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This article explores the liturgical functions of cross-shaped staurothekes, reliquaries of the True Cross, in twelfth-century Sicily. These luxurious objects were once at the centre of the devotion of the growing Christian communities on an island undergoing dramatic social changes. This contribution examines the figuration of these crosses and the messages they conveyed to their audiences, focusing on documented processions as displays of public piety. To this end, the contents of two liturgical manuscripts from Palermo, evidence in contemporary pictorial arts and coinage, and the urban layout of the Norman capital will shed light on the reception of the symbol of the cross in the cosmopolitan, yet increasingly intolerant Sicilian kingdom.
COPD and asthma are two distinct but sometimes overlapping diseases exhibiting varying degrees and types of inflammation on different stages of the disease. Although several biomarkers are defined to estimate the inflammatory endotype and stages in these diseases, there is still a need for new markers and potential therapeutic targets. We investigated the levels of a phytohormone, abscisic acid (ABA) and its receptor, LANCL2, in COPD patients and asthmatics. In addition, PPAR-γ that is activated by ABA in a ligand-binding domain-independent manner was also included in the study. In this study, we correlated ABA with COPD-propagating factors to define the possible role of ABA, in terms of immune regulation, inflammation, and disease stages. We collected blood from 101 COPD patients, 52 asthmatics, and 57 controls. Bronchoscopy was performed on five COPD patients and 29 controls. We employed (i) liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry and HPLC to determine the ABA and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase levels, respectively; (ii) real-time PCR to quantify the gene expression of LANCL2 and PPAR-γ; (iii) Flow cytometry to quantify adipocytokines; and (iv) immunoturbidimetry and ELISA to measure CRP and cytokines, respectively. Finally, a multinomial regression model was used to predict the probability of using ABA as a biomarker. Blood ABA levels were significantly reduced in COPD patients and asthmatics compared to age- and gender-matched normal controls. However, PPAR-γ was elevated in COPD patients. Intriguingly, ABA was positively correlated with immune-regulatory factors and was negatively correlated with inflammatory markers, in COPD. Of note, ABA was increased in advanced COPD stages. We thereby conclude that ABA might be involved in regulation of COPD pathogenesis and might be regarded as a potential biomarker for COPD stages.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of acupuncture and medical training therapy alone and in combination with those of usual care on the pain sensation of patients with frequent episodic and chronic tension-type headache.
Design: This was a prospective single-centre randomised controlled trial with four balanced treatment arms. The allocation was carried out by pre-generated randomisation lists in the ratio 1:1:1:1 with different permutation block sizes.
Setting: The study was undertaken in the outpatient clinic of Rehabilitation Medicine of the Hannover Medical School.
Participants and interventions: Ninety-six adult patients with tension-type headache were included and randomised into usual care (n = 24), acupuncture (n = 24), medical training (n = 24), and combination of acupuncture and medical training (n = 24). One patient was excluded from analysis because of withdrawing her/his consent, leaving 95 patients for intention to treat analysis. Each therapy arm consisted of 6 weeks of treatment with 12 interventions. Follow-up was at 3 and 6 months.
Main outcome measures: Pain intensity (average, maximum and minimum), frequency of headache, responder rate (50% frequency reduction), duration of headache and use of headache medication.
Clinical results: The combination of acupuncture and medical training therapy significantly reduced mean pain intensity compared to usual care (mean = −38%, standard deviation = 25%, p = 0.012). Comparable reductions were observed for maximal pain intensity (−25%, standard deviation = 20%, 0.014) and for minimal pain intensity (−35%, standard deviation = 31%, 0.03). In contrast, neither acupuncture nor medical training therapy differed significantly from usual care. No between-group differences were found in headache frequency, mean duration of headache episodes, and pain medication intake. At 3 months, the majority of all patients showed a reduction of at least 50% in headache frequency. At 6 months, significantly higher responder rates were found in all intervention groups compared to usual care.
Conclusions: In contrast to monotherapy, only the combination of acupuncture and medical training therapy was significantly superior in reduction of pain intensity compared to usual care.
Centris xanthomelaena Moure & Castro, 2001 is a relict species, endemic to northeastern Brazil and broadly recorded within the semiarid region of Caatinga xerophilous open vegetation. It was originally included in the subgenus Paracentris Cameron, 1903 but posteriorly interpreted as remotely related to it or to the subgenus Centris s. str. Fabricius, 1804. In this paper it is proposed to recognize this species as the single member of the monotypic Relicthemisia, a new subgenus which belongs to the ‘Centris group’, one of the main internal lineages of the genus. The proposition of this new subgenus is based on both, morphological and molecular data which indicate its long history as a distinct lineage. Distribution records, floral hosts as well as photographs of both sexes of C. xanthomelaena are also provided.
Representatives of several genera of the family Miraciidae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) were found in sediment samples taken in the year 2019 from a coastal system in north-western Mexico. The subfamily Diosaccinae (Miraciidae) was by far the most diverse taxon followed by the subfamily Stenheliinae (Miraciidae). Here we report on a new miraciid species, Typhlamphiascus medici sp. nov., and provide a new amended diagnosis for Typhlamphiascus Lang, 1944 along with a key to its species. Additionally, Typhlamphiascus lamellifer lamellifer (Sars, 1911) and T. l. capensis Kunz, 1975 are considered as distinct species and the latter is given full species rank. Upon preliminary inspection, another diosaccin species was thought to be a derived form of Bulbamphiascus Lang, 1944. This promoted us to perform a more in-depth phylogenetic analysis. Our results showed that the new presumed derived form of Bulbamphiascus represents a new genus, Spinodiosaccus gen. nov. and that the genus Bulbamphiascus, which we propose a new amended diagnosis for, could be split into different genera. Also, the possible relationships amongst the different diosaccin clades found during our analyses are commented. We give a brief ecological analysis on the distribution of T. medici sp. nov. and S. primus gen. et sp. nov. in the Urías system.
Iberia has one of the richest bee faunas in the world, and the genus Andrena is no exception with around 200 species known from the Peninsula. The fauna of Andrena was largely revised in the 1970s, but since then, it has received little attention. Molecular investigation of the taxonomically challenging subgenus Taeniandrena has revealed that the situation is more complicated than previously thought with several cryptic and overlooked species. From the species allied to Andrena (T. ) gelriae van der Vecht, 1927, Andrena (T. ) gredana Warncke, 1975 stat. nov. from Spain and Portugal is raised to species status, and Andrena (T. ) levante Wood & Praz sp. nov. from southeastern Spain is newly described. Furthermore, Andrena (T. ) benoisti Wood & Praz sp. nov. is described, having previously been referred to as Andrena (T. ) wilkella beaumonti Benoist, 1961. Andrena (T. ) beaumonti stat. rev. is itself distinct and restricted to the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco. Outside of the subgenus Taeniandrena, Andrena (Euandrena) fortipunctata Wood sp. nov. and Andrena (Charitandrena) hattorfiana nigricauda Wood subsp. nov. are described from Spain, and Andrena (Notandrena) juliana Wood sp. nov. is described from Spain and Portugal. The male of Andrena (Lepidandrena) baetica Wood, 2020 is also described. Andrena (Euandrena) impressa Warncke, 1967 stat. nov. is raised to species status, displaying a West Mediterranean distribution. Finally, a further two species of Andrena are newly recorded for Spain, Andrena laurivora Warncke, 1974 and Andrena confinis Stoeckhert, 1930. Altogether, these findings reinforce the fact that our understanding of the taxonomy and distribution of Andrena in southern Europe remains incomplete.
Production and use of many synthetic halogenated trace gases are regulated internationally due to their contribution to stratospheric ozone depletion or climate change. In many applications they have been replaced by shorter-lived compounds, which have become measurable in the atmosphere as emissions increased. Non-target monitoring of trace gases rather than targeted measurements of well-known substances is needed to keep up with such changes in the atmospheric composition. We regularly deploy gas chromatography (GC) coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) for analysis of flask air samples and in situ measurements at the Taunus Observatory, a site in central Germany. TOF-MS acquires data over a continuous mass range that enables a retrospective analysis of the dataset, which can be considered a type of digital air archive. This archive can be used if new substances come into use and their mass spectrometric fingerprint is identified. However, quantifying new replacement halocarbons can be challenging, as mole fractions are generally low, requiring high measurement precision and low detection limits. In addition, calibration can be demanding, as calibration gases may not contain sufficiently high amounts of newly measured substances or the amounts in the calibration gas may have not been quantified. This paper presents an indirect data evaluation approach for TOF-MS data, where the calibration is linked to another compound which could be quantified in the calibration gas. We also present an approach to evaluate the quality of the indirect calibration method, select periods of stable instrument performance and determine well suited reference compounds. The method is applied to three short-lived synthetic halocarbons: HFO-1234yf, HFO-1234ze(E), and HCFO-1233zd(E). They represent replacements for longer-lived hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and exhibit increasing mole fractions in the atmosphere.
The indirectly calibrated results are compared to directly calibrated measurements using data from TOF-MS canister sample analysis and TOF-MS in situ measurements, which are available for some periods of our dataset. The application of the indirect calibration method on several test cases can result in uncertainties of around 6 % to 11 %. For hydro(chloro-)fluoroolefines (denoted H(C)FOs), uncertainties up to 23 % are achieved. The indirectly calculated mole fractions of the investigated H(C)FOs at Taunus Observatory range between measured mole fractions at urban Dübendorf and Jungfraujoch stations in Switzerland.
Paläoklimarekonstruktionen, die es sich zum Ziel gesetzt haben, Klima-Mensch Interaktionen auf lange Zeitreihen betrachtet zu erforschen, nehmen begünstigt durch die aktuell intensiv geführte Klimadebatte, einen immer größer werdenden Stellenwert in der öffentlichen und wissenschaftlichen Wahrnehmung ein. Denn trotz aller wissenschaftlicher Fortschritte, die in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten im Bereich der modernen Klimaforschung gemacht wurden, bleibt die zuverlässige Vorhersage und Modellierung von zukünftigen Klimaveränderungen noch immer eine der größten Herausforderungen unser heutigen Zeit. Betrachtet man die Karibik exemplarisch in diesem Rahmen, dann prognostizieren viele Modellrechnungen, infolge steigender Ozeantemperaturen, ein deutlich häufigeres Auftreten von tropischen Stürmen und Hurrikanen sowie eine Verschiebung hin zu höheren Sturmstärken. Dieser Trend stellt für die Karibik und viele daran angrenzende Staaten eine der größten Gefahren des modernen Klimawandels dar, den es wissenschaftlich über einen langen Zeitrahmen zu erforschen gilt.
Klimaprognosen stützen sich meist vollständig auf hoch-aufgelöste instrumentelle Datensätze. Diese sind aber alle durch einen wesentlichen Aspekt limitiert. Aufgrund ihrer eingeschränkten Verfügbarkeit (~150 Jahre) fehlt ihnen die erforderliche Tiefe, um die auf langen Zeitskalen operierenden Prozesse der globalen Klimadynamik adäquat abbilden zu können. Betrachtet man das Holozän in seiner Gesamtheit, so wurde die globale Klimadynamik über die vergangenen ~11,700 Jahre von periodisch auftretenden Prozessen und Abläufen gesteuert. Diese wirken grundsätzlich über Zeiträume von mehreren Jahrzehnten, teilweise Jahrhunderten und in einigen Fällen sogar Jahrtausenden. Viele dieser natürlichen Prozesse, können in der kurzen Instrumentellen Ära nicht gänzlich identifiziert und angemessen in Klimamodellen berücksichtig werden. Die alleinige Berücksichtigung der Instrumentellen Ära bietet daher nur eine eingeschränkte Perspektive, um die Ursachen und Abläufe von vergangenen sowie mögliche Folgen von zukünftigen Klimaveränderungen zu verstehen. Um diese Einschränkung zu überwinden, ist es somit erforderlich, dass die geowissenschaftliche Forschung mit Proxymethoden ein zusammenfassendes und mechanistisches Verständnis über alle Holozänen Klimaveränderungen erlangt.
Wenn man sich diese Limitierung, die ansteigenden Ozeantemperaturen und das in der Karibik in den vergangen 20 Jahren vermehrte Auftreten von starken tropischen Zyklonen ins Gedächtnis ruft, ist es nachvollziehbar, dass im Rahmen dieser Doktorarbeit ein zwei Jahrtausende langer und jährlich aufgelöster Klimadatensatz erarbeitet werden soll, der spät Holozäne Variationen von Ozeanoberflächenwasser-temperaturen (SST) und daraus resultierende lang-zeitliche Veränderungen in der Häufigkeit tropischer Zyklone widerspiegelt. In Zentralamerika wird das Ende der Maya Hochkultur (900-1100 n.Chr.) mit drastischen Umweltveränderungen (z.B. Dürren) assoziiert, die während der Mittelalterlichen Warmzeit (MWP; 900-1400 n.Chr.) durch eine globale Klimaveränderung hervorgerufen wurde. Die aus einem „Blue Hole“ abgeleiteten Informationen über Klimavariationen der Vergangenheit können als Referenz für die gegenwärtige Klimakriese verwendet werden.
Als „Blue Hole“ wird eine Karsthöhle bezeichnet, die sich subaerisch während vergangener Meeresspiegeltiefstände im karbonatischen Gerüst eines Riffsystems gebildet hat und in Folge eines Meeresspiegelanstiegs vollständig überflutet wurde. In einigen wenigen marinen „Blue Holes“ treten anoxische Bodenwasserbedingungen auf. Die in diesen anoxischen Karsthöhlen abgelagerten Abfolgen mariner Sedimente können als einzigartiges Klimaarchiv verwendet werden, da sie aufgrund des Fehlens von Bioturbation eine jährliche Schichtung (Warvierung) aufweisen.
In dieser kumulativen Dissertation über das „Great Blue Hole“ werden die Ergebnisse eines 3-jährigen Forschungsprojekts vorgestellt, dass das Ziel verfolgte einen wissenschaftlich herausragenden spät Holozänen Klimadatensatz für die süd-westliche Karibik zu erzeugen. Beim „Great Blue Hole“ handelt es sich um ein weltweit einzigartiges marines Sedimentarchiv für diverse spät Holozäne Klima-veränderungen, das im Zuge dieser Dissertation sowohl nach paläoklimatischen als auch nach sedimentologischen Fragestellungen untersucht wurde. Die vorliegende Doktorarbeit befasst sich im Einzelnen mit (1) der Ausarbeitung eines jährlich aufgelösten Archives für tropische Zyklone, (2) der Entwicklung eines jährlich aufgelösten SST Datensatzes und (3) einer kompositionellen Quantifizierung der sedimentären Abfolgen sowie einer faziell-stratigraphischen Charakterisierung von Schönwetter-Sedimenten und Sturmlagen. Zu jedem dieser drei Aspekte, wurde jeweils ein Fachartikel bei einer anerkannten wissenschaftlichen Fachzeitschrift mit „peer-review“ Verfahren veröffentlicht.
