@article{WhiteWiederholdLoeffleretal.2016, author = {White, P. Lewis and Wiederhold, Nathan P. and Loeffler, Juergen and Najvar, Laura K. and Melchers, Willem and Herrera, Monica and Bretagne, Stephane and Wickes, Brian and Kirkpatrick, William R. and Barnes, Rosemary A. and Donnelly, J. Peter and Patterson, Thomas F.}, title = {Comparison of nonculture blood-based tests for diagnosing invasive aspergillosis in an animal model}, series = {Journal of Clinical Microbiology}, volume = {54}, journal = {Journal of Clinical Microbiology}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1128/JCM.03233-15}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189674}, pages = {960-966}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The European Aspergillus PCR Initiative (EAPCRI) has provided recommendations for the PCR testing of whole blood (WB) and serum/plasma. It is important to test these recommended protocols on nonsimulated "in vivo" specimens before full clinical evaluation. The testing of an animal model of invasive aspergillosis (IA) overcomes the low incidence of disease and provides experimental design and control that is not possible in the clinical setting. Inadequate performance of the recommended protocols at this stage would require reassessment of methods before clinical trials are performed and utility assessed. The manuscript describes the performance of EAPCRI protocols in an animal model of invasive aspergillosis. Blood samples taken from a guinea pig model of IA were used for WB and serum PCR. Galactomannan and beta-D-glucan detection were evaluated, with particular focus on the timing of positivity and on the interpretation of combination testing. The overall sensitivities for WB PCR, serum PCR, galactomannan, and beta-D-glucan were 73\%, 65\%, 68\%, and 46\%, respectively. The corresponding specificities were 92\%, 79\%, 80\%, and 100\%, respectively. PCR provided the earliest indicator of IA, and increasing galactomannan and beta-D-glucan values were indicators of disease progression. The combination of WB PCR with galactomannan and beta-D-glucan proved optimal (area under the curve AUC], 0.95), and IA was confidently diagnosed or excluded. The EAPRCI-recommended PCR protocols provide performance comparable to commercial antigen tests, and clinical trials are warranted. By combining multiple tests, IA can be excluded or confirmed, highlighting the need for a combined diagnostic strategy. However, this approach must be balanced against the practicality and cost of using multiple tests.}, language = {en} } @article{BarquistMayhoCumminsetal.2016, author = {Barquist, Lars and Mayho, Matthew and Cummins, Carla and Cain, Amy K. and Boinett, Christine J. and Page, Andrew J. and Langridge, Gemma C. and Quail, Michael A. and Keane, Jacqueline A. and Parkhill, Julian}, title = {The TraDIS toolkit: sequencing and analysis for dense transposon mutant libraries}, series = {Bioinformatics}, volume = {32}, journal = {Bioinformatics}, number = {7}, doi = {10.1093/bioinformatics/btw022}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189667}, pages = {1109-1111}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Transposon insertion sequencing is a high-throughput technique for assaying large libraries of otherwise isogenic transposon mutants providing insight into gene essentiality, gene function and genetic interactions. We previously developed the Transposon Directed Insertion Sequencing (TraDIS) protocol for this purpose, which utilizes shearing of genomic DNA followed by specific PCR amplification of transposon-containing fragments and Illumina sequencing. Here we describe an optimized high-yield library preparation and sequencing protocol for TraDIS experiments and a novel software pipeline for analysis of the resulting data. The Bio-Tradis analysis pipeline is implemented as an extensible Perl library which can either be used as is, or as a basis for the development of more advanced analysis tools. This article can serve as a general reference for the application of the TraDIS methodology.}, language = {en} } @article{ThomasZengRiviereetal.2016, author = {Thomas, Anna C. and Zeng, Zhiqiang and Rivi{\`e}re, Jean-Baptiste and O'Shaughnessy, Ryan and Al-Olabi, Lara and St.-Onge, Judith and Atherton, David J. and Aubert, H{\´e}l{\`e}ne and Bagazgoitia, Lorea and Barbarot, S{\´e}bastien and Bourrat, Emmanuelle and Chiaverini, Christine and Chong, W. Kling and Duffourd, Yannis and Glover, Mary and Groesser, Leopold and Hadj-Rabia, Smail and Hamm, Henning and Happle, Rudolf and Mushtaq, Imran and Lacour, Jean-Philippe and Waelchli, Regula and Wobser, Marion and Vabres, Pierre and Patton, E. Elizabeth and Kinsler, Veronica A.}, title = {Mosaic activating mutations in GNA11 and GNAQ are associated with phakomatosis pigmentovascularis and extensive dermal melanocytosis}, series = {Journal of Investigative Dermatology}, volume = {136}, journal = {Journal of Investigative Dermatology}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1016/j.jid.2015.11.027}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189689}, pages = {770-778}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Common birthmarks can be an indicator of underlying genetic disease but are often overlooked. Mongolian blue spots (dermal melanocytosis) are usually localized and transient, but they can be extensive, permanent, and associated with extracutaneous abnormalities. Co-occurrence with vascular birthmarks defines a subtype of phakomatosis pigmentovascularis, a group of syndromes associated with neurovascular, ophthalmological, overgrowth, and malignant complications. Here, we discover that extensive dermal melanocytosis and phakomatosis pigmentovascularis are associated with activating mutations in GNA11 and GNAQ, genes that encode Ga subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins. The mutations were detected at very low levels in affected tissues but were undetectable in the blood, indicating that these conditions are postzygotic mosaic disorders. In vitro expression of mutant GNA11\(^R183C\) and GNA11\(^Q209L\) in human cell lines demonstrated activation of the downstream p38 MAPK signaling pathway and the p38, JNK, and ERK pathways, respectively. Transgenic mosaic zebrafish models expressing mutant GNA11\(^R183C\) under promoter mitfa developed extensive dermal melanocytosis recapitulating the human phenotype. Phakomatosis pigmentovascularis and extensive dermal melanocytosis are therefore diagnoses in the group of mosaic heterotrimeric G-protein disorders, joining McCune-Albright and Sturge-Weber syndromes. These findings will allow accurate clinical and molecular diagnosis of this subset of common birthmarks, thereby identifying infants at risk for serious complications, and provide novel therapeutic opportunities.}, language = {en} } @article{BędkowskiMajekMajeketal.2016, author = {Będkowski, Janusz and Majek, Karol and Majek, Piotr and Musialik, Paweł and Pełka, Michał and N{\"u}chter, Andreas}, title = {Intelligent mobile system for improving spatial design support and security inside buildings}, series = {Mobile Networks and Applications}, volume = {21}, journal = {Mobile Networks and Applications}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1007/s11036-015-0654-8}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189597}, pages = {313-326}, year = {2016}, abstract = {This paper concerns the an intelligent mobile application for spatial design support and security domain. Mobility has two aspects in our research: The first one is the usage of mobile robots for 3D mapping of urban areas and for performing some specific tasks. The second mobility aspect is related with a novel Software as a Service system that allows access to robotic functionalities and data over the Ethernet, thus we demonstrate the use of the novel NVIDIA GRID technology allowing to virtualize the graphic processing unit. We introduce Complex Shape Histogram, a core component of our artificial intelligence engine, used for classifying 3D point clouds with a Support Vector Machine. We use Complex Shape Histograms also for loop closing detection in the simultaneous localization and mapping algorithm. Our intelligent mobile system is built on top of the Qualitative Spatio-Temporal Representation and Reasoning framework. This framework defines an ontology and a semantic model, which are used for building the intelligent mobile user interfaces. We show experiments demonstrating advantages of our approach. In addition, we test our prototypes in the field after the end-user case studies demonstrating a relevant contribution for future intelligent mobile systems that merge mobile robots with novel data centers.}, language = {en} } @article{ClaussYanKuenzer2016, author = {Clauss, Kersten and Yan, Huimin and Kuenzer, Claudia}, title = {Mapping Paddy Rice in China in 2002, 2005, 2010 and 2014 with MODIS Time Series}, series = {Remote Sensing}, volume = {8}, journal = {Remote Sensing}, number = {5}, doi = {10.3390/rs8050434}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-180557}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Rice is an important food crop and a large producer of green-house relevant methane. Accurate and timely maps of paddy fields are most important in the context of food security and greenhouse gas emission modelling. During their life-cycle, rice plants undergo a phenological development that influences their interaction with waves in the visible light and infrared spectrum. Rice growth has a distinctive signature in time series of remotely-sensed data. We used time series of MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) products MOD13Q1 and MYD13Q1 and a one-class support vector machine to detect these signatures and classify paddy rice areas in continental China. Based on these classifications, we present a novel product for continental China that shows rice areas for the years 2002, 2005, 2010 and 2014 at 250-m resolution. Our classification has an overall accuracy of 0.90 and a kappa coefficient of 0.77 compared to our own reference dataset for 2014 and correlates highly with rice area statistics from China's Statistical Yearbooks (R2 of 0.92 for 2010, 0.92 for 2005 and 0.90 for 2002). Moderate resolution time series analysis allows accurate and timely mapping of rice paddies over large areas with diverse cropping schemes.