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Gegenstand der Untersuchung ist die Patientenkorrespondenz von Samuel Hahnemann mit seiner Patientin Friederike Lutze in der Zeit von 1831 bis 1833. Anhand von Briefen und Tagesberichten werden die Symptome der Patientin, die nach gegenwärtigem Ermessen hauptsächlich psychischer Natur waren, dargelegt und analysiert. Hierbei wird versucht, die zugehörigen Medizinkonzepte und zeitgenössischen Wissensbestände herauszufiltern. Der Zeitraum der Korrespondenz stellt eine Umbruchphase in der Deutung von Gemütssymptomen dar, so dass sowohl humoralpathologische Vorstellungen, wie auch die "Vapeurs" und Nervenleiden als Konzept aufzufinden sind. Selbst die noch in den Kinderschuhen befindliche Psychologie wird von der Patientin aufgegriffen und im Rahmen des Arzt-Patientenverhältnisses thematisiert. Abgeschlossen wird die Arbeit von der Edition aller verfügbaren Krankenberichte und Briefe der Korrespondenz.
Zusammenfassung In der vorliegenden retrospektiven Studie wurde untersucht, ob die präoperativ festgelegten Verlagerungsmaße mittels 3D-Rekonstruktionen aus DVT-Daten ermittelbar sind. Anschließend wurde anhand eines Patientenkollektivs die Umsetzung der Verlagerungsmaße evaluiert. Zur Auswertung wurden standardisierte Modelle und DVT-Scans von 35 Patienten herangezogen. Die Modelle sowie die DVT-Daten wurden im Zeitraum von November 2007 bis September 2009 erstellt. Alle Patienten wurden in der Klinik und Poliklinik für Mund-, Kiefer- und Plastische Gesichtschirurgie der Universität Würzburg aufgrund einer Dysgnathie behandelt. Für die Auswahl der Patienten spielte weder das Alter, das Geschlecht noch der Schweregrad der Dysgnathie eine Rolle. Die Auswertung erfolgte postoperativ durch zwei unabhängige Prüfer, wobei die Patienten zufällig verteilt wurden. Bevor die Umsetzung der Verlagerungsmaße evaluiert wurde, sind die Methodik und die Genauigkeit der Messungen überprüft worden. Die Vermessung der Modelle wurde manuell durchgeführt. Die Analyse der DVT-Daten erfolgte mit einer 3D-Software. Die Ergebnisse der Methodik sind statistisch deskriptiv ausgewertet und interpretiert worden. Für die Evaluation wurde eine kumulative Verteilung erstellt und bewertet. In dieser Studie konnte gezeigt werden, dass man anhand von prä- und postoperativ erstellten DVT-Daten die bei der präoperativen Modell-OP festgelegten Verlagerungsmaße mit den postoperativ erzeugten 3D-Rekonstruktionen vergleichend messen kann. Allerdings ist bei Diskrepanzen der Werte von weniger als 0,97mm von Messungenauigkeiten auszugehen. Desweiteren kann anhand dieser Nachuntersuchung festgehalten werden, dass die Ergebnisse bei 7 der 9 Parameter in 77%-95% der Fälle keine Diskrepanzen aufweisen, die über dem klinisch geforderten Maß liegen. Die einzigen Parameter, die aufgrund der Datenlage eine andere Interpretation nach sich ziehen, sind die Angaben, die hinsichtlich der sagittalen Verlagerung im Unterkiefer gemacht werden. Hierbei kommt es in etwa 40% der Fälle zu Differenzen zwischen den prä- und postoperativen Verlagerungsmaßen, die deutlich größer als 2mm sind. Dabei kann in ca. 60% der Fälle eine zu kleine und in ca. 40% eine zu große Verlagerung festgestellt werden. Eine Aussage über die Feststellung hinaus, dass diese Differenzen bestehen, ist mittels dieser Studie nicht zulässig. Dies liegt zum einen an dem kleinen Patientenkollektiv, das zusätzlich in sich inhomogen war und bei dem unterschiedliche Operationsverfahren zum Einsatz kamen. Die Gründe für diese Unterschiede bzw. deren klinische Relevanz sollte das Ziel einer künftigen Arbeit sein. Allerdings kann durch diese Arbeit gezeigt werden, dass die digitale Volumentomographie dazu verwendet werden kann, bei Dysgnathiepatienten das Operationsziel zu überprüfen und bei Komplikationen zu eruieren, ob der Fehler auf die skelettale Verlagerung zurückzuführen ist oder ob eine andere Ursache ausgemacht werden muss.
Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigte sich mit der Entwicklung und Synthese von Inhibitoren der Deoxyhypusin-Hydroxylase (DOHH), die einen wichtigen Schritt in der Aktivierung des eukaryotischen Translationsinitiations-Faktors-5A (eIF-5A) katalysiert. Die Hemmung dieses Metalloenzyms durch kleine Moleküle, die mit dem katalytischen Eisenatom im aktiven Zentrum der DOHH einen Chelatkomplex bilden, hat einen antiproliferativen Effekt auf parasitäre Erreger, wie Plasmodien, Trypanosomen und Leishmanien zur Folge. Ausgehend von den antiplasmodial wirksamen Eisenkomplexbildnern und Pyridon-Derivaten Ciclopirox und Mimosin wurden besser wirksame 2,6-Diaryl-4-oxopiperidincarbonsäuremono- und -diester-Derivate abgeleitet, deren 4-Piperidon-Grundgerüst als Leitstruktur für die Entwicklung von antiplasmodialen und antitrypanosomalen Wirkstoffen fungierte. Entsprechend dieser Leitstrukturen gelang im Zuge dieser Arbeit durch verschiedene Modifikationen der Doppel-Mannich-Reaktion die Erstellung einer weitreichenden Bibliothek 52 strukturell diverser 4-Hydroxytetrahydropyridin-3,5-dicarbonsäurediester 1 – 6, darunter auch erstmals Derivate mit t-Butyl-esterfunktionen und 4-Hydroxytetrahydropyridin-3-carbonsäuremonoester 7 – 8. Dabei konnten vor allem Derivate mit der gewünschten nitroaromatischen Substitution in den Positionen 2 und 6 synthetisiert werden. Darüber hinaus wurden vielfältige Strukturabwandlungen dieser Substanzen in Form von verschiedenen 4-Piperidonderivaten ohne Esterfunktionen, deren Oximen sowie von 4-Hydroxychinoloncarbonsäureestern syn-thetisiert. Die hergestellten Derivate wurden In-vitro-Testungen an Plasmodium falciparum, Trypanosoma brucei brucei und Leishmania major unterzogen. Zusätzlich wurde die Zytotoxizität an der Makrophagen-Zelllinie J774.1 ermittelt.
Background: The role of serotonin (5-hydroxytrptamine, 5-HT) in the modulation of pain has been widely studied. Previous work led to the hypothesis that 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA), a main metabolite of serotonin, might by itself influence pain thresholds. Results: In the present study, we investigated the role of 5-HIAA in inflammatory pain induced by intraplantar injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA) into the hind paw of mice. Wild-type mice were compared to mice deficient of the 5-HT transporter (5-HTT-/- mice) using behavioral tests for hyperalgesia and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine tissue levels of 5-HIAA. Wild-type mice reproducibly developed thermal hyperalgesia and paw edema for 5 days after CFA injection. 5-HTT-/- mice treated with CFA had reduced thermal hyperalgesia on day 1 after CFA injection and normal responses to heat hereafter. The 5-HIAA levels in spinal cord and sciatic nerve as measured with HPLC were lower in 5-HTT-/- mice than in wild-type mice after CFA injection. Pretreatment of wild-type mice with intraperitoneal injection of para-chlorophenylalanine (p-CPA), a serotonin synthesis inhibitor, resulted in depletion of the 5-HIAA content in spinal cord and sciatic nerve and decrease in thermal hyperalgesia in CFA injected mice. The application of exogenous 5-HIAA resulted in potentiation of thermal hyperalgesia induced by CFA in 5-HTT-/- mice and in wild-type mice pretreated with p- CPA, but not in wild-type mice without p-CPA pretreatment. Further, methysergide, a broad-spectrum serotonin receptor antagonist, had no effect on 5-HIAA-induced potentiation of thermal hyperalgesia in CFA-treated wildtype mice. Conclusion: Taken together, the present results suggest that 5-HIAA plays an important role in modulating peripheral thermal hyperalgesia in CFA induced inflammation, probably via a non-serotonin receptor mechanism.
A Candidate Approach Implicates the Secreted Salmonella Effector Protein SpvB in P-Body Disassembly
(2011)
P-bodies are dynamic aggregates of RNA and proteins involved in several post-transcriptional regulation processes. Pbodies have been shown to play important roles in regulating viral infection, whereas their interplay with bacterial pathogens, specifically intracellular bacteria that extensively manipulate host cell pathways, remains unknown. Here, we report that Salmonella infection induces P-body disassembly in a cell type-specific manner, and independently of previously characterized pathways such as inhibition of host cell RNA synthesis or microRNA-mediated gene silencing. We show that the Salmonella-induced P-body disassembly depends on the activation of the SPI-2 encoded type 3 secretion system, and that the secreted effector protein SpvB plays a major role in this process. P-body disruption is also induced by the related pathogen, Shigella flexneri, arguing that this might be a new mechanism by which intracellular bacterial pathogens subvert host cell function.
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.
We investigate transport measurements on all II-VI semiconductor resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs). Being very versatile, the dilute magnetic semiconductor (DMS) system (Zn,Be,Mn,Cd)Se is a perfect testbed for various spintronic device designs, as it allows for separate control of electrical and magnetic properties. In contrast to the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As, doping ZnSe with Mn impurities does not alter the electrical properties of the semiconductor, as the magnetic dopant is isoelectric in the ZnSe host.
