Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Article (31219) (remove)
Language
- English (15828)
- German (13383)
- Portuguese (696)
- French (387)
- Croatian (251)
- Spanish (250)
- Italian (134)
- Turkish (113)
- Multiple languages (36)
- Latin (35)
Has Fulltext
- yes (31219)
Keywords
- Deutsch (503)
- taxonomy (449)
- Literatur (299)
- new species (193)
- Hofmannsthal, Hugo von (185)
- Rezeption (178)
- Übersetzung (163)
- Filmmusik (155)
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (131)
- Vormärz (117)
Institute
- Medizin (5368)
- Physik (1919)
- Biowissenschaften (1145)
- Biochemie und Chemie (1113)
- Extern (1108)
- Gesellschaftswissenschaften (803)
- Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS) (753)
- Geowissenschaften (592)
- Präsidium (453)
- Philosophie (448)
Self-organized robots may develop attracting states within the sensorimotor loop, that is within the phase space of neural activity, body and environmental variables. Fixpoints, limit cycles and chaotic attractors correspond in this setting to a non-moving robot, to directed, and to irregular locomotion respectively. Short higher-order control commands may hence be used to kick the system from one self-organized attractor robustly into the basin of attraction of a different attractor, a concept termed here as kick control. The individual sensorimotor states serve in this context as highly compliant motor primitives. We study different implementations of kick control for the case of simulated and real-world wheeled robots, for which the dynamics of the distinct wheels is generated independently by local feedback loops. The feedback loops are mediated by rate-encoding neurons disposing exclusively of propriosensoric inputs in terms of projections of the actual rotational angle of the wheel. The changes of the neural activity are then transmitted into a rotational motion by a simulated transmission rod akin to the transmission rods used for steam locomotives. We find that the self-organized attractor landscape may be morphed both by higher-level control signals, in the spirit of kick control, and by interacting with the environment. Bumping against a wall destroys the limit cycle corresponding to forward motion, with the consequence that the dynamical variables are then attracted in phase space by the limit cycle corresponding to backward moving. The robot, which does not dispose of any distance or contact sensors, hence reverses direction autonomously.
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of brivaracetam (BRV) in a severely drug refractory cohort of patients with epileptic encephalopathies (EE).
Method: A multicenter, retrospective cohort study recruiting all patients treated with EE who began treatment with BRV in an enrolling epilepsy center between 2016 and 2017.
Results: Forty-four patients (27 male [61%], mean age 29 years, range 6 to 62) were treated with BRV. The retention rate was 65% at 3 months, 52% at 6 months and 41% at 12 months. A mean retention time of 5 months resulted in a cumulative exposure to BRV of 310 months. Three patients were seizure free during the baseline. At 3 months, 20 (45%, 20/44 as per intention-to-treat analysis considering all patients that started BRV including three who were seizure free during baseline) were either seizure free (n = 4; 9%, three of them already seizure-free at baseline) or reported at least 25% (n = 4; 9%) or 50% (n = 12; 27%) reduction in seizures. An increase in seizure frequency was reported in two (5%) patients, while there was no change in the seizure frequency of the other patients. A 50% long-term responder rate was apparent in 19 patients (43%), with two (5%) free from seizures for more than six months and in nine patients (20%, with one [2 %] free from seizures) for more than 12 months. Treatment-emergent adverse events were predominantly of psychobehavioural nature and were observed in 16%.
Significance: In this retrospective analysis the rate of patients with a 50% seizure reduction under BRV proofed to be similar to those seen in regulatory trials for focal epilepsies. BRV appears to be safe and relatively well tolerated in EE and might be considered in patients with psychobehavioral adverse events while on levetiracetam.
