TY - JOUR A1 - Fuchs, Andreas A1 - Kreczy, Dorothea A1 - Brückner, Theresa A1 - Gbureck, Uwe A1 - Stahlhut, Philipp A1 - Bengel, Melanie A1 - Hoess, Andreas A1 - Nies, Berthold A1 - Bator, Julia A1 - Klammert, Uwe A1 - Linz, Christian A1 - Ewald, Andrea T1 - Bone regeneration capacity of newly developed spherical magnesium phosphate cement granules JF - Clinical Oral Investigations N2 - Objectives Magnesium phosphate-based cements begin to catch more attention as bone substitute materials and especially as alternatives for the more commonly used calcium phosphates. In bone substitutes for augmentation purposes, atraumatic materials with good biocompatibility and resorbability are favorable. In the current study, we describe the in vivo testing of novel bone augmentation materials in form of spherical granules based on a calcium-doped magnesium phosphate (CaMgP) cement. Materials and Methods Granules with diameters between 500 and 710 μm were fabricated via the emulsification of CaMgP cement pastes in a lipophilic liquid. As basic material, two different CaMgP formulations were used. The obtained granules were implanted into drill hole defects at the distal femoral condyle of 27 New Zealand white rabbits for 6 and 12 weeks. After explantation, the femora were examined via X-ray diffraction analysis, histological staining, radiological examination, and EDX measurement. Results Both granule types display excellent biocompatibility without any signs of inflammation and allow for proper bone healing without the interposition of connective tissue. CaMgP granules show a fast and continuous degradation and enable fully adequate bone regeneration. Conclusions Due to their biocompatibility, their degradation behavior, and their completely spherical morphology, these CaMgP granules present a promising bone substitute material for bone augmentation procedures, especially in sensitive areas. Clinical Relevance The mostly insufficient local bone supply after tooth extractions complicates prosthetic dental restoration or makes it even impossible. Therefore, bone augmentation procedures are oftentimes inevitable. Spherical CaMgP granules may represent a valuable bone replacement material in many situations. KW - implantation KW - calcium-magnesium phosphate cement KW - cement pastes KW - prefabricated granules KW - bone replacement material Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-268872 SN - 1436-3771 VL - 26 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weber, Heike A1 - Maihofer, Adam X. A1 - Jaksic, Nenad A1 - Bojic, Elma Feric A1 - Kucukalic, Sabina A1 - Dzananovic, Emina Sabic A1 - Uka, Aferdita Goci A1 - Hoxha, Blerina A1 - Haxhibeqiri, Valdete A1 - Haxhibeqiri, Shpend A1 - Kravic, Nermina A1 - Umihanic, Mirnesa Muminovic A1 - Franc, Ana Cima A1 - Babic, Romana A1 - Pavlovic, Marko A1 - Mehmedbasic, Alma Bravo A1 - Aukst-Margetic, Branka A1 - Kucukalic, Abdulah A1 - Marjanovic, Damir A1 - Babic, Dragan A1 - Jakovljevic, Miro A1 - Sinanovic, Osman A1 - Avidbegović, Esmina A1 - Agani, Ferid A1 - Warrings, Bodo A1 - Domschke, Katharina A1 - Nievergelt, Caroline M. A1 - Dzubur-Kulenovic, Alma A1 - Erhardt, Angelika T1 - Association of polygenic risk scores, traumatic life events and coping strategies with war-related PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity in the South Eastern Europe (SEE)-PTSD cohort JF - Journal of Neural Transmission N2 - Objectives Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is triggered by extremely stressful environmental events and characterized by high emotional distress, re-experiencing of trauma, avoidance and hypervigilance. The present study uses polygenic risk scores (PRS) derived from the UK Biobank (UKBB) mega-cohort analysis as part of the PGC PTSD GWAS effort to determine the heritable basis of PTSD in the South Eastern Europe (SEE)-PTSD cohort. We further analyzed the relation between PRS and additional disease-related variables, such as number and intensity of life events, coping, sex and age at war on PTSD and CAPS as outcome variables. Methods Association of PRS, number and intensity of life events, coping, sex and age on PTSD were calculated using logistic regression in a total of 321 subjects with current and remitted PTSD and 337 controls previously subjected to traumatic events but not having PTSD. In addition, PRS and other disease-related variables were tested for association with PTSD symptom severity, measured by the Clinician Administrated PTSD Scale (CAPS) by liner regression. To assess the relationship between the main outcomes PTSD diagnosis and symptom severity, each of the examined variables was adjusted for all other PTSD related variables. Results The categorical analysis showed significant polygenic risk in patients with remitted PTSD and the total sample, whereas no effects were found on symptom severity. Intensity of life events as well as the individual coping style were significantly associated with PTSD diagnosis in both current and remitted cases. The dimensional analyses showed as association of war-related frequency of trauma with symptom severity, whereas the intensity of trauma yielded significant results independently of trauma timing in current PTSD. Conclusions The present PRS application in the SEE-PTSD cohort confirms modest but significant polygenic risk for PTSD diagnosis. Environmental factors, mainly the intensity of traumatic life events and negative coping strategies, yielded associations with PTSD both categorically and dimensionally with more significant p-values. This suggests that, at least in the present cohort of war-related trauma, the association of environmental factors and current individual coping strategies with PTSD psychopathology was stronger than the polygenic risk. KW - life events KW - PTSD KW - CAPS KW - polygenic risk score KW - coping style Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-268541 SN - 1435-1463 VL - 129 IS - 5-6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Steinhardt, Maximilian J. A1 - Krummenast, Franziska C. A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena A1 - Heidemeier, Anke A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Topp, Max S. A1 - Duell, Johannes T1 - R-CHOP intensification with mid-cycle methotrexate and consolidating AraC/TT with BCNU/aHSCT in primary aggressive lymphoma with CNS involvement JF - Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology N2 - Purpose Patients suffering from aggressive systemic peripheral lymphoma with primary central nervous system involvement (PCL) are a rare and sparsely investigated population. Recommended treatment regimens include a combination of intrathecal and systemic chemotherapy as well as whole brain radiotherapy while offering relatively poor survival. Methods We conducted a single-center retrospective study that analyzed safety and outcome of 4 + 4 cycles Rituximab (R)-CHOP and R-high-dose Methotrexate (HD-MTX) for newly diagnosed, transplant-eligible patients ("Ping-Pong"), followed by Cytarabine (AraC)/Thiotepa (TT), BCNU/TT, and autologous hematologic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). We retrospectively analyzed a set of 16 patients with high-intermediate or high-risk IPI status. Results Overall response rate to Ping-Pong was 100% measured by CT/MRI, including 93.75% complete remissions after BCNU/TT followed by PBSCT. One patient failed to qualify for high-dose chemotherapy due to progression when receiving Cytarabine/TT. All patients experienced grade III adverse events, 3 of them a grade IV adverse event. Estimated progression-free survival is 93.75% after a 4.8-year follow-up currently. Conclusion Our study suggests high effectivity of R-CHOP with mid-cycle MTX with aHSCT consolidation towards acceptable OS results in this challenging patient population. KW - lymphoma KW - HD KW - MTX KW - R-CHOP Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267731 SN - 1432-1335 VL - 148 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Murali, Supriya A1 - Händel, Barbara T1 - Motor restrictions impair divergent thinking during walking and during sitting JF - Psychological