TY - JOUR A1 - Benoit, Joshua B. A1 - Adelman, Zach N. A1 - Reinhardt, Klaus A1 - Dolan, Amanda A1 - Poelchau, Monica A1 - Jennings, Emily C. A1 - Szuter, Elise M. A1 - Hagan, Richard W. A1 - Gujar, Hemant A1 - Shukla, Jayendra Nath A1 - Zhu, Fang A1 - Mohan, M. A1 - Nelson, David R. A1 - Rosendale, Andrew J. A1 - Derst, Christian A1 - Resnik, Valentina A1 - Wernig, Sebastian A1 - Menegazzi, Pamela A1 - Wegener, Christian A1 - Peschel, Nicolai A1 - Hendershot, Jacob M. A1 - Blenau, Wolfgang A1 - Predel, Reinhard A1 - Johnston, Paul R. A1 - Ioannidis, Panagiotis A1 - Waterhouse, Robert M. A1 - Nauen, Ralf A1 - Schorn, Corinna A1 - Ott, Mark-Christoph A1 - Maiwald, Frank A1 - Johnston, J. Spencer A1 - Gondhalekar, Ameya D. A1 - Scharf, Michael E. A1 - Raje, Kapil R. A1 - Hottel, Benjamin A. A1 - Armisén, David A1 - Crumière, Antonin Jean Johan A1 - Refki, Peter Nagui A1 - Santos, Maria Emilia A1 - Sghaier, Essia A1 - Viala, Sèverine A1 - Khila, Abderrahman A1 - Ahn, Seung-Joon A1 - Childers, Christopher A1 - Lee, Chien-Yueh A1 - Lin, Han A1 - Hughes, Daniel S.T. A1 - Duncan, Elizabeth J. A1 - Murali, Shwetha C. A1 - Qu, Jiaxin A1 - Dugan, Shannon A1 - Lee, Sandra L. A1 - Chao, Hsu A1 - Dinh, Huyen A1 - Han, Yi A1 - Doddapaneni, Harshavardhan A1 - Worley, Kim C. A1 - Muzny, Donna M. A1 - Wheeler, David A1 - Panfilio, Kristen A. A1 - Jentzsch, Iris M. Vargas A1 - Jentzsch, IMV A1 - Vargo, Edward L. A1 - Booth, Warren A1 - Friedrich, Markus A1 - Weirauch, Matthew T. A1 - Anderson, Michelle A.E. A1 - Jones, Jeffery W. A1 - Mittapalli, Omprakash A1 - Zhao, Chaoyang A1 - Zhou, Jing-Jiang A1 - Evans, Jay D. A1 - Attardo, Geoffrey M. A1 - Robertson, Hugh M. A1 - Zdobnov, Evgeny M. A1 - Ribeiro, Jose M.C. A1 - Gibbs, Richard A. A1 - Werren, John H. A1 - Palli, Subba R. A1 - Schal, Coby A1 - Richards, Stephen T1 - Unique features of a global human ectoparasite identified through sequencing of the bed bug genome JF - Nature Communications N2 - The bed bug, Cimex lectularius, has re-established itself as a ubiquitous human ectoparasite throughout much of the world during the past two decades. This global resurgence is likely linked to increased international travel and commerce in addition to widespread insecticide resistance. Analyses of the C. lectularius sequenced genome (650 Mb) and 14,220 predicted protein-coding genes provide a comprehensive representation of genes that are linked to traumatic insemination, a reduced chemosensory repertoire of genes related to obligate hematophagy, host–symbiont interactions, and several mechanisms of insecticide resistance. In addition, we document the presence of multiple putative lateral gene transfer events. Genome sequencing and annotation establish a solid foundation for future research on mechanisms of insecticide resistance, human–bed bug and symbiont–bed bug associations, and unique features of bed bug biology that contribute to the unprecedented success of C. lectularius as a human ectoparasite. KW - human ectoparasite KW - bed bug KW - Cimex lectularius KW - genome Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-166221 VL - 7 IS - 10165 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kroeber, Jana A1 - Wenger, Barbara A1 - Schwegler, Manuela A1 - Daniel, Christoph A1 - Schmidt, Manfred A1 - Djuzenova, Cholpon S A1 - Polat, Bülent A1 - Flentje, Michael A1 - Fietkau, Rainer A1 - Distel, Luitpold V. T1 - Distinct increased outliers among 136 rectal cancer patients assessed by \(\gamma\)H2AX JF - Radiation Oncology N2 - Background: In recent years attention has focused on \(\gamma\)H2AX as a very sensitive double strand break indicator. It has been suggested that \(\gamma\)H2AX might be able to predict individual radiosensitivity. Our aim was to study the induction and repair of DNA double strand breaks labelled by \(\gamma\)H2AX in a large cohort. Methods: In a prospective study lymphocytes of 136 rectal cancer (RC) patients and 59 healthy individuals were ex vivo irradiated (IR) and initial DNA damage was compared to remaining