Who threw that stone? A study on DNA transfer.

Contact or touch DNA traces from stones account for around 5 % of all crime scene-related swab samples analysed in our department. These traces are often used to identify perpetrators in cases such as burglary, when a stone is used as a tool to break a window or in cases of property damage during riots. Provided that a DNA profile can be obtained in such a case, questions may arise in court regarding the possibilities of DNA transfer onto the stone.

Human background DNA on stones in an urban environment.

Stones are frequently used as tools in criminal acts. In our department, around 5 % of all analysed crime scene related trace samples are contact or touch DNA traces swabbed from stones. These samples are primarily related to cases of damage to property and burglary.

Efficient DNA Sampling in Burglary Investigations.

In terms of crime scene investigations by means of forensic DNA-analyses, burglaries are the number one mass crime in Switzerland. Around one third of the DNA trace profiles registered in the Swiss DNA database are related to burglaries. However, during the collection of potential DNA traces within someone's residence after a burglary, it is not known whether the sampled DNA originated from the perpetrator or from an inhabitant of said home.

Tumor Initiation Capacity and Therapy Resistance Are Differential Features of EMT-Related Subpopulations in the NSCLC Cell Line A549.

Cell lines are essential tools to standardize and compare experimental findings in basic and translational cancer research. The current dogma states that cancer stem cells feature an increased tumor initiation capacity and are also chemoresistant. Here, we identified and comprehensively characterized three morphologically distinct cellular subtypes in the non-small cell lung cancer cell line A549 and challenge the current cancer stem cell dogma.

Culling Less Fit Neurons Protects against Amyloid-β-Induced Brain Damage and Cognitive and Motor Decline.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, impairing cognitive and motor functions. One of the pathological hallmarks of AD is neuronal loss, which is not reflected in mouse models of AD. Therefore, the role of neuronal death is still uncertain.

Schedule-dependent increased efficiency of pemetrexed-ionizing radiation combination therapy elicits a differential DNA damage response in lung cancer cells.

Background: Lung cancer causes the most cancer deaths worldwide, thus there is a urgent need to develop new treatment options. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy has become a common strategy for the treatment of non-resectable solid tumors including non-small cell lung cancer. Pemetrexed is a folic acid antagonist that inhibits the synthesis of precursor nucleotides, whereas ionizing radiation induces DNA damage, the repair of which is dependent on sufficiently high nucleotide levels.

Prolonged pemetrexed pretreatment augments persistence of cisplatin-induced DNA damage and eliminates resistant lung cancer stem-like cells associated with EMT.

Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, and new therapeutic options are urgently needed. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of all lung cancers, with the current standard regimen of care for NSCLC including chemotherapy with pemetrexed as a single agent or in combination with platinum-based agents, e.g.