Research N2 - Creativity, specifically divergent thinking, has been shown to benefit from unrestrained walking. Despite these findings, it is not clear if it is the lack of restriction that leads to the improvement. Our goal was to explore the effects of motor restrictions on divergent thinking for different movement states. In addition, we assessed whether spontaneous eye blinks, which are linked to motor execution, also predict performance. In experiment 1, we compared the performance in Guilford's alternate uses task (AUT) during walking vs. sitting, and analysed eye blink rates during both conditions. We found that AUT scores were higher during walking than sitting. Albeit eye blinks differed significantly between movement conditions (walking vs. sitting) and task phase (baseline vs. thinking vs. responding), they did not correlate with task performance. In experiment 2 and 3, participants either walked freely or in a restricted path, or sat freely or fixated on a screen. When the factor restriction was explicitly modulated, the effect of walking was reduced, while restriction showed a significant influence on the fluency scores. Importantly, we found a significant correlation between the rate of eye blinks and creativity scores between subjects, depending on the restriction condition. Our study shows a movement state-independent effect of restriction on divergent thinking. In other words, similar to unrestrained walking, unrestrained sitting also improves divergent thinking. Importantly, we discuss a mechanistic explanation of the effect of restriction on divergent thinking based on the increased size of the focus of attention and the consequent bias towards flexibility. KW - creativity KW - humans KW - sitting KW - walking KW - thinking Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267722 SN - 1430-2772 VL - 86 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Gernert, Michael A1 - Tony, Hans-Peter A1 - Schwanek, Eva Christina A1 - Gadeholt, Ottar A1 - Fröhlich, Matthias A1 - Portegys, Jan A1 - Strunz, Patrick-Pascal A1 - Schmalzing, Marc T1 - Lymphocyte subsets in the peripheral blood are disturbed in systemic sclerosis patients and can be changed by immunosuppressive medication JF - Rheumatology International N2 - Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a severe chronic disease with a broad spectrum of clinical manifestations. SSc displays disturbed lymphocyte homeostasis. Immunosuppressive medications targeting T or B cells can improve disease manifestations. SSc clinical manifestations and immunosuppressive medication in itself can cause changes in lymphocyte subsets. The aim of this study was to investigate peripheral lymphocyte homeostasis in SSc with regards to the immunosuppression and to major organ involvement. 44 SSc patients and 19 healthy donors (HD) were included. Immunophenotyping of peripheral whole blood by fluorescence-activated cell sorting was performed. Cytokine secretions of stimulated B cell cultures were measured. SSc patients without immunosuppression compared to HD displayed lower γδ T cells, lower T helper cells (CD3+/CD4+), lower transitional B cells (CD19+/CD38++/CD10+/IgD+), lower pre-switched memory B cells (CD19+/CD27+/IgD+), and lower post-switched memory B cells (CD19+/CD27+/IgD-). There was no difference in the cytokine production of whole B cell cultures between SSc and HD. Within the SSc cohort, mycophenolate intake was associated with lower T helper cells and lower NK cells (CD56+/CD3-). The described differences in peripheral lymphocyte subsets between SSc and HD generate further insight in SSc pathogenesis. Lymphocyte changes under effective immunosuppression indicate how lymphocyte homeostasis in SSc might be restored. KW - mycophenolate KW - systemic sclerosis KW - scleroderma KW - memory B cells KW - B cell culture KW - cytokines KW - γδ T cells KW - immunophenotyping Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-266482 SN - 1437-160X VL - 42 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lippert, Juliane A1 - Fassnacht, Martin A1 - Ronchi, Cristina L. T1 - The role of molecular profiling in adrenocortical carcinoma JF - Clinical Endocrinology N2 - Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare, aggressive cancer with still partially unknown pathogenesis, heterogenous clinical behaviour and no effective treatment for advanced stages. Therefore, there is an urgent clinical unmet need for better prognostication strategies, innovative therapies and significant improvement of the management of the individual patients. In this review, we summarize available studies on molecular prognostic markers and markers predictive of response to standard therapies as well as newly proposed drug targets in sporadic ACC. We include in vitro studies and available clinical trials, focusing on alterations at the DNA, RNA and epigenetic levels. We also discuss the potential of biomarkers to be implemented in a clinical routine workflow for improved ACC patient care. KW - adrenocortical cancer KW - biomarkers KW - precision medicine KW - prognosis KW - targeted treatment Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258382 VL - 97 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Käthner, Ivo A1 - Eidel, Matthias A1 - Häge, Anne-Sophie A1 - Gram, Annika A1 - Pauli, Paul T1 - Observing physicians acting with different levels of empathy modulates later assessed pain tolerance JF - British Journal of Health Psychology N2 - Objectives The patient–physician relationship is essential for treatment success. Previous studies demonstrated that physicians who behave empathic in their interaction with patients have a positive effect on health outcomes. In this study, we investigated if the mere perception of physicians as empathic/not empathic modulates pain despite an emotionally neutral interaction with the patients. Methods N = 60 women took part in an experimental study that simulated a clinical interaction. In the paradigm, each participant watched two immersive 360° videos via a head-mounted display from a patient’s perspective. The physicians in the videos behaved either empathic or not empathic towards a third person. Importantly, these physicians remained emotionally neutral in the subsequent virtual interaction with the participants. Finally, participants received a controlled, painful pressure stimulus within the narratives of the videos. Results The physicians in the high compared with the low empathy videos were rated as more empathic and more likable, indicating successful experimental manipulation. In spite of later neutral behaviour of physicians, this short observation of physicians’ behaviour towards a third person was sufficient to modulate pain tolerance of the participants. Conclusions The finding of this study that the mere observation of physicians’ behaviour towards a third person modulates pain, despite a neutral direct interaction with the participants, has important clinical implications. Further, the proposed paradigm enables investigating aspects of patient–physician communication that are difficult to examine in a clinical setting. KW - patient–physician relationship KW - empathy KW - psychology KW - pain KW - 360° videos Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-258368 VL - 27 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heß, Verena A1 - Meng, Karin A1 - Schulte, Thomas A1 - Neuderth, Silke A1 - Bengel, Jürgen A1 - Faller, Hermann A1 - Schuler, Michael T1 - Decreased mental health, quality of life, and utilization of professional help in cancer patients with unexpressed needs: A longitudinal analysis JF - Psycho-Oncology N2 - Background Cancer patients' mental health and quality of life can be improved through professional support according to their needs. In previous analyses of the UNSAID study, we showed that a relevant proportion of cancer patients did not express their needs during the admission interview of inpatient rehabilitation. We now examine trajectories of mental health, quality of life, and utilization of professional help in cancer patients with unexpressed needs. Methods We enrolled 449 patients