@article{BlaettnerDasPaprotkaetal.2016,
author = {Bl{\"a}ttner, Sebastian and Das, Sudip and Paprotka, Kerstin and Eilers, Ursula and Krischke, Markus and Kretschmer, Dorothee and Remmele, Christian W. and Dittrich, Marcus and M{\"u}ller, Tobias and Schuelein-Voelk, Christina and Hertlein, Tobias and Mueller, Martin J. and Huettel, Bruno and Reinhardt, Richard and Ohlsen, Knut and Rudel, Thomas and Fraunholz, Martin J.},
title = {Staphylococcus aureus Exploits a Non-ribosomal Cyclic Dipeptide to Modulate Survival within Epithelial Cells and Phagocytes},
series = {PLoS Pathogens},
volume = {12},
journal = {PLoS Pathogens},
number = {9},
doi = {10.1371/journal.ppat.1005857},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-180380},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Community-acquired (CA) Staphylococcus aureus cause various diseases even in healthy individuals. Enhanced virulence of CA-strains is partly attributed to increased production of toxins such as phenol-soluble modulins (PSM). The pathogen is internalized efficiently by mammalian host cells and intracellular S. aureus has recently been shown to contribute to disease. Upon internalization, cytotoxic S. aureus strains can disrupt phagosomal membranes and kill host cells in a PSM-dependent manner. However, PSM are not sufficient for these processes. Here we screened for factors required for intracellular S. aureus virulence. We infected escape reporter host cells with strains from an established transposon mutant library and detected phagosomal escape rates using automated microscopy. We thereby, among other factors, identified a non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) to be required for efficient phagosomal escape and intracellular survival of S. aureus as well as induction of host cell death. By genetic complementation as well as supplementation with the synthetic NRPS product, the cyclic dipeptide phevalin, wild-type phenotypes were restored. We further demonstrate that the NRPS is contributing to virulence in a mouse pneumonia model. Together, our data illustrate a hitherto unrecognized function of the S. aureus NRPS and its dipeptide product during S. aureus infection.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ZahnertLoewenheimBeutneretal.2016,
author = {Zahnert, Thomas and L{\"o}wenheim, Hubert and Beutner, Dirk and Hagen, Rudolf and Ernst, Arneborg and Pau, Hans-Wilhelm and Zehlicke, Thorsten and K{\"u}hne, Hilke and Friese, Natascha and Tropitzsch, Anke and L{\"u}ers, Jan-Christoffer and Mlynski, Robert and Todt, Ingo and H{\"u}ttenbrink, Karl-Bernd},
title = {Multicenter Clinical Trial of Vibroplasty Couplers to Treat Mixed/Conductive Hearing Loss: First Results},
series = {Audiology and Neurotology},
volume = {21},
journal = {Audiology and Neurotology},
number = {4},
issn = {1420-3030},
doi = {10.1159/000444616},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-199129},
pages = {212-222},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Objective: To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of round window (RW), oval window (OW), CliP and Bell couplers for use with an active middle ear implant. Methods: This is a multicenter, long-term, prospective trial with consecutive enrollment, involving 6 university hospitals in Germany. Bone conduction, air conduction, implant-aided warble-tone thresholds and Freiburger monosyllable word recognition scores were compared with unaided preimplantation results in 28 moderate-to-profound hearing-impaired patients after 12 months of follow-up. All patients had previously undergone failed reconstruction surgeries (up to 5 or more). In a subset of patients, additional speech tests at 12 months postoperatively were used to compare the aided with the unaided condition after implantation with the processor switched off. An established quality-of-life questionnaire for hearing aids was used to determine patient satisfaction. Results: Postoperative bone conduction remained stable. Mean functional gain for all couplers was 37 dB HL (RW = 42 dB, OW = 35 dB, Bell = 38 dB, CliP = 27 dB). The mean postoperative Freiburger monosyllable score was 71\% at 65 dB SPL. The postimplantation mean SRT50 (speech reception in quiet for 50\% understanding of words in sentences) improved on average by 23 dB over unaided testing and signal-to-noise ratios also improved in all patients. The International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA)quality-of-life questionnaire was scored very positively by all patients. Conclusion: A significant improvement was seen with all couplers, and patients were satisfied with the device at 12 months postoperatively. These results demonstrate that an active implant is an advantage in achieving good hearing benefit in patients with prior failed reconstruction surgery.},
language = {en}
}
@article{SchmidSteinleinWinking2016,
author = {Schmid, Michael and Steinlein, Claus and Winking, Heinz},
title = {Multicolor Spectral Analyses of Mitotic and Meiotic Mouse Chromosomes Involved in Multiple Robertsonian Translocations. I. The CD/Cremona Hybrid Strain},
series = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
volume = {147},
journal = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
number = {4},
issn = {1424-8581},
doi = {10.1159/000444597},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-199013},
pages = {253-259},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Multicolor spectral analysis (spectral karyotyping) was applied to mitotic and male diakinetic chromosomes of hybrid mice carrying a unique system of 18 autosomal Robertsonian translocation chromosomes with alternating arm homologies. Only the autosomes 19 and the XY sex chromosomes are excluded from these Robertsonian translocations. The translocations, previously identified by conventional banding analyses, could be verified by spectral karyotyping. Besides the Robertsonian translocations, no other interchromosomal rearrangements were detected. In diakineses of male meiosis, the 18 metacentric Robertsonian translocation chromosomes form a very large meiotic 'superring'. The predictable, specific order of the chromosomes along this 'superring' was completely confirmed by multicolor spectral analysis. In the majority of diakineses analyzed, the free autosomal bivalent 19 and the XY sex bivalent form a conspicuous complex which tightly associates with the 12;14 Robertsonian translocation chromosome in the 'superring'.},
language = {en}
}
@article{SchmidSteinlein2016,
author = {Schmid, Michael and Steinlein, Claus},
title = {Chromosome Banding in Amphibia. XXXIII. Demonstration of 5-Methylcytosine-Rich Heterochromatin in Anura},
series = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
volume = {148},
journal = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
number = {1},
issn = {1424-8581},
doi = {10.1159/000446141},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-199022},
pages = {35-43},
year = {2016},
abstract = {An experimental approach using monoclonal anti-5-methylcytosine (5-MeC) antibodies and indirect immunofluorescence was elaborated for detecting 5-MeC-rich chromosome regions in anuran chromosomes. This technique was applied to mitotic metaphases of 6 neotropical frog species belonging to 6 genera and 4 families. The hypermethylation patterns were compared with a variety of banding patterns obtained by conventional banding techniques. The hypermethylated DNA sequences are species-specific and located exclusively in constitutive heterochromatin. They are found in centromeric, pericentromeric, telomeric, and interstitial positions of the chromosomes and adjacent to nucleolus organizer regions. 5-MeC-rich DNA sequences can be embedded both in AT- and GC-rich repetitive DNA. The experimental parameters that have major influence on the reproducibility and quality of the anti-5-MeC antibody labeling are discussed.},
language = {en}
}
@article{DenglerMaldanerGlaeskeretal.2016,
author = {Dengler, Julius and Maldaner, Nicolai and Gl{\"a}sker, Sven and Endres, Matthias and Wagner, Martin and Malzahn, Uwe and Heuschmann, Peter U. and Vajkoczy, Peter},
title = {Outcome of Surgical or Endovascular Treatment of Giant Intracranial Aneurysms, with Emphasis on Age, Aneurysm Location, and Unruptured Aneuryms - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis},
series = {Cerebrovascular Diseases},
volume = {41},
journal = {Cerebrovascular Diseases},
number = {3-4},
organization = {Giant Intracranial Aneurysm Study Group},
issn = {1015-9770},
doi = {10.1159/000443485},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196792},
pages = {187-198},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background: Designing treatment strategies for unruptured giant intracranial aneurysms (GIA) is difficult as evidence of large clinical trials is lacking. We examined the outcome following surgical or endovascular GIA treatment focusing on patient age, GIA location and unruptured GIA. Methods: Medline and Embase were searched for studies reporting on GIA treatment outcome published after January 2000. We calculated the proportion of good outcome (PGO) for all included GIA and for unruptured GIA by meta-analysis using a random effects model. Results: We included 54 studies containing 64 study populations with 1,269 GIA at a median follow-up time (FU-T) of 26.4 months (95\% CI 10.8-42.0). PGO was 80.9\% (77.4-84.4) in the analysis of all GIA compared to 81.2\% (75.3-86.1) in the separate analysis of unruptured GIA. For each year added to patient age, PGO decreased by 0.8\%, both for all GIA and unruptured GIA. For all GIA, surgical treatment resulted in a PGO of 80.3\% (95\% CI 76.0-84.6) compared to 84.2\% (78.5-89.8, p = 0.27) after endovascular treatment. In unruptured GIA, PGO was 79.7\% (95\% CI 71.5-87.8) after surgical treatment and 84.9\% (79.1-90.7, p = 0.54) after endovascular treatment. PGO was lower in high quality studies and in studies presenting aggregate instead of individual patient data. In unruptured GIA, the OR for good treatment outcome was 5.2 (95\% CI 2.0-13.0) at the internal carotid artery compared to 0.1 (0.1-0.3, p < 0.1) in the posterior circulation. Patient sex, FU-T and prevalence of ruptured GIA were not associated with PGO. Conclusions: We found that the chances of good outcome after surgical or endovascular GIA treatment mainly depend on patient age and aneurysm location rather than on the type of treatment conducted. Our analysis may inform future research on GIA.},
language = {en}
}
@article{AlmanzarKleinSchmalzingetal.2016,
author = {Almanzar, Giovanni and Klein, Matthias and Schmalzing, Marc and Hilligardt, Deborah and El Hajj, Nady and Kneitz, Hermann and Wild, Vanessa and Rosenwald, Andreas and Benoit, Sandrine and Hamm, Henning and Tony, Hans-Peter and Haaf, Thomas and Goebeler, Matthias and Prelog, Martina},
title = {Disease Manifestation and Inflammatory Activity as Modulators of Th17/Treg Balance and RORC/FoxP3 Methylation in Systemic Sclerosis},
series = {International Archives of Allergy and Immunology},
volume = {171},
journal = {International Archives of Allergy and Immunology},
number = {2},
issn = {1018-2438},
doi = {10.1159/000450949},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196577},
pages = {141-154},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background: There is much evidence that T cells are strongly involved in the pathogenesis of localized and systemic forms of scleroderma (SSc). A dysbalance between FoxP3+ regulatory CD4+ T cells (Tregs) and inflammatory T-helper (Th) 17 cells has been suggested. Methods: The study aimed (1) to investigate the phenotypical and functional characteristics of Th17 and Tregs in SSc patients depending on disease manifestation (limited vs. diffuse cutaneous SSc, dcSSc) and activity, and (2) the transcriptional level and methylation status of Th17- and Treg-specific transcription factors. Results: There was a concurrent accumulation of circulating peripheral IL-17-producing CCR6+ Th cells and FoxP3+ Tregs in patients with dcSSc. At the transcriptional level, Th17- and Treg-associated transcription factors were elevated in SSc. A strong association with high circulating Th17 and Tregs was seen with early, active, and severe disease presentation. However, a diminished suppressive function on autologous lymphocytes was found in SSc-derived Tregs. Significant relative hypermethylation was seen at the gene level for RORC1 and RORC2 in SSc, particularly in patients with high inflammatory activity. Conclusions: Besides the high transcriptional activity of T cells, attributed to Treg or Th17 phenotype, in active SSc disease, Tregs may be insufficient to produce high amounts of IL-10 or to control proliferative activity of effector T cells in SSc. Our results suggest a high plasticity of Tregs strongly associated with the Th17 phenotype. Future directions may focus on enhancing Treg functions and stabilization of the Treg phenotype.},
language = {en}
}
@article{SchmidSteinlein2016,
author = {Schmid, Michael and Steinlein, Claus},
title = {Chromosome Banding in Amphibia. XXXIV. Intrachromosomal Telomeric DNA Sequences in Anura},
series = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
volume = {148},
journal = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
number = {2-3},
issn = {1424-8581},
doi = {10.1159/000446298},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196693},
pages = {211-226},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The mitotic chromosomes of 4 anuran species were examined by various classical banding techniques and by fluorescence in situ hybridization using a (TTAGGG)\(_n\) repeat. Large intrachromosomal telomeric sequences (ITSs) were demonstrated in differing numbers and chromosome locations. A detailed comparison of the present results with numerous published and unpublished data allowed a consistent classification of the various categories of large ITSs present in the genomes of anurans and other vertebrates. The classification takes into consideration the total numbers of large ITSs in the karyotypes, their chromosomal locations and their specific distribution patterns. A new category of large ITSs was recognized to exist in anuran species. It consists of large clusters of ITSs located in euchromatic chromosome segments, which is in clear contrast to the large ITSs in heterochromatic chromosome regions known in vertebrates. The origin of the different categories of large ITSs in heterochromatic and euchromatic chromosome regions, their mode of distribution in the karyotypes and evolutionary fixation in the genomes, as well as their cytological detection are discussed.},
language = {en}
}
@article{SchmidSteinleinLombetal.2016,
author = {Schmid, Michael and Steinlein, Claus and Lomb, Christian and Sperling, Karl and Neitzel, Heidemarie},
title = {5-Methylcytosine-Rich Heterochromatin in the Indian Muntjac},
series = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
volume = {147},
journal = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
number = {4},
issn = {1424-8581},
doi = {10.1159/000444431},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196701},
pages = {240-246},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Two 5-methylcytosine (5-MeC)-rich heterochromatic regions were demonstrated in metaphase chromosomes of the Indian muntjac by indirect immunofluorescence using a monoclonal anti-5-MeC antibody. The metaphases were obtained from diploid and triploid cell lines. A major region is located in the 'neck' of the 3;X fusion chromosome and can be detected after denaturation of the chromosomal DNA with UV-light irradiation for 1 h. It is located exactly at the border of the X chromosome and the translocated autosome 3. A minor region is found in the centromeric region of the free autosome 3 after denaturing the chromosomal DNA for 3 h or longer. The structure and possible function of the major hypermethylated region as barrier against spreading of the X-inactivation process into the autosome 3 is discussed.},
language = {en}
}
@article{SchmidSteinleinYanoetal.2016,
author = {Schmid, Michael and Steinlein, Claus and Yano, Cassia F. and Cioffi, Marcelo B.},
title = {Hypermethylated Chromosome Regions in Nine Fish Species with Heteromorphic Sex Chromosomes},
series = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
volume = {147},
journal = {Cytogenetic and Genome Research},
number = {2-3},
issn = {1424-8581},
doi = {10.1159/000444067},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196710},
pages = {169-178},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Sites and amounts of 5-methylcytosine (5-MeC)-rich chromosome regions were detected in the karyotypes of 9 Brazilian species of Characiformes fishes by indirect immunofluorescence using a monoclonal anti-5-MeC antibody. These species, belonging to the genera Leporinus, Triportheus and Hoplias, are characterized by highly differentiated and heteromorphic ZW and XY sex chromosomes. In all species, the hypermethylated regions are confined to constitutive heterochromatin. The number and chromosome locations of hypermethylated heterochromatic regions in the karyotypes are constant and species-specific. Generally, heterochromatic regions that are darkly stained by the C-banding technique are distinctly hypermethylated, but several of the brightly fluorescing hypermethylated regions merely exhibit moderate or faint C-banding. The ZW and XY sex chromosomes of all 9 analyzed species also show species-specific heterochromatin hypermethylation patterns. The analysis of 5-MeC-rich chromosome regions contributes valuable data for comparative cytogenetics of closely related species and highlights the dynamic process of differentiation operating in the repetitive DNA fraction of sex chromosomes.},
language = {en}
}
@article{VaiopoulosKanakisKapsimalietal.2016,
author = {Vaiopoulos, Aristeidis G. and Kanakis, Meletios A. and Kapsimali, Violetta and Vaiopoulos, Georgios and Kaklamanis, Phedon G. and Zouboulis, Christos C.},
title = {Juvenile Adamantiades-Beh{\c{c}}et disease},
series = {Dermatology},
volume = {232},
journal = {Dermatology},
number = {2},
issn = {1018-8665},
doi = {10.1159/000442667},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196616},
pages = {129 -- 136},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Adamantiades-Beh{\c{c}}et disease (ABD) is a chronic, multisystemic, recurrent, inflammatory vascular disorder of unknown etiology. Patients with symptoms initially appearing at the age of 16 or less are considered as cases of juvenile-onset ABD (JABD). JABD is relatively rare compared to ABD of adults, and only case reports and case studies have been published regarding this subtype of the disease. Epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of JABD are discussed in this review.},
language = {en}
}
@article{VermaSteinbacherSchmiedeletal.2016,
author = {Verma, Pramod Kumar and Steinbacher, Andreas and Schmiedel, Alexander and Nuernberger, Patrick and Brixner, Tobias},
title = {Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer of 2-acetylindan-1,3-dione studied by ultrafast absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy},
series = {Structural Dynamics},
volume = {3},
journal = {Structural Dynamics},
doi = {10.1063/1.4937363},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-181301},
year = {2016},
abstract = {We employ transient absorption from the deep-UV to the visible region and fluorescence upconversion to investigate the photoinduced excited-state intramolecular proton-transfer dynamics in a biologically relevant drug molecule, 2-acetylindan-1,3-dione. The molecule is a ß-diketone which in the electronic ground state exists as exocyclic enol with an intramolecular H-bond. Upon electronic excitation at 300 nm, the first excited state of the exocyclic enol is initially populated, followed by ultrafast proton transfer (≈160 fs) to form the vibrationally hot endocyclic enol. Subsequently, solvent-induced vibrational relaxation takes place (≈10 ps) followed by decay (≈390 ps) to the corresponding ground state.},
language = {en}
}
@article{MuenstThierWinnemoelleretal.2016,
author = {M{\"u}nst, Bernhard and Thier, Marc Christian and Winnem{\"o}ller, Dirk and Helfen, Martina and Thummer, Rajkumar P. and Edenhofer, Frank},
title = {Nanog induces suppression of senescence through downregulation of p27\(^{KIP1}\) expression},
series = {Journal of Cell Science},
volume = {129},
journal = {Journal of Cell Science},
number = {5},
doi = {10.1242/jcs.167932},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190761},
pages = {912-920},
year = {2016},
abstract = {A comprehensive analysis of the molecular network of cellular factors establishing and maintaining pluripotency as well as self renewal of pluripotent stem cells is key for further progress in understanding basic stem cell biology. Nanog is necessary for the natural induction of pluripotency in early mammalian development but dispensable for both its maintenance and its artificial induction. To gain further insight into the molecular activity of Nanog, we analyzed the outcomes of Nanog gain-of-function in various cell models employing a recently developed biologically active recombinant cell-permeant protein, Nanog-TAT. We found that Nanog enhances the proliferation of both NIH 3T3 and primary fibroblast cells. Nanog transduction into primary fibroblasts results in suppression of senescence-associated beta-galactosidase activity. Investigation of cell cycle factors revealed that transient activation of Nanog correlates with consistent downregulation of the cell cycle inhibitor p27\(^{KIP1}\) (also known as CDKN1B). By performing chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis, we confirmed bona fide Nanog-binding sites upstream of the p27\(^{KIP1}\) gene, establishing a direct link between physical occupancy and functional regulation. Our data demonstrates that Nanog enhances proliferation of fibroblasts through transcriptional regulation of cell cycle inhibitor p27 gene.},
language = {en}
}
@article{EhnertParsaRoperetal.2016,
author = {Ehnert, Ina and Parsa, Sepideh and Roper, Ian and Wagner, Marcus and Muller-Camen, Michael},
title = {Reporting on sustainability and HRM: a comparative study of sustainability reporting practices by the world's largest companies},
series = {International Journal of Human Resource Management},
volume = {27},
journal = {International Journal of Human Resource Management},
number = {1},
doi = {10.1080/09585192.2015.1024157},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-191141},
pages = {88-108},
year = {2016},
abstract = {As a response to the growing public awareness on the importance of organisational contributions to sustainable development, there is an increased incentive for corporations to report on their sustainability activities. In parallel with this has been the development of Sustainable HRM' which embraces a growing body of practitioner and academic literature connecting the notions of corporate sustainability to HRM. The aim of this article is to analyse corporate sustainability reporting amongst the world's largest companies and to assess the HRM aspects of sustainability within these reports in comparison to environmental aspects of sustainable management and whether organisational attributes - principally country-of-origin - influences the reporting of such practices. A focus in this article is the extent to which the reporting of various aspects of sustainability may reflect dominant models of corporate governance in the country in which a company is headquartered. The findings suggest, first and against expectations, that the overall disclosure on HRM-related performance is not lower than that on environmental performance. Second, companies report more on their internal workforce compared to their external workforce. Finally, international differences, in particular those between companies headquartered in liberal market economies and coordinated market economies, are not as apparent as expected.},
language = {en}
}
@article{DaryaeeChangSchiebeletal.2016,
author = {Daryaee, Fereidoon and Chang, Andrew and Schiebel, Johannes and Lu, Yang and Zhang, Zhuo and Kapilashrami, Kanishk and Walker, Stephen G. and Kisker, Caroline and Sotriffer, Christoph A. and Fisher, Stewart L. and Tonge, Peter J.},
title = {Correlating drug-target kinetics and in vivo pharmacodynamics: long residence time inhibitors of the FabI enoyl-ACP reductase},
series = {Chemical Science},
volume = {7},
journal = {Chemical Science},
number = {9},
doi = {10.1039/c6sc01000h},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-191218},
pages = {5945-5954},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Drug-target kinetics enable time-dependent changes in target engagement to be quantified as a function of drug concentration. When coupled to drug pharmacokinetics (PK), drug-target kinetics can thus be used to predict in vivo pharmacodynamics (PD). Previously we described a mechanistic PK/PD model that successfully predicted the antibacterial activity of an LpxC inhibitor in a model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. In the present work we demonstrate that the same approach can be used to predict the in vivo activity of an enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI) inhibitor in a model of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. This is significant because the LpxC inhibitors are cidal, whereas the FabI inhibitors are static. In addition P. aeruginosa is a Gram-negative organism whereas MRSA is Gram-positive. Thus this study supports the general applicability of our modeling approach across antibacterial space.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ElHajjDittrichBoecketal.2016,
author = {El Hajj, Nady and Dittrich, Marcus and B{\"o}ck, Julia and Kraus, Theo F. J. and Nanda, Indrajit and M{\"u}ller, Tobias and Seidmann, Larissa and Tralau, Tim and Galetzka, Danuta and Schneider, Eberhard and Haaf, Thomas},
title = {Epigenetic dysregulation in the developing Down syndrome cortex},
series = {Epigenetics},
volume = {11},
journal = {Epigenetics},
number = {8},
doi = {10.1080/15592294.2016.1192736},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-191239},
pages = {563-578},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Using Illumina 450K arrays, 1.85\% of all analyzed CpG sites were significantly hypermethylated and 0.31\% hypomethylated in fetal Down syndrome (DS) cortex throughout the genome. The methylation changes on chromosome 21 appeared to be balanced between hypo- and hyper-methylation, whereas, consistent with prior reports, all other chromosomes showed 3-11times more hyper- than hypo-methylated sites. Reduced NRSF/REST expression due to upregulation of DYRK1A (on chromosome 21q22.13) and methylation of REST binding sites during early developmental stages may contribute to this genome-wide excess of hypermethylated sites. Upregulation of DNMT3L (on chromosome 21q22.4) could lead to de novo methylation in neuroprogenitors, which then persists in the fetal DS brain where DNMT3A and DNMT3B become downregulated. The vast majority of differentially methylated promoters and genes was hypermethylated in DS and located outside chromosome 21, including the protocadherin gamma (PCDHG) cluster on chromosome 5q31, which is crucial for neural circuit formation in the developing brain. Bisulfite pyrosequencing and targeted RNA sequencing showed that several genes of PCDHG subfamilies A and B are hypermethylated and transcriptionally downregulated in fetal DS cortex. Decreased PCDHG expression is expected to reduce dendrite arborization and growth in cortical neurons. Since constitutive hypermethylation of PCDHG and other genes affects multiple tissues, including blood, it may provide useful biomarkers for DS brain development and pharmacologic targets for therapeutic interventions.},
