@article{NandaSteinleinHaafetal.2022,
  author    = {Nanda, Indrajit and Steinlein, Claus and Haaf, Thomas and Buhl, Eva M. and Grimm, Domink G. and Friedman, Scott L. and Meurer, Steffen K. and Schr{\"o}der, Sarah K. and Weiskirchen, Ralf},
  title     = {Genetic characterization of rat hepatic stellate cell line HSC-T6 for in vitro cell line authentication},
  series = {Cells},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Cells},
  number    = {11},
  issn      = {2073-4409},
  doi       = {10.3390/cells11111783},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-275178},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Immortalized hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) established from mouse, rat, and humans are valuable in vitro models for the biomedical investigation of liver biology. These cell lines are homogenous, thereby providing consistent and reproducible results. They grow more robustly than primary HSCs and provide an unlimited supply of proteins or nucleic acids for biochemical studies. Moreover, they can overcome ethical concerns associated with the use of animal and human tissue and allow for fostering of the 3R principle of replacement, reduction, and refinement proposed in 1959 by William M. S. Russell and Rex L. Burch. Nevertheless, working with continuous cell lines also has some disadvantages. In particular, there are ample examples in which genetic drift and cell misidentification has led to invalid data. Therefore, many journals and granting agencies now recommend proper cell line authentication. We herein describe the genetic characterization of the rat HSC line HSC-T6, which was introduced as a new in vitro model for the study of retinoid metabolism. The consensus chromosome markers, outlined primarily through multicolor spectral karyotyping (SKY), demonstrate that apart from the large derivative chromosome 1 (RNO1), at least two additional chromosomes (RNO4 and RNO7) are found to be in three copies in all metaphases. Additionally, we have defined a short tandem repeat (STR) profile for HSC-T6, including 31 species-specific markers. The typical features of these cells have been further determined by electron microscopy, Western blotting, and Rhodamine-Phalloidin staining. Finally, we have analyzed the transcriptome of HSC-T6 cells by mRNA sequencing (mRNA-Seq) using next generation sequencing (NGS).},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{AlHejailanWeigelSchuerleinetal.2022,
  author    = {Al-Hejailan, Reem and Weigel, Tobias and Sch{\"u}rlein, Sebastian and Berger, Constantin and Al-Mohanna, Futwan and Hansmann, Jan},
  title     = {Decellularization of full heart — optimizing the classical sodium-dodecyl-sulfate-based decellularization protocol},
  series = {Bioengineering},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {Bioengineering},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2306-5354},
  doi       = {10.3390/bioengineering9040147},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270781},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Compared to cell therapy, where cells are injected into a defect region, the treatment of heart infarction with cells seeded in a vascularized scaffold bears advantages, such as an immediate nutrient supply or a controllable and persistent localization of cells. For this purpose, decellularized native tissues are a preferable choice as they provide an in vivo-like microenvironment. However, the quality of such scaffolds strongly depends on the decellularization process. Therefore, two protocols based on sodium dodecyl sulfate or sodium deoxycholate were tailored and optimized for the decellularization of a porcine heart. The obtained scaffolds were tested for their applicability to generate vascularized cardiac patches. Decellularization with sodium dodecyl sulfate was found to be more suitable and resulted in scaffolds with a low amount of DNA, a highly preserved extracellular matrix composition, and structure shown by GAG quantification and immunohistochemistry. After seeding human endothelial cells into the vasculature, a coagulation assay demonstrated the functionality of the endothelial cells to minimize the clotting of blood. Human-induced pluripotent-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes in co-culture with fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells transferred the scaffold into a vascularized cardiac patch spontaneously contracting with a frequency of 25.61 ± 5.99 beats/min for over 16 weeks. The customized decellularization protocol based on sodium dodecyl sulfate renders a step towards a preclinical evaluation of the scaffolds.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{LeyhEhmerRoessleretal.2022,
  author    = {Leyh, Catherine and Ehmer, Ursula and Roessler, Daniel and Philipp, Alexander B. and Reiter, Florian P. and Jeliazkova, Petia and Jochheim, Leonie S. and Jeschke, Matthias and Hammig, Janina and Ludwig, Johannes M. and Theysohn, Jens M. and Geier, Andreas and Lange, Christian M.},
  title     = {Sorafenib versus lenvatinib-based sequential systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a real-world analysis},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers14081975},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270765},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The optimal treatment sequence of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-based therapy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. Therefore, sequential systemic therapy after first-line therapy with sorafenib or lenvatinib was compared in a retrospective real-world cohort. In total, 164 patients with HCC were included. Child B cirrhosis was present in 26 patients (16.5\%), whereas 132 patients (83.5\%) had preserved liver function. In total, 72 patients (44\%) discontinued systemic therapy after first-line therapy while 51 (31\%) and 31 (19\%) patients received 2 or more treatment lines. Most notably, median overall survival (mOS) was influenced by liver functional status and patient performance status at the beginning of first-line therapy. Patients receiving a sequential therapy regimen had significantly longer mOS compared to patients that discontinued systemic therapy after omitting first-line treatment. The choice of the initial TKI did not impact mOS. A clear deterioration of liver function could be observed during the course of TKI-based treatment.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HaussmannSchmidtIllmannetal.2022,
  author    = {Haussmann, Alexander and Schmidt, Martina E. and Illmann, Mona L. and Schr{\"o}ter, Marleen and Hielscher, Thomas and Cramer, Holger and Maatouk, Imad and Horneber, Markus and Steindorf, Karen},
  title     = {Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on yoga, psychosocial, and mindfulness-based interventions for cancer-related fatigue: What intervention characteristics are related to higher efficacy?},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers14082016},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270753},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a burdensome sequela of cancer treatments. Besides exercise, recommended therapies for CRF include yoga, psychosocial, and mindfulness-based interventions. However, interventions conducted vary widely, and not all show a significant effect. This meta-analysis aimed to explore intervention characteristics related to greater reductions in CRF. We included randomized controlled trials published before October 2021. Standardized mean differences were used to assess intervention efficacy for CRF and multimodel inference to explore intervention characteristics associated with higher efficacy. For the meta-analysis, we included 70 interventions (24 yoga interventions, 31 psychosocial interventions, and 15 mindfulness-based interventions) with 6387 participants. The results showed a significant effect of yoga, psychosocial, and mindfulness-based interventions on CRF but with high heterogeneity between studies. For yoga and mindfulness-based interventions, no particular intervention characteristic was identified to be advantageous for reducing CRF. Regarding psychosocial interventions, a group setting and work on cognition were related to higher intervention effects on CRF. The results of this meta-analysis suggest options to maximize the intervention effects of psychosocial interventions for CRF. The effects of yoga and mindfulness-based interventions for CRF appear to be independent of their design, although the limited number of studies points to the need for further research.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NemesJohannSteinbuegletal.2022,
  author    = {Nemes, Karolina and Johann, Pascal D. and Steinb{\"u}gl, Mona and Gruhle, Miriam and Bens, Susanne and Kachanov, Denis and Teleshova, Margarita and Hauser, Peter and Simon, Thorsten and Tippelt, Stephan and Eberl, Wolfgang and Chada, Martin and Lopez, Vicente Santa-Maria and Grigull, Lorenz and Hern{\´a}iz-Driever, Pablo and Eyrich, Matthias and Pears, Jane and Milde, Till and Reinhard, Harald and Leipold, Alfred and van de Wetering, Marianne and Gil-da-Costa, Maria Jo{\~a}o and Ebetsberger-Dachs, Georg and Kerl, Kornelius and Lemmer, Andreas and Boztug, Heidrun and Furtw{\"a}ngler, Rhoikos and Kordes, Uwe and Vokuhl, Christian and Hasselblatt, Martin and Bison, Brigitte and Kr{\"o}ncke, Thomas and Melchior, Patrick and Timmermann, Beate and Gerss, Joachim and Siebert, Reiner and Fr{\"u}hwald, Michael C.},
  title     = {Infants and newborns with atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (ATRT) and extracranial malignant rhabdoid tumors (eMRT) in the EU-RHAB registry: a unique and challenging population},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {9},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers14092185},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270730},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Introduction: Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRT) predominantly affect infants and young children. Patients below six months of age represent a particularly therapeutically challenging group. Toxicity to developing organ sites limits intensity of treatment. Information on prognostic factors, genetics, toxicity of treatment and long-term outcomes is sparse. Methods: Clinical, genetic, and treatment data of 100 patients (aged below 6 months at diagnosis) from 13 European countries were analyzed (2005-2020). Tumors and matching blood samples were examined for SMARCB1 mutations using FISH, MLPA and Sanger sequencing. DNA methylation subgroups (ATRT-TYR, ATRT-SHH, and ATRT-MYC) were determined using 450 k / 850 k-profiling. Results: A total of 45 patients presented with ATRT, 29 with extracranial, extrarenal (eMRT) and 9 with renal rhabdoid tumors (RTK). Seventeen patients demonstrated synchronous tumors (SYN). Metastases (M+) were present in 27\% (26/97) at diagnosis. A germline mutation (GLM) was detected in 55\% (47/86). DNA methylation subgrouping was available in 50\% (31 / 62) with ATRT or SYN; for eMRT, methylation-based subgrouping was not performed. The 5-year overall (OS) and event free survival (EFS) rates were 23.5 ± 4.6\% and 19 ± 4.1\%, respectively. Male sex (11 ± 5\% vs. 35.8 ± 7.4\%), M+ stage (6.1 ± 5.4\% vs. 36.2 ± 7.4\%), presence of SYN (7.1 ± 6.9\% vs. 26.6 ± 5.3\%) and GLM (7.7 ± 4.2\% vs. 45.7 ± 8.6\%) were significant prognostic factors for 5-year OS. Molecular subgrouping and survival analyses confirm a previously described survival advantage for ATRT-TYR. In an adjusted multivariate model, clinical factors that favorably influence the prognosis were female sex, localized stage, absence of a GLM and maintenance therapy. Conclusions: In this cohort of homogenously treated infants with MRT, significant predictors of outcome were sex, M-stage, GLM and maintenance therapy. We confirm the need to stratify which patient groups benefit from multimodal treatment, and which need novel therapeutic strategies. Biomarker-driven tailored trials may be a key option.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ChristGlaubittBerberichetal.2022,
  author    = {Christ, Bastian and Glaubitt, Walther and Berberich, Katrin and Weigel, Tobias and Probst, J{\"o}rn and Sextl, Gerhard and Dembski, Sofia},
  title     = {Sol-gel-derived fibers based on amorphous α-hydroxy-carboxylate-modified titanium(IV) oxide as a 3-dimensional scaffold},
  series = {Materials},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {Materials},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {1996-1944},
  doi       = {10.3390/ma15082752},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270694},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The development of novel fibrous biomaterials and further processing of medical devices is still challenging. For instance, titanium(IV) oxide is a well-established biocompatible material, and the synthesis of TiO\(_x\) particles and coatings via the sol-gel process has frequently been published. However, synthesis protocols of sol-gel-derived TiO\(_x\) fibers are hardly known. In this publication, the authors present a synthesis and fabrication of purely sol-gel-derived TiO\(_x\) fiber fleeces starting from the liquid sol-gel precursor titanium ethylate (TEOT). Here, the α-hydroxy-carboxylic acid lactic acid (LA) was used as a chelating ligand to reduce the reactivity towards hydrolysis of TEOT enabling a spinnable sol. The resulting fibers were processed into a non-woven fleece, characterized with FTIR, \(^{13}\)C-MAS-NMR, XRD, and screened with regard to their stability in physiological solution. They revealed an unexpected dependency between the LA content and the dissolution behavior. Finally, in vitro cell culture experiments proved their potential suitability as an open-mesh structured scaffold material, even for challenging applications such as therapeutic medicinal products (ATMPs).},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ErbacherVaknineMoshitzkyetal.2022,
