Publications by authors named "Andrea Rittig"

Background: Malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) or undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS) is the most common soft-tissue sarcoma of late adult life. Further advances in genetic characterization are warranted. The aim of this study was to search for numerical and structural chromosomal anomalies in UPS.

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Sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM) and polymyositis (PM) are characterized by muscle inflammation, with sIBM showing additional degenerative alterations. In this study we investigated human beta defensins and associated TLRs to elucidate the role of the innate immune system in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM), and its association with inflammatory and degenerative alterations. Expression levels of human beta-defensin (HBD)-1, HBD-2, HBD-3 and TLR2, 3, 4, 7 and 9 were analysed by quantitative real-time PCR in skeletal muscle tissue.

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Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are characterized by co-participation of several epigenetic and genetic events during tumorigenesis. Having bypassed cellular senescence barriers during oncogenic transformation, the factors further affecting growth rate of STS cells remain poorly understood. Therefore, we investigated the role of gene silencing (DNA promoter methylation of LINE-1, PTEN), genetic aberrations (karyotype, KRAS and BRAF mutations) as well as their contribution to the proliferation rate and migratory potential that underlies "initial" and "final" passage sarcoma cells.

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Background: Wound infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria are a major issue in wound care. An occlusive dressing delivering an antimicrobial agent to the wound may be advantageous. The objective of this study was to evaluate an occlusive silk membrane loaded with colistin to establish an effective antimicrobial wound dressing against Gram-negative bacteria in vitro and in vivo.

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Although it is known that innate immunity is important for protecting the body against foreign agents such as bacteria, little is known about elements of the innate immune system that have antitumor activity. This prospective study was designed to investigate the function of human beta-defensin 3 (hBD-3), an important component of the innate immune response, in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Paired cancerous and noncancerous specimens of 45 patients who underwent surgical treatment for OSCC were examined for hBD-3 expression on protein and mRNA.

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Objective: Novel approaches to bridge the gap between clinical studies and experimental basic research of skin physiology are urgently needed. The aim of this study was to develop an effective surrogate model in which ex vivo full-thickness organ culture experiments may be performed.

Methods: Human full skin from patients was placed into a stainless steel chamber and cultured at an air-liquid interphase for 4 weeks.

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The goal of this study was to analyse expression profiles of human epithelial host defence peptides in burned and unburned skin tissue, samples of which were obtained during debridements and snap-frozen in liquid nitrogen. Total RNA was isolated, and cDNA of epithelial host defence peptides and proteins (hCAP-18/LL-37, hBD1-hBD4, dermcidin, S100A7/psoriasin and RNAse7) was quantified by qRT-PCR. In situ hybridisation and immunohistochemical staining localised gene expression of hCAP-18/LL-37, hBD2 and hBD3 in histological sections.

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