@phdthesis{Banaschewski2024, author = {Banaschewski, Nora Malaika Marcia Cath{\´e}rine}, title = {Erleichterungslernen bei Jugendlichen mit nicht-suizidalem selbstverletzendem Verhalten}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32367}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-323673}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Die Erleichterung von einem k{\"o}rperlichen Schmerzreiz besitzt appetitiven Charakter (Leknes et al., 2008; 2011; Seymour et al., 2005), aktiviert belohnungsassoziierte Hirnstrukturen (Leknes et al., 2011; Leknes \& Brock, 2014; Leknes \& Tracey, 2008; Navratilova \& Porreca, 2014) und f{\"o}rdert durch ihre Konditionierbarkeit als Erleichterungslernen bezeichnete appetitive Lern- und Konditionierungsprozesse (Andreatta et al., 2010, 2012; 2013; 2017; Gerber et al., 2014; Tanimoto et al., 2004; Yarali et al., 2008). Die vorliegende Arbeit best{\"a}tigt das angewandte Versuchsparadigma als valides Modell f{\"u}r Erleichterungslernen im Menschen und zeigt erstmals, dass der appetitive Charakter von Schmerzerleichterung auch in Jugendlichen konditionierbar ist. Erfolgreiches Erleichterungslernen zeigte sich dabei in der untersuchten Stichprobe lediglich auf impliziter, nicht aber auf expliziter, kognitiver Ebene. Dies st{\"u}tzt Thesen und vorherige Forschungsbefunde einer Dualit{\"a}t assoziativen Lernens in ein implizites Lernen, welches vornehmlich subkortikale Strukturen erfordert und ein explizites Lernen, das vorrangig kortikale Strukturen wie den pr{\"a}frontalen Cortex involviert (Andreatta et al., 2010; Strack \& Deutsch, 2004; Williams et al., 2001). Die Beobachtungen einer differenten Furcht- versus Erleichterungs-Extinktion best{\"a}rken die Thesen eines diversen neuronalen Hintergrunds dieser beiden Lernformen (Diegelmann et al., 2013; Gerber et al., 2014; Yarali et al., 2009; Yarali \& Gerber, 2010). Gleichzeitig werfen die Studienergebnisse die Frage auf, ob und inwiefern im Erleichterungslernen von Jugendlichen Unterschiede zu jenem in Erwachsenen bestehen. Die Hypothese einer verst{\"a}rkten Akquisition von Erleichterungslernen bei Jugendlichen mit NSSV im Vergleich zu gesunden Jugendlichen ließ sich in der vorliegenden Studie nicht best{\"a}tigen. Somit liefern die Ergebnisse keinen direkten Hinweis darauf, dass ein verst{\"a}rktes Lernen durch Schmerzerleichterung an der {\"A}tiopathogenese von NSSV beteiligt sein k{\"o}nnte. Die vorliegende Arbeit zeigte vielmehr die Tendenz eines abgeschw{\"a}chten impliziten Erleichterungslernens bei den Jugendlichen mit NSSV. Die tendenziellen Gruppenunterschiede ließen sich nicht hinreichend durch eine differente aktuelle Stimmungslage oder durch eine unterschiedlich starke Auspr{\"a}gung aversiver emotionaler Anspannungen oder momentaner Angstaffekte erkl{\"a}ren. Innerhalb der Gruppe Jugendlicher mit NSSV zeigte sich auch kein Hinweis darauf, dass der Erfolg von Erleichterungslernen vom Schweregrad des NSSV oder von der aktuellen Einnahme von Antidepressiva abh{\"a}ngig sein k{\"o}nnte. Explorative Analysen ergaben, dass Gruppeneffekte in der vorliegenden Studie wom{\"o}glich aufgrund einer statistischen Untersch{\"a}tzung, bedingt durch einen zu geringen Stichprobenumfang, nicht das Signifikanzniveau erreichten und dass Unterschiede im Erleichterungslernen von Jugendlichen mit und ohne NSSV tats{\"a}chlich sogar noch st{\"a}rker ausgepr{\"a}gt sein k{\"o}nnten. Somit sollte die vorliegende Arbeit als Pilotstudie f{\"u}r zuk{\"u}nftige gr{\"o}ßer angelegte Studien zu Erleichterungslernen bei NSSV betrachtet werden. Zuk{\"u}nftige Studien erscheinen insbesondere sinnvoll mit Blick auf die hohe klinische sowie gesellschaftliche Relevanz von NSSV f{\"u}r welches, trotz der hohen Pr{\"a}valenzen und des deutlich erh{\"o}hten Morbidit{\"a}ts- und Mortalit{\"a}tsrisikos, zum aktuellen Zeitpunkt noch keine hinreichenden Erkl{\"a}rungsmodelle bestehen. Die Studie best{\"a}tigte das Vorliegen eines erh{\"o}hten Grades aversiver emotionaler Anspannung in Jugendlichen mit NSSV, welcher zuvor nur an Erwachsenen mit einer BPD untersucht und festgestellt worden war (Niedtfeld et al., 2010; Stiglmayr et al., 2005). Die Abnahme negativer Affekte bei den Jugendlichen mit NSSV im Studienverlauf repliziert die Ergebnisse vorheriger Studien, in denen eine Reduktion selbst-berichteter negativer Affekte durch die Beendigung eines Schmerzreizes beobachtet wurde (Bresin et al., 2010; Bresin \& Gordon, 2013). Damit best{\"a}rken die Studienergebnisse bestehende Erkl{\"a}rungsmodelle f{\"u}r NSSV, welche eine entscheidende Beteiligung der k{\"o}rperlichen Schmerzen und der Schmerzerleichterung bei der Selbstverletzung an der Affektregulation vermuten. Weiterhin wirft die vorliegende Arbeit die Frage auf, welche Rolle eine ver{\"a}nderte Wahrnehmung von Schmerz und Schmerzerleichterung in der {\"A}tiopathogenese von NSSV einnimmt und wie diese sich auf Lernprozesse auswirkt. Insgesamt erbr{\"a}chten weitere Erkenntnisse {\"u}ber den potenziellen Zusammenhang von NSSV und abweichendem Erleichterungslernen ein besseres Verst{\"a}ndnis f{\"u}r Mechanismen der Entstehung und Aufrechterhaltung von NSSV und b{\"o}ten zudem m{\"o}glicherweise Ans{\"a}tze f{\"u}r neue Therapiem{\"o}glichkeiten des St{\"o}rungsbildes.}, subject = {Selbstbesch{\"a}digung}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Kawan2024, author = {Kawan, Mona}, title = {The membrane trafficking protein myoferlin is a novel interactor of p97}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-28121}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-281218}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {p97 uses the energy of ATP hydrolysis to unfold and thereby segregate proteins. It is involved in various cellular processes such as proteasomal degradation, DNA damage repair, autophagy, and endo-lysosomal trafficking. The specificity for these processes is controlled by more than 30 regulatory cofactors. Interactions of p97 with cofactors and target proteins are known to be highly dynamic and transient. To identify new interaction partners and to uncover novel cellular functions of p97, the interactome of endogenous p97 was determined by using in cellulo crosslinking followed by immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry. Myoferlin (MYOF) was identified as a novel interactor of p97 and the interaction was validated in reciprocal immunoprecipitation experiments for different cell lines. The ferlin family member MYOF is a tail-anchored membrane protein containing multiple C2 domains. MYOF is involved in various membrane repair and trafficking processes such as the endocytic recycling of cell surface receptors. The MYOF interactome was determined by mass spectrometry. Among others, the p97 cofactor PLAA, CD71 and Rab14 were identified as common interactors of p97 and MYOF. Immunoprecipitation experiments with PLAA KO cells revealed that the interaction between MYOF and p97 depends on PLAA. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed a co-localization of MYOF with Rab14 and Rab11, which are both involved in endocytic recycling pathways. Furthermore, immunofluoroscence experiments revealed that MYOF and the p97 cofactor PLAA are localized to Rab14- and Rab5-positive endosomal compartments. Using p97 inhibitors and p97 trapping mutants, the presence of p97 at MYOF-positive and Rab14-positive structures could be demonstrated. Consistent with this finding, the endocytic recycling of transferrin was delayed upon inhibition of p97. Taken together, this work identified MYOF as a novel interactor of p97 and suggests a role for p97 in the recycling of endocytic cargo.}, subject = {Endosom}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Wanner2024, author = {Wanner, Maren}, title = {L{\"a}ngsschnittanalyse von Stimmparametern bei gesunden S{\"a}uglingen im zweiten Lebenshalbjahr}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-37096}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-370962}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde die Melodiestrukturentwicklung im zweiten Lebenshalbjahr, exemplarisch an zehn gesunden S{\"a}uglingen mit deutscher Umgebungssprache, untersucht. Zusammen mit den zuvor erhobenen und vorliegenden Ergebnissen der ersten sechs Lebensmonate (Kottmann, 2023) war erstmalig eine systematische L{\"a}ngsschnittanalyse {\"u}ber das gesamte erste Lebensjahr m{\"o}glich. Mithilfe des Lautanalyseprogramms CDAP wurden f{\"u}r die vorliegende Arbeit 4686 fr{\"u}hkindliche Lautaufahmen bez{\"u}glich ihres Melodiekonturverlaufs sowie ihrer auditiv und visuell wahrnehmbaren Feinstrukturmerkmale detailliert analysiert und ausgewertet. Der Datensatz spiegelt repr{\"a}sentativ das typische Lautrepertoire von S{\"a}uglingen im zweiten Lebenshalbjahr mit den hier untersuchten Komfort-Vokalisationstypen wider: {\"U}bergangslaute, marginale und kanonische Babbellaute. In {\"U}bereinstimmung mit dem von Wermke und Mende postulierten MD-Modell, das eine vokalisationstyp-{\"u}bergreifende Komplexit{\"a}tszunahme fr{\"u}hkindlicher Laut{\"a}ußerungen beschreibt, konnten erstmals die regelhaften Entwicklungsverl{\"a}ufe im zweiten Lebenshalbjahr gezeigt und ausf{\"u}hrlich benannt werden. Dabei scheint die Zunahme der Komplexit{\"a}t vor allem im Zusammenhang mit artikulatorischen Reifeprozessen zu stehen. In der Melodie selbst fiel diesbez{\"u}glich vor allem der Einbau von Segmentierungen auf. Diese innermelodischen Unterbrechungen k{\"o}nnen wiederum als Vorl{\"a}ufer linguistischer Strukturen, wie beispielsweise Silben, angesehen werden. Der {\"U}bergang von einfachen zu fortgeschritteneren Vokalisationen, bis hin zu den ersten W{\"o}rtern, ist fließend. Zuk{\"u}nftig w{\"a}re f{\"u}r weitere empirische Untersuchungen interessant, inwiefern sich der Grundfrequenzverlauf zunehmend zur suprasegmentalen Intonationskurve entwickelt, was sich bereits in den durchgef{\"u}hrten Analysen angedeutet hat. Die kontinuierlich wachsende Kontrolle des S{\"a}uglings {\"u}ber den Vokaltrakt mit zunehmend gezielter Reproduktion erlernter Lautstrukturen wird durch die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Arbeit belegt. Sie liefert einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Verst{\"a}ndnis der Sprachentwicklung von S{\"a}uglingen und erm{\"o}glicht durch die Erkenntnisse der physiologisch ablaufenden Prozesse eine vorsprachliche Diagnostik, eine fr{\"u}hzeitige Intervention und F{\"o}rderung der Sprache. Vor allem der Beginn des Babbelns scheint hierbei eine wichtige Evaluationsgr{\"o}ße zu sein.}, subject = {Sprachentwicklung}, language = {de} } @techreport{BolzNaumannRichter2024, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Bolz, Simon J. and Naumann, Fabrice and Richter, Philipp M.}, title = {Unilateral Environmental Policy and Offshoring}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-35903}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-359033}, pages = {66}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Expanding on a general equilibrium model of offshoring, we analyze the effects of a unilateral emissions tax increase on the environment, income, and inequality. Heterogeneous firms allocate labor across production tasks and emissions abatement, while only the most productive can benefit from lower labor and/or emissions costs abroad and offshore. We find a non-monotonic effect on global emissions, which decline if the initial difference in emissions taxes is small. For a sufficiently large difference, global emissions rise, implying emissions leakage of more than 100\%. The underlying driver is a global technique effect: While the emissions intensity of incumbent non-offshoring firms declines, the cleanest firms start offshoring. Moreover, offshoring firms become dirtier, induced by a reduction in the foreign effective emissions tax in general equilibrium. Implementing a BCA prevents emissions leakage, reduces income inequality in the reforming country, but raises inequality across countries.}, subject = {Umweltpolitik}, language = {en} } @article{MuehlemannZdziebloFriedrichetal.2018, author = {M{\"u}hlemann, Markus and Zdzieblo, Daniela and Friedrich, Alexandra and Berger, Constantin and Otto, Christoph and Walles, Heike and Koepsell, Hermann and Metzger, Marco}, title = {Altered pancreatic islet morphology and function in SGLT1 knockout mice on a glucose-deficient, fat-enriched diet}, series = {Molecular Metabolism}, volume = {13}, journal = {Molecular Metabolism}, doi = {10.1016/j.molmet.2018.05.011}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-224230}, pages = {67-76}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Objectives Glycemic control by medical treatment represents one therapeutic strategy for diabetic patients. The Na+-d-glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1) is currently of high interest in this context. SGLT1 is known to mediate glucose absorption and incretin secretion in the small intestine. Recently, inhibition of SGLT1 function was shown to improve postprandial hyperglycemia. In view of the lately demonstrated SGLT1 expression in pancreatic islets, we investigated if loss of SGLT1 affects islet morphology and function. Methods Effects associated with the loss of SGLT1 on pancreatic islet (cyto) morphology and function were investigated by analyzing islets of a SGLT1 knockout mouse model, that were fed a glucose-deficient, fat-enriched diet (SGLT1-/--GDFE) to circumvent the glucose-galactose malabsorption syndrome. To distinguish diet- and Sglt1-/--dependent effects, wildtype mice on either standard chow (WT-SC) or the glucose-free, fat-enriched diet (WT-GDFE) were used as controls. Feeding a glucose-deficient, fat-enriched diet further required the analysis of intestinal SGLT1 expression and function under diet-conditions. Results Consistent with literature, our data provide evidence that small intestinal SGLT1 mRNA expression and function is regulated by nutrition. In contrast, pancreatic SGLT1 mRNA levels were not affected by the applied diet, suggesting different regulatory mechanisms for SGLT1 in diverse tissues. Morphological changes such as increased islet sizes and cell numbers associated with changes in proliferation and apoptosis and alterations of the β- and α-cell population are specifically observed for pancreatic islets of SGLT1-/--GDFE mice. Glucose stimulation revealed no insulin response in SGLT1-/--GDFE mice while WT-GDFE mice displayed only a minor increase of blood insulin. Irregular glucagon responses were observed for both, SGLT1-/--GDFE and WT-GDFE mice. Further, both animal groups showed a sustained release of GLP-1 compared to WT-SC controls. Conclusion Loss or impairment of SGLT1 results in abnormal pancreatic islet (cyto)morphology and disturbed islet function regarding the insulin or glucagon release capacity from β- or α-cells, respectively. Consequently, our findings propose a new, additional role for SGLT1 maintaining proper islet structure and function.