Female patients affected by Fabry disease, an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder, exhibit a wide spectrum of symptoms, which renders diagnosis, and treatment decisions challenging. No diagnostic test, other than sequencing of the alpha-galactosidase A gene, is available and no biomarker has been proven useful to screen for the disease, predict disease course and monitor response to enzyme replacement therapy. Here, we used urine proteomic analysis based on capillary electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry and identified a biomarker profile in adult female Fabry patients. Urine samples were taken from 35 treatment-naive female Fabry patients and were compared to 89 age-matched healthy controls. We found a diagnostic biomarker pattern that exhibited 88.2% sensitivity and 97.8% specificity when tested in an independent validation cohort consisting of 17 treatment-naive Fabry patients and 45 controls. The model remained highly specific when applied to additional control patients with a variety of other renal, metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Several of the 64 identified diagnostic biomarkers showed correlations with measures of disease severity. Notably, most biomarkers responded to enzyme replacement therapy, and 8 of 11 treated patients scored negative for Fabry disease in the diagnostic model. In conclusion, we defined a urinary biomarker model that seems to be of diagnostic use for Fabry disease in female patients and may be used to monitor response to enzyme replacement therapy.
The analysis of real data by means of statistical methods with the aid of a software package common in industry and administration usually is not an integral part of mathematics studies, but it will certainly be part of a future professional work. The present book links up elements from time series analysis with a selection of statistical procedures used in general practice including the statistical software package SAS. Consequently this book addresses students of statistics as well as students of other branches such as economics, demography and engineering, where lectures on statistics belong to their academic training. But it is also intended for the practician who, beyond the use of statistical tools, is interested in their mathematical background. Numerous problems illustrate the applicability of the presented statistical procedures, where SAS gives the solutions. The programs used are explicitly listed and explained. No previous experience is expected neither in SAS nor in a special computer system so that a short training period is guaranteed. This book is meant for a two semester course (lecture, seminar or practical training) where the first three chapters can be dealt within the first semester. They provide the principal components of the analysis of a time series in the time domain. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 deal with its analysis in the frequency domain and can be worked through in the second term. In order to understand the mathematical background some terms are useful such as convergence in distribution, stochastic convergence, maximum likelihood estimator as well as a basic knowledge of the test theory, so that work on the book can start after an introductory lecture on stochastics. Each chapter includes exercises. An exhaustive treatment is recommended. Chapter 7 (case study) deals with a practical case and demonstrates the presented methods. It is possible to use this chapter independent in a seminar or practical training course, if the concepts of time series analysis are already well understood. This book is consecutively subdivided in a statistical part and an SAS-specific part. For better clearness the SAS-specific parts are highlighted. This book is an open source project under the GNU Free Documentation License.
A Knowledge-based Hybrid Statistical Classifier for Reconstructing the Chronology of the Quran
(2011)
Computationally categorizing Quran’s chapters has been mainly confined to the determination of chapters’ revelation places. However this broad classification is not sufficient to effectively and thoroughly understand and interpret the Quran. The chronology of revelation would not only improve comprehending the philosophy of Islam, but also the easiness of implementing and memorizing its laws and recommendations. This paper attempts estimating possible chapters’ dates of revelation through their lexical frequency profiles. A hybrid statistical classifier consisting of stemming and clustering algorithms for comparing lexical frequency profiles of chapters, and deriving dates of revelation has been developed. The classifier is trained using some chapters with known dates of revelation. Then it classifies chapters with uncertain dates of revelation by computing their proximity to the training ones. The results reported here indicate that the proposed methodology yields usable results in estimating dates of revelation of the Quran’s chapters based on their lexical contents.
For the realization of a programmable logic device, or indeed any nanoscale device, we need a reliable method to probe the magnetization direction of local domains. For this purpose we extend investigations on the previously discovered tunneling anisotropic magneto resistance effect (TAMR) by scaling the pillar size from 100 µm down to 260 nm. We start in chapter 4 with a theoretical description of the TAMR effect and show experimental data of miniaturized pillars in chapter 5. With such small TAMR probes we are able to locally sense the magnetization on the 100 nm scale. Sub-micron TAMR and anisotropic magneto resistance (AMR) measurements of sub-millimeter areas show that the behavior of macroscopic (Ga,Mn)As regions is not that of a true macrospin, but rather an ensemble average of the behavior of many nearly identical macrospins. This shows that the magnetic anisotropies of the local regions are consistent with the behavior extracted from macroscopic characterization. A fully electrically controllable read-write memory device out the ferromagnetic semiconductor (Ga,Mn)As is presented in chapter 6. The structure consists of four nanobars which are connected to a circular center region. The first part of the chapter describes the lithography realization of the device. We make use of the sub-micron TAMR probes to read-out the magnetization state of a 650 nm central disk. Four 200 nm wide nanobars are connected to the central disk and serve as source and drain of a spin-polarized current. With the spin-polarized current we are able to switch the magnetization of the central disk by means of current induced switching. Injecting polarized holes with a spin angular momentum into a magnetic region changes the magnetization direction of the region due to the p-d exchange interaction between localized Mn spins and itinerant holes. The magnetization of the central disk can be controlled fully electrically and it can serve as one bit memory element as part of a logic device. In chapter 7 we discuss the domain wall resistance in (Ga,Mn)As. At the transition from nanobars to central disk we are able to generate 90° and 180° domain walls and measure their resistance. The results presented from chapter 5 to 7 combined with the preexisting ultracompact (Ga,Mn)As-based memory cell of ref. [Papp 07c] are the building blocks needed to realize a fully functioning programmable logic device. The work of ref. [Papp 07c] makes use of lithographically engineered strain relaxation to produce a structure comprised of two nanobars with mutually orthogonal uniaxial easy axes, connected by a narrow constriction. Measurements showed that the resistance of the constriction depends on the relative orientation of the magnetization in the two bars. The programmable logic device consists of two central disks connected by a small constriction. The magnetization of the two central disks are used as the input bits and the constriction serves as the output during the logic operation. The concept is introduced in the end of chapter 6 and as an example for a logic operation an XOR gate is presented. The functionality of the programmable logic scheme presented here can be straightforwardly extended to produce multipurpose functional elements, where the given geometry can be used as various different computational elements depending on the number of input bits and the chosen electrical addressing. The realization of such a programmable logic device is shown in chapter 8, where we see that the constriction indeed can serve as a output of the logic operation because its resistance is dependent on the relative magnetization state of both disks. Contrary to ref. [Papp 07c], where the individual magnetic elements connected to the constriction only have two non-volatile magnetic states, each disk in our scheme connected to the constriction has four non-volatile magnetic states. Switching the magnetization of a central disk with an electrical current does not only change the TAMR read-out of the respective disk, it also changes the resistance of the constriction. The resistance polar plot of the constriction maps the relative magnetization states of the individual disks. The presented device design serves as an all-electrical, all-semiconductor logic element. It combines a memory cell and data processing in a single monolithic paradigm.
While there is only little transformation to the absolute power of the party-state to be detected, some grassroots democratic experiments, however, are receiving enormous attention of the world, especially village elections. Nevertheless, this preliminary exercise of democracy is widely characterized as a mixed bag of results. Since its first conduction, it has experienced immense development and bought great impact not only on different rural political institutions, but also on common mass villagers, as well as changes to the local governance. But at the same time, the limitations of the factual effectiveness of these elections can hardly be underestimated and such aspects as the standardization of electoral procedures are still to be further improved. Moreover, given the wide variations across Chinese countryside and the strong oppositions from all levels, the future of China’s village elections remain hard to gauge.
Background: Neuropathic pain must be correctly diagnosed for optimal treatment. The questionnaire named Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory (NPSI) was developed in its original French version to evaluate the different symptoms of neuropathic pain. We hypothesized that the NPSI might also be used to differentiate neuropathic from non-neuropathic pain. Methods: We translated the NPSI into German using a standard forward-backward translation and administered it in a case-control design to patients with neuropathic (n = 68) and non-neuropathic pain (headache and osteoarthritis, n = 169) to validate it and to analyze its discriminant properties, its sensitivity to change, and to detect neuropathic pain subgroups with distinct profiles. Results: Using a sum score (the NPSI-G score), we found sensitivity to change (r between 0.37 and 0.5 for pain items of the graded chronic pain scale) and could distinguish between neuropathic and other pain on a group basis, but not for individual patients. Post hoc development of a discriminant score with optimized diagnostic properties to distinguish neuropathic pain from non-neuropathic pain resulted in an instrument with high sensitivity (91%) and acceptable specificity (70%). We detected six different pain profiles in the patient group with neuropathic pain; three profiles were found to be distinct. Conclusions: The NPSI-G potentially combines the properties of a diagnostic tool and an instrument to identify subtypes of neuropathic pain.
The synaptonemal complex (SC) is a proteinaceous, meiosis-specific structure that is highly conserved in evolution. During meiosis, the SC mediates synapsis of homologous chromosomes. It is essential for proper recombination and segregation of homologous chromosomes, and therefore for genome haploidization. Mutations in human SC genes can cause infertility. In order to gain a better understanding of the process of SC assembly in a model system that would be relevant for humans, we are investigating meiosis in mice. Here, we report on a newly identified component of the murine SC, which we named SYCE3. SYCE3 is strongly conserved among mammals and localizes to the central element (CE) of the SC. By generating a Syce3 knockout mouse, we found that SYCE3 is required for fertility in both sexes. Loss of SYCE3 blocks synapsis initiation and results in meiotic arrest. In the absence of SYCE3, initiation of meiotic recombination appears to be normal, but its progression is severely impaired resulting in complete absence of MLH1 foci, which are presumed markers of crossovers in wild-type meiocytes. In the process of SC assembly, SYCE3 is required downstream of transverse filament protein SYCP1, but upstream of the other previously described CE–specific proteins. We conclude that SYCE3 enables chromosome loading of the other CE–specific proteins, which in turn would promote synapsis between homologous chromosomes.
Given a collection of diverging documents about some lost original text, any person interested in the text would try reconstructing it from the diverging documents. Whether it is eclecticism, stemmatics, or copy-text, one is expected to explicitly or indirectly select one of the documents as a starting point or as a base text, which could be emended through comparison with remaining documents, so that a text that could be designated as the original document is generated. Unfortunately the process of giving priority to one of the documents also known as witnesses is a subjective approach. In fact even Cladistics, which could be considered as a computer-based approach of implementing stemmatics, does not present or recommend users to select a certain witness as a starting point for the process of reconstructing the original document. In this study, a computational method using a rule-based Bayesian classifier is used, to assist text scholars in their attempts of reconstructing a non-existing document from some available witnesses. The method developed in this study consists of selecting a base text successively and collating it with remaining documents. Each completed collation cycle stores the selected base text and its closest witness, along with a weighted score of their similarities and differences. At the end of the collation process, a witness selected more often by majority of base texts is considered as the probable base text of the collection. Witnesses’ scores are weighted using a weighting system, based on effects of types of textual modifications on the process of reconstructing original documents. Users have the possibility to select between baseless and base text collation. If a base text is selected, the task is reduced to ranking the witnesses with respect to the base text, otherwise a base text as well as ranking of the witnesses with respect to the base text are computed and displayed on a histogram.