Der insgesamt 8.55 m lange Sedimentbohrkern („BH6“), der für diese Dissertation untersucht wurde, stammt vom Boden des 125 m tiefen und 320 m breiten „Great Blue Holes“, das sich in der flachen östlichen Lagune des 80 km vor der Küste von Belize (Zentralamerika) gelegenen „Lighthouse Reef“ Atolls befindet. Durch seine besondere Geomorphologie wirkt das, innerhalb des atlantischen „Hurrikan Gürtels“ positionierte, „Great Blue Hole“ wie eine gigantische Sedimentfalle. Die unter Schönwetter-Bedingungen kontinuierlich abgelagerten Abfolgen feinkörniger karbonatischer Sedimente, werden von groben Sturmlagen unterbrochen, die auf „over-wash“ Prozesse von tropischen Zyklonen zurückzuführen sind.
...
Probing the photointermediates of light-driven sodium ion pump KR2 by DNP-enhanced solid-state NMR
(2021)
KR2 is a light-driven sodium ion pump found in marine flavobacterium Krokinobacter Eikastus. The protein belongs to the microbial rhodopsin family, which is characterized by seven transmembrane helices and a retinal cofactor covalently bound to a conserved lysine residue through a Schiff base linkage. Specific features of KR2 and other sodium pumping rhodopsins are the NDQ motif, the N-terminal helix capping the protein at the extracellular side, and the sodium ion bound at the protomer interface in the pentameric structure. The ability to pump sodium ions was a surprising discovery since the positive charge at the Schiff base was long thought to hinder the transport of non-proton cations and the Grotthuss mechanism could not be applied to explain the Na+ transport. The photocycle of KR2 revealed by flashed photolysis and ultrafast femtosecond absorption spectroscopy consists of consecutive intermediates, named K, L, M, and O.
Here, DNP-enhanced ssNMR was used to analyze various aspects of these intermediate states. The K/L-state can be generated and trapped by in-situ illumination inside the magnet at 110 K. The trapping of L-state together with the K-state at this temperature is unexpected as this usually leads to the trapping of only K-state in bacteriorhodopsin (BR), proteorhodopsin (PR), and channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2). This observation suggests a lower energy barrier between K- and L-state in KR2. For the O-state, the intermediate was generated by illuminating outside the magnet, followed by rapid freezing in liquid nitrogen and transfer to the magnet. Based on these procedures, the retinal conformation, and the electrostatic environment at the Schiff base in KR2 dark, K-, L- and O-intermediates were probed using 13C-labeled retinals bound to 15N-labeled KR2 by both 1D and 2D magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR experiments.
The obtained data show an all-trans retinal conformation with the distortion of 150° at H-C14-C15-H in the dark state whereas the retinal has a 13-cis, 15-anti conformation in the K- and L-state after light activation. Differences between K- and L-intermediates were observed. The retinal chemical shifts of the K-state show a large deviation from the model compound behavior between the middle and end part of the polyene chain. In the L-state, these differences are much less pronounced. These observations indicate that the light energy stored in the K-state dissipates into the protein in the subsequent photointermediate states. Furthermore, an additional shielding observed for C14 in L-state indicates the slight rotation toward a more compact 13-cis, 15-syn conformation. The distortion of the H-C14-C15-H angle in the L-state (136°) is larger than in the dark state. This twist of the retinal in the L-state would play an important role in lowering the pKa of the Schiff base, which is a prerequisite for the proton transfer from the Schiff base to the proton acceptor (D116). The electrostatic environments at the Schiff base in K- and L-states cause a de-shielding of the 15N nitrogen compared to the dark state. This indicates a stepwise stronger interaction with the counterion as the Schiff base proton moves away from the Schiff base and comes closer to the D116 in the transition from K- to L-state and approaches the proton transfer step during the M-state formation. In the O-state, the retinal was found to be in the all-trans conformation but differed to the dark state in the C13, C20, and Schiff base nitrogen chemical shifts. The largest effect (9 ppm) was observed for the Schiff base nitrogen, which could be explained by the effect of the positive charge of bound Na+ near the Schiff base in the O-state, coordinated by N112 and D116 as observed in the O-state crystal structure in the pentameric form.
The structural change at the opsin followed the retinal isomerization and the energy transfer from the chromophore to the surrounding were also investigated in this thesis using various amino acids labeling schemes. Moreover, 1H-13C hNOE in combination with CE-DNP was applied to probe the dynamics of retinylidene methyl groups and 23Na MAS NMR was employed to detect the bound sodium ion at the protomer interface in KR2 dark state.
Background: Previous studies have demonstrated that CF (Cystic Fibrosis) prognosis is dependent of three major parameters: FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Pressure in one second), BMI (Body Mass Index) and need of intravenous antibiotic therapy. The CF centres of Frankfurt, Germany, and Moscow, Russia, care for cystic fibrosis patients. We decided to investigate and compare both centers from 1990 to 2015. No comparable study has been published so far.
Method: German patient data was collected from the national cystic fibrosis database “Muko.web”. Missing values were extracted from the Hospital Information System. Russian patient data were taken directly from the medical records in Moscow. In a descriptive statistical analysis with Bias and R Studio the values were compared.
Result: A total of 428 patients from Moscow (217 male, 211 female; 348 (81,3%) were P. aeruginosa positive) and 159 patients from Frankfurt (92 male, 67 female; 137 (86,2%) with P. aeruginosa positive) were compared with regard to P. aeruginosa positivity, BMI, FEV1 and need of intravenous antibiotic therapy. CF patients in Moscow stratified by age groups had lower BMI than CF patients in Frankfurt (age 16-18: p=0,003; age 19-22: p=0,004; age 23-29: p<0,001; age 30-35: p<0,001; age 36-66: p=0,024). In a matching pairs analysis including 100 patients from Frankfurt and 100 patients from Moscow for the year 2015 FEV1 was significantly lower in Moscow patients (p<0,001).
Conclusion: BMI, FEV1 and need of intravenous therapy have significant impact on survival and on quality of life of CF patients. A lower BMI and a lower FEV1 result in a worse survival and determine the prognosis. This study showed a significant difference in prognostic parameters between Frankfurt and Moscow in the crosssectional analysis for the year 2015. A further study should evaluate this difference to show whether this difference will be found over a longer period of time.
The role of orthographic knowledge for reading performance in German elementary school children
(2021)
Reading is crucial for successful participation in the modern world. However, 3-8% (e.g., Moll et al., 2014) of children in elementary school age show reading difficulties, which can lead to limited education and enhance risks of social and financial disadvantages (Valtin, 2017). Therefore, it is important to identify reading relevant components (Tippelt & Schmidt-Hertha, 2018). In this context, especially phonological awareness (i.e., awareness of the sound structure of the language) and naming speed (i.e., fast and automatized retrieval of information) were identified as significant components for reading skills (e.g., Georgiou et al., 2012; Landerl & Thaler, 2006; Vellutino, Fletcher, Snowling, & Scanlon, 2004). One further component, which is of growing interest to the recent research, is orthographic knowledge. It comprises the knowledge about the spelling of specific words (word-specific orthographic knowledge) and about legal letter patterns (general orthographic knowledge; Apel, 2011).
Previous research focused predominantly on examining the role of orthographic knowledge on basic reading level, including word identification and word meaning (Conrad et al., 2013; Rothe et al., 2015). The relationship between orthographic knowledge and reading comprehension as the core objective of reading, including understanding of the relationship between words within a sentence as well as building a coherence between sentences (Perfetti et al., 2005), was on the contrary scarcely the object of research. The first goal of this dissertation is, therefore, to provide a remedy by investigating the role of orthographic knowledge on higher reading processes (sentence- and text-level). The scarce body of research investigating children with reading difficulties provide a mixed result pattern (e.g., Ise et al., 2014). Therefore, this dissertation aims at clarifying the influence of orthographic knowledge on word-, sentence-, and text-level in children without and with reading difficulties.
A thorough understanding of reading relevant components is also important for conception of interventions aiming at individual reading performance improvements in order to prevent school failure. One promising approach to help children to overcome their reading difficulties is a text-fading based reading training. During this procedure, reading material is faded out letter by letter in reading direction (i.e., in German from left to right; Breznitz & Nevat, 2006). The aim of this manipulation is to prompt the individual to read faster than usual, resulting in reading rate and comprehension improvements (e.g., Nagler et al., 2015). However, the underlying mechanisms leading to improvements of reading performance are still unclear. Considering previous findings showing orthographic skills to influence training outcomes (Berninger et al., 1999), and also word reading performance after a reading intervention (Stage et al., 2003), it seems plausible to include orthographic knowledge when investigating potential training effects. Therefore, this dissertation aims at investigating the predictive value of orthographic knowledge for comprehension performance during the text-fading based reading training.
In order to answer the first research question, two empirical papers are implemented (see Appendix A: Zarić et al., 2020 and Appendix B: Zarić & Nagler, 2021), which investigate the role of orthographic knowledge for reading at word-, sentence-, and text-level in German school children without and with reading difficulties. The study by Zarić et al. (2020) examines the incremental predictive value for explained reading variance of both word-specific and general orthographic knowledge in relation to variance amount explained by general intelligence and phonological awareness. For this purpose, data from 66 German third-graders without reading difficulties were analyzed. Correlation and multiple regression analyses have shown that word-specific and general orthographic knowledge contribute a unique significant amount to the variance of reading comprehension on word-, sentence-, and text-level, over and above the explained variance by general intelligence and phonological awareness. In order to answer the question whether word-specific and general orthographic knowledge also explain variance in children with poor reading proficiency, in addition to established predictors phonological awareness and naming speed, the data from 103 German third-graders with reading difficulties were analyzed in a second study (Zarić & Nagler, 2021). The analyses revealed that word-specific and general orthographic knowledge explain a unique significant amount of the variance of reading on word- and sentence-level. On text-level, these two components did not explain a significant amount of unique variance. Here, only phonological awareness was shown to be a significant predictor. The results indicate that the knowledge about the spelling of specific words (word-specific orthographic knowledge) and the knowledge about legal letter patterns (general orthographic knowledge) contribute to reading comprehension on word-level. Following the assumptions, for instance, of the Lexical Quality Hypothesis (Perfetti & Hart, 2002) high-quality orthographic representations are considered to be important for higher reading processes, such as comprehension.
...
Chronic intestinal failure (CIF) is a rare but feared complication of Crohn’s disease. Depending on the remaining length of the small intestine, the affected intestinal segment, and the residual bowel function, CIF can result in a wide spectrum of symptoms, from single micronutrient malabsorption to complete intestinal failure. Management of CIF has improved significantly in recent years. Advances in home-based parenteral nutrition, in particular, have translated into increased survival and improved quality of life. Nevertheless, 60% of patients are permanently reliant on parenteral nutrition. Encouraging results with new drugs such as teduglutide have added a new dimension to CIF therapy. The outcomes of patients with CIF could be greatly improved by more effective prevention, understanding, and treatment. In complex cases, the care of patients with CIF requires a multidisciplinary approach involving not only physicians but also dietitians and nurses to provide optimal intestinal rehabilitation, nutritional support, and an improved quality of life. Here, we summarize current literature on CIF and short bowel syndrome, encompassing epidemiology, pathophysiology, and advances in surgical and medical management, and elucidate advances in the understanding and therapy of CIF-related complications such as catheter-related bloodstream infections and intestinal failure-associated liver disease.
In this paper a new tardigrade species, Macrobiotus azzunae sp. nov., from Tunisia, is described. An integrative taxonomic approach was applied by combining morphological, morphometric and molecular data. In particular, light and scanning electron microscopy observations, and four genetic markers, three nuclear (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and ITS-2) and one mitochondrial (COI) were used. The analysis showed that M. azzunae sp. nov. belongs to the Macrobiotus hufelandi group and is most similar to Macrobiotus sandrae Bertolani & Rebecchi, 1993. It differs from M. sandrae by a more pronounced constriction of the first macroplacoid (hardly visible in M. sandrae) and for the eggshell shape, with thinner wires of the reticulum and meshes around the processes larger than the inter-process meshes in M. azzunae sp. nov., while all meshes are similar in size in M. sandrae. The species is gonochoristic. With this discovery, there are 33 species of tardigrades identified in Tunisia, all non-marine. This result, compared with nearby Sicily, where more research has been conducted, indicates that there is a considerable potential for identification of new species. Further research will be most informative if multiple habitats are explored and if carried out with an integrated approach as done in this present work.
The species of Elmomorphus Sharp, 1888 occurring in Japan and Korea are redescribed and illustrated: E. brevicornis Sharp, 1888 (Japan, Korea) and E. amamiensis Nomura, 1959 (Japan). The standard barcoding fragment of the mitochondrial gene coding for cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was sequenced and used together with morphological characters to delimit the taxonomic boundaries of the two species. To assess their morphometric variation, eight morphometric characters were measured and statistically evaluated using principal component analysis. The two species of Elmomorphus formed distinct and well-separated clusters in the COI tree. Their interspecific divergence is very high, ranging from 22.7 to 23.9%. On the other hand, morphometric characters, including those previously presumed to be diagnostic, overlap and per se do not allow unambiguous species identification. Reliable morphological distinguishing characters are described for males and females. Molecular data along with the morphological evidence strongly confirm the species status of E. amamiensis. An identification key to the Japanese and Korean species is provided.
In this report, we analyse the benthic hydroids collected on the Vema and Valdivia seamounts during a survey conducted in 2015 in the SEAFO Convention Area, focused on mapping and analysing the occurrence and abundance of benthopelagic fish and vulnerable marine ecosystem (VMEs) indicators on selected Southeast Atlantic seamounts. A total of 27 hydroid species were identified, of which 22 belong to Leptothecata and only five to Anthoathecata. Monostaechoides gen. nov. was erected within the family Halopterididae to accommodate Plumularia providentiae Jarvis, 1922, and a new species, Monotheca bergstadi sp. nov., is also described. Campanularia africana is recorded for the first time from the Atlantic Ocean, and the Northeast Atlantic species Amphinema biscayana, Stegopoma giganteum and Clytia gigantea are also recorded from the South Atlantic. Three species were identified to the genus level only, due to the absence of their gonosomes. None of the reported species are endemic, and the hydroid community is clearly dominated by species with a wide geographical distribution in the three major oceans. Only Monotheca bergstadi sp. nov. presently has its distribution restricted to the Vema Seamount and the South African coast.
Ubiquitination is regarded as one of the key post-translational modifications in nearly all biological processes, endowed with numerous layers of complexity. Deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs) dynamically counterbalance ubiquitination events by deconjugating ubiquitin signals from substrates. Dysregulation of the ubiquitin code and its negative regulators drive various pathologies, such as neurological disorders and cancer.
The DUB ubiquitin-specific peptidase 22 (USP22) is well-known for its essential role in the human Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetyltransferase (SAGA) complex, mediating the removal of monoubiquitination events from Histone 2A and 2B (H2A and -B), thereby regulating gene transcription. In cancer, USP22 was initially described as a part of an 11-gene expression signature profile, predicting tumor metastasis, reoccurrence and death after therapy in a wide range of tumor cells. However, novel roles for USP22 have emerged recently, accrediting USP22 essential roles in regulating tumor development as well as apoptotic cell death signaling.