}, language = {en} } @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{FischerHelfrichFoersterPeschel2016, author = {Fischer, Robin and Helfrich-F{\"o}rster, Charlotte and Peschel, Nicolai}, title = {GSK-3 Beta Does Not Stabilize Cryptochrome in the Circadian Clock of Drosophila}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0146571}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-180370}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Cryptochrome (CRY) is the primary photoreceptor of Drosophila's circadian clock. It resets the circadian clock by promoting light-induced degradation of the clock protein Timeless (TIM) in the proteasome. Under constant light, the clock stops because TIM is absent, and the flies become arrhythmic. In addition to TIM degradation, light also induces CRY degradation. This depends on the interaction of CRY with several proteins such as the E3 ubiquitin ligases Jetlag (JET) and Ramshackle (BRWD3). However, CRY can seemingly also be stabilized by interaction with the kinase Shaggy (SGG), the GSK-3 beta fly orthologue. Consequently, flies with SGG overexpression in certain dorsal clock neurons are reported to remain rhythmic under constant light. We were interested in the interaction between CRY, Ramshackle and SGG and started to perform protein interaction studies in S2 cells. To our surprise, we were not able to replicate the results, that SGG overexpression does stabilize CRY, neither in S2 cells nor in the relevant clock neurons. SGG rather does the contrary. Furthermore, flies with SGG overexpression in the dorsal clock neurons became arrhythmic as did wild-type flies. Nevertheless, we could reproduce the published interaction of SGG with TIM, since flies with SGG overexpression in the lateral clock neurons shortened their free-running period. We conclude that SGG does not directly interact with CRY but rather with TIM. Furthermore we could demonstrate, that an unspecific antibody explains the observed stabilization effects on CRY.}, language = {en} } @article{GlaserFehrholzCurstedtetal.2016, author = {Glaser, Kirsten and Fehrholz, Markus and Curstedt, Tore and Kunzmann, Steffen and Speer, Christian P.}, title = {Effects of the New Generation Synthetic Reconstituted Surfactant CHF5633 on Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Expression in Native and LPS-Stimulated Adult CD14\(^{+}\) Monocytes}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0146898}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-180195}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background Surfactant replacement therapy is the standard of care for the prevention and treatment of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome. New generation synthetic surfactants represent a promising alternative to animal-derived surfactants. CHF5633, a new generation reconstituted synthetic surfactant containing SP-B and SP-C analogs and two synthetic phospholipids has demonstrated biophysical effectiveness in vitro and in vivo. While several surfactant preparations have previously been ascribed immunomodulatory capacities, in vitro data on immunomodulation by CHF5633 are limited, so far. Our study aimed to investigate pro- and anti-inflammatory effects of CHF5633 on native and LPS-stimulated human adult monocytes. Methods Highly purified adult CD14\(^{+}\) cells, either native or simultaneously stimulated with LPS, were exposed to CHF5633, its components, or poractant alfa (Curosurf\(^{®}\)). Subsequent expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8 and IL-10 mRNA was quantified by real-time quantitative PCR, corresponding intracellular cytokine synthesis was analyzed by flow cytometry. Potential effects on TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expression were monitored by qPCR and flow cytometry. Results Neither CHF5633 nor any of its components induced inflammation or apoptosis in native adult CD14\(^{+}\) monocytes. Moreover, LPS-induced pro-inflammatory responses were not aggravated by simultaneous exposure of monocytes to CHF5633 or its components. In LPS-stimulated monocytes, exposure to CHF5633 led to a significant decrease in TNF-α mRNA (0.57 ± 0.23-fold, p = 0.043 at 4h; 0.56 ± 0.27-fold, p = 0.042 at 14h). Reduction of LPS-induced IL-1β mRNA expression was not significant (0.73 ± 0.16, p = 0.17 at 4h). LPS-induced IL-8 and IL-10 mRNA and protein expression were unaffected by CHF5633. For all cytokines, the observed CHF5633 effects paralleled a Curosurf®-induced modulation of cytokine response. TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA and protein expression were not affected by CHF5633 and Curosurf®, neither in native nor in LPS-stimulated adult monocytes. Conclusion The new generation reconstituted synthetic surfactant CHF5633 was tested for potential immunomodulation on native and LPS-activated adult human monocytes. Our data confirm that CHF5633 does not exert unintended pro-inflammatory effects in both settings. On the contrary, CHF5633 significantly suppressed TNF-α mRNA expression in LPS-stimulated adult monocytes, indicating potential anti-inflammatory effects.}, language = {en} } @article{KoenigWolfHeisenberg2016, author = {Koenig, Sebastian and Wolf, Reinhard and Heisenberg, Martin}, title = {Vision in Flies: Measuring the Attention Span}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0148208}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179947}, year = {2016}, abstract = {A visual stimulus at a particular location of the visual field may elicit a behavior while at the same time equally salient stimuli in other parts do not. This property of visual systems is known as selective visual attention (SVA). The animal is said to have a focus of attention (FoA) which it has shifted to a particular location. Visual attention normally involves an attention span at the location to which the FoA has been shifted. Here the attention span is measured in Drosophila. The fly is tethered and hence has its eyes fixed in space. It can shift its FoA internally. This shift is revealed using two simultaneous test stimuli with characteristic responses at their particular locations. In tethered flight a wild type fly keeps its FoA at a certain location for up to 4s. Flies with a mutation in the radish gene, that has been suggested to be involved in attention-like mechanisms, display a reduced attention span of only 1s.}, language = {en} } @article{BrendtkeWiehlGroeberetal.2016, author = {Brendtke, Rico and Wiehl, Michael and Groeber, Florian and Schwarz, Thomas and Walles, Heike and Hansmann, Jan}, title = {Feasibility Study on a Microwave-Based Sensor for Measuring Hydration Level Using Human Skin Models}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0153145}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179934}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Tissue dehydration results in three major types of exsiccosis—hyper-, hypo-, or isonatraemia. All three types entail alterations of salt concentrations leading to impaired biochemical processes, and can finally cause severe morbidity. The aim of our study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a microwave-based sensor technology for the non-invasive measurement of the hydration status. Electromagnetic waves at high frequencies interact with molecules, especially water. Hence, if a sample contains free water molecules, this can be detected in a reflected microwave signal. To develop the sensor system, human three-dimensional skin equivalents were instituted as a standardized test platform mimicking reproducible exsiccosis scenarios. Therefore, skin equivalents with a specific hydration and density of matrix components were generated and microwave measurements were performed. Hydration-specific spectra allowed deriving the hydration state of the skin models. A further advantage of the skin equivalents was the characterization of the impact of distinct skin components on the measured signals to investigate mechanisms of signal generation. The results demonstrate the feasibility of a non-invasive microwave-based hydration sensor technology. The sensor bears potential to be integrated in a wearable medical device for personal health monitoring.}, language = {en} } @article{TahaClausLappannetal.2016, author = {Taha, Muhamed-Kheir and Claus, Heike and Lappann, Martin and Veyrier, Fr{\´e}d{\´e}ric J. and Otto, Andreas and Becher, D{\"o}rte and Deghmane, Ala-Eddine and Frosch, Matthias and Hellenbrand, Wiebke and Hong, Eva and du Ch{\^a}telet, Isabelle Parent and Prior, Karola and Harmsen, Dag and Vogel, Ulrich}, title = {Evolutionary Events Associated with an Outbreak of Meningococcal Disease in Men Who Have Sex with Men}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0154047}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179870}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Meningococci spread via respiratory droplets, whereas the closely related gonococci are transmitted sexually. Several outbreaks of invasive meningococcal disease have been reported in Europe and the United States among men who have sex with men (MSM). We recently identified an outbreak of serogroup C meningococcal disease among MSM in Germany and France. In this study, genomic and proteomic techniques were used to analyze the outbreak isolates. In addition, genetically identical urethritis isolates were recovered from France and Germany and included in the analysis. Genome sequencing revealed that the isolates from the outbreak among MSM and from urethritis cases belonged to a clade within clonal complex 11. Proteome analysis showed they expressed nitrite reductase, enabling anaerobic growth as previously described for gonococci. Invasive isolates from MSM, but not urethritis isolates, further expressed functional human factor H binding protein associated with enhanced survival in a newly developed transgenic mouse model expressing human factor H, a complement regulatory protein. In conclusion, our data suggest that urethritis and outbreak isolates followed a joint adaptation route including adaption to the urogenital tract.}, language = {en} } @article{OrtizSotoSeibel2016, author = {Ortiz-Soto, Maria Elena and Seibel, J{\"u}rgen}, title = {Expression of Functional Human Sialyltransferases ST3Gal1 and ST6Gal1 in Escherichia coli}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0155410}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179807}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Sialyltransferases (STs) are disulfide-containing, type II transmembrane glycoproteins that catalyze the transfer of sialic acid to proteins and lipids and participate in the synthesis of the core structure oligosaccharides of human milk. Sialic acids are found at the outermost position of glycostructures, playing a key role in health and disease. Sialylation is also essential for the production of recombinant therapeutic proteins (RTPs). Despite their importance, availability of sialyltransferases is limited due to the low levels of stable, soluble and active protein produced in bacterial expression systems, which hampers biochemical and structural studies on these enzymes and restricts biotechnological applications. We report the successful expression of active human sialyltransferases ST3Gal1 and ST6Gal1 in commercial Escherichia coli strains designed for production of disulfide-containing proteins. Fusion of hST3Gal1 with different solubility enhancers and substitution of exposed hydrophobic amino acids by negatively charged residues (supercharging-like approach) were performed to promote solubility and folding. Co-expression of sialyltransferases with the chaperon/foldases sulfhydryl oxidase, protein disulfide isomerase and disulfide isomerase C was explored to improve the formation of native disulfide bonds. Active sialyltransferases fused with maltose binding protein (MBP) were obtained in sufficient amounts for biochemical and structural studies when expressed under oxidative conditions and co-expression of folding factors increased the yields of active and properly folded sialyltransferases by 20\%. Mutation of exposed hydrophobic amino acids increased recovery of active enzyme by 2.5-fold, yielding about 7 mg of purified protein per liter culture. Functionality of recombinant enzymes was evaluated in the synthesis of sialosides from the β-d-galactoside substrates lactose, N-acetyllactosamine and benzyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-3-O-(β-d-galactopyranosyl)-α-d-galactopyranoside.