@article{ShityakovDandekarFoerster2015, author = {Shityakov, Sergey and Dandekar, Thomas and F{\"o}rster, Carola}, title = {Gene expression profiles and protein-protein interaction network analysis in AIDS patients with HIV-associated encephalitis and dementia}, series = {HIV/AIDS: Research and Palliative Care}, volume = {7}, journal = {HIV/AIDS: Research and Palliative Care}, doi = {10.2147/HIV.S88438}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-149494}, pages = {265-276}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Central nervous system dysfunction is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and acquired immunodeficiency virus syndrome (AIDS). Patients with AIDS are usually affected by HIV-associated encephalitis (HIVE) with viral replication limited to cells of monocyte origin. To examine the molecular mechanisms underlying HIVE-induced dementia, the GSE4755 Affymetrix data were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the samples from AIDS patients with and without apparent features of HIVE-induced dementia were identified. In addition, protein-protein interaction networks were constructed by mapping DEGs into protein-protein interaction data to identify the pathways that these DEGs are involved in. The results revealed that the expression of 1,528 DEGs is mainly involved in the immune response, regulation of cell proliferation, cellular response to inflammation, signal transduction, and viral replication cycle. Heat-shock protein alpha, class A member 1 (HSP90AA1), and fibronectin 1 were detected as hub nodes with degree values >130. In conclusion, the results indicate that HSP90A and fibronectin 1 play important roles in HIVE pathogenesis.}, language = {en} } @article{WollbornWunderStixetal.2015, author = {Wollborn, Jakob and Wunder, Christian and Stix, Jana and Neuhaus, Winfried and Bruno, Rapahel R. and Baar, Wolfgang and Flemming, Sven and Roewer, Norbert and Schlegel, Nicolas and Schick, Martin A.}, title = {Phosphodiesterase-4 inhibition with rolipram attenuates hepatocellular injury in hyperinflammation in vivo and in vitro without influencing inflammation and HO-1 expression}, series = {Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics}, volume = {6}, journal = {Journal of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapeutics}, number = {1}, doi = {10.4103/0976-500X.149138}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-149336}, pages = {13-23}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Objective: To investigate the impact of the phophodiesterase-4 inhibition (PD-4-I) with rolipram on hepatic integrity in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced hyperinflammation. Materials and Methods: Liver microcirculation in rats was obtained using intravital microscopy. Macrohemodynamic parameters, blood assays, and organs were harvested to determine organ function and injury. Hyperinflammation was induced by LPS and PD-4-I rolipram was administered intravenously one hour after LPS application. Cell viability of HepG2 cells was measured by EZ4U-kit based on the dye XTT. Experiments were carried out assessing the influence of different concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and LPS with or without PD-4-I. Results: Untreated LPS-induced rats showed significantly decreased liver microcirculation and increased hepatic cell death, whereas LPS + PD-4-I treatment could improve hepatic volumetric flow and cell death to control level whithout influencing the inflammatory impact. In HepG2 cells TNF-α and LPS significantly reduced cell viability. Coincubation with PD-4-I increased HepG2 viability to control levels. The heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) pathway did not induce the protective effect of PD-4-I. Conclusion: Intravenous PD-4-I treatment was effective in improving hepatic microcirculation and hepatic integrity, while it had a direct protective effect on HepG2 viability during inflammation.}, language = {en} } @article{ShityakovSalvadorPastorinetal.2015, author = {Shityakov, Sergey and Salvador, Ellaine and Pastorin, Giorgia and F{\"o}rster, Carola}, title = {Blood-brain barrier transport studies, aggregation, and molecular dynamics simulation of multiwalled carbon nanotube functionalized with fluorescein isothiocyanate}, series = {International Journal of Nanomedicine}, volume = {10}, journal = {International Journal of Nanomedicine}, doi = {10.2147/IJN.S68429}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-149233}, pages = {1703-1713}, year = {2015}, abstract = {In this study, the ability of a multiwalled carbon nanotube functionalized with fluorescein isothiocyanate (MWCNT-FITC) was assessed as a prospective central nervous system-targeting drug delivery system to permeate the blood-brain barrier. The results indicated that the MWCNT-FITC conjugate is able to penetrate microvascular cerebral endothelial monolayers; its concentrations in the Transwell® system were fully equilibrated after 48 hours. Cell viability test, together with phase-contrast and fluorescence microscopies, did not detect any signs of MWCNT-FITC toxicity on the cerebral endothelial cells. These microscopic techniques also revealed presumably the intracellular localization of fluorescent MWCNT-FITCs apart from their massive nonfluorescent accumulation on the cellular surface due to nanotube lipophilic properties. In addition, the 1,000 ps molecular dynamics simulation in vacuo discovered the phenomenon of carbon nanotube aggregation driven by van der Waals forces via MWCN-TFITC rapid dissociation as an intermediate phase.