@phdthesis{Aaken2003, author = {Aaken, Claas van}, title = {Adjuvante Radiochemotherapie des Rektumkarzinoms - multizentrische retrospektive Analyse von 534 Patienten in Franken - Behandlungsergebnisse der Strahlentherapie und Evaluation (A) - eine retrospektive Analyse des Krankengutes 6 fr{\"a}nkischer Strahlenkliniken im Zeitraum 4/93 bis 3/98}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-7681}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2003}, abstract = {Die adjuvante Radiochemotherapie des Rektumkarzinoms im UICC-Stadium II/III wird seit 1991 vom National Cancer Institute (NCI) und in Deutschland seit 1994 als Standard empfohlen. Die Qualit{\"a}t und Ergebnisse der postoperativen Therapie in der t{\"a}glichen klinischen Praxis wurden fl{\"a}chendeckend retrospektiv untersucht. Insgesamt wurden 534 Patienten aus sechs Institutionen ausgewertet, die zwischen 1993 und 1998 behandelt wurden. Die beteiligten Kliniken versorgten strahlentherapeutisch fl{\"a}chendeckend große Teile des nordbayerischen Raumes. Die Stadienverteilung der Patienten war: UICC I 1\%, II 28\%, III 69\% und IV 2\%. 92\% erhielten eine RChT, 8\% eine alleinige RT. Die mediane Nachbeobachtungszeit der Patienten betrug 40 Monate. Ergebnisse (Teil A): Nur etwa 37\% der epidemiologisch erwarteten Patienten wurden entsprechend der Konsensusvereinbarung einer postoperativen Therapie zugewiesen. Nach 5 Jahren betrug die aktuarische lokale Kontrolle 75\%, die Freiheit von Fernmetastasen 56\%, das krankheitsfreie {\"U}berleben 53\% und das Gesamt{\"u}berleben 57\%. Weitere Ergebnisse siehe Teil B. Schlussfolgerung: Der niedrige Anteil von der adjuvanten Therapie zugewiesenen Patienten sowie die im Vergleich zu randomisierten Studien ung{\"u}nstigeren Ergebnisse weisen auf die Auswahl eines Risikokollektivs hin. Anstelle einer stadienbezogenen Zuweisung scheint eine Auswahl mit individueller Risikoabsch{\"a}tzung bevorzugt zu werden. Neben Therapieverbesserungen durch randomisierte Studien sollten ebenso Anstrengungen zur {\"U}bertragung dieser Ergebnisse in die fl{\"a}chendeckende Praxis {\"u}bernommen werden.}, language = {de} } @article{AbboudAsendorfHeinrichetal.2021, author = {Abboud, Tammam and Asendorf, Thomas and Heinrich, Jutta and Faust, Katharina and Krieg, Sandro M. and Seidel, Kathleen and Mielke, Dorothee and Matthies, Cordola and Ringel, Florian and Rohde, Veit and Szel{\´e}nyi, Andrea}, title = {Transcranial versus direct cortical stimulation for motor-evoked potentials during resection of supratentorial tumors under general anesthesia (the TRANSEKT-trial): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial}, series = {Biomedicines}, volume = {9}, journal = {Biomedicines}, number = {10}, issn = {2227-9059}, doi = {10.3390/biomedicines9101490}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-248513}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Background: Monitoring of motor function during surgery for supratentorial tumors under general anesthesia applies either transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) or direct cortical stimulation (DCS) to elicit motor-evoked potentials. To date, there is no guideline that favor one method over the other. Therefore, we designed this randomized study to compare between both methods regarding the prediction of postoperative motor deficits and extent of tumor resection. Methods: This is a multicenter (six centers in Germany and one in Switzerland), double blind, parallel group, exploratory, randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients without or with mild paresis, who are scheduled for surgical resection of motor-eloquent brain tumors under general anesthesia will be randomized to surgical resection under TES or surgical resection under DCS. The primary endpoint is sensitivity and specificity in prognosis of motor function 7 days after surgery. The main secondary endpoint is the extent of tumor resection. The study is planned to include 120 patients within 2 years. Discussion: The present exploratory study should compare TES and DCS regarding sensitivity and specificity in predicting postoperative motor deficit and extent of tumor resection to calculate the required number of patients in a confirmatory trial to test the superiority of one method over the other.}, language = {en} } @article{AbdElAzizElMaghrabyEwaldetal.2021, author = {Abd El-Aziz, Asmaa M. and El-Maghraby, Azza and Ewald, Andrea and Kandil, Sherif H.}, title = {In-vitro cytotoxicity study: cell viability and cell morphology of carbon nanofibrous scaffold/hydroxyapatite nanocomposites}, series = {Molecules}, volume = {26}, journal = {Molecules}, number = {6}, issn = {1420-3049}, doi = {10.3390/molecules26061552}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234037}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Electrospun carbon nanofibers (CNFs), which were modified with hydroxyapatite, were fabricated to be used as a substrate for bone cell proliferation. The CNFs were derived from electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers after two steps of heat treatment: stabilization and carbonization. Carbon nanofibrous (CNF)/hydroxyapatite (HA) nanocomposites were prepared by two different methods; one of them being modification during electrospinning (CNF-8HA) and the second method being hydrothermal modification after carbonization (CNF-8HA; hydrothermally) to be used as a platform for bone tissue engineering. The biological investigations were performed using in-vitro cell counting, WST cell viability and cell morphology after three and seven days. L929 mouse fibroblasts were found to be more viable on the hydrothermally-modified CNF scaffolds than on the unmodified CNF scaffolds. The biological characterizations of the synthesized CNF/HA nanofibrous composites indicated higher capability of bone regeneration.}, language = {en} } @article{AbdaKrysciakKrohnMoltetal.2015, author = {Abda, Ebrahim M. and Krysciak, Dagmar and Krohn-Molt, Ines and Mamat, Uwe and Schmeisser, Christel and F{\"o}rstner, Konrad U. and Schaible, Ulrich E. and Kohi, Thomas A. and Nieman, Stefan and Streit, Wolfgang R.