}, language = {en} } @article{HaukeHorvathGrossetal.2018, author = {Hauke, Jan and Horvath, Judit and Groß, Eva and Gehrig, Andrea and Honisch, Ellen and Hackmann, Karl and Schmidt, Gunnar and Arnold, Norbert and Faust, Ulrike and Sutter, Christian and Hentschel, Julia and Wang-Gohrke, Shan and Smogavec, Mateja and Weber, Bernhard H. F. and Weber-Lassalle, Nana and Weber-Lassalle, Konstantin and Borde, Julika and Ernst, Corinna and Altm{\"u}ller, Janine and Volk, Alexander E. and Thiele, Holger and H{\"u}bbel, Verena and N{\"u}rnberg, Peter and Keupp, Katharina and Versmold, Beatrix and Pohl, Esther and Kubisch, Christian and Grill, Sabine and Paul, Victoria and Herold, Natalie and Lichey, Nadine and Rhiem, Kerstin and Ditsch, Nina and Ruckert, Christian and Wappenschmidt, Barbara and Auber, Bernd and Rump, Andreas and Niederacher, Dieter and Haaf, Thomas and Ramser, Juliane and Dworniczak, Bernd and Engel, Christoph and Meindl, Alfons and Schmutzler, Rita K. and Hahnen, Eric}, title = {Gene panel testing of 5589 BRCA1/2-negative index patients with breast cancer in a routine diagnostic setting: results of the German Consortium for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer}, series = {Cancer Medicine}, journal = {Cancer Medicine}, doi = {10.1002/cam4.1376}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227902}, pages = {1349-1358}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The prevalence of germ line mutations in non-BRCA1/2 genes associated with hereditary breast cancer (BC) is low, and the role of some of these genes in BC predisposition and pathogenesis is conflicting. In this study, 5589 consecutive BC index patients negative for pathogenic BRCA1/2 mutations and 2189 female controls were screened for germ line mutations in eight cancer predisposition genes (ATM, CDH1, CHEK2, NBN, PALB2, RAD51C, RAD51D, and TP53). All patients met the inclusion criteria of the German Consortium for Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer for germ line testing. The highest mutation prevalence was observed in the CHEK2 gene (2.5\%), followed by ATM (1.5\%) and PALB2 (1.2\%). The mutation prevalence in each of the remaining genes was 0.3\% or lower. Using Exome Aggregation Consortium control data, we confirm significant associations of heterozygous germ line mutations with BC for ATM (OR: 3.63, 95\%CI: 2.67-4.94), CDH1 (OR: 17.04, 95\%CI: 3.54-82), CHEK2 (OR: 2.93, 95\%CI: 2.29-3.75), PALB2 (OR: 9.53, 95\%CI: 6.25-14.51), and TP53 (OR: 7.30, 95\%CI: 1.22-43.68). NBN germ line mutations were not significantly associated with BC risk (OR:1.39, 95\%CI: 0.73-2.64). Due to their low mutation prevalence, the RAD51C and RAD51D genes require further investigation. Compared with control datasets, predicted damaging rare missense variants were significantly more prevalent in CHEK2 and TP53 in BC index patients. Compared with the overall sample, only TP53 mutation carriers show a significantly younger age at first BC diagnosis. We demonstrate a significant association of deleterious variants in the CHEK2, PALB2, and TP53 genes with bilateral BC. Both, ATM and CHEK2, were negatively associated with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and estrogen receptor (ER)-negative tumor phenotypes. A particularly high CHEK2 mutation prevalence (5.2\%) was observed in patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive tumors.}, language = {en} } @article{CharbonnierBaradaranSatoetal.2019, author = {Charbonnier, Baptiste and Baradaran, Aslan and Sato, Daisuke and Alghamdi, Osama and Zhang, Zishuai and Zhang, Yu-Ling and Gbureck, Uwe and Gilardino, Mirko and Harvey, Edward and Makhoul, Nicholas and Barralet, Jake}, title = {Material-Induced Venosome-Supported Bone Tubes}, series = {Advanced Science}, volume = {6}, journal = {Advanced Science}, doi = {10.1002/advs.201900844}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-222318}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The development of alternatives to vascular bone grafts, the current clinical standard for the surgical repair of large segmental bone defects still today represents an unmet medical need. The subcutaneous formation of transplantable bone has been successfully achieved in scaffolds axially perfused by an arteriovenous loop (AVL) and seeded with bone marrow stromal cells or loaded with inductive proteins. Although demonstrating clinical potential, AVL-based approaches involve complex microsurgical techniques and thus are not in widespread use. In this study, 3D-printed microporous bioceramics, loaded with autologous total bone marrow obtained by needle aspiration, are placed around and next to an unoperated femoral vein for 8 weeks to assess the effect of a central flow-through vein on bone formation from marrow in a subcutaneous site. A greater volume of new bone tissue is observed in scaffolds perfused by a central vein compared with the nonperfused negative control. These analyses are confirmed and supplemented by calcified and decalcified histology. This is highly significant as it indicates that transplantable vascularized bone can be grown using dispensable vein and marrow tissue only. This is the first report illustrating the capacity of an intrinsic vascularization by a single vein to support ectopic bone formation from untreated marrow.}, language = {en} } @article{KirschHassinBaerMatthiesetal.2018, author = {Kirsch, Anna Dalal and Hassin-Baer, Sharon and Matthies, Cordula and Volkmann, Jens and Steigerwald, Frank}, title = {Anodic versus cathodic neurostimulation of the subthalamic nucleus: A randomized-controlled study of acute clinical effects}, series = {Parkinsonism and Related Disorders}, volume = {55}, journal = {Parkinsonism and Related Disorders}, doi = {10.1016/j.parkreldis.2018.05.015}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325820}, pages = {61-67}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Introduction Stimulation settings of deep brain stimulation (DBS) have evolved empirically within a limited parameter space dictated by first generation devices. There is a need for controlled clinical studies, which evaluate efficacy and safety of established programming practice against novel programming options provided by modern neurostimulation devices. Methods Here, we tested a polarity reversal from conventional monopolar cathodic to anodic stimulation in an acute double-blind, randomized, cross-over study in patients with PD implanted with bilateral STN DBS. The primary outcome measure was the difference between efficacy and side-effect thresholds (current amplitude, mA) in a monopolar review and the severity of motor symptoms (as assessed by MDS-UPDRS III ratings) after 30 min of continuous stimulation in the medication off-state. Results Effect and side effect thresholds were significantly higher with anodic compared to cathodic stimulation (3.36 ± 1.58 mA vs. 1.99 ± 1.37 mA; 6.05 ± 1.52 mA vs. 4.15 ± 1.13 mA; both p < 0.0001). However, using a predefined amplitude of 0.5 mA below the respective adverse effect threshold, blinded MDS-UPDRS-III-ratings were significantly lower with anodic stimulation (anodic: median 17 [min: 12, max: 25]; cathodic: 23 [12, 37]; p < 0.005). Conclusion Effective anodic stimulation requires a higher charge injection into the tissue, but may provide a better reduction of off-period motor symptoms within the individual therapeutic window. Therefore, a programming change to anodic stimulation may be considered in patients suffering from residual off-period motor symptoms of PD despite reaching the adverse effect threshold of cathodic stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus.}, language = {en} } @article{GoleStepanenkoRageretal.2018, author = {Gole, Bappaditya and Stepanenko, Vladimir and Rager, Sabrina and Gr{\"u}ne, Matthias and Medina, Dana D. and Bein, Thomas and W{\"u}rthner, Frank and Beuerle, Florian}, title = {Microtubular Self-Assembly of Covalent Organic Frameworks}, series = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, volume = {57}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201708526}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227373}, pages = {846-850}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Despite significant progress in the synthesis of covalent organic frameworks (COFs), reports on the precise construction of template-free nano- and microstructures of such materials have been rare. In the quest for dye-containing porous materials, a novel conjugated framework DPP-TAPP-COF with an enhanced absorption capability up to λ=800 nm has been synthesized by utilizing reversible imine condensations between 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl)porphyrin (TAPP) and a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) dialdehyde derivative. Surprisingly, the obtained COF exhibited spontaneous aggregation into hollow microtubular assemblies with outer and inner tube diameters of around 300 and 90 nm, respectively. A detailed mechanistic investigation revealed the time-dependent transformation of initial sheet-like agglomerates into the tubular microstructures.}, language = {en} } @article{GodelPhamKeleetal.2019, author = {Godel, Tim and Pham, Mirko and Kele, Henrich and Kronlage, Moritz and Schwarz, Daniel and Brun{\´e}e, Merle and Heiland, Sabine and Bendszus, Martin and B{\"a}umer, Philipp}, title = {Diffusion tensor imaging in anterior interosseous nerve syndrome - functional MR Neurography on a fascicular level}, series = {NeuroImage: Clinical}, volume = {21}, journal = {NeuroImage: Clinical}, doi = {10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101659}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233061}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Purpose By applying diffusor tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with anterior interosseous nerve syndrome (AINS), this proof of principle study aims to quantify the extent of structural damage of a peripheral nerve at the anatomical level of individual fascicles. Methods In this institutional review board approved prospective study 13 patients with spontaneous AINS were examined at 3 Tesla including a transversal T2-weighted turbo-spin-echo and a spin-echo echo-planar-imaging pulse sequence of the upper arm level. Calculations of quantitative DTI parameters including fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD) for median nerve lesion and non-lesion fascicles as well as ulnar and radial nerve were obtained. DTI values were compared to each other and to a previously published dataset of 58 healthy controls using one-way Analysis of Variance with Bonferroni correction and p-values <.05 were considered significant. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were performed to assess diagnostic accuracy. Results FA of median nerve lesion fascicles was decreased compared to median nerve non-lesion fascicles, ulnar nerve and radial nerve while MD, RD, and AD was increased (p < .001 for all parameters). Compared to median nerve values of healthy controls, lesion fascicles showed a significant decrease in FA while MD, RD, and AD was increased (p < .001 for all parameters). FA of median nerve non-lesion fascicles showed a weak significant decrease compared to healthy controls (p < .01) while there was no difference in MD, RD, and AD. ROC analyses revealed an excellent diagnostic accuracy of FA, MD and RD in the discrimination of median nerve lesion and non-lesion fascicles in AINS patients as well as in the discrimination of lesion fascicles and normative median nerve values of healthy controls. Conclusion By applying this functional MR Neurography technique in patients with AINS, this proof of principle study demonstrates that diffusion tensor imaging is feasible to quantify structural nerve injury at the anatomical level of individual fascicles.}, language = {en} } @article{BaeumerKarthaKumarAllampallyetal.2019, author = {B{\"a}umer, Nils and Kartha, Kalathil K. and Kumar Allampally, Naveen and Yagai, Shiki and Albuquerque, Rodrigo Q. and Fern{\´a}ndez, Gustavo}, title = {Exploiting Coordination Isomerism for Controlled Self-Assembly}, series = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, volume = {58}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201908002}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-221362}, pages = {15626-15630}, year = {2019}, abstract = {We exploited the inherent geometrical isomerism of a PtII complex as a new tool to control supramolecular assembly processes. UV irradiation and careful selection of solvent, temperature, and concentration leads to tunable coordination isomerism, which in turn allows fully reversible switching between two distinct aggregate species (1D fibers↔2D lamellae) with different photoresponsive behavior. Our findings not only broaden the scope of coordination isomerism, but also open up exciting possibilities for the development of novel stimuli-responsive nanomaterials.}, language = {en} } @article{SolDehmHechtetal.2018, author = {Sol, Jeroen A. H. P. and Dehm, Volker and Hecht, Reinhard and W{\"u}rthner, Frank and Schenning, Albertus P. H. J. and Debije, Michael G.}, title = {Temperature-Responsive Luminescent Solar Concentrators: Tuning Energy Transfer in a Liquid Crystalline Matrix}, series = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, volume = {57}, journal = {Angewandte Chemie International Edition}, doi = {10.1002/anie.201710487}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-238778}, pages = {1030-1033}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Temperature-responsive luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) have been fabricated in which the F{\"o}rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) between a donor-acceptor pair in a liquid crystalline solvent can be tuned. At room temperatures, the perylene bisimide (PBI) acceptor is aggregated and FRET is inactive; while after heating to a temperature above the isotropic phase of the liquid crystal solvent, the acceptor PBI completely dissolves and FRET is activated. This unusual temperature control over FRET was used to design a color-tunable LSC. The device has been shown to be highly stable towards consecutive heating and cooling cycles, making it an appealing device for harvesting otherwise unused solar energy.}, language = {en} } @article{CounsellKardaDiazetal.2018, author = {Counsell, John R. and Karda, Rajvinder and Diaz, Juan Antiano and Carey, Louise and Wiktorowicz, Tatiana and Buckley, Suzanne M. K. and Ameri, Shima and Ng, Joanne and Baruteau, Julien and Almeida, Filipa and de Silva, Rohan and Simone, Roberto and Lugar{\`a}, Eleonora and Lignani, Gabriele and Lindemann, Dirk and Rethwilm, Axel and Rahim, Ahad A. and Waddington, Simon N. and Howe, Steven J.}, title = {Foamy Virus Vectors Transduce Visceral Organs and Hippocampal Structures following In Vivo Delivery to Neonatal Mice}, series = {Molecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids}, volume = {12}, journal = {Molecular Therapy: Nucleic Acids}, doi = {10.1016/j.omtn.2018.07.006}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-223379}, pages = {626-634}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Viral vectors are rapidly being developed for a range of applications in research and gene therapy. Prototype foamy virus (PFV) vectors have been described for gene therapy, although their use has mainly been restricted to ex vivo stem cell modification. Here we report direct in vivo transgene delivery with PFV vectors carrying reporter gene constructs. In our investigations, systemic PFV vector delivery to neonatal mice gave transgene expression in the heart, xiphisternum, liver, pancreas, and gut, whereas intracranial administration produced brain expression until animals were euthanized 49 days post-transduction. Immunostaining and confocal microscopy analysis of injected brains showed that transgene expression was highly localized to hippocampal architecture despite vector delivery being administered to the lateral ventricle. This was compared with intracranial biodistribution of lentiviral vectors and adeno-associated virus vectors, which gave a broad, non-specific spread through the neonatal mouse brain without regional localization, even when administered at lower copy numbers. Our work demonstrates that PFV can be used for neonatal gene delivery with an intracranial expression profile that localizes to hippocampal neurons, potentially because of the mitotic status of the targeted cells, which could be of use for research applications and gene therapy of neurological disorders.}, language = {en} } @article{GriemertSchwarzmaierHummeletal.2019, author = {Griemert, Eva-Verena and Schwarzmaier, Susanne M. and Hummel, Regina and G{\"o}lz, Christina and Yang, Dong and Neuhaus, Winfried and Burek, Malgorzata and F{\"o}rster, Carola Y. and Petkovic, Ivan and Trabold, Raimund and Plesnila, Nikolaus and Engelhard, Kristin and Sch{\"a}fer, Michael K. and Thal, Serge C.