  author    = {Erbacher, Christoph and Vaknine, Shani and Moshitzky, Gilli and Lobentanzer, Sebastian and Eisenberg, Lina and Evdokimov, Dimitar and Sommer, Claudia and Greenberg, David S. and Soreq, Hermona and {\"U}{\c{c}}eyler, Nurcan},
  title     = {Distinct CholinomiR blood cell signature as a potential modulator of the cholinergic system in women with fibromyalgia syndrome},
  series = {Cells},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Cells},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {2073-4409},
  doi       = {10.3390/cells11081276},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270686},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a heterogeneous chronic pain syndrome characterized by musculoskeletal pain and other key co-morbidities including fatigue and a depressed mood. FMS involves altered functioning of the central and peripheral nervous system (CNS, PNS) and immune system, but the specific molecular pathophysiology remains unclear. Anti-cholinergic treatment is effective in FMS patient subgroups, and cholinergic signaling is a strong modulator of CNS and PNS immune processes. Therefore, we used whole blood small RNA-sequencing of female FMS patients and healthy controls to profile microRNA regulators of cholinergic transcripts (CholinomiRs). We compared microRNA profiles with those from Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with pain as disease controls. We validated the sequencing results with quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and identified cholinergic targets. Further, we measured serum cholinesterase activity in FMS patients and healthy controls. Small RNA-sequencing revealed FMS-specific changes in 19 CholinomiRs compared to healthy controls and PD patients. qRT-PCR validated miR-182-5p upregulation, distinguishing FMS patients from healthy controls. mRNA targets of CholinomiRs bone morphogenic protein receptor 2 and interleukin 6 signal transducer were downregulated. Serum acetylcholinesterase levels and cholinesterase activity in FMS patients were unchanged. Our findings identified an FMS-specific CholinomiR signature in whole blood, modulating immune-related gene expression.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BarahonadeBritoPatra2022,
  author    = {Barahona de Brito, Carlotta and Patra, Amiya Kumar},
  title     = {NFAT factors are dispensable for the development but are critical for the maintenance of Foxp3\(^+\) regulatory T cells},
  series = {Cells},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Cells},
  number    = {9},
  issn      = {2073-4409},
  doi       = {10.3390/cells11091397},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270668},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The transcription factors of the nuclear factor of activated T cell (NFAT) family play a crucial role in multiple aspects of T cell function. It has recently been reported that NFATs play an important role in the suppressive function of CD4\(^+\)CD25\(^+\)Foxp3\(^+\) regulatory T (T\(_{reg}\)) cells. In this study, we have investigated the role of NFATs in the thymic development of T\(_{reg}\) cells in mice. We show that NFAT factors are dispensable for the development of Foxp3\(^+\) T\(_{reg}\) cells in the thymus but are critical for the maintenance of both the phenotype and survival of T\(_{reg}\) cells in the thymus as well as in peripheral lymphoid organs. Specifically, the homeostasis of CD4\(^+\)CD25\(^+\)Foxp3\(^+\) but not the CD4\(^+\)CD25\(^-\)Foxp3\(^+\) fraction is severely perturbed when NFAT signaling is blocked, leading to a strongly reduced T\(_{reg}\) population. We underscored this intriguing effect of NFAT on CD4\(^+\)CD25\(^+\)Foxp3\(^+\) T\(_{reg}\) cells to the disruption of survival signals provided by interleukin 2 (IL-2). Accordingly, blocking T\(_{reg}\) cell death by abolishing the activity of pro-apoptotic Bcl-2 family member Bim, compensated for the survival defects induced due to a lack of NFAT-IL-2-IL-2R signaling. Inhibition of NFAT activity led to a strong reduction in the number of Foxp3\(^+\) T\(_{reg}\) cells; however, it did not influence the level of Foxp3 expression on an individual cell basis. In addition, we show a differential effect of IL-2 and IL-7 signaling on Foxp3\(^+\) T\(_{reg}\) versus CD4\(^+\)CD25\(^-\) T cell development, again underlining the dispensability of NFAT signaling in the development, but not in the maintenance of Foxp3\(^+\) T\(_{reg}\) cells.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SpinaciLambertucciBuccionietal.2022,
  author    = {Spinaci, Andrea and Lambertucci, Catia and Buccioni, Michela and Dal Ben, Diego and Graiff, Claudia and Barbalace, Maria Cristina and Hrelia, Silvana and Angeloni, Cristina and Tayebati, Seyed Khosrow and Ubaldi, Massimo and Masi, Alessio and Klotz, Karl-Norbert and Volpini, Rosaria and Marucci, Gabriella},
  title     = {A\(_{2A}\) adenosine receptor antagonists: are triazolotriazine and purine scaffolds interchangeable?},
  series = {Molecules},
  volume    = {27},
  journal   = {Molecules},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {1420-3049},
  doi       = {10.3390/molecules27082386},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270618},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The A\(_{2A}\) adenosine receptor (A\(_{2A}\)AR) is one of the four subtypes activated by nucleoside adenosine, and the molecules able to selectively counteract its action are attractive tools for neurodegenerative disorders. In order to find novel A\(_{2A}\)AR ligands, two series of compounds based on purine and triazolotriazine scaffolds were synthesized and tested at ARs. Compound 13 was also tested in an in vitro model of neuroinflammation. Some compounds were found to possess high affinity for A\(_{2A}\)AR, and it was observed that compound 13 exerted anti-inflammatory properties in microglial cells. Molecular modeling studies results were in good agreement with the binding affinity data and underlined that triazolotriazine and purine scaffolds are interchangeable only when 5- and 2-positions of the triazolotriazine moiety (corresponding to the purine 2- and 8-positions) are substituted.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BumillerBiniHochKohlerAugustoetal.2022,
  author    = {Bumiller-Bini Hoch, Val{\´e}ria and Kohler, Ana Fl{\´a}via and Augusto, Danillo G. and Lobo-Alves, Sara Cristina and Malheiros, Danielle and Cipolla, Gabriel Adelman and Winter Boldt, Angelica Beate and Braun-Prado, Karin and Wittig, Michael and Franke, Andre and Pf{\"o}hler, Claudia and Worm, Margitta and van Beek, Nina and Goebeler, Matthias and S{\´a}rdy, Mikl{\´o}s and Ibrahim, Saleh and Busch, Hauke and Schmidt, Enno and Hundt, Jennifer Elisabeth and Araujo-Souza, Patr{\´i}cia Savio de and Petzl-Erler, Maria Luiza},
  title     = {Genetic associations and differential mRNA expression levels of host genes suggest a viral trigger for endemic pemphigus foliaceus},
  series = {Viruses},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Viruses},
  number    = {5},
  issn      = {1999-4915},
  doi       = {10.3390/v14050879},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270572},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The long search for the environmental trigger of the endemic pemphigus foliaceus (EPF, fogo selvagem) has not yet resulted in any tangible findings. Here, we searched for genetic associations and the differential expression of host genes involved in early viral infections and innate antiviral defense. Genetic variants could alter the structure, expression sites, or levels of the gene products, impacting their functions. By analyzing 3063 variants of 166 candidate genes in 227 EPF patients and 194 controls, we found 12 variants within 11 genes associated with differential susceptibility (p < 0.005) to EPF. The products of genes TRIM5, TPCN2, EIF4E, EIF4E3, NUP37, NUP50, NUP88, TPR, USP15, IRF8, and JAK1 are involved in different mechanisms of viral control, for example, the regulation of viral entry into the host cell or recognition of viral nucleic acids and proteins. Only two of nine variants were also associated in an independent German cohort of sporadic PF (75 patients, 150 controls), aligning with our hypothesis that antiviral host genes play a major role in EPF due to a specific virus-human interaction in the endemic region. Moreover, CCL5, P4HB, and APOBEC3G mRNA levels were increased (p < 0.001) in CD4+ T lymphocytes of EPF patients. Because there is limited or no evidence that these genes are involved in autoimmunity, their crucial role in antiviral responses and the associations that we observed support the hypothesis of a viral trigger for EPF, presumably a still unnoticed flavivirus. This work opens new frontiers in searching for the trigger of EPF, with the potential to advance translational research that aims for disease prevention and treatment.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HolzmannLittigFrankSchmadereretal.2022,
  author    = {Holzmann-Littig, Christopher and Frank, Tamara and Schmaderer, Christoph and Braunisch, Matthias C. and Renders, Lutz and Kranke, Peter and Popp, Maria and Seeber, Christian and Fichtner, Falk and Littig, Bianca and Carbajo-Lozoya, Javier and Meerpohl, Joerg J. and Haller, Bernhard and Allwang, Christine},
  title     = {COVID-19 Vaccines: Fear of side effects among German health care workers},
  series = {Vaccines},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Vaccines},
  number    = {5},
  issn      = {2076-393X},
  doi       = {10.3390/vaccines10050689},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270561},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {(1) Background: Health care workers (HCWs) play a key role in increasing anti-COVID vaccination rates. Fear of potential side effects is one of the main reasons for vaccine hesitancy. We investigated which side effects are of concern to HCWs and how these are associated with vaccine hesitancy. (2) Methods: Data were collected in an online survey in February 2021 among HCWs from across Germany with 4500 included participants. Free-text comments on previously experienced vaccination side effects, and fear of short- and long-term side effects of the COVID-19 vaccination were categorized and analyzed. (3) Results: Most feared short-term side effects were vaccination reactions, allergic reactions, and limitations in daily life. Most feared long-term side effects were (auto-) immune reactions, neurological side effects, and currently unknown long-term consequences. Concerns about serious vaccination side effects were associated with vaccination refusal. There was a clear association between refusal of COVID-19 vaccination in one's personal environment and fear of side effects. (4) Conclusions: Transparent information about vaccine side effects is needed, especially for HCW. Especially when the participants' acquaintances advised against vaccination, they were significantly more likely to fear side effects. Thus, further education of HCW is necessary to achieve good information transfer in clusters as well.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KarakayaBiderFranketal.2022,
  author    = {Karakaya, Emine and Bider, Faina and Frank, Andreas and Teßmar, J{\"o}rg and Sch{\"o}bel, Lisa and Forster, Leonard and Schr{\"u}fer, Stefan and Schmidt, Hans-Werner and Schubert, Dirk Wolfram and Blaeser, Andreas and Boccaccini, Aldo R. and Detsch, Rainer},
  title     = {Targeted printing of cells: evaluation of ADA-PEG bioinks for drop on demand approaches},
  series = {Gels},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Gels},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2310-2861},
  doi       = {10.3390/gels8040206},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267317},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {A novel approach, in the context of bioprinting, is the targeted printing of a defined number of cells at desired positions in predefined locations, which thereby opens up new perspectives for life science engineering. One major challenge in this application is to realize the targeted printing of cells onto a gel substrate with high cell survival rates in advanced bioinks. For this purpose, different alginate-dialdehyde—polyethylene glycol (ADA-PEG) inks with different PEG modifications and chain lengths (1-8 kDa) were characterized to evaluate their application as bioinks for drop on demand (DoD) printing. The biochemical properties of the inks, printing process, NIH/3T3 fibroblast cell distribution within a droplet and shear forces during printing were analyzed. Finally, different hydrogels were evaluated as a printing substrate. By analysing different PEG chain lengths with covalently crosslinked and non-crosslinked ADA-PEG inks, it was shown that the influence of Schiff's bases on the viscosity of the corresponding materials is very low. Furthermore, it was shown that longer polymer chains resulted in less stable hydrogels, leading to fast degradation rates. Several bioinks highly exhibit biocompatibility, while the calculated nozzle shear stress increased from approx. 1.3 and 2.3 kPa. Moreover, we determined the number of cells for printed droplets depending on the initial cell concentration, which is crucially needed for targeted cell printing approaches.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SchleeNeffSimoesetal.2022,
  author    = {Schlee, Winfried and Neff, Patrick and Simoes, Jorge and Langguth, Berthold and Schoisswohl, Stefan and Steinberger, Heidi and Norman, Marie and Spiliopoulou, Myra and Schobel, Johannes and Hannemann, Ronny and Pryss, R{\"u}diger},
  title     = {Smartphone-guided educational counseling and self-help for chronic tinnitus},
  series = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Journal of Clinical Medicine},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2077-0383},
