@article{JohanssenHahnerSaegeretal.2010, author = {Johanssen, Sarah and Hahner, Stefanie and Saeger, Wolfgang and Quinkler, Marcus and Beuschlein, Felix and Dralle, Henning and Haaf, Michaela and Kroiss, Matthias and Jurowich, Christian and Langer, Peter and Oelkers, Wolfgang and Spahn, Martin and Willenberg, Holger S. and Maeder, Uwe and Allolio, Bruno and Fassnacht, Martin}, title = {Deficits in the Management of Patients With Adrenocortical Carcinoma in Germany}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85897}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Background: Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare tumor with a poor prognosis. Often, the physicians who first treat patients with ACC have no prior experience with the disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the quality of medical care for patients with ACC in Germany. Methods: Data from the German ACC registry were analyzed with regard to the patients' preoperative diagnostic evaluation, histopathological reporting, and clinical followup. The findings were compared with the recommendations of the European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumors (ENSAT). Results: Data were analyzed from 387 patients who had been given an initial diagnosis of ACC in the years 1998 to 2009. 21\% of them underwent no hormonal evaluation before surgery, and 59\% underwent an inadequate hormonal evaluation. This exposed the patients to unnecessary perioperative risks and impaired their follow-up. 48\% did not undergo CT scanning of the chest, even though the lungs are the most frequent site of metastases of ACC. For 13\% of the patients, the diagnosis of ACC was later revised by a reference pathologist. For 11\% of the patients, the histopathology report contained no information about resection status, even though this is an important determinant of further treatment and prognosis. Optimal management requires re-staging at three-month intervals, yet some patients underwent re-staging only after a longer delay, or not at all. Conclusion: We have identified significant deficits in the care of patients with ACC in Germany. We suspect that the situation is similar for other rare diseases. The prerequisite to better care is close and early cooperation of the treating physicians with specialized centers.}, language = {en} } @article{BauerNadler2010, author = {Bauer, Wolfgang R. and Nadler, Walter}, title = {Thermodynamics of Competitive Molecular Channel Transport: Application to Artificial Nuclear Pores}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68484}, year = {2010}, abstract = {In an analytical model channel transport is analyzed as a function of key parameters, determining efficiency and selectivity of particle transport in a competitive molecular environment. These key parameters are the concentration of particles, solvent-channel exchange dynamics, as well as particle-in-channel- and interparticle interaction. These parameters are explicitly related to translocation dynamics and channel occupation probability. Slowing down the exchange dynamics at the channel ends, or elevating the particle concentration reduces the in-channel binding strength necessary to maintain maximum transport. Optimized in-channel interaction may even shift from binding to repulsion. A simple equation gives the interrelation of access dynamics and concentration at this transition point. The model is readily transferred to competitive transport of different species, each of them having their individual in-channel affinity. Combinations of channel affinities are determined which differentially favor selectivity of certain species on the cost of others. Selectivity for a species increases if its in-channel binding enhances the species' translocation probablity when compared to that of the other species. Selectivity increases particularly for a wide binding site, long channels, and fast access dynamics. Recent experiments on competitive transport of in-channel binding and inert molecules through artificial nuclear pores serve as a paradigm for our model. It explains qualitatively and quantitatively how binding molecules are favored for transport at the cost of the transport of inert molecules.