with breast, prostate, and colon cancer at beginning (T0) and end (T1) of a 3-week inpatient rehabilitation and 3 (T2) and 9 (T3) months after discharge. We explored depression (PHQ-2), anxiety (GAD-2), emotional functioning (EORTC QLQ-C30), fear of progression (FoP-Q-SF), and global quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) using structuring equation models. Furthermore, we evaluated self-reports about expressing needs and utilization of professional help at follow-up. Results Patients with unexpressed needs (24.3%, n = 107) showed decreased mental health compared to other patients (e.g., depression: d T0 = 0.32, d T1-T3 = 0.39). They showed a significant decline in global quality of life at discharge and follow-up (d = 0.28). Furthermore, they had a higher need for support (Cramer's V T2 = 0.10, T3 = 0.15), talked less about their needs (Cramer’s V T2 = 0.18), and made less use of different health care services at follow-up. Conclusion Unexpressed needs in cancer patients may be a risk factor for decreased mental health, quality of life, and non-utilization of professional help in the long term. Further research should clarify causal relationships and focus on this specific group of patients to improve cancer care. KW - cancer KW - longitudinal decrease KW - mental health KW - psycho-oncology KW - quality of life KW - unexpressed needs Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-257662 VL - 31 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sperlich, Andreas A1 - Auth, Michael A1 - Dyakonov, Vladimir T1 - Charge transfer in ternary solar cells employing two fullerene derivatives: where do electrons go? BT - Dedicated to Prof. Sariciftci on the occasion of his 60th birthday JF - Israel Journal of Chemistry N2 - Earlier reports demonstrated that ternary organic solar cells (OSC) made of donor polymers (D) blended with different mixtures of fullerene acceptors (A : A) performed very similarly. This finding is surprising, as the corresponding fullerene LUMO levels are slightly different, which might result in decisive differences in the charge transfer step. We investigate ternary OSC (D : A : A) made of the donor polymer P3HT with stoichiometric mixtures of different fullerene derivatives, PC\(_{60}\)BM : PC\(_{70}\)BM and PC\(_{70}\)BM : IC\(_{60}\)BA, respectively. Using quantitative electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) we can distinguish between positive and negative polarons, localized on the specific molecules. We found that after the initial charge transfer step, the electrons are re-distributed over two nearby acceptors in agreement with their stoichiometry and their relative LUMO energy difference. Remarkably, the measured ΔLUMO differences in fullerene mixtures are reduced by an order of magnitude compared to that of the pristine materials, i. e., below 1 meV for PC\(_{60}\)BM : PC\(_{70}\)BM and (20±5) meV for PC\(_{70}\)BM : IC\(_{60}\)BA. Furthermore, we found that this reduced ΔLUMO explains the shift in open circuit voltage for D : A : A organic solar cells. We attribute these findings to hybridization, leading to an effective fullerene LUMO. Consequently, multi-acceptor blends are indeed a viable option for photodetectors and solar cells, as they combine the best electron acceptor and light absorbing properties. KW - ternary organic solar cells Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-257506 VL - 62 IS - 7-8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zhou, Xiang A1 - Ruckdeschel, Anna A1 - Peter, Jessica A1 - Böckle, David A1 - Hornburger, Hannah A1 - Danhof, Sophia A1 - Steinhardt, Maximilian Johannes A1 - Heimeshoff, Larissa A1 - Einsele, Hermann A1 - Kortüm, Klaus Martin A1 - Rasche, Leo T1 - Salvage therapy with "Dara-KDT-P(A)CE" in heavily pretreated, high-risk, proliferative, relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma JF - Hematological Oncology N2 - The multi-agent therapy “VDT-PACE” represents an established regimen in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM). Here, we report on our experience with a “modified VDT-PACE” incorporating new generation anti-MM agents daratumumab and carfilzomib (“Dara-KDT-P(A)CE”). We retrospectively analyzed 38 patients with RRMM treated with “Dara-KDT-P(A)CE”. The median age was 62 (range 45–82) years, and the patients were heavily pretreated with a median of 5 (range 2–12) prior lines of therapy. Twenty-one (55%) patients suffered from penta-refractory MM. High-risk cytogenetics was present in 31 (81%) patients. The patients received a median of 2 (range 1–10) cycles of this therapy, and the overall response rate (ORR) was 70%. Patients with penta-refractory MM and high-risk cytogenetics showed similar ORR of 65% and 79%, respectively. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival were 4.1 (95% CI 2.7–5.4) and 8.4 (95% CI 6.7–10.0) months, respectively. Patients with lactate dehydrogenase >250 IU/L showed significantly shorter PFS in comparison with others patients (p = 0.006). We used this regimen as bridging therapy prior to chimeric antigen receptor T-cell infusion in four patients. In conclusion, “Dara-KDT-P(A)CE” is an effective salvage therapy for patients with heavily pretreated, multi-refractory, high-risk RRMM lacking alternative options. KW - Dara-KDT-P(A)CE KW - multiple myeloma KW - refractory KW - salvage Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-257495 VL - 40 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Beer, Katharina A1 - Härtel, Stephan A1 - Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte T1 - The pigment-dispersing factor neuronal network systematically grows in developing honey bees JF - The Journal of Comparative Neurology N2 - The neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF) plays a prominent role in the circadian clock of many insects including honey bees. In the honey bee brain, PDF is expressed in about 15 clock neurons per hemisphere that lie between the central brain and the optic lobes. As in other insects, the bee PDF neurons form wide arborizations in the brain, but certain differences are evident. For example, they arborize only sparsely in the accessory medulla (AME), which serves as important communication center of the circadian clock in cockroaches and flies. Furthermore, all bee PDF neurons cluster together, which makes it impossible to distinguish individual projections. Here, we investigated the developing bee PDF network and found that the first three PDF neurons arise in the third larval instar and form a dense network of varicose fibers at the base of the developing medulla that strongly resembles the AME of hemimetabolous insects. In addition, they send faint fibers toward the lateral superior protocerebrum. In last larval instar, PDF cells with larger somata appear and send fibers toward the distal medulla and the medial protocerebrum. In the dorsal part of the medulla serpentine layer, a small PDF knot evolves from which PDF fibers extend ventrally. This knot disappears during metamorphosis and the varicose arborizations in the putative AME become fainter. Instead, a new strongly stained PDF fiber hub appears in front of the lobula. Simultaneously, the number of PDF neurons increases and the PDF neuronal network in the brain gets continuously more complex. KW - apis mellifera KW - circadian clock KW - immunohistochemistry KW - larval and pupal development KW - neuroanatomy Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-257300 VL - 530 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kim, Jin Hong A1 - Schembri, Tim A1 - Bialas, David A1 - Stolte, Matthias A1 - Würthner, Frank T1 - Slip‐Stacked J‐Aggregate Materials for Organic Solar Cells and Photodetectors BT - This paper is dedicated to Prof. Daoben Zhu on the occasion of his 80th birthday JF - Advanced Materials N2 - Dye–dye interactions affect the optical and electronic properties in organic semiconductor films of light harvesting and detecting optoelectronic applications. This review elaborates how to tailor these properties of organic semiconductors for organic solar cells (OSCs) and organic photodiodes (OPDs). While