One of the hallmarks of cancer is the evasion of cell death, especially apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death (PCD). Necroptosis, a regulated form of necrosis, is regarded as an attractive therapeutic strategy to overcome apoptosis-resistance in tumor cells, although a profound understanding of the exact signaling cascade still remains elusive. Nevertheless, several ubiquitination and deubiquitination events are described in fine-tuning necroptotic signaling.
In this study, we describe a novel role for USP22 in regulating necroptotic cell death signaling in human tumor cell lines. USP22 depletion significantly delayed TNFa/Smac mimetic/zVAD.fmk (TBZ)-induced necroptosis, without affecting TNFa-induced nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-KB) signaling or TNFa-mediated extrinsic apoptosis. Intriguingly, re-expression of USP22 wildtype in the USP22 knockout background could re-sensitize HT-29 cells to TBZ-induced necroptosis, whereas re-constitution with the catalytic inactive mutant USP22 Cys185Ser did not rescue susceptibility to TBZ-induced necroptosis, confirming the USP22 DUB-function a pivotal role in regulating necroptotic cell death. USP22 depletion facilitated ubiquitination and unexpectedly also phosphorylation of Receptor-interacting protein kinase 3 (RIPK3) during necroptosis induction, as shown by Tandem Ubiquitin Binding Entities (TUBE) pulldowns and in vivo (de)ubiquitination immunoprecipitations. To substantiate our findings, we performed mass-spectrometric ubiquitin remnant profiling and identified the three novel USP22-regulated RIPK3 ubiquitination sites Lysine (K) 42, K351 and K518 upon TBZ-induced necroptosis. Further assessment of these ubiquitination sites unraveled, that mutation of K518 in RIPK3 reduced necroptosis-associated RIPK3 ubiquitination and additionally affected RIPK3 phosphorylation upon necroptosis induction. At the same time, genetic knock-in of RIPK3 K518R sensitizes tumor cells to TNFa-induced necroptotic cell death and amplified necrosome formation.
In summary we identified USP22 as a new regulator of TBZ-induced necroptosis in various human tumor cell lines and further unraveled the distinctive role of DUBs and (de)ubiquitination events in controlling programmed cell death signaling.
Formulation scientists have developed a toolkit of strategies that can improve the solubility and subsequent bioavailability of poorly soluble candidates. Amorphous formulations are especially appealing due to the significant improvement in solubility the amorphous form can provide, but must be stabilized for effective performance (Timpe, 2007).
2. The Importance of Drug Polymer Interactions in Precipitation Inhibition
Polymeric “precipitation inhibitors” have seen widespread usage in the literature (Warren, 2010). The precipitation inhibition effect of polymers on precipitations is related to interference with nucleation and crystal growth (Xu, 2013). Many techniques have been reported in the literature to predict these interactions, however, they are not suitable to screening due to API and time resources required, which are not amenable to early stage pharmaceutical development.
3. Mesoporous Silica: An Emerging Formulation Technology
Mesoporous silicon dioxide has emerged in recent years as a new option for stabilizing the amorphous form. Upon impregnation of the silica with a concentrated drug solution, the drug can be molecularly adsorbed and locally and sterically confined, preventing recrystallization (Ditzinger, 2018). Upon administration of mesoporous silica formulations to the body the amorphous formulation generates supersaturation which must be stabilized using precipitation inhibitors (Guzman, 2007).
4. Co-incorporation: A New Method to Combine Precipitation Inhibitors with Mesoporous Silica
There has been no systematic study of how best to incorporate precipitation inhibitors into mesoporous silica formulations. The current standard practice involves combining inhibitors in a physical mixture with the drug-loaded silica, either by pestle and mortar or overhead stirring. Due to the lack of a defined protocol, there is uncertainty about how reliably the precipitation inhibitor is combined with the drug-loaded silica on a batch to batch basis. In this work, a novel co-incorporated formulation of glibenclamide and the precipitation inhibitor, HPMCAS, onto mesoporous silica was described. By co-incorporating the precipitation inhibitor, the formulation significantly outperformed the commonly applied simple physical blend due to the formation of drug-polymer interactions in the solid state.
5. In Silico Pharmaceutics: A New Method to Select Precipitation Inhibitors for Mesoporous Silica
An approach that can incorporate understanding of the drug-polymer interactions with a quick and efficient screening process would be very useful. The COnductor like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents (COSMO-RS) is a quantum mechanical theory, which can be used to derive thermodynamic properties of interest. (Klamt, 1993, 1995, 2003). We proposed excess mixing enthalpies of drug and polymer could be calculated using the COSMO-RS theory. This new approach was applied to screen precipitation inhibitors for three model compounds, all of which showed a strong positive correlation between the rank assigned based on the calculated free enthalpy of mixing and the overall formulation performance.
6. Conclusion
This body of work aimed to improve the processes underpinning the design and development of mesoporous silica with precipitation inhibitors. Firstly, this involved two extensive literature reviews in the area of solubility enhancement formulation technologies and precipitation inhibition. Secondly, a mechanistic rational and experimental approach was developed to improve the formulation of precipitation inhibitors with mesoporous silica, the “co-incorporation” approach significantly improved process efficiency and formulation performance. Finally, combining insights from the aforementioned review, and learnings from the mechanistic analysis of the “co-incorporation” approach, an in silico screening protocol was developed to calculate the enthalpy of interaction between drug and polymer, to identify the most optimal precipitation inhibitor for a given formulation.
The dodecin of Mycobacterium tuberculosis : biological function and biotechnical applications
(2020)
Biological Function of Bacterial Dodecins
In this thesis, the dodecins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtDod), Streptomyces coelicolor (ScDod) and Streptomyces davaonensis (SdDod) were studied. Kinetic measurements of the flavin binding of MtDod revealed that the dodecin binding pocket is filled in two distinct steps, for which a kinetic model then was established and verified by experimental data. The analysis with the two-step model showed that the unique binding pocket of dodecins allows them to bind excessive amounts of flavins, while at low flavin concentrations, flavin is released and only weakly bound. This function of flavin buffering prevents accumulation of free oxidised flavins and therefore helps to keep the redox balance of the cell and prevents potential cell damage caused by excessive free flavins. To further gain insights into the role of bacterial dodecins, the effect of knocking out the dodecin encoding gene in S. davaonensis was analysed. The knockout strain showed increased concentrations of various stress related metabolites, indicating that without dodecin the cellular balance is disrupted, which supports the role of dodecins as a flavin homeostasis factor.
With a self-designed affinity measurement method based on the temperature dependent dissociation of the dodecin:flavin complex, which allowed parallel screening of multiple conditions, it was shown that MtDod, ScDod and SdDod have much higher affinities towards FMN and FAD under acidic conditions. Under these conditions, the three dodecins might function as a FMN storage. M. tuberculosis encounters multiple acidic environments during its infection cycle of humans and can adopt a state of dormancy. During recovery from the dormant state, a flavin storage might be beneficial. For some Streptomyces species it was reported that the formed spores are slightly acidic and therefore ScDod and SdDod could function as flavin storages for the spores. Further details on the flavin binding mechanism of MtDod were revealed by a mutagenesis study, identifying the importance of a histidine residue at the fourth position of the protein sequence for flavin binding, but contrary to expectations, this residue seems only to be partly involved in the pH related affinity shift.
The data, reported in this thesis, demonstrates that bacterial dodecins likely function as flavin homeostasis factors, which allow overall higher flavin pools in the cell without disrupting the cellular balance. Further, the reported acid-dependent increase in binding affinity suggests that under certain conditions bacterial dodecins can also function as a flavin storage system.
Application of the Dodecin of M. tuberculosis
In this thesis, the stability of MtDod, ScDod SdDod and HsDod was analysed to find a suitable dodecin for the use as a carrier/scaffold. Therefore, a method to easily measure the stability of dodecins was designed, which measures the ability of the dodecamer to rebind flavins after a heating phase with stepwise increasing temperatures. Using this assay and testing the stability against detergents by SDS PAGE, showed that the dodecamer of MtDod possesses an excellent stability against a vast array of conditions, like temperatures above 95 °C, low pH and about 2% SDS. By solving the crystal structure of ScDod and SdDod, the latter forming a less stable dodecamer, combined with a mutagenesis study, the importance of a specific salt bridge for dodecamer stability was revealed and might be helpful to find further highly stable dodecins.
In addition to the intrinsic high stability of the MtDod dodecamer, also the robustness of the fold was tested by creating diverse MtDod fusion constructs and producing them in Escherichia coli. Here it was shown that MtDod easily tolerates the attachment of proteins up to 4-times of its own size and that both termini can be modified without affecting the dodecamer noticeably. Further, it was shown that MtDod and many MtDod fusion constructs could be purified in high yields via a protocol based on the removal of E. coli proteins through heat denaturation and subsequent centrifugation. In a case study, by fusing diverse antigens from mostly human proteins to MtDod and using these constructs to produce antibodies in rabbits, it was demonstrated that MtDod is immunogenic and presents the attached antigens to the immune system.
The here reported properties of MtDod and to a lesser degree of other bacterial dodecins, show that bacterial dodecins are a valuable addition to the pool of scaffold and carrier proteins and have great potential as antigen carriers.
In contrast to Japan and the “dragon economies,” the Philippines has not been able to partake in the “Asian Economic Miracle.” In short, the Philippines does not classify as a developmental state which exercises strategic industrial policies as traced in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. In fact, even its Southeast Asian neighbors Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia had economically outdone the Philippines by the 1980s even though their prospects were much worse than those of the Philippines in the 1950s. And while the Philippine economy has been experiencing an upsurge in recent years, it is still significantly lagging behind regional standards—especially with regard to industrial development. From a political economy perspective, it is of key interest in how far the Philippine state has been contributing to this subpar development. In order to explore the ongoing Philippine development dilemma, the study thus offers a comprehensive analysis of the Philippines’ industrial policies, based on distinct government–business relations and patterns of social embeddedness. In addition to assessing the Philippines’ industrial policies and their embeddedness in general, two of the Philippines’ main export industry sectors—textile/garments and electronics—are examined. In this manner, the study contributes to the analysis of the political economy of economic development in the Philippines and provides insights on the prospects and limits of industrial policy in the Southeast Asian context.
Green finance upside down
(2021)
Current research on medical biomaterials have shown that the physical and chemical characteristics of biomaterials determine the body inflammatory cellular reaction after their implantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the individual effects of the physical characteristics over the initial biomaterial-cellular interaction and the inflammatory cellular reaction. For this purpose, an equine-derived collagen hemostatic sponge (E-CHS) was modified by pressing and evaluated using ex vivo, in vitro and in vivo methods.
The E-CHS was pressed by applying constant pressure (6.47± 0.85 N) for 2 min using a sterile stainless-steel cylinder and cut in segments of 1cm2. Subsequently, E-CHS and the pressed equine-derived collagen hemostatic sponge (P-E-CHS) were studied as two independent biomaterials and compared to a control group (CG).
A blood concentrate containing inflammatory cells known as platelet rich fibrin (PRF) was used to mimic the initial biomaterial-cell interaction and to measure the absorption coefficient of the biomaterials to liquid PRF (iPAC). Additionally, the biomaterials were cultivated together with PRF for 3 and 6 days to measure the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-8). The results were obtained through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and histological methods. PRF cultivated without biomaterials served as the CG. Additionally, the biomaterials were evaluated in vivo using a subcutaneous model in Wistar rats and compared to sham operated animals (CG) representing physiologic wound healing. After 3, 15 and 30 days, the explanted samples were evaluated using histochemical and immunohistochemical (IHC) staining using the following markers: CD68 (pan macrophages), CCR7 (pro-inflammatory macrophages, M1), CD206 (pro-wound healing macrophages, M2) and α-Smooth Muscle Actin (α-SMA; vessel identification).
After the mixture of liquid PRF with both biomaterials for 15 minutes, the ex vivo results showed that E-CHS was penetrated by cells, whereas P-E-CHS was cell-occlusive. Additionally, P-E-CHS induced a higher release of pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to liquid PRF alone (CG) and E-CHS after 3 days (P< 0.05). Although the biomaterial was pressed, the difference of the iPAC value did not show statistical differences. In vivo, the CG induced at day 3 a higher inflammatory response compared to the experimental groups (EG) (P< 0.05). The intergroup comparison showed that P-E-CHS induced a higher presence of macrophages (CD68+/CC7+) compared to E-CHS at day 3 (P< 0.05). Only CD68+/CCR7+ mononuclear cells (MNCs) were observed without multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs). After 15 days, the presence of macrophages (CD68+ P<0.01 /CCR7+ P<0.001 /CD206+ P<0.05) reduced considerably in the CG. On the contrary, the inflammatory response increased in the EGs (CD68+/CCR7+). The intergroup comparison showed that this increment was statistically significant when comparing E-CHS and P-E-CHS to the CG at day 15 (P<0.01 and P< 0.05 respectively). At this time point, a reduced number of MNGCs were observed in the EGs. In the CG no MNGCs were observed. Furthermore, E-CHS showed a faster degradation rate and was fully invaded by cells and vessels formed in its interior region. On the other hand, P-E-CHS remained occlusive to cell penetration and vessels were formed only in the periphery. After 30 days, the cellular reaction shifted to a higher number of M2 macrophages (CD260+) in all groups and a reduced presence of CD68+ and CCR7+ MNCs. Both biomaterials degraded and only small fragments were found in the implantation bed surrounded by MNGCs (CCR7+).
These results are of high clinical relevance and show that changes in biomaterial properties have a significant impact on their interaction with the body. They also serve as insight into the possibility to develop versatile biomaterials with different applications. For example, E-CHs can be applied to support hemostasis in a bleeding alveolar socket and P-E-CHs by being cell occlusive and having a delayed degradation rate can be applied for guided bone and tissue regeneration.
Seven new species of the giant pill-millipede genus Zoosphaerium Pocock, 1895 are described from Madagascar: Z. nigrum sp. nov., Z. silens sp. nov., Z. ambatovaky sp. nov., Z. beanka sp. nov., Z. voahangy sp. nov., Z. masoala sp. nov. and Z. spinopiligerum sp. nov. All species are described based on drawings and scanning electron microscopy, while genetic barcoding of the COI gene was successful for six of the seven new species. Additional COI barcode information is provided for the first time for Z. album Wesener, 2009 and Z. libidinosum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897). Zoosphaerium nigrum sp. nov. and Z. silens sp. nov. belong to the Z. libidinosum species-group, Z. ambatovaky sp. nov. to the Z. coquerelianum species-group, Z. beanka sp. nov., Z. voahangy sp. nov. and Z. masoala sp. nov. to the Z. platylabum species-group and Z. spinopiligerum sp. nov. to the Z. piligerum species-group. Updated identification keys are provided for each species-group. Two western dry forest species, Z. silens sp. nov. and Z. voahangy sp. nov. are recorded from two localities, while the other five species are currently only known from their type localities. Of special conservation concern might be Z. ambatovaky sp. nov. from the lowland rainforest fragment of Ambatovaky, a nowadays isolated lowland rainforest, rapidly shrinking due to slash and burn agriculture. In addition to the new species, new locality data is provided for 11 species and numerous unidentifiable species of Zoosphaerium: Z. neptunus (Butler, 1872), Z. platylabum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1902) and Z. piligerum (de Saussure & Zehntner, 1897) from the central eastern montane forests, as well as Z. ambrense Wesener, 2009, Z. aureum Wesener, 2009, Z. libidinosum, Z. corystoides Wesener, 2009, Z. discolor Wesener, 2009, Z. smaragdinum Wesener, 2009, Z. villosum Wesener & Sierwald, 2005 and Microsphaerotherium anjozorobe Wesener, 2009.
