Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Journal article (8377) (remove)
Language
Keywords
- Organische Chemie (122)
- Anorganische Chemie (119)
- Toxikologie (112)
- Medizin (98)
- inflammation (86)
- Biochemie (81)
- Chemie (68)
- cancer (64)
- gene expression (62)
- Psychologie (61)
Institute
- Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften (1384)
- Institut für Psychologie (387)
- Institut für Anorganische Chemie (383)
- Physikalisches Institut (365)
- Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik (344)
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik II (340)
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I (331)
- Institut für Organische Chemie (313)
- Institut für Molekulare Infektionsbiologie (301)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Psychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie (254)
Sonstige beteiligte Institutionen
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (11)
- IZKF Nachwuchsgruppe Geweberegeneration für muskuloskelettale Erkrankungen (7)
- Clinical Trial Center (CTC) / Zentrale für Klinische Studien Würzburg (ZKSW) (5)
- Wilhelm-Conrad-Röntgen-Forschungszentrum für komplexe Materialsysteme (5)
- Bernhard-Heine-Centrum für Bewegungsforschung (4)
- Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (4)
- Zentraleinheit Klinische Massenspektrometrie (4)
- Center for Interdisciplinary Clinical Research, Würzburg University, Würzburg, Germany (2)
- Interdisciplinary Center for Clinical Research (2)
- Interdisziplinäres Zentrum für Klinische Forschung (IZKF) (2)
ResearcherID
- D-1221-2009 (1)
The increasing loss of pollinators over the last decades has become more and more evident. Intensive use of plant protection products is one key factor contributing to this decline. Especially the mixture of different plant protection products can pose an increased risk for pollinators as synergistic effects may occur. In this study we investigated the effect of the fungicide Cantus® Gold (boscalid/dimoxystrobin), the neonicotinoid insecticide Mospilan® (acetamiprid) and their mixture on honeybees. Since both plant protection products are frequently applied sequentially to the same plants (e.g. oilseed rape), their combination is a realistic scenario for honeybees. We investigated the mortality, the sucrose responsiveness and the differential olfactory learning performance of honeybees under controlled conditions in the laboratory to reduce environmental noise. Intact sucrose responsiveness and learning performance are of pivotal importance for the survival of individual honeybees as well as for the functioning of the entire colony. Treatment with two sublethal and field relevant concentrations of each plant protection product did not lead to any significant effects on these behaviors but affected the mortality rate. However, our study cannot exclude possible negative sublethal effects of these substances in higher concentrations. In addition, the honeybee seems to be quite robust when it comes to effects of plant protection products, while wild bees might be more sensitive.
Highlights
• Mix of SBI fungicides and neonicotinoids can lead to synergistic effects for bees.
• Combination of non-SBI fungicide and neonicotinoid in field-realistic doses tested.
• Synergistic effect on mortality of honeybees.
• No effects on sucrose responsiveness and learning performance of honeybees.
• Synergistic effects by other pesticide mixtures or on wild bees cannot be excluded.
Background
The oral mucosa has an important role in maintaining barrier integrity at the gateway to the gastrointestinal and respiratory tracts. Smoking is a strong environmental risk factor for the common oral inflammatory disease periodontitis and oral cancer. Cigarette smoke affects gene methylation and expression in various tissues. This is the first epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) that aimed to identify biologically active methylation marks of the oral masticatory mucosa that are associated with smoking.
Results
Ex vivo biopsies of 18 current smokers and 21 never smokers were analysed with the Infinium Methylation EPICBeadChip and combined with whole transcriptome RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq; 16 mio reads per sample) of the same samples. We analysed the associations of CpG methylation values with cigarette smoking and smoke pack year (SPY) levels in an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Nine CpGs were significantly associated with smoking status, with three CpGs mapping to the genetic region of CYP1B1 (cytochrome P450 family 1 subfamily B member 1;best p=5.5x10(-8)) and two mapping to AHRR (aryl-hydrocarbon receptor repressor; best p=5.9x10(-9)). In the SPY analysis, 61 CpG sites at 52 loci showed significant associations of the quantity of smoking with changes in methylation values. Here, the most significant association located to the gene CYP1B1, with p=4.0x10(-10). RNA-Seq data showed significantly increased expression of CYP1B1 in smokers compared to non-smokers (p=2.2x10(-14)), together with 13 significantly upregulated transcripts. Six transcripts were significantly downregulated. No differential expression was observed for AHRR. In vitro studies with gingival fibroblasts showed that cigarette smoke extract directly upregulated the expression of CYP1B1.