language = {en}
}
@article{BratengeierHolubyev2016,
author = {Bratengeier, Klaus and Holubyev, Kostyantyn},
title = {Anisotropy of dose contributions-an instrument to upgrade real time IMRT and VMAT adaptation?},
series = {Medical Physics},
volume = {43},
journal = {Medical Physics},
number = {11},
doi = {10.1118/1.4963806},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-186833},
pages = {5826-5834},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Purpose: To suggest a definition of dose deposition anisotropy for the purpose of ad hoc adaptation of intensity modulated arc therapy (IMRT) and volumetric arc therapy (VMAT), particularly in the vicinity of important organs at risk (OAR), also for large deformations. Methods: Beam's-eye-view (BEV) based fluence warping is a standard adaptation method with disadvantages for strongly varying OAR shapes. 2-Step-adaptation overcomes these difficulties by a deeper analysis of the 3D properties of adaptation processes, but requires separate arcs for every OAR to spare, which makes it impractical for cases with multiple OARs. The authors aim to extend the 2-Step method to arbitrary intensity modulated plan by analyzing the anisotropy of dose contributions. Anisotropy was defined as a second term of Fourier transformation of gantry angle dependent dose contributions. For a cylindrical planning target volume (PTV) surrounding an OAR of varying diameter, the anisotropy and the dose-normalized anisotropy were analyzed for several scenarios of optimized fluence distributions. 2-Step adaptation to decreasing and increasing OAR diameter was performed, and compared to a usual fluence based adaptation method. For two clinical cases, prostate and neck, the VMAT was generated and the behavior of anisotropy was qualitatively explored for deformed organs at risk. \# Results: Dose contribution anisotropy in the PTV peaks around nearby OARs. The thickness of the "anisotropy wall" around OAR increases for increasing OAR radius, as also does the width of 2-Step dose saturating fluence peak adjacent to the OAR K. Bratengeier et al., "A comparison between 2-Step IMRT and conventional IMRT planning," Radiother. Oncol. 84, 298-306 (2007)]. Different optimized beam fluence profiles resulted in comparable radial dependence of normalized anisotropy. As predicted, even for patient cases, anisotropy was inflated even more than increasing diameters of OAR. Conclusions: For cylindrically symmetric cases, the dose distribution anisotropy defined in the present work implicitly contains adaptation-relevant information about 3D relationships between PTV and OAR and degree of OAR sparing. For more complex realistic cases, it shows the predicted behavior qualitatively. The authors claim to have found a first component for advancing a 2-Step adaptation to a universal adaptation algorithm based on the BEV projection of the dose anisotropy. Further planning studies to explore the potential of anisotropy for adaptation algorithms using phantoms and clinical cases of differing complexity will follow.},
language = {en}
}
@article{DotterweichSchlegelmilchKelleretal.2016,
author = {Dotterweich, Julia and Schlegelmilch, Katrin and Keller, Alexander and Geyer, Beate and Schneider, Doris and Zeck, Sabine and Tower, Robert J. J. and Ebert, Regina and Jakob, Franz and Sch{\"u}tze, Norbert},
title = {Contact of myeloma cells induces a characteristic transcriptome signature in skeletal precursor cells-implications for myeloma bone disease},
series = {Bone},
volume = {93},
journal = {Bone},
doi = {10.1016/j.bone.2016.08.006},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-186688},
pages = {155-166},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Physical interaction of skeletal precursors with multiple myeloma cells has been shown to suppress their osteogenic potential while favoring their tumor-promoting features. Although several transcriptome analyses of myeloma patient-derived mesenchymal stem cells have displayed differences compared to their healthy counterparts, these analyses insufficiently reflect the signatures mediated by tumor cell contact, vary due to different methodologies, and lack results in lineage-committed precursors. To determine tumor cell contact-mediated changes on skeletal precursors, we performed transcriptome analyses of mesenchymal stem cells and osteogenic precursor cells cultured in contact with the myeloma cell line INA-6. Comparative analyses confirmed dysregulation of genes which code for known disease-relevant factors and additionally revealed upregulation of genes that are associated with plasma cell homing, adhesion, osteoclastogenesis, and angiogenesis. Osteoclast-derived coupling factors, a dysregulated adipogenic potential, and an imbalance in favor of anti-anabolic factors may play a role in the hampered osteoblast differentiation potential of mesenchymal stem cells. Angiopoietin-Like 4 (ANGPTL4) was selected from a list of differentially expressed genes as a myeloma cell contact-dependent target in skeletal precursor cells which warranted further functional analyses. Adhesion assays with full-length ANGPTL4-coated plates revealed a potential role of this protein in INA6 cell attachment. This study expands knowledge of the myeloma cell contact-induced signature in the stromal compartment of myelomatous bones and thus offers potential targets that may allow detection and treatment of myeloma bone disease at an early stage.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ScharawIskarOrietal.2016,
author = {Scharaw, Sandra and Iskar, Murat and Ori, Alessandro and Boncompain, Gaelle and Laketa, Vibor and Poser, Ina and Lundberg, Emma and Perez, Franck and Beck, Martin and Bork, Peer and Pepperkok, Rainer},
title = {The endosomal transcriptional regulator RNF11 integrates degradation and transport of EGFR},
series = {Journal of Cell Biology},
volume = {215},
journal = {Journal of Cell Biology},
number = {4},
doi = {10.1083/jcb.201601090},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-186731},
pages = {543-558},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Stimulation of cells with epidermal growth factor (EGF) induces internalization and partial degradation of the EGF receptor (EGFR) by the endo-lysosomal pathway. For continuous cell functioning, EGFR plasma membrane levels are maintained by transporting newly synthesized EGFRs to the cell surface. The regulation of this process is largely unknown. In this study, we find that EGF stimulation specifically increases the transport efficiency of newly synthesized EGFRs from the endoplasmic reticulum to the plasma membrane. This coincides with an up-regulation of the inner coat protein complex II (COP II) components SEC23B, SEC24B, and SEC24D, which we show to be specifically required for EGFR transport. Up-regulation of these COP II components requires the transcriptional regulator RNF11, which localizes to early endosomes and appears additionally in the cell nucleus upon continuous EGF stimulation. Collectively, our work identifies a new regulatory mechanism that integrates the degradation and transport of EGFR in order to maintain its physiological levels at the plasma membrane.},
language = {en}
}
@article{DekantBridges2016,
author = {Dekant, Wolfgang and Bridges, James},
title = {Assessment of reproductive and developmental effects of DINP, DnHP and DCHP using quantitative weight of evidence},
series = {Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology},
volume = {81},
journal = {Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology},
doi = {10.1016/j.yrtph.2016.09.032},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-186750},
pages = {397-406},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Quantitative weight of evidence (QWoE) methodology utilizes detailed scoring sheets to assess the quality/reliability of each publication on toxicity of a chemical and gives numerical scores for quality and observed toxicity. This QWoE-methodology was applied to the reproductive toxicity data on diisononylphthalate (DINP), di-n-hexylphthalate (DnHP), and dicyclohexylphthalate (DCHP) to determine if the scientific evidence for adverse effects meets the requirements for classification as reproductive toxicants. The scores for DINP were compared to those when applying the methodology DCHP and DnHP that have harmonized classifications. Based on the quality/reliability scores, application of the QWoE shows that the three databases are of similar quality; but effect scores differ widely. Application of QWoE to DINP studies resulted in an overall score well below the benchmark required to trigger classification. For DCHP, the QWoE also results in low scores. The high scores from the application of the QWoE methodology to the toxicological data for DnHP represent clear evidence for adverse effects and justify a classification of DnHP as category 1B for both development and fertility. The conclusions on classification based on the QWoE are well supported using a narrative assessment of consistency and biological plausibility.},
language = {en}
}
@article{MuenchHsinFerberetal.2016,
author = {M{\"u}nch, Miriam and Hsin, Chih-Hsuan and Ferber, Elena and Berger, Susanne and M{\"u}ller, Martin J.},
title = {Reactive electrophilic oxylipins trigger a heat stress-like response through HSFA1 transcription factors},
series = {Journal of Experimental Botany},
volume = {67},
journal = {Journal of Experimental Botany},
number = {21},
doi = {10.1093/jxb/erw376},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-186766},
pages = {6139-6148},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Electrophilic oxylipins trigger a heat-shock-like response in the absence of heat through the canonical heat-shock transcription factor A1, thereby helping to cope with stresses associated with protein damage.Abiotic and biotic stresses are often characterized by an induction of reactive electrophile species (RES) such as the jasmonate 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA) or the structurally related phytoprostanes. Previously, RES oxylipins have been shown massively to induce heat-shock-response (HSR) genes including HSP101 chaperones. Moreover, jasmonates have been reported to play a role in basal thermotolerance. We show that representative HSR marker genes are strongly induced by RES oxylipins through the four master regulator transcription factors HSFA1a, b, d, and e essential for short-term adaptation to heat stress in Arabidopsis. When compared with Arabidopsis seedlings treated at the optimal acclimation temperature of 37 A degrees C, the exogenous application of RES oxylipins at 20 A degrees C induced a much weaker induction of HSP101 at both the gene and protein expression levels which, however, was not sufficient to confer short-term acquired thermotolerance. Moreover, jasmonate-deficient mutant lines displayed a wild-type-like HSR and were not compromised in acquiring thermotolerance. Hence, the OPDA- and RES oxylipin-induced HSR is not sufficient to protect seedlings from severe heat stress but may help plants to cope better with stresses associated with protein unfolding by inducing a battery of chaperones in the absence of heat.},
language = {en}
}
@article{JoensuuAltimirHakolaetal.2016,
author = {Joensuu, Johanna and Altimir, Nuria and Hakola, Hannele and Rost{\´a}s, Michael and Raivonen, Maarit and Vestenius, Mika and Aaltonen, Hermanni and Riederer, Markus and B{\"a}ck, Jaana},
title = {Role of needle surface waxes in dynamic exchange of mono- and sesquiterpenes},
series = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
volume = {16},
journal = {Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics},
number = {12},
doi = {10.5194/acp-2015-1024},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171324},
pages = {7813-7823},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) produced by plants have a major role in atmospheric chemistry. The different physicochemical properties of BVOCs affect their transport within and out of the plant as well as their reactions along the way. Some of these compounds may accumulate in or on the waxy surface layer of conifer needles and participate in chemical reactions on or near the foliage surface. The aim of this work was to determine whether terpenes, a key category of BVOCs produced by trees, can be found on the epicuticles of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and, if so, how they compare with the terpenes found in shoot emissions of the same tree. We measured shoot-level emissions of pine seedlings at a remote outdoor location in central Finland and subsequently analysed the needle surface waxes for the same compounds. Both emissions and wax extracts were clearly dominated by monoterpenes, but the proportion of sesquiterpenes was higher in the wax extracts. There were also differences in the terpene spectra of the emissions and the wax extracts. The results, therefore, support the existence of BVOC associated to the epicuticular waxes. We briefly discuss the different pathways for terpenes to reach the needle surfaces and the implications for air chemistry.},
language = {en}
}
@article{LorenzBhattacharyyaFeileretal.2016,
author = {Lorenz, Sonja and Bhattacharyya, Moitrayee and Feiler, Christian and Rape, Michael and Kuriyan, John},
title = {Crystal Structure of a Ube2S-Ubiquitin Conjugate},
series = {PLoS ONE},
volume = {11},
journal = {PLoS ONE},
number = {2},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0147550},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167265},
pages = {e0147550},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Protein ubiquitination occurs through the sequential formation and reorganization of specific protein-protein interfaces. Ubiquitin-conjugating (E2) enzymes, such as Ube2S, catalyze the formation of an isopeptide linkage between the C-terminus of a "donor" ubiquitin and a primary amino group of an "acceptor" ubiquitin molecule. This reaction involves an intermediate, in which the C-terminus of the donor ubiquitin is thioester-bound to the active site cysteine of the E2 and a functionally important interface is formed between the two proteins. A docked model of a Ube2S-donor ubiquitin complex was generated previously, based on chemical shift mapping by NMR, and predicted contacts were validated in functional studies. We now present the crystal structure of a covalent Ube2S-ubiquitin complex. The structure contains an interface between Ube2S and ubiquitin in trans that resembles the earlier model in general terms, but differs in detail. The crystallographic interface is more hydrophobic than the earlier model and is stable in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Remarkably, the docked Ube2S-donor complex converges readily to the configuration seen in the crystal structure in 3 out of 8 MD trajectories. Since the crystallographic interface is fully consistent with mutational effects, this indicates that the structure provides an energetically favorable representation of the functionally critical Ube2S-donor interface.},
language = {en}
}
@article{BahnikStrack2016,
author = {Bahn{\´i}k, Štěp{\´a}n and Strack, Fritz},
title = {Overlap of accessible information undermines the anchoring effect},
series = {Judgment and Decision Making},
volume = {11},
journal = {Judgment and Decision Making},
number = {1},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-169287},
pages = {92-98},
year = {2016},
abstract = {According to the Selective Accessibility Model of anchoring, the comparison question in the standard anchoring paradigm activates information that is congruent with an anchor. As a consequence, this information will be more likely to become the basis for the absolute judgment which will therefore be assimilated toward the anchor. However, if the activated information overlaps with information that is elicited by the absolute judgment itself, the preceding comparative judgment should not exert an incremental effect and should fail to result in an anchoring effect. The present studies find this result when the comparative judgment refers to a general category and the absolute judgment refers to a subset of the general category that was activated by the anchor value. For example, participants comparing the average annual temperature in New York City to a high 102 °F judged the average winter, but not summer temperature to be higher than participants making no comparison. On the other hand, participants comparing the annual temperature to a low -4 °F judged the average summer, but not winter temperature to be lower than control participants. This pattern of results was shown also in another content domain. It is consistent with the Selective Accessibility Model but difficult to reconcile with other main explanations of the anchoring effect.},
language = {en}
}
@article{BekesFriedlKoehleretal.2016,
author = {Bekes, Inga and Friedl, Thomas W. P. and K{\"o}hler, Tanja and M{\"o}bus, Volker and Janni, Wolfgang and W{\"o}ckel, Achim and Wulff, Christine},
title = {Does VEGF facilitate local tumor growth and spread into the abdominal cavity by suppressing endothelial cell adhesion, thus increasing vascular peritoneal permeability followed by ascites production in ovarian cancer?},
series = {Molecular Cancer},
volume = {15},
journal = {Molecular Cancer},
number = {13},
doi = {10.1186/s12943-016-0497-3},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-169298},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background Ovarian cancer is mostly associated with pathologically regulated permeability of peritoneal vessels, leading to ascites. Here, we investigated the molecular regulation of endothelial permeability by the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and both tight and adherens junction proteins (VE-cadherin and claudin 5) with regards to the tumor biology of different ovarian cancer types. Methods Serum and ascites samples before and after surgery, as well as peritoneal biopsies of 68 ovarian cancer patients and 20 healthy controls were collected. In serum and ascites VEGF protein was measured by ELISA. In peritoneal biopsies co-localization of VE-cadherin and claudin 5 was investigated using immunohistochemical dual staining. In addition, the gene expression of VE-cadherin and claudin 5 was quantified by Real-time PCR. Differences in VEGF levels, VE-cadherin and claudin 5 gene expression were analyzed in relation to various tumor characteristics (tumor stage, grading, histological subtypes, resection status after surgery) and then compared to controls. Furthermore, human primary ovarian cancer cells were co-cultured with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and changes in VE-cadherin and claudin 5 were investigated after VEGF inhibition. Results VEGF was significantly increased in tumor patients in comparison to controls and accumulates in ascites. The highest VEGF levels were found in patients diagnosed with advanced tumor stages, with tumors of poor differentiation, or in the group of solid / cystic-solid tumors. Patients with residual tumor after operation showed significantly higher levels of VEGF both before and after surgery as compared to tumor-free resected patients. Results of an immunohistochemical double-staining experiment indicated co-localization of VE-cadherin and claudin 5 in the peritoneal vasculature. Compared to controls, expression of VE-cadherin and claudin 5 was significantly suppressed in peritoneal vessels of tumor patients, but there were no significant differences regarding VE-cadherin and claudin 5 expression in relation to different tumor characteristics. A significant positive correlation was found between VE-cadherin and claudin 5 expression. VEGF inhibition in vitro was associated with significant increase in VE-cadherin and claudin 5. Conclusions Our results indicate that increased peritoneal permeability in ovarian cancer is due to down-regulation of adhesion proteins via tumor derived VEGF. Advanced ovarian cancer with aggressive tumor biology may be associated with early dysregulation of vascular permeability leading to ascites. These patients may benefit from therapeutic VEGF inhibition.},
language = {en}
}
@article{HuangSchrammHeilmannetal.2016,
author = {Huang, Guozheng and Schramm, Simon and Heilmann, J{\"o}rg and Biedermann, David and Kren, Vladim{\´i}r and Decker, Michael},
title = {Unconventional application of the Mitsunobu reaction: Selective flavonolignan dehydration yielding hydnocarpins},
series = {Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry},
volume = {12},
journal = {Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry},
doi = {10.3762/bjoc.12.66},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-160986},
pages = {662-669},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Various Mitsunobu conditions were investigated for a series of flavonolignans (silybin A, silybin B, isosilybin A, and silychristin A) to achieve either selective esterification in position C-23 or dehydration in a one-pot reaction yielding the biologically important enantiomers of hydnocarpin D, hydnocarpin and isohydnocarpin, respectively. This represents the only one-pot semi-synthetic method to access these flavonolignans in high yields.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ZinnerKruegerReedetal.2016,
author = {Zinner, C. and Krueger, M. and Reed, J. L. and Kohl-Bareis, M. and Holmberg, H. C. and Sperlich, B.},
title = {Exposure to a combination of heat and hyperoxia during cycling at submaximal intensity does not alter thermoregulatory responses},
series = {Biology of Sport},
volume = {33},
journal = {Biology of Sport},
number = {1},
doi = {10.5604/20831862.1192041},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-160993},
pages = {71-76},
year = {2016},
abstract = {In this study, we tested the hypothesis that breathing hyperoxic air (F\(_{in}\)O\(_2\) = 0.40) while exercising in a hot environment exerts negative effects on the total tissue level of haemoglobin concentration (tHb); core (T\(_{core}\)) and skin (T\(_{skin}\)) temperatures; muscle activity; heart rate; blood concentration of lactate; pH; partial pressure of oxygen (P\(_a\)O\(_2\)) and carbon dioxide; arterial oxygen saturation (S\(_a\)O\(_2\)); and perceptual responses. Ten well-trained male athletes cycled at submaximal intensity at 21°C or 33°C in randomized order: first for 20 min while breathing normal air (FinO\(_2\) = 0.21) and then 10 min with F\(_{in}\)O\(_2\) = 0.40 (HOX). At both temperatures, S\(_a\)O\(_2\) and P\(_a\)O\(_2\), but not tHb, were increased by HOX. Tskin and perception of exertion and thermal discomfort were higher at 33°C than 21°C (p < 0.01), but independent of F\(_{in}\)O\(_2\). T\(_{core}\) and muscle activity were the same under all conditions (p > 0.07). Blood lactate and heart rate were higher at 33°C than 21°C. In conclusion, during 30 min of submaximal cycling at 21°C or 33°C, T\(_{core}\), T\(_{skin}\) and T\(_{body}\), tHb, muscle activity and ratings of perceived exertion and thermal discomfort were the same under normoxic and hyperoxic conditions. Accordingly, breathing hyperoxic air (F\(_{in}\)O\(_2\) = 0.40) did not affect thermoregulation under these conditions.},
language = {en}
}
@article{JoukhadarWoeckelHerretal.2016,
author = {Joukhadar, R. and W{\"o}ckel, A. and Herr, D. and Paulus, V. and Radosa, J. and Hamza, A. and Solomayer, E. and Baum, S.},
title = {Challenges of Longevity: Safety of Vaginal and Laparoscopic Urogynecological Procedures in Septuagenarians and Older Patients},
series = {BioMed Research International},
volume = {2016},
journal = {BioMed Research International},
number = {Article ID 5184595},
doi = {10.1155/2016/5184595},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-161005},
pages = {9},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Introduction. Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and urinary incontinence (UI) have increasing prevalence in the elderly population. The aim of this study was to compare the comorbidities of these procedures between <70 y/o and ≥70 y/o patients. Materials and Methods. In our retrospective study over a period of 2.5 years, 407 patients had received an urogynecological procedure. All patients with POP were treated by reconstructive surgery. Complications were reported using the standardized classification of Clavien-Dindo (CD). The study can be assigned to stage 2b Exploration IDEAL (Idea, Development, Exploration, Assessment, Long-term study)-system of surgical innovation. Results. Operation time, blood loss, and intraoperative complications have not been more frequent in the elderly, whereas hospital stay was significantly longer in ≥70 y/o patients. Regarding postoperative complications, we noticed that ≥70 y/o patients had an almost threefold risk to develop mild early postoperative complications compared to younger patients (OR: 2.86; 95\% CI: 1.76-4.66). On the contrary, major complications were not more frequent. No case of life-threatening complication or the need for blood transfusion was reported. Conclusion. After urogynecological procedures, septuagenarians and older patients are more likely to develop mild postoperative complications but not more intraoperative or severe postoperative complications compared to younger patients.},
language = {en}
}
@article{IsaiasTrujilloSummersetal.2016,
author = {Isaias, Ioannis U. and Trujillo, Paula and Summers, Paul and Marotta, Giorgio and Mainardi, Luca and Pezzoli, Gianni and Zecca, Luigi and Costa, Antonella},
title = {Neuromelanin Imaging and Dopaminergic Loss in Parkinson's Disease},
series = {Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience},
volume = {8},
journal = {Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience},
number = {196},