}, subject = {Thermodynamik}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Fiedler2010, author = {Fiedler, Jan}, title = {Endothelial microRNA-24 contributes to capillary density in the infarcted heart}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-49809}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Cardiovascular disease is the most common mortality risk in the industrialized world. Myocardial infarction (MI) results in the irreversible loss of cardiac muscle, triggering pathophysiological remodelling of the ventricle and development of heart failure. Insufficient myocardial capillary density within the surviving myocardium after MI has been identified as a critical event in this process, although the underlying molecular signalling pathways of cardiac angiogenesis are mechanistically not well understood. The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs), small non-coding RNAs with 19-25 nucleotides in length, has introduced a new level of the regulation of cardiac signalling pathways. MiRNAs regulate gene expression post-transcriptionally by binding to their complementary target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and represent promising therapeutic targets for gene therapy. Here, it is shown that cardiac miR-24 is primarily expressed in cardiac endothelial cells and upregulated following MI in mice and hypoxic conditions in vitro. Enhanced miR-24 expression induces endothelial cell apoptosis and impairs endothelial capillary network formation. These effects on endothelial cell biology are at least in part mediated through targeting of transcription factor GATA2, histone deacetylase H2A.X, p21-activated kinase PAK4 and Ras p21 protein activator RASA1. Mechanistically, target repression abolishes respective and secondary downstream signalling cascades. Here it is shown that endothelial GATA2 is an important mediator of cell cycle, apoptosis and angiogenesis at least in part by regulation of cytoprotective heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1). Moreover, additional control of endothelial apoptosis is achieved by the direct miR-24 target PAK4. Its kinase function is essential for anti-apoptotic Bad phosphorylation in endothelial cells. In a mouse model of MI, blocking of endothelial miR-24 by systemic administration of a specific antagonist (antagomir) enhances capillary density in the infarcted heart and preserves cardiac function. The current findings indicate miR-24 to act as a critical regulator of endothelial cell apoptosis and angiogenesis. Modulation of miR-24 may be potentially a suitable strategy for therapeutic intervention in the setting of ischemic heart diseases.}, subject = {Herzinfarkt}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Burkard2010, author = {Burkard, Natalie}, title = {Signal{\"u}bertragungswege und Pr{\"a}ventionsm{\"o}glichkeiten der kardialen Hypertrophie : conditional overexpression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase is cardioprotective in ischemia-reperfusion}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51832}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Zusammenfassung: Wie fr{\"u}her schon gezeigt, wird der L-Typ Ca2+-Kanal durch eine induzierbare, myokardspezifische {\"U}berexpression der neuronalen Stickstoffmonoxidsynthase (nNOS) inhibiert. Gleichzeitig bewirkt diese {\"U}berexpression eine verminderte kardiale Kontraktilit{\"a}t1 (Burkard N. et al. (2007). Circ Res 100, 32-44). nNOS interagiert mit vielen verschiedenen Kompartimenten und Kan{\"a}len innerhalb der Zelle. In dieser Arbeit wurde gezeigt, dass eine nNOS {\"U}berexpression nach Isch{\"a}mie-Reperfusion kardioprotektiv wirkt. Dieses wird durch eine Inhibition der Mitochondrienfunktion und durch eine Verminderung der reaktiven Sauerstoffspezies (ROS) erm{\"o}glicht. In einer fr{\"u}heren Arbeit wurde der Effekt der induzierbaren und myokardspezifischen {\"U}berexpression von nNOS unter physiologischen Bedingungen am transgenen Tiermodell untersucht. Diese Arbeit besch{\"a}ftigt sich nun mit der {\"U}berexpression von nNOS unter pathophysiologischen (Isch{\"a}mie-Reperfusion) Bedingungen. Ein Isch{\"a}mie-Reperfusions-Schaden bewirkt bei Wildtyp-M{\"a}usen, sowie bei transgener nNOS {\"U}berexpression eine Anreicherung von nNOS in den Mitochondrien. Elektronenmikroskopische Aufnahmen von Mausmyokard haben gezeigt, dass bei {\"U}berexpression nNOS zus{\"a}tzlich in den Mitochondrien lokalisiert ist. Diese Translokation von nNOS in die Mitochondrien ist abh{\"a}ngig von HSP90. Isch{\"a}mie- Reperfusionsexperimente an isolierten M{\"a}useherzen zeigten