TY - JOUR A1 - Barth, Thomas F. E. A1 - Herrmann, Tobias S. A1 - Tappe, Dennis A1 - Stark, Lorenz A1 - Grüner, Beate A1 - Buttenschoen, Klaus A1 - Hillenbrand, Andreas A1 - Juchems, Markus A1 - Henne-Bruns, Doris A1 - Kern, Petra A1 - Seitz, Hanns M. A1 - Möller, Peter A1 - Rausch, Robert L. A1 - Kern, Peter A1 - Deplazes, Peter T1 - Sensitive and Specific Immunohistochemical Diagnosis of Human Alveolar Echinococcosis with the Monoclonal Antibody Em2G11 JF - PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases N2 - Background: Alveolar echinococcosis (AE) is caused by the metacestode stage of Echinococcus multilocularis. Differential diagnosis with cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by E. granulosus and AE is challenging. We aimed at improving diagnosis of AE on paraffin sections of infected human tissue by immunohistochemical testing of a specific antibody. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have analysed 96 paraffin archived specimens, including 6 cutting needle biopsies and 3 fine needle aspirates, from patients with suspected AE or CE with the monoclonal antibody (mAb) Em2G11 specific for the Em2 antigen of E. multilocularis metacestodes. In human tissue, staining with mAb Em2G11 is highly specific for E. multilocularis metacestodes while no staining is detected in CE lesions. In addition, the antibody detects small particles of E. multilocularis (spems) of less than 1 mm outside the main lesion in necrotic tissue, liver sinusoids and lymphatic tissue most probably caused by shedding of parasitic material. The conventional histological diagnosis based on haematoxylin and eosin and PAS stainings were in accordance with the immunohistological diagnosis using mAb Em2G11 in 90 of 96 samples. In 6 samples conventional subtype diagnosis of echinococcosis had to be adjusted when revised by immunohistology with mAb Em2G11. Conclusions/Significance: Immunohistochemistry with the mAb Em2G11 is a new, highly specific and sensitive diagnostic tool for AE. The staining of small particles of E. multilocularis (spems) outside the main lesion including immunocompetent tissue, such as lymph nodes, suggests a systemic effect on the host. KW - cells KW - multilocularis KW - antigen Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-135371 VL - 6 IS - 10 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jarius, Sven A1 - Ruprecht, Klemens A1 - Wildemann, Brigitte A1 - Kuempfel, Tania A1 - Ringelstein, Marius A1 - Geis, Christian A1 - Kleiter, Ingo A1 - Kleinschnitz, Christoph A1 - Berthele, Achim A1 - Brettschneider, Johannes A1 - Hellwig, Kerstin A1 - Hemmer, Bernhard A1 - Linker, Ralf A. A1 - Lauda, Florian A1 - Hayrettin, Christoph A. A1 - Tumani, Hayrettin A1 - Melms, Arthur A1 - Trebst, Corinna A1 - Stangel, Martin A1 - Marziniak, Martin A1 - Hoffmann, Frank A1 - Schippling, Sven A1 - Faiss, Jürgen H. A1 - Neuhaus, Oliver A1 - Ettrich, Barbara A1 - Zentner, Christian A1 - Guthke, Kersten A1 - Hofstadt-van Oy, Ulrich A1 - Reuss, Reinhard A1 - Pellkofer, Hannah A1 - Ziemann, Ulf A1 - Kern, Peter A1 - Wandinger, Klaus P. A1 - Bergh, Florian Then A1 - Boettcher, Tobias A1 - Langel, Stefan A1 - Liebetrau, Martin A1 - Rommer, Paulus S. A1 - Niehaus, Sabine A1 - Münch, Christoph A1 - Winkelmann, Alexander A1 - Zettl, Uwe K A1 - Metz, Imke A1 - Veauthier, Christian A1 - Sieb, Jörn P. A1 - Wilke, Christian A1 - Hartung, Hans P. A1 - Aktas, Orhan A1 - Paul, Friedemann T1 - Contrasting disease patterns in seropositive and seronegative neuromyelitis optica: A multicentre study of 175 patients JF - Journal of Neuroinflammation N2 - Background: The diagnostic and pathophysiological relevance of antibodies to aquaporin-4 (AQP4-Ab) in patients with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) has been intensively studied. However, little is known so far about the clinical impact of AQP4-Ab seropositivity. Objective: To analyse systematically the clinical and paraclinical features associated with NMO spectrum disorders in Caucasians in a stratified fashion according to the patients' AQP4-Ab serostatus. Methods: Retrospective study of 175 Caucasian patients (AQP4-Ab positive in 78.3%). Results: Seropositive patients were found to be predominantly female (p < 0.0003), to more often have signs of co-existing autoimmunity (p < 0.00001), and to experience more severe clinical attacks. A visual acuity of <= 0.1 during acute optic neuritis (ON) attacks was more frequent among seropositives (p < 0.002). Similarly, motor symptoms were more common in seropositive patients, the median Medical Research