Cultural psychology assumes that the ecocultural conditions of a particular setting shape children’s pathways, resulting in multiple adaptive solutions to universal developmental tasks. While the adaptivity of attachment and children’s psychosocial development during the early years has been thoroughly investigated, attachment research during middle childhood continues to reflect Western ideals of family. Adhering to ideas of monotropy, most studies only focus on parental attachment figures. However, this restricted empirical perspective does not only result in a Eurocentric bias, it also neglects theoretical reflections on the growing complexity of attachment during middle childhood, thus only considering a limited selection of all individuals contributing to the children’s feeling of security, even in Western settings. To investigate the variability and adaptivity of attachment during middle childhood, this study assessed children’s attachment figures in two extreme settings of development, introducing an exhaustive network perspective on attachment during this developmental stage. Children of the Cameroonian Nseh (N = 11) and German children from Bad Nauheim (N = 11) identified and differentiated all individuals contributing to their attachment need in an exploratory and transdisciplinary approach. The socio-structural composition of children’s attachment networks follows the context-specific systems of care and concepts of interconnectedness and the ecological features of each setting, resulting in marked differences between both contexts. The functional composition, however, reflects children’s preoccupation with similar developmental challenges across settings. Same-aged peers contribute to the children’s feeling of safety in both settings, thereby deviating from previous reflections on their subordinate relevance during middle childhood. Overall, these results support the adaptiveness of children’s attachment patterns while also demonstrating universal trends across contexts. They highlight the collective nature of attachment during middle childhood that exceeds the impact of individual dyads. Thus, broad and context-sensitive research strategies become a necessary addition to attachment research in order to generate an exhaustive understanding for children’s development across cultural contexts.
Our ability to select relevant information from the environment is limited by the resolution of attention – i.e., the minimum size of the region that can be selected. Neural mechanisms that underlie this limit and its development are not yet understood. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was performed during an object tracking task in 7- and 11-year-old children, and in young adults. Object tracking activated canonical fronto-parietal attention systems and motion-sensitive area MT in children as young as 7 years. Object tracking performance improved with age, together with stronger recruitment of parietal attention areas and a shift from low-level to higher-level visual areas. Increasing the required resolution of spatial attention – which was implemented by varying the distance between target and distractors in the object tracking task – led to activation increases in fronto-insular cortex, medial frontal cortex including anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and supplementary motor area, superior colliculi, and thalamus. This core circuitry for attentional precision was recruited by all age groups, but ACC showed an age-related activation reduction. Our results suggest that age-related improvements in selective visual attention and in the resolution of attention are characterized by an increased use of more functionally specialized brain regions during the course of development.
The social construction of technological stasis : the stagnating data structure in OpenStreetMap
(2018)
The article aims for examining the ‘technological stasis’ of the data structure in OpenStreetMap – the successful global collaborative geodata project devoted to ‘create and distribute free geographic data for the world’. Digital structures are strongly influenced by continuing stagnation. This technological stasis – the lack of change in technology – influences data in various ways, as demonstrated by the intensive discussion of the issue by computer scientists and software engineers. However, existing research describing stagnating software is often technic centred and fuzzy, while critical research is barely considering issues of technological stasis in the digital context at all. Therefore, this paper aims for enriching this body of knowledge in order to shed light on aging data structures. I reframe technological stasis with a social-constructivist perspective – using the approach of Social Construction of Technology – especially with the concept of technological frames. Based on the case example of OpenStreetMap, my findings suggest that the data structure – and its stasis – is the outcome of competing understandings and perspectives, shaped by power asymmetries. Although the data structure did not significantly change for more than 10 years, I demonstrate that this is not because of a lack of motivation, nor technological difficulties of carrying out such changes. The technological stasis is rather rooted in the dominant position of few project members who are able to change the software design; it is their perception of the project that defines how data should be stored and what features are dispensable.