Conclusion
This study validated the established role of CYP1B1 and AHRR in xenobiotic metabolism of tobacco smoke and highlights the importance of epigenetic regulation for these genes. For the first time, we give evidence of this role for the oral masticatory mucosa.
We report on a combined low-temperature scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and density functional theory (DFT) investigation of the ( √3x√3) Pb/Ag (111)R30° surface alloy which provides a giant Rashba-type spin splitting. With STS we observed spectroscopic features that are assigned to two hole-like Rashba-split bands in the unoccupied energy range. By means of STS and quantum interference mapping we determine the band onsets, splitting strengths, and dispersions for both bands. The unambiguous assignment of scattering vectors is achieved by comparison to ARPES measurements. While intra-band scattering is found for both Rashba bands, inter-band scattering is only observed in the occupied energy range. Spin- and orbitally-resolved band structures were obtained by DFT calculations. Considering the scattering between states of different spin- and orbital character, the apparent deviation between experimentally observed scattering events and the theoretically predicted spin polarization could be resolved.
How do physico-chemical stimulus features, perception, and physiology relate? Given the multi-layered and parallel architecture of brains, the question specifically is where physiological activity patterns correspond to stimulus features and/or perception. Perceived distances between six odour pairs are defined behaviourally from four independent odour recognition tasks. We find that, in register with the physico-chemical distances of these odours, perceived distances for 3octanol and n-amylacetate are consistently smallest in all four tasks, while the other five odour pairs are about equally distinct. Optical imaging in the antennal lobe, using a calcium sensor transgenically expressed in only first-order sensory or only second-order olfactory projection neurons, reveals that 3-octanol and n-amylacetate are distinctly represented in sensory neurons, but appear merged in projection neurons. These results may suggest that within-antennal lobe processing funnels sensory signals into behaviourally meaningful categories, in register with the physico-chemical relatedness of the odours.
How do physico-chemical stimulus features, perception, and physiology relate? Given the multi-layered and parallel architecture of brains, the question specifically is where physiological activity patterns correspond to stimulus features and/ or perception. Perceived distances between six odour pairs are defined behaviourally from four independent odour recognition tasks. We find that, in register with the physico-chemical distances of these odours, perceived distances for 3-octanol and n-amylacetate are consistently smallest in all four tasks, while the other five odour pairs are about equally distinct. Optical imaging in the antennal lobe, using a calcium sensor transgenically expressed in only first-order sensory or only second-order olfactory projection neurons, reveals that 3-octanol and n-amylacetate are distinctly represented in sensory neurons, but appear merged in projection neurons. These results may suggest that within-antennal lobe processing funnels sensory signals into behaviourally meaningful categories, in register with the physico-chemical relatedness of the odours.
Biomedical research suffers from a dramatically poor translational success. For example, in ischemic stroke, a condition with a high medical need, over a thousand experimental drug targets were unsuccessful. Here, we adopt methods from clinical research for a late-stage pre-clinical meta-analysis (MA) and randomized confirmatory trial (pRCT) approach. A profound body of literature suggests NOX\(_{2}\) to be a major therapeutic target in stroke. Systematic review and MA of all available NOX\(_{2}\)\(^{-/y}\) studies revealed a positive publication bias and lack of statistical power to detect a relevant reduction in infarct size. A fully powered multi-center pRCT rejects NOX\(_{2}\) as a target to improve neurofunctional outcomes or achieve a translationally relevant infarct size reduction. Thus stringent statistical thresholds, reporting negative data and a MA-pRCT approach can ensure biomedical data validity and overcome risks of bias.