these devices rely on similar materials, the demands for their optical properties are rather different, the former requiring a broad absorption spectrum spanning from the UV over visible up to the near‐infrared region and the latter an ultra‐narrow absorption spectrum at a specific, targeted wavelength. In order to design organic semiconductors satisfying these demands, fundamental insights on the relationship of optical properties are provided depending on molecular packing arrangement and the resultant electronic coupling thereof. Based on recent advancements in the theoretical understanding of intermolecular interactions between slip‐stacked dyes, distinguishing classical J‐aggregates with predominant long‐range Coulomb coupling from charge transfer (CT)‐mediated or ‐coupled J‐aggregates, whose red‐shifts are primarily governed by short‐range orbital interactions, is suggested. Within this framework, the relationship between aggregate structure and functional properties of representative classes of dye aggregates is analyzed for the most advanced OSCs and wavelength‐selective OPDs, providing important insights into the rational design of thin‐film optoelectronic materials. KW - crystal engineering KW - exciton coupling KW - J‐aggregates KW - organic photodiodes KW - organic solar cells Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-276537 VL - 34 IS - 22 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmid, Benedikt A1 - Griesel, Mirko A1 - Fischer, Anna-Lena A1 - Romero, Carolina S. A1 - Metzendorf, Maria-Inti A1 - Weibel, Stephanie A1 - Fichtner, Falk T1 - Awake prone positioning, high-flow nasal oxygen and non-invasive ventilation as non-invasive respiratory strategies in COVID-19 acute respiratory failure: a systematic review and meta-analysis JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine N2 - Background: Acute respiratory failure is the most important organ dysfunction of COVID-19 patients. While non-invasive ventilation (NIV) and high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen are frequently used, efficacy and safety remain uncertain. Benefits and harms of awake prone positioning (APP) in COVID-19 patients are unknown. Methods: We searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing HFNC vs. NIV and APP vs. standard care. We meta-analyzed data for mortality, intubation rate, and safety. Results: Five RCTs (2182 patients) were identified. While it remains uncertain whether HFNC compared to NIV alters mortality (RR: 0.92, 95% CI 0.65–1.33), HFNC may increase rate of intubation or death (composite endpoint; RR 1.22, 1.03–1.45). We do not know if HFNC alters risk for harm. APP compared to standard care probably decreases intubation rate (RR 0.83, 0.71–0.96) but may have little or no effect on mortality (RR: 1.08, 0.51–2.31). Conclusions: Certainty of evidence is moderate to very low. There is no compelling evidence for either HFNC or NIV, but both carry substantial risk for harm. The use of APP probably has benefits although mortality appears unaffected. KW - respiratory failure KW - non-invasive ventilation KW - high-flow nasal cannula KW - awake prone positioning KW - COVID-19 KW - systematic review Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255225 SN - 2077-0383 VL - 11 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sitter, Magdalena A1 - Pecks, Ulrich A1 - Rüdiger, Mario A1 - Friedrich, Sabine A1 - Fill Malfertheiner, Sara A1 - Hein, Alexander A1 - Königbauer, Josefine T. A1 - Becke-Jakob, Karin A1 - Zöllkau, Janine A1 - Ramsauer, Babett A1 - Rathberger, Katharina A1 - Pontones, Constanza A. A1 - Kraft, Katrina A1 - Meybohm, Patrick A1 - Härtel, Christoph A1 - Kranke, Peter T1 - Pregnant and postpartum women requiring intensive care treatment for COVID-19 — first data from the CRONOS-registry JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine N2 - (1) Background: Data on coronavirus 2 infection during pregnancy vary. We aimed to describe maternal characteristics and clinical presentation of SARS-CoV-2 positive women requiring intensive care treatment for COVID-19 during pregnancy and postpartum period based on data of a comprehensive German surveillance system in obstetric patients. (2) Methods: Data from COVID-19 Related Obstetric and Neonatal Outcome Study (CRONOS), a prospective multicenter registry for SARS-CoV-2 positive pregnant women, was analyzed with respect to ICU treatment. All women requiring intensive care treatment for COVID-19 were included and compared regarding maternal characteristics, course of disease, as well as maternal and neonatal outcomes. (3) Results: Of 2650 cases in CRONOS, 101 women (4%) had a documented ICU stay. Median maternal age was 33 (IQR, 30–36) years. COVID-19 was diagnosed at a median gestational age of 33 (IQR, 28–35) weeks. As the most invasive form of COVID-19 treatment interventions, patients received either continuous monitoring of vital signs without further treatment requirement (n = 6), insufflation of oxygen (n = 30), non-invasive ventilation (n = 22), invasive ventilation (n = 28), or escalation to extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (n = 15). No significant clinical differences were identified between patients receiving different forms of ventilatory support for COVID-19. Prevalence of preterm delivery was significantly higher in women receiving invasive respiratory treatments. Four women died of COVID-19 and six fetuses were stillborn. (4) Conclusions: Our cohort shows that progression of COVID-19 is rare in pregnant and postpartum women treated in the ICU. Preterm birth rate is high and COVID-19 requiring respiratory support increases the risk of poor maternal and neonatal outcome. KW - maternal critical care KW - COVID-19 KW - ARDS KW - SARS-CoV-2 KW - pregnancy KW - obstetrics Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255257 SN - 2077-0383 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schmidbauer, Moritz L. A1 - Ferse, Caroline A1 - Salih, Farid A1 - Klingner, Carsten A1 - Musleh, Rita A1 - Kunst, Stefan A1 - Wittstock, Matthias A1 - Neumann, Bernhard A1 - Schebesch, Karl-Michael A1 - Bösel, Julian A1 - Godau, Jana A1 - Lochner, Piergiorgio A1 - Adam, Elisabeth H. A1 - Jahnke, Kolja A1 - Knier, Benjamin A1 - Schirotzek, Ingo A1 - Müllges, Wolfgang A1 - Notz, Quirin A1 - Dengl, Markus A1 - Güldner, Andreas A1 - Onur, Oezguer A. A1 - Garcia Borrega, Jorge A1 - Dimitriadis, Konstantinos A1 - Günther, Albrecht T1 - COVID-19 and intracranial hemorrhage: a multicenter case series, systematic review and pooled analysis JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine N2 - Introduction: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) profoundly impacts hemostasis and microvasculature. In the light of the dilemma between thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications, in the present paper, we systematically investigate the prevalence, mortality, radiological subtypes, and clinical characteristics of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we performed a systematic review of the literature by screening the PubMed database and included patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and concomitant ICH. We performed a pooled analysis, including a prospectively collected cohort of critically ill COVID-19 patients with ICH, as part of the PANDEMIC registry (Pooled Analysis of Neurologic Disorders Manifesting in Intensive Care of COVID-19). Results: Our literature review revealed a total of 217 citations. After the selection process, 79 studies and a total of 477 patients were included. The median age was 58.8 years. A total of 23.3% of patients experienced the critical stage of COVID-19, 62.7% of patients were on anticoagulation and 27.5% of the patients received ECMO. The prevalence of ICH was at 0.85% and the mortality at 52.18%, respectively. Conclusion: ICH in COVID-19 patients is rare, but it has a very poor prognosis. Different subtypes of ICH seen in COVID-19, support the assumption of heterogeneous and multifaceted pathomechanisms contributing to ICH in COVID-19. Further clinical and pathophysiological investigations