Three new species of herb gall wasps (Cynipidae: Aulacideini and Phanacidini) are described from Turkey. Aulacidea turguti sp. nov. induces galls on Hieracium patentissimum Freyn & Sint. ex Freyn, 1895 (Asteraceae) and was collected in Gümüşhane province, Phanacis ciceki sp. nov. and Phanacis urhani sp. nov. were collected in Gümüşhane and Ordu Provinces, the former inducing galls on Picris sp. and the latter on Cirsium vulgare (Savi) Ten., 1835–36 (Asteraceae). SEM images, gall photos, distribution, biology, and diagnostic morphological characteristics of the three new species are provided.
Diese Thesis befasst sich mit dem Problem korrelierter Elektronensysteme in realen Materialien. Ausgangspunkt hierbei ist die quantenmechanische Beschreibung dieser Systeme im Rahmen der sogenannten Kohn-Scham Dichtefunktionaltheorie, welche die Elektronen der Kristallsysteme als effektiv nicht-wechselwirkende Teilchen beschreibt.
Während diese Modellierung im Falle vieler Materialklassen erfolgreich ist, unterscheiden sich die korrelierten Elektronensysteme dadurch, dass der kollektive Charakter der Elektronendynamik nicht zu vernachlässigen ist.
Um diese Korrelationseffekte genauer zu untersuchen, verwenden wir in dieser Arbeit das Hubbard-Modell, welches mit der projektiven Wannierfunktionsmethode aus der Kohn-Scham Dichtefunktionaltheorie konstruiert werden kann.
Das Hubbard-Modell umfasst hierbei nur die lokale Elektron-Elektron-Wechselwirkung auf einem Gitter. Auch wenn das Modell augenscheinlich sehr simpel ist, existieren exakte Lösungen nur in bestimmten Grenzfällen. Dies macht die Entwicklung approximativer Ansätze erforderlich, wobei die Weiterentwicklung der sogenannten Two-Particle Self-Consistent Methode (TPSC) eine zentrale Rolle dieser Arbeit einnimmt.
Bei TPSC handelt es sich um eine Vielteilchenmethode, die in der Sprache funktionaler Ableitungen und sogenannter conserving approximations hergeleitet werden kann.
Der zentrale Gedanke dabei ist, den effektiven Wechselwirkungsvertex als statisch und lokal zu approximieren. Dies wiederum erlaubt die Bewegungsgleichung des Systems
erheblich zu vereinfachen, sodass eine numerische approximative Lösung des Hubbard-Modells möglich wird. Vorsetzung hierbei ist nur, dass sich das System in der normalleitenden Phase befindet und die bei Phasenübergängen entstehenden Fluktuationen nicht zu groß sind.
Während diese Methode ursprünglich von Y. M. Vilk und A.-M. Tremblay für das Ein-Orbital Hubbard-Modell entwickelt wurde, stellen wir in dieser Arbeit eine Erweiterung auf Viel-Orbital-Systeme vor.
Im Falle mehrerer Orbitale treten in der TPSC-Herleitung einzelne Komplikationen auf, die mit weiteren Approximationen behandelt werden müssen. Diese werden anhand eines einfachen Zwei-Orbital Modell-Systems diskutiert und die TPSC-Ergebnisse werden darüber hinaus mit den Ergebnissen der etablierten dynamischen Molekularfeldnährung verglichen.
In diesem Zusammenhang werden auch mögliche zukünftige Erweiterungen bzw. Verbesserungen von TPSC diskutiert.
Ein weiterer wichtiger Aspekt ist die Anwendung von TPSC auf reale Materialien.
In diesem Zusammenhang werden in dieser Arbeit die supraleitenden Eigenschaften der organischen K-(ET)2X Systeme untersucht. Hierbei lassen die TPSC-Resultate darauf schließen, dass das populäre Dimer-Modell, welches zur Beschreibung dieser Materialien herangezogen wird, nicht genügt um die experimentell bestimmten kritischen Temperaturen zu erklären und dass das komplexere Molekülmodell weitere exotische supraleitende Lösungen zulässt.
Schließlich untersuchen wir außerdem die elektronischen Eigenschaften des eisenbasierten Supraleiters LiFeAs und diskutieren inwieweit nicht-lokale Korrelationseffekte, welche durch TPSC aufgelöst werden können, die experimentellen Daten reproduzieren.
Computational oral absorption models, in particular PBBM models, provide a powerful tool for researchers and pharmaceutical scientists in drug discovery and formulation development, as they mimic and can describe the physiologically processes relevant to the oral absorption. PBBM models provide in vivo context to in vitro data experiments and allow for a dynamic understanding of in vivo drug disposition that is not typically provided by data from standard in vitro assays. Investigations using these models permit informed decision-making, especially regarding to formulation strategies in drug development. PBBM models, but can also be used to investigate and provide insight into mechanisms responsible for complex phenomena such as food effect in drug absorption. Although there are obviously still some gaps regarding the in silico construction of the gastrointestinal environment, ongoing research in the area of oral drug absorption (e.g. the UNGAP, AGE-POP and InPharma projects) will increase knowledge and enable improvement of these models.
PBBM can nowadays provide an alternative approach to the development of in vitro–in vivo correlations. The case studies presented in this thesis demonstrate how PBBM can address a mechanistic understanding of the negative food effect and be used to set clinically relevant dissolution specification for zolpidem immediate release tablets. In both cases, we demonstrated the importance of integrating drug properties with physiological variables to mechanistically understand and observe the impact of these parameters on oral drug absorption.
Various complex physiological processes are initiated upon food consumption, which can enhance or reduce a drug’s dissolution, solubility, and permeability and thus lead to changes in drug absorption. With improvements in modeling and simulation software and design of in vitro studies, PBBM modeling of food effects may eventually serve as a surrogate for clinical food effect studies for new doses and formulations or drugs. Furthermore, the application of these models may be even more critical in case of compounds where execution of clinical studies in healthy volunteers would be difficult (e.g., oncology drugs).
In the fourth chapter we have demonstrated the establishment of the link between biopredictive in vitro dissolution testing (QC or biorelevant method) PBBM coupled with PD modeling opens the opportunity to set truly clinically relevant specifications for drug release. This approach can be extended to other drugs regardless of its classification according to the BCS.
With the increased adoption of PBBM, we expect that best practices in development and verification of these models will be established that can eventually inform a regulatory guidance. Therefore, the application of Physiologically Based Biopharmaceutical Modelling is an area with great potential to streamline late-stage drug development and impact on regulatory approval procedures.
Macrophages exert the primary cellular immune response. Pathogen components like bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS) stimulate macrophage migration, phagocytotic activity and cytokine expression. Previously, we identified the poly(A)+ RNA interactome of RAW 264.7 macrophages. Of the 402 RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), 32 were classified as unique in macrophages, including nineteen not reported to interact with nucleic acids before. Remarkably, P23 a HSP90 co-chaperone, also known as cytosolic prostaglandin E2 synthase (PTGES3), exhibited differential poly(A)+ RNA binding in untreated and LPS-induced macrophages. To identify mRNAs bound by P23 and to elucidate potential regulatory RBP functions in macrophages, we immunoprecipitated P23 from cytoplasmic extracts of cross-linked untreated and LPS-induced cells. RNAseq revealed that enrichment of 44 mRNAs was reduced in response to LPS. Kif15 mRNA, which encodes kinesin family member 15 (KIF15), a motor protein implicated in cytoskeletal reorganization and cell mobility was selected for further analysis. Noteworthy, phagocytic activity of LPS-induced macrophages was enhanced by P23 depletion. Specifically, in untreated RAW 264.7 macrophages, decreased P23 results in Kif15 mRNA destabilization, diminished KIF15 expression and accelerated macrophage migration. We show that the unexpected RBP function of P23 contributes to the regulation of macrophage phagocytotic activity and migration.
Background: To compare severe infectious complication rates after transrectal prostate biopsies between cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones for antibiotic monoprophylaxis.
Material and Methods: In the multi-institutional cohort, between November 2014 and July 2020 patients received either cefotaxime (single dose intravenously), cefpodoxime (multiple doses orally) or fluoroquinolones (multiple-doses orally or single dose intravenously) for transrectal prostate biopsy prophylaxis. Data were prospectively acquired and retrospectively analyzed. Severe infectious complications were evaluated within 30 days after biopsy. Logistic regression models predicted biopsy-related infectious complications according to antibiotic prophylaxis, application type and patient- and procedure-related risk factors.
Results: Of 793 patients, 132 (16.6%) received a single dose of intravenous cefotaxime and were compared to 119 (15%) who received multiple doses of oral cefpodoxime and 542 (68.3%) who received fluoroquinolones as monoprophylaxis. The overall incidence of severe infectious complications was 1.0% (n=8). No significant differences were observed between the three compared groups (0.8% vs. 0.8% vs. 1.1%, p=0.9). The overall rate of urosepsis was 0.3% and did not significantly differ between the three compared groups as well.
Conclusion: Monoprophylaxis with third generation cephalosporins was efficient in preventing severe infectious complications after prostate biopsy. Single intravenous dose of cefotaxime and multiday regimen of oral cefpodoxime showed a low incidence of infectious complications <1%. No differences were observed in comparison to fluoroquinolones.
Gene conversion is defined as the non-reciprocal transfer of genetic information from one site to a homologous, but not identical site of the genome. In prokaryotes, gene conversion can increase the variance of sequences, like in antigenic variation, but can also lead to a homogenization of sequences, like in the concerted evolution of multigene families. In contrast to these intramolecular mechanisms, the intermolecular gene conversion in polyploid prokaryotes, which leads to the equalization of the multiple genome copies, has hardly been studied. We have previously shown the intermolecular gene conversion in halophilic and methanogenic archaea is so efficient that it can be studied without selecting for conversion events. Here, we have established an approach to characterize unselected intermolecular gene conversion in Haloferax volcanii making use of two genes that encode enzymes involved in carotenoid biosynthesis. Heterozygous strains were generated by protoplast fusion, and gene conversion was quantified by phenotype analysis or/and PCR. It was verified that unselected gene conversion is extremely efficient and it was shown that gene conversion tracts are much longer than in antigenic variation or concerted evolution in bacteria. Two sites were nearly always co-converted when they were 600 bp apart, and more than 30% co-conversion even occurred when two sites were 5 kbp apart. The gene conversion frequency was independent from the extent of genome differences, and even a one nucleotide difference triggered conversion.
Context: Despite overwhelming evidence for endovascular therapy in anterior circulation ischemic stroke due to large-vessel occlusion, data regarding the treatment of acute basilar artery occlusion (BAO) are still equivocal. The BASICS trial failed to show an advantage of endovascular therapy (EVT) over best medical treatment (BMT). In contrast, data from the recently published BASILAR registry showed a better outcome in patients receiving EVT.
Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the safety and efficacy of EVT plus BMT vs. BMT alone in acute BAO.
Methods: We analyzed the clinical course and short-term outcomes of patients with radiologically confirmed BAO dichotomized by BMT plus EVT or BMT only as documented in a state-wide prospective registry of consecutive patients hospitalized due to acute stroke. The primary endpoint was a favorable functional outcome (mRS 0–3) at hospital discharge assessed as common odds ratio using binary logistic regression. Secondary subgroup analyses and propensity score matching were added. Safety outcomes included mortality, the rate of intracerebral hemorrhages, and complications during hospitalization.
Results: We included 403 patients with acute BAO (2017–2019). A total of 270 patients (67%) were treated with BMT plus EVT and 133 patients (33%) were treated with BMT only. A favorable outcome (mRS 0–3) was observed in 33.8% of the BMT and 26.7% of the BMT plus EVT group [OR.770, CI (0.50–1.2)]. Subgroup analyses for patients with a NIHSS score > 10 at admission to the hospital revealed a benefit from EVT [OR 3.05, CI (1.03–9.01)].
Conclusions: In this prospective, quasi population-based registry of patients hospitalized with acute BAO, BMT plus EVT was not superior to BMT alone. Nevertheless, our results suggest that severely affected BAO patients are more likely to benefit from EVT.
Purpose: Jejunoileal atresia (JIA) is a rare disease. We aimed to determine the overall incidence of this malformation and associated malformations in a national cohort. Furthermore, we compared the treatment results of this cohort with the current literature.
Methods: Data from the major health insurance company, which covers ∼30% of the German population, were analyzed. All patients with ICD-10-Code Q41.1-9 (atresia of jejunum, ileum, other parts and not designated parts of the small bowel) who underwent any surgical procedure for small bowel were analyzed in a 10-year period between 2007 and 2016.
Results: A total of 435 patients were included in the study. The incidence was 2.1 per 10,000 live births. The male:female ratio was 1:2. Sixty-four percent were premature, 21% had associated cardiac anomalies, 16% had abdominal wall defects, 7% had urogenital malformations, and 7% had cystic fibrosis. Sixty percent of all patients with jejunoileal atresia, 57% of patients with accompanying abdominal wall defects and 72% of patients with associated cystic fibrosis required ostomy as the initial procedure. In 25% of all patients, only one intestinal operation was coded. In 39% of patients, two operations were coded. Twelve percent of all patients required feeding gastrostomy or jejunostomy. Sixteen percent of all patients presented with liver-related complications, i.e., cholestasis or liver insufficiency. Six patients underwent an intestinal lengthening procedure (2 Bianchi, 4 STEP). In five patients, initial lengthening was performed within 1 year after the first intestinal operation. Mortality until 1 year after initial surgery was 5%. Of those who died, 88% were premature, 34% had cardiac anomalies and 16% had abdominal wall defects. None had cystic fibrosis. Patients with ostomy significantly more often needed operative central venous line or operative feeding tube. Short bowel was coded significantly more often in these patients.
Conclusion: Patients with JIA present with low mortality. The rate of ostomies is higher than in literature. To give clinical recommendations for the initial surgical approach, further clinical research is needed.
Objective: Vertigo is a common side effect of cochlear implant (CI) treatment. This prospective study examines the incidence of postoperative vertigo over time and aims to analyze influencing factors such as electrode design and insertion angle (IA).
Study Design and Setting: This is a prospective study which has been conducted at a tertiary referral center (academic hospital).
