TY - JOUR A1 - Balonov, Ilja A1 - Kurlbaum, Max A1 - Koschker, Ann-Cathrin A1 - Stier, Christine A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Dischinger, Ulrich T1 - Changes in plasma metabolomic profile following bariatric surgery, lifestyle intervention or diet restriction — insights from human and rat studies JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Although bariatric surgery is known to change the metabolome, it is unclear if this is specific for the intervention or a consequence of the induced bodyweight loss. As the weight loss after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) can hardly be mimicked with an evenly effective diet in humans, translational research efforts might be helpful. A group of 188 plasma metabolites of 46 patients from the randomized controlled Würzburg Adipositas Study (WAS) and from RYGB-treated rats (n = 6) as well as body-weight-matched controls (n = 7) were measured using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. WAS participants were randomized into intensive lifestyle modification (LS, n = 24) or RYGB (OP, n = 22). In patients in the WAS cohort, only bariatric surgery achieved a sustained weight loss (BMI −34.3% (OP) vs. −1.2% (LS), p ≤ 0.01). An explicit shift in the metabolomic profile was found in 57 metabolites in the human cohort and in 62 metabolites in the rodent model. Significantly higher levels of sphingolipids and lecithins were detected in both surgical groups but not in the conservatively treated human and animal groups. RYGB leads to a characteristic metabolomic profile, which differs distinctly from that following non-surgical intervention. Analysis of the human and rat data revealed that RYGB induces specific changes in the metabolome independent of weight loss. KW - metabolomics KW - phosphatidylcholines KW - sphingolipids KW - branched-chain amino acids KW - obesity KW - Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass KW - rodent model KW - insulin resistance Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304462 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 24 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mrestani, Achmed A1 - Lichter, Katharina A1 - Sirén, Anna-Leena A1 - Heckmann, Manfred A1 - Paul, Mila M. A1 - Pauli, Martin T1 - Single-molecule localization microscopy of presynaptic active zones in Drosophila melanogaster after rapid cryofixation JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) greatly advances structural studies of diverse biological tissues. For example, presynaptic active zone (AZ) nanotopology is resolved in increasing detail. Immunofluorescence imaging of AZ proteins usually relies on epitope preservation using aldehyde-based immunocompetent fixation. Cryofixation techniques, such as high-pressure freezing (HPF) and freeze substitution (FS), are widely used for ultrastructural studies of presynaptic architecture in electron microscopy (EM). HPF/FS demonstrated nearer-to-native preservation of AZ ultrastructure, e.g., by facilitating single filamentous structures. Here, we present a protocol combining the advantages of HPF/FS and direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM) to quantify nanotopology of the AZ scaffold protein Bruchpilot (Brp) at neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) of Drosophila melanogaster. Using this standardized model, we tested for preservation of Brp clusters in different FS protocols compared to classical aldehyde fixation. In HPF/FS samples, presynaptic boutons were structurally well preserved with ~22% smaller Brp clusters that allowed quantification of subcluster topology. In summary, we established a standardized near-to-native preparation and immunohistochemistry protocol for SMLM analyses of AZ protein clusters in a defined model synapse. Our protocol could be adapted to study protein arrangements at single-molecule resolution in other intact tissue preparations. KW - active zone KW - nanotopology KW - neuromuscular junction KW - high-pressure freezing/freeze substitution KW - PFA in ethanol KW - dSTORM KW - Drosophila melanogaster Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304904 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 24 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gorlova, Anna A1 - Svirin, Evgeniy A1 - Pavlov, Dmitrii A1 - Cespuglio, Raymond A1 - Proshin, Andrey A1 - Schroeter, Careen A. A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter A1 - Strekalova, Tatyana T1 - Understanding the role of oxidative stress, neuroinflammation and abnormal myelination in excessive aggression associated with depression: recent input from mechanistic studies JF - International Journal of Molecular Sciences N2 - Aggression and deficient cognitive control problems are widespread in psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD). These abnormalities are known to contribute significantly to the accompanying functional impairment and the global burden of disease. Progress in the development of targeted treatments of excessive aggression and accompanying symptoms has been limited, and there exists a major unmet need to develop more efficacious treatments for depressed patients. Due to the complex nature and the clinical heterogeneity of MDD and the lack of precise knowledge regarding its pathophysiology, effective management is challenging. Nonetheless, the aetiology and pathophysiology of MDD has been the subject of extensive research and there is a vast body of the latest literature