TY - JOUR A1 - de Zeeuw, Dick A1 - Akizawa, Tadao A1 - Agarwal, Rajiv A1 - Audhya, Paul A1 - Bakris, George L. A1 - Chin, Melanie A1 - Krauth, Melissa A1 - Lambers Heerspink, Hiddo J. A1 - Meyer, Colin J. A1 - McMurray, John J. A1 - Parving, Hans-Henrik A1 - Pergola, Pablo E. A1 - Remuzzi, Giuseppe A1 - Toto, Robert D. A1 - Vaziri, Nosratola D. A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Warnock, David G. A1 - Wittes, Janet A1 - Chertow, Glenn M. T1 - Rationale and Trial Design of Bardoxolone Methyl Evaluation in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes: The Occurrence of Renal Events (BEACON) JF - American Journal of Nephrology N2 - Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus constitutes a global epidemic complicated by considerable renal and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, despite the provision of inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). Bardoxolone methyl, a synthetic triterpenoid that reduces oxidative stress and inflammation through Nrf2 activation and inhibition of NF-κB was previously shown to increase estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) in patients with CKD associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus. To date, no antioxidant or anti-inflammatory therapy has proved successful at slowing the progression of CKD. Methods: Herein, we describe the design of Bardoxolone Methyl Evaluation in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease and Type 2 Diabetes: the Occurrence of Renal Events (BEACON) trial, a multinational, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 trial designed to determine whether long-term administration of bardoxolone methyl (on a background of standard therapy, including RAAS inhibitors) safely reduces renal and cardiac morbidity and mortality. Results: The primary composite endpoint is time-to-first occurrence of either end-stage renal disease or cardiovascular death. Secondary endpoints include the change in eGFR and time to occurrence of cardiovascular events. Conclusion: BEACON will be the first event-driven trial to evaluate the effect of an oral antioxidant and anti-inflammatory drug in advanced CKD. KW - clinical trial KW - diabetes mellitus KW - glomerular filtration rate KW - trial design KW - bardoxolone methyl KW - Nrf2 KW - end-stage renal disease KW - cardiovascular death KW - chronic kidney disease Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196832 SN - 0250-8095 SN - 1421-9670 N1 - This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively. VL - 37 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kühn, Heike A1 - Schön, Franz A1 - Edelmann, Karola A1 - Brill, Stefan A1 - Müller, Joachim T1 - The Development of Lateralization Abilities in Children with Bilateral Cochlear Implants JF - ORL N2 - Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of lateralization skills in children who received bilateral cochlear implants (CIs) in sequential operations. Methods: The lateralization skills of 9 children with a mean age of 4.1 years at the first surgery and 5.5 years at the second surgery were assessed at 3 time intervals. Children were assessed with a 3-loudspeaker setup (front, left and right) at 0.9 years (interval I) and 1.6 years (interval II) after the second implantation, and after 5.3 years of bilateral implant use (interval III) with a 9-loudspeaker setup in the frontal horizontal plane between -90° and 90° azimuth. Results: With bilateral implants, a significant decrease in lateralization error was noted between test interval I (45.0°) and II (23.3°), with a subsequent significant decrease at test interval III (4.7°). Unilateral performance with the CI did not improve significantly between the first 2 intervals; however, there was a bias of responses towards the unilateral side by test interval III. Conclusions: The lateralization abilities of children with bilateral CIs develop in a relatively short period of time (1-2 years) after the second implant. Children appear to be able to acquire binaural skills after bilateral cochlear implantation. KW - localization KW - bilateral cochlear implant KW - children KW - MED-EL cochlear implant KW - lateralization Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196375 SN - 0301-1569 SN - 1423-0275 N1 - This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively. VL - 75 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinrich, T. A1 - Nanda, I. A1 - Rehn, M. A1 - Zollner, U. A1 - Frieauff, E. A1 - Wirbelauer, J. A1 - Grimm, T. A1 - Schmid, M. T1 - Live-Born Trisomy 22: Patient Report and Review JF - Molecular Syndromology N2 - Trisomy 22 is a common trisomy in spontaneous abortions. In contrast, live-born trisomy 22 is rarely seen due to severe organ malformations associated with this condition. Here, we report on a male infant with complete, non-mosaic trisomy 22 born at 35 + 5 weeks via caesarean section. Peripheral blood lymphocytes and fibroblasts showed an additional chromosome 22 in all metaphases analyzed (47,XY,+22). In addition, array CGH confirmed complete trisomy 22. The patient’s clinical features included dolichocephalus, hypertelorism, flattened nasal bridge, dysplastic ears with preauricular sinuses and tags, medial cleft palate, anal atresia, and coronary hypospadias with scrotum bipartitum. Essential treatment was implemented in close coordination with the parents. The child died 29 days after birth due to respiratory insufficiency and deterioration of renal function. Our patient’s history complements other reports illustrating that children with complete trisomy 22 may survive until birth and beyond. KW - chromosomal abnormality KW - live-born KW - non-mosaic KW - trisomy 22 Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196535 SN - 1661-8769 SN - 1661-8777 N1 - This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively. VL - 3 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Matthies, Cordula A1 - Brill, Stefan A1 - Kaga, Kimitaka A1 - Morita, Akio A1 - Kumakawa, Kozo A1 - Skarzynski, Henryk A1 - Claassen, Andre A1 - Hui, Yau A1 - Chiong, Charlotte A1 - Müller, Joachim A1 - Behr, Robert T1 - Auditory Brainstem Implantation Improves Speech Recognition in Neurofibromatosis Type II Patients JF - ORL N2 - This prospective study aimed to determine speech understanding in neurofibromatosis type II (NF2) patients following implantation of a MED-EL COMBI 40+ auditory brainstem implant (ABI). Patients (n = 32) were enrolled postsurgically. Nonauditory side effects were evaluated at fitting and audiological performance was determined using the Sound Effects Recognition Test (SERT), Monosyllable-Trochee-Polysyllable (MTP) test and open-set sentence tests. Subjective benefits were determined by questionnaire. ABI activation was documented in 27 patients, 2 patients were too ill for testing and 3 patients were without any auditory perception. SERT and MTP outcomes under auditory-only conditions improved significantly between first fitting and 12-month follow-up. Open-set sentence recognition improved from 5% at first fitting to 37% after 12 months. The number of active electrodes had no significant effect on performance. All questionnaire respondents were ‘satisfied' to ‘very satisfied' with their ABI. An ABI is an effective treatment option in NF2 patients with the potential to provide open-set speech recognition and subjective benefits. To our knowledge, the data presented herein is exceptional in terms of the open-set speech perception achieved in NF2 patients. KW - acoustic neuroma KW - auditory brainstem implant KW - nonauditory side effects KW - open-set sentence recognition KW - subjective benefits KW - vestibular schwannoma Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196383 SN - 0301-1569 SN - 1423-0275 N1 - This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively. VL - 75 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weber, Christoph A1 - Gräf, Stephan T1 - Eine halb so schlimme Täuschung JF - JURA - Juristische Ausbildung N2 - Kein Abstract verfügbar. KW - Examensklausur Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-195484 SN - 1612-7021 SN - 0170-1452 N1 - Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich. VL - 36 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Pfister, Roland A1 - Schwarz, Katharina A. A1 - Janczyk, Markus A1 - Dale, Rick A1 - Freeman, Jonathan B. T1 - Good things peak in pairs: a note on the bimodality coefficient JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - A commentary on Assessing bimodality to detect the presence of a dual cognitive process by Freeman, J. B., and Dale, R. (2013). Behav. Res. Methods 45, 83–97. doi: 10.3758/s13428-012-0225-x KW - distribution analysis KW - bimodality Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190413 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Foerster, Anna A1 - Pfister, Roland A1 - Schmidts, Constantin A1 - Dignath, David A1 - Kunde, Wilfried T1 - Honesty saves time (and justifications) JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - A commentary on Honesty requires time (and lack of justifications) by Shalvi, S., Eldar, O., and Bereby-Meyer, Y. (2012). Psychol. Sci. 23, 1264–1270. doi: 10.1177/0956797612443835 KW - honesty Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190451 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meule, Adrian A1 - Vögele, Claus T1 - The psychology of eating JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - No abstract available. Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190460 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meule, Adrian T1 - Impulsivity and overeating: a closer look at the subscales of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - No abstract available. KW - Impulsivity KW - Overeating Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-190497 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kress, Michaela A1 - Hüttenhofer, Alexander A1 - Landry, Marc A1 - Kuner, Rohini A1 - Favereaux, Alexandre A1 - Greenberg, David A1 - Bednarik, Josef A1 - Heppenstall, Paul A1 - Kronenberg, Florian A1 - Malcangio, Marzia A1 - Rittner, Heike A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Trajanoski, Zlatko A1 - Mouritzen, Peter A1 - Birklein, Frank A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Soreq, Hermona T1 - microRNAs in nociceptive circuits as predictors of future clinical applications JF - Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience N2 - Neuro-immune alterations in the peripheral and central nervous system play a role in the pathophysiology of chronic pain, and non-coding RNAs – and microRNAs (miRNAs) in particular – regulate both immune and neuronal processes. Specifically, miRNAs control macromolecular complexes in neurons, glia and immune cells and regulate signals used for neuro-immune communication in the pain pathway. Therefore, miRNAs may be hypothesized as critically important master switches modulating chronic pain. In particular, understanding the concerted function of miRNA in the regulation of nociception and endogenous analgesia and defining the importance of miRNAs in the circuitries and cognitive, emotional and behavioral components involved in pain is expected to shed new light on the enigmatic pathophysiology of neuropathic pain, migraine and complex regional pain syndrome. Specific miRNAs may evolve as new druggable molecular targets for pain prevention and relief. Furthermore, predisposing miRNA expression patterns and inter-individual variations and polymorphisms in miRNAs and/or their binding sites may serve as biomarkers for pain and help to predict individual risks for certain types of pain and responsiveness to analgesic drugs. miRNA-based diagnostics are expected to develop into hands-on tools that allow better patient stratification, improved mechanism-based treatment, and targeted prevention strategies for high risk individuals. KW - chronic pain KW - biomarker KW - polymorphism KW - miRNA-based diagnostics KW - miRNA expression patterns KW - miRNA polymorphisms KW - antagomir KW - miRNA-based analgesic Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-154597 VL - 6 IS - 33 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hurtienne, Jörn T1 - Inter-coder reliability of categorising force-dynamic events in human-technology interaction N2 - Two studies are reported that investigate how readily accessible and applicable ten force-dynamic categories are to novices in describing short episodes of human-technology interaction (Study 1) and that establish a measure of inter-coder reliability when re-classifying these episodes into force-dynamic categories (Study 2). The results of the first study show that people can easily and confidently relate their experiences with technology to the definitions of force-dynamic events (e.g. “The driver released the handbrake” as an example of restraint removal). The results of the second study show moderate agreement between four expert coders across all ten force-dynamic categories (Cohen’s kappa = .59) when re-classifying these episodes. Agreement values for single force-dynamic categories ranged between ‘fair’ and ‘almost perfect’, i.e. between kappa = .30 and .95. Agreement with the originally intended classifications of study 1 was higher than the pure inter-coder reliabilities. Single coders achieved an average kappa of .71, indicating substantial agreement. Using more than one coder increased kappas to almost perfect: up to .87 for four coders. A qualitative analysis of the predicted versus the observed number of category confusions revealed that about half of the category disagreement could be predicted from strong overlaps in the definitions of force-dynamic categories. From the quantitative and qualitative results, guidelines are derived to aid the better training of coders in order to increase inter-coder reliability. KW - inter-coder reliability KW - force dynamics KW - image schemas KW - humantechnology interaction Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-194127 SN - 2197-2796 SN - 2197-2788 N1 - This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively. VL - 1 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gedalin, Michael A1 - Dröge, Wolfgang T1 - Ion dynamics in quasi-perpendicular collisionless interplanetary shocks: a case study JF - Frontiers in Physics N2 - Interplanetary shocks are believed to play an important role in the acceleration of charged particles in the heliosphere. While the acceleration to high energies proceeds via the diffusive mechanism at the scales exceeding by far the shock width, the initial stage (injection) should occur at the shock itself. Numerical tracing of ions is done in a model quasi-perpendicular shock front with a typical interplanetary shock parameters (Mach number, upstream ion temperature). The analysis of the distribution of the transmitted solar wind is used to adjust the cross-shock potential which is not directly measured. It is found that, for typical upstream ion temperatures, acceleration of the ions from the tail of the solar wind distribution is unlikely. Pickup ions with a shell distribution are found to be effectively energized and may be injected into further diffusive acceleration regime. Pre-accelerated ions are efficiently upscaled in energies. A part of these ions is returned to the upstream region where they can further be diffusively accelerated. KW - collisionless shocks KW - particle acceleration KW - non-linear waves KW - ion dynamics KW - heliospheric shocks Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-189407 SN - 2296-424X VL - 1 ER - TY - INPR A1 - Weithmann, Sabrina A1 - Klug, Stefan T1 - Integrative Sustainable Concepts for Individual Mobility in Asia - A Qualitative Analysis of Carsharing and Taxi Services in Singapore N2 - Singapore has a unique and proactive approach towards managing the national transport system. This article explores the integrative approach of carsharing into the overall transport system from an individual sustainable mobility perspective. The authors argue that for Singapore, taxi services are the strongest competitor for the establishment of free-floating carsharing systems. Low taxi fares and a high distribution rate provide easy access for consumers and show great advantages in correspondence with the prevalent transport measures. Furthermore, the Singaporean government considers taxi services as part of public transport that helps bridging public transportation gaps in door-to-door travel. The article draws on literature review and expert interviews to evaluate the current market conditions and analyse the pros and cons of carsharing systems and taxi services as integrated part of the public transport system. The authors conclude by stating that from a sustainable perspective, the goal is to replace private car ownership. Provision of multi modal choices and therefore co-existence of different individual transport opportunities is indispensable. KW - transport KW - mobility KW - Singapore KW - taxi KW - carsharing KW - sustainability Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-145982 ER - TY - THES A1 - Onyenali, Rowland T1 - The Trilogy of Parables in Mt 21:28-22:14 from a Matthean Perspective T1 - Die Gleichnistrilogie im Mt 21,28-22,14 im Kontext des Mt-Evangeliums N2 - The parables of Jesus have undergone different transmutations in the long history of their transmission. The events surrounding his death and resurrection as well as the new situations his followers were confronted with after these events, led to the parables being given new accentuation according to the needs of the reflecting community. This is evident in Matthew's treatment of the parable trilogy of Mt 21:28-22:14. The work tries to show how Matthew has used the dominical parables and sayings found in his tradition to serve the needs of his community, especially in her struggles with the official Jewish leaders of his time. Through these parables, which he presented as a three-pronged attack against the Jewish leaders, he shows his community as the true Israel, called to produce the fruits of righteousness. N2 - Die Gleichnisse Jesu haben verschiedene Wandlungen in der langen Geschichte ihrer Überlieferung unterzogen. Die Ereignisse rund um seinen Tod und seine Auferstehung sowie die neuen Situationen, mit denen seine Jünger nach diesen Ereignissen konfrontiert wurden, führte dazu, dass die Gleichnisse neue Akzentuierung bekammen. Dies ist evident von der Gleichnistrilogie im Matthäus Mt 21,28-22,14. Die Arbeit versucht zu zeigen, wie Matthäus die Jesuanische Gleichnisse und Sprüche, die er in seiner Tradition gefunden hat verwendet, um die Bedürfnisse seiner Gemeinde zu dienen, besonders in den Ausseinandersetzungen mit den jüdischen Autoritäten seiner Zeit. Durch diesen Gleichnissen, die er als einen dreifachen Angriff gegen den jüdischen Autoritäten umdeutet, zeigt er seine Gemeinde als das wahre Israel, aufgerufen, um die Früchte der Gerechtigkeit zu bringen. KW - Matthäusevangelium 21 KW - 28-22 KW - 14 KW - Matthew KW - Parables KW - Jewish leaders Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-74971 ER - TY - THES A1 - Shiban, Youssef T1 - Attenuating Renewal following Exposure Therapy : Mechanisms of Exposure in Multiple Contexts and its Influence on the Renewal of Fear: Studies in Virtual Reality T1 - Abmilderung von Renewal Effekten nach Expositionstherapie N2 - „Renewal“ bezeichnet das Wiederauftreten von Angst nach erfolgreicher Expositionstherapie in Folge einer erneuten Konfrontation mit dem phobischen Stimulus in einem neuen, sich vom Expositionskontext unterscheidenden Kontext. Bouton (1994) zufolge deutet diese Angstrückkehr durch einen Kontextwechsel darauf hin, dass die Angst nicht gelöscht wurde. Stattdessen wurde während der Expositionssitzung eine neue Assoziation gelernt, die das gefürchtete Objekt mit „keiner Angst“, also den konditionierten Reiz (conditioned stimulus, CS) mit „keinem unkonditionierten Reiz“ (no unconditioned stimulus, no US), verbindet. Bouton argumentiert weiter, dass diese Assoziation kontextabhängig ist, wodurch Effekte wie Angst-Renewal erklärt werden können. Da in einem neuen Kontext die CS-no US-Assoziation nicht aktiviert wird, wird die Angst auch nicht gehemmt. Die Kontextabhängigkeit der CS-no US-Assoziation wurde in mehreren Studien belegt (Balooch & Neumann, 2011; Siavash Bandarian Balooch, Neumann, & Boschen, 2012; Culver, Stoyanova, & Craske, 2011; Kim & Richardson, 2009; Neumann & Kitlertsirivatana, 2010). Aktuell konzentriert sich die Forschung zur Therapie von Angststörungen auf die Frage, wie Angst reduziert und gleichzeitig ein Rückfall verhindert werden kann. Hierzu werden verschiedene Expositionsprotokolle untersucht, wie zum Beispiel (1) Exposition in mehreren Kontexten (multiple contexts exposure, MCE), um Renewal zu reduzieren (z.B. Balooch & Neumann, 2011); (2) verlängerte Exposition (prolonged exposure, PE), um die hemmende Assoziation während des Extinktionslernes zu stärken (z.B. Thomas, Vurbic, & Novak, 2009) und (3) Rekonsolidierungs-Updates (reconsolidation update, RU), die den Rekonsolidierungsprozess durch eine kurze Exposition des CS+ vor der eigentlichen Exposition aktualisieren sollen (Schiller et al., 2010). Bisher liegen jedoch nur sehr wenige Studien vor, die diese neuen Expositionsprotokolle an klinischen Stichproben untersucht haben, und - soweit bekannt - keine Studie, welche die Wirkmechanismen dieser Protokolle an einer klinischen Stichprobe erforscht. Die vorliegende Dissertation hat drei Ziele. Das erste Ziel besteht darin zu prüfen, ob Expositionstherapie in multiplen Kontexten die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Renewal reduziert. Das zweite Ziel ist die Untersuchung der Mechanismen, die dem Effekt der Exposition in multiplen Kontexten zugrunde liegen und das dritte ist den Kontext im Zusammenhang mit Konditionierung und Extinktion zu konzeptualisieren. Insgesamt wurden drei Studien durchgeführt. Die erste Studie untersuchte den Effekt von Exposition in multiplen Kontexten auf Renewal, die zweite und dritte Studie die Wirkmechanismen von MCE. In der ersten Studie wurden spinnenphobische Probanden (N = 30) viermal mit einer virtuellen Spinne konfrontiert. Die Expositionstrials wurden entweder in einem gleichbleibenden Kontext oder in vier verschiedenen Kontexten durchgeführt. Am Ende der Sitzung absolvierten alle Teilnehmer einen virtuellen Renewaltest, bei dem die virtuelle Spinne in einem neuen Kontext gezeigt wurde, und einen in vivo Verhaltensvermeidungstest (behavioral avoidance test, BAT) mit einer echten Spinne. Die Ergebnisse zeigten, dass Probanden, welche die vier Expositionstrials in unterschiedlichen Kontexten erfuhren, weniger Angst, sowohl im virtuellen Renewaltest als auch im BAT, erlebten. In dieser Studie konnte die Wirksamkeit von MCE für die Reduktion von Renewal erfolgreich nachgewiesen werden. Studie 2 (N = 35) untersuchte die Wirkmechanismen von MCE in einem differentiellen Konditionierungsparadigma. Die Extinktion wurde in multiplen Kontexten durchgeführt. Hierbei war das Ziel, eine ähnliche Verminderung von Renewal wie in Studie 1 nachzuweisen. Der Extinktion folgten zwei Tests, mit dem Ziel mögliche hemmende Effekte des Kontexts, die während der Extinktionsphase erworben wurden, aufzudecken. Bezüglich des Effektes von MCE wurden drei Hypothesen aufgestellt: (1) Der Extinktionskontext wird mit der Exposition assoziiert, fungiert folglich während der Extinktion als Sicherheitssignal und konkurriert daher mit dem Sicherheitslernen des CS. Dies führt zu einem verminderten Extinktionseffekt auf den CS, wenn die Extinktion nur in einem Kontext durchgeführt wird. (2) Die Elemente im Extinktionskontext (z.B. Raumfarbe, Möbel) stehen im Zusammenhang mit der CS-no US-Assoziation und erinnern daher an die Extinktion, was zu einer größeren Angsthemmung führt, wenn sie während eines Tests gezeigt werden. (3) Nach der emotionalen Prozesstheorie (emotional process theory; Bouton, 1994; Foa et al., 1996) bestimmen die Therapieprozessfaktoren die Stärke des Renewals. Beispielsweise korrelieren initiale Angstaktivierung, Aktivierung in und zwischen den Sitzungen mit der Stärke des Renewals. Jedoch waren in dieser Studie keine Unterschiede zwischen den Gruppen im Renewaltest zu beobachten, weswegen die Ergebnisse der zwei Nachtests nicht zu interpretieren sind. Das Ziel von Studie 3 (N = 61) war es, das Konzept des Kontexts im Rahmen von Konditionierung und Exposition zu definieren. In Studie 3 wurde das Auftreten der Generalisierungsabnahme (generalization decrement) genutzt, bei der eine konditionierte Reaktion infolge eines Kontextwechsels nur reduziert auftritt. Auf diesem Weg kann Kontextähnlichkeit quantifiziert werden. Nach einer Akquisitonsphase in einem Kontext wurden die Teilnehmer in einem von drei verschiedenen Kontexten getestet. Zwei dieser Kontexte unterschieden sich nur in einer Dimension (Anordnung der Objekte vs. Objekteigenschaften). Die dritte Gruppe wurde im Akquisitonskontext getestet und diente als Kontrollgruppe. Es fanden sich jedoch keine Unteschiede zwischen den Gruppen in den Testphasen. Eine mögliche Erklärung ist die Neuartigkeit des Testkontextes. Teilnehmer, die nach der Extinktion einem neuen Kontext ausgesetzt waren, erwarteten in einem anderen Kontext eine zweite Extinktionsphase und zeigten daher mehr statt weniger Angst als erwartet. N2 - Renewal of fear is one form of relapse that occurs after successful therapy, resulting from an encounter with a feared object in a context different from the context of the exposure therapy. According to Bouton (1994), the return of fear, provoked by context change, indicates that the fear was not erased in the first place. More importantly, the return of fear indicates that during the exposure session a new association was learned that connected the feared object with “no fear”; yet, as Bouton further argues, this association is context dependent. Such dependence could explain effects like renewal. In a new context, the therapeutic association will not be expressed and thus will no longer inhibit the fear. The assumption that an association is context dependent has been tested and showed robust results (Balooch & Neumann, 2011; Siavash Bandarian Balooch, Neumann, & Boschen, 2012; Culver, Stoyanova, & Craske, 2011; Kim & Richardson, 2009; Neumann & Kitlertsirivatana, 2010). Research for the treatment of anxiety disorders, aiming to reduce fear and, more importantly, prevent relapse, is flourishing. There are several exposure protocols currently under investigation: multiple contexts exposure (MCE), which aims at reducing the return of fear due to renewal (e.g., Balooch & Neumann, 2011); prolonged exposure (PE), which aims at strengthening the inhibitory association during the extinction learning (e.g., Thomas, Vurbic, & Novak, 2009); and reconsolidation update (RU), which aims at “updating” the reconsolidation process by briefly exposing the CS+ before the actual extinction takes place (Schiller et al., 2010). So far, however, few clinical studies conducted on humans have investigated these novel treatment protocols, and as far as I know none has investigated the mechanisms of action behind these protocols with a human clinical sample. The present thesis has three main goals. The first is to demonstrate that exposure therapy in multiple contexts reduces the likelihood of renewal. The second is to examine the mechanisms contributing to the effect of MCE and the third is to shed light on the concept of context in the framework of the conditioning and extinction paradigm. To this end, three studies were conducted. The first study investigated the effect of MCE on renewal, the second and third studies examined working mechanisms of MCE. In the first study thirty spider-phobic participants were exposed four times to a virtual spider. The exposure trials were conducted either in one single context or in four different contexts. Finally, all participants completed both a virtual renewal test, with the virtual spider presented in a novel virtual context, and an in vivo behavioral avoidance test with a real spider. This study successfully demonstrated the efficacy of MCE on reducing renewal. Study 2 investigated the working mechanisms behind MCE by utilizing a differential conditioning paradigm and conducting the extinction in multiple contexts, targeting similar renewal attenuation as achieved in study 1. This was followed by two tests that attempted to reveal extinction-relevant associations like ones causing context inhibitory effects. This study had three main hypotheses: (1) The extinction context is associated with the exposure, and thus operates as a safety signal at some point during the extinction; it will therefore compete with the safety learning of the CS, leading to a decreased extinction effect on the CS if the extinction is conducted in only one context. (2) The elements (e.g., room color, furniture) of the extinction context are connected to the therapeutic association and therefore should serve as reminders of the extinction, causing a stronger fear inhibition when presented during a test. (3) Therapy process factors, according to emotional processing theory, determine the renewal effect (e.g., initial fear activation, and within-session and between-session activation are correlated with the strength of renewal). In this study, however, no differences between the groups at the renewal phase were observed, presumably because the extinction was too strong to enable a renewal of fear at the test phase conducted immediately following the extinction. This hence rendered the two inhibitory tests useless. Study 3 aimed at defining the concept of context in the conditioning and exposure framework. Study 3 utilized the phenomenon known as generalization decrement, whereby a conditioned response is reduced due to change in the environment. This allowed context similarity to be quantified. After an acquisition phase in one context, participants were tested in one of three contexts, two of which differed in only one dimension (configuration of objects vs. features). The third group was tested in the same context and served as control group. The goal was to show that both configuration and features play an important role in the definition of context. There was, however, no significant statistical difference between the groups at the test phases, likely because of context novelty effects (participants exposed to a new context following extinction in another context expected a second extinction phase, and thus demonstrated greater fear than expected in all three groups). KW - Angst KW - Konditionierung KW - Virtuelle Realität KW - multiple context exposure therapy Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76673 ER - TY - THES A1 - Reuß, Heiko T1 - The interplay of unconscious processing and cognitive control T1 - Das Zusammenspiel unbewusster Verarbeitung und kognitiver Kontrolle N2 - The aim of this study was both to investigate the influence of cognitive control on unconscious processing, and to investigate the influence of unconscious processing on cognitive control. At first, different mechanisms and accounts to explain unconscious priming are presented. Here, perceptual and motor processes, as well as stimulus-response learning, semantic categorization, and the action trigger account as theories to explain motor priming are discussed. Then, the issue of the potential limits of unconscious processing is presented. Findings that indicate that active current intentions and expertise modulate unconscious processing are illustrated. Subsequently, results that imply an influence of unconsciously presented stimuli that goes beyond motor processes are discussed, with a special focus on inhibition processes, orienting of attention, task set activation, and conflict adaptation. Then I present the results of my own empirical work. Experiment 1 shows that the effective processing of unconsciously presented stimuli depends on expertise, even when potentially confounding difference between the expert and novice groups are controlled. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 indicate that the intention to use particular stimuli is a crucial factor for the effectiveness of these stimuli when they are presented unconsciously. Additionally, these findings show that shifts of attention can be triggered by centrally presented masked arrow cues. Experiments 4 and 5 broaden these results to cue stimuli that are not inherently associated with a spatial meaning. The finding corroborate that typically endogenously controlled shifts of attention can also be induced by unconscious stimuli. Experiments 6 and 7 demonstrate that even a central cognitive control process like task set activation is not contingent on conscious awareness, but can in contrast be triggered through unconscious stimulation. Finally, these results are integrated and I discuss how the concept of cognitive control and the limits of unconscious processing may have to be reconsidered. Furthermore, potential future research possibilities in this field are presented. N2 - Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, sowohl den Einfluss von kognitiver Kontrolle auf unbewusste Verarbeitung, als auch den Einfluss unbewusster Verarbeitung auf kognitive Kontrolle zu untersuchen. Zunächst werden verschiedene Mechanismen und Ansätze zur Erklärung unbewusster Bahnung vorgestellt. Dabei werden perzeptuelle Prozesse sowie motorische Prozesse beleuchtet und mit Reiz-Reaktions-Verbindungen, semantischer Kategorisierung und dem Ansatz handlungsdeterminierender Reizerwartungen drei verschiedene Ansätze zur Erklärung motorischer Bahnung besprochen. Danach wird die Problematik der Grenzen unbewusster Verarbeitung dargestellt. Es werden Befunde vorgestellt, die Hinweise auf den Einfluss von aktiven Aufgabeneinstellungen sowie von Expertise auf unbewusste Verarbeitung geben. Als nächstes werden Ergebnisse besprochen, die einen über motorische Prozesse hinausgehenden Einfluss unbewusster Reize nahelegen. Dabei wird insbesondere auf den Einfluss auf Hemmprozesse, Aufmerksamkeitsausrichtung, die Aktivierung von Aufgabeneinstellungen und Konfliktadaptation eingegangen. Dann werden die Ergebnisse eigener empirischer Arbeiten vorgestellt. In Experiment 1 wurde gezeigt, dass die effektive Verarbeitung unbewusster Reize von Expertise abhängt, auch wenn sonstige Unterschiede zwischen Experten- und Novizen-Gruppen kontrolliert sind. Die Ergebnisse von Experiment 2 und 3 zeigten, dass die Absicht, bestimmte Reize zu nutzen, ein entscheidender Faktor dabei ist, ob diese Reize auch unbewusst einen Effekt entfalten können. Zudem wurde hier gezeigt, dass Aufmerksamkeitsverschiebungen durch zentral präsentierte, maskierte Pfeile ausgelöst werden können. Die Experimente 4 und 5 erweiterten diesen Befund auf Hinweisreize, die keine inhärente räumliche Bedeutung haben. Hier konnte bestätigt werden, dass eigentlich endogen gesteuerte Aufmerksamkeitsverschiebungen durch unbewusste Reize induziert werden können. Die Experimente 6 und 7 zeigten, dass selbst ein zentraler kognitiver Kontrollprozess wie die Aktivierung verschiedener Aufgabeneinstellungen nicht bewusstseinspflichtig ist, sondern im Gegenteil durch unbewusste Stimulation in Gang gesetzt werden kann. Letztendlich werden diese Ergebnisse zueinander in Beziehung gesetzt. Es wird diskutiert, inwiefern das Konzept kognitiver Kontrolle und die Grenzen unbewusster Verarbeitung neu betrachtet werden müssen. Außerdem werden mögliche zukünftige Forschungsfelder in diesem Bereich aufgezeigt. KW - Bewusstsein KW - unconscious processing KW - cognitive control KW - Kognitiver Prozess KW - Allgemeine Psychologie Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76950 ER - TY - THES A1 - Lehrieder, Frank T1 - Performance Evaluation and Optimization of Content Distribution using Overlay Networks T1 - Leistungsbewertung und Optimierung von Overlay Netzwerken zum Verteilen großer Datenmengen N2 - The work presents a performance evaluation and optimization of so-called overlay networks for content distribution in the Internet. Chapter 1 describes the importance which have such networks in today's Internet, for example, for the transmission of video content. The focus of this work is on overlay networks based on the peer-to-peer principle. These are characterized by the fact that users who download content, also contribute to the distribution process by sharing parts of the data to other users. This enables efficient content distribution because each user not only consumes resources in the system, but also provides its own resources. Chapter 2 of the monograph contains a detailed description of the functionality of today's most popular overlay network BitTorrent. It explains the various components and their interaction. This is followed by an illustration of why such overlay networks for Internet service providers (ISPs) are problematic. The reason lies in the large amount of inter-ISP traffic that is produced by these overlay networks. Since this inter-ISP traffic leads to high costs for ISPs, they try to reduce it by improved mechanisms for overlay networks. One optimization approach is the use of topology awareness within the overlay networks. It provides users of the overlay networks with information about the underlying physical network topology. This allows them to avoid inter-ISP traffic by exchanging data preferrentially with other users that are connected to the same ISP. Another approach to save inter-ISP traffic is caching. In this case the ISP provides additional computers in its network, called caches, which store copies of popular content. The users of this ISP can then obtain such content from the cache. This prevents that the content must be retrieved from locations outside of the ISP's network, and saves costly inter-ISP traffic in this way. In the third chapter of the thesis, the results of a comprehensive measurement study of overlay networks, which can be found in today's Internet, are presented. After a short description of the measurement methodology, the results of the measurements are described. These results contain data on a variety of characteristics of current P2P overlay networks in the Internet. These include the popularity of content, i.e., how many users are interested in specific content, the evolution of the popularity and the size of the files. The distribution of users within the Internet is investigated in detail. Special attention is given to the number of users that exchange a particular file within the same ISP. On the basis of these measurement results, an estimation of the traffic savings that can achieved by topology awareness is derived. This new estimation is of scientific and practical importance, since it is not limited to individual ISPs and files, but considers the whole Internet and the total amount of data exchanged in overlay networks. Finally, the characteristics of regional content are considered, in which the popularity is limited to certain parts of the Internet. This is for example the case of videos in German, Italian or French language. Chapter 4 of the thesis is devoted to the optimization of overlay networks for content distribution through caching. It presents a deterministic flow model that describes the influence of caches. On the basis of this model, it derives an estimate of the inter-ISP traffic that is generated by an overlay network, and which part can be saved by caches. The results show that the influence of the cache depends on the structure of the overlay networks, and that caches can also lead to an increase in inter-ISP traffic under certain circumstances. The described model is thus an important tool for ISPs to decide for which overlay networks caches are useful and to dimension them. Chapter 5 summarizes the content of the work and emphasizes the importance of the findings. In addition, it explains how the findings can be applied to the optimization of future overlay networks. Special attention is given to the growing importance of video-on-demand and real-time video transmissions. N2 - Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Leistungsbewertung und Optimierung von sogenannten Overlay-Netzwerken zum Verteilen von großen Datenmengen im Internet. Im Kapitel 1 der Arbeit wird die große Bedeutung erläutert, die solche Netzwerke im heutigen Internet haben, beispielsweise für die Übertragung von Video-Inhalten. Im Fokus der Arbeit liegen Overlay-Netzwerke, die auf dem Peer-to-peer Prinzip basieren. Diese zeichnen sich dadurch aus, dass Nutzer, die Inhalte herunterladen, auch gleichzeitig an dem Verteilprozess teilnehmen, indem sie Teile der Daten an andere Nutzer weitergeben. Dies ermöglicht eine effiziente Verteilung der Daten, weil jeder Nutzer nicht nur Ressourcen im System belegt, sondern auch eigene Ressourcen einbringt. Kapitel 2 der Arbeit enthält eine detaillierte Beschreibung der Funktionsweise des heute populärsten Overlay-Netzwerks BitTorrent. Es werden die einzelnen Komponenten erläutert und deren Zusammenspiel erklärt. Darauf folgt eine Darstellung, warum solche Overlay-Netzwerke für Internet-Anbieter (Internet service provider, ISP) problematisch sind. Der Grund dafür liegt in der großen Menge an Inter-ISP Verkehr, den diese Overlays erzeugen. Da solcher Inter-ISP Verkehr zu hohen Kosten für ISPs führt, versuchen diese den Inter-ISP Verkehr zu reduzieren, indem sie die Mechanismen der Overlay-Netzwerke optimieren. Ein Ansatz zur Optimierung ist die Verwendung von Topologiebewusstsein innerhalb der Overlay-Netzwerke. Dabei erhalten die Nutzer der Overlay-Netzwerke Informationen über die zugrunde liegende, physikalische Netzwerktopologie. Diese ermöglichen es ihnen, Inter-ISP Verkehr zu vermeiden, indem sie Daten bevorzugt mit anderen Nutzern austauschen, die mit dem gleichen ISP verbunden sind. Ein weiterer Ansatz, um Inter-ISP Verkehr einzusparen, ist Caching. Dabei stellt der ISP zusätzliche Rechner, sogenannte Caches, in seinem Netzwerk zur Verfügung, die Kopien populärer Inhalte zwischenspeichern. Die Nutzer dieses ISP können solche Inhalte nun von den Caches beziehen. Dies verhindert, dass populäre Inhalte mehrfach von außerhalb des betrachteten ISPs bezogen werden müssen, und spart so kostenintensiven Inter-ISP Verkehr ein. Im dritten Kapitel der Arbeit werden Ergebnisse einer umfassenden Messung von Overlay-Netzwerken vorgestellt, wie sie heute im Internet anzutreffen sind. Nach einer kurzen Darstellung der bei der Messung verwendeten Methodik werden die Resultate der Messungen beschrieben. Diese Ergebnisse enthalten Daten über eine Vielzahl von Eigenschaften von heutigen P2P-basierten Overlay-Netzwerken im Internet. Dazu zählen die Popularität von Inhalten, d.h., wie viele Nutzer an bestimmten Inhalten interessiert sind, die zeitliche Entwicklung der Popularität und die Größe der Daten. Im Detail wird auch die Verteilung der Nutzer über das Internet analysiert. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt dabei auf der Anzahl der Nutzer, die gleichzeitig und im Netz desselben ISP eine bestimmte Datei tauschen. Auf der Basis dieser Messergebnisse wird eine Abschätzung durchgeführt, welches Einsparpotential die Optimierung von Overlay-Netzwerken durch Topologiebewusstsein bietet. Diese neuartige Abschätzung ist von wissenschaftlicher und praktischer Bedeutung, da sie sich nicht auf einzelne ISPs und Dateien beschränkt, sondern des gesamte Internet und die Menge aller in Overlay-Netzwerken verfügbaren Dateien umfasst. Schließlich werden die Besonderheiten von regionalen Inhalten betrachtet, bei denen sich die Popularität auf bestimmte Teile des Internets beschränkt. Dies ist beispielsweise bei Videos in deutscher, italienischer oder französischer Sprache der Fall. Kapitel 4 der Arbeit widmet sich der Optimierung von Overlay-Netzwerken zum Verteilen großer Datenmengen durch Caching. Es wird ein deterministisches Flussmodel entwickelt, das den Einfluss von Caches beschreibt. Auf der Basis dieses Modells leitet er eine Abschätzung des Inter-ISP Verkehrs ab, der von einem Overlay-Netzwerk erzeugt wird, und welcher Teil davon durch Caches eingespart werden kann. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass der Einfluss von Caches von der Struktur der Overlay-Netzwerke abhängt und dass Caches unter bestimmten Umständen auch zu einem erhöhten Inter-ISP Verkehr führen können. Das beschriebene Modell ist somit ein wichtiges Hilfsmittel für ISPs um zu entscheiden, für welche Overlay-Netzwerke Caches sinnvoll sind, und um diese anschließend richtig zu dimensionieren. Kapitel 5 fasst den Inhalt der Arbeit zusammen und stellt die Bedeutung der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse heraus. Abschließend wird erläutert, in welcher Weise die in der Arbeit beschriebenen Ergebnisse wichtige Grundlagen für die Optimierung von zukünftigen Overlay-Netzwerken darstellen werden. Dabei wird besonders auf die wachsende Bedeutung von Video-On-Demand und Echt-Zeit Video-Übertragungen eingegangen. T3 - Würzburger Beiträge zur Leistungsbewertung Verteilter Systeme - 01/13 KW - Leistungsbewertung KW - Verteiltes System KW - Overlay-Netz KW - Overlay Netzwerke KW - Overlay networks Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76018 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schreier, Peter A1 - Binns, Colin A1 - Högger, Petra A1 - Wu, Dayong T1 - It began with citrus N2 - First Editorial of Open Access Journal "Nutrition and Medicine (NUME)" published by Würzburg University Press: http://nume.de KW - Ernährung KW - Medizin KW - Citrus KW - Geschichte KW - nutrition KW - medicine KW - citrus KW - history Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-74918 ER - TY - THES A1 - Solanki, Narendra T1 - Novelty choice in Drosophila melanogaster T1 - Neuigkeitseffekt im Mustersehen von Drosophila melanogaster N2 - This study explores novelty choice, a behavioral paradigm for the investigation of visual pattern recognition and learning of the fly Drosophila melanogaster in the flight simulator. Pattern recognition in novelty choice differs significantly from pattern recognition studied by heat conditioning, although both paradigms use the same test. Out of the four pattern parameters that the flies can learn in heat conditioning, novelty choice can be shown for height (horizontal bars differing in height), size and vertical compactness but not for oblique bars oriented at +/- 45°. Upright and inverted Ts [differing in their centers of gravity (CsOG) by 13°] that have been extensively used for heat conditioning experiments, do not elicit novelty choice. In contrast, horizontal bars differing in their CsOG by 13° do elicit novelty choice; so do the Ts after increasing their CsOG difference from 13° to 23°. This indicates that in the Ts the heights of the CsOG are not the only pattern parameters that matter for the novelty choice behavior. The novelty choice and heat conditioning paradigms are further differentiated using the gene rutabaga (rut) coding for a type 1 adenylyl cyclase. This protein had been shown to be involved in memory formation in the heat conditioning paradigm. Novelty choice is not affected by mutations in the rut gene. This is in line with the finding that dopamine, which in olfactory learning is known to regulate Rutabaga via the dopamine receptor Dumb in the mushroom bodies, is dispensable for novelty choice. It is concluded that in novelty choice the Rut cAMP pathway is not involved. Novelty choice requires short term working memory, as has been described in spatial orientation during locomotion. The protein S6KII that has been shown to be involved in visual orientation memory in walking flies is found here to be also required for novelty choice. As in heat conditioning the central complex plays a major role in novelty choice. The S6KII mutant phenotype for height can be rescued in some subsets of the ring neurons of the ellipsoid body. In addition the finding that the ellipsoid body mutants ebo678 and eboKS263 also show a mutant phenotype for height confirm the importance of ellipsoid body for height novelty choice. Interestingly some neurons in the F1 layer of the fan-shaped body are necessary for height novelty choice. Furthermore, different novelty choice phenotypes for different pattern parameters are found with and without mushroom bodies. Mushroom bodies are required in novelty choice for size but they are dispensable for height and vertical compactness. This special circuit requirement for the size parameter in novelty choice is found using various means of interference with mushroom body function during development or adulthood. N2 - Diese Studie untersucht Novelty Choice, ein Verhaltens-Paradigma für die Untersuchung der visuellen Mustererkennung und des Lernens der Fliege Drosophila melanogaster im Flugsimulator. Mustererkennung in Novelty Choice unterscheidet sich deutlich von Mustererkennung durch heat conditioning, obwohl beide Paradigmen den gleichen Test verwenden. Von den vier Muster-Parametern, die die Fliegen im heat conditioning für die Musterunterscheidung lernen kann, lernt sie in Novelty Choice nur die Höhe (horizontale Balken in unterschiedlicher Höhe), Größe und vertikale Kompaktheit, nicht dagegen die schrägen Balken im Winkel von +/- 45°. Aufrechte und umgekehrte Ts [hinsichtlich ihrer Schwerpunkte (CsOG) um 13° voneinander verschieden], die bisher weitgehend für heat conditioning Experimente verwendet werden, lösen kein Novelty Choice aus. Im Gegensatz dazu reagiert die Fliege auf horizontale Balken, die sich in ihren CsOG um 13° unterscheiden, mit Novelty Choice. Auch die Ts lösen Novelty Choice aus, wenn ihre CsOG-Differenzen von 13° auf 23° erhöht wird. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass in den Ts die Höhen der CsOG nicht die einzigen relevanten Musterparameter für Novelty Choice Verhalten sind. Die Novelty Choice und heat conditioning Paradigmen unterscheiden sich darüber hinaus in der Rolle des Gens rutabaga (rut), das eine Typ-1-Adenylylcyclase codiert. Für dieses Protein wurde gezeigt, dass es bei der Gedächtnisbildung in der heat conditioning beteiligt ist. Novelty Choice wird nicht durch Mutationen im Gen rut beeinflusst. Dies steht im Einklang mit der Erkenntnis, dass Dopamin, das bei olfaktorischem Lernen bekanntermaßen Rutabaga über den Dopamin-Rezeptor Dumb in den Pilzkörpern reguliert, entbehrlich für die Novelty Choice ist. Die Schlussfolgerung ist, dass der Rut cAMP Signalweg bei der Novelty Choice nicht beteiligt ist. Novelty choice erfordert kurzfristigen Arbeitsgedächtnisspeicher, wie in der räumlichen Orientierung während der Fortbewegung beschrieben wurde. Das Protein S6KII, für welches gezeigt wurde, dass es am visuellen Orientierungsgedächtnis laufender Fliegen beteiligt ist, wird hier als ebenso notwendig für Novelty Choice entdeckt. Wie in heat conditioning spielt der Zentralkomplex eine wichtige Rolle in Novelty Choice. Der S6KII Mutantenphänotyp für Höhe kann in einigen Untergruppen der Ring-Neuronen des Ellipsoidkörpers gerettet werden. Weiterhin kann festgestellt werden, dass die Ellipsoidkörper-Mutanten ebo678 und eboKS263, welche ebenfalls einen Mutantenphänotyp für Höhe zeigen, die Bedeutung des Ellipsoidkörpers für die Novelty Choice hinsichtlich des Höheparameters bestätigen. Interessanterweise sind einige Neuronen in der F1-Schicht des Fächerförmigen Körpers notwendig für Novelty Choice (für Höhe). Darüber hinaus werden mit und ohne Pilzkörper unterschiedliche Phänotypen für verschiedene Musterparameter bei Novelty Choice gefunden. Die Pilzkörper sind in der Novelty Choice für Größe erforderlich, aber für Höhe und vertikale Kompaktheit sind sie entbehrlich. Diese spezielle Schaltungsvoraussetzung für den Größenparameter in Novelty Choice wird unter Verwendung verschiedener Mittel der Interferenz mit Pilzkörperfunktionen während der Entwicklung oder im Erwachsenenalter gefunden. KW - Taufliege KW - Drosophila melanogaster KW - Mustererkennung KW - Sehen KW - Lernen Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-103219 N1 - Dieses Dokument wurde aus Datenschutzgründen - ohne inhaltliche Änderungen - erneut veröffentlicht. Die ursprüngliche Veröffentlichung war am: 06.08.2013 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ojha, Animesh K. A1 - Forster, Stefan A1 - Kumar, Sumeet A1 - Vats, Siddharth A1 - Negi, Segeeta A1 - Fischer, Ingo T1 - Synthesis of well-dispersed silver nanorods of different aspect ratios and their antimicrobial properties against gram positive and negative bacterial strains JF - Journal of Nanobiotechnology N2 - In the present contribution, we describe the synthesis of highly dispersed silver nanorods (NRs) of different aspect ratios using a chemical route. The shape and size of the synthesized NRs were characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and UV-visible spectroscopy. Longitudinal and transverse absorptions bands confirm the rod type structure. The experimentally recorded UV-visible spectra of NRs solutions were fitted by using an expression of the extinction coefficient for rod like nano structures under the dipole approximation. Simulated and experimentally observed UV-visible spectra were compared to determine the aspect ratios (R) of NRs. The average values of R for NR1, NR2 and NR3 solutions are estimated to be 3.0 +/- 0.1, 1.8 +/- 0.1 and 1.2 +/- 0.1, respectively. These values are in good agreement with those obtained by TEM micrographs. The silver NRs of known aspect ratios are used to study antimicrobial activities against B. subtilis (gram positive) and E. coli (gram negative) microbes. We observed that the NRs of intermediate aspect ratio (R = 1.8) have greater antimicrobial effect against both, B. subtilis (gram positive) and E. coli (gram negative). The NRs of aspect ratio, R = 3.0 has better antimicrobial activities against gram positive than on the gram negative. KW - silver KW - nano rods KW - TEM KW - antimicrobial activities KW - nanowire formation KW - gold nanoparticles KW - Raman-scattering KW - nanostructures KW - particles Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122837 SN - 1477-3155 VL - 11 IS - 42 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vainio, Rami A1 - Valtonen, Eino A1 - Heber, Bernd A1 - Malandraki, Olga E. A1 - Papaioannou, Athanasios A1 - Klein, Karl-Ludwig A1 - Afanasiev, Alexander A1 - Agueda, Neus A1 - Aurass, Henry A1 - Battarbee, Markus A1 - Braune, Stephan A1 - Dröge, Wolfgang A1 - Ganse, Urs A1 - Hamadache, Clarisse A1 - Heynderickx, Daniel A1 - Huttunen-Heikinmaa, Kalle A1 - Kiener, Jürgen A1 - Kilian, Patrick A1 - Kopp, Andreas A1 - Kouloumvakos, Athanasios A1 - Maisala, Sami A1 - Mishev, Alexander A1 - Miteva, Rosita A1 - Nindos, Alexander A1 - Oittinen, Tero A1 - Raukunen, Osku A1 - Riihonen, Esa A1 - Rodriguez-Gasen, Rosa A1 - Saloniemi, Oskari A1 - Sanahuja, Blai A1 - Scherer, Renate A1 - Spanier, Felix A1 - Tatischeff, Vincent A1 - Tziotziou, Kostas A1 - Usoskin, Ilya G. A1 - Vilmer, Nicole T1 - The first SEPServer event catalogue similar to ~68-MeV solar proton events observed at 1 AU in 1996-2010 JF - Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate N2 - SEPServer is a three-year collaborative project funded by the seventh framework programme (FP7-SPACE) of the European Union. The objective of the project is to provide access to state-of-the-art observations and analysis tools for the scientific community on solar energetic particle (SEP) events and related electromagnetic (EM) emissions. The project will eventually lead to better understanding of the particle acceleration and transport processes at the Sun and in the inner heliosphere. These processes lead to SEP events that form one of the key elements of space weather. In this paper we present the first results from the systematic analysis work performed on the following datasets: SOHO/ERNE, SOHO/EPHIN, ACE/EPAM, Wind/WAVES and GOES X-rays. A catalogue of SEP events at 1 AU, with complete coverage over solar cycle 23, based on high-energy (similar to 68-MeV) protons from SOHO/ERNE and electron recordings of the events by SOHO/EPHIN and ACE/EPAM are presented. A total of 115 energetic particle events have been identified and analysed using velocity dispersion analysis (VDA) for protons and time-shifting analysis (TSA) for electrons and protons in order to infer the SEP release times at the Sun. EM observations during the times of the SEP event onset have been gathered and compared to the release time estimates of particles. Data from those events that occurred during the European day-time, i.e., those that also have observations from ground-based observatories included in SEPServer, are listed and a preliminary analysis of their associations is presented. We find that VDA results for protons can be a useful tool for the analysis of proton release times, but if the derived proton path length is out of a range of 1 AU < s less than or similar to 3 AU, the result of the analysis may be compromised, as indicated by the anti-correlation of the derived path length and release time delay from the associated X-ray flare. The average path length derived from VDA is about 1.9 times the nominal length of the spiral magnetic field line. This implies that the path length of first-arriving MeV to deka-MeV protons is affected by interplanetary scattering. TSA of near-relativistic electrons results in a release time that shows significant scatter with respect to the EM emissions but with a trend of being delayed more with increasing distance between the flare and the nominal footpoint of the Earth-connected field line. KW - radio emissions (dynamic) KW - projects KW - advanced composition explorer KW - wind spacecraft KW - stereo mission KW - alpha monitor KW - electron KW - plasma KW - radio KW - spectrometer KW - heliosphere KW - instrument KW - radiation KW - flares Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122847 SN - 2115-7251 VL - 3 IS - A12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zadeh-Khorasani, Maryam A1 - Nolte, Thomas A1 - Mueller, Thomas D. A1 - Pechlivanis, Markos A1 - Rueff, Franziska A1 - Wollenberg, Andreas A1 - Fricker, Gert A1 - Wolf, Eckhard A1 - Siebeck, Matthias A1 - Gropp, Roswitha T1 - NOD-scid IL2R \(\gamma^{null}\) mice engrafted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells as a model to test therapeutics targeting human signaling pathways JF - Journal of Translational Medicine N2 - Background: Animal models of human inflammatory diseases have limited predictive quality for human clinical trials for various reasons including species specific activation mechanisms and the immunological background of the animals which markedly differs from the genetically heterogeneous and often aged patient population. Objective: Development of an animal model allowing for testing therapeutics targeting pathways involved in the development of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) with better translatability to the patient. Methods: NOD-scid IL2R \(\gamma^{null}\) mice engrafted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (hPBMC) derived from patients suffering from AD and healthy volunteers were treated with IL-4 and the antagonistic IL-4 variant R121/Y124D (Pitrakinra). Levels of human (h) IgE, amount of B-, T- and plasma-cells and ratio of CD4 : CD8 positive cells served as read out for induction and inhibition of cell proliferation and hIgE secretion. Results were compared to in vitro analysis. Results: hIgE secretion was induced by IL-4 and inhibited by the IL-4 antagonist Pitrakinra in vivo when formulated with methylcellulose. B-cells proliferated in response to IL-4 in vivo; the effect was abrogated by Pitrakinra. IL-4 shifted CD4 : CD8 ratios in vitro and in vivo when hPBMC derived from healthy volunteers were used. Pitrakinra reversed the effect. Human PBMC derived from patients with AD remained inert and engrafted mice reflected the individual responses observed in vitro. Conclusion: NOD-scid IL2R \(\gamma^{null}\) mice engrafted with human PBMC reflect the immunological history of the donors and provide a complementary tool to in vitro studies. Thus, studies in this model might provide data with better translatability from bench to bedside. KW - atopic dermatitis KW - T-cells KW - rheumatoid arthritis KW - human interleukin-4 KW - TGN1412 KW - oxazolone colitis KW - cytokine release KW - expression KW - antagonists KW - responses Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122960 SN - 1479-5876 VL - 11 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meuche, Ivonne A1 - Brusa, Oscar A1 - Linsenmair, K. Eduard A1 - Keller, Alexander A1 - Pröhl, Heike T1 - Only distance matters - non-choosy females in a poison frog population JF - Frontiers in Zoology N2 - Background: Females have often been shown to exhibit preferences for certain male traits. However, little is known about behavioural rules females use when searching for mates in their natural habitat. We investigated mate sampling tactics and related costs in the territorial strawberry poison frog (Oophaga pumilio) possessing a lek-like mating system, where both sequential and simultaneous sampling might occur. We continuously monitored the sampling pattern and behaviour of females during the complete period between two successive matings. Results: We found no evidence that females compared males by visiting them. Instead females mated with the closest calling male irrespective of his acoustic and physical traits, and territory size. Playback experiments in the natural home ranges of receptive females revealed that tested females preferred the nearest speaker and did not discriminate between low and high call rates or dominant frequencies. Conclusions: Our results suggest that females of O. pumilio prefer the closest calling male in the studied population. We hypothesize that the sampling tactic in this population is affected by 1) a strongly female biased sex ratio and 2) a low variance in traits of available males due to strong male-male competition, preventing low quality males from defending a territory and mating. KW - operational sex ratio KW - sequential mate choice KW - gray tree frogs