doi = {10.3389/fnagi.2016.00196},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164046},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder in which the major pathologic substrate is a loss of dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra. Our main objective was to determine the correspondence between changes in the substantia nigra, evident in neuromelanin and iron sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and dopaminergic striatal innervation loss in patients with PD. Eighteen patients and 18 healthy control subjects were included in the study. Using neuromelanin-MRI, we measured the volume of the substantia nigra and the contrast-to-noise-ratio between substantia nigra and a background region. The apparent transverse relaxation rate and magnetic susceptibility of the substantia nigra were calculated from dual-echo MRI. Striatal dopaminergic innervation was measured as density of dopamine transporter (DAT) by means of single-photon emission computed tomography and [123I] N-ω-fluoropropyl-2b-carbomethoxy-3b-(4-iodophenyl) tropane. Patients showed a reduced volume of the substantia nigra and contrast-to-noise-ratio and both positively correlated with the corresponding striatal DAT density. The apparent transverse relaxation rate and magnetic susceptibility values of the substantia nigra did not differ between patients and healthy controls. The best predictor of DAT reduction was the volume of the substantia nigra. Clinical and imaging correlations were also investigated for the locus coeruleus. Our results suggest that neuromelanin-MRI can be used for quantifying substantia nigra pathology in PD where it closely correlates with dopaminergic striatal innervation loss. Longitudinal studies should further explore the role of Neuromelanin-MRI as an imaging biomarker of PD, especially for subjects at risk of developing the disease.},
language = {en}
}
@article{TiedeGrafe2016,
author = {Tiede, Jennifer and Grafe, Silke},
title = {Media Pedagogy in German and US Teacher Education},
series = {Communicar},
volume = {XXIV},
journal = {Communicar},
number = {49},
doi = {10.3916/C49-2016-02},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-162600},
pages = {19-28},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Varios estudios de investigaci{\´o}n y de pr{\´a}ctica llegan a la conclusi{\´o}n de que la pedagog{\´i}a de los medios debe integrarse en la formaci{\´o}n de profesores para que estos futuros docentes puedan utilizar los medios de comunicaci{\´o}n en sus clases con eficacia y {\´e}xito. Sin embargo, estos resultados no se reflejan en los programas universitarios vigentes, de manera que en algunas instituciones los profesores en formaci{\´o}n pueden llegar al t{\´e}rmino de sus estudios sin haber abordado cuestiones de educaci{\´o}n en medios. Para comprender, evaluar y m{\´a}s adelante mejorar la situaci{\´o}n actual de la formaci{\´o}n del profesorado en el {\´a}mbito de la pedagog{\´i}a de los medios se necesitan extensas investigaciones. Teniendo en cuenta esta situaci{\´o}n, el siguiente art{\´i}culo presenta un resumen del «statu quo» de las competencias en pedagog{\´i}a de los medios de los futuros profesores, centr{\´a}ndose en los ejemplos de Alemania y EEUU. Para crear una base presentamos diferentes modelos de competencias pedag{\´o}gicas medi{\´a}ticas de ambos pa{\´i}ses e intentaremos responder a la pregunta si estas competencias son promovidas por los programas de formaci{\´o}n del profesorado. Despu{\´e}s, se describir{\´a}n el m{\´e}todo y resultados seleccionados de un estudio que midi{\´o} las competencias en pedagog{\´i}a de los medios de estudiantes de ambos pa{\´i}ses, estudio basado en un modelo generalizador de competencias pedag{\´o}gicas medi{\´a}ticas que conectan la investigaci{\´o}n alemana e internacional en este campo. La perspectiva internacional comparada ayuda a extender perspectivas y comprender diferencias y similitudes. Los datos de este estudio sirven para identificar diferentes formas de integrar la pedagog{\´i}a de los medios de comunicaci{\´o}n en la formaci{\´o}n del profesorado. Adem{\´a}s, se pueden sacar conclusiones sobre las consecuencias que implican estos procesos para profesores en formaci{\´o}n y sus competencias medi{\´a}ticas.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KaluzaWallaceHeardetal.2016,
author = {Kaluza, Benjamin F. and Wallace, Helen and Heard, Tim A. and Klein, Aelxandra-Maria and Leonhardt, Sara D.},
title = {Urban gardens promote bee foraging over natural habitats and plantations},
series = {Ecology and Evolution},
volume = {6},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
number = {5},
doi = {10.1002/ece3.1941},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-162713},
pages = {1304-1316},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Increasing human land use for agriculture and housing leads to the loss of natural habitat and to widespread declines in wild bees. Bee foraging dynamics and fitness depend on the availability of resources in the surrounding landscape, but how precisely landscape related resource differences affect bee foraging patterns remains unclear. To investigate how landscape and its interaction with season and weather drive foraging and resource intake in social bees, we experimentally compared foraging activity, the allocation of foragers to different resources (pollen, nectar, and resin) and overall resource intake in the Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria (Apidae, Meliponini). Bee colonies were monitored in different seasons over two years. We compared foraging patterns and resource intake between the bees' natural habitat (forests) and two landscapes differently altered by humans (suburban gardens and agricultural macadamia plantations). We found foraging activity as well as pollen and nectar forager numbers to be highest in suburban gardens, intermediate in forests and low in plantations. Foraging patterns further differed between seasons, but seasonal variations strongly differed between landscapes. Sugar and pollen intake was low in plantations, but contrary with our predictions, it was even higher in gardens than in forests. In contrast, resin intake was similar across landscapes. Consequently, differences in resource availability between natural and altered landscapes strongly affect foraging patterns and thus resource intake in social bees. While agricultural monocultures largely reduce foraging success, suburban gardens can increase resource intake well above rates found in natural habitats of bees, indicating that human activities can both decrease and increase the availability of resources in a landscape and thus reduce or enhance bee fitness.},
language = {en}
}
@article{SeydelmannLiuKraemeretal.2016,
author = {Seydelmann, Nora and Liu, Dan and Kr{\"a}mer, Johannes and Drechsler, Christiane and Hu, Kai and Nordbeck, Peter and Schneider, Andreas and St{\"o}rk, Stefan and Bijnens, Bart and Ertl, Georg and Wanner, Christoph and Weidemann, Frank},
title = {High-Sensitivity Troponin: A Clinical Blood Biomarker for Staging Cardiomyopathy in Fabry Disease},
series = {Journal of the American Heart Association},
volume = {5},
journal = {Journal of the American Heart Association},
number = {e002839},
doi = {10.1161/JAHA.115.002839},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165682},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background High-sensitivity troponin (hs-TNT), a biomarker of myocardial damage, might be useful for assessing fibrosis in Fabry cardiomyopathy. We performed a prospective analysis of hs-TNT as a biomarker for myocardial changes in Fabry patients and a retrospective longitudinal follow-up study to assess longitudinal hs-TNT changes relative to fibrosis and cardiomyopathy progression. Methods and Results For the prospective analysis, hs-TNT from 75 consecutive patients with genetically confirmed Fabry disease was analyzed relative to typical Fabry-associated echocardiographic findings and total myocardial fibrosis as measured by late gadolinium enhancement (LE) on magnetic resonance imaging. Longitudinal data (3.9±2.0 years), including hs-TNT, LE, and echocardiographic findings from 58 Fabry patients, were retrospectively collected. Hs-TNT level positively correlated with LE (linear correlation coefficient, 0.72; odds ratio, 32.81 [95\% CI, 3.56-302.59]; P=0.002); patients with elevated baseline hs-TNT (>14 ng/L) showed significantly increased LE (median: baseline, 1.9 [1.1-3.3] \%; follow-up, 3.2 [2.3-4.9] \%; P<0.001) and slightly elevated hs-TNT (baseline, 44.7 [30.1-65.3] ng/L; follow-up, 49.1 [27.6-69.5] ng/L; P=0.116) during follow-up. Left ventricular wall thickness and EF of patients with elevated hs-TNT were decreased during follow-up, indicating potential cardiomyopathy progression. Conclusions hs-TNT is an accurate, easily accessible clinical blood biomarker for detecting replacement fibrosis in patients with Fabry disease and a qualified predictor of cardiomyopathy progression. Thus, hs-TNT could be helpful for staging and follow-up of Fabry patients.},
language = {en}
}
@article{AlbersBernsteinBrachmannetal.2016,
author = {Albers, Gregory W. and Bernstein, Richard A. and Brachmann, Johannes and Camm, John and Easton, J. Donald and Fromm, Peter and Goto, Shinya and Granger, Christopher B. and Hohnloser, Stefan H. and Hylek, Elaine and Jaffer, Amir K. and Krieger, Derk W. and Passman, Rod and Pines, Jesse M. and Reed, Shelby D. and Rothwell, Peter M. and Kowey, Peter R.},
title = {Heart Rhythm Monitoring Strategies for Cryptogenic Stroke: 2015 Diagnostics and Monitoring Stroke Focus Group Report},
series = {Journal of the American Heart Association},
volume = {5},
journal = {Journal of the American Heart Association},
number = {e00294},
doi = {10.1161/JAHA.115.002944},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165709},
pages = {1-11},
year = {2016},
abstract = {No abstract available.},
language = {en}
}
@article{WawraFeselWidmeretal.2016,
author = {Wawra, Stephan and Fesel, Philipp and Widmer, Heidi and Timm, Malte and Seibel, J{\"u}rgen and Leson, Lisa and Kesseler, Leona and Nostadt, Robin and Hilbert, Magdalena and Langen, Gregor and Zuccaro, Alga},
title = {The fungal-specific beta-glucan-binding lectin FGB1 alters cell-wall composition and suppresses glucan-triggered immunity in plants},
series = {Nature Communications},
volume = {7},
journal = {Nature Communications},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms13188},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165945},
pages = {13188},
year = {2016},
abstract = {β-glucans are well-known modulators of the immune system in mammals but little is known about β-glucan triggered immunity in planta. Here we show by isothermal titration calorimetry, circular dichroism spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy that the FGB1 gene from the root endophyte Piriformospora indica encodes for a secreted fungal-specific β-glucan-binding lectin with dual function. This lectin has the potential to both alter fungal cell wall composition and properties, and to efficiently suppress β-glucan-triggered immunity in different plant hosts, such as Arabidopsis, barley and Nicotiana benthamiana. Our results hint at the existence of fungal effectors that deregulate innate sensing of β-glucan in plants.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KnorrSokkarSchottetal.2016,
author = {Knorr, Johannes and Sokkar, Pandian and Schott, Sebastian and Costa, Paolo and Thiel, Walter and Sander, Wolfram and Sanchez-Garcia, Elsa and Nuernberger, Patrick},
title = {Competitive solvent-molecule interactions govern primary processes of diphenylcarbene in solvent mixtures},
series = {Nature Communications},
volume = {7},
journal = {Nature Communications},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms12968},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165954},
pages = {12968},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Photochemical reactions in solution often proceed via competing reaction pathways comprising intermediates that capture a solvent molecule. A disclosure of the underlying reaction mechanisms is challenging due to the rapid nature of these processes and the intricate identification of how many solvent molecules are involved. Here combining broadband femtosecond transient absorption and quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics simulations, we show for one of the most reactive species, diphenylcarbene, that the decision-maker is not the nearest solvent molecule but its neighbour. The hydrogen bonding dynamics determine which reaction channels are accessible in binary solvent mixtures at room temperature. In-depth analysis of the amount of nascent intermediates corroborates the importance of a hydrogen-bonded complex with a protic solvent molecule, in striking analogy to complexes found at cryogenic temperatures. Our results show that adjacent solvent molecules take the role of key abettors rather than bystanders for the fate of the reactive intermediate.},
language = {en}
}
@article{MitchellLiWeinholdetal.2016,
author = {Mitchell, Jonathan S. and Li, Ni and Weinhold, Niels and F{\"o}rsti, Asta and Ali, Mina and van Duin, Mark and Thorleifsson, Gudmar and Johnson, David C. and Chen, Bowang and Halvarsson, Britt-Marie and Gudbjartsson, Daniel F. and Kuiper, Rowan and Stephens, Owen W. and Bertsch, Uta and Broderick, Peter and Campo, Chiara and Einsele, Hermann and Gregory, Walter A. and Gullberg, Urban and Henrion, Marc and Hillengass, Jens and Hoffmann, Per and Jackson, Graham H. and Johnsson, Ellinor and J{\"o}ud, Magnus and Kristinsson, Sigurdur Y. and Lenhoff, Stig and Lenive, Oleg and Mellqvist, Ulf-Henrik and Migliorini, Gabriele and Nahi, Hareth and Nelander, Sven and Nickel, Jolanta and N{\"o}then, Markus M. and Rafnar, Thorunn and Ross, Fiona M. and da Silva Filho, Miguel Inacio and Swaminathan, Bhairavi and Thomsen, Hauke and Turesson, Ingemar and Vangsted, Annette and Vogel, Ulla and Waage, Anders and Walker, Brian A. and Wihlborg, Anna-Karin and Broyl, Annemiek and Davies, Faith E. and Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur and Langer, Christian and Hansson, Markus and Kaiser, Martin and Sonneveld, Pieter and Stefansson, Kari and Morgan, Gareth J. and Goldschmidt, Hartmut and Hemminki, Kari and Nilsson, Bj{\"o}rn and Houlston, Richard S.},
title = {Genome-wide association study identifies multiple susceptibility loci for multiple myeloma},
series = {Nature Communications},
volume = {7},
journal = {Nature Communications},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms12050},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165983},
pages = {12050},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell malignancy with a significant heritable basis. Genome-wide association studies have transformed our understanding of MM predisposition, but individual studies have had limited power to discover risk loci. Here we perform a meta-analysis of these GWAS, add a new GWAS and perform replication analyses resulting in 9,866 cases and 239,188 controls. We confirm all nine known risk loci and discover eight new loci at 6p22.3 (rs34229995, P=1.31 × 10-8), 6q21 (rs9372120, P=9.09 × 10-15), 7q36.1 (rs7781265, P=9.71 × 10-9), 8q24.21 (rs1948915, P=4.20 × 10-11), 9p21.3 (rs2811710, P=1.72 × 10-13), 10p12.1 (rs2790457, P=1.77 × 10-8), 16q23.1 (rs7193541, P=5.00 × 10-12) and 20q13.13 (rs6066835, P=1.36 × 10-13), which localize in or near to JARID2, ATG5, SMARCD3, CCAT1, CDKN2A, WAC, RFWD3 and PREX1. These findings provide additional support for a polygenic model of MM and insight into the biological basis of tumour development.},
language = {en}
}
@article{VanHauteDietmannKremeretal.2016,
author = {Van Haute, Lindsey and Dietmann, Sabine and Kremer, Laura and Hussain, Shobbir and Pearce, Sarah F. and Powell, Christopher A. and Rorbach, Joanna and Lantaff, Rebecca and Blanco, Sandra and Sauer, Sascha and Kotzaeridou, Urania and Hoffmann, Georg F. and Memari, Yasin and Kolb-Kokocinski, Anja and Durbin, Richard and Mayr, Johannes A. and Frye, Michaela and Prokisch, Holger and Minczuk, Michal},
title = {Deficient methylation and formylation of mt-tRNA(Met) wobble cytosine in a patient carrying mutations in NSUN3},
series = {Nature Communications},
volume = {7},
journal = {Nature Communications},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms12039},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165998},
pages = {12039},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Epitranscriptome modifications are required for structure and function of RNA and defects in these pathways have been associated with human disease. Here we identify the RNA target for the previously uncharacterized 5-methylcytosine (m5C) methyltransferase NSun3 and link m5C RNA modifications with energy metabolism. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified loss-of-function mutations in NSUN3 in a patient presenting with combined mitochondrial respiratory chain complex deficiency. Patient-derived fibroblasts exhibit severe defects in mitochondrial translation that can be rescued by exogenous expression of NSun3. We show that NSun3 is required for deposition of m5C at the anticodon loop in the mitochondrially encoded transfer RNA methionine (mt-tRNAMet). Further, we demonstrate that m5C deficiency in mt-tRNAMet results in the lack of 5-formylcytosine (f5C) at the same tRNA position. Our findings demonstrate that NSUN3 is necessary for efficient mitochondrial translation and reveal that f5C in human mitochondrial RNA is generated by oxidative processing of m5C.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KernreiterGovernaleZuelickeetal.2016,
author = {Kernreiter, T. and Governale, M. and Z{\"u}licke, U. and Hankiewicz, E. M.},
title = {Anomalous Spin Response and Virtual-Carrier-Mediated Magnetism in a Topological Insulator},
series = {Physical Review X},
volume = {6},
journal = {Physical Review X},
number = {021010},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevX.6.021010},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166582},
year = {2016},
abstract = {We present a comprehensive theoretical study of the static spin response in HgTe quantum wells, revealing distinctive behavior for the topologically nontrivial inverted structure. Most strikingly, the q=0 (long-wavelength) spin susceptibility of the undoped topological-insulator system is constant and equal to the value found for the gapless Dirac-like structure, whereas the same quantity shows the typical decrease with increasing band gap in the normal-insulator regime. We discuss ramifications for the ordering of localized magnetic moments present in the quantum well, both in the insulating and electron-doped situations. The spin response of edge states is also considered, and we extract effective Land{\´e} g factors for the bulk and edge electrons. The variety of counterintuitive spin-response properties revealed in our study arises from the system's versatility in accessing situations where the charge-carrier dynamics can be governed by ordinary Schr{\"o}dinger-type physics; it mimics the behavior of chiral Dirac fermions or reflects the material's symmetry-protected topological order.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KimZhangWangetal.2016,
author = {Kim, Seonghoon and Zhang, Bo and Wang, Zhaorong and Fischer, Julian and Brodbeck, Sebastian and Kamp, Martin and Schneider, Christian and H{\"o}fling, Sven and Deng, Hui},
title = {Coherent Polariton Laser},
series = {Physical Review X},
volume = {6},
journal = {Physical Review X},
number = {011026},
doi = {10.1103/PhysRevX.6.011026},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166597},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The semiconductor polariton laser promises a new source of coherent light, which, compared to conventional semiconductor photon lasers, has input-energy threshold orders of magnitude lower. However, intensity stability, a defining feature of a coherent state, has remained poor. Intensity noise many times the shot noise of a coherent state has persisted, attributed to multiple mechanisms that are difficult to separate in conventional polariton systems. The large intensity noise, in turn, limits the phase coherence. Thus, the capability of the polariton laser as a source of coherence light is limited. Here, we demonstrate a polariton laser with shot-noise-limited intensity stability, as expected from a fully coherent state. This stability is achieved by using an optical cavity with high mode selectivity to enforce single-mode lasing, suppress condensate depletion, and establish gain saturation. Moreover, the absence of spurious intensity fluctuations enables the measurement of a transition from exponential to Gaussian decay of the phase coherence of the polariton laser. It suggests large self-interaction energies in the polariton condensate, exceeding the laser bandwidth. Such strong interactions are unique to matter-wave lasers and important for nonlinear polariton devices. The results will guide future development of polariton lasers and nonlinear polariton devices.},
language = {en}
}
@article{IslesIngasonLowtheretal.2016,
author = {Isles, Anthony R. and Ingason, Andr{\´e}s and Lowther, Chelsea and Walters, James and Gawlick, Micha and St{\"o}ber, Gerald and Rees, Elliott and Martin, Joanna and Little, Rosie B. and Potter, Harry and Georgieva, Lyudmila and Pizzo, Lucilla and Ozaki, Norio and Aleksic, Branko and Kushima, Itaru and Ikeda, Masashi and Iwata, Nakao and Levinson, Douglas F. and Gejman, Pablo V. and Shi, Jianxin and Sanders, Alan R. and Duan, Jubao and Willis, Joseph and Sisodiya, Sanjay and Costain, Gregory and Werge, Thomas M. and Degenhardt, Franziska and Giegling, Ina and Rujescu, Dan and Hreidarsson, Stefan J. and Saemundsen, Evald and Ahn, Joo Wook and Ogilvie, Caroline and Girirajan, Santhosh D. and Stefansson, Hreinn and Stefansson, Kari and O'Donovan, Michael C. and Owen, Michael J. and Bassett, Anne and Kirov, George},
title = {Parental Origin of Interstitial Duplications at 15q11.2-q13.3 in Schizophrenia and Neurodevelopmental Disorders},
series = {PLoS Genetics},
volume = {12},
journal = {PLoS Genetics},
number = {5},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pgen.1005993},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166706},
pages = {e1005993},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Duplications at 15q11.2-q13.3 overlapping the Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome (PWS/AS) region have been associated with developmental delay (DD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SZ). Due to presence of imprinted genes within the region, the parental origin of these duplications may be key to the pathogenicity. Duplications of maternal origin are associated with disease, whereas the pathogenicity of paternal ones is unclear. To clarify the role of maternal and paternal duplications, we conducted the largest and most detailed study to date of parental origin of 15q11.2-q13.3 interstitial duplications in DD, ASD and SZ cohorts. We show, for the first time, that paternal duplications lead to an increased risk of developing DD/ASD/multiple congenital anomalies (MCA), but do not appear to increase risk for SZ. The importance of the epigenetic status of 15q11.2-q13.3 duplications was further underlined by analysis of a number of families, in which the duplication was paternally derived in the mother, who was unaffected, whereas her offspring, who inherited a maternally derived duplication, suffered from psychotic illness. Interestingly, the most consistent clinical characteristics of SZ patients with 15q11.2-q13.3 duplications were learning or developmental problems, found in 76\% of carriers. Despite their lower pathogenicity, paternal duplications are less frequent in the general population with a general population prevalence of 0.0033\% compared to 0.0069\% for maternal duplications. This may be due to lower fecundity of male carriers and differential survival of embryos, something echoed in the findings that both types of duplications are de novo in just over 50\% of cases. Isodicentric chromosome 15 (idic15) or interstitial triplications were not observed in SZ patients or in controls. Overall, this study refines the distinct roles of maternal and paternal interstitial duplications at 15q11.2-q13.3, underlining the critical importance of maternally expressed imprinted genes in the contribution of Copy Number Variants (CNVs) at this interval to the incidence of psychotic illness. This work will have tangible benefits for patients with 15q11.2-q13.3 duplications by aiding genetic counseling.},
language = {en}
}
@article{VendelovadeLimaLorenzattoetal.2016,
author = {Vendelova, Emilia and de Lima, Jeferson Camargo and Lorenzatto, Karina Rodrigues and Monteiro, Karina Mariante and Mueller, Thomas and Veepaschit, Jyotishman and Grimm, Clemens and Brehm, Klaus and Hrčkov{\´a}, Gabriela and Lutz, Manfred B. and Ferreira, Henrique B. and Nono, Justin Komguep},
title = {Proteomic Analysis of Excretory-Secretory Products of Mesocestoides corti Metacestodes Reveals Potential Suppressors of Dendritic Cell Functions},
series = {PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
volume = {10},
journal = {PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases},
number = {10},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pntd.0005061},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166742},
pages = {e0005061},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Accumulating evidences have assigned a central role to parasite-derived proteins in immunomodulation. Here, we report on the proteomic identification and characterization of immunomodulatory excretory-secretory (ES) products from the metacestode larva (tetrathyridium) of the tapeworm Mesocestoides corti (syn. M. vogae). We demonstrate that ES products but not larval homogenates inhibit the stimuli-driven release of the pro-inflammatory, Th1-inducing cytokine IL-12p70 by murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs). Within the ES fraction, we biochemically narrowed down the immunosuppressive activity to glycoproteins since active components were lipid-free, but sensitive to heat- and carbohydrate-treatment. Finally, using bioassay-guided chromatographic analyses assisted by comparative proteomics of active and inactive fractions of the ES products, we defined a comprehensive list of candidate proteins released by M. corti tetrathyridia as potential suppressors of DC functions. Our study provides a comprehensive library of somatic and ES products and highlight some candidate parasite factors that might drive the subversion of DC functions to facilitate the persistence of M. corti tetrathyridia in their hosts.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ShiKuaiLeietal.2016,
author = {Shi, Yaoyao and Kuai, Yue and Lei, Lizhen and Weng, Yuanyuan and Berberich-Siebelt, Friederike and Zhang, Xinxia and Wang, Jinjie and Zhou, Yuan and Jiang, Xin and Ren, Guoping and Pan, Hongyang and Mao, Zhengrong and Zhou, Ren},
title = {The feedback loop of LITAF and BCL6 is involved in regulating apoptosis in B cell non-Hodgkin's-lymphoma},
series = {Oncotarget},
volume = {7},
journal = {Oncotarget},
number = {47},
doi = {10.18632/oncotarget.12680},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166500},
