TY - JOUR A1 - Üçeyler, Nurcan A1 - Topuzoğlu, Tengü A1 - Schießer, Peter A1 - Hahnenkamp, Saskia A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - IL-4 Deficiency Is Associated with Mechanical Hypersensitivity in Mice JF - PLoS One N2 - Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic cytokine that induces opioid receptor transcription. We investigated IL-4 knockout (ko) mice to characterize their pain behavior before and after chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve as a model for neuropathic pain. We investigated opioid responsivity and measured cytokine and opioid receptor gene expression in the peripheral and central nervous system (PNS, CNS) of IL-4 ko mice in comparison with wildtype (wt) mice. Naïve IL-4 ko mice displayed tactile allodynia (wt: 0.45 g; ko: 0.18 g; p<0.001), while responses to heat and cold stimuli and to muscle pressure were not different. No compensatory changes in the gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF), IL-1β, IL-10, and IL-13 were found in the PNS and CNS of naïve IL-4 ko mice. However, IL-1β gene expression was stronger in the sciatic nerve of IL-4 ko mice (p<0.001) 28 days after CCI and only IL-4 ko mice had elevated IL-10 gene expression (p = 0.014). Remarkably, CCI induced TNF (p<0.01), IL-1β (p<0.05), IL-10 (p<0.05), and IL-13 (p<0.001) gene expression exclusively in the ipsilateral spinal cord of IL-4 ko mice. The compensatory overexpression of the anti-inflammatory and analgesic cytokines IL-10 and IL-13 in the spinal cord of IL-4 ko mice may explain the lack of genotype differences for pain behavior after CCI. Additionally, CCI induced gene expression of μ, κ, and δ opioid receptors in the contralateral cortex and thalamus of IL-4 ko mice, paralleled by fast onset of morphine analgesia, but not in wt mice. We conclude that a lack of IL-4 leads to mechanical sensitivity; the compensatory hyperexpression of analgesic cytokines and opioid receptors after CCI, in turn, protects IL-4 ko mice from enhanced pain behavior after nerve lesion. KW - mouse models KW - animal behavior KW - sciatic nerves KW - spinal cord KW - opioids KW - cytokines KW - gene expression KW - mice Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137924 VL - 6 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Üceyler, Nurcan A1 - Häuser, Winfried A1 - Sommer, Claudia T1 - Systematic review with meta-analysis: Cytokines in fibromyalgia syndrome N2 - Background: To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on cytokine levels in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Methods: Through December 2010 we systematically reviewed the databases PubMed, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO and screened the reference lists of 22 review articles for suitable original articles. Original articles investigating cytokines in patients with FMS were included. Data were extracted by two independent authors. Differences of the cytokine levels of FMS patients and controls were summarized by standardized mean differences (SMD) using a random effects model. Study quality was assessed applying methodological scores: modified Center of Evidence Based Medicine, Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale, and Würzburg Methodological Quality Score. Results: Twenty-five articles were included investigating 1255 FMS patients and 800 healthy controls. Data of 13/25 studies entered meta-analysis. The overall methodological quality of studies was low. The results of the majority of studies were not comparable because methods, investigated material, and investigated target cytokines differed. Systematic review of the selected 25 articles revealed that FMS patients had higher serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1 receptor antagonist, IL-6, and IL-8, and higher plasma levels of IL-8. Meta-analysis of eligible studies showed that FMS patients had higher plasma IL-6 levels compared to controls (SMD = -0.34 [-0.64, -0.03] 95% CI; p = 0.03). The majority of investigated cytokines were not different between patients and controls. Conclusions: The pathophysiological role of cytokines in FMS is still unclear. Studies of higher quality and with higher numbers of subjects are needed. KW - Fibromyalgie Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69189 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zanucco, Emanuele A1 - Götz, Rudolf A1 - Potapenko, Tamara A1 - Carraretto, Irene A1 - Ceteci, Semra A1 - Ceteci, Fatih A1 - Seeger, Werner A1 - Savai, Rajkumar A1 - Rapp, Ulf R. T1 - Expression of B-RAF V600E in Type II Pneumocytes Causes Abnormalities in Alveolar Formation, Airspace Enlargement and Tumor Formation in Mice JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Growth factor induced signaling cascades are key regulatory elements in tissue development, maintenance and regeneration. Perturbations of these cascades have severe consequences, leading to developmental disorders and neoplastic diseases. As a major function in signal transduction, activating mutations in RAF family kinases are the cause of human tumorigenesis, where B-RAF V600E has been identified as the prevalent mutant. In order to address the oncogenic function of B-RAF V600E, we have generated transgenic mice expressing the activated oncogene specifically in lung alveolar epithelial type II cells. Constitutive expression of B-RAF V600E caused abnormalities in alveolar epithelium formation that led to airspace enlargements. These lung lesions showed signs of tissue remodeling and were often associated with chronic inflammation and low incidence of lung tumors. The inflammatory cell infiltration did not precede the formation of the lung lesions but was rather accompanied with late tumor development. These data support a model where the continuous regenerative process initiated by oncogenic B-RAF-driven alveolar disruption provides a tumor-promoting environment associated with chronic inflammation. KW - obstructive pulmonary-disease KW - lung-cancer KW - somatic mutations KW - epithelial-cells KW - mouse models KW - protein KW - kinase KW - inflammation KW - activation KW - pathway Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137061 VL - 6 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yin, Jun A1 - Brocher, Jan A1 - Fischer, Utz A1 - Winkler, Christoph T1 - Mutant Prpf31 causes pre-mRNA splicing defects and rod photoreceptor cell degeneration in a zebrafish model for Retinitis pigmentosa JF - Molecular neurodegeneration N2 - Background: Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited eye disease characterized by the progressive degeneration of rod photoreceptor cells. Mutations in pre-mRNA splicing factors including PRPF31 have been identified as cause for RP, raising the question how mutations in general factors lead to tissue specific defects. Results: We have recently shown that the zebrafish serves as an excellent model allowing the recapitulation of key events of RP. Here we use this model to investigate two pathogenic mutations in PRPF31, SP117 and AD5, causing the autosomal dominant form of RP. We show that SP117 leads to an unstable protein that is mislocalized to the rod cytoplasm. Importantly, its overexpression does not result in photoreceptor degeneration suggesting haploinsufficiency as the underlying cause in human RP patients carrying SP117. In contrast, overexpression of AD5 results in embryonic lethality, which can be rescued by wild-type Prpf31. Transgenic retina-specific expression of AD5 reveals that stable AD5 protein is initially localized in the nucleus but later found in the cytoplasm concurrent with progressing rod outer segment degeneration and apoptosis. Importantly, we show for the first time in vivo that retinal transcripts are wrongly spliced in adult transgenic retinas expressing AD5 and exhibiting increased apoptosis in rod photoreceptors. Conclusion: Our data suggest that distinct mutations in Prpf31 can lead to photoreceptor degeneration through different mechanisms, by haploinsufficiency or dominant-negative effects. Analyzing the AD5 effects in our animal model in vivo, our data imply that aberrant splicing of distinct retinal transcripts contributes to the observed retina defects. KW - Factor gene PRPF31 KW - TRI-SNRNP KW - Transgenic zebrafish KW - Homebox gene KW - Chinese family KW - Mutations KW - RP11 KW - Expression KW - Disease KW - Protein KW - Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) KW - PRPF31 KW - AD5 mutation KW - SP117 mutation KW - haploinsufficiency KW - dominant-negative KW - rod degeneration KW - apoptosis KW - splicing defect Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141090 VL - 6 IS - 56 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yilmaz, Ali A1 - Rösch, Sabine A1 - Klingel, Karin A1 - Kandolf, Reinhard A1 - Helluy, Xavier A1 - Hiller, Karl-Heinz A1 - Jakob, Peter M A1 - Sechtem, Udo T1 - Molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of inflamed myocardium using ferucarbotran in patients with acute myocardial infarction JF - Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance N2 - Introduction: Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPIO)-based molecular imaging agents targeting macrophages have been developed and successfully applied in animal models of myocardial infarction. KW - Acute Myocardial Infarction KW - Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance KW - Iron Oxide Nanoparticle KW - Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide KW - Infarct Zone Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140991 VL - 13 IS - Suppl. 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wolter, Steve A1 - Endesfelder, Ulrike A1 - Linde, Sebastian van de A1 - Heilemann, Mike A1 - Sauer, Markus T1 - Measuring localization performance of super-resolution algorithms on very active samples JF - Optics Express N2 - Super-resolution fluorescence imaging based on inglemolecule localization relies critically on the availability of efficient processing algorithms to distinguish, identify, and localize emissions of single fluorophores. In multiple current applications, such as threedimensional, time-resolved or cluster imaging, high densities of fluorophore emissions are common. Here, we provide an analytic tool to test the performance and quality of localization microscopy algorithms and demonstrate that common algorithms encounter difficulties for samples with high fluorophore density. We demonstrate that, for typical single-molecule localization microscopy methods such as dSTORM and the commonly used rapidSTORM scheme, computational precision limits the acceptable density of concurrently active fluorophores to 0.6 per square micrometer and that the number of successfully localized fluorophores per frame is limited to 0.2 per square micrometer. Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-85936 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wobser, Marion A1 - Gaigl, Zeno A1 - Trautmann, Axel T1 - The concept of "compartment allergy": prilocaine injected into different skin layers N2 - We herein present a patient with delayed-type allergic hypersensitivity against prilocaine leading to spreading eczematous dermatitis after subcutaneous injections for local anesthesia with prilocaine. Prilocaine allergy was proven by positive skin testing and subcutaneous provocation, whereas the evaluation of other local anesthetics - among them lidocaine, articaine and mepivacaine - did not exhibit any evidence for cross-reactivity. Interestingly, our patient repeatedly tolerated strictly deep subcutaneous injection of prilocaine in provocation testing while patch and superficial subcutaneous application mounted strong allergic responses. We hypothesize, that lower DC density in deeper cutaneous compartments and/or different DC subsets exhibiting distinct functional immunomodulatory properties in the various layers of the skin may confer to the observed absence of clinical reactivity against prilocaine after deep subcutaneous injection. The term compartment allergy indicates that the route of allergen administration together with the targeted immunologic environment orchestrates on the immunologic outcome: overt T-cell mediated allergy or clinical tolerance. KW - Medizin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68679 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wippel, Carolin A1 - Förtsch, Christina A1 - Hupp, Sabrina A1 - Maier, Elke A1 - Benz, Roland A1 - Ma, Jiangtao A1 - Mitchell, Timothy J A1 - Iliev, Asparouh I T1 - Extracellular Calcium Reduction Strongly Increases the Lytic Capacity of Pneumolysin From Streptococcus Pneumoniae in Brain Tissue JF - The Journal of Infectious Diseases N2 - Background Streptococcus pneumoniae causes serious diseases such as pneumonia and meningitis. Its major pathogenic factor is the cholesterol-dependent cytolysin pneumolysin, which produces lytic pores at high concentrations. At low concentrations, it has other effects, including induction of apoptosis. Many cellular effects of pneumolysin appear to be calcium dependent. Methods  Live imaging of primary mouse astroglia exposed to sublytic amounts of pneumolysin at various concentrations of extracellular calcium was used to measure changes in cellular permeability (as judged by lactate dehydrogenase release and propidium iodide chromatin staining). Individual pore properties were analyzed by conductance across artificial lipid bilayer. Tissue toxicity was studied in continuously oxygenated acute brain slices. Results  The reduction of extracellular calcium increased the lytic capacity of the toxin due to increased membrane binding. Reduction of