KW - treefrogs hyla-gratiosa KW - male mating success KW - Bocas-del-Toro KW - dendrobates pumilio KW - oophaga pumilio KW - pied flycatchers KW - sampling behavior Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122617 SN - 1742-9994 VL - 10 IS - 29 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Sara A1 - Windhof, Indra M. A1 - Maximov, Vladimir A1 - Jurkowski, Tomasz A1 - Jeltsch, Albert A1 - Förstner, Konrad U. A1 - Sharma, Cynthia M. A1 - Gräf, Ralph A1 - Nellen, Wolfgang T1 - Target recognition, RNA methylation activity and transcriptional regulation of the Dictyostelium discoideum Dnmt2-homologue (DnmA) JF - Nucleic Acids Research N2 - Although the DNA methyltransferase 2 family is highly conserved during evolution and recent reports suggested a dual specificity with stronger activity on transfer RNA (tRNA) than DNA substrates, the biological function is still obscure. We show that the Dictyostelium discoideum Dnmt2-homologue DnmA is an active tRNA methyltransferase that modifies C38 in \(tRNA^{Asp(GUC)}\) in vitro and in vivo. By an ultraviolet-crosslinking and immunoprecipitation approach, we identified further DnmA targets. This revealed specific tRNA fragments bound by the enzyme and identified \(tRNA^{Glu(CUC/UUC)}\) and \(tRNA^{Gly(GCC)}\) as new but weaker substrates for both human Dnmt2 and DnmA in vitro but apparently not in vivo. Dnmt2 enzymes form transient covalent complexes with their substrates. The dynamics of complex formation and complex resolution reflect methylation efficiency in vitro. Quantitative PCR analyses revealed alterations in dnmA expression during development, cell cycle and in response to temperature stress. However, dnmA expression only partially correlated with tRNA methylation in vivo. Strikingly, dnmA expression in the laboratory strain AX2 was significantly lower than in the NC4 parent strain. As expression levels and binding of DnmA to a target in vivo are apparently not necessarily accompanied by methylation, we propose an additional biological function of DnmA apart from methylation. KW - DNA methylferase homolog KW - drospophila KW - TRNA(ASP) KW - mechanism KW - binding Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123149 SN - 1362-4962 VL - 41 IS - 18 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dörhöfer, Lena A1 - Lammert, Alexander A1 - Krane, Vera A1 - Gorski, Mathias A1 - Banas, Bernhard A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Krämer, Bernhard K. A1 - Heid, Iris M. A1 - Böger, Carsten A. T1 - Study design of DIACORE (DIAbetes COhoRtE) - a cohort study of patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 JF - BMC Medical Genetics N2 - Background: Diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) is highly associated with increased risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD), end stage renal disease (ESRD) and cardiovascular morbidity. Epidemiological and genetic studies generate hypotheses for innovative strategies in DM2 management by unravelling novel mechanisms of diabetes complications, which is essential for future intervention trials. We have thus initiated the DIAbetes COhoRtE study (DIACORE). Methods: DIACORE is a prospective cohort study aiming to recruit 6000 patients of self-reported Caucasian ethnicity with prevalent DM2 for at least 10 years of follow-up. Study visits are performed in University-based recruiting clinics in Germany using standard operating procedures. All prevalent DM2 patients in outpatient clinics surrounding the recruiting centers are invited to participate. At baseline and at each 2-year follow-up examination, patients are subjected to a core phenotyping protocol. This includes a standardized online questionnaire and physical examination to determine incident micro-and macrovascular DM2 complications, malignancy and hospitalization, with a primary focus on renal events. Confirmatory outcome information is requested from patient records. Blood samples are obtained for a centrally analyzed standard laboratory panel and for biobanking of aliquots of serum, plasma, urine, mRNA and DNA for future scientific use. A subset of the cohort is subjected to extended phenotyping, e. g. sleep apnea screening, skin autofluorescence measurement, non-mydriatic retinal photography and non-invasive determination of arterial stiffness. Discussion: DIACORE will enable the prospective evaluation of factors involved in DM2 complication pathogenesis using high-throughput technologies in biosamples and genetic epidemiological studies. KW - chronic kidney-disease KW - stage renal-disease KW - glomerular-filtration-rate KW - genome-wide association KW - blood-glucose control KW - genetics KW - serum creatinine KW - cardiovascular disease KW - replacement therapy KW - United States KW - risk factors KW - diabetes mellitus type 2 KW - diabetic nephropathy KW - end stage renal disease KW - cardiovascular morbidity KW - diabetes complications KW - epidemiology Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122040 SN - 1471-2350 VL - 14 IS - 25 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ljunggren, Osten A1 - Barrett, Annabel A1 - Stoykov, Ivaylo A1 - Langdahl, Bente L. A1 - Lems, Willem F. A1 - Walsh, J. Bernard A1 - Fahrleitner-Pammer, Astrid A1 - Rajzbaum, Gerald A1 - Jakob, Franz A1 - Karras, Dimitrios A1 - Marin, Fernando T1 - Effective osteoporosis treatment with teriparatide is associated with enhanced quality of life in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: the European Forsteo Observational Study JF - BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders N2 - Background: To describe changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated with teriparatide for up to 18 months and followed-up for a further 18 months, and to assess the influence of recent prior and incident fractures. Methods: The European Forsteo Observational Study (EFOS) is an observational, prospective, multinational study measuring HRQoL using the EQ-5D. The primary objective was to assess changes in HRQoL during 36 months in the whole study population. A secondary post-hoc analysis examined fracture impact on HRQoL in four subgroups classified based on recent prior fracture 12 months before baseline and incident clinical fractures during the study. Changes from baseline were analysed using a repeated measures model. Results: Of the 1581 patients, 48.4% had a recent prior fracture and 15.6% of these patients had an incident fracture during follow-up. 10.9% of the 816 patients with no recent prior fracture had an incident fracture. Baseline mean EQ-VAS scores were similar across the subgroups. In the total study cohort (n = 1581), HRQoL (EQ-VAS and EQ-5D index scores) improved significantly from baseline to 18 months and this improvement was maintained over the 18-month post-teriparatide period. Improvements were seen across all five EQ-5D domains during teriparatide treatment that were maintained after teriparatide was discontinued. Subjects with incident clinical fractures had significantly less improvement in EQ-VAS than those without incident fractures. Recent prior fracture did not influence the change in EQ-VAS during treatment. Conclusions: EFOS is the first longitudinal study in women with severe postmenopausal osteoporosis in the real world setting to show a substantial improvement in HRQoL during teriparatide treatment that was sustained during subsequent treatment with other medications. The increase in HRQoL was lower in the subgroups with incident fracture but was not influenced by recent prior fracture. The results should be interpreted in the context of the design of an observational study. KW - fracture KW - osteoporosis KW - quality of life KW - teriparatide KW - EQ-5D KW - database KW - alendronate KW - persistence KW - metaanalysis KW - prevalent fractures KW - bone-mineral density KW - vertebral fractures KW - back pain KW - impact KW - responsiveness Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122057 SN - 1471-2474 VL - 14 IS - 251 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wimmer, Matthias D. A1 - Randau, Thomas M. A1 - Deml, Moritz C. A1 - Ascherl, Rudolf A1 - Forst, Raimund A1 - Gravius, Nadine A1 - Wirtz, Dieter A1 - Gravius, Sascha T1 - Impaction grafting in the femur in cementless modular revision total hip arthroplasty: a descriptive outcome analysis of 243 cases with the MRP-TITAN revision implant JF - BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders N2 - Background: We present a descriptive and retrospective analysis of revision total hip arthroplasties (THA) using the MRP-TITAN stem (Peter Brehm, Weisendorf, GER) with distal diaphyseal fixation and metaphyseal defect augmentation. Our hypothesis was that the metaphyseal defect augmentation (Impaction Bone Grafting) improves the stem survival. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the aggregated and anonymized data of 243 femoral stem revisions. 68 patients with 70 implants (28.8%) received an allograft augmentation for metaphyseal defects; 165 patients with 173 implants (71.2%) did not, and served as controls. The mean follow-up was 4.4 +/- 1.8 years (range, 2.1-9.6 years). There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the study and control group regarding age, body mass index (BMI), femoral defects (types I-III as described by Paprosky), and preoperative Harris Hip Score (HHS). Postoperative clinical function was evaluated using the HHS. Postoperative radiologic examination evaluated implant stability, axial implant migration, signs of implant loosening, periprosthetic radiolucencies, as well as bone regeneration and resorption. Results: There were comparable rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications in the study and control groups (p > 0.05). Clinical function, expressed as the increase in the postoperative HHS over the preoperative score, showed significantly greater improvement in the group with Impaction Bone Grafting (35.6 +/- 14.3 vs. 30.8 +/- 15.8; p <= 0.05). The study group showed better outcome especially for larger defects (types II C and III as described by Paprosky) and stem diameters >= 17 mm. The two groups did not show significant differences in the rate of aseptic loosening (1.4% vs. 2.9%) and the rate of revisions (8.6% vs. 11%). The Kaplan-Meier survival for the MRP-TITAN stem in both groups together was 93.8% after 8.8 years. [Study group 95.7% after 8.54 years; control group 93.1% after 8.7 years]. Radiologic evaluation showed no significant change in axial implant migration (4.3% vs. 9.3%; p = 0.19) but a significant reduction in proximal stress shielding (5.7% vs. 17.9%; p < 0.05) in the study group. Periprosthetic radiolucencies were detected in 5.7% of the study group and in 9.8% of the control group (p = 0.30). Radiolucencies in the proximal zones 1 and 7 according to Gruen occurred significantly more often in the control group without allograft augmentation (p = 0.05). Conclusion: We present the largest analysis of the impaction grafting technique in combination with cementless distal diaphyseal stem fixation published so far. Our data provides initial evidence of improved bone regeneration after graft augmentation of metaphyseal bone defects. The data suggests that proximal metaphyseal graft augmentation is beneficial for large metaphyseal bone defects (Paprosky types IIC and III) and stem diameters of 17 mm and above. Due to the limitations of a retrospective and descriptive study the level of evidence remains low and prospective trials should be conducted. KW - prosthesis KW - replacement KW - collarless KW - surgery KW - allografts KW - porous-coated stems KW - femoral revision KW - roentgenographic assessment KW - tapered stem KW - follow-up KW - modular KW - revision KW - hip KW - arthroplasty KW - impaction bone grafting Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122061 SN - 1471-2474 VL - 14 IS - 19 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brandenburg, Vincent M. A1 - Kramann, Rafael A1 - Koos, Ralf A1 - Krueger, Thilo A1 - Schurgers, Leon A1 - Mühlenbruch, Georg A1 - Hübner, Sinah A1 - Gladziwa, Ulrich A1 - Drechler, Christiane A1 - Ketteler, Markus T1 - Relationship between sclerostin and cardiovascular calcification in hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study JF - BMC Nephrology N2 - Background: Sclerostin is a Wnt pathway antagonist regulating osteoblast activity and bone turnover. Here, we assessed the potential association of sclerostin with the development of coronary artery (CAC) and aortic valve calcifications (AVC) in haemodialysis (HD) patients. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional multi-slice computed tomography (MS-CT) scanning study in 67 chronic HD patients (59.4 +/- 14.8 yrs) for measurement of CAC and AVC. We tested established biomarkers as well as serum sclerostin (ELISA) regarding their association to the presence of calcification. Fifty-four adults without relevant renal disease served as controls for serum sclerostin levels. Additionally, sclerostin expression in explanted aortic valves from 15 dialysis patients was analysed ex vivo by immunohistochemistry and mRNA quantification (Qt-RT-PCR). Results: CAC (Agatston score > 100) and any AVC were present in 65% and in 40% of the MS-CT patient group, respectively. Serum sclerostin levels (1.53 +/- 0.81 vs 0.76 +/- 0.31 ng/mL, p < 0.001) were significantly elevated in HD compared to controls and more so in HD patients with AVC versus those without AVC (1.78 +/- 0.84 vs 1.35 +/- 0.73 ng/mL, p = 0.02). Multivariable regression analysis for AVC revealed significant associations with higher serum sclerostin. Ex vivo analysis of uraemic calcified aortic valves (n = 10) revealed a strong sclerostin expression very close to calcified regions (no sclerostin staining in non-calcified valves). Correspondingly, we observed a highly significant upregulation of sclerostin mRNA in calcified valves compared to non-calcified control valves. Conclusion: We found a strong association of sclerostin with calcifying aortic heart valve disease in haemodialysis patients. Sclerostin is locally produced in aortic valve tissue adjacent to areas of calcification. KW - coronary calcification KW - cardiovascular disease KW - aortic valve disease KW - calcium KW - mortality KW - sclerostin KW - aortic valve KW - bone formation KW - computed tomography KW - fetuin A KW - risk factors KW - GLA protein UCMGP KW - kidney-disease CKD KW - coronary-artery calcification KW - hemodialysis KW - mineral metabolism KW - vascular calcification KW - renal osteodystrophy Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122070 SN - 1471-2369 VL - 14 IS - 219 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dempfle, Astrid A1 - Herpertz-Dahlmann, Beate A1 - Timmesfeld, Nina A1 - Schwarte, Reinhild A1 - Egberts, Karin M. A1 - Pfeiffer, Ernst A1 - Fleischhaker, Christian A1 - Wewetzer, Christoph A1 - Bühren, Katharina T1 - Predictors of the resumption of menses in adolescent anorexia nervosa JF - BMC Psychiatry N2 - Background: The resumption of menses is an important indicator of recovery in anorexia nervosa (AN). Patients with early-onset AN are at particularly great risk of suffering from the long-term physical and psychological consequences of persistent gonadal dysfunction. However, the clinical variables that predict the recovery of menstrual function during weight gain in AN remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of several clinical parameters on the resumption of menses in first-onset adolescent AN in a large, well-characterized, homogenous sample that was followed-up for 12 months. Methods: A total of 172 female adolescent patients with first-onset AN according to DSM-IV criteria were recruited for inclusion in a randomized, multi-center, German clinical trial. Menstrual status and clinical variables (i.e., premorbid body mass index (BMI), age at onset, duration of illness, duration of hospital treatment, achievement of target weight at discharge, and BMI) were assessed at the time of admission to or discharge from hospital treatment and at a 12-month follow-up. Based on German reference data, we calculated the percentage of expected body weight (%EBW), BMI percentile, and BMI standard deviation score (BMI-SDS) for all time points to investigate the relationship between different weight measurements and resumption of menses. Results: Forty-seven percent of the patients spontaneously began menstruating during the follow-up period. %EBW at the 12-month follow-up was strongly correlated with the resumption of menses. The absence of menarche before admission, a higher premorbid BMI, discharge below target weight, and a longer duration of hospital treatment were the most relevant prognostic factors for continued amenorrhea. Conclusions: The recovery of menstrual function in adolescent patients with AN should be a major treatment goal to prevent severe long-term physical and psychological sequelae. Patients with premenarchal onset of AN are at particular risk for protracted amenorrhea despite weight rehabilitation. Reaching and maintaining a target weight between the 15th and 20th BMI percentile is favorable for the resumption of menses within 12 months. Whether patients with a higher premorbid BMI may benefit from a higher target weight needs to be investigated in further studies. KW - girls KW - amenorrhea KW - brain KW - increases KW - return KW - menarche KW - target weight KW - adolescence anorexia nervosa KW - resumption of menses KW - recovery KW - ovarian function KW - weight gain KW - eating disorders KW - bone-mineral density KW - menstrual recovery KW - outcome KW - body mass index Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122106 VL - 13 IS - 308 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Harris, Fiona M. A1 - Maxwell, Margaret A1 - O'Connor, Rory C. A1 - Coyne, James A1 - Arensman, Ella A1 - András, Székely A1 - Gusmão, Ricardo A1 - Coffey, Claire A1 - Costa, Susana A1 - Zoltan, Cserháti A1 - Koburger, Nicole A1 - van Audenhove, Chantal A1 - McDaid, David A1 - Maloney, Julia A1 - Värnik, Peeter A1 - Hegerl, Ulrich T1 - Developing social capital in implementing a complex intervention: a process evaluation of the early implementation of a suicide prevention intervention in four European countries JF - BMC Public Health N2 - Background: Variation in the implementation of complex multilevel interventions can impact on their delivery and outcomes. Few suicide prevention interventions, especially multilevel interventions, have included evaluation of both the process of implementation as well as outcomes. Such evaluation is essential for the replication of interventions, for interpreting and understanding outcomes, and for improving implementation science. This paper reports on a process evaluation of the early implementation stage of an optimised suicide prevention programme (OSPI-Europe) implemented in four European countries. Methods: The process analysis was conducted within the framework of a realist evaluation methodology, and involved case studies of the process of implementation in four European countries. Datasets include: repeated questionnaires to track progress of implementation including delivery of individual activities and their intensity; serial interviews and focus groups with stakeholder groups; and detailed observations at OSPI implementation team meetings. Results: Analysis of local contexts in each of the four countries revealed that the advisory group was a key mechanism that had a substantial impact on the ease of implementation of OSPI interventions, particularly on their ability to recruit to training interventions. However, simply recruiting representatives of key organisations into an advisory group is not sufficient to achieve impact on the delivery of interventions. In order to maximise the potential of high level 'gatekeepers', it is necessary to first transform them into OSPI stakeholders. Motivations for OSPI participation as a stakeholder included: personal affinity with the shared goals and target groups within OSPI; the complementary and participatory nature of OSPI that adds value to pre-existing suicide prevention initiatives; and reciprocal reward for participants through access to the extended network capacity that organisations could accrue for themselves and their organisations from participation in OSPI. Conclusions: Exploring the role of advisory groups and the meaning of participation for these participants revealed some key areas for best practice in implementation: careful planning of the composition of the advisory group to access target groups; the importance of establishing common goals; the importance of acknowledging and complementing existing experience and activity; and facilitating an equivalence of benefit from network participation. KW - suicide prevention KW - realist evaluation KW - social capital KW - advisory groups KW - depression KW - strategies KW - alliance KW - complex interventions KW - process evaluation Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122117 VL - 13 IS - 158 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Verner, Martin A1 - Herrmann, Martin J. A1 - Troche, Stefan J. A1 - Roebers, Claudia M. A1 - Rammsayer, Thomas H. T1 - Cortical oxygen consumption in mental arithmetic as a function of task difficulty: a near-infrared spectroscopy approach JF - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience N2 - The present study investigated changes in cortical oxygenation during mental arithmetic using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Twenty-nine male volunteers were examined using a 52-channel continuous wave system for analyzing activity in prefrontal areas. With the help of a probabilistic mapping method, three regions of interest (ROIs) on each hemisphere were defined: The inferior frontal gyri (IFG), the middle frontal gyri (MFG), and the superior frontal gyri (SFG). Oxygenation as an indicator of functional brain activation was compared over the three ROI and two levels of arithmetic task difficulty (simple and complex additions). In contrast to most previous studies using fMRI or NIRS, in the present study arithmetic tasks were presented verbally in analogue to many daily life situations. With respect to task difficulty, more complex addition tasks led to higher oxygenation in all defined ROI except in the left IFG compared to simple addition tasks. When compared to the channel positions covering different gyri of the temporal lobe, the observed sensitivity to task complexity was found to be restricted to the specified ROIs. As to the comparison of ROIs, the highest oxygenation was found in the IFG, while MFG and SFG showed significantly less activation compared to IFG. The present cognitive-neuroscience approach demonstrated that NIRS is a suitable and highly feasible research tool for investigating and quantifying neural effects of increasing arithmetic task difficulty. KW - cortical activation KW - working memory KW - individual differences KW - prefrontal cortex KW - FMRI KW - brain-regions KW - subsctraction KW - activation KW - bold KW - intelligibility KW - NIRS KW - oxygen consumption KW - task difficulty KW - mental arithmetic KW - near-infrared spectroscopy Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122449 SN - 1662-5161 VL - 7 IS - 217 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meule, Adrian A1 - Kübler, Andrea A1 - Blechert, Jens T1 - Time course of electrocortical food-cue responses during cognitive regulation of craving JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - In our current obesogenic environment, exposure to visual food-cues can easily lead to craving and overeating because short-term, pleasurable effects of food intake dominate over the anticipated long-term adverse effects such as weight gain and associated health problems. Here we contrasted these two conditions during food-cue presentation while acquiring event-related potentials (ERPs) and subjective craving ratings. Female participants (n = 25) were presented with either high-calorie (HC) or low-calorie (LC) food images under instructions to imagine either immediate (NOW) or long-term effects (LATER) of consumption. On subjective ratings for HC foods, the LATER perspective reduced cravings as compared to the NOW perspective. For LC foods, by contrast, craving increased under the LATER perspective. Early ERPs (occipital N1, 150-200 ms) were sensitive to food type but not to perspective. Late ERPs (late positive potential, LPP, 350-550 ms) were larger in the HC-LATER condition than in all other conditions, possibly indicating that a cognitive focus on negative long-term consequences induced negative arousal. This enhancement for HC-LATER attenuated to the level of the LC conditions during the later slow wave (550-3000 ms), but amplitude in the HC-NOW condition was larger than in all other conditions, possibly due to a delayed appetitive response. Across all conditions, LPP amplitudes were positively correlated with self-reported emotional eating. In sum, results reveal that regulation effects are secondary to an early attentional analysis of food type and dynamically evolve over time. Adopting a long-term perspective on eating might promote a healthier food choice across a range of food types. KW - EEG KW - disorder examination questionnaire KW - eating disorder KW - emotion regulation KW - future directions KW - attention KW - brain KW - high-calorie KW - german version KW - bulimia nervosa KW - chocolate images KW - event-related potentials KW - eating KW - calorie content KW - food-cues KW - food craving KW - LPP KW - slow wave Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122566 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 4 IS - 669 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fischer, Rico A1 - Plessow, Franziska A1 - Kiesel, Andrea T1 - The effects of alerting signals in masked priming JF - Frontiers in Psychology N2 - Alerting signals often serve to reduce temporal uncertainty by predicting the time of stimulus onset. The resulting response time benefits have often been explained by facilitated translation of stimulus codes into response codes on the basis of established stimulus-response (S-R) links. In paradigms of masked S-R priming alerting signals also modulate response activation processes triggered by subliminally presented prime stimuli. In the present study we tested whether facilitation of visuo-motor translation processes due to alerting signals critically depends on established S-R links. Alerting signals resulted in significantly enhanced masked priming effects for masked prime stimuli that included and that did not include established S-R links fi.e., target vs. novel primes). Yet, the alerting-priming interaction was more pronounced for target than for novel primes. These results suggest that effects of alerting signals on masked priming are especially evident when S-R links between prime and target exist. At the same time, an alerting-priming interaction also for novel primes suggests that alerting signals also facilitate stimulus-response translation processes when masked prime stimuli provide action-trigger conditions in terms of programmed S-R links. KW - response selection KW - visual cortex KW - temporal predictability KW - stimuli KW - primes KW - target primes KW - simon task KW - automaticity KW - performance KW - perception KW - mechanism KW - novel primes KW - action-trigger KW - masked priming KW - accessory KW - alerting signal Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122581 SN - 1664-1078 VL - 4 IS - 448 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Menzel, Florian A1 - Blüthgen, Nico A1 - Tolasch, Till A1 - Conrad, Jürgen A1 - Beifuss, Uwe A1 - Beuerle, Till A1 - Schmitt, Thomas T1 - Crematoenones - a novel substance class exhibited by ants functions as appeasement signal JF - Frontiers in Zoology N2 - Background: Parasitic, commensalistic, and mutualistic guests in social insect colonies often circumvent their hosts' nestmate recognition system to be accepted. These tolerance strategies include chemical mimicry and chemical insignificance. While tolerance strategies have been studied intensively in social parasites, little is known about these mechanisms in non-parasitic interactions. Here, we describe a strategy used in a parabiotic association, i.e. two mutualistic ant species that regularly share a common nest although they have overlapping food niches. One of them, Crematogaster modiglianii, produces an array of cuticular compounds which represent a substance class undescribed in nature so far. They occur in high abundances, which suggests an important function in the ant's association with its partner Camponotus rufifemur. Results: We elucidated the structure of one of the main compounds from cuticular extracts using gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, chemical derivatizations and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR). The compound consists of two fused six-membered rings with two alkyl groups, one of which carries a keto functionality. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the identification of this substance class in nature. We suggest naming the compound crematoenone. In behavioural assays, crematoenones reduced interspecific aggression. Camponotus showed less aggression to allospecific cuticular hydrocarbons when combined with crematoenones. Thus, they function as appeasement substances. However, although the crematoenone composition was highly colony-specific, interspecific recognition was mediated by cuticular hydrocarbons, and not by crematoenones. Conclusions: Crematenones enable Crematogaster to evade Camponotus aggression, and thus reduce potential costs from competition with Camponotus. Hence, they seem to be a key factor in the parabiosis, and help Crematogaster to gain a net benefit from the association and thus maintain a mutualistic association over evolutionary time. To our knowledge, putative appeasement substances have been reported only once so far, and never between non-parasitic species. Since most organisms associated with social insects need to overcome their nestmate recognition system, we hypothesize that appeasement substances might play an important role in the evolution and maintenance of other mutualistic associations as well, by allowing organisms to reduce costs from antagonistic behaviour of other species. KW - cuticular hydrocarbons KW - appeasement substance KW - bees KW - ecology KW - parasitism KW - alkyloctahydronaphthalene KW - usurpation KW - venom KW - pheromone KW - crematogaster KW - parabiotic ants KW - Dufours gland KW - polyergus rufescens KW - formicidae KW - interspecific aggression KW - nestmate recognition cues KW - parabiotic association Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122595 SN - 1742-9994 VL - 10 IS - 32 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mueller, Kerstin A1 - Quandt, Jasmin A1 - Marienfeld, Ralf B. A1 - Weihrich, Petra A1 - Fiedler, Katja A1 - Claussnitzer, Melina A1 - Laumen, Helmut A1 - Vaeth, Martin A1 - Berberich-Siebelt, Frederike A1 - Serfling, Edgar A1 - Wirth, Thomas A1 - Brunner, Cornelia T1 - Octamer-dependent transcription in T cells is mediated by NFAT and \(NF-\kappa B\) JF - Nucleic Acids Research N2 - The transcriptional co-activator BOB.1/OBF.1 was originally identified in B cells and is constitutively expressed throughout B cell development. BOB.1/OBF.1 associates with the transcription factors Oct1 and Oct2, thereby enhancing octamer-dependent transcription. In contrast, in T cells, BOB.1/OBF.1 expression is inducible by treatment of cells with PMA/Ionomycin or by antigen receptor engagement, indicating a marked difference in the regulation of BOB.1/OBF.1 expression in B versus T cells. The molecular mechanisms underlying the differential expression of BOB.1/OBF.1 in T and B cells remain largely unknown. Therefore, the present study focuses on mechanisms controlling the transcriptional regulation of BOB.1/OBF.1 and Oct2 in T cells. We show that both calcineurin- and \(NF-\kappa B\)-inhibitors efficiently attenuate the expression of BOB.1/OBF.1 and Oct2 in T cells. In silico analyses of the BOB.1/OBF.1 promoter revealed the presence of previously unappreciated combined NFAT/\(NF-\kappa B\) sites. An array of genetic and biochemical analyses illustrates the involvement of the \(Ca^{2+}\)/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin as well as NFAT and \(NF-\kappa B\) transcription factors in the transcriptional regulation of octamer-dependent transcription in T cells. Conclusively, impaired expression of BOB.1/OBF.1 and Oct2 and therefore a hampered octamer-dependent transcription may participate in T cell-mediated immunodeficiency caused by the deletion of NFAT or \(NF-\kappa B\) transcription factors. KW - germinal center formation KW - OBF-1 OCA-B KW - coactivator OBF-1 KW - gene expression KW - functional characterization KW - immunoglobulin promoters KW - OCT-1-deficient mice KW - embryonic lethality KW - endothelial cells KW - murine homolog Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123280 SN - 1362-4962 VL - 41 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ablin, Jacob A1 - Fitzcharles, Mary-Ann A1 - Buskila, Dan A1 - Shir, Yoram A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Häuser, Winfried T1 - Treatment of Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Recommendations of Recent Evidence-Based Interdisciplinary Guidelines with Special Emphasis on Complementary and Alternative Therapies JF - Evidence-Bayed Complementary and Alternative Medicine N2 - Objective. Current evidence indicates that there is no single ideal treatment for fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). First choice treatment options remain debatable, especially concerning the importance of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments. Methods. Three evidence-based interdisciplinary guidelines on FMS in Canada, Germany, and Israel were compared for their first choice and CAM-recommendations. Results. All three guidelines emphasized a patient-tailored approach according to the key symptoms. Aerobic exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy, and multicomponent therapy were first choice treatments. The guidelines differed in the grade of recommendation for drug treatment. Anticonvulsants (gabapentin, pregabalin) and serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (duloxetine, milnacipran) were strongly recommended by the Canadian and the Israeli guidelines. These drugs received only a weak recommendation by the German guideline. In consideration of CAM-treatments, acupuncture, hypnosis/guided imagery, and Tai Chi were recommended by the German and Israeli guidelines. The Canadian guidelines did not recommend any CAM therapy. Discussion. Recent evidence-based interdisciplinary guidelines concur on the importance of treatment tailored to the individual patient and further emphasize the need of self-management strategies (exercise, and psychological techniques). KW - metaanalysis KW - management KW - care Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122235 SN - 1741-427X ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Spinelli, Simona A1 - Müller, Tanja A1 - Friedel, Miriam A1 - Sigrist, Hannes A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter A1 - Henkelman, Mark A1 - Rudin, Markus A1 - Seifritz, Erich A1 - Pryce, Christopher R. T1 - Effects of repeated adolescent stress and serotonin transporter gene partial knockout in mice on behaviors and brain structures relevant to major depression JF - Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience N2 - In humans, exposure to stress during development is associated with structural and functional alterations of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), amygdala (AMY), and hippocampus (HC) and their circuits of connectivity, and with an increased risk for developing major depressive disorder particularly in carriers of the short (s) variant of the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) gene-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR). Although changes in these regions are found in carriers of the s allele and/or in depressed patients, evidence for a specific genotype x developmental stress effect on brain structure and function is limited. Here, we investigated the effect of repeated stress exposure during adolescence in mice with partial knockout of the 5-HIT gene (HET) vs. wildtype (WT) on early-adulthood behavioral measures and brain structure [using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)] relevant to human major depression. Behaviorally, adolescent stress (AS) increased anxiety and decreased activity and did so to a similar degree in HET and WT. In a probabilistic reversal learning task, HET-AS mice achieved fewer reversals than did HET-No-AS mice. 5-HIT genotype and AS were without effect on corticosterone stress response. In terms of structural brain differences, AS reduced the volume of two long-range white matter tracts, the optic tract (OT) and the cerebral peduncle (CP), in WT mice specifically. In a region-of-interest analysis, AS was associated with increased HC volume and HET genotype with a decreased frontal lobe volume. In conclusion, we found that 5-HIT and AS genotype exerted long-term effects on behavior and development of brain regions relevant to human depression. KW - mouse-brain KW - white-matter integrity KW - linked polymorphic region KW - C57BL/6 mice KW - lerned helplessness KW - 5-HTTLPR polymorphism KW - childhood maltreatment KW - rhesus macaques KW - 3-dimensional MRI KW - life stress Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122240 VL - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ehrenfeld, Stephan A1 - Herbort, Oliver A1 - Butz, Martin V. T1 - Modular neuron-based body estimation: maintaining consistency over different limbs, modalities, and frames of reference JF - Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience N2 - This paper addresses the question of how the brain maintains a probabilistic body state estimate over time from a modeling perspective. The neural Modular Modality Frame (nMMF) model simulates such a body state estimation process by continuously integrating redundant, multimodal body state information sources. The body state estimate itself is distributed over separate, but bidirectionally interacting modules. nMMF compares the incoming sensory and present body state information across the interacting modules and fuses the information sources accordingly. At the same time, nMMF enforces body state estimation consistency across the modules. nMMF is able to detect conflicting sensory information and to consequently decrease the influence of implausible sensor sources on the fly. In contrast to the previously published Modular Modality Frame (MMF) model, nMMF offers a biologically plausible neural implementation based on distributed, probabilistic population codes. Besides its neural plausibility, the neural encoding has the advantage of enabling (a) additional probabilistic information flow across the separate body state estimation modules and (b) the representation of arbitrary probability distributions of a body state. The results show that the neural estimates can detect and decrease the impact of false sensory information, can propagate conflicting information across modules, and can improve overall estimation accuracy due to additional module interactions. Even bodily illusions, such as the rubber hand illusion, can be simulated with nMMF. We conclude with an outlook on the potential of modeling human data and of invoking goal-directed behavioral control. KW - information KW - posterior parietal cortex KW - hand KW - population code KW - conflicting information KW - multimodal interaction KW - probabilistic inference KW - modular body schema KW - sensor fusion KW - multisensory perception KW - fusion KW - representation KW - multisensory processing KW - see KW - implementation KW - perspective KW - multisensory integration KW - population codes Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122253 VL - 7 IS - 148 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Borchers, Svenja A1 - Müller, Laura A1 - Synofzik, Matthis A1 - Himmelbach, Marc T1 - Guidelines and quality measures for the diagnosis of optic ataxia JF - Frontiers in Human Neuroscience N2 - Since the first description of a systematic mis-reaching by Balint in 1909, a reasonable number of patients showing a similar phenomenology, later termed optic ataxia (OA), has been described. However, there is surprising inconsistency regarding the behavioral measures that are used to detect OA in experimental and clinical reports, if the respective measures are reported at all. A typical screening method that was presumably used by most researchers and clinicians, reaching for a target object in the peripheral visual space, has never been evaluated. We developed a set of instructions and evaluation criteria for the scoring of a semi-standardized version of this reaching task. We tested 36 healthy participants, a group of 52 acute and chronic stroke patients, and 24 patients suffering from cerebellar ataxia. We found a high interrater reliability and a moderate test-retest reliability comparable to other clinical instruments in the stroke sample. The calculation of cut-off thresholds based on healthy control and cerebellar patient data showed an unexpected high number of false positives in these samples due to individual outliers that made a considerable number of errors in peripheral reaching. This study provides first empirical data from large control and patient groups for a screening procedure that seems to be widely used but rarely explicitly reported and prepares the grounds for its use as a standard tool for the description of patients who are included in single case or group studies addressing optic ataxia similar to the use of neglect, extinction, or apraxia screening tools. KW - systems KW - deficit KW - target KW - damage KW - delay KW - posterior cortical atrophy KW - Balints-Syndrome KW - hand KW - impairments KW - reliability KW - cerebellar atrophy KW - cerebellar ataxia KW - cerebellum KW - parietal lobe KW - optic ataxia KW - beside test Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122439 SN - 1662-5161 VL - 7 IS - 324 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Falge, M. A1 - Engel, V. A1 - Gräfe, S. T1 - Time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy of coupled nuclear-electronic dynamics JF - EPJ Web of Conferences N2 - We study the effect of nuclear-electron coupling on time-resolved photo-electron spectra, employing a model system which allows to directly comparing spectra resulting from the adiabatic approximation with those obtained within a non-Born-Oppenheimer description. Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121812 SN - 2100-014X VL - 41 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Moffet, R. C. A1 - Rödel, R. C. A1 - Kelly, S. T. A1 - Yu, X. Y. A1 - Carroll, G. T. A1 - Fast, J. A1 - Zaveri, R. A. A1 - Laskin, A. A1 - Gilles, M. K. T1 - Spectro-microscopic measurements of carbonaceous aerosol aging in Central California JF - Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics N2 - Carbonaceous aerosols are responsible for large uncertainties in climate models, degraded visibility, and adverse health effects. The Carbonaceous Aerosols and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) was designed to study carbonaceous aerosols in the natural environment of the Central Valley, California, and learn more about their atmospheric formation and aging. This paper presents results from spectro-microscopic measurements of carbonaceous particles collected during CARES at the time of a pollution accumulation event (27-29 June 2010), when in situ measurements indicated an increase in the organic carbon content of aerosols as the Sacramento urban plume aged. Computer-controlled scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray detector (CCSEM/EDX) and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy coupled with near-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopy (STXM/NEXAFS) were used to probe the chemical composition and morphology of individual particles. It was found that the mass of organic carbon on individual particles increased through condensation of secondary organic aerosol. STXM/NEXAFS indicated that the number fraction of homogenous organic particles lacking inorganic inclusions (greater than similar to 50 nm equivalent circular diameter) increased with plume age, as did the organic mass per particle. Comparison of the CARES spectro-microscopic dataset with a similar dataset obtained in Mexico City during the MILAGRO campaign showed that fresh particles in Mexico City contained three times as much carbon as those sampled during CARES. The number fraction of soot particles at the Mexico City urban site (ranging from 16.6 to 47.3 %) was larger than at the CARES urban site (13.4-15.7%), and the most aged samples from CARES contained fewer carbon-carbon double bonds. Differences between carbonaceous particles in Mexico City and California result from different sources, photochemical conditions, gas phase reactants, and secondary organic aerosol precursors. The detailed results provided by these spectro-microscopic measurements will allow for a comprehensive evaluation of aerosol process models used in climate research. KW - photochemical air-pollution KW - Mexico City KW - black carbon KW - mixing state KW - atmospheric aerosols Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121827 SN - 1680-7324 VL - 13 IS - 20 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dietz, Mariana S. A1 - Hasse, Daniel A1 - Ferraris, Davide M. A1 - Göhler, Antonia A1 - Niemann, Hartmut H. A1 - Heilemann, Mike T1 - Single-molecule photobleaching reveals increased MET receptor dimerization upon ligand binding in intact cells JF - BMC Biophysics N2 - Background: The human receptor tyrosine kinase MET and its ligand hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor are essential during embryonic development and play an important role during cancer metastasis and tissue regeneration. In addition, it was found that MET is also relevant for infectious diseases and is the target of different bacteria, amongst them Listeria monocytogenes that induces bacterial uptake through the surface protein internalin B. Binding of ligand to the MET receptor is proposed to lead to receptor dimerization. However, it is also discussed whether preformed MET dimers exist on the cell membrane. Results: To address these issues we used single-molecule fluorescence microscopy techniques. Our photobleaching experiments show that MET exists in dimers on the membrane of cells in the absence of ligand and that the proportion of MET dimers increases significantly upon ligand binding. Conclusions: Our results indicate that partially preformed MET dimers may play a role in ligand binding or MET signaling. The addition of the bacterial ligand internalin B leads to an increase of MET dimers which is in agreement with the model of ligand-induced dimerization of receptor tyrosine kinases. KW - single-molecule photobleaching KW - fluorescence correlation spectroscopy KW - fluorescence KW - EGF receptor KW - rat hepatocytes KW - structural insights KW - Scatter factor KW - SEMA domain KW - hepatocyte-growth-factor KW - invasion protein-INLB KW - listeria-monocytogenes KW - tyrosine kinase KW - living cells KW - dimerization KW - MET receptor KW - Signal transduction Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121835 SN - 2046-1682 VL - 6 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rybalka, Nataliya A1 - Wolf, Matthias A1 - Andersen, Robert A1 - Friedl, Thomas T1 - Congruence of chloroplast- and nuclear-encoded DNA sequence variations used to assess species boundaries in the soil microalga Heterococcus (Stramenopiles, Xanthophyceae) JF - BMC Evolutionary Biology N2 - Background: Heterococcus is a microalgal genus of Xanthophyceae (Stramenopiles) that is common and widespread in soils, especially from cold regions. Species are characterized by extensively branched filaments produced when grown on agarized culture medium. Despite the large number of species described exclusively using light microscopic morphology, the assessment of species diversity is hampered by extensive morphological plasticity. Results: Two independent types of molecular data, the chloroplast-encoded psbA/rbcL spacer complemented by rbcL gene and the internal transcribed spacer 2 of the nuclear rDNA cistron (ITS2), congruently recovered a robust phylogenetic structure. With ITS2 considerable sequence and secondary structure divergence existed among the eight species, but a combined sequence and secondary structure phylogenetic analysis confined to helix II of ITS2 corroborated relationships as inferred from the rbcL gene phylogeny. Intra-genomic divergence of ITS2 sequences was revealed in many strains. The 'monophyletic species concept', appropriate for microalgae without known sexual reproduction, revealed eight different species. Species boundaries established using the molecular-based monophyletic species concept were more conservative than the traditional morphological species concept. Within a species, almost identical chloroplast marker sequences (genotypes) were repeatedly recovered from strains of different origins. At least two species had widespread geographical distributions; however, within a given species, genotypes recovered from Antarctic strains were distinct from those in temperate habitats. Furthermore, the sequence diversity may correspond to adaptation to different types of habitats or climates. Conclusions: We established a method and a reference data base for the unambiguous identification of species of the common soil microalgal genus Heterococcus which uses DNA sequence variation in markers from plastid and nuclear genomes. The molecular data were more reliable and more conservative than morphological data. KW - xanthophyceae KW - psbA/rbcL spacer KW - ITS2 KW - tool KW - RBCL KW - alignment KW - evolution KW - chlorophyta KW - RNA secondary structure KW - terrestrial habitats KW - phylogenetic trees KW - mixed models KW - green algae KW - heterococcus KW - systematics KW - molecular phylogeny KW - species concept Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121848 SN - 1471-2148 VL - 13 IS - 39 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Farag, Heba Gamal A1 - Froehler, Sebastian A1 - Oexle, Konrad A1 - Ravindran, Ethiraj A1 - Schindler, Detlev A1 - Staab, Timo A1 - Huebner, Angela A1 - Kraemer, Nadine A1 - Chen, Wei A1 - Kaindl, Angela M. T1 - Abnormal centrosome and spindle morphology in a patient with autosomal recessive primary microcephaly type 2 due to compound heterozygous WDR62 gene mutation JF - Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases N2 - Background: Autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) is a rare neurodevelopmental disease with severe microcephaly at birth due to a pronounced reduction in brain volume and intellectual disability. Biallelic mutations in the WD repeat-containing protein 62 gene WDR62 are the genetic cause of MCPH2. However, the exact underlying pathomechanism of MCPH2 remains to be clarified. Methods/results: We characterized the clinical, radiological, and cellular features that add to the human MCPH2 phenotype. Exome sequencing followed by Sanger sequencing in a German family with two affected daughters with primary microcephaly revealed in the index patient the compound heterozygous mutations c. 1313G>A (p.R438H) / c.2864-2867delACAG (p.D955Afs*112) of WDR62, the second of which is novel. Radiological examination displayed small frontal lobes, corpus callosum hypoplasia, simplified hippocampal gyration, and cerebellar hypoplasia. We investigated the cellular phenotype in patient-derived lymphoblastoid cells and compared it with that of healthy female controls. WDR62 expression in the patient's immortalized lymphocytes was deranged, and mitotic spindle defects as well as abnormal centrosomal protein localization were apparent. Conclusion: We propose that a disruption of centrosome integrity and/or spindle organization may play an important role in the development of microcephaly in MCPH2. KW - cell division KW - intellectual disability KW - missense mutations KW - protein KW - malformations KW - establishment KW - cytokinesis KW - genome KW - midbody KW - database KW - maintenance KW - families KW - microcephaly KW - WDR62 mutation Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123505 SN - 1750-1172 VL - 8 IS - 178 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Edgecock, T. R. A1 - Caretta, O. A1 - Davenne, T. A1 - Densam, C. A1 - Fitton, M. A1 - Kelliher, D. A1 - Loveridge, P. A1 - Machida, S. A1 - Prior, C. A1 - Rogers, C. A1 - Rooney, M. A1 - Thomason, J. A1 - Wilcox, D. A1 - Wildner, E. A1 - Efthymiopoulos, I. A1 - Garoby, R. A1 - Gilardoni, S. A1 - Hansen, C. A1 - Benedetto, E. A1 - Jensen, E. A1 - Kosmicki, A. A1 - Martini, M. A1 - Osborne, J. A1 - Prior, G. A1 - Stora, T. A1 - Melo Mendonca, T. A1 - Vlachoudis, V. A1 - Waaijer, C. A1 - Cupial, P. A1 - Chancé, A. A1 - Longhin, A. A1 - Payet, J. A1 - Zito, M. A1 - Baussan, E. A1 - Bobeth, C. A1 - Bouquerel, E. A1 - Dracos, M. A1 - Gaudiot, G. A1 - Lepers, B. A1 - Osswald, F. A1 - Poussot, P. A1 - Vassilopoulos, N. A1 - Wurtz, J. A1 - Zeter, V. A1 - Bielski, J. A1 - Kozien, M. A1 - Lacny, L. A1 - Skoczen, B. A1 - Szybinski, B. A1 - Ustrycka, A. A1 - Wroblewski, A. A1 - Marie-Jeanne, M. A1 - Balint, P. A1 - Fourel, C. A1 - Giraud, J. A1 - Jacob, J. A1 - Lamy, T. A1 - Latrasse, L. A1 - Sortais, P. A1 - Thuillier, T. A1 - Mitrofanov, S. A1 - Loiselet, M. A1 - Keutgen, Th. A1 - Delbar, Th. A1 - Debray, F. A1 - Trophine, C. A1 - Veys, S. A1 - Daversin, C. A1 - Zorin, V. A1 - Izotov, I. A1 - Skalyga, V. A1 - Burt, G. A1 - Dexter, A. C. A1 - Kravchuk, V. L. A1 - Marchi, T. A1 - Cinausero, M. A1 - Gramegna, F. A1 - De Angelis, G. A1 - Prete, G. A1 - Collazuol, G. A1 - Laveder, M. A1 - Mazzocco, M. A1 - Mezzetto, M. A1 - Signorini, C. A1 - Vardaci, E. A1 - Di Nitto, A. A1 - Brondi, A. A1 - La Rana, G. A1 - Migliozzi, P. A1 - Moro, R. A1 - Palladino, V. A1 - Gelli, N. A1 - Berkovits, D. A1 - Hass, M. A1 - Hirsh, T. Y. A1 - Schuhmann, M. A1 - Stahl, A. A1 - Wehner, J. A1 - Bross, A. A1 - Kopp, J. A1 - Neuffer, D. A1 - Wands, R. A1 - Bayes, R. A1 - Laing, A. A1 - Soler, P. A1 - Agarwalla, S. K. A1 - Cervera Villanueva, A. A1 - Donini, A. A1 - Ghosh, T. A1 - Gómez Cadenas, J. J. A1 - Hernández, P. A1 - Martín-Albo, J. A1 - Mena, O. A1 - Burguet-Castell, J. A1 - Agostino, L. A1 - Buizza-Avanzini, M. A1 - Marafini, M. A1 - Patzak, T. A1 - Tonazzo, A. A1 - Duchesneau, D. A1 - Mosca, L. A1 - Bogomilov, M. A1 - Karadzhov, Y. A1 - Matev, R. A1 - Tsenov, R. A1 - Akhmedov, E. A1 - Blennow, M. A1 - Lindner, M. A1 - Schwetz, T. A1 - Fernández Martinez, E. A1 - Maltoni, M. A1 - Menéndez, J. A1 - Giunti, C. A1 - González García, M. C. A1 - Salvado, J. A1 - Coloma, P. A1 - Huber, P. A1 - Li, T. A1 - López Pavón, J. A1 - Orme, C. A1 - Pascoli, S. A1 - Meloni, D. A1 - Tang, J. A1 - Winter, W. A1 - Ohlsson, T. A1 - Zhang, H. A1 - Scotto-Lavina, L. A1 - Terranova, F. A1 - Bonesini, M. A1 - Tortora, L. A1 - Alekou, A. A1 - Aslaninejad, M. A1 - Bontoiu, C. A1 - Kurup, A. A1 - Jenner, L. J. A1 - Long, K. A1 - Pasternak, J. A1 - Pozimski, J. A1 - Back, J. J. A1 - Harrison, P. A1 - Beard, K. A1 - Bogacz, A. A1 - Berg, J. S. A1 - Stratakis, D. A1 - Witte, H. A1 - Snopok, P. A1 - Bliss, N. A1 - Cordwell, M. A1 - Moss, A. A1 - Pattalwar, S. A1 - Apollonio, M. T1 - High intensity neutrino oscillation facilities in Europe JF - Physical Review Special Topics-Accelerators and Beams N2 - The EUROnu project has studied three possible options for future, high intensity neutrino oscillation facilities in Europe. The first is a Super Beam, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of pions created by bombarding targets with a 4 MW proton beam from the CERN High Power Superconducting Proton Linac. The far detector for this facility is the 500 kt MEMPHYS water Cherenkov, located in the Frejus tunnel. The second facility is the Neutrino Factory, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of mu(+) and mu(-) beams in a storage ring. The far detector in this case is a 100 kt magnetized iron neutrino detector at a baseline of 2000 km. The third option is a Beta Beam, in which the neutrinos come from the decay of beta emitting isotopes, in particular He-6 and Ne-18, also stored in a ring. The far detector is also the MEMPHYS detector in the Frejus tunnel. EUROnu has undertaken conceptual designs of these facilities and studied the performance of the detectors. Based on this, it has determined the physics reach of each facility, in particular for the measurement of CP violation in the lepton sector, and estimated the cost of construction. These have demonstrated that the best facility to build is the Neutrino Factory. However, if a powerful proton driver is constructed for another purpose or if the MEMPHYS detector is built for astroparticle physics, the Super Beam also becomes very attractive. KW - EMMA KW - beta-beam Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126611 VL - 16 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - König, Markus A1 - Baenninger, Matthias A1 - Garcia, Andrei G. F. A1 - Harjee, Nahid A1 - Pruitt, Beth L. A1 - Ames, C. A1 - Leubner, Philipp A1 - Brüne, Christoph A1 - Buhmann, Hartmut A1 - Molenkamp, Laurens W. A1 - Goldhaber-Gordon, David T1 - Spatially Resolved Study of Backscattering in the Quantum Spin Hall State JF - Physical Review X N2 - The discovery of the quantum spin Hall (QSH) state, and topological insulators in general, has sparked strong experimental efforts. Transport studies of the quantum spin Hall state have confirmed the presence of edge states, showed ballistic edge transport in micron-sized samples, and demonstrated the spin polarization of the helical edge states. While these experiments have confirmed the broad theoretical model, the properties of the QSH edge states have not yet been investigated on a local scale. Using scanning gate microscopy to perturb the QSH edge states on a submicron scale, we identify well-localized scattering sites which likely limit the expected nondissipative transport in the helical edge channels. In the micron-sized regions between the scattering sites, the edge states appear to propagate unperturbed, as expected for an ideal QSH system, and are found to be robust against weak induced potential fluctuations. KW - mesoscopics KW - topological insulators KW - transport KW - charge KW - wells KW - branched flow KW - nanostructures Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127225 SN - 2160-3308 VL - 3 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Szabó, Áron A1 - Papin, Christian A1 - Zorn, Daniela A1 - Ponien, Prishila A1 - Weber, Frank A1 - Raabe, Thomas A1 - Rouyer, François T1 - The CK2 Kinase Stabilizes CLOCK and Represses Its Activity in the Drosophila Circadian Oscillator JF - PLoS Biology N2 - Phosphorylation is a pivotal regulatory mechanism for protein stability and activity in circadian clocks regardless of their evolutionary origin. It determines the speed and strength of molecular oscillations by acting on transcriptional activators and their repressors, which form negative feedback loops. In Drosophila, the CK2 kinase phosphorylates and destabilizes the PERIOD (PER) and TIMELESS (TIM) proteins, which inhibit CLOCK (CLK) transcriptional activity. Here we show that CK2 also targets the CLK activator directly. Downregulating the activity of the catalytic alpha subunit of CK2 induces CLK degradation, even in the absence of PER and TIM. Unexpectedly, the regulatory beta subunit of the CK2 holoenzyme is not required for the regulation of CLK stability. In addition, downregulation of \(CK2\alpha\) activity decreases CLK phosphorylation and increases per and tim transcription. These results indicate that CK2 inhibits CLK degradation while reducing its activity. Since the CK1 kinase promotes CLK degradation, we suggest that CLK stability and transcriptional activity result from counteracting effects of CK1 and CK2. KW - negative feedback loop KW - PER-TIM complex KW - posttranslational regulation KW - transcription factor KW - in-vivo KW - behavioral rhythms KW - proteins period KW - beta-subunit KW - phosphorylation KW - gene KW - CT, circadian time KW - LD, light:dark KW - DD, constant darkness Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127234 SN - 1545-7885 VL - 11 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Cornelius, Christine A1 - Leingärtner, Annette A1 - Hoiss, Bernhard A1 - Krauss, Jochen A1 - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf A1 - Menzel, Annette T1 - Phenological response of grassland species to manipulative snowmelt and drought along an altitudinal gradient JF - Journal of Experimental Botany N2 - Plant communities in the European Alps are assumed to be highly affected by climate change, as the temperature rise in this region is above the global average. It is predicted that higher temperatures will lead to advanced snowmelt dates and that the number of extreme weather events will increase. The aims of this study were to determine the impacts of extreme climatic events on flower phenology and to assess whether those impacts differed between lower and higher altitudes. In 2010, an experiment simulating advanced and delayed snowmelt as well as a drought event was conducted along an altitudinal transect approximately every 250 m (600–2000 m above sea level) in the Berchtesgaden National Park, Germany. The study showed that flower phenology was strongly affected by altitude; however, there were few effects of the manipulative treatments on flowering. The effects of advanced snowmelt were significantly greater at higher than at lower sites, but no significant difference was found between both altitudinal bands