Adjektivbildungen mit unterschiedlichen Suffixen sind im Deutschen häufig, aber der differenzierte Gebrauch entspricht gewollten Bedeutungsunterschieden. Diese Bildungen scheinen keiner durchgehenden Systematik entsprechen zu wollen, sondern gehorchen in ihrer möglichen Verwendung der Konvention, der herrschenden Übereinkunft über den Alltagssprachgebrauch. Diesen muss man jeweils am Einzelbeispiel erlernen. Das Eindringen in das Verständnis solcher Möglichkeiten verfeinert das Sprachgefühl in erheblichem Maß. Solches kann man auch in den Unterricht einbringen.
Modern Kuramların Postmodern Yansımaları: Okur Odaklı Edebiyat Kuramlarında Okurun Konumlandırılışı
(2017)
20. yüzyılın ikinci yarısından itibaren edebiyat alanında önemli bir paradigma değişikliğinin gerçekleştiği söylenebilir. Bu değişiklik genel olarak edebiyat kuram ve eleştirilerinin o güne kadar ihmal ettiği ancak en başından itibaren edebiyatın en önemli parçası olan okurun yeni bir yönüyle keşfedilmesi ve yeniden tanımlanmasıyla gerçekleşir. Yazar ve onun yazdığı metin karşısında o güne kadar edilgen bir rol biçilen okur, dönemin koşullarının da elverişli olması nedeniyle aşama aşama etken bir role büründürülür. 1970'li yıllardan itibaren ise okurun bu özelliğini ele alan bir dizi yeni bakış açısı ve yaklaşım ortaya çıkar. Özellikle Almanya, Amerika ve Fransa'da ortaya çıkan bu yaklaşımların her birisi beslendikleri felsefi geleneğin etkisi altında farklı bir okur modeli geliştirirler. Bu çalışmada bu farklı okur modellerinden üç tanesi incelenerek okur kavramı ile neyi veya kimi kastettikleri üzerinde durulmuştur. Bu üç farklı yaklaşımın ele alınmasındaki amaç ise, günümüzde edebiyat metnini anlamlandırmada etken bir rol üstlenen okuru tanımlamak üzere kullanılan "postmodern okur" modeline katkılarının olupc olmadığını sorgulamaktır.
Die vorliegende Untersuchung beabsichtigt die Schönheitsauffassung in der deutschen und türkischen Erzählwelt in ihrer Bedeutung, Funktionalität und kulturellen Einbettung herauszuarbeiten. Ausgehend von den Märchen der Brüder Grimm (Erstausgabe von 1812 und 1815) und den türkischen Märchen von Ignácz Kúnos (Erstfassung,1887) werden die Begriffe "schön", "Schönheit" und "Ästhetik" analysiert und zur Diskussion gestellt. Mittels einer Korpusanalyse werden so die Märchentexte einer hermeneutisch-analytischen, mythologischen und kulturtheoretisch-kritischen Betrachtung unterzogen. Ziel dabei sind die Maßstäbe der Schönheit zu hinterfragen. Was wird in der Märchenwelt als "schön" empfunden? Worin liegt die Grenze vom Schönen zum Hässlichen? Hier ist auch zu fragen, inwieweit das kulturelle Umfeld die Auffassung zum Schönen beeinträchtigt
Ingeborg Rapoports Autobiografie geht über eine Autofiktion hinaus und greift auf ihre interkulturellen Erfahrungen auf. Ihr autobiografisches Schreiben konzentriert sich insofern auf ihre unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen in den verschiedenen Heimaten (Kamerun, USA und Deutschland). Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht Dimensionen ihres interkulturellen Lebenslaufs. Ausgegangen wird davon, dass die postmoderne Autobiographie zum Medium der Interkulturalität geworden ist.
Rapoport versteht sich besonders als Zeugin ihres Jahrhunderts und stellt die Kolonisierung in ihrer Heimat Kamerun, den deutschen Nazismus sowie den Holocaust, die unkritische Zusammenarbeit zwischen Nord und Süd als die einen fruchtbaren interkulturellen Austausch hindernden Faktoren dar.
