Prevention of frailty through narrative intervention.

Background: Frailty is a syndrome of increased vulnerability with adverse outcomes, increasing with age for elderly people. So far, intervention programs have mainly addressed the physical components of frailty. As biographical writing approaches have shown positive effects on cognition and health, the aim of this study is to investigate the effects of a biographical disclosure intervention on psychological frailty and health in older adults.

The role of treatment delivery factors in exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder with agoraphobia.

Treatment delivery factors (i.e., therapist adherence, therapist competence, and therapeutic alliance) are considered to be important for cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder and agoraphobia (PD/AG).

Pimecrolimus increases the expression of interferon-inducible genes that modulate human coronary artery cells proliferation.

The pharmacodynamics of the loaded compounds defines clinical failure or success of a drug-eluting device. Various limus derivatives have entered clinics due to the observed positive outcome after stent implantation, which is explained by their antiproliferative activity resulting from inhibition of the cytosolic immunophilin FK506-binding protein 12. Although pimecrolimus also binds to this protein, pimecrolimus-eluting stents failed in clinics.

Does Feedback-Related Brain Response during Reinforcement Learning Predict Socio-motivational (In-)dependence in Adolescence?

This multi-methodological study applied functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate neural activation in a group of adolescent students (N = 88) during a probabilistic reinforcement learning task. We related patterns of emerging brain activity and individual learning rates to socio-motivational (in-)dependence manifested in four different motivation types (MTs): (1) peer-dependent MT, (2) teacher-dependent MT, (3) peer-and-teacher-dependent MT, (4) peer-and-teacher-independent MT. A multinomial regression analysis revealed that the individual learning rate predicts students' membership to the independent MT, or the peer-and-teacher-dependent MT.

Tumour-specific delivery of siRNA-coupled superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles, targeted against PLK1, stops progression of pancreatic cancer.

Objective: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is one of the most aggressive malignancies and is projected to be the second leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030. Despite extensive knowledge and insights into biological properties and genetic aberrations of PDAC, therapeutic options remain temporary and ineffective. One plausible explanation for the futile response to therapy is an insufficient and non-specific delivery of anticancer drugs to the tumour site.

Haplotype synthesis analysis reveals functional variants underlying known genome-wide associated susceptibility loci.

Motivation: The functional mechanisms underlying disease association remain unknown for Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) susceptibility variants located outside coding regions. Synthesis of effects from multiple surrounding functional variants has been suggested as an explanation of hard-to-interpret findings. We define filter criteria based on linkage disequilibrium measures and allele frequencies which reflect expected properties of synthesizing variant sets.

Habitat conditions and phenological tree traits overrule the influence of tree genotype in the needle mycobiome-Picea glauca system at an arctic treeline ecotone.

Plant-associated mycobiomes in extreme habitats are understudied and poorly understood. We analysed Illumina-generated ITS1 sequences from the needle mycobiome of white spruce (Picea glauca) at the northern treeline in Alaska (USA). Sequences were obtained from the same DNA that was used for tree genotyping.

Chemical Composition, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of the Volatile Oil of Ganoderma pfeifferi Bres.

In a first study of the volatile oil of the mushroom basidiomycete Bres., the chemical composition and antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of the oil were investigated. The volatile oil was obtained from the fresh fruiting bodies of Bres.

Plant diversity effects on grassland productivity are robust to both nutrient enrichment and drought.

Global change drivers are rapidly altering resource availability and biodiversity. While there is consensus that greater biodiversity increases the functioning of ecosystems, the extent to which biodiversity buffers ecosystem productivity in response to changes in resource availability remains unclear. We use data from 16 grassland experiments across North America and Europe that manipulated plant species richness and one of two essential resources-soil nutrients or water-to assess the direction and strength of the interaction between plant diversity and resource alteration on above-ground productivity and net biodiversity, complementarity, and selection effects.

Staphylococcus aureus Transcriptome Architecture: From Laboratory to Infection-Mimicking Conditions.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major pathogen that colonizes about 20% of the human population. Intriguingly, this Gram-positive bacterium can survive and thrive under a wide range of different conditions, both inside and outside the human body. Here, we investigated the transcriptional adaptation of S.

Global analysis of the impact of linezolid onto virulence factor production in S. aureus USA300.

The translation inhibitor linezolid is an antibiotic of last resort against Gram-positive pathogens including methicillin resistant strains of the nosocomial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Linezolid is reported to inhibit production of extracellular virulence factors, but the molecular cause is unknown. To elucidate the physiological response of S.

Effect of body shape and inflammation on tooth loss in men and women.

Objectives: Android and gynoid adiposity is differently involved on inflammatory responses in men or women in periodontitis and tooth loss. We tested the hypothesis whether identical waist-to-hip ratios (WHR) in men and women could abolish this disparity.