Background
Currently established methods to identify viable and non-viable cells of cyanobacteria are either time-consuming (eg. plating) or preparation-intensive (eg. fluorescent staining). In this paper we present a new and fast viability assay for unicellular cyanobacteria, which uses red chlorophyll fluorescence and an unspecific green autofluorescence for the differentiation of viable and non-viable cells without the need of sample preparation.
Results
The viability assay for unicellular cyanobacteria using red and green autofluorescence was established and validated for the model organism Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Both autofluorescence signals could be observed simultaneously allowing a direct classification of viable and non-viable cells. The results were confirmed by plating/colony count, absorption spectra and chlorophyll measurements. The use of an automated fluorescence microscope and a novel ImageJ based image analysis plugin allow a semi-automated analysis.
Conclusions
The new method simplifies the process of viability analysis and allows a quick and accurate analysis. Furthermore results indicate that a combination of the new assay with absorption spectra or chlorophyll concentration measurements allows the estimation of the vitality of cells.
Fluorescently labeled human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) derivatives, combined with the use of advanced fluorescence microscopy techniques, allow the direct visualization of dynamic events and individual steps in the viral life cycle. HIV proteins tagged with fluorescent proteins (FPs) have been successfully used for live-cell imaging analyses of HIV-cell interactions. However, FPs display limitations with respect to their physicochemical properties, and their maturation kinetics. Furthermore, several independent FP-tagged constructs have to be cloned and characterized in order to obtain spectral variations suitable for multi-color imaging setups. In contrast, the so-called SNAP-tag represents a genetically encoded non-fluorescent tag which mediates specific covalent coupling to fluorescent substrate molecules in a self-labeling reaction. Fusion of the SNAP-tag to the protein of interest allows specific labeling of the fusion protein with a variety of synthetic dyes, thereby offering enhanced flexibility for fluorescence imaging approaches. Here we describe the construction and characterization of the HIV derivative HIV(SNAP), which carries the SNAP-tag as an additional domain within the viral structural polyprotein Gag. Introduction of the tag close to the C-terminus of the matrix domain of Gag did not interfere with particle assembly, release or proteolytic virus maturation. The modified virions were infectious and could be propagated in tissue culture, albeit with reduced replication capacity. Insertion of the SNAP domain within Gag allowed specific staining of the viral polyprotein in the context of virus producing cells using a SNAP reactive dye as well as the visualization of individual virions and viral budding sites by stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy. Thus, HIV(SNAP) represents a versatile tool which expands the possibilities for the analysis of HIV-cell interactions using live cell imaging and sub-diffraction fluorescence microscopy.
A TNF Receptor 2 Selective Agonist Rescues Human Neurons from Oxidative Stress-Induced Cell Death
(2011)
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays a dual role in neurodegenerative diseases. Whereas TNF receptor (TNFR) 1 is predominantly associated with neurodegeneration, TNFR2 is involved in tissue regeneration and neuroprotection. Accordingly, the availability of TNFR2-selective agonists could allow the development of new therapeutic treatments of neurodegenerative diseases. We constructed a soluble, human TNFR2 agonist (TNC-scTNF(R2)) by genetic fusion of the trimerization domain of tenascin C to a TNFR2-selective single-chain TNF molecule, which is comprised of three TNF domains connected by short peptide linkers. TNC-scTNFR2 specifically activated TNFR2 and possessed membrane-TNF mimetic activity, resulting in TNFR2 signaling complex formation and activation of downstream signaling pathways. Protection from neurodegeneration was assessed using the human dopaminergic neuronal cell line LUHMES. First we show that TNC-scTNF(R2) interfered with cell death pathways subsequent to H(2)O(2) exposure. Protection from cell death was dependent on TNFR2 activation of the PI3K-PKB/Akt pathway, evident from restoration of H(2)O(2) sensitivity in the presence of PI3K inhibitor LY294002. Second, in an in vitro model of Parkinson disease, TNC-scTNFR(2) rescues neurons after induction of cell death by 6-OHDA. Since TNFR2 is not only promoting anti-apoptotic responses but also plays an important role in tissue regeneration, activation of TNFR2 signaling by TNC-scTNF(R2) appears a promising strategy to ameliorate neurodegenerative processes.
Acellular Pertussis Booster in Adolescents Induces Th1 and Memory CD8+ T Cell Immune Response
(2011)
In a number of countries, whole cell pertussis vaccines (wcP) were replaced by acellular vaccines (aP) due to an improved reactogenicity profile. Pertussis immunization leads to specific antibody production with the help of CD4+ T cells. In earlier studies in infants and young children, wcP vaccines selectively induced a Th1 dominated immune response, whereas aP vaccines led to a Th2 biased response. To obtain data on Th1 or Th2 dominance of the immune response in adolescents receiving an aP booster immunization after a wcP or aP primary immunization, we analyzed the concentration of Th1 (IL-2, TNF-a, INF-c) and Th2 (IL-4, IL-5, IL-10) cytokines in supernatants of lymphocyte cultures specifically stimulated with pertussis antigens. We also investigated the presence of cytotoxic T cell responses against the facultative intracellular bacterium Bordetella pertussis by quantifying pertussis-specific CD8+ T cell activation following the aP booster immunization. Here we show that the adolescent aP booster vaccination predominantly leads to a Th1 immune response based on IFNgamma secretion upon stimulation with pertussis antigen, irrespective of a prior whole cell or acellular primary vaccination. The vaccination also induces an increase in peripheral CD8+CD69+ activated pertussis-specific memory T cells four weeks after vaccination. The Th1 bias of this immune response could play a role for the decreased local reactogenicity of this adolescent aP booster immunization when compared to the preceding childhood acellular pertussis booster. Pertussis-specific CD8+ memory T cells may contribute to protection against clinical pertussis.
Adjuvant Radiotherapy
(2011)
The transcription factor Lmx1b is essential for the differentiation and survival of central serotonergic (5-HTergic) neurons during embryonic development. However, the role of Lmx1b in adult 5-HTergic neurons is unknown. We used an inducible Cre-LoxP system to selectively inactivate Lmx1b expression in the raphe nuclei of adult mice. Pet1-CreER(T2) mice were generated and crossed with Lmx1b(flox/flox) mice to obtain Pet1-CreER(T2); Lmx1b(flox/flox) mice (which termed as Lmx1b iCKO). After administration of tamoxifen, the level of 5-HT in the brain of Lmx1b iCKO mice was reduced to 60% of that in control mice, and the expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (Tph2), serotonin transporter (Sert) and vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (Vmat2) was greatly down-regulated. On the other hand, the expression of dopamine and norepinephrine as well as aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (Aadc) and Pet1 was unchanged. Our results reveal that Lmx1b is required for the biosynthesis of 5-HT in adult mouse brain, and it may be involved in maintaining normal functions of central 5-HTergic neurons by regulating the expression of Tph2, Sert and Vmat2.
Einleitung: Medizinische Trainingsfälle sind in der studentischen Ausbildung inzwischen weit verbreitet. In den meisten Publikationen wird über die Entwicklung und die Erfahrungen in einem Kurs mit Trainingsfällen berichtet. In diesem Beitrag vergleichen wir die Akzeptanz von verschiedenen Trainingsfallkursen, die als Ergänzung zu zahlreichen Vorlesungen der Medizinischen Fakultät der Universität Würzburg mit sehr unterschiedlichen Nutzungsraten eingesetzt wurden, über einen Zeitraum von drei Semestern.
Methoden: Die Trainingsfälle wurden mit dem Autoren- und Ablaufsystem CaseTrain erstellt und über die Moodle-basierte Würzburger Lernplattform WueCampus den Studierenden verfügbar gemacht. Dabei wurden umfangreiche Daten über die Nutzung und Akzeptanz erhoben.
Ergebnisse: Im Zeitraum vom WS 08/09 bis zum WS 09/10 waren 19 Kurse mit insgesamt ca. 200 Fällen für die Studierenden verfügbar, die pro Semester von ca. 550 verschiedenen Medizinstudenten der Universität Würzburg und weiteren 50 Studierenden anderer bayerischer Universitäten genutzt wurden. Insgesamt wurden pro Semester ca. 12000 Mal Trainingsfälle vollständig durchgespielt zu denen ca. 2000 Evaluationen von den Studierenden ausgefüllt wurden. In den verschiedenen Kursen variiert die Nutzung zwischen unter 50 Bearbeitungen in wenig frequentierten Fallsammlungen und über 5000 Bearbeitungen in stark frequentierten Fallsammlungen.
Diskussion: Auch wenn Studierende wünschen, dass zu allen Vorlesungen Trainingsfälle angeboten werden, zeigen die Daten, dass der Umfang der Nutzung nicht primär von der Qualität der verfügbaren Trainingsfälle abhängt. Dagegen werden die Trainingsfälle in fast allen Fallsammlungen kurz vor den Klausuren extrem häufig bearbeitet. Dies zeigt, dass die Nutzung von Trainingsfällen im Wesentlichen von der wahrgenommenen Klausurrelevanz der Fälle abhängt.