  doi       = {10.3390/jcm11071825},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267295},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Tinnitus is an auditory phantom perception in the ears or head in the absence of a corresponding external stimulus. There is currently no effective treatment available that reliably reduces tinnitus. Educational counseling is a treatment approach that aims to educate patients and inform them about possible coping strategies. For this feasibility study, we implemented educational material and self-help advice in a smartphone app. Participants used the educational smartphone app unsupervised during their daily routine over a period of four months. Comparing the tinnitus outcome measures before and after smartphone-guided treatment, we measured changes in tinnitus-related distress, but not in tinnitus loudness. Improvements on the Tinnitus Severity numeric rating scale reached an effect size of 0.408, while the improvements on the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) were much smaller with an effect size of 0.168. An analysis of user behavior showed that frequent and intensive use of the app is a crucial factor for treatment success: participants that used the app more often and interacted with the app intensively reported a stronger improvement in the tinnitus. Between study allocation and final assessment, 26 of 52 participants dropped out of the study. Reasons for the dropouts and lessons for future studies are discussed in this paper.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BertramBartschSodmannetal.2022,
  author    = {Bertram, Ralph and Bartsch, Vanessa and Sodmann, Johanna and Hennig, Luca and M{\"u}jde, Engin and Stock, Jonathan and Ruedig, Vivienne and Sodmann, Philipp and Todt, Daniel and Steinmann, Eike and Hitzl, Wolfgang and Steinmann, Joerg},
  title     = {Risk stratification of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections based on an outbreak at a student festive event},
  series = {Vaccines},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Vaccines},
  number    = {3},
  issn      = {2076-393X},
  doi       = {10.3390/vaccines10030432},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267270},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {In early 2022, the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remains a global challenge. COVID-19 is caused by an increasing number of variants of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Here, we report an outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections related to a student festive event with 100 mostly vaccinated guests, which took place in Northern Bavaria, Germany, in October 2021. The data were obtained by retrospective guest interviews. In total, 95 students participated in the study, with 94 being fully vaccinated and 24 reporting infection by the delta variant. Correlation analyses among 15 examined variables revealed that time spent at the event, conversation with the supposed index person, and a homologous viral vector vaccination regime were significant risk factors for infection. Non-significant observations related to higher rates of infection included time since last vaccination, shared use of drinking vessels, and number of individual person-to-person contacts at the event. Our data suggest that a high rate of breakthrough infections with the delta variant occurs if no preventive measures are practiced. To limit infection risk, high-quality testing of participants should be considered a mandatory measure at gatherings, irrespective of the participants' vaccination status.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BeckEngelReimers2022,
  author    = {Beck, Franziska and Engel, Florian A. and Reimers, Anne Kerstin},
  title     = {Compensation or displacement of physical activity in children and adolescents: a systematic review of empirical studies},
  series = {Children},
  volume    = {9},
  journal   = {Children},
  number    = {3},
  issn      = {2227-9067},
  doi       = {10.3390/children9030351},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267231},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Regular physical activity during childhood and adolescence is associated with health benefits. Consequently, numerous health promotion programs for children and adolescents emphasize the enhancement of physical activity. However, the ActivityStat hypothesis states that increases in physical activity in one domain are compensated for by decreasing physical activity in another domain. Currently, little is known about how physical activity varies in children and adolescents within intervals of one day or multiple days. This systematic review provides an overview of studies that analyzed changes in (overall) physical activity, which were assessed with objective measurements, or compensatory mechanisms caused by increases or decreases in physical activity in a specific domain in children and adolescents. A systematic search of electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, SportDiscus) was performed with a priori defined inclusion criteria. Two independent researchers screened the literature and identified and rated the methodological quality of the studies. A total of 77 peer-reviewed articles were included that analyzed changes in overall physical activity with multiple methodological approaches resulting in compensation or displacement. Of 40,829 participants, 16,265 indicated compensation associated with physical activity. Subgroup analyses separated by study design, participants, measurement instrument, physical activity context, and intervention duration also showed mixed results toward an indication of compensation. Quality assessment of the included studies revealed that they were of high quality (mean = 0.866). This review provides inconclusive results about compensation in relation to physical activity. A trend toward increased compensation in interventional studies and in interventions of longer duration have been observed.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FisserKhorsandiWegmannetal.2022,
  author    = {Fisser, Henrik and Khorsandi, Ehsan and Wegmann, Martin and Baier, Frank},
  title     = {Detecting moving trucks on roads using Sentinel-2 data},
  series = {Remote Sensing},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Remote Sensing},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2072-4292},
  doi       = {10.3390/rs14071595},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267174},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {In most countries, freight is predominantly transported by road cargo trucks. We present a new satellite remote sensing method for detecting moving trucks on roads using Sentinel-2 data. The method exploits a temporal sensing offset of the Sentinel-2 multispectral instrument, causing spatially and spectrally distorted signatures of moving objects. A random forest classifier was trained (overall accuracy: 84\%) on visual-near-infrared-spectra of 2500 globally labelled targets. Based on the classification, the target objects were extracted using a developed recursive neighbourhood search. The speed and the heading of the objects were approximated. Detections were validated by employing 350 globally labelled target boxes (mean F\(_1\) score: 0.74). The lowest F\(_1\) score was achieved in Kenya (0.36), the highest in Poland (0.88). Furthermore, validated at 26 traffic count stations in Germany on in sum 390 dates, the truck detections correlate spatio-temporally with station figures (Pearson r-value: 0.82, RMSE: 43.7). Absolute counts were underestimated on 81\% of the dates. The detection performance may differ by season and road condition. Hence, the method is only suitable for approximating the relative truck traffic abundance rather than providing accurate absolute counts. However, existing road cargo monitoring methods that rely on traffic count stations or very high resolution remote sensing data have limited global availability. The proposed moving truck detection method could fill this gap, particularly where other information on road cargo traffic are sparse by employing globally and freely available Sentinel-2 data. It is inferior to the accuracy and the temporal detail of station counts, but superior in terms of spatial coverage.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ReinermannGessnerAsametal.2022,
  author    = {Reinermann, Sophie and Gessner, Ursula and Asam, Sarah and Ullmann, Tobias and Schucknecht, Anne and Kuenzer, Claudia},
  title     = {Detection of grassland mowing events for Germany by combining Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 time series},
  series = {Remote Sensing},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Remote Sensing},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2072-4292},
  doi       = {10.3390/rs14071647},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267164},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Grasslands cover one-third of the agricultural area in Germany and play an important economic role by providing fodder for livestock. In addition, they fulfill important ecosystem services, such as carbon storage, water purification, and the provision of habitats. These ecosystem services usually depend on the grassland management. In central Europe, grasslands are grazed and/or mown, whereby the management type and intensity vary in space and time. Spatial information on the mowing timing and frequency on larger scales are usually not available but would be required in order to assess the ecosystem services, species composition, and grassland yields. Time series of high-resolution satellite remote sensing data can be used to analyze the temporal and spatial dynamics of grasslands. Within this study, we aim to overcome the drawbacks identified by previous studies, such as optical data availability and the lack of comprehensive reference data, by testing the time series of various Sentinel-2 (S2) and Sentinal-1 (S1) parameters and combinations of them in order to detect mowing events in Germany in 2019. We developed a threshold-based algorithm by using information from a comprehensive reference dataset of heterogeneously managed grassland parcels in Germany, obtained by RGB cameras. The developed approach using the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) derived from S2 led to a successful mowing event detection in Germany (60.3\% of mowing events detected, F1-Score = 0.64). However, events shortly before, during, or shortly after cloud gaps were missed and in regions with lower S2 orbit coverage fewer mowing events were detected. Therefore, S1-based backscatter, InSAR, and PolSAR features were investigated during S2 data gaps. From these, the PolSAR entropy detected mowing events most reliably. For a focus region, we tested an integrated approach by combining S2 and S1 parameters. This approach detected additional mowing events, but also led to many false positive events, resulting in a reduction in the F1-Score (from 0.65 of S2 to 0.61 of S2 + S1 for the focus region). According to our analysis, a majority of grasslands in Germany are only mown zero to two times (around 84\%) and are probably additionally used for grazing. A small proportion is mown more often than four times (3\%). Regions with a generally higher grassland mowing frequency are located in southern, south-eastern, and northern Germany.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PrellSenPotabattulaetal.2022,
  author    = {Prell, Andreas and Sen, Mustafa Orkun and Potabattula, Ramya and Bernhardt, Laura and Dittrich, Marcus and Hahn, Thomas and Schorsch, Martin and Zacchini, Federica and Ptak, Grazyna Ewa and Niemann, Heiner and Haaf, Thomas},
  title     = {Species-specific paternal age effects and sperm methylation levels of developmentally important genes},
  series = {Cells},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Cells},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2073-4409},
  doi       = {10.3390/cells11040731},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262301},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {A growing number of sperm methylome analyses have identified genomic loci that are susceptible to paternal age effects in a variety of mammalian species, including human, bovine, and mouse. However, there is little overlap between different data sets. Here, we studied whether or not paternal age effects on the sperm epigenome have been conserved in mammalian evolution and compared methylation patterns of orthologous regulatory regions (mainly gene promoters) containing both conserved and non-conserved CpG sites in 94 human, 36 bovine, and 94 mouse sperm samples, using bisulfite pyrosequencing. We discovered three (NFKB2, RASGEF1C, and RPL6) age-related differentially methylated regions (ageDMRs) in humans, four (CHD7, HDAC11, PAK1, and PTK2B) in bovines, and three (Def6, Nrxn2, and Tbx19) in mice. Remarkably, the identified sperm ageDMRs were all species-specific. Most ageDMRs were in genomic regions with medium methylation levels and large methylation variation. Orthologous regions in species not showing this age effect were either hypermethylated (>80\%) or hypomethylated (<20\%). In humans and mice, ageDMRs lost methylation, whereas bovine ageDMRs gained methylation with age. Our results are in line with the hypothesis that sperm ageDMRs are in regions under epigenomic evolution and may be part of an epigenetic mechanism(s) for lineage-specific environmental adaptations and provide a solid basis for studies on downstream effects in the genes analyzed here.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WehnerHuchlerFritz2022,
  author    = {Wehner, Helena and Huchler, Katharina and Fritz, Johannes},
  title     = {Quantification of foraging areas for the Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in the northern Alpine foothills: a random forest model fitted with optical and actively sensed earth observation data},