}, language = {en} } @article{SimsekyilmazLiehnWeinandyetal.2016, author = {Simsekyilmaz, Sakine and Liehn, Elisa A. and Weinandy, Stefan and Schreiber, Fabian and Megens, Remco T. A. and Theelen, Wendy and Smeets, Ralf and Jockenh{\"o}vel, Stefan and Gries, Thomas and M{\"o}ller, Martin and Klee, Doris and Weber, Christian and Zernecke, Alma}, title = {Targeting In-Stent-Stenosis with RGD- and CXCL1-Coated Mini-Stents in Mice}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0155829}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179745}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Atherosclerotic lesions that critically narrow the artery can necessitate an angioplasty and stent implantation. Long-term therapeutic effects, however, are limited by excessive arterial remodeling. We here employed a miniaturized nitinol-stent coated with star-shaped polyethylenglycole (star-PEG), and evaluated its bio-functionalization with RGD and CXCL1 for improving in-stent stenosis after implantation into carotid arteries of mice. Nitinol foils or stents (bare metal) were coated with star-PEG, and bio-functionalized with RGD, or RGD/CXCL1. Cell adhesion to star-PEG-coated nitinol foils was unaltered or reduced, whereas bio-functionalization with RGD but foremost RGD/CXCL1 increased adhesion of early angiogenic outgrowth cells (EOCs) and endothelial cells but not smooth muscle cells when compared with bare metal foils. Stimulation of cells with RGD/CXCL1 furthermore increased the proliferation of EOCs. In vivo, bio-functionalization with RGD/CXCL1 significantly reduced neointima formation and thrombus formation, and increased re-endothelialization in apoE\(^{-/-}\) carotid arteries compared with bare-metal nitinol stents, star-PEG-coated stents, and stents bio-functionalized with RGD only. Bio-functionalization of star-PEG-coated nitinol-stents with RGD/CXCL1 reduced in-stent neointima formation. By supporting the adhesion and proliferation of endothelial progenitor cells, RGD/CXCL1 coating of stents may help to accelerate endothelial repair after stent implantation, and thus may harbor the potential to limit the complication of in-stent restenosis in clinical approaches.}, language = {en} } @article{MorisVandenBroeckToscoetal.2016, author = {Moris, Lisa and Van den Broeck, Thomas and Tosco, Lorenzo and Van Baelen, Anthony and Gontero, Paolo and Karnes, Robert Jeffrey and Everaerts, Wouter and Albersen, Maarten and Bastian, Patrick J. and Chlosta, Piotr and Claessens, Frank and Chun, Felix K. and Graefen, Markus and Gratzke, Christian and Kneitz, Burkhard and Marchioro, Giansilvio and Salas, Rafael Sanchez and Tombal, Bertrand and Van Der Poel, Henk and Walz, Jochen Christoph and De Meerleer, Gert and Bossi, Alberto and Haustermans, Karin and Montorsi, Francesco and Van Poppel, Hendrik and Spahn, Martin and Briganti, Alberto and Joniau, Steven}, title = {Impact of lymph node burden on survival of high-risk prostate cancer patients following radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection}, series = {Frontiers in Surgery}, volume = {3}, journal = {Frontiers in Surgery}, organization = {European Multicenter Prostate Cancer Clinical and Translational Research Group (EMPaCT)}, issn = {2296-875X}, doi = {10.3389/fsurg.2016.00065}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-195721}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Aim To determine the impact of the extent of lymph node invasion (LNI) on long-term oncological outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP). Material and methods In this retrospective study, we examined the data of 1,249 high-risk, non-metastatic PCa patients treated with RP and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) between 1989 and 2011 at eight different tertiary institutions. We fitted univariate and multivariate Cox models to assess independent predictors of cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). The number of positive lymph node (LN) was dichotomized according to the most informative cutoff predicting CSS. Kaplan-Meier curves assessed CSS and OS rates. Only patients with at least 10 LNs removed at PLND were included. This cutoff was chosen as a surrogate for a well performed PNLD. Results Mean age was 65 years (median: 66, IQR 60-70). Positive surgical margins were present in 53.7\% (n = 671). Final Gleason score (GS) was 2-6 in 12.7\% (n = 158), 7 in 52\% (n = 649), and 8-10 in 35.4\% (n = 442). The median number of LNs removed during PLND was 15 (IQR 12-17). Of all patients, 1,128 (90.3\%) had 0-3 positive LNs, while 126 (9.7\%) had ≥4 positive LNs. Patients with 0-3 positive LNs had significantly better CSS outcome at 10-year follow-up compared to patients with ≥4 positive LNs (87 vs. 50\%; p < 0.0001). Similar results were obtained for OS, with a 72 vs. 37\% (p < 0.0001) survival at 10 years for patients with 0-3 vs. ≥4 positive LNs, respectively. At multivariate analysis, final GS of 8-10, salvage ADT therapy, and ≥4 (vs. <4) positive LNs were predictors of worse CSS and OS. Pathological stage pT4 was an additional predictor of worse CSS. Conclusion Four or more positive LNs, pathological stage pT4, and final GS of 8-10 represent independent predictors for worse CSS in patients with high-risk PCa. Primary tumor biology remains a strong driver of tumor progression and patients having ≥4 positive LNs could be considered an enriched patient group in which novel treatment strategies should be studied.}, language = {en} } @article{DipaolaPavanCattaneoetal.2016, author = {Dipaola, Mariangela and Pavan, Esteban E. and Cattaneo, Andrea and Frazzitta, Giuseppe and Pezzoli, Gianni and Cavallari, Paolo and Frigo, Carlo A. and Isaias, Ioannis U.}, title = {Mechanical Energy Recovery during Walking in Patients with Parkinson Disease}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {6}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0156420}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179739}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The mechanisms of mechanical energy recovery during gait have been thoroughly investigated in healthy subjects, but never described in patients with Parkinson disease (PD). The aim of this study was to investigate whether such mechanisms are preserved in PD patients despite an altered pattern of locomotion. We consecutively enrolled 23 PD patients (mean age 64±9 years) with bilateral symptoms (H\&Y ≥II) if able to walk unassisted in medication-off condition (overnight suspension of all dopaminergic drugs). Ten healthy subjects (mean age 62±3 years) walked both at their 'preferred' and 'slow' speeds, to match the whole range of PD velocities. Kinematic data were recorded by means of an optoelectronic motion analyzer. For each stride we computed spatio-temporal parameters, time-course and range of motion (ROM) of hip, knee and ankle joint angles. We also measured kinetic (Wk), potential (W\(_{p}\)), total (W\(_{totCM}\)) energy variations and the energy recovery index (ER). Along with PD progression, we found a significant correlation of W\(_{totCM}\) and W\(_{p}\) with knee ROM and in particular with knee extension in terminal stance phase. W\(_{k}\) and ER were instead mainly related to gait velocity. In PD subjects, the reduction of knee ROM significantly diminished both W\(_{p}\) and W\(_{totCM}\). Rehabilitation treatments should possibly integrate passive and active mobilization of knee to prevent a reduction of gait-related energetic components.}, language = {en} } @article{VieraElMerahbiNieswandtetal.2016, author = {Viera, Jonathan Trujillo and El-Merahbi, Rabih and Nieswandt, Bernhard and Stegner, David and Sumara, Grzegorz}, title = {Phospholipases D1 and D2 Suppress Appetite and Protect against Overweight}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {6}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0157607}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179729}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Obesity is a major risk factor predisposing to the development of peripheral insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Elevated food intake and/or decreased energy expenditure promotes body weight gain and acquisition of adipose tissue. Number of studies implicated phospholipase D (PLD) enzymes and their product, phosphatidic acid (PA), in regulation of signaling cascades controlling energy intake, energy dissipation and metabolic homeostasis. However, the impact of PLD enzymes on regulation of metabolism has not been directly determined so far. In this study we utilized mice deficient for two major PLD isoforms, PLD1 and PLD2, to assess the impact of these enzymes on regulation of metabolic homeostasis. We showed that mice lacking PLD1 or PLD2 consume more food than corresponding control animals. Moreover, mice deficient for PLD2, but not PLD1, present reduced energy expenditure. In addition, deletion of either of the PLD enzymes resulted in development of elevated body weight and increased adipose tissue content in aged animals. Consistent with the fact that elevated content of adipose tissue predisposes to the development of hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance, characteristic for the pre-diabetic state, we observed that Pld1\(^{-/-}\) and Pld2\(^{-/-}\) mice present elevated free fatty acids (FFA) levels and are insulin as well as glucose intolerant. In conclusion, our data suggest that deficiency of PLD1 or PLD2 activity promotes development of overweight and diabetes.}, language = {en} } @article{PrelogHilligardtSchmidtetal.2016, author = {Prelog, Martina and Hilligardt, Deborah and Schmidt, Christian A. and Przybylski, Grzegorz K. and Leierer, Johannes and Almanzar, Giovanni and El Hajj, Nady and Lesch, Klaus-Peter and Arolt, Volker and Zwanzger, Peter and Haaf, Thomas and Domschke, Katharina}, title = {Hypermethylation of FOXP3 Promoter and Premature Aging of the Immune System in Female Patients with Panic Disorder?