Council scale (MRC) grade worse, and MRC grades <= 2 more frequent, in particular if patients met the 2006 revised criteria (p < 0.005, p < 0.006 and p < 0.01, respectively), the total spinal cord lesion load was higher (p < 0.006), and lesions >= 6 vertebral segments as well as entire spinal cord involvement more frequent (p < 0.003 and p < 0.043). By contrast, bilateral ON at onset was more common in seronegatives (p < 0.007), as was simultaneous ON and myelitis (p < 0.001); accordingly, the time to diagnosis of NMO was shorter in the seronegative group (p < 0.029). The course of disease was more often monophasic in seronegatives (p < 0.008). Seropositives and seronegatives did not differ significantly with regard to age at onset, time to relapse, annualized relapse rates, outcome from relapse (complete, partial, no recovery), annualized EDSS increase, mortality rate, supratentorial brain lesions, brainstem lesions, history of carcinoma, frequency of preceding infections, oligoclonal bands, or CSF pleocytosis. Both the time to relapse and the time to diagnosis was longer if the disease started with ON (p < 0.002 and p < 0.013). Motor symptoms or tetraparesis at first myelitis and > 1 myelitis attacks in the first year were identified as possible predictors of a worse outcome. KW - cerebrospinal-fluid KW - intractable hiccup KW - extensiv transverse myelitis KW - multiple sclerosis KW - anti-aquaporin-4 antibody KW - NMO-IGG KW - aquaporin-4 autoantibodies KW - immune-response KW - myasthenia gravis KW - immunoglobulin-G Y1 - 2012 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-133636 VL - 9 IS - 14 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Waider, Jonas A1 - Popp, Sandy A1 - Mlinar, Boris A1 - Montalbano, Alberto A1 - Bonfiglio, Francesco A1 - Aboagye, Benjamin A1 - Thuy, Elisabeth A1 - Kern, Raphael A1 - Thiel, Christopher A1 - Araragi, Naozumi A1 - Svirin, Evgeniy A1 - Schmitt-Böhrer, Angelika G. A1 - Corradetti, Renato A1 - Lowry, Christopher A. A1 - Lesch, Klaus-Peter T1 - Serotonin deficiency increases context-dependent fear learning through modulation of hippocampal activity JF - Frontiers in Neuroscience N2 - Brain serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) system dysfunction is implicated in exaggerated fear responses triggering various anxiety-, stress-, and trauma-related disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Here, we investigated the impact of constitutively inactivated 5-HT synthesis on context-dependent fear learning and extinction using tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2) knockout mice. Fear conditioning and context-dependent fear memory extinction paradigms were combined with c-Fos imaging and electrophysiological recordings in the dorsal hippocampus (dHip). Tph2 mutant mice, completely devoid of 5-HT synthesis in brain, displayed accelerated fear memory formation and increased locomotor responses to foot shock. Furthermore, recall of context-dependent fear memory was increased. The behavioral responses were associated with increased c-Fos expression in the dHip and resistance to foot shock-induced impairment of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). In conclusion, increased context-dependent fear memory resulting from brain 5-HT deficiency involves dysfunction of the hippocampal circuitry controlling contextual representation of fear-related behavioral responses. KW - tryptophan hydroxylase 2 KW - knockout KW - fear learning KW - extinction KW - long-term potentiation KW - hippocampus KW - immediate-early gene KW - serotonin deficiency Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-196077 SN - 1662-453X VL - 13 IS - 245 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kern, Florian A1 - Kullmann, Peter A1 - Ganal, Elisabeth A1 - Korwisi, Kristof A1 - Stingl, René A1 - Niebling, Florian A1 - Latoschik, Marc Erich T1 - Off-The-Shelf Stylus: Using XR Devices for Handwriting and Sketching on Physically Aligned Virtual Surfaces JF - Frontiers in Virtual Reality N2 - This article introduces the Off-The-Shelf Stylus (OTSS), a framework for 2D interaction (in 3D) as well as for handwriting and sketching with digital pen, ink, and paper on physically aligned virtual surfaces in Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR, AR, MR: XR for short). OTSS supports self-made XR styluses based on consumer-grade six-degrees-of-freedom XR controllers and commercially available styluses. The framework provides separate modules for three basic but vital features: 1) The stylus module provides stylus construction and calibration features. 