Publications by authors named "Muller W"

Background:  The exposure of a pregnant woman to X-rays is an event that can cause uncertainty for all concerned. This review provides guidance on how to assess such a situation and how to determine the dose to the unborn child. In general, the use of X-rays in pregnant women in radiology should be avoided.

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Fungal spoilage in fruit juices is a currently relevant issue considering that recent reports have found unacceptable fungal levels even after traditional pasteurization processes. Ohmic heating demonstrated to be a good alternative process to conventional pasteurization, as it can promote higher heating rates and additional cell damage in some scenarios (nonthermal effects). However, the application of ohmic processing for fungi inactivation has not been properly investigated.

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of experiments was employed to investigate the combinations of 3D-printing parameters for Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) with a fused filament fabrication (FFF) process and to quantitatively evaluate the quality of 3D printed parts. This research was conducted using a newly developed FFF 3D printer and PEEK filament. Standard PEEK parts were 3D printed for bending and compression tests.

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Background: Silexan is a lavender essential oil with established anxiolytic and calming efficacy. Here we asked whether there is a potential for abuse in human patients.

Methods: We carried out a phase I abuse liability single-center, double-blind, 5-way crossover study in healthy users of recreational central nervous system depressants.

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Background: Habitat loss can force animals to relocate to new areas, where they would need to adjust to an unfamiliar resource landscape and find new breeding sites. Relocation may be costly and could compromise reproduction.

Methods: Here, we explored how the Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus), a colonial breeding seabird species with a wide ecological niche, responds to the loss of its breeding habitat.

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Background: Silexan, a special essential oil from flowering tops of lavandula angustifolia, is used to treat subsyndromal anxiety disorders. In a recent clinical trial, Silexan also showed antidepressant effects in patients suffering from mixed anxiety-depression (ICD-10 F41.2).

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Fermentation of the marine-derived fungus Aspergillus falconensis, isolated from sediment collected from the Red Sea, Egypt on solid rice medium containing 3.5% NaCl yielded a new dibenzoxepin derivative (1) and a new natural isocoumarin (2) along with six known compounds (3-8). Changes in the metabolic profile of the fungus were induced by replacing NaCl with 3.

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Breast cancer is associated with the second highest cancer-associated deaths worldwide. Therefore, understanding the key events that determine breast cancer progression, modulation of the tumor-microenvironment and metastasis, which is the main cause of cancer-associated death, are of great importance. The mammary specific polyomavirus middle T antigen overexpression mouse model (MMTV-PyMT), first published in 1992, is the most commonly used genetically engineered mouse model (GEMM) for cancer research.

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The effect of the polyanionic polymer of inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) involved in innate immunity on the binding of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to the cellular ACE2 receptor was studied. The RBD surface comprises a basic amino acid stretch of four arginine residues which interact with the physiological polyP (polyP) and polyP. Subsequently, the interaction of RBD with ACE2 is sensitively inhibited.

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In the present study, the fabrication of a biomimetic wound dressing that mimics the extracellular matrix, consisting of a hydrogel matrix composed of non-oxidized and periodate-oxidized marine alginate, was prepared to which gelatin was bound via Schiff base formation. Into this alginate/oxidized-alginate-gelatin hydrogel, polyP was stably but reversibly integrated by ionic cross-linking with Zn ions. Thereby, a soft hybrid material is obtained, consisting of a more rigid alginate scaffold and porous structures formed by the oxidized-alginate-gelatin hydrogel with ionically cross-linked polyP.

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Silexan®, a proprietary essential oil manufactured by steam distillation from Lavandula angustifolia flowers showed pronounced anxiolytic effects in patients with subthreshold anxiety disorders and was also efficacious in patients with Generalized Anxiety disorder (GAD). Moreover, evidences for antidepressant-like properties of Silexan® have been observed in anxious patients suffering from comorbid depressive symptoms and in patients with mixed anxiety-depression disorder (ICD-10 F41.2).

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In the last decades, surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (SALDI-MS) has attracted increasing interest due to its unique capabilities, achievable through the nanostructured substrates used to promote the analyte desorption/ionization. While the most widely recognized asset of SALDI-MS is the untargeted analysis of small molecules, this technique also offers the possibility of targeted approaches. In particular, the implementation of SALDI-MS imaging (SALDI-MSI), which is the focus of this review, opens up new opportunities.

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Objective: Plasma treatment can be used as surface treatment of PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone) to increase the bonding strength between veneering composite and dental prosthetic frameworks of PEEK or enhance biocompatibility of PEEK implants. These improvements are probably based on chemical changes of the PEEK surface. However, the aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of different low-pressure plasma treatments on surface properties of PEEK, such as roughness, hydrophilicity, micro-hardness, crystallinity and biological activity of PEEK.