The present work reviews the experimental literature on the acute effects of alcohol on human behaviour related to driving performance. A meta-analysis was conducted which includes studies published between 1954 and 2007 in order to provide a comprehensive knowledge of the substance alcohol. 450 studies reporting 5,300 findings were selected from over 12,000 references after applying certain in- and exclusion criteria. Thus, the present meta-analysis comprises far more studies than reviews on alcohol up to now. In the selected studies, different performance tests were conducted which were relevant for driving. The classification system used in this work assigns these tests to eight categories. The main categories consist of several sub categories classifying the tasks more precisely. The main categories were: (1) visual functions, (2) attention (including vigilance), (3) divided attention, (4) en-/decoding (including information processing and memory), (5) reaction time (including simple reaction time and choice reaction time), (6) psychomotor skills, (7) tracking and (8) driving. In addition to the performance aspect, the classification system takes into account mood and social behaviour variables related to driving safety like tiredness or aggression. Following the evaluation method of vote-counting, the number of significant findings and the number of non-significant findings were summarised per blood alcohol concentration (BAC) group. Thereby, a quantitative estimation of the effects of alcohol depending on the BAC was established, the so-called impairment function, which shows the percentage of significantly impaired findings. In order to provide a general overview of alcohol effects on driving-related performance, a global impairment function was established by aggregating all performance findings. The function is nearly linear with about 30% significant findings at a BAC of 0.05% and 50% significant findings at a BAC of 0.08%. In addition, more specific impairment functions considering only the findings of the single behavioural categories were calculated. The results revealed that impairment depends not only on the BAC, but also clearly differs between most of the performance categories. Tracking and driving performance were most affected by alcohol with impairment beginning at very low BACs of 0.02%. Also psychomotor skills were considerably affected by rather low BACs. Impairment of visual functions and information processing occurred at BACs of 0.04% and increased substantially with higher BACs. Impairment in memory tests could be found with very low BACs of 0.02%, but varied depending on the kind of memory. Performance decrements in divided attention tests could also be found with very low BACs in some studies. Attention started to be impaired at 0.04% BAC, but – as in vigilance tasks – considerable impairment only occurred at higher BACs. Choice reaction time was affected at lower BACs than simple reaction time, which was – together with the critical flicker fusion frequency – the least sensitive parameter to the effects of alcohol. To conclude, most skills which are relevant for the safe operation of a vehicle are clearly impaired by BACs of 0.05%, with motor functions being more affected than cognitive functions and complex tasks more than simple tasks. Generally, the results provided no evidence of a threshold effect for alcohol. There was no driving-related performance category for which a sudden transition from unimpaired to impaired occurred at a particular BAC level. In addition, a comparison was made between the present meta-analysis and two reviews of Moskowitz (Moskowitz & Fiorentino, 2000; Moskowitz & Robinson, 1988). Moskowitz reported much lower BACs at which performance was impaired. The reasons for this discrepancy lies in a different way to review scientific findings. On the one hand, Moskowitz focused on significant findings when selecting studies and findings for his reviews. On the other hand, the evaluation method used by Moskowitz ignored non-significant findings and counted each study once at the lowest BAC for which impairment was found. Those non-significant findings are as important as the significant ones in order to determine thresholds of impairment. Therefore, in contrast to Moskowitz, the present work describes the effects of alcohol with functions considering also the non-significant findings. The significance of the non-significant is emphasized with respect to the selection procedure as well as to the evaluation method.
Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Herstellung und Charakterisierung von AlGaInP Quantenpunkten auf GaP und GaAs-Substrat. Auf Basis dieser Quantenpunkte wurden Halbleiterlaser auf GaAs hergestellt, welche bei Raumtemperatur zwischen 660 nm und 730 nm emittierten. Die Untersuchung von Breitstreifenlasern, welche aus diesen Strukturen gefertigt wurden, legen nahe, dass man mithilfe eines höheren Aluminiumanteils in größeren Quantenpunkten bei vergleichbarer Wellenlänge Laser mit besseren Eigenschaften realisieren kann. Weiterhin wurden in dieser Arbeit Quantenpunkten auf GaP-Substrat untersucht, welche in AlGaP eingebettet wurden. Da diese Quantenpunkte in Barrieren eingebettet sind, welche eine indirekte Bandlücke besitzen, ergibt sich ein nicht-trivialer Bandverlauf innerhalb dieser Strukturen. In dieser Arbeit wurden numerische 3D-Simulationen verwendet, um den Bandverlauf zu berechnen, wobei Verspannung und interne Felder berücksichtigt wurden und auch die Grundzustandswellenfunktionen ermittelt wurden. Ein eingehender Vergleich mit dem Experiment setzt die gemessenen Emissionswellenlängen und -intensitäten mit berechneten Übergangsenergien und Überlappintegralen in Verbindung.
Reconstruction of the extensor mechanism is essential for good extremity function after endoprosthetic knee replacement following tumor resection. Only a few biological methods have been able to reliably restore a functional extensor mechanism, but they are often associated with significant complication rates. Reattachment of the patellar tendon to the prosthesis using an alloplastic patellar ligament (Trevira cord) can be an appropriate alternative. In vivo and in vitro studies have already shown that complete fibrous ingrowth in polyethylene chords can be seen after a period of six months. However, until now, no biomechanical study has shown the efficacy of an alloplastic cord and its fixation device in providing sufficient stability and endurance in daily life-activity until newly formed scar tissue can take over this function. In a special test bench developed for this study, different loading regimes were applied to simulate loads during everyday life. Failure loads and failuremodes were evaluated. The properties of the cord were compared before and after physiological conditioning. It was shown that rubbing was the mode of failure under dynamic loading. Tensile forces up to 2558N did not result in material failure. Thus, using an artificial cord together with this fixation device, temporary sufficient stable fixation can be expected.
Background: Patterns that arise from an ecological process can be driven as much from the landscape over which the process is run as it is by some intrinsic properties of the process itself. The disentanglement of these effects is aided if it possible to run models of the process over artificial landscapes with controllable spatial properties. A number of different methods for the generation of so-called ‘neutral landscapes’ have been developed to provide just such a tool. Of these methods, a particular class that simulate fractional Brownian motion have shown particular promise. The existing methods of simulating fractional Brownian motion suffer from a number of problems however: they are often not easily generalisable to an arbitrary number of dimensions and produce outputs that can exhibit some undesirable artefacts. Methodology: We describe here an updated algorithm for the generation of neutral landscapes by fractional Brownian motion that do not display such undesirable properties. Using Monte Carlo simulation we assess the anisotropic properties of landscapes generated using the new algorithm described in this paper and compare it against a popular benchmark algorithm. Conclusion/Significance: The results show that the existing algorithm creates landscapes with values strongly correlated in the diagonal direction and that the new algorithm presented here corrects this artefact. A number of extensions of the algorithm described here are also highlighted: we describe how the algorithm can be employed to generate landscapes that display different properties in different dimensions and how they can be combined with an environmental gradient to produce landscapes that combine environmental variation at the local and macro scales.
Die Funktionalität β1- und β2-adrenerger Rezeptoren wird durch Polymorphismen in ihrer kodierenden Region moduliert. Wir haben uns die Technik des Fluoreszenz-Resonanz- Energie-Transfers (FRET) zu Nutze gemacht, um den Einfluss der am häufigsten vorkommenden Polymorphismen (Ser49Gly und Gly389Arg im β1AR, Arg16Gly und Gln27Glu im β2AR) auf die Rezeptorkonformation nach Aktivierung zu untersuchen. Dafür wurden FRET-Sensoren für die beiden βAR-Subtypen mit einem gelb-fluoreszierenden Protein (YFP) sowie einem cyan-fluoreszierenden Protein (CFP oder Cerulean) in der dritten intrazellulären Schleife bzw. am C-Terminus verwendet. Nach Stimulierung der βARSensoren konnte die Aktivierung der polymorphen Rezeptorvarianten in lebenden Zellen in Echtzeit untersucht werden. Dabei behielten die FRET-Sensoren sowohl die Bindungsaffinitäten der nativen Rezeptoren als auch eine intakte Funktionalität hinsichtlich der Bildung von sekundären Botenstoffen. Der Vergleich der Aktivierungskinetiken der verschieden polymorphen Varianten des β1AR und β2AR ergab keine signifikanten Unterschiede nach einer einmaligen Stimulation. Es zeigte sich jedoch, dass Rezeptorpolymorphismen die Aktivierungskinetik vorstimulierter βAR erheblich beeinflussen. So konnten wir im Vergleich zur ersten Aktivierung eine schnellere Aktivierung der Gly16-Varianten des β2AR sowie des Gly49Arg389-β1AR feststellen, während die Arg16-β2AR-Variante und der Ser49Gly389-β1AR dagegen bei einer wiederholten Stimulation langsamer aktiviert wurden. Diese Ergebnisse lassen auf ein "Rezeptorgedächtnis" schließen, das spezifisch für bestimmte polymorphe Rezeptorvarianten ist und eine βAR-Subtyp-spezische Ausprägung zeigt. Die Ausbildung der unterschiedlichen Aktivierungskinetiken hing von der Interaktion des Rezeptors mit löslichen intrazellulären Faktoren ab und bedurfte einer Phosphorylierung intrazellulärer Serin- und Threonin-Reste durch G-Protein-gekoppelte Rezeptorkinasen. Die Interaktion mit löslichen intrazellulären Faktoren scheint für den β1AR weniger stark ausgeprägt zu sein als für den β2AR. Die cAMP-Produktion war für die schneller werdenden, “hyperfunktionellen” Gly16-β2ARVarianten signifikant um mehr als 50% höher im Vergleich zur “hypofunktionellen” Arg16- Variante. Die unterschiedliche Funktionalität spiegelte sich im Therapieausgang bei Tokoysepatientinnen wider, dessen Erfolg mit dem Arg16Gly Polymorphismus verknüpft war. Die Daten implizieren eine intrinsische, polymorphismusabhängige Eigenschaft der βAR, die die Aktivierungskinetik der Rezeptoren bei wiederholten Stimulationen determiniert. Diese könnte auch für die zwischen Individuen variierende Ansprechbarkeit auf β-Agonisten und β-Blocker mitverantwortlich sein.