}, title = {Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 augments damage by impairing fibrinolysis after traumatic brain injury}, series = {Annals of Neurology}, volume = {85}, journal = {Annals of Neurology}, doi = {10.1002/ana.25458}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228682}, pages = {667-680}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objective Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is the key endogenous inhibitor of fibrinolysis, and enhances clot formation after injury. In traumatic brain injury, dysregulation of fibrinolysis may lead to sustained microthrombosis and accelerated lesion expansion. In the present study, we hypothesized that PAI-1 mediates post-traumatic malfunction of coagulation, with inhibition or genetic depletion of PAI-1 attenuating clot formation and lesion expansion after brain trauma. Methods We evaluated PAI-1 as a possible new target in a mouse controlled cortical impact (CCI) model of traumatic brain injury. We performed the pharmacological inhibition of PAI-1 with PAI-039 and stimulation by tranexamic acid, and we confirmed our results in PAI-1-deficient animals. Results PAI-1 mRNA was time-dependently upregulated, with a 305-fold peak 12 hours after CCI, which effectively counteracted the 2- to 3-fold increase in cerebral tissue-type/urokinase plasminogen activator expression. PAI-039 reduced brain lesion volume by 26\% at 24 hours and 43\% at 5 days after insult. This treatment also attenuated neuronal apoptosis and improved neurofunctional outcome. Moreover, intravital microscopy demonstrated reduced post-traumatic thrombus formation in the pericontusional cortical microvasculature. In PAI-1-deficient mice, the therapeutic effect of PAI-039 was absent. These mice also displayed 13\% reduced brain damage compared with wild type. In contrast, inhibition of fibrinolysis with tranexamic acid increased lesion volume by 25\% compared with vehicle. Interpretation This study identifies impaired fibrinolysis as a critical process in post-traumatic secondary brain damage and suggests that PAI-1 may be a central endogenous inhibitor of the fibrinolytic pathway, promoting a procoagulatory state and clot formation in the cerebral microvasculature. Ann Neurol 2019;85:667-680}, language = {en} } @article{FigelBrinkmannBuffetal.2019, author = {Figel, Benedikt and Brinkmann, Leonie and Buff, Christine and Heitmann, Carina Y. and Hofmann, David and Bruchmann, Maximilian and Becker, Michael P. I. and Herrmann, Martin J. and Straube, Thomas}, title = {Phasic amygdala and BNST activation during the anticipation of temporally unpredictable social observation in social anxiety disorder patients}, series = {NeuroImage: Clinical}, volume = {22}, journal = {NeuroImage: Clinical}, doi = {10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101735}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228071}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Anticipation of potentially threatening social situations is a key process in social anxiety disorder (SAD). In other anxiety disorders, recent research of neural correlates of anticipation of temporally unpredictable threat suggests a temporally dissociable involvement of amygdala and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) with phasic amygdala responses and sustained BNST activation. However, the temporal profile of amygdala and BNST responses during temporal unpredictability of threat has not been investigated in patients suffering from SAD. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate neural activation in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) and the BNST during anticipation of temporally unpredictable aversive (video camera observation) relative to neutral (no camera observation) events in SAD patients compared to healthy controls (HC). For the analysis of fMRI data, we applied two regressors (phasic/sustained) within the same model to detect temporally dissociable brain responses. The aversive condition induced increased anxiety in patients compared to HC. SAD patients compared to HC showed increased phasic activation in the CeA and the BNST for anticipation of aversive relative to neutral events. SAD patients as well as HC showed sustained activity alterations in the BNST for aversive relative to neutral anticipation. No differential activity during sustained threat anticipation in SAD patients compared to HC was found. Taken together, our study reveals both CeA and BNST involvement during threat anticipation in SAD patients. The present results point towards potentially SAD-specific threat processing marked by elevated phasic but not sustained CeA and BNST responses when compared to HC.}, language = {en} } @article{FazziniLaminaFendtetal.2019, author = {Fazzini, Federica and Lamina, Claudia and Fendt, Liane and Schultheiss, Ulla T. and Kotsis, Fruzsina and Hicks, Andrew A. and Meiselbach, Heike and Weissensteiner, Hansi and Forer, Lukas and Krane, Vera and Eckardt, Kai-Uwe and K{\"o}ttgen, Anna and Kronenberg, Florian}, title = {Mitochondrial DNA copy number is associated with mortality and infections in a large cohort of patients with chronic kidney disease}, series = {Kidney International}, volume = {96}, journal = {Kidney International}, organization = {GCKD Investigators}, doi = {10.1016/j.kint.2019.04.021}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227662}, pages = {480-488}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Damage of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) with reduction in copy number has been proposed as a biomarker for mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with increased mortality and risk of cardiovascular disease, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here we investigated the prognostic role of mtDNA copy number for cause-specific mortality in 4812 patients from the German Chronic Kidney Disease study, an ongoing prospective observational national cohort study of patients with CKD stage G3 and A1-3 or G1-2 with overt proteinuria (A3) at enrollment. MtDNA was quantified in whole blood using a plasmid-normalized PCR-based assay. At baseline, 1235 patients had prevalent cardiovascular disease. These patients had a significantly lower mtDNA copy number than patients without cardiovascular disease (fully-adjusted model: odds ratio 1.03, 95\% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.05 per 10 mtDNA copies decrease). After four years of follow-up, we observed a significant inverse association between mtDNA copy number and all-cause mortality, adjusted for kidney function and cardiovascular disease risk factors (hazard ratio 1.37, 95\% CI 1.09-1.73 for quartile 1 compared to quartiles 2-4). When grouped by causes of death, estimates pointed in the same direction for all causes but in a fully-adjusted model decreased copy numbers were significantly lower only in infection-related death (hazard ratio 1.82, 95\% CI 1.08-3.08). A similar association was observed for hospitalizations due to infections in 644 patients (hazard ratio 1.19, 95\% CI 1.00-1.42 in the fully-adjusted model). Thus, our data support a role of mitochondrial dysfunction in increased cardiovascular disease and mortality risks as well as susceptibility to infections in patients with CKD.}, language = {en} } @article{LummaValkBoeckleretal.2018, author = {Lumma, Anna-Lena and Valk, Sofie L. and B{\"o}ckler, Anne and Vrtička, Pascal and Singer, Tania}, title = {Change in emotional self-concept following socio-cognitive training relates to structural plasticity of the prefrontal cortex}, series = {Brain and Behavior}, volume = {8}, journal = {Brain and Behavior}, doi = {10.1002/brb3.940}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-237395}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Introduction Self-referential processing is a key component of the emotional self-concept. Previous studies have shown that emotional self-referential processing is related to structure and function of cortical midline areas such as medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and that it can be altered on a behavioral level by specific mental training practices. However, it remains unknown how behavioral training-related change in emotional self-concept content relates to structural plasticity. Methods To address this issue, we examined the relationship between training-induced change in participant's emotional self-concept measured through emotional word use in the Twenty Statement Test and change in cortical thickness in the context of a large-scale longitudinal mental training study called the ReSource Project. Results Based on prior behavioral findings showing increased emotional word use particularly after socio-cognitive training targeting perspective-taking capacities, this study extended these results by revealing that individual differences in the degree to which participants changed their emotional self-concept after training was positively related to cortical thickness change in right mPFC extending to dorsolateral PFC (dlPFC). Furthermore, increased self-related negative emotional word use after training was positively associated with cortical thickness change in left pars orbitalis and bilateral dlPFC. Conclusions Our findings reveal training-related structural brain change in regions known to be involved in self-referential processing and cognitive control, and could indicate a relationship between restructuring of the emotional self-concept content as well as reappraisal of negative aspects and cortical thickness change. As such, our findings can guide the development of psychological interventions targeted to alter specific facets of the self-concept.}, language = {en} } @article{KiserPoppSchmittBoehreretal.2019, author = {Kiser, Dominik P. and Popp, Sandy and Schmitt-B{\"o}hrer, Angelika G. and Strekalova, Tatyana and van den Hove, Daniel L. and Lesch, Klaus-Peter and Rivero, Olga}, title = {Early-life stress impairs developmental programming in Cadherin 13 (CDH13)-deficient mice}, series = {Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology \& Biological Psychiatry}, volume = {89}, journal = {Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology \& Biological Psychiatry}, doi = {10.1016/j.pnpbp.2018.08.010}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325859}, pages = {158-168}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objective Cadherin-13 (CDH13), a member of the calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecule family, has been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) disorders, but also to depression. In the adult brain, CDH13 expression is restricted e.g. to the presynaptic compartment of inhibitory GABAergic synapses in the hippocampus and Cdh13 knockout mice show an increased inhibitory drive onto hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, leading to a shift in excitatory/inhibitory balance. CDH13 is also moderating migration of serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus, establishing projections preferentially to the thalamus and cerebellum during brain development. Furthermore, CDH13 is upregulated by chronic stress as well as in depression, suggesting a role in early-life adaptation to stressful experience. Here, we therefore investigated the interaction between Cdh13 variation and neonatal maternal separation (MS) in mice. Methods Male and female wild-type (Cdh13+/+), heterozygous (Cdh13+/-) and homozygous (Cdh13-/-) knockout mice exposed to MS, or daily handling as control, were subjected to a battery of behavioural tests to assess motor activity, learning and memory as well as anxiety-like behaviour. A transcriptome analysis of the hippocampus was performed in an independent cohort of mice which was exposed to MS or handling, but remained na{\"i}ve for behavioural testing. Results MS lead to increased anxiety-like behaviour in Cdh13-/- mice compared to the other two MS groups. Cdh13-/- mice showed a context-dependent effect on stress- and anxiety-related behaviour, impaired extinction learning following contextual fear conditioning and decreased impulsivity, as well as a mild decrease in errors in the Barnes maze and reduced risk-taking in the light-dark transition test after MS. We also show sex differences, with increased locomotor activity in female Cdh13-/- mice, but unaltered impulsivity and activity in male Cdh13-/- mice. Transcriptome analysis revealed several pathways associated with cell surface/adhesion molecules to be altered following Cdh13 deficiency, together with an influence on endoplasmic reticulum function. Conclusion MS resulted in increased stress resilience, increased exploration and an overall anxiolytic behavioural phenotype in male Cdh13+/+ and Cdh13+/- mice. Cdh13 deficiency, however, obliterated most of the effects caused by early-life stress, with Cdh13-/- mice exhibiting delayed habituation, no reduction of anxiety-like behaviour and decreased fear extinction. Our behavioural findings indicate a role of CDH13 in the programming of and adaptation to early-life stress. Finally, our transcriptomic data support the view of CDH13 as a neuroprotective factor as well as a mediator in cell-cell interactions, with an impact on synaptic plasticity.}, language = {en} } @techreport{Gessner2024, type = {Working Paper}, author = {Geßner, Daniel}, title = {Rethinking renewable energy policies for hydrogen - How the intercept of electricity and hydrogen markets can be addressed}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-37097}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-370973}, pages = {30}, year = {2024}, abstract = {A lot of countries have recently published updated hydrogen strategies, often including more ambitious targets for hydrogen production. In parallel, accompanying ramp-up mechanisms are increasingly coming into focus with the first ones already being released. However, these proposals usually translate mechanisms from renewable energy (RE) policy without considering the specific uncertainties, spillovers, and externalities of integrating hydrogen electrolysis into electricity grids. This article details how different aspects of a policy can address the specific issues, namely funding, risk-mitigation, and the complex relation with electricity markets. It shows that, compared to RE policy, subsidies need to emphasize the input side more strongly as price risks and intermittency from electricity markets are more prominent than from hydrogen markets. Also, it proposes a targeted mechanism to capture the positive externality of mitigating excess electricity in the grid while keeping investment security high. Economic policy should consider such approaches before massively scaling support and avoid the design shortcomings experienced with early RE policy.}, subject = {Wasserstoff}, language = {en} } @article{TaubenboeckWeigandEschetal.2019, author = {Taubenb{\"o}ck, H. and Weigand, M. and Esch, T. and Staab, J. and Wurm, M. and Mast, J. and Dech, S.}, title = {A new ranking of the world's largest cities—Do administrative units obscure morphological realities?}, series = {Remote Sensing of Environment}, volume = {232}, journal = {Remote Sensing of Environment}, doi = {10.1016/j.rse.2019.111353}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240634}, year = {2019}, abstract = {With 37 million inhabitants, Tokyo is the world's largest city in UN statistics. With this work we call this ranking into question. Usually, global city rankings are based on nationally collected population figures, which rely on administrative units. Sprawling urban growth, however, leads to morphological city extents that may surpass conventional administrative units. In order to detect spatial discrepancies between the physical and the administrative city, we present a methodology for delimiting Morphological Urban Areas (MUAs). We understand MUAs as a territorially contiguous settlement area that can be distinguished from low-density peripheral and rural hinterlands. We design a settlement index composed of three indicators (settlement area, settlement area proportion and density within the settlements) describing a gradient of built-up density from the urban center to the periphery applying a sectoral monocentric city model. We assume that the urban-rural transition can be defined along this gradient. With it, we re-territorialize the conventional administrative units. Our data basis are recent mapping products derived from multi-sensoral Earth observation (EO) data - namely the Global Urban Footprint (GUF) and the GUF Density (GUF-DenS) - providing globally consistent knowledge about settlement locations and densities. For the re-territorialized MUAs we calculate population numbers using WorldPop data. Overall, we cover the 1692 cities with >300,000 inhabitants on our planet. In our results we compare the consistently re-territorialized MUAs and the administrative units as well as their related population figures. We find the MUA in the Pearl River Delta the largest morphologically contiguous urban agglomeration in the world with a calculated population of 42.6 million. Tokyo, in this new list ranked number 2, loses its top position. In rank-size distributions we present the resulting deviations from previous city rankings. Although many MUAs outperform administrative units by area, we find that, contrary to what we assumed, in most cases MUAs are considerably smaller than administrative units. Only in Europe we find MUAs largely outweighing administrative units in extent.