DNA damage after 2 Gy and 24 hours repair time and preexisting DNA damage in unirradiated lymphocytes. Lymphocytes were immunostained with anti-\(\gamma\)H2AX antibodies and microscopic images with an extended depth of field were acquired. \(\gamma\)H2AX foci counting was performed using a semi-automatic image analysis software. Results: Distinct increased values of preexisting and remaining \(\gamma\)H2AX foci in the group of RC patients were found compared to the healthy individuals. Additionally there are clear differences within the groups and there are outliers in about 12% of the RC patients after ex vivo IR. Conclusions: The \(\gamma\)H2AX assay has the capability to identify a group of outliers which are most probably patients with increased radiosensitivity having the highest risk of suffering radiotherapy-related late sequelae. KW - histone H2AX KW - blood lymphocytes KW - in vivo KW - foci KW - individual radiosensitivity KW - rectal cancer KW - radiotherapy KW - DNA double strand breaks KW - phosphorylation KW - neck cancer KW - oral mucositis KW - DNA damage KW - radiosensitivity KW - repair KW - \(\gamma\)h2ax Y1 - 2015 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-144085 VL - 10 IS - 36 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Silvestri, Valentina A1 - Barrowdale, Daniel A1 - Mulligan, Anna Marie A1 - Neuhausen, Susan L. A1 - Fox, Stephen A1 - Karlan, Beth Y. A1 - Mitchell, Gillian A1 - James, Paul A1 - Thull, Darcy L. A1 - Zorn, Kristin K. A1 - Carter, Natalie J. A1 - Nathanson, Katherine L. A1 - Domchek, Susan M. A1 - Rebbeck, Timothy R. A1 - Ramus, Susan J. A1 - Nussbaum, Robert L. A1 - Olopade, Olufunmilayo I. A1 - Rantala, Johanna A1 - Yoon, Sook-Yee A1 - Caligo, Maria A. A1 - Spugnesi, Laura A1 - Bojesen, Anders A1 - Pedersen, Inge Sokilde A1 - Thomassen, Mads A1 - Jensen, Uffe Birk A1 - Toland, Amanda Ewart A1 - Senter, Leigha A1 - Andrulis, Irene L. A1 - Glendon, Gord A1 - Hulick, Peter J. A1 - Imyanitov, Evgeny N. A1 - Greene, Mark H. A1 - Mai, Phuong L. A1 - Singer, Christian F. A1 - Rappaport-Fuerhauser, Christine A1 - Kramer, Gero A1 - Vijai, Joseph A1 - Offit, Kenneth A1 - Robson, Mark A1 - Lincoln, Anne A1 - Jacobs, Lauren A1 - Machackova, Eva A1 - Foretova, Lenka A1 - Navratilova, Marie A1 - Vasickova, Petra A1 - Couch, Fergus J. A1 - Hallberg, Emily A1 - Ruddy, Kathryn J. A1 - Sharma, Priyanka A1 - Kim, Sung-Won A1 - Teixeira, Manuel R. A1 - Pinto, Pedro A1 - Montagna, Marco A1 - Matricardi, Laura A1 - Arason, Adalgeir A1 - Johannsson, Oskar Th A1 - Barkardottir, Rosa B. A1 - Jakubowska, Anna A1 - Lubinski, Jan A1 - Izquierdo, Angel A1 - Pujana, Miguel Angel A1 - Balmaña, Judith A1 - Diez, Orland A1 - Ivady, Gabriella A1 - Papp, Janos A1 - Olah, Edith A1 - Kwong, Ava A1 - Nevanlinna, Heli A1 - Aittomäki, Kristiina A1 - Segura, Pedro Perez A1 - Caldes, Trinidad A1 - Van Maerken, Tom A1 - Poppe, Bruce A1 - Claes, Kathleen B. M. A1 - Isaacs, Claudine A1 - Elan, Camille A1 - Lasset, Christine A1 - Stoppa-Lyonnet, Dominique A1 - Barjhoux, Laure A1 - Belotti, Muriel A1 - Meindl, Alfons A1 - Gehrig, Andrea A1 - Sutter, Christian A1 - Engel, Christoph A1 - Niederacher, Dieter A1 - Steinemann, Doris A1 - Hahnen, Eric A1 - Kast, Karin A1 - Arnold, Norbert A1 - Varon-Mateeva, Raymonda A1 - Wand, Dorothea A1 - Godwin, Andrew K. A1 - Evans, D. Gareth A1 - Frost, Debra A1 - Perkins, Jo A1 - Adlard, Julian A1 - Izatt, Louise A1 - Platte, Radka A1 - Eeles, Ros A1 - Ellis, Steve A1 - Hamann, Ute A1 - Garber, Judy A1 - Fostira, Florentia A1 - Fountzilas, George A1 - Pasini, Barbara A1 - Giannini, Giuseppe A1 - Rizzolo, Piera A1 - Russo, Antonio A1 - Cortesi, Laura A1 - Papi, Laura A1 - Varesco, Liliana A1 - Palli, Domenico A1 - Zanna, Ines A1 - Savarese, Antonella A1 - Radice, Paolo A1 - Manoukian, Siranoush A1 - Peissel, Bernard A1 - Barile, Monica A1 - Bonanni, Bernardo A1 - Viel, Alessandra A1 - Pensotti, Valeria A1 - Tommasi, Stefania A1 - Peterlongo, Paolo A1 - Weitzel, Jeffrey N. A1 - Osorio, Ana A1 - Benitez, Javier A1 - McGuffog, Lesley A1 - Healey, Sue A1 - Gerdes, Anne-Marie A1 - Ejlertsen, Bent A1 - Hansen, Thomas V. O. A1 - Steele, Linda A1 - Ding, Yuan Chun A1 - Tung, Nadine A1 - Janavicius, Ramunas A1 - Goldgar, David E. A1 - Buys, Saundra S. A1 - Daly, Mary B. A1 - Bane, Anita A1 - Terry, Mary Beth A1 - John, Esther M. A1 - Southey, Melissa A1 - Easton, Douglas F. A1 - Chenevix-Trench, Georgia A1 - Antoniou, Antonis C. A1 - Ottini, Laura T1 - Male breast cancer in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: pathology data from the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 JF - Breast Cancer Research N2 - Background BRCA1 and, more commonly, BRCA2 mutations are associated with increased risk of male breast cancer (MBC). However, only a paucity of data exists on the pathology of breast cancers (BCs) in men with BRCA1/2 mutations. Using the largest available dataset, we determined whether MBCs arising in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers display specific pathologic features and whether these features differ from those of BRCA1/2 female BCs (FBCs). Methods We characterised the pathologic features of 419 BRCA1/2 MBCs and, using logistic regression analysis, contrasted those with data from 9675 BRCA1/2 FBCs and with population-based data from 6351 MBCs in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Results Among BRCA2 MBCs, grade significantly decreased with increasing age at diagnosis (P = 0.005). Compared with BRCA2 FBCs, BRCA2 MBCs were of significantly higher stage (P for trend = 2 × 10−5) and higher grade (P for trend = 0.005) and were more likely to be oestrogen receptor–positive [odds ratio (OR) 10.59; 95 % confidence interval (CI) 5.15–21.80] and progesterone receptor–positive (OR 5.04; 95 % CI 3.17–8.04). With the exception of grade, similar patterns of associations emerged when we compared BRCA1 MBCs and FBCs. BRCA2 MBCs also presented with higher grade than MBCs from the SEER database (P for trend = 4 × 10−12). Conclusions On the basis of the largest series analysed to date, our results show that BRCA1/2 MBCs display distinct pathologic characteristics compared with BRCA1/2 FBCs, and we identified a specific BRCA2-associated MBC phenotype characterised by a variable suggesting greater biological aggressiveness (i.e., high histologic grade). These findings could lead to the development of gender-specific risk prediction models and guide clinical strategies appropriate for MBC management. KW - Male breast cancer KW - BRCA1/2 KW - Pathology KW - Histologic grade KW - Genotype–phenotype correlations Y1 - 2016 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-164769 VL - 18 IS - 15 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Montellano, Felipe A. A1 - Kluter, Elisabeth J. A1 - Rücker, Viktoria A1 - Ungethüm, Kathrin A1 - Mackenrodt, Daniel A1 - Wiedmann, Silke A1 - Dege, Tassilo A1 - Quilitzsch, Anika A1 - Morbach, Caroline A1 - Frantz, Stefan A1 - Störk, Stefan A1 - Haeusler, Karl Georg A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Heuschmann, Peter U. T1 - Cardiac dysfunction and high-sensitive C-reactive protein are associated with troponin T elevation in ischemic stroke: insights from the SICFAIL study JF - BMC Neurology N2 - Background Troponin elevation is common in ischemic stroke (IS) patients. The pathomechanisms involved are incompletely understood and comprise coronary and non-coronary causes, e.g. autonomic dysfunction. We investigated determinants of troponin elevation in acute IS patients including markers of autonomic dysfunction, assessed by heart rate variability (HRV) time domain variables. Methods Data were collected within the Stroke Induced Cardiac FAILure (SICFAIL) cohort study. IS patients admitted to the Department of Neurology, Würzburg University Hospital, underwent baseline investigation including cardiac history, physical examination, echocardiography, and blood sampling. Four HRV time domain variables were calculated in patients undergoing electrocardiographic Holter monitoring. Multivariable