pages = {77444-77456},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Dysregulation of the apoptotic pathway is widely recognized as a key step in lymphomagenesis. Notably, LITAF was initially identified as a p53-inducible gene, subsequently implicated as a tumor suppressor. Our previous study also showed LITAF to be methylated in 89.5\% B-NHL samples. Conversely, deregulated expression of BCL6 is a pathogenic event in many lymphomas. Interestingly, our study found an oppositional expression of LITAF and BCL6 in B-NHL. In addition, LITAF was recently identified as a novel target gene of BCL6. Therefore, we sought to explore the feedback loop between LITAF and BCL6 in B-NHL. Here, our data for the first time show that LITAF can repress expression of BCL6 by binding to Region A (-87 to +65) containing a putative LITAF-binding motif (CTCCC) within the BCL6 promoter. Furthermore, the regulation of BCL6 targets (PRDM1 or c-Myc) by LITAF may be associated with B-cell differentiation. Results also demonstrate that ectopic expression of LITAF induces cell apoptosis, activated by releasing cytochrome c, cleaving PARP and caspase 3 in B-NHL cells whereas knockdown of LITAF robustly protected cells from apoptosis. Interestingly, BCL6, in turn, could reverse cell apoptosis mediated by LITAF. Collectively, our findings provide a novel apoptotic regulatory pathway in which LITAF, as a transcription factor, inhibits the expression of BCL6, which leads to activation of the intrinsic mitochondrial pathway and tumor apoptosis. Our study is expected to provide a possible biomarker as well as a target for clinical therapies to promote tumor cell apoptosis.},
language = {en}
}
@article{VučićevićGehreDhamijaetal.2016,
author = {Vučićević, Dubravka and Gehre, Maja and Dhamija, Sonam and Friis-Hansen, Lennart and Meierhofer, David and Sauer, Sascha and {\O}rom, Ulf Andersson},
title = {The long non-coding RNA PARROT is an upstream regulator of c-Myc and affects proliferation and translation},
series = {Oncotarget},
volume = {7},
journal = {Oncotarget},
number = {23},
doi = {10.18632/oncotarget.8985},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166519},
pages = {33934-33947},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Long non-coding RNAs are important regulators of gene expression and signaling pathways. The expression of long ncRNAs is dysregulated in cancer and other diseases. The identification and characterization of long ncRNAs is often challenging due to their low expression level and localization to chromatin. Here, we identify a functional long ncRNA, PARROT (Proliferation Associated RNA and Regulator Of Translation) transcribed by RNA polymerase II and expressed at a relatively high level in a number of cell lines. The PARROT long ncRNA is associated with proliferation in both transformed and normal cell lines. We characterize the long ncRNA PARROT as an upstream regulator of c-Myc affecting cellular proliferation and translation using RNA sequencing and mass spectrometry following depletion of the long ncRNA. PARROT is repressed during senescence of human mammary epithelial cells and overexpressed in some cancers, suggesting an important association with proliferation through regulation of c-Myc. With this study, we add to the knowledge of cytoplasmic functional long ncRNAs and extent the long ncRNA-Myc regulatory network in transformed and normal cells.},
language = {en}
}
@article{EisenhardtSprengerRoeringetal.2016,
author = {Eisenhardt, Anja E. and Sprenger, Adrian and R{\"o}ring, Michael and Herr, Ricarda and Weinberg, Florian and K{\"o}hler, Martin and Braun, Sandra and Orth, Joachim and Diedrich, Britta and Lanner, Ulrike and Tscherwinski, Natalja and Schuster, Simon and Dumaz, Nicolas and Schmidt, Enrico and Baumeister, Ralf and Schlosser, Andreas and Dengjel, J{\"o}rn and Brummer, Tilman},
title = {Phospho-proteomic analyses of B-Raf protein complexes reveal new regulatory principles},
series = {Oncotarget},
volume = {7},
journal = {Oncotarget},
number = {18},
doi = {10.18632/oncotarget.8427},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166529},
pages = {26628-26652},
year = {2016},
abstract = {B-Raf represents a critical physiological regulator of the Ras/RAF/MEK/ERK-pathway and a pharmacological target of growing clinical relevance, in particular in oncology. To understand how B-Raf itself is regulated, we combined mass spectrometry with genetic approaches to map its interactome in MCF-10A cells as well as in B-Raf deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and B-Raf/Raf-1 double deficient DT40 lymphoma cells complemented with wildtype or mutant B-Raf expression vectors. Using a multi-protease digestion approach, we identified a novel ubiquitination site and provide a detailed B-Raf phospho-map. Importantly, we identify two evolutionary conserved phosphorylation clusters around T401 and S419 in the B-Raf hinge region. SILAC labelling and genetic/biochemical follow-up revealed that these clusters are phosphorylated in the contexts of oncogenic Ras, sorafenib induced Raf dimerization and in the background of the V600E mutation. We further show that the vemurafenib sensitive phosphorylation of the T401 cluster occurs in trans within a Raf dimer. Substitution of the Ser/Thr-residues of this cluster by alanine residues enhances the transforming potential of B-Raf, indicating that these phosphorylation sites suppress its signaling output. Moreover, several B-Raf phosphorylation sites, including T401 and S419, are somatically mutated in tumors, further illustrating the importance of phosphorylation for the regulation of this kinase.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ChenariSeibelHauschildetal.2016,
author = {Chenari, Hossein Mahmoudi and Seibel, Christoph and Hauschild, Dirk and Reinert, Friedrich and Abdollahian, Hossein},
title = {Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis, X-Ray Line Analysis and Chemical Composition Study},
series = {Materials Research},
volume = {19},
journal = {Materials Research},
number = {6},
doi = {10.1590/1980-5373-MR-2016-0288},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165807},
pages = {1319-1323},
year = {2016},
abstract = {TiO2 nanoparticleshave been synthesized by the sol-gel method using titanium alkoxide and isopropanolas a precursor. The structural properties and chemical composition of the TiO2 nanoparticles were studied usingX-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.The X-ray powder diffraction pattern confirms that the particles are mainly composed of the anatase phase with the preferential orientation along [101] direction. The physical parameters such as strain, stress and energy density were investigated from the Williamson- Hall (W-H) plot assuming a uniform deformation model (UDM), and uniform deformation energy density model (UDEDM). The W-H analysis shows an anisotropic nature of the strain in nanopowders. The scanning electron microscopy image shows clear TiO2 nanoparticles with particle sizes varying from 60 to 80nm. The results of mean particle size of TiO2 nanoparticles show an inter correlation with the W-H analysis and SEM results. Our X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra show that nearly a complete amount of titanium has reacted to TiO2},
language = {en}
}
@article{DingemansMonsieursYuetal.2016,
author = {Dingemans, Josef and Monsieurs, Pieter and Yu, Sung-Huan and Crabb{\´e}, Aur{\´e}lie and F{\"o}rstner, Konrad U. and Malfroot, Anne and Cornelis, Pierre and Van Houdt, Rob},
title = {Effect of Shear Stress on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from the Cystic Fibrosis Lung},
series = {mBio},
volume = {7},
journal = {mBio},
number = {4},
doi = {10.1128/mBio.00813-16},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165821},
pages = {e00813-16},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Chronic colonization of the lungs by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. To gain insights into the characteristic biofilm phenotype of P. aeruginosa in the CF lungs, mimicking the CF lung environment is critical. We previously showed that growth of the non-CF-adapted P. aeruginosa PAO1 strain in a rotating wall vessel, a device that simulates the low fluid shear (LS) conditions present in the CF lung, leads to the formation of in-suspension, self-aggregating biofilms. In the present study, we determined the phenotypic and transcriptomic changes associated with the growth of a highly adapted, transmissible P. aeruginosa CF strain in artificial sputum medium under LS conditions. Robust self-aggregating biofilms were observed only under LS conditions. Growth under LS conditions resulted in the upregulation of genes involved in stress response, alginate biosynthesis, denitrification, glycine betaine biosynthesis, glycerol metabolism, and cell shape maintenance, while genes involved in phenazine biosynthesis, type VI secretion, and multidrug efflux were downregulated. In addition, a number of small RNAs appeared to be involved in the response to shear stress. Finally, quorum sensing was found to be slightly but significantly affected by shear stress, resulting in higher production of autoinducer molecules during growth under high fluid shear (HS) conditions. In summary, our study revealed a way to modulate the behavior of a highly adapted P. aeruginosa CF strain by means of introducing shear stress, driving it from a biofilm lifestyle to a more planktonic lifestyle.},
language = {en}
}
@article{DrgonovaWaltherHartsteinetal.2016,
author = {Drgonova, Jana and Walther, Donna and Hartstein, G Luke and Bukhari, Mohammad O and Baumann, Michael H and Katz, Jonathan and Hall, F Scott and Arnold, Elizabeth R and Flax, Shaun and Riley, Anthony and Rivero, Olga and Lesch, Klaus-Peter and Troncoso, Juan and Ranscht, Barbara and Uhl, George R},
title = {Cadherin 13: Human cis-Regulation and Selectively Altered Addiction Phenotypes and Cerebral Cortical Dopamine in Knockout Mice},
series = {Molecular Medicine},
volume = {22},
journal = {Molecular Medicine},
doi = {10.2119/molmed.2015.00170},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165842},
pages = {537-547},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The Cadherin 13 (CDH13) gene encodes a cell adhesion molecule likely to influence development and connections of brain circuits that modulate addiction, locomotion and cognition, including those that involve midbrain dopamine neurons. Human CDH13 mRNA expression differs by more than 80\% in postmortem cerebral cortical samples from individuals with different CDH13 genotypes, supporting examination of mice with altered CDH13 expression as models for common human variation at this locus. Constitutive CDH13 knockout mice display evidence for changed cocaine reward: shifted dose response relationship in tests of cocaine-conditioned place preference using doses that do not alter cocaine-conditioned taste aversion. Reduced adult CDH13 expression in conditional knockouts also alters cocaine reward in ways that correlate with individual differences in cortical CDH13 mRNA levels. In control and comparison behavioral assessments, knockout mice display modestly quicker acquisition of rotarod and water maze tasks, with a trend toward faster acquisition of 5-choice serial reaction time tasks that otherwise displayed no genotype-related differences. They display significant differences in locomotion in some settings, with larger effects in males. In assessments of brain changes that might contribute to these behavioral differences, there are selective alterations of dopamine levels, dopamine/metabolite ratios, dopaminergic fiber densities and mRNA encoding the activity dependent transcription factor npas4 in cerebral cortex of knockout mice. These novel data and previously reported human associations of CDH13 variants with addiction, individual differences in responses to stimulant administration and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) phenotypes suggest that levels of CDH13 expression, through mechanisms likely to include effects on mesocortical dopamine, influence stimulant reward and may contribute modestly to cognitive and locomotor phenotypes relevant to ADHD.},
language = {en}
}
@article{vandeKerkhofFekkesvanderHeijdenetal.2016,
author = {van de Kerkhof, Nora WA and Fekkes, Durk and van der Heijden, Frank MMA and Hoogendijk, Witte JG and St{\"o}ber, Gerald and Egger, Jos IM and Verhoeven, Willem MA},
title = {Cycloid psychoses in the psychosis spectrum: evidence for biochemical differences with schizophrenia},
series = {Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment},
volume = {12},
journal = {Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment},
doi = {10.2147/NDT.S101317},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166255},
pages = {1927-1933},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Cycloid psychoses (CP) differ from schizophrenia regarding symptom profile, course, and prognosis and over many decades they were thought to be a separate entity within the psychosis spectrum. As to schizophrenia, research into the pathophysiology has focused on dopamine, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and glutamate signaling in which, concerning the latter, the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor plays a crucial role. The present study aims to determine whether CP can biochemically be delineated from schizophrenia. Eighty patients referred for psychotic disorders were assessed with the Comprehensive Assessment of Symptoms and History, and (both at inclusion and after 6 weeks of antipsychotic treatment) with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Clinical Global Impression. From 58 completers, 33 patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia and ten with CP according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, and Leonhard criteria, respectively. Fifteen patients were diagnosed with other disorders within the psychosis spectrum. At both time points, blood levels of the dopamine metabolite homovanillic acid, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, and amino acids related to glutamate neurotransmission were measured and compared with a matched control sample. Patients with CP showed a significantly better response to antipsychotic treatment as compared to patients with schizophrenia. In CP, glycine levels were elevated and tryptophan levels were lowered as compared to schizophrenia. Glutamate levels were increased in both patient groups as compared to controls. These results, showing marked differences in both treatment outcome and glutamate-related variable parameters, may point at better neuroplasticity in CP, necessitating demarcation of this subgroup within the psychosis spectrum.},
language = {en}
}
@article{HargartRoyChoudhuryJohnetal.2016,
author = {Hargart, F and Roy-Choudhury, K and John, T and Portalupi, S L and Schneider, C and H{\"o}fling, S and Kamp, M and Hughes, S and Michler, P},
title = {Probing different regimes of strong field light-matter interaction with semiconductor quantum dots and few cavity photons},
series = {New Journal of Physics},
volume = {18},
journal = {New Journal of Physics},
doi = {10.1088/1367-2630/aa5198},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166278},
year = {2016},
abstract = {In this work we present an extensive experimental and theoretical investigation of different regimes of strong field light-matter interaction for cavity-driven quantum dot (QD) cavity systems. The electric field enhancement inside a high-Q micropillar cavity facilitates exceptionally strong interaction with few cavity photons, enabling the simultaneous investigation for a wide range of QD-laser detuning. In case of a resonant drive, the formation of dressed states and a Mollow triplet sideband splitting of up to 45 μeV is measured for amean cavity photon number \(\leq\) 1. In the asymptotic limit of the linear ACStark effect we systematically investigate the power and detuning dependence of more than 400 QDs. Some QD-cavity systems exhibit an unexpected anomalous Stark shift, which can be explained by an extended dressed 4-levelQDmodel.Weprovide a detailed analysis of the QD-cavity systems properties enabling this novel effect. The experimental results are successfully reproduced using a polaron master equation approach for the QD-cavity system, which includes the driving laser field, exciton-cavity and exciton-phonon interactions},
language = {en}
}
@article{RedlichLingnauHolzingeretal.2016,
author = {Redlich, Christoph and Lingnau, Benjamin and Holzinger, Steffen and Schlottmann, Elisabeth and Kreinberg, S{\"o}ren and Schneider, Christian and Kamp, Martin and H{\"o}fling, Sven and Wolters, Janik and Reitzenstein, Stephan and L{\"u}dge, Kathy},
title = {Mode-switching induced super-thermal bunching in quantum-dot microlasers},
series = {New Journal of Physics},
volume = {18},
journal = {New Journal of Physics},
number = {063011},
doi = {10.1088/1367-2630/18/6/063011},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166286},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The super-thermal photon bunching in quantum-dot (QD) micropillar lasers is investigated both experimentally and theoretically via simulations driven by dynamic considerations. Using stochastic multi-mode rate equations we obtain very good agreement between experiment and theory in terms of intensity profiles and intensity-correlation properties of the examined QD micro-laser's emission. Further investigations of the time-dependent emission show that super-thermal photon bunching occurs due to irregular mode-switching events in the bimodal lasers. Our bifurcation analysis reveals that these switchings find their origin in an underlying bistability, such that spontaneous emission noise is able to effectively perturb the two competing modes in a small parameter region. We thus ascribe the observed high photon correlation to dynamical multistabilities rather than quantum mechanical correlations.},
language = {en}
}
@article{LisinetskayaBraunProchetal.2016,
author = {Lisinetskaya, Polina and Braun, Christian and Proch, Sebastian and Kim, Young Dok and Gantef{\"o}r, Gerd and Mitrić, Roland},
title = {Excited state nonadiabatic dynamics of bare and hydrated anionic gold clusters Au\(^-_3\)[H\(_2\)O]\(_n\) (n=0-2)},
series = {Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics},
volume = {18},
journal = {Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics},
number = {9},
issn = {1463-9076},
doi = {10.1039/c5cp04297f},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-159176},
pages = {6411-6419},
year = {2016},
abstract = {We present a joint theoretical and experimental study of excited state dynamics in pure and hydrated anionic gold clusters Au\(^-_3\)[H\(_2\)O]\(_n\) (n = 0-2). We employ mixed quantum-classical dynamics combined with femtosecond time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy in order to investigate the influence of hydration on excited state lifetimes and photo-dissociation dynamics. A gradual decrease of the excited state lifetime with the number of adsorbed water molecules as well as gold cluster fragmentation quenching by two or more water molecules are observed both in experiment and in simulations. Non-radiative relaxation and dissociation in excited states are found to be responsible for the excited state population depletion. Time constants of these two processes strongly depend on the number of water molecules leading to the possibility to modulate excited state dynamics and fragmentation of the anionic cluster by adsorption of water molecules.},
language = {en}
}
@article{LisinetskayaRoehrMitrić2016,
author = {Lisinetskaya, Polina and R{\"o}hr, Merle I. S. and Mitrić, Roland},
title = {First-principles simulation of light propagation and exciton dynamics in metal cluster nanostructures},
series = {Applied Physics B},
volume = {122},
journal = {Applied Physics B},
number = {6},
issn = {0946-2171},
doi = {10.1007/s00340-016-6436-6},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-159193},
pages = {175},
year = {2016},
abstract = {We present a theoretical approach for the simulation of the electric field and exciton propagation in ordered arrays constructed of molecular-sized noble metal clusters bound to organic polymer templates. In order to describe the electronic coupling between individual constituents of the nanostructure we use the ab initio parameterized transition charge method which is more accurate than the usual dipole-dipole coupling. The electronic population dynamics in the nanostructure under an external laser pulse excitation is simulated by numerical integration of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation employing the fully coupled Hamiltonian. The solution of the TDSE gives rise to time-dependent partial point charges for each subunit of the nanostructure, and the spatio-temporal electric field distribution is evaluated by means of classical electrodynamics methods. The time-dependent partial charges are determined based on the stationary partial and transition charges obtained in the framework of the TDDFT. In order to treat large plasmonic nanostructures constructed of many constituents, the approximate self-consistent iterative approach presented in (Lisinetskaya and Mitric in Phys Rev B 89:035433, 2014) is modified to include the transition-charge-based interaction. The developed methods are used to study the optical response and exciton dynamics of Ag-3(+) and porphyrin-Ag-4 dimers. Subsequently, the spatio-temporal electric field distribution in a ring constructed of ten porphyrin-Ag-4 subunits under the action of circularly polarized laser pulse is simulated. The presented methodology provides a theoretical basis for the investigation of coupled light-exciton propagation in nanoarchitectures built from molecular size metal nanoclusters in which quantum confinement effects are important.},
language = {en}
}
@article{WohlgemuthMitric2016,
author = {Wohlgemuth, Matthias and Mitric, Roland},
title = {Photochemical Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Alanine},
series = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A},
volume = {45},
journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A},
number = {120},
doi = {10.1021/acs.jpca.6b07611},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-158557},
pages = {8976-8982},
year = {2016},
abstract = {We introduce a general theoretical approach for the simulation of photochemical dynamics under the influence of circularly polarized light to explore the possibility of generating enantiomeric enrichment through polarized-light-selective photochemistry. The method is applied to the simulation of the photolysis of alanine, a prototype chiral amino acid. We show that a systematic enantiomeric enrichment can be obtained depending on the helicity of the circularly polarized light that induces the excited-state photochemistry of alanine. By analyzing the patterns of the photoinduced fragmentation of alanine we find an inducible enantiomeric enrichment up to 1.7\%, which is also in good correspondence to the experimental findings. Our method is generally applicable to complex systems and might serve to systematically explore the photochemical origin of homochirality.},
language = {en}
}
@article{RoehrLisinetskayaMitric2016,
author = {R{\"o}hr, Merle I. S. and Lisinetskaya, Polina G. and Mitric, Roland},
title = {Excitonic Properties of Ordered Metal Nanocluster Arrays: 2D Silver Clusters at Multiporphyrin Templates},
series = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A},
volume = {120},
journal = {Journal of Physical Chemistry A},
number = {26},
doi = {10.1021/acs.jpca.6b04243},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-159464},
pages = {4465-4472},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The design of ordered arrays of metal nanoclusters such as for example 2D cluster organic frameworks might open a new route towards the development of materials with tailored optical properties. Such systems could serve as plasmonically enhanced light-harvesting materials, sensors or catalysts. We present here a theoretical approach for the simulation of the optical properties of ordered arrays of metal clusters that is based on the ab initio parametrized Frenkel exciton model. We demonstrate that small atomically precise silver clusters can be assembled in one- and two-dimensional arrays on suitably designed porphyrin templates exhibiting remarkable optical properties. By employing explicit TDDFT calculations on smaller homologs, we show that the intrinsic optical properties of metal clusters are largely preserved but undergo J- and H-type excitonic coupling that results in controllable splitting of their excited states. Furthermore, ab initio parameterized Frenkel exciton model calculations allow us to predict an energetic splitting of up to 0.77 eV in extended two-dimensional square arrays and 0.79 eV in tilted square aggregates containing up to 25 cluster-porphyrin subunits.},
language = {en}
}
@article{DomschkeZwanzgerRehbeinetal.2016,
author = {Domschke, Katharina and Zwanzger, Peter and Rehbein, Maimu A. and Steinberg, Christian and Knoke, Kathrin and Dobel, Christian and Klinkenberg, Isabelle and Kugel, Harald and Kersting, Anette and Arolt, Volker and Pantev, Christo and Junghofer, Markus},
title = {Magnetoencephalographic Correlates of Emotional Processing in Major Depression Before and After Pharmacological Treatment},
series = {International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology},
volume = {2016},
journal = {International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology},
doi = {10.1093/ijnp/pyv093},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165523},
pages = {1-9},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background: In major depressive disorder (MDD), electrophysiological and imaging studies suggest reduced neural activity in the parietal and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex regions. In the present study, neural correlates of emotional processing in MDD were analyzed for the first time in a pre-/post-treatment design by means of magnetoencephalography (MEG), allowing for detecting temporal dynamics of brain activation. Methods: Twenty-five medication-free Caucasian in-patients with MDD and 25 matched controls underwent a baseline MEG session with passive viewing of pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral pictures. Fifteen patients were followed-up with a second MEG session after 4 weeks of antidepressant monopharmacotherapy with mirtazapine. The corresponding controls received no intervention between the measurements. The clinical course of depression was assessed using the Hamilton Depression scale. Results: Prior to treatment, an overall neocortical hypoactivation during emotional processing, particularly at the parietal regions and areas at the right temporoparietal junction, as well as abnormal valence-specific reactions at the right parietal and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) regions were observed in patients compared to controls. These effects occurred <150ms, suggesting dysfunctional processing of emotional stimuli at a preconscious level. Successful antidepressant treatment resulted in a normalization of the hypoactivation at the right parietal and right temporoparietal regions. Accordingly, both dlPFC regions revealed an increase of activity after therapy. Conclusions: The present study provides neurophysiological evidence for dysfunctional emotional processing in a fronto-parieto-temporal network, possibly contributing to the pathogenesis of MDD. These activation patterns might have the potential to serve as biomarkers of treatment success.},
language = {en}
}
@article{PacheZimmermannMikolajczaketal.2016,