}, language = {en} } @article{GermainElliottFalissardetal.2019, author = {Germain, Dominique P. and Elliott, Perry M. and Falissard, Bruno and Fomin, Victor V. and Hilz, Max J. and Jovanovic, Ana and Kantola, Ilkka and Linhart, Aleš and Renzo, Mignani and Namdar, Mehdi and Nowak, Albina and Oliveira, Jo{\~a}o-Paulo and Pieroni, Maurizio and Viana-Baptista, Miguel and Wanner, Christoph and Spada, Marco}, title = {The effect of enzyme replacement therapy on clinical outcomes in male patients with Fabry disease: A systematic literature review by a European panel of experts}, series = {Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports}, volume = {19}, journal = {Molecular Genetics and Metabolism Reports}, doi = {10.1016/j.ymgmr.2019.100454}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232987}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human α-galactosidase has been available for the treatment of Fabry disease since 2001 in Europe and 2003 in the USA. Treatment outcomes with ERT are dependent on baseline patient characteristics, and published data are derived from heterogeneous study populations. Methods We conducted a comprehensive systematic literature review of all original articles on ERT in the treatment of Fabry disease published up until January 2017. This article presents the findings in adult male patients. Results Clinical evidence for the efficacy of ERT in adult male patients was available from 166 publications including 36 clinical trial publications. ERT significantly decreases globotriaosylceramide levels in plasma, urine, and in different kidney, heart, and skin cell types, slows the decline in estimated glomerular filtration rate, and reduces/stabilizes left ventricular mass and cardiac wall thickness. ERT also improves nervous system, gastrointestinal, pain, and quality of life outcomes. Conclusions ERT is a disease-specific treatment for patients with Fabry disease that may provide clinical benefits on several outcomes and organ systems. Better outcomes may be observed when treatment is started at an early age prior to the development of organ damage such as chronic kidney disease or cardiac fibrosis. Consolidated evidence suggests a dose effect. Data described in male patients, together with female and paediatric data, informs clinical practice and therapeutic goals for individualized treatment.}, language = {en} } @article{FlunkertMaierhoferDittrichetal.2018, author = {Flunkert, Julia and Maierhofer, Anna and Dittrich, Marcus and M{\"u}ller, Tobias and Horvath, Steve and Nanda, Indrajit and Haaf, Thomas}, title = {Genetic and epigenetic changes in clonal descendants of irradiated human fibroblasts}, series = {Experimental Cell Research}, volume = {370}, journal = {Experimental Cell Research}, doi = {10.1016/j.yexcr.2018.06.034}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228177}, pages = {322-332}, year = {2018}, abstract = {To study delayed genetic and epigenetic radiation effects, which may trigger radiation-induced carcinogenesis, we have established single-cell clones from irradiated and non-irradiated primary human fibroblasts. Stable clones were endowed with the same karyotype in all analyzed metaphases after 20 population doublings (PDs), whereas unstable clones displayed mosaics of normal and abnormal karyotypes. To account for variation in radiation sensitivity, all experiments were performed with two different fibroblast strains. After a single X-ray dose of 2 Gy more than half of the irradiated clones exhibited radiation-induced genome instability (RIGI). Irradiated clones displayed an increased rate of loss of chromosome Y (LOY) and copy number variations (CNVs), compared to controls. CNV breakpoints clustered in specific chromosome regions, in particular 3p14.2 and 7q11.21, coinciding with common fragile sites. CNVs affecting the FHIT gene in FRA3B were observed in independent unstable clones and may drive RIGI. Bisulfite pyrosequencing of control clones and the respective primary culture revealed global hypomethylation of ALU, LINE-1, and alpha-satellite repeats as well as rDNA hypermethylation during in vitro ageing. Irradiated clones showed further reduced ALU and alpha-satellite methylation and increased rDNA methylation, compared to controls. Methylation arrays identified several hundred differentially methylated genes and several enriched pathways associated with in vitro ageing. Methylation changes in 259 genes and the MAP kinase signaling pathway were associated with delayed radiation effects (after 20 PDs). Collectively, our results suggest that both genetic (LOY and CNVs) and epigenetic changes occur in the progeny of exposed cells that were not damaged directly by irradiation, likely contributing to radiation-induced carcinogenesis. We did not observe epigenetic differences between stable and unstable irradiated clones. The fact that the DNA methylation (DNAm) age of clones derived from the same primary culture varied greatly suggests that DNAm age of a single cell (represented by a clone) can be quite different from the DNAm age of a tissue. We propose that DNAm age reflects the emergent property of a large number of individual cells whose respective DNAm ages can be highly variable.}, language = {en} } @article{GermainAradBurlinaetal.2019, author = {Germain, Dominique P. and Arad, Michael and Burlina, Alessandro and Elliott, Perry M. and Falissard, Bruno and Feldt-Rasmussen, Ulla and Hilz, Max J. and Hughes, Derralynn A. and Ortiz, Alberto and Wanner, Christoph and Weidemann, Frank and Spada, Marco}, title = {The effect of enzyme replacement therapy on clinical outcomes in female patients with Fabry disease - A systematic literature review by a European panel of experts}, series = {Molecular Genetics and Metabolism}, volume = {126}, journal = {Molecular Genetics and Metabolism}, doi = {10.1016/j.ymgme.2018.09.007}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-232963}, pages = {224-235}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background Heterozygous females with Fabry disease have a wide range of clinical phenotypes depending on the nature of their mutation and their X-chromosome inactivation pattern; it is therefore important to examine outcomes of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in the female patient population specifically. This paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review of treatment outcomes with ERT in adult female patients. Methods A comprehensive systematic literature review was conducted through January 2017 to retrieve published papers with original data on ERT in the treatment of Fabry disease. The review included all original articles that presented ERT outcomes data on patients with Fabry disease, irrespective of the study type. Results Clinical evidence for the efficacy of ERT in female patients was available from 67 publications including six clinical trial publications, and indicates significant reductions in plasma and urine globotriaosylceramide (GL-3) accumulation (in female patients with elevated pre-treatment levels) and improvements in cardiac parameters and quality of life (QoL). To date, data are insufficient to conclude on the effects of ERT on the nervous system, gastrointestinal manifestations, and pain in female patients with Fabry disease. Conclusions This review of available literature data demonstrates that ERT in adult female patients with Fabry disease has a beneficial effect on GL-3 levels and cardiac outcomes. The current evidence also suggests that ERT may improve QoL in this patient population, though further studies are needed to examine these results.}, language = {en} } @article{OmenacaVazquezGarciaCorbeiraetal.2018, author = {Ome{\~n}aca, Felix and V{\´a}zquez, Liliana and Garcia-Corbeira, Pilar and Mesaros, Narcisa and Hanssens, Linda and Dolhain, Jan and Puente G{\´o}mez, Ivonne and Liese, Johannes and Knuf, Markus}, title = {Immunization of preterm infants with GSK's hexavalent combined diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B-inactivated poliovirus-Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine: A review of safety and immunogenicity}, series = {Vaccine}, volume = {36}, journal = {Vaccine}, doi = {10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.01.005}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234450}, pages = {986-996}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Background Infants with history of prematurity (<37 weeks gestation) and low birth weight (LBW, <2500 g) are at high risk of infection due to functional immaturity of normal physical and immunological defense mechanisms. Despite current recommendations that infants with history of prematurity/LBW should receive routine immunization according to the same schedule and chronological age as full-term infants, immunization is often delayed. Methods Here we summarize 10 clinical studies and 15 years of post-marketing safety surveillance of GSK's hexavalent vaccine (DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib), a combined diphtheria-tetanus-acellular-pertussis-hepatitis-B-inactivated-poliovirus-Haemophilus influenzae-type-b (Hib) conjugate vaccine, when administered alone, or co-administered with pneumococcal conjugate, rotavirus, and meningococcal vaccines and respiratory syncytial virus IgG to infants with history of prematurity/LBW in clinical trials. Results At least 92.5\% of infants with history of prematurity/LBW as young as 24 weeks gestation in clinical studies were seropositive to all vaccine antigens after 3-dose primary vaccination with GSK's hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine, with robust immune responses to booster vaccination. Seropositivity rates and antibody concentrations to hepatitis B and Hib appeared lower in infants with history of prematurity/LBW than term infants. Between 13-30\% of medically stable infants with history of prematurity developed apnea after vaccination with GSK's hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine; usually after dose 1. The occurrence of post-immunization cardiorespiratory events appears to be influenced by the severity of any underlying neonatal condition. Most cardiorespiratory events resolve spontaneously or require minimal intervention. GSK's hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine was well tolerated in co-administration regimens. Conclusion GSK's hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine alone or co-administered with other pediatric vaccines has a clinically acceptable safety and immunogenicity profile when used in infants with history of prematurity/LBW for primary and booster vaccination. Additional studies are needed in very premature and very LBW infants. However, currently available data support using GSK's hexavalent DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib vaccine to immunize infants with history of prematurity/LBW according to chronological age.}, language = {en} } @article{SpadaBaronElliottetal.2019, author = {Spada, Marco and Baron, Ralf and Elliott, Perry M. and Falissard, Bruno and Hilz, Max J. and Monserrat, Lorenzo and T{\o}ndel, Camilla and Tylki-Szymańska, Anna and Wanner, Christoph and Germain, Dominique P.}, title = {The effect of enzyme replacement therapy on clinical outcomes in paediatric patients with Fabry disease - A systematic literature review by a European panel of experts}, series = {Molecular Genetics and Metabolism}, volume = {126}, journal = {Molecular Genetics and Metabolism}, doi = {10.1016/j.ymgme.2018.04.007}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-239287}, pages = {212-223}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background Fabry disease is caused by a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme α-galactosidase, resulting in progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide (GL-3). The disease can manifest early during childhood and adolescence. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with recombinant human α-galactosidase is the first specific treatment for Fabry disease and has been available in Europe since 2001. This paper presents the findings of a systematic literature review of clinical outcomes with ERT in paediatric patients with Fabry disease. Methods A comprehensive systematic review of published literature on ERT in Fabry disease was conducted in January 2017. The literature analysis included all original articles reporting outcomes of ERT in paediatric patients. Results Treatment-related outcomes in the paediatric population were reported in six publications derived from open-label clinical trials and in 10 publications derived from observational or registry-based studies. ERT was shown to significantly reduce plasma and urine GL-3 levels in paediatric patients with Fabry disease. The effect of ERT on GL-3 clearance from renal podocytes appeared to be agalsidase dose-dependent. ERT relieved pain and improved gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life. Conclusions Based on the published literature, the use of ERT in paediatric patients can significantly clear GL-3 accumulation, ameliorate the early symptoms of Fabry disease, and improve quality of life. Treatment with ERT in paediatric patients with Fabry disease may be important to prevent further disease progression and overt organ damage.}, language = {en} } @article{ArgyrousideNijsLagattaetal.2019, author = {Argyrousi, Elentina K. and de Nijs, Laurence and Lagatta, Davi C. and Schl{\"u}tter, Anna and Weidner, Magdalena T. and Z{\"o}ller, Johanna and van Goethem, Nick P. and Joca, S{\^a}mia R. L. and van den Hove, Daniel L. A. and Prickaerts, Jos}, title = {Effects of DNA methyltransferase inhibition on pattern separation performance in mice}, series = {Neurobiology of Learning and Memory}, volume = {159}, journal = {Neurobiology of Learning and Memory}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nlm.2019.02.003}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-221226}, pages = {6-15}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Enhancement of synaptic plasticity through changes in neuronal gene expression is a prerequisite for improved cognitive performance. Moreover, several studies have shown that DNA methylation is able to affect the expression of (e.g. plasticity) genes that are important for several cognitive functions. In this study, the effect of the DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor RG108 was assessed on object pattern separation (OPS) task in mice. In addition, its effect on the expression of target genes was monitored. Administration of RG108 before the test led to a short-lasting, dose-dependent increase in pattern separation memory that was not present anymore after 48 h. Furthermore, treatment with RG108 did not enhance long-term memory of the animals when tested after a 24 h inter-trial interval in the same task. At the transcriptomic level, acute treatment with RG108 was accompanied by increased expression of Bdnf1, while expression of Bdnf4, Bdnf9, Gria1 and Hdac2 was not altered within 1 h after treatment. Methylation analysis of 14 loci in the promoter region of Bdnf1 revealed a counterintuitive increase in the levels of DNA methylation at three CpG sites. Taken together, these results indicate that acute administration of RG108 has a short-lasting pro-cognitive effect on object pattern separation that could be explained by increased Bdnf1 expression. The observed increase in Bdnf1 methylation suggests a complex interplay between Bdnf methylation-demethylation that promotes Bdnf1 expression and associated cognitive performance. Considering that impaired pattern separation could constitute the underlying problem of a wide range of mental and cognitive disorders, pharmacological agents including DNA methylation inhibitors that improve pattern separation could be compelling targets for the treatment of these disorders. In that respect, future studies are needed in order to determine the effect of chronic administration of such agents.