}, language = {en} } @article{ShityakovPuskasPapaietal.2015, author = {Shityakov, Sergey and Pusk{\´a}s, Istv{\´a}n and P{\´a}pai, Katalin and Salvador, Ellaine and Roewer, Norbert and F{\"o}rster, Carola and Broscheit, Jens-Albert}, title = {Sevoflurane-sulfobutylether-\(\beta\)-cyclodextrin complex: preparation, characterization, cellular toxicity, molecular modeling and blood-brain barrier transport studies}, series = {Molecules}, volume = {20}, journal = {Molecules}, doi = {10.3390/molecules200610264}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148543}, pages = {10264-10279}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The objective of the present investigation was to study the ability of sulfobutylether-\(\beta\)-cyclodextrin (SBECD) to form an inclusion complex with sevoflurane (SEV), a volatile anesthetic with poor water solubility. The inclusion complex was prepared, characterized and its cellular toxicity and blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeation potential of the formulated SEV have also been examined for the purpose of controlled drug delivery. The SEV-SBE\(\beta\)CD complex was nontoxic to the primary brain microvascular endothelial (pEND) cells at a clinically relevant concentration of sevoflurane. The inclusion complex exhibited significantly higher BBB permeation profiles as compared with the reference substance (propranolol) concerning calculated apparent permeability values (P\(_{app}\)). In addition, SEV binding affinity to SBE\(\beta\)CD was confirmed by a minimal Gibbs free energy of binding (ΔG\(_{bind}\)) value of -1.727 ± 0.042 kcal・mol\(^{-1}\) and an average binding constant (K\(_{b}\)) of 53.66 ± 9.24 mM indicating rapid drug liberation from the cyclodextrin amphiphilic cavity.}, language = {en} } @article{NeuhausSchlundtFehrholzetal.2015, author = {Neuhaus, Winfried and Schlundt, Marian and Fehrholz, Markus and Ehrke, Alexander and Kunzmann, Steffen and Liebner, Stefan and Speer, Christian P. and F{\"o}rster, Carola Y.}, title = {Multiple antenatal dexamethasone treatment alters brain vessel differentiation in newborn mouse pups}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {8}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0136221}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148268}, pages = {e0136221}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Antenatal steroid treatment decreases morbidity and mortality in premature infants through the maturation of lung tissue, which enables sufficient breathing performance. However, clinical and animal studies have shown that repeated doses of glucocorticoids such as dexamethasone and betamethasone lead to long-term adverse effects on brain development. Therefore, we established a mouse model for antenatal dexamethasone treatment to investigate the effects of dexamethasone on brain vessel differentiation towards the blood-brain barrier (BBB) phenotype, focusing on molecular marker analysis. The major findings were that in total brains on postnatal day (PN) 4 triple antenatal dexamethasone treatment significantly downregulated the tight junction protein claudin-5, the endothelial marker Pecam-1/CD31, the glucocorticoid receptor, the NR1 subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, and Abc transporters (Abcb1a, Abcg2 Abcc4). Less pronounced effects were found after single antenatal dexamethasone treatment and in PN10 samples. Comparisons of total brain samples with isolated brain endothelial cells together with the stainings for Pecam-1/CD31 and claudin-5 led to the assumption that the morphology of brain vessels is affected by antenatal dexamethasone treatment at PN4. On the mRNA level markers for angiogenesis, the sonic hedgehog and the Wnt pathway were downregulated in PN4 samples, suggesting fundamental changes in brain vascularization and/or differentiation. In conclusion, we provided a first comprehensive molecular basis for the adverse effects of multiple antenatal dexamethasone treatment on brain vessel differentiation.}, language = {en} } @article{SalvadorBurekFoerster2015, author = {Salvador, Ellaine and Burek, Malgorzata and F{\"o}rster, Carola Y.}, title = {Stretch and/or oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) in an in vitro traumatic brain injury (TBI) model induces calcium alteration and inflammatory cascade}, series = {Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience}, volume = {9}, journal = {Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience}, number = {323}, doi = {10.3389/fncel.2015.00323}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-148255}, year = {2015}, abstract = {The blood-brain barrier (BBB), made up of endothelial cells of capillaries in the brain, maintains the microenvironment of the central nervous system. During ischemia and traumatic brain injury (TBI), cellular disruption leading to mechanical insult results to the BBB being compromised. Oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) is the most commonly used in vitro model for ischemia. On the other