Orale Plattenepithelkarzinome entwickeln sich häufig aus Präkanzerosen. Trotz der Frühdiagnostik ist es für den Kliniker und den Pathologen meist schwierig eine Präkanzerose, die zur Entartung neigt, rechtzeitig als solche zu erkennen. MAGE-A-Antigene sind Tumorantigene, die nur in malignen Zellen vorkommen. Diese Antigene können dazu dienen, Karzinome früher als solche zu erkennen. Das Ziel dieser Studie war, diese Hypothese zu bestätigen, indem gutartige, präkanzeröse und karzinomatöse Veränderung untersucht wurden. Dazu wurden retrospektiv Biopsien der oralen Schleimhaut (orale Ulzera, Epulitiden, follikuläre Zysten, Lichen planus, Leukolakien, epitheliale Dysplasien und Carcinomata in situ) untersucht. Diese wurden immunhistochemisch mit dem polyklonalen Antikörper MAGE-A 57B angefärbt. Dabei stellte sich heraus, dass MAGE-A-Antigene nicht in gutartigen Veränderungen vorkommen, jedoch zu 33-65% in präkanzerösen und malignen Läsionen. Ein weiteres Ziel umfasste die Untersuchung der kritischen Randbereiche. Hier wurde bei den positv gefärbten Präparaten eine eindeutige Grenze zwischen benigner und maligner Schleimhaut durch die Anfärbung mit mAb-57B sichtbar.
Die invasive Aspergillose stellt eine ersthafte Erkrankung sowie auch eine signifikante Ursache von Morbidität und Mortalität bei verschiedenen Patientengruppen dar. Dabei tritt sie hauptsächlich durch den opportunistischen Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus hervorgerufen mit einer Inzidenz von 4% bis 15% vorwiegend bei immunsupprimierten Patienten nach allogenen hämatopoetischer Stammzelltransplantationen (HSCT) oder Organtransplantationen auf und führt bei 40% bis 90% der Fälle zum Tod des Patienten. Die Behandlung dieser Hochrisikogruppe erfolgt bestenfalls mit Antimykotika prophylaktisch, denn eine schnelle sowie auch verlässliche Diagnose von invasiver Aspergillose läßt sich aufgrund der hohen zeitlichen Latenz des Pilzes und dem Defizit an Sensitivität bzw. Spezifität in vielen Fällen nicht ermitteln. Zusätzlich steigt die Zahl der Resistenzen von Aspergillus-Stämmen gegen die verschiedenen Antimykotika stetig an, so dass klinische und ökonomische Nebenwirkungen unvermeidbar sind. Als Alternative zur konventionellen Behandlung mit Azolen stellt eine Immuntherapie mittels Antigen-behandelten dendritischen Zellen (DCs) dar, welche durch Präsentation von Aspergillus fumigatus-Antigenepitopen eine spezifische ex vivo T-Zellenexpansion von allogenen CD8+CD3+ T-Zellen bewirken kann und damit ein schonenderes Mittel für den Patienten ist. Dazu wurden sieben verschiedene rekombinante Proteine aus A. fumigatus in dieser Arbeit charakterisiert und deren Potential ermittelt, bei DCs eine pro-inflammatische Immunantwort auszulösen. Es stellte sich heraus, dass sowohl die Ribonuklease Mitogillin (Aspf1) als auch die myceliale Katalase Cat1 in der Lage waren, den nukleären Faktor kappa B (NFκB) zu aktivieren und eine Translokation der Untereinheit p65 in den Nukleus zu induzieren, woraufhin Gene von pro-inflammatorischen Zytokine und Chemokine sowie auch von Aktivierungs- und Reifungsmarker der DCs exprimiert wurden. Im Gegensatz zum Aspf1, war es beim Cat1 zusätzlich auch möglich gewesen eine Verifizierung auf Proteinebene für segregierte Zytokine und Chemokine bzw. Oberflächenmarker zu erhalten. Darüber hinaus konnte festgestellt werden, dass die Zytotoxizität von Cat1 entsprechend der unbehandelten Zellen gewesen ist und dass es den Cat1-behandelten moDCs gelang nach der Aufnahme des Antigens und dessen Prozessierung durch die darauffolgende Präsentation der Proteinepitope über den MHC II Komplex eine ex vivo-Aktivierung von autologen zytotoxischen T-Zellen zu erreichen. Damit ist nun ein potentieller Kandidat für eine auf Immuneffektorzellen basierte Immuntherapie gegen invasive Aspergillose für immungeschwächte Patienten gefunden. Ergänzt wurde diese Arbeit mit der experimentellen Untersuchung von Hämostase während einer invasiven Aspergillose, da gehäuft pathologische Beobachtungen von lokalen Einblutungen bei Patienten mit pulmonaler Aspergillose verzeichnet wurden. Es stellte sich heraus, dass die durch Collagen induzierte Aggregation sich durch aktive Pilzmorphologien beeinträchtigen läßt, wohingegen die untersuchten Gerinnungsparameter nicht betroffen gewesen sind. Dies verdeutlicht neben der bereits bekannten Bedeutung der Thrombozyten als antimikrobielle Komponente im Blut nun auch ihrer Empfindlichkeit gegenüber sezernierten oder Zellwand-gebundenen Aspergillus fumigatus-Faktoren während der invasiven Aspergillose.
Analyse der ontogenetischen Veränderungen in B-Zell-Subpopulationen im Kindes- und Erwachsenenalter
(2011)
B-Lymphozyten sind die zellulären Träger der humoralen Immunität des adaptiven Immunsystems. Sie spielen eine wesentliche Rolle bei Immundefekten und Autoimmunprozessen. In dieser Arbeit sollen Entwicklungsveränderungen der peripheren B-Zell-Populationen von der Kindheit bis zum Erwachsenenalter charakterisiert und altersabhängige Referenzwerte generiert werden. In einer durchflusszytometrischen Analyse wurden dafür sowohl relative als auch absolute Häufigkeiten für naive B-Zellen, Gedächtnis-B-Zellen, Transitionalzellen, Plasmablasten und CD21 low CD38 low B-Zellen untersucht. Die meisten B-Zell-Subpopulationen zeigen spezifische ontogenetische Veränderungen.
Kurze Inhaltszusammenfassung in der Originalsprache (deutsch) Multiple Sklerose ist die häufigste neurologische Erkrankung des jungen Erwachsenenalters, bei der es aufgrund noch ungeklärter Ursachen zur Zerstörung der Markscheiden im Zentralnervensystem kommt. Daraus ergibt sich eine Vielzahl von Behinderungen, die prinzipiell alle neurologischen Systeme betreffen können. Neben körperlichen Behinderungen können Depressive Störungen als häufige Begleiterkrankung auftreten. Behinderungen und Depressivität können die Lebensqualität der Patienten stark beeinträchtigen. Häufig fühlen sich Patienten nicht ausreichend über ihre Erkrankung informiert. Da viele Patienten eine aktive Rolle in Entscheidungsprozessen bezüglich ihrer Behandlung wünschen, ist eine adäquate Information jedoch unverzichtbar. Auch hinsichtlich der Krankheitsbewältigung kann Informationsvermittlung hilfreich sein. Bislang ungeklärt ist, inwieweit Patienten den Wunsch bzw. die Bereitschaft äußern, an speziellen Schulungsprogrammen teilzunehmen. In der vorliegenden Querschnittuntersuchung sollte das Schulungsbedürfnis sowie Interessensschwerpunkte der Informationsvermittlung von Patienten mit Multipler Sklerose erfragt werden. Es wurde der Einfluss von Depressivität, Lebensqualität, Grad der Behinderung und Krankheitsdauer untersucht.
The material system of interest in this thesis are II-VI-semiconductors. The first part of this thesis focuses on the formation of self-assembled CdSe-based quantum dots (QD) on ZnSe. The lattice constants of ZnSe and CdSe differ as much as about 7\% and therefore a CdSe layer grown on top of ZnSe experiences a huge strain. The aspired strain relief constitutes in the self-assembly of QDs (i.e. a roughened layer structure). Additionally, this QD layer is intermixed with Zn as this is also a possibility to decrease the strain in the layer. For CdSe on ZnSe, in Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE), various QD growth procedures were analysed with respect to the resulting Cd-content of the non-stoichiometric ternary (Zn,Cd)Se. The evaluation was performed by Raman Spectroscopy as the phonon frequency depends on the Cd-content. The second part of the thesis emphasis on the interface properties of n-ZnSe on n-GaAs. Different growth start procedures of the ZnSe epilayer may lead to different interface configurations with characteristic band-offsets and carrier depletion layer widths. The analysis is mainly focused on the individual depletion layer widths in the GaAs and ZnSe. This non-destructive analysis is performed by evaluating the Raman signal which comprises of phonon scattering from the depleted regions and coupled plasmon-phonon scattering from regions with free carriers.
The study of animal development is one of the oldest disciplines in the field of biology and the collected data from countless investigations on numerous species have formed a general understanding of the animal life-cycle. Almost one century ago, one consequence of these intense investigations was the discovery of specific morphological changes that occur during the cleavage phase, a period that follows fertilization and egg activation at the very beginning of animal embryogenesis. These observations resulted into the formulation of the concept of a midblastula transition (MBT). So far, the mechanism of the nucleo-cytoplasmic ratio model is the only one that explains MBT regulation in a satisfying way. It suggests that the MBT is controlled by several maternal repressive factors in the egg, which are titrated out by every cell division until they lose their repressing potential. Although this regulatory mechanism was proven for several species and in different approaches, it is still only a rudimentary model for MBT control and leaves numerous questions unanswered. On this conceptual background, this thesis has shown that embryos from the medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) lose their cell cycle synchrony already after the fourth or fifth round of cell divisions, and replace it by a metasynchronous divisions pattern, in which cell division occurs in clear waves beginning in the embryo's center. The reason for this change in division mode is still unknown, although several hypotheses were put forward, most notable a difference in yolk-access between cells. However, this theory was weakened by division waves that progressed from one embryonic pole to the opposing one, which were occasionally observed in deformed embryos, leaving the mechanism for this phenomenon furthermore unclear. Those deformed embryos were most likely the result of asymmetric cell divisions at very early stages, a phenomenon which occurred in a significant percentage of medaka embryos and which directly influenced the equal distribution of cytoplasmic material. It could not beuncovered what kind of effects this unequal distribution of cytoplasm exerted on the progression of embryonic development, but it can be argued that relevant differences in cell volumes could result in cell clusters that will enter MBT at different time points. Comparable observations were already made in other species and it was hypothesized that they were the direct results of early unequal cell cleavages. Finally, it was demonstrated that zygotic transcription in medaka embryos is activated prior to the hitherto assumed time of the first transcriptional initiation. Moreover, indications were found that strongly speak for a transcriptional activation that occurs in two steps; a first step at the 16-cell stage when first cells were identified positive for RNAPII phosphorylation, and a second step at the 64-cell stage, when the number of p-RNAPII positive cells significantly increased. A stepwise activation of zygotic transcription was already observed in other species, but only for the overall increasing amount of mRNAs and irrespective of the actual number of transcriptionally active cells within the embryos. .. Overall, these data confirm and expand the basic knowledge of pre-MBT embryos and about the MBT itself. Furthermore, they also suggest that many early processes in pre-MBT embryos are only rudimentarily understood or still totally unknown.