}, title = {Phenotypic Heterogeneity Affects Stenotrophomonas maltophilia K279a Colony Morphotypes and \(\beta\)-Lactamase Expression}, series = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, volume = {6}, journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology}, number = {1373}, doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2015.01373}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-136446}, year = {2015}, abstract = {Phenotypic heterogeneity at the cellular level in response to various stresses, e.g., antibiotic treatment has been reported for a number of bacteria. In a clonal population, cell-to-cell variation may result in phenotypic heterogeneity that is a mechanism to survive changing environments including antibiotic therapy. Stenotrophomonas rnaltophilia has been frequently isolated from cystic fibrosis patients, can cause numerous infections in other organs and tissues, and is difficult to treat due to antibiotic resistances. S. maltophilia K279a produces the Li and L2 beta-lactamases in response to beta-lactam treatment. Here we report that the patient isolate S. rnaltophilia K279a diverges into cellular subpopulations with distinct but reversible morphotypes of small and big colonies when challenged with ampicillin. This observation is consistent with the formation of elongated chains of bacteria during exponential growth phase and the occurrence of mainly rod-shaped cells in liquid media. RNA-seq analysis of small versus big colonies revealed differential regulation of at least seven genes among the colony morphotypes. Among those, bleu and bla(L2) were transcriptionally the most strongly upregulated genes. Promoter fusions of b/a(L1) and b/a(L2) genes indicated that expression of both genes is also subject to high levels of phenotypic heterogeneous expression on a single cell level. Additionally, the comE homolog was found to be differentially expressed in homogenously versus heterogeneously bla(L2) expressing cells as identified by RNA(seq) analysis. Overexpression of cornE in S. maltophilia K279a reduced the level of cells that were in a bla(L2)-ON mode to 1\% or lower. Taken together, our data provide strong evidence that S. maltophilia K279a populations develop phenotypic heterogeneity in an ampicillin challenged model. This cellular variability is triggered by regulation networks including b/a(L1), b/a(L2), and comE.}, language = {en} } @article{AbdaliBarthNorouzyetal.2013, author = {Abdali, Narges and Barth, Enrico and Norouzy, Amir and Schulz, Robert and Nau, Werner M. and Kleinekathofer, Ulrich and Tauch, Andreas and Benz, Roland}, title = {Corynebacterium jeikeium jk0268 Constitutes for the 40 Amino Acid Long PorACj, Which Forms a Homooligomeric and Anion- Selective Cell Wall Channel}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {8}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {10}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-129989}, pages = {e75651}, year = {2013}, abstract = {Corynebacterium jeikeium, a resident of human skin, is often associated with multidrug resistant nosocomial infections in immunodepressed patients. C. jeikeium K411 belongs to mycolic acid-containing actinomycetes, the mycolata and contains a channel-forming protein as judged from reconstitution experiments with artificial lipid bilayer experiments. The channel-forming protein was present in detergent treated cell walls and in extracts of whole cells using organic solvents. A gene coding for a 40 amino acid long polypeptide possibly responsible for the pore-forming activity was identified in the known genome of C. jeikeium by its similar chromosomal localization to known porH and porA genes of other Corynebacterium strains. The gene jk0268 was expressed in a porin deficient Corynebacterium glutamicum strain. For purification temporarily histidine-tailed or with a GST-tag at the N-terminus, the homogeneous protein caused channel-forming activity with an average conductance of 1.25 nS in 1M KCl identical to the channels formed by the detergent extracts. Zero-current membrane potential measurements of the voltage dependent channel implied selectivity for anions. This preference is according to single-channel analysis caused by some excess of cationic charges located in the channel lumen formed by oligomeric alpha-helical wheels. The channel has a suggested diameter of 1.4 nm as judged from the permeability of different sized hydrated anions using the Renkin correction factor. Surprisingly, the genome of C. jeikeium contained only one gene coding for a cell wall channel of the PorA/PorH type found in other Corynebacterium species. The possible evolutionary relationship between the heterooligomeric channels formed by certain Corynebacterium strains and the homooligomeric pore of C. jeikeium is discussed.}, language = {en} } @article{AbdaliYounasMafakherietal.2018, author = {Abdali, Narges and Younas, Farhan and Mafakheri, Samaneh and Pothula, Karunakar R. and Kleinekath{\"o}fer, Ulrich and Tauch, Andreas and Benz, Roland}, title = {Identification and characterization of smallest pore-forming protein in the cell wall of pathogenic Corynebacterium urealyticum DSM 7109}, series = {BMC Biochemistry}, volume = {19}, journal = {BMC Biochemistry}, doi = {10.1186/s12858-018-0093-9}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-226959}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Background: Corynebacterium urealyticum, a pathogenic, multidrug resistant member of the mycolata, is known as causative agent of urinary tract infections although it is a bacterium of the skin flora. This pathogenic bacterium shares with the mycolata the property of having an unusual cell envelope composition and architecture, typical for the genus Corynebacterium. The cell wall of members of the mycolata contains channel-forming proteins for the uptake of solutes. Results: In this study, we provide novel information on the identification and characterization of a pore-forming protein in the cell wall of C. urealyticum DSM 7109. Detergent extracts of whole C. urealyticum cultures formed in lipid bilayer membranes slightly cation-selective pores with a single-channel conductance of 1.75 nS in 1 M KCl. Experiments with different salts and non-electrolytes suggested that the cell wall pore of C. urealyticum is wide and water-filled and has a diameter of about 1.8 nm. Molecular modelling and dynamics has been performed to obtain a model of the pore. For the search of the gene coding for the cell