hand, stretch injury is currently being used to model TBI in vitro. In this paper, the two methods are used alone or in combination, to assess their effects on cerebrovascular endothelial cells cEND in the presence or absence of astrocytic factors. Applying severe stretch and/or OGD to cEND cells in our experiments resulted to cell swelling and distortion. Damage to the cells induced release of lactate dehydrogenase enzyme (LDH) and nitric oxide (NO) into the cell culture medium. In addition, mRNA expression of inflammatory markers interleukin (I L)-6, IL-1\(\alpha\) chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 2 (CCL2) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-\(\alpha\) also increased. These events could lead to the opening of calcium ion channels resulting to excitotoxicity. This could be demonstrated by increased calcium level in OGD-subjected cEND cells incubated with astrocyte-conditioned medium. Furthermore, reduction of cell membrane integrity decreased tight junction proteins claudin-5 and occludin expression. In addition, permeability of the endothelial cell monolayer increased. Also, since cell damage requires an increased uptake of glucose, expression of glucose transporter glut1 was found to increase at the mRNA level after OGD. Overall, the effects of OGD on cEND cells appear to be more prominent than that of stretch with regards to TJ proteins, NO, glutl expression, and calcium level. Astrocytes potentiate these effects on calcium level in cEND cells. Combining both methods to model TBI in vitro shows a promising improvement to currently available models.}, language = {en} } @article{ReinholdBattiBilbaoetal.2015, author = {Reinhold, A. K. and Batti, L. and Bilbao, D. and Buness, A. and Rittner, H. L. and Heppenstall, P. A.}, title = {Differential Transcriptional Profiling of Damaged and Intact Adjacent Dorsal Root Ganglia Neurons in Neuropathic Pain}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0123342}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143290}, pages = {e0123342}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Neuropathic pain, caused by a lesion in the somatosensory system, is a severely impairing mostly chronic disease. While its underlying molecular mechanisms are not thoroughly understood, neuroimmune interactions as well as changes in the pain pathway such as sensitization of nociceptors have been implicated. It has been shown that not only are different cell types involved in generation and maintenance of neuropathic pain, like neurons, immune and glial cells, but, also, intact adjacent neurons are relevant to the process. Here, we describe an experimental approach to discriminate damaged from intact adjacent neurons in the same dorsal root ganglion (DRG) using differential fluorescent neuronal labelling and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Two fluorescent tracers, Fluoroemerald (FE) and 1-dioctadecyl-3,3,3,3-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI), were used, whose properties allow us to distinguish between damaged and intact neurons. Subsequent sorting permitted transcriptional analysis of both groups. Results and qPCR validation show a strong regulation in damaged neurons versus contralateral controls as well as a moderate regulation in adjacent neurons. Data for damaged neurons reveal an mRNA expression pattern consistent with established upregulated genes like galanin, which supports our approach. Moreover, novel genes were found strongly regulated such as corticotropinreleasing hormone (CRH), providing novel targets for further research. Differential fluorescent neuronal labelling and sorting allows for a clear distinction between primarily damaged neuropathic neurons and "bystanders," thereby facilitating a more detailed understanding of their respective roles in neuropathic processes in the DRG.}, language = {en} } @article{KonradBurySchicketal.2015, author = {Konrad, Franziska M. and Bury, Annette and Schick, Martin A. and Ngamsri, Kristian-Christos and Reutershan, J{\"o}rg}, title = {The Unrecognized Effects of Phosphodiesterase 4 on Epithelial Cells in Pulmonary Inflammation}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0121725}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143203}, pages = {e0121725}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Acute pulmonary inflammation is characterized by migration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) into the different compartments of the lung, passing an endothelial and epithelial barrier. Recent studies showed evidence that phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4-inhibitors stabilized endothelial cells. PDE4B and PDE4D subtypes play a pivotal role in inflammation, whereas blocking PDE4D is suspected to cause gastrointestinal side effects. We thought to investigate the particular role of the PDE4-inhibitors roflumilast and rolipram on lung epithelium. Acute pulmonary inflammation was induced by inhalation of LPS. PDE4-inhibitors were administered i.p. or nebulized after inflammation. The impact of PDE4-inhibitors on PMN migration was evaluated in vivo and in vitro. Microvascular permeability, cytokine levels, and PDE4B and PDE4D expression were analyzed. In vivo, both PDE4-inhibitors decreased transendothelial and transepithelial migration even when