calcium did not influence the conductance properties of individual toxin pores. In acute cortical brain slices, the reduction of extracellular calcium from 2 to 1 mM conferred lytic activity to pathophysiologically relevant nonlytic concentrations of pneumolysin. Conclusions  Reduction of extracellular calcium strongly enhanced the lytic capacity of pneumolysin due to increased membrane binding. Thus, extracellular calcium concentration should be considered as a factor of primary importance for the course of pneumococcal meningitis. " KW - bacteria Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-139356 VL - 204 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Williams, Tatjana A1 - Machann, Wolfram A1 - Kühler, Leif A1 - Hamm, Henning A1 - Müller-Höcker, Josef A1 - Zimmer, Michael A1 - Ertl, Georg A1 - Ritter, Oliver A1 - Beer, Meinrad A1 - Schönberger, Jost T1 - Novel desmoplakin mutation: juvenile biventricular cardiomyopathy with left ventricular non-compaction and acantholytic palmoplantar keratoderma JF - Clinical Research in Cardiology N2 - Two sons of a consanguineous marriage developed biventricular cardiomyopathy. One boy died of severe heart failure at the age of 6 years, the other was transplanted because of severe heart failure at the age of 10 years. In addition, focal palmoplantar keratoderma and woolly hair were apparent in both boys. As similar phenotypes have been described in Naxos disease and Carvajal syndrome, respectively, the genes for plakoglobin (JUP) and desmoplakin (DSP) were screened for mutations using direct genomic sequencing. A novel homozygous 2 bp deletion was identified in an alternatively spliced region of DSP. The deletion 5208_5209delAG led to a frameshift downstream of amino acid 1,736 with a premature truncation of the predominant cardiac isoform DSP-1. This novel homozygous truncating mutation in the isoform-1 specific region of the DSP C-terminus caused Carvajal syndrome comprising severe early-onset heart failure with features of non-compaction cardiomyopathy, woolly hair and an acantholytic form of palmoplantar keratoderma in our patient. Congenital hair abnormality and manifestation of the cutaneous phenotype in toddler age can help to identify children at risk for cardiac death. KW - Desmoplakin KW - Juvenile biventricular cardiomyopathy KW - Palmoplantar keratoderma Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141198 VL - 100 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wiegering, Verena A1 - Schick, Judith A1 - Beer, Meinrad A1 - Gattenlöhner, Stefan A1 - Girschick, Hermann A1 - Liese, Johannes A1 - Schlegel, Paul A1 - Eyrich, Matthias T1 - Varicella-zoster virus infections in immunocompromised patients - a single centre 6-years analysis N2 - Background: Infection with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) contemporaneously with malignant disease or immunosuppression represents a particular challenge and requires individualized decisions and treatment. Although the increasing use of varicella-vaccines in the general population and rapid initiation of VZVimmunoglobulins and acyclovir in case of exposure has been beneficial for some patients, immunocompromised individuals are still at risk for unfavourable courses. Methods: In this single center, 6-year analysis we review incidence, hospitalization and complication rates of VZVinfections in our center and compare them to published data. Furthermore, we report three instructive cases. Results: Hospitalization rate of referred children with VZV-infections was 45%, among these 17% with malignancies and 9% under immunosuppressive therapy. Rate of complications was not elevated in these two high-risk cohorts, but one ALL-patient died due to VZV-related complications. We report one 4-year old boy with initial diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia who showed a rapidly fatal outcome of his simultaneous varicella-infection, one 1.8-year old boy with an identical situation but a mild course of his disease, and an 8.5-year old boy with a steroiddependent nephrotic syndrome. This boy developed severe hepatic involvement during his varicella-infection but responded to immediate withdrawl of steroids and administration of acyclovir plus single-dose cidofovir after nonresponse to acyclovir after 48 h. Conclusion: Our data show that patients with malignant diseases or immunosuppressive therapy should be hospitalized and treated immediately with antiviral agents. Despite these measures the course of VZV-infections can be highly variable in these patients. We discuss aids to individual decision-making for these difficult situations. KW - Varizellen-Virus KW - varicella-zoster virus immunosuppression KW - pediatrics KW - cidofovir Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68723 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Werner, Katharina A1 - Schwede, Frank A1 - Genieser, Hans-Gottfried A1 - Geiger, Jörg A1 - Butt, Elke T1 - Quantification of cAMP and cGMP analogs in intact cells: pitfalls in enzyme immunoassays for cyclic nucleotides JF - Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology N2 - Immunoassays are routinely used as research tools to measure intracellular cAMP and cGMP concentrations. Ideally, this application requires antibodies with high sensitivity and specificity. The present work evaluates the cross-reactivity of commercially available cyclic nucleotide analogs with two non-radioactive and one radioactive cAMP and cGMP immunoassay. Most of the tested cyclic nucleotide analogs showed low degree competition with the antibodies; however, with Rp-cAMPS, 8-Br-cGMP and 8-pCPT-cGMP, a strong cross-reactivity with the corresponding cAMP and cGMP, respectively, immunoassays was observed. The determined EIA-binding constants enabled the measurement of the intracellular cyclic nucleotide concentrations and revealed a time- and lipophilicity-dependent cell membrane permeability of the compounds in the range of 10–30% of the extracellular applied concentration, thus allowing a more accurate prediction of the intracellular analog levels in a given experiment. KW - Cyclic nucleotides KW - Enzyme immunoassay KW - Lipophilicity KW - Cell permeability Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141828 VL - 384 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weise, Gesa A1 - Basse-Lüsebrink, Thomas C. A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Kampf, Thomas A1 - Jakob, Peter M. A1 - Stoll, Guido T1 - In Vivo Imaging of Stepwise Vessel Occlusion in Cerebral Photothrombosis of Mice by \(^{19}\)F MRI JF - PLoS One N2 - Background \(^{19}\)F magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was recently introduced as a promising technique for in vivo cell tracking. In the present study we compared \(^{19}\)F MRI with iron-enhanced MRI in mice with photothrombosis (PT) at 7 Tesla. PT represents a model of focal cerebral ischemia exhibiting acute vessel occlusion and delayed neuroinflammation. Methods/Principal Findings Perfluorocarbons (PFC) or superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO) were injected intravenously at different time points after photothrombotic infarction. While administration of PFC directly after PT induction led to a strong \(^{19}\)F signal throughout the entire lesion, two hours delayed application resulted in a rim-like \(^{19}\)F signal at the outer edge of the lesion. These findings closely resembled the distribution of signal loss on T2-weighted MRI seen after SPIO injection reflecting intravascular accumulation of iron particles trapped in vessel thrombi as confirmed histologically. By sequential administration of two chemically shifted PFC compounds 0 and 2 hours after illumination the different spatial distribution of the \(^{19}\)F markers (infarct core/rim) could be visualized in the same animal. When PFC were applied at day 6 the fluorine marker was only detected after long acquisition times ex vivo. SPIO-enhanced MRI showed slight signal loss in vivo which was much more prominent ex vivo indicative for neuroinflammation at this late lesion stage. Conclusion Our study shows that vessel occlusion can be followed in vivo by \(^{19}\)F and SPIO-enhanced high-field MRI while in vivo imaging of neuroinflammation remains challenging. The timing of contrast agent application was the major determinant of the underlying processes depicted by both imaging techniques. Importantly, sequential application of different PFC compounds allowed depiction of ongoing vessel occlusion from the core to the margin of the ischemic lesions in a single MRI measurement. KW - in vivo imaging KW - magnetic resonance imaging KW - macrophages KW - emulsions KW - infarction KW - fluorine KW - prefrontal cortex KW - developmental signaling Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137792 VL - 6 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weis, Eva A1 - Schoen, Holger A1 - Victor, Anja A1 - Spix, Claudia A1 - Ludwig, Marco A1 - Schneider-Raetzke, Brigitte A1 - Kohlschmidt, Nicolai A1 - Bartsch, Oliver A1 - Gerhold-Ay, Aslihan A1 - Boehm, Nils A1 - Grus, Franz A1 - Haaf, Thomas A1 - Galetzka, Danuta T1 - Reduced mRNA and Protein Expression of the Genomic Caretaker RAD9A in Primary Fibroblasts of Individuals with Childhood and Independent Second Cancer JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background: The etiology of secondary cancer in childhood cancer survivors is largely unclear. Exposure of normal somatic cells to radiation and/or chemotherapy can damage DNA and if not all DNA lesions are properly fixed, the mis-repair may lead to pathological consequences. It is plausible to assume that genetic differences, i.e. in the pathways responsible for cell cycle control and DNA repair, play a critical role in the development of secondary cancer. Methodology/Findings: To identify factors that may influence the susceptibility for second cancer formation, we recruited 20 individuals who survived a childhood malignancy and then developed a second cancer as well as 20 carefully matched control individuals with childhood malignancy but without a second cancer. By antibody microarrays, we screened primary fibroblasts of matched patients for differences in the amount of representative DNA repair-associated proteins. We found constitutively decreased levels of RAD9A and several other DNA repair proteins in two-cancer patients, compared to one-cancer patients. The RAD9A protein level increased in response to DNA damage, however to a lesser extent in the two-cancer patients. Quantification of mRNA expression by real-time RT PCR revealed lower RAD9A mRNA levels in both untreated and 1 Gy gamma-irradiated cells of two-cancer patients. Conclusions/Significance: Collectively, our results support the idea that modulation of RAD9A and other cell cycle arrest and DNA repair proteins contribute to the risk of developing a second malignancy in childhood cancer patients. KW - DNA methylation KW - Malignant neoplasms KW - Genes KW - Instability KW - Stability KW - Susceptibility KW - Checkpoints KW - Repair KW - Damage Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141838 VL - 6 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weis, Eva A1 - Schoen, Holger A1 - Victor, Anja A1 - Spix, Claudia A1 - Ludwig, Marco A1 - Schneider-Raetzke, Brigitte A1 - Kohlschmidt, Nicolai A1 - Bartsch, Oliver A1 - Gerhold-Ay, Aslihan A1 - Boehm, Nils A1 - Grus, Franz A1 - Haaf, Thomas A1 - Galetzka, Danuta T1 - Reduced mRNA and Protein Expression of the Genomic Caretaker RAD9A in Primary Fibroblasts of Individuals with Childhood and Independent Second Cancer N2 - Background: The etiology of secondary cancer in childhood cancer survivors is largely unclear. Exposure of normal somatic cells to radiation and/or chemotherapy can damage DNA and if not all DNA lesions are properly fixed, the mis-repair may lead to pathological consequences. It is plausible to assume that genetic differences, i.e. in the pathways responsible for cell cycle control and DNA repair, play a critical role in the development of secondary cancer. Methodology/Findings: To identify factors that may influence the susceptibility for second cancer formation, we recruited 20 individuals who survived a childhood malignancy and then developed a second cancer as well as 20 carefully matched control individuals with childhood malignancy but without a second cancer. By antibody microarrays, we screened primary fibroblasts of matched patients for differences in the amount of representative DNA repair-associated proteins. We found constitutively decreased levels of RAD9A and several other DNA repair proteins in two-cancer patients, compared to onecancer patients. The RAD9A protein level increased in response to DNA damage, however to a lesser extent in the twocancer patients. Quantification of mRNA expression by real-time RT PCR revealed lower RAD9A mRNA levels in both untreated and 1 Gy c-irradiated cells of two-cancer patients. Conclusions/Significance: Collectively, our results support the idea that modulation of RAD9A and other cell cycle arrest and DNA repair proteins contribute to the risk of developing a second malignancy in childhood cancer patients. KW - Medizin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-74777 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Weibel, Stephanie A1 - Raab, Viktoria A1 - Yu, Yong A. A1 - Worschech, Andrea A1 - Wang, Ena A1 - Marincola, Francesco M. A1 - Szalay, Aladar A. T1 - Viral-mediated oncolysis is the most critical factor in the late-phase of the tumor regression process upon vaccinia virus infection N2 - Background: In principle, the elimination of malignancies