}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {6}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0157930}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179684}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Immunological abnormalities associated with pathological conditions, such as higher infection rates, inflammatory diseases, cancer or cardiovascular events are common in patients with panic disorder. In the present study, T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs), Forkhead-Box-Protein P3 gene (FOXP3) methylation of regulatory T cells (Tregs) and relative telomere lengths (RTLs) were investigated in a total and subsamples of 131 patients with panic disorder as compared to 131 age- and sex-matched healthy controls in order to test for a potential dysfunction and premature aging of the immune system in anxiety disorders. Significantly lower TRECs (p = 0.004) as well as significant hypermethylation of the FOXP3 promoter region (p = 0.005) were observed in female (but not in male) patients with panic disorder as compared to healthy controls. No difference in relative telomere length was discerned between patients and controls, but significantly shorter telomeres in females, smokers and older persons within the patient group. The presently observed reduced TRECs in panic disorder patients and FOXP3 hypermethylation in female patients with panic disorder potentially reflect impaired thymus and immunosuppressive Treg function, which might partly account for the known increased morbidity and mortality of anxiety disorders conferred by e.g. cancer and cardiovascular disorders.}, language = {en} } @article{KoenigWolfHeisenberg2016, author = {Koenig, Sebastian and Wolf, Reinhard and Heisenberg, Martin}, title = {Visual Attention in Flies-Dopamine in the Mushroom Bodies Mediates the After-Effect of Cueing}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {8}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0161412}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-179564}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Visual environments may simultaneously comprise stimuli of different significance. Often such stimuli require incompatible responses. Selective visual attention allows an animal to respond exclusively to the stimuli at a certain location in the visual field. In the process of establishing its focus of attention the animal can be influenced by external cues. Here we characterize the behavioral properties and neural mechanism of cueing in the fly Drosophila melanogaster. A cue can be attractive, repulsive or ineffective depending upon (e.g.) its visual properties and location in the visual field. Dopamine signaling in the brain is required to maintain the effect of cueing once the cue has disappeared. Raising or lowering dopamine at the synapse abolishes this after-effect. Specifically, dopamine is necessary and sufficient in the αβ-lobes of the mushroom bodies. Evidence is provided for an involvement of the αβ\(_{posterior}\) Kenyon cells.}, language = {en} } @article{UeceylerSchroeterKafkeetal.2016, author = {{\"U}{\c{c}}eyler, Nurcan and Schr{\"o}ter, Nils and Kafke, Waldemar and Kramer, Daniela and Wanner, Christoph and Weidemann, Frank and Sommer, Claudia}, title = {Skin Globotriaosylceramide 3 Load Is Increased in Men with Advanced Fabry Disease}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {11}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0166484}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-178856}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background The X-chromosomally linked life-limiting Fabry disease (FD) is associated with deposits of the sphingolipid globotriaosylceramide 3 (Gb3) in various tissues. Skin is easily accessible and may be used as an additional diagnostic and follow-up medium. Our aims were to visualize skin Gb3 deposits in FD patients applying immunofluorescence and to determine if cutaneous Gb3 load correlates with disease severity. Methods At our Fabry Center for Interdisciplinary Therapy we enrolled 84 patients with FD and 27 healthy controls. All subjects underwent 5-mm skin punch biopsy at the lateral lower leg and the back. Skin samples were processed for immunohistochemistry using antibodies against CD77 (i.e. Gb3). Cutaneous Gb3 deposition was quantified in a blinded manner and correlated to clinical data. Results We found that Gb3 load was higher in distal skin of male FD patients compared to healthy controls (p<0.05). Men (p<0.01) and women (p<0.05) with a classic FD phenotype had higher distal skin Gb3 load than healthy controls. Men with advanced disease as reflected by impaired renal function, and men and women with small fiber neuropathy had more Gb3 deposits in distal skin samples than males with normal renal function (p<0.05) and without small fiber neuropathy. Gb3 deposits were not different between patients with and without enzyme replacement therapy. Conclusions Immunofluorescence on minimally invasive skin punch biopsies may be useful as a tool for assessment and follow-up in FD patients.}, language = {en} } @article{BatschingWolfHeisenberg2016, author = {Batsching, Sophie and Wolf, Reinhard and Heisenberg, Martin}, title = {Inescapable Stress Changes Walking Behavior in Flies - Learned Helplessness Revisited}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {11}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0167066}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-178640}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Like other animals flies develop a state of learned helplessness in response to unescapable aversive events. To show this, two flies, one 'master', one 'yoked', are each confined to a dark, small chamber and exposed to the same sequence of mild electric shocks. Both receive these shocks when the master fly stops walking for more than a second. Behavior in the two animals is differently affected by the shocks. Yoked flies are transiently impaired in place learning and take longer than master flies to exit from the chamber towards light. After the treatment they walk more slowly and take fewer and shorter walking bouts. The low activity is attributed to the fly's experience that its escape response, an innate behavior to terminate the electric shocks, does not help anymore. Earlier studies using heat pulses instead of electric shocks had shown similar effects. This parallel supports the interpretation that it is the uncontrollability that induces the state.}, language = {en} } @article{KirschUllrichKunde2016, author = {Kirsch, Wladimir and Ullrich, Benjamin and Kunde, Wilfried}, title = {Are Effects of Action on Perception Real? Evidence from Transformed Movements}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {12}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0167993}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-178574}, year = {2016}, abstract = {It has been argued that several reported non-visual influences on perception cannot be truly perceptual. If they were, they should affect the perception of target objects and reference objects used to express perceptual judgments, and thus cancel each other out. This reasoning presumes that non-visual manipulations impact target objects and comparison objects equally. In the present study we show that equalizing a body-related manipulation between target objects and reference objects essentially abolishes the impact of that manipulation so as it should do when that manipulation actually altered perception. Moreover, the manipulation has an impact on judgements when applied to only the target object but not to the reference object, and that impact reverses when only applied to the reference object but not to the target object. A perceptual explanation predicts this reversal, whereas explanations in terms of post-perceptual response biases or demand effects do not. Altogether these results suggest that body-related influences on perception cannot as a whole be attributed to extra-perceptual factors.}, language = {en} } @article{RohlederHuangXueetal.2016, author = {Rohleder, Florian and Huang, Jing and Xue, Yutong and Kuper, Jochen and Round, Adam and Seidman, Michael and Wang, Weidong and Kisker, Caroline}, title = {FANCM interacts with PCNA to promote replication traverse of DNA interstrand crosslinks}, series = {Nucleic Acids Research}, volume = {44}, journal = {Nucleic Acids Research}, number = {7}, doi = {10.1093/nar/gkw037}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-175401}, pages = {3219-3232}, year = {2016}, abstract = {FANCM is a highly conserved DNA remodeling enzyme that promotes the activation of the Fanconi anemia DNA repair pathway and facilitates replication traverse of DNA interstrand crosslinks. However, how FANCM interacts with the replication machinery to promote traverse remains unclear. Here, we show that FANCM and its archaeal homolog Hef from Thermoplasma acidophilum interact with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), an essential co-factor for DNA polymerases in both replication and repair. The interaction is mediated through a conserved PIP-box; and in human FANCM, it is strongly stimulated by replication stress. A FANCM variant carrying a mutation in the PIP-box is defective in promoting replication traverse of interstrand crosslinks and is also inefficient in promoting FANCD2 monoubiquitination, a key step of the Fanconi anemia pathway. Our data reveal a conserved interaction mode between FANCM and PCNA during replication stress, and suggest that this interaction is essential for FANCM to aid replication machines to traverse DNA interstrand crosslinks prior to post-replication repair.}, 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{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{HsuKuegelKemmeretal.2016, author = {Hsu, Pin-Jui and K{\"u}gel, Jens and Kemmer, Jeannette and Toldin, Francesco Parisen and Mauerer, Tobias and Vogt, Matthias and Assaad, Fakher and Bode, Matthias}, title = {Coexistence of charge and ferromagnetic order in fcc Fe}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {7}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms10949}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173969}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Phase coexistence phenomena have been intensively studied in strongly correlated materials where several ordered states simultaneously occur or compete. Material properties critically depend on external parameters and boundary conditions, where tiny changes result in qualitatively different ground states. However, up to date, phase coexistence phenomena have exclusively been reported for complex compounds composed of multiple elements. Here we show that charge- and magnetically ordered states coexist in double-layer Fe/Rh(001). Scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy measurements reveal periodic charge-order stripes below a temperature of 130 K. Close to liquid helium temperature, they are superimposed by ferromagnetic domains as observed by spin-polarized scanning tunnelling microscopy. Temperature-dependent measurements reveal a pronounced cross-talk between charge and spin order at the ferromagnetic ordering temperature about 70 K, which is successfully modelled within an effective Ginzburg-Landau ansatz including sixth-order terms. Our results show that subtle balance between structural modifications can lead to competing ordering phenomena.}, language = {en} } @article{SessiBiswasBathonetal.2016, author = {Sessi, Paolo and Biswas, Rudro R. and Bathon, Thomas and Storz, Oliver and Wilfert, Stefan and Barla, Alessandro and Kokh, Konstantin A. and Tereshchenko, Oleg E. and Fauth, Kai and Bode, Matthias and Balatsky, Alexander V.