for the other treatments. The response of flower phenology to temperature declined through the season and the length of flowering duration was not significantly influenced by treatments. The stronger effect of advanced snowmelt at higher altitudes may be a response to differences in treatment intensity across the gradient. Consequently, shifts in the date of snowmelt due to global warming may affect species more at higher than at lower altitudes, as changes may be more pronounced at higher altitudes. These data indicate a rather low risk of drought events on flowering phenology in the Bavarian Alps. KW - flowering KW - advanced KW - snowmelt KW - Alps KW - BBCH KW - climate change KW - delayed snowmelt Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126888 VL - 64 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ginzkey, Christian A1 - Eicker, Sven A1 - Marget, Matthias A1 - Krause, Jörg A1 - Brecht, Stefan A1 - Westphal, Manfred A1 - Hugo, Heinz-Hermann A1 - Mehdorn, Maximilian A1 - Steinmann, Jörg A1 - Hamel, Wolfgang T1 - Incomplete tumour control following DNA vaccination against rat gliomas expressing a model antigen JF - Acta Neurochirurgica N2 - Background Vaccination against tumour-associated antigens is one approach to elicit anti-tumour responses. We investigated the effect of polynucleotide (DNA) vaccination using a model antigen (E. coli lacZ) in a syngeneic gliosarcoma model (9L). Methods Fisher 344 rats were vaccinated thrice by intramuscular injection of a lacZ-encoding or a control plasmid in weekly intervals. One week after the last vaccination, lacZ-expressing 9L cells were implanted into the striatum. Results After 3 weeks, in lacZ-vaccinated animals the tumours were significantly smaller than in control-vaccinated animals. In cytotoxic T cell assays lysis rates of >50 % could only be observed in a few of the lacZ-vaccinated animals. This response was directed against lacZ-expressing and parental 9L cells but not against syngeneic MADB 106 adenocarcinoma cells. In Elispot assays interferon-γ production was observed upon stimulation with 9LlacZ and 9L wild-type but not MADB 106 cells. This response was higher for lacZ-immunized animals. All animals revealed dense infiltrates with CD8+ lymphocytes and, to a lesser extent, with NK cells. CD25-staining indicated cells possibly associated with the maintenance of peripheral tolerance to self-antigens. All tumours were densely infiltrated by microglia consisting mostly of ramified cells. Only focal accumulation of macrophage-like cells expressing ED1, a marker for phagocytic activity, was observed. Conclusion Prophylactic DNA vaccination resulted in effective but incomplete suppression of brain tumour formation. Mechanisms other than cytotoxic T cell responses as measured in the generally used in vitro assays appear to play a role in tumour suppression. KW - lacZ KW - rat glioma KW - immunotherapy KW - DNA vaccination Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126775 VL - 155 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Holzschuh, Andrea A1 - Dormann, Carsten F. A1 - Tscharntke, Teja A1 - Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf T1 - Mass-flowering crops enhance wild bee abundance JF - Oecologia N2 - Although agricultural habitats can provide enormous amounts of food resources for pollinator species, links between agricultural and (semi-)natural habitats through dispersal and foraging movements have hardly been studied. In 67 study sites, we assessed the interactions between mass-flowering oilseed rape fields and semi-natural grasslands at different spatial scales, and their effects on the number of brood cells of a solitary cavity-nesting bee. The probability that the bee Osmia bicornis colonized trap nests in oilseed rape fields increased from 12 to 59 % when grassland was nearby, compared to fields isolated from grassland. In grasslands, the number of brood cells of O. bicornis in trap nests was 55 % higher when adjacent to oilseed rape compared to isolated grasslands. The percentage of oilseed rape pollen in the larval food was higher in oilseed rape fields and grasslands adjacent to oilseed rape than in isolated grasslands. In both oilseed rape fields and grasslands, the number of brood cells was positively correlated with the percentage of oilseed rape pollen in the larval food. We show that mass-flowering agricultural habitats—even when they are intensively managed—can strongly enhance the abundance of a solitary bee species nesting in nearby semi-natural habitats. Our results suggest that positive effects of agricultural habitats have been underestimated and might be very common (at least) for generalist species in landscapes consisting of a mixture of agricultural and semi-natural habitats. These effects might also have—so far overlooked—implications for interspecific competition and mutualistic interactions in semi-natural habitats. KW - spillover KW - trap nests KW - pollen KW - oilseed rape KW - canola Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-126852 VL - 172 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gross, Hans J. A1 - Samhita, Laasya T1 - The “Clever Hans Phenomenon” revisited N2 - In the first decade of the 20th century, a horse named Hans drew worldwide attention in Berlin as the first and most famous “speaking” and thinking animal. Hans solved calculations by tapping numbers or letters with his hoof in order to answer questions. Later on, it turned out that the horse was able to give the correct answer by reading the microscopic signals in the face of the questioning person. This observation caused a revolution and as a consequence, experimenters avoided strictly any face-to-face contact in studies about cognitive abilities of animals—a fundamental lesson that is still not applied rigorously. KW - Clever Hans Phenomenon Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-112626 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Westermaier, Thomas T1 - Neuroprotective Treatment Strategies for Delayed Cerebral Ischemia after Subarachnoid Hemorrhage – Review of Literature and Future Prospects N2 - This article reviews experimental and clinical data on the use of various neuroprotective agents and therapeutic measures after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). While calcium antagonists have been used in the past and are still part of the standard treatment regimen in most departments involved in the treatment of SAH, other classes of drugs and various other methods have been tested for their potential to inhibit delayed ischemia after SAH. This article reviews the literature about clinical studies about the efficacy of various neuroprotective agents and methods including statins, steroids and Endothelin-antagonists and other - alternative - methods like cisternal lavage, intrathecal drug delivery and hypercapnia, offering future perspectives for the treatment of this hazardous disease. KW - Cerebral Ischemia KW - Subarachnoid hemorrhage KW - Neuroprotection KW - Delayed cerebral infarction KW - Delayed ischemic neurological deficit Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-112631 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kang, Ji Hyoun A1 - Schartl, Manfred A1 - Walter, Ronald B. A1 - Meyer, Axel T1 - Comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of all species of swordtails and platies (Pisces: Genus Xiphophorus) uncovers a hybrid origin of a swordtail fish, Xiphophorus monticolus, and demonstrates that the sexually selected sword originated in the ancestral lineage of the genus, but was lost again secondarily JF - BMC Evolutionary Biology N2 - Background: Males in some species of the genus Xiphophorus, small freshwater fishes from Meso-America, have an extended caudal fin, or sword - hence their common name "swordtails". Longer swords are preferred by females from both sworded and - surprisingly also, non-sworded (platyfish) species that belong to the same genus. Swordtails have been studied widely as models in research on sexual selection. Specifically, the pre-existing bias hypothesis was interpreted to best explain the observed bias of females in presumed ancestral lineages of swordless species that show a preference for assumed derived males with swords over their conspecific swordless males. However, many of the phylogenetic relationships within this genus still remained unresolved. Here we construct a comprehensive molecular phylogeny of all 26 known Xiphophorus species, including the four recently described species (X. kallmani, X. mayae, X. mixei and X. monticolus). We use two mitochondrial and six new nuclear markers in an effort to increase the understanding of the evolutionary relationships among the species in this genus. Based on the phylogeny, the evolutionary history and character state evolution of the sword was reconstructed and found to have originated in the common ancestral lineage of the genus Xiphophorus and that it was lost again secondarily. Results: We estimated the evolutionary relationships among all known species of the genus Xiphophorus based on the largest set of DNA markers so far. The phylogeny indicates that one of the newly described swordtail species, Xiphophorus monticolus, is likely to have arisen through hybridization since it is placed with the southern platyfish in the mitochondrial phylogeny, but with the southern swordtails in the nuclear phylogeny. Such discordance between these two types of markers is a strong indication for a hybrid origin. Additionally, by using a maximum likelihood approach the possession of the sexually selected sword trait is shown to be the most likely ancestral state for the genus Xiphophorus. Further, we provide a well supported estimation of the phylogenetic relationships between the previously unresolved northern swordtail groups. Conclusions: This comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the entire genus Xiphophorus provides evidence that a second swordtail species, X. monticolus, arose through hybridization. Previously, we demonstrated that X. clemenciae, another southern swordtail species, arose via hybridization. These findings highlight the potential key role of hybridization in the evolution of this genus and suggest the need for further investigations into how hybridization contributes to speciation more generally. KW - parten-offspring conflict KW - introgressive hybridization KW - mitochondrial DNA KW - molecular phylogeny KW - likelihood approach KW - tree selection KW - preexisting bias KW - adaptive radiation KW - evolution KW - poeciliidae Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121853 SN - 1471-2148 VL - 13 IS - 25 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eisele, Marion A1 - Blozik, Eva A1 - Störk, Stefan A1 - Träder, Jens-Martin A1 - Herrmann-Lingen, Christoph A1 - Scherer, Martin T1 - Recognition of depression and anxiety and their association with quality of life, hospitalization and mortality in primary care patients with heart failure - study protocol of a longitudinal observation study JF - BMC Family Practice N2 - Background: International disease management guidelines recommend the regular assessment of depression and anxiety in heart failure patients. Currently there is little data on the effect of screening for depression and anxiety on the quality of life and the prognosis of heart failure (HF). We will investigate the association between the recognition of current depression/anxiety by the general practitioner (GP) and the quality of life and the patients' prognosis. Methods/Design: In this multicenter, prospective, observational study 3,950 patients with HF are recruited by general practices in Germany. The patients fill out questionnaires at baseline and 12-month follow-up. At baseline the GPs are interviewed regarding the somatic and psychological comorbidities of their patients. During the follow-up assessment, data on hospitalization and mortality are provided by the general practice. Based on baseline data, the patients are allocated into three observation groups: HF patients with depression and/or anxiety recognized by their GP (P+/+), those with depression and/or anxiety not recognized (P+/-) and patients without depression and/or anxiety (P-/-). We will perform multivariate regression models to investigate the influence of the recognition of depression and/or anxiety on quality of life at 12 month follow-up, as well as its influences on the prognosis (hospital admission, mortality). Discussion: We will display the frequency of GP-acknowledged depression and anxiety and the frequency of installed therapeutic strategies. We will also describe the frequency of depression and anxiety missed by the GP and the resulting treatment gap. Effects of correctly acknowledged and missed depression/anxiety on outcome, also in comparison to the outcome of subjects without depression/anxiety will be addressed. In case results suggest a treatment gap of depression/anxiety in patients with HF, the results of this study will provide methodological advice for the efficient planning of further interventional research. KW - anxiety KW - depression KW - health care research KW - heart failure KW - prevalence KW - observational study KW - prognosis KW - quality of life KW - hospitalization KW - treatment KW - mortality KW - task force KW - health questionnaire KW - cardiovascular care KW - validity KW - scale KW - validation KW - outcomes KW - standardization KW - population Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121881 SN - 1471-2296 VL - 14 IS - 180 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Geyer, Kathrin K. A1 - Chalmers, Iain W. A1 - MacKintosh, Neil A1 - Hirst, Julie E. A1 - Geoghegan, Rory A1 - Badets, Mathieu A1 - Brophy, Peter M. A1 - Brehm, Klaus A1 - Hoffmann, Karl F. T1 - Cytosine methylation is a conserved epigenetic feature found throughout the phylum Platyhelminthes JF - BMC Genomics N2 - Background: The phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms) contains an important group of bilaterian organisms responsible for many debilitating and chronic infectious diseases of human and animal populations inhabiting the planet today. In addition to their biomedical and veterinary relevance, some platyhelminths are also frequently used models for understanding tissue regeneration and stem cell biology. Therefore, the molecular (genetic and epigenetic) characteristics that underlie trophic specialism, pathogenicity or developmental maturation are likely to be pivotal in our continued studies of this important metazoan group. Indeed, in contrast to earlier studies that failed to detect evidence of cytosine or adenine methylation in parasitic flatworm taxa, our laboratory has recently defined a critical role for cytosine methylation in Schistosoma mansoni oviposition, egg maturation and ovarian development. Thus, in order to identify whether this epigenetic modification features in other platyhelminth species or is a novelty of S. mansoni, we conducted a study simultaneously surveying for DNA methylation machinery components and DNA methylation marks throughout the phylum using both parasitic and non-parasitic representatives. Results: Firstly, using both S. mansoni DNA methyltransferase 2 (SmDNMT2) and methyl-CpG binding domain protein (SmMBD) as query sequences, we illustrate that essential DNA methylation machinery components are well conserved throughout the phylum. Secondly, using both molecular (methylation specific amplification polymorphism, MSAP) and immunological (enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay, ELISA) methodologies, we demonstrate that representative species (Echinococcus multilocularis, Protopolystoma xenopodis, Schistosoma haematobium, Schistosoma japonicum, Fasciola hepatica and Polycelis nigra) within all four platyhelminth classes (Cestoda, Monogenea, Trematoda and 'Turbellaria') contain methylated cytosines within their genome compartments. Conclusions: Collectively, these findings provide the first direct evidence for a functionally conserved and enzymatically active DNA methylation system throughout the Platyhelminthes. Defining how this epigenetic feature shapes phenotypic diversity and development within the phylum represents an exciting new area of metazoan biology. KW - methyltransferase homolog KW - echinococcus multilocularis KW - platyhelminthes KW - 5-methyl cytosine KW - gene KW - proteins KW - stem cells KW - maximum liklihood KW - schistoma mansoni KW - flatworm KW - CPG binding domain KW - DNA methylation KW - epgenetics KW - complex Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121892 SN - 1471-2164 VL - 14 IS - 462 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ngwa, Che Julius A1 - Scheuermayer, Matthias A1 - Mair, Gunnar Rudolf A1 - Kern, Selina A1 - Brügl, Thomas A1 - Wirth, Christine Clara A1 - Aminake, Makoah Nigel A1 - Wiesner, Jochen A1 - Fischer, Rainer A1 - Vilcinskas, Andreas A1 - Pradel, Gabriele T1 - Changes in the transcriptome of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum during the initial phase of transmission from the human to the mosquito JF - BMC Genomics N2 - Background: The transmission of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum from the human to the mosquito is mediated by dormant sexual precursor cells, the gametocytes, which become activated in the mosquito midgut. Because gametocytes are the only parasite stages able to establish an infection in the mosquito, they play a crucial role in spreading the tropical disease. The human-to-mosquito transmission triggers important molecular changes in the gametocytes, which initiate gametogenesis and prepare the parasite for life-cycle progression in the insect vector. Results: To better understand gene regulations during the initial phase of malaria parasite transmission, we focused on the transcriptome changes that occur within the first half hour of parasite development in the mosquito. Comparison of mRNA levels of P. falciparum gametocytes before and 30 min following activation using suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) identified 126 genes, which changed in expression during gametogenesis. Among these, 17.5% had putative functions in signaling, 14.3% were assigned to cell cycle and gene expression, 8.7% were linked to the cytoskeleton or inner membrane complex, 7.9% were involved in proteostasis and 6.4% in metabolism, 12.7% were cell surface-associated proteins, 11.9% were assigned to other functions, and 20.6% represented genes of unknown function. For 40% of the identified genes there has as yet not been any protein evidence. For a subset of 27 genes, transcript changes during gametogenesis were studied in detail by real-time RT-PCR. Of these, 22 genes were expressed in gametocytes, and for 15 genes transcript expression in gametocytes was increased compared to asexual blood stage parasites. Transcript levels of seven genes were particularly high in activated gametocytes, pointing at functions downstream of gametocyte transmission to the mosquito. For selected genes, a regulated expression during gametogenesis was confirmed on the protein level, using quantitative confocal microscopy. Conclusions: The obtained transcriptome data demonstrate the regulations of gene expression immediately following malaria parasite transmission to the mosquito. Our findings support the identification of proteins important for sexual reproduction and further development of the mosquito midgut stages and provide insights into the genetic basis of the rapid adaption of Plasmodium to the insect vector. KW - parasitophorous vacuole KW - sexual development KW - gametocyte KW - transcriptome KW - signal peptide peptidase KW - host cell interface KW - alpha-tubulin-II KW - life-cycle KW - protein kinases KW - in-vitro KW - erythroyte invation KW - blocking antibodies KW - malaria KW - plasmodium falciparum KW - gametogenesis KW - mosquito KW - transmission Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121905 SN - 1471-2164 VL - 14 IS - 256 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wichmann, Dominic A1 - Poppert, Sven A1 - Von Thien, Heidrun A1 - Clerinx, Johannes A1 - Dieckmann, Sebastian A1 - Jensenius, Mogens A1 - Parola, Philippe A1 - Richter, Joachim A1 - Schunk, Mirjam A1 - Stich, August A1 - Zanger, Philipp A1 - Buchard, Gerd D. A1 - Tannich, Egbert T1 - Prospective European-wide multicentre study on a blood based real-time PCR for the diagnosis of acute schistosomiasis JF - BMC Infectious Diseases N2 - Background: Acute schistosomiasis constitutes a rare but serious condition in individuals experiencing their first prepatent Schistosoma infection. To circumvent costly and time-consuming diagnostics, an early and rapid diagnosis is required. So far, classic diagnostic tools such as parasite microscopy or serology lack considerable sensitivity at this early stage of Schistosoma infection. To validate the use of a blood based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the detection of Schistosoma DNA in patients with acute schistosomiasis who acquired their infection in various endemic regions we conducted a European-wide prospective study in 11 centres specialized in travel medicine and tropical medicine. Methods: Patients with a history of recent travelling to schistosomiasis endemic regions and freshwater contacts, an episode of fever (body temperature >= 38.5 degrees C) and an absolute or relative eosinophil count of >= 700/mu l or 10%, were eligible for participation. PCR testing with DNA extracted from serum was compared with results from serology and microscopy. Results: Of the 38 patients with acute schistosomiasis included into the study, PCR detected Schistosoma DNA in 35 patients at initial presentation (sensitivity 92%). In contrast, sensitivity of serology (enzyme immunoassay and/or immunofluorescence assay) or parasite microscopy was only 70% and 24%, respectively. Conclusion: For the early diagnosis of acute schistosomiasis, real-time PCR for the detection of schistosoma DNA in serum is more sensitive than classic diagnostic tools such as serology or microscopy, irrespective of the region of infection. Generalization of the results to all Schistosoma species may be difficult as in the study presented here only eggs of S. mansoni were detected by microscopy. A minimum amount of two millilitre of serum is required for sufficient diagnostic accuracy. KW - travelers KW - Mansoni infection KW - Katayama fever KW - DNA fragments KW - immunodiagnosis KW - tool KW - urine samples KW - haematobium Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121952 SN - 1471-2334 VL - 13 IS - 55 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schreiber, Olivia A1 - Schneiderat, Peter A1 - Kress, Wolfram A1 - Rautenstrauss, Bernd A1 - Senderek, Jan A1 - Schoser, Bendikt A1 - Walter, Maggie C. T1 - Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy 1A-evidence for "double trouble" overlapping syndromes JF - BMC Medical Genetics N2 - Background: We report on a patient with genetically confirmed overlapping diagnoses of CMT1A and FSHD. This case adds to the increasing number of unique patients presenting with atypical phenotypes, particularly in FSHD. Even if a mutation in one disease gene has been found, further genetic testing might be warranted in cases with unusual clinical presentation. Case presentation: The reported 53 years old male patient suffered from walking difficulties and foot deformities first noticed at age 20. Later on, he developed scapuloperoneal and truncal muscle weakness, along with atrophy of the intrinsic hand and foot muscles, pes cavus, claw toes and a distal symmetric hypoesthesia. Motor nerve conduction velocities were reduced to 20 m/s in the upper extremities, and not educible in the lower extremities, sensory nerve conduction velocities were not attainable. Electromyography showed both, myopathic and neurogenic changes. A muscle biopsy taken from the tibialis anterior muscle showed a mild myopathy with some neurogenic findings and hypertrophic type 1 fibers. Whole-body muscle MRI revealed severe changes in the lower leg muscles, tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscles were highly replaced by fatty tissue. Additionally, fatty degeneration of shoulder girdle and straight back muscles, and atrophy of dorsal upper leg muscles were seen. Taken together, the presenting features suggested both, a neuropathy and a myopathy. Patient's family history suggested an autosomal dominant inheritance. Molecular testing revealed both, a hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy type 1A (HMSN1A, also called Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy 1A, CMT1A) due to a PMP22 gene duplication and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) due to a partial deletion of the D4Z4 locus (19 kb). Conclusion: Molecular testing in hereditary neuromuscular disorders has led to the identification of an increasing number of atypical phenotypes. Nevertheless, finding the right diagnosis is crucial for the patient in order to obtain adequate medical care and appropriate genetic counseling, especially in the background of arising curative therapies. KW - D4Z4 partial deletion KW - sensory neuropathy KW - hereditary motor KW - disease KW - phenotype KW - FSHD KW - myopathy KW - patient KW - duplication KW - diagnosis KW - facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy KW - Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy 1A KW - hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy KW - double trouble KW - overlapping syndrome Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121963 SN - 1471-2350 VL - 14 IS - 92 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bogdan, Sven A1 - Schultz, Jörg A1 - Grosshans, Jörg T1 - Formin’ cellular structures: Physiological roles of Diaphanous (Dia) in actin dynamics JF - Communicative & Integrative Biology N2 - Members of the Diaphanous (Dia) protein family are key regulators of fundamental actin driven cellular processes, which are conserved from yeast to humans. Researchers have uncovered diverse physiological roles in cell morphology, cell motility, cell polarity, and cell division, which are involved in shaping cells into tissues and organs. The identification of numerous binding partners led to substantial progress in our understanding of the differential functions of Dia proteins. Genetic approaches and new microscopy techniques allow important new insights into their localization, activity, and molecular principles of regulation. KW - Drosophila KW - cytoskeleton KW - actin KW - nucleator KW - development KW - formin Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-121305 VL - 6 IS - e27634 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Degenkolbe, Elisa A1 - König, Jana A1 - Zimmer, Julia A1 - Walther, Maria A1 - Reißner, Carsten A1 - Nickel, Joachim A1 - Plöger, Frank A1 - Raspopovic, Jelena A1 - Sharpe, James A1 - Dathe, Katharina A1 - Hecht, Jacqueline T. A1 - Mundlos, Stefan A1 - Doelken, Sandra C. A1 - Seemann, Petra T1 - A GDF5 Point Mutation Strikes Twice - Causing BDA1 and SYNS2 JF - PLOS Genetics N2 - Growth and Differentiation Factor 5 (GDF5) is a secreted growth factor that belongs to the Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) family and plays a pivotal role during limb development. GDF5 is a susceptibility gene for osteoarthritis (OA) and mutations in GDF5 are associated with a wide variety of skeletal malformations ranging from complex syndromes such as acromesomelic chondrodysplasias to isolated forms of brachydactylies or multiple synostoses syndrome 2 (SYNS2). Here, we report on a family with an autosomal dominant inherited combination of SYNS2 and additional brachydactyly type A1 (BDA1) caused by a single point mutation in GDF5 (p.W414R). Functional studies, including chondrogenesis assays with primary mesenchymal cells, luciferase reporter gene assays and Surface Plasmon Resonance analysis, of the GDF5 W-414R variant in comparison to other GDF5 mutations associated with isolated BDA1 (p.R399C) or SYNS2 (p.E491K) revealed a dual pathomechanism characterized by a gain-and loss-of-function at the same time. On the one hand insensitivity to the main GDF5 antagonist NOGGIN (NOG) leads to a GDF5 gain of function and subsequent SYNS2 phenotype. Whereas on the other hand, a reduced signaling activity, specifically via the BMP receptor type IA (BMPR1A), is likely responsible for the BDA1 phenotype. These results demonstrate that one mutation in the overlapping interface of antagonist and receptor binding site in GDF5 can lead to a GDF5 variant with pathophysiological relevance for both, BDA1 and SYNS2 development. Consequently, our study assembles another part of the molecular puzzle of how loss and gain of function mutations in GDF5 affect bone development in hands and feet resulting in specific types of brachydactyly and SYNS2. These novel insights into the biology of GDF5 might also provide further clues on the pathophysiology of OA. KW - dominant-negative mutatio KW - morphogenetic protein receptors KW - brachtydacyly type A2 KW - BMP KW - gene encoding noggin KW - growth factor beta KW - signal tranduction KW - molecular mechanism KW - crystal-structure KW - differentiation Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127556 SN - 1553-7404 VL - 9 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ertl, Andreas A1 - Giester, Gerald A1 - Schüssler, Ulrich A1 - Brätz, Helene A1 - Okrusch, Martin A1 - Tillmanns, Ekkehart A1 - Bank, Hermann T1 - Cu- and Mn-bearing tourmalines from Brazil and Mozambique: crystal structures, chemistry and correlations JF - Mineralogy and Petrology N2 - Cu- and Mn-bearing tourmalines from Brazil and Mozambique were characterised chemically (EMPA and LA-ICP-MS) and by X-ray single-crystal structure refinement. All these samples are rich in Al, Li and F (fluor-elbaite) and contain significant amounts of CuO (up to ~1.8 wt%) and MnO (up to ~3.5 wt%). Structurally investigated samples show a pronounced positive correlation between the distances and the (Li + Mn\(^{2+}\) + Cu + Fe\(^{2+}\)) content (apfu) at this site with R\(^2\) = 0.90. An excellent negative correlation exists between the distances and the Al\(_2\)O\(_3\) content (R\(^2\) = 0.94). The samples at each locality generally show a strong negative correlation between the X-site vacancies and the (MnO + FeO) content. The Mn content in these tourmalines depends on the availability of Mn, on the formation temperature, as well as on stereochemical constraints. Because of a very weak correlation between MnO and CuO we believe that the Cu content in tourmaline is essentially dependent on the availability of Cu and on stereochemical constraints. KW - mineralogy KW - Brazil KW - Mozambique Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127296 VL - 107 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Davis, Lea K. A1 - Yu, Dongmei A1 - Keenan, Clare L. A1 - Gamazon, Eric R. A1 - Konkashbaev, Anuar I. A1 - Derks, Eske M. A1 - Neale, Benjamin M. A1 - Yang, Jian A1 - Lee, S. Hong A1 - Evans, Patrick