logistic regression with corresponding odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used to investigate the determinants of high-sensitive troponin T (hs-TnT) levels ≥14 ng/L. Results We report results from 543 IS patients recruited between 01/2014–02/2017. Of those, 203 (37%) had hs-TnT ≥14 ng/L, which was independently associated with older age (OR per year 1.05; 95% CI 1.02–1.08), male sex (OR 2.65; 95% CI 1.54–4.58), decreasing estimated glomerular filtration rate (OR per 10 mL/min/1.73 m2 0.71; 95% CI 0.61–0.84), systolic dysfunction (OR 2.79; 95% CI 1.22–6.37), diastolic dysfunction (OR 2.29; 95% CI 1.29–4.02), atrial fibrillation (OR 2.30; 95% CI 1.25–4.23), and increasing levels of C-reactive protein (OR 1.48 per log unit; 95% CI 1.22–1.79). We did not identify an independent association of troponin elevation with the investigated HRV variables. Conclusion Cardiac dysfunction and elevated C-reactive protein, but not a reduced HRV as surrogate of autonomic dysfunction, were associated with increased hs-TnT levels in IS patients independent of established cardiovascular risk factors. KW - echocardiography KW - ischemic stroke KW - troponin KW - heart failure KW - biomarkers Y1 - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300119 VL - 22 IS - 1 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schiele, Miriam A. A1 - Ziegler, Christiane A1 - Kollert, Leonie A1 - Katzorke, Andrea A1 - Schartner, Christoph A1 - Busch, Yasmin A1 - Gromer, Daniel A1 - Reif, Andreas A1 - Pauli, Paul A1 - Deckert, Jürgen A1 - Herrmann, Martin J. A1 - Domschke, Katharina T1 - Plasticity of Functional MAOA Gene Methylation in Acrophobia JF - International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology N2 - Epigenetic mechanisms have been proposed to mediate fear extinction in animal models. Here, MAOA methylation was analyzed via direct sequencing of sodium bisulfite-treated DNA extracted from blood cells before and after a 2-week exposure therapy in a sample of n = 28 female patients with acrophobia as well as in n = 28 matched healthy female controls. Clinical response was measured using the Acrophobia Questionnaire and the Attitude Towards Heights Questionnaire. The functional relevance of altered MAOA methylation was investigated by luciferase-based reporter gene assays. MAOA methylation was found to be significantly decreased in patients with acrophobia compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, MAOA methylation levels were shown to significantly increase after treatment and correlate with treatment response as reflected by decreasing Acrophobia Questionnaire/Attitude Towards Heights Questionnaire scores. Functional analyses revealed decreased reporter gene activity in presence of methylated compared with unmethylated pCpGfree_MAOA reporter gene vector constructs. The present proof-of-concept psychotherapy-epigenetic study for the first time suggests functional MAOA methylation changes as a potential epigenetic correlate of treatment response in acrophobia and fosters further investigation into the notion of epigenetic mechanisms underlying fear extinction. KW - monoamine oxidase A KW - anxiety KW - extinction KW - epigenetics KW - DNA methylation Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228571 VL - 21 IS - 9 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Köping, Maria A1 - Shehata-Dieler, Wafaa A1 - Schneider, Dieter A1 - Cebulla, Mario A1 - Oder, Daniel A1 - Müntze, Jonas A1 - Nordbeck, Peter A1 - Wanner, Christoph A1 - Hagen, Rudolf A1 - Schraven, Sebastian P. T1 - Characterization of vertigo and hearing loss in patients with Fabry disease JF - Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases N2 - Background Fabry Disease (FD) is an X-linked hereditary lysosomal storage disorder which leads to a multisystemic intralysosomal accumulation of globotriaosylceramid (Gb3). Besides prominent renal and cardiac organ involvement, patients commonly complain about vestibulocochlear symptoms like high-frequency