realistic conditions. Thus, we investigated the toxicological and chemical profiles leaching into water from 24 everyday plastic products covering eight polymer types. We performed migration experiments over 10 days at 40 °C and analyzed the migrates using four in vitro bioassays and nontarget high-resolution mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MSE). All migrates induced baseline toxicity, 22 an oxidative stress response, 13 antiandrogenicity, and one estrogenicity. Overall, between 17 and 8681 relevant chemical features were present in the migrates. In other words, between 1 and 88% of the plastic chemicals associated with one product were migrating. Further, we tentatively identified ∼8% of all detected features implying that most plastic chemicals remain unknown. While low-density polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polyurethane induced most toxicological endpoints, a generalization for other materials is not possible. Our results demonstrate that plastic products readily leach many more chemicals than previously known, some of which are toxic in vitro. This highlights that humans are exposed to many more plastic chemicals than currently considered in public health science and policies.
Background aims: Immunomagnetic enrichment of CD34+ hematopoietic “stem” cells (HSCs) using paramagnetic nanobead coupled CD34 antibody and immunomagnetic extraction with the CliniMACS plus system is the standard approach to generating T-cell-depleted stem cell grafts. Their clinical beneficence in selected indications is established. Even though CD34+ selected grafts are typically given in the context of a severely immunosuppressive conditioning with anti-thymocyte globulin or similar, the degree of T-cell depletion appears to affect clinical outcomes and thus in addition to CD34 cell recovery, the degree of T-cell depletion critically describes process quality. An automatic immunomagnetic cell processing system, CliniMACS Prodigy, including a protocol for fully automatic CD34+ cell selection from apheresis products, was recently developed. We performed a formal process validation to support submission of the protocol for CE release, a prerequisite for clinical use of Prodigy CD34+ products.
Methods: Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor–mobilized healthy-donor apheresis products were subjected to CD34+ cell selection using Prodigy with clinical reagents and consumables and advanced beta versions of the CD34 selection software. Target and non-target cells were enumerated using sensitive flow cytometry platforms.
Results: Nine successful clinical-scale CD34+ cell selections were performed. Beyond setup, no operator intervention was required. Prodigy recovered 74 ± 13% of target cells with a viability of 99.9 ± 0.05%. Per 5 × 10E6 CD34+ cells, which we consider a per-kilogram dose of HSCs, products contained 17 ± 3 × 10E3 T cells and 78 ± 22 × 10E3 B cells.
Conclusions: The process for CD34 selection with Prodigy is robust and labor-saving but not time-saving. Compared with clinical CD34+ selected products concurrently generated with the predecessor technology, product properties, importantly including CD34+ cell recovery and T-cell contents, were not significantly different. The automatic system is suitable for routine clinical application.
The diagnosis that we are living in a world risk society formulated by Ulrich Beck 20 years ago (Beck, Kölner Z Soziol Sozialpsychol 36:119–147, 1996) has lost nothing of its power, especially against the background of the Anthropocene debate. “Global risks” have been identified which are caused by human activities, technology, and modernization processes. Microplastics are a by-product of exactly these modernization processes, being distributed globally by physical processes like ocean currents, and causing effects far from their place of origin. In recent years, the topic has gained great prominence, as microplastics have been discovered nearly everywhere in the environment, raising questions about the impacts on food for human consumption. But are microplastics really a new phenomenon or rather a symptom of an old problem? And exactly what risks are involved? It seems that the phenomenon has accelerated political action—the USA has passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act 2015—and industries have pledged to fade out the use of microbeads in their cosmetic products. At first sight, is it a success for environmentalists and the protection of our planet?
This chapter deals with these questions by adopting a social-ecological perspective, discussing microplastics as a global risk. Taking four main characteristics of global risks, we develop four arguments to discuss (a) the everyday production of risk by societies, (b) scientific risk evaluation of microplastics, (c) social responses, and (d) problems of risk management. To illustrate these four issues, we draw on different aspects of the current scientific and public debate. In doing so, we contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the social-ecological implications of microplastics.