by oncolytic virotherapy could proceed by different mechanisms - e.g. tumor cell specific oncolysis, destruction of the tumor vasculature or an anti-tumoral immunological response. In this study, we analyzed the contribution of these factors to elucidate the responsible mechanism for regression of human breast tumor xenografts upon colonization with an attenuated vaccinia virus (VACV). Methods: Breast tumor xenografts were analyzed 6 weeks post VACV infection (p.i.; regression phase) by immunohistochemistry and mouse-specific expression arrays. Viral-mediated oncolysis was determined by tumor growth analysis combined with microscopic studies of intratumoral virus distribution. The tumor vasculature was morphologically characterized by diameter and density measurements and vessel functionality was analyzed by lectin perfusion and extravasation studies. Immunological aspects of viral-mediated tumor regression were studied in either immune-deficient mouse strains (T-, B-, NK-cell-deficient) or upon cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression (MHCII+-cell depletion) in nude mice. Results: Late stage VACV-infected breast tumors showed extensive necrosis, which was highly specific to cancer cells. The tumor vasculature in infected tumor areas remained functional and the endothelial cells were not infected. However, viral colonization triggers hyperpermeability and dilatation of the tumor vessels, which resembled the activated endothelium in wounded tissue. Moreover, we demonstrated an increased expression of genes involved in leukocyte-endothelial cell interaction in VACV-infected tumors, which orchestrate perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration. The immunohistochemical analysis of infected tumors displayed intense infiltration of MHCII-positive cells and colocalization of tumor vessels with MHCII+/CD31+ vascular leukocytes. However, GI-101A tumor growth analysis upon VACV-infection in either immunosuppressed nude mice (MHCII+-cell depleted) or in immune-deficient mouse strains (T-, B-, NK-cell-deficient) revealed that neither MHCII-positive immune cells nor T-, B-, or NK cells contributed significantly to VACV-mediated tumor regression. In contrast, tumors of immunosuppressed mice showed enhanced viral spreading and tumor necrosis. Conclusions: Taken together, these results indicate that VACV-mediated oncolysis is the primary mechanism of tumor shrinkage in the late regression phase. Neither the destruction of the tumor vasculature nor the massive VACV-mediated intratumoral inflammation was a prerequisite for tumor regression. We propose that approaches to enhance viral replication and spread within the tumor microenvironment should improve therapeutical outcome. KW - Virusinfektion KW - Krebs Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68691 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wehner, Nora A1 - Weiste, Christoph A1 - Dröge-Laser, Wolfgang T1 - Molecular screening tools to study Arabidopsis transcription factors N2 - In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, more than 2000 genes are estimated to encode transcription factors (TFs), which clearly emphasizes the importance of transcriptional control. Although genomic approaches have generated large TF open reading frame (ORF) collections, only a limited number of these genes is functionally characterized, yet. This review evaluates strategies and methods to identify TF functions. In particular, we focus on two recently developed TF screening platforms, which make use of publically available GATEWAY®-compatible ORF collections. (1) The Arabidopsis thaliana TF ORF over-Expression (AtTORF-Ex) library provides pooled collections of transgenic lines over-expressing HA-tagged TF genes, which are suited for screening approaches to define TF functions in stress defense and development. (2) A high-throughput microtiter plate based protoplast trans activation (PTA) system has been established to screen for TFs which are regulating a given promoter:Luciferase construct in planta. KW - Biologie KW - Arabidopsis thaliana KW - transcription factor function KW - screening tools Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69226 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wegert, Jenny A1 - Bausenwein, Sabrina A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Roth, Sabine A1 - Graf, Norbert A1 - Geissinger, Eva A1 - Gessler, Manfred T1 - Retinoic acid pathway activity in Wilms tumors and characterization of biological responses in vitro N2 - Background: Wilms tumor (WT) is one of the most common malignancies in childhood. With current therapy protocols up to 90% of patients can be cured, but there is still a need to improve therapy for patients with aggressive WT and to reduce treatment intensity where possible. Prior data suggested a deregulation of the retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathway in high-risk WT, but its mode of action remained unclear. Results: The association of retinoid signaling and clinical parameters could be validated in a large independent tumor set, but its relevance in primary nephrectomy tumors from very young children may be different. Reduced RA pathway activity and MYCN overexpression were found in high risk tumors as opposed to tumors with low/ intermediate risk, suggesting a beneficial impact of RA especially on advanced WT. To search for possible modes of action of retinoids as novel therapeutic options, primary tumor cell cultures were treated in vitro with all-trans-RA (ATRA), 9cis-RA, fenretinide and combinations of retinoids and a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor. Genes deregulated in high risk tumors showed opposite changes upon treatment suggesting a positive effect of retinoids. 6/7 primary cultures tested reduced proliferation, irrespective of prior RA signaling levels. The only variant culture was derived from mesoblastic nephroma, a distinct childhood kidney neoplasm. Retinoid/HDAC inhibitor combinations provided no synergistic effect. ATRA and 9cis-RA induced morphological changes suggestive of differentiation, while fenretinide induced apoptosis in several cultures tested. Microarray analysis of ATRA treated WT cells revealed differential expression of many genes involved in extracellular matrix formation and osteogenic, neuronal or muscle differentiation. The effects documented appear to be reversible upon drug withdrawal, however. Conclusions: Altered retinoic acid signaling has been validated especially in high risk Wilms tumors. In vitro testing of primary tumor cultures provided clear evidence of a potential utility of retinoids in Wilms tumor treatment based on the analysis of gene expression, proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. KW - Krebs KW - Wilms tumor KW - nephroblastoma KW - primary tumor cell culture KW - tumor model KW - retinoic acid Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69137 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wedel, Steffen A1 - Hudak, Lukasz A1 - Seibel, Jens-Michael A1 - Makarevic, Jasmina A1 - Juengel, Eva A1 - Tsaur, Igor A1 - Waaga-Gasser, Ana A1 - Haferkamp, Axel A1 - Blaheta, Roman A. T1 - Molecular targeting of prostate cancer cells by a triple drug combination down-regulates integrin driven adhesion processes, delays cell cycle progression and interferes with the cdk-cyclin axis JF - BMC Cancer N2 - Background: Single drug use has not achieved satisfactory results in the treatment of prostate cancer, despite application of increasingly widespread targeted therapeutics. In the present study, the combined impact of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-inhibitor RAD001, the dual EGFr and VGEFr tyrosine kinase inhibitor AEE788 and the histone deacetylase (HDAC)-inhibitor valproic acid (VPA) on prostate cancer growth and adhesion in vitro was investigated. Methods: PC-3, DU-145 and LNCaP cells were treated with RAD001, AEE788 or VPA or with a RAD-AEE-VPA combination. Tumor cell growth, cell cycle progression and cell cycle regulating proteins were then investigated by MTT-assay, flow cytometry and western blotting, respectively. Furthermore, tumor cell adhesion to vascular endothelium or to immobilized extracellular matrix proteins as well as migratory properties of the cells was evaluated, and integrin alpha and beta subtypes were analyzed. Finally, effects of drug treatment on cell signaling pathways were determined. Results: All drugs, separately applied, reduced tumor cell adhesion, migration and growth. A much stronger anticancer effect was evoked by the triple drug combination. Particularly, cdk1, 2 and 4 and cyclin B were reduced, whereas p27 was elevated. In addition, simultaneous application of RAD001, AEE788 and VPA altered the membranous, cytoplasmic and gene expression pattern of various integrin alpha and beta subtypes, reduced integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and deactivated focal adhesion kinase (FAK). Signaling analysis revealed that EGFr and the downstream target Akt, as well as p70S6k was distinctly modified in the presence of the drug combination. Conclusions: Simultaneous targeting of several key proteins in prostate cancer cells provides an advantage over targeting a single pathway. Since strong anti-tumor properties became evident with respect to cell growth and adhesion dynamics, the triple drug combination might provide progress in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. KW - Growth-factor receptor KW - Mammalian target KW - Radical prostatectomy KW - Up-regulation KW - C-MYC KW - Pathway KW - Expression KW - Activation KW - Inhibition KW - Apoptosis Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141075 VL - 11 IS - 375 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wangorsch, Gaby A1 - Butt, Elke A1 - Mark, Regina A1 - Hubertus, Katharina A1 - Geiger, Jörg A1 - Dandekar, Thomas A1 - Dittrich, Marcus T1 - Time-resolved in silico modeling of fine-tuned cAMP signaling in platelets: feedback loops, titrated phosphorylations and pharmacological modulation N2 - Background: Hemostasis is a critical and active function of the blood mediated by platelets. Therefore, the prevention of pathological platelet aggregation is of great importance as well as of pharmaceutical and medical interest. Endogenous platelet inhibition is predominantly based on cyclic nucleotides (cAMP, cGMP) elevation and subsequent cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase (PKA, PKG) activation. In turn, platelet phosphodiesterases (PDEs) and protein phosphatases counterbalance their activity. This main inhibitory pathway in human platelets is crucial for countervailing unwanted platelet activation. Consequently, the regulators of cyclic nucleotide signaling are of particular interest to pharmacology and therapeutics of atherothrombosis. Modeling of pharmacodynamics allows understanding this intricate signaling and supports the precise description of these pivotal targets for pharmacological modulation. Results: We modeled dynamically concentration-dependent responses of pathway effectors (inhibitors, activators, drug combinations) to cyclic nucleotide signaling as well as to downstream signaling events and verified resulting model predictions by experimental data. Experiments with various cAMP affecting compounds including antiplatelet drugs and their combinations revealed a high fidelity, fine-tuned cAMP signaling in platelets without crosstalk to the cGMP pathway. The model and the data provide evidence for two independent feedback loops: PKA, which is activated by elevated cAMP levels in the platelet, subsequently inhibits adenylyl cyclase (AC) but as well activates PDE3. By multi-experiment fitting, we established a comprehensive dynamic model with one predictive, optimized and validated set of parameters. Different pharmacological conditions (inhibition, activation, drug combinations, permanent and transient perturbations) are successfully tested and simulated, including statistical validation and sensitivity analysis. Downstream cyclic nucleotide signaling events target different phosphorylation sites for cAMP- and cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKA, PKG) in the vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP). VASP phosphorylation as well as cAMP levels resulting from different drug strengths and combined stimulants were quantitatively modeled. These predictions were again experimentally validated. High sensitivity of the signaling pathway at low concentrations is involved in a fine-tuned balance as well as stable activation of this inhibitory cyclic nucleotide pathway. Conclusions: On the basis of experimental data, literature mining and database screening we established a dynamic in silico model of cyclic nucleotide signaling and probed its signaling sensitivity. Thoroughly validated, it successfully predicts drug combination effects on platelet function, including synergism, antagonism and regulatory loops. KW - Vasodilatator-stimuliertes Phosphoprotein KW - VASP KW - cyclic nucleotide signaling KW - silico model Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69145 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Walitza, Susanne A1 - Melfsen, Siebke A1 - Jans, Thomas A1 - Zellmann, Henrike A1 - Wewetzer, Christoph A1 - Warnke, Andreas T1 - Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Children and Adolescents JF - Deutsches Ärzteblatt International N2 - Background: Early-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the more common mental illnesses of children and adolescents, with prevalence of 1% to 3%. Its manifestations often lead to severe impairment and to conflict in the family. In this review, we summarize the manifestations, comorbidity, pathophysiology, and course of this disease as well as current modes of diagnosis and treatment. Methods: We selectively review the relevant literature and the German-language guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses in children and adolescents. Results: Obsessive-compulsive manifestations are of many types and cause severe impairment. Comorbid mental disturbances are present in as many as 70% of patients. The disease takes a chronic course in more than 40% of patients. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the treatment of first choice, followed by combination pharmacotherapy including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and then by SSRI alone. Conclusion: OCD often begins in childhood or adolescence. There are empirically based neurobiological and cognitive-behavioral models of its pathophysiology. Multiaxial diagnostic evaluation permits early diagnosis. Behavioral therapy and medications are highly effective treatments, but the disorder nonetheless takes a chronic course in a large percentage of patients. KW - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder KW - Comorbidity survey replication KW - DSM-IV disorders KW - Early-onset KW - Follow-up KW - Childhood KW - Metaanalysis KW - Prevalence KW - Therapy KW - Scale Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141214 VL - 108 IS - 11 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Waldholm, Johan A1 - Wang, Zhi A1 - Brodin, David A1 - Tyagi, Anu A1 - Yu, Simei A1 - Theopold, Ulrich A1 - Östlund Farrants, Ann Kristin A1 - Visa, Neus T1 - SWI/SNF regulates the alternative processing of a specific subset of pre-mRNAs in \(Drosophila\) \(melanogaster\) JF - BMC Molecular Biology N2 - Background: The SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling factors have the ability to remodel nucleosomes and play essential roles in key developmental processes. SWI/SNF complexes contain one subunit with ATPase activity, which in Drosophila melanogaster is called Brahma (Brm). The regulatory activities of SWI/SNF have been attributed to its influence on chromatin structure and transcription regulation, but recent observations have revealed that the levels of Brm affect the relative abundances of transcripts that are formed by alternative splicing and/or polyadenylation of the same pre-mRNA. Results: We have investigated whether the function of Brm in pre-mRNA processing in Drosophila melanogaster is mediated by Brm alone or by the SWI/SNF complex. We have analyzed the effects of depleting individual SWI/SNF subunits on pre-mRNA processing throughout the genome, and we have identified a subset of transcripts that are affected by depletion of the SWI/SNF core subunits Brm, Snr1 or Mor. The fact that depletion of different subunits targets a subset of common transcripts suggests that the SWI/SNF complex is responsible for the effects observed on pre-mRNA processing when knocking down Brm. We have also depleted Brm in larvae and we have shown that the levels of SWI/SNF affect the pre-mRNA processing outcome in vivo. Conclusions: We have shown that SWI/SNF can modulate alternative pre-mRNA processing, not only in cultured cells but also in vivo. The effect is restricted to and specific for a subset of transcripts. Our results provide novel insights into the mechanisms by which SWI/SNF regulates transcript diversity and proteomic diversity in higher eukaryotes. KW - Chromatin-remodeling complexes KW - In-vivo KW - Genes KW - Distinct KW - Brahma KW - Transcription KW - Trithorax KW - Subunit KW - Exons KW - BRM Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142613 VL - 12 IS - 46 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wagner, Toni U. A1 - Fischer, Andreas A1 - Thoma, Eva C. A1 - Schartl, Manfred T1 - CrossQuery : A Web Tool for Easy Associative Querying of Transcriptome Data N2 - Enormous amounts of data are being generated by modern methods such as transcriptome or exome sequencing and microarray profiling. Primary analyses such as quality control, normalization, statistics and mapping are highly complex and need to be performed by specialists. Thereafter, results are handed back to biomedical researchers, who are then confronted with complicated data lists. For rather simple tasks like data filtering, sorting and cross-association there is a need for new tools which can be used by non-specialists. Here, we describe CrossQuery, a web tool that enables straight forward, simple syntax queries to be executed on transcriptome sequencing and microarray datasets. We provide deepsequencing data sets of stem cell lines derived from the model fish Medaka and microarray data of human endothelial cells. In the example datasets provided, mRNA expression levels, gene, transcript and sample identification numbers, GO-terms and gene descriptions can be freely correlated, filtered and sorted. Queries can be saved for later reuse and results can be exported to standard formats that allow copy-and-paste to all widespread data visualization tools such as Microsoft Excel. CrossQuery enables researchers to quickly and freely work with transcriptome and microarray data sets requiring only minimal computer skills. Furthermore, CrossQuery allows growing association of multiple datasets as long as at least one common point of correlated information, such as transcript identification numbers or GO-terms, is shared between samples. For advanced users, the object-oriented plug-in and event-driven code design of both server-side and client-side scripts allow easy addition of new features, data sources and data types. KW - CrossQuery Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-76088 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Wagner, Toni U. A1 - Fischer, Andreas A1 - Thoma, Eva C. A1 - Schartl, Manfred T1 - CrossQuery: A Web Tool for Easy Associative Querying of Transcriptome Data JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Enormous amounts of data are being generated by modern methods such as transcriptome or exome sequencing and microarray profiling. Primary analyses such as quality control, normalization, statistics and mapping are highly complex and need to be performed by specialists. Thereafter, results are handed back to biomedical researchers, who are then confronted with complicated data lists. For rather simple tasks like data filtering, sorting and cross-association there is a need for new tools which can be used by non-specialists. Here, we describe CrossQuery, a web tool that enables straight forward, simple syntax queries to be executed on transcriptome sequencing and microarray datasets. We provide deep-sequencing data sets of stem cell lines derived from the model fish Medaka and microarray data of human endothelial cells. In the example datasets provided, mRNA expression levels, gene, transcript and sample identification numbers, GO-terms and gene descriptions can be freely correlated, filtered and sorted. Queries can be saved for later reuse and results can be exported to standard formats that allow copy-and-paste to all widespread data visualization tools such as Microsoft Excel. CrossQuery enables researchers to quickly and freely work with transcriptome and microarray data sets requiring only minimal computer skills. Furthermore, CrossQuery allows growing association of multiple datasets as long as at least one common point of correlated information, such as transcript identification numbers or GO-terms, is shared between samples. For advanced users, the object-oriented plug-in and event-driven code design of both server-side and client-side scripts allow easy addition of new features, data sources and data types. KW - Microarray data KW - Sprouting angiogenesis KW - Cell-line KW - Biology Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-134787 VL - 6 IS - 12 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Rahden, Burkhard H.A. A1 - Kircher, Stefan A1 - Lazariotou, Maria A1 - Reiber, Christoph A1 - Stuermer, Luisa A1 - Otto, Christoph A1 - Germer, Christoph T. A1 - Grimm, Martin T1 - LgR5 expression and cancer stem cell hypothesis: clue to define the true origin of esophageal adenocarcinomas with and without Barrett's Esophagus? JF - Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research N2 - Background Investigation of the expression of an intestinal stem cell marker in esophageal adenocarcinomas (EAC) with and without Barrett's Esophagus (BE), with respect to a cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis. Materials and methods Expression of a putative intestinal stem cell marker LgR5 was analyzed in esophageal cancer specimen (n = 70: 41 EAC with BE, 19 EAC without BE, and n = 10 esophageal squamous-cell carcinomas, ESCC) and in the adenocarcinoma cell line OE-33. Ki-67 and Cdx-2 were co-labelled with LgR5 in double staining experiments. Immunhistochemical expression results were confirmed by RT-PCR and correlated with tumor stage and five-year survival rates. Results LgR5was found expressed in 35 of 41 (85%) EAC with BE and in 16 of 19 (81%) EAC without BE. By contrast, LgR5 was not found to be expressed in ESCC. Quantification of immunolabeling showed 15% LgR5+ cells in EAC with BE, 32% LgR5+ cells in adjacent BE and 13% in EAC without BE. Immunofluorescence double staining experiments with LgR5 and Ki-67 revealed a subpopulation (~5%) of proliferating LgR+/Ki-67+ cells. On mRNA-level, expression of LgR5 was higher in BE in comparison to EAC (p = 0.0159). High levels of LgR5 expression in BE associated EAC were associated with poorer survival in univariate analysis. Conclusion The stem cell marker LgR5 is expressed in EAC, irrespective of association with BE, and appears to have negative impact on survival. The subset of proliferating LgR5+ cells (<5%) might resemble rapidly cycling CSCs, which needs to be substantiated in further investigations. KW - Barrett-Ösophagus KW - Krebs Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-137783 VL - 30 IS - 23 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Rahden, Burkhard H. A. A1 - Kircher, Stefan A1 - Lazariotou, Maria A1 - Reiber, Christoph A1 - Stuermer, Luisa A1 - Otto, Christoph A1 - Germer, Christoph T. A1 - Grimm, Martin T1 - LgR5 expression and cancer stem cell hypothesis: clue to define the true origin of esophageal adenocarcinomas with and without Barrett's Esophagus? N2 - Background: Investigation of the expression of an intestinal stem cell marker in esophageal adenocarcinomas (EAC) with and without Barrett’s Esophagus (BE), with respect to a cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis. Materials and methods: Expression of a putative intestinal stem cell marker LgR5 was analyzed in esophageal cancer specimen (n = 70: 41 EAC with BE, 19 EAC without BE, and n = 10 esophageal squamous-cell carcinomas, ESCC) and in the adenocarcinoma cell line OE-33. Ki-67 and Cdx-2 were co-labelled with LgR5 in double staining experiments. Immunhistochemical expression results were confirmed by RT-PCR and correlated with tumor stage and five-year survival rates. Results: LgR5was found expressed in 35 of 41 (85%) EAC with BE and in 16 of 19 (81%) EAC without BE. By contrast, LgR5 was not found to be expressed in ESCC. Quantification of immunolabeling showed 15% LgR5+ cells in EAC with BE, 32% LgR5+ cells in adjacent BE and 13% in EAC without BE. Immunofluorescence double staining experiments with LgR5 and Ki-67 revealed a subpopulation (~5%) of proliferating LgR+/Ki-67+ cells. On mRNAlevel, expression of LgR5 was higher in BE in comparison to EAC (p = 0.0159). High levels of LgR5 expression in BE associated EAC were associated with poorer survival in univariate analysis. Conclusion: The stem cell marker LgR5 is expressed in EAC, irrespective of association with BE, and appears to have negative impact on survival. The subset of proliferating LgR5+ cells (<5%) might resemble rapidly cycling CSCs, which needs to be substantiated in further investigations. KW - Medizin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68810 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Kries, Rüdiger A1 - Weiss, Susanne A1 - Falkenhorst, Gerhard A1 - Wirth, Stephan A1 - Kaiser, Petra A1 - Huppertz, Hans-Iko A1 - Tenenbaum, Tobias A1 - Schroten, Horst A1 - Streng, Andrea A1 - Liese, Johannes A1 - Shai, Sonu A1 - Niehues, Tim A1 - Girschick, Hermann A1 - Kuscher, Ellen A1 - Sauerbrey, Axel A1 - Peters, Jochen A1 - Wirsing von Koenig, Carl Heinz A1 - Rückinger, Simon A1 - Hampl, Walter A1 - Michel, Detlef A1 - Mertens, Thomas T1 - Post-Pandemic Seroprevalence of Pandemic Influenza A (H1N1) 2009 Infection (Swine Flu) among Children < 18 Years in Germany JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background: We determined antibodies to the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus in children to assess: the incidence of (H1N1) 2009 infections in the 2009/2010 season in Germany, the proportion of subclinical infections and to compare titers in vaccinated and infected children. Methodology/Principal Findings: Eight pediatric hospitals distributed over Germany prospectively provided sera from in-or outpatients aged 1 to 17 years from April 1(st) to July 31(st) 2010. Vaccination history, recall of infections and sociodemographic factors were ascertained. Antibody titers were measured with a sensitive and specific in-house hemagglutination inhibition test (HIT) and compared to age-matched sera collected during 6 months before the onset of the pandemic in Germany. We analyzed 1420 post-pandemic and 300 pre-pandemic sera. Among