Biosensor-Guided Engineering of a Baeyer-Villiger Monooxygenase for Aliphatic Ester Production.

Esters are valuable aroma compounds and can be produced enzymatically by Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenases (BVMOs) from (aliphatic) ketone precursors. However, a genetically encoded biosensor system for the assessment of BVMO activity and the detection of reaction products is missing. In this work, we assembled a synthetic enzyme cascade - featuring an esterase, an alcohol dehydrogenase, and LuxAB - in the heterologous host Escherichia coli.

Standardizing designed and emergent quantitative features in microphysiological systems.

Microphysiological systems (MPSs) are cellular models that replicate aspects of organ and tissue functions in vitro. In contrast with conventional cell cultures, MPSs often provide physiological mechanical cues to cells, include fluid flow and can be interlinked (hence, they are often referred to as microfluidic tissue chips or organs-on-chips). Here, by means of examples of MPSs of the vascular system, intestine, brain and heart, we advocate for the development of standards that allow for comparisons of quantitative physiological features in MPSs and humans.

A screening for cerebral deoxygenation during VT ablations in patients with structural heart disease.

Background: Patients undergoing ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation often present with structural heart disease (SHD) and reduced ejection fraction. Inducing VT by programmed electrical stimulation (PES) puts these patients at risk for hemodynamic instability and cerebral hypoperfusion.

Objective: The present study screens for cerebral oxygen desaturation phases (ODPs) in patients undergoing VT ablation.

Functional multi-organelle units control inflammatory lipid metabolism of macrophages.

Eukaryotic cells contain several membrane-separated organelles to compartmentalize distinct metabolic reactions. However, it has remained unclear how these organelle systems are coordinated when cells adapt metabolic pathways to support their development, survival or effector functions. Here we present OrgaPlexing, a multi-spectral organelle imaging approach for the comprehensive mapping of six key metabolic organelles and their interactions.

The Swedish Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire: translation and cross-cultural adaptation.

Objective: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the Stroke Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SSEQ) from English to Swedish and to evaluate psychometric properties of the questionnaire.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design, where the translation followed a process including initial translation, synthesis, backward translation, expert committee, and pretest. Content validity was assessed using Content validity index (CVI).

Robust Tissue Fabrication for Long-Term Culture of iPSC-Derived Brain Organoids for Aging Research.

The currently available animal and cellular models do not fully recapitulate the complexity of changes that take place in the aging human brain. A recent development of procedures describing the generation of human cerebral organoids, derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), has the potential to fundamentally transform the ability to model and understand the aging of the human brain and related pathogenic processes. Here, an optimized protocol for generating, maintaining, aging, and characterizing human iPSC-derived cerebral organoids is presented.

Use of standard U-bottom and V-bottom well plates to generate neuroepithelial embryoid bodies.

The use of organoids has become increasingly popular recently due to their self-organizing abilities, which facilitate developmental and disease modeling. Various methods have been described to create embryoid bodies (EBs) generated from embryonic or pluripotent stem cells but with varying levels of differentiation success and producing organoids of variable size. Commercial ultra-low attachment (ULA) V-bottom well plates are frequently used to generate EBs.

Test-retest reliability of prefrontal transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) effects on functional MRI connectivity in healthy subjects.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) can be used for probing functional brain connectivity and meets general interest as novel therapeutic intervention in psychiatric and neurological disorders. Along with a more extensive use, it is important to understand the interplay between neural systems and stimulation protocols requiring basic methodological work. Here, we examined the test-retest (TRT) characteristics of tDCS-induced modulations in resting-state functional-connectivity MRI (RS fcMRI).

The Importance of Patient Involvement in Stroke Rehabilitation.

Objective: To investigate the perceived needs for health services by persons with stroke within the first year after rehabilitation, and associations between perceived impact of stroke, involvement in decisions regarding care/treatment, and having health services needs met.

Method: Data was collected, through a mail survey, from patients with stroke who were admitted to a university hospital in 2012 and had received rehabilitation after discharge from the stroke unit. The rehabilitation lasted an average of 2 to 4.

Utilisation of psychosocial and informational services in immigrant and non-immigrant German cancer survivors.

Objective: We examined psychosocial and informational services used by long-term survivors of breast, colon and prostate cancer in immigrants versus non-immigrants.

Methods: Patients were sampled from population-based cancer registries in Germany. They completed a questionnaire assessing immigration biography, service use and socio-demographic characteristics.

[Utilisation of Psycho-oncological Services in Hospitals and Outpatient Counselling Centres by Survivors of Breast, Colon and Prostate Cancer].

Introduction: We investigated how many cancer survivors receive psycho-oncological care in hospitals and outpatient cancer counselling centres and which factors influence usage.

Methods: Long-term survivors of breast, colon or prostate cancer completed a questionnaire assessing the use of psycho-oncological services in the "Cancer Survivorship--a multiregional population-based study (CAESAR)". Gender, age, community size, education, income and stage of disease were investigated as potential predictors of use.

Fear of recurrence in long-term breast cancer survivors-still an issue. Results on prevalence, determinants, and the association with quality of life and depression from the cancer survivorship--a multi-regional population-based study.

Background: Fear of recurrence (FoR) is a widespread problem among breast cancer survivors. So far, little is known about prevalence, determinants, and consequences of FoR specifically in long-term breast cancer survivors, even though it was found to be one of the most important concerns in this group.

Methods: Analyses are based on data of several population-based cohorts of long-term breast cancer survivors, recruited by six German cancer registries.

Quality of life in long-term breast cancer survivors - a 10-year longitudinal population-based study.

Background: Breast cancer survivors may experience adverse effects of cancer and/or treatment years after completion of therapy, which can considerably decrease quality of life (QoL). Little is known about the time course of QoL in breast cancer survivors beyond the fifth year post-diagnosis, when routine follow-up care has usually terminated. We therefore explored in detail whether and to what extent restrictions in breast cancer survivors persist and whether changes or aggravations in QoL occurred over time.