Patients: A total of 29 adults were enrolled and received a unilateral CI using one of six different electrode carriers, which were categorized into “structure-preserving” (I), “potentially structure-preserving” (II), and “not structure-preserving” (III).
Intervention: Subjective vertigo was assessed by questionnaires at five different time-points before up to 6 months after surgery. The participants were divided into four groups depending on the time of the presence of vertigo before and after surgery. Preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively, a comprehensive vertigo diagnosis consisting of Romberg test, Unterberger test, subjective visual vertical, optokinetic test, video head impulse test, and caloric irrigation test was performed. In addition, the IA was determined, and the patients were divided in two groups (<430°; ≥430°).
Main Outcome Measures: The incidence of vertigo after CI surgery (group 1) was reported, as well as the correlation of subjective vertigo with electrode array categories (I–III) and IA.
Results: Among the participants, 45.8% experienced new vertigo after implantation. Based on the questionnaire data, a vestibular origin was suspected in 72.7%. The results did not show a significant correlation with subjective vertigo for any of the performed tests. In group 1 with postoperative vertigo, 18% of patients showed conspicuous results in a quantitative analysis of caloric irrigation test despite the fact that the category I or II electrodes were implanted, which are suitable for structure preservation. Average IA was 404° for the overall group and 409° for group 1. There was no statistically significant correlation between IA and perceived vertigo.
Conclusions: Though vertigo after CI surgery seems to be a common complication, the test battery used here could not objectify the symptoms. Further studies should clarify whether this is due to the multifactorial cause of vertigo or to the lack of sensitivity of the tests currently in use. The proof of reduced probability for vertigo when using atraumatic electrode carrier was not successful, nor was the proof of a negative influence of the insertion depth.
Cellular therapy has entered the daily clinical life with the approval of CAR T cell therapeutics and dendritic cell (DCs) vaccines in the US and the EU. In addition, numerous other adoptive cellular products, including natural killer (NK) cells, are currently evaluated in early phase I/ II clinical trials for the treatment of cancer patients. Despite these promising accomplishments, various challenges remain to be mastered in order to ensure sustained therapeutic success. These include the identification of strategies by which tumor cells escape the immune system or establish an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). As part of the innate immune system, DCs and NK cells are both present within the TME of various tumor entities. While NK cells are well known for their intrinsic anti-tumor activity by their cytotoxicity capacities and the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the role of DCs within the TME is a double-edged sword as different DC subsets have been described with either tumor-promoting or -inhibiting characteristics. In this review, we will discuss recent findings on the interaction of DCs and NK cells under physiological conditions and within the TME. One focus is the crosstalk of various DC subsets with NK cells and their impact on the progression or inhibition of tumor growth. In addition, we will provide suggestions to overcome the immunosuppressive outcome of the interaction of DCs and NK cells within the TME.
Despite good clinical functional outcome, deficits in gait biomechanics exist 2 years after total hip replacement surgery. The aims of this research were (1) to group patients showing similar gait adaptations to hip osteoarthritis and (2) to investigate the effect of the surgical treatment on gait kinematics and external joint moments. In a secondary analysis, gait data of 51 patients with unilateral hip osteoarthritis were analyzed. A k-means cluster analysis was performed on scores derived via a principal component analysis of the gait kinematics. Preoperative and postoperative datasets were statistically tested between clusters and 46 healthy controls. The first three principal components incorporated hip flexion/extension, pelvic tilt, foot progression angle and thorax tilt. Two clusters were discriminated best by the peak hip extension during terminal stance. Both clusters deviated from healthy controls in spatio-temporal, kinematic and kinetic parameters. The cluster with less hip extension deviated significantly more. The clusters improved postoperatively but differences to healthy controls were still present one year after surgery. A poor preoperative gait pattern in patients with unilateral hip osteoarthritis is associated with worse gait kinematics after total hip replacement. Further research should focus on the identification of patients who can benefit from an adapted or individualized rehabilitation program.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is widely used as medicinal plant. According to the Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC), dried powdered ginger rhizome can be applied for the prevention of nausea and vomiting in motion sickness (well-established use). Beyond this, a plethora of pre-clinical studies demonstrated anti-cancer, anti-oxidative, or anti-inflammatory actions. 6-Shogaol is formed from 6-gingerol by dehydration and represents one of the main bioactive principles in dried ginger rhizomes. 6-Shogaol is characterized by a Michael acceptor moiety being reactive with nucleophiles. This review intends to compile important findings on the actions of 6-shogaol as an anti-inflammatory compound: in vivo, 6-shogaol inhibited leukocyte infiltration into inflamed tissue accompanied with reduction of edema swelling. In vitro and in vivo, 6-shogaol reduced inflammatory mediator systems such as COX-2 or iNOS, affected NFκB and MAPK signaling, and increased levels of cytoprotective HO-1. Interestingly, certain in vitro studies provided deeper mechanistic insights demonstrating the involvement of PPAR-γ, JNK/Nrf2, p38/HO-1, and NFκB in the anti-inflammatory actions of the compound. Although these studies provide promising evidence that 6-shogaol can be classified as an anti-inflammatory substance, the exact mechanism of action remains to be elucidated. Moreover, conclusive clinical data for anti-inflammatory actions of 6-shogaol are largely lacking.
AirCore samplers have been increasingly used to capture vertical profiles of trace gases reaching from the ground up to about 30 km, in order to validate remote sens- ing instruments and to investigate transport processes in the stratosphere. When deployed to a weather balloon, accu- rately attributing the trace gas measurements to the sampling altitudes is nontrivial, especially in the stratosphere. In this paper we present the CO-spiking experiment, which can be deployed to any AirCore on any platform in order to evalu- ate different computational altitude attribution processes and to experimentally derive the vertical resolution of the profile by injecting small volumes of signal gas at predefined GPS altitudes during sampling. We performed two CO-spiking flights with an AirCore from the Goethe University Frankfurt (GUF) deployed to a weather balloon in Traînou, France, in June 2019. The altitude retrieval based on an instantaneous pressure equilibrium assumption slightly overestimates the sampling altitudes, especially at the top of the profiles. For these two flights our altitude attribution is accurate within 250 m below 20 km. Above 20 km the positive bias becomes larger and reaches up to 1.2 km at 27 km altitude. Differences in descent velocities are shown to have a major impact on the altitude attribution bias. We parameterize the time lag between the theoretically attributed altitude and the actual CO-spike release altitude for both flights together and use it to empirically correct our AirCore altitude retrieval. Regard- ing the corrected profiles, the altitude attribution is accurate within ±120 m throughout the profile. Further investigations are needed in order to test for the scope of validity of this correction parameter regarding different ambient conditions and maximum flight altitudes. We derive the vertical resolu- tion from the CO spikes of both flights and compare it to the modeled vertical resolution. The modeled vertical resolution is too optimistic compared to the experimentally derived res- olution throughout the profile, albeit agreeing within 220 m. All our findings derived from the two CO-spiking flights are strictly bound to the GUF AirCore dimensions. The newly introduced CO-spiking experiment can be used to test differ- ent combinations of AirCore configurations and platforms in future studies.
Cannabinoid drugs are registered for postoperative nausea and emesis, Tourette syndrome and tumor-related anorexia, but are also used for spasticity and pain relief, among other conditions. Clinical studies for spasmolysis have been equivocal and even conclusions from meta-analyses were not consistent. This may be due to uncertainty in diagnostic criteria as well as a lack of direct spasmolytic activity (direct causality). In this review we used the Hill criteria to investigate whether a temporal association is causal or spurious. Methods: A systematic literature search was performed to identify all clinical trials of cannabinoids for spasticity. Studies were evaluated for dose dependency and time association; all studies together were analyzed for reproducibility, coherence, analogy and mechanistic consistency. A Funnel plot was done for all studies to identify selection or publication bias. Results: Twenty-seven studies were included in this meta-analysis. The spasmolytic activity (effect strength) was weak, with a nonsignificant small effect in most studies and a large effect only in a few studies (“enriched” studies, low patient numbers). No dose dependency was seen and plotting effect size vs. daily dose resulted in a slope of 0.004. Most studies titrated the cannabinoid to the optimum dose, e.g., 20 mg/d THC. The effect decreased with longer treatment duration (3–4 months). The spasmolytic effect is consistent for different European countries but not always within a country, nor is the effect specific for an etiology (multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, others). For other criteria like plausibility, coherence or analogous effects, no data exist to support or refute them. In most studies, adverse effects were frequently reported indicating a therapeutic effect only at high doses with relevant side effects. Conclusions: Current data do not support a specific spasmolytic effect; a general decrease in CNS activity analogous to benzodiazepines appears more likely. Whether individual patients or specific subgroups benefit from cannabinoids is unclear. Further studies should compare cannabinoids with other, nonspecific spasmolytic drugs like benzodiazepines.
Background: It is often advised to ensure a high-protein intake during energy-restricted diets. However, it is unclear whether a high-protein intake is able to maintain muscle mass and contractility in the absence of resistance training.
Materials and Methods: After 1 week of body mass maintenance (45 kcal/kg), 28 male college students not performing resistance training were randomized to either the energy-restricted (ER, 30 kcal/kg, n = 14) or the eucaloric control group (CG, 45 kcal/kg, n = 14) for 6 weeks. Both groups had their protein intake matched at 2.8 g/kg fat-free-mass and continued their habitual training throughout the study. Body composition was assessed weekly using multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis. Contractile properties of the m. rectus femoris were examined with Tensiomyography and MyotonPRO at weeks 1, 3, and 5 along with sleep (PSQI) and mood (POMS).
Results: The ER group revealed greater reductions in body mass (Δ −3.22 kg vs. Δ 1.90 kg, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.360), lean body mass (Δ −1.49 kg vs. Δ 0.68 kg, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.152), body cell mass (Δ −0.85 kg vs. Δ 0.59 kg, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.181), intracellular water (Δ −0.58 l vs. Δ 0.55 l, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 0.445) and body fat percentage (Δ −1.74% vs. Δ 1.22%, p < 0.001, partial η2 = 433) compared to the CG. Contractile properties, sleep onset, sleep duration as well as depression, fatigue and hostility did not change (p > 0.05). The PSQI score (Δ −1.43 vs. Δ −0.64, p = 0.006, partial η2 = 0.176) and vigor (Δ −2.79 vs. Δ −4.71, p = 0.040, partial η2 = 0.116) decreased significantly in the ER group and the CG, respectively.
Discussion: The present data show that a high-protein intake alone was not able to prevent lean mass loss associated with a 6-week moderate energy restriction in college students. Notably, it is unknown whether protein intake at 2.8 g/kg fat-free-mass prevented larger decreases in lean body mass. Muscle contractility was not negatively altered by this form of energy restriction. Sleep quality improved in both groups. Whether these advantages are due to the high-protein intake cannot be clarified and warrants further study. Although vigor was negatively affected in both groups, other mood parameters did not change.
Background: Reduction of the Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) degrading enzyme S1P lyase 1 (SGPL1) initiates colorectal cancer progression with parallel loss of colon function in mice. We aimed to investigate the effect of SGPL1 knockout on the stem cell niche in these mice.
Methods: We performed immunohistochemical and multi-fluorescence imaging on tissue sections of wildtype and SGPL1 knockout colons under disease conditions. Furthermore, we generated SGPL1 knockout DLD-1 cells (SGPL1−/−M.Ex1) using CRISPR/Cas9 and characterized cell cycle and AKT signaling pathway via Western blot, immunofluorescence, and FACS analysis.
Results: SGPL1 knockout mice were absent of anti-Ki-67 staining in the stem cell niche under disease conditions. This was accompanied by an increase of the negative cell cycle regulator FOXO3 and attenuation of CDK2 activity. SGPL1−/−M.Ex1 cells show a similar FOXO3 increase but no arrest of proliferation, although we found a suppression of the PDK1/AKT signaling pathway, a prolonged G1-phase, and reduced stem cell markers.
Conclusions: While already established colon cancer cells find escape mechanisms from cell cycle arrest, in vivo SGPL1 knockout in the colon stem cell niche during progression of colorectal cancer can contribute to cell cycle quiescence. Thus, we propose a new function of the S1P lyase 1 in stemness.
Introduction: Mental disorders such as depression are common, and an estimated 264 million people are affected by them throughout the world. In recent years, studies on digital health interventions to treat mental disorders have shown evidence of their efficacy, and interest in using them has increased as a result. In the primary care setting, depression and anxiety are the two most frequently diagnosed and treated mental disorders. When they do not refer them to specialists, primary care professionals such as general practitioners treat patients with mental disorders themselves but have insufficient time to treat them adequately. Furthermore, there is a shortage of psychotherapists and those that exist have long waiting lists for an appointment. The purpose of this mixed methods systematic review is to explore the attitudes of primary care professionals towards the use of digital health interventions in the treatment of patients with mental disorders. Their attitudes will provide an indication whether digital mental health interventions can effectively complement standard care in the primary care setting.
Methods and analysis: We searched for qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies published in English, German, Spanish, Russian, French and Dutch after January 2010 for inclusion in the review. The included studies must involve digital mental health interventions conducted via computer and/or mobile devices in the primary care setting. The search was conducted in July 2020 in the following electronic bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Web of Science Core Collection. Two reviewers will independently screen titles, abstracts and full texts and extract data. We will use the ‘Integrated methodology’ framework to combine both quantitative and qualitative data.
Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not required. We will disseminate the results of the mixed methods systematic review in a peer-reviewed journal and scientific conferences.
Objectives: Inadequate oral hygiene still leads to many serious diseases all over the world. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze scientific research in the field of oral health in order to be able to comprehend their relevant subject areas, research connections, or developments. Methods: This study aimed to assess the global publication output on oral hygiene to create a world map that provides background information on key players, trends, and incentives of research. For this purpose, established bibliometric parameters were combined with state-of-the-art visualization techniques. Results: This study shows the actual key players of research on oral hygiene in high-income economies with only marginal participation from lower economies. This still corresponds to the current burden situations, but they are more and more shifting to the disadvantage of the low-income countries. There is a clear North–South and West–East gradient, with the USA and the Western European nations being the most publishing nations on oral hygiene. As an emerging country, Brazil plays a role in the research. Conclusions: The scientific power players were concentrated in high-income countries. However, the changing epidemiological situation requires a different scientific approach to oral hygiene. This requires an expansion of the international network to meet the demands of future global oral health burdens, which are mainly related to oral hygiene.