}, language = {en} } @article{FeistauerRichter2018, author = {Feistauer, Daniela and Richter, Tobias}, title = {Validity of students' evaluations of teaching: Biasing effects of likability and prior subject interest}, series = {Studies in Educational Evaluation}, volume = {59}, journal = {Studies in Educational Evaluation}, doi = {10.1016/j.stueduc.2018.07.009}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228005}, pages = {168-178}, year = {2018}, abstract = {This study examined the validity of students' evaluations of teaching as an instrument for measuring teaching quality by examining the effects of likability and prior subject interest as potential biasing effects, measured at the beginning of the course and at the time of evaluation. University students (N = 260) evaluated psychology courses in one semester at a German university with a standardized questionnaire, yielding 517 data points. Cross-classified multilevel analyses revealed fixed effects of likability at both times of measurement and fixed effects of prior subject interest measured at the beginning of the course. Likability seems to exert a substantial bias on student evaluations of teaching, albeit one that is overestimated when measured at the time of evaluation. In contrast, prior subject interest seems to introduce a weak bias. Considering that likability bears no conceptual relationship to teaching quality, these findings point to a compromised validity of students' evaluations of teaching.}, language = {en} } @article{GraystonCzannerElhaddetal.2019, author = {Grayston, Rebecca and Czanner, Gabriela and Elhadd, Kareim and Goebel, Andreas and Frank, Bernhard and {\"U}{\c{c}}eyler, Nurcan and Malik, Rayaz A and Alam, Uazman}, title = {A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of small fiber pathology in fibromyalgia: Implications for a new paradigm in fibromyalgia etiopathogenesis}, series = {Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism}, volume = {48}, journal = {Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism}, doi = {10.1016/j.semarthrit.2018.08.003}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227566}, pages = {933-940}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objectives Fibromyalgia is a condition which exhibits chronic widespread pain with neuropathic pain features and has a major impact on health-related quality of life. The pathophysiology remains unclear, however, there is increasing evidence for involvement of the peripheral nervous system with a high prevalence of small fiber pathology (SFP). The aim of this systematic literature review is to establish the prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia. Methods An electronic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library databases. Published full-text, English language articles that provide SFP prevalence data in studies of fibromyalgia of patients over 18years old were included. All articles were screened by two independent reviewers using a priori criteria. Methodological quality and risk of bias were evaluated using the critical appraisal tool by Munn et al. Overall and subgroup pooled prevalence were calculated by random-effects meta-analysis with 95\% CI. Results Database searches found 935 studies; 45 articles were screened of which 8 full text articles satisfied the inclusion criteria, providing data from 222 participants. The meta-analysis demonstrated the pooled prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia is 49\% (95\% CI: 38-60\%) with a moderate degree of heterogeneity, (I2= 68\%). The prevalence estimate attained by a skin biopsy was 45\% (95\% CI: 32-59\%, I2= 70\%) and for corneal confocal microscopy it was 59\% (95\% CI: 40-78\%, I2= 51\%). Conclusion There is a high prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia. This study provides compelling evidence of a distinct phenotype involving SFP in fibromyalgia. Identifying SFP will aid in determining its relationship to pain and potentially facilitate the development of future interventions and pharmacotherapy.}, language = {en} } @article{SchubertHagedornYoshiietal.2018, author = {Schubert, Frank K. and Hagedorn, Nicolas and Yoshii, Taishi and Helfrich-F{\"o}rster, Charlotte and Rieger, Dirk}, title = {Neuroanatomical details of the lateral neurons of Drosophila melanogaster support their functional role in the circadian system}, series = {Journal of Comparative Neurology}, volume = {526}, journal = {Journal of Comparative Neurology}, doi = {10.1002/cne.24406}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-234477}, pages = {1209-1231}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Drosophila melanogaster is a long-standing model organism in the circadian clock research. A major advantage is the relative small number of about 150 neurons, which built the circadian clock in Drosophila. In our recent work, we focused on the neuroanatomical properties of the lateral neurons of the clock network. By applying the multicolor-labeling technique Flybow we were able to identify the anatomical similarity of the previously described E2 subunit of the evening oscillator of the clock, which is built by the 5th small ventrolateral neuron (5th s-LNv) and one ITP positive dorsolateral neuron (LNd). These two clock neurons share the same spatial and functional properties. We found both neurons innervating the same brain areas with similar pre- and postsynaptic sites in the brain. Here the anatomical findings support their shared function as a main evening oscillator in the clock network like also found in previous studies. A second quite surprising finding addresses the large lateral ventral PDF-neurons (l-LNvs). We could show that the four hardly distinguishable l-LNvs consist of two subgroups with different innervation patterns. While three of the neurons reflect the well-known branching pattern reproduced by PDF immunohistochemistry, one neuron per brain hemisphere has a distinguished innervation profile and is restricted only to the proximal part of the medulla-surface. We named this neuron "extra" l-LNv (l-LNvx). We suggest the anatomical findings reflect different functional properties of the two l-LNv subgroups.}, language = {en} } @article{ChenGehringerLorenz2018, author = {Chen, Dan and Gehringer, Matthias and Lorenz, Sonja}, title = {Developing Small-Molecule Inhibitors of HECT-Type Ubiquitin Ligases for Therapeutic Applications: Challenges and Opportunities}, series = {ChemBioChem}, volume = {19}, journal = {ChemBioChem}, doi = {10.1002/cbic.201800321}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-222412}, pages = {2123-2135}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The ubiquitin system regulates countless physiological and disease-associated processes and has emerged as an attractive entryway for therapeutic efforts. With over 600 members in the human proteome, ubiquitin ligases are the most diverse class of ubiquitylation enzymes and pivotal in encoding specificity in ubiquitin signaling. Although considerable progress has been made in the identification of small molecules targeting RING ligases, relatively little is known about the "druggability" of HECT (homologous to E6AP C terminus) ligases, many of which are critically implicated in human pathologies. A major obstacle to optimizing the few available ligands is our incomplete understanding of their inhibitory mechanisms and the structural basis of catalysis in HECT ligases. Here, we survey recent approaches to manipulate the activities of HECT ligases with small molecules to showcase the particular challenges and opportunities these enzymes hold as therapeutic targets.}, language = {en} } @article{WilsonAmblerLeeetal.2019, author = {Wilson, Duncan and Ambler, Gareth and Lee, Keon-Joo and Lim, Jae-Sung and Shiozawa, Masayuki and Koga, Masatoshi and Li, Linxin and Lovelock, Caroline and Chabriat, Hugues and Hennerici, Michael and Wong, Yuen Kwun and Mak, Henry Ka Fung and Prats-S{\´a}nchez, Luis and Mart{\´i}nez-Dome{\~n}o, Alejandro and Inamura, Shigeru and Yoshifuji, Kazuhisa and Arsava, Ethem Murat and Horstmann, Solveig and Purrucker, Jan and Lam, Bonnie Yin Ka and Wong, Adrian and Kim, Young Dae and Song, Tae-Jin and Schrooten, Maarten and Lemmens, Robin and Eppinger, Sebastian and Gattringer, Thomas and Uysal, Ender and Tanriverdi, Zeynep and Bornstein, Natan M and Ben Assayag, Einor and Hallevi, Hen and Tanaka, Jun and Hara, Hideo and Coutts, Shelagh B and Hert, Lisa and Polymeris, Alexandros and Seiffge, David J and Lyrer, Philippe and Algra, Ale and Kappelle, Jaap and Salman, Rustam Al-Shahi and J{\"a}ger, Hans R and Lip, Gregory Y H and Mattle, Heinrich P and Panos, Leonidas D and Mas, Jean-Louis and Legrand, Laurence and Karayiannis, Christopher and Phan, Thanh and Gunkel, Sarah and Christ, Nicolas and Abrigo, Jill and Leung, Thomas and Chu, Winnie and Chappell, Francesca and Makin, Stephen and Hayden, Derek and Williams, David J and Kooi, M Eline and van Dam-Nolen, Dianne H K and Barbato, Carmen and Browning, Simone and Wiegertjes, Kim and Tuladhar, Anil M and Maaijwee, Noortje and Guevarra, Christine and Yatawara, Chathuri and Mendyk, Anne-Marie and Delmaire, Christine and K{\"o}hler, Sebastian and van Oostenbrugge, Robert and Zhou, Ying and Xu, Chao and Hilal, Saima and Gyanwali, Bibek and Chen, Christopher and Lou, Min and Staals, Julie and Bordet, R{\´e}gis and Kandiah, Nagaendran and de Leeuw, Frank-Erik and Simister, Robert and van der Lugt, Aad and Kelly, Peter J and Wardlaw, Joanna M and Soo, Yannie and Fluri, Felix and Srikanth, Velandai and Calvet, David and Jung, Simon and Kwa, Vincent I H and Engelter, Stefan T and Peters, Nils and Smith, Eric E and Yakushiji, Yusuke and Necioglu Orken, Dilek and Fazekas, Franz and Thijs, Vincent and Heo, Ji Hoe and Mok, Vincent and Veltkamp, Roland and Ay, Hakan and Imaizumi, Toshio and Gomez-Anson, Beatriz and Lau, Kui Kai and Jouvent, Eric and Rothwell, Peter M and Toyoda, Kazunori and Bae, Hee-Yoon and Marti-Fabregas, Joan and Werring, David J}, title = {Cerebral microbleeds and stroke risk after ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack: a pooled analysis of individual patient data from cohort studies}, series = {The Lancet Neurology}, volume = {18}, journal = {The Lancet Neurology}, organization = {Microbleeds International Collaborative Network}, doi = {10.1016/S1474-4422(19)30197-8}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233710}, pages = {653-665}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background Cerebral microbleeds are a neuroimaging biomarker of stroke risk. A crucial clinical question is whether cerebral microbleeds indicate patients with recent ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack in whom the rate of future intracranial haemorrhage is likely to exceed that of recurrent ischaemic stroke when treated with antithrombotic drugs. We therefore aimed to establish whether a large burden of cerebral microbleeds or particular anatomical patterns of cerebral microbleeds can identify ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack patients at higher absolute risk of intracranial haemorrhage than ischaemic stroke. Methods We did a pooled analysis of individual patient data from cohort studies in adults with recent ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack. Cohorts were eligible for inclusion if they prospectively recruited adult participants with ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack; included at least 50 participants; collected data on stroke events over at least 3 months follow-up; used an appropriate MRI sequence that is sensitive to magnetic susceptibility; and documented the number and anatomical distribution of cerebral microbleeds reliably using consensus criteria and validated scales. Our prespecified primary outcomes were a composite of any symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage or ischaemic stroke, symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage, and symptomatic ischaemic stroke. We registered this study with the PROSPERO international prospective register of systematic reviews, number CRD42016036602. Findings Between Jan 1, 1996, and Dec 1, 2018, we identified 344 studies. After exclusions for ineligibility or declined requests for inclusion, 20 322 patients from 38 cohorts (over 35 225 patient-years of follow-up; median 1·34 years [IQR 0·19-2·44]) were included in our analyses. The adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] comparing patients with cerebral microbleeds to those without was 1·35 (95\% CI 1·20-1·50) for the composite outcome of intracranial haemorrhage and ischaemic stroke; 2·45 (1·82-3·29) for intracranial haemorrhage and 1·23 (1·08-1·40) for ischaemic stroke. The aHR increased with increasing cerebral microbleed burden for intracranial haemorrhage but this effect was less marked for ischaemic stroke (for five or more cerebral microbleeds, aHR 4·55 [95\% CI 3·08-6·72] for intracranial haemorrhage vs 1·47 [1·19-1·80] for ischaemic stroke; for ten or more cerebral microbleeds, aHR 5·52 [3·36-9·05] vs 1·43 [1·07-1·91]; and for ≥20 cerebral microbleeds, aHR 8·61 [4·69-15·81] vs 1·86 [1·23-2·82]). However, irrespective of cerebral microbleed anatomical distribution or burden, the rate of ischaemic stroke exceeded that of intracranial haemorrhage (for ten or more cerebral microbleeds, 64 ischaemic strokes [95\% CI 48-84] per 1000 patient-years vs 27 intracranial haemorrhages [17-41] per 1000 patient-years; and for ≥20 cerebral microbleeds, 73 ischaemic strokes [46-108] per 1000 patient-years vs 39 intracranial haemorrhages [21-67] per 1000 patient-years). Interpretation In patients with recent ischaemic stroke or transient ischaemic attack, cerebral microbleeds are associated with a greater relative hazard (aHR) for subsequent intracranial haemorrhage than for ischaemic stroke, but the absolute risk of ischaemic stroke is higher than that of intracranial haemorrhage, regardless of cerebral microbleed presence, antomical distribution, or burden.}, language = {en} } @article{WaszakNorthcottBuchhalteretal.2018, author = {Waszak, Sebastian M and Northcott, Paul A and Buchhalter, Ivo and Robinson, Giles W and Sutter, Christian and Groebner, Susanne and Grund, Kerstin B and Brugi{\`e}res, Laurence and Jones, David T W and Pajtler, Kristian W and Morrissy, A Sorana and Kool, Marcel and Sturm, Dominik and Chavez, Lukas and Ernst, Aurelie and Brabetz, Sebastian and Hain, Michael and Zichner, Thomas and Segura-Wang, Maia and Weischenfeldt, Joachim and Rausch, Tobias and Mardin, Balca R and Zhou, Xin and Baciu, Cristina and Lawerenz, Christian and Chan, Jennifer A and Varlet, Pascale and Guerrini-Rousseau, Lea and Fults, Daniel W and Grajkowska, Wiesława and Hauser, Peter and Jabado, Nada and Ra, Young-Shin and Zitterbart, Karel and Shringarpure, Suyash S and De La Vega, Francisco M and Bustamante, Carlos D and Ng, Ho-Keung and Perry, Arie and MacDonald, Tobey J and Driever, Pablo Hern{\´a}iz and Bendel, Anne E and Bowers, Daniel C and McCowage, Geoffrey and Chintagumpala, Murali M and Cohn, Richard and Hassall, Timothy and Fleischhack, Gudrun and Eggen, Tone and Wesenberg, Finn and Feychting, Maria and Lannering, Birgitta and Sch{\"u}z, Joachim and Johansen, Christoffer and Andersen, Tina V and R{\"o}{\"o}sli, Martin and Kuehni, Claudia E and Grotzer, Michael and Kjaerheim, Kristina and Monoranu, Camelia M and Archer, Tenley C and Duke, Elizabeth and Pomeroy, Scott L and Shelagh, Redmond and Frank, Stephan and Sumerauer, David and Scheurlen, Wolfram and Ryzhova, Marina V and Milde, Till and Kratz, Christian P and Samuel, David and Zhang, Jinghui and Solomon, David A and Marra, Marco and Eils, Roland and Bartram, Claus R and von Hoff, Katja and Rutkowksi, Stefan and Ramaswamy, Vijay and Gilbertson, Richard J and Korshunov, Andrey and Taylor, Michael D and Lichter, Peter and Malkin, David and Gajjar, Amar and Korbel, Jan O and Pfister, Stefan M}, title = {Spectrum and prevalence of genetic predisposition in medulloblastoma: a retrospective genetic study and prospective validation in a clinical trial cohort}, series = {The Lancet Oncology}, volume = {19}, journal = {The Lancet Oncology}, doi = {10.1016/S1470-2045(18)30242-0}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233425}, pages = {785-798}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Background Medulloblastoma is associated with rare hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes; however, consensus medulloblastoma predisposition genes have not been defined and screening guidelines for genetic counselling and testing for paediatric patients are not available. We aimed to assess and define these genes to provide evidence for future screening guidelines. Methods In this international, multicentre study, we analysed patients with medulloblastoma from retrospective cohorts (International Cancer Genome Consortium [ICGC] PedBrain, Medulloblastoma Advanced Genomics International Consortium [MAGIC], and the CEFALO series) and from prospective cohorts from four clinical studies (SJMB03, SJMB12, SJYC07, and I-HIT-MED). Whole-genome sequences and exome sequences from blood and tumour samples were analysed for rare damaging germline mutations in cancer predisposition genes. DNA methylation profiling was done to determine consensus molecular subgroups: WNT (MBWNT), SHH (MBSHH), group 3 (MBGroup3), and group 4 (MBGroup4). Medulloblastoma predisposition genes were predicted on the basis of rare variant burden tests against controls without a cancer diagnosis from the Exome Aggregation Consortium (ExAC). Previously defined somatic mutational signatures were used to further classify medulloblastoma genomes into two groups, a clock-like group (signatures 1 and 5) and a homologous recombination repair deficiency-like group (signatures 3 and 8), and chromothripsis was investigated using previously established criteria. Progression-free survival and overall survival were modelled for patients with a genetic predisposition to medulloblastoma. Findings We included a total of 1022 patients with medulloblastoma from the retrospective cohorts (n=673) and the four prospective studies (n=349), from whom blood samples (n=1022) and tumour samples (n=800) were analysed for germline mutations in 110 cancer predisposition genes. In our rare variant burden analysis, we compared these against 53 105 sequenced controls from ExAC and identified APC, BRCA2, PALB2, PTCH1, SUFU, and TP53 as consensus medulloblastoma predisposition genes according to our rare variant burden analysis and estimated that germline mutations accounted for 6\% of medulloblastoma diagnoses in the retrospective cohort. The prevalence of genetic predispositions differed between molecular subgroups in the retrospective cohort and was highest for patients in the MBSHH subgroup (20\% in the retrospective cohort). These estimates were replicated in the prospective clinical cohort (germline mutations accounted for 5\% of medulloblastoma diagnoses, with the highest prevalence [14\%] in the MBSHH subgroup). Patients with germline APC mutations developed MBWNT and accounted for most (five [71\%] of seven) cases of MBWNT that had no somatic CTNNB1 exon 3 mutations. Patients with germline mutations in SUFU and PTCH1 mostly developed infant MBSHH. Germline TP53 mutations presented only in childhood patients in the MBSHH subgroup and explained more than half (eight [57\%] of 14) of all chromothripsis events in this subgroup. Germline mutations in PALB2 and BRCA2 were observed across the MBSHH, MBGroup3, and MBGroup4 molecular subgroups and were associated with mutational signatures typical of homologous recombination repair deficiency. In patients with a genetic predisposition to medulloblastoma, 5-year progression-free survival was 52\% (95\% CI 40-69) and 5-year overall survival was 65\% (95\% CI 52-81); these survival estimates differed significantly across patients with germline mutations in different medulloblastoma predisposition genes. Interpretation Genetic counselling and testing should be used as a standard-of-care procedure in patients with MBWNT and MBSHH because these patients have the highest prevalence of damaging germline mutations in known cancer predisposition genes. We propose criteria for routine genetic screening for patients with medulloblastoma based on clinical and molecular tumour characteristics.}, language = {en} } @article{SchwarzScharfScherpfetal.2019, author = {Schwarz, Christopher and Scharf, Lennart T. and Scherpf, Thorsten and Weismann, Julia and Gessner, Viktoria H.}, title = {Isolation of the Metalated Ylides [Ph3P-C-CN]M (M=Li, Na, K): Influence of the Metal Ion on the Structure and Bonding Situation}, series = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, volume = {25}, journal = {Chemistry - A European Journal}, doi = {10.1002/chem.201805421}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-235445}, pages = {2793-2802}, year = {2019}, abstract = {The isolation and structural characterization of the cyanido-substituted metalated ylides [Ph3P-C-CN]M (1-M; M=Li, Na, K) are reported with lithium, sodium, and potassium as metal cations. In the solid-state, most different aggregates could be determined depending on the metal and additional Lewis bases. The crown-ether complexes of sodium (1-Na) and potassium (1-K) exhibited different structures, with sodium preferring coordination to the nitrogen end, whereas potassium binds in an unusual η2-coordination mode to the two central carbon atoms. The formation of the yldiide was accompanied by structural changes leading to shorter C-C and longer C-N bonds. This could be attributed to the delocalization of the free electron pairs at the carbon atom into the antibonding orbitals of the CN moiety, which was confirmed by IR spectroscopy and computational studies. Detailed density functional theory calculations show that the changes in the structure and the bonding situation were most pronounced in the lithium compounds due to the higher covalency.}, language = {en} } @article{FaberHudecMalinskyetal.2018, author = {Faber, T. and Hudec, M. and Malinsk{\´y}, M. and Meinzinger, P. and Porod, W. and Staub, F.}, title = {A unified leptoquark model confronted with lepton non-universality in B-meson decays}, series = {Physics Letters B}, volume = {787}, journal = {Physics Letters B}, doi = {10.1016/j.physletb.2018.10.051}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-227419}, pages = {159-166}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The anomalies in the B-meson sector, in particular R-K(*) and R-D(*), are often interpreted as hints for physics beyond the Standard Model. To this end, leptoquarks or a heavy Z' represent the most popular SM extensions which can explain the observations. However, adding these fields by hand is not very satisfactory as it does not address the big questions like a possible embedding into a unified gauge theory. On the other hand, light leptoquarks within a unified framework are challenging due to additional constraints such as lepton flavor violation. The existing accounts typically deal with this issue by providing estimates on the relevant couplings. In this letter we consider a complete model based on the SU(4)(C) circle times SU(2)(L) circle times U(1) R gauge symmetry, a subgroup of SO(10), featuring both scalar and vector leptoquarks. We demonstrate that this setup has, in principle, all the potential to accommodate R-K(*) and R-D(*) while respecting bounds from other sectors usually checked in this context. However, it turns out that K-L -> e(+/-)mu(-/+) severely constraints not only the vector but also the scalar leptoquarks and, consequently, also the room for any sizeable deviations of R-K(*) from 1. We briefly comment on the options for extending the model in order to conform this constraint. Moreover, we present a simple criterion for all-orders proton stability within this class of models.}, language = {en} } @article{MuentzeGenslerManiucetal.2019, author = {M{\"u}ntze, Jonas and Gensler, Daniel and Maniuc, Octavian and Liu, Dan and Cairns, Tereza and Oder, Daniel and Hu, Kai and Lorenz, Kristina and Frantz, Stefan and Wanner, Christoph and Nordbeck, Peter}, title = {Oral Chaperone Therapy Migalastat for Treating Fabry Disease: Enzymatic Response and Serum Biomarker Changes After 1 Year}, series = {Clinical Pharmacology \& Therapeutics}, volume = {105}, journal = {Clinical Pharmacology \& Therapeutics}, doi = {10.1002/cpt.1321}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-231626}, pages = {1224-1233}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Long-term effects of migalastat therapy in clinical practice are currently unknown. We evaluated migalastat efficacy and biomarker changes in a prospective, single-center study on 14 patients with Fabry disease (55 ± 14 years; 11 men). After 1 year of open-label migalastat therapy, patients showed significant changes in alpha-galactosidase-A activity (0.06-0.2 nmol/minute/mg protein; P = 0.001), left ventricular myocardial mass index (137-130 g/m2; P = 0.037), and serum creatinine (0.94-1.0 mg/dL; P = 0.021), accounting for deterioration in estimated glomerular filtration rate (87-78 mL/minute/1.73 m2; P = 0.012). The enzymatic increase correlated with myocardial mass reduction (r = -0.546; P = 0.044) but not with renal function (r = -0.086; P = 0.770). Plasma globotriaosylsphingosine was reduced in therapy-naive patients (10.9-6.0 ng/mL; P = 0.021) and stable (9.6-12.1 ng/mL; P = 0.607) in patients switched from prior enzyme-replacement therapy. These first real-world data show that migalastat substantially increases alpha-galactosidase-A activity, stabilizes related serum biomarkers, and improves cardiac integrity in male and female patients with amenable Fabry disease mutations.}, language = {en} } @article{GarainShoyamaGinderetal.2024, author = {Garain, Swadhin and Shoyama, Kazutaka and Ginder, Lea-Marleen and S{\´a}rosi, Menyh{\´a}rt and W{\"u}rthner, Frank}, title = {The delayed box: biphenyl bisimide cyclophane, a supramolecular nano-environment for the efficient generation of delayed fluorescence}, series = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, volume = {146}, journal = {Journal of the American Chemical Society}, number = {31}, issn = {0002-7863}, doi = {10.1021/jacs.4c07730}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-370385}, pages = {22056-22063}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Activating delayed fluorescence emission in a dilute solution via a non-covalent approach is a formidable challenge. In this report, we propose a strategy for efficient delayed fluorescence generation in dilute solution using a non-covalent approach via supramolecularly engineered cyclophane-based nanoenvironments that provide sufficient binding strength to π-conjugated guests and that can stabilize triplet excitons by reducing vibrational dissipation and lowering the singlet-triplet energy gap for efficient delayed fluorescence emission. Toward this goal, a novel biphenyl bisimide-derived cyclophane is introduced as an electron-deficient and efficient triplet-generating host. Upon encapsulation of various carbazole-derived guests inside the nanocavity of this cyclophane, emissive charge transfer (CT) states close to the triplet energy level of the biphenyl bisimide are generated. The experimental results of host-guest studies manifest high association constants up to 10\(^4\) M\(^{-1}\) as the prerequisite for inclusion complex formation, the generation of emissive CT states, and triplet-state stabilization in a diluted solution state. By means of different carbazole guest molecules, we could realize tunable delayed fluorescence emission in this carbazole-encapsulated biphenyl bisimide cyclophane in methylcyclohexane/carbon tetrachloride solutions with a quantum yield (QY) of up to 15.6\%. Crystal structure analyses and solid-state photophysical studies validate the conclusions from our solution studies and provide insights into the delayed fluorescence emission mechanism.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Dusel2024, author = {Dusel, Marco}, title = {Exziton-Polariton-Kondensation in organischen Halbleiter-Mikrokavit{\"a}ten mit hemisph{\"a}rischen Potentiallandschaften}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-37055}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-370554}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Exziton-Polaritonen sind hybride Quasiteilchen, die entstehen durch die starke Kopplung zwischen Halbleiter-Exzitonen und Mikrokavit{\"a}tsphotonen in einem optischen Resonator. Aufgrund ihres bosonischen Charakters k{\"o}nnen die Polaritonen Kondensate ausbilden. In dieser Arbeit ist der emittierende organische Halbleiter das fluoreszierende Protein mCherry. Um einen r{\"a}umlichen Einschluss zu generieren wurden hemisph{\"a}rische Potentiale genutzt. Durch die Variation der Potentiallandschaft (Linse, Molek{\"u}l, Kette, Su-Schrieffer-Heeger-Kette und Honigwaben-Gitter) konnten Eigenschaften wie beispielsweise topologisch nicht-triviale Defekte experimentell bei Umgebungstemperatur demonstriert werden. Zusammengefasst besch{\"a}ftigt sich diese Arbeit mit der Exziton-Polartion Kondensation in unterschiedlichen Potentiallandschaften mit dem organischen Halbleiter mCherry.}, subject = {Exziton-Polariton}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Drakopoulos2024, author = {Drakopoulos, Antonios}, title = {Opioid receptor oligomerization study through fluorescent selective ligands}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-20717}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-207179}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Opioid receptors (ORs) are among the most intensively studied members of the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family due to their important role in pain management and their involvement in psychological and neurological disorders. However, currently available opioid drugs exhibit both serious drawbacks, such as addiction, and life-threatening side effects, such as respiratory depression. Contrary to the classic monomeric model, indirect evidence suggests that ORs might form dimers, which could be endowed with a distinct pharmacological profile, and, thus, be exploited to develop innovative drugs. However, direct evidence for the spontaneous formation of OR dimers in living cells under physiological condition are missing. The focus of this thesis was the design, synthesis and characterization of new, highly subtype-selective OR fluorescent ligands to be used as tools for state-of-the-art microscopy methods, such as single molecule microscopy (SMM), in heterologous cells and potentially in native tissue, in order to investigate OR organization and mobility on the surface of intact, living cells, at low/physiological expression levels. The μOR is the OR subtype which plays the most critical role in pain modulation, while mediating the effects of the most powerful analgesic drugs. Also, it is the OR subtype which is mostly responsible for the major adverse effects of the currently marketed opioid drugs. We aimed to develop a new μOR-selective fluorescent ligand with a potential irreversible binding mode. Although the approach was in principle successful, i.e. the labelled cells were visible and distinguishable; this initial attempt was not suitable for SMM due to the ligands' poor selectivity and affinity as well as due to its high background noise. A second generation of the fluorescent ligand was designed; however the synthesis and characterization are part of another doctoral thesis. Lately, δOR has received attention as a promising drug target, due to its distinct pharmacological profile which features low abuse liability and lack of physical dependence. In addition, δOR expression has been associated with cancer regulation in the periphery, thus further highlighting the interest of imaging tools for this receptor. In this thesis, the development and characterization of two new δOR-selective fluorescent probes with excellent optical properties, based on the well-studied ligand naltrindole (NTI) is presented. Their application in SMM studies is currently underway at the group of Prof. Dr. Davide Calebiro at the University of Birmingham. The κOR is a subtype which has also emerged as a drug target due to its low abuse potential. Despite a growing interest in this receptor, κOR-selective fluorescent probes have been particularly scarce in literature. Herein, the design, synthesis and characterization of the first reported set of fluorescent κOR-selective probes with antagonistic properties, based on the established ligand 5'-guanidinonaltrindole (5'-GNTI) is presented. Two of these were employed for SMM experiments to investigate κOR homodimerization, localization and trafficking. Our findings do not support homodimerization of the κOR-bound probe complexes, while showing that the majority of them follow a normal Brownian diffusion on the cell surface.}, subject = {Opioidrezeptor}, language = {en} } @article{BarkhuizenvanMechelenVermeeretal.2019, author = {Barkhuizen, Melinda and van Mechelen, Ralph and Vermeer, Marijne and Chedraui, Peter and Paes, Dean and van den Hove, Daniel L. A. and Vaes, Bart and Mays, Robert W. and Steinbusch, Harry W. M. and Robertson, Nicola J. and Kramer, Boris W. and Gavilanes, Antonio W. D.}, title = {Systemic multipotent adult progenitor cells improve long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes after preterm hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy}, series = {Behavioural Brain Research}, volume = {362}, journal = {Behavioural Brain Research}, doi = {10.1016/j.bbr.2019.01.016}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-221506}, pages = {77-81}, year = {2019}, abstract = {There is an urgent need for therapies that could reduce the disease burden of preterm hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Here, we evaluate the long-term effects of multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPC) on long-term behavioral outcomes in a preterm rat model of perinatal asphyxia. Rats of both sexes were treated with two doses of MAPCs within 24 h after the insult. Locomotor, cognitive and psychiatric impairments were evaluated starting at 1.5 (juvenile) and 6 months (adult). Hypoxia-ischemia affected locomotion, cognition, and anxiety in a sex-dependent manner, with higher vulnerability observed in males. The MAPC therapy partially attenuated deficits in object recognition memory in females of all tested ages, and in the adult males. The hypoxic insult caused delayed hyperactivity in adult males, which was corrected by MAPC therapy. These results suggest that MAPCs may have long-term benefits for neurodevelopmental outcome after preterm birth and global hypoxia-ischemia, which warrants further preclinical exploration.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Korte2024, author = {Korte, Pamela}, title = {Die funktionelle Bedeutung des Lipidstoffwechsels f{\"u}r die Stomata{\"o}ffnung bei Hitzestress in \(Arabidopsis\) \(thaliana\)}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-37046}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-370461}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Pflanzen sind verschiedenen Umweltbedingungen ausgesetzt, die zu suboptimalen Wachstumsbedingungen f{\"u}hren k{\"o}nnen. Dies gilt f{\"u}r eine Vielzahl von biotischen und abiotischen Faktoren. In der hier vorgelegten Arbeit wird der Effekt von erh{\"o}hten Temperaturen und Hitze genauer analysiert. Hitze ist einer der wichtigsten abiotischen Stressfaktoren, der das Pflanzenwachstum und die Reproduktion beeinflusst. Viele wichtige Kulturpflanzen zeigen immense Ertragseinbußen, die durch Hitze hervorgerufen werden. Durch den fortschreitenden Klimawandel werden jedoch Hitzeperioden immer h{\"a}ufiger und somit die Folgen f{\"u}r die Nahrungsproduktion immer gravierender. Zur Z{\"u}chtung von Pflanzen die hitzetolerant sind und weniger hohe Ertragseinbußen unter diesem Stress aufweisen, ist es essenziell die grundlegenden molekularen Mechanismen der Hitzetoleranz zu verstehen. Es m{\"u}ssen die verschiedenen physiologischen und biochemischen Prozesse identifiziert werden, die es Pflanzen erm{\"o}glichen, sich anzupassen. Es ist bekannt, dass die Anpassungsmechanismen von Pflanzen komplex sind und sowohl Ver{\"a}nderungen auf zellul{\"a}rer wie auch auf organismischer Ebene beinhalten. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, weitere Erkenntnisse zu gewinnen, wie diese Anpassung vonstattengeht und welche molekularen Prozesse an ihr beteiligt sind. Ein Hauptaugenmerk lag dabei auf dem Einfluss des Lipidmetabolismus und den daran beteiligten Enzymen. Es konnte bereits gezeigt werden, dass die Akkumulation von Triacylglycerolen bei hohen Temperaturen die basale Thermotoleranz bei Arabidopsis thaliana erh{\"o}ht. Wie jedoch der genaue Mechanismus dieser durch Triacylglycerole vermittelten Thermotoleranz funktioniert, war bis dato nicht bekannt. Ich konnte zeigen, dass die angesammelten Triacylglycerole genutzt werden k{\"o}nnen, um die Stomata w{\"a}hrend des Hitzestress zu {\"o}ffnen. Dies f{\"u}hrt zu einer erh{\"o}hten Transpiration und somit einer K{\"u}hlung der Bl{\"a}tter. Der Abbau von Triacylglycerolen und St{\"a}rke am Morgen ist notwendig, um die Stomata zu {\"o}ffnen. Zus{\"a}tzlich dient der Abbau der Aufrechterhaltung des Citratzyklus und somit der Energieversorgung. In weiteren Experimenten konnte ich durch F{\"u}tterung mit stabil markierter Laurins{\"a}ure zeigen, dass die Triacylglycerole auch dem Aufbau neuer Aminos{\"a}uren unter Stressbedingungen dienen. Die hier vorgestellten Arbeiten bieten die Grundlage, um den Mechanismus der Thermotoleranz besser zu verstehen. Das Verst{\"a}ndnis der in dieser Arbeit beschriebenen molekularen Signalwege und Enzyme kann langfristig dazu beitragen hitzeresistentere Nutzpflanzen zu z{\"u}chten.}, subject = {Hitzestress}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Brohm2024, author = {Brohm, Katharina Andrea}, title = {(Differential-) Diagnostik bei prim{\"a}rem Hyperaldosteronismus: Ermittlung eines LC-MS/MS-spezifischen Aldosterongrenzwerts f{\"u}r den Kochsalzbelastungstest und Evaluation des Orthostasetests hinsichtlich der Differenzierung von Subgruppen}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-36938}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-369382}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2024}, abstract = {Der prim{\"a}re Hyperaldosteronismus (PA) stellt aktuell den h{\"a}ufigsten Grund f{\"u}r das Vorliegen einer sekund{\"a}ren Hypertonie dar. Der in der Best{\"a}tigungsdiagnostik verwendete Kochsalzbelastungstest basiert dabei auf einem fehlenden Absinken der Aldosteronkonzentration im Testverlauf bei Patient:innen mit PA im Vergleich zu Patient:innen mit essentieller Hypertonie (EH). Die Konzentrationsbestimmung erfolgte bisher mittels Immunoassay. Mit der LC-MS/MS steht jedoch mittlerweile eine weitere wichtige analytische Methode in der quantitativen Bestimmung von Steroidhormonen zur Verf{\"u}gung, welche in dieser Arbeit im Hinblick auf den Kochsalzbelastungstest untersucht wurde. Hohe Bedeutung kommt außerdem der Subtypdifferenzierung des PA zu, da die {\"A}tiologie der Erkrankung wegweisend f{\"u}r die Art der Therapie ist. Das Ziel dieser Studie war einerseits die Ermittlung eines LC-MS/MS-spezifischen Aldosteron-Cut-off-Wertes im Kochsalzbelastungstest und die Evaluation des Nutzens der Bestimmung von Steroidprofilen in der Diagnostik des PA. Zum anderen wurde der diagnostische Nutzen des Orthostasetests zur Unterscheidung von unilateraler und bilateraler Genese bei vorliegendem PA untersucht. Im Rahmen dieser Studien wurden 187 bzw. 158 Patient:innen analysiert, die zwischen 2009 und 2019 bei Verdacht auf oder Vorliegen eines PA im Universit{\"a}tsklinikum W{\"u}rzburg vorstellig wurden. Die Diagnose wurde gem{\"a}ß der aktuellen Leitlinie anhand der Ergebnisse des Kochsalzbelastungstests, NNVKs, Bildgebung und postoperativen Outcomes gestellt. Mithilfe der LC-MS/MS wurden erneut die Aldosteronkonzentrationen der aufbewahrten Serumproben des Kochsalzbelastungstests, sowie ein erweitertes Steroidpanel bestimmt. Unter Verwendung einer ROC-Analyse wurden die jeweils bestehenden Cut-off-Werte optimiert bzw. neu ermittelt. Die mittels Immunoassay bestimmten Aldosteronkonzentrationen lagen um 28 ng/L h{\"o}her als die mittels LC-MS/MS bestimmten Konzentrationen. Trotzdem lag der neu ermittelte LC-MS/MS-spezifische Aldosteron-Cut-off-Wert f{\"u}r den Kochsalzbelastungstest bei 69 ng/L und damit h{\"o}her als der f{\"u}r den Immunoassay geltende, optimierte Aldosteron-Cut-off von 54 ng/L. Unter Verwendung des LC-MS/MS- spezifischen Cut-off-Werts erreichte der Kochsalzbelastungstest eine Sensitivit{\"a}t von 78,6\% bei einer Spezifit{\"a}t von 89,3\%. Die Sensitivit{\"a}t des Immunoassay-spezifischen Cut-off-Werts betrug 95,2\% bei einer Spezifit{\"a}t von 86,9\%. Das Bestimmen des gesamten Steroidprofils f{\"u}hrte zu keiner zus{\"a}tzlichen diagnostischen Information bei Durchf{\"u}hrung des Kochsalzbelastungstests. Bei Betrachtung der gesamten Patient:innenkohorte erreichte der Orthostasetest, basierend auf einem Absinken der Plasmaaldosteronkonzentration nach 4h in Orthostase um ≥ 28\% eine Sensitivit{\"a}t von 36,7\% bei einer Spezifit{\"a}t von 100\%. Wurde das Vorliegen eines g{\"u}ltigen Tests (Cortisolabfall nach 4h ≥ 10\%) oder das Vorliegen einer unilateralen Raumforderung in der Bildgebung vorausgesetzt, stieg die Sensitivit{\"a}t des Orthostasetests auf 51,4\% bzw. 51,6\% bei gleichbleibend hoher Spezifit{\"a}t von 100\% an. Abschließend l{\"a}sst sich sagen, dass der Orthostasetest keine Alternative zum NNVK darstellt, jedoch als einfache, nicht invasive Methode der zus{\"a}tzlichen Orientierung zur Untersuchung der {\"A}tiologie des PAs dienen kann. Eine prospektive Evaluation der jeweils neu ermittelten Cut-off-Werte wird notwendig sein, um deren Anwendbarkeit im klinischen Alltag zu {\"u}berpr{\"u}fen. Außerdem k{\"o}nnte die Bestimmung der Hybridsteroide 18-Oxocortisol und 18-Hydroxycortisol wegweisend f{\"u}r die Genese des PA sein.}, subject = {Aldosteronismus}, language = {de} } @article{CzimmererDanielHorvathetal.2018, author = {Czimmerer, Zsolt and Daniel, Bence and Horvath, Attila and R{\"u}ckerl, Dominik and Nagy, Gergely and Kiss, Mate and Peloquin, Matthew and Budai, Marietta M. and Cuaranta-Monroy, Ixchelt and Simandi, Zoltan and Steiner, Laszlo and Nagy Jr., Bela and Poliska, Szilard and Banko, Csaba and Bacso, Zsolt and Schulman, Ira G. and Sauer, Sascha and Deleuze, Jean-Francois and Allen, Judith E. and Benko, Szilvia and Nagy, Laszlo}, title = {The Transcription Factor STAT6 Mediates Direct Repression of Inflammatory Enhancers and Limits Activation of Alternatively Polarized Macrophages}, series = {Immunity}, volume = {48}, journal = {Immunity}, doi = {10.1016/j.immuni.2017.12.010}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-223380}, pages = {75-90}, year = {2018}, abstract = {The molecular basis of signal-dependent transcriptional activation has been extensively studied in macrophage polarization, but our understanding remains limited regarding the molecular determinants of repression. Here we show that IL-4-activated STAT6 transcription factor is required for the direct transcriptional repression of a large number of genes during in vitro and in vivo alternative macrophage polarization. Repression results in decreased lineage-determining transcription factor, p300, and RNA polymerase II binding followed by reduced enhancer RNA expression, H3K27 acetylation, and chromatin accessibility. The repressor function of STAT6 is HDAC3 dependent on a subset of IL-4-repressed genes. In addition, STAT6-repressed enhancers show extensive overlap with the NF-κB p65 cistrome and exhibit decreased responsiveness to lipopolysaccharide after IL-4 stimulus on a subset of genes. As a consequence, macrophages exhibit diminished inflammasome activation, decreased IL-1β production, and pyroptosis. Thus, the IL-4-STAT6 signaling pathway establishes an alternative polarization-specific epigenenomic signature resulting in dampened macrophage responsiveness to inflammatory stimuli.}, language = {en} } @article{TruebeHertleinMrochenetal.2019, author = {Tr{\"u}be, Patricia and Hertlein, Tobias and Mrochen, Daniel M. and Schulz, Daniel and Jorde, Ilka and Krause, Bettina and Zeun, Julia and Fischer, Stefan and Wolf, Silver A. and Walther, Birgit and Semmler, Torsten and Br{\"o}ker, Barbara M. and Ulrich, Rainer G. and Ohlsen, Knut and Holtfreter, Silva}, title = {Bringing together what belongs together: Optimizing murine infection models by using mouse-adapted Staphylococcus aureus strains}, series = {International Journal of Medical Microbiology}, volume = {309}, journal = {International Journal of Medical Microbiology}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijmm.2018.10.007}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-229081}, pages = {26-38}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Staphylococcus (S.) aureus is a leading cause of bacterial infection world-wide, and currently no vaccine is available for humans. Vaccine development relies heavily on clinically relevant infection models. However, the suitability of mice for S. aureus infection models has often been questioned, because experimental infection of mice with human-adapted S. aureus requires very high infection doses. Moreover, mice were not considered to be natural hosts of S. aureus. The latter has been disproven by our recent findings, showing that both laboratory mice, as well as wild small mammals including mice, voles, and shrews, are naturally colonized with S. aureus. Here, we investigated whether mouse-and vole-derived S. aureus strains show an enhanced virulence in mice as compared to the human-adapted strain Newman. Using a step-wise approach based on the bacterial genotype and in vitro assays for host adaptation, we selected the most promising candidates for murine infection models out of a total of 254 S. aureus isolates from laboratory mice as well as wild rodents and shrews. Four strains representing the clonal complexes (CC) 8, 49, and 88 (n = 2) were selected and compared to the human-adapted S. aureus strain Newman (CC8) in murine pneumonia and bacteremia models. Notably, a bank vole-derived CC49 strain, named DIP, was highly virulent in BALB/c mice in pneumonia and bacteremia models, whereas the other murine and vole strains showed virulence similar to or lower than that of Newman. At one tenth of the standard infection dose DIP induced disease severity, bacterial load and host cytokine and chemokine responses in the murine bacteremia model similar to that of Newman. In the pneumonia model, DIP was also more virulent than Newman but the effect was less pronounced. Whole genome sequencing data analysis identified a pore-forming toxin gene, lukF-PV(P83)/lukM, in DIP but not in the other tested S. aureus isolates. To conclude, the mouse-adapted S. aureus strain DIP allows a significant reduction of the inoculation dose in mice and is hence a promising tool to develop clinically more relevant infection models.}, language = {en} } @article{TappenbeckSchroederNiebergallRothetal.2019, author = {Tappenbeck, Nils and Schr{\"o}der, Hannes M. and Niebergall-Roth, Elke and Hassinger, Fathema and Dehio, Ulf and Dieter, Kathrin and Kraft, Korinna and Kerstan, Andreas and Esterlechner, Jasmina and Frank, Natasha Y. and Scharffetter-Kochanek, Karin and Murphy, George F. and Orgill, Dennis P. and Beck, Joachim and Frank, Markus H. and Ganss, Christoph and Kluth, Mark A.}, title = {In vivo safety profile and biodistribution of GMP-manufactured human skin-derived ABCB5-positive mesenchymal stromal cells for use in clinical trials}, series = {Cytotherapy}, volume = {21}, journal = {Cytotherapy}, doi = {10.1016/j.jcyt.2018.12.005}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240456}, pages = {546-560}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Background aims Human dermal ABCB5-expressing mesenchymal stromal cells (ABCB5+ MSCs) represent a promising candidate for stem cell-based therapy of various currently uncurable diseases in several fields of regenerative medicine. We have developed and validated a method to isolate, from human skin samples, and expand ABCB5+ MSCs that meet the guideline criteria of the International Society for Cellular Therapy. We are able to process these cells into a Good Manufacturing Practice-conforming, MSC-based advanced-therapy medicinal product. Methods To support the development of ABCB5+ MSCs for potential therapeutic topical, intramuscular and intravenous administration, we have tested our product in a series of Good Laboratory Practice-compliant nonclinical in-vivo studies addressing all relevant aspects of biosafety, including potential long-term persistence and proliferation, distribution to nontarget tissues, differentiation into undesired cell types, ectopic tissue formation, tumor formation and local tissue reaction. Results (i) Subcutaneous application of 1 × 107 ABCB5+ MSCs/animal and intravenous application of 2 × 106 ABCB5+ MSCs/animal, respectively, to immunocompromised mice did not result in safety-relevant biodistribution, persistence or proliferation of the cells; (ii) three monthly subcutaneous injections of ABCB5+ MSCs at doses ranging from 1 × 105 to 1 × 107 cells/animal and three biweekly intravenous injections of 2 × 106 ABCB5+ MSCs/animal, respectively, to immunocompromised mice were nontoxic and revealed no tumorigenic potential; and (iii) intramuscular injection of 5 × 106 ABCB5+ MSCs/animal to immunocompromised mice was locally well tolerated. Discussion The present preclinical in vivo data demonstrate the local and systemic safety and tolerability of a novel advanced-therapy medicinal product based on human skin-derived ABCB5+ MSCs.}, language = {en} } @article{GoettlichKunzZappetal.2018, author = {G{\"o}ttlich, Claudia and Kunz, Meik and Zapp, Cornelia and Nietzer, Sarah L. and Walles, Heike and Dandekar, Thomas and Dandekar, Gudrun}, title = {A combined tissue-engineered/in silico signature tool patient stratification in lung cancer}, series = {Molecular Oncology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Molecular Oncology}, doi = {10.1002/1878-0261.12323}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233137}, pages = {1264-1285}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Patient-tailored therapy based on tumor drivers is promising for lung cancer treatment. For this, we combined in vitro tissue models with in silico analyses. Using individual cell lines with specific mutations, we demonstrate a generic and rapid stratification pipeline for targeted tumor therapy. We improve in vitro models of tissue conditions by a biological matrix-based three-dimensional (3D) tissue culture that allows in vitro drug testing: It correctly shows a strong drug response upon gefitinib (Gef) treatment in a cell line harboring an EGFR-activating mutation (HCC827), but no clear drug response upon treatment with the HSP90 inhibitor 17AAG in two cell lines with KRAS mutations (H441, A549). In contrast, 2D testing implies wrongly KRAS as a biomarker for HSP90 inhibitor treatment, although this fails in clinical studies. Signaling analysis by phospho-arrays showed similar effects of EGFR inhibition by Gef in HCC827 cells, under both 2D and 3D conditions. Western blot analysis confirmed that for 3D conditions, HSP90 inhibitor treatment implies different p53 regulation and decreased MET inhibition in HCC827 and H441 cells. Using in vitro data (western, phospho-kinase array, proliferation, and apoptosis), we generated cell line-specific in silico topologies and condition-specific (2D, 3D) simulations of signaling correctly mirroring in vitro treatment responses. Networks predict drug targets considering key interactions and individual cell line mutations using the Human Protein Reference Database and the COSMIC database. A signature of potential biomarkers and matching drugs improve stratification and treatment in KRAS-mutated tumors. In silico screening and dynamic simulation of drug actions resulted in individual therapeutic suggestions, that is, targeting HIF1A in H441 and LKB1 in A549 cells. In conclusion, our in vitro tumor tissue model combined with an in silico tool improves drug effect prediction and patient stratification. Our tool is used in our comprehensive cancer center and is made now publicly available for targeted therapy decisions.}, language = {en} } @article{StromeckiTatariCoudiereMorrisonetal.2018, author = {Stromecki, Margaret and Tatari, Nazanin and Coudi{\`e}re Morrison, Ludivine and Kaur, Ravinder and Zagozewski, Jamie and Palidwor, Gareth and Ramaswamy, Vijay and Skowron, Patryk and W{\"o}lfl, Matthias and Milde, Till and Del Bigio, Marc R. and Taylor, Michael D. and Werbowetski-Ogilvie, Tamra E.}, title = {Characterization of a novel OTX2-driven stem cell program in Group 3 and Group 4 medulloblastoma}, series = {Molecular Oncology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Molecular Oncology}, doi = {10.1002/1878-0261.12177}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240089}, pages = {495-513}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant primary pediatric brain cancer. Among the most aggressive subtypes, Group 3 and Group 4 originate from stem/progenitor cells, frequently metastasize, and often display the worst prognosis, yet we know the least about the molecular mechanisms driving their progression. Here, we show that the transcription factor orthodenticle homeobox 2 (OTX2) promotes self-renewal while inhibiting differentiation in vitro and increases tumor initiation from MB stem/progenitor cells in vivo. To determine how OTX2 contributes to these processes, we employed complementary bioinformatic approaches to characterize the OTX2 regulatory network and identified novel relationships between OTX2 and genes associated with neuronal differentiation and axon guidance signaling in Group 3 and Group 4 MB stem/progenitor cells. In particular, OTX2 levels were negatively correlated with semaphorin (SEMA) signaling, as expression of 9 SEMA pathway genes is upregulated following OTX2 knockdown with some being potential direct OTX2 targets. Importantly, this negative correlation was also observed in patient samples, with lower expression of SEMA4D associated with poor outcome specifically in Group 4 tumors. Functional proof-of-principle studies demonstrated that increased levels of select SEMA pathway genes are associated with decreased self-renewal and growth in vitro and in vivo and that RHO signaling, known to mediate the effects of SEMA genes, is contributing to the OTX2 KD phenotype. Our study provides mechanistic insight into the networks controlled by OTX2 in MB stem/progenitor cells and reveals novel roles for axon guidance genes and their downstream effectors as putative tumor suppressors in MB.}, language = {en} } @article{HoeniglOraschFaserletal.2019, author = {Hoenigl, Martin and Orasch, Thomas and Faserl, Klaus and Prattes, Juergen and Loeffler, Juergen and Springer, Jan and Gsaller, Fabio and Reischies, Frederike and Duettmann, Wiebke and Raggam, Reinhard B. and Lindner, Herbert and Haas, Hubertus}, title = {Triacetylfusarinine C: A urine biomarker for diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis}, series = {Journal of Infection}, volume = {78}, journal = {Journal of Infection}, doi = {10.1016/j.jinf.2018.09.006}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-320939}, pages = {150-157}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objectives Early diagnosis of invasive aspergillosis (IA) remains challenging, with available diagnostics being limited by inadequate sensitivities and specificities. Triacetylfusarinine C, a fungal siderophore that has been shown to accumulate in urine in animal models, is a potential new biomarker for diagnosis of IA. Methods We developed a method allowing absolute and matrix-independent mass spectrometric quantification of TAFC. Urine TAFC, normalized to creatinine, was determined in 44 samples from 24 patients with underlying hematologic malignancies and probable, possible or no IA according to current EORTC/MSG criteria and compared to other established biomarkers measured in urine and same-day blood samples. Results TAFC/creatinine sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratio for probable versus no IA (cut-off ≥ 3) were 0.86, 0.88, 6.86, 0.16 per patient. Conclusion For the first time, we provide proof for the occurrence of TAFC in human urine. TAFC/creatinine index determination in urine showed promising results for diagnosis of IA offering the advantages of non-invasive sampling. Sensitivity and specificity were similar as reported for GM determination in serum and bronchoalveolar lavage, the gold standard mycological criterion for IA diagnosis.}, language = {en} } @article{HeimannPenackHeinzetal.2019, author = {Heimann, Sebastian M. and Penack, Olaf and Heinz, Werner J. and Rachow, Tobias and Egerer, Gerlinde and Kessel, Johanna and Claßen, Annika Y. and Vehreschild, J{\"o}rg Janne}, title = {Intravenous and tablet formulation of posaconazole in antifungal therapy and prophylaxis: A retrospective, non-interventional, multicenter analysis of hematological patients treated in tertiary-care hospitals}, series = {International Journal of Infectious Diseases}, volume = {83}, journal = {International Journal of Infectious Diseases}, doi = {10.1016/j.ijid.2019.04.006}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319567}, pages = {130-138}, year = {2019}, abstract = {Objectives Novel formulations (gastro-resistant tablet and intravenous solution) of posaconazole (POS) have been approved in prophylaxis and therapy of invasive fungal diseases (IFDs). Study aim was to analyze treatment strategies and clinical effectiveness. Methods We set up a web-based registry on www.ClinicalSurveys.net for documentation of comprehensive data of patients who received novel POS formulations. Data analysis was split into two groups of patients who received novel POS formulations for antifungal prophylaxis (posaconazole prophylaxis group) and antifungal therapy (posaconazole therapy group), respectively. Results Overall, 180 patients (151 in the posaconazole prophylaxis group and 29 in the posaconazole therapy group) from six German tertiary care centers and hospitalized between 05/2014 - 03/2016 were observed. Median age was 58 years (range: 19 - 77 years) and the most common risk factor for IFD was chemotherapy (n = 136; 76\%). In the posaconazole prophylaxis group and posaconazole therapy group, median POS serum levels at steady-state were 1,068 μg/L (IQR 573-1,498 μg/L) and 904 μg/L (IQR 728-1,550 μg/L), respectively (P = 0.776). During antifungal prophylaxis with POS, nine (6\%) probable/proven fungal breakthroughs were reported and overall survival rate of hospitalization was 86\%. The median overall duration of POS therapy was 18 days (IQR: 7 - 23 days). Fourteen patients (48\%) had progressive IFD under POS therapy, of these five patients (36\%) died related to or likely related to IFD. Conclusions Our study demonstrates clinical effectiveness of antifungal prophylaxis with novel POS formulations. In patients treated for possible/probable/proven IFD, we observed considerable mortality in patients receiving salvage treatment and with infections due to rare fungal species.}, language = {en} } @article{StoreyStaplinHaynesetal.2018, author = {Storey, Benjamin C. and Staplin, Natalie and Haynes, Richard and Reith, Christina and Emberson, Jonathan and Herrington, William G. and Wheeler, David C. and Walker, Robert and Fellstr{\"o}m, Bengt and Wanner, Christoph and Landray, Martin J. and Baigent, Colin}, title = {Lowering LDL cholesterol reduces cardiovascular risk independently of presence of inflammation}, series = {Kidney International}, volume = {93}, journal = {Kidney International}, organization = {The SHARP Collaborative Group}, doi = {10.1016/j.kint.2017.09.011}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-240067}, pages = {1000-1007}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Markers of inflammation, including plasma C-reactive protein (CRP), are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and it has been suggested that this association is causal. However, the relationship between inflammation and cardiovascular disease has not been extensively studied in patients with chronic kidney disease. To evaluate this, we used data from the Study of Heart and Renal Protection (SHARP) to assess associations between circulating CRP and LDL cholesterol levels and the risk of vascular and non-vascular outcomes. Major vascular events were defined as nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiac death, stroke or arterial revascularization, with an expanded outcome of vascular events of any type. Higher baseline CRP was associated with an increased risk of major vascular events (hazard ratio per 3x increase 1.28; 95\% confidence interval 1.19-1.38). Higher baseline LDL cholesterol was also associated with an increased risk of major vascular events (hazard ratio per 0.6 mmol/L higher LDL cholesterol; 1.14, 1.06-1.22). Higher baseline CRP was associated with an increased risk of a range of non-vascular events (1.16, 1.12-1.21), but there was a weak inverse association between baseline LDL cholesterol and non-vascular events (0.96, 0.92-0.99). The efficacy of lowering LDL cholesterol with simvastatin/ezetimibe on major vascular events, in the randomized comparison, was similar irrespective of CRP concentration at baseline. Thus, decisions to offer statin-based therapy to patients with chronic kidney disease should continue to be guided by their absolute risk of atherosclerotic events. Estimation of such risk may include plasma biomarkers of inflammation, but there is no evidence that the relative beneficial effects of reducing LDL cholesterol depends on plasma CRP concentration.}, language = {en} } @article{ZhangYeGburecketal.2018, author = {Zhang, Zishuai and Ye, Siyu and Gbureck, Uwe and Barralet, Jake E. and Merle, G{\´e}raldine}, title = {Cavitation Mediated 3D Microstructured Architectures from Nanocarbon}, series = {Advanced Functional Materials}, volume = {28}, journal = {Advanced Functional Materials}, doi = {10.1002/adfm.201706832}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-233926}, year = {2018}, abstract = {Here, the formation of high surface area microscale assemblies of nanocarbon through phosphate and ultrasound cavitation treatment is reported. Despite high conductivity and large surface area, potential health and safety concerns limit the use of nanocarbon and add challenges to handling. Previously, it is shown that phosphate ultrasonic bonding is ineffective for organic materials but in this study, it is found that by a preliminary oxidizing treatment, several carbons can be readily assembled from xerogels. Assembling nanocarbon into microparticles can usually require a binder or surfactants, which can reduce surface area or conductivity and generate a low microsphere yield. Carbon nanotube microspheres are nitrogen-doped and flower-like nanostructured Pt deposited on their surface, and finally showcased as efficient cathode electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (half-wave potential 0.78 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode) and methanol oxidation (417 mA mg-1). In particular, no significant degradation of the catalysts is detected after 12 000 cycles (26.6 h). These results indicate the potential of this multimaterial assembly method and open a new way to improve handling of nanoscale materials.}, language = {en} }