Exemplarisch wird an Rapoports Äußerungen nachgewiesen, inwiefern Interkulturalität und Engagement Hand in Hand gehen. In ihrem interkulturellen Engagement tritt Rapoport auf als Antikolonialistin, Nazismus- und Holocaustkritikerin und besonders aber auch als eine den Frieden suchende Autorin, deren Denkweise in die Nähe des Levinasschen Humanismus gerückt werden dürfte.
Scharlatane waren für die Gelehrtendiskurse der Frühen Neuzeit von kaum zu überschätzender Bedeutung, da sich anhand ihres Negativbeispiels Verhaltensideale formulieren ließen, die für die Wissenschaft maßgeblich waren. Das Interesse an dieser Figur reichte auch in die Literatur hinein, wo sie in vielfältiger Weise aufgegriffen wurde und um 1800 verstärkt in Erscheinung trat. Christoph Martin Wieland war einer der Autoren, die sich besonders intensiv mit ihr befassten. In seinem Roman Geschichte der Abderiten (1773-1779) inszeniert er den geistigen Gegensatz, der zwischen dem Protagonisten Demokrit, einem beispielhaften Gelehrten, und seinen Mitbürgern, den törichten Abderiten, besteht. Die These des vorliegenden Beitrags lautet, dass Wieland damit auf eine poetische Reflexion von Wissen abzielt, wobei er mit Hilfe des Scharlatanmotivs die wissenschaftlichen Ausschlussmechanismen seiner Zeit ironisiert. Mithin sind es die Bedingungen der Produktion von Wissen, die im Text aufs Korn genommen werden. Dabei spielt Wieland die komischen Konflikte durch, die auftreten können, wenn das der Aufklärung nahestehende Wissenschaftsethos eines Demokrit auf den Eigendünkel einer unaufgeklärten Gesellschaft trifft.
Anlässlich der Gedenkfeier 'Zum 100. Geburtstag des Dichters Oğuz Tansel und die türkische Märchenwelt' fand an der Middle East Technical University (Technische Universität des Nahen Osten; kurz: METU/ODTÜ) in Ankara eine internationale Tagung statt. Im Rahmen einer zwei tägigen wissenschaftlichen Veranstaltung vom 20. bis 21. Oktober 2016 wurde der renommierte Volkskundler und Dichter Oğuz Tansel im Kultur- und Kongresszentrum von METU/ODTÜ feierlich geehrt. Organisiert wurde die Tagung von der Abteilung für 'Türkische Sprache' (Türk Dili Bölümü), METU/ODTÜ und dem Forschungszentrum für Kinder- und Jugendliteratur der Universität Ankara (kurz: ÇOGEM).
Das wissenschaftliche Interesse auf dem Feld der Germanistik ist in den letzten Jahren in Rumänien, besonders nach der politischen Umgestaltung des Landes sehr stark gestiegen. Der Fachbereich Germanistik der West-Universität Temeswar veranstaltete in Zusammenarbeit mit der Österreich-Bibliothek Temeswar, der Gesellschaft der Germanisten Rumäniens (Zweigstelle Temeswar) und dem Deutschem Kulturzentrum Temeswar zwischen dem 20.-22. Oktober 2016 ihre internationale Tagung zum Thema Germanistik zwischen Regionalität und Internationalität: 60 Jahre Temeswarer Germanistik.