  series = {Remote Sensing},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Remote Sensing},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2072-4292},
  doi       = {10.3390/rs14041015},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262245},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita, NBI) is an endangered migratory species, which went extinct in Europe in the 17th century. Currently, a translocation project in the frame of the European LIFE program is carried out, to reintroduce a migratory population with breeding colonies in the northern and southern Alpine foothills and a common wintering area in southern Tuscany. The population meanwhile consists of about 200 individuals, with about 90\% of them carrying a GPS device on their back. We used biologging data from 2021 to model the habitat suitability for the species in the northern Alpine foothills. To set up a species distribution model, indices describing environmental conditions were calculated from satellite images of Landsat-8, and in addition to the well-proven use of optical remote sensing data, we also included Sentinel-1 actively sensed observation data, as well as climate and urbanization data. A random forest model was fitted on NBI GPS positions, which we used to identify regions with high predicted foraging suitability within the northern Alpine foothills. The model resulted in 84.5\% overall accuracy. Elevation and slope had the highest predictive power, followed by grass cover and VV intensity of Sentinel-1 radar data. The map resulting from the model predicts the highest foraging suitability for valley floors, especially of Inn, Rhine, and Salzach-Valley as well as flatlands, like the Swiss Plateau and the agricultural areas surrounding Lake Constance. Areas with a high suitability index largely overlap with known historic breeding sites. This is particularly noteworthy because the model only refers to foraging habitats without considering the availability of suitable breeding cliffs. Detailed analyses identify the transition zone from extensive grassland management to intensive arable farming as the northern range limit. The modeling outcome allows for defining suitable areas for further translocation and management measures in the frame of the European NBI reintroduction program. Although required in the international IUCN translocation guidelines, the use of models in the context of translocation projects is still not common and in the case of the Northern Bald Ibis not considered in the present Single Species Action Plan of the African-Eurasian Migratory Water bird Agreement. Our species distribution model represents a contemporary snapshot, but sustainability is essential for conservation planning, especially in times of climate change. In this regard, a further model could be optimized by investigating sustainable land use, temporal dynamics, and climate change scenarios.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FlorenHorchlerMueller2022,
  author    = {Floren, Andreas and Horchler, Peter J. and M{\"u}ller, Tobias},
  title     = {The impact of the neophyte tree Fraxinus pennsylvanica [Marshall] on beetle diversity under climate change},
  series = {Sustainability},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Sustainability},
  number    = {3},
  issn      = {2071-1050},
  doi       = {10.3390/su14031914},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262223},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {We studied the impact of the neophyte tree Fraxinus pennsylvanica on the diversity of beetles in floodplain forests along the river Elbe in Germany in 2016, 2017 and in 2020, where 80\% of all Fraxinus excelsior trees had died following severe droughts. Beetles were collected by insecticidal knock-down from 121 trees (64 F. excelsior and 57 F. pennsylvanica) and identified to 547 species in 15,214 specimens. The trees sampled in 2016 and 2017 showed no signs of drought stress or ash dieback and serve as a reference for the comparison with the 2020 fauna. The data proved that F. excelsior harbours the most diverse beetle community, which differed also significantly in guild composition from F. pennsylvanica. Triggered by extremely dry and long summer seasons, the 2020 ash dieback had profound and forest-wide impacts. Several endangered, red-listed beetle species of Saxonia Anhalt had increased in numbers and became secondary pests on F. excelsior. Diversity decreased whilst numbers of xylobionts increased on all trees, reaching 78\% on F. excelsior. Proportions of xylobionts remained constant on F. pennsylvanica. Phytophages were almost absent from all trees, but mycetophages increased on F. pennsylvanica. Our data suggest that as a result of the dieback of F. excelsior the neophyte F. pennsylvanica might become a rescue species for the European Ash fauna, as it provides the second-best habitat. We show how difficult it is to assess the dynamics and the ecological impact of neophytes, especially under conditions similar to those projected by climate change models. The diversity and abundance of canopy arthropods demonstrates their importance in understanding forest functions and maintenance of ecosystem services, illustrating that their consideration is essential for forest adaptation to climate change.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BorojevićJaukovićKukoljetal.2022,
  author    = {Borojević, Ana and Jauković, Aleksandra and Kukolj, Tamara and Mojsilović, Slavko and Obradović, Hristina and Trivanović, Drenka and Živanović, Milena and Zečević, Željko and Simić, Marija and Gobeljić, Borko and Vujić, Dragana and Bugarski, Diana},
  title     = {Vitamin D3 stimulates proliferation capacity, expression of pluripotency markers, and osteogenesis of human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal/stem cells, partly through SIRT1 signaling},
  series = {Biomolecules},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Biomolecules},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2218-273X},
  doi       = {10.3390/biom12020323},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262203},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The biology of vitamin D3 is well defined, as are the effects of its active metabolites on various cells, including mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). However, the biological potential of its precursor, cholecalciferol (VD3), has not been sufficiently investigated, although its significance in regenerative medicine — mainly in combination with various biomaterial matrices — has been recognized. Given that VD3 preconditioning might also contribute to the improvement of cellular regenerative potential, the aim of this study was to investigate its effects on bone marrow (BM) MSC functions and the signaling pathways involved. For that purpose, the influence of VD3 on BM-MSCs obtained from young human donors was determined via MTT test, flow cytometric analysis, immunocytochemistry, and qRT-PCR. Our results revealed that VD3, following a 5-day treatment, stimulated proliferation, expression of pluripotency markers (NANOG, SOX2, and Oct4), and osteogenic differentiation potential in BM-MSCs, while it reduced their senescence. Moreover, increased sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression was detected upon treatment with VD3, which mediated VD3-promoted osteogenesis and, partially, the stemness features through NANOG and SOX2 upregulation. In contrast, the effects of VD3 on proliferation, Oct4 expression, and senescence were SIRT1-independent. Altogether, these data indicate that VD3 has strong potential to modulate BM-MSCs' features, partially through SIRT1 signaling, although the precise mechanisms merit further investigation.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BolmZemskovZelleretal.2022,
  author    = {Bolm, Louisa and Zemskov, Sergii and Zeller, Maria and Baba, Taisuke and Roldan, Jorge and Harrison, Jon M. and Petruch, Natalie and Sato, Hiroki and Petrova, Ekaterina and Lapshyn, Hryhoriy and Braun, Ruediger and Honselmann, Kim C. and Hummel, Richard and Dronov, Oleksii and Kirichenko, Alexander V. and Klinkhammer-Schalke, Monika and Kleihues-van Tol, Kees and Zeissig, Sylke R. and Rades, Dirk and Keck, Tobias and Fernandez-del Castillo, Carlos and Wellner, Ulrich F. and Wegner, Rodney E.},
  title     = {Concepts and outcomes of perioperative therapy in stage IA-III pancreatic cancer — a cross-validation of the National Cancer Database (NCDB) and the German Cancer Registry Group of the Society of German Tumor Centers (GCRG/ADT)},
  series = {Cancers},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Cancers},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2072-6694},
  doi       = {10.3390/cancers14040868},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262174},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {(1) Background: The aim of this study is to assess perioperative therapy in stage IA-III pancreatic cancer cross-validating the German Cancer Registry Group of the Society of German Tumor Centers — Network for Care, Quality, and Research in Oncology, Berlin (GCRG/ADT) and the National Cancer Database (NCDB). (2) Methods: Patients with clinical stage IA-III PDAC undergoing surgery alone (OP), neoadjuvant therapy (TX) + surgery (neo + OP), surgery+adjuvantTX (OP + adj) and neoadjuvantTX + surgery + adjuvantTX (neo + OP + adj) were identified. Baseline characteristics, histopathological parameters, and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. (3) Results: 1392 patients from the GCRG/ADT and 29,081 patients from the NCDB were included. Patient selection and strategies of perioperative therapy remained consistent across the registries for stage IA-III pancreatic cancer. Combined neo + OP + adj was associated with prolonged OS as compared to neo + OP alone (17.8 m vs. 21.3 m, p = 0.012) across all stages in the GCRG/ADT registry. Similarly, OS with neo + OP + adj was improved as compared to neo + OP in the NCDB registry (26.4 m vs. 35.4 m, p < 0.001). (4) Conclusion: The cross-validation study demonstrated similar concepts and patient selection criteria of perioperative therapy across clinical stages of PDAC. Neoadjuvant therapy combined with adjuvant therapy is associated with improved overall survival as compared to either therapy alone.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WernerStrohmeierRotheetal.2022,
  author    = {Werner, Lennart and Strohmeier, Michael and Rothe, Julian and Montenegro, Sergio},
  title     = {Thrust vector observation for force feedback-controlled UAVs},
  series = {Drones},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Drones},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2504-446X},
  doi       = {10.3390/drones6020049},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262153},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {This paper presents a novel approach to Thrust Vector Control (TVC) for small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). The difficulties associated with conventional feed-forward TVC are outlined, and a practical solution to conquer these challenges is derived. The solution relies on observing boom deformations that are created by different thrust vector directions and high-velocity air inflow. The paper describes the required measurement electronics as well as the implementation of a dedicated testbed that allows the evaluation of mid-flight force measurements. Wind-tunnel tests show that the presented method for active thrust vector determination is able to quantify the disturbances due to the incoming air flow.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WyborskiPodemskiWrońskietal.2022,
  author    = {Wyborski, Paweł and Podemski, Paweł and Wroński, Piotr Andrzej and Jabeen, Fauzia and H{\"o}fling, Sven and Sęk, Grzegorz},
  title     = {Electronic and optical properties of InAs QDs grown by MBE on InGaAs metamorphic buffer},
  series = {Materials},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {Materials},
  number    = {3},
  issn      = {1996-1944},
  doi       = {10.3390/ma15031071},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-297037},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {We present the optical characterization of GaAs-based InAs quantum dots (QDs) grown by molecular beam epitaxy on a digitally alloyed InGaAs metamorphic buffer layer (MBL) with gradual composition ensuring a redshift of the QD emission up to the second telecom window. Based on the photoluminescence (PL) measurements and numerical calculations, we analyzed the factors influencing the energies of optical transitions in QDs, among which the QD height seems to be dominating. In addition, polarization anisotropy of the QD emission was observed, which is a fingerprint of significant valence states mixing enhanced by the QD confinement potential asymmetry, driven by the decreased strain with increasing In content in the MBL. The barrier-related transitions were probed by photoreflectance, which combined with photoluminescence data and the PL temperature dependence, allowed for the determination of the carrier activation energies and the main channels of carrier loss, identified as the carrier escape to the MBL barrier. Eventually, the zero-dimensional character of the emission was confirmed by detecting the photoluminescence from single QDs with identified features of the confined neutral exciton and biexciton complexes via the excitation power and polarization dependences.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ThonfeldGessnerHolzwarthetal.2022,
  author    = {Thonfeld, Frank and Gessner, Ursula and Holzwarth, Stefanie and Kriese, Jennifer and da Ponte, Emmanuel and Huth, Juliane and Kuenzer, Claudia},
  title     = {A first assessment of canopy cover loss in Germany's forests after the 2018-2020 drought years},
  series = {Remote Sensing},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Remote Sensing},
  number    = {3},
  issn      = {2072-4292},