hearing loss, tinnitus and vertigo. However, comprehensive data especially on vertigo remain scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence and characteristics of vertigo and hearing loss in patients with FD, depending on renal and cardiac parameters and get hints about the site and the pattern of the lesions. Methods Single-center study with 57 FD patients. Every patient underwent an oto-rhino-laryngological examination as well as videonystagmography and vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and audiological measurements using pure tone audiometry and auditory brainstem response audiometry (ABR). Renal function was measured by eGFR, cardiac impairment was graduated by NYHA class. Results More than one out of three patients (35.1%) complained about hearing loss, 54.4% about vertigo and 28.1% about both symptom. In 74% a sensorineural hearing loss of at least 25 dB was found, ABR could exclude any retrocochlear lesion. Caloric testing showed abnormal values in 71.9%, VEMPs were pathological in 68%. A correlation between the side or the shape of hearing loss and pathological vestibular testing could not be revealed. Conclusions Hearing loss and vertigo show a high prevalence in FD. While hearing loss seems due to a cochlear lesion, peripheral vestibular as well as central nervous pathologies cause vertigo. Thus, both the site of lesion and the pathophysiological patterns seem to differ. KW - Fabry disease KW - vertigo KW - VEMP KW - cardiomyopathy KW - chronic kidney disease KW - lysosomal storage disorder Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-222818 VL - 13 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Merz, Julia A1 - Dietz, Maximilian A1 - Vonhausen, Yvonne A1 - Wöber, Frederik A1 - Friedrich, Alexandra A1 - Sieh, Daniel A1 - Krummenacher, Ivo A1 - Braunschweig, Holger A1 - Moos, Michael A1 - Holzapfel, Marco A1 - Lambert, Christoph A1 - Marder, Todd B. T1 - Synthesis, Photophysical and Electronic Properties of New Red-to-NIR Emitting Donor-Acceptor Pyrene Derivatives JF - Chemistry - A European Journal N2 - We synthesized new pyrene derivatives with strong bis(para ‐methoxyphenyl)amine donors at the 2,7‐positions and n ‐azaacene acceptors at the K‐region of pyrene. The compounds possess a strong intramolecular charge transfer, leading to unusual properties such as emission in the red to NIR region (700 nm), which has not been reported before for monomeric pyrenes. Detailed photophysical studies reveal very long intrinsic lifetimes of >100 ns for the new compounds, which is typical for 2,7‐substituted pyrenes but not for K‐region substituted pyrenes. The incorporation of strong donors and acceptors leads to very low reduction and oxidation potentials, and spectroelectrochemical studies show that the compounds are on the borderline between localized Robin‐Day class‐II and delocalized Robin‐Day class‐III species. KW - orylation KW - K-region KW - luminescence KW - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons KW - redox Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-207486 VL - 26 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schischlevskij, Pavel A1 - Cordts, Isabell A1 - Günther, René A1 - Stolte, Benjamin A1 - Zeller, Daniel A1 - Schröter, Carsten A1 - Weyen, Ute A1 - Regensburger, Martin A1 - Wolf, Joachim A1 - Schneider, Ilka A1 - Hermann, Andreas A1 - Metelmann, Moritz A1 - Kohl, Zacharias A1 - Linker, Ralf A. A1 - Koch, Jan Christoph A1 - Stendel, Claudia A1 - Müschen, Lars H. A1 - Osmanovic, Alma A1 - Binz, Camilla A1 - Klopstock, Thomas A1 - Dorst, Johannes A1 - Ludolph, Albert C. A1 - Boentert, Matthias A1 - Hagenacker, Tim A1 - Deschauer, Marcus A1 - Lingor, Paul A1 - Petri, Susanne A1 - Schreiber-Katz, Olivia T1 - Informal caregiving in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): a high caregiver burden and drastic consequences on caregivers' lives JF - Brain Sciences N2 - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive autonomy loss and need for care. This does