A1 - Barr, Cathy L. A1 - Bellodi, Laura A1 - Benarroch, Fortu A1 - Berrio, Gabriel Bedoya A1 - Bienvenu, Oscar J. A1 - Bloch, Michael H. A1 - Blom, Rianne M. A1 - Bruun, Ruth D. A1 - Budman, Cathy L. A1 - Camarena, Beatriz A1 - Campbell, Desmond A1 - Cappi, Carolina A1 - Cardona Silgado, Julio C. A1 - Cath, Danielle C. A1 - Cavallini, Maria C. A1 - Chavira, Denise A. A1 - Chouinard, Sylvian A1 - Conti, David V. A1 - Cook, Edwin H. A1 - Coric, Vladimir A1 - Cullen, Bernadette A. A1 - Deforce, Dieter A1 - Delorme, Richard A1 - Dion, Yves A1 - Edlund, Christopher K. A1 - Egberts, Karin A1 - Falkai, Peter A1 - Fernandez, Thomas V. A1 - Gallagher, Patience J. A1 - Garrido, Helena A1 - Geller, Daniel A1 - Girard, Simon L. A1 - Grabe, Hans J. A1 - Grados, Marco A. A1 - Greenberg, Benjamin D. A1 - Gross-Tsur, Varda A1 - Haddad, Stephen A1 - Heiman, Gary A. A1 - Hemmings, Sian M. J. A1 - Hounie, Ana G. A1 - Illmann, Cornelia A1 - Jankovic, Joseph A1 - Jenike, Micheal A. A1 - Kennedy, James L. A1 - King, Robert A. A1 - Kremeyer, Barbara A1 - Kurlan, Roger A1 - Lanzagorta, Nuria A1 - Leboyer, Marion A1 - Leckman, James F. A1 - Lennertz, Leonhard A1 - Liu, Chunyu A1 - Lochner, Christine A1 - Lowe, Thomas L. A1 - Macciardi, Fabio A1 - McCracken, James T. A1 - McGrath, Lauren M. A1 - Restrepo, Sandra C. Mesa A1 - Moessner, Rainald A1 - Morgan, Jubel A1 - Muller, Heike A1 - Murphy, Dennis L. A1 - Naarden, Allan L. A1 - Ochoa, William Cornejo A1 - Ophoff, Roel A. A1 - Osiecki, Lisa A1 - Pakstis, Andrew J. A1 - Pato, Michele T. A1 - Pato, Carlos N. A1 - Piacentini, John A1 - Pittenger, Christopher A1 - Pollak, Yehunda A1 - Rauch, Scott L. A1 - Renner, Tobias J. A1 - Reus, Victor I. A1 - Richter, Margaret A. A1 - Riddle, Mark A. A1 - Robertson, Mary M. A1 - Romero, Roxana A1 - Rosàrio, Maria C. A1 - Rosenberg, David A1 - Rouleau, Guy A. A1 - Ruhrmann, Stephan A1 - Ruiz-Linares, Andreas A1 - Sampaio, Aline S. A1 - Samuels, Jack A1 - Sandor, Paul A1 - Sheppard, Broke A1 - Singer, Harvey S. A1 - Smit, Jan H. A1 - Stein, Dan J. A1 - Strengman, E. A1 - Tischfield, Jay A. A1 - Valencia Duarte, Ana V. A1 - Vallada, Homero A1 - Van Nieuwerburgh, Flip A1 - Veenstra-VanderWeele, Jeremy A1 - Walitza, Susanne A1 - Wang, Ying A1 - Wendland, Jens R. A1 - Westenberg, Herman G. M. A1 - Shugart, Yin Yao A1 - Miguel, Euripedes C. A1 - McMahon, William A1 - Wagner, Michael A1 - Nicolini, Humberto A1 - Posthuma, Danielle A1 - Hanna, Gregory L. A1 - Heutink, Peter A1 - Denys, Damiaan A1 - Arnold, Paul D. A1 - Oostra, Ben A. A1 - Nestadt, Gerald A1 - Freimer, Nelson B. A1 - Pauls, David L. A1 - Wray, Naomi R. A1 - Stewart, S. Evelyn A1 - Mathews, Carol A. A1 - Knowles, James A. A1 - Cox, Nancy J. A1 - Scharf, Jeremiah M. T1 - Partitioning the Heritability of Tourette Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Reveals Differences in Genetic Architecture JF - PLoS Genetics N2 - The direct estimation of heritability from genome-wide common variant data as implemented in the program Genome-wide Complex Trait Analysis (GCTA) has provided a means to quantify heritability attributable to all interrogated variants. We have quantified the variance in liability to disease explained by all SNPs for two phenotypically-related neurobehavioral disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette Syndrome (TS), using GCTA. Our analysis yielded a heritability point estimate of 0.58 (se = 0.09, p = 5.64e-12) for TS, and 0.37 (se = 0.07, p = 1.5e-07) for OCD. In addition, we conducted multiple genomic partitioning analyses to identify genomic elements that concentrate this heritability. We examined genomic architectures of TS and OCD by chromosome, MAF bin, and functional annotations. In addition, we assessed heritability for early onset and adult onset OCD. Among other notable results, we found that SNPs with a minor allele frequency of less than 5% accounted for 21% of the TS heritability and 0% of the OCD heritability. Additionally, we identified a significant contribution to TS and OCD heritability by variants significantly associated with gene expression in two regions of the brain (parietal cortex and cerebellum) for which we had available expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). Finally we analyzed the genetic correlation between TS and OCD, revealing a genetic correlation of 0.41 (se = 0.15, p = 0.002). These results are very close to previous heritability estimates for TS and OCD based on twin and family studies, suggesting that very little, if any, heritability is truly missing (i.e., unassayed) from TS and OCD GWAS studies of common variation. The results also indicate that there is some genetic overlap between these two phenotypically-related neuropsychiatric disorders, but suggest that the two disorders have distinct genetic architectures. KW - TIC disorders KW - missing heritability KW - complex diseases KW - neuropsychiatric disorders KW - common SNPS KW - gilles KW - family KW - brain KW - expression KW - autism Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127377 SN - 1553-7390 VL - 9 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Couch, Fergus J. A1 - Wang, Xianshu A1 - McGuffog, Lesley A1 - Lee, Andrew A1 - Olswold, Curtis A1 - Kuchenbaecker, Karoline B. A1 - Soucy, Penny A1 - Fredericksen, Zachary A1 - Barrowdale, Daniel A1 - Dennis, Joe A1 - Gaudet, Mia M. A1 - Dicks, Ed A1 - Kosel, Matthew A1 - Healey, Sue A1 - Sinilnikova, Olga M. A1 - Lee, Adam A1 - Bacot, Françios A1 - Vincent, Daniel A1 - Hogervorst, Frans B. L. A1 - Peock, Susan A1 - Stoppa-Lyonnet, Dominique A1 - Jakubowska, Anna A1 - Radice, Paolo A1 - Schmutzler, Rita Katharina A1 - Domchek, Susan M. A1 - Piedmonte, Marion A1 - Singer, Christian F. A1 - Friedman, Eitan A1 - Thomassen, Mads A1 - Hansen, Thomas V. O. A1 - Neuhausen, Susan L. A1 - Szabo, Csilla I. A1 - Blanco, Ingnacio A1 - Greene, Mark H. A1 - Karlan, Beth Y. A1 - Garber, Judy A1 - Phelan, Catherine M. A1 - Weitzel, Jeffrey N. A1 - Montagna, Marco A1 - Olah, Edith A1 - Andrulis, Irene L. A1 - Godwin, Andrew K. A1 - Yannoukakos, Drakoulis A1 - Goldgar, David E. A1 - Caldes, Trinidad A1 - Nevanlinna, Heli A1 - Osorio, Ana A1 - Terry, Mary Beth A1 - Daly, Mary B. A1 - van Rensburg, Elisabeth J. A1 - Hamann, Ute A1 - Ramus, Susan J. A1 - Toland, Amanda Ewart A1 - Caligo, Maria A. A1 - Olopade, Olufunmilayo I. A1 - Tung, Nadine A1 - Claes, Kathleen A1 - Beattie, Mary S. A1 - Southey, Melissa C. A1 - Imyanitov, Evgeny N. A1 - Tischkowitz, Marc A1 - Janavicius, Ramunas A1 - John, Esther M. A1 - Kwong, Ava A1 - Diez, Orland A1 - Kwong, Ava A1 - Balmaña, Judith A1 - Barkardottir, Rosa B. A1 - Arun, Banu K. A1 - Rennert, Gad A1 - Teo, Soo-Hwang A1 - Ganz, Patricia A. A1 - Campbell, Ian A1 - van der Hout, Annemarie H. A1 - van Deurzen, Carolien H. M. A1 - Seynaeve, Caroline A1 - Garcia, Encarna B. Gómez A1 - van Leeuwen, Flora E. A1 - Meijers-Heijboer, Hanne E. J. A1 - Gille, Johannes J. P. A1 - Ausems, Magreet G. E. M. A1 - Blok, Marinus J. A1 - Ligtenberg, Marjolinjin J. L. A1 - Rookus, Matti A. A1 - Devilee, Peter A1 - Verhoef, Senno A1 - van Os, Theo A. M. A1 - Wijnen, Juul T. A1 - Frost, Debra A1 - Ellis, Steve A1 - Fineberg, Elena A1 - Platte, Radke A1 - Evans, D. Gareth A1 - Izatt, Luise A1 - Eeles, Rosalind A. A1 - Adlard, Julian A1 - Eccles, Diana M. A1 - Cook, Jackie A1 - Brewer, Carole A1 - Douglas, Fiona A1 - Hodgson, Shirley A1 - Morrison, Patrick J. A1 - Side, Lucy E. A1 - Donaldson, Alan A1 - Houghton, Catherine A1 - Rogers, Mark T. A1 - Dorkins, Huw A1 - Eason, Jacqueline A1 - Gregory, Helen A1 - McCann, Emma A1 - Murray, Alex A1 - Calender, Alain A1 - Hardouin, Agnès A1 - Berthet, Pascaline A1 - Delnatte, Capucine A1 - Nogues, Catherine A1 - Lasset, Christine A1 - Houdayer, Claude A1 - Leroux,, Dominique A1 - Rouleau, Etienne A1 - Prieur, Fabienne A1 - Damiola, Francesca A1 - Sobol, Hagay A1 - Coupier, Isabelle A1 - Venat-Bouvet, Laurence A1 - Castera, Laurent A1 - Gauthier-Villars, Marion A1 - Léoné, Mélanie A1 - Pujol, Pascal A1 - Mazoyer, Sylvie A1 - Bignon, Yves-Jean A1 - Zlowocka-Perlowska, Elzbieta A1 - Gronwald, Jacek A1 - Lubinski,, Jan A1 - Durda, Katarzyna A1 - Jaworska, Katarzyna A1 - Huzarski, Tomasz A1 - Spurdle, Amanda B. A1 - Viel, Alessandra A1 - Peissel, Bernhard A1 - Bonanni, Bernardo A1 - Melloni, Guilia A1 - Ottini, Laura A1 - Papi, Laura A1 - Varesco, Liliana A1 - Tibiletti, Maria Grazia A1 - Peterlongo, Paolo A1 - Volorio, Sara A1 - Manoukian, Siranoush A1 - Pensotti, Valeria A1 - Arnold, Norbert A1 - Engel, Christoph A1 - Deissler, Helmut A1 - Gadzicki, Dorothea A1 - Gehrig, Andrea A1 - Kast, Karin A1 - Rhiem, Kerstin A1 - Meindl, Alfons A1 - Niederacher, Dieter A1 - Ditsch, Nina A1 - Plendl, Hansjoerg A1 - Preisler-Adams, Sabine A1 - Engert, Stefanie A1 - Sutter, Christian A1 - Varon-Mateeva, Raymenda A1 - Wappenschmidt, Barbara A1 - Weber, Bernhard H. F. A1 - Arver, Brita A1 - Stenmark-Askmalm, Marie A1 - Loman, Niklas A1 - Rosenquist, Richard A1 - Einbeigi, Zakaria A1 - Nathanson, Katherine L. A1 - Rebbeck, Timothy R. A1 - Blank, Stephanie V. A1 - Cohn, David E. A1 - Rodriguez, Gustavo C. A1 - Small, Laurie A1 - Friedlander, Michael A1 - Bae-Jump, Victoria L. A1 - Fink-Retter, Anneliese A1 - Rappaport, Christine A1 - Gschwantler-Kaulich, Daphne A1 - Pfeiler, Georg A1 - Tea, Muy-Kheng A1 - Lindor, Noralane M. A1 - Kaufman, Bella A1 - Paluch, Shani Shimon A1 - Laitman, Yael A1 - Skytte, Anne-Bine A1 - Gerdes, Anne-Marie A1 - Pedersen, Inge Sokilde A1 - Moeller, Sanne Traasdahl A1 - Kruse, Torben A. A1 - Jensen, Uffe Birk A1 - Vijai, Joseph A1 - Sarrel, Kara A1 - Robson, Mark A1 - Kauff, Noah A1 - Mulligan, Anna Marie A1 - Glendon, Gord A1 - Ozcelik, Hilmi A1 - Ejlertsen, Bent A1 - Nielsen, Finn C. A1 - Jønson, Lars A1 - Andersen, Mette K. A1 - Ding, Yuan Chun A1 - Steele, Linda A1 - Foretova, Lenka A1 - Teulé, Alex A1 - Lazaro, Conxi A1 - Brunet, Joan A1 - Pujana, Miquel Angel A1 - Mai, Phuong L. A1 - Loud, Jennifer T. A1 - Walsh, Christine A1 - Lester, Jenny A1 - Orsulic, Sandra A1 - Narod, Steven A. A1 - Herzog, Josef A1 - Sand, Sharon R. A1 - Tognazzo, Silvia A1 - Agata, Simona A1 - Vaszko, Tibor A1 - Weaver, Joellen A1 - Stravropoulou, Alexandra V. A1 - Buys, Saundra S. A1 - Romero, Atocha A1 - de la Hoya, Miguel A1 - Aittomäki, Kristiina A1 - Muranen, Taru A. A1 - Duran, Mercedes A1 - Chung, Wendy K. A1 - Lasa, Adriana A1 - Dorfling, Cecilia M. A1 - Miron, Alexander A1 - Benitez, Javier A1 - Senter, Leigha A1 - Huo, Dezheng A1 - Chan, Salina B. A1 - Sokolenko, Anna P. A1 - Chiquette, Jocelyne A1 - Tihomirova, Laima A1 - Friebel, Tara M. A1 - Agnarsson, Bjarne A. A1 - Lu, Karen H. A1 - Lejbkowicz, Flavio A1 - James, Paul A. A1 - Hall, Per A1 - Dunning, Alison M. A1 - Tessier, Daniel A1 - Cunningham, Julie A1 - Slager, Susan L. A1 - Chen, Wang A1 - Hart, Steven A1 - Stevens, Kristen A1 - Simard, Jacques A1 - Pastinen, Tomi A1 - Pankratz, Vernon S. A1 - Offit, Kenneth A1 - Easton, Douglas F. A1 - Chenevix-Trench, Georgia A1 - Antoniou, Antonis C. T1 - Genome-Wide Association Study in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Identifies Novel Loci Associated with Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk JF - PLOS Genetics N2 - BRCA1-associated breast and ovarian cancer risks can be modified by common genetic variants. To identify further cancer risk-modifying loci, we performed a multi-stage GWAS of 11,705 BRCA1 carriers (of whom 5,920 were diagnosed with breast and 1,839 were diagnosed with ovarian cancer), with a further replication in an additional sample of 2,646 BRCA1 carriers. We identified a novel breast cancer risk modifier locus at 1q32 for BRCA1 carriers (rs2290854, P = 2.7 x 10(-8), HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.20). In addition, we identified two novel ovarian cancer risk modifier loci: 17q21.31 (rs17631303, P = 1.4 x 10(-8), HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38) and 4q32.3 (rs4691139, P = 3.4 x 10(-8), HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38). The 4q32.3 locus was not associated with ovarian cancer risk in the general population or BRCA2 carriers, suggesting a BRCA1-specific association. The 17q21.31 locus was also associated with ovarian cancer risk in 8,211 BRCA2 carriers (P = 2 x 10(-4)). These loci may lead to an improved understanding of the etiology of breast and ovarian tumors in BRCA1 carriers. Based on the joint distribution of the known BRCA1 breast cancer risk-modifying loci, we estimated that the breast cancer lifetime risks for the 5% of BRCA1 carriers at lowest risk are 28%-50% compared to 81%-100% for the 5% at highest risk. Similarly, based on the known ovarian cancer risk-modifying loci, the 5% of BRCA1 carriers at lowest risk have an estimated lifetime risk of developing ovarian cancer of 28% or lower, whereas the 5% at highest risk will have a risk of 63% or higher. Such differences in risk may have important implications for risk prediction and clinical management for BRCA1 carriers. KW - common variants KW - susceptibility alleles KW - genetic variants KW - modifiers KW - ZNF365 KW - investigators KW - population KW - consortium KW - selection KW - subtypes Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127947 SN - 1553-7404 VL - 9 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Becker, Martin A1 - Caminiti, Saverio A1 - Fiorella, Donato A1 - Francis, Louise A1 - Gravino, Pietro A1 - Haklay, Mordechai (Muki) A1 - Hotho, Andreas A1 - Loreto, Virrorio A1 - Mueller, Juergen A1 - Ricchiuti, Ferdinando A1 - Servedio, Vito D. P. A1 - Sirbu, Alina A1 - Tria, Franesca T1 - Awareness and Learning in Participatory Noise Sensing JF - PLOS ONE N2 - The development of ICT infrastructures has facilitated the emergence of new paradigms for looking at society and the environment over the last few years. Participatory environmental sensing, i.e. directly involving citizens in environmental monitoring, is one example, which is hoped to encourage learning and enhance awareness of environmental issues. In this paper, an analysis of the behaviour of individuals involved in noise sensing is presented. Citizens have been involved in noise measuring activities through the WideNoise smartphone application. This application has been designed to record both objective (noise samples) and subjective (opinions, feelings) data. The application has been open to be used freely by anyone and has been widely employed worldwide. In addition, several test cases have been organised in European countries. Based on the information submitted by users, an analysis of emerging awareness and learning is performed. The data show that changes in the way the environment is perceived after repeated usage of the application do appear. Specifically, users learn how to recognise different noise levels they are exposed to. Additionally, the subjective data collected indicate an increased user involvement in time and a categorisation effect between pleasant and less pleasant environments. KW - exposure Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127675 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schlereth, Katharina A1 - Heyl, Charlotte A1 - Krampitz, Anna-Maria A1 - Mernberger, Marco A1 - Finkernagel, Florian A1 - Scharfe, Maren A1 - Jarek, Michael A1 - Leich, Ellen A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Stiewe, Thorsten T1 - Characterization of the p53 Cistrome - DNA Binding Cooperativity Dissects p53's Tumor Suppressor Functions JF - PLOS Genetics N2 - p53 protects us from cancer by transcriptionally regulating tumor suppressive programs designed to either prevent the development or clonal expansion of malignant cells. How p53 selects target genes in the genome in a context-and tissue-specific manner remains largely obscure. There is growing evidence that the ability of p53 to bind DNA in a cooperative manner prominently influences target gene selection with activation of the apoptosis program being completely dependent on DNA binding cooperativity. Here, we used ChIP-seq to comprehensively profile the cistrome of p53 mutants with reduced or increased cooperativity. The analysis highlighted a particular relevance of cooperativity for extending the p53 cistrome to non-canonical binding sequences characterized by deletions, spacer insertions and base mismatches. Furthermore, it revealed a striking functional separation of the cistrome on the basis of cooperativity; with low cooperativity genes being significantly enriched for cell cycle and high cooperativity genes for apoptotic functions. Importantly, expression of high but not low cooperativity genes was correlated with superior survival in breast cancer patients. Interestingly, in contrast to most p53-activated genes, p53-repressed genes did not commonly contain p53 binding elements. Nevertheless, both the degree of gene activation and repression were cooperativity-dependent, suggesting that p53-mediated gene repression is largely indirect and mediated by cooperativity-dependently transactivated gene products such as CDKN1A, E2F7 and non-coding RNAs. Since both activation of apoptosis genes with non-canonical response elements and repression of pro-survival genes are crucial for p53's apoptotic activity, the cistrome analysis comprehensively explains why p53-induced apoptosis, but not cell cycle arrest, strongly depends on the intermolecular cooperation of p53 molecules as a possible safeguard mechanism protecting from accidental cell killing. KW - cell-cycle arrest KW - gene expression KW - breast cancer KW - human genome KW - transcriptional repression KW - consensus DNA KW - in-vivo KW - apoptosis KW - network KW - damage Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127579 SN - 1553-7404 VL - 9 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Berghoff, Bork A. A1 - Konzer, Anne A1 - Mank, Nils N. A1 - Looso, Mario A1 - Rische, Tom A1 - Förstner, Konrad U. A1 - Krüger, Marcus A1 - Klug, Gabriele T1 - Integrative "Omics"-Approach Discovers Dynamic and Regulatory Features of Bacterial Stress Responses JF - PLOS Genetics N2 - Bacteria constantly face stress conditions and therefore mount specific responses to ensure adaptation and survival. Stress responses were believed to be predominantly regulated at the transcriptional level. In the phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides the response to singlet oxygen is initiated by alternative sigma factors. Further adaptive mechanisms include post-transcriptional and post-translational events, which have to be considered to gain a deeper understanding of how sophisticated regulation networks operate. To address this issue, we integrated three layers of regulation: (1) total mRNA levels at different time-points revealed dynamics of the transcriptome, (2) mRNAs in polysome fractions reported on translational regulation (translatome), and (3) SILAC-based mass spectrometry was used to quantify protein abundances (proteome). The singlet oxygen stress response exhibited highly dynamic features regarding short-term effects and late adaptation, which could in part be assigned to the sigma factors RpoE and RpoH2 generating distinct expression kinetics of corresponding regulons. The occurrence of polar expression patterns of genes within stress-inducible operons pointed to an alternative of dynamic fine-tuning upon stress. In addition to transcriptional activation, we observed significant induction of genes at the post-transcriptional level (translatome), which identified new putative regulators and assigned genes of quorum sensing to the singlet oxygen stress response. Intriguingly, the SILAC approach explored the stress-dependent decline of photosynthetic proteins, but also identified 19 new open reading frames, which were partly validated by RNA-seq. We propose that comparative approaches as presented here will help to create multi-layered expression maps on the system level ("expressome"). Finally, intense mass spectrometry combined with RNA-seq might be the future tool of choice to re-annotate genomes in various organisms and will help to understand how they adapt to alternating conditions. KW - singlet oxygen stress KW - genome-wide analysis KW - anti-sigma factor KW - rhodobacter sphaeroides KW - gene expression KW - quanititative proteomics KW - photooxidative stress KW - in-vivo KW - photosynthesis genes KW - mass spectrometry Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127587 SN - 1553-7404 VL - 9 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Böhm, Johann A1 - Vasli, Nasim A1 - Maurer, Marie A1 - Cowling, Belinda A1 - Shelton, G. Diane A1 - Kress, Wolfram A1 - Toussaint, Anne A1 - Prokic, Ivana A1 - Schara, Ulrike A1 - Anderson, Thomas James A1 - Weis, Joachim A1 - Tiret, Laurent A1 - Laporte, Jocelyn T1 - Altered Splicing of the BIN1 Muscle-Specific Exon in Humans and Dogs with Highly Progressive Centronuclear Myopathy JF - PLOS Genetics N2 - Amphiphysin 2, encoded by BIN1, is a key factor for membrane sensing and remodelling in different cell types. Homozygous BIN1 mutations in ubiquitously expressed exons are associated with autosomal recessive centronuclear myopathy (CNM), a mildly progressive muscle disorder typically showing abnormal nuclear centralization on biopsies. In addition, misregulation of BIN1 splicing partially accounts for the muscle defects in myotonic dystrophy (DM). However, the muscle-specific function of amphiphysin 2 and its pathogenicity in both muscle disorders are not well understood. In this study we identified and characterized the first mutation affecting the splicing of the muscle-specific BIN1 exon 11 in a consanguineous family with rapidly progressive and ultimately fatal centronuclear myopathy. In parallel, we discovered a mutation in the same BIN1 exon 11 acceptor splice site as the genetic cause of the canine Inherited Myopathy of Great Danes (IMGD). Analysis of RNA from patient muscle demonstrated complete skipping of exon 11 and BIN1 constructs without exon 11 were unable to promote membrane tubulation in differentiated myotubes. Comparative immunofluorescence and ultrastructural analyses of patient and canine biopsies revealed common structural defects, emphasizing the importance of amphiphysin 2 in membrane remodelling and maintenance of the skeletal muscle triad. Our data demonstrate that the alteration of the muscle-specific function of amphiphysin 2 is a common pathomechanism for centronuclear myopathy, myotonic dystrophy, and IMGD. The IMGD dog is the first faithful model for human BIN1-related CNM and represents a mammalian model available for preclinical trials of potential therapies. KW - linked myotubular myopathy KW - skeletal muscle KW - inherited myopathy KW - SH3 domain KW - amphiphysin-2 BIN1 KW - membrane curvature KW - tumor-suppressor KW - great dane KW - mutation KW - gene Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127590 SN - 1553-7404 VL - 9 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zahnleiter, Diana A1 - Uebe, Steffen A1 - Ekici, Arif B. A1 - Hoyer, Juliane A1 - Wiesener, Antje A1 - Wieczorek, Dagmar A1 - Kunstmann, Erdmute A1 - Reis, André A1 - Doerr, Helmuth-Guenther A1 - Rauch, Anita A1 - Thiel, Christian T. T1 - Rare Copy Number Variants Are a Common Cause of Short Stature JF - PLoS Genetics N2 - Human growth has an estimated heritability of about 80%-90%. Nevertheless, the underlying cause of shortness of stature remains unknown in the majority of individuals. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) showed that both common single nucleotide polymorphisms and copy number variants (CNVs) contribute to height variation under a polygenic model, although explaining only a small fraction of overall genetic variability in the general population. Under the hypothesis that severe forms of growth retardation might also be caused by major gene effects, we searched for rare CNVs in 200 families, 92 sporadic and 108 familial, with idiopathic short stature compared to 820 control individuals. Although similar in number, patients had overall significantly larger CNVs \((p-value <1 x 10^{-7})\). In a gene-based analysis of all non-polymorphic CNVs >50 kb for gene function, tissue expression, and murine knock-out phenotypes, we identified 10 duplications and 10 deletions ranging in size from 109 kb to 14 Mb, of which 7 were de novo (p < 0.03) and 13 inherited from the likewise affected parent but absent in controls. Patients with these likely disease causing 20 CNVs were smaller than the remaining group (p < 0.01). Eleven (55%) of these CNVs either overlapped with known microaberration syndromes associated with short stature or contained GWAS loci for height. Haploinsufficiency (HI) score and further expression profiling suggested dosage sensitivity of major growth-related genes at these loci. Overall 10% of patients carried a disease-causing CNV indicating that, like in neurodevelopmental disorders, rare CNVs are a frequent cause of severe growth retardation. KW - genetic skeletal disorders KW - microdeletion syndrome KW - mental retardation KW - growth failure KW - deletion KW - classification KW - association KW - mutations KW - genome KW - abnormalities Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127645 SN - 1553-7404 VL - 9 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Enck, Paul A1 - Hefner, Jochen A1 - Herbert, Beate M. A1 - Mazurak, Nazar A1 - Weimer, Katja A1 - Muth, Eric R. A1 - Zipfel, Stephan A1 - Martens, Ute T1 - Sensitivity and Specificity of Hypnosis Effects on Gastric Myoelectrical Activity JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Objectives: The effects of hypnosis on physiological (gastrointestinal) functions are incompletely understood, and it is unknown whether they are hypnosis-specific and gut-specific, or simply unspecific effects of relaxation. Design: Sixty-two healthy female volunteers were randomly assigned to either a single session of hypnotic suggestion of ingesting an appetizing meal and an unappetizing meal, or to relax and concentrate on having an appetizing or unappetizing meal, while the electrogastrogram (EGG) was recorded. At the end of the session, participants drank water until they felt full, in order to detect EGG-signal changes after ingestion of a true gastric load. During both conditions participants reported their subjective well-being, hunger and disgust at several time points. Results: Imagining eating food induced subjective feelings of hunger and disgust as well as changes in the EGG similar to, but more pronounced than those seen with a real gastric water load during both hypnosis and relaxation conditions. These effects were more pronounced when imagining an appetizing meal than with an unappetizing meal. There was no significant difference between the hypnosis and relaxation conditions. Conclusion: Imagination with and without hypnosis exhibits similar changes in subjective and objective measures in response to imagining an appetizing and an unappetizing food, indicating high sensitivity but low specificity. KW - irritable-bowle-sondrome KW - GUT-directed hypnotherapy KW - electrogastrographic egg activities KW - functional abdominal pain KW - water load test KW - hypnotic susceptibility KW - cognitive hypnotherapy KW - rectal sensitivity KW - gastrointestinal symptoms KW - ulcerative colitis Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-127654 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rödel, Mark-Oliver A1 - Brede, Christian A1 - Hirschfeld, Mareike A1 - Schmitt, Thomas A1 - Favreau, Philippe A1 - Stöcklin, Reto A1 - Wunder, Cora A1 - Mebs, Dietrich T1 - Chemical Camouflage - A Frog's Strategy to Co-Exist with Aggressive Ants JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Whereas interspecific associations receive considerable attention in evolutionary, behavioural and ecological literature, the proximate bases for these associations are usually unknown. This in particular applies to associations between vertebrates with invertebrates. The West-African savanna frog Phrynomantis microps lives in the underground nest of ponerine ants (Paltothyreus tarsatus). The ants usually react highly aggressively when disturbed by fiercely stinging, but the frog is not attacked and lives unharmed among the ants. Herein we examined the proximate mechanisms for this unusual association. Experiments with termites and mealworms covered with the skin secretion of the frog revealed that specific chemical compounds seem to prevent the ants from stinging. By HPLC-fractionation of an aqueous solution of the frogs' skin secretion, two peptides of 1,029 and 1,143 Da were isolated and found to inhibit the aggressive behaviour of the ants. By de novo sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry, the amino acid sequence of both peptides consisting of a chain of 9 and 11 residues, respectively, was elucidated. Both peptides were synthesized and tested, and exhibited the same inhibitory properties as the original frog secretions. These novel peptides most likely act as an appeasement allomone and may serve as models for taming insect aggression. KW - amphibian skin secretions KW - antimicrobial peptides KW - paltothyreus tarsatus KW - dendrobates pumilio KW - anurans KW - microhylidae KW - hymenoptera KW - formicidae KW - mutualisms KW - alkaloids Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128181 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Feller, Tatjana A1 - Thom, Pascal A1 - Koch, Natalie A1 - Spiegel, Holger A1 - Addai-Mensah, Otchere A1 - Fischer, Rainer A1 - Reimann, Andreas A1 - Pradel, Gabriele A1 - Fendel, Rolf A1 - Schillberg, Stefan A1 - Scheuermayer, Matthias A1 - Schinkel, Helga T1 - Plant-Based Production of Recombinant Plasmodium Surface Protein Pf38 and Evaluation of its Potential as a Vaccine Candidate JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Pf38 is a surface protein of the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. In this study, we produced and purified recombinant Pf38 and a fusion protein composed of red fluorescent protein and Pf38 (RFP-Pf38) using a transient expression system in the plant Nicotiana benthamiana. To our knowledge, this is the first description of the production of recombinant Pf38. To verify the quality of the recombinant Pf38, plasma from semi-immune African donors was used to confirm specific binding to Pf38. ELISA measurements revealed that immune responses to Pf38 in this African subset were comparable to reactivities to AMA-1 and \(MSP1_{19}\). Pf38 and RFP-Pf38 were successfully used to immunise mice, although titres from these mice were low (on average 1:11.000 and 1:39.000, respectively). In immune fluorescence assays, the purified IgG fraction from the sera of immunised mice recognised Pf38 on the surface of schizonts, gametocytes, macrogametes and zygotes, but not sporozoites. Growth inhibition assays using \(\alpha Pf38\) antibodies demonstrated strong inhibition \((\geq 60 \% ) \) of the growth of blood-stage P. falciparum. The development of zygotes was also effectively inhibited by \(\alpha Pf38\) antibodies, as determined by the zygote development assay. Collectively, these results suggest that Pf38 is an interesting