Lockdown measures including the closure of physical activity facilities were installed against the spread of the novel coronavirus in March 2020. The aim of the current online survey was to assess the lockdown effects on physical activity in German adults. We assessed physical activity using the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS) questionnaire. Pre-lockdown vs. lockdown differences were tested with the X2 test and the Student’s t-test for paired data. Predictor variables to explain compliance with physical activity recommendations were identified using a fixed effects binary logistic regression analysis. Data of 979 respondents were analyzed. Transport related and leisure time physical activity decreased (p < 0.001, d = 0.16; p < 0.001, d = 0.22, respectively). Compliance with physical activity recommendations decreased from 38.1% to 30.4% (chi2 [1, 1958] = 12.754, p < 0.001, V = 0.08). In the regression analysis, BMI (OR 0.944, 95% CI 0.909–0.981; p = 0.003), education (OR 1.111, 95% CI 1.021–1.208; p = 0.015), transport related (OR 1.000, 95% CI 1.000–1.000; p = 0.008) and leisure time physical activity (OR 1.004, 95% CI 1.003–1.004; p < 0.001), muscle strengthening (OR 5.206, 95% CI 4.433–6.114; p < 0.001), as well as the ‘lockdown vs. normal’ categorical variable (OR 0.583, 95% CI 0.424–0.802; p = 0.001) showed a contribution, while sex (p = 0.152), age (p = 0.266), work related physical activity (p = 0.133), and remote working (p = 0.684) did not. Physical activity declined in German adults, and should also be promoted in light of the emerging evidence on its protective effects of against COVID-19. Special attention should be given to muscle strengthening activities and groups with lower educational attainment.
A rare fairyfly (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae) genus, Ganomymar De Santis, 1972, is revised and rediagnosed based on both sexes; its males were previously unknown. This genus, which has remarkable structures on the propodeum and peculiar fore wings in females, is known only from Madagascar in the Afrotropical region. Its type species, Ganomymar dessarti De Santis, 1972, is redescribed and illustrated based on a non-type female specimen. Three new species of Ganomymar are described: G. caslot sp. nov., G. libertatium sp. nov., and G. zuparkoi sp. nov. The species are placed in two distinct species groups. A key to females of the four species is provided.
Interview mit Dr. Stefan Fenner, Managing Director CAPVERIANT GmbH
PHISHING E-MAILS CONTINUE TO POSE A TOP THREAT TO AN ORGANIZATION’S INFORMATION SECURITY. DESPITE TECHNICAL ADVANCES, THE BURDEN OF DETECTING AND DEALING WITH THEM ULTIMATELY REMAINS ON THE SHOULDERS OF THE INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEE. THIS ARTICLE PRESENTS RESULTS OF A MULTI-METHOD PHISHING EXPERIMENT INCLUDING THE USE OF AN EYE-TRACKING DEVICE TO ASSESS EMPLOYEES’ ACTUAL AWARENESS OF PHISHING AND INFLUENCING FACTORS. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR SECURITY TRAININGS ARE ALSO DISCUSSED.
GAMESTOP, A COMPANY THAT WAS PRESUMED DEAD DUE TO SHRINKING PROFITS OFITS BRICK-AND-MORTAR BUSINESS MODEL, HIT THE HEADLINES BECAUSE OF ASHORT SQUEEZE OF ITS STOCK PRICE. THE POPULAR OPINION REPORTED BY MAIN-STREAM MEDIA SUGGESTED THAT THE GAMESTOP FRENZY WAS EXCLUSIVE TO YOUNGAND INEXPERIENCED INVESTORS GATHERING ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMREDDIT. IN CONTRAST, OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT ALSO MORE EXPERIENCEDRETAIL INVESTORS IN GERMANY PARTICIPATED.
Point-based geometry representations have become widely used in numerous contexts, ranging from particle-based simulations, over stereo image matching, to depth sensing via light detection and ranging. Our application focus is on the reconstruction of curved line structures in noisy 3D point cloud data. Respective algorithms operating on such point clouds often rely on the notion of a local neighborhood. Regarding the latter, our approach employs multi-scale neighborhoods, for which weighted covariance measures of local points are determined. Curved line structures are reconstructed via vector field tracing, using a bidirectional piecewise streamline integration. We also introduce an automatic selection of optimal starting points via multi-scale geometric measures. The pipeline development and choice of parameters was driven by an extensive, automated initial analysis process on over a million prototype test cases. The behavior of our approach is controlled by several parameters — the majority being set automatically, leaving only three to be controlled by a user. In an extensive, automated final evaluation, we cover over one hundred thousand parameter sets, including 3D test geometries with varying curvature, sharp corners, intersections, data holes, and systematically applied varying types of noise. Further, we analyzed different choices for the point of reference in the co-variance computation; using a weighted mean performed best in most cases. In addition, we compared our method to current, publicly available line reconstruction frameworks. Up to thirty times faster execution times were achieved in some cases, at comparable error measures. Finally, we also demonstrate an exemplary application on four real-world 3D light detection and ranging datasets, extracting power line cables.
The ambersnails (Succineidae), found nearly worldwide, are considered a very challenging group to classify and identify with even genus-level identifications requiring dissection. In this study, we use mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers, shell morphometrics, and anatomical dissection to examine fresh material collected from the type localities of two nominal species in Oxyloma (Neoxyloma). We conclude from these evidence that Oxyloma salleanum (L. Pfeiffer, 1850) and Oxyloma effusum (L. Pfeiffer, 1853) are conspecific, and accordingly reduce O. effusum to the status of junior synonymy. We present a redescription of O. salleanum.
We provide extensions of the dual variational method for the nonlinear Helmholtz equation from Evéquoz and Weth. In particular we prove the existence of dual ground state solutions in the Sobolev critical case, extend the dual method beyond the standard Stein Tomas and Kenig Ruiz Sogge range and generalize the method for sign changing nonlinearities.
Handaoia Seyrig, 1952 is a small genus of Phygadeuontinae currently represented by eleven described species from Madagascar, Tanzania and Europe, and can be recognized by the combination of the distally expanded and ventrally flattened antennal flagellum, complete posterior transverse carina of the mesosternum, isolated ‘pit’ (episternal scrobe) in the mesopleuron, and a single bulla in fore wing vein 2m-cu. Most species have a distinctive combined area basalis and area superomedia on the propodeum. The following six new species from Central and South America are described and illustrated: H. cuscoensis Bordera sp. nov. from Peru, H. fritzi sp. nov. from Brazil, H. mercedensis Bordera sp. nov. from Peru, H. plaumanni sp. nov. from Brazil, H. ruizcancinoi Bordera sp. nov. from Mexico, and H. urceus sp. nov. from Brazil. A key to the New World species is provided.
Neuropathic pain, a form of chronic pain, is a steadily rising health problem due to health costs and increasing numbers of patients. Neuropathic pain conditions arise upon metabolic disorders, infections, chemotherapeutic treatment, trauma or nerve injury. Especially nerve injury induced neuropathic pain is characterized by spontaneous or ongoing pain due to neuroimmune interactions. Thereby, inflammatory mediators, released by the injured nerve, recruit to and activate immune cells at the site of injury. Those mediators further activate transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), a known channel involved in pain perception, or bind to G-protein coupled receptors (GPCR) in peripheral nerve endings. The following activated second messenger signaling pathways lead to sensitization of TRPV1. One of those GPCRs is G2A.
The overall aim of this thesis was to investigate the role of G2A in nerve-injury induced neuropathic pain. For this, the common mouse model of nerve-injury induced neuropathic pain, the spared-nerve injury, was used. As measurements with dynamic plantar aesthesiometer showed, G2A-deficiency leads to reduced mechanical hypersensitivity. Upon analysis with FACS, ELISA and Luminex a reduced number of macrophages and neutrophils at the injured nerve, as well as less inflammatory mediators (TNFα, IL-6, VEGF) in G2A-deficient animals was observed. In dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) there was only a reduced number of macrophages and less IL-12 observed in G2A-deficient animals. Additionally, in wild-type mice, G2A agonist 9-HODE was elevated at the injured nerve, as a LC-MS/MS analysis showed.
To investigate the underlying pathways of G2A-9-HODE signaling, a proteom screen was performed. This screen revealed upregulation of multiple proteins involved in migration in wild-type macrophages. Additionally, Ca-Imaging and transwell migration assays showed that the G2A antagonist G2A11, had desensitizing effects on DRG neurons and inhibited macrophage migration.
Overall, the results suggest that loss of G2A has dual effects. On the one hand loss of G2A is antinociceptive. On the other hand, G2A-deficiency leads to reduced inflammation, suggesting G2A as promising target in treatment of neuropathic pain. Here, an antagonist had inhibitory effects on the migration and the sensitization.
Nature and its constituents are known to affect human well-being in positive and negative ways. Nature can be beneficial for humans by providing, for instance, food, recreation or inspiration. Natural disasters or transmitted diseases are, on the other hand, examples of nature’s detrimental or harmful contributions to human well-being. Such positive as well as negative effects have been termed Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP) by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and can be categorized into three different types of contributions: regulating, material and non-material NCP. While regulating and material NCP have been studied extensively, research on the non-material NCP is less common in comparison, especially regarding non-material NCP of biodiversity and wildlife. This dissertation therefore aims at shedding light on the non-material links between biodiversity, wildlife and human well-being. The thesis presents the results of three individual research studies in three separate chapters (CH1, 2 & 3).
In the first chapter (CH1) I conduct a systematic literature review on the non-material contributions of wildlife. Several previous reviews have published overviews on the non-material contributions of wildlife. However, only a few of these reviews examine both the positive and negative effects of wildlife in combination. These reviews usually cover few aspects of human well-being (e.g. recreation, health, psychological well-being) or just focus on a specific group of wildlife species (e.g. carnivores, scavengers). In addition, the pathways determining how wildlife affects human well-being are yet little understood. The aim of this review is therefore to create a holistic overview of the current knowledge on non-material contributions of wildlife (WCP), by summarising research on positive and negative effects and disentangling potential channels of human-wildlife experiences.
My results show that most studies in scientific literature report negative WCP. However, over the last decade the number of publications on positive WCP has increased, mainly in the Global North. This change in research focus, at the turn of the century, may be related to the newly emerging ideas and perspectives on nature during that time (e.g. Ecosystem Services and NCP). The results may also indicate different research interests across global regions and a focus on positive WCP (especially in the Global North). Surprisingly, the review identifies a lack of joint systematic assessments of positive and negative WCP across taxa, human well-being dimensions and ways (channels) of wildlife experiences. Studies show taxon-specific differences, with predominantly positive WCP reported for birds and predominantly negative WCP published for mammals and reptiles. Physical health was the most examined human well-being dimension, while many others, such as subjective well-being, social well-being, learning, identity or sense of place were rarely studied in comparison. The two channels of wildlife experiences that have been mainly studied or reported are Interaction and Knowing. While Interaction describes multisensory experiences in which people physically interact with wildlife. Knowing describes the metaphysical connection between humans and wildlife that arises through thinking or remembering experiences from wildlife encounters (including knowledge about wildlife).
To date, only few published studies examine the relationship between biodiversity and human well-being across larger spatial scales. For instance, little is known about how biodiversity is related to human well-being on the national or continental level. The second and third chapter (CH2 & 3) are thus comprised of two empirical case studies which examine the relationship between biodiversity and human well-being across Germany and Europe, respectively. As indicator for biodiversity, I use different species diversity measures including species richness and abundance. In the second chapter (CH2) I analyse the association between species richness and human health across Germany. The results demonstrate a significant positive relationship between plant and bird species richness and mental health while controlling for a multitude of socio-economic and demographic factors as well as other nature characteristics. In the third chapter (CH3) I conduct the first study on the relationship between species diversity and subjective well-being on the continental level. The results show that bird species richness (unlike mammal, megafauna and tree richness) is positively associated with life-satisfaction, a measure for subjective well-being across Europe. These results are robust while accounting for socio-economic and macro-economic factors. The results of both empirical studies are in correspondence with previous research, conducted on the local and national level.
Overall, my dissertation shows that wildlife and biodiversity greatly affect human well-being and provide substantial non-material NCP.
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Acesta excavata (Fabricius, 1779) is a slow growing bivalve from the Limidae family and is often found associated with cold-water coral reefs along the European continental margin. Here we present the compositional variability of frequently used proxy elemental ratios (Mg/ Ca, Sr/Ca, Na/Ca) measured by laser-ablation mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) and com- pare it to in-situ recorded instrumental seawater parameters such as temperature and salin- ity. Shell Mg/Ca measured in the fibrous calcitic shell section was overall not correlated with seawater temperature or salinity; however, some samples show significant correlations with temperature with a sensitivity that was found to be unusually high in comparison to other marine organisms. Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca measured in the fibrous calcitic shell section display significant negative correlations with the linear extension rate of the shell, which indicates strong vital effects in these bivalves. Multiple linear regression analysis indicates that up to 79% of elemental variability is explicable with temperature and salinity as independent pre- dictor values. Yet, the overall results clearly show that the application of Element/Ca (E/Ca) ratios in these bivalves to reconstruct past changes in temperature and salinity is likely to be complicated due to strong vital effects and the effects of organic material embedded in the shell. Therefore, we suggest to apply additional techniques, such as clumped isotopes, in order to exactly determine and quantify the underlying vital effects and possibly account for these. We found differences in the chemical composition between the two calcitic shell lay- ers that are possibly explainable through differences of the crystal morphology. Sr/Ca ratios also appear to be partly controlled by the amount of magnesium, because the small magne- sium ions bend the crystal lattice which increases the space for strontium incorporation. Oxi- dative cleaning with H2O2 did not significantly change the Mg/Ca and Sr/Ca composition of the shell. Na/Ca ratios decreased after the oxidative cleaning, which is most likely a leaching effect and not caused by the removal of organic matter.
Regeneration of large bone defects is a major objective in trauma surgery. Bone marrow mononuclear cell (BMC)-supported bone healing was shown to be efficient after immobilization on a scaffold. We hypothesized that fibrous demineralized bone matrix (DBM) in various forms with BMCs is superior to granular DBM. A total of 65 male SD rats were assigned to five treatment groups: syngenic cancellous bone (SCB), fibrous demineralized bone matrix (f-DBM), fibrous demineralized bone matrix densely packed (f-DBM 120%), DBM granules (GDBM) and DBM granules 5% calcium phosphate (GDBM5%Ca2+). BMCs from donor rats were combined with different scaffolds and placed into 5 mm femoral bone defects. After 8 weeks, bone mineral density (BMD), biomechanical stability and histology were assessed. Similar biomechanical properties of f-DBM and SCB defects were observed. Similar bone and cartilage formation was found in all groups, but a significantly bigger residual defect size was found in GDBM. High bone healing scores were found in f-DBM (25) and SCB (25). The application of DBM in fiber form combined with the application of BMCs shows promising results comparable to the gold standard, syngenic cancellous bone. Denser packing of fibers or higher amount of calcium phosphate has no positive effect.