administered after inflammation, whereas roflumilast showed a superior effect compared to rolipram on the epithelium. Both inhibitors decreased TNF\(\alpha\), IL6, and CXCL2/3. CXCL1, the strong PMN chemoattractant secreted by the epithelium, was significantly more reduced by roflumilast. In vitro assays with human epithelium also emphasized the pivotal role of roflumilast on the epithelium. Additionally, LPS-induced stress fibers, an essential requirement for a direct migration of PMNs into the alveolar space, were predominantly reduced by roflumilast. Expression of PDE4B and PDE4D were both increased in the lungs by LPS, PDE4-inhibitors decreased mainly PDE4B. The topical administration of PDE4-inhibitors was also effective in curbing down PMN migration, further highlighting the clinical potential of these compounds. In pulmonary epithelial cells, both subtypes were found coexistent around the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In these epithelial cells, LPS increased PDE4B and, to a lesser extend, PDE4D, whereas the effect of the inhibitors was prominent on the PDE4B subtype. In conclusion, we determined the pivotal role of the PDE4-inhibitor roflumilast on lung epithelium and emphasized its main effect on PDE4B in hyperinflammation.}, language = {en} } @article{KurrekMorganHowardetal.2015, author = {Kurrek, Matt M. and Morgan, Pamela and Howard, Steven and Kranke, Peter and Calhoun, Aaron and Hui, Joshua and Kiss, Alex}, title = {Simulation as a New Tool to Establish Benchmark Outcome Measures in Obstetrics}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {10}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {6}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0131064}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-151646}, pages = {e0131064}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Background There are not enough clinical data from rare critical events to calculate statistics to decide if the management of actual events might be below what could reasonably be expected (i.e. was an outlier). Objectives In this project we used simulation to describe the distribution of management times as an approach to decide if the management of a simulated obstetrical crisis scenario could be considered an outlier. Design Twelve obstetrical teams managed 4 scenarios that were previously developed. Relevant outcome variables were defined by expert consensus. The distribution of the response times from the teams who performed the respective intervention was graphically displayed and median and quartiles calculated using rank order statistics. Results Only 7 of the 12 teams performed chest compressions during the arrest following the 'cannot intubate/cannot ventilate' scenario. All other outcome measures were performed by at least 11 of the 12 teams. Calculation of medians and quartiles with 95\% CI was possible for all outcomes. Confidence intervals, given the small sample size, were large. Conclusion We demonstrated the use of simulation to calculate quantiles for management times of critical event. This approach could assist in deciding if a given performance could be considered normal and also point to aspects of care that seem to pose particular challenges as evidenced by a large number of teams not performing the expected maneuver. However sufficiently large sample sizes (i.e. from a national data base) will be required to calculate acceptable confidence intervals and to establish actual tolerance limits.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Kurrek2015, author = {Kurrek, Matthias M.}, title = {Simulation To Establish Benchmark Outcome Measures}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-143882}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Following the early experiences in aviation, medical simulation has rapidly evolved into one of the most novel educational tools of the last three decades. In addition to its use in training individuals or teams in crisis resource management, simulation has been studied as a tool to evaluate technical and non-technical skills of individuals as well as, more recently, entire medical teams. It is usually fairly difficult to obtain clinical reference data from critical events to refute claims that the management of actual events fell below what could reasonably be expected and we demonstrated the use of rank order statistics to calculate quantiles with confidence limits for management times of critical obstetrical events using data from realistic simulation. This approach could be used to describe the distribution of treatment times in order to assist in deciding what performance may constitute an outlier. It can also identify particular challenges of clinical practice and allow the development of educational curricula. While the information derived from simulation has to be interpreted with a high degree of caution for a clinical context, it may represent a further 'added value' or important step in establishing simulation as a training tool and to provide information that could be used in an appropriate clinical context for adverse events. Large amounts of data (such as from a simulation registry) would allow the calculation of acceptable confidence intervals for the required outcome parameters as well as actual tolerance limits.}, language = {en} }