that points to new mechanisms for this disorder. Here, we overview the key mechanisms, which include neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, insulin receptor signalling and abnormal myelination. We discuss the hypotheses that have been proposed to unify these processes, as many of these pathways are integrated for the neurobiology of MDD. We also describe the current translational approaches in modelling depression, including the recent advances in stress models of MDD, and emerging novel therapies, including novel approaches to management of excessive aggression, such as anti-diabetic drugs, antioxidant treatment and herbal compositions. KW - major depressive disorder (MDD) KW - aggression KW - neuroinflammation KW - oxidative stress KW - insulin receptor KW - myelination Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304917 SN - 1422-0067 VL - 24 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ouedraogo, Valentin A1 - Hackman, Kwame Oppong A1 - Thiel, Michael A1 - Dukiya, Jaiye T1 - Intensity analysis for urban Land Use/Land Cover dynamics characterization of Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso JF - Land N2 - Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso remain the two major urban centers in Burkina Faso with an increasing trend in human footprint. The research aimed at analyzing the Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) dynamics in the two cities between 2003 and 2021 using intensity analysis, which decomposes LULC changes into interval, category and transition levels. The satellite data used for this research were composed of surface reflectance imagery from Landsat 5, Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 acquired from the Google Earth Engine Data Catalogue. The Random Forest, Support Vector Machine and Gradient Tree Boost algorithms were employed to run supervised image classifications for four selected years including 2003, 2009, 2015 and 2021. The results showed that the landscape is changing in both cities due to rapid urbanization. Ouagadougou experienced more rapid changes than Bobo-Dioulasso, with a maximum annual change intensity of 3.61% recorded between 2015 and 2021 against 2.22% in Bobo-Dioulasso for the period 2009–2015. The transition of change was mainly towards built-up areas, which gain targeted bare and agricultural lands in both cities. This situation has led to a 78.12% increase of built-up surfaces in Ouagadougou, while 42.24% of agricultural land area was lost. However, in Bobo-Dioulasso, the built class has increased far more by 140.67%, and the agricultural land areas experienced a gain of 1.38% compared with the 2003 baseline. The study demonstrates that the human footprint is increasing in both cities making the inhabitants vulnerable to environmental threats such as flooding and the effect of an Urban Heat Island, which is information that could serve as guide for sustainable urban land use planning. KW - Land Use/Land Cover KW - urbanization KW - intensity analysis KW - Google Earth Engine Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319397 SN - 2073-445X VL - 12 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Barthold, Martina A1 - Jurkutat, Anne A1 - Goetz, Regina A1 - Schubring, Lucia A1 - Spiegler, Juliane A1 - Fries, Ann-Sophie A1 - Kiesel, Lucia A1 - Klepper, Joerg T1 - Timing of ketogenic dietary therapy (KDT) introduction and its impact on cognitive profiles in children with Glut1-DS — a preliminary study JF - Children N2 - The aim of this research was to characterize cognitive abilities in patients with Glut1-Deficiency syndrome (Glut1DS) following ketogenic diet therapy (KDT). Methods: The cognitive profiles of eight children were assessed using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale (WISC-IV). The effect of ketogenic diet therapy (KDT) on individual subareas of intelligence was analyzed considering the potential influence of speech motor impairments. Results: Patients with Glut1DS showed a wide range of cognitive performance levels. Some participants showed statistically and clinically significant discrepancies between individual subdomains of intelligence. Both variables, KDT initiation as well as duration, had a positive effect on the overall IQ score. Significant correlations were partially found between the time of KDT initiation and the level of IQ scores, depending on the presence of expressive language test demands of the respective subtests of the WISC-IV. Accordingly, the participants benefited les in the linguistic cognitive domain. The discrepancies in cognitive performance profiles of patients with Glut1DS can be attributed to the possibility of a negative distortion of the results due to the influence of speech motor impairments. Conclusions: The individual access skills of test persons should be more strongly considered in test procedures for the assessment of intelligence to reduce the negative influence of motor deficits on test performance. Specific characterization and systematization of the speech disorder are indispensable for determining the severity of speech motor impairment in Glut1DS. Therefore, a stronger focus on dysarthria during diagnosis and therapy is necessary. KW - Glut1DS KW - ketogenic dietary therapy (KDT) KW - cognitive profile KW - Wechsler intelligence scale (WISC-IV) KW - speech motor impairment KW - movement disorder Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313569 SN - 2227-9067 VL - 10 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Okuda, Takumi