While the importance of the iron-load of lipocalin-2 (Lcn-2) in promoting tumor progression is widely appreciated, underlying molecular mechanisms largely remain elusive. Considering its role as an iron-transporter, we aimed at clarifying iron-loaded, holo-Lcn-2 (hLcn-2)-dependent signaling pathways in affecting renal cancer cell viability. Applying RNA sequencing analysis in renal CAKI1 tumor cells to explore highly upregulated molecular signatures in response to hLcn-2, we identified a cluster of genes (SLC7A11, GCLM, GLS), which are implicated in regulating ferroptosis. Indeed, hLcn-2-stimulated cells are protected from erastin-induced ferroptosis. We also noticed a rapid increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) with subsequent activation of the antioxidant Nrf2 pathway. However, knocking down Nrf2 by siRNA was not sufficient to induce erastin-dependent ferroptotic cell death in hLcn-2-stimulated tumor cells. In contrast, preventing oxidative stress through N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) supplementation was still able to induce erastin-dependent ferroptotic cell death in hLcn-2-stimulated tumor cells. Besides an oxidative stress response, we noticed activation of the integrated stress response (ISR), shown by enhanced phosphorylation of eIF-2α and induction of ATF4 after hLcn-2 addition. ATF4 knockdown as well as inhibition of the ISR sensitized hLcn-2-treated renal tumor cells to ferroptosis, thus linking the ISR to pro-tumor characteristics of hLcn-2. Our study provides mechanistic details to better understand tumor pro-survival pathways initiated by iron-loaded Lcn-2.
Background: The impact of MRI-lesion targeted (TB) and systematic biopsy (SB) Gleason score (GS) as a predictor for final pathological GS still remains unclear. Methods: All patients with TB + SB, and subsequent radical prostatectomy (RP) between 01/2014-12/2020 were analyzed. Rank correlation coefficient predicted concordance with pathological GS for patients’ TB and SB GS, as well as for the combined effect of SB + TB. Results: Of 159 eligible patients, 77% were biopsy naïve. For SB taken in addition to TB, a Spearman’s correlation of +0.33 was observed regarding final GS. Rates of concordance, upgrading, and downgrading were 37.1, 37.1 and 25.8%, respectively. For TB, a +0.52 correlation was computed regarding final GS. Rates of concordance, upgrading and downgrading for TB biopsy GS were 45.9, 33.3, and 20.8%, respectively. For the combination of SB + TB, a correlation of +0.59 was observed. Rates of concordance, upgrading and downgrading were 49.7, 15.1 and 35.2%, respectively. The combined effect of SB + TB resulted in a lower upgrading rate, relative to TB and SB (both p < 0.001), but a higher downgrading rate, relative to TB (p < 0.01). Conclusions: GS obtained from TB provided higher concordance and lower upgrading and downgrading rates, relative to SB GS with regard to final pathology. The combined effect of SB + TB led to the highest concordance rate and the lowest upgrading rate.
Dual-task paradigms encompass a broad range of approaches to measure cognitive load in instructional settings. As a common characteristic, an additional task is implemented alongside a learning task to capture the individual’s unengaged cognitive capacities during the learning process. Measures to determine these capacities are, for instance, reaction times and interval errors on the additional task, while the performance on the learning task is to be maintained. Opposite to retrospectively applied subjective ratings, the continuous assessment within a dual-task paradigm allows to simultaneously monitor changes in the performance related to previously defined tasks. Following the Cognitive Load Theory, these changes in performance correspond to cognitive changes related to the establishment of permanently existing knowledge structures. Yet the current state of research indicates a clear lack of standardization of dual-task paradigms over study settings and task procedures. Typically, dual-task designs are adapted uniquely for each study, albeit with some similarities across different settings and task procedures. These similarities range from the type of modality to the frequency used for the additional task. This results in a lack of validity and comparability between studies due to arbitrarily chosen patterns of frequency without a sound scientific base, potentially confounding variables, or undecided adaptation potentials for future studies. In this paper, the lack of validity and comparability between dual-task settings will be presented, the current taxonomies compared and the future steps for a better standardization and implementation discussed.
Efferocytosis is critical for tissue homeostasis, as its deregulation is associated with several autoimmune pathologies. While engulfing apoptotic cells, phagocytes activate transcription factors, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) or liver X receptors (LXR) that orchestrate metabolic, phagocytic, and inflammatory responses towards the ingested material. Coordination of these transcription factors in efferocytotic human macrophages is not fully understood. In this study, we evaluated the transcriptional profile of macrophages following the uptake of apoptotic Jurkat T cells using RNA-seq analysis. Results indicated upregulation of PPAR and LXR pathways but downregulation of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBP) target genes. Pharmacological inhibition and RNA interference pointed to LXR and PPARδ as relevant transcriptional regulators, while PPARγ did not substantially contribute to gene regulation. Mechanistically, lysosomal digestion and lysosomal acid lipase (LIPA) were required for PPAR and LXR activation, while PPARδ activation also demanded an active lysosomal phospholipase A2 (PLA2G15). Pharmacological interference with LXR signaling attenuated ABCA1-dependent cholesterol efflux from efferocytotic macrophages, but suppression of inflammatory responses following efferocytosis occurred independently of LXR and PPARδ. These data provide mechanistic details on LXR and PPARδ activation in efferocytotic human macrophages.
Oxaliplatin is a third-generation platinum-based anticancer drug that is widely used as first-line treatment for colorectal carcinoma. Patients treated with oxaliplatin develop an acute peripheral pain several hours after treatment, mostly characterized by cold allodynia as well as a long-term chronic neuropathy. These two phenomena seem to be causally connected. However, the underlying mechanisms that trigger the acute peripheral pain are still poorly understood. Here we show that the activity of the transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8) channel but not the activity of any other member of the TRP channel family is transiently increased 1 h after oxaliplatin treatment and decreased 24 h after oxaliplatin treatment. Mechanistically, this is connected with activation of the phospholipase C (PLC) pathway and depletion of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) after oxaliplatin treatment. Inhibition of the PLC pathway can reverse the decreased TRPM8 activity as well as the decreased PIP2-concentrations after oxaliplatin treatment. In summary, these results point out transient changes in TRPM8 activity early after oxaliplatin treatment and a later occurring TRPM8 channel desensitization in primary sensory neurons. These mechanisms may explain the transient cold allodynia after oxaliplatin treatment and highlight an important role of TRPM8 in oxaliplatin-induced acute and neuropathic pain.
NADH:ubiquinone-oxidoreductase (complex I) is the largest membrane protein complex of the respiratory chain. Complex I couples electron transfer to vectorial proton translocation across the inner mitochondrial membrane. The L shaped structure of complex I is divided into a membrane arm and a matrix arm. Fourteen central subunits are conserved throughout species, while some 30 accessory subunits are typically found in eukaryotes. Complex I dysfunction is associated with mutations in the nuclear and mitochondrial genome, resulting in a broad spectrum of neuromuscular and neurodegenerative diseases. Accessory subunit NDUFS4 in the matrix arm is a hot spot for mutations causing Leigh or Leigh-like syndrome. In this review, we focus on accessory subunits of the matrix arm and discuss recent reports on the function of accessory subunit NDUFS4 and its interplay with NDUFS6, NDUFA12, and assembly factor NDUFAF2 in complex I assembly.
Sprouting of surviving axons is one of the major reorganization mechanisms of the injured brain contributing to a partial restoration of function. Of note, sprouting is maturation as well as age-dependent and strong in juvenile brains, moderate in adult and weak in aged brains. We have established a model system of complex organotypic tissue cultures to study sprouting in the dentate gyrus following entorhinal denervation. Entorhinal denervation performed after 2 weeks postnatally resulted in a robust, rapid, and very extensive sprouting response of commissural/associational fibers, which could be visualized using calretinin as an axonal marker. In the present study, we analyzed the effect of maturation on this form of sprouting and compared cultures denervated at 2 weeks postnatally with cultures denervated at 4 weeks postnatally. Calretinin immunofluorescence labeling as well as time-lapse imaging of virally-labeled (AAV2- hSyn1-GFP) commissural axons was employed to study the sprouting response in aged cultures. Compared to the young cultures commissural/associational sprouting was attenuated and showed a pattern similar to the one following entorhinal denervation in adult animals in vivo. We conclude that a maturation-dependent attenuation of sprouting occurs also in vitro, which now offers the chance to study, understand and influence maturation-dependent differences in brain repair in these culture preparations.
OXA-48-like carbapenemases are among the most frequent carbapenemases in Gram-negative Enterobacterales worldwide with the highest prevalence in the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. Here, we investigated the so far uncharacterized carbapenemase OXA-484 from a clinical E. coli isolate belonging to the high-risk clone ST410 regarding antibiotic resistance pattern, horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and genetic support. OXA-484 differs by the amino acid substitution 214G compared to the most closely related variants OXA-181 (214R) and OXA-232 (214S). The blaOXA–484 was carried on a self-transmissible 51.5 kb IncX3 plasmid (pOXA-484) showing high sequence similarity with plasmids harboring blaOXA–181. Intraspecies and intergenus HGT of pOXA-484 to different recipients occurred at low frequencies of 1.4 × 10–7 to 2.1 × 10–6. OXA-484 increased MICs of temocillin and carbapenems similar to OXA-232 and OXA-244, but lower compared with OXA-48 and OXA-181. Hence, OXA-484 combines properties of OXA-181-like plasmid support and transferability as well as β-lactamase activity of OXA-232.
Specifying accurate informative prior distributions is a question of carefully selecting studies that comprise the body of comparable background knowledge. Psychological research, however, consists of studies that are being conducted under different circumstances, with different samples and varying instruments. Thus, results of previous studies are heterogeneous, and not all available results can and should contribute equally to an informative prior distribution. This implies a necessary weighting of background information based on the similarity of the previous studies to the focal study at hand. Current approaches to account for heterogeneity by weighting informative prior distributions, such as the power prior and the meta-analytic predictive prior are either not easily accessible or incomplete. To complicate matters further, in the context of Bayesian multiple regression models there are no methods available for quantifying the similarity of a given body of background knowledge to the focal study at hand. Consequently, the purpose of this study is threefold. We first present a novel method to combine the aforementioned sources of heterogeneity in the similarity measure ω. This method is based on a combination of a propensity-score approach to assess the similarity of samples with random- and mixed-effects meta-analytic models to quantify the heterogeneity in outcomes and study characteristics. Second, we show how to use the similarity measure ω as a weight for informative prior distributions for the substantial parameters (regression coefficients) in Bayesian multiple regression models. Third, we investigate the performance and the behavior of the similarity-weighted informative prior distribution in a comprehensive simulation study, where it is compared to the normalized power prior and the meta-analytic predictive prior. The similarity measure ω and the similarity-weighted informative prior distribution as the primary results of this study provide applied researchers with means to specify accurate informative prior distributions.
SUMO : glue or solvent for phase-separated ribonucleoprotein complexes and molecular condensates?
(2021)
Spatial organization of cellular processes in membranous or membrane-less organelles (MLOs, alias molecular condensates) is a key concept for compartmentalizing biochemical pathways. Prime examples of MLOs are the nucleolus, PML nuclear bodies, nuclear splicing speckles or cytosolic stress granules. They all represent distinct sub- cellular structures typically enriched in intrinsically disordered proteins and/or RNA and are formed in a process driven by liquid-liquid phase separation. Several MLOs are critically involved in proteostasis and their formation, disassembly and composition are highly sensitive to proteotoxic insults. Changes in the dynamics of MLOs are a major driver of cell dysfunction and disease. There is growing evidence that post-translational modifications are critically involved in controlling the dynamics and composition of MLOs and recent evidence supports an important role of the ubiquitin-like SUMO system in regulating both the assembly and disassembly of these structures. Here we will review our current understanding of SUMO function in MLO dynamics under both normal and pathological conditions.
The geomagnetic field provides directional information for birds. The avian magnetic compass is an inclination compass that uses not the polarity of the magnetic field but the axial course of the field lines and their inclination in space. It works in a flexible functional window, and it requires short-wavelength light. These characteristics result from the underlying sensory mechanism based on radical pair processes in the eyes, with cryptochrome suggested as the receptor molecule. The chromophore of cryptochrome, flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD), undergoes a photocycle, where radical pairs are formed during photo-reduction as well as during re-oxidation; behavioral data indicate that the latter is crucial for detecting magnetic directions. Five types of cryptochromes are found in the retina of birds: cryptochrome 1a (Cry1a), cryptochrome 1b, cryptochrome 2, cryptochrome 4a, and cryptochrome 4b. Because of its location in the outer segments of the ultraviolet cones with their clear oil droplets, Cry1a appears to be the most likely receptor molecule for magnetic compass information.
NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) is the first enzyme complex of the respiratory chain. Complex I is a redox-driven proton pump that contributes to the proton motive force that drives ATP synthase. The structure of complex I has been analyzed by x-ray crystallography and electron cryo-microscopy and is now well-described. The ubiquinone (Q) reduction site of complex I is buried in the peripheral arm and a tunnel-like structure is thought to provide access for the hydrophobic substrate from the membrane. Several intermediate binding positions for Q in the tunnel were identified in molecular simulations. Structural data showed the binding of native Q molecules and short chain analogs and inhibitors in the access pathway and in the Q reduction site, respectively. We here review the current knowledge on the interaction of complex I with Q and discuss recent hypothetical models for the coupling mechanism.
This dissertation explores the breadth and variation of authoritarian counter-terrorism strategies and their legitimacy-related origins to challenge prevailing assumptions in Terrorism Studies. Research and analysis are conducted in the form of a Structured Focused Comparison of domestic counter-terrorism strategies in two electoral autocracies. The first case is Russia’s domestic engagement against a mix of ethno-separatist and Islamist terrorism emanating from its North Caucasus republics between 1999 and 2018. The second case is China’s engagement vis-à-vis a similar type of terrorism in its Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region between 1990 and 2018.
The comparison shows that, contrary to prevailing assumptions, the two strategies differ immensely from one another while containing significant if not predominant non-coercive elements. It further shows that the two strategies are closely related to the two states’ sources and resources of legitimacy, both in their original motivation to tackle the terrorist threat and in the design of counter-terrorism strategies. Drawing on David Beetham’s theory of The Legitimation of Power and on the Comparative Politics, Terrorism Studies and Civil War literatures, the dissertation explores the influence of five sources and (re)sources of legitimacy on the two counter-terrorism strategies: responsiveness, performance legitimacy, ideology, discursive power and co-optation. While governmental discursive power is discarded as a source of variation, findings are significant with respect to the influence of ideology and performance legitimacy. Reliance on ideology or related patterns for legitimation raise vulnerability to terrorism and constrain or facilitate the adoption of communicative and preventive measures that accommodate the grievances of potentially defective or even violently terrorist groups. Performance legitimacy is a key motivator in counter-terrorism and an influence on certain types of counter-terrorism policies. Responsiveness and co-optation are identified as potential sources of variation, based on idiosyncratic concurrence with policy choices.
Within democratic orders, it is the declared aim of a state of exception to secure or restore the endangered foundation of democracy. The provided measures are, however, undemocratic insofar they directly affect individual rights as the principle on which democracy is based: By suspending rights, the state of exception treats individuals not as members of a democratic community (demos), but as parts of a population which has to be secured. Whereas individual rights enable individuals to be part of the demos, the state of exception – by restraining rights – enforces a politics of population. In my article, I show in what way individual rights, too, are used as a strategy of governing the population. Referring to the history of individual rights in the early modern period, I describe a specific form of alienation of individual rights. I argue that this alienation consists in the separation of a private from the political component of individual rights. This alienation is the reason for a dialectical shift from demos to population which occurs in an extreme form in the state of exception. Against this background, the question of the state of exception and the question of individual rights appear in an unfamiliar but crucial relation. In order to oppose the dialectical shift and the misuse of exceptional measures, I claim it necessary to insist on the inextricable link between the private and the political component of individual rights – that is to extend the domain of democracy.