2) The surface module provides surface calibration and visual feedback features for virtual-physical 2D surface alignment using our so-called 3ViSuAl procedure, and surface interaction features. 3) The evaluation suite provides a comprehensive test bed combining technical measurements for precision, accuracy, and latency with extensive usability evaluations including handwriting and sketching tasks based on established visuomotor, graphomotor, and handwriting research. The framework’s development is accompanied by an extensive open source reference implementation targeting the Unity game engine using an Oculus Rift S headset and Oculus Touch controllers. The development compares three low-cost and low-tech options to equip controllers with a tip and includes a web browser-based surface providing support for interacting, handwriting, and sketching. The evaluation of the reference implementation based on the OTSS framework identified an average stylus precision of 0.98 mm (SD = 0.54 mm) and an average surface accuracy of 0.60 mm (SD = 0.32 mm) in a seated VR environment. The time for displaying the stylus movement as digital ink on the web browser surface in VR was 79.40 ms on average (SD = 23.26 ms), including the physical controller’s motion-to-photon latency visualized by its virtual representation (M = 42.57 ms, SD = 15.70 ms). The usability evaluation (N = 10) revealed a low task load, high usability, and high user experience. Participants successfully reproduced given shapes and created legible handwriting, indicating that the OTSS and it’s reference implementation is ready for everyday use. We provide source code access to our implementation, including stylus and surface calibration and surface interaction features, making it easy to reuse, extend, adapt and/or replicate previous results (https://go.uniwue.de/hci-otss). KW - virtual reality KW - augmented reality KW - handwriting KW - sketching KW - stylus KW - user interaction KW - usability evaluation KW - passive haptic feedback Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-260219 VL - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kern, Christian S. A1 - Haags, Anja A1 - Egger, Larissa A1 - Yang, Xiaosheng A1 - Kirschner, Hans A1 - Wolff, Susanne A1 - Seyller, Thomas A1 - Gottwald, Alexander A1 - Richter, Mathias A1 - de Giovannini, Umberto A1 - Rubio, Angel A1 - Ramsey, Michael G. A1 - Bocquet, François C. A1 - Soubatch, Serguei A1 - Tautz, F. Stefan A1 - Puschnig, Peter A1 - Moser, Simon T1 - Simple extension of the plane-wave final state in photoemission: bringing understanding to the photon-energy dependence of two-dimensional materials JF - Physical Review Research N2 - Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) is a method that measures orbital and band structure contrast through the momentum distribution of photoelectrons. Its simplest interpretation is obtained in the plane-wave approximation, according to which photoelectrons propagate freely to the detector. The photoelectron momentum distribution is then essentially given by the Fourier transform of the real-space orbital. While the plane-wave approximation is remarkably successful in describing the momentum distributions of aromatic compounds, it generally fails to capture kinetic-energy-dependent final-state interference and dichroism effects. Focusing our present study on quasi-freestanding monolayer graphene as the archetypical two-dimensional (2D) material, we observe an exemplary E\(_{kin}\)-dependent modulation of, and a redistribution of spectral weight within, its characteristic horseshoe signature around the \(\bar {K}\) and \(\bar {K´}\) points: both effects indeed cannot be rationalized by the plane-wave final state. Our data are, however, in remarkable agreement with ab initio time-dependent density functional simulations of a freestanding graphene layer and can be explained by a simple extension of the plane-wave final state, permitting the two dipole-allowed partial waves emitted from the C 2p\(_z\) orbitals to scatter in the potential of their immediate surroundings. Exploiting the absolute photon flux calibration of the Metrology Light Source, this scattered-wave approximation allows us to extract E\(_{kin}\)-dependent amplitudes and phases of both partial waves directly from photoemission data. The scattered-wave approximation thus represents a powerful yet intuitive refinement of the plane-wave final state in photoemission of 2D materials and beyond. Y1 - 2023 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350330 VL - 5 IS - 3 ER -