A1 - Lenz, Ann-Kathrin A1 - Seitz, Florian A1 - Vogel, Jörg A1 - Höbartner, Claudia T1 - A SAM analogue-utilizing ribozyme for site-specific RNA alkylation in living cells JF - Nature Chemistry N2 - Post-transcriptional RNA modification methods are in high demand for site-specific RNA labelling and analysis of RNA functions. In vitro-selected ribozymes are attractive tools for RNA research and have the potential to overcome some of the limitations of chemoenzymatic approaches with repurposed methyltransferases. Here we report an alkyltransferase ribozyme that uses a synthetic, stabilized S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) analogue and catalyses the transfer of a propargyl group to a specific adenosine in the target RNA. Almost quantitative conversion was achieved within 1 h under a wide range of reaction conditions in vitro, including physiological magnesium ion concentrations. A genetically encoded version of the SAM analogue-utilizing ribozyme (SAMURI) was expressed in HEK293T cells, and intracellular propargylation of the target adenosine was confirmed by specific fluorescent labelling. SAMURI is a general tool for the site-specific installation of the smallest tag for azide-alkyne click chemistry, which can be further functionalized with fluorophores, affinity tags or other functional probes. KW - Alkyltransferase Ribozyme SAMURI KW - Site-specific RNA labelling KW - bioorthogonal SAM analogue ProSeDMA KW - Chemical modification KW - RNA Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-328762 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mehmood, Rashid A1 - Alsaleh, Alanoud A1 - Want, Muzamil Y. A1 - Ahmad, Ijaz A1 - Siraj, Sami A1 - Ishtiaq, Muhammad A1 - Alshehri, Faizah A. A1 - Naseem, Muhammad A1 - Yasuhara, Noriko T1 - Integrative molecular analysis of DNA methylation dynamics unveils molecules with prognostic potential in breast cancer JF - BioMedInformatics N2 - DNA methylation acts as a major epigenetic modification in mammals, characterized by the transfer of a methyl group to a cytosine. DNA methylation plays a pivotal role in regulating normal development, and misregulation in cells leads to an abnormal phenotype as is seen in several cancers. Any mutations or expression anomalies of genes encoding regulators of DNA methylation may lead to abnormal expression of critical molecules. A comprehensive genomic study encompassing all the genes related to DNA methylation regulation in relation to breast cancer is lacking. We used genomic and transcriptomic datasets from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TGCA) Pan-Cancer Atlas, Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) and microarray platforms and conducted in silico analysis of all the genes related to DNA methylation with respect to writing, reading and erasing this epigenetic mark. Analysis of mutations was conducted using cBioportal, while Xena and KMPlot were utilized for expression changes and patient survival, respectively. Our study identified multiple mutations in the genes encoding regulators of DNA methylation. The expression profiling of these showed significant differences between normal and disease tissues. Moreover, deregulated expression of some of the genes, namely DNMT3B, MBD1, MBD6, BAZ2B, ZBTB38, KLF4, TET2 and TDG, was correlated with patient prognosis. The current study, to our best knowledge, is the first to provide a comprehensive molecular and genetic profile of DNA methylation machinery genes in breast cancer and identifies DNA methylation machinery as an important determinant of the disease progression. The findings of this study will advance our understanding of the etiology of the disease and may serve to identify alternative targets for novel therapeutic strategies in cancer. KW - DNA methylation KW - epigenetic modification KW - breast cancer KW - genomics KW - in silico analysis Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-321171 SN - 2673-7426 VL - 3 IS - 2 SP - 434 EP - 445 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmitz, Sophia M. A1 - Storms, Sebastian A1 - Koch, Alexander A1 - Stier, Christine A1 - Kroh, Andreas A1 - Rheinwalt, Karl P. A1 - Schipper, Sandra A1 - Hamesch, Karim A1 - Ulmer, Tom F. A1 - Neumann, Ulf P. A1 - Alizai, Patrick H. T1 - Insulin resistance is the main characteristic of metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) associated with NASH in patients undergoing bariatric surgery JF - Biomedicines N2 - (1) Background: Metabolically healthy obesity (MHO) is a concept that applies to obese patients without any elements of metabolic syndrome (metS). In turn, metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO) defines the presence of elements of metS in obese patients. The components of MUO can be divided into subgroups regarding the elements of inflammation, lipid and glucose metabolism and cardiovascular disease. MUO patients appear to be at greater risk of developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) compared to MHO patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of different MUO components on NAFLD and NASH in patients with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery. (2) Methods: 141 patients undergoing bariatric surgery from September 2015 and October 2021 at RWTH Aachen university hospital (Germany) were included. Patients were evaluated pre-operatively for characteristics of metS and MUO (HbA1c, HOMA, CRP, BMI, fasting glucose, LDL, TG, HDL and the presence