candidate for the development of a malaria vaccine. KW - malaria vaccine KW - balancing selection KW - N-glycans KW - falciparum KW - expression KW - antibodies KW - identification KW - transmission KW - tobacco KW - antigen Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128221 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steinke, Sabine I. B. A1 - Peitsch, Wiebke K. A1 - Ludwig, Alexander A1 - Goebeler, Matthias T1 - Cost-of-Illness in Psoriasis: Comparing Inpatient and Outpatient Therapy JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Treatment modalities of chronic plaque psoriasis have dramatically changed over the past ten years with a still continuing shift from inpatient to outpatient treatment. This development is mainly caused by outpatient availability of highly efficient and relatively well-tolerated systemic treatments, in particular BioLogicals. In addition, inpatient treatment is time-and cost-intense, conflicting with the actual burst of health expenses and with patient preferences. Nevertheless, inpatient treatment with dithranol and UV light still is a major mainstay of psoriasis treatment in Germany. The current study aims at comparing the total costs of inpatient treatment and outpatient follow-up to mere outpatient therapy with different modalities (topical treatment, phototherapy, classic systemic therapy or BioLogicals) over a period of 12 months. To this end, a retrospective cost-of-illness study was conducted on 120 patients treated at the University Medical Centre Mannheim between 2005 and 2006. Inpatient therapy caused significantly higher direct medical, indirect and total annual costs than outpatient treatment (13,042 (sic) versus 2,984 (sic)). Its strong influence on cost levels was confirmed by regression analysis, with total costs rising by 104.3% in case of inpatient treatment. Patients receiving BioLogicals produced the overall highest costs, whereas outpatient treatment with classic systemic antipsoriatic medications was less cost-intense than other alternatives. KW - plaque-type psoriasis KW - health-care costs KW - patient preferences KW - disease severity KW - United States KW - moderate KW - life KW - multicenter KW - biologics KW - Germany Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128235 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mayer, Matthias A1 - Rabindranath, Raman A1 - Börner, Juliane A1 - Hörner, Eva A1 - Bentz, Alexander A1 - Salgado, Josefina A1 - Han, Hong A1 - Böse, Holger A1 - Probst, Jörn A1 - Shamonin, Mikhail A1 - Monkman, Gereth J. A1 - Schlunck, Günther T1 - Ultra-Soft PDMS-Based Magnetoactive Elastomers as Dynamic Cell Culture Substrata JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Mechanical cues such as extracellular matrix stiffness and movement have a major impact on cell differentiation and function. To replicate these biological features in vitro, soft substrata with tunable elasticity and the possibility for controlled surface translocation are desirable. Here we report on the use of ultra-soft (Young's modulus <100 kPa) PDMS-based magnetoactive elastomers (MAE) as suitable cell culture substrata. Soft non-viscous PDMS (<18 kPa) is produced using a modified extended crosslinker. MAEs are generated by embedding magnetic microparticles into a soft PDMS matrix. Both substrata yield an elasticity-dependent (14 vs. 100 kPa) modulation of alpha-smooth muscle actin expression in primary human fibroblasts. To allow for static or dynamic control of MAE material properties, we devise low magnetic field (approximate to 40 mT) stimulation systems compatible with cell-culture environments. Magnetic field-instigated stiffening (14 to 200 kPa) of soft MAE enhances the spreading of primary human fibroblasts and decreases PAX-7 transcription in human mesenchymal stem cells. Pulsatile MAE movements are generated using oscillating magnetic fields and are well tolerated by adherent human fibroblasts. This MAE system provides spatial and temporal control of substratum material characteristics and permits novel designs when used as dynamic cell culture substrata or cell culture-coated actuator in tissue engineering applications or biomedical devices. KW - elastic magnetic-materials KW - smooth muscle actin KW - magnetorheological elastomers KW - adhesion KW - mechanotransduction KW - stiffness KW - tension KW - mechanics KW - hydrogels KW - behavior Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128246 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maudet, Claire A1 - Sourisce, Adèle A1 - Dragin, Loïc A1 - Lahouassa, Hichem A1 - Rain, Jean-Christopher A1 - Bouaziz, Serge A1 - Ramirez, Bertha Cécilia A1 - Margottin-Goguet, Florence T1 - HIV-1 Vpr Induces the Degradation of ZIP and sZIP, Adaptors of the NuRD Chromatin Remodeling Complex, by Hijacking DCAF1/VprBP JF - PLOS ONE N2 - The Vpr protein from type 1 and type 2 Human Immunodeficiency Viruses (HIV-1 and HIV-2) is thought to inactivate several host proteins through the hijacking of the DCAF1 adaptor of the Cul4A ubiquitin ligase. Here, we identified two transcriptional regulators, ZIP and sZIP, as Vpr-binding proteins degraded in the presence of Vpr. ZIP and sZIP have been shown to act through the recruitment of the NuRD chromatin remodeling complex. Strikingly, chromatin is the only cellular fraction where Vpr is present together with Cul4A ubiquitin ligase subunits. Components of the NuRD complex and exogenous ZIP and sZIP were also associated with this fraction. Several lines of evidence indicate that Vpr induces ZIP and sZIP degradation by hijacking DCAF1: (i) Vpr induced a drastic decrease of exogenously expressed ZIP and sZIP in a dose-dependent manner, (ii) this decrease relied on the proteasome activity, (iii) ZIP or sZIP degradation was impaired in the presence of a DCAF1-binding deficient Vpr mutant or when DCAF1 expression was silenced. Vpr-mediated ZIP and sZIP degradation did not correlate with the growth-related Vpr activities, namely G2 arrest and G2 arrest-independent cytotoxicity. Nonetheless, infection with HIV-1 viruses expressing Vpr led to the degradation of the two proteins. Altogether our results highlight the existence of two host transcription factors inactivated by Vpr. The role of Vpr-mediated ZIP and sZIP degradation in the HIV-1 replication cycle remains to be deciphered. KW - immunodeficiency-virus type-1 KW - MI-2/NURD complex KW - cell-cycle arrest KW - CUL4-DDB1 ubiquitin ligase KW - viral protein-R KW - NF-KAPPA-B KW - macrophage infection KW - enzyme APOBEC3G KW - in-vivo KW - transcription Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128316 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dasenbrook, Elliot C. A1 - Lu, Luan A1 - Donnola, Shannon A1 - Weaver, David E. A1 - Gulani, Viskas A1 - Jakob, Peter M. A1 - Konstan, Michael W. A1 - Flask, Chris A. T1 - Normalized T1 Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Assessment of Regional Lung Function in Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients - A Cross-Sectional Study JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) patients would benefit from a safe and effective tool to detect early-stage, regional lung disease to allow for early intervention. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a safe, non-invasive procedure capable of providing quantitative assessments of disease without ionizing radiation. We developed a rapid normalized T1 MRI technique to detect regional lung disease in early-stage CF patients. Materials and Methods: Conventional multislice, pulmonary T1 relaxation time maps were obtained for 10 adult CF patients with normal spirometry and 5 healthy non-CF control subjects using a rapid Look-Locker MRI acquisition (5 seconds/imaging slice). Each lung absolute T1 map was separated into six regions of interest (ROI) by manually selecting upper, central, and lower lung regions in the left and right lungs. In order to reduce the effects of subject-to-subject variation, normalized T1 maps were calculated by dividing each pixel in the absolute T1 maps by the mean T1 time in the central lung region. The primary outcome was the differences in mean normalized T1 values in the upper lung regions between CF patients with normal spirometry and healthy volunteers. Results: Normalized T1 (nT1) maps showed visibly reduced subject-to-subject variation in comparison to conventional absolute T1 maps for healthy volunteers. An ROI analysis showed that the variation in the nT1 values in all regions was <= 2% of the mean. The primary outcome, the mean (SD) of the normalized T1 values in the upper right lung regions, was significantly lower in the CF subjects [.914 (.037)] compared to the upper right lung regions of the healthy subjects [.983 (.003)] [difference of .069 (95% confidence interval .032-.105); p=.001). Similar results were seen in the upper left lung region. Conclusion: Rapid normalized T1 MRI relaxometry obtained in 5 seconds/imaging slice may be used to detect regional early-stage lung disease in CF patients. KW - infants KW - disease KW - ventilation KW - infection KW - guidelines KW - diagnosis KW - children Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128346 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Grube, Maike Miriam A1 - Koennecke, Hans-Christian A1 - Walter, Georg A1 - Meisel, Andreas A1 - Sobesky, Jan A1 - Nolte, Christian Hans A1 - Wellwood, Ian A1 - Heuschmann, Peter Ulrich T1 - Influence of Acute Complications on Outcome 3 Months after Ischemic Stroke JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Background: Early medical complications are potentially modifiable factors influencing in-hospital outcome. We investigated the influence of acute complications on mortality and poor outcome 3 months after ischemic stroke. Methods: Data were obtained from patients admitted to one of 13 stroke units of the Berlin Stroke Registry (BSR) who participated in a 3-months-follow up between June 2010 and September 2012. We examined the influence of the cumulative number of early in-hospital complications on mortality and poor outcome (death, disability or institutionalization) 3 months after stroke using multivariable logistic regression analyses and calculated attributable fractions to determine the impact of early complications on mortality and poor outcome. Results: A total of 2349 ischemic stroke patients alive at discharge from acute care were included in the analysis. Older age, stroke severity, pre-stroke dependency and early complications were independent predictors of mortality 3 months after stroke. Poor outcome was independently associated with older age, stroke severity, pre-stroke dependency, previous stroke and early complications. More than 60% of deaths and poor outcomes were attributed to age, pre-stroke dependency and stroke severity and in-hospital complications contributed to 12.3% of deaths and 9.1% of poor outcomes 3 months after stroke. Conclusion: The majority of deaths and poor outcomes after stroke were attributed to non-modifiable factors. However, early in-hospital complications significantly affect outcome in patients who survived the acute phase after stroke, underlining the need to improve prevention and treatment of complications in hospital. KW - hospital medical complications KW - quality-of-care KW - term mortality KW - Barthel-Index KW - rankin scale KW - risk-factors KW - trial KW - reliability KW - dependency KW - predictors Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-128362 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Okada, Michio A1 - Rotenberg, Eli A1 - Kevan, S. D. A1 - Schäfer, J. A1 - Ujfalussy, Balazs A1 - Stocks, G. Malcolm A1 - Genatempo, B. A1 - Bruno, E. A1 - Plummer, E. W. T1 - Evolution of the electronic structure in \(Mo_{1-x}Re_x\) alloys JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - We report a detailed experimental and theoretical study of the electronic structure of \(Mo_{1-x}Re_x\) random alloys. We have measured electronic band dispersions for clean and hydrogen-covered \(Mo_{1-x}Re_x\) ( 110) with x = 0-0.25 using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Our results suggest that the bulk and most surface electronic bands shift relative to the Fermi level systematically and approximately rigidly with Re concentration. We distinguish and quantify two contributions to these shifts: a raise of the Fermi energy and an increase of the overall bandwidth. Alloy bands calculated using the first-principles Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential-approximation method accurately predict both of these effects. As derived from the rigid band model, the Fermi energy shift is inversely related to the bulk density of states in this energy region. Using our results, we also characterize an electronic topological transition of the bulk Fermi surface and relate this to bulk transport properties. Finally, we distinguish effects beyond the rigid band approximation: a highly surface-localized state and a composition-dependent impact of the spin-orbit interaction. KW - topological transitions KW - surface state KW - metals KW - total energy KW - W(110) KW - hydrogen KW - mo KW - superconductivity KW - spectra KW - coherent potential approximation Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122993 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 15 IS - 093010 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kasprzak, J. A1 - Sivalertporn, K. A1 - Albert, F. A1 - Schneider, C. A1 - Höfling, S. A1 - Kamp, M. A1 - Forchel, A. A1 - Muljarov, E. A. A1 - Langbein, W. T1 - Coherence dynamics and quantum-to-classical crossover in an exciton-cavity system in the quantum strong coupling regime JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - Interaction between light and matter generates optical nonlinearities, which are particularly pronounced in the quantum strong coupling regime. When a single bosonic mode couples to a single fermionic mode, a Jaynes-Cummings (JC) ladder is formed, which we realize here using cavity photons and quantum dot excitons. We measure and model the coherent anharmonic response of this strongly coupled exciton-cavity system at resonance. Injecting two photons into the cavity, we demonstrate a \(\sqrt 2\) larger polariton splitting with respect to the vacuum Rabi splitting. This is achieved using coherent nonlinear spectroscopy, specifically four-wave mixing, where the coherence between the ground state and the first (second) rung of the JC ladder can be interrogated for positive (negative) delays. With increasing excitation intensity and thus rising average number of injected photons, we observe spectral signatures of the quantum-to-classical crossover of the strong coupling regime. KW - Jaynes-Cummings ladder KW - spectral interferometry KW - photon KW - dot KW - spectroscopy KW - oscillations KW - microcavity KW - resonance KW - light Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123005 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 15 IS - 045013 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kim, N. Y. A1 - Kusudo, K. A1 - Löffler, A. A1 - Höfling, S. A1 - Forchel, A. A1 - Yamamoto, Y. T1 - Exciton-polariton condensates near the Dirac point in a triangular lattice JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - Dirac particles, massless relativistic entities, obey linear energy dispersions and hold important implications in particle physics. The recent discovery of Dirac fermions in condensed matter systems including graphene and topological insulators has generated a great deal of interest in exploring the relativistic properties associated with Dirac physics in solid-state materials. In addition, there are stimulating research activities to engineer Dirac particles, elucidating their exotic physical properties in a controllable setting. One of the successful platforms is the ultracold atom-optical lattice system, whose dynamics can be manipulated and probed in a clean environment. A microcavity exciton-polariton-lattice system offers the advantage of forming high-orbital condensation in non-equilibrium conditions, which enables one to explore novel quantum orbital order in two dimensions. In this paper, we experimentally construct the band structures near Dirac points, the vertices of the first hexagonal Brillouin zone with exciton-polariton condensates trapped in a triangular lattice. Due to the finite spectral linewidth, the direct map of band structures at Dirac points is elusive; however, we identify the linear part above Dirac points and its associated velocity value is similar to ~0.9-2 x \(10^8 cm s^{-1}\), consistent with the theoretical estimate \(1 x 10^8 cm s^{-1}\) with a \(2 \mu m\) lattice constant. We envision that the exciton-polariton condensates in lattices would be a promising solid-state platform, where the system order parameter can be accessed in both real and momentum spaces. KW - Bose-Einstein condensation KW - carbon nanotubes KW - graphene KW - electron KW - dynamics KW - fermions KW - trap KW - gas Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123103 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 15 IS - 035032 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hopfmann, C. A1 - Albert, F. A1 - Schneider, C. A1 - Höfling, S. A1 - Kamp, M. A1 - Forchel, A. A1 - Kanter, I. A1 - Reizenstein, S. T1 - Nonlinear emission characteristics of quantum dot-micropillar lasers in the presence of polarized optical feedback JF - New Journal of Physics N2 - We report on electrically pumped quantum dot-microlasers in the presence of polarized self-feedback. The high-\(\beta\) microlasers show two orthogonal, linearly polarized emission modes which are coupled via the common gain medium. This coupling is explained in terms of gain competition between the two lasing modes and leads to distinct differences in their input-output characteristics. By applying polarized self-feedback via an external mirror, we are able to control the laser characteristics of the emission modes in terms of the output power, the coherence time and the photon statistics. We find that linearly polarized self-feedback stabilizes the lasing of a given mode, while cross-polarized feedback between the two modes reduces strongly the intensity of the other emission mode showing particular high-intensity fluctuations and even super-thermal values of the photon autocorrelation function \(g^{(2)} (\tau)\) at zero delay. Measurements of \(g^{(2)} (\tau)\) under external feedback also allow us to detect revival peaks associated with the round trip time of the external cavity. Analyzing the damping and shape of the \(g^{(2)} (\tau)\) revival peaks by a phenomenological model provides us insight into the underlying physics such as the effective exciton lifetime and gain characteristics of the quantum dots in the active region of these microlasers. KW - semiconductor lasers KW - coherence KW - system KW - gain Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-123127 SN - 1367-2630 VL - 15 IS - 025030 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steppuhn, Henriette A1 - Langen, Ute A1 - Scheidt-Nave, Christa A1 - Keil, Thomas T1 - Major comorbid conditions in asthma and association with asthma-related hospitalizations and emergency department admissions in adults: results from the German national health telephone interview survey (GEDA) 2010 JF - BMC Pulmonary Medicine N2 - Background: It remains unclear to what extent asthma in adults is linked to allergic rhinitis (AR), gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and acetylsalicylic acid exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), and how these comorbidities may affect asthma outcomes in the general population. We therefore aimed to assess the prevalence of these major comorbidities among adults with asthma and examine their impact on asthma exacerbations requiring hospital care. Methods: A total of 22,050 adults 18 years and older were surveyed in the German National Health Telephone Interview Survey (GEDA) 2010 using a highly standardized computer-assisted interview technique. The study population comprised participants with self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma, among which the current (last 12 months) prevalence of AR and GERD-like symptoms (GERS), and life-time prevalence of AERD was estimated. Weighted bivariate analyses and logistic regression models were applied to assess the association of each comorbid condition with the asthma outcome (any self-reported asthma-related hospitalization and/or emergency department (ED) admission in the past year). Results: Out of 1,136 adults with asthma, 49.6% had GERS and 42.3% had AR within the past 12 months; 14.0% met the criteria of AERD, and 75.7% had at least one out of the three conditions. Overall, the prevalence of at least one exacerbation requiring emergency room or hospital admission within the past year was 9.0%. Exacerbation prevalence was higher among participants with comorbidities than among those without (9.8% vs. 8.2% for GERS; 11.2% vs. 7.6% for AR, and 22.2% vs. 7.0% for AERD), but only differences in association with AERD were statistically significant. A strong association between asthma exacerbation and AERD persisted in multivariable logistic regression analyses adjusting for sex, age group, level of body mass index, smoking status, educational attainment, and duration of asthma: odds ratio (OR) = 4.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2.5-8.2. Conclusions: Data from this large nation-wide study provide evidence that GERS, AR and AERD are all common comorbidities among adults with asthma. Our data underline the public health and clinical impact of asthma with complicating AERD, contributing considerably to disease-specific hospitalization and/or ED admission in a defined asthma population, and emphasize the importance of its recognition in asthma care. KW - management KW - update KW - impact KW - risk KW - severity KW - prevalence KW - clinical-practice KW - aspirin sensitivity KW - allergic rhinitis KW - exacebrated respiratory-disease KW - gastroesophageal reflux disease KW - gastroesophageal reflux KW - hospitalization KW - national health survey KW - acetylsalicylic acid exacerbated respiratory disease KW - adult KW - aspirin-induced asthma KW - asthma Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122121 VL - 13 IS - 46 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kunath, Frank A1 - Krause, Steffen F. A1 - Wullich, Bernd A1 - Goebell, Peter J. A1 - Engehausen, Dirk G. A1 - Burger, Maximilian A1 - Meerpohl, Joerg J. A1 - Keck, Bastian T1 - Bladder cancer - the neglected tumor: a descriptive analysis of publications referenced in MEDLINE and data from the register clinicaltrials.gov JF - BMC Urology N2 - Background: Uro-oncological neoplasms have both a high incidence and mortality rate and are therefore a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate research activity in uro-oncology over the last decade. Methods: We searched MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov systematically for studies on prostatic, urinary bladder, kidney, and testicular neoplasms. The increase in newly published reports per year was analyzed using linear regression. The results are presented with 95% confidence intervals, and a p value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The number of new publications per year increased significantly for prostatic, kidney and urinary bladder neoplasms (all <0.0001). We identified 1,885 randomized controlled trials (RCTs); also for RCTs, the number of newly published reports increased significantly for prostatic (p = 0.001) and kidney cancer (p = 0.005), but not for bladder (p = 0.09) or testicular (p = 0.44) neoplasms. We identified 3,114 registered uro-oncological studies in ClinicalTrials.gov. However, 85% of these studies are focusing on prostatic (45%) and kidney neoplasms (40%), whereas only 11% were registered for bladder cancers. Conclusions: While the number of publications on uro-oncologic research rises yearly for prostatic and kidney neoplasms, urothelial carcinomas of the bladder seem to be neglected despite their important clinical role. Clinical research on neoplasms of the urothelial bladder must be explicitly addressed and supported. KW - update KW - kidney neoplasms KW - prostatic neoplasms KW - randomized controlled trial KW - testicular neoplasms KW - surgery KW - journals KW - EAU guidelines KW - radical cystectomy KW - urinary bladder neoplasms KW - controlled clinical-trials Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122133 VL - 13 IS - 56 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gholami, Sepideh A1 - Chen, Chun-Hao A1 - Belin, Laurence J. A1 - Lou, Emil A1 - Fujisawa, Sho A1 - Antonacci, Caroline A1 - Carew, Amanda A1 - Chen, Nanhai G. A1 - De Brot, Marina A1 - Zanzonico, Pat B. A1 - Szalay, Aladar A. A1 - Fong, Yuman T1 - Vaccinia virus GLV-1h153 is a novel agent for detection and effective local control of positive surgical margins for breast cancer JF - Breast Cancer Research N2 - Introduction: Surgery is currently the definitive treatment for early-stage breast cancer. However, the rate of positive surgical margins remains unacceptably high. The human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) is a naturally occurring protein in human thyroid tissue, which enables cells to concentrate radionuclides. The hNIS has been exploited to image and treat thyroid cancer. We therefore investigated the potential of a novel oncolytic vaccinia virus GLV1h-153 engineered to express the hNIS gene for identifying positive surgical margins after tumor resection via positron emission tomography (PET). Furthermore, we studied its role as an adjuvant therapeutic agent in achieving local control of remaining tumors in an orthotopic breast cancer model. Methods: GLV-1h153, a replication-competent vaccinia virus, was tested against breast cancer cell lines at various multiplicities of infection (MOIs). Cytotoxicity and viral replication were determined. Mammary fat pad tumors were generated in athymic nude mice. To determine the utility of GLV-1h153 in identifying positive surgical margins, 90% of the mammary fat pad tumors were surgically resected and subsequently injected with GLV-1h153 or phosphate buffered saline (PBS) in the surgical wound. Serial Focus 120 microPET images were obtained six hours post-tail vein injection of approximately 600 mu Ci of I-124-iodide. Results: Viral infectivity, measured by green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression, was time-and concentrationdependent. All cell lines showed less than 10% of cell survival five days after treatment at an MOI of 5. GLV-1h153 replicated efficiently in all cell lines with a peak titer of 27 million viral plaque forming units (PFU) ( < 10,000-fold increase from the initial viral dose) by Day 4. Administration of GLV-1h153 into the surgical wound allowed positive surgical margins to be identified via PET scanning. In vivo, mean volume of infected surgically resected residual tumors four weeks after treatment was 14 mm(3) versus 168 mm(3) in untreated controls (P < 0.05). Conclusions: This is the first study to our knowledge to demonstrate a novel vaccinia virus carrying hNIS as an imaging tool in identifying positive surgical margins of breast cancers in an orthotopic murine model. Moreover, our results suggest that GLV-1h153 is a promising therapeutic agent in achieving local control for positive surgical margins in resected breast tumors. KW - conservation KW - carcinoma KW - mastectomy KW - metastases KW - stage-i KW - thyroid-cancer KW - radiation-therapy KW - conserving surgery KW - sodium-iodide symporter Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122140 VL - 15 IS - R26 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Panayotova-Dimitrova, Diana A1 - Feoktistova, Maria A1 - Ploesser, Michaela A1 - Kellert, Beate A1 - Hupe, Mike A1 - Horn, Sebastian A1 - Makarov, Roman A1 - Jensen, Federico A1 - Porubsky, Stefan A1 - Schmieder, Astrid A1 - Zenclussen, Ana Claudia A1 - Marx, Alexander A1 - Kerstan, Andreas A1 - Geserick, Peter A1 - He, You-Wen A1 - Leverkus, Martin T1 - cFLIP Regulates Skin Homeostasis and Protects against TNF-Induced Keratinocyte Apoptosis JF - Cell Reports N2 - FADD, caspase-8, and cFLIP regulate the outcome of cell death signaling. Mice that constitutively lack these molecules die at an early embryonic age, whereas tissue-specific constitutive deletion of FADD or caspase-8 results in inflammatory skin disease caused by increased necroptosis. The function of cFLIP in the skin in vivo is unknown. In contrast to tissue-specific caspase-8 knockout, we show that mice constitutively lacking cFLIP in the epidermis die around embryonic days 10 and 11. When cFLIP expression was abrogated in adult skin of cFLIP(fl/fl)-K14CreER(tam) mice, severe inflammation of the skin with concomitant caspase activation and apoptotic, but not necroptotic, cell death developed. Apoptosis was dependent of autocrine tumor necrosis factor production triggered by loss of cFLIP. In addition, epidermal cFLIP protein was lost in patients with severe drug reactions associated with epidermal apoptosis. Our data demonstrate the importance of cFLIP for the integrity of the epidermis and for silencing of spontaneous skin inflammation. KW - eczematous dermatitis KW - programmed necrosis KW - gene induction KW - in-vivo KW - activation KW - mediated apoptosis KW - c-flip KW - cell-death KW - Stevens-Johnson syndrome KW - toxic epidermal necrolysis Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122155 VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Timofeev, Oleg A1 - Schlereth, Katharina A1 - Wanzel, Michael A1 - Braun, Attila A1 - Nieswandt, Bernhard A1 - Pagenstecher, Axel A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Elsässer, Hans-Peter A1 - Stiewe, Thorsten T1 - p53 DNA Binding Cooperativity Is Essential for Apoptosis and Tumor Suppression In Vivo JF - Cell Reports N2 - Four molecules of the tumor suppressor p53 assemble to cooperatively bind proapoptotic target genes. The structural basis for cooperativity consists of interactions between adjacent DNA binding domains. Mutations at the interaction interface that compromise cooperativity were identified in cancer patients, suggesting a requirement of cooperativity for tumor suppression. We report on an analysis of cooperativity mutant p53(E177R) mice. Apoptotic functions of p53 triggered by DNA damage and oncogenes were abolished in these mice, whereas functions in cell-cycle control, senescence, metabolism, and antioxidant defense were retained and were sufficient to suppress development of spontaneous T cell lymphoma. Cooperativity mutant mice are nevertheless highly cancer prone and susceptible to different oncogene-induced tumors. Our data underscore the relevance of DNA binding cooperativity for p53-dependent apoptosis and tumor suppression and highlight cooperativity mutations as a class of p53 mutations that result in a selective loss of apoptotic functions due to