unvaccinated children aged 1-4 and 5-17 years the prevalence of HI titers (>= 1:10) was 27.1% (95% CI: 23.5-31.3) and 53.5% (95% CI: 50.9-56.2) compared to 1.7% and 5.5%, respectively, for pre-pandemic sera, accounting for a serologically determined incidence of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 during the season 2009/2010 of 25,4% (95% CI : 19.3-30.5) in children aged 1-4 years and 48.0% (95% CI: 42.6-52.0) in 5-17 year old children. Of children with HI titers >= 1: 10, 25.5% (95% CI: 22.5-28.8) reported no history of any infectious disease since June 2009. Among vaccinated children, 92% (95%-CI: 87.0-96.6) of the 5-17 year old but only 47.8% (95%-CI: 33.5-66.5) of the 1-4 year old children exhibited HI titers against influenza A virus (H1N1) 2009. Conclusion: Serologically determined incidence of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 infections in children indicates high infection rates with older children (5-17 years) infected twice as often as younger children. In about a quarter of the children with HI titers after the season 2009/2010 subclinical infections must be assumed. Low HI titers in young children after vaccination with the AS03(B)-adjuvanted split virion vaccine need further scrutiny. KW - Hemagglutination inhibition KW - Vaccine KW - Age KW - Immunogenicity KW - Prevalence KW - Antibody KW - Viruses KW - England KW - Safety KW - Risk Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141698 VL - 6 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - von Bueren, André O. A1 - Oehler, Christoph A1 - Shalaby, Tarek A1 - von Hoff, Katja A1 - Pruschy, Martin A1 - Seifert, Burkhardt A1 - Gerber, Nicolas U. A1 - Warmuth-Metz, Monika A1 - Stearns, Duncan A1 - Eberhart, Charles G. A1 - Kortmann, Rolf D. A1 - Rutkowski, Stefan A1 - Grotzer, Michael A. T1 - c-MYC expression sensitizes medulloblastoma cells to radio- and chemotherapy and has no impact on response in medulloblastoma patients JF - BMC Cancer N2 - Background: To study whether and how c-MYC expression determines response to radio-and chemotherapy in childhood medulloblastoma (MB). Methods: We used DAOY and UW228 human MB cells engineered to stably express different levels of c-MYC, and tested whether c-MYC expression has an effect on radio-and chemosensitivity using the colorimetric 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol- 2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium inner salt (MTS) assay, clonogenic survival, apoptosis assays, cell cycle analysis, and western blot assessment. In an effort to validate our results, we analyzed c-MYC mRNA expression in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor samples from well-documented patients with postoperative residual tumor and compared c-MYC mRNA expression with response to radio-and chemotherapy as examined by neuroradiological imaging. Results: In DAOY -and to a lesser extent in UW228 -cells expressing high levels of c-MYC, the cytotoxicity of cisplatin, and etoposide was significantly higher when compared with DAOY/UW228 cells expressing low levels of c-MYC. Irradiation-and chemotherapy-induced apoptotic cell death was enhanced in DAOY cells expressing high levels of c-MYC. The response of 62 of 66 residual tumors was evaluable and response to postoperative radio-(14 responders (CR, PR) vs. 5 non-responders (SD, PD)) or chemotherapy (23 CR/PR vs. 20 SD/PD) was assessed. c-MYC mRNA expression was similar in primary MB samples of responders and non-responders (Mann-Whitney U test, p = 0.50, ratio 0.49, 95% CI 0.008-30.0 and p = 0.67, ratio 1.8, 95% CI 0.14-23.5, respectively). Conclusions: c-MYC sensitizes MB cells to some anti-cancer treatments in vitro. As we failed to show evidence for such an effect on postoperative residual tumors when analyzed by imaging, additional investigations in xenografts and larger MB cohorts may help to define the exact function of c-MYC in modulating response to treatment. KW - Induced apoptosis KW - Down-regulation KW - Childhood medulloblastoma KW - Melanoma-cells KW - Cisplatin KW - Lines KW - Gene KW - Radiotherapy KW - Fibroblasts KW - Activation Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-134185 VL - 11 IS - 74 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogel, Benjamin A1 - Löschberger, Anna A1 - Sauer, Markus A1 - Hock, Robert T1 - Cross-linking of DNA through HMGA1 suggests a DNA scaffold N2 - Binding of proteins to DNA is usually considered 1D with one protein bound to one DNA molecule. In principle, proteins with multiple DNA binding domains could also bind to and thereby cross-link different DNA molecules. We have investigated this possibility using high-mobility group A1 (HMGA1) proteins, which are architectural elements of chromatin and are involved in the regulation of multiple DNA-dependent processes. Using direct stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (dSTORM), we could show that overexpression of HMGA1a-eGFP in Cos-7 cells leads to chromatin aggregation. To investigate if HMGA1a is directly responsible for this chromatin compaction we developed a DNA cross-linking assay. We were able to show for the first time that HMGA1a can cross-link DNA directly. Detailed analysis using point mutated proteins revealed a novel DNA cross-linking domain. Electron microscopy indicates that HMGA1 proteins are able to create DNA loops and supercoils in linearized DNA confirming the cross-linking ability of HMGA1a. This capacity has profound implications for the spatial organization of DNA in the cell nucleus and suggests cross-linking activities for additional nuclear proteins. KW - DNA Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68865 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - van Oorschot, Birgitt A1 - Beckmann, Gabriele A1 - Schulze, Wolfgang A1 - Rades, Dirk A1 - Feyer, Petra T1 - Radiotherapeutic options for symptom control in breast cancer JF - Breast Care N2 - The majority of breast cancer patients will require radiation therapy at some time during the course of their disease. An estimated 30–50% of all radiation treatments are of palliative nature, either to alleviate symptoms or prophylactic to prevent deterioration of quality of life due to locally progressive disease. Radiotherapy is a locally effective tool, and typically causes no systemic and mostly mild acute side effects. The following article provides an overview of options and decision-making in palliative radiotherapy for symptom control. N2 - Die Mehrzahl der Patientinnen mit Brustkrebs erhält im Krankheitsverlauf einmalig oder mehrfach eine lokale Strahlentherapie, 30–50% der Behandlungen erfolgen unter palliativer Zielsetzung, entweder zur Linderung belastender Symptome oder palliativ-präventiv zur Sicherung der Lebensqualität durch die Vermeidung lokaler Komplikationen oder eines lokalen, zeitbegrenzten Tumorprogresses. Strahlentherapie ist ein lokal wirksames Verfahren mit zumeist nur leichten Nebenwirkungen. Der vorliegende Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die Möglichkeiten der palliativen Strahlentherapie zur Symptomlinderung und über die medizinische Entscheidungsfindung. KW - radiotherapy KW - breast cancer KW - symptom control KW - palliative care KW - Strahlentherapie KW - Mammakarzinom KW - Symptomlinderung KW - Palliativmedizin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-199105 SN - 1661-3791 SN - 1661-3805 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 - 6 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Van den Hove, Daniel A1 - Jakob, Sissi Brigitte A1 - Schraut, Karla-Gerlinde A1 - Kenis, Gunter A1 - Schmitt, Angelika Gertrud A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Scholz, Claus-Jürgen A1 - Wiescholleck, Valentina A1 - Ortega, Gabriela A1 - Prickaerts, Jos A1 - Steinbusch, Harry A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter T1 - Differential Effects of Prenatal Stress in 5-Htt Deficient Mice: Towards Molecular Mechanisms of Gene x Environment Interactions N2 - Prenatal stress (PS) has been shown to influence the development of the fetal brain and to increase the risk for the development of psychiatric disorders in later life. Furthermore, the variation of human serotonin transporter (5-HTT, SLC6A4) gene was suggested to exert a modulating effect on the association between early life stress and the risk for depression. In the present study, we used a 5-Htt6PS paradigm to investigate whether the effects of PS are dependent on the 5-Htt genotype. For this purpose, the effects of PS on cognition, anxiety- and depression-related behavior were examined using a maternal restraint stress paradigm of PS in C57BL6 wild-type (WT) and heterozygous 5-Htt deficient (5-Htt +/2) mice. Additionally, in female offspring, a genome-wide hippocampal gene expression profiling was performed using the Affymetrix GeneChipH Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array. 5-Htt +/2 offspring showed enhanced memory performance and signs of reduced anxiety as compared to WT offspring. In contrast, exposure of 5-Htt +/2 mice to PS was associated with increased depressive-like behavior, an effect that tended to be more pronounced in female offspring. Further, 5-Htt genotype, PS and their interaction differentially affected the expression of numerous genes and related pathways within the female hippocampus. Specifically, MAPK and neurotrophin signaling were regulated by both the 5-Htt +/2 genotype and PS exposure, whereas cytokine and Wnt signaling were affected in a 5-Htt genotype6PS manner, indicating a gene6environment interaction at the molecular level. In conclusion, our data suggest that although the 5-Htt +/2 genotype shows clear adaptive capacity, 5-Htt +/2 mice –particularly females– at the same time appear to be more vulnerable to developmental stress exposure when compared to WT offspring. Moreover, hippocampal gene expression profiles suggest that distinct molecular mechanisms mediate the behavioral effects of the 5-Htt genotype, PS exposure, and their interaction. KW - Medizin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-75795 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Van den Hove, Daniel A1 - Jakob, Sissi Brigitte A1 - Schraut, Karla-Gerlinde A1 - Kenis, Gunter A1 - Schmitt, Angelika Gertrud A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Scholz, Claus-Jürgen A1 - Wiescholleck, Valentina A1 - Ortega, Gabriela A1 - Prickaerts, Jos A1 - Steinbusch, Harry A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter T1 - Differential Effects of Prenatal Stress in 5-Htt Deficient Mice: Towards Molecular Mechanisms of Gene x Environment Interactions JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Prenatal stress (PS) has been shown to influence the development of the fetal brain and to increase the risk for the development of psychiatric disorders in later life. Furthermore, the variation of human serotonin transporter (5-HTT, SLC6A4) gene was suggested to exert a modulating effect on the association between early life stress and the risk for depression. In the present study, we used a 5-HttxPS paradigm to investigate whether the effects of PS are dependent on the 5-Htt genotype. For this purpose, the effects of PS on cognition, anxiety-and depression-related behavior were examined using a maternal restraint stress paradigm of PS in C57BL6 wild-type (WT) and heterozygous 5-Htt deficient (5-Htt +/-) mice. Additionally, in female offspring, a genome-wide hippocampal gene expression profiling was performed using the Affymetrix GeneChip (R) Mouse Genome 430 2.0 Array. 5-Htt +/- offspring showed enhanced memory performance and signs of reduced anxiety as compared to WT offspring. In contrast, exposure of 5-Htt +/- mice to PS was associated with increased depressive-like behavior, an effect that tended to be more pronounced in female offspring. Further, 5-Htt genotype, PS and their interaction differentially affected the expression of numerous genes and related pathways within the female hippocampus. Specifically, MAPK and neurotrophin signaling were regulated by both the 5-Htt +/- genotype and PS exposure, whereas cytokine and Wnt signaling were affected in a 5-Htt genotypexPS manner, indicating a genexenvironment interaction at the molecular level. In conclusion, our data suggest that although the 5-Htt +/- genotype shows clear adaptive capacity, 5-Htt +/- mice -particularly females-at the same time appear to be more vulnerable to developmental stress exposure when compared to WT offspring. Moreover, hippocampal gene expression profiles suggest that distinct molecular mechanisms mediate the behavioral effects of the 5-Htt genotype, PS exposure, and their interaction. KW - Serotonin transporter polymorphism KW - Acute tryptophan depletion KW - Anxiety-like behavior KW - Long-term depression KW - Knock-out mice KW - Major depression KW - Interferon-alpha KW - Physiological functions KW - Restraint stress KW - Bipolar disorder Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135111 VL - 6 IS - 8 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Uppaluri, Sravanti A1 - Nagler, Jan A1 - Stellamanns, Eric A1 - Heddergott, Niko A1 - Herminghaus, Stephan A1 - Pfohl, Thomas A1 - Engstler, Markus T1 - Impact of Microscopic Motility on the Swimming Behavior of Parasites: Straighter Trypanosomes are More Directional JF - PLoS Computational Biology N2 - Microorganisms, particularly parasites, have developed sophisticated swimming mechanisms to cope with a varied range of environments. African Trypanosomes, causative agents of fatal illness in humans and animals, use an insect vector (the Tsetse fly) to infect mammals, involving many developmental