@article{WoelfelSaetteleZechmeisteretal.2020,
  author    = {W{\"o}lfel, Angela and S{\"a}ttele, Mathias and Zechmeister, Christina and Nikolaev, Viacheslov O. and Lohse, Martin J. and Boege, Fritz and Jahns, Roland and Boivin-Jahns, Val{\´e}rie},
  title     = {Unmasking features of the auto-epitope essential for β\(_1\)-adrenoceptor activation by autoantibodies in chronic heart failure},
  series = {ESC Heart Failure},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {ESC Heart Failure},
  number    = {4},
  doi       = {10.1002/ehf2.12747},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235974},
  pages     = {1830-1841},
  year      = {2020},
  abstract  = {Aims Chronic heart failure (CHF) can be caused by autoantibodies stimulating the heart via binding to first and/or second extracellular loops of cardiac β1-adrenoceptors. Allosteric receptor activation depends on conformational features of the autoantibody binding site. Elucidating these features will pave the way for the development of specific diagnostics and therapeutics. Our aim was (i) to fine-map the conformational epitope within the second extracellular loop of the human β\(_1\)-adrenoceptor (β1ECII) that is targeted by stimulating β\(_1\)-receptor (auto)antibodies and (ii) to generate competitive cyclopeptide inhibitors of allosteric receptor activation, which faithfully conserve the conformational auto-epitope. Methods and results Non-conserved amino acids within the β\(_1\)EC\(_{II}\) loop (compared with the amino acids constituting the ECII loop of the β\(_2\)-adrenoceptor) were one by one replaced with alanine; potential intra-loop disulfide bridges were probed by cysteine-serine exchanges. Effects on antibody binding and allosteric receptor activation were assessed (i) by (auto)antibody neutralization using cyclopeptides mimicking β1ECII ± the above replacements, and (ii) by (auto)antibody stimulation of human β\(_1\)-adrenoceptors bearing corresponding point mutations. With the use of stimulating β\(_1\)-receptor (auto)antibodies raised in mice, rats, or rabbits and isolated from exemplary dilated cardiomyopathy patients, our series of experiments unmasked two features of the β\(_1\)EC\(_{II}\) loop essential for (auto)antibody binding and allosteric receptor activation: (i) the NDPK\(^{211-214}\) motif and (ii) the intra-loop disulfide bond C\(^{209}\)↔C\(^{215}\). Of note, aberrant intra-loop disulfide bond C\(^{209}\)↔C\(^{216}\) almost fully disrupted the functional auto-epitope in cyclopeptides. Conclusions The conformational auto-epitope targeted by cardio-pathogenic β\(_1\)-receptor autoantibodies is faithfully conserved in cyclopeptide homologues of the β\(_1\)EC\(_{II}\) loop bearing the NDPK\(^{211-214}\) motif and the C\(^{209}\)↔C\(^{215}\) bridge while lacking cysteine C216. Such molecules provide promising tools for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in β\(_1\)-autoantibodypositive CHF.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GoepfertTraubSelletal.2023,
  author    = {G{\"o}pfert, Dennis and Traub, Jan and Sell, Roxane and Homola, Gy{\"o}rgy A. and Vogt, Marius and Pham, Mirko and Frantz, Stefan and St{\"o}rk, Stefan and Stoll, Guido and Frey, Anna},
  title     = {Profiles of cognitive impairment in chronic heart failure—A cluster analytic approach},
  series = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
  volume    = {17},
  journal   = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
  doi       = {10.3389/fnhum.2023.1126553},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313429},
  year      = {2023},
  abstract  = {Background Cognitive impairment is a major comorbidity in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) with a wide range of phenotypes. In this study, we aimed to identify and compare different clusters of cognitive deficits. Methods The prospective cohort study "Cognition.Matters-HF" recruited 147 chronic HF patients (aged 64.5 ± 10.8 years; 16.2\% female) of any etiology. All patients underwent extensive neuropsychological testing. We performed a hierarchical cluster analysis of the cognitive domains, such as intensity of attention, visual/verbal memory, and executive function. Generated clusters were compared exploratively with respect to the results of cardiological, neurological, and neuroradiological examinations without correction for multiple testing. Results Dendrogram and the scree plot suggested three distinct cognitive profiles: In the first cluster, 42 patients (28.6\%) performed without any deficits in all domains. Exclusively, the intensity of attention deficits was seen in the second cluster, including 55 patients (37.4\%). A third cluster with 50 patients (34.0\%) was characterized by deficits in all cognitive domains. Age (p = 0.163) and typical clinical markers of chronic HF, such as ejection fraction (p = 0.222), 6-min walking test distance (p = 0.138), NT-proBNP (p = 0.364), and New York Heart Association class (p = 0.868) did not differ between clusters. However, we observed that women (p = 0.012) and patients with previous cardiac valve surgery (p = 0.005) prevailed in the "global deficits" cluster and the "no deficits" group had a lower prevalence of underlying arterial hypertension (p = 0.029). Total brain volume (p = 0.017) was smaller in the global deficit cluster, and serum levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein were increased (p = 0.048). Conclusion Apart from cognitively healthy and globally impaired HF patients, we identified a group with deficits only in the intensity of attention. Women and patients with previous cardiac valve surgery are at risk for global cognitive impairment when suffering HF and could benefit from special multimodal treatment addressing the psychosocial condition.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{GhafoorNordbeckRitteretal.2022,
  author    = {Ghafoor, Hina and Nordbeck, Peter and Ritter, Oliver and Pauli, Paul and Schulz, Stefan M.},
  title     = {Can Religiosity and Social Support Explain Effects of Trait Emotional Intelligence on Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Cultural Study},
  series = {Journal of Religion and Health},
  volume    = {61},
  journal   = {Journal of Religion and Health},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {0022-4197},
  doi       = {10.1007/s10943-020-01163-9},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232823},
  pages     = {158-174},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Religion and social support along with trait emotional intelligence (EI) help individuals to reduce stress caused by difficult situations. Their implications may vary across cultures in reference to predicting health-related quality of life (HRQoL). A convenience sample of N = 200 chronic heart failure (CHF) patients was recruited at cardiology centers in Germany (n = 100) and Pakistan (n = 100). Results indicated that trait-EI predicted better mental component of HRQoL in Pakistani and German CHF patients. Friends as social support appeared relevant for German patients only. Qualitative data indicate an internal locus of control in German as compared to Pakistani patients. Strengthening the beneficial role of social support in Pakistani patients is one example of how the current findings may inspire culture-specific treatment to empower patients dealing with the detrimental effects of CHF.},
  language  = {en}
}