an altered quaternary structure of the p53 tetramer. KW - mutant p53 KW - senescence KW - mice KW - tumorigenesis KW - restoration KW - damage responses KW - antioxidant function KW - p53-inducible regulator KW - p53-dependent apoptosis KW - cell-cycle arrest Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122168 VL - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Krist, Lilian A1 - Dimeo, Fernando A1 - Keil, Thomas T1 - Can progressive resistance training twice a week improve mobility, muscle strength, and quality of life in very elderly nursing-home residents with impaired mobility? A pilot study JF - Clinical Interventions in Aging N2 - Purpose: To determine the effects of progressive resistance training on mobility, muscle strength, and quality of life in nursing-home residents with impaired mobility. Methods: Nursing-home residents aged 77 years and older with impaired mobility were recruited in Berlin, Germany. The eight-week exercise program consisted of progressive resistance training twice a week. Mobility (primary outcome) was assessed with the Elderly Mobility Scale (zero = worst, 20 = best) at baseline and after 8 weeks. Muscle strength (secondary outcome) was determined by the eight-repetition maximum. The Short Form-36 Health Survey was used to assess quality of life. Results: Of the 15 participants (mean age 84 years, range 77-97 years), ten completed the 8-week program. Mobility (Elderly Mobility Scale mean +/- standard deviation pre 14.1 +/- 3.2 and post 17.5 +/- 3.6; P = 0.005) as well as muscle strength of upper and lower limbs improved (from 62% at chest press up to 108% at leg extension machine), whereas most quality of life subscales did not show considerable change. Conclusion: Resistance training twice a week over 2 months seemed to considerably improve mobility and muscle strength in persons aged 77-97 years with impaired mobility. KW - moderate KW - balance KW - term KW - age KW - elderly KW - nursing home KW - muscle strength KW - mobility KW - resistance training KW - power KW - exercise program KW - older-adults KW - form health survey KW - randomized controlled-trial Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122176 VL - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nolte, Thomas A1 - Zadeh-Khorasani, Maryam A1 - Safarov, Orkhan A1 - Rueff, Franziska A1 - Varga, Rita A1 - Herbach, Nadja A1 - Wanke, Rüdiger A1 - Wollenberg, Andreas A1 - Mueller, Thomas A1 - Gropp, Roswitha A1 - Wolf, Eckhard A1 - Siebeck, Matthias T1 - Induction of oxazolone-mediated features of atopic dermatitis in NOD-scid IL2R \(γ^{null}\) mice engrafted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells JF - Disease Models & Mechanisms N2 - Animal models mimicking human diseases have been used extensively to study the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases and the efficacy of potential therapeutics. They are, however, limited with regard to their similarity to the human disease and cannot be used if the antagonist and its cognate receptor require high similarity in structure or binding. Here, we examine the induction of oxazolone-mediated features of atopic dermatitis (AD) in NOD-scid IL2R \(γ^{null}\) mice engrafted with human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The mice developed the same symptoms as immunocompetent BALB/c mice. Histological alterations induced by oxazolone were characterized by keratosis, epithelial hyperplasia and influx of inflammatory cells into the dermis and epidermis. The cellular infiltrate was identified as human leukocytes, with T cells being the major constituent. In addition, oxazolone increased human serum IgE levels. The response, however, required the engraftment of PBMC derived from patients suffering from AD, which suggests that this model reflects the immunological status of the donor. Taken together, the model described here has the potential to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutics targeting human lymphocytes in vivo and, in addition, might be developed further to elucidate molecular mechanisms inducing and sustaining flares of the disease. KW - expression KW - model KW - pbl KW - differentiation KW - mechanisms KW - antagonists KW - gamma KW - human interleukin-4 KW - rheumatoid-arthritis KW - T-cells Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122189 VL - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hohenauer, Tobias A1 - Berking, Carola A1 - Schmidt, Andreas A1 - Haferkamp, Sebastian A1 - Senft, Daniela A1 - Kammerbauer, Claudia A1 - Fraschka, Sabine A1 - Graf, Saskia Anna A1 - Irmler, Martin A1 - Beckers, Johannes A1 - Flaig, Michael A1 - Aigner, Achim A1 - Höbel, Sabrina A1 - Hoffmann, Franziska A1 - Hermeking, Heiko A1 - Rothenfusser, Simon A1 - Endres, Stefan A1 - Ruzicka, Thomas A1 - Besch, Robert T1 - The neural crest transcription factor Brn3a is expressed in melanoma and required for cell cycle progression and survival JF - EMBO Molecular Medicine N2 - Pigment cells and neuronal cells both are derived from the neural crest. Here, we describe the Pit-Oct-Unc (POU) domain transcription factor Brn3a, normally involved in neuronal development, to be frequently expressed in melanoma, but not in melanocytes and nevi. RNAi-mediated silencing of Brn3a strongly reduced the viability of melanoma cell lines and decreased tumour growth in vivo. In melanoma cell lines, inhibition of Brn3a caused DNA double-strand breaks as evidenced by Mre11/Rad50-containing nuclear foci. Activated DNA damage signalling caused stabilization of the tumour suppressor p53, which resulted in cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. When Brn3a was ectopically expressed in primary melanocytes and fibroblasts, anchorage-independent growth was increased. In tumourigenic melanocytes and fibroblasts, Brn3a accelerated tumour growth in vivo. Furthermore, Brn3a cooperated with proliferation pathways such as oncogenic BRAF, by reducing oncogene-induced senescence in non-malignant melanocytes. Together, these results identify Brn3a as a new factor in melanoma that is essential for melanoma cell survival and that promotes melanocytic transformation and tumourigenesis. KW - oncogene-induced senescence KW - BRN-3A KW - DNA KW - DNA damage KW - tumourigenesis KW - P53 KW - in-vitro KW - neural crest factors KW - family KW - apoptosis KW - melanoma KW - BRAF mutations KW - domain Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122193 SN - 1757-4676 VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Soehnlein, Oliver A1 - Drechsler, Maik A1 - Döring, Yvonne A1 - Lievens, Dirk A1 - Hartwig, Helene A1 - Kemmerich, Klaus A1 - Ortega-Gómez, Almudena A1 - Mandl, Manuela A1 - Vijayan, Santosh A1 - Projahn, Delia A1 - Garlichs, Christoph D. A1 - Koenen, Rory R. A1 - Hristov, Mihail A1 - Lutgens, Esther A1 - Zernecke, Alma A1 - Weber, Christian T1 - Distinct functions of chemokine receptor axes in the atherogenic mobilization and recruitment of classical monocytes JF - EMBO Molecular Medicine N2 - We used a novel approach of cytostatically induced leucocyte depletion and subsequent reconstitution with leucocytes deprived of classical \((inflammatory/Gr1^{hi})\) or non-classical \((resident/Gr1^{lo})\) monocytes to dissect their differential role in atheroprogression under high-fat diet (HFD). Apolipoprotein E-deficient \((Apoe^{-/-})\) mice lacking classical but not non-classical monocytes displayed reduced lesion size and macrophage and apoptotic cell content. Conversely, HFD induced a selective expansion of classical monocytes in blood and bone marrow. Increased CXCL1 levels accompanied by higher expression of its receptor CXCR2 on classical monocytes and inhibition of monocytosis by CXCL1-neutralization indicated a preferential role for the CXCL1/CXCR2 axis in mobilizing classical monocytes during hypercholesterolemia. Studies correlating circulating and lesional classical monocytes in gene-deficient \(Apoe^{-/-}\) mice, adoptive transfer of gene-deficient cells and pharmacological modulation during intravital microscopy of the carotid artery revealed a crucial function of CCR1 and CCR5 but not CCR2 or \(CX_3CR1\) in classical monocyte recruitment to atherosclerotic vessels. Collectively, these data establish the impact of classical monocytes on atheroprogression, identify a sequential role of CXCL1 in their mobilization and CCR1/CCR5 in their recruitment. KW - hypercholeterolemia KW - CCR2 KW - atherosclerosis KW - chemokine KW - accumulation KW - subsets KW - inflammatory sites KW - fractalkine KW - marcophages KW - mobilization KW - monocyte KW - recruitment KW - bone-marrow KW - atheriosclerotic lesions KW - hyperlipedemic mice Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-122204 SN - 1757-4676 VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Walter, Maggie C. A1 - Reilich, Peter A1 - Thiele, Simone A1 - Schessl, Joachim A1 - Schreiber, Herbert A1 - Reiners, Karlheinz A1 - Kress, Wolfram A1 - Müller-Reible, Clemens A1 - Vorgerd, Matthias A1 - Urban, Peter A1 - Schrank, Bertold A1 - Deschauer, Marcus A1 - Schlotter-Weigel, Beate A1 - Kohnen, Ralf A1 - Lochmüller, Hans T1 - Treatment of dysferlinopathy with deflazacort: a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial JF - Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases N2 - Background: Dysferlinopathies are autosomal recessive disorders caused by mutations in the dysferlin (DYSF) gene encoding the dysferlin protein. DYSF mutations lead to a wide range of muscular phenotypes, with the most prominent being Miyoshi myopathy (MM) and limb girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B (LGMD2B). Methods: We assessed the one-year-natural course of dysferlinopathy, and the safety and efficacy of deflazacort treatment in a double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial. After one year of natural course without intervention, 25 patients with genetically defined dysferlinopathy were randomized to receive deflazacort and placebo for six months each (1 mg/kg/day in month one, 1 mg/kg every 2nd day during months two to six) in one of two treatment sequences. Results: During one year of natural course, muscle strength declined about 2% as measured by CIDD (Clinical Investigation of Duchenne Dystrophy) score, and 76 Newton as measured by hand-held dynamometry. Deflazacort did not improve muscle strength. In contrast, there is a trend of worsening muscle strength under deflazacort treatment, which recovers after discontinuation of the study drug. During deflazacort treatment, patients showed a broad spectrum of steroid side effects. Conclusion: Deflazacort is not an effective therapy for dysferlinopathies, and off-label use is not warranted. This is an important finding, since steroid treatment should not be administered in patients with dysferlinopathy, who may be often misdiagnosed as polymyositis. KW - Deflazacort KW - muscle strength KW - gridle muscular-dystrophy KW - Duchenne dystrphy KW - Miyoshi myopathy KW - mutation KW - prednisone KW - gene KW - 2B KW - children KW - design KW - steroids KW - therapy KW - dysferlinopathy KW - Limb girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD) Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125663 SN - 1750-1172 VL - 8 IS - 26 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hirsch, Hans H. A1 - Martino, Rodrigo A1 - Ward, Katherine N. A1 - Boeckh, Michael A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Ljungman, Per T1 - Fourth European Conference on Infections in Leukaemia (ECIL-4): Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Parainfluenza Virus, Metapneumovirus, Rhinovirus, and Coronavirus JF - Clinical Infectious Diseases N2 - Community-acquired respiratory virus (CARV) infections have been recognized as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with leukemia and those undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Progression to lower respiratory tract infection with clinical and radiological signs of pneumonia and respiratory failure appears to depend on the intrinsic virulence of the specific CARV as well as factors specific to the patient, the underlying disease, and its treatment. To better define the current state of knowledge of CARVs in leukemia and HSCT patients, and to improve CARV diagnosis and management, a working group of the Fourth European Conference on Infections in Leukaemia (ECIL-4) 2011 reviewed the literature on CARVs, graded the available quality of evidence, and made recommendations according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America grading system. Owing to differences in screening, clinical presentation, and therapy for influenza and adenovirus, ECIL-4 recommendations are summarized for CARVs other than influenza and adenovirus. KW - hematopoietic KW - leukemia KW - transplantation KW - respiratory virus KW - bone marrow transplantation Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124758 VL - 56 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Karle, Kathrin N. A1 - Schüle, Rebecca A1 - Klebe, Stephan A1 - Otto, Susanne A1 - Frischholz, Christian A1 - Liepelt-Scarfone, Inga A1 - Schöls, Ludger T1 - Electrophysiological characterisation of motor and sensory tracts in patients with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) JF - Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases N2 - Background: Hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSPs) are characterised by lower limb spasticity due to degeneration of the corticospinal tract. We set out for an electrophysiological characterisation of motor and sensory tracts in patients with HSP. Methods: We clinically and electrophysiologically examined a cohort of 128 patients with genetically confirmed or clinically probable HSP. Motor evoked potentials (MEPs) to arms and legs, somato-sensory evoked potentials of median and tibial nerves, and nerve conduction studies of tibial, ulnar, sural, and radial nerves were assessed. Results: Whereas all patients showed clinical signs of spastic paraparesis, MEPs were normal in 27% of patients and revealed a broad spectrum with axonal or demyelinating features in the others. This heterogeneity can at least in part be explained by different underlying genotypes, hinting for distinct pathomechanisms in HSP subtypes. In the largest subgroup, SPG4, an axonal type of damage was evident. Comprehensive electrophysiological testing disclosed a more widespread affection of long fibre tracts involving peripheral nerves and the sensory system in 40%, respectively. Electrophysiological abnormalities correlated with the severity of clinical symptoms. Conclusions: Whereas HSP is primarily considered as an upper motoneuron disorder, our data suggest a more widespread affection of motor and sensory tracts in the central and peripheral nervous system as a common finding in HSP. The distribution patterns of electrophysiological abnormalities were associated with distinct HSP genotypes and could reflect different underlying pathomechanisms. Electrophysiological measures are independent of symptomatic treatment and may therefore serve as a reliable biomarker in upcoming HSP trials. KW - motor evoked potential (MEP) KW - amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis KW - somatosensory-evoked-potentials KW - Silver-syndrome KW - gene mutations KW - SPG4 KW - mouse model KW - ALSIN gene KW - neuropathy KW - paraparesis KW - protein KW - electrophysiology KW - hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124763 SN - 1750-1172 VL - 8 IS - 158 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weidemann, Frank A1 - Sanchez-Nino, Maria D. A1 - Politei, Juan A1 - Oliveira, João-Paulo A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Warnock, David G. A1 - Oritz, Alberto T1 - Fibrosis: a key feature of Fabry disease with potential therapeutic implications JF - Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases N2 - Fabry disease is a rare X-linked hereditary disease caused by mutations in the AGAL gene encoding the lysosomal enzyme alpha-galactosidase A. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) is the current cornerstone of Fabry disease management. Involvement of kidney, heart and the central nervous system shortens life span, and fibrosis of these organs is a hallmark of the disease. Fibrosis was initially thought to result from tissue ischemia secondary to endothelial accumulation of glycosphingolipids in the microvasculature. However, despite ready clearance of endothelial deposits, ERT is less effective in patients who have already developed fibrosis. Several potential explanations of this clinical observation may impact on the future management of Fabry disease. Alternative molecular pathways linking glycosphingolipids and fibrosis may be operative; tissue injury may recruit secondary molecular mediators of fibrosis that are unresponsive to ERT, or fibrosis may represent irreversible tissue injury that limits the therapeutic response to ERT. We provide an overview of Fabry disease, with a focus on the assessment of fibrosis, the clinical consequences of fibrosis, and recent advances in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of fibrosis that may suggest novel therapeutic approaches to Fabry disease. KW - Fabry KW - fibrosis KW - podocyte KW - Lyso-Gb3 KW - kidney KW - enzyme replacement therapy KW - alpha-galactosidase-A KW - focal semental glomerulosclerosis KW - cardiovascular magnetic-resonance KW - left-ventricular hypertrophy KW - biopsy findings KW - agalsidase-beta KW - natural-history data KW - cardiac energy metabolism KW - randomized controlled trial Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-124773 SN - 1750-1172 VL - 8 IS - 116 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hedrich, Christian M. A1 - Hofmann, Sigrun R. A1 - Pablik, Jessica A1 - Morbach, Henner A1 - Girschick, Hermann J. T1 - Autoinflammatory bone disorders with special focus on chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO) JF - Pediatric Rheumatology N2 - Sterile bone inflammation is the hallmark of autoinflammatory bone disorders, including chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis (CNO) with its most severe form chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis (CRMO). Autoinflammatory osteopathies are the result of a dysregulated innate immune system, resulting in immune cell infiltration of the bone and subsequent osteoclast differentiation and activation. Interestingly, autoinflammatory bone disorders are associated with inflammation of the skin and/or the intestine. In several monogenic autoinflammatory bone disorders mutations in disease-causing genes have been reported. However, regardless of recent developments, the molecular pathogenesis of CNO/CRMO remains unclear. Here, we discuss the clinical presentation and molecular pathophysiology of human autoinflammatory osteopathies and animal models with special focus on CNO/CRMO. Treatment options in monogenic autoinflammatory bone disorders and CRMO will be illustrated. KW - bisphosphonate treatment KW - IL-10 expression KW - TNF-α KW - IL-10 KW - inflammation KW - bone KW - CRMO KW - CNO KW - DIRA KW - PAPA KW - Majeed-Syndrome KW - disease KW - deficiency KW - pediatric patients KW - treatment KW - TLR4 KW - PAPA syndrome KW - hypertrophic osteodystrophy KW - chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis KW - congenital dyserythropoietic anemia Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125694 SN - 1546-0096 VL - 11 IS - 47 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schaeffer, Evelin L. A1 - Kühn, Franziska A1 - Schmitt, Angelika A1 - Gattaz, Wagner F. A1 - Gruber, Oliver A1 - Schneider-Axmann, Thomas A1 - Falkai, Peter A1 - Schmitt, Andrea T1 - Increased cell proliferation in the rat anterior cingulate cortex following neonatal hypoxia: relevance to schizophrenia JF - Journal of Neural Transmission N2 - As a consequence of obstetric complications, neonatal hypoxia has been discussed as an environmental factor in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, the biological consequences of hypoxia are unclear. The neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia suggests that the onset of abnormal brain development and neuropathology occurs perinatally, whereas symptoms of the disease appear in early adulthood. In our animal model of chronic neonatal hypoxia, we have detected behavioral alterations resembling those known from schizophrenia. Disturbances in cell proliferation possibly contribute to the pathophysiology of this disease. In the present study, we used postnatal rats to investigate cell proliferation in several brain areas following neonatal hypoxia. Rats were repeatedly exposed to hypoxia (89 % N2, 11 % O2) from postnatal day (PD) 4–8. We then evaluated cell proliferation on PD 13 and 39, respectively. These investigations were performed in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), caudate-putamen (CPU), dentate gyrus, and subventricular zone. Rats exposed to hypoxia exhibited increased cell proliferation in the ACC at PD 13, normalizing at PD 39. In other brain regions, no alterations have been detected. Additionally, hypoxia-treated rats showed decreased CPU volume at PD 13. The results of the present study on the one hand support the assumption of chronic hypoxia influencing transient cell proliferation in the ACC, and on the other hand reveal normalization during ageing. KW - schizophrenia KW - cell proliferation KW - rat KW - anterior cingulate cortex KW - neonatal hypoxia Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-125890 VL - 120 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Drechsler, Christiane A1 - Ritz, Eberhard A1 - Tomaschitz, Andreas A1 - Pilz, Stefan A1 - Schönfeld, Stephan A1 - Blouin, Katja A1 - Bidlingmaier, Martin A1 - Hammer, Fabian A1 - Krane, Vera A1 - März, Winfried A1 - Allolio, Bruno A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Wanner, Christoph T1 - Aldosterone and cortisol affect the risk of sudden cardiac death in haemodialysis patients JF - European Heart Journal N2 - Background: Sudden cardiac death is common and accounts largely for the excess mortality of patients on maintenance dialysis. It is unknown whether aldosterone and cortisol increase the incidence of sudden cardiac death in dialysis patients. Methods and results: We analysed data from 1255 diabetic haemodialysis patients participating in the German Diabetes and Dialysis Study (4D Study). Categories of aldosterone and cortisol were determined at baseline and patients were followed for a median of 4 years. By Cox regression analyses, hazard ratios (HRs) were determined for the effect of aldosterone, cortisol, and their combination on sudden death and other adjudicated cardiovascular outcomes. The mean age of the patients was 66 ± 8 years (54% male). Median aldosterone was <15 pg/mL (detection limit) and cortisol 16.8 µg/dL. Patients with aldosterone levels >200 pg/mL had a significantly higher risk of sudden death (HR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.06–2.69) compared with those with an aldosterone <15 pg/mL. The combined presence of high aldosterone (>200 pg/mL) and high cortisol (>21.1 µg/dL) levels increased the risk of sudden death in striking contrast to patients with low aldosterone (<15 pg/mL) and low cortisol (<13.2 µg/dL) levels (HR: 2.86, 95% CI: 1.32–6.21). Furthermore, all-cause mortality was significantly increased in the patients with high levels of both hormones (HR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.01–2.62). Conclusions: The joint presence of high aldosterone and high cortisol levels is strongly associated with sudden cardiac death as well as all-cause mortality in haemodialysed type 2 diabetic patients. Whether a blockade of the mineralocorticoid receptor decreases the risk of sudden death in these patients must be examined in future trials. KW - mortality KW - kidney disease KW - cardiovascular events KW - sudden cardiac death KW - cortisol KW - aldosterone Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132562 VL - 34 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wetzel, Andrea A1 - Jablonka, Sibylle A1 - Blum, Robert T1 - Cell-autonomous axon growth of young motoneurons is triggered by a voltage-gated sodium channel JF - Channels (Austin) N2 - Spontaneous electrical activity preceding synapse formation contributes to the precise regulation of neuronal development. Examining the origins of spontaneous activity revealed roles for neurotransmitters that depolarize neurons and activate ion channels. Recently, we identified a new molecular mechanism underlying fluctuations in spontaneous neuronal excitability. We found that embryonic motoneurons with a genetic loss of the low-threshold sodium channel Na\(_V\)1.9 show fewer fluctuations in intracellular calcium in axonal compartments and growth cones than wild-type littermates. As a consequence, axon growth of Na\(_V\)1.9-deficient motoneurons in cell culture is drastically reduced while dendritic growth and cell survival are not affected. Interestingly, Na\(_V\)1.9 function is observed under conditions that would hardly allow a ligand- or neurotransmitter-dependent depolarization. Thus, Na\(_V\)1.9 may serve as a cell-autonomous trigger for neuronal excitation. In this addendum, we discuss a model for the interplay between cell-autonomous local neuronal activity and local cytoskeleton dynamics in growth cone function. KW - spontaneous excitation KW - spinal muscular atrophy KW - axon growth KW - sodium channel KW - motoneurons KW - local protein synthesis KW - NaV1.9 Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132586 VL - 7 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bonn, M. A1 - Schmitt, A. A1 - Lesch, K.-P. A1 - Van Bockstaele, E. J. A1 - Asan, E. T1 - Serotonergic innervation and serotonin receptor expression of NPY-producing neurons in the rat lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei JF - Brain Structure and Function N2 - Pharmacobehavioral studies in experimental animals, and imaging studies in humans, indicate that serotonergic transmission in the amygdala plays a key role in emotional processing, especially for anxiety-related stimuli. The lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei receive a dense serotonergic innervation in all species studied to date. We investigated interrelations between serotonergic afferents and neuropeptide Y (NPY)-producing neurons, which are a subpopulation of inhibitory interneurons in the rat lateral and basolateral nuclei with particularly strong anxiolytic properties. Dual light microscopic immunolabeling showed numerous appositions of serotonergic afferents on NPY-immunoreactive somata. Using electron microscopy, direct membrane appositions and synaptic contacts between serotonin-containing axon terminals and NPY-immunoreactive cellular profiles were unequivocally established. Double in situ hybridization documented that more than 50 %, and about 30–40 % of NPY mRNA-producing neurons, co-expressed inhibitory 5-HT1A and excitatory 5-HT2C mRNA receptor subtype mRNA, respectively, in both nuclei with no gender differences. Triple in situ hybridization showed that individual NPY mRNA-producing interneurons co-express both 5-HT1A and 5-HT2C mRNAs. Co-expression of NPY and 5-HT3 mRNA was not observed. The results demonstrate that serotonergic afferents provide substantial innervation of NPY-producing neurons in the rat lateral and basolateral amygdaloid nuclei. Studies of serotonin receptor subtype co-expression indicate a differential impact of the serotonergic innervation on this small, but important, population of anxiolytic interneurons, and provide the basis for future studies of the circuitry underlying serotonergic modulation of emotional stimulus processing in the amygdala. KW - NPY KW - serotonergic system KW - amygdala KW - anxiety Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132591 VL - 218 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Blömer, Nadja A1 - Pachel, Christina A1 - Hofmann, Urlich A1 - Nordbeck, Peter A1 - Bauer, Wolfgang A1 - Mathes, Denise A1 - Frey, Anna A1 - Bayer, Barbara A1 - Vogel, Benjamin A1 - Ertl, Georg T1 - 5-Lipoxygenase facilitates healing after myocardial infarction JF - Basic Research in Cardiology N2 - Early healing after myocardial infarction (MI) is characterized by a strong inflammatory reaction. Most leukotrienes are pro-inflammatory and are therefore potential mediators of healing and remodeling after myocardial ischemia. The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) has a key role in the transformation of arachidonic acid in leukotrienes. Thus, we tested the effect of 5-LOX on healing after MI. After chronic coronary artery ligation, early mortality was significantly increased in 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) when compared to matching wildtype (WT) mice due to left ventricular rupture. This effect could be reproduced in mice treated with the 5-LOX inhibitor Zileuton. A perfusion mismatch due to the vasoactive potential of leukotrienes is not responsible for left ventricular rupture since local blood flow assessed by magnetic resonance perfusion measurements was not different. However, after MI, there was an accentuation of the inflammatory reaction with an increase of pro-inflammatory macrophages. Yet, mortality was not changed in chimeric mice (WT vs. 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) bone marrow in 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) animals), indicating that an altered function of 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) inflammatory cells is not responsible for the phenotype. Collagen production and accumulation of fibroblasts were significantly reduced in 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) mice in vivo after MI. This might be due to an impaired migration of 5-LOX\(^{−/−}\) fibroblasts, as shown in vitro to serum. In conclusion, a lack or inhibition of 5-LOX increases mortality after MI because of healing defects. This is not mediated by a change in local blood flow, but through an altered inflammation and/or fibroblast function. KW - lipoxygenase KW - myocardial infarction KW - extracellular matrix remodeling KW - inflammation Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132602 VL - 108 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rudolf, P. A1 - Kanal, F. A1 - Gehrig, D. A1 - Niesel, J. A1 - Brixner, T. A1 - Schatzschneider, U. A1 - Nuernberger, P. T1 - Femtosecond mid-infrared study of the aqueous solution photochemistry of a CO-releasing molecule (CORM) JF - EPJ Web of Conferences N2 - Ultraviolet irradiation of CO-releasing molecules (CORMs) in water eventually leads to the loss of several carbon monoxide ligands.We show for an exemplary manganese tricarbonyl CORM that only one ligand is photolyzed off on an ultrafast timescale and that some molecules may undergo geminate recombination. KW - Aqueous Solution Photochemistry KW - Femtosecond Mid-Infrared Study Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-129104 VL - 41 ER -