wall pore of C. urealyticum we looked in the known genome of C. urealyticum for a similar chromosomal localization of the porin gene to known porH and porA genes of other Corynebacterium strains. Three genes are located between the genes coding for GroEL2 and polyphosphate kinase (PKK2). Two of the genes (cur_1714 and cur_1715) were expressed in different constructs in C. glutamicum Delta porA Delta porH and in porin-deficient BL21 DE3 Omp8 E. coli strains. The results suggested that the gene cur_1714 codes alone for the cell wall channel. The cell wall porin of C. urealyticum termed PorACur was purified to homogeneity using different biochemical methods and had an apparent molecular mass of about 4 kDa on tricine-containing sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Conclusions: Biophysical characterization of the purified protein (PorACur) suggested indeed that cur_1714 is the gene coding for the pore-forming protein in C. urealyticum because the protein formed in lipid bilayer experiments the same pores as the detergent extract of whole cells. The study is the first report of a cell wall channel in the pathogenic C. urealyticum.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Abdelmohsen2010, author = {Abdelmohsen, Usama Ramadan}, title = {Antimicrobial Activities from Plant Cell Cultures and Marine Sponge-Associated Actinomycetes}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-51483}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2010}, abstract = {This thesis is divided into three parts with the main goal allocating novel antimicrobial compounds that could be used as future antibiotics. The first part aimed to evaluate the potential of plant suspension cultures for the production of antimicrobial proteins. The extracellular, intracellular and cell wall bound fractions of seven heterotrophic and photomixotrophic plant cell suspension cultures treated with nine different elicitors were tested for the elicitor dependent production of antimicrobial proteins. Bioactivities were tested against a selected panel of human isolates including Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as fungi using the disc diffusion assay. The intracellular fractions of elicited cell cultures were more active than extracellular fractions while the cell wall bound fractions showed lowest activities. Among the 21 fractions tested, the intracellular fraction of Lavendula angustifolia elicited with DC3000 was most active against Candida maltosa. The second most active fraction was the intracellular fraction of Arabidopsis thaliana elicited with salicylic acid which was moreover active against all test strains. The antimicrobial activity of elicited Arabidopsis thaliana cell cultures was tested by bioautography to locate the antimicrobial proteins in the crude extract. The intracellular fraction of photomixotrophic Arabidopsis thaliana cells elicited with salicylic acid was selected for further gel filtration chromatography on S-200 column leading to the purification of one 19 kDa antimicrobially active protein, designated, AtAMP. Our findings suggest that elicited plant cell cultures may present a new promising alternative source of antimicrobial proteins. The second part comprises the isolation of actinomycetes associated with marine sponges and testing the bioactivities of new species for further investigations. Actinobacterial communities of eleven taxonomically different sponges that had been collected from offshore Ras Mohamed (Egypt) and from Rovinj (Croatia) were investigated by a culture-based approach using different standard media for isolation of actinomycetes and media enriched with aqueous sponge extract to target rare and new actinomycete species. Phylogenetic characterization of 52 representative isolates out of 90 based on almost complete sequences of genes encoding 16S rRNA supported their assignment to 18 different actinomycete genera. Altogether 14 putatively new species were identified based on sequence similarity values below 98.2\% to other strains in the NCBI database. The use of M1 agar amended with aqueous sponge extract yielded a putative new genus related to Rubrobacter which highlighting the need for innovative cultivation protocols. Biological activity testing showed that five isolates were active against Gram-positives only, one isolate was active against Candida albicans only and one isolate showed activity against both groups of pathogens. Moreover, the antiparasistic activity was documented for four isolates. These results showed a high diversity of actinomycetes associated with marine sponges as well as highlighted their potential to produce anti-infective agents. The third part of the thesis focused on the isolation and structure elucidation of new bioactive compounds. Streptomyces strain RV15 recovered from sponge Dysidea tupha, was selected for further chemical analysis by virtue of the fact that it exhibited the greatest antimicrobial potential against Staphylococcus aureus as well as Candida albicans among the all tested strains. Moreover, members of the genus Streptomyces are well known as prolific producers of interesting pharmacologically active metabolites. Chemical analysis of the methanolic crude extract using different chromatographic tools yielded four new compounds. The structures of the new compounds were spectroscopically elucidated to be four new cyclic peptides, namely, cyclodysidins A-D. Their bioactivity was tested against different proteases, bacteria and Candida as well as tumor cell lines. The compounds did not show any significant activities at this point.