changes in which cell motility is of prime importance. Our studies reveal that differences in cell body shape are correlated with a diverse range of cell behaviors contributing to the directional motion of the cell. Straighter cells swim more directionally while cells that exhibit little net displacement appear to be more bent. Initiation of cell division, beginning with the emergence of a second flagellum at the base, correlates to directional persistence. Cell trajectory and rapid body fluctuation correlation analysis uncovers two characteristic relaxation times: a short relaxation time due to strong body distortions in the range of 20 to 80 ms and a longer time associated with the persistence in average swimming direction in the order of 15 seconds. Different motility modes, possibly resulting from varying body stiffness, could be of consequence for host invasion during distinct infective stages. KW - African Trypanosomes KW - Cell Motility KW - Random-Walk KW - Brucei KW - Components KW - Flagellum KW - Biology KW - Motion KW - Chemotaxis KW - Movement Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140814 VL - 7 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tony, Hans-Peter A1 - Burmester, Gerd A1 - Schulze-Koops, Hendrik A1 - Grunke, Mathias A1 - Henes, Joerg A1 - Kötter, Ina A1 - Haas, Judith A1 - Unger, Leonore A1 - Lovric, Svjetlana A1 - Haubitz, Marion A1 - Fischer-Betz, Rebecca A1 - Chehab, Gamal A1 - Rubbert-Roth, Andrea A1 - Specker, Christof A1 - Weinerth, Jutta A1 - Holle, Julia A1 - Müller-Ladner, Ulf A1 - König, Ramona A1 - Fiehn, Christoph A1 - Burgwinkel, Philip A1 - Budde, Klemens A1 - Sörensen, Helmut A1 - Meurer, Michael A1 - Aringer, Martin A1 - Kieseier, Bernd A1 - Erfurt-Berge, Cornelia A1 - Sticherling, Michael A1 - Veelken, Roland A1 - Ziemann, Ulf A1 - Strutz, Frank A1 - von Wussow, Praxis A1 - Meier, Florian MP A1 - Hunzelmann, Nico A1 - Schmidt, Enno A1 - Bergner, Raoul A1 - Schwarting, Andreas A1 - Eming, Rüdiger A1 - Schwarz-Eywill, Michael A1 - Wassenberg, Siegfried A1 - Fleck, Martin A1 - Metzler, Claudia A1 - Zettl, Uwe A1 - Westphal, Jens A1 - Heitmann, Stefan A1 - Herzog, Anna L. A1 - Wiendl, Heinz A1 - Jakob, Waltraud A1 - Schmidt, Elvira A1 - Freivogel, Klaus A1 - Dörner, Thomas A1 - Hertl, Michael A1 - Stadler, Rudolf T1 - Safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab therapy in patients with different autoimmune diseases: experience from a national registry (GRAID) JF - Arthritis Research & Therapy N2 - Introduction: Evidence from a number of open-label, uncontrolled studies has suggested that rituximab may benefit patients with autoimmune diseases who are refractory to standard-of-care. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes of rituximab in several standard-of-care-refractory autoimmune diseases (within rheumatology, nephrology, dermatology and neurology) other than rheumatoid arthritis or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in a real-life clinical setting. Methods: Patients who received rituximab having shown an inadequate response to standard-of-care had their safety and clinical outcomes data retrospectively analysed as part of the German Registry of Autoimmune Diseases. The main outcome measures were safety and clinical response, as judged at the discretion of the investigators. Results: A total of 370 patients (299 patient-years) with various autoimmune diseases (23.0% with systemic lupus erythematosus, 15.7% antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated granulomatous vasculitides, 15.1% multiple sclerosis and 10.0% pemphigus) from 42 centres received a mean dose of 2,440 mg of rituximab over a median (range) of 194 (180 to 1,407) days. The overall rate of serious infections was 5.3 per 100 patient-years during rituximab therapy. Opportunistic infections were infrequent across the whole study population, and mostly occurred in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. There were 11 deaths (3.0% of patients) after rituximab treatment (mean 11.6 months after first infusion, range 0.8 to 31.3 months), with most of the deaths caused by infections. Overall (n = 293), 13.3% of patients showed no response, 45.1% showed a partial response and 41.6% showed a complete response. Responses were also reflected by reduced use of glucocorticoids and various immunosuppressives during rituximab therapy and follow-up compared with before rituximab. Rituximab generally had a positive effect on patient well-being (physician’s visual analogue scale; mean improvement from baseline of 12.1 mm) KW - GRAID Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142856 VL - 13 IS - R75 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Thormann, Birthe A1 - Raupach, Michael J. A1 - Wagner, Thomas A1 - Wägele, Johann W. A1 - Peters, Marcell K. T1 - Testing a Short Nuclear Marker for Inferring Staphylinid Beetle Diversity in an African Tropical Rain Forest JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Background: The use of DNA based methods for assessing biodiversity has become increasingly common during the last years. Especially in speciose biomes as tropical rain forests and/or in hyperdiverse or understudied taxa they may efficiently complement morphological approaches. The most successful molecular approach in this field is DNA barcoding based on cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) marker, but other markers are used as well. Whereas most studies aim at identifying or describing species, there are only few attempts to use DNA markers for inventorying all animal species found in environmental samples to describe variations of biodiversity patterns. Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, an analysis of the nuclear D3 region of the 28S rRNA gene to delimit species-like units is compared to results based on distinction of morphospecies. Data derived from both approaches are used to assess diversity and composition of staphylinid beetle communities of a Guineo-Congolian rain forest in Kenya. Beetles were collected with a standardized sampling design across six transects in primary and secondary forests using pitfall traps. Sequences could be obtained of 99% of all individuals. In total, 76 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) were found in contrast to 70 discernible morphospecies. Despite this difference both approaches revealed highly similar biodiversity patterns, with species richness being equal in primary and secondary forests, but with divergent species communities in different habitats. The D3-MOTU approach proved to be an efficient tool for biodiversity analyses. Conclusions/Significance: Our data illustrate that the use of MOTUs as a proxy for species can provide an alternative to morphospecies identification for the analysis of changes in community structure of hyperdiverse insect taxa. The efficient amplification of the D3-marker and the ability of the D3-MOTUs to reveal similar biodiversity patterns as analyses of morphospecies recommend its use in future molecular studies on biodiversity. KW - DNA barcodes KW - Biological identifications KW - Species richness KW - Taxonomy KW - Conservation KW - Coleoptera KW - Parataxonomy KW - Assemblages KW - Madagascar Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142666 VL - 6 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Taubenböck, H A1 - Wurm, M A1 - Netzband, M A1 - Zwenzner, H A1 - Roth, A A1 - Rahman, A A1 - Dech, S T1 - Flood risks in urbanized areas - multi-sensoral approaches using remotely sensed data for risk assessment JF - NATURAL HAZARDS AND EARTH SYSTEM SCIENCES N2 - Estimating flood risks and managing disasters combines knowledge in climatology, meteorology, hydrology, hydraulic engineering, statistics, planning and geography - thus a complex multi-faceted problem. This study focuses on the capabilities of multi-source remote sensing data to support decision-making before, during and after a flood event. With our focus on urbanized areas, sample methods and applications show multi-scale products from the hazard and vulnerability perspective of the risk framework. From the hazard side, we present capabilities with which to assess flood-prone areas before an expected disaster. Then we map the spatial impact during or after a flood and finally, we analyze damage grades after a flood disaster. From the vulnerability side, we monitor urbanization over time on an urban footprint level, classify urban structures on an individual building level, assess building stability and quantify probably affected people. The results show a large database for sustainable development and for developing mitigation strategies, ad-hoc coordination of relief measures and organizing rehabilitation. KW - damage assessment disaster KW - satellite data KW - management KW - radar KW - inundation KW - disaster KW - sar KW - gis KW - integration KW - earthquake Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-139605 VL - 11 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tappe, Dennis A1 - Meyer, Michael A1 - Oesterlein, Anett A1 - Jaye, Assan A1 - Frosch, Matthias A1 - Schoen, Christoph A1 - Pantchev, Nikola T1 - Transmission of Armillifer armillatus Ova at Snake Farm, The Gambia, West Africa JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases N2 - Visceral pentastomiasis caused by Armillifer armillatus larvae was diagnosed in 2 dogs in The Gambia. Parasites were subjected to PCR; phylogenetic analysis confirmed relatedness with branchiurans/crustaceans. Our investigation highlights transmission of infective A. armillatus ova to dogs and, by serologic evidence, also to 1 human, demonstrating a public health concern. KW - Pentastomiasis Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142804 N1 - All material published in Emerging Infectious Diseases is in the public domain and may be used and reprinted without special permission; proper citation, however, is required. VL - 17 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Szalay, Aladar A. A1 - Hill, Philip J. A1 - Stritzker, Jochen A1 - Scadeng, Miriam A1 - Geissinger, Ulrike A1 - Haddad, Daniel A1 - Basse-Lüsebrink, Thomas C. A1 - Gbureck, Uwe A1 - Jakob, Peter T1 - Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Tumors Colonized with Bacterial Ferritin-Expressing Escherichia coli N2 - Background: Recent studies have shown that human ferritin can be used as a reporter of gene expression for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Bacteria also encode three classes of ferritin-type molecules with iron accumulation properties. Methods and Findings: Here, we investigated whether these bacterial ferritins can also be used as MRI reporter genes and which of the bacterial ferritins is the most suitable reporter. Bacterial ferritins were overexpressed in probiotic E. coli Nissle 1917. Cultures of these bacteria were analyzed and those generating highest MRI contrast were further investigated in tumor bearing mice. Among members of three classes of bacterial ferritin tested, bacterioferritin showed the most promise as a reporter gene. Although all three proteins accumulated similar amounts of iron when overexpressed individually, bacterioferritin showed the highest contrast change. By site-directed mutagenesis we also show that the heme iron, a unique part of the bacterioferritin molecule, is not critical for MRI contrast change. Tumor-specific induction of bacterioferritin-expression in colonized tumors resulted in contrast changes within the bacteria-colonized tumors. Conclusions: Our data suggest that colonization and gene expression by live vectors expressing bacterioferritin can be monitored by MRI due to contrast changes KW - Escherichia coli Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-75789 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Streng, Andrea A1 - Grote, Veit A1 - Liese, Johannes G. T1 - Severe influenza cases in paediatric intensive care units in Germany during the pre-pandemic seasons 2005 to 2008 N2 - Background: Data on complications in children with seasonal influenza virus infection are limited. We initiated a nation-wide three-year surveillance of children who were admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with severe seasonal influenza. Methods: From October 2005 to July 2008, active surveillance was performed using an established reporting system for rare diseases (ESPED) including all paediatric hospitals in Germany. Cases to be reported were hospitalized children < 17 years of age with laboratory-confirmed influenza treated in a PICU or dying in hospital. Results: Twenty severe influenza-associated cases were reported from 14 PICUs during three pre-pandemic influenza seasons (2005-2008). The median age of the patients (12 males/8 females) was 7.5 years (range 0.1-15 years). None had received vaccination against influenza. In 14 (70%) patients, the infection had been caused by influenza A and in five (25%) by influenza B; in one child (5%) the influenza type was not reported. Patients spent a median of 19 (IQR 12-38) days in the hospital and a median of 11 days (IQR 6-18 days) in the PICU; 10 (50%) needed mechanical ventilation. Most frequent diagnoses were influenza-associated pneumonia (60%), bronchitis / bronchiolitis (30%), encephalitis / encephalopathy (25%), secondary bacterial pneumonia (25%), and ARDS (25%). Eleven (55%) children had chronic underlying medical conditions, including 8 (40%) with chronic pulmonary diseases. Two influenza A- associated deaths were reported: i) an 8-year old boy with pneumococcal encephalopathy following influenza infection died from cerebral edema, ii) a 14-year-old boy with asthma