Catechine gehören als Flavan-3-ole zur Gruppe der Polyphenole. Aufgrund deren vielfältiger positiver Effekte auf den menschlichen Organismus nehmen sie in der Ernährungsforschung einen hohen Stellenwert ein. Dabei hat man bei den Flavan-3-olen meist nur die in der Natur vorherrschenden Isomere (+)-Catechin und (-)-Epicatechin untersucht, doch auch (-)-Catechin und (+)-Epicatechin sind Naturstoffe. Letztere findet man z.B. in Guarana oder in verarbeiteten Lebensmitteln, wie z.B. Kakao- und Kakaoerzeugnissen. Sie entstehen durch Epimerisierung unter den technologischen Bedingungen beim Rösten der Kakaobohnen und der Alkalisierung der Kakaomasse. Bei der Kakao-Verarbeitung werden ferner auch Catechin-C-Glykoside gebildet. Im ersten Teil dieser Arbeit wurden Stabilitätsstudien mit (+)-Catechin bei unterschiedlichen pH-Werten und Temperaturen durchgeführt. Der zweite Teil dieser Arbeit umfasst Untersuchungen von Catechin-Isomeren und zwei Catechin-C-Glykosiden auf ihren Einfluß auf die Lipoxygenase (LOX)- und Xanthinoxidase (XOD)-Aktivität. Für die Catechin-C-Glykosidbildung ist von uns eine neue Vorstellung zu deren Entstehungsmechanismus im Laufe der Lebensmittelverarbeitung entwickelt worden. Abschließend wurden anhand von Modelling-Studien die Effekte auf die Enzymsysteme erklärt.
OBJECTIVE:
To demonstrate the role of angiogenesis in the progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma.
INTRODUCTION:
Angiogenesis is a pivotal phenomenon in carcinogenesis. Its time course in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma has not yet been fully established.
METHODS:
We studied the vascular bed in 29 solar keratoses, 30 superficially invasive squamous cell carcinomas and 30 invasive squamous cell carcinomas. The Chalkley method was used to quantify the microvascular area by comparing panendothelial (CD34) with neoangiogenesis (CD105) immunohistochemical markers. The vascular bed from non-neoplastic adjacent skin was evaluated in 8 solar keratoses, 10 superficially invasive squamous cell carcinomas and 10 invasive squamous cell carcinomas.
RESULTS:
The microvascular area in CD105-stained specimens significantly increased in parallel with cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma progression. However, no differences between groups were found in CD34 sections. Solar keratosis, superficially invasive squamous cell carcinoma and invasive squamous cell carcinoma samples showed significant increases in microvascular area for both CD34- and CD105-stained specimens compared with the respective adjacent skin.
DISCUSSION:
The angiogenic switch occurs early in the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and the rate of neovascularization is parallel to tumor progression. In contrast to panendothelial markers, CD105 use allows a dynamic evaluation of tumor angiogenesis.
CONCLUSION:
This study demonstrated the dependence of skin carcinogenesis on angiogenesis.
Desert ants of the genus Cataglyphis possess remarkable visual navigation capabilities. Although Cataglyphis species lack a trail pheromone system, Cataglyphis fortis employs olfactory cues for detecting nest and food sites. To investigate potential adaptations in primary olfactory centers of the brain of C. fortis, we analyzed olfactory glomeruli (odor processing units) in their antennal lobes and compared them to glomeruli in different Cataglyphis species. Using confocal imaging and 3D reconstruction, we analyzed the number, size and spatial arrangement of olfactory glomeruli in C. fortis, C.albicans, C.bicolor, C.rubra, and C.noda. Workers of all Cataglyphis species have smaller numbers of glomeruli (198–249) compared to those previously found in olfactory-guided ants. Analyses in 2 species of Formica – a genus closely related to Cataglyphis – revealed substantially higher numbers of olfactory glomeruli (c. 370), which is likely to reflect the importance of olfaction in these wood ant species. Comparisons between Cataglyphis species revealed 2 special features in C. fortis. First, with c. 198 C. fortis has the lowest number of glomeruli compared to all other species. Second, a conspicuously enlarged glomerulus is located close to the antennal nerve entrance. Males of C. fortis possess a significantly smaller number of glomeruli (c. 150) compared to female workers and queens. A prominent male-specific macroglomerulus likely to be involved in sex pheromone communication occupies a position different from that of the enlarged glomerulus in females. The behavioral significance of the enlarged glomerulus in female workers remains elusive. The fact that C. fortis inhabits microhabitats (salt pans) that are avoided by all other Cataglyphis species suggests that extreme ecological conditions may not only have resulted in adaptations of visual capabilities, but also in specializations of the olfactory system.
Das angeborene Immunsystem von Insekten besteht aus einer humoralen Komponente, einer zellulären Komponente und dem Prophenoloxidase-aktivierenden System. Fast alle Erkenntnisse über das angeborene Immunsystem stammen von Arbeiten mit Modellorganismen wie z.B. Drosophila oder Anopheles gambiae. Wie genau das Immunsystem der Honigbiene (Apis mellifera) funktioniert, ist jedoch noch relativ unbekannt. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die unterschiedlichen Immunreaktionen aller drei Entwicklungsstadien der Honigbiene nach artifizieller Infektion mit Gram-negativen und Gram-positiven Bakterien (Escherichia coli und Micrococcus flavus) und dem Akuten Bienen Paralyse Virus (ABPV) untersucht und verglichen. Eine E. coli-Injektion zeigt bei Larven und adulten Arbeiterinnen nur wenig Auswirkung auf das äußere Erscheinungsbild und die Überlebensrate. In beiden Entwicklungsstadien wird die humorale Immunantwort stark induziert, erkennbar an der Expression der antimikrobiellen Peptide (AMPs) Hymenoptaecin, Defensin1 und Abaecin. Zusätzlich werden allein in Jungbienen nach bakterieller Infektion vier weitere immunspezifische Proteine exprimiert. Unter anderem eine Carboxylesterase (CE1) und das Immune-Responsive Protein 30 (IRp30). Die Expression von CE1 und IRp30 zeigt dabei den gleichen zeitlichen Verlauf wie die der AMPs. In Jungbienen kommt es zudem nach E. coli-Injektion zu einer raschen Abnahme an lebenden Bakterien in der Hämolymphe, was auf eine Aktivierung der zellulären Immunantwort schließen lässt. Ältere Bienen und Winterbienen zeigen eine stärkere Immunkompetenz als Jungbienen. Selbst nicht-infizierte Winterbienen exprimieren geringe Mengen der immunspezifischen Proteine IRp30 und CE1. Die Expression von IRp30 kann dabei durch Verwundung oder Injektion von E. coli noch gesteigert werden. Eine weitere Besonderheit ist die im Vergleich zu Jungbienen raschere Abnahme an lebenden Bakterien in der Hämolymphe bis hin zur vollständigen Eliminierung. Die Reaktion von Puppen auf eine bakterielle Infektion war völlig unerwartet. Nach Injektion von E. coli-Zellen kommt es innerhalb von 24 h p.i. zu einem tödlichen Kollaps, der sich in einer Graufärbung des gesamten Puppenkörpers äußert. Da keine Expression von AMPs nachzuweisen war, wird die humorale Immunantwort offensichtlich nicht induziert. Auch die zelluläre Immunantwort scheint nicht aktiviert zu werden, denn es konnte keine Abnahme an lebenden E. coli-Zellen beobachtet werden. Aufgrund dieser fehlenden Immunreaktionen vermehrt sich E. coli im Hämocoel infizierter Puppen und scheint damit deren Tod herbeizuführen. Nach viraler Infektion wurden in allen drei Entwicklungsstadien der Honigbiene gänzlich andere Reaktionen beobachtet als nach bakterieller Infektion. Bei dem verwendeten Akuten Bienen Paralyse Virus (ABPV) handelt es sich um ein Picorna-ähnliches Virus, dessen Vermehrung in der Hämolymphe über die massive Synthese der Capsidproteine verfolgt werden kann. Eine Injektion von sehr wenigen ABPV-Partikeln ins Hämocoel hat dramatische Auswirkungen auf Larven. Nach Virusinjektion kommt es innerhalb weniger Stunden zu einer raschen Virusvermehrung und schon 24 h p.i. zum Tod, häufig begleitet von einer Schwarzfärbung der gesamten Larve. Kurz vor dem Ableben kommt es neben dem Abbau hochmolekularer Speicherproteine zur Expression zahlreicher Proteine, die u.a. an der Translation oder dem Schutz vor oxidativem Stress beteiligt sind. Auf Jungbienen hat eine ABPV-Infektion keine so dramatischen Auswirkungen wie auf Larven. Sie zeigen lediglich Zeichen von Paralyse, zudem überleben sie länger bei höheren injizierten Partikelzahlen, die Virusvermehrung ist langsamer und es kommt zu keiner starken Veränderung des Hämolymph-Proteinmusters. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass es in ABPV-infizierten Larven oder adulten Bienen zu keiner erkennbaren Aktivierung des humoralen Immunsystems in Form von exprimierten AMPs kommt. Zudem scheint die humorale Immunantwort auch nicht unterdrückt zu werden, denn nach gleichzeitiger Injektion von E. coli und ABPV kommt es neben der Expression viraler Capsidproteine auch zur Expression von AMPs. Zusätzlich konnte in Jungbienen nach Infektion mit ABPV eine zelluläre Immunantwort in Form von Nodulation ausgeschlossen werden. Ältere Bienen scheinen nicht nur mit bakteriellen Infektionen, sondern auch mit einer ABPV-Infektion besser zurechtzukommen. Bei einer Menge an ABPV-Partikeln, die in Jungbienen spätestens 72 h p.i. zum Tod führt, ist in Winterbienen eine Virusvermehrung erst ab 96 h p.i. erkennbar und diese beeinträchtigt die Überlebensrate kaum. Puppen sind einer Virusinfektion genauso schutzlos ausgeliefert wie einer Bakterieninfektion. Es kommt zwar zu keiner starken Änderung des äußeren Erscheinungsbildes, jedoch bleiben Puppen in ihrer Entwicklung komplett stehen. Das Virus muss sich daher stark vermehren, allerdings nicht überwiegend - wie bei Larven und adulten Bienen - in der Hämolymphe.