author = {Pache, Florence and Zimmermann, Hanna and Mikolajczak, Janine and Schumacher, Sophie and Lacheta, Anna and Oertel, Frederike C. and Bellmann-Strobl, Judith and Jarius, Sven and Wildemann, Brigitte and Reindl, Markus and Waldman, Amy and Soelberg, Kerstin and Asgari, Nasrin and Ringelstein, Marius and Aktas, Orhan and Gross, Nikolai and Buttmann, Mathias and Ach, Thomas and Ruprecht, Klemens and Paul, Friedemann and Brandt, Alexander U.},
title = {MOG-IgG in NMO and related disorders: a multicenter study of 50 patients. Part 4: Afferent visual system damage after optic neuritis in MOG-IgG-seropositive versus AQP4-IgG-seropositive patients},
series = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
volume = {13},
journal = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
number = {282},
doi = {10.1186/s12974-016-0720-6},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165551},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background Antibodies against myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG) have been reported in patients with aquaporin-4 antibody (AQP4-IgG)-negative neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). The objective of this study was to describe optic neuritis (ON)-induced neuro-axonal damage in the retina of MOG-IgG-positive patients in comparison with AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients. Methods Afferent visual system damage following ON was bilaterally assessed in 16 MOG-IgG-positive patients with a history of ON and compared with that in 16 AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients. In addition, 16 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and disease duration were analyzed. Study data included ON history, retinal optical coherence tomography, visual acuity, and visual evoked potentials. Results Eight MOG-IgG-positive patients had a previous diagnosis of AQP4-IgG-negative NMOSD with ON and myelitis, and eight of (mainly recurrent) ON. Twenty-nine of the 32 eyes of the MOG-IgG-positive patients had been affected by at least one episode of ON. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (pRNFL) and ganglion cell and inner plexiform layer volume (GCIP) were significantly reduced in ON eyes of MOG-IgG-positive patients (pRNFL = 59 ± 23 μm; GCIP = 1.50 ± 0.34 mm3) compared with healthy controls (pRNFL = 99 ± 6 μm, p < 0.001; GCIP = 1.97 ± 0.11 mm3, p < 0.001). Visual acuity was impaired in eyes after ON in MOG-IgG-positive patients (0.35 ± 0.88 logMAR). There were no significant differences in any structural or functional visual parameters between MOG-IgG-positive and AQP4-IgG-positive patients (pRNFL: 59 ± 21 μm; GCIP: 1.41 ± 0.27 mm3; Visual acuity = 0.72 ± 1.09 logMAR). Importantly, MOG-IgG-positive patients had a significantly higher annual ON relapse rate than AQP4-IgG-positive patients (median 0.69 vs. 0.29 attacks/year, p = 0.004), meaning that on average a single ON episode caused less damage in MOG-IgG-positive than in AQP4-IgG-positive patients. pRNFL and GCIP loss correlated with the number of ON episodes in MOG-IgG-positive patients (p < 0.001), but not in AQP4-IgG-positive patients. Conclusions Retinal neuro-axonal damage and visual impairment after ON in MOG-IgG-positive patients are as severe as in AQP4-IgG-positive NMOSD patients. In MOG-IgG-positive patients, damage accrual may be driven by higher relapse rates, whereas AQP4-IgG-positive patients showed fewer but more severe episodes of ON. Given the marked damage in some of our MOG-IgG-positive patients, early diagnosis and timely initiation and close monitoring of immunosuppressive therapy are important.},
language = {en}
}
@article{JariusRuprechtKleiteretal.2016,
author = {Jarius, Sven and Ruprecht, Klemens and Kleiter, Ingo and Borisow, Nadja and Asgari, Nasrin and Pitarokoili, Kalliopi and Pache, Florence and Stich, Oliver and Beume, Lena-Alexandra and H{\"u}mmert, Martin W. and Ringelstein, Marius and Trebst, Corinna and Winkelmann, Alexander and Schwarz, Alexander and Buttmann, Mathias and Zimmermann, Hanna and Kuchling, Joseph and Franciotta, Diego and Capobianco, Marco and Siebert, Eberhard and Lukas, Carsten and Korporal-Kuhnke, Mirjam and Haas, J{\"u}rgen and Fechner, Kai and Brandt, Alexander U. and Schanda, Kathrin and Aktas, Orhan and Paul, Friedemann and Reindl, Markus and Wildemann, Brigitte},
title = {MOG-IgG in NMO and related disorders: a multicenter study of 50 patients. Part 2: Epidemiology, clinical presentation, radiological and laboratory features, treatment responses, and long-term outcome},
series = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
volume = {13},
journal = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
number = {280},
doi = {10.1186/s12974-016-0718-0},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165570},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background A subset of patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) has been shown to be seropositive for myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibodies (MOG-IgG). Objective To describe the epidemiological, clinical, radiological, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and electrophysiological features of a large cohort of MOG-IgG-positive patients with optic neuritis (ON) and/or myelitis (n = 50) as well as attack and long-term treatment outcomes. Methods Retrospective multicenter study. Results The sex ratio was 1:2.8 (m:f). Median age at onset was 31 years (range 6-70). The disease followed a multiphasic course in 80\% (median time-to-first-relapse 5 months; annualized relapse rate 0.92) and resulted in significant disability in 40\% (mean follow-up 75 ± 46.5 months), with severe visual impairment or functional blindness (36\%) and markedly impaired ambulation due to paresis or ataxia (25\%) as the most common long-term sequelae. Functional blindness in one or both eyes was noted during at least one ON attack in around 70\%. Perioptic enhancement was present in several patients. Besides acute tetra-/paraparesis, dysesthesia and pain were common in acute myelitis (70\%). Longitudinally extensive spinal cord lesions were frequent, but short lesions occurred at least once in 44\%. Fourty-one percent had a history of simultaneous ON and myelitis. Clinical or radiological involvement of the brain, brainstem, or cerebellum was present in 50\%; extra-opticospinal symptoms included intractable nausea and vomiting and respiratory insufficiency (fatal in one). CSF pleocytosis (partly neutrophilic) was present in 70\%, oligoclonal bands in only 13\%, and blood-CSF-barrier dysfunction in 32\%. Intravenous methylprednisolone (IVMP) and long-term immunosuppression were often effective; however, treatment failure leading to rapid accumulation of disability was noted in many patients as well as flare-ups after steroid withdrawal. Full recovery was achieved by plasma exchange in some cases, including after IVMP failure. Breakthrough attacks under azathioprine were linked to the drug-specific latency period and a lack of cotreatment with oral steroids. Methotrexate was effective in 5/6 patients. Interferon-beta was associated with ongoing or increasing disease activity. Rituximab and ofatumumab were effective in some patients. However, treatment with rituximab was followed by early relapses in several cases; end-of-dose relapses occurred 9-12 months after the first infusion. Coexisting autoimmunity was rare (9\%). Wingerchuk's 2006 and 2015 criteria for NMO(SD) and Barkhof and McDonald criteria for multiple sclerosis (MS) were met by 28\%, 32\%, 15\%, 33\%, respectively; MS had been suspected in 36\%. Disease onset or relapses were preceded by infection, vaccination, or pregnancy/delivery in several cases. Conclusion Our findings from a predominantly Caucasian cohort strongly argue against the concept of MOG-IgG denoting a mild and usually monophasic variant of NMOSD. The predominantly relapsing and often severe disease course and the short median time to second attack support the use of prophylactic long-term treatments in patients with MOG-IgG-positive ON and/or myelitis.},
language = {en}
}
@article{JariusRuprechtKleiteretal.2016,
author = {Jarius, Sven and Ruprecht, Klemens and Kleiter, Ingo and Borisow, Nadja and Asgari, Nasrin and Pitarokoili, Kalliopi and Pache, Florence and Stich, Oliver and Beume, Lena-Alexandra and H{\"u}mmert, Martin W. and Trebst, Corinna and Ringelstein, Marius and Aktas, Orhan and Winkelmann, Alexander and Buttmann, Mathias and Schwarz, Alexander and Zimmermann, Hanna and Brandt, Alexander U. and Franciotta, Diego and Capobianco, Marco and Kuchling, Joseph and Haas, J{\"u}rgen and Korporal-Kuhnke, Mirjam and Lillevang, Soeren Thue and Fechner, Kai and Schanda, Kathrin and Paul, Friedemann and Wildemann, Brigitte and Reindl, Markus},
title = {MOG-IgG in NMO and related disorders: a multicenter study of 50 patients. Part 1: Frequency, syndrome specificity, influence of disease activity, long-term course, association with AQP4-IgG, and origin},
series = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
volume = {13},
journal = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
number = {279},
doi = {10.1186/s12974-016-0717-1},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165659},
pages = {1-16},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background Antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG) have been suggested to play a role in a subset of patients with neuromyelitis optica and related disorders. Objective To assess (i) the frequency of MOG-IgG in a large and predominantly Caucasian cohort of patients with optic neuritis (ON) and/or myelitis; (ii) the frequency of MOG-IgG among AQP4-IgG-positive patients and vice versa; (iii) the origin and frequency of MOG-IgG in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); (iv) the presence of MOG-IgG at disease onset; and (v) the influence of disease activity and treatment status on MOG-IgG titers. Methods 614 serum samples from patients with ON and/or myelitis and from controls, including 92 follow-up samples from 55 subjects, and 18 CSF samples were tested for MOG-IgG using a live cell-based assay (CBA) employing full-length human MOG-transfected HEK293A cells. Results MOG-IgG was detected in 95 sera from 50 patients with ON and/or myelitis, including 22/54 (40.7\%) patients with a history of both ON and myelitis, 22/103 (21.4\%) with a history of ON but no myelitis and 6/45 (13.3\%) with a history of longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis but no ON, and in 1 control patient with encephalitis and a connective tissue disorder, all of whom were negative for AQP4-IgG. MOG-IgG was absent in 221 further controls, including 83 patients with AQP4-IgG-seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and 85 with multiple sclerosis (MS). MOG-IgG was found in 12/18 (67\%) CSF samples from MOG-IgG-seropositive patients; the MOG-IgG-specific antibody index was negative in all cases, indicating a predominantly peripheral origin of CSF MOG-IgG. Serum and CSF MOG-IgG belonged to the complement-activating IgG1 subclass. MOG-IgG was present already at disease onset. The antibodies remained detectable in 40/45 (89\%) follow-up samples obtained over a median period of 16.5 months (range 0-123). Serum titers were higher during attacks than during remission (p < 0.0001), highest during attacks of simultaneous myelitis and ON, lowest during acute isolated ON, and declined following treatment. Conclusions To date, this is the largest cohort studied for IgG to human full-length MOG by means of an up-to-date CBA. MOG-IgG is present in a substantial subset of patients with ON and/or myelitis, but not in classical MS. Co-existence of MOG-IgG and AQP4-IgG is highly uncommon. CSF MOG-IgG is of extrathecal origin. Serum MOG-IgG is present already at disease onset and remains detectable in the long-term course. Serum titers depend on disease activity and treatment status.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KilianWehmeierWahletal.2016,
author = {Kilian, Yvonne and Wehmeier, Udo F. and Wahl, Patrick and Mester, Joachim and Hilberg, Thomas and Sperlich, Billy},
title = {Acute Response of Circulating Vascular Regulating MicroRNAs during and after High-Intensity and High-Volume Cycling in Children},
series = {Frontiers in Physiology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Physiology},
number = {92},
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2016.00092},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165261},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Aim: The aim of the present study was to analyze the response of vascular circulating microRNAs (miRNAs; miR-16, miR-21, miR-126) and the VEGF mRNA following an acute bout of HIIT and HVT in children. Methods: Twelve healthy competitive young male cyclists (14.4 ± 0.8 years; 57.9 ± 9.4 ml•min-1•kg-1 peak oxygen uptake) performed one session of high intensity 4 × 4 min intervals (HIIT) at 90-95\% peak power output (PPO), each interval separated by 3 min of active recovery, and one high volume session (HVT) consisting of a constant load exercise for 90 min at 60\% PPO. Capillary blood from the earlobe was collected under resting conditions, during exercise (d1 = 20 min, d2 = 30 min, d3 = 60 min), and 0, 30, 60, 180 min after the exercise to determine miR-16, -21, -126, and VEGF mRNA. Results: HVT significantly increased miR-16 and miR-126 during and after the exercise compared to pre-values, whereas HIIT showed no significant influence on the miRNAs compared to pre-values. VEGF mRNA significantly increased during and after HIIT (d1, 30′, 60′, 180′) and HVT (d3, 0′, 60′). Conclusion: Results of the present investigation suggest a volume dependent exercise regulation of vascular regulating miRNAs (miR-16, miR-21, miR-126) in children. In line with previous data, our data show that acute exercise can alter circulating miRNAs profiles that might be used as novel biomarkers to monitor acute and chronic changes due to exercise in various tissues.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KempertGoetzBlatteretal.2016,
author = {Kempert, Sebastian and G{\"o}tz, Regina and Blatter, Kristine and Tibken, Catharina and Artelt, Cordula and Schneider, Wolfgang and Stanat, Petra},
title = {Training Early Literacy Related Skills: To Which Degree Does a Musical Training Contribute to Phonological Awareness Development?},
series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
number = {1803},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01803},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165272},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Well-developed phonological awareness skills are a core prerequisite for early literacy development. Although effective phonological awareness training programs exist, children at risk often do not reach similar levels of phonological awareness after the intervention as children with normally developed skills. Based on theoretical considerations and first promising results the present study explores effects of an early musical training in combination with a conventional phonological training in children with weak phonological awareness skills. Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design and measurements across a period of 2 years, we tested the effects of two interventions: a consecutive combination of a musical and a phonological training and a phonological training alone. The design made it possible to disentangle effects of the musical training alone as well the effects of its combination with the phonological training. The outcome measures of these groups were compared with the control group with multivariate analyses, controlling for a number of background variables. The sample included N = 424 German-speaking children aged 4-5 years at the beginning of the study. We found a positive relationship between musical abilities and phonological awareness. Yet, whereas the well-established phonological training produced the expected effects, adding a musical training did not contribute significantly to phonological awareness development. Training effects were partly dependent on the initial level of phonological awareness. Possible reasons for the lack of training effects in the musical part of the combination condition as well as practical implications for early literacy education are discussed.},
language = {en}
}
@article{WunschPfisterHenningetal.2016,
author = {Wunsch, Kathrin and Pfister, Roland and Henning, Anne and Aschersleben, Gisa and Weigelt, Matthias},
title = {No Interrelation of Motor Planning and Executive Functions across Young Ages},
series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
number = {1031},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01031},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165281},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The present study examined the developmental trajectories of motor planning and executive functioning in children. To this end, we tested 217 participants with three motor tasks, measuring anticipatory planning abilities (i.e., the bar-transport-task, the sword-rotation-task and the grasp-height-task), and three cognitive tasks, measuring executive functions (i.e., the Tower-of-Hanoi-task, the Mosaic-task, and the D2-attention-endurance-task). Children were aged between 3 and 10 years and were separated into age groups by 1-year bins, resulting in a total of eight groups of children and an additional group of adults. Results suggested (1) a positive developmental trajectory for each of the sub-tests, with better task performance as children get older; (2) that the performance in the separate tasks was not correlated across participants in the different age groups; and (3) that there was no relationship between performance in the motor tasks and in the cognitive tasks used in the present study when controlling for age. These results suggest that both, motor planning and executive functions are rather heterogeneous domains of cognitive functioning with fewer interdependencies than often suggested.},
language = {en}
}
@article{GressmannJanczyk2016,
author = {Gressmann, Marcel and Janczyk, Markus},
title = {The (Un)Clear Effects of Invalid Retro-Cues},
series = {Frontiers in Psychology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Psychology},
number = {244},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00244},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165296},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Studies with the retro-cue paradigm have shown that validly cueing objects in visual working memory long after encoding can still benefit performance on subsequent change detection tasks. With regard to the effects of invalid cues, the literature is less clear. Some studies reported costs, others did not. We here revisit two recent studies that made interesting suggestions concerning invalid retro-cues: One study suggested that costs only occur for larger set sizes, and another study suggested that inclusion of invalid retro-cues diminishes the retro-cue benefit. New data from one experiment and a reanalysis of published data are provided to address these conclusions. The new data clearly show costs (and benefits) that were independent of set size, and the reanalysis suggests no influence of the inclusion of invalid retro-cues on the retro-cue benefit. Thus, previous interpretations may be taken with some caution at present.},
language = {en}
}
@article{PeperkornDiemerAlpersetal.2016,
author = {Peperkorn, Henrik M. and Diemer, Julia E. and Alpers, Georg W. and M{\"u}hlberger, Andreas},
title = {Representation of Patients' Hand Modulates Fear Reactions of Patients with Spider Phobia in Virtual Reality},
series = {frontiers in Psychology},
volume = {7},
journal = {frontiers in Psychology},
number = {268},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00268},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165307},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Embodiment (i.e., the involvement of a bodily representation) is thought to be relevant in emotional experiences. Virtual reality (VR) is a capable means of activating phobic fear in patients. The representation of the patient's body (e.g., the right hand) in VR enhances immersion and increases presence, but its effect on phobic fear is still unknown. We analyzed the influence of the presentation of the participant's hand in VR on presence and fear responses in 32 women with spider phobia and 32 matched controls. Participants sat in front of a table with an acrylic glass container within reaching distance. During the experiment this setup was concealed by a head-mounted display (HMD). The VR scenario presented via HMD showed the same setup, i.e., a table with an acrylic glass container. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups. In one group, fear responses were triggered by fear-relevant visual input in VR (virtual spider in the virtual acrylic glass container), while information about a real but unseen neutral control animal (living snake in the acrylic glass container) was given. The second group received fear-relevant information of the real but unseen situation (living spider in the acrylic glass container), but visual input was kept neutral VR (virtual snake in the virtual acrylic glass container). Participants were instructed to touch the acrylic glass container with their right hand in 20 consecutive trials. Visibility of the hand was varied randomly in a within-subjects design. We found for all participants that visibility of the participant's hand increased presence independently of the fear trigger. However, in patients, the influence of the virtual hand on fear depended on the fear trigger. When fear was triggered perceptually, i.e., by a virtual spider, the virtual hand increased fear. When fear was triggered by information about a real spider, the virtual hand had no effect on fear. Our results shed light on the significance of different fear triggers (visual, conceptual) in interaction with body representations.},
language = {en}
}
@article{CitronAbugaberHerbert2016,
author = {Citron, Francesca M. M. and Abugaber, David and Herbert, Cornelia},
title = {Approach and Withdrawal Tendencies during Written Word Processing: Effects of Task, Emotional Valence, and Emotional Arousal},
series = {frontiers in Psychology},
volume = {6},
journal = {frontiers in Psychology},
number = {1935},
doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01935},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165318},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The affective dimensions of emotional valence and emotional arousal affect processing of verbal and pictorial stimuli. Traditional emotional theories assume a linear relationship between these dimensions, with valence determining the direction of a behavior (approach vs. withdrawal) and arousal its intensity or strength. In contrast, according to the valence-arousal conflict theory, both dimensions are interactively related: positive valence and low arousal (PL) are associated with an implicit tendency to approach a stimulus, whereas negative valence and high arousal (NH) are associated with withdrawal. Hence, positive, high-arousal (PH) and negative, low-arousal (NL) stimuli elicit conflicting action tendencies. By extending previous research that used several tasks and methods, the present study investigated whether and how emotional valence and arousal affect subjective approach vs. withdrawal tendencies toward emotional words during two novel tasks. In Study 1, participants had to decide whether they would approach or withdraw from concepts expressed by written words. In Studies 2 and 3 participants had to respond to each word by pressing one of two keys labeled with an arrow pointing upward or downward. Across experiments, positive and negative words, high or low in arousal, were presented. In Study 1 (explicit task), in line with the valence-arousal conflict theory, PH and NL words were responded to more slowly than PL and NH words. In addition, participants decided to approach positive words more often than negative words. In Studies 2 and 3, participants responded faster to positive than negative words, irrespective of their level of arousal. Furthermore, positive words were significantly more often associated with "up" responses than negative words, thus supporting the existence of implicit associations between stimulus valence and response coding (positive is up and negative is down). Hence, in contexts in which participants' spontaneous responses are based on implicit associations between stimulus valence and response, there is no influence of arousal. In line with the valence-arousal conflict theory, arousal seems to affect participants' approach-withdrawal tendencies only when such tendencies are made explicit by the task, and a minimal degree of processing depth is required.},
language = {en}
}
@article{WittmannSiebervonStengeletal.2016,
author = {Wittmann, Katharina and Sieber, Cornel and von Stengel, Simon and Kohl, Matthias and Freiberger, Ellen and Jakob, Franz and Lell, Michael and Engelke, Klaus and Kemmler, Wolfgang},
title = {Impact of whole body electromyostimulation on cardiometabolic risk factors in older women with sarcopenic obesity: the randomized controlled FORMOsA-sarcopenic obesity study},
series = {Clinical Interventions in Aging},
volume = {11},
journal = {Clinical Interventions in Aging},
doi = {10.2147/CIA.S116430},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164930},
pages = {1697—1706},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background: Sarcopenic obesity (SO) is characterized by a combination of low muscle and high fat mass with an additive negative effect of both conditions on cardiometabolic risk. The aim of the study was to determine the effect of whole-body electromyostimulation (WB-EMS) on the metabolic syndrome (MetS) in community-dwelling women aged ≥70 years with SO. Methods: The study was conducted in an ambulatory university setting. Seventy-five community-dwelling women aged ≥70 years with SO living in Northern Bavaria, Germany, were randomly allocated to either 6 months of WB-EMS application with (WB-EMS\&P) or without (WB-EMS) dietary supplementation (150 kcal/day, 56\% protein) or a non-training control group (CG). WB-EMS included one session of 20 min (85 Hz, 350 µs, 4 s of strain-4 s of rest) per week with moderate-to-high intensity. The primary study endpoint was the MetS Z-score with the components waist circumference (WC), mean arterial pressure (MAP), triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C); secondary study endpoints were changes in these determining variables. Results: MetS Z-score decreased in both groups; however, changes compared with the CG were significant (P=0.001) in the WB-EMS\&P group only. On analyzing the components of the MetS, significant positive effects for both WB-EMS groups (P≤0.038) were identified for MAP, while the WB-EMS group significantly differed for WC (P=0.036), and the WB-EMS\&P group significantly differed for HDL-C (P=0.006) from the CG. No significant differences were observed between the WB-EMS groups. Conclusion: The study clearly confirms the favorable effect of WB-EMS application on the MetS in community-dwelling women aged ≥70 years with SO. However, protein-enriched supplements did not increase effects of WB-EMS alone. In summary, we considered this novel technology an effective and safe method to prevent cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases in older women unable or unwilling to exercise conventionally.},