}, title = {Dual nature of magnetic dopants and competing trends in topological insulators}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {7}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms12027}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-172704}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Topological insulators interacting with magnetic impurities have been reported to host several unconventional effects. These phenomena are described within the framework of gapping Dirac quasiparticles due to broken time-reversal symmetry. However, the overwhelming majority of studies demonstrate the presence of a finite density of states near the Dirac point even once topological insulators become magnetic. Here, we map the response of topological states to magnetic impurities at the atomic scale. We demonstrate that magnetic order and gapless states can coexist. We show how this is the result of the delicate balance between two opposite trends, that is, gap opening and emergence of a Dirac node impurity band, both induced by the magnetic dopants. Our results evidence a more intricate and rich scenario with respect to the once generally assumed, showing how different electronic and magnetic states may be generated and controlled in this fascinating class of materials.}, language = {en} } @article{HartelGloggerJonesetal.2016, author = {Hartel, Andreas J.W. and Glogger, Marius and Jones, Nicola G. and Abuillan, Wasim and Batram, Christopher and Hermann, Anne and Fenz, Susanne F. and Tanaka, Motomu and Engstler, Markus}, title = {N-glycosylation enables high lateral mobility of GPI-anchored proteins at a molecular crowding threshold}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {7}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms12870}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-171368}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The protein density in biological membranes can be extraordinarily high, but the impact of molecular crowding on the diffusion of membrane proteins has not been studied systematically in a natural system. The diversity of the membrane proteome of most cells may preclude systematic studies. African trypanosomes, however, feature a uniform surface coat that is dominated by a single type of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). Here we study the density-dependence of the diffusion of different glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored VSG-types on living cells and in artificial membranes. Our results suggest that a specific molecular crowding threshold (MCT) limits diffusion and hence affects protein function. Obstacles in the form of heterologous proteins compromise the diffusion coefficient and the MCT. The trypanosome VSG-coat operates very close to its MCT. Importantly, our experiments show that N-linked glycans act as molecular insulators that reduce retarding intermolecular interactions allowing membrane proteins to function correctly even when densely packed.}, language = {en} } @article{BialasZitzlerKunkelKirchneretal.2016, author = {Bialas, David and Zitzler-Kunkel, Andr{\´e} and Kirchner, Eva and Schmidt, David and W{\"u}rthner, Frank}, title = {Structural and quantum chemical analysis of exciton coupling in homo- and heteroaggregate stacks of merocyanines}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {7}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms12949}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-170200}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Exciton coupling is of fundamental importance and determines functional properties of organic dyes in (opto-)electronic and photovoltaic devices. Here we show that strong exciton coupling is not limited to the situation of equal chromophores as often assumed. Quadruple dye stacks were obtained from two bis(merocyanine) dyes with same or different chromophores, respectively, which dimerize in less-polar solvents resulting in the respective homo- and heteroaggregates. The structures of the quadruple dye stacks were assigned by NMR techniques and unambiguously confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis. The heteroaggregate stack formed from the bis(merocyanine) bearing two different chromophores exhibits remarkably different ultraviolet/vis absorption bands compared with those of the homoaggregate of the bis(merocyanine) comprising two identical chromophores. Quantum chemical analysis based on an extension of Kasha's exciton theory appropriately describes the absorption properties of both types of stacks revealing strong exciton coupling also between different chromophores within the heteroaggregate.}, language = {en} } @article{LundtKlembtCherotchenkoetal.2016, author = {Lundt, Nils and Klembt, Sebastian and Cherotchenko, Evgeniia and Betzold, Simon and Iff, Oliver and Nalitov, Anton V. and Klaas, Martin and Dietrich, Christof P. and Kavokin, Alexey V. and H{\"o}fling, Sven and Schneider, Christian}, title = {Room-temperature Tamm-plasmon exciton-polaritons with a WSe\(_{2}\) monolayer}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {7}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms13328}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-169470}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Solid-state cavity quantum electrodynamics is a rapidly advancing field, which explores the frontiers of light-matter coupling. Metal-based approaches are of particular interest in this field, as they carry the potential to squeeze optical modes to spaces significantly below the diffraction limit. Transition metal dichalcogenides are ideally suited as the active material in cavity quantum electrodynamics, as they interact strongly with light at the ultimate monolayer limit. Here, we implement a Tamm-plasmon-polariton structure and study the coupling to a monolayer of WSe\(_{2}\), hosting highly stable excitons. Exciton-polariton formation at room temperature is manifested in the characteristic energy-momentum dispersion relation studied in photoluminescence, featuring an anti-crossing between the exciton and photon modes with a Rabi-splitting of 23.5 meV. Creating polaritonic quasiparticles in monolithic, compact architectures with atomic monolayers under ambient conditions is a crucial step towards the exploration of nonlinearities, macroscopic coherence and advanced spinor physics with novel, low-mass bosons.}, language = {en} } @article{HeIffLundtetal.2016, author = {He, Yu-Ming and Iff, Oliver and Lundt, Nils and Baumann, Vasilij and Davanco, Marcelo and Srinivasan, Kartik and H{\"o}fling, Sven and Schneider, Christian}, title = {Cascaded emission of single photons from the biexciton in monolayered WSe\(_{2}\)}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {7}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms13409}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-169363}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenide materials emerged as a new material class to study excitonic effects in solid state, as they benefit from enormous Coulomb correlations between electrons and holes. Especially in WSe\(_{2}\), sharp emission features have been observed at cryogenic temperatures, which act as single photon sources. Tight exciton localization has been assumed to induce an anharmonic excitation spectrum; however, the evidence of the hypothesis, namely the demonstration of a localized biexciton, is elusive. Here we unambiguously demonstrate the existence of a localized biexciton in a monolayer of WSe\(_{2}\), which triggers an emission cascade of single photons. The biexciton is identified by its time-resolved photoluminescence, superlinearity and distinct polarization in micro-photoluminescence experiments. We evidence the cascaded nature of the emission process in a cross-correlation experiment, which yields a strong bunching behaviour. Our work paves the way to a new generation of quantum optics experiments with two-dimensional semiconductors.}, language = {en} } @article{PetersHempAppelhansetal.2016, author = {Peters, Marcell K. and Hemp, Andreas and Appelhans, Tim and Behler, Christina and Classen, Alice and Detsch, Florian and Ensslin, Andreas and Ferger, Stefan W. and Frederiksen, Sara B. and Gebert, Frederike and Haas, Michael and Helbig-Bonitz, Maria and Hemp, Claudia and Kindeketa, William J. and Mwangomo, Ephraim and Ngereza, Christine and Otte, Insa and R{\"o}der, Juliane and Rutten, Gemma and Costa, David Schellenberger and Tardanico, Joseph and Zancolli, Giulia and Deckert, J{\"u}rgen and Eardley, Connal D. and Peters, Ralph S. and R{\"o}del, Mark-Oliver and Schleuning, Matthias and Ssymank, Axel and Kakengi, Victor and Zhang, Jie and B{\"o}hning-Gaese, Katrin and Brandl, Roland and Kalko, Elisabeth K.V. and Kleyer, Michael and Nauss, Thomas and Tschapka, Marco and Fischer, Markus and Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf}, title = {Predictors of elevational biodiversity gradients change from single taxa to the multi-taxa community level}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {7}, journal = {Nature Communications}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms13736}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-169374}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The factors determining gradients of biodiversity are a fundamental yet unresolved topic in ecology. While diversity gradients have been analysed for numerous single taxa, progress towards general explanatory models has been hampered by limitations in the phylogenetic coverage of past studies. By parallel sampling of 25 major plant and animal taxa along a 3.7 km elevational gradient on Mt. Kilimanjaro, we quantify cross-taxon consensus in diversity gradients and evaluate predictors of diversity from single taxa to a multi-taxa community level. While single taxa show complex distribution patterns and respond to different environmental factors, scaling up diversity to the community level leads to an unambiguous support for temperature as the main predictor of species richness in both plants and animals. Our findings illuminate the influence of taxonomic coverage for models of diversity gradients and point to the importance of temperature for diversification and species coexistence in plant and animal communities.}, 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{KilincEhrigPessianetal.2016, author = {Kilinc, Mehmet Okyay and Ehrig, Klaas and Pessian, Maysam and Minev, Boris R. and Szalay, Aladar A.