The cell—cell signaling gene CDH13 is associated with a wide spectrum of neuropsychiatric disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, and major depression. CDH13 regulates axonal outgrowth and synapse formation, substantiating its relevance for neurodevelopmental processes. Several studies support the influence of CDH13 on personality traits, behavior, and executive functions. However, evidence for functional effects of common gene variation in the CDH13 gene in humans is sparse. Therefore, we tested for association of a functional intronic CDH13 SNP rs2199430 with ADHD in a sample of 998 adult patients and 884 healthy controls. The Big Five personality traits were assessed by the NEO-PI-R questionnaire. Assuming that altered neural correlates of working memory and cognitive response inhibition show genotype-dependent alterations, task performance and electroencephalographic event-related potentials were measured by n-back and continuous performance (Go/NoGo) tasks. The rs2199430 genotype was not associated with adult ADHD on the categorical diagnosis level. However, rs2199430 was significantly associated with agreeableness, with minor G allele homozygotes scoring lower than A allele carriers. Whereas task performance was not affected by genotype, a significant heterosis effect limited to the ADHD group was identified for the n-back task. Heterozygotes (AG) exhibited significantly higher N200 amplitudes during both the 1-back and 2-back condition in the central electrode position Cz. Consequently, the common genetic variation of CDH13 is associated with personality traits and impacts neural processing during working memory tasks. Thus, CDH13 might contribute to symptomatic core dysfunctions of social and cognitive impairment in ADHD.
The ability to perform mathematical tasks is required in everyday life. Although heritability estimates suggest a genetic contribution, no previous study has conclusively identified a genetic risk variant for mathematical performance. Research has shown that the prevalence of mathematical disabilities is increased in children with dyslexia. We therefore correlated genome-wide data of 200 German children with spelling disability, with available quantitative data on mathematic ability. Replication of the top findings in additional dyslexia samples revealed that rs133885 was a genome-wide significant marker for mathematical abilities\((P_{comb}=7.71 x 10^{-10}, n=699)\), with an effect size of 4.87%. This association was also found in a sample from the general population (P=0.048, n=1080), albeit with a lower effect size. The identified variant encodes an amino-acid substitution in MYO18B, a protein with as yet unknown functions in the brain. As areas of the parietal cortex, in particular the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), are involved in numerical processing in humans, we investigated whether rs133885 was associated with IPS morphology using structural magnetic resonance imaging data from 79 neuropsychiatrically healthy adults. Carriers of the MYO18B risk-genotype displayed a significantly lower depth of the right IPS. This validates the identified association between rs133885 and mathematical disability at the level of a specific intermediate phenotype.
A comparative ab initio study of the Si\(_2\)C\(_4\), Si\(_3\)C\(_3\), Si\(_4\)C\(_2\) clusters
(1994)
Various structural possibilities for the Si\(_2\)C\(_4\) and Si\(_4\)C\(_2\) clusters are investigated by employing a basis set of triple-zeta plus polarization quality; electron correlation is generally accounted for by second-order M0ller-Plesset and, in certain instances, by higher-order perturbation (CASPT2) approaches. The building-up principle recently suggested from an analysis of Si\(_3\)C\(_3\) clusters is found to be fully operative for Si\(_2\)C\(_4\) and Si\(_4\)C\(_2\) clusters. A comparison of the structure and stability of various geometrical arrangements in the series C\(_6\) , Si\(_2\)C\(_4\) , Si\(_3\)C\(_3\) , Si\(_4\)C\(_2\), and Si\(_6\) shows that linear and planar structures become rapidly less stable if carbons are replaced by silicons and that the three-dimensional bipyramidal forms become less favorable as soon as silicons are exchanged by carbons in the parent Si\(_6\) structure. The effects can be rationalized in qualitative terms based on differences in silicon and carbon bonding.
Despite growing effort to advance materials towards a low fibrotic progression, all implants elicit adverse tissue responses. Pre-clinical biomaterial assessment relies on animals testing, which can be complemented by in vitro tests to address the Russell and Burch’s 3R aspect of reducing animal burden. However, a poor correlation between in vitro and in vivo biomaterial assessments confirms a need for suitable in vitro biomaterial tests. The aim of the study was to identify a test setting, which is predictive and might be time- and cost-efficient. We demonstrated how sensitive in vitro biomaterial assessment based on human primary macrophages depends on test conditions. Moreover, possible clinical scenarios such as lipopolysaccharide contamination, contact to autologous blood plasma, and presence of IL-4 in an immune niche influence the outcome of a biomaterial ranking. Nevertheless, by using glass, titanium, polytetrafluorethylene, silicone, and polyethylene representing a specific material-induced fibrotic response and by comparison to literature data, we were able to identify a test condition that provides a high correlation to state-of-the-art in vivo studies. Most important, biomaterial ranking obtained under native plasma test conditions showed a high predictive accuracy compared to in vivo assessments, strengthening a biomimetic three-dimensional in vitro test platform.