  doi       = {10.3390/rs14030562},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255306},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Central Europe was hit by several unusually strong periods of drought and heat between 2018 and 2020. These droughts affected forest ecosystems. Cascading effects with bark beetle infestations in spruce stands were fatal to vast forest areas in Germany. We present the first assessment of canopy cover loss in Germany for the period of January 2018-April 2021. Our approach makes use of dense Sentinel-2 and Landsat-8 time-series data. We computed the disturbance index (DI) from the tasseled cap components brightness, greenness, and wetness. Using quantiles, we generated monthly DI composites and calculated anomalies in a reference period (2017). From the resulting map, we calculated the canopy cover loss statistics for administrative entities. Our results show a canopy cover loss of 501,000 ha for Germany, with large regional differences. The losses were largest in central Germany and reached up to two-thirds of coniferous forest loss in some districts. Our map has high spatial (10 m) and temporal (monthly) resolution and can be updated at any time.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{UereyenBachoferKuenzer2022,
  author    = {Uereyen, Soner and Bachofer, Felix and Kuenzer, Claudia},
  title     = {A framework for multivariate analysis of land surface dynamics and driving variables — a case study for Indo-Gangetic river basins},
  series = {Remote Sensing},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Remote Sensing},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {2072-4292},
  doi       = {10.3390/rs14010197},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255295},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {The analysis of the Earth system and interactions among its spheres is increasingly important to improve the understanding of global environmental change. In this regard, Earth observation (EO) is a valuable tool for monitoring of long term changes over the land surface and its features. Although investigations commonly study environmental change by means of a single EO-based land surface variable, a joint exploitation of multivariate land surface variables covering several spheres is still rarely performed. In this regard, we present a novel methodological framework for both, the automated processing of multisource time series to generate a unified multivariate feature space, as well as the application of statistical time series analysis techniques to quantify land surface change and driving variables. In particular, we unify multivariate time series over the last two decades including vegetation greenness, surface water area, snow cover area, and climatic, as well as hydrological variables. Furthermore, the statistical time series analyses include quantification of trends, changes in seasonality, and evaluation of drivers using the recently proposed causal discovery algorithm Peter and Clark Momentary Conditional Independence (PCMCI). We demonstrate the functionality of our methodological framework using Indo-Gangetic river basins in South Asia as a case study. The time series analyses reveal increasing trends in vegetation greenness being largely dependent on water availability, decreasing trends in snow cover area being mostly negatively coupled to temperature, and trends of surface water area to be spatially heterogeneous and linked to various driving variables. Overall, the obtained results highlight the value and suitability of this methodological framework with respect to global climate change research, enabling multivariate time series preparation, derivation of detailed information on significant trends and seasonality, as well as detection of causal links with minimal user intervention. This study is the first to use multivariate time series including several EO-based variables to analyze land surface dynamics over the last two decades using the causal discovery algorithm PCMCI.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{UmstaetterWernerZerlinetal.2022,
  author    = {Umst{\"a}tter, Florian and Werner, Julia and Zerlin, Leah and M{\"u}hlberg, Eric and Kleist, Christian and Klika, Karel D. and Hertlein, Tobias and Beijer, Barbro and Domhan, Cornelius and Zimmermann, Stefan and Ohlsen, Knut and Haberkorn, Uwe and Mier, Walter and Uhl, Philipp},
  title     = {Impact of linker modification and PEGylation of vancomycin conjugates on structure-activity relationships and pharmacokinetics},
  series = {Pharmaceuticals},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {Pharmaceuticals},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {1424-8247},
  doi       = {10.3390/ph15020159},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-255197},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {As multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a concerning burden, experts insist on the need for a dramatic rethinking on antibiotic use and development in order to avoid a post-antibiotic era. New and rapidly developable strategies for antimicrobial substances, in particular substances highly potent against multidrug-resistant bacteria, are urgently required. Some of the treatment options currently available for multidrug-resistant bacteria are considerably limited by side effects and unfavorable pharmacokinetics. The glycopeptide vancomycin is considered an antibiotic of last resort. Its use is challenged by bacterial strains exhibiting various types of resistance. Therefore, in this study, highly active polycationic peptide-vancomycin conjugates with varying linker characteristics or the addition of PEG moieties were synthesized to optimize pharmacokinetics while retaining or even increasing antimicrobial activity in comparison to vancomycin. The antimicrobial activity of the novel conjugates was determined by microdilution assays on susceptible and vancomycin-resistant bacterial strains. VAN1 and VAN2, the most promising linker-modified derivatives, were further characterized in vivo with molecular imaging and biodistribution studies in rodents, showing that the linker moiety influences both antimicrobial activity and pharmacokinetics. Encouragingly, VAN2 was able to undercut the resistance breakpoint in microdilution assays on vanB and vanC vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Out of all PEGylated derivatives, VAN:PEG1 and VAN:PEG3 were able to overcome vanC resistance. Biodistribution studies of the novel derivatives revealed significant changes in pharmacokinetics when compared with vancomycin. In conclusion, linker modification of vancomycin-polycationic peptide conjugates represents a promising strategy for the modulation of pharmacokinetic behavior while providing potent antimicrobial activity.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{TianYangNageletal.2022,
  author    = {Tian, Yuehui and Yang, Shang and Nagel, Georg and Gao, Shiqiang},
  title     = {Characterization and modification of light-sensitive phosphodiesterases from choanoflagellates},
  series = {Biomolecules},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Biomolecules},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {2218-273X},
  doi       = {10.3390/biom12010088},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-254769},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Enzyme rhodopsins, including cyclase opsins (Cyclops) and rhodopsin phosphodiesterases (RhoPDEs), were recently discovered in fungi, algae and protists. In contrast to the well-developed light-gated guanylyl/adenylyl cyclases as optogenetic tools, ideal light-regulated phosphodiesterases are still in demand. Here, we investigated and engineered the RhoPDEs from Salpingoeca rosetta, Choanoeca flexa and three other protists. All the RhoPDEs (fused with a cytosolic N-terminal YFP tag) can be expressed in Xenopus oocytes, except the AsRhoPDE that lacks the retinal-binding lysine residue in the last (8th) transmembrane helix. An N296K mutation of YFP::AsRhoPDE enabled its expression in oocytes, but this mutant still has no cGMP hydrolysis activity. Among the RhoPDEs tested, SrRhoPDE, CfRhoPDE1, 4 and MrRhoPDE exhibited light-enhanced cGMP hydrolysis activity. Engineering SrRhoPDE, we obtained two single point mutants, L623F and E657Q, in the C-terminal catalytic domain, which showed ~40 times decreased cGMP hydrolysis activity without affecting the light activation ratio. The molecular characterization and modification will aid in developing ideal light-regulated phosphodiesterase tools in the future.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{DitzelKoenigMusembietal.2022,
  author    = {Ditzel, Pia and K{\"o}nig, Sebastian and Musembi, Peter and Peters, Marcell K.},
  title     = {Correlation between coral reef condition and the diversity and abundance of fishes and sea urchins on an East African coral reef},
  series = {Oceans},
  volume    = {3},
  journal   = {Oceans},
  number    = {1},
  issn      = {2673-1924},
  doi       = {10.3390/oceans3010001},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284503},
  pages     = {1 -- 14},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Coral reefs are one of the most diverse marine ecosystems, providing numerous ecosystem services. This present study investigated the relationship between coral reef condition and the diversity and abundance of fishes, on a heavily fished East African coral reef at Gazi Bay, Kenya. Underwater visual censuses were conducted on thirty 50 × 5 m belt transects to assess the abundance and diversity of fishes. In parallel, a 25-m length of each of the same transects was recorded with photo-quadrats to assess coral community structure and benthic characteristics. For statistical analyses, multi-model inference based on the Akaike Information Criterion was used to evaluate the support for potential predictor variables of coral reef and fish diversity. We found that coral genus richness was negatively correlated with the abundance of macroalgae, whereas coral cover was positively correlated with both the abundance of herbivorous invertebrates (sea urchins) and with fish family richness. Similarly, fish family richness appeared mainly correlated with coral cover and invertebrate abundance, although no correlates of fish abundance could be identified. Coral and fish diversity were very low, but it appears that, contrary to some locations on the same coast, sea urchin abundance was not high enough to be having a negative influence on coral and fish assemblages. Due to increasing threats to coral reefs, it is important to understand the relationship among the components of the coral reef ecosystem on overfished reefs such as that at Gazi Bay.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ChilakaObidiegwuChilakaetal.2022,
  author    = {Chilaka, Cynthia Adaku and Obidiegwu, Jude Ejikeme and Chilaka, Augusta Chinenye and Atanda, Olusegun Oladimeji and Mally, Angela},
  title     = {Mycotoxin regulatory status in Africa: a decade of weak institutional efforts},
  series = {Toxins},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Toxins},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2072-6651},
  doi       = {10.3390/toxins14070442},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-278941},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Food safety problems are a major hindrance to achieving food security, trade, and healthy living in Africa. Fungi and their secondary metabolites, known as mycotoxins, represent an important concern in this regard. Attempts such as agricultural, storage, and processing practices, and creation of awareness to tackle the menace of fungi and mycotoxins have yielded measurable outcomes especially in developed countries, where there are comprehensive mycotoxin legislations and enforcement schemes. Conversely, most African countries do not have mycotoxin regulatory limits and even when available, are only applied for international trade. Factors such as food insecurity, public ignorance, climate change, poor infrastructure, poor research funding, incorrect prioritization of resources, and nonchalant attitudes that exist among governmental organisations and other stakeholders further complicate the situation. In the present review, we discuss the status of mycotoxin regulation in Africa, with emphasis on the impact of weak mycotoxin legislations and enforcement on African trade, agriculture, and health. Furthermore, we discuss the factors limiting the establishment and control of mycotoxins in the region.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Keul2022,
  author    = {Keul, Hildegund},
  title     = {Vulnerability, vulnerance and resilience — spiritual abuse and sexual violence in new spiritual communities},
  series = {Religions},
  volume    = {13},
  journal   = {Religions},
  number    = {5},
  issn      = {2077-1444},
  doi       = {10.3390/rel13050425},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-275264},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {In February 2017, Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, acknowledged in an interview that some 70 "new spiritual movements" were under investigation for abusive behavior committed by their founders. The number of cases that remain undetected is probably large. This article uses the example of these communities to analyze the precarious tension between vulnerability, vulnerance, and resilience. It draws on C{\´e}line Hoyeau's excellent study of those founders of new spiritual movements in France who were later exposed as abusers. It also presents my research on the sacred in its dangerous connection to the victimizing sacrifice. My basic thesis is that exploring the link between vulnerability and resilience is not enough. Rather, vulnerance needs to be systematically included in the analyses. This new approach opens up a more complex understanding of abuse, cover-ups, and disclosure. It can tackle both the vulnerant resilience of the perpetrators and the voluntary vulnerability of survivors in disclosing abuse.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WernerPoppFichtneretal.2022,