language = {en}
}
@article{PalamidesJodeleitFoehlingeretal.2016,
author = {Palamides, Pia and Jodeleit, Henrika and F{\"o}hlinger, Michael and Beigel, Florian and Herbach, Nadja and Mueller, Thomas and Wolf, Eckhard and Siebeck, Matthias and Gropp, Roswitha},
title = {A mouse model for ulcerative colitis based on NOD-scid IL2R gamma(null) mice reconstituted with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from affected individuals},
series = {Disease Models \& Mechanisms},
volume = {9},
journal = {Disease Models \& Mechanisms},
doi = {10.1242/dmm.025452},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164946},
pages = {985-997},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Animal models reflective of ulcerative colitis (UC) remain a major challenge, and yet are crucial to understand mechanisms underlying the onset of disease and inflammatory characteristics of relapses and remission. Mouse models in which colitis-like symptoms are induced through challenge with toxins such as oxazolone, dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) or 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) have been instrumental in understanding the inflammatory processes of UC. However, these neither reflect the heterogeneous symptoms observed in the UC-affected population nor can they be used to test the efficacy of inhibitors developed against human targets where high sequence and structural similarity of the respective ligands is lacking. In an attempt to overcome these problems, we have developed a mouse model that relies on NOD-scid IL2R γnull mice reconstituted with peripheral blood mononuclear cells derived from UC-affected individuals. Upon challenge with ethanol, mice developed colitis-like symptoms and changes in the colon architecture, characterized by influx of inflammatory cells, edema, crypt loss, crypt abscesses and epithelial hyperplasia, as previously observed in immune-competent mice. TARC, TGFβ1 and HGF expression increased in distal parts of the colon. Analysis of human leucocytes isolated from mouse spleen revealed an increase in frequencies of CD1a+, CD64+, CD163+ and TSLPR+ CD14+ monocytes, and antigen-experienced CD44+ CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in response to ethanol. Analysis of human leucocytes from the colon of challenged mice identified CD14+ monocytes and CD11b+ monocytes as the predominant populations. Quantitative real-time PCR (RT-PCR) analysis from distal parts of the colon indicated that IFNγ might be one of the cytokines driving inflammation. Treatment with infliximab ameliorated symptoms and pathological manifestations, whereas pitrakinra had no therapeutic benefit. Thus, this model is partially reflective of the human disease and might help to increase the translation of animal and clinical studies.},
language = {en}
}
@article{JonesFrucianoKelleretal.2016,
author = {Jones, Julia C. and Fruciano, Carmelo and Keller, Anja and Schartl, Manfred and Meyer, Axel},
title = {Evolution of the elaborate male intromittent organ of Xiphophorus fishes},
series = {Ecology and Evolution},
volume = {6},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
number = {20},
doi = {10.1002/ece3.2396},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164956},
pages = {7207-7220},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Internally fertilizing animals show a remarkable diversity in male genital morphology that is associated with sexual selection, and these traits are thought to be evolving particularly rapidly. Male fish in some internally fertilizing species have "gonopodia," highly modified anal fins that are putatively important for sexual selection. However, our understanding of the evolution of genital diversity remains incomplete. Contrary to the prediction that male genital traits evolve more rapidly than other traits, here we show that gonopodial traits and other nongonopodial traits exhibit similar evolutionary rates of trait change and also follow similar evolutionary models in an iconic genus of poeciliid fish (Xiphophorus spp.). Furthermore, we find that both mating and nonmating natural selection mechanisms are unlikely to be driving the diverse Xiphophorus gonopodial morphology. Putative holdfast features of the male genital organ do not appear to be influenced by water flow, a candidate selective force in aquatic habitats. Additionally, interspecific divergence in gonopodial morphology is not significantly higher between sympatric species, than between allopatric species, suggesting that male genitals have not undergone reproductive character displacement. Slower rates of evolution in gonopodial traits compared with a subset of putatively sexually selected nongenital traits suggest that different selection mechanisms may be acting on the different trait types. Further investigations of this elaborate trait are imperative to determine whether it is ultimately an important driver of speciation.},
language = {en}
}
@article{DrakulićFeldhaarLisičićetal.2016,
author = {Drakulić, Sanja and Feldhaar, Heike and Lisičić, Duje and Mioč, Mia and Cizelj, Ivan and Seiler, Michael and Spatz, Theresa and R{\"o}del, Mark-Oliver},
title = {Population-specific effects of developmental temperature on body condition and jumping performance of a widespread European frog},
series = {Ecology and Evolution},
volume = {6},
journal = {Ecology and Evolution},
number = {10},
doi = {10.1002/ece3.2113},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164960},
pages = {3115-3128},
year = {2016},
abstract = {All physiological processes of ectotherms depend on environmental temperature. Thus, adaptation of physiological mechanisms to the thermal environments is important for achieving optimal performance and fitness. The European Common Frog, Rana temporaria, is widely distributed across different thermal habitats. This makes it an exceptional model for studying the adaptations to different thermal conditions. We raised tadpoles from Germany and Croatia at two constant temperature treatments (15°C, 20°C), and under natural temperature fluctuations (in outdoor treatments), and tested how different developmental temperatures affected developmental traits, that is, length of larval development, morphometrics, and body condition, as well as jumping performance of metamorphs. Our results revealed population-specific differences in developmental time, body condition, and jumping performance. Croatian frogs developed faster in all treatments, were heavier, in better body condition, and had longer hind limbs and better jumping abilities than German metamorphs. The populations further differed in thermal sensitivity of jumping performance. While metamorphs from Croatia increased their jumping performance with higher temperatures, German metamorphs reached their performance maximum at lower temperatures. These population-specific differences in common environments indicate local genetic adaptation, with southern populations being better adapted to higher temperatures than those from north of the Alps.},
language = {en}
}
@article{vanToorNewmanTakekawaetal.2016,
author = {van Toor, Mari{\"e}lle L. and Newman, Scott H. and Takekawa, John Y. and Wegmann, Martin and Safi, Kamran},
title = {Temporal segmentation of animal trajectories informed by habitat use},
series = {Ecosphere},
volume = {7},
journal = {Ecosphere},
number = {10},
doi = {10.1002/ecs2.1498},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164970},
pages = {e01498},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Most animals live in seasonal environments and experience very different conditions throughout the year. Behavioral strategies like migration, hibernation, and a life cycle adapted to the local seasonality help to cope with fluctuations in environmental conditions. Thus, how an individual utilizes the environment depends both on the current availability of habitat and the behavioral prerequisites of the individual at that time. While the increasing availability and richness of animal movement data has facilitated the development of algorithms that classify behavior by movement geometry, changes in the environmental correlates of animal movement have so far not been exploited for a behavioral annotation. Here, we suggest a method that uses these changes in individual-environment associations to divide animal location data into segments of higher ecological coherence, which we term niche segmentation. We use time series of random forest models to evaluate the transferability of habitat use over time to cluster observational data accordingly. We show that our method is able to identify relevant changes in habitat use corresponding to both changes in the availability of habitat and how it was used using simulated data, and apply our method to a tracking data set of common teal (Anas crecca). The niche segmentation proved to be robust, and segmented habitat suitability outperformed models neglecting the temporal dynamics of habitat use. Overall, we show that it is possible to classify animal trajectories based on changes of habitat use similar to geometric segmentation algorithms. We conclude that such an environmentally informed classification of animal trajectories can provide new insights into an individuals' behavior and enables us to make sensible predictions of how suitable areas might be connected by movement in space and time.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ChubanovFerioliWisnowskyetal.2016,
author = {Chubanov, Vladimir and Ferioli, Silvia and Wisnowsky, Annika and Simmons, David G. and Leitzinger, Christin and Einer, Claudia and Jonas, Wenke and Shymkiv, Yuriy and Gudermann, Thomas and Bartsch, Harald and Braun, Attila and Akdogan, Banu and Mittermeier, Lorenz and Sytik, Ludmila and Torben, Friedrich and Jurinovic, Vindi and van der Vorst, Emiel P. C. and Weber, Christian and Yildirim, {\"O}nder A. and Sotlar, Karl and Sch{\"u}rmann, Annette and Zierler, Susanna and Zischka, Hans and Ryazanov, Alexey G.},
title = {Epithelial magnesium transport by TRPM6 is essential for prenatal development and adult survival},
series = {eLife},
volume = {5},
journal = {eLife},
doi = {10.7554/eLife.20914},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164987},
pages = {e19686},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Mg2+ regulates many physiological processes and signalling pathways. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the organismal balance of Mg2+. Capitalizing on a set of newly generated mouse models, we provide an integrated mechanistic model of the regulation of organismal Mg2+ balance during prenatal development and in adult mice by the ion channel TRPM6. We show that TRPM6 activity in the placenta and yolk sac is essential for embryonic development. In adult mice, TRPM6 is required in the intestine to maintain organismal Mg2+ balance, but is dispensable in the kidney. Trpm6 inactivation in adult mice leads to a shortened lifespan, growth deficit and metabolic alterations indicative of impaired energy balance. Dietary Mg2+ supplementation not only rescues all phenotypes displayed by Trpm6-deficient adult mice, but also may extend the lifespan of wildtype mice. Hence, maintenance of organismal Mg2+ balance by TRPM6 is crucial for prenatal development and survival to adulthood.},
language = {en}
}
@article{MenaDiegelmannWegeneretal.2016,
author = {Mena, Wilson and Diegelmann, S{\"o}ren and Wegener, Christian and Ewer, John},
title = {Stereotyped responses of Drosophila peptidergic neuronal ensemble depend on downstream neuromodulators},
series = {eLife},
volume = {5},
journal = {eLife},
doi = {10.7554/eLife.19686},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165003},
pages = {e19686},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Neuropeptides play a key role in the regulation of behaviors and physiological responses including alertness, social recognition, and hunger, yet, their mechanism of action is poorly understood. Here, we focus on the endocrine control ecdysis behavior, which is used by arthropods to shed their cuticle at the end of every molt. Ecdysis is triggered by ETH (Ecdysis triggering hormone), and we show that the response of peptidergic neurons that produce CCAP (crustacean cardioactive peptide), which are key targets of ETH and control the onset of ecdysis behavior, depends fundamentally on the actions of neuropeptides produced by other direct targets of ETH and released in a broad paracrine manner within the CNS; by autocrine influences from the CCAP neurons themselves; and by inhibitory actions mediated by GABA. Our findings provide insights into how this critical insect behavior is controlled and general principles for understanding how neuropeptides organize neuronal activity and behaviors.},
language = {en}
}
@article{BuschNadalSchmidetal.2016,
author = {Busch, Martin and Nadal, Jennifer and Schmid, Matthias and Paul, Katharina and Titze, Stephanie and H{\"u}bner, Silvia and K{\"o}ttgen, Anna and Schultheiss, Ulla T. and Baid-Agrawal, Seema and Lorenzen, Johan and Schlieper, Georg and Sommerer, Claudia and Krane, Vera and Hilge, Robert and Kielstein, Jan T. and Kronenberg, Florian and Wanner, Christoph and Eckardt, Kai-Uwe and Wolf, Gunter},
title = {Glycaemic control and antidiabetic therapy in patients with diabetes mellitus and chronic kidney disease - cross-sectional data from the German Chronic Kidney Disease (GCKD) cohort},
series = {BMC Nephrology},
volume = {17},
journal = {BMC Nephrology},
number = {59},
doi = {10.1186/s12882-016-0273-z},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164687},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is the leading cause of end-stage renal disease. Little is known about practice patterns of anti-diabetic therapy in the presence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and correlates with glycaemic control. We therefore aimed to analyze current antidiabetic treatment and correlates of metabolic control in a large contemporary prospective cohort of patients with diabetes and CKD. Methods The German Chronic Kidney Disease (GCKD) study enrolled 5217 patients aged 18-74 years with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) between 30-60 mL/min/1.73 m2 or proteinuria >0.5 g/d. The use of diet prescription, oral anti-diabetic medication, and insulin was assessed at baseline. HbA1c, measured centrally, was the main outcome measure. Results At baseline, DM was present in 1842 patients (35 \%) and the median HbA1C was 7.0 \% (25th-75th percentile: 6.8-7.9 \%), equalling 53 mmol/mol (51, 63); 24.2 \% of patients received dietary treatment only, 25.5 \% oral antidiabetic drugs but not insulin, 8.4 \% oral antidiabetic drugs with insulin, and 41.8 \% insulin alone. Metformin was used by 18.8 \%. Factors associated with an HbA1C level >7.0 \% (53 mmol/mol) were higher BMI (OR = 1.04 per increase of 1 kg/m2, 95 \% CI 1.02-1.06), hemoglobin (OR = 1.11 per increase of 1 g/dL, 95 \% CI 1.04-1.18), treatment with insulin alone (OR = 5.63, 95 \% CI 4.26-7.45) or in combination with oral antidiabetic agents (OR = 4.23, 95 \% CI 2.77-6.46) but not monotherapy with metformin, DPP-4 inhibitors, or glinides. Conclusions Within the GCKD cohort of patients with CKD stage 3 or overt proteinuria, antidiabetic treatment patterns were highly variable with a remarkably high proportion of more than 50 \% receiving insulin-based therapies. Metabolic control was overall satisfactory, but insulin use was associated with higher HbA1C levels.},
language = {en}
}
@article{AlnawaisehSchubertNelisetal.2016,
author = {Alnawaiseh, Maged and Schubert, Friederike and Nelis, Pieter and Wirths, Gabriele and Rosentreter, Andr{\´e} and Eter, Nicole},
title = {Optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography findings in retinal arterial macroaneurysms},
series = {BMC Ophthalmology},
volume = {16},
journal = {BMC Ophthalmology},
number = {120},
doi = {10.1186/s12886-016-0293-2},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164702},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background Optical coherence tomography angiography is a novel imaging technique that allows dyeless in vivo visualization of the retinal and choroidal vasculature. The purpose of this study was to describe optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography findings in patients with retinal arterial macroaneurysms (RAMs). Methods Three eyes of three patients with RAMs were retrospectively included. Fundus photography, OCT, fluorescein angiography (FA), and OCT angiography were performed. The entire imaging data was analyzed in detail. Results OCT angiography could detect the RAMs noninvasively without dye injection. By simultaneously observing the OCT scans, it was possible to determine the depth of the RAMs in the retina, to detect the exact localization in relation to the main vessel, and to determine the level of blood flow in the RAMs. Conclusions OCT angiography can clearly visualize RAMs without use of a dye. It also allows layer-specific observation of blood flow in each layer of the RAM. OCT angiography provides additional dynamic information on RAMs, which is not obtained with FA and facilitates a better understanding of its morphology and activity. This information in combination with ICG and fluorescein angiography can help to optimize direct laser treatment.},
language = {en}
}
@article{TsiligianniAlmaKocksetal.2016,
author = {Tsiligianni, Ioanna G. and Alma, Harma J. and Kocks, Janwillem W. H. and de Jong, Corina and Jelusic, Danijel and Wittmann, Michael and Schuler, Michael and Schultz, Konrad and Kollen, Boudewijn J. and van der Molen, Thys},
title = {Investigating sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of the Clinical COPD Questionnaire, COPD Assessment Test, and Modified Medical Research Council scale according to GOLD using St George's Respiratory Questionnaire cutoff 25 (and 20) as reference},
series = {International Journal of COPD},
volume = {11},
journal = {International Journal of COPD},
doi = {10.2147/COPD.S99793},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165427},
pages = {1045-1052},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background: In the GOLD (Global initiative for chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) strategy document, the Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ), COPD Assessment Test (CAT), or modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale are recommended for the assessment of symptoms using the cutoff points of CCQ ≥1, CAT ≥10, and mMRC scale ≥2 to indicate symptomatic patients. The current study investigates the criterion validity of the CCQ, CAT and mMRC scale based on a reference cutoff point of St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) ≥25, as suggested by GOLD, following sensitivity and specificity analysis. In addition, areas under the curve (AUCs) of the CCQ, CAT, and mMRC scale were compared using two SGRQ cutoff points (≥25 and ≥20). Materials and methods: Two data sets were used: study A, 238 patients from a pulmonary rehabilitation program; and study B, 101 patients from primary care. Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the correspondence between the recommended cutoff points of the questionnaires. Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and AUC scores for cutoff point SGRQ ≥25 were: study A, 0.99, 0.43, and 0.96 for CCQ ≥1, 0.92, 0.48, and 0.89 for CAT ≥10, and 0.68, 0.91, and 0.91 for mMRC ≥2; study B, 0.87, 0.77, and 0.9 for CCQ ≥1, 0.76, 0.73, and 0.82 for CAT ≥10, and 0.21, 1, and 0.81 for mMRC ≥2. Sensitivity, specificity, and AUC scores for cutoff point SGRQ ≥20 were: study A, 0.99, 0.73, and 0.99 for CCQ ≥1, 0.91, 0.73, and 0.94 for CAT ≥10, and 0.66, 0.95, and 0.94 for mMRC ≥2; study B, 0.8, 0.89, and 0.89 for CCQ ≥1, 0.69, 0.78, and 0.8 for CAT ≥10, and 0.18, 1, and 0.81 for mMRC ≥2. Conclusion: Based on data from these two different samples, this study showed that the suggested cutoff point for the SGRQ (≥25) did not seem to correspond well with the established cutoff points of the CCQ or CAT scales, resulting in low specificity levels. The correspondence with the mMRC scale seemed satisfactory, though not optimal. The SGRQ threshold of ≥20 corresponded slightly better than SGRQ ≥25, recently suggested by GOLD 2015, with the established cutoff points for the CCQ, CAT, and mMRC scale.},
language = {en}
}
@article{LudwigWernerBackesetal.2016,
author = {Ludwig, Nicole and Werner, Tamara V. and Backes, Christina and Trampert, Patrick and Gessler, Manfred and Keller, Andreas and Lenhof, Hans-Peter and Graf, Norbert and Meese, Eckart},
title = {Combining miRNA and mRNA Expression Profiles in Wilms Tumor Subtypes},
series = {International Journal of Mokecular Sciences},
volume = {17},
journal = {International Journal of Mokecular Sciences},
number = {4},
doi = {10.3390/ijms17040475},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165430},
pages = {475},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Wilms tumor (WT) is the most common childhood renal cancer. Recent findings of mutations in microRNA (miRNA) processing proteins suggest a pivotal role of miRNAs in WT genesis. We performed miRNA expression profiling of 36 WTs of different subtypes and four normal kidney tissues using microarrays. Additionally, we determined the gene expression profile of 28 of these tumors to identify potentially correlated target genes and affected pathways. We identified 85 miRNAs and 2107 messenger RNAs (mRNA) differentially expressed in blastemal WT, and 266 miRNAs and 1267 mRNAs differentially expressed in regressive subtype. The hierarchical clustering of the samples, using either the miRNA or mRNA profile, showed the clear separation of WT from normal kidney samples, but the miRNA pattern yielded better separation of WT subtypes. A correlation analysis of the deregulated miRNA and mRNAs identified 13,026 miRNA/mRNA pairs with inversely correlated expression, of which 2844 are potential interactions of miRNA and their predicted mRNA targets. We found significant upregulation of miRNAs-183, -301a/b and -335 for the blastemal subtype, and miRNAs-181b, -223 and -630 for the regressive subtype. We found marked deregulation of miRNAs regulating epithelial to mesenchymal transition, especially in the blastemal subtype, and miRNAs influencing chemosensitivity, especially in regressive subtypes. Further research is needed to assess the influence of preoperative chemotherapy and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes on the miRNA and mRNA patterns in WT},
language = {en}
}
@article{LugoQuitadamoBianchietal.2016,
author = {Lugo, Zulay R. and Quitadamo, Lucia R. and Bianchi, Luigi and Pellas, Fr{\´e}deric and Veser, Sandra and Lesenfants, Damien and Real, Ruben G. L. and Herbert, Cornelia and Guger, Christoph and Kotchoubey, Boris and Mattia, Donatella and K{\"u}bler, Andrea and Laureys, Steven and Noirhomme, Quentin},
title = {Cognitive Processing in Non-Communicative Patients: What Can Event-Related Potentials Tell Us?},
series = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
volume = {10},
journal = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
number = {569},
doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2016.00569},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165165},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Event-related potentials (ERP) have been proposed to improve the differential diagnosis of non-responsive patients. We investigated the potential of the P300 as a reliable marker of conscious processing in patients with locked-in syndrome (LIS). Eleven chronic LIS patients and 10 healthy subjects (HS) listened to a complex-tone auditory oddball paradigm, first in a passive condition (listen to the sounds) and then in an active condition (counting the deviant tones). Seven out of nine HS displayed a P300 waveform in the passive condition and all in the active condition. HS showed statistically significant changes in peak and area amplitude between conditions. Three out of seven LIS patients showed the P3 waveform in the passive condition and five of seven in the active condition. No changes in peak amplitude and only a significant difference at one electrode in area amplitude were observed in this group between conditions. We conclude that, in spite of keeping full consciousness and intact or nearly intact cortical functions, compared to HS, LIS patients present less reliable results when testing with ERP, specifically in the passive condition. We thus strongly recommend applying ERP paradigms in an active condition when evaluating consciousness in non-responsive patients.},
language = {en}
}
@article{EngeFleischhauerGaertneretal.2016,
author = {Enge, S{\"o}ren and Fleischhauer, Monika and G{\"a}rtner, Anne and Reif, Andreas and Lesch, Klaus-Peter and Kliegel, Matthias and Strobel, Alexander},
title = {Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Val66Met) and Serotonin Transporter (5-HTTLPR) Polymorphisms Modulate Plasticity in Inhibitory Control Performance Over Time but Independent of Inhibitory Control Training},
series = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
volume = {10},
journal = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
number = {370},
doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2016.00370},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165176},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Several studies reported training-induced improvements in executive function tasks and also observed transfer to untrained tasks. However, the results are mixed and there is a large interindividual variability within and across studies. Given that training-related performance changes would require modification, growth or differentiation at the cellular and synaptic level in the brain, research on critical moderators of brain plasticity potentially explaining such changes is needed. In the present study, a pre-post-follow-up design (N = 122) and a 3-weeks training of two response inhibition tasks (Go/NoGo and Stop-Signal) was employed and genetic variation (Val66Met) in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promoting differentiation and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity was examined. Because Serotonin (5-HT) signaling and the interplay of BDNF and 5-HT are known to critically mediate brain plasticity, genetic variation in the 5-HTT gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR) was also addressed. The overall results show that the kind of training (i.e., adaptive vs. non-adaptive) did not evoke genotype-dependent differences. However, in the Go/NoGo task, better inhibition performance (lower commission errors) were observed for BDNF Val/Val genotype carriers compared to Met-allele ones supporting similar findings from other cognitive tasks. Additionally, a gene-gene interaction suggests a more impulsive response pattern (faster responses accompanied by higher commission error rates) in homozygous l-allele carriers relative to those with the s-allele of 5-HTTLPR. This, however, is true only in the presence of the Met-allele of BDNF, while the Val/Val genotype seems to compensate for such non-adaptive responding. Intriguingly, similar results were obtained for the Stop-Signal task. Here, differences emerged at post-testing, while no differences were observed at T1. In sum, although no genotype-dependent differences between the relevant training groups emerged suggesting no changes in the trained inhibition function, the observed genotype-dependent performance changes from pre- to post measurement may reflect rapid learning or memory effects linked to BDNF and 5-HTTLPR. In line with ample evidence on BDNF and BDNF-5-HT system interactions to induce (rapid) plasticity especially in hippocampal regions and in response to environmental demands, the findings may reflect genotype-dependent differences in the acquisition and consolidation of task-relevant information, thereby facilitating a more adaptive responding to task-specific requirements.},