Oral e-Poster Presentations - Booth 2: Neuro-Oncology C (Imaging&Monitoring), September 27, 2023, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
Background: Repetitive TMS (rTMS) can be used to non-invasively map cortical language areas. Commonly, frequencies of 5-10 Hz are used to induce speech errors. We could recently show that frequencies of 30 and 50 Hz are advantageous to achieve higher reliability. However, high-frequent rTMS applied over perisylvian regions still suffer from limited tolerability. Using short-train or paired-pulse TMS (pp-TMS) might offer a good alternative to rTMS to interfere with speech production. In this study, we, therefore, compared 30 Hz rTMS to pp-TMS aiming at improved language mapping.
Methods: 13 healthy, right-handed subjects (f=6, 25-41 years) were investigated using two different rTMS protocols: (i) 30 Hz rTMS and (ii) pp-TMS. TMS protocols were applied in a pseudo-randomized order during a picture naming task (picture-to-trigger interval: 0 ms) over cortical language areas. In a subsequent study, we compared pp-TMS also to short trains of three TMS pulses and repetitive paired pulse TMS. Language errors were post-hoc analysed by two independent raters and were assigned to eight different error categories. The level of pain was assessed on a subjective 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS). Moreover, language error distribution was analysed using a cortical parcellation system.
Results: 30 Hz rTMS evoked a significantly higher number of errors than the pp-protocol, i.e., 18 ± 12 % vs. 10 ± 7 % (p<0.05). However, pp-TMS was significantly better tolerated with a mean NRS of 2.3 ± 1.6 vs. 3.4 ± 1.5 (p<0.05, FDR-corrected). Of note, pp-TMS could induce a higher number of anomias (15 ± 15 %) than repetitive TMS protocols (4 ± 7 %; p<0.1, FDR-corrected), but less dysarthria. The cortical distribution of errors differed between the two protocols. The results of train-of-three TMS were similar to the pp-TMS protocol.
Conclusions: Due to its better tolerability, pp-TMS might offer the possibility to stimulate regions which are particularly prone to direct facial / trigeminal nerve stimulation, e.g., the inferior frontal gyrus. Moreover, pp-TMS seems advantageous for mapping patients who are comparatively susceptible to rTMS side effects and with regard to safety in general.
Introduction: The neurobiological mechanisms behind panic disorder with agoraphobia (PD/AG) are not completely explored. The functional A/T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs324981 in the neuropeptide S receptor gene (NPSR1) has repeatedly been associated with panic disorder and might partly drive function respectively dysfunction of the neural “fear network”. We aimed to investigate whether the NPSR1 T risk allele was associated with malfunctioning in a fronto-limbic network during the anticipation and perception of agoraphobia-specific stimuli.
Method: 121 patients with PD/AG and 77 healthy controls (HC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) using the disorder specific “Westphal-Paradigm”. It consists of neutral and agoraphobia-specific pictures, half of the pictures were cued to induce anticipatory anxiety.
Results: Risk allele carriers showed significantly higher amygdala activation during the perception of agoraphobia-specific stimuli than A/A homozygotes. A linear group x genotype interaction during the perception of agoraphobia-specific stimuli showed a strong trend towards significance. Patients with the one or two T alleles displayed the highest and HC with the A/A genotype the lowest activation in the inferior orbitofrontal cortex (iOFC).
Discussion: The study demonstrates an association of the NPSR1rs324981 genotype and the perception of agoraphobia-specific stimuli. These results support the assumption of a fronto-limbic dysfunction as an intermediate phenotype of PD/AG.