are warranted to resolve the conflict between thromboembolic and hemorrhagic complications in the future. KW - COVID-19 KW - intracranial hemorrhage KW - prognosis KW - anticoagulation Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255236 SN - 2077-0383 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER - TY - THES A1 - Groß, Lennart T1 - Point-spread function engineering for single-molecule localization microscopy in brain slices T1 - Modulation der Punktspreizfunktion für Einzelmolekül-Lokalisationsmikroskopie in Hirnschnitten N2 - Single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) is the method of choice to study biological specimens on a nanoscale level. Advantages of SMLM imply its superior specificity due to targeted molecular fluorescence labeling and its enhanced tissue preservation compared to electron microscopy, while reaching similar resolution. To reveal the molecular organization of protein structures in brain tissue, SMLM moves to the forefront: Instead of investigating brain slices with a thickness of a few µm, measurements of intact neuronal assemblies (up to 100 µm in each dimension) are required. As proteins are distributed in the whole brain volume and can move along synapses in all directions, this method is promising in revealing arrangements of neuronal protein markers. However, diffraction-limited imaging still required for the localization of the fluorophores is prevented by sample-induced distortion of emission pattern due to optical aberrations in tissue slices from non-superficial planes. In particular, the sample causes wavefront dephasing, which can be described as a summation of Zernike polynomials. To recover an optimal point spread function (PSF), active shaping can be performed by the use of adaptive optics. The aim of this thesis is to establish a setup using a deformable mirror and a wavefront sensor to actively shape the PSF to correct the wavefront phases in a super-resolution microscope setup. Therefore, fluorescence-labeled proteins expressed in different anatomical regions in brain tissue will be used as experiment specimen. Resolution independent imaging depth in slices reaching tens of micrometers is aimed. N2 - Einzelmolekül-Lokalisationsmikroskopie ist die Methode der Wahl zur Untersuchung biologische Proben im Bereich von Nanometern. Vorteile von Einzelmolekül-Lokalisationsmikroskopie sind vor allem ihre hohe Spezifität von molekularen Farbstoffbindungen sowie die erreichte hohe Auflösung, die vergleichbar ist mit der elektronenmikroskopischen Auflösung, wobei in der Einzelmolekül-Lokalisationsmikroskopie keine Konservierung der Probe vorgenommen werden muss. Vor allem in der Untersuchung der molekularen Organisation von Proteinstrukturen konnte sich die Einzelmolekül-Lokalisationsmikroskopie bewähren. Die Verteilung von Proteinen im gesamten Gehirn, sowie ihre Eigenschaft, sich entlang neuronaler Strukturen zu bewegen, kann mithilfe der Einzelmolekül-Lokalisationsmikroskopie untersucht werden und zu einem besseren Verständnis neuronaler Prozesse beitragen. Proben induzieren optische Aberrationen: Diese Dephasierungen der Wellenfront, welche als Summe von Zernike-Polynomen beschrieben werden kann, verhindert das Erreichen der Auflösungsgrenze. Zur Wiederherstellung einer optimalen Punktspreizfunktion kann die Wellenfront mittels adaptiver Optik aktiv geformt werden. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist der Aufbau eines Einzelmolekül-Lokalisationsmikroskopes mit integrierter adaptiver Optik, bestehend aus einem deformierbaren Spiegel und einem Wellenfrontsensor, um aktiv die Wellenfront zu formen und die Dephasierung zu korrigieren. Zu diesem Zweck werden fluoreszenzmarkierte Proteine, welche in verschiedenen Hirnregionen exprimiert werden, als Proben herangezogen. Optimalerweise könnte so in verschiedenen Tiefen eine ähnliche Auflösung wie bei einer oberflächlichen Messung erreicht werden. Um die Möglichkeiten des Setups zu evaluieren, welches im Verlauf dieser Arbeit aufgebaut wurde, wurden artifizielle Proben erstellt, indem eine Einzelzellschicht hippocampaler Neuronen der Maus, in welchen α-tubulin mit Alexa Fluor 647 angefärbt ist, auf einem 100 µm Maushirnschnitt plaziert wurden. Da letzterer ein hochgradig diffuses Medium zwischen dem Objektiv und den Fluorophoren darstellt, induziert es verschiedene optische Aberrationen, vor allem Sphärische Aberration und Astigmatismus. Indem die Wellenfront und die Punktspreizfunktion von 4 µm Fluosphere Beads, welche eine maximale Emission bei 505 nm haben, und 0.1 µm Tetraspeck Beads, welche eine maximale Emission bei 505 nm zeigen, aufgenommen wurde, konnten die Aberrationen von 521 nm zu 116 nm Quadratmittel des Wellenfrontfehlers reduziert werden. Weiterhin konnten mithilfe der adaptiven Optik Bruchpilot-Anhäufungen in einem Hirnschnitt der Honigbiene in den Calyx der Pilzkörper in einer Messtiefe von 80 µm sichtbar gemacht werden, welche im unkorrigierten Bild nicht sichtbar waren, indem das Quadratmittel des Wellenfrontfehlers von 587 nm auf 196 nm reduziert wird. Insgesamt zeigt die Reduktion des Quadratmittels des Wellenfrontfehlers eine erfolgreiche Korrektur an, aber ist weit entfernt von einer Mikroskopiertechnik, die eine gewinnbringende Forschung in lebenswissenschaftlichen Bereichen garantiert. KW - Einzelmolekülmikroskopie KW - Adaptive Optik KW - dSTORM KW - Adaptive Optics KW - Single Molecule Localization Microscopy Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-282596 ER - TY - THES A1 - Mainz, Laura T1 - Cellular metabolism as target for cancer therapy T1 - Zellulärer Metabolismus als Krebstherapie-Target N2 - Due to a usually late diagnosis, drug resistance and early metastases, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the seventh leading cause of global cancer deaths. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new therapeutic concepts. Two different approaches have in recent years become the focus of intense research: (1) targeting cancer-associated metabolic rearrangements, and (2) targeting genetic vulnerabilities with combination therapy. Both concepts potentially have advantages such as increased efficacy, which decreases the likelihood of therapy-resistance, and reduced side effects, that are often associated with high concentrations of chemotherapeutic drugs. Autophagy is an evolutionary conserved signalling pathway that regulates cellular homeostasis. Regarding cancer, autophagy can either promote or suppress tumor growth. However, mouse models that allow genetic regulation of autophagy in established tumor tissue are not yet established. Therefore, we analysed new inducible shRNA mouse models targeting Atg5 or Atg7 with regard to functionality and toxicity. Both, shRNA Atg5- and shRNA Atg7-mediated knockdown anteceded functional autophagy impairment, and revealed unexpected profound phenotypic differences. Knockdown of Atg5 neither impaired the animal nor caused any grossly or microscopically detectable organ damage, whereas knockdown of Atg7 caused pancreatic destruction and eventually death. It is currently unclear whether mice died as a result of exocrine or endocrine collapse or due to a combination of both. The presented mouse models are highly potent RNAi mice that allow widespread and regulable inhibition of autophagy upon administration of doxycycline and provide a valuable and versatile toolbox for future autophagy and cancer research. In PDAC, argininosuccinate synthase 1 (ASS1) deficiency has been associated with higher recurrence rates, shorter disease-free survival, and shorter overall survival. During cancer development, rate-limiting enzymes of de novo arginine synthesis, like ASS1 or OTC, are downregulated via epigenetic silencing of their respective promotor. Known as ‘arginine auxotrophy‘, loss of these essential enzymes results in dependence on extracellular arginine. Based on this assumption, sensitivity of various cell lines to arginine deprivation was reported. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear and the anti-tumor effects of the monotherapy are not sufficient to completely abrogate cancer cells. Therefore, the effects of arginine deprivation via rhArgI-PEG5000 were investigated in murine and human PDAC cells. In this study, we highlighted that arginine deprivation induced profound alterations such as autophagosome accumulation, induction of senescence and the ISR in pancreatic cancer cells. These alterations are potential genetic vulnerabilities that can be targeted by additional means to induce tumor cell death. N2 - Infolge einer späten Diagnose, Therapie-Resistenz und unentdeckten Mikrometastasen wurde das duktale Adenokarzinom des Pankreas (PDAC) zur siebthäufigsten krebsbedingten Todesursache weltweit. Dies verdeutlicht, dass dringend neue therapeutische Ansätze entwickelt werden müssen. In den vergangenen Jahren wurde unter anderem auf zwei Ansätze fokussiert: (1) Behandlung Tumor-assoziierter metabolischer Veränderungen und (2) Behandlung genetischer Schwachstellen mit Kombinationstherapie. Zum einen erhofft man sich eine erhöhte Wirksamkeit, die die Wahrscheinlichkeit von Therapie-Resistenzen reduziert, zum anderen verringerte Nebenwirkungen, die meist mit hohen Chemotherapeutika-Konzentrationen verbunden sind. Autophagie ist ein evolutionär konservierter Signalweg, der für die Regulation der zellulären Homöostase verantwortlich ist. Es ist bekannt, dass dieser das Tumorwachstum sowohl fördern, als auch unterdrücken kann. Jedoch sind Mausmodelle, die eine genetische Regulierung von Autophagie im etablierten Tumorgewebe ermöglichen, noch nicht etabliert. Aus diesem Grund wurden neue induzierbare shRNA-Mausmodelle gegen Atg5 oder Atg7 hinsichtlich Funktionalität und Toxizität analysiert. Nach Induktion führten beide shRNAs zum systemweiten Knockdown, der im weiteren Verlauf eine funktionelle Beeinträchtigung des Signalwegs zur Folge hatte. Jedoch traten unerwartete phänotypische Unterschiede auf. Der Atg5-Knockdown beeinträchtigte weder den Allgemeinzustand des Tieres noch verursachte es makroskopisch oder mikroskopisch nachweisbare Organschäden. Im Gegenteil dazu hatte der Atg7- Knockdown die Zerstörung des Pankreas und schließlich den Tod des Tieres zur Folge. Es bleibt unklar, ob die Tiere infolge eines exokrinen oder endokrinen Kollapses oder aufgrund einer Kombination aus beidem starben. Dennoch ermöglichen die vorgestellten Mausmodelle eine systemweite Regulation von Autophagie. Daher stellen sie eine wertvolle und vielseitige Methode für die zukünftige Autophagie- und Krebs-Forschung dar. Ein Argininosuccinate Synthase 1 (ASS1)-Mangel in PDAC-Patienten wird mit einem höheren Rezidiv, einem kürzeren krankheitsfreien Überleben und einem kürzeren Gesamtüberleben in Verbin-dung gebracht. Im Laufe der Entwicklung eines Tumors kommt es häufig zum Verlust essentieller Enzyme, wie ASS1 oder OTC, innerhalb der Arginine de novo Synthese. Bekannt als ‘Arginin-Auxotrophie‘, hat dies die Abhängig von extrazellulärem Arginine zur Folge. Basierend auf dieser Annahme, wurde die Sensibilität verschiedener Tumorzelllinien auf Argininentzug nachgewiesen. Jedoch ist der zugrunde liegende Mechanismus noch unklar und die Wirksamkeit nicht ausreichend, um alle Tumorzellen zu zerstören. Aus diesem Grund wurde der Effekt von Argininentzug mittels rhArgI-PEG5000-Behandlung auf murine und humane PDAC-Zellen untersucht. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Argininentzug Akkumulation von Autophagosomen, die Induktion von Seneszenz und die ISR zur Folge hatte. Diese Veränderungen stellen potentielle genetische Schwachstellen dar, die in Kombination mit anderen Medikamenten behandelt werden könnten, um Tumorzelltod zu induzieren. KW - Arginine KW - Autophagy KW - tumor metabolism KW - targeted therapy Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-211480 ER - TY - THES A1 - Liaqat, Anam T1 - Artificial Evolution of Nucleic Acid Catalysts and their Use for Studying RNA T1 - Artifizielle Evolution von katalytischen Nucleinsäuren und deren Anwendung für die Untersuchung von RNA N2 - RNA molecules play diverse roles in biological systems. Post-transcriptional RNA modifications and dynamic structures enhance the functional diversity of RNA. A prerequisite for studying their biological significance is the availability of reliable methods for the detection of RNA modifications and structures. Several promising approaches have been developed in the last few decades; however, efficient, and versatile tools are still required to study the dynamic features of RNA. This thesis focuses on the development of nucleic acid catalysts as a tool to address the current needs in studying RNA. The major part of this thesis aimed at the development of deoxyribozymes as a tool for the detection of RNA modifications. Using in vitro selection from a random DNA library, we found deoxyribozymes that are sensitive to N 6 -isopentenyladenosine (i6A), a native tRNA modification and structural analogue of m6A. The in vitro evolution identified three classes of DNA enzymes: AA, AB08, and AC17 DNAzymes that showed distinct response to i6A modification and showed strong discrimination between structural analogues, i.e., m6A and i6A. In the continuation of the project, we attempted to develop RNA-cleaving deoxyribozymes that differentially respond to monomethylated cytidine isomers, 3-methylcytidine (m3C), N4 - methylcytidine (m4C), and 5-methylcytidine (m5C). Several deoxyribozymes were identified from in vitro selection, which are selective for a specific methylated cytidine isomer. The characterization of AL112, AM101, AN05, and AK104 catalysts confirmed the successful evolution of modification-specific and general deoxyribozymes that showed a broad substrate scope. In order to accelerate the DNAzymes discovery, a high throughput sequencing method (DZ-seq) was established that directly quantifies the RNA cleavage activity and cleavage site from deep sequencing data. The libraries contained information about cleavage status, cleavage site and sequence of deoxyribozymes and RNA substrate. The fraction cleaved (FC) data obtained from Dz-seq was validated for a subset of deoxyribozmes using conventional gel based kinetic assay and showed a good linear correlation (R2 = 0.91). Dz-seq possesses a great potential for the discovery of novel deoxyribozymes for the analysis of various RNA modifications in the future. The second objective of the current study was the development of structure-specific RNA labeling ribozymes. Here, we attempted to develop ribozymes that targets RNA of interest by structure-specific interaction rather than base-pairing and focused on a specific RNA G-quadruplex as the target. Two subsequent selection experiments led to the identification of the adenylyltransferase ribozymes AO10.2 and AR9. The partial characterization of these catalysts showed that A010.2 was unable to recognize intact BCL2 structure, but it turned out as the first reported trans-active ribozyme that efficiently labeled uridine in a defined substrate RNA hybridized to the ribozyme. The other ribozyme AR9 was shown to serve as a trans-active, self-labeling ribozyme that catalyzed adenylyl transferase reaction in the presence of the intact BCL2 sequence. Based on these preliminary findings, we envision that AR9 could potentially serve as a reporter RNA by self-labeling in the presence of an RNA G-quadruplex. However, both AO10.2 and AR9 still require more detailed characterization for their potential applications. N2 - RNA hat zahlreiche Funktionen in verschiedensten biologischen Systemen. Sowohl posttranskriptionelle Modifikationen als auch die Dynamik der dreidimensionalen Struktur von RNA trägt zu deren funktionalen Diversität bei. Eine Voraussetzung, um die biologische Bedeutung von RNA genauer zu untersuchen, ist die Verfügbarkeit zuverlässiger Methoden zur Detektion von RNA-Modifikationen und -Strukturen. In den letzten Jahrzenten wurden hierfür zahlreiche vielversprechende Ansätze entwickelt und berichtet. Allerdings besteht weiterhin der Bedarf an effizienten und vielseitig einsetzbaren Hilfsmitteln, um die Dynamik von RNA weiter zu erforschen. Diese Arbeit konzentriert sich auf die Entwicklung von Nucleinsäure basierten Katalysatoren, die in Zukunft als