language = {en}
}
@article{GroteKrysciakPetersenetal.2016,
author = {Grote, Jessica and Krysciak, Dagmar and Petersen, Katrin and G{\"u}llert, Simon and Schmeisser, Christel and F{\"o}rstner, Konrad U. and Krishnan, Hari B. and Schwalbe, Harald and Kubatova, Nina and Streit, Wolfgang R.},
title = {The Absence of the N-acyl-homoserine-lactone Autoinducer Synthase Genes tral and ngrl Increases the Copy Number of the Symbiotic Plasmid in Sinorhizobium fredii NGR234},
series = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
number = {1858},
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2016.01858},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165185},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Plant-released flavonoids induce the transcription of symbiotic genes in rhizobia and one of the first bacterial responses is the synthesis of so called Nod factors. They are responsible for the initial root hair curling during onset of root nodule development. This signal exchange is believed to be essential for initiating the plant symbiosis with rhizobia affiliated with the Alphaproteobacteria. Here, we provide evidence that in the broad host range strain Sinorhizobium fredii NGR234 the complete lack of quorum sensing molecules results in an elevated copy number of its symbiotic plasmid (pNGR234a). This in turn triggers the expression of symbiotic genes and the production of Nod factors in the absence of plant signals. Therefore, increasing the copy number of specific plasmids could be a widespread mechanism of specialized bacterial populations to bridge gaps in signaling cascades.},
language = {en}
}
@article{LupianezVillaescusaCarvalhoetal.2016,
author = {Lupia{\~n}ez, Carmen B. and Villaescusa, Maria T. and Carvalho, Agostinho and Springer, Jan and Lackner, Michaela and S{\´a}nchez-Maldonado, Jos{\´e} M. and Canet, Luz M. and Cunha, Cristina and Segura-Catena, Joana and Alcazar-Fuoli, Laura and Solano, Carlos and Fianchi, Luana and Pagano, Livio and Potenza, Leonardo and Aguado, Jos{\´e} M. and Luppi, Mario and Cuenca-Estrella, Manuel and Lass-Fl{\"o}rl, Cornelia and Einsele, Hermann and V{\´a}zquez, Lourdes and R{\´i}os-Tamayo, Rafael and Loeffler, J{\"u}rgen and Jurado, Manuel and Sainz, Juan},
title = {Common Genetic Polymorphisms within NF kappa B-Related Genes and the Risk of Developing Invasive Aspergillosis},
series = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
number = {1243},
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2016.01243},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165209},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Invasive Aspergillosis (IA) is an opportunistic infection caused by Aspergillus, a ubiquitously present airborne pathogenic mold. A growing number of studies suggest a major host genetic component in disease susceptibility. Here, we evaluated whether 14 single-nucleotide polymorphisms within NFκB1, NFκB2, RelA, RelB, Rel, and IRF4 genes influence the risk of IA in a population of 834 high-risk patients (157 IA and 677 non-IA) recruited through a collaborative effort involving the aspBIOmics consortium and four European clinical institutions. No significant overall associations between selected SNPs and the risk of IA were found in this large cohort. Although a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)-stratified analysis revealed that carriers of the IRF4rs12203592T/T genotype had a six-fold increased risk of developing the infection when compared with those carrying the C allele (ORREC = 6.24, 95\%CI 1.25-31.2, P = 0.026), the association of this variant with IA risk did not reach significance at experiment-wide significant threshold. In addition, we found an association of the IRF4AATC and IRF4GGTC haplotypes (not including the IRF4rs12203592T risk allele) with a decreased risk of IA but the magnitude of the association was similar to the one observed in the single-SNP analysis, which indicated that the haplotypic effect on IA risk was likely due to the IRF4rs12203592 SNP. Finally, no evidence of significant interactions among the genetic markers tested and the risk of IA was found. These results suggest that the SNPs on the studied genes do not have a clinically relevant impact on the risk of developing IA.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KonteTerpitzPlemenitaš2016,
author = {Konte, Tilen and Terpitz, Ulrich and Plemenitaš, Ana},
title = {Reconstruction of the High-Osmolarity Glycerol (HOG) Signaling Pathway from the Halophilic Fungus Wallemia ichthyophaga in Saccharomyces cerevisiae},
series = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2016.00901},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165214},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The basidiomycetous fungus Wallemia ichthyophaga grows between 1.7 and 5.1 M NaCl and is the most halophilic eukaryote described to date. Like other fungi, W. ichthyophaga detects changes in environmental salinity mainly by the evolutionarily conserved high-osmolarity glycerol (HOG) signaling pathway. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the HOG pathway has been extensively studied in connection to osmotic regulation, with a valuable knock-out strain collection established. In the present study, we reconstructed the architecture of the HOG pathway of W. ichthyophaga in suitable S. cerevisiae knock-out strains, through heterologous expression of the W. ichthyophaga HOG pathway proteins. Compared to S. cerevisiae, where the Pbs2 (ScPbs2) kinase of the HOG pathway is activated via the SHO1 and SLN1 branches, the interactions between the W. ichthyophaga Pbs2 (WiPbs2) kinase and the W. ichthyophaga SHO1 branch orthologs are not conserved: as well as evidence of poor interactions between the WiSho1 Src-homology 3 (SH3) domain and the WiPbs2 proline-rich motif, the absence of a considerable part of the osmosensing apparatus in the genome of W. ichthyophaga suggests that the SHO1 branch components are not involved in HOG signaling in this halophilic fungus. In contrast, the conserved activation of WiPbs2 by the S. cerevisiae ScSsk2/ScSsk22 kinase and the sensitivity of W. ichthyophaga cells to fludioxonil, emphasize the significance of two-component (SLN1-like) signaling via Group III histidine kinase. Combined with protein modeling data, our study reveals conserved and non-conserved protein interactions in the HOG signaling pathway of W. ichthyophaga and therefore significantly improves the knowledge of hyperosmotic signal processing in this halophilic fungus.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ContarinoSmitvandenDooletal.2016,
author = {Contarino, Maria Fiorella and Smit, Marenka and van den Dool, Joost and Volkmann, Jens and Tijssen, Marina A. J.},
title = {Unmet Needs in the Management of Cervical Dystonia},
series = {Frontiers in Neurology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Neurology},
number = {165},
doi = {10.3389/fneur.2016.00165},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165225},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Cervical dystonia (CD) is a movement disorder which affects daily living of many patients. In clinical practice, several unmet treatment needs remain open. This article focuses on the four main aspects of treatment. We describe existing and emerging treatment approaches for CD, including botulinum toxin injections, surgical therapy, management of non-motor symptoms, and rehabilitation strategies. The unsolved issues regarding each of these treatments are identified and discussed, and possible future approaches and research lines are proposed.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ArimanyNardiMinuesaPastorAngladaetal.2016,
author = {Arimany-Nardi, Cristina and Minuesa, Gerard and Pastor-Anglada, Mar{\c{c}}al and Keller, Thorsten and Erkizia, Itziar and Koepsell, Hermann and Martinez-Picado, Javier},
title = {Role of Human Organic Cation Transporter 1 (hOCT1) Polymorphisms in Lamivudine (3TC) Uptake and Drug-Drug Interactions},
series = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
number = {175},
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2016.00175},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165236},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Lamivudine (3TC), a drug used in the treatment of HIV infection, needs to cross the plasma membrane to exert its therapeutic action. Human Organic cation transporter 1 (hOCT1), encoded by the SLC22A1 gene, is the transporter responsible for its uptake into target cells. As SLC22A1 is a highly polymorphic gene, the aim of this study was to determine how SNPs in the OCT1-encoding gene affected 3TC internalization and its interaction with other co-administered drugs. HEK293 cells stably transfected with either the wild type form or the polymorphic variants of hOCT1 were used to perform kinetic and drug-drug interaction studies. Protein co-immunoprecipitation was used to assess the impact of selected polymorphic cysteines on the oligomerization of the transporter. Results showed that 3TC transport efficiency was reduced in all polymorphic variants tested (R61C, C88R, S189L, M420del, and G465R). This was not caused by lack of oligomerization in case of variants located at the transporter extracellular loop (R61C and C88R). Drug-drug interaction measurements showed that co-administered drugs [abacavir (ABC), zidovudine (AZT), emtricitabine (FTC), tenofovir diproxil fumarate (TDF), efavirenz (EFV) and raltegravir (RAL)], differently inhibited 3TC uptake depending upon the polymorphic variant analyzed. These data highlight the need for accurate analysis of drug transporter polymorphic variants of clinical relevance, because polymorphisms can impact on substrate (3TC) translocation but even more importantly they can differentially affect drug-drug interactions at the transporter level.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ProppingLorenzMicheletal.2016,
author = {Propping, Stefan and Lorenz, Kristina and Michel, Martin C. and Wirth, Manfred P. and Ravens, Ursula},
title = {beta-Adrenoceptor-mediated Relaxation of Urinary Bladder Muscle in beta 2-Adrenoceptor Knockout Mice},
series = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Pharmacology},
number = {118},
doi = {10.3389/fphar.2016.00118},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165245},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background and Objective: In order to characterize the β-adrenoceptor (AR) subtypes involved in agonist-stimulated relaxation of murine urinary bladder we studied the effects of (-)-isoprenaline and CL 316,243 on tonic contraction and spontaneous contractions in detrusor strips of wild-type (WT) and β2-AR knockout (β2-AR KO) mice. Materials and Methods: Urinary bladders were isolated from male WT and β2-AR KO mice. β-AR subtype expression was determined with quantitative real-time PCR. Intact muscle strips pre-contracted with KCl (40 mM) were exposed to cumulatively increasing concentrations of (-)-isoprenaline or β3-AR agonist CL 316,243 in the presence and absence of the subtype-selective β-AR blockers CGP 20712A (β1-ARs), ICI 118,551 (β2-ARs), and L748,337 (β3-ARs). Results: Quantitative real-time PCR confirmed lack of β2-AR expression in bladder tissue from β2-AR KO mice. In isolated detrusor strips, pre-contraction with KCl increased basal tone and enhanced spontaneous activity significantly more in β2-AR KO than in WT. (-)-Isoprenaline relaxed tonic tension and attenuated spontaneous activity with similar potency, but the concentrations required were two orders of magnitude higher in β2-AR KO than WT. The concentration-response curves (CRCs) for relaxation were not affected by CGP 20712A (300 nM), but were shifted to the right by ICI 118,551 (50 nM) and L748,337 (10 μM). The -logEC50 values for (-)-isoprenaline in WT and β2-AR KO tissue were 7.98 and 6.00, respectively, suggesting a large receptor reserve of β2-AR. (-)-CL 316,243 relaxed detrusor and attenuated spontaneous contractions from WT and β2-AR KO mice with a potency corresponding to the drug's affinity for β3-AR. L743,337 shifted the CRCs to the right. Conclusion: Our findings in β2-AR KO mice suggest that there is a large receptor reserve for β2-AR in WT mice so that this β-AR subtype will mediate relaxation of tone and attenuation of spontaneous activity under physiological conditions. Nevertheless, upon removal of this reserve, β3-AR can also mediate murine detrusor relaxation.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ZinnerMoralesAlamoOrtenbladetal.2016,
author = {Zinner, Christoph and Morales-Alamo, David and {\O}rtenblad, Niels and Larsen, Filip J. and Schiffer, Tomas A. and Willis, Sarah J. and Gelabert-Rebato, Miriam and Perez-Valera, Mario and Boushel, Robert and Calbet, Jose A. L. and Holmberg, Hans-Christer},
title = {The Physiological Mechanisms of Performance Enhancement with Sprint Interval Training Differ between the Upper and Lower Extremities in Humans},
series = {Frontiers in Physiology},
volume = {7},
journal = {Frontiers in Physiology},
number = {426},
doi = {10.3389/fphys.2016.00426},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165257},
year = {2016},
abstract = {To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the differences in adaptation of arm and leg muscles to sprint training, over a period of 11 days 16 untrained men performed six sessions of 4-6 × 30-s all-out sprints (SIT) with the legs and arms, separately, with a 1-h interval of recovery. Limb-specific VO2peak, sprint performance (two 30-s Wingate tests with 4-min recovery), muscle efficiency and time-trial performance (TT, 5-min all-out) were assessed and biopsies from the m. vastus lateralis and m. triceps brachii taken before and after training. VO2peak and Wmax increased 3-11\% after training, with a more pronounced change in the arms (P < 0.05). Gross efficiency improved for the arms (+8.8\%, P < 0.05), but not the legs (-0.6\%). Wingate peak and mean power outputs improved similarly for the arms and legs, as did TT performance. After training, VO2 during the two Wingate tests was increased by 52 and 6\% for the arms and legs, respectively (P < 0.001). In the case of the arms, VO2 was higher during the first than second Wingate test (64 vs. 44\%, P < 0.05). During the TT, relative exercise intensity, HR, VO2, VCO2, VE, and Vt were all lower during arm-cranking than leg-pedaling, and oxidation of fat was minimal, remaining so after training. Despite the higher relative intensity, fat oxidation was 70\% greater during leg-pedaling (P = 0.017). The aerobic energy contribution in the legs was larger than for the arms during the Wingate tests, although VO2 for the arms was enhanced more by training, reducing the O2 deficit after SIT. The levels of muscle glycogen, as well as the myosin heavy chain composition were unchanged in both cases, while the activities of 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase and citrate synthase were elevated only in the legs and capillarization enhanced in both limbs. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the variables that predict TT performance differ for the arms and legs. The primary mechanism of adaptation to SIT by both the arms and legs is enhancement of aerobic energy production. However, with their higher proportion of fast muscle fibers, the arms exhibit greater plasticity.},
language = {en}
}
@article{NyssenVanNieulandVandenbergheetal.2016,
author = {Nyssen, Jan and Van Nieuland, Jasper and Vandenberghe, Dimitri and Juilleret, J{\´e}r{\^o}me and Terhorst, Birgit},
title = {Gr{\`e}zes lit{\´e}es and their genesis: the site of Enscherange in the Rhenish-Ardennes Massif as a case study},
series = {Die Erde : Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin},
volume = {147},
journal = {Die Erde : Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin},
number = {1},
doi = {10.12854/erde-147-1},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165032},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The freeze-thaw cycles in periglacial areas during the Quaternary glacials increased frost weathering, leading to a disintegration of rock formations. Transported downslope, clasts allowed in some areas the formation of stratified slope deposits known as "gr{\`e}zes lit{\´e}es". This study reviews the existing theories and investigates the gr{\`e}zes lit{\´e}es deposits of Enscherange and Rodershausen in Luxembourg. This process was reinforced by the lithostructural control of the parent material expressed by the dip of schistosity (66°) and its orientation parallel to the main slopes in the area. This gave opportunities to activate the frost-weathering process on top of the ridge where the parent material outcropped. As the stratified slope deposits have a dip of 23° and as there is no significant lateral variation in rock fragment size, slope processes that involve only gravity are excluded and transportation in solifluction lobes with significant slopewash and sorting processes is hypothesized. The Enscherange formation, the biggest known outcrop of gr{\`e}zes lit{\´e}es in north-western Europe, shows evidence of clear layering over the whole profile depth. A palaeolandscape reconstruction shows that ridges must have been tens of metres higher than presently. The investigation of the matrix composition shows Laacher See tephra in the overlying periglacial cover bed with infiltrations of the minerals in the reworked upper layer of the gr{\`e}zes lit{\´e}es deposit. Chronostratigraphic approaches using the underlying cryoturbation zone and Laacher See heavy minerals in the overlying topsoil place the formation of gr{\`e}zes lit{\´e}es deposits in the Late Pleistocene.},
language = {en}
}
@article{BechtleCamargoMolinaDeschetal.2016,
author = {Bechtle, Philip and Camargo-Molina, Jos{\´e} Eliel and Desch, Klaus and Dreiner, Herbert K. and Hamer, Matthias and Kr{\"a}mer, Michael and O'Leary, Ben and Porod, Werner and Sarrazin, Bj{\"o}rn and Stefaniak, Tim and Uhlenbrock, Mathias and Wienemann, Peter},
title = {Killing the cMSSM softly},
series = {The European Physical Journal C},
volume = {76},
journal = {The European Physical Journal C},
number = {96},
doi = {10.1140/epjc/s10052-015-3864-0},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165045},
year = {2016},
abstract = {We investigate the constrained Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (cMSSM) in the light of constraining experimental and observational data from precision measurements, astrophysics, direct supersymmetry searches at the LHC and measurements of the properties of the Higgs boson, by means of a global fit using the program Fittino. As in previous studies, we find rather poor agreement of the best fit point with the global data. We also investigate the stability of the electro-weak vacuum in the preferred region of parameter space around the best fit point. We find that the vacuum is metastable, with a lifetime significantly longer than the age of the Universe. For the first time in a global fit of supersymmetry, we employ a consistent methodology to evaluate the goodness-of-fit of the cMSSM in a frequentist approach by deriving p values from large sets of toy experiments. We analyse analytically and quantitatively the impact of the choice of the observable set on the p value, and in particular its dilution when confronting the model with a large number of barely constraining measurements. Finally, for the preferred sets of observables, we obtain p values for the cMSSM below 10 \%, i.e. we exclude the cMSSM as a model at the 90 \% confidence level.},
language = {en}
}
@article{BoettcherPrifertWeissbrichetal.2016,
author = {B{\"o}ttcher, S. and Prifert, C. and Weißbrich, B. and Adams, O. and Aldabbagh, S. and Eis-H{\"u}binger, A. M. and Diedrich, S.},
title = {Detection of enterovirus D68 in patients hospitalised in three tertiary university hospitals in Germany, 2013 to 2014},
series = {Eurosurveillance},
volume = {21},
journal = {Eurosurveillance},
number = {19},
doi = {10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2016.21.19.30227},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165068},
pages = {pii=30227},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68) has been recognised as a worldwide emerging pathogen associated with severe respiratory symptoms since 2009. We here report EV-D68 detection in hospitalised patients with acute respiratory infection admitted to three tertiary hospitals in Germany between January 2013 and December 2014. From a total of 14,838 respiratory samples obtained during the study period, 246 (1.7\%) tested enterovirus-positive and, among these, 39 (15.9\%) were identified as EV-D68. Infection was observed in children and teenagers (0-19 years; n=31), the majority (n=22) being under five years-old, as well as in adults > 50 years of age (n=8). No significant difference in prevalence was observed between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Phylogenetic analyses based on viral protein 1 (VP1) sequences showed co-circulation of different EV-D68 lineages in Germany. Sequence data encompassing the entire capsid region of the genome were analysed to gain information on amino acid changes possibly relevant for immunogenicity and revealed mutations in two recently described pleconaril binding sites.},
language = {en}
}
@article{HeldBerzHensgenetal.2016,
author = {Held, Martina and Berz, Annuska and Hensgen, Ronja and Muenz, Thomas S. and Scholl, Christina and R{\"o}ssler, Wolfgang and Homberg, Uwe and Pfeiffer, Keram},
title = {Microglomerular Synaptic Complexes in the Sky-Compass Network of the Honeybee Connect Parallel Pathways from the Anterior Optic Tubercle to the Central Complex},
series = {Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience},
volume = {10},
journal = {Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience},
number = {186},
doi = {10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00186},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165080},
year = {2016},
abstract = {While the ability of honeybees to navigate relying on sky-compass information has been investigated in a large number of behavioral studies, the underlying neuronal system has so far received less attention. The sky-compass pathway has recently been described from its input region, the dorsal rim area (DRA) of the compound eye, to the anterior optic tubercle (AOTU). The aim of this study is to reveal the connection from the AOTU to the central complex (CX). For this purpose, we investigated the anatomy of large microglomerular synaptic complexes in the medial and lateral bulbs (MBUs/LBUs) of the lateral complex (LX). The synaptic complexes are formed by tubercle-lateral accessory lobe neuron 1 (TuLAL1) neurons of the AOTU and GABAergic tangential neurons of the central body's (CB) lower division (TL neurons). Both TuLAL1 and TL neurons strongly resemble neurons forming these complexes in other insect species. We further investigated the ultrastructure of these synaptic complexes using transmission electron microscopy. We found that single large presynaptic terminals of TuLAL1 neurons enclose many small profiles (SPs) of TL neurons. The synaptic connections between these neurons are established by two types of synapses: divergent dyads and divergent tetrads. Our data support the assumption that these complexes are a highly conserved feature in the insect brain and play an important role in reliable signal transmission within the sky-compass pathway.},
language = {en}
}
@article{MeyerRichterSchreiberetal.2016,
author = {Meyer, Neele and Richter, S. Helene and Schreiber, Rebecca S. and Kloke, Vanessa and Kaiser, Sylvia and Lesch, Klaus-Peter and Sachser, Norbert},
title = {The Unexpected Effects of Beneficial and Adverse Social Experiences during Adolescence on Anxiety and Aggression and Their Modulation by Genotype},
series = {Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience},
volume = {10},
journal = {Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience},
number = {97},
doi = {10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00097},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165090},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Anxiety and aggression are part of the behavioral repertoire of humans and animals. However, in their exaggerated form both can become maladaptive and result in psychiatric disorders. On the one hand, genetic predisposition has been shown to play a crucial modulatory role in anxiety and aggression. On the other hand, social experiences have been implicated in the modulation of these traits. However, so far, mainly experiences in early life phases have been considered crucial for shaping anxiety-like and aggressive behavior, while the phase of adolescence has largely been neglected. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to elucidate how levels of anxiety-like and aggressive behavior are shaped by social experiences during adolescence and serotonin transporter (5-HTT) genotype. For this purpose, male mice of a 5-HTT knockout mouse model including all three genotypes (wildtype, heterozygous and homozygous 5-HTT knockout mice) were either exposed to an adverse social situation or a beneficial social environment during adolescence. This was accomplished in a custom-made cage system where mice experiencing the adverse environment were repeatedly introduced to the territory of a dominant opponent but had the possibility to escape to a refuge cage. Mice encountering beneficial social conditions had free access to a female mating partner. Afterwards, anxiety-like and aggressive behavior was assessed in a battery of tests. Surprisingly, unfavorable conditions during adolescence led to a decrease in anxiety-like behavior and an increase in exploratory locomotion. Additionally, aggressive behavior was augmented in animals that experienced social adversity. Concerning genotype, homozygous 5-HTT knockout mice were more anxious and less aggressive than heterozygous 5-HTT knockout and wildtype mice. In summary, adolescence is clearly an important phase in which anxiety-like and aggressive behavior can be shaped. Furthermore, it seems that having to cope with challenge during adolescence instead of experiencing throughout beneficial social conditions leads to reduced levels of anxiety-like behavior.},