}, title = {Colonization of xenograft tumors by oncolytic vaccinia virus (VACV) results in enhanced tumor killing due to the involvement of myeloid cells}, series = {Journal of Translational Medicine}, volume = {14}, journal = {Journal of Translational Medicine}, number = {340}, doi = {10.1186/s12967-016-1096-1}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168914}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background The mechanisms by which vaccinia virus (VACV) interacts with the innate immune components are complex and involve different mechanisms. iNOS-mediated NO production by myeloid cells is one of the central antiviral mechanisms and this study aims to investigate specifically whether iNOS-mediated NO production by myeloid cells, is involved in tumor eradication following the virus treatment. Methods Human colon adenocarcinoma (HCT-116) xenograft tumors were infected by VACV. Infiltration of iNOS\(^{+}\) myeloid cell population into the tumor, and virus titer was monitored following the treatment. Single-cell suspensions were stained for qualitative and quantitative flow analysis. The effect of different myeloid cell subsets on tumor growth and colonization were investigated by depletion studies. Finally, in vitro culture experiments were carried out to study NO production and tumor cell killing. Student's t test was used for comparison between groups in all of the experiments. Results Infection of human colon adenocarcinoma (HCT-116) xenograft tumors by VACV has led to recruitment of many CD11b\(^{+}\) ly6G\(^{+}\) myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), with enhanced iNOS expression in the tumors, and to an increased intratumoral virus titer between days 7 and 10 post-VACV therapy. In parallel, both single and multiple rounds of iNOS-producing cell depletions caused very rapid tumor growth within the same period after virus injection, indicating that VACV-induced iNOS\(^{+}\) MDSCs could be an important antitumor effector component. A continuous blockade of iNOS by its specific inhibitor, L-NIL, showed similar tumor growth enhancement 7-10 days post-infection. Finally, spleen-derived iNOS+ MDSCs isolated from virus-injected tumor bearing mice produced higher amounts of NO and effectively killed HCT-116 cells in in vitro transwell experiments. Conclusions We initially hypothesized that NO could be one of the factors that limits active spreading of the virus in the cancerous tissue. In contrast to our initial hypothesis, we observed that PMN-MDSCs were the main producer of NO through iNOS and NO provided a beneficial antitumor effect, The results strongly support an important novel role for VACV infection in the tumor microenvironment. VACV convert tumor-promoting MDSCs into tumor-killing cells by inducing higher NO production.}, language = {en} } @article{PetritschKoestlerGassenmaieretal.2016, author = {Petritsch, Bernhard and K{\"o}stler, Herbert and Gassenmaier, Tobias and Kunz, Andreas S and Bley, Thorsten A and Horn, Michael}, title = {An investigation into potential gender-specific differences in myocardial triglyceride content assessed by \(^{1}\)H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy at 3Tesla}, series = {Journal of International Medical Research}, volume = {44}, journal = {Journal of International Medical Research}, number = {3}, doi = {10.1177/0300060515603884}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168808}, pages = {585-591}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Objective: Over the past decade, myocardial triglyceride content has become an accepted biomarker for chronic metabolic and cardiac disease. The purpose of this study was to use proton (hydrogen 1)-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (\(^{1}\)H-MRS) at 3Tesla (3 T) field strength to assess potential gender-related differences in myocardial triglyceride content in healthy individuals. Methods: Cardiac MR imaging was performed to enable accurate voxel placement and obtain functional and morphological information. Double triggered (i.e., ECG and respiratory motion gating) \(^{1}\)H-MRS was used to quantify myocardial triglyceride levels for each gender. Two-sample t-test and Mann-Whitney U-test were used for statistical analyses. Results: In total, 40 healthy volunteers (22 male, 18 female; aged >18 years and age matched) were included in the study. Median myocardial triglyceride content was 0.28\% (interquartile range [IQR] 0.17-0.42\%) in male and 0.24\% (IQR 0.14-0.45\%) in female participants, and no statistically significant difference was observed between the genders. Furthermore, no gender-specific difference in ejection fraction was observed, although on average, male participants presented with a higher mean ± SD left ventricular mass (136.3 ± 25.2 g) than female participants (103.9 ± 16.1 g). Conclusions: The study showed that \(^{1}\)H-MRS is a capable, noninvasive tool for acquisition of myocardial triglyceride metabolites. Myocardial triglyceride concentration was shown to be unrelated to gender in this group of healthy volunteers.}, language = {en} } @article{JoschinskiBeerHelfrichFoersteretal.2016, author = {Joschinski, Jens and Beer, Katharina and Helfrich-F{\"o}rster, Charlotte and Krauss, Jochen}, title = {Pea Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) Have Diurnal Rhythms When Raised Independently of a Host Plant}, series = {Journal of Insect Science}, volume = {16}, journal = {Journal of Insect Science}, number = {1}, doi = {10.1093/jisesa/iew013}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168783}, pages = {31}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Seasonal timing is assumed to involve the circadian clock, an endogenous mechanism to track time and measure day length. Some debate persists, however, and aphids were among the first organisms for which circadian clock involvement was questioned. Inferences about links to phenology are problematic, as the clock itself is little investigated in aphids. For instance, it is unknown whether aphids possess diurnal rhythms at all. Possibly, the close interaction with host plants prevents independent measurements of rhythmicity. We reared the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) on an artificial diet, and recorded survival, moulting, and honeydew excretion. Despite their plant-dependent life style, aphids were independently rhythmic under light-dark conditions. This first demonstration of diurnal aphid rhythms shows that aphids do not simply track the host plant's rhythmicity.}, language = {en} } @article{DennerDittmaierHechtetal.2016, author = {Denner, Ansgar and Dittmaier, Stefan and Hecht, Markus and Pasold, Christian}, title = {NLO QCD and electroweak corrections to Z + γ production with leptonic Z-boson decays}, series = {JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS}, volume = {02}, journal = {JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS}, number = {057}, doi = {10.1007/JHEP02(2016)057}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168766}, year = {2016}, abstract = {The next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections to pp→l\(^{+}\)l\(^{-}\)/ν¯¯¯ν+γ+X production, including all off-shell effects of intermediate Z bosons in the complex-mass scheme, are calculated for LHC energies, revealing the typically expected large corrections of tens of percent in the TeV range. Contributions from quark-photon and photon-photon initial states are taken into account as well, but their impact is found to be moderate or small. Moreover, the known next-to-leading-order QCD corrections are reproduced. In order to separate hard photons from jets, both a quark-to-photon fragmentation function {\´a} la Glover/Morgan and Frixione's cone isolation are employed. The calculation is available in the form of Monte Carlo programs allowing for the evaluation of arbitrary differential cross sections. Predictions for integrated cross sections are presented for the LHC at 7 TeV, 8 TeV, and 14 TeV, and differential distributions are discussed at 14 TeV for bare muons and dressed leptons. Finally, we consider the impact of anomalous ZZγ and Zγγ couplings.}, language = {en} } @article{HirschKraussOpferkuchetal.2016, author = {Hirsch, Martin and Krauss, Manuel E. and Opferkuch, Toby and Porod, Werner and Staub, Florian}, title = {A constrained supersymmetric left-right model}, series = {JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS}, volume = {03}, journal = {JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS}, number = {009}, doi = {10.1007/JHEP03(2016)009}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-168016}, year = {2016}, abstract = {We present a supersymmetric left-right model which predicts gauge coupling unification close to the string scale and extra vector bosons at the TeV scale. The subtleties in constructing a model which is in agreement with the measured quark masses and mixing for such a low left-right breaking scale are discussed. It is shown that in the constrained version of this model radiative breaking of the gauge symmetries is possible and a SM-like Higgs is obtained. Additional CP-even scalars of a similar mass or even much lighter are possible. The expected mass hierarchies for the supersymmetric states differ clearly from those of the constrained MSSM. In particular, the lightest down-type squark, which is a mixture of the sbottom and extra vector-like states, is always lighter than the stop. We also comment on the model's capability to explain current anomalies observed at the LHC.}, language = {en} } @article{BiedermannBilloniDenneretal.2016, author = {Biedermann, B. and Billoni, M. and Denner, A. and Dittmaier, S. and Hofer, L. and J{\"a}ger, B. and Salfelder, L.}, title = {Next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections to pp -> W\(^{+}\)W\(^{-}\) -> 4 leptons at the LHC}, series = {JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS}, volume = {06}, journal = {JOURNAL OF HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS}, number = {065}, doi = {10.1007/JHEP06(2016)065}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167790}, year = {2016}, abstract = {We present results of the first calculation of next-to-leading-order electroweak corrections to W-boson pair production at the LHC that fully takes into account leptonic W-boson decays and off-shell effects. Employing realistic event selections, we discuss the corrections in situations that are typical for the study of W-boson pairs as a signal process or of Higgs-boson decays H → WW∗, to which W-boson pair production represents an irreducible background. In particular, we compare the full off-shell results, obtained treating the W-boson resonances in the complex-mass scheme, to previous results in the so-called double-pole approximation, which is based on an expansion of the loop amplitudes about the W resonance poles. At small and intermediate scales, i.e. in particular in angular and rapidity distributions, the two approaches show the expected agreement at the level of fractions of a percent, but larger differences appear in the TeV range. For transverse-momentum distributions, the differences can even exceed the 10\% level in the TeV range where "background diagrams" with one instead of two resonant W bosons gain in importance because of recoil effects.