einen kardioprotektiven Effekt der nNOS {\"U}berexpression (30min post ischemia, LVDP 27.0±2.5mmHg vs. 45.2±1.9mmHg, n=12, p<0.05). Dieser positive Effekt konnte bei der Bestimmung der Infarktgr{\"o}ße best{\"a}tigt werden. nNOS {\"u}berexprimierende M{\"a}use hatten eine kleinere Infarktgr{\"o}ße nach Isch{\"a}mie-Reperfusion (36.6±8.4 relative \% vs. 61.1±2.9 relative \%, n=8, p<0.05). Die {\"U}berexpression von nNOS bewirkte ebenfalls einen signifikanten Anstieg des mitochondrialen Nitrit-Levels, begleitet von einer Verminderung der Cytochrom C Oxidase Aktivit{\"a}t (72.0±8.9units/ml in nNOS overexpressing mice vs. 113.2±17.1units/ml in non-induced mice, n=12, p<0.01), was zu einer Hemmung der Mitochondrienfunktion f{\"u}hrt. Dementsprechend war der Sauerstoffverbrauch (gemessen an isolierten Herzmuskelstreifen) schon unter basalen Bedingungen beinNOS {\"U}berexpression vermindert (0.016±0.0015 vs. 0.024±0.006ml[O2] x mm-3 x min-1, n=13, p<0.05). Außerdem war die ROS Konzentration in Herzen von nNOS {\"u}berexprimierenden M{\"a}usen signifikant vermindert (6.14±0.685 vs. 14.53±1.7μM, n=8, p<0.01). Die Zugabe von verschiedenen Inhibitoren, Western Blot- und Aktivit{\"a}tsuntersuchungen zeigten schließlich, dass diese niedrigere ROS Konzentration durch eine verminderte Xanthin Oxidoreduktase Aktivit{\"a}t hervorgerufen wurde. Zusammenfassend hat diese Arbeit gezeigt, dass eine induzierbare und myokardspezifische {\"U}berexpression von nNOS unter pathophysiologischen Bedingungen (Isch{\"a}mie-Reperfusion) kardioprotektiv wirkt. Zus{\"a}tzlich zu der Verminderung des myokardialen Ca2+-{\"U}berschusses nach Reperfusion k{\"o}nnte dieser protektive Effekt durch eine Hemmung der Mitochondrienfunktion bedingt sein, schließlich wird der Sauerstoffverbrauch schon unter basalen Bedingungen reduziert}, subject = {Herzhypertrophie}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kehlenbrink2010, author = {Kehlenbrink, Sylvia}, title = {Inhibiting Gluconeogenesis (GNG) Prevents the Effects of Free Fatty Acids (FFA) on Hepatic Glucose Effectiveness (GE)}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-48389}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2010}, abstract = {Free fatty acids (FFA) modulate the effectiveness of glucose to suppress endogenous glucose production (EGP), and increased FFA levels contribute importantly to the loss of glucose effectiveness in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Elevating FFA levels in nondiabetic (ND) subjects for at least 6h both increases gluconeogenesis (GNG) and impairs glucose effectiveness. Therefore, we wished to define the extent to which an increase in GNG is responsible for the loss of glucose effectiveness and whether EGP can be inhibited in the presence of elevated plasma FFA by inhibiting GNG with ethanol. To determine the effect of inhibiting GNG on glucose effectiveness, EGP ([3-3H]-glucose) was measured during three separate 7h normoglycemic/hyperglycemic pancreatic clamp studies (somatostatin; basal glucagon/GH/insulin replacement) in n=7 ND subjects (1F/6M; age=45±5 yr; BMI=27.6±3.0 kg/m2). Following an initial 210 min interval of euglycemia (5 mmol/l), blood glucose levels were raised to hyperglycemic levels (10 mmol/l) from t=210-420 min. The first pancreatic clamp study was a baseline study with saline infusions (Lip-/Et-). Lipid emulsion (Liposyn 20\%) was infused throughout the second and third study types (Lip+ and Lip+/Et+) to increase FFA to T2DM levels (~ 500 mmol/l). In addition to Liposyn, ethanol (Et) was infused during hyperglycemia in the third study type (Lip+/Et+), using a pharmacokinetic algorithm to attain GNG-inhibiting ethanol levels of 80 mg/dl within 20 min. Under baseline conditions, hyperglycemia suppressed EGP by 61\%. After raising plasma FFA to T2DM levels, suppression of EGP by hyperglycemia was impaired in Lip+ (34\% decrease). During the Lip+/Et+ co-infusion studies the infusion of ethanol enhanced suppression of EGP by hyperglycemia (65.8\% decrease, P=0.004 vs. Lip+) and thus restored glucose effectiveness (P=0.6 vs. Lip-/Et-). Thus, our results confirm the striking effects of elevated plasma FFA to impair glucose effectiveness and suggest that increased GNG contributes importantly to this loss of regulation. Inhibiting GNG could be an effective means of lowering EGP and improving glucose effectiveness in T2DM.}, subject = {Gluconeogenese}, language = {en} }