Werkzeug zur Untersuchung von RNA eingesetzt werden können. Der Großteil dieser Arbeit strebte die Entwicklung von Desoxyribozymen als Werkzeug für die Detektion von RNA-Modifikation an. Vor kurzem wurden m6A-sensitive DNA-Enzyme berichtet, die RNA schneiden können und damit Auskunft über deren Methylierungs-Status geben können. Diese sind auch in der Lage m6A in natürlichen RNAs wie lncRNAs und C/D box snoRNAs zu detektieren. Allerdings fehlen detaillierten strukturelle und mechanistische Erkenntnissen darüber, wie Desoxyribozyme solche Modifikationen detektieren. Deshalb ist es noch nicht möglich bereits vorhandene DNA-Enzyme umzuarbeiten, damit diese auch andere RNA-Modifikationen erkennen können. Aus diesem Grund fokussierten wir uns hier auf die Entwicklung neuer DNA-Enzyme für die Detektion von RNA-Modifikationen über m6A hinaus. Mit Hilfe von in vitro Selektion konnten wir ausgehend von einer randomisierten DNA-Bibliothek, Desoxyribozyme finden, die sensitiv gegenüber N6-Isopentenyladenosin (i6A) sind. Bei dieser Modifikation handelt es sich um ein strukturelles Analogon von m6A, die natürlicherweise in tRNA vorkommt. Als Ergebnis der in vitro Selektion konnten drei Klassen an DNA-Enzymen identifiziert werden: AA, AB08 und AC17 Desoxyribozyme. AA DNA-Enzyme spalteten unmodifizierte RNA und wurden durch i6A stark inhibiert. AB08 schnitten i6A-modifizierte RNA signifikant schneller als unmodifizierte RNA. Im Gegensatz hierzu zeigte AC17 ein einzigartiges Verhalten, indem es die Schneide-Position innerhalb der RNA um ein Nukleotid Richtung 5‘-Ende verschob, wenn eine i6A-Modifikation vorhanden war. Des weiteren konnten alle drei Klassen an DNA-Enzymen eindeutig zwischen m6A und i6A unterscheiden. Im weiteren Verlauf des Projektes strebten wir an RNA-schneidente Desoxyribozyme zu entwickeln, die die mono-methylierten Cytidin-Isomere 3-Methylcytidin (m3C), N4-Methylcytidin (m4C) und 5-Methylcytidine (m5C) voneinander unterscheiden können. Um vielseitigere DNA-Enzyme zu erhalten, benutzten wir RNA-Substrate, die ein randomisiertes Nukleotid in 5‘-Richtung neben dem methylierten Cytidin besaßen. Mehrere Desoxyribozyme konnten identifiziert werden, die selektiv und spezifisch für eines der methylierten Cytidin Isomere waren. Die Charakterisierung der DNA-Enzyme AL112, AM101, AN05 und AK104 bestätigte die erfolgreiche Evolution von einerseits modifikations-spezifischen sowie aber auch generellen DNA-Enzymen, die einen großen Substrat-Bereich abdecken. Zudem konnte gezeigt werden, dass AL112, AN05 und AK104 als programmierbare Werkzeuge zur Bestätigung von m3C- und m5C-Modifikationen in menschlicher mitochondrialen tRNA eingesetzt werden können. Um die Entdeckung von DNA-Enzymen weiter zu beschleunigen, wurde eine Hochdurchsatz-Sequenzierungsmethode (DZ-seq) entwickelt. Diese nutzt die Sequenzierungsdaten, um direkt die Schneideaktivität einzelner Desoxyribozyme zu quantifizieren sowie die genaue Stelle der RNA-Spaltung festzustellen. Illumina Sequenzierungsbibliotheken wurden ausgehend von aktiven DNA-Pools hergestellt, welche an bestimmte RNA-Substrate ligiert wurden. Nachdem die Schneide-Reaktion stattgefunden hatte, wurden sowohl die geschnittenen als auch die ungeschnittenen Fraktionen mit Hilfe von Poly(A)-Polymerase verlängert, woraufhin eine reverse Transkription mit Oligo-dT Primern folgte. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt beinhalteten die Bibliotheken bereits Informationen über den Schneide-Status, die exakte Schnittstelle innerhalb der RNA sowie über die Sequenzen des entsprechenden DNA-Enzyms und der Substrat-RNA. Die Daten, die durch Dz-Seq über die Schneideaktivität der einzelnen Desoxyribozyme erhalten wurden, wurde für einen Teil der Enzyme anhand konventioneller, gel-basierter kinetischer Assays validiert. Diese zeigten eine gute lineare Korrelation (R2 = 0.91). Interessanterweise zeigte Dz-Seq aber nur eine schwache Korrelation zwischen der Schneideaktivität und der Häufigkeit der Desoxyribozyme in der letzten Runde der in vitro Selektion. Zum Beispiel war AM301 nur zu einem geringen Anteil im DZ-seq Datensatz zu finden, war jedoch sehr aktiv. Dies ist nur ein Beispiel des großen Potentials von DZ-seq für die Entdeckung neuer DNA-Enzyme, die für die zukünftige Analyse zahlreicher RNA-Modifikationen angewendet werden könnten. Der zweite Teil dieser Arbeit beschäftigte sich mit der Entwicklung von Ribozymen, die spezifisch eine Ziel-RNA anhängig von deren Struktur markieren können. Die Inspiration hierfür stammt von den kürzlich berichteten Ribozymen FH14 und FJ1. Hierbei handelt es sich um Ribozyme, die über Watson-Crick-Basenpaarung ihre Ziel-RNA erkennen und diese dann sequenz-spezifisch markieren. Unser Ziel war es nun Ribozyme zu entwickeln, die ihre Ziel-RNA über Struktur-spezifische Wechselwirkungen anstelle von Basenpaarung erkennen. Hierbei fokussierten wir uns auf einen RNA G-Quadruplex als entscheidendes Strukturelement. Bei der in vitro Selektion wurde eine RNA Bibliothek verwendet, die kovalent an ein Fragment der 5‘-UTR der BCL2 RNA gebunden war. Von dieser RNA ist bekannt, dass sie einen G-Quadruplex formt. Zwei aufeinanderfolgende Selektionen führten zur Identifikation der Adenylyltransferasen AO10.2 und AR9. Die vorläufige Charakterisierung dieser beiden Ribozyme zeigte, dass AO10.2 die intakte BCL2-Struktur nicht erkennen kann. Stattdessen stellte sich heraus, dass dies das erste trans-aktive Ribozym ist, das effizient Uridin markieren kann, welches sich in einer definierten RNA-Struktur befindet, die mit dem Ribozym hybridisiert ist. Demnach hat es großes Potential als Werkzeug für die spezifische Markierung von RNA eingesetzt werden zu können. Beim zweiten Ribozym AR9 stellte sich heraus, dass es sich um ein trans-aktives, selbst-markierendes RNA-Enzym handelt, welches die gewünschte Reaktion nur bei Vorhandensein der intakten BCL2-Sequenz katalysiert. Basierend auf diesen vorläufigen Ergebnissen könnte AR9 als Reporter-RNA dienen, die sich RNA G-Quadruplexes selbst markiert. Allerdings benötigen sowohl AO10.2 als auch AR9 noch eine detailliertere Charakterisierung, bevor sie für potenzielle Anwendungen eingesetzt werden können. KW - Deoxyribozymes KW - Ribozymes KW - RNA modifications KW - RNA structures KW - RNA G-quadruplex Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-283111 ER - TY - THES A1 - Toksabay, Sinem T1 - Synthesis and on surface self assembly properties of pi extended tribenzotriquinacenes T1 - Synthese und selbstorganisierende Eigenschaften von pi-erweitertem Tribenzotriquinacenen an der Oberfläche N2 - Tribenzotriquinacene (TBTQ) is a polycyclic aromatic framework with a particularly rigid, C3v symmetrical, bowl-shaped core bearing three mutually fused indane wings. It has been discussed as a defect center for a nanographene by Kuck and colleagues. Therefore, extended TBTQ structures are promising models for saturated defect structures in graphene and graphene like molecules and could be used to investigate the role of defects for the electronic properties of graphene. With this motivation, three different pi-extended TBTQ derivatives have been synthesized in this work. Several different Scholl reaction conditions were tried to obtain fully annulated product of hexaphenyl substituted TBTQ. The desired benzannulated TBTQ derivative could not be obtained due to unfavourable electron density in the respective positions of the molecule and increased reactivity of the bay position of the precursor. As an another method for benzannulation is the on-surface synthesis of graphene flakes and can be carried out using electron beams e.g. in a tunneling microscope (STM). According to our previous research, the parent system TBTQ and centro-methyl TBTQ on silver and gold surfaces showed that the gas phase deposition of these molecules gives rise to the formation of highly ordered two-dimensional assemblies with unique structural features. This shows the feasibility for the formation of defective graphene networks starting from the parent structures. Therefore, the same deposition technique was used to deposit Me-TBTQ(OAc)3Ph6, and investigate the molecular