}, language = {en} } @article{SchieleReinhardReifetal.2016, author = {Schiele, Miriam A. and Reinhard, Julia and Reif, Andreas and Domschke, Katharina and Romanos, Marcel and Deckert, J{\"u}rgen and Pauli, Paul}, title = {Developmental aspects of fear: Comparing the acquisition and generalization of conditioned fear in children and adults}, series = {Developmental Psychobiology}, volume = {58}, journal = {Developmental Psychobiology}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1002/dev.21393}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189488}, pages = {471-481}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Most research on human fear conditioning and its generalization has focused on adults whereas only little is known about these processes in children. Direct comparisons between child and adult populations are needed to determine developmental risk markers of fear and anxiety. We compared 267 children and 285 adults in a differential fear conditioning paradigm and generalization test. Skin conductance responses (SCR) and ratings of valence and arousal were obtained to indicate fear learning. Both groups displayed robust and similar differential conditioning on subjective and physiological levels. However, children showed heightened fear generalization compared to adults as indexed by higher arousal ratings and SCR to the generalization stimuli. Results indicate overgeneralization of conditioned fear as a developmental correlate of fear learning. The developmental change from a shallow to a steeper generalization gradient is likely related to the maturation of brain structures that modulate efficient discrimination between danger and (ambiguous) safety cues.}, language = {en} } @article{NickersonAtalagdeBonoetal.2016, author = {Nickerson, David and Atalag, Koray and de Bono, Bernard and Geiger, J{\"o}rg and Goble, Carole and Hollmann, Susanne and Lonien, Joachim and M{\"u}ller, Wolfgang and Regierer, Babette and Stanford, Natalie J. and Golebiewski, Martin and Hunter, Peter}, title = {The Human Physiome: how standards, software and innovative service infrastructures are providing the building blocks to make it achievable}, series = {Interface Focus}, volume = {6}, journal = {Interface Focus}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1098/rsfs.2015.0103}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189584}, pages = {13 Seiten}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Reconstructing and understanding the Human Physiome virtually is a complex mathematical problem, and a highly demanding computational challenge. Mathematical models spanning from the molecular level through to whole populations of individuals must be integrated, then personalized. This requires interoperability with multiple disparate and geographically separated data sources, and myriad computational software tools. Extracting and producing knowledge from such sources, even when the databases and software are readily available, is a challenging task. Despite the difficulties, researchers must frequently perform these tasks so that available knowledge can be continually integrated into the common framework required to realize the Human Physiome. Software and infrastructures that support the communities that generate these, together with their underlying standards to format, describe and interlink the corresponding data and computer models, are pivotal to the Human Physiome being realized. They provide the foundations for integrating, exchanging and re-using data and models efficiently, and correctly, while also supporting the dissemination of growing knowledge in these forms. In this paper, we explore the standards, software tooling, repositories and infrastructures that support this work, and detail what makes them vital to realizing the Human Physiome.}, language = {en} } @article{StaussBrunnerBerberichSiebeltetal.2016, author = {Stauss, Dennis and Brunner, Cornelia and Berberich-Siebelt, Friederike and H{\"o}pken, Uta E. and Lipp, Martin and M{\"u}ller, Gerd}, title = {The transcriptional coactivator Bob1 promotes the development of follicular T helper cells via Bcl6}, series = {Embo Journal}, volume = {35}, journal = {Embo Journal}, number = {8}, doi = {10.15252/embj.201591459}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189506}, pages = {881-898}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Follicular T helper (Tfh) cells are key regulators of the germinal center reaction and long-term humoral immunity. Tfh cell differentiation requires the sustained expression of the transcriptional repressor Bcl6; however, its regulation in CD4\(^+\) T cells is incompletely understood. Here, we report that the transcriptional coactivator Bob1, encoded by the Pou2af1 gene, promotes Bcl6 expression and Tfh cell development. We found that Bob1 together with the octamer transcription factors Oct1/Oct2 can directly bind to and transactivate the Bcl6 and Btla promoters. Mixed bone marrow chimeras revealed that Bob1 is required for the expression of normal levels of Bcl6 and BTLA, thereby controlling the pool size and composition of the Tfh compartment in a T cell-intrinsic manner. Our data indicate that T cell-expressed Bob1 is directly involved in Tfh cell differentiation and required for mounting normal T cell-dependent B-cell responses.}, language = {en} } @article{HackerEscalonaEspinosaConsalvoetal.2016, author = {Hacker, Ulrich T. and Escalona-Espinosa, Laura and Consalvo, Nicola and Goede, Valentin and Schiffmann, Lars and Scherer, Stefan J. and Hedge, Priti and Van Cutsem, Eric and Coutelle, Oliver and B{\"u}ning, Hildegard}, title = {Evaluation of Angiopoietin-2 as a biomarker in gastric cancer: results from the randomised phase III AVAGAST trial}, series = {British Journal of Cancer}, volume = {114}, journal = {British Journal of Cancer}, number = {8}, doi = {10.1038/bjc.2016.30}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189578}, pages = {855-862}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background: In the phase III AVAGAST trial, the addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy improved progression-free survival (PFS) but not overall survival (OS) in patients with advanced gastric cancer. We studied the role of Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), a key driver of tumour angiogenesis, metastasis and resistance to antiangiogenic treatment, as a biomarker. Methods: Previously untreated, advanced gastric cancer patients were randomly assigned to receive bevacizumab (n = 387) or placebo (n = 387) in combination with chemotherapy. Plasma collected at baseline and at progression was analysed by ELISA. The role of Ang-2 as a prognostic and a predictive biomarker of bevacizumab efficacy was studied using a Cox proportional hazards model. Logistic regression analysis was applied for correlations with metastasis. Results: Median baseline plasma Ang-2 levels were lower in Asian (2143 pg ml\(^-\)\(^1\)) vs non-Asian patients (3193 pg ml\(^-\)\(^1\)), P<0.0001. Baseline plasma Ang-2 was identified as an independent prognostic marker for OS but did not predict bevacizumab efficacy alone or in combination with baseline VEGF. Baseline plasma Ang-2 correlated with the frequency of liver metastasis (LM) at any time: Odds ratio per 1000 pg ml\(^-\)\(^1\) increase: 1.19; 95\% CI 1.10-1.29; P<0.0001 (non-Asians) and 1.37; 95\% CI 1.13-1.64; P = 0.0010 (Asians). Conclusions: Baseline plasma Ang-2 is a novel prognostic biomarker for OS in advanced gastric cancer strongly associated with LM. Differences in Ang-2 mediated vascular response may, in part, account for outcome differences between Asian and non-Asian patients; however, data have to be further validated. Ang-2 is a promising drug target in gastric cancer.}, language = {en} } @article{MaassDuezelBrigadskietal.2016, author = {Maass, Anne and D{\"u}zel, Sandra and Brigadski, Tanja and Goerke, Monique and Becke, Andreas and Sobieray, Uwe and Neumann, Katja and L{\"o}vd{\´e}n, Martin and Lindenberger, Ulman and B{\"a}ckman, Lars and Braun-Dullaeus, R{\"u}diger and Ahrens, D{\"o}rte and Heinze, Hans-Jochen and M{\"u}ller, Notger G. and Lessmann, Volkmar and Sendtner, Michael and D{\"u}zel, Emrah}, title = {Relationships of peripheral IGF-1, VEGF and BDNF levels to exercise-related changes in memory, hippocampal perfusion and volumes in older adults}, series = {NeuroImage}, volume = {131}, journal = {NeuroImage}, doi = {10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.10.084}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189219}, pages = {142-154}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Animal models point towards a key role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in mediating exercise-induced structural and functional changes in the hippocampus. Recently, also platelet derived growth factor-C (PDGF-C) has been shown to promote blood vessel growth and neuronal survival. Moreover, reductions of these neurotrophic and angiogenic factors in old age have been related to hippocampal atrophy, decreased vascularization and cognitive decline. In a 3-month aerobic exercise study, forty healthy older humans (60 to 77 years) were pseudo-randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise group (indoor treadmill, n = 21) or to a control group (indoor progressive-muscle relaxation/stretching, n = 19). As reported recently, we found evidence for fitness-related perfusion changes of the aged human hippocampus that were closely linked to changes in episodic memory function. Here, we test whether peripheral levels of BDNF, IGF-I, VEGF or PDGF-C are related to changes in hippocampal blood flow, volume and memory performance. Growth factor levels were not significantly affected by exercise, and their changes were not related to changes in fitness or perfusion. However, changes in IGF-I levels were positively correlated with hippocampal volume changes (derived by manual volumetry and voxel-based morphometry) and late verbal recall performance, a relationship that seemed to be independent of fitness, perfusion or their changes over time. These preliminary findings link IGF-I levels to hippocampal volume changes and putatively hippocampus-dependent memory changes that seem to occur over time independently of exercise. We discuss methodological shortcomings of our study and potential differences in the temporal dynamics of how IGF-1, VEGF and BDNF may be affected by exercise and to what extent these differences may have led to the negative findings reported here.}, language = {en} } @article{KurzKampfBuschleetal.2016, author = {Kurz, Felix T. and Kampf, Thomas and Buschle, Lukas R. and Schlemmer, Heinz-Peter and Bendszus, Martin and Heiland, Sabine and Ziener, Christian H.