}, subject = {Antimikrobieller Wirkstoff}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Abele2009, author = {Abele, Marion}, title = {Die Bedeutung des Zwei-Partner-Sekretionssystems f{\"u}r die Adh{\"a}renz von Meningokokken an Epithelzellen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-45369}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2009}, abstract = {Das two-partner secretion-system (TPS-System) ist ein unter Gram-negativen Bakterien weit verbreiteter Weg der Proteinsekretion. Die als TpsA bezeichneten Exoproteine des TPS Systems ben{\"o}tigen ein spezifisches Partnerprotein (genannt TpsB) in Form eines kanalbildenden Transporters. Im sequenzierten Genom des Meningokokkenstammes MC58 finden sich f{\"u}nf putative tpsA Gene, die als hemagglutinin/hemolysin-related protein (hrps) bezeichnete werden. Neben MC58 finden sich auch in den anderen sequenzierten Meningokokkenst{\"a}mmen (FAM18, Z2491, alpha14) hrps. Diese weisen N-terminal Homologien zum filament{\"o}sen H{\"a}magglutinin (FHA) von B. pertussis auf, das als TpsA-Protein des two-partner-secretion-system (TPS) aus der Zelle transportiert wird. In dieser Arbeit werden die hrps als hrpA Gene bzw. HrpA-Proteine bezeichnet. Alle sequenzierten Meningokokkenst{\"a}mme verf{\"u}gen {\"u}ber tpsB homologe Gene (hrpB), die jeweils in enger Nachbarschaft zu den hrpA Genen zu finden sind. Das Vorhandensein von hrpA und hrpB Genen deutet darauf hin, dass auch Meningokokken {\"u}ber ein funktionales TPS-System verf{\"u}gen. Bei einer Dot-Blot-Analyse von 830 Meningokokkenst{\"a}mmen aus einer bayerischen Tr{\"a}gerstudie mit Sonden spezifisch f{\"u}r die C-terminalen Bereiche der im Stamm MC58 gefundenen hrpA Gene hybridisierten 80\% der ausgewerteten St{\"a}mme mit mindestens einer der Sonden. St{\"a}mme der hypervirulenten klonalen Komplexen (ST-8, ST-11, ST32, ST-44) zeigten sogar in {\"u}ber 99\% eine positive Reaktion. Dagegen wiesen die nicht-hypervirulenten klonalen Komplexe zu 29\% im Dot Blot kein hrpA auf, das homolog zu den hrpA Genen von Stamm MC58 ist, wobei es sich hierbei mehrheitlich (82\%) um cnl St{\"a}mme handelte, so dass sich nur in 10\% der untersuchten Kapsel-null-locus-St{\"a}mme (cnl) ein zu den hrpA Genen von MC58 homologes Gen nachweisen ließ. Mit der Hypothese, dass auch diese St{\"a}mme ein hrpA besitzen, welches sich im C-terimalen Anteil von denen des MC58 unterscheidet wurden in dieser Arbeit Dot Blots durchgef{\"u}hrt, deren Sonde spezifisch f{\"u}r das hrpB NMC0443 war. 97,6\% der mit dieser Sonde untersuchten St{\"a}mme zeigten die Anwesenheit eines hrpB Homologs. Um die Vermutung zu best{\"a}tigen, dass allen hrpB Genen ein zugeh{\"o}riges hrpA Gen benachbart liegt, wurden repr{\"a}sentativ PCRs von h{\"a}ufigen klonalen Komplexen durchgef{\"u}hrt. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass ein TPS-System sowohl in den hypervirulenten als auch den nicht-hypervirulenten klonalen Komplexen der Meningokokken vorkommt. Die vielf{\"a}ltigen Funktionen von bereits untersuchten TpsA Proteinen sind zumeist mit der Pathogenit{\"a}t der Bakterien assoziiert. In dieser Arbeit wurde ein m{\"o}glicher Einfluss der HrpA Proteine auf die Adh{\"a}sion der Bakterien an humane Zellen untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass sowohl eine kapsellose, als auch eine kapsellose, LPS-trunkierte hrpA Deletionsmutante signifikant schlechter an Epithelzellen adh{\"a}riert als die parentalen Vergleichsst{\"a}mme. Ebenso zeigten die analog durchgef{\"u}hrten Infektionsversuche mit der hrpB Deletionsmutante einen Adh{\"a}renzverlust, der jedoch nur f{\"u}r die unbekapselte und LPS trunkierte hrpB Deletionsmutante signifikant war. In dieser Arbeit ist es gelungen das HrpB Protein des Stammes 2120 in E. coli zu exprimieren und aufzureinigen, sodass die Entwicklung eines gegen HrpB gerichteten Antik{\"o}rpers in Auftrag gegeben werden konnte. Mit Hilfe dieses Antik{\"o}rpers sollen noch offene Fragen zur Synthese und dem Transport des HrpB Transportproteins beantwortet werden. Außerdem k{\"o}nnen weitere Untersuchungen zur Lage und Verteilung der HrpBs in der Meningokokkenmembran dazu beitragen, weiteren Aufschluss {\"u}ber die Komplexit{\"a}t von Pathogenit{\"a}t und Virulenz von N. meningitidis zu geben.}, subject = {W{\"u}rzburg / Institut f{\"u}r Hygiene und Mikrobiologie}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Abele2002, author = {Abele, Tobias}, title = {Invasion, Replikation und Stadienkonversion von Toxoplasma gondii in permanenten ZNS-Zelllinien der Ratte}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-4521}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2002}, abstract = {Permanente ZNS-Zelllinien der Ratte wurden mit Toxoplasma gondii unter Betrachtung der Invasions-, Replikations- und Stadienkonversionf{\"a}higeit des Parasiten infiziert. Additiv zu bekannten Tiermodellen konnte so ein Zellkulturmodell zur Erforschung der zerebralen Persistenz des Protozoons etabliert werden.}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Abels2014, author = {Abels, Henrike}, title = {Sprachkompetenz und motorische F{\"a}higkeiten von S{\"a}uglingen mit lagerungsbedingtem Plagiozephalus und Helmtherapie im Alter von sechs und zw{\"o}lf Monaten im Vergleich zu gleichaltrigen unauff{\"a}lligen S{\"a}uglingen}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-102084}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Die vorliegende Arbeit wurde im Rahmen eines interdisziplin{\"a}ren Forschungsprojektes der Universit{\"a}tsklinik W{\"u}rzburg verfasst (IZKF-Studiennr. F-164, CFCW-Projekt). Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, explorativ zu untersuchen, inwieweit ein Lagerungsplagiozephalus (LP) die sprachlich-kognitive und motorische Entwicklung eines S{\"a}uglings/ Kindes beeinflusst und ob es Hinweise auf eine Auswirkung der Dauer der Therapie mittels Kopforthese auf die fr{\"u}hkindliche Entwicklung gibt. Sie liefert erstmalig Untersuchungsdaten zur vorsprachlichen und fr{\"u}hen sprachlichen Entwicklung von S{\"a}uglingen mit LP. Das Probandenkollektiv bestand aus 71 Probanden (Plagiozephalus mit Helmtherapie (PMH)-Gruppe: N=36, Kontrollgruppe (KG): N=35). Im Alter von zw{\"o}lf Monaten wurde die Sprachleistung aller Probanden mithilfe des ELFRA-1 eingesch{\"a}tzt. Zudem wurden die Ergebnisse der deutschen Fassung der BSID II vom sechsten und zw{\"o}lften Lebensmonat herangezogen. Um den Effekt der Helmtherapie auf die Entwicklung der Kinder mit LP zu ber{\"u}cksichtigen, fand eine Korrelation zwischen der Tragedauer und sprachproduktiven, sprachperzeptiven, gestischen, (fein-)motorischen und kognitiven Leistungen der Probanden statt. Ein maskierender Einfluss des Co-Faktors SLI-Risiko auf die Befunde konnte ausgeschlossen werden. Zusammengefasst zeigen die hier untersuchten S{\"a}uglinge mit LP im Alter von sechs Monaten statistisch gerade signifikant schlechtere motorische F{\"a}higkeiten als S{\"a}uglinge mit normaler Kopfform. Im Alter von zw{\"o}lf Monaten holen sie diese Defizite jedoch auf und sind