Materials And Methods: Data of 2746 participants from the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) were analysed.

A SDD1-like subtilase is exuded by tobacco roots.

Hydroponically grown tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Samsun) roots exude proteases under non-stressed conditions.

Alzheimer's disease risk variants modulate endophenotypes in mild cognitive impairment.

Introduction: We evaluated the effect of Alzheimer's disease (AD) susceptibility loci on endophenotypes closely related with AD pathology in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: We selected 1730 MCI patients from four independent data sets. Weighted polygenic risk scores (PGS) were constructed of 18 non-apolipoprotein E (APOE) AD risk variants.

Simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging and pharmacokinetic analysis of intramuscular depots.

The present pilot study introduces a method that might give novel insights in drug absorption processes from intramuscularly administered depots. An oily suspension or an aqueous solution of paracetamol (6 mg/kg body mass), prednisolone or its hemisuccinate sodium salt for the aqueous solutions (10mg/kg body mass) or diclofenac (10mg/kg body mass) was injected into the muscle tissue of the hind leg of female Lewis-rats (n=47). For the oily suspensions the micronized particles were suspended in medium-chain triglycerides.

Draft Genome Sequence of "Candidatus Methanomethylophilus" sp. 1R26, Enriched from Bovine Rumen, a Methanogenic Archaeon Belonging to the Methanomassiliicoccales Order.

Here, we present the draft genome of "Candidatus Methanomethylophilus" sp. 1R26, a member of the newly described Methanomassiliicoccales order of Euryarcheaota. The enrichment culture was established from bovine rumen contents and produced methane from trimethylamine and methanol.

Cross-sectional association between physical strength, obesity, periodontitis and number of teeth in a general population.

Aim: Muscle strength declines and gums recede with increasing age across the life course. Possible associations exist between handgrip strength as an indicator of physical fitness and periodontitis and number of teeth.

Material And Methods: Handgrip strength (GS), anthropometric measures, clinical attachment loss, number of teeth, C-reactive protein and glycated haemoglobin were assessed in 2089 participants of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-2).

Migration background and overall satisfaction with pre-hospital emergency care.

Objectives: This study was designed to explore how sociodemographic factors of the patient/patient's relatives including migrant status and service-related aspects influence overall satisfaction with pre-hospital emergency care.

Methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 218 persons (57 migrants and 161 nonmigrants) who had received pre-hospital emergency care directly (as a patient) or indirectly (as a significant other) in Germany. Sociodemographic data and service-related aspects were entered into a hierarchical regression analysis in order to identify their influence on overall satisfaction.

Isoform 1 of TPD52 (PC-1) promotes neuroendocrine transdifferentiation in prostate cancer cells.

The tumour protein D52 isoform 1 (PC-1), a member of the tumour protein D52 (TPD52) protein family, is androgen-regulated and prostate-specific expressed. Previous studies confirmed that PC-1 contributes to malignant progression in prostate cancer with an important role in castration-resistant stage. In the present work, we identified its impact in mechanisms leading to neuroendocrine (NE) transdifferentiation.

RNA Hairpin Folding in the Crowded Cell.

Precise secondary and tertiary structure formation is critically important for the cellular functionality of ribonucleic acids (RNAs). RNA folding studies were mainly conducted in vitro, without the possibility of validating these experiments inside cells. Here, we directly resolve the folding stability of a hairpin-structured RNA inside live mammalian cells.

Genetic associations at 53 loci highlight cell types and biological pathways relevant for kidney function.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate defines chronic kidney disease and is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), combining data across 133,413 individuals with replication in up to 42,166 individuals. We identify 24 new and confirm 29 previously identified loci.

LOng-term follow-up after liVE kidney donation (LOVE) study: a longitudinal comparison study protocol.

Background: The benefits of live donor kidney transplantation must be balanced against the potential harm to the donor. Well-designed prospective studies are needed to study the long-term consequences of kidney donation.

Methods: The "LOng-term follow-up after liVE kidney donation" (LOVE) study is a single center longitudinal cohort study on long-term consequences after living kidney donation.

Towards the Development of Structure-Selective G-Quadruplex-Binding Indolo[3,2-b]quinolines.

The interaction of phenyl-substituted indolo[3,2-b]quinolines with DNA G-quadruplexes of different topology were studied by using a combination of spectroscopic and calorimetric methodologies. N5-Methylated indoloquinoline derivatives ((Me) PIQ) with an aminoalkyl side chain exhibit high affinities for the parallel-stranded MYC quadruplex and a (3+1)-hybrid structure combined with an excellent discrimination against the antiparallel thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) and the human telomeric (HT) quadruplexes. Dissociation constants for the binding of the ligand to the MYC quadruplex are in the submicromolar range, being below the corresponding dissociation constants for the antiparallel-stranded quadruplexes by about one order of magnitude.