  author    = {Werner, Anne and Popp, Maria and Fichtner, Falk and Holzmann-Littig, Christopher and Kranke, Peter and Steckelberg, Anke and L{\"u}hnen, Julia and Redlich, Lisa Marie and Dickel, Steffen and Grimm, Clemens and Moerer, Onnen and Nothacker, Monika and Seeber, Christian},
  title     = {COVID-19 intensive care — Evaluation of public information sources and current standards of care in German intensive care units: a cross sectional online survey on intensive care staff in Germany},
  series = {Healthcare},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Healthcare},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2227-9032},
  doi       = {10.3390/healthcare10071315},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-281865},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Backround: In February 2021, the first formal evidence and consensus-based (S3) guidelines for the inpatient treatment of patients with COVID-19 were published in Germany and have been updated twice during 2021. The aim of the present study is to re-evaluate the dissemination pathways and strategies for ICU staff (first evaluation in December 2020 when previous versions of consensus-based guidelines (S2k) were published) and question selected aspects of guideline adherence of standard care for patients with COVID-19 in the ICU. Methods: We conducted an anonymous online survey among German intensive care staff from 11 October 2021 to 11 November 2021. We distributed the survey via e-mail in intensive care facilities and requested redirection to additional intensive care staff (snowball sampling). Results: There was a difference between the professional groups in the number, selection and qualitative assessment of information sources about COVID-19. Standard operating procedures were most frequently used by all occupational groups and received a high quality rating. Physicians preferred sources for active information search (e.g., medical journals), while nurses predominantly used passive consumable sources (e.g., every-day media). Despite differences in usage behaviour, the sources were rated similarly in terms of the quality of the information on COVID-19. The trusted organizations have not changed over time. The use of guidelines was frequently stated and highly recommended. The majority of the participants reported guideline-compliant treatment. Nevertheless, there were certain variations in the use of medication as well as the criteria chosen for discontinuing non-invasive ventilation (NIV) compared to guideline recommendations. Conclusions: An adequate external source of information for nursing staff is lacking, the usual sources of physicians are only appropriate for the minority of nursing staff. The self-reported use of guidelines is high.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SommerAmrBavendieketal.2022,
  author    = {Sommer, Kim K. and Amr, Ali and Bavendiek, Udo and Beierle, Felix and Brunecker, Peter and Dathe, Henning and Eils, J{\"u}rgen and Ertl, Maximilian and Fette, Georg and Gietzelt, Matthias and Heidecker, Bettina and Hellenkamp, Kristian and Heuschmann, Peter and Hoos, Jennifer D. E. and Keszty{\"u}s, Tibor and Kerwagen, Fabian and Kindermann, Aljoscha and Krefting, Dagmar and Landmesser, Ulf and Marschollek, Michael and Meder, Benjamin and Merzweiler, Angela and Prasser, Fabian and Pryss, R{\"u}diger and Richter, Jendrik and Schneider, Philipp and St{\"o}rk, Stefan and Dieterich, Christoph},
  title     = {Structured, harmonized, and interoperable integration of clinical routine data to compute heart failure risk scores},
  series = {Life},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Life},
  number    = {5},
  issn      = {2075-1729},
  doi       = {10.3390/life12050749},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-275239},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Risk prediction in patients with heart failure (HF) is essential to improve the tailoring of preventive, diagnostic, and therapeutic strategies for the individual patient, and effectively use health care resources. Risk scores derived from controlled clinical studies can be used to calculate the risk of mortality and HF hospitalizations. However, these scores are poorly implemented into routine care, predominantly because their calculation requires considerable efforts in practice and necessary data often are not available in an interoperable format. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of a multi-site solution to derive and calculate two exemplary HF scores from clinical routine data (MAGGIC score with six continuous and eight categorical variables; Barcelona Bio-HF score with five continuous and six categorical variables). Within HiGHmed, a German Medical Informatics Initiative consortium, we implemented an interoperable solution, collecting a harmonized HF-phenotypic core data set (CDS) within the openEHR framework. Our approach minimizes the need for manual data entry by automatically retrieving data from primary systems. We show, across five participating medical centers, that the implemented structures to execute dedicated data queries, followed by harmonized data processing and score calculation, work well in practice. In summary, we demonstrated the feasibility of clinical routine data usage across multiple partner sites to compute HF risk scores. This solution can be extended to a large spectrum of applications in clinical care.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{HankirBruneauJr2022,
  author    = {Hankir, Mohammed Khair and Bruneau Jr., Michael},
  title     = {Periphery-brain interactions and leptin in the regulation of whole-body energy metabolism},
  series = {Nutrients},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Nutrients},
  number    = {8},
  issn      = {2072-6643},
  doi       = {10.3390/nu14081594},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270581},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {No abstract available},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{SuratMeyerSautterRueschetal.2022,
  author    = {Surat, G{\"u}zin and Meyer-Sautter, Pascal and R{\"u}sch, Jan and Braun-Feldweg, Johannes and Markus, Christian Karl and Germer, Christoph-Thomas and Lock, Johan Friso},
  title     = {Cefazolin might be adequate for perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in intra-abdominal infections without sepsis: a quality improvement study},
  series = {Antibiotics},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Antibiotics},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {2079-6382},
  doi       = {10.3390/antibiotics11040501},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-270816},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Background: The adequate choice of perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis (PAP) could influence the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) in general surgery. A new local PAP guideline was implemented in May 2017 and set the first-generation cefazolin (CFZ) instead the second-generation cefuroxime (CXM) as the new standard prophylactic antibiotic. The aim of this study was to compare the risk of SSIs after this implementation in intra-abdominal infections (IAIs) without sepsis. Methods: We performed a single center-quality improvement study at a 1500 bed sized university hospital in Germany analyzing patients after emergency surgery during 2016 to 2019 (n = 985), of which patients receiving CXM or CFZ were selected (n = 587). Propensity score matching was performed to ensure a comparable risk of SSIs in both groups. None-inferiority margin for SSIs was defined as 8\% vs. 4\%. Results: Two matched cohorts with respectively 196 patients were compared. The rate of SSIs was higher in the CFZ group (7.1\% vs. 3.6\%, p = 0.117) below the non-inferiority margin. The rate of other postoperative infections was significantly higher in the CFZ group (2.0\% vs. 8.7\%, p = 0.004). No other differences including postoperative morbidity, mortality or length-of-stay were observed. Conclusion: Perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis might be safely maintained by CFZ even in the treatment of intra-abdominal infections.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{PfenningKruegerJabeenetal.2022,
  author    = {Pfenning, Andreas and Kr{\"u}ger, Sebastian and Jabeen, Fauzia and Worschech, Lukas and Hartmann, Fabian and H{\"o}fling, Sven},
  title     = {Single-photon counting with semiconductor resonant tunneling devices},
  series = {Nanomaterials},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Nanomaterials},
  number    = {14},
  issn      = {2079-4991},
  doi       = {10.3390/nano12142358},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-281922},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Optical quantum information science and technologies require the capability to generate, control, and detect single or multiple quanta of light. The need to detect individual photons has motivated the development of a variety of novel and refined single-photon detectors (SPDs) with enhanced detector performance. Superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) and single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are the top-performer in this field, but alternative promising and innovative devices are emerging. In this review article, we discuss the current state-of-the-art of one such alternative device capable of single-photon counting: the resonant tunneling diode (RTD) single-photon detector. Due to their peculiar photodetection mechanism and current-voltage characteristic with a region of negative differential conductance, RTD single-photon detectors provide, theoretically, several advantages over conventional SPDs, such as an inherently deadtime-free photon-number resolution at elevated temperatures, while offering low dark counts, a low timing jitter, and multiple photon detection modes. This review article brings together our previous studies and current experimental results. We focus on the current limitations of RTD-SPDs and provide detailed design and parameter variations to be potentially employed in next-generation RTD-SPD to improve the figure of merits of these alternative single-photon counting devices. The single-photon detection capability of RTDs without quantum dots is shown.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BieniekSadeckaSzulakowskaetal.2022,
  author    = {Bieniek, Maciej and Sadecka, Katarzyna and Szulakowska, Ludmiła and Hawrylak, Paweł},
  title     = {Theory of excitons in atomically thin semiconductors: tight-binding approach},
  series = {Nanomaterials},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Nanomaterials},
  number    = {9},
  issn      = {2079-4991},
  doi       = {10.3390/nano12091582},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-275243},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Atomically thin semiconductors from the transition metal dichalcogenide family are materials in which the optical response is dominated by strongly bound excitonic complexes. Here, we present a theory of excitons in two-dimensional semiconductors using a tight-binding model of the electronic structure. In the first part, we review extensive literature on 2D van der Waals materials, with particular focus on their optical response from both experimental and theoretical points of view. In the second part, we discuss our ab initio calculations of the electronic structure of MoS\(_2\), representative of a wide class of materials, and review our minimal tight-binding model, which reproduces low-energy physics around the Fermi level and, at the same time, allows for the understanding of their electronic structure. Next, we describe how electron-hole pair excitations from the mean-field-level ground state are constructed. The electron-electron interactions mix the electron-hole pair excitations, resulting in excitonic wave functions and energies obtained by solving the Bethe-Salpeter equation. This is enabled by the efficient computation of the Coulomb matrix elements optimized for two-dimensional crystals. Next, we discuss non-local screening in various geometries usually used in experiments. We conclude with a discussion of the fine structure and excited excitonic spectra. In particular, we discuss the effect of band nesting on the exciton fine structure; Coulomb interactions; and the topology of the wave functions, screening and dielectric environment. Finally, we follow by adding another layer and discuss excitons in heterostructures built from two-dimensional semiconductors.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{RothmayrGuarinCastroHartmannetal.2022,
  author    = {Rothmayr, Florian and Guarin Castro, Edgar David and Hartmann, Fabian and Knebl, Georg and Schade, Anne and H{\"o}fling, Sven and Koeth, Johannes and Pfenning, Andreas and Worschech, Lukas and Lopez-Richard, Victor},
  title     = {Resonant tunneling diodes: mid-infrared sensing at room temperature},
  series = {Nanomaterials},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Nanomaterials},
  number    = {6},
  issn      = {2079-4991},
  doi       = {10.3390/nano12061024},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267152},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Resonant tunneling diode photodetectors appear to be promising architectures with a simple design for mid-infrared sensing operations at room temperature. We fabricated resonant tunneling devices with GaInAsSb absorbers that allow operation in the 2-4 μm range with significant electrical responsivity of 0.97 A/W at 2004 nm to optical readout. This paper characterizes the photosensor response contrasting different operational regimes and offering a comprehensive theoretical analysis of the main physical ingredients that rule the sensor functionalities and affect its performance. We demonstrate how the drift, accumulation, and escape efficiencies of photogenerated carriers influence the electrostatic modulation of the sensor's electrical response and how they allow controlling the device's sensing abilities.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{WangKarnatiMadhusudhan2022,