Innovative Wasserinfrastrukturen, wie sie etwa mit den Neuartigen Sanitärsystemen entwickelt worden sind, versprechen Effizienzgewinne. Ihre Anwendung bedeutet nicht nur, den Einsatz neuer Techniken, sondern auch, dass sich die im konventionellen System erprobten Arbeitsteilungen zwischen verschiedenen Akteuren verändern. Ebenso können sich Beweggründe und Motivationen der beteiligten Akteure wandeln. Die Innovations- und Umsetzungsschritte werden dabei komplexer. Die Konstellationen der verschiedenen (heterogenen) Akteure und ihre Zusammenarbeit haben dabei hohe Relevanz für die Umsetzung innovativer Infrastrukturkonzepte.
Das vorliegende Diskussionspapier zeigt – aufbauend auf Ergebnisse aus zwei BMBFForschungsvorhaben – welcher Koordinationsbedarf bei einer Umsetzung auf der Quartiersebene zu erwarten ist. Zudem werden Hinweise gegeben, wie sich die Koordination zwischen den beteiligten Akteuren optimieren lässt.
Vorarbeiten zu einer sozial-ökologischen RisDie Nanotechnologie gilt als eine der Schlüsseltechnologien der Zukunft: Die Verringerung der Teilchengröße in den nanoskaligen Bereich führt zu neuartigen physikalischen und chemischen Stoffeigenschaften, welche Innovationspotenzial in vielfältigen Anwendungsfeldern versprechen. Besonders in den letzten zwei Jahrzehnten hat die Nanotechnologie wirtschaftlich an Bedeutung gewonnen, da immer mehr nanotechnologische Entwicklungen kommerziell umgesetzt werden. Aufgrund des breiten Anwendungsspektrums und der Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Materialien ist bisher weder eine transparente Darstellung der tatsächlichen wirtschaftlichen Bedeutung noch eine adäquate Bewertung potenzieller Gesundheits- und Umweltrisiken, die aus den neuartigen nanospezifischen Eigenschaften hervorgehen könnten, möglich.
Das Papier gibt einen aktuellen Überblick über den Stand des Wissens zum Thema Nanotechnologie, wobei besonderer Fokus auf den Bereich Risiko, Toxikologie und Ökotoxikologie sowie Risikowahrnehmung und -kommunikation gelegt wird. Die Ergebnisse der Literaturstudie sollen künftig dazu dienen, zu prüfen, welchen Beitrag ein sozial-ökologischer Forschungsansatz zur nachhaltigen Entwicklung und Nutzung der Nanotechnologie leisten kann.
Plastikmüll ist ein zentrales Umweltproblem des 21. Jahrhunderts. Ein Großteil dieses Mülls stammt aus lediglich kurzzeitig genutzten Einwegverpackungen. Lebensmittelhersteller und Lebensmittelhandel stehen vor der Herausforderung, eine nachhaltige Gestaltung, Nutzung und Reduktion von Kunststoffverpackungen voranzutreiben. Drei Überlegungen sind hier zentral. Erstens muss der Einsatz von kurzlebigen Einwegverpackungen möglichst vermieden und reduziert werden. Zweitens müssen in den Bereichen, in denen Vermeidung nicht möglich oder ökologisch sinnvoll ist, Materialien nach Nachhaltigkeitskriterien (Ökobilanzen, toxikologische Tests) ausgewählt und Verpackungen dementsprechend gestaltet werden. Drittens müssen Unternehmen Ressourcen für betriebliche Innovation bereitstellen und Veränderungsprozesse möglichst transparent und partizipativ gestalten. Neben technischen Innovationen sollten soziale Innovationen und organisatorische Anpassungen im Mittelpunkt stehen. Dieser Policy Brief bietet eine wissenschaftlich fundierte Grundlage insbesondere für Unternehmen und Verbände in der Lebensmittelversorgung, aber auch für politische Entscheidungsträger*innen sowie Mitarbeitende in
Behörden, die sich diesen Erfordernissen stellen und damit als Pioniere der Nachhaltigkeit zu einer Lösung des Plastikmüllproblems beitragen wollen.