}, title = {Generalized moment analysis of magnetic field correlations for accumulations of spherical and cylindrical magnetic perturbers}, series = {Frontiers in Physics}, volume = {4}, journal = {Frontiers in Physics}, issn = {2296-424X}, doi = {10.3389/fphy.2016.00046}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190604}, year = {2016}, abstract = {In biological tissue, an accumulation of similarly shaped objects with a susceptibility difference to the surrounding tissue generates a local distortion of the external magnetic field in magnetic resonance imaging. It induces stochastic field fluctuations that characteristically influence proton spin dephasing in the vicinity of these magnetic perturbers. The magnetic field correlation that is associated with such local magnetic field inhomogeneities can be expressed in the form of a dynamic frequency autocorrelation function that is related to the time evolution of the measured magnetization. Here, an eigenfunction expansion for two simple magnetic perturber shapes, that of spheres and cylinders, is considered for restricted spin diffusion in a simple model geometry. Then, the concept of generalized moment analysis, an approximation technique that is applied in the study of (non-)reactive processes that involve Brownian motion, allows deriving analytical expressions of the correlation function for different exponential decay forms. Results for the biexponential decay for both spherical and cylindrical magnetized objects are derived and compared with the frequently used (less accurate) monoexponential decay forms. They are in asymptotic agreement with the numerically exact value of the correlation function for long and short times.}, language = {en} } @misc{Karremann2016, author = {Karremann, Isabel}, title = {Hans-Peter Wagner. An Introduction to British and Irish Fiction: Renaissance to Romanticism. Trier: Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2014, 262 pp., 60 illustr., € 29.50.}, series = {Anglia}, volume = {134}, journal = {Anglia}, number = {4}, issn = {1865-8938}, doi = {10.1515/ang-2016-0078}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-194309}, pages = {711-715}, year = {2016}, abstract = {No abstract available.}, language = {en} } @article{AdrianMartinezAlbertAndreetal.2016, author = {Adri{\´a}n-Mart{\´i}nez, S. and Albert, A. and Andr{\´e}, M. and Anton, G. and Ardid, M. and Aubert, J.-J. and Avgitas, T. and Baret, B. and Barrios-Mart{\´i}, J. and Basa, S. and Bertin, V. and Biagi, S. and Bormuth, R. and Bou-Cabo, M. and Bouwhuis, M.C. and Bruijn, R. and Brunner, J. and Busto, J. and Capone, A. and Caramete, L. and Carr, J. and Celli, S. and Chiarusi, T. and Circella, M. and Coleiro, A. and Coniglione, R. and Costantini, H. and Coyle, P. and Creusot, A. and Deschamps, A. and De Bonis, G. and Distefano, C. and Donzaud, C. and Dornic, D. and Drouhin, D. and Eberl, T. and El Bojaddaini, I. and Els{\"a}sser, D. and Enzenh{\"o}fer, A. and Fehn, K. and Felis, I. and Fusco, L.A. and Galat{\`a}, S. and Gay, P. and Geißels{\"o}der, S. and Geyer, K. and Giordano, V. and Gleixner, A. and Glotin, H. and Gracia-Ruiz, R. and Graf, K. and Hallmann, S. and van Haren, H. and Heijboer, A.J. and Hello, Y. and Hern{\´a}ndez-Rey, J.-J. and H{\"o}ßl, J. and Hofest{\"a}dt, J. and Hugon, C. and Illuminati, G. and James, C.W. and de Jong, M. and Kadler, M. and Kalekin, O. and Katz, U. and Kießling, D. and Kouchner, A. and Kreter, M. and Kreykenbohm, I. and Kulikovskiy, V. and Lachaud, C. and Lahmann, R. and Lef{\`e}vre, D. and Leonora, E. and Loucatos, S. and Marcelin, M. and Margiotta, A. and Marinelli, A. and Mart{\´i}nez-Mora, J.A. and Mathieu, A. and Michael, T. and Migliozzi, P. and Moussa, A. and Mueller, C. and Nezri, E. and Păvălaș, G.E. and Pellegrino, C. and Perrina, C. and Piattelli, P. and Popa, V. and Pradier, T. and Racca, C. and Riccobene, G. and Roensch, K. and Salda{\~n}a, M. and Samtleben, D.F.E. and Sanguineti, M. and Sapienza, P. and Schnabel, J. and Sch{\"u}ssler, F. and Seitz, T. and Sieger, C. and Spurio, M. and Stolarczyk, Th. and S{\´a}nchez-Losa, A. and Taiuti, M. and Trovato, A. and Tselengidou, M. and Turpin, D. and T{\"o}nnis, C. and Vallage, B. and Vall{\´e}e, C. and Van Elewyck, V. and Vivolo, D. and Wagner, S. and Wilms, J. and Zornoza, J.D. and Z{\´u}{\~n}iga, J.}, title = {A search for Secluded Dark Matter in the Sun with the ANTARES neutrino telescope}, series = {Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics}, volume = {2016}, journal = {Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics}, number = {5}, organization = {The ANTARES collaboration}, doi = {10.1088/1475-7516/2016/05/016}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189035}, pages = {12}, year = {2016}, abstract = {A search for Secluded Dark Matter annihilation in the Sun using 2007-2012 data of the ANTARES neutrino telescope is presented. Three different cases are considered: a) detection of dimuons that result from the decay of the mediator, or neutrino detection from: b) mediator that decays into a dimuon and, in turn, into neutrinos, and c) mediator that decays directly into neutrinos. As no significant excess over background is observed, constraints are derived on the dark matter mass and the lifetime of the mediator.}, language = {en} } @article{BollBartholomaeusPeteretal.2016, author = {Boll, Sabine and Bartholomaeus, Marie and Peter, Ulrike and Lupke, Ulrike and Gamer, Matthias}, title = {Attentional mechanisms of social perception are biased in social phobia}, series = {Journal of Anxiety Disorders}, volume = {40}, journal = {Journal of Anxiety Disorders}, doi = {10.1016/j.janxdis.2016.04.004}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189046}, pages = {83-93}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Previous studies of social phobia have reported an increased vigilance to social threat cues but also an avoidance of socially relevant stimuli such as eye gaze. The primary aim of this study was to examine attentional mechanisms relevant for perceiving social cues by means of abnormalities in scanning of facial features in patients with social phobia. In two novel experimental paradigms, patients with social phobia and healthy controls matched on age, gender and education were compared regarding their gazing behavior towards facial cues. The first experiment was an emotion classification paradigm which allowed for differentiating reflexive attentional shifts from sustained attention towards diagnostically relevant facial features. In the second experiment, attentional orienting by gaze direction was assessed in a gaze-cueing paradigm in which non-predictive gaze cues shifted attention towards or away from subsequently presented targets. We found that patients as compared to controls reflexively oriented their attention more frequently towards the eyes of emotional faces in the emotion classification paradigm. This initial hypervigilance for the eye region was observed at very early attentional stages when faces were presented for 150 ms, and persisted when facial stimuli were shown for 3 s. Moreover, a delayed attentional orienting into the direction of eye gaze was observed in individuals with social phobia suggesting a differential time course of eye gaze processing in patients and controls. Our findings suggest that basic mechanisms of early attentional exploration of social cues are biased in social phobia and might contribute to the development and maintenance of the disorder.}, language = {en} } @article{BanalesCardinaleCarpinoetal.2016, author = {Banales, Jesus M. and Cardinale, Vincenzo and Carpino, Guido and Marzioni, Marco and Andersen, Jesper B. and Invernizzi, Pietro and Lind, Guro E. and Folseraas, Trine and Forbes, Stuart J. and Fouassier, Laura and Geier, Andreas and Calvisi, Diego F. and Mertens, Joachim C. and Trauner, Michael and Benedetti, Antonio and Maroni, Luca and Vaquero, Javier and Macias, Rocio I. R. and Raggi, Chiara and Perugorria, Maria J. and Gaudio, Eugenio and Boberg, Kirsten M. and Marin, Jose J. G. and Alvaro, Domenico}, title = {Cholangiocarcinoma: current knowledge and future perspectives consensus statement from the European Network for the Study of Cholangiocarcinoma (ENS-CCA)}, series = {Nature Reviews Gastroenterology \& Hepatology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Nature Reviews Gastroenterology \& Hepatology}, number = {5}, doi = {10.1038/nrgastro.2016.51}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189077}, pages = {261-280}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is a heterogeneous group of malignancies with features of biliary tract differentiation. CCA is the second most common primary liver tumour and the incidence is increasing worldwide. CCA has high mortality owing to its aggressiveness, late diagnosis and refractory nature. In May 2015, the "European Network for the Study of Cholangiocarcinoma" (ENS-CCA: www.enscca.org or www.cholangiocarcinoma.eu) was created to promote and boost international research collaboration on the study of CCA at basic, translational and clinical level. In this Consensus Statement, we aim to provide valuable information on classifications, pathological features, risk factors, cells of origin, genetic and epigenetic modifications and current therapies available for this cancer. Moreover, future directions on basic and clinical investigations and plans for the ENS-CCA are highlighted.}, language = {en} } @article{KlughammerSchreiber2016, author = {Klughammer, Christof and Schreiber, Ulrich}, title = {Deconvolution of ferredoxin, plastocyanin, and P700 transmittance changes in intact leaves with a new type of kinetic LED array spectrophotometer}, series = {Photosynthesis Research}, volume = {128}, journal = {Photosynthesis Research}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1007/s11120-016-0219-0}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189050}, pages = {195-214}, year = {2016}, abstract = {A newly developed compact measuring system for assessment of transmittance changes in the near-infrared spectral region is described; it allows deconvolution of redox changes due to ferredoxin (Fd), P700, and plastocyanin (PC) in intact leaves. In addition, it can also simultaneously measure chlorophyll fluorescence. The major opto-electronic components as well as the principles of data acquisition and signal deconvolution are outlined. Four original pulse-modulated dual-wavelength difference signals are measured (785-840 nm, 810-870 nm, 870-970 nm, and 795-970 nm). Deconvolution is based on specific spectral information presented graphically in the form of 'Differential Model Plots' (DMP) of Fd, P700, and PC that are derived empirically from selective changes of these three components under appropriately chosen physiological conditions. Whereas information on maximal changes of Fd is obtained upon illumination after dark-acclimation, maximal changes of P700 and PC can be readily induced by saturating light pulses in the presence of far-red light. Using the information of DMP and maximal changes, the new measuring system enables on-line deconvolution of Fd, P700, and PC. The performance of the new device is demonstrated by some examples of practical applications, including fast measurements of flash relaxation kinetics and of the Fd, P700, and PC changes paralleling the polyphasic fluorescence rise upon application of a 300-ms pulse of saturating light.}, language = {en} } @article{Froehlich2016, author = {Fr{\"o}hlich, Andrea}, title = {Discussion Report: Formation of Companies}, series = {European Company and Financial Law Review}, volume = {13}, journal = {European Company and Financial Law Review}, number = {2}, issn = {1613-2556}, doi = {10.1515/ecfr-2016-0373}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-194468}, pages = {373-374}, year = {2016}, abstract = {No abstract available.}, language = {en} }