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The early onset of weaning in modern humans has been linked to the high nutritional demand of brain development that is intimately connected with infant physiology and growth rate. In Neanderthals, ontogenetic patterns in early life are still debated, with some studies suggesting an accelerated development and others indicating only subtle differences vs. modern humans.

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Lipids are biomolecules of crucial importance involved in critical biological functions. Yet, lipid content determination using mass spectrometry is still challenging due to their rich structural diversity. Preferential ionisation of the different lipid species in the positive or negative polarity is common, especially when using soft ionisation mass spectrometry techniques.

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We report here the effects of targeted p120-catenin (encoded by ; hereafter denoted p120) knockout (KO) in a PyMT mouse model of invasive ductal (mammary) cancer (IDC). Mosaic p120 ablation had little effect on primary tumor growth but caused significant pro-metastatic alterations in the tumor microenvironment, ultimately leading to a marked increase in the number and size of pulmonary metastases. Surprisingly, although early effects of p120-ablation included decreased cell-cell adhesion and increased invasiveness, cells lacking p120 were almost entirely unable to colonized distant metastatic sites The relevance of this observation to human IDC was established by analysis of a large clinical dataset of 1126 IDCs.

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The distribution of upper respiratory viral loads (VL) in asymptomatic children infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is unknown. We assessed PCR cycle threshold (Ct) values and estimated VL in infected asymptomatic children diagnosed in nine pediatric hospital testing programs. Records for asymptomatic and symptomatic patients with positive clinical SARS-CoV-2 tests were reviewed.

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Amorphous Ca-phosphate (ACP) particles stabilized by inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) were prepared by co-precipitation of calcium and phosphate in the presence of polyP (15% [w/w]). These hybrid nanoparticles showed no signs of crystallinity according to X-ray diffraction analysis, in contrast to the particles obtained at a lower (5% [w/w]) polyP concentration or to hydroxyapatite. The ACP/15% polyP particles proved to be a suitable matrix for cell growth and attachment and showed pronounced osteoblastic and vasculogenic activity in vitro.

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Body fat values obtained with various measurement methods deviate substantially in many cases. The standardised brightness-mode ultrasound method was used in 32 Kenyan elite long-distance runners to measure subcutaneous adipose tissue thicknesses at an accuracy and reliability level not reached by any other method. Subcutaneous adipose tissue forms the dominating part of body fat.

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A drug encapsulation/delivery system using a novel principle is described that is based on an intra-particle migration of calcium ions between a central Ca-enriched nanoparticle core and the surrounding shell compartment. The supply of Ca is needed for the formation of a coacervate shell around the nanoparticles, acting as the core of drug-loadable core-shell particles, using the physiological inorganic polymer polyphosphate (polyP). This polyanion has the unique property to form, at an alkaline pH and in the presence of a stoichiometric surplus of calcium ions, water-insoluble and stabile amorphous nanoparticles.

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Endothelial cell calcium flux is critical for leukocyte transendothelial migration (TEM), which in turn is essential for the inflammatory response. Intravital microscopy of endothelial cell calcium dynamics reveals that calcium increases locally and transiently around the transmigration pore during TEM. Endothelial calmodulin (CaM), a key calcium signaling protein, interacts with the IQ domain of IQGAP1, which is localized to endothelial junctions and is required for TEM.

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Article Synopsis
  • Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) have serious health implications, with altered NF-κB signaling linked to their onset, prompting researchers to explore drug repositioning to target this pathway.
  • The SysmedIBD Consortium developed a new pipeline to identify existing drugs that affect NF-κB signaling and tested them in animal models, finding that clarithromycin, a macrolide antibiotic, ranked highest for its anti-inflammatory potential.
  • Experimental results showed clarithromycin's ability to modulate NF-κB activity and reduce colitis severity, suggesting it could be a promising candidate for further clinical trials in IBD treatment.
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Background: Physical activity (PA) during pregnancy is associated with several benefits in maternal and child outcomes, and its relationship with preterm birth is still conflicting. This study aims to examine the associations between PA during pregnancy and occurrence of preterm birth.

Methods: PA was assessed by questionnaire (for each trimester) and accelerometry (second trimester) in women enrolled in a birth cohort study that started during pregnancy and included births that occurred between January 1 and December 31, 2015.

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It is shown that angular stiffness in the hexagonal lattice model plays a significant role in the geometrical nonlinear terms in the equations of the continuum limit. A geometrically nonlinear discrete model is formulated for the hexagonal lattice by considering the interaction of two sublattices. An asymptotic procedure is developed in order to obtain the nonlinear coupled equations of motion in the continuum limit of the discrete model.

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