language = {en}
}
@article{ZhouAllisonKuebleretal.2016,
author = {Zhou, Sijie and Allison, Brendan Z. and K{\"u}bler, Andrea and Cichocki, Andrzej and Wang, Xingyu and Jin, Jing},
title = {Effects of Background Music on Objective and Subjective Performance Measures in an Auditory BCI},
series = {Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience},
volume = {10},
journal = {Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience},
number = {105},
doi = {10.3389/fncom.2016.00105},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-165101},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Several studies have explored brain computer interface (BCI) systems based on auditory stimuli, which could help patients with visual impairments. Usability and user satisfaction are important considerations in any BCI. Although background music can influence emotion and performance in other task environments, and many users may wish to listen to music while using a BCI, auditory, and other BCIs are typically studied without background music. Some work has explored the possibility of using polyphonic music in auditory BCI systems. However, this approach requires users with good musical skills, and has not been explored in online experiments. Our hypothesis was that an auditory BCI with background music would be preferred by subjects over a similar BCI without background music, without any difference in BCI performance. We introduce a simple paradigm (which does not require musical skill) using percussion instrument sound stimuli and background music, and evaluated it in both offline and online experiments. The result showed that subjects preferred the auditory BCI with background music. Different performance measures did not reveal any significant performance effect when comparing background music vs. no background. Since the addition of background music does not impair BCI performance but is preferred by users, auditory (and perhaps other) BCIs should consider including it. Our study also indicates that auditory BCIs can be effective even if the auditory channel is simultaneously otherwise engaged.},
language = {en}
}
@article{WiedenmannBocquillonDeaconetal.2016,
author = {Wiedenmann, J. and Bocquillon, E. and Deacon, R.S. and Hartinger, S. and Herrmann, O. and Klapwijk, T.M. and Maier, L. and Ames, C. and Br{\"u}ne, C. and Gould, C. and Oiwa, A. and Ishibashi, K. and Tarucha, S. and Buhmann, H. and Molenkamp, L.W.},
title = {4π-periodic Josephson supercurrent in HgTe-based topological Josephson junctions},
series = {Nature Communications},
volume = {7},
journal = {Nature Communications},
doi = {10.1038/ncomms10303},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-175353},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The Josephson effect describes the generic appearance of a supercurrent in a weak link between two superconductors. Its exact physical nature deeply influences the properties of the supercurrent. In recent years, considerable efforts have focused on the coupling of superconductors to the surface states of a three-dimensional topological insulator. In such a material, an unconventional induced p-wave superconductivity should occur, with a doublet of topologically protected gapless Andreev bound states, whose energies vary 4π-periodically with the superconducting phase difference across the junction. In this article, we report the observation of an anomalous response to rf irradiation in a Josephson junction made of a HgTe weak link. The response is understood as due to a 4π-periodic contribution to the supercurrent, and its amplitude is compatible with the expected contribution of a gapless Andreev doublet. Our work opens the way to more elaborate experiments to investigate the induced superconductivity in a three-dimensional insulator.},
language = {en}
}
@article{FroehlichHanekePapenfortetal.2016,
author = {Fr{\"o}hlich, Kathrin S. and Haneke, Katharina and Papenfort, Kai and Vogel, J{\"o}rg},
title = {The target spectrum of SdsR small RNA in Salmonella},
series = {Nucleic Acids Research},
volume = {44},
journal = {Nucleic Acids Research},
number = {21},
doi = {10.1093/nar/gkw632},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-175365},
pages = {10406-10422},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Model enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica express hundreds of small non-coding RNAs (sRNAs), targets for most of which are yet unknown. Some sRNAs are remarkably well conserved, indicating that they serve cellular functions that go beyond the necessities of a single species. One of these 'core sRNAs' of largely unknown function is the abundant ∼100-nucleotide SdsR sRNA which is transcribed by the general stress σ-factor, σ\(^{S}\) and accumulates in stationary phase. In Salmonella, SdsR was known to inhibit the synthesis of the species-specific porin, OmpD. However, sdsR genes are present in almost all enterobacterial genomes, suggesting that additional, conserved targets of this sRNA must exist. Here, we have combined SdsR pulse-expression with whole genome transcriptomics to discover 20 previously unknown candidate targets of SdsR which include mRNAs coding for physiologically important regulators such as the carbon utilization regulator, CRP, the nucleoid-associated chaperone, StpA and the antibiotic resistance transporter, TolC. Processing of SdsR by RNase E results in two cellular SdsR variants with distinct target spectra. While the overall physiological role of this orphan core sRNA remains to be fully understood, the new SdsR targets present valuable leads to determine sRNA functions in resting bacteria.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KunzLiangNillaetal.2016,
author = {Kunz, Meik and Liang, Chunguang and Nilla, Santosh and Cecil, Alexander and Dandekar, Thomas},
title = {The drug-minded protein interaction database (DrumPID) for efficient target analysis and drug development},
series = {Database},
volume = {2016},
journal = {Database},
doi = {10.1093/database/baw041},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-147369},
pages = {baw041},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The drug-minded protein interaction database (DrumPID) has been designed to provide fast, tailored information on drugs and their protein networks including indications, protein targets and side-targets. Starting queries include compound, target and protein interactions and organism-specific protein families. Furthermore, drug name, chemical structures and their SMILES notation, affected proteins (potential drug targets), organisms as well as diseases can be queried including various combinations and refinement of searches. Drugs and protein interactions are analyzed in detail with reference to protein structures and catalytic domains, related compound structures as well as potential targets in other organisms. DrumPID considers drug functionality, compound similarity, target structure, interactome analysis and organismic range for a compound, useful for drug development, predicting drug side-effects and structure-activity relationships.},
language = {en}
}
@article{StrekalovaMarkovaShevtsovaetal.2016,
author = {Strekalova, Tatyana and Markova, Nataliia and Shevtsova, Elena and Zubareva, Olga and Bakhmet, Anastassia and Steinbusch, Harry M. and Bachurin, Sergey and Lesch, Klaus-Peter},
title = {Individual Differences in Behavioural Despair Predict Brain GSK-3beta Expression in Mice: The Power of a Modified Swim Test},
series = {Neural Plasticity},
volume = {2016},
journal = {Neural Plasticity},
doi = {10.1155/2016/5098591},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-147379},
pages = {5098591},
year = {2016},
abstract = {While deficient brain plasticity is a well-established pathophysiologic feature of depression, little is known about disorder-associated enhanced cognitive processing. Here, we studied a novel mouse paradigm that potentially models augmented learning of adverse memories during development of a depressive-like state. We used a modification of the classic two-day protocol of a mouse Porsolt test with an additional session occurring on Day 5 following the initial exposure. Unexpectedly, floating behaviour and brain glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK-3beta) mRNA levels, a factor of synaptic plasticity as well as a marker of distress and depression, were increased during the additional swimming session that was prevented by imipramine. Observed increases of GSK-3beta mRNA in prefrontal cortex during delayed testing session correlated with individual parameters of behavioural despair that was not found in the classic Porsolt test. Repeated swim exposure was accompanied by a lower pGSK-3beta/GSK-3beta ratio. A replacement of the second or the final swim sessions with exposure to the context of testing resulted in increased GSK-3beta mRNA level similar to the effects of swimming, while exclusion of the second testing prevented these changes. Together, our findings implicate the activation of brain GSK-3beta expression in enhanced contextual conditioning of adverse memories, which is associated with an individual susceptibility to a depressive syndrome.},
language = {en}
}
@article{RieplMusselOsinskyetal.2016,
author = {Riepl, Korbinian and Mussel, Patrick and Osinsky, Roman and Hewig, Johannes},
title = {Influences of State and Trait Affect on Behavior, Feedback-Related Negativity, and P3b in the Ultimatum Game},
series = {PLoS One},
volume = {7},
journal = {PLoS One},
number = {11},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0146358},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-147386},
pages = {e0146358},
year = {2016},
abstract = {The present study investigates how different emotions can alter social bargaining behavior. An important paradigm to study social bargaining is the Ultimatum Game. There, a proposer gets a pot of money and has to offer part of it to a responder. If the responder accepts, both players get the money as proposed by the proposer. If he rejects, none of the players gets anything. Rational choice models would predict that responders accept all offers above 0. However, evidence shows that responders typically reject a large proportion of all unfair offers. We analyzed participants' behavior when they played the Ultimatum Game as responders and simultaneously collected electroencephalogram data in order to quantify the feedback-related negativity and P3b components. We induced state affect (momentarily emotions unrelated to the task) via short movie clips and measured trait affect (longer-lasting emotional dispositions) via questionnaires. State happiness led to increased acceptance rates of very unfair offers. Regarding neurophysiology, we found that unfair offers elicited larger feedback-related negativity amplitudes than fair offers. Additionally, an interaction of state and trait affect occurred: high trait negative affect (subsuming a variety of aversive mood states) led to increased feedback-related negativity amplitudes when participants were in an angry mood, but not if they currently experienced fear or happiness. We discuss that increased rumination might be responsible for this result, which might not occur, however, when people experience happiness or fear. Apart from that, we found that fair offers elicited larger P3b components than unfair offers, which might reflect increased pleasure in response to fair offers. Moreover, high trait negative affect was associated with decreased P3b amplitudes, potentially reflecting decreased motivation to engage in activities. We discuss implications of our results in the light of theories and research on depression and anxiety.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KoesslerHermannWeberetal.2016,
author = {Koessler, Juergen and Hermann, Stephanie and Weber, Katja and Koessler, Angela and Kuhn, Sabine and Boeck, Markus and Kobsar, Anna},
title = {Role of Purinergic Receptor Expression and Function for Reduced Responsiveness to Adenosine Diphosphate in Washed Human Platelets},
series = {PLoS One},
volume = {11},
journal = {PLoS One},
number = {1},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0147370},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146400},
pages = {e0147370},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background Washing of platelets is an important procedure commonly used for experimental studies, e.g. in cardiovascular research. As a known phenomenon, responsiveness to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) is reduced in washed platelets, although underlying molecular mechanisms—potentially interfering with experimental results—have not been thoroughly studied. Objectives Since ADP mediates its effects via three purinergic receptors P2Y1, P2X1 and P2Y12, their surface expression and function were investigated in washed platelets and, for comparison, in platelet-rich-plasma (PRP) at different time points for up to 2 hours after preparation. Results In contrast to PRP, flow cytometric analysis of surface expression in washed platelets revealed an increase of all receptors during the first 60 minutes after preparation followed by a significant reduction, which points to an initial preactivation of platelets and consecutive degeneration. The activity of the P2X1 receptor (measured by selectively induced calcium flux) was substantially maintained in both PRP and washed platelets. P2Y12 function (determined by flow cytometry as platelet reactivity index) was partially reduced after platelet washing compared to PRP, but remained stable in course of ongoing storage. However, the function of the P2Y1 receptor (measured by selectively induced calcium flux) continuously declined after preparation of washed platelets. Conclusion In conclusion, decreasing ADP responsiveness in washed platelets is particularly caused by impaired activity of the P2Y1 receptor associated with disturbed calcium regulation, which has to be considered in the design of experimental studies addressing ADP mediated platelet function.},
language = {en}
}
@article{FehrholzGlaserSeidenspinneretal.2016,
author = {Fehrholz, Markus and Glaser, Kirsten and Seidenspinner, Silvia and Ottensmeier, Barbara and Curstedt, Tore and Speer, Christian P. and Kunzmann, Steffen},
title = {Impact of the New Generation Reconstituted Surfactant CHF5633 on Human CD4\(^+\) Lymphocytes},
series = {PLoS One},
volume = {11},
journal = {PLoS One},
number = {4},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0153578},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146419},
pages = {e0153578},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background Natural surfactant preparations, commonly isolated from porcine or bovine lungs, are used to treat respiratory distress syndrome in preterm infants. Besides biophysical effectiveness, several studies have documented additional immunomodulatory properties. Within the near future, synthetic surfactant preparations may be a promising alternative. CHF5633 is a new generation reconstituted synthetic surfactant preparation with defined composition, containing dipalmitoyl-phosphatidylcholine, palmitoyl-oleoyl-phosphatidylglycerol and synthetic analogs of surfactant protein (SP-) B and SP-C. While its biophysical effectiveness has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo, possible immunomodulatory abilities are currently unknown. Aim The aim of the current study was to define a potential impact of CHF5633 and its single components on pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine responses in human CD4\(^+\) lymphocytes. Methods Purified human CD4\(^+\) T cells were activated using anti CD3/CD28 antibodies and exposed to CHF5633, its components, or to the well-known animal-derived surfactant Poractant alfa (Curosurf®). Proliferative response and cell viability were assessed using flow cytometry and a methylthiazolyldiphenyltetrazolium bromide colorimetric assay. The mRNA expression of IFNγ, IL-2, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-4, and IL-10 was measured by quantitative PCR, while intracellular protein expression was assessed by means of flow cytometry. Results Neither CHF5633 nor any of its phospholipid components with or without SP-B or SP-C analogs had any influence on proliferative ability and viability of CD4\(^+\) lymphocytes under the given conditions. IFNγ, IL-2, IL-17A, IL-22, IL-4, and IL-10 mRNA as well as IFNγ, IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10 protein levels were unaffected in both non-activated and activated CD4+ lymphocytes after exposure to CHF5633 or its constituents compared to non-exposed controls. However, in comparison to Curosurf®, expression levels of anti-inflammatory IL-4 and IL-10 mRNA were significantly increased in CHF5633 exposed CD4\(^+\) lymphocytes. Conclusion For the first time, the immunomodulatory capacity of CHF5633 on CD4\(^+\) lymphocytes was evaluated. CHF5633 did not show any cytotoxicity on CD4\(^+\) cells. Moreover, our in vitro data indicate that CHF5633 does not exert unintended pro-inflammatory effects on non-activated and activated CD4+ T cells. As far as anti-inflammatory cytokines are concerned, it might lack an overall reductive ability in comparison to animal-derived surfactants, potentially leaving pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine response in balance.},
language = {en}
}
@article{BuschBuschScholzetal.2016,
author = {Busch, Albert and Busch, Martin and Scholz, Claus-J{\"u}rgen and Kellersmann, Richard and Otto, Christoph and Chernogubova, Ekaterina and Maegdefessel, Lars and Zernecke, Alma and Lorenz, Udo},
title = {Aneurysm miRNA Signature Differs, Depending on Disease Localization and Morphology},
series = {International Journal of Molecular Science},
volume = {17},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Science},
number = {1},
issn = {International Journal of Molecular Science},
doi = {10.3390/ijms17010081},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146422},
pages = {81},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Limited comprehension of aneurysm pathology has led to inconclusive results from clinical trials. miRNAs are key regulators of post-translational gene modification and are useful tools in elucidating key features of aneurysm pathogenesis in distinct entities of abdominal and popliteal aneurysms. Here, surgically harvested specimens from 19 abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and 8 popliteal artery aneurysm (PAA) patients were analyzed for miRNA expression and histologically classified regarding extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and inflammation. DIANA-based computational target prediction and pathway enrichment analysis verified our results, as well as previous ones. miRNA-362, -19b-1, -194, -769, -21 and -550 were significantly down-regulated in AAA samples depending on degree of inflammation. Similar or inverse regulation was found for miR-769, 19b-1 and miR-550, -21, whereas miR-194 and -362 were unaltered in PAA. In situ hybridization verified higher expression of miR-550 and -21 in PAA compared to AAA and computational analysis for target genes and pathway enrichment affirmed signal transduction, cell-cell-interaction and cell degradation pathways, in line with previous results. Despite the vague role of miRNAs for potential diagnostic and treatment purposes, the number of candidates from tissue signature studies is increasing. Tissue morphology influences subsequent research, yet comparison of distinct entities of aneurysm disease can unravel core pathways.},
language = {en}
}
@article{SchmittLindner2016,
author = {Schmitt, Joachim and Lindner, Nathalie},
title = {A 3-week multimodal intervention involving high-intensity interval training in female cancer survivors: a randomized controlled trial},
series = {Physiological Reports},
volume = {4},
journal = {Physiological Reports},
number = {3},
doi = {10.14814/phy2.12693},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146455},
pages = {e12693},
year = {2016},
abstract = {To compare the effects of a 3-week multimodal rehabilitation involving supervised high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on female breast cancer survivors with respect to key variables of aerobic fitness, body composition, energy expenditure, cancer-related fatigue, and quality of life to those of a standard multimodal rehabilitation program. A randomized controlled trial design was administered. Twenty-eight women, who had been treated for cancer were randomly assigned to either a group performing exercise of low-to-moderate intensity (LMIE; n = 14) or a group performing high-intensity interval training (HIIT; n = 14) as part of a 3-week multimodal rehabilitation program. No adverse events related to the exercise were reported. Work economy improved following both HIIT and LMIE, with improved peak oxygen uptake following LMIE. HIIT reduced mean total body fat mass with no change in body mass, muscle or fat-free mass (best P < 0.06). LMIE increased muscle and total fat-free body mass. Total energy expenditure (P = 0.45) did not change between the groups, whereas both improved quality of life to a similar high extent and lessened cancer-related fatigue. This randomized controlled study demonstrates that HIIT can be performed by female cancer survivors without adverse health effects. Here, HIIT and LMIE both improved work economy, quality of life and cancer-related fatigue, body composition or energy expenditure. Since the outcomes were similar, but HIIT takes less time, this may be a time-efficient strategy for improving certain aspects of the health of female cancer survivors.},
language = {en}
}
@article{KasangKalluvyaMajingeetal.2016,
author = {Kasang, Christa and Kalluvya, Samuel and Majinge, Charles and Kongola, Gilbert and Mlewa, Mathias and Massawe, Irene and Kabyemera, Rogatus and Magambo, Kinanga and Ulmer, Albrecht and Klinker, Hartwig and Gschmack, Eva and Horn, Anne and Koutsilieri, Eleni and Preiser, Wolfgang and Hofmann, Daniela and Hain, Johannes and M{\"u}ller, Andreas and D{\"o}lken, Lars and Weissbrich, Benedikt and Rethwilm, Axel and Stich, August and Scheller, Carsten},
title = {Effects of Prednisolone on Disease Progression in Antiretroviral-Untreated HIV Infection: A 2-Year Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial},
series = {PLoS One},
volume = {11},
journal = {PLoS One},
number = {1},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0146678},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146479},
pages = {e0146678},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Background HIV-disease progression correlates with immune activation. Here we investigated whether corticosteroid treatment can attenuate HIV disease progression in antiretroviral-untreated patients. Methods Double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial including 326 HIV-patients in a resource-limited setting in Tanzania (clinicaltrials.gov NCT01299948). Inclusion criteria were a CD4 count above 300 cells/μl, the absence of AIDS-defining symptoms and an ART-na{\"i}ve therapy status. Study participants received 5 mg prednisolone per day or placebo for 2 years. Primary endpoint was time to progression to an AIDS-defining condition or to a CD4-count below 200 cells/μl. Results No significant change in progression towards the primary endpoint was observed in the intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis (19 cases with prednisolone versus 28 cases with placebo, p = 0.1407). In a per-protocol (PP)-analysis, 13 versus 24 study participants progressed to the primary study endpoint (p = 0.0741). Secondary endpoints: Prednisolone-treatment decreased immune activation (sCD14, suPAR, CD38/HLA-DR/CD8+) and increased CD4-counts (+77.42 ± 5.70 cells/μl compared to -37.42 ± 10.77 cells/μl under placebo, p < 0.0001). Treatment with prednisolone was associated with a 3.2-fold increase in HIV viral load (p < 0.0001). In a post-hoc analysis stratifying for sex, females treated with prednisolone progressed significantly slower to the primary study endpoint than females treated with placebo (ITT-analysis: 11 versus 21 cases, p = 0.0567; PP-analysis: 5 versus 18 cases, p = 0.0051): No changes in disease progression were observed in men. Conclusions This study could not detect any significant effects of prednisolone on disease progression in antiretroviral-untreated HIV infection within the intent-to-treat population. However, significant effects were observed on CD4 counts, immune activation and HIV viral load. This study contributes to a better understanding of the role of immune activation in the pathogenesis of HIV infection.},
language = {en}
}
@article{HerrmannBeierSimonsetal.2016,
author = {Herrmann, Martin J. and Beier, Jennifer S. and Simons, Bibiane and Polak, Thomas},
title = {Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of the Right Inferior Frontal Gyrus Attenuates Skin Conductance Responses to Unpredictable Threat Conditions},
series = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
volume = {10},
journal = {Frontiers in Human Neuroscience},
number = {352},
doi = {10.3389/fnhum.2016.00352},
url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-146486},
year = {2016},
abstract = {Patients with panic and post-traumatic stress disorders seem to show increased psychophysiological reactions to conditions of unpredictable (U) threat, which has been discussed as a neurobiological marker of elevated levels of sustained fear in these disorders. Interestingly, a recent study found that the right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) is correlated to the successful regulation of sustained fear during U threat. Therefore this study aimed to examine the potential use of non-invasive brain stimulation to foster the rIFG by means of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in order to reduce psychophysiological reactions to U threat. Twenty six participants were randomly assigned into an anodal and sham stimulation group in a double-blinded manner. Anodal and cathodal electrodes (7 * 5 cm) were positioned right frontal to target the rIFG. Stimulation intensity was I = 2 mA applied for 20 min during a task including U threat conditions (NPU-task). The effects of the NPU paradigm were measured by assessing the emotional startle modulation and the skin conductance response (SCR) at the outset of the different conditions. We found a significant interaction effect of condition × tDCS for the SCR (F(2,48) = 6.3, p < 0.01) without main effects of condition and tDCS. Post hoc tests revealed that the increase in SCR from neutral (N) to U condition was significantly reduced in verum compared to the sham tDCS group (t(24) = 3.84, p < 0.001). Our results emphasize the causal role of rIFG for emotional regulation and the potential use of tDCS to reduce apprehension during U threat conditions and therefore as a treatment for anxiety disorders.},
language = {en}
}