teilweise sogar motorisch geschickter als die Vergleichsgruppe. Die kognitive Entwicklung von Kindern mit LP scheint nicht verz{\"o}gert zu sein, wie in der Fachliteratur postuliert. In den Analysen zeigte sich kein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen der Helmtragedauer und den sprachlichen (ELFRA-1) und kognitiven (BSID: MDI 12 Monate) F{\"a}higkeiten der Probanden mit LP. Die motorischen F{\"a}higkeiten (BSID: PDI 12 Monate) zeigten einen statistisch signifikanten Zusammenhang zur Tragedauer der Kopforthese. Je l{\"a}nger der Helm getragen wurde, desto besser fielen die motorischen Leistungen der Probanden im Alter von zw{\"o}lf Monaten aus. Zus{\"a}tzlich wurden Vokalisationen einer Untergruppe (High-Contrast-Gruppe (HC), N=20) im Hinblick auf melodische Variationsf{\"a}higkeiten im sechsten Lebensmonat untersucht. Dazu wurden die digitalen Lautaufnahmen im S{\"a}uglingslabor des ZVES an der Poliklinik f{\"u}r Kieferorthop{\"a}die editiert und mithilfe spezifischer Analyseprogramme quantitativ analysiert. Die S{\"a}uglinge mit LP wiesen genauso variantenreiche Melodien in ihren Vokalisationen auf wie die S{\"a}uglinge der Kontrollgruppe. Sp{\"a}tere Sprachauff{\"a}lligkeiten w{\"u}rden sich bereits in diesen vorsprachlichen F{\"a}higkeiten manifestieren. Auch wenn zuk{\"u}nftige Studien best{\"a}tigen, dass ein LP - entgegen den Erkenntnissen anderer Autoren (Korpilahti et al. 2012, Speltz et al. 2010 u.a.) - keine kognitiven Beeintr{\"a}chtigungen zur Folge hat, ist die Therapie dieser Sch{\"a}delasymmetrie auf psychosozialer Ebene und wegen m{\"o}glicher Auswirkungen auf das maxillomandibul{\"a}re System zu bef{\"u}rworten (Meyer-Marcotty et al. 2012).}, subject = {Lagerungsplagiozephalus}, language = {de} } @article{AbimannanSumathiKrishnarajasekharetal.2019, author = {Abimannan, Nagarajan and Sumathi, G. and Krishnarajasekhar, O. R. and Sinha, Bhanu and Krishnan, Padma}, title = {Clonal Clusters and Virulence Factors of Methicillin-Resistant \(Staphylococcus\) \(Aureus\): Evidence for Community-Acquired Methicillin-Resistant \(Staphylococcus\) \(Aureus\) Infiltration into Hospital Settings in Chennai, South India}, series = {Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology}, volume = {37}, journal = {Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology}, number = {3}, doi = {10.4103/ijmm.IJMM_18_271}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-226963}, pages = {326-336}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background and Objective: Staphylococcus aureus is one of the major pathogens of nosocomial infections as wells as community-acquired (CA) infections worldwide. So far, large-scale comprehensive molecular and epidemiological characterisation of S. aureus from very diverse settings has not been carried out in India. The objective of this study is to evaluate the molecular, epidemiological and virulence characteristics of S. aureus in both community and hospital settings in Chennai, southern India. Methods: S. aureus isolates were obtained from four different groups (a) healthy individuals from closed community settings, (b) inpatients from hospitals, (c) outpatients from hospitals, representing isolates of hospital-community interface and (d) HIV-infected patients to define isolates associated with the immunocompromised. Antibiotic susceptibility testing, multiplex polymerase chain reactions for detection of virulence and resistance determinants, molecular typing including Staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and agr typing, were carried out. Sequencing-based typing was done using spa and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) methods. Clonal complexes (CC) of hospital and CA methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were identified and compared for virulence and resistance. Results and Conclusion: A total of 769 isolates of S. aureus isolates were studied. The prevalence of MRSA was found to be 7.17\%, 81.67\%, 58.33\% and 22.85\% for groups a, b, c and d, respectively. Of the four SCCmec types (I, III, IV and V) detected, SCCmec V was found to be predominant. Panton-Valentine leucocidin toxin genes were detected among MRSA isolates harbouring SCCmec IV and V. A total of 78 spa types were detected, t657 being the most prevalent. 13 MLST types belonging to 9 CC were detected. CC1 (ST-772, ST-1) and CC8 (ST238, ST368 and ST1208) were found to be predominant among MRSA. CA-MRSA isolates with SCCmec IV and V were isolated from all study groups including hospitalised patients and were found to be similar by molecular tools. This shows that CA MRSA has probably infiltrated into the hospital settings.}, language = {en} } @article{AboagyeWeberMerdianetal.2021, author = {Aboagye, B. and Weber, T. and Merdian, H. L. and Bartsch, D. and Lesch, K. P. and Waider, J.}, title = {Serotonin deficiency induced after brain maturation rescues consequences of early life adversity}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {11}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, number = {1}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-021-83592-4}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258626}, year = {2021}, abstract = {Brain serotonin (5-HT) system dysfunction is implicated in depressive disorders and acute depletion of 5-HT precursor tryptophan has frequently been used to model the influence of 5-HT deficiency on emotion regulation. Tamoxifen (TAM)-induced Cre/loxP-mediated inactivation of the tryptophan hydroxylase-2 gene (Tph2) was used to investigate the effects of provoked 5-HT deficiency in adult mice (Tph2 icKO) previously subjected to maternal separation (MS). The efficiency of Tph2 inactivation was validated by immunohistochemistry and HPLC. The impact of Tph2 icKO in interaction with MS stress (Tph2 icKOxMS) on physiological parameters, emotional behavior and expression of 5-HT system-related marker genes were assessed. Tph2 icKO mice displayed a significant reduction in 5-HT immunoreactive cells and 5-HT concentrations in the rostral raphe region within four weeks following TAM treatment. Tph2 icKO and MS differentially affected food and water intake, locomotor activity as well as panic-like escape behavior. Tph2 icKO prevented the adverse effects of MS stress and altered the expression of the genes previously linked to stress and emotionality. In conclusion, an experimental model was established to study the behavioral and neurobiological consequences of 5-HT deficiency in adulthood in interaction with early-life adversity potentially affecting brain development and the pathogenesis of depressive disorders.