Türkiye ile Almanya arasında siyasi, ekonomik, bilimsel, ticari, kültürel ve daha birçok alanda yoğun bir işbirliği söz konusudur. Ayrıca Almanya’da yaklaşık üç milyon Türkiye vatandaşı yaşamakta ve Türkiye'ye uzun yıllardır en fazla yabancı turist Almanya'dan gelmektedir. Bütün bu nedenlerden dolayı Almanca konuşabilmek Türkiye'de farklı sektörlerden birçok iş kolunda çalışanlarda aranan bir nitelik haline gelmiştir. Turizm bu sektörlerin başında gelmektedir. Turizm çalışanlarının ihtiyaçları doğrultusunda kurslarda, ilgili fakülte ve yüksekokullarda mesleki Almanca dersleri verilmektedir. Mesleki Almanca öğretimi için bilinen dil öğretim yöntemleri kullanılmakla birlikte, ilgili meslek kolunun gerektirdiği dilsel beceriler göz ününde bulundurularak farklı yöntem ve tekniklerden de yararlanılmaktadır. Bu çalışmada turizm mesleki dili tanımlanıp, örneklerle açıklanmış ve yabancı dil öğretim yöntemlerinin özellikleri açıklanarak, turizm için mesleki Almanca bilgi ve becerilerini kazandırmadaki yeterliliği üzerine bir tartışma yürütülmüştür. Çalışmada herhangi bir örneklem grubu üzerinde deney veya gözlem yapılmaksızın, konuyla ilgili yapılan çalışmalar, öğretmen ve öğrenci görüşleri dikkate alınmıştır.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by distinct motor and non-motor symptoms. Sleep disorders are the most frequent and challenging non-motor symptoms in PD patients, and there is growing evidence that they are a consequence of disruptions within the circadian system. PD is characterized by a progressive degeneration of the dorsal vagal nucleus and midbrain dopaminergic neurons together with an imbalance of many other neurotransmitters. Mutations in α-synuclein (SNCA), a protein modulating SNARE complex-dependent neurotransmission, trigger dominantly inherited PD variants and sporadic cases of PD. The A53T SNCA missense mutation is associated with an autosomal dominant early-onset familial PD. To test whether this missense mutation affects the circadian system, we analyzed the spontaneous locomotor behavior of non-transgenic wildtype mice and transgenic mice overexpressing mutant human A53T α-synuclein (A53T). The mice were subjected to entrained- and free-running conditions as well as to experimental jet lag. Furthermore, the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2) in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) was analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Free-running circadian rhythm and, thus, circadian rhythm generation, were not affected in A53T mice. A53T mice entrained to the light–dark cycle, however, with an advanced phase angle of 2.65 ± 0.5 h before lights off. Moreover, re-entrainment after experimental jet lag was impaired in A53T mice. Finally, VGLUT2 immunoreaction was reduced in the SCN of A53T mice. These data suggest an impaired light entrainment of the circadian system in A53T mice.
Bu çalışmada öğrencilerin öğrenmiş oldukları dilbilgisel yapıyı nasıl işlevsel hale getireceği, pasif halde bulunan dilbilgisel yapının nasıl aktif hale getirileceği teorik ve deneysel bağlamda incelenmiştir. Tek tip pasif alıştırmaların yerine aktif alıştırma tiplerinden seçenek sunularak öğrencilerin bu bilgiyi, dört beceriye aktarımı mümkün kılınmaya çalışılmıştır. Çalışmada dört beceri birbirinden soyutlanmış biçimde değil bütünleştirici şekilde ele alınmıştır.
Bu çalışmada deneysel yöntemin 'kontrol gruplu öntest ve sontest deney' deseni kullanılmıştır. Hem nitel hem de nicel boyutları içeren karma bir çalışmadır. Çalışmada eylemsel ve üretimsel yöntemlerin kullanıldığı deney grubundaki öntest ve sontest puanları arasındaki başarı farkının; geleneksel yöntemin uygulandığı kontrol grubundaki başarı farkından anlamlı derecede fazla olduğu görülmüştür (F(1,48)=366,149; p<0,001). Buradan hareketle deney grubundaki öğrencilerin daha fazla ilerleme gösterdiği ve başarılı oldukları sonucuna varılmıştır.
Dilbilgisi dersinin iletişimsel yetinin geliştirilmesi için bir araç olduğu görüşü deneysel ve uygulamalı olarak araştırılmıştır. Yaratıcı, eyleme ve öğrencilerin üretimine dayalı bir dilbilgisi dersi geliştirilerek geleneksel dilbilgisi dersine alternatif ders modelleri geliştirilmiştir.