Background:
Antidepressant drugs (ADs) have been shown to activate BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) receptor TrkB in the rodent brain but the mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains unclear. ADs act as monoamine reuptake inhibitors and after prolonged treatments regulate brain bdnf mRNA levels indicating that monoamine-BDNF signaling regulate AD-induced TrkB activation in vivo. However, recent findings demonstrate that Trk receptors can be transactivated independently of their neurotrophin ligands.
Methodology:
In this study we examined the role of BDNF, TrkB kinase activity and monoamine reuptake in the AD-induced TrkB activation in vivo and in vitro by employing several transgenic mouse models, cultured neurons and TrkB-expressing cell lines.
Principal Findings:
Using a chemical-genetic TrkB(F616A) mutant and TrkB overexpressing mice, we demonstrate that ADs specifically activate both the maturely and immaturely glycosylated forms of TrkB receptors in the brain in a TrkB kinase dependent manner. However, the tricyclic AD imipramine readily induced the phosphorylation of TrkB receptors in conditional bdnf(-/-) knock-out mice (132.4+/-8.5% of control; P = 0.01), indicating that BDNF is not required for the TrkB activation. Moreover, using serotonin transporter (SERT) deficient mice and chemical lesions of monoaminergic neurons we show that neither a functional SERT nor monoamines are required for the TrkB phosphorylation response induced by the serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors fluoxetine or citalopram, or norepinephrine selective reuptake inhibitor reboxetine. However, neither ADs nor monoamine transmitters activated TrkB in cultured neurons or cell lines expressing TrkB receptors, arguing that ADs do not directly bind to TrkB.
Conclusions:
The present findings suggest that ADs transactivate brain TrkB receptors independently of BDNF and monoamine reuptake blockade and emphasize the need of an intact tissue context for the ability of ADs to induce TrkB activity in brain.
Marine sponges and their associated bacteria have been proven to be a rich source of novel secondary metabolites with therapeutic usefulness in infection and autoimmunity. This Ph.D. project aimed to isolate bioactive secondary metabolites from the marine sponges Amphimedon compressa, Aiolochroia crassa and Theonella swinhoei as well as from bacteria associated with different Caribbean sponges, specifically actinomycetes and sphingomonads. In this study, amphitoxin was isolated from the crude methanol extract of the sponge A. compressa and it was found to have antibacterial and anti-parasitic activities. Amphitoxin showed protease inhibitory activity when tested against the mammalian protease cathepsin B and the parasitic proteases rhodesain and falcipain-2. Furthermore, miraziridine A was identified in the dichloromethane extract of the sponge T. swinhoei collected offshore Israel in the Red Sea. Miraziridine A, a natural peptide isolated previously from the marine sponge Theonella aff. mirabilis, is a potent cathepsin B inhibitor with an IC50 value of 1.4 g/mL (2.1 M). Secondary metabolites from sponge-derived bacteria were also isolated and identified. A total of 79 strains belonging to 20 genera of the order Actinomycetales and seven strains belonging to two genera of the order Sphingomonadales were cultivated from 18 different Caribbean sponges and identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Seven of these strains are likely to represent novel species. Crude extracts from selected strains were found to exhibit protease inhibition against cathepsins B and L, rhodesain, and falcipain-2 as well as immunomodulatory activities such as induction of cytokine release by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The isolates Sphingobium sp. CO105 and Lapillicoccus sp. BA53 were selected for cultivation, extraction and purification of bioactive metabolites based on initial bioactive screening results. The isoalloxazine isolumichrome was isolated from the strain Sphingobium sp. CO105 which inhibited the protease rhodesain with an IC50 of 0.2 M. The strain Lapillicoccus sp. BA53 was found to produce p-aminosalicylic acid methyl ester, which showed activity against the proteases cathepsins B and L, falcipain-2 and rhodesain. These results highlight the significance of marine sponge-associated bacteria to produce bioactive secondary metabolites with therapeutic potential in the treatment of infectious diseases and disorders of the immune system.
Die antimikrobiellen und physikalisch-chemischen Eigenschaften von experimentellen lichthärtenden Kompositen, die mit mechanisch aktivierten Füllkörpern aus Calciumalkaliphosphaten wie CaKPO4, CaNaPO4 oder Ca2KNa(PO4)2 versehen waren, wurden verglichen mit kommerziellen silanmodifizierten Cristobalit-Füllkörpern. Die antimikrobiellen Eigenschaften wurden mit Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus und einem klinisch isolierten Plaquemix getestet. Das Ausmaß der Reduktion des Bakterienwachstums auf den modifizierten Kompositen wurde mittels des Proliferationsreagenz WST-1, das ein Messen der Stoffwechselaktivität und somit der Besiedlung mit lebenden Bakterien ermöglicht. Zu den getesteten Materialeigenschaften zählten unter anderem die Konversionsrate und die Biegefestigket. Alle Alkaliphosphat dotierten Komposite zeigten im Gegensatz zu den Vergleichskompositen eine antimikrobielle Wirkung in Form einer Bakterienreduktion um 25-70%, die wahrscheinlich auf eine Wirkung im Mikromilieu zurückgeführt werden kann, eine Biegefestigkeit von 55-77 MPa, was dem Normwert entsprach, und einen Konversionsgrad von 44-66%. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie deuten darauf hin, dass die Calciumalkaliphosphat dotieren Komposite eine antimikrobielle Wirkung aufweisen ohne dabei die wesentlichen Eigenschaften des Werkstoffes zu beeinflussen.
Das Masernvirus (MV) ist ein negativ-strängiges RNA-Virus aus der Familie der Paramyxovi-ridae und zählt immer noch zu den häufigsten Todesursachen bei Kindern in Entwicklungs-ländern. Nach dem Eintritt in den Körper führt eine Infektion von CD150-exprimierenden B- und T-Lymphozyten sowie dendritischen Zellen (DCs) und Monozyten bzw. Makrophagen zu einer systemischen Infektion. Viele Mitglieder der Familie der APOBEC-Proteine („apolipoprotein B mRNA editing enzyme, catalytic polypeptide-like proteins“), u. a. auch APOBEC3G, werden als Teil der angeborenen Immunantwort in diesen Zellen und infizierten Geweben exprimiert. In früheren Studien wurde bereits gezeigt, dass diese Proteine durch ihre RNA-bindenden Eigenschaften und ihre Fähigkeit zur Desaminierung von Cytosin zu Uracil zu einer Inhibition von verschiedenen Retroelementen und Retroviren, wie beispielsweise den „long interspersed nuclear elements 1“ und dem humanen Im-mundefizienz-Virus (HIV) führen. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, mögliche antivirale Mechanismen von humanem APOBEC3G gegen das MV als Vertreter der negativ-strängigen RNA-Viren zu identifizieren. Hierzu wurden rekombinante MV-Wildtyp und -Impfstämme, sowie APOBEC3G-überexprimierende Vero-Zelllinien verwendet. Es zeigte sich, dass die Replikation des verwendeten rekombinanten Masern Wildtyp- und Impfvirus durch humanes APOBEC3G inhibiert wird. Diese Inhibition äußerte sich in einer reduzierten Synzytienbildung, einer mindestens 50 %igen Reduktion viral-exprimierter Proteine, sowie in einer 90-99 %igen Reduktion der auf APOBEC3G-exprimierenden Zellen entstandenen viralen Titer. Durch Sequenzanalysen konnte festgestellt werde, dass es zu einem Anstieg von 0,2 auf 0,95 unspezifischer Mutationen pro 1.000 Basenpaaren in MV-Transkripten kam, deren Muster mit dem in Kontrollzellen vergleichbar war, wohingegen typische C zu U(T) bzw. G zu A Hypermutationen nicht auftraten. Eine Kolokalisation von humanem APOBEC3G mit MV-spezifischen Proteinen konnte ebenfalls nicht eindeutig beobachtet werden. Es zeigte sich allerdings, dass APOBEC3G an virale RNA binden konnte. Außerdem wurde APOBEC3G in aufgereinigten viralen Partikeln um etwa den Faktor 4 angereichert. Versuche mit einem MV-Minireplikon-System ergaben, dass APOBEC3G eine Inhibition der viralen RNA-abhängigen RNA-Polymerase bewirkt, vermutlich aufgrund der Fähigkeit des Proteins an virale RNA zu binden. Immunfluoreszenzfärbungen mit mutierten APOBEC3G-Proteinen haben auch in die-ser Arbeit erneut belegt, dass der RNA-bindenden Desaminase-Domäne bei der zellulären Lokalisation des Proteins eine besondere Rolle zukommt, da einige Mutationen innerhalb dieses Bereiches zu einem hohen Verlust der Proteinexpression sowie zu einer Ansammlung der mutierten Proteine am rauen endoplasmatischen Retikulum führen. Die in dieser Arbeit gezeigte Inhibition der Replikation von MV durch humanes APO-BEC3G lässt eine generelle antivirale Aktivität von Mitgliedern der APOBEC-Familie gegen negativ-strängige RNA-Viren vermuten, welche auf der Fähigkeit des Proteins beruht RNA zu binden. Weitere Untersuchungen bezüglich der Inhibition anderer Vertreter der Mononegavirales durch verschiedene APOBEC-Proteine könnten Aufschluss über die beteiligten Mechanismen geben.
This thesis examines the application of intrinsic value models considering segmentation between foreign and domestic investors’ stock segments in China. Within the framework of international portfolio investment theory, segment-specific price differences are theorized to be not caused by irrational behavior but consistent with economic theory. Theoretical comparison of equilibrium and intrinsic value models suggests the latter to be more suitable regarding the Chinese market environment. Correspondingly, in this thesis the relevance of intrinsic value models for Chinese stock prices is examined empirically. It is concluded that price differences can be ascribed to unequal investment opportunities and segment specific characteristics. Nevertheless, results from the domestic and Hong Kong risk-free rate proxy lead to the conclusion that intrinsic value models cannot be considered better suited than linear factor models.