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Aboagye2019, author = {Aboagye, Benjamin}, title = {Behavioral and physiologic consequences of inducible inactivation of the \(Tryptophan\) \(hydroxylase\) 2 gene in interaction with early-life adversity}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-17358}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173581}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Disruptions in brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) signaling pathways have been associated with etiology and pathogenesis of various neuropsychiatric disorders, but specific neural mechanisms of 5-HT function are yet to be fully elucidated. Tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH2) is the rate-limiting enzyme for brain 5-HT synthesis. Therefore, in this study a tamoxifen (Tam)-inducible cre-mediated conditional gene (Tph2) knockout in adult mouse brain (Tph2icKO) has been established to decipher the specific role of brain 5-HT in the regulation of behavior in adulthood. Immunohistochemistry and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used first to test the efficacy of Tam-inducible inactivation of Tph2 and consequential reduction of 5-HT in adult mouse brain. Tam treatment resulted in ≥90\% reduction in the number of 5-HT immuno-reactive cells in the anterior raphe nuclei. HPLC revealed a significant reduction in concentration of 5-HT and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid (5-HIAA) in selected brain regions of Tph2icKO, indicating the effectiveness of the protocol used. Second, standard behavioral tests were used to assess whether reduced brain 5-HT concentrations could alter anxiety-, fear- and depressive-like behavior in mice. No altered anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors were observed in Tph2icKO compared to control mice (Tph2CON) in all indices measured, but Tph2icKO mice exhibited intense and sustained freezing during context-dependent fear memory retrieval. Tph2icKO mice also exhibited locomotor hyperactivity in the aversive environments, such as the open field, and consumed more food and fluid than Tph2CON mice. Lastly, the combined effect of maternal separation (MS) stress and adult brain 5-HT depletion on behavior was assessed in male and female mice. Here, MS stress, 5-HT depletion and their interaction elicited anxiety-like behavior in a sex-dependent manner. MS reduced exploratory behavior in both male and female mice. Reduced 5-HT enhanced anxiety in female, but not in male mice. Furthermore, expression of genes related to the 5-HT system and emotionality (Tph2, Htr1a, Htr2a, Maoa and Avpr1a) was assessed by performing a quantitative real-time PCR. In Tph2icKO mice there was a reduction in expression of Tph2 in the raphe nuclei of both male and female mice. Interaction between MS stress and 5-HT deficiency was detected showing increased Htr2a and Maoa expression in raphe and hippocampus respectively of female mice. In male mice, MS stress and 5-HT depletion interaction effects reduced Avpr1a expression in raphe, while the expression of Htr1a, Htr2a and Maoa was differentially altered by 5-HT depletion and MS in various brain regions.}, subject = {Anxiety}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Abt2020, author = {Abt, Alexander}, title = {Einfluss von HGF und Foretinib auf den Glukosestoffwechsel bei Zelllinien des oralen Plattenepithelkarzinoms}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-20728}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-207286}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Die Aktivierung des HGF/c-Met-Signalweges wird unter anderem seit l{\"a}ngerer Zeit als verantwortlicher Mechanismus f{\"u}r die Entwicklung von Resistenzen gegen den EGF-Rezeptor gerichteter Medikamente diskutiert. In verschiedenen Studien konnte die klinische Bedeutung des HGF/c-Met-Signalwegs belegt werden. In der j{\"u}ngeren Vergangenheit konzentriert sich die Forschung immer mehr auf das Tumormikromilieu und dessen Einfluss auf die Tumorprogression. So konnte gezeigt werden, dass erh{\"o}hte Laktatwerte, resultierend aus einer gesteigerten Glykolyse, zytotoxische T-Zellen inhibieren. Es wurden vier etablierte Zelllinien des oralen Plattenepithelkarzinoms sowie eine Zelllinie eines Mukoepidermoidkarzinom verwendet, um den Einfluss von HGF und des Tyrosinkinaseinhibitors Foretinib auf den Glukosemetabolismus zu pr{\"u}fen. Bei allen Zelllinien konnte der c-Met-Rezeptor nachgewiesen werden. Ebenso konnte in einem ELISA belegt werden, dass die Zelllinien selbst kein HFG produzieren. Es wurden proliferationsf{\"o}rdernde Effekte f{\"u}r HGF sowie zytotoxische Effekte durch Foretinib aufgezeigt. Ferner konnte der proliferationsf{\"o}rdernde Effekt durch HGF durch die Behandlung mit Foretinib aufgehoben werden. Im RT-PCR-Verfahren wurden die Auswirkungen auf die Transkription verschiedener Gene, die f{\"u}r wichtige Enzyme des Glukosemetabolismus kodieren, nach der Stimulation mit HGF sowie der Inhibition mit Foretinib untersucht. Es konnten substanzielle Ver{\"a}nderungen in der Expression einzelner Gene nachgewiesen werden. Zelllinien{\"u}bergreifend konnte allerdings keine verst{\"a}rkte bzw. verminderte Transkription durch die Behandlung mit HGF bzw. Foretinib nachgewiesen werden. Die Ergebnisse lassen auf die Komplexit{\"a}t der Regulierung des Glukosemetabolismus schließen. In der Durchflusszytometrie konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine Behandlung mit HGF nicht zu einer Zunahme des GLUT1 in der Zellmembran f{\"u}hrt, wohingegen eine Behandlung mit Foretinib mit einer gesteigerten Menge von GLUT1 einhergeht. Die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Arbeit belegen einen Einfluss des HGF/c-Met-Signalwegs auf den Glukosemetabolismus bei Zelllinien des oralen Plattenepithelkarzinoms.