Jedes literarische Werk wird durch seinen Titel identifiziert. Buchtitel sollen das Interesse des Lesers wecken und ihn zum Lesen des Werkes anregen. Sie sind wohl meist kurz, geben dennoch einen ersten Hinweis auf den Inhalt und wirken rezeptionssteuernd. Bekannt ist, dass literarische Werke in andere Sprachen nicht selten unter einem anderen Titel oder unter verschiedenen Titeln erscheinen. Ein Beispiel dafür ist Thomas Manns Erzählung Die Betrogene (1953). Sie ist zuerst von Kâmuran Şipal fast 'wortgetreu' unter dem Titel Aldatılmış Kadın [Die Betrogene] (1999) und sodann davon abweichend von Esen Tezel unter dem neuen Titel Aldanan Kadın [wörtlich: Die Sichtäuschende] (2012) ins Türkische übersetzt worden. Im Allgemeinen wird die nichtwortgetreue Übersetzung von Buchtiteln beanstandet und als ein Problem gesehen, was nach translationswissenschaftlich funktionalistischer Auffassung einer differenzierten Betrachtung bedarf. Vorliegende Fallstudie behandelt diverse translationswissenschaftliche Aspekte und Faktoren der unterschiedlichen Betitelungen von Kâmuran Şipal und Esen Tezel und leistet damit einen Beitrag zur Problematik des Übersetzens von literarischen Titeln.
Abnormitäten oder Analogien bei Übersetzungen deutscher und türkischer Nebensatzkonstruktionen
(2016)
Jede Sprache hat ihre eigene grammatikalische Struktur und dementsprechend unterscheidet sich auch der Aufbau der Sätze. Was in der Grammatik als ein Teilsatz bezeichnet wird, ist ein Nebensatz, welcher in jeder Sprache seine eigene Struktur besitzt. Diese strukturellen Merkmale, Unterschiede und Ähnlichkeiten im Deutschen und im Türkischen werden in dieser Arbeit dargestellt und miteinander verglichen. In dieser Arbeit werden die deutschen Nebensatzarten samt den dazugehörigen Beispielen dargestellt. Nach denselben Gesichtspunkten werden auch die jeweiligen türkischen Übersetzungen wiedergegeben. Diese Aufteilung soll als Mittel zum Zweck der übersichtlicheren Darlegung der Nebensätze und zur Erklärung der Übersetzungsmöglichkeiten dienen. Es ist klar, dass eine konkrete Übersetzung mehr oder weniger angleichend bzw. mehr oder weniger verfremdend erscheint, welche auf Varietät der Zielsprache zurückzuführen ist. Die Gegenüberstellung zwischen von Grund aus unterschiedlichen Sprachen scheint in erster Linie in Bezug auf den Wortschatz (z. B. kulturspezifische Begriffe) und Redeweisen getroffen worden zu sein. Sie ist jedoch auch für den grammatikalischen Bereich relevant. Nach diesem Exkurs werden einige deutsche Märchen mit ihren türkischen Übersetzungen verglichen und analysiert
Çeviri eyleminin yüzyıllarla ifade edilen ve Milattan önceki devirlere kadar uzanan tarihine karşın çeviri etkinliğinin öğretilebilir bir olgu olarak ele alınması, bilindiği üzere yeni bir konudur. Bu öğretme işinin eğitme biçimiyle ele alınıp üniversiter eğitim modelleri ile ele alınması ise, görece çok daha yeni bir görüngüdür. Türkiye'de de son birkaç on yıldır çeviri eğitimi veren akademik birimlerin varlığı ile konu tamamı ile akademik mecraya taşınmış ve tartışılmaya başlanmıştır. Bu tartışmalar ise, akademik çeviri eğitimi yoluyla oluşturulması ve/veya geliştirilmesi amaçlanan 'çeviri edinci' kavramı üzerinden yürütülmektedir. Çeviri edinci, akademik çeviri eğitimi açısından merkezi bir konu olarak değerlendirilebilir. Çünkü 'çeviri edinci'nin nasıl tanımlandığı, verilen eğitimin içeriğini ve usulünü belirleyebilecek denli temel bir sorgulamadır. Bu çalışmada 'çeviri edinci' kavramı tanımlanmaya çalışılacak, buradan hareketle akademik çeviri eğitiminin koşulları ve çevirmenin öznitelikleri içeriklendirilmeye çalışılacaktır.