Im Rahmen der Zusammenarbeit des Missionsärztlichen Instituts in Würzburg mit dem Sacred Heart Hospital (Nigeria) wurden vor Ort im Hinblick auf das Problem der Arzneimittelfälschungen in Nigeria und dem Auftreten von einzelnen Resistenzen gegen Artemisinin-Derivate Untersuchungen bezüglich der aktuellen Situation im Kampf gegen Malaria im Großraum Abeokuta durchgeführt. Der Kenntnisstand über Malaria und das Gesundheitsverhalten einer für die nigerianische Bevölkerung möglichst repräsentativen Probandengruppe (n=100) wurden mithilfe eines Fragebogens erfasst. Ebenfalls mithilfe eines Fragebogens wurden die Therapiestrategien der einheimischen Ärzte (n=34) gegen Malaria untersucht und die Verfügbarkeit und Qualität von Artemisinin- Derivaten im Untersuchungsgebiet durch den Erwerb von Medikamenten-Samples (n=29) und anschließende Labortests überprüft. Die Befragung der Bevölkerung ergab, dass Wissen bezüglich der Ursachen, Symptome und Prävention der Malaria durchaus vorhanden ist, wobei große Unterschiede abhängig vom Bildungsstand bestanden. Vor allem ältere Menschen verfügten über wesentlich geringere Schulbildung und verließen sich deshalb sehr viel mehr auf die traditionelle Medizin. Darüber hinaus war eine oftmalige Bagatellisierung der Malaria auffällig, weshalb viele Probanden (53%) sich im Krankheitsfall gegen das Aufsuchen eines Krankenhauses entschieden. Die Befragung bezüglich der Therapiestrategien der einheimischen Ärzte zeigte, dass die Richtlinien der WHO bezüglich der Verwendung von ACT offensichtlich optimal angenommen und angewandt werden. Als mögliches Problem stellte sich die von 76,7% der Ärzte nur selten angewandte Labordiagnostik dar, eine Tatsache, die Fehldiagnosen begünstigt. Bei der Testung der Medikamente erwiesen sich 14,3% der Proben als minderwertig oder sogar gefälscht, was offiziellen Angaben entspricht. Zudem handelte es sich bei 37,9% der Arzneimittelproben um Monopräparate, was im Hinblick auf Resistenzbildung mehr als bedenklich ist. Diese Resultate weisen darauf hin, dass im Südwesten Nigerias die Malaria-Problematik noch immer nicht adäquat gelöst ist. Immer noch erhalten viel zu wenige Menschen eine optimale Therapie, was zu einem großen Teil an fehlendem Wissen und damit verbundenem falschem Gesundheitsverhalten, an dem großen Einfluss der traditionellen Medizin und an der Präsenz von gefälschten, wirkungslosen Arzneimitteln auf dem Markt liegt.
At the present day the idea of cosmological inflation constitutes an important extension of Big Bang theory. Since its appearance in the early 1980’s many physical mechanisms have been worked out that put the inflationary expansion of space that proceeds the Hot Big Bang on a sound theoretical basis. Among the achievements of the theory of inflation are the explanaition of the almost Euclidean geometry of ‘visible’space, the homogeneity of the cosmic background radiation but, in particular, also the tiny inhomogeneity of a relative amplitude of 10−5. In many models of inflation the inflationary phase ends only locally. Hence, there exists the possibility that the inflationary process still goes on in regions beyond our visual horizon. This property is commonly termed ‘eternal inflation’. In the framework of a cosmological scalar fields, eternal inflation can manifest itself in a variety of ways. On the one hand fluctuations of the field, if sufficiently large, can work against the classical trajectory and therefore counteract the end of inflation. In regions where this is the case the accelerated expansion of space continues at a higher rate. In parts of this region the process may replicate itself again and in this way may continue throughout all of time. Space and field are said to reproduce themselves. On the other hand, a mechanism that can occur in addition or independent of the latter, is so called vacuum tunneling. If the potential of the scalar field has several local minima, a semi-classical calculation suggests that within a spherical region, a bubble, the field can tunnel to another state. The respective tunneling rates depend on the potential difference and the shape of the potential between the states. Generally, the tunneling rate is exponentially suppressed, which means that the inflation lasts for a long time before tunneling takes place. The ongoing inflationary process effectively reduces local curvature, anistotropy and inhomogeneity, so that this property is known as the ‘cosmic no-hair conjecture’. For this reason cosmological considerations of the evolution of bubbles thus far almost entirely involved vacuum (de Sitter) backgrounds. However, new insights in the framework of string theory suggest high tunneling rates which allow for the possibility of bubble nucleation in non-vacuum dominated backgrounds. In this case the evolution of the bubble depends on the properties of the background spacetime. A deeper introduction in chapter 4 is followed by the presentation of the Lemaître-Tolman spacetime in chapter 5 which constitutes the background spacetime in the study of the effect of matter and inhomogeneity on the evolution of vacuum bubbles. In chapter 6 we explicitly describe the application of the ‘thin-shell’ formalism and the resulting system of equations. This is succeeded in chapter 7 by the detailed analysis of bubble evolution in various limits of the Lemaître-Tolman spacetime and a Robertson-Walker spacetime with a rapid phase transition. The central observations are that the presence of dust, at a fixed surface energy density, goes along with a smaller nucleation volume and possibly leads to a a collapse of the bubble. In an expanding background, the radially inhomogeneous dust profile is efficiently diluted so that there is essentially no effect on the evolution of the domain wall. This changes in a radially inhomogeneous curvature profile, positive curvature decelerates the expansion of the bubble. Moreover, we point out that the adopted approach does not allow for a treatment of a, physically expected, matter transfer so that the results are to be understood as preliminary under this caveat. In the second part of this thesis we consider potential observable consequences of bubble collisions in the cosmic microwave background radiation. The topological nature of the signal suggests the use of statistics that are well suited to quantify the morphological properties of the temperature fluctuations. In chapter 10 we present Minkowski Functionals (MFs) that exactly provide such statistics. The presented error analysis allows for a higher precision of numerical MFs in comparison to earlier methods. In chapter 12 we present the application of our algorithm to a Gaussian and a collision map. We motivate the expected MFs and extract their numerical counterparts. We find that our least-squares fitting procedure accurately reproduces an underlying signal only when a large number of realizations of maps are averaged over, while for a single WMAP and PLANCK resolution map, only when a highly prominent disk, with |δT| = 2√σG and ϑd = 40◦, we are able to recover the result. This is unfortunate, as it means that MF are intrinsically too noisy to be able to distinguish cold and hot spots in the CMB for small sizes.
The Quran is the holy book of Islam consisting of 6236 verses divided into 114 chapters called suras. Many verses are similar and even identical. Searching for similar texts (e.g verses) could return thousands of verses, that when displayed completely or partly as textual list would make analysis and understanding difficult and confusing. Moreover it would be visually impossible to instantly figure out the overall distribution of the retrieved verses in the Quran. As consequence reading and analyzing the verses would be tedious and unintuitive. In this study a combination of interactive scatter plots and tables has been developed to assist analysis and understanding of the search result. Retrieved verses are clustered by chapters, and a weight is assigned to each cluster according to number of verses it contains, so that users could visually identify most relevant areas, and figure out the places of revelation of the verses. Users visualize the complete result and can select a region of the plot to zoom in, click on a marker to display a table containing verses with English translation side by side.
Learning a book in general involves reading it, underlining important words, adding comments, summarizing some passages, and marking up some text or concepts. Once deeper understanding is achieved, one would like to organize and manage her/his knowledge in such a way that, it could be easily remembered and efficiently transmitted to others. In this paper, books organized in terms of chapters consisting of verses, are considered as the source of knowledge to be modeled. The knowledge model consists of verses with their metadata and semantic annotations. The metadata represent the multiple perspectives of knowledge modeling. Verses with their metadata and annotations form a meta-model, which will be published on a web Mashup. The meta-model with linking between its elements constitute a knowledge base. An XML-based annotation system breaking down the learning process into specific tasks, helps constructing the desired meta-model. The system is made up of user interfaces for creating metadata, annotating chapters’ contents according to user selected semantics, and templates for publishing the generated knowledge on the Internet. The proposed software system improves comprehension and retention of knowledge contained in religious texts through modeling and visualization. The system has been applied to the Quran, and the result obtained shows that multiple perspectives of information modeling can be successfully applied to religious texts. It is expected that this short ongoing study would motivate others to engage in devising and offering software systems for cross-religions learning.
Family studies suggest a genetic component to the etiology of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and end stage renal disease (ESRD). Previously, we identified 16 loci for eGFR in genome-wide association studies, but the associations of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for incident CKD or ESRD are unknown. We thus investigated the association of these loci with incident CKD in 26,308 individuals of European ancestry free of CKD at baseline drawn from eight population-based cohorts followed for a median of 7.2 years (including 2,122 incident CKD cases defined as eGFR < 60ml/min/1.73m(2) at follow-up) and with ESRD in four case-control studies in subjects of European ancestry (3,775 cases, 4,577 controls). SNPs at 11 of the 16 loci (UMOD, PRKAG2, ANXA9, DAB2, SHROOM3, DACH1, STC1, SLC34A1, ALMS1/NAT8, UBE2Q2, and GCKR) were associated with incident CKD; p-values ranged from p = 4.1e-9 in UMOD to p = 0.03 in GCKR. After adjusting for baseline eGFR, six of these loci remained significantly associated with incident CKD (UMOD, PRKAG2, ANXA9, DAB2, DACH1, and STC1). SNPs in UMOD (OR = 0.92, p = 0.04) and GCKR (OR = 0.93, p = 0.03) were nominally associated with ESRD. In summary, the majority of eGFR-related loci are either associated or show a strong trend towards association with incident CKD, but have modest associations with ESRD in individuals of European descent. Additional work is required to characterize the association of genetic determinants of CKD and ESRD at different stages of disease progression.