}, subject = {Hepatozyten-Wachstumsfaktor}, language = {de} } @article{AbuHalimaHaeuslerBackesetal.2017, author = {Abu-Halima, Masood and H{\"a}usler, Sebastian and Backes, Christina and Fehlmann, Tobias and Staib, Claudia and Nestel, Sigrun and Nazarenko, Irina and Meese, Eckart and Keller, Andreas}, title = {Micro-ribonucleic acids and extracellular vesicles repertoire in the spent culture media is altered in women undergoing \(In\) \(Vitro\) Fertilization}, series = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {7}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-017-13683-8}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-173632}, year = {2017}, abstract = {MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are class of small RNA molecules with major impact on gene regulation. We analyzed the potential of miRNAs secreted from pre-implantation embryos into the embryonic culture media as biomarkers to predict successful pregnancy. Using microarray analysis, we profiled the miRNome of the 56 spent culture media (SCM) after embryos transfer and found a total of 621 miRNAs in the SCM. On average, we detected 163 miRNAs in SCM of samples with failed pregnancies, but only 149 SCM miRNAs of embryos leading to pregnancies. MiR-634 predicted an embryo transfer leading to a positive pregnancy with an accuracy of 71\% and a sensitivity of 85\%. Among the 621 miRNAs, 102 (16.4\%) showed a differential expression between positive and negative outcome of pregnancy with miR-29c-3p as the most significantly differentially expressed miRNA. The number of extracellular vehicles was lower in SCM with positive outcomes (3.8 × 10\(^9\)/mL EVs), as compared to a negative outcome (7.35 × 10\(^9\)/mL EVs) possibly explaining the reduced number of miRNAs in the SCM associated with failed pregnancies. The analysis of the miRNome in the SCM of couples undergoing fertility treatment lays the ground towards development of biomarkers to predict successful pregnancy and towards understanding the role of embryonic miRNAs found in the SCM.}, language = {en} } @article{AchenbachHuppertzZemanetal.2022, author = {Achenbach, Leonard and Huppertz, Gunnar and Zeman, Florian and Weber, Johannes and Luig, Patrick and Rudert, Maximilian and Krutsch, Werner}, title = {Multicomponent stretching and rubber band strengthening exercises do not reduce overuse shoulder injuries: a cluster randomised controlled trial with 579 handball athletes}, series = {BMJ Open Sport \& Exercise Medicine}, volume = {8}, journal = {BMJ Open Sport \& Exercise Medicine}, number = {1}, issn = {2055-7647}, doi = {10.1136/bmjsem-2021-001270}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300770}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Objectives Handball is associated with a high risk of overuse shoulder injury. This study investigated if an injury prevention programme effectively reduces overuse injury to the throwing shoulder of handball athletes. Methods 61 men's and women's handball teams (u-19 and senior athletes) were cluster-randomised into an intervention and a control group in the 2019-2020 season. Players of the intervention group regularly carried out an injury prevention programme. Both groups documented overuse shoulder injuries via an online questionnaire every second week. The primary endpoint was the prevalence of overuse injury to the throwing shoulder. Secondary endpoints were the influence of compliance on the primary endpoint and intensity of overuse shoulder symptoms measured by a shortened, handball-specific Western Ontario Shoulder Index (WOSI). Results 31 teams (295 players) in the intervention group and 30 teams (284 players) in the control group were included for analyses. The overall questionnaire response rate was 61\%. The average prevalence of overuse shoulder injury did not significantly differ between the intervention group (n=109, 38.4\% (95\% CI 32.9\% to 44.2\%)) and the control group (n=106, 35.9\% (95\% CI 30.7\% to 41.6\%), p=0.542). Compliance with the intervention programme did not significantly affect overuse shoulder injury (p=0.893). Using generalised estimating equations for WOSI, the estimated mean for the intervention group was 44.6 points (95\% CI 42.0 to 47.1) and 47.6 points for the control group (95\% CI 44.9 to 50.3, p=0.111). Conclusions A multicomponent exercise programme using rubber bands and stretching did not significantly reduce the prevalence or symptoms of overuse throwing shoulder injury in handball athletes of both sexes. Randomised controlled study; level of evidence I.}, language = {en} } @article{AcqualagnaBotrelVidaurreetal.2016, author = {Acqualagna, Laura and Botrel, Loic and Vidaurre, Carmen and K{\"u}bler, Andrea and Blankertz, Benjamin}, title = {Large-Scale Assessment of a Fully Automatic Co-Adaptive Motor Imagery-Based Brain Computer Interface}, series = {PLoS ONE}, volume = {11}, journal = {PLoS ONE}, number = {2}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0148886}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-167230}, pages = {e0148886}, year = {2016}, abstract = {In the last years Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology has benefited from the development of sophisticated machine leaning methods that let the user operate the BCI after a few trials of calibration. One remarkable example is the recent development of co-adaptive techniques that proved to extend the use of BCIs also to people not able to achieve successful control with the standard BCI procedure. Especially for BCIs based on the modulation of the Sensorimotor Rhythm (SMR) these improvements are essential, since a not negligible percentage of users is unable to operate SMR-BCIs efficiently. In this study we evaluated for the first time a fully automatic co-adaptive BCI system on a large scale. A pool of 168 participants naive to BCIs operated the co-adaptive SMR-BCI in one single session. Different psychological interventions were performed prior the BCI session in order to investigate how motor coordination training and relaxation could influence BCI performance. A neurophysiological indicator based on the Power Spectral Density (PSD) was extracted by the recording of few minutes of resting state brain activity and tested as predictor of BCI performances. Results show that high accuracies in operating the BCI could be reached by the majority of the participants before the end of the session. BCI performances could be significantly predicted by the neurophysiological indicator, consolidating the validity of the model previously developed. Anyway, we still found about 22\% of users with performance significantly lower than the threshold of efficient BCI control at the end of the session. Being the inter-subject variability still the major problem of BCI technology, we pointed out crucial issues for those who did not achieve sufficient control. Finally, we propose valid developments to move a step forward to the applicability of the promising co-adaptive methods.