not only affect patients themselves, but also the patients’ informal caregivers (CGs) in their health, personal and professional lives. The big efforts of this multi-center study were not only to evaluate the caregivers' burden and to identify its predictors, but it also should provide a specific understanding of the needs of ALS patients' CGs and fill the gap of knowledge on their personal and work lives. Using standardized questionnaires, primary data from patients and their main informal CGs (n = 249) were collected. Patients' functional status and disease severity were evaluated using the Barthel Index, the revised Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R) and the King’s Stages for ALS. The caregivers' burden was recorded by the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Comorbid anxiety and depression of caregivers were assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Additionally, the EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale evaluated their health-related quality of life. The caregivers' burden was high (mean ZBI = 26/88, 0 = no burden, ≥24 = highly burdened) and correlated with patients' functional status (r\(_p\) = −0.555, p < 0.001, n = 242). It was influenced by the CGs' own mental health issues due to caregiving (+11.36, 95% CI [6.84; 15.87], p < 0.001), patients' wheelchair dependency (+9.30, 95% CI [5.94; 12.66], p < 0.001) and was interrelated with the CGs' depression (r\(_p\) = 0.627, p < 0.001, n = 234), anxiety (r\(_p\) = 0.550, p < 0.001, n = 234), and poorer physical condition (r\(_p\) = −0.362, p < 0.001, n = 237). Moreover, female CGs showed symptoms of anxiety more often, which also correlated with the patients' impairment in daily routine (r\(_s\) = −0.280, p < 0.001, n = 169). As increasing disease severity, along with decreasing autonomy, was the main predictor of caregiver burden and showed to create relevant (negative) implications on CGs' lives, patient care and supportive therapies should address this issue. Moreover, in order to preserve the mental and physical health of the CGs, new concepts of care have to focus on both, on not only patients but also their CGs and gender-associated specific issues. As caregiving in ALS also significantly influences the socioeconomic status by restrictions in CGs' work lives and income, and the main reported needs being lack of psychological support and a high bureaucracy, the situation of CGs needs more attention. Apart from their own multi-disciplinary medical and psychological care, more support in care and patient management issues is required. KW - amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) KW - informal caregiving KW - caregiver burden KW - functional status KW - decreasing autonomy KW - depression KW - anxiety KW - health-related quality of life KW - socioeconomic status KW - psychological support Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240981 SN - 2076-3425 VL - 11 IS - 6 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kolokotronis, Konstantinos A1 - Pluta, Natalie A1 - Klopocki, Eva A1 - Kunstmann, Erdmute A1 - Messroghli, Daniel A1 - Maack, Christoph A1 - Tejman-Yarden, Shai A1 - Arad, Michael A1 - Rost, Simone A1 - Gerull, Brenda T1 - New Insights on Genetic Diagnostics in Cardiomyopathy and Arrhythmia Patients Gained by Stepwise Exome Data Analysis JF - Journal of Clinical Medicine N2 - Inherited cardiomyopathies are characterized by clinical and genetic heterogeneity that challenge genetic diagnostics. In this study, we examined the diagnostic benefit of exome data compared to targeted gene panel analyses, and we propose new candidate genes. We performed exome sequencing in a cohort of 61 consecutive patients with a diagnosis of cardiomyopathy or primary arrhythmia, and we analyzed the data following a stepwise approach. Overall, in 64% of patients, a variant of interest (VOI) was detected. The detection rate in the main sub-cohort consisting of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) was much higher