Chronic kidney disease and diabetes mellitus are associated with extensive media calcification, which leads to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Here, we investigated the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of uremic vascular media calcification. DBA/2 mice were fed with high-phosphate diet (HPD) in order to cause vascular calcification. DBA/2 mice on standard chow diet were used as control. In parallel, autophagy and its response to rapamycin, 3-methyladenine (3-MA), and bafilomycin were studied in an in vitro model using mouse vascular smooth muscle cells (MOVAS). DBA/2 mice on HPD developed severe vascular media calcification, which is mirrored in vitro by culturing MOVAS under calcifying conditions. Both, in vitro and in vivo, autophagy significantly increased in MOVAS under calcifying conditions and in aortas of HPD mice, respectively. Histologically, autophagy was located to the aortic Tunica media, but also vascular endothelial cells, and was found to continuously increase during HPD treatment. 3-MA as well as bafilomycin blocked autophagy in MOVAS and increased calcification. Vice versa, rapamycin treatment further increased autophagy and resulted in a significant decrease of vascular calcification in vitro and in vivo. Rapamycin reduced Runx2 transcription levels in aortas and MOVAS to control levels, whereas it increased α-smooth muscle actin and Sm22α transcription in MOVAS to control levels. Furthermore, rapamycin-treated HPD mice survived significantly longer compared to HPD controls. These findings indicate that autophagy is an endogenous response of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) to protect from calcification in uremia. Induction of autophagy by rapamycin protects cells and mice from uremic media calcification possibly by inhibiting osteogenic transdifferentiation of VSMC.
Rapid immune reconstitution (IR) following stem cell transplantation (SCT) is essential for a favorable outcome. The optimization of graft composition should not only enable a sufficient IR but also improve graft vs. leukemia/tumor effects, overcome infectious complications and, finally, improve patient survival. Especially in haploidentical SCT, the optimization of graft composition is controversial. Therefore, we analyzed the influence of graft manipulation on IR in 40 patients with acute leukemia in remission. We examined the cell recovery post haploidentical SCT in patients receiving a CD34+-selected or CD3/CD19-depleted graft, considering the applied conditioning regimen. We used joint model analysis for overall survival (OS) and analyzed the dynamics of age-adjusted leukocytes; lymphocytes; monocytes; CD3+, CD3+CD4+, and CD3+CD8+ T cells; natural killer (NK) cells; and B cells over the course of time after SCT. Lymphocytes, NK cells, and B cells expanded more rapidly after SCT with CD34+-selected grafts (P = 0.036, P = 0.002, and P < 0.001, respectively). Contrarily, CD3+CD4+ helper T cells recovered delayer in the CD34 selected group (P = 0.026). Furthermore, reduced intensity conditioning facilitated faster immune recovery of lymphocytes and T cells and their subsets (P < 0.001). However, the immune recovery for NK cells and B cells was comparable for patients who received reduced-intensity or full preparative regimens. Dynamics of all cell types had a significant influence on OS, which did not differ between patients receiving CD34+-selected and those receiving CD3/CD19-depleted grafts. In conclusion, cell reconstitution dynamics showed complex diversity with regard to the graft manufacturing procedure and conditioning regimen.