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Adae2009, author = {Adae, Jasmin}, title = {Interaktion von malignen Tumorzellen mit extrazellul{\"a}rer Matrix und Migration: Rolle von Rac und ROCK}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-52894}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2009}, abstract = {Auf dem Weg vom Prim{\"a}rtumor zur systemischen Metastasierung, der Haupttodesursache von Krebserkrankungen, ist die Einzelzellmigration von Tumorzellen durch dreidimensionales Bindegewebe ein entscheidender Schritt. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigt Untersuchungen zur Tumorzellmigration und -plastizit{\"a}t in einem 3D-Migrationsmodell. Kleine G-Proteine kontrollieren Zytoskelettfunktionen, insbesondere Aktinpolymerisation und die Bildung von Zellprotrusionen durch Rac sowie Actomyosinkontraktion durch Rho. Durch pharmakologische Inhibitoren von Rac und dem Rho-Effektor ROCK soll deren Bedeutung f{\"u}r Einzelzellmigration in einem dreidimensionalen Modell und vor allem der Effekt auf Morphologie, Plastizit{\"a}t und Migration von Tumorzellen gekl{\"a}rt werden. Nach Inhibition von ROCK zeigen hochinvasive HT1080 Fibrosarkomzellen einen multipolar-dendritischen und sessilen Ph{\"a}notyp. Nach Hemmung von Rac wird hingegen ein rundlicher, aber ebenfalls apolarer und sessiler Ph{\"a}notyp induziert. Bei simultaner Inhibition von Rac und ROCK entstehen rundliche, apolare, sessile Zellen mit abortiven Pseudopodien. Wird das Gleichgewicht von Rac und ROCK durch konstitutive Aktivierung von ROCK gest{\"o}rt, so entsteht eine zweigeteilte Population, bestehend aus rundlichen Zellen, die Blebs bilden, und langgezogenen Zellen. Nach Sortierung nach ihrem ß1-Integrinexpressionsniveau zeigten Zellen mit niedriger Integrin-Expression einen rundlichen Migrationstyp mit blasenartigen dynamischen Protrusionen, w{\"a}hrend Zellen mit hoher Integrin-Expression langgezogen-mesenchymal migrierten. Somit steuern ROCK und Rac gemeinsam und zeitgleich die mesenchymale Einzelzellmigration. W{\"a}hrend Rac Protrusion vermittelt, ist ROCK f{\"u}r Kontraktilit{\"a}t und Retraktion verantwortlich. Erst durch Koordination von Rac und Rho/ROCK entsteht somit Polarit{\"a}t und 3D mesenchymale Migration.}, subject = {Zellmigration}, language = {de} } @article{AdakuChilakaMally2020, author = {Adaku Chilaka, Cynthia and Mally, Angela}, title = {Mycotoxin Occurrence, Exposure and Health Implications in Infants and Young Children in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review}, series = {Foods}, volume = {9}, journal = {Foods}, number = {11}, issn = {2304-8158}, doi = {10.3390/foods9111585}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-219250}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Infants and young children (IYC) remain the most vulnerable population group to environmental hazards worldwide, especially in economically developing regions such as sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). As a result, several governmental and non-governmental institutions including health, environmental and food safety networks and researchers have been proactive toward protecting this group. Mycotoxins, toxic secondary fungal metabolites, contribute largely to the health risks of this young population. In SSA, the scenario is worsened by socioeconomic status, poor agricultural and storage practices, and low level of awareness, as well as the non-establishment and lack of enforcement of regulatory limits in the region. Studies have revealed mycotoxin occurrence in breast milk and other weaning foods. Of concern is the early exposure of infants to mycotoxins through transplacental transfer and breast milk as a consequence of maternal exposure, which may result in adverse health effects. The current paper presents an overview of mycotoxin occurrence in foods intended for IYC in SSA. It discusses the imperative evidence of mycotoxin exposure of this population group in SSA, taking into account consumption data and the occurrence of mycotoxins in food, as well as biomonitoring approaches. Additionally, it discusses the health implications associated with IYC exposure to mycotoxins in SSA.}, language = {en} } @article{AdamBaeurleBrodskyetal.2014, author = {Adam, Christian and Baeurle, Anne and Brodsky, Jeffrey L. and Schrama, David and Wipf, Peter and Becker, J{\"u}rgen Christian and Houben, Roland}, title = {The HSP70 Modulator MAL3-101 Inhibits Merkel Cell Carcinoma}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0092041}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-112795}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a rare and highly aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer for which no effective treatment is available. MCC represents a human cancer with the best experimental evidence for a causal role of a polyoma virus. Large T antigens (LTA) encoded by polyoma viruses are oncoproteins, which are thought to require support of cellular heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) to exert their transforming activity. Here we evaluated the capability of MAL3-101, a synthetic HSP70 inhibitor, to limit proliferation and survival of various MCC cell lines. Remarkably, MAL3-101 treatment resulted in considerable apoptosis in 5 out of 7 MCC cell lines. While this effect was not associated with the viral status of the MCC cells, quantitative mRNA expression analysis of the known HSP70 isoforms revealed a significant correlation between MAL3-101 sensitivity and HSC70 expression, the most prominent isoform in all cell lines. Moreover, MAL3-101 also exhibited in vivo antitumor activity in an MCC xenograft model suggesting that this substance or related compounds are potential therapeutics for the treatment of MCC in the future.}, language = {en} }