Cancer cells, including leukemic cells, can react to therapeutic treatment by altering their metabolic phenotype (“metabolic reprogramming”) to keep their accelerated proliferative state, eventually becoming resistant to the treatment. There is an increasing amount of evidence indicating that metabolic reprogramming is one of the key mechanisms of acquisition of drug resistance by cancer cells. In agreement, several metabolic studies targeting leukaemia and specifically acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), have been conducted over the last decades. However, there is still a lack of understanding the metabolic features of both AML and CML leukaemia specially in the acquisition of drug resistance, that is needed for unveiling novel and effective treatments for resistant and non-resistant patients. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis was to investigate the rewiring of cell metabolism occurring in the process of acquisition of resistance to conventional therapeutic treatments in AML and CML malignancies. Next, by revealing this metabolic rewiring, we intended to highlight potential metabolic and non-metabolic targets that could be exploited to overcome resistance to treatments. To this end, we have performed a comprehensive and comparative multi-OMIC study to analyse the links between the metabolic reprogramming and the resistance acquisition of THP-1 and HL-60 AML cell models sensitive or resistant to cytarabine (AraC) and doxorubicin (Dox), and of KU812 CML cell model sensitive or resistant to imatinib, all under normoxic (21% O2) and hypoxic (1% O2) conditions. The results of this thesis are divided into two chapters. On the one hand, in Chapter 1, the multi-OMIC study performed in AML parental and resistant cells unveiled that the acquisition of AraC resistance causes the reprogramming of the glucose metabolism of THP-1 and HL-60 cells by increasing the glycolytic flux whereas it is not associated with an alteration in the mitochondrial respiration. Moreover, our results also exhibited a possible disfunction of ETC complex I as well as alterations in glutamine and serine-glycine-1C metabolism in AML cells that display a more active mitochondrial metabolism. Moreover, we have also identified that the acquisition of Dox resistance causes alterations in the glucose and amino acid metabolism. Importantly, we have observed an important loss of mitochondrial respiration capacity of AML cells resistant to Dox chemotherapeutic drug, which constitutes a potential metabolic vulnerability that can be exploited for the treatment of AML patients resistant to Dox. On the other hand, in Chapter 2 is shown that the acquisition of imatinib resistance causes the reprogramming of glucose metabolism by enhancing the glycolytic flux, PPP, and glycogen metabolism, thus highlighting these metabolic pathways as potential metabolic weaknesses of KU812 cells resistant to imatinib. Moreover, we have observed a high metabolic plasticity of KU812 cells resistant to imatinib which includes the orchestration of many metabolic routes associated with the amino acid metabolism. Importantly, the CML multi-OMIC study has also unveiled an enhanced mitochondrial respiration capacity, which constitutes another potential vulnerability that can be exploited to overcome imatinib resistance. Finally, both AML and CML multi-OMIC studies have allowed us to propose and/or validate different metabolic and non-metabolic targets. In this regard, in this thesis we have identified and validated a battery of single-hit inhibitions that were able to reduce the cell viability of both parental and resistant AML and CML cells. Finally, we have confirmed that the repurposing of Dox chemotherapeutic drug counteracts the imatinib resistance in the KU812 cells resistant to imatinib.
A decorated pair of trousers excavated from a well-preserved tomb in the Tarim Basin proved to have a highly informative life history, teased out by the authors – with archaeological, historical and art historical dexterity. Probably created under Greek influence in a Bactrian palace, the textile started life in the third/second century BC as an ornamental wall hanging, showing a centaur blowing a war-trumpet and a nearly life-size warrior of the steppe with his spear. The palace was raided by nomads, one of whom worked a piece of the tapestry into a pair of trousers. They brought no great luck to the wearer who ended his days in a massacre by the Xiongnu, probably in the first century BC. The biography of this garment gives a vivid glimpse of the dynamic life of Central Asia at the end of the first millennium.
We here describe a new Indian helicarionoidean genus, Varadia Bhosale & Raheem gen. nov., containing the single species Varadia amboliensis Bhosale, Thackeray, Muley & Raheem gen. et sp. nov. This new semi-slug is endemic to the northern and central Western Ghats and is primarily a forest-living species. We describe and figure the shell, reproductive system, radula, spermatophore and external morphology of this new species, and detail its known distribution. We explore its relationships to other helicarionoideans using phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence data for part of the ribosomal RNA gene cluster and discuss the morphology of the new genus in relation to other, primarily South Indian, helicarionoidean taxa. Based on characters of the reproductive system, particularly the male genitalia and the gametolytic sac, we provisionally place Varadia gen. nov. in the Macrochlamydinae (Ariophantidae). This is consistent with the results of our molecular phylogenetic analyses. The combination of large size, broad, densely tuberculated shell lobes and a shell with ca 4 whorls and a disproportionately large body whorl makes V. amboliensis gen. et sp. nov. unique among the helicarionoidean taxa of the Western Ghats. The new semi-slug is also highly distinctive in the morphology of its male genitalia.
The Acanthocinini genus Alcathousiella Monné, 2005 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) is revised with both the genus and the type species, Alcathousiella polyrhaphoides (White, 1855) redescribed. New country records for the species, greatly expanding its known distribution in South America, are also presented. Lastly, Alcathousiella giesberti sp. nov., from Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama is described and illustrated.
The species of Stenothemus Bourgeois, 1907 from Southwest China are reviewed. Three species are transferred to this genus, S. davidi (Pic, 1926) comb. nov. (from Malthacus Kirby, 1837), S. minutissimus (Pic, 1933) comb. nov. (from Micropodabrus Pic, 1920) and S. singularicollis (Pic, 1933) comb. nov. (from Lycocerus Gorham, 1895). Two new synonyms are suggested, S. dinshuiensis Švihla, 2011 syn. nov. is synonymized with S. davidi and S. melleus Švihla, 2005 syn. nov. with S. singularicollis. Stenothemus shaanxiensis Švihla, 2004 stat. nov. is raised to species level from a subspecies of S. benesi Švihla, 2004. Five new species are described, S. gracilis Y. Yang & X. Yang sp. nov., S. chongqingensis Y. Yang & H. Liu sp. nov., S. flavicollis Y. Yang & S. Ge sp. nov., S. jindraimimus Y. Yang & X. Yang sp. nov. and S. laticornis Y. Yang & H. Liu sp. nov., which are illustrated with photographs of habitus, aedeagi, abdominal sternites VIII and internal genitalia of the female. Characters of the female reproductive system are described for the first time for the following species: S. diffusus Wittmer, 1974, S. dundai Švihla, 2004, S. grahami Wittmer, 1974, S. jindrai Švihla, 2004, S. tryznai Švihla, 2004 and S. singularicollis. Some additional distribution information is added for previously known species. A key for the identification of all studied species is provided.
The future physiology of marine phytoplankton will be impacted by a range of changes in global ocean conditions, including salinity regimes that vary spatially and on a range of short- to geological timescales. Coccolithophores have global ecological and biogeochemical significance as the most important calcifying marine phytoplankton group. Previous research has shown that the morphology of their exoskeletal calcified plates (coccoliths) responds to changing salinity in the most abundant coccolithophore species, Emiliania huxleyi. However, the extent to which these responses may be strain-specific is not well established. Here we investigated the growth response of six strains of E. huxleyi under low (ca. 25) and high (ca. 45) salinity batch culture conditions and found substantial variability in the magnitude and direction of response to salinity change across strains. Growth rates declined under low and high salinity conditions in four of the six strains but increased under both low and high salinity in strain RCC1232 and were higher under low salinity and lower under high salinity in strain PLYB11. When detailed changes in coccolith and coccosphere size were quantified in two of these strains that were isolated from contrasting salinity regimes (coastal Norwegian low salinity of ca. 30 and Mediterranean high salinity of ca. 37), the Norwegian strain showed an average 26% larger mean coccolith size at high salinities compared to low salinities. In contrast, coccolith size in the Mediterranean strain showed a smaller size trend (11% increase) but severely impeded coccolith formation in the low salinity treatment. Coccosphere size similarly increased with salinity in the Norwegian strain but this trend was not observed in the Mediterranean strain. Coccolith size changes with salinity compiled for other strains also show variability, strongly suggesting that the effect of salinity change on coccolithophore morphology is likely to be strain specific. We propose that physiological adaptation to local conditions, in particular strategies for plasticity under stress, has an important role in determining ecotype responses to salinity.
Objectives: Rising prevalence of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) is a major health problem in patients with liver cirrhosis. The impact of MDRO colonization in liver transplantation (LT) candidates and recipients on mortality has not been determined in detail.
Methods: Patients consecutively evaluated and listed for LT in a tertiary German liver transplant center from 2008 to 2018 underwent screening for MDRO colonization including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDRGN), and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). MDRO colonization and infection status were obtained at LT evaluation, planned and unplanned hospitalization, three months upon graft allocation, or at last follow-up on the waiting list.
Results: In total, 351 patients were listed for LT, of whom 164 (47%) underwent LT after a median of 249 (range 0–1662) days. Incidence of MDRO colonization increased during waiting time for LT, and MRDO colonization was associated with increased mortality on the waiting list (HR = 2.57, p<0.0001. One patients was colonized with a carbapenem-resistant strain at listing, 9 patients acquired carbapenem-resistant gram-negative bacteria (CRGN) on the waiting list, and 4 more after LT. In total, 10 of these 14 patients died.
Conclusions: Colonization with MDRO is associated with increased mortality on the waiting list, but not in short-term follow-up after LT. Moreover, colonization with CRGN seems associated with high mortality in liver transplant candidates and recipients.
The C-type lectin-like receptor NKG2D contributes to the immunosurveillance of virally infected and malignant cells by cytotoxic lymphocytes. A peculiar and puzzling feature of the NKG2D-based immunorecognition system is the high number of ligands for this single immunoreceptor. In humans, there are a total of eight NKG2D ligands (NKG2DL) comprising two members of the MIC (MICA, MICB) and six members of the ULBP family of glycoproteins (ULBP1 to ULBP6). While MICA has been extensively studied with regard to its biochemistry, cellular expression and function, very little is known about the NKG2DL ULBP4. This is, at least in part, due to its rather restricted expression by very few cell lines and tissues. Recently, constitutive ULBP4 expression by human monocytes was reported, questioning the view of tissue-restricted ULBP4 expression. Here, we scrutinized ULBP4 expression by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and monocytes by analyzing ULBP4 transcripts and ULBP4 surface expression. In contrast to MICA, there was no ULBP4 expression detectable, neither by freshly isolated monocytes nor by PAMP-activated monocytes. However, a commercial antibody erroneously indicated surface ULBP4 on monocytes due to a non-ULBP4-specific binding activity, emphasizing the critical importance of validated reagents for life sciences. Collectively, our data show that ULBP4 is not expressed by monocytes, and likely also not by other peripheral blood immune cells, and therefore exhibits an expression pattern rather distinct from other human NKG2DL.
When requesting a web-based service, users often fail in setting the website’s privacy settings according to their self privacy preferences. Being overwhelmed by the choice of preferences, a lack of knowledge of related technologies or unawareness of the own privacy preferences are just some reasons why users tend to struggle. To address all these problems, privacy setting prediction tools are particularly well-suited. Such tools aim to lower the burden to set privacy preferences according to owners’ privacy preferences. To be in line with the increased demand for explainability and interpretability by regulatory obligations – such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe – in this paper an explainable model for default privacy setting prediction is introduced. Compared to the previous work we present an improved feature selection, increased interpretability of each step in model design and enhanced evaluation metrics to better identify weaknesses in the model’s design before it goes into production. As a result, we aim to provide an explainable and transparent tool for default privacy setting prediction which users easily understand and are therefore more likely to use.
Meningioma surgery in patients ≥70 years of age: clinical outcome and validation of the SKALE score
(2021)
Along with increasing average life expectancy, the number of elderly meningioma patients has grown proportionally. Our aim was to evaluate whether these specific patients benefit from surgery and to investigate a previously published score for decision-making in meningioma patients (SKALE). Of 421 patients who underwent primary intracranial meningioma resection between 2009 and 2015, 71 patients were ≥70 years of age. We compared clinical data including World Health Organization (WHO) grade, MIB-1 proliferation index, Karnofsky Performance Status Scale (KPS), progression free survival (PFS) and mortality rate between elderly and all other meningioma patients. Preoperative SKALE scores (Sex, KPS, ASA score, location and edema) were determined for elderly patients. SKALE ≥8 was set for dichotomization to determine any association with outcome parameters. In 71 elderly patients (male/female 37/34) all data were available. Postoperative KPS was significantly lower in elderly patients (p < 0.0001). Pulmonary complications including pneumonia (10% vs. 3.2%; p = 0.0202) and pulmonary embolism (12.7% vs. 6%; p = 0.0209) occurred more frequently in our elderly cohort. Analyses of the Kaplan Meier curves revealed differences in three-month (5.6% vs. 0.3%; p = 0.0033), six-month (7% vs. 0.3%; p = 0.0006) and one-year mortality (8.5% vs. 0.3%; p < 0.0001) for elderly patients. Statistical analysis showed significant survival benefit in terms of one-year mortality for elderly patients with SKALE scores ≥8 (5.1 vs. 25%; p = 0.0479). According to our data, elderly meningioma patients face higher postoperative morbidity and mortality than younger patients. However, resection is reasonable for selected patients, particularly when reaching a SKALE score ≥ 8.
Droughts threaten millions of people in Sub-Saharan Africa, leading to famines, water shortages, migration and casualties. Climate change will most probably exacerbate the devastating consequences as exceptional droughts are expected to occur more frequently. Conventional drought risk assessments however, do not provide adequate tools, as they often limit their focus to environmental parameters, ignoring social vulnerabilities. Integrated strategies are required to carry out holistic drought risk assessments that serve to find adapted technological and institutional solutions to ensure water and food security. This will contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals 1 “No Poverty”, 2 “Zero Hunger” and 6 “Clean Water and Sanitation”.
The Eastern Steppe of Mongolia is one of the world's largest mostly intact grassland ecosystems and is characterised by a close coupling of societal and natural processes. In this ecosystem, mobility is one of the key characteristics of wildlife and human societies alike. The current economic development of Mongolia is accompanied by extensive societal transformation and changes in nomadic lifestyles, which potentially affects the unique steppe ecosystem and its biodiversity. The changing lifestyles are mainly characterised by rural-urban migration, resulting in reduced mobility of herders and their livestock, and presumably affecting wildlife. The question is how mobility can be fostered under these transformation processes. Time is pressing as a new generation is born which is growing up in urban environments and with new skill sets but a potential loss of the tight connection to nature and the nomadic lifestyle.
More European, more uniform
(2021)