bronchiale, cardiac malformation and Addison’s disease died from cardiac and respiratory failure. For nine (45%) patients, possibly permanent sequelae were reported (3 neurological, 3 pulmonary, 3 other sequelae). Conclusions: Influenza-associated pneumonia and secondary bacterial infections are relevant complications of seasonal influenza in Germany. The incidence of severe influenza cases in PICUs was relatively low. This may be either due to the weak to moderate seasonal influenza activity during the years 2005 to 2008 or due to underdiagnosis of influenza by physicians. Fifty % of the observed severe cases might have been prevented by following the recommendations for vaccination of risk groups in Germany. KW - Deutschland KW - Grippe Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69120 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stieb, Sara Mae A1 - Kelber, Christina A1 - Wehner, Rüdiger A1 - Rössler, Wolfgang T1 - Antennal-Lobe Organization in Desert Ants of the Genus Cataglyphis JF - Brain, Behavior and Evolution N2 - Desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis possess remarkable visual navigation capabilities. Although Cataglyphis species lack a trail pheromone system, Cataglyphis fortis employs olfactory cues for detecting nest and food sites. To investigate potential adaptations in primary olfactory centers of the brain of C. fortis, we analyzed olfactory glomeruli (odor processing units) in their antennal lobes and compared them to glomeruli in different Cataglyphis species. Using confocal imaging and 3D reconstruction, we analyzed the number, size and spatial arrangement of olfactory glomeruli in C. fortis, C.albicans, C.bicolor, C.rubra, and C.noda. Workers of all Cataglyphis species have smaller numbers of glomeruli (198–249) compared to those previously found in olfactory-guided ants. Analyses in 2 species of Formica – a genus closely related to Cataglyphis – revealed substantially higher numbers of olfactory glomeruli (c. 370), which is likely to reflect the importance of olfaction in these wood ant species. Comparisons between Cataglyphis species revealed 2 special features in C. fortis. First, with c. 198 C. fortis has the lowest number of glomeruli compared to all other species. Second, a conspicuously enlarged glomerulus is located close to the antennal nerve entrance. Males of C. fortis possess a significantly smaller number of glomeruli (c. 150) compared to female workers and queens. A prominent male-specific macroglomerulus likely to be involved in sex pheromone communication occupies a position different from that of the enlarged glomerulus in females. The behavioral significance of the enlarged glomerulus in female workers remains elusive. The fact that C. fortis inhabits microhabitats (salt pans) that are avoided by all other Cataglyphis species suggests that extreme ecological conditions may not only have resulted in adaptations of visual capabilities, but also in specializations of the olfactory system. KW - olfactory glomeruli KW - plasticity KW - ant KW - antennal lobe KW - glomerulus KW - insects KW - interspecific comparison KW - macroglomerulus KW - olfaction Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196815 SN - 0006-8977 SN - 1421-9743 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 - 77 IS - 3 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sterzing, Florian A1 - Engenhart-Cabillic, Rita A1 - Flentje, Michael A1 - Debus, Jürgen T1 - Image-Guided Radiotherapy : A New Dimension in Radiation Oncology JF - Deutsches Ärzteblatt International N2 - Background: The vital importance of imaging techniques in radiation oncology now extends beyond diagnostic evaluation and treatment planning. Recent technical advances have enabled the integration of various imaging modalities into the everyday practice of radiotherapy directly at the linear accelerator, improving the management of inter-and intrafractional variations. Methods: We present the topic of image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) on the basis of a selective review of the literature. Results: IGRT can be performed with the aid of ultrasound, 2D X-ray devices, and computed tomography. It enables instant correction for positioning deviations and thereby improves the precision of daily radiotherapy fractions. It also enables immediate adjustment for changes in the position and filling status of the internal organs. Anatomical changes that take place over the course of radiotherapy, such as weight loss, tumor shrinkage, and the opening of atelectases, can be detected as they occur and accounted for in dosimetric calculations. There have not yet been any randomized controlled trials showing that IGRT causes fewer adverse effects or improves tumor control compared to conventional radiotherapy. Conclusion: IGRT is more precise and thus potentially safer than conventional radiotherapy. It also enables the application of special radiotherapeutic techniques with narrow safety margins in the vicinity of radiosensitive organs. Proper patient selection for IGRT must take account of the goals of treatment and the planning characteristics, as well as the available technical and human resources. IGRT should be used for steep dose gradients near organs at risk, for highly conformal dose distributions in the gastrointestinal tract where adjustment for filling variations is needed, for high-precision dose escalation to avoid geographic miss, and for patients who cannot lie perfectly still because of pain or claustrophobia. KW - cone-beam ct KW - megavoltage computed-tomography KW - prostate-cancer KW - helical tomotherapy KW - guidance KW - therapy KW - limitations KW - head Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140771 VL - 108 IS - 16 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stelzig, Yvonne A1 - Jacob, Roland A1 - Mueller, Joachim T1 - Preliminary speech recognition results after cochlear implantation in patients with unilateral hearing loss: a case series JF - Journal of Medical Case Reports N2 - Introduction Cochlear implants known to provide support in individuals with bilateral hearing loss may also be of great benefit for individuals with unilateral hearing loss. This case report demonstrates the positive effects of cochlear implantation on speech understanding in noise conditions in patients with unilateral hearing loss and normal hearing on the contralateral side. To the best of our knowledge, the data presented here are from the first few cases to receive a cochlear implant for unilateral hearing loss. Case presentation Four Caucasian German men, two aged 48 and the others aged 51 and 57 years old, with post-lingual unilateral hearing loss and normal hearing on the contralateral side were implanted with a cochlear implant. All our patients were members of the German army. Before and after implantation, they were given a battery of speech tests in different hearing conditions to assess the effect of unilateral cochlear implantation on speech understanding in noise conditions. Test results showed that all patients benefited from unilateral cochlear implantation, particularly in terms of speech understanding in noise conditions. Conclusions Unilateral cochlear implantation might be a successful treatment method for patients with unilateral hearing loss not benefiting from alternative treatment options. The results of this case report open up the field of cochlear implantation for expanded criteria and new areas of research. KW - medicin Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141722 VL - 5 IS - 343 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Song, Ning-Ning A1 - Xiu, Jian-Bo A1 - Huang, Ying A1 - Chen, Jia-Yin A1 - Zhang, Lei A1 - Gutknecht, Lise A1 - Lesch, Klaus Peter A1 - Li, He A1 - Ding, Yu-Qiang T1 - Adult Raphe-Specific Deletion of Lmx1b Leads to Central Serotonin Deficiency JF - PLoS ONE N2 - The transcription factor Lmx1b is essential for the differentiation and survival of central serotonergic (5-HTergic) neurons during embryonic development. However, the role of Lmx1b in adult 5-HTergic neurons is unknown. We used an inducible Cre-LoxP system to selectively inactivate Lmx1b expression in the raphe nuclei of adult mice. Pet1-CreER(T2) mice were generated and crossed with Lmx1b(flox/flox) mice to obtain Pet1-CreER(T2); Lmx1b(flox/flox) mice (which termed as Lmx1b iCKO). After administration of tamoxifen, the level of 5-HT in the brain of Lmx1b iCKO mice was reduced to 60% of that in control mice, and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2), serotonin transporter (Sert) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (Vmat2) was greatly down-regulated. On the other hand, the expression of dopamine and norepinephrine as well as aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (Aadc) and Pet1 was unchanged. Our results reveal that Lmx1b is required for the biosynthesis of 5-HT in adult mouse brain, and it may be involved in maintaining normal functions of central 5-HTergic neurons by regulating the expression of Tph2, Sert and Vmat2. KW - Molecular-genetics KW - Sonic hedgehog KW - Neurons KW - Mice KW - Brain KW - Expression KW - System KW - PET-1 KW - Transporter KW - Disorders Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-133581 VL - 6 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sommer, Claudia A1 - Richter, Helmut A1 - Rogausch, Jan P. A1 - Frettloh, Jule A1 - Lungenhausen, Margitta A1 - Maier, Christoph T1 - A modified score to identify and discriminate neuropathic pain: a study on the German version of the neuropathic pain symptom inventory (NPSI) N2 - Background: Neuropathic pain must be correctly diagnosed for optimal treatment. The questionnaire named Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI) was developed in its original French version to evaluate the different symptoms of neuropathic pain. We hypothesized that the NPSI might also be used to differentiate neuropathic from non-neuropathic pain. Methods: We translated the NPSI into German using a standard forward-backward translation and administered it in a case-control design to patients with neuropathic (n = 68) and non-neuropathic pain (headache and osteoarthritis, n = 169) to validate it and to analyze its discriminant properties, its sensitivity to change, and to detect neuropathic pain subgroups with distinct profiles. Results: Using a sum score (the NPSI-G score), we found sensitivity to change (r between 0.37 and 0.5 for pain items of the graded chronic pain scale) and could distinguish between neuropathic and other pain on a group basis, but not for individual patients. Post hoc development of a discriminant score with optimized diagnostic properties to distinguish neuropathic pain from non-neuropathic pain resulted in an instrument with high sensitivity (91%) and acceptable specificity (70%). We detected six different pain profiles in the patient group with neuropathic pain; three profiles were found to be distinct. Conclusions: The NPSI-G potentially combines the properties of a diagnostic tool and an instrument to identify subtypes of neuropathic pain. KW - Neuralgie KW - NPSI Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-68716 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sinn, Stefan A1 - Eichler, Mirjam A1 - Müller, Lothar A1 - Bünger, Daniel A1 - Groll, Jüergen A1 - Ziemer, Gerhard A1 - Rupp, Frank A1 - Northoff, Hinnak A1 - Geis-Gerstorfer, Jürgen A1 - Gehring, Frank K. A1 - Wendel, Hans P. T1 - NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO) Coatings on Gold Sensors-a QCM Study of Hemocompatibility JF - Sensors N2 - The reliability of implantable blood sensors is often hampered by unspecific adsorption of plasma proteins and blood cells. This not only leads to a loss of sensor signal over time, but can also result in undesired host vs. graft reactions. Within this study we evaluated the hemocompatibility of isocyanate conjugated star shaped polytheylene oxide-polypropylene oxide co-polymers NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO) when applied to gold surfaces as an auspicious coating material for gold sputtered blood contacting sensors. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensors were coated with ultrathin NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO) films and compared with uncoated gold sensors. Protein resistance was assessed by QCM measurements with fibrinogen solution and platelet poor plasma (PPP), followed by quantification of fibrinogen adsorption. Hemocompatibility was tested by incubation with human platelet rich plasma (PRP). Thrombin antithrombin-III complex (TAT), beta-thromboglobulin (beta-TG) and platelet factor 4 (PF4) were used as coagulation activation markers. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to visualize platelet adhesion to the sensor surfaces. Compared to uncoated gold sensors, NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO) coated sensors revealed significant better resistance against protein adsorption, lower TAT generation and a lower amount of adherent platelets. Moreover, coating with ultrathin NCO-sP(EO-stat-PO) films creates a cell resistant hemocompatible surface on gold that increases the chance of prolonged sensor functionality and can easily be modified with specific receptor molecules. KW - self-assembled monolayers KW - 316L stainless-steel KW - protein adsorption KW - poly(ethylene glycol) KW - platelet-adhesion KW - blood-plasma KW - surfaces KW - biosensor KW - cell self-assembled monolayers KW - cell coagulation KW - surface coating KW - biosensors KW - hemocompatibility KW - QCM Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141110 VL - 11 IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Seher, Axel A1 - Nickel, Joachim A1 - Mueller, Thomas D. A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Gebhardt, Susanne A1 - Meyer ter Vehn, Tobias A1 - Schlunck, Guenther A1 - Sebald, Walter T1 - Gene expression profiling of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) stimulated primary human tenon fibroblasts reveals an inflammatory and wound healing response in vitro JF - Molecular Vision N2 - Purpose: The biologic relevance of human connective tissue growth factor (hCTGF) for primary human tenon fibroblasts (HTFs) was investigated by RNA expression profiling using affymetrix (TM) oligonucleotide array technology to identify genes that are regulated by hCTGF. Methods: Recombinant hCTGF was expressed in HEK293T cells and purified by affinity and gel chromatography. Specificity and biologic activity of hCTGF was confirmed by biosensor interaction analysis and proliferation assays. For RNA expression profiling HTFs were stimulated with hCTGF for 48h and analyzed using affymetrix (TM) oligonucleotide array technology. Results were validated by real time RT-PCR. Results: hCTGF induces various groups of genes responsible for a wound healing and inflammatory response in HTFs. A new subset of CTGF inducible inflammatory genes was discovered (e.g., chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 1 [CXCL1], chemokine [C-X-C motif] ligand 6 [CXCL6], interleukin 6 [IL6], and interleukin 8 [IL8]). We also identified genes that can transmit the known biologic functions initiated by CTGF such as proliferation and extracellular matrix remodelling. Of special interest is a group of genes, e.g., osteoglycin (OGN) and osteomodulin (OMD), which are known to play a key role in osteoblast biology. Conclusions: This study specifies the important role of hCTGF for primary tenon fibroblast function. The RNA expression profile yields new insights into the relevance of hCTGF in influencing biologic processes like wound healing, inflammation, proliferation, and extracellular matrix remodelling in vitro via transcriptional regulation of specific genes. The results suggest that CTGF potentially acts as a modulating factor in inflammatory and wound healing response in fibroblasts of the human eye. KW - Bone morphogenetic protein-2 KW - Smooth-muscle-cells KW - Myofibroblast differentiation KW - TGF-beta KW - CYR61 KW - Proliferation KW - Mechanisms KW - Apoptosis KW - Receptor KW - Cancer Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-140189 VL - 17 IS - 08. Okt ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schöttker, Björn A1 - Schmidt-Wolf, Ingo G. H. T1 - Pulsing with blast cell lysate or blast-derived total RNA reverses the dendritic cell-mediated cytotoxic activity of cytokine-induced killer cells against allogeneic acute myelogenous leukemia cells T1 - Pulsen mit Blastenzelllysat oder Blasten-Gesamt-RNA richtet die durch dendritische Zellen vermittelte Aktivität von Zytokin-induzierten Killerzellen gegen allogene akute myeloische Zellen JF - GMS German Medical Science N2 - Immunotherapeutic strategies may be a treatment option in patients with refractory acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or, in cases of complete remission after conventional therapy regimens, may help to reduce disease recurrence or delay time to progression. Evidence suggests a key role of dendritic cells (DCs) in cancer immunotherapy due to their capacity to present tumour antigens to effector cells. We generated cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells from healthy donors and examined their responses in vitro in an LDH release assay against three cell lines and allogeneic HLA non-matched blasts from three patients with de novo AML after coincubation with autologous peripheral blood monocyte-derived DCs. Although DCs were unable to enhance CIK cell effects against all three cell lines tested, the cytotoxic activity against the patients’ AML cells increased after coculture with mature DCs, which was significant in two of three patients. However, neither prior pulsing of the DCs with blast cell lysates nor with leukemic cell-derived total RNA further enhanced the lytic capacity of the CIK cells. On the contrary, pulsing reduced or even reversed the cytotoxic activity of the effector cells. This decrease of allogeneic cytotoxicity led us to conclude that monocyte-derived DCs may be useful in autologous or allogeneic vaccine strategies for the treatment of AML or in priming donor lymphocytes in vitro, but unfractionated antigens as pulsing agents may have inhibitory effects on T cell efficiency and their employment in immunotherapeutic strategies for AML seems questionable. N2 - Immuntherapeutische Strategien können eine Behandlungsoption bei Patienten mit refraktärer akuter myeloischer Leukämie (AML) sein oder in den Fällen einer kompletten Remission nach konventionellen Therapieformen helfen, das Wiederauftreten der Krankheit zu verhindern oder die Zeit bis zur Progression zu verlängern. Es gibt Hinweise darauf, dass dendritische Zellen (DCs) eine zentrale Rolle in der Krebs-Immuntherapie spielen aufgrund ihrer Fähigkeit, tumorantigene Effektor-Zellen zu präsentieren. Wir stellten Zytokin-induzierte Killer (CIK)-Zellen von gesunden Spendern her und untersuchten deren Reaktionen in vitro in einem Laktatdehydrogenase (LDH)-Assay gegen Zelllinien und allogene HLA nicht übereinstimmende Blasten von drei Patienten mit de novo AML nach Koinkubation mit autologen aus dem peripheren Blut abgeleiteten DCs. Obwohl DCs die CIK Zellen Wirksamkeit gegen alle drei getesteten Zelllinien nicht verbessern konnten, wurde die zytotoxische Aktivität gegen die Patienten-AML-Zellen nach Kokultur mit reifen DCs in zwei von drei Patienten signifikant erhöht. Doch weder ein Pulsen der DCs mit blastären Zelllysaten noch mit aus leukämischen Zellen gewonnener Gesamt-RNA konnten die lytische Kapazität der CIK-Zellen weiter verbessern. Im Gegenteil, gepulste DCs reduzierten sogar die zytotoxische Aktivität der Effektorzellen. Dieser Rückgang der allogenen Zytotoxizität führte uns zu dem Schluss, dass von Monozyten abgeleitete DCs nützlich sein könnten in autologen oder allogenen Impfstrategien zur Behandlung von AML. Unfraktionierte Antigene zum Pulsen von DC können dagegen hemmende Wirkung auf T-Zellen haben. KW - dendritic cells KW - AML KW - blast-derived RNA KW - Zytokin-induzierte Killerzellen KW - Zelllysat KW - cytokine-induced killer cells KW - blast cell lysate KW - dendritische Zellen KW - RNA Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:0183-0001410 VL - 9 IS - Doc18 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwindt, Daniel A1 - Kneisel, Christof T1 - Optimisation of quasi-3D electrical resistivity imaging – application and inversion for investigating heterogeneous mountain permafrost JF - The Cryosphere Discuss N2 - This study aimed to optimise the application, efficiency and interpretability of quasi-3D resistivity imaging for investigating the heterogeneous permafrost distribution at mountain sites by a systematic forward modelling approach. A three dimensional geocryologic model, representative for most mountain permafrost settings, was developed. Based on this geocryologic model quasi-3D models were generated by collating synthetic orthogonal 2D arrays, demonstrating the effects of array types and electrode spacing on resolution and interpretability of the inversion results. The effects of minimising the number of 2D arrays per quasi-3D grid were tested by enlarging the spacing between adjacent lines and by reducing the number of perpendicular tie lines with regard to model resolution and loss of information value. Synthetic and measured quasi-3D models were investigated with regard to the lateral and vertical resolution, reliability of inverted resistivity values, the possibility of a quantitative interpretation of resistivities and the response of the inversion process on the validity of quasi-3D models. Results show that setups using orthogonal 2D arrays with electrode spacings of 2 m and 3 m are capable of delineating lateral heterogeneity with high accuracy and also deliver reliable data on active layer thickness. Detection of permafrost thickness, especially if the permafrost base is close to the penetration depth of the setups, and the reliability of absolute resistivity values emerged to be a weakness of the method. Quasi-3D imaging has proven to be a promising tool for investigating permafrost in mountain environments especially for delineating the often small-scale permafrost heterogeneity, and therefore provides an enhanced possibility for aligning permafrost distribution with site specific surface properties and morphological settings. KW - permafrost KW - permaforst mountain KW - electrical resistivity imaging KW - ERI KW - optimisation Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-138017 VL - 5 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schwede, Angela A1 - Jones, Nicola A1 - Engstler, Markus A1 - Carrington, Mark T1 - The VSG C-terminal domain is inaccessible to antibodies on live trypanosomes JF - Molecular & Biochemical Parasitology N2 - In the mammalian host, the Trypanosoma brucei cell surface is covered with a densely packed protein coat of a single protein, the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The VSG is believed to shield invariant surface proteins from host antibodies but there is limited information on how far antibodies can penetrate into the VSG monolayer. Here, the VSG surface coat was probed to determine whether it acts as a barrier to binding of antibodies to the membrane proximal VSG C-terminal domain. The binding of C-terminal domain antibodies to VSG221 or VSG118 was compared with antibodies recognising the cognate whole VSGs. The C-terminal VSG domain was inaccessible to antibodies on live cells but not on fixed cells. This provides further evidence that the VSG coat acts as a barrier and protects the cell from antibodies that would otherwise bind to some of the other externally disposed proteins. KW - Trypanosome KW - VSG KW - Trypanosoma brucei KW - Cell surface KW - Antibody Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-142746 VL - 175 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schultheis, Christian A1 - Liewald, Jana Fiona A1 - Bamberg, Ernst A1 - Nagel, Georg A1 - Gottschalk, Alexander T1 - Optogenetic Long-Term Manipulation of Behavior and Animal Development JF - PLoS ONE N2 - Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) is widely used for rapid photodepolarization of neurons, yet, as it requires high-intensity blue light for activation, it is not suited for long-term in vivo applications, e. g. for manipulations of behavior, or photoactivation of neurons during development. We used "slow" ChR2 variants with mutations in the C128 residue, that exhibit delayed off-kinetics and increased light sensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Following a 1 s light pulse, we could photodepolarize neurons and muscles for minutes (and with repeated brief stimulation, up to days) with low-intensity light. Photoactivation of ChR2(C128S) in command interneurons elicited long-lasting alterations in locomotion. Finally, we could optically induce profound changes in animal development: Long-term photoactivation of ASJ neurons, which regulate larval growth, bypassed the constitutive entry into the "dauer" larval state in daf-11 mutants. These lack a guanylyl cyclase, which possibly renders ASJ neurons hyperpolarized. Furthermore, photostimulated ASJ neurons could acutely trigger dauer-exit. Thus, slow ChR2s can be employed to long-term photoactivate behavior and to trigger alternative animal development. KW - Nematode Caenorhabditis-elegans KW - C-elegans KW - Millisecond-timescale KW - Chemosensory neurons KW - Glutamate-receptor KW - Larval development KW - Optical control KW - Dauer formation KW - Channelrhodopsin-2 KW - Pheromone Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-141250 VL - 6 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schraven, Sebastian P. A1 - Plontke, Stefan K. A1 - Syha, Roland A1 - Fend, Falko A1 - Wolburg, Hartwig A1 - Adam, Patrick T1 - Dendritic cell tumor in a salivary gland lymph node: a rare differential diagnosis of salivary gland neoplasms N2 - Dendritic cell tumors are extremely rare neoplasms arising from antigen-presenting cells of the immune system. We report a case of a 69-year-old man with an unremarkable medical history who presented with a 2-months history of a gradually enlarging painless, firm, mobile, 2 × 2-cm swelling at the caudal pole of the left parotid gland without systemic symptoms. Histologically, the tumor consisted of a spindle cell proliferation in an intraparotideal lymph node. Based on the histopathologic, immunohistochemical and electron microscopic findings, a dendritic cell tumor, not otherwise specified (NOS) in an intraparotideal lymph node was diagnosed. The patient underwent complete tumor resection, and is currently free of disease, 2 years after surgery. These extremely rare tumors must be distinguished from other more common tumors in the salivary glands. Awareness that dendritic cell tumors may occur in this localization, careful histologic evaluation and ancillary immunohistochemical and electron microscopical analyses should allow for recognition of this entity. Virtual Slides: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1614859498581601. KW - Medizin KW - Dendritic cell tumor KW - salivary gland lymph node Y1 - 2011 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-69190 ER -