of arterial hypertension). Intraoperatively, a liver biopsy was taken from the left liver lobe and evaluated for the presence of NAFLD or NASH. In ordinal regression analyses, different factors were evaluated for their influence on NAFLD and NASH. (3) Results: Mean BMI of the patients was 52.3 kg/m\(^2\) (36–74.8, SD 8.4). Together, the parameters HbA1c, HOMA, CRP, BMI, fasting glucose, LDL, TG, HDL and the presence of arterial hypertension accounted for a significant amount of variance in the outcome, with a likelihood ratio of χ\(^2\) (9) = 41.547, p < 0.001, for predicting the presence of NASH. Only HOMA was an independent predictor of NASH (B = 0.102, SE = 0.0373, p = 0.007). Evaluation of steatosis showed a similar trend (likelihood ratio χ\(^2\) (9) = 40.272, p < 0.001). Independent predictors of steatosis were HbA1c (B = 0.833, SE = 0.343, p = 0.015) and HOMA (B = 0.136, SE = 0.039, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The above-mentioned model, including components of MUO, was significant for diagnosing NASH in patients with morbid obesity undergoing bariatric surgery. Out of the different subitems, HOMA independently predicted the presence of NASH and steatosis, while HbA1c independently predicted steatosis and fibrosis. Taken together, the parameter of glucose metabolism appears to be more accurate for the prediction of NASH than the parameters of lipid metabolism, inflammation or the presence of cardiovascular disease. KW - NAFLD KW - metabolically unhealthy obesity KW - obesity surgery KW - insulin resistance Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319213 SN - 2227-9059 VL - 11 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stratos, Ioannis A1 - Rinas, Ingmar A1 - Schröpfer, Konrad A1 - Hink, Katharina A1 - Herlyn, Philipp A1 - Bäumler, Mario A1 - Histing, Tina A1 - Bruhn, Sven A1 - Müller-Hilke, Brigitte A1 - Menger, Michael D. A1 - Vollmar, Brigitte A1 - Mittlmeier, Thomas T1 - Effects on bone and muscle upon treadmill interval training in hypogonadal male rats JF - Biomedicines N2 - Testosterone deficiency in males is linked to various pathological conditions, including muscle and bone loss. This study evaluated the potential of different training modalities to counteract these losses in hypogonadal male rats. A total of 54 male Wistar rats underwent either castration (ORX, n = 18) or sham castration (n = 18), with 18 castrated rats engaging in uphill, level, or downhill interval treadmill training. Analyses were conducted at 4, 8, and 12 weeks postsurgery. Muscle force of the soleus muscle, muscle tissue samples, and bone characteristics were analyzed. No significant differences were observed in cortical bone characteristics. Castrated rats experienced decreased trabecular bone mineral density compared to sham-operated rats. However, 12 weeks of training increased trabecular bone mineral density, with no significant differences among groups. Muscle force measurements revealed decreased tetanic force in castrated rats at week 12, while uphill and downhill interval training restored force to sham group levels and led to muscle hypertrophy compared to ORX animals. Linear regression analyses showed a positive correlation between bone biomechanical characteristics and muscle force. The findings suggest that running exercise can prevent bone loss in osteoporosis, with similar bone restoration effects observed across different training modalities. KW - osteoporosis KW - muscle KW - force KW - bone KW - micro-CT KW - training Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319266 SN - 2227-9059 VL - 11 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eilsberger, Friederike A1 - Kreissl, Michael C. A1 - Reiners, Christoph A1 - Holzgreve, Adrien A1 - Luster, Markus A1 - Pfestroff, Andreas T1 - Application of the American Thyroid Association risk assessment in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma in a German population JF - Biomedicines N2 - Background: The American Thyroid Association (ATA) uses criteria to assess the risk for persistent disease in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) after radioiodine therapy (RAI). There are no data available showing that this classification can be adopted unadjusted by Germany. Aim: The aim of our study is to investigate whether the ATA classification can be applied to a German population for short-term prognosis. Furthermore, we investigated the influence of an age cutoff value. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 121 patients who were referred to our tertiary referral center. Patients were classified into risk categories, and the therapy response was determined according to ATA. Results: A total of 73/83 (88%) ATA low-risk patients and 12/19 (63%) intermediate-risk patients showed an excellent response; 2/19 (11%) high-risk patients had a biochemical, and 6 (31%) had a structural incomplete response. Of all 39 patients ≥55 years, 84% had an excellent response. Using a cut off of 50 years, 50/62 (81%) of the older patients showed an excellent response. Conclusion: The ATA risk classification is able to estimate the response to RAI therapy in a German population. A shift from 55 to 50 years as an age cutoff value does not result in any relevant change in the treatment response. KW - differentiated thyroid cancer KW - American Thyroid Association KW - German population Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-311226 SN - 2227-9059 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER -