TY - JOUR A1 - Huang, Bei A1 - Belharazem, Djeda A1 - Li, Li A1 - Kneitz, Susanne A1 - Schnabel, Philipp A. A1 - Rieker, Ralf J. A1 - Körner, Daniel A1 - Nix, Wilfried A1 - Schalke, Berthold A1 - Müller-Hermelink, Hans Konrad A1 - Ott, German A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Ströbel, Philipp A1 - Marx, Alexander T1 - Anti-apoptotic signature in thymic squamous cell carcinomas – functional relevance of anti-apoptotic BIRC3 expression in the thymic carcinoma cell line 1889c JF - Frontiers in Oncology N2 - The molecular pathogenesis of thymomas and thymic arcinomas (TCs) is poorly understood and results of adjuvant therapy are unsatisfactory in case of metastatic disease and tumor recurrence. For these clinical settings, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Recently, limited sequencing efforts revealed that a broad spectrum of genes that play key roles in various common cancers are rarely affected in thymomas and TCs, suggesting that other oncogenic principles might be important.This made us re-analyze historic expression data obtained in a spectrumof thymomas and thymic squamous cell carcinomas (TSCCs) with a custom-made cDNA microarray. By cluster analysis, different anti-apoptotic signatures were detected in type B3 thymoma and TSCC, including overexpression of BIRC3 in TSCCs. This was confirmed by qRT-PCR in the original and an independent validation set of tumors. In contrast to several other cancer cell lines, the BIRC3-positive TSCC cell line, 1889c showed spontaneous apoptosis after BIRC3 knock-down. Targeting apoptosis genes is worth testing as therapeutic principle in TSCC. KW - gene expression KW - MTCH2 KW - targeted KW - myasthenia gravis KW - apoptosis KW - thymus KW - thymoma KW - thymic carcinoma Y1 - 2013 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-132214 VL - 3 IS - 316 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Porubsky, Stefan A1 - Popovic, Zoran V. A1 - Badve, Sunil A1 - Banz, Yara A1 - Berezowska, Sabina A1 - Borchert, Dietmar A1 - Brüggemann, Monika A1 - Gaiser, Timo A1 - Graeter, Thomas A1 - Hollaus, Peter A1 - Huettl, Katrin S. A1 - Kotrova, Michaela A1 - Kreft, Andreas A1 - Kugler, Christian A1 - Lötscher, Fabian A1 - Möller, Burkhard A1 - Ott, German A1 - Preissler, Gerhard A1 - Roessner, Eric A1 - Rosenwald, Andreas A1 - Ströbel, Philipp A1 - Marx, Alexander T1 - Thymic hyperplasia with lymphoepithelial sialadenitis (LESA)-like features: strong association with lymphomas and non-myasthenic autoimmune diseases JF - Cancers N2 - Thymic hyperplasia (TH) with lymphoepithelial sialadenitis (LESA)-like features (LESA-like TH) has been described as a tumor-like, benign proliferation of thymic epithelial cells and lymphoid follicles. We aimed to determine the frequency of lymphoma and autoimmunity in LESA-like TH and performed retrospective analysis of cases with LESA-like TH and/or thymic MALT-lymphoma. Among 36 patients (21 males) with LESA-like TH (age 52 years, 32–80; lesion diameter 7.0 cm, 1–14.5; median, range), five (14%) showed associated lymphomas, including four (11%) thymic MALT lymphomas and one (3%) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. One additional case showed a clonal B-cell-receptor rearrangement without evidence of lymphoma. Twelve (33%) patients (7 women) suffered from partially overlapping autoimmune diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 4, 11%), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 3, 8%), myasthenia gravis (n = 2, 6%), asthma (n = 2, 6%), scleroderma, Sjögren syndrome, pure red cell aplasia, Grave’s disease and anti-IgLON5 syndrome (each n = 1, 3%). Among 11 primary thymic MALT lymphomas, remnants of LESA-like TH were found in two cases (18%). In summary, LESA-like TH shows a striking association with autoimmunity and predisposes to lymphomas. Thus, a hematologic and rheumatologic workup should become standard in patients diagnosed with LESA-like TH. Radiologists and clinicians should be aware of LESA-like TH as a differential diagnosis for mediastinal mass lesions in patients with autoimmune diseases. KW - autoimmune disease KW - imaging KW - LESA KW - lymphoma KW - myasthenia KW - pathology KW - surgery KW - thymus KW - thymic epithelial tumor KW - thymitis Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-223049 SN - 2072-6694 VL - 13 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bleilevens, Christian A1 - Soppert, Josefin A1 - Hoffmann, Adrian A1 - Breuer, Thomas A1 - Bernhagen, Jürgen A1 - Martin, Lukas A1 - Stiehler, Lara A1 - Marx, Gernot A1 - Dreher, Michael A1 - Stoppe, Christian A1 - Simon, Tim-Philipp T1 - Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) plasma concentration in critically ill COVID-19 patients: a prospective observational study JF - Diagnostics N2 - Mortality in critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients is high and pharmacological treatment strategies remain limited. Early-stage predictive biomarkers are needed to identify patients with a high risk of severe clinical courses and to stratify treatment strategies. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was previously described as a potential predictor for the outcome of critically ill patients and for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a hallmark of severe COVID-19 disease. This prospective observational study evaluates the predictive potential of MIF for the clinical outcome after severe COVID-19 infection. Plasma MIF concentrations were measured in 36 mechanically ventilated COVID-19 patients over three days after intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Increased compared to decreased MIF was significantly associated with aggravated organ function and a significantly lower 28-day survival (sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score; 8.2 ± 4.5 to 14.3 ± 3, p = 0.009 vs. 8.9 ± 1.9 to 12 ± 2, p = 0.296; survival: 56% vs. 93%; p = 0.003). Arterial hypertension was the predominant comorbidity in 85% of patients with increasing MIF concentrations (vs. decreasing MIF: 39%; p = 0.015). Without reaching significance, more patients with decreasing MIF were able to improve their ARDS status (p = 0.142). The identified association between an early MIF response, aggravation of organ function and 28-day survival may open future perspectives for biomarker-based diagnostic approaches for ICU management of COVID-19 patients. KW - Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) KW - COVID-19 KW - ICU treatment KW - acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) KW - SOFA Score KW - Horowitz Quotient Y1 - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-228967 SN - 2075-4418 VL - 11 IS - 2 ER - TY - THES A1 - Marx, Philipp T1 - Aus der Isolation zur Regionalmacht – Eine Analyse der Außenpolitik Burkina Fasos unter Blaise Compaoré T1 - From Isolation to Regional Power - An Analysis of Burkina Faso's Foreign Policy under Blaise Compaoré N2 - Ganze 27 Jahre lang regierte Blaise Compaoré die westafrikanische Republik Burkina Faso. Am 15. Oktober 1987 putschte er sich mit Hilfe eines von ihm angeleiteten Staatsstreichs, bei dem sein Vorgänger Thomas Sankara ermordet wurde, an die Macht. Die außenpolitische Ausgangssituation Burkina Fasos zu Beginn der Amtszeit Blaise Compaorés war verheerend: Die anti-kapitalistische Außenpolitik Sankaras hatte den rohstoffarmen Binnenstaat von seinen wichtigsten politischen und wirtschaftlichen Partnern isoliert und die neue Regierung war durch den gewalttätigen Staatsstreich international gebrandmarkt. Trotz dieser außenpolitisch schwierigen Ausgangslage entwickelte sich Blaise Compaoré im Zeitverlauf seiner präsidialen Amtszeit zu der zentralen Figur der regionalen Diplomatie in Westafrika. Er konnte in den 2000er Jahren durch Konfliktmediationen im unmittelbaren geografischen Umfeld Burkina Fasos eine Führungsrolle in der westafrikanischen Subregion einnehmen. Die vorliegende Arbeit analysiert die außenpolitischen Entwicklungen Burkina Fasos während der präsidialen Amtszeit Blaise Compaorés. Der Fokus der Analyse liegt auf der Frage, wie sich Burkina Faso unter Blaise Compaoré als Regionalmacht in Westafrika etablieren konnte. In diesem Zusammenhang werden die außenpolitischen Mittel, mit denen Blaise Compaoré die Grundsituation der politischen Isolation seines Amtsantritts in eine regionale Führungsrolle in Westafrika umwandeln konnte, herausgestellt. N2 - Blaise Compaoré ruled the West African Republic of Burkina Faso for 27 years. On 15 October 1987, he seized power with the help of a coup d'état instructed by him in which his predecessor Thomas Sankara was murdered. At the beginning of Blaise Compaoré's term of office, Burkina Faso‘s initial foreign policy situation was devastating: The resource-poor and landlocked country was isolated from its most important political and economic partners because of Sankara’s anti-capitalistic foreign policy, and the new government was internationally branded by the violent coup. Despite the difficulty of this initial situation, Blaise Compaoré became the central figure of regional diplomacy in West Africa over the course of his presidential term of office. Through conflict mediation in Burkina Faso's immediate geographical surroundings he was able to take a leading role in the West African subregion in the 2000s. This paper analyzes the developments of Burkina Faso’s foreign policy during Blaise Compaoré's presidential term. The analysis focuses on the question of how Burkina Faso was able to establish itself as a regional power in West Africa under the reign of Blaise Compaoré. In this context the means that enabled Blaise Compaoré to transform the initial situation of political isolation of his inauguration into a regional leadership role in West Africa are highlighted. T3 - Schriftenreihe Junges Afrikazentrum (JAZ) - 9 KW - Burkina Faso KW - Außenpolitikanalyse KW - Foreign Policy KW - Foreign Policy Analysis KW - Außenpolitik KW - Blaise Compaoré KW - Westafrika KW - Konflikt Y1 - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-204647 SN - 2199-4315 ER -