self-assembly properties directly on the surface of Cu (111). In summary, the substrate temperature dependent self-assembly of Me-TBTQ(OAc)3Ph6 molecules on Cu(111), shows the following evolution of orientations. At room temperature, molecules form dimers, which construct a higher-coverage honeycomb lattice. Furthermore, one of the acetyl group located in the bay positions of the TBTQ core is cleaved and the remaining two induce the metal-molecule interaction. It was presumed that by increasing the temperature to 393 K, the remaining acetyl and methyl groups would beeliminated from the molecular structure.In addition, the smaller TBTQ-Ph6 molecules preferably lie flat on Cu(111) crystal and allowing the molecules to settle into a C3-symmetry and form a dense hexagonal structure. N2 - Tribenzotriquinacen (TBTQ) ist eine polyzyklische aromatische Verbindung mit einem besonders starren, C3v-symmetrischen, schalenförmigen Kern, der drei anellierte Indan-Flügel trägt. Es wurde von Kuck und Kollegen als Defektzentrum für Nanographen untersucht. Daher sind erweiterte TBTQ-Strukturen vielversprechende Modelle für gesättigte Defektstrukturen in Graphen und graphenähnlichen Molekülen, die dazu verwendet werden können, um die Rolle Defekten auf die Ausprägung der elektronischen Eigenschaften von Graphen zu untersuchen. Mit dieser Motivation wurden in dieser Arbeit drei verschiedene TBTQ-Derivate mit erweitertem -System synthetisiert. Um im Anschluss eine vollständige Annellierung und damit Konjugation des p-Systems zu erreichen, wurden verschiedene Scholl-Reaktionen getestet, um das dreifach anellierte Produkt aus hexaphenylsubstituiertem TBTQ zu erhalten. Das gewünschte benzannulierte TBTQ-Derivat konnte aufgrund der relativ geringen Elektronendichte an den Annellierungspositionen und der erhöhten Reaktivität der Bay-Positionen des Moleküls nicht erhalten werden. Eine weitere Möglichkeit zur Annellierung von Nanographenen besteht in der On-Surface-Synthese. Diese kann mit Elektronenstrahlen z.B. in einem Rastertunnelmikroskop (STM) durchgeführt werden. Nach unseren früheren Untersuchungen, hochauflösende STM-Experimente mit dem Stammsystem TBTQ und centro-methyl TBTQ auf Silber- und Goldoberflächen, dass die Gasphasenabscheidung dieser Moleküle zur Bildung hochgeordneter zweidimensionaler Assemblierte mit einzigartigen strukturellen Eigenschaften führt. Dies zeigt die Möglichkeit zur Bildung von defekthaltigen Graphen-Netzwerken ausgehend von den Stammsystemen. Daher wurde hier die gleiche Abscheidungstechnik verwendet, um für Me-TBTQ(OAc)3Ph6 die molekulare Selbstanordnung auf der Oberfläche von Cu(111) untersuchen. Zusammenfassend zeigt die Selbstorganisation von Me-TBTQ(OAc)3Ph6 auf Cu(111) eine ausgeprägte Temperaturabhängigkeit. Die Moleküle bilden bei 363 K ein höheres Wabengitter aus. Außerdem wird eine der Acetylgruppen, die sich in den Bay-Positionen des TBTQ-Kerns befinden, abgespalten und die verbleibenden Gruppen wechselwirken mit der Metalloberfläche. Daher stehen sich die Molekülschalen als einander zugewandte Halbkugeln gegenüber. Es wird vermutet, dass durch die Erhöhung der Temperatur auf 393 K die verbleibenden Acetyl- und Methylgruppen aus der Molekülstruktur eliminiert werden. Außerdem liegen die kleineren TBTQ-Ph6-Moleküle bevorzugt flach auf dem Cu (111) -Kristall, so dass sich die Moleküle in der C3-Symmetrie anordnen und eine dichte hexagonale Struktur bilden KW - Triquinacenderivate KW - Aromatisch anellierte Triquinacene KW - Aromatically annulated triquinacenes KW - Chemische Synthese KW - gekrümmte Kohlenwasserstoffe KW - curved hydrocarbons KW - triquinacene derivatives KW - on surface self-assembly Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-245734 ER - TY - THES A1 - Berger, Sarina Maria T1 - Influence of Charge and Its Distribution on Biological Applications of Bis-Triarylboranes and Preliminary Investigations on H\(_2\)O\(_2\)-Cleavable Aryl Boronate Esters T1 - Einfluss der Ladung und ihrer Verteilung auf biologische Anwendungen von bis-Triarylboranen und vorläufige Untersuchungen von mit H\(_2\)O\(_2\) spaltbaren Arlyborsäureestern N2 - This dissertation describes the synthesis of an unsymmetrically-substituted triarylborane. This term describes a three-coordinate boron atom that is bound to three different aromatic systems, namely 2,6-dimethylphenyl, mesityl, and 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)-2,6-dimethylphenyl. It is also demonstrated that the amine functionality can be converted with methyl triflate into an ammonium moiety. The investigation of photophysical and electrochemical properties of this compound in comparison with the non-aminated and di-aminated analogues of the triarylborane is described besides other investigations of e. g. singlet oxygen sensitization, rotational barriers, and fundamental DFT calculations. Based on these investigations, selectively mono-, bis- and tris-dimethylamino- and trimethylammonium-substituted bis-triarylborane bithiophene chromophores were synthesized and their photophysical, and electrochemical properties were investigated together with the water solubility and singlet oxygen sensitizing efficiency of the cationic compounds Cat1+, Cat2+, Cat(i)2+, and Cat3+. Comparing these properties with the results obtained for the mono-triarylboranes reveals a large influence of the bridging unit on the investigated properties of the bis-triarylboranes. In addition, the interaction of the cationic bis-triarylboranes with different polynucleotides were investigated in buffered solutions as well as the ability of these selectively charged compounds to enter and localize within organelles of human lung carcinoma and normal lung cells. All these investigations demonstrate that the number of charges and their distribution influences the interactions and staining properties as well as most of the other properties investigated. In addition, preliminary investigations on H2O2-cleavable boronate esters in the presence of stochiometric amounts of H2O2 are described for three different aryl boronate esters. N2 - In dieser Doktorarbeit wird die Synthese eines unsymmetrisch subsitutierten Triarylborans beschrieben. Dieser Ausdruck beschreibt ein dreifach koordiniertes Boratom, das an drei unterschiedliche Aromaten, hier 2,6-Dimethylphenyl, Mesityl, and 4-(N,N-Dimethylamino)-2,6-dimethylphenyl, gebunden ist. Es wird gezeigt, dass die Aminofunktionalität durch Methyltriflat in eine Amminoeinheit überführt werden kann. Die Untersuchung der photophysikalischen und elektrochemischen Eigenschaften dieser Verbindung im Vergleich zu den nicht-aminierten und di-aminierten Analoga des Triarylborans ist beschrieben ebenso wie beispielsweise die Untersuchungen der Bildung von Singulet Sauerstoff, der Rotationsbarrieren und fundamentale DFT Berechnungen. Basierend auf diesen Untersuchungen wurden genau einfach, zweifach und dreifach Dimethylamino- und Trimethylammonium-substituierte Chromophore hergestellt und deren photophysikalische und elektrochemische Eigenschaften untersucht, zusammen mit der Wasserlöslichkeit und der Bildung von Singulet Sauerstoff der kationischen Verbindungen Cat1+, Cat2+, Cat(i)2+ und Cat3+. Der Vergleich dieser Eigenschaften mit den Ergebnissen der mono-Triarylborane zeigt den großen Einfluss der Brücke auf die untersuchten Eigenschaften der bis-Triarylborane. Zusätzlich wurden die Wechselwirkungen der kationischen bis-Triarlyborane mit unterschiedlichen Polynukeotiden in Pufferlösungen zusammen mit deren Fähigkeit in Lungenkrebs- und Lungenzellen zu gelangen und sich in bestimmten Organellen darin anzulagern. Diese Untersuchungen zeigen, dass die Anzahl und Verteilung der Ladungen nicht nur die Wechselwirkungen und intrazelluläre Lokalisation beeinflussen, sondern auch fast alle übrigen untersuchten Eigenschaften. Zusätzlich sind erste Untersuchungen von drei H2O2-spaltbaren Borsäureestern in der Gegenwart von stöchiometrischen Mengen Wasserstoffperoxid gezeigt. KW - Triarylborane KW - Polynucleotide KW - Borsäureester KW - Wasserstoffperoxid KW - Singlet Oxygen KW - Luminescence Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-243147 ER -