than previously reported (25/36; 69%). The majority of VOIs were found in disease-specific panels, while a further analysis of an extended panel and exome data led to an additional diagnostic yield of 13% and 5%, respectively. Exome data analysis also detected variants in candidate genes whose functional profile suggested a probable pathogenetic role, the strongest candidate being a truncating variant in STK38. In conclusion, although the diagnostic yield of gene panels is acceptable for routine diagnostics, the genetic heterogeneity of cardiomyopathies and the presence of still-unknown causes favor exome sequencing, which enables the detection of interesting phenotype–genotype correlations, as well as the identification of novel candidate genes. KW - cardiomyopathy KW - cardiogenetics KW - whole exome sequencing KW - targeted gene panel KW - candidate genes Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-236094 VL - 9 IS - 7 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Peseschkian, Tara A1 - Cordts, Isabell A1 - Günther, René A1 - Stolte, Benjamin A1 - Zeller, Daniel A1 - Schröter, Carsten A1 - Weyen, Ute A1 - Regensburger, Martin A1 - Wolf, Joachim A1 - Schneider, Ilka A1 - Hermann, Andreas A1 - Metelmann, Moritz A1 - Kohl, Zacharias A1 - Linker, Ralf A. A1 - Koch, Jan Christoph A1 - Büchner, Boriana A1 - Weiland, Ulrike A1 - Schönfelder, Erik A1 - Heinrich, Felix A1 - Osmanovic, Alma A1 - Klopstock, Thomas A1 - Dorst, Johannes A1 - Ludolph, Albert C. A1 - Boentert, Matthias A1 - Hagenacker, Tim A1 - Deschauer, Marcus A1 - Lingor, Paul A1 - Petri, Susanne A1 - Schreiber-Katz, Olivia T1 - A nation-wide, multi-center study on the quality of life of ALS patients in Germany JF - Brain Sciences N2 - Improving quality of life (QoL) is central to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) treatment. This Germany-wide, multicenter cross-sectional study analyses the impact of different symptom-specific treatments and ALS variants on QoL. Health-related QoL (HRQoL) in 325 ALS patients was assessed using the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire 5 (ALSAQ-5) and EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale (EQ-5D-5L), together with disease severity (captured by the revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (ALSFRS-R)) and the current care and therapies used by our cohort. At inclusion, the mean ALSAQ-5 total score was 56.93 (max. 100, best = 0) with a better QoL associated with a less severe disease status (β = −1.96 per increase of one point in the ALSFRS-R score, p < 0.001). “Limb-onset” ALS (lALS) was associated with a better QoL than “bulbar-onset” ALS (bALS) (mean ALSAQ-5 total score 55.46 versus 60.99, p = 0.040). Moreover, with the ALSFRS-R as a covariate, using a mobility aid (β = −7.60, p = 0.001), being tracheostomized (β = −14.80, p = 0.004) and using non-invasive ventilation (β = −5.71, p = 0.030) were associated with an improved QoL, compared to those at the same disease stage who did not use these aids. In contrast, antidepressant intake (β = 5.95, p = 0.007), and increasing age (β = 0.18, p = 0.023) were predictors of worse QoL. Our results showed that the ALSAQ-5 was better-suited for ALS patients than the EQ-5D-5L. Further, the early and symptom-specific clinical management and supply of assistive devices can significantly improve the individual HRQoL of ALS patients. Appropriate QoL questionnaires are needed to monitor the impact of treatment to provide the best possible and individualized care. KW - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) KW - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Assessment Questionnaire 5 (ALSAQ-5) KW - ALS treatment KW - “bulbar-onset” ALS (bALS) KW - “limb-onset” ALS (lALS) KW - EuroQol Five Dimension Five Level Scale (EQ-5D-5L) KW - health-related quality of life (HRQoL) KW - quality of life (QoL) KW - symptom-specific treatment KW - assistive devices Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234147 SN - 2076-3425 VL - 11 IS - 3 ER -