  author    = {Wang, Hongjie and Karnati, Srikanth and Madhusudhan, Thati},
  title     = {Regulation of the homeostatic unfolded protein response in diabetic nephropathy},
  series = {Pharmaceuticals},
  volume    = {15},
  journal   = {Pharmaceuticals},
  number    = {4},
  issn      = {1424-8247},
  doi       = {10.3390/ph15040401},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-267143},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {A growing body of scientific evidence indicates that protein homeostasis, also designated as proteostasis, is causatively linked to chronic diabetic nephropathy (DN). Experimental studies have demonstrated that the insulin signaling in podocytes maintain the homeostatic unfolded protein response (UPR). Insulin signaling via the insulin receptor non-canonically activates the spliced X-box binding protein-1 (sXBP1), a highly conserved endoplasmic reticulum (ER) transcription factor, which regulates the expression of genes that control proteostasis. Defective insulin signaling in mouse models of diabetes or the genetic disruption of the insulin signaling pathway in podocytes propagates hyperglycemia induced maladaptive UPR and DN. Insulin resistance in podocytes specifically promotes activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) dependent pathogenic UPR. Akin to insulin, recent studies have identified that the cytoprotective effect of anticoagulant serine protease-activated protein C (aPC) in DN is mediated by sXBP1. In mouse models of DN, treatment with chemical chaperones that improve protein folding provides an additional benefit on top of currently used ACE inhibitors. Understanding the molecular mechanisms that transmute renal cell specific adaptive responses and that deteriorate renal function in diabetes will enable researchers to develop new therapeutic regimens for DN. Within this review, we focus on the current understanding of homeostatic mechanisms by which UPR is regulated in DN.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{TucaBernardellideMattosFunketal.2022,
  author    = {Tuca, Alexandru-Cristian and Bernardelli de Mattos, Ives and Funk, Martin and Winter, Raimund and Palackic, Alen and Groeber-Becker, Florian and Kruse, Daniel and Kukla, Fabian and Lemarchand, Thomas and Kamolz, Lars-Peter},
  title     = {Orchestrating the dermal/epidermal tissue ratio during wound healing by controlling the moisture content},
  series = {Biomedicines},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {Biomedicines},
  number    = {6},
  issn      = {2227-9059},
  doi       = {10.3390/biomedicines10061286},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-275115},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {A balanced and moist wound environment and surface increases the effect of various growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines, stimulating cell growth and wound healing. Considering this fact, we tested in vitro and in vivo water evaporation rates from the cellulose dressing epicite\(^{hydro}\) when combined with different secondary dressings as well as the resulting wound healing efficacy in a porcine donor site model. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the different rates of water evaporation affected wound healing efficacy. To this end, epicite\(^{hydro}\) primary dressing, in combination with different secondary dressing materials (cotton gauze, JELONET\(^◊\), AQUACEL\(^®\) Extra\(^™\), and OPSITE\(^◊\) Flexifix), was placed on 3 × 3 cm-sized dermatome wounds with a depth of 1.2 mm on the flanks of domestic pigs. The healing process was analyzed histologically and quantified by morphometry. High water evaporation rates by using the correct secondary dressing, such as cotton gauze, favored a better re-epithelialization in comparison with the low water evaporation resulting from an occlusive secondary dressing, which favored the formation of a new and intact dermal tissue that nearly fully replaced all the dermis that was removed during wounding. This newly available evidence may be of great benefit to clinical wound management.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{UllherrDiezZabler2022,
  author    = {Ullherr, Maximilian and Diez, Matthias and Zabler, Simon},
  title     = {Robust image reconstruction strategy for multiscalar holotomography},
  series = {Journal of Imaging},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Journal of Imaging},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2313-433X},
  doi       = {10.3390/jimaging8020037},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262112},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Holotomography is an extension of computed tomography where samples with low X-ray absorption can be investigated with higher contrast. In order to achieve this, the imaging system must yield an optical resolution of a few micrometers or less, which reduces the measurement area (field of view = FOV) to a few mm at most. If the sample size, however, exceeds the field of view (called local tomography or region of interest = ROI CT), filter problems arise during the CT reconstruction and phase retrieval in holotomography. In this paper, we will first investigate the practical impact of these filter problems and discuss approximate solutions. Secondly, we will investigate the effectiveness of a technique we call "multiscalar holotomography", where, in addition to the ROI CT, a lower resolution non-ROI CT measurement is recorded. This is used to avoid the filter problems while simultaneously reconstructing a larger part of the sample, albeit with a lower resolution in the additional area.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ZoranSeelbinderWhiteetal.2022,
  author    = {Zoran, Tamara and Seelbinder, Bastian and White, Philip Lewis and Price, Jessica Sarah and Kraus, Sabrina and Kurzai, Oliver and Linde, Joerg and H{\"a}der, Antje and Loeffler, Claudia and Grigoleit, Goetz Ulrich and Einsele, Hermann and Panagiotou, Gianni and Loeffler, Juergen and Sch{\"a}uble, Sascha},
  title     = {Molecular profiling reveals characteristic and decisive signatures in patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation suffering from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis},
  series = {Journal of Fungi},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {Journal of Fungi},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2309-608X},
  doi       = {10.3390/jof8020171},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262105},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Despite available diagnostic tests and recent advances, diagnosis of pulmonary invasive aspergillosis (IPA) remains challenging. We performed a longitudinal case-control pilot study to identify host-specific, novel, and immune-relevant molecular candidates indicating IPA in patients post allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Supported by differential gene expression analysis of six relevant in vitro studies, we conducted RNA sequencing of three alloSCT patients categorized as probable IPA cases and their matched controls without Aspergillus infection (66 samples in total). We additionally performed immunoassay analysis for all patient samples to gain a multi-omics perspective. Profiling analysis suggested LGALS2, MMP1, IL-8, and caspase-3 as potential host molecular candidates indicating IPA in investigated alloSCT patients. MMP1, IL-8, and caspase-3 were evaluated further in alloSCT patients for their potential to differentiate possible IPA cases and patients suffering from COVID-19-associated pulmonary aspergillosis (CAPA) and appropriate control patients. Possible IPA cases showed differences in IL-8 and caspase-3 serum levels compared with matched controls. Furthermore, we observed significant differences in IL-8 and caspase-3 levels among CAPA patients compared with control patients. With our conceptual work, we demonstrate the potential value of considering the human immune response during Aspergillus infection to identify immune-relevant molecular candidates indicating IPA in alloSCT patients. These human host candidates together with already established fungal biomarkers might improve the accuracy of IPA diagnostic tools.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{FiedlerHeyneBogner2022,
  author    = {Fiedler, Sonja T. and Heyne, Thomas and Bogner, Franz X.},
  title     = {Closing the gap: potentials of ESE distance teaching},
  series = {Sustainability},
  volume    = {14},
  journal   = {Sustainability},
  number    = {14},
  issn      = {2071-1050},
  doi       = {10.3390/su14148330},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-281893},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Environmental and sustainability education (ESE) traditionally relies on green teaching environments and active participation. Thus, during the lockdown phase, a gap between curricular goals and learning outcomes appeared. This study investigates the impact of ESE distance teaching on 288 Bavarian fifth-graders and learning factors that could bridge this gap. The influence of digital preferences on learning progress is examined and compared with the influence of fascination levels. A negative correlation between spending time outside in nature and spending time inside in front of a digital device is expected. A control group completed a learning unit about biological topics such as plant identification and environmental factors, as well as ESE topics such as characteristics of sustainable agriculture, at an out-of-school ESE center. The experimental group completed the same learning unit in distance teaching. Fascination with Biology (FBio) and Digital Nativity Assessment Scale (DNAS) were applied in addition to a customized knowledge test. Both values seem to have a positive impact on learning outcomes. There were no significant differences between the control and experimental group. Surprisingly, Fascination and Digital Nativity show a low, if not negligible, relationship. Implications for digital ESE, especially between outdoor learning centers and schools, are discussed.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{NedopilDhaliwalHowelletal.2022,
  author    = {Nedopil, Alexander J. and Dhaliwal, Anand and Howell, Stephen M. and Hull, Maury L.},
  title     = {A surgeon that switched to unrestricted kinematic alignment with manual instruments has a short learning curve and comparable resection accuracy and outcomes to those of an experienced surgeon},
  series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  number    = {7},
  issn      = {2075-4426},
  doi       = {10.3390/jpm12071152},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-281842},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {After starting an orthopedic practice, a surgeon with a fellowship in mechanically aligned (MA) TKA initiated this study to characterize their learning curve after they switched to unrestricted kinematic alignment (KA) TKA using manual instruments. Accordingly, the present study determined for the inexperienced (IE) surgeon the number of cases required to achieve consistent femoral resections and operating times, and whether the femoral resection accuracy, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), and component alignment were different from an experienced (E) surgeon. This prospective cohort study analyzed the IE surgeon's first 30 TKAs, all performed with KA, and 30 consecutive KA TKAs performed by an E surgeon. The resection accuracy or deviation was the calipered thickness of the distal and posterior medial and lateral femoral resections minus the planned resection thickness, which was the thickness of the corresponding condyle of the femoral component, minus 2 mm for cartilage wear, and 1 mm for the kerf of the blade. Independent observers recorded the femoral resection thickness, operative times, PROMs, and alignment. For each femoral resection, the deviation between three groups of patients containing ten consecutive KA TKAs, was either insignificant (p = 0.695 to 1.000) or within the 0.5 mm resolution of the caliper, which indicated no learning curve. More than three groups were needed to determine the learning curve for the operative time; however, the IE surgeon's procedure dropped to 77 min for the last 10 patients, which was 20 min longer than the E surgeon. The resection deviations of the IE and E surgeon were comparable, except for the posterolateral femoral resection, which the IE surgeon under-resected by a mean of -0.8 mm (p < 0.0001). At a mean follow-up of 9 and 17 months, the Forgotten Joint Score, Oxford Knee Score, KOOS, and the alignment of the components and limbs were not different between the IE and E surgeon (p ≥ 0.6994). A surgeon that switches to unrestricted KA with manual instruments can determine their learning curve by computing the deviation of the distal and posterior femoral resections from the planned resection. Based on the present study, an IE surgeon could have resection accuracy, post-operative patient outcomes, and component alignment comparable to an E surgeon.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{Trivanović2022,
  author    = {Trivanović, Drenka},
  title     = {Adult stem cells in aging},
  series = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  volume    = {12},
  journal   = {Journal of Personalized Medicine},
  number    = {5},
  issn      = {2075-4426},
  doi       = {10.3390/jpm12050795},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-275226},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {No abstract available},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KleemannZamoraVillacisChiluisaetal.2022,
  author    = {Kleemann, Janina and Zamora, Camilo and Villacis-Chiluisa, Alexandra Belen and Cuenca, Pablo and Koo, Hongmi and Noh, Jin Kyoung and F{\"u}rst, Christine and Thiel, Michael},
  title     = {Deforestation in continental Ecuador with a focus on protected areas},
  series = {Land},
  volume    = {11},
  journal   = {Land},
  number    = {2},
  issn      = {2073-445X},
  doi       = {10.3390/land11020268},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-262078},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Forest conservation is of particular concern in tropical regions where a large refuge of biodiversity is still existing. These areas are threatened by deforestation, forest degradation and fragmentation. Especially, pressures of anthropogenic activities adjacent to these areas significantly influence conservation effectiveness. Ecuador was chosen as study area since it is a globally relevant center of forest ecosystems and biodiversity. We identified hotspots of deforestation on the national level of continental Ecuador between 1990 and 2018, analyzed the most significant drivers of deforestation on national and biome level (the Coast, the Andes, The Amazon) as well as inside protected areas in Ecuador by using multiple regression analysis. We separated the national system of protected areas (SNAP) into higher and lower protection levels. Besides SNAP, we also considered Biosphere Reserves (BRs) and Ramsar sites. In addition, we investigated the rates and spatial patterns of deforestation in protected areas and buffer zones (5 km and 10 km outwards the protected area boundaries) using landscape metrics. Between 1990 and 2018, approximately 4\% of the accumulated deforestation occurred within the boundaries of SNAP, and up to 25.5\% in buffer zones. The highest rates of deforestation have been found in the 5 km buffer zone around the protected areas with the highest protection level. Protected areas and their buffer zones with higher protection status were identified as the most deforested areas among SNAP. BRs had the highest deforestation rates among all protected areas but most of these areas just became BRs after the year 2000. The most important driver of deforestation is agriculture. Other relevant drivers differ between the biomes. The results suggest that the SNAP is generally effective to prevent deforestation within their protection boundaries. However, deforestation around protected areas can undermine conservation strategies to sustain biodiversity. Actions to address such dynamics and patterns of deforestation and forest fragmentation, and developing conservation strategies of their landscape context are urgently needed especially in the buffer zones of areas with the highest protection status.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{JirůHillmannGabrielSchuleretal.2022,
  author    = {J{\´i}rů-Hillmann, Steffi and Gabriel, Katharina M. A. and Schuler, Michael and Wiedmann, Silke and M{\"u}hler, Johannes and D{\"o}tter, Klaus and Soda, Hassan and Rascher, Alexandra and Benesch, Sonka and Kraft, Peter and Pfau, Mathias and Stenzel, Joachim and von Nippold, Karin and Benghebrid, Mohamed and Schulte, Kerstin and Meinck, Ralf and Volkmann, Jens and Haeusler, Karl Georg and Heuschmann, Peter U.},
  title     = {Experiences of family caregivers 3-months after stroke: results of the prospective trans-regional network for stroke intervention with telemedicine registry (TRANSIT-Stroke)},
  series = {BMC Geriatrics},
  volume    = {22},
  journal   = {BMC Geriatrics},
  doi       = {10.1186/s12877-022-02919-6},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313330},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Background Long-term support of stroke patients living at home is often delivered by family caregivers (FC). We identified characteristics of stroke patients being associated with receiving care by a FC 3-months (3 M) after stroke, assessed positive and negative experiences and individual burden of FC caring for stroke patients and determined factors associated with caregiving experiences and burden of FC 3 M after stroke. Methods Data were collected within TRANSIT-Stroke, a regional telemedical stroke-network comprising 12 hospitals in Germany. Patients with stroke/TIA providing informed consent were followed up 3 M after the index event. The postal patient-questionnaire was accompanied by an anonymous questionnaire for FC comprising information on positive and negative experiences of FC as well as on burden of caregiving operationalized by the Caregiver Reaction Assessment and a self-rated burden-scale, respectively. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses were performed. Results Between 01/2016 and 06/2019, 3532 patients provided baseline and 3 M-follow-up- data and 1044 FC responded to questionnaires regarding positive and negative caregiving experiences and caregiving burden. 74.4\% of FC were older than 55 years, 70.1\% were women and 67.5\% were spouses. Older age, diabetes and lower Barthel-Index in patients were significantly associated with a higher probability of receiving care by a FC at 3 M. Positive experiences of FC comprised the importance (81.5\%) and the privilege (70.0\%) of caring for their relative; negative experiences of FC included financial difficulties associated with caregiving (20.4\%). Median overall self-rated burden was 30 (IQR: 0-50; range 0-100). Older age of stroke patients was associated with a lower caregiver burden, whereas younger age of FC led to higher burden. More than half of the stroke patients in whom a FC questionnaire was completed did self-report that they are not being cared by a FC. This stroke patient group tended to be younger, more often male with less severe stroke and less comorbidities who lived more often with a partner. Conclusions The majority of caregivers wanted to care for their relatives but experienced burden at the same time. Elderly patients, patients with a lower Barthel Index at discharge and diabetes are at higher risk of needing care by a family caregiver. Trial registration The study was registered at "German Clinical Trial Register": DRKS00011696. https://www.drks.de/drks_web/navigate.do?navigationId=trial.HTML\&TRIAL_ID=DRKS00011696},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BadrMcFlederWuetal.2022,
  author    = {Badr, Mohammad and McFleder, Rhonda L. and Wu, Jingjing and Knorr, Susanne and Koprich, James B. and H{\"u}nig, Thomas and Brotchie, Jonathan M. and Volkmann, Jens and Lutz, Manfred B. and Ip, Chi Wang},
  title     = {Expansion of regulatory T cells by CD28 superagonistic antibodies attenuates neurodegeneration in A53T-α-synuclein Parkinson's disease mice},
  series = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
  volume    = {19},
  journal   = {Journal of Neuroinflammation},
  doi       = {10.1186/s12974-022-02685-7},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-300580},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Background Regulatory CD4\(^+\)CD25\(^+\)FoxP3\(^+\) T cells (Treg) are a subgroup of T lymphocytes involved in maintaining immune balance. Disturbance of Treg number and impaired suppressive function of Treg correlate with Parkinson's disease severity. Superagonistic anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies (CD28SA) activate Treg and cause their expansion to create an anti-inflammatory environment. Methods Using the AAV1/2-A53T-α-synuclein Parkinson's disease mouse model that overexpresses the pathogenic human A53T-α-synuclein (hαSyn) variant in dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, we assessed the neuroprotective and disease-modifying efficacy of a single intraperitoneal dose of CD28SA given at an early disease stage. Results CD28SA led to Treg expansion 3 days after delivery in hαSyn Parkinson's disease mice. At this timepoint, an early pro-inflammation was observed in vehicle-treated hαSyn Parkinson's disease mice with elevated percentages of CD8\(^+\)CD69\(^+\) T cells in brain and increased levels of interleukin-2 (IL-2) in the cervical lymph nodes and spleen. These immune responses were suppressed in CD28SA-treated hαSyn Parkinson's disease mice. Early treatment with CD28SA attenuated dopaminergic neurodegeneration in the SN of hαSyn Parkinson's disease mice accompanied with reduced brain numbers of activated CD4\(^+\), CD8\(^+\) T cells and CD11b\(^+\) microglia observed at the late disease-stage 10 weeks after AAV injection. In contrast, a later treatment 4 weeks after AAV delivery failed to reduce dopaminergic neurodegeneration. Conclusions Our data indicate that immune modulation by Treg expansion at a timepoint of overt inflammation is effective for treatment of hαSyn Parkinson's disease mice and suggest that the concept of early immune therapy could pose a disease-modifying option for Parkinson's disease patients.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{BrandTroyaKrenzeretal.2022,
  author    = {Brand, Markus and Troya, Joel and Krenzer, Adrian and Saßmannshausen, Zita and Zoller, Wolfram G. and Meining, Alexander and Lux, Thomas J. and Hann, Alexander},
  title     = {Development and evaluation of a deep learning model to improve the usability of polyp detection systems during interventions},
  series = {United European Gastroenterology Journal},
  volume    = {10},
  journal   = {United European Gastroenterology Journal},
  number    = {5},
  doi       = {10.1002/ueg2.12235},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-312708},
  pages     = {477-484},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Background The efficiency of artificial intelligence as computer-aided detection (CADe) systems for colorectal polyps has been demonstrated in several randomized trials. However, CADe systems generate many distracting detections, especially during interventions such as polypectomies. Those distracting CADe detections are often induced by the introduction of snares or biopsy forceps as the systems have not been trained for such situations. In addition, there are a significant number of non-false but not relevant detections, since the polyp has already been previously detected. All these detections have the potential to disturb the examiner's work. Objectives Development and evaluation of a convolutional neuronal network that recognizes instruments in the endoscopic image, suppresses distracting CADe detections, and reliably detects endoscopic interventions. Methods A total of 580 different examination videos from 9 different centers using 4 different processor types were screened for instruments and represented the training dataset (519,856 images in total, 144,217 contained a visible instrument). The test dataset included 10 full-colonoscopy videos that were analyzed for the recognition of visible instruments and detections by a commercially available CADe system (GI Genius, Medtronic). Results The test dataset contained 153,623 images, 8.84\% of those presented visible instruments (12 interventions, 19 instruments used). The convolutional neuronal network reached an overall accuracy in the detection of visible instruments of 98.59\%. Sensitivity and specificity were 98.55\% and 98.92\%, respectively. A mean of 462.8 frames containing distracting CADe detections per colonoscopy were avoided using the convolutional neuronal network. This accounted for 95.6\% of all distracting CADe detections. Conclusions Detection of endoscopic instruments in colonoscopy using artificial intelligence technology is reliable and achieves high sensitivity and specificity. Accordingly, the new convolutional neuronal network could be used to reduce distracting CADe detections during endoscopic procedures. Thus, our study demonstrates the great potential of artificial intelligence technology beyond mucosal assessment.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{KieselBeyersKaliszetal.2022,
  author    = {Kiesel, Matthias and Beyers, Inga and Kalisz, Adam and Joukhadar, Ralf and W{\"o}ckel, Achim and Herbert, Saskia-Laureen and Curtaz, Carolin and Wulff, Christine},
  title     = {A 3D printed model of the female pelvis for practical education of gynecological pelvic examination},
  series = {3D Printing in Medicine},
  volume    = {8},
  journal   = {3D Printing in Medicine},
  doi       = {10.1186/s41205-022-00139-7},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313347},
  year      = {2022},
  abstract  = {Background Pelvic palpation is a core component of every Gynecologic examination. It requires vigorous training, which is difficult due to its intimate nature, leading to a need of simulation. Up until now, there are mainly models available for mere palpation which do not offer adequate visualization of the concerning anatomical structures. In this study we present a 3D printed model of the female pelvis. It can improve both the practical teaching of gynecological pelvic examination for health care professionals and the spatial understanding of the relevant anatomy. Methods We developed a virtual, simplified model showing selected parts of the female pelvis. 3D printing was used to create a physical model. Results The life-size 3D printed model has the ability of being physically assembled step by step by its users. Consequently, it improves teaching especially when combining it with commercial phantoms, which are built solely for palpation training. This is achieved by correlating haptic and visual sensations with the resulting feedback received. Conclusion The presented 3D printed model of the female pelvis can be of aid for visualizing and teaching pelvic anatomy and examination to medical staff. 3D printing provides the possibility of creating, multiplying, adapting and sharing such data worldwide with little investment of resources. Thus, an important contribution to the international medical community can be made for training this challenging examination.},
  language  = {en}
}