The Appearance of 4-Hydroxy-2-Nonenal (HNE) in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Oropharynx.

Tumor growth is associated with oxidative stress, which causes lipid peroxidation. The most intensively studied product of lipid peroxidation is 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE), which is considered as a "second messenger of free radicals" that binds to proteins and acts as a growth-regulating signaling factor. The incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the oropharynx is associated with smoking, alcohol and infection of human papilloma virus (HPV), with increasing incidence world-wide.

Belief formation - A driving force for brain evolution.

The topic of belief has been neglected in the natural sciences for a long period of time. Recent neuroscience research in non-human primates and humans, however, has shown that beliefs are the neuropsychic product of fundamental brain processes that attribute affective meaning to concrete objects and events, enabling individual goal setting, decision making and maneuvering in the environment. With regard to the involved neural processes they can be categorized as empirical, relational, and conceptual beliefs.

Electrochemical immunosensor functionalized with nanobodies for the detection of the toxic microalgae Alexandrium minutum using glassy carbon electrode modified with gold nanoparticles.

In this work an electrochemical immunosensor for the toxic microalgae Alexandrium minutum (A. minutum AL9T) detection is described. A glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was modified by depositing gold nanoparticles followed by L-cysteine for obtaining a self-assembled monolayer.

Integrative taxonomy confirms three species of (Arthoniaceae) in Norway.

We have studied the highly oceanic genus in Norway. Our aim has been to delimit species of in Norway based on an integrative taxonomic approach. The material studied comprises 120 specimens of , obtained through recent collecting efforts (2017 and 2018) or received from major fungaria in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, as well as from private collectors.

Periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases: Consensus report.

Background: In Europe cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for 3.9 million deaths (45% of deaths), being ischaemic heart disease, stroke, hypertension (leading to heart failure) the major cause of these CVD related deaths. Periodontitis is also a chronic non-communicable disease (NCD) with a high prevalence, being severe periodontitis, affecting 11.

On a Monotone Scheme for Nonconvex Nonsmooth Optimization with Applications to Fracture Mechanics.

A general class of nonconvex optimization problems is considered, where the penalty is the composition of a linear operator with a nonsmooth nonconvex mapping, which is concave on the positive real line. The necessary optimality condition of a regularized version of the original problem is solved by means of a monotonically convergent scheme. Such problems arise in continuum mechanics, as for instance cohesive fractures, where singular behaviour is usually modelled by nonsmooth nonconvex energies.

Designing an improved T-cell mobilising CXCL10 mutant through enhanced GAG binding affinity.

The chemokine CXCL10 is released by a plethora of cells, including immune and metastatic cancer cells, following stimulation with interferon-gamma. It acts via its GPC receptor on T-cells attracting them to various target tissues. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are regarded as co-receptors of chemokines, which enable the establishment of a chemotactic gradient for target cell migration.

Bufadienolides and anti-angiogenic homoisoflavonoids from Rhodocodon cryptopodus, Rhodocodon rotundus and Rhodocodon cyathiformis.

Background: Homoisoflavonoids have been shown to have potent anti-proliferative activities in endothelial cells over other cell types and have demonstrated a strong antiangiogenic potential in vitro and in vivo in animal models of ocular neovascularization. Three species of Rhodocodon (Scilloideaea subfamily of the Asparagaceae family), endemic to Madagascar, R. cryptopodus, R.

Quantitative comparison of frequency-domain and delay-and-sum optoacoustic image reconstruction including the effect of coherence factor weighting.

Image reconstruction in optoacoustic imaging is often based on a delay-and-sum (DAS) or a frequency domain (FD) algorithm. In this study, we performed a comprehensive comparison of these two algorithms together with coherence factor (CF) weighting using phantom and in-vivo mouse data obtained with optoacoustic microscopy. For this purpose we developed an FD based definition of the CF.

The Auditory Mechanics of the Outer Ear of the Bush Cricket: A Numerical Approach.

Bush crickets have tympanal ears located in the forelegs. Their ears are elaborate, as they have outer-, middle-, and inner-ear components. The outer ear comprises an air-filled tube derived from the respiratory trachea, the acoustic trachea (AT), which transfers sound from the mesothoracic acoustic spiracle to the internal side of the ear drums in the legs.

GIRK1 triggers multiple cancer-related pathways in the benign mammary epithelial cell line MCF10A.

Excessive expression of subunit 1 of GIRK1 in ER breast tumors is associated with reduced survival times and increased lymph node metastasis in patients. To investigate possible tumor-initiating properties, benign MCF10A and malign MCF7 mammary epithelial cells were engineered to overexpress GIRK1 neoplasia associated vital parameters and resting potentials were measured and compared to controls. The presence of GIRK1 resulted in resting potentials negative to the controls.

Urinary Metabolomic Markers of Protein Glycation, Oxidation, and Nitration in Early-Stage Decline in Metabolic, Vascular, and Renal Health.

Glycation, oxidation, nitration, and crosslinking of proteins are implicated in the pathogenic mechanisms of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease. Related modified amino acids formed by proteolysis are excreted in urine. We quantified urinary levels of these metabolites and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) in healthy subjects and assessed changes in early-stage decline in metabolic, vascular, and renal health and explored their diagnostic utility for a noninvasive health screen.

Distribution of Health Care Resources in Austria - Inequality Assessment of Different Health Care Resources at Different Points in Time.

A major objective of health policy in many countries is to avoid inequality in the distribution of health care resources. Our goal is to provide initial insight into the inequality in the regional distribution of different health care resources per capita and the variation of the inequality over time in Austria to provide starting points for policy recommendations and international comparisons. We also aim to examine whether the type of inequality measure and need-adjustment has an impact on the results.

PEGylation of a glycosaminoglycan-binding, dominant-negative CXCL8 mutant retains bioactivity in vitro and in vivo.

We have recently shown that a dominant-negative mutant of CXCL8, dnCXCL8, with increased glycosaminoglycan (GAG) binding affinity and inactivated GPCR signaling function is able to efficiently prevent neutrophil infiltration into murine lungs (Adage et al., 2015). Here we present evidence that chemical PEGylation of dnCXCL8 with 20 kDa and 40 kDa PEG does not significantly interfere with GAG binding affinity, nor does it influence the mutant's disabled chemotaxis function, while it strongly improved bioavailability and serum half-life of the chemokine mutant.

Structural Order in Cellulose Thin Films Prepared from a Trimethylsilyl Precursor.

Biopolymer cellulose is investigated in terms of the crystallographic order within thin films. The films were prepared by spin-coating of a trimethylsilyl cellulose precursor followed by an exposure to HCl vapors; two different source materials were used. Careful precharacterization of the films was performed by infrared spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy.

Serotonin systems in three socially communicating teleost species, the grunting toadfish (Allenbatrachus grunniens), a South American marine catfish (Ariopsis seemanni), and the upside-down catfish (Synodontis nigriventris).

We investigated immunohistochemically the distribution of serotonergic cell populations in three teleost species (one toadfish, Allenbatrachus grunniens, and two catfishes, Synodontis nigriventris and Ariopsis seemanni). All three species exhibited large populations of 5-HT positive neurons in the paraventricular organ (PVO) and the dorsal (Hd) and caudal (Hc) periventricular hypothalamic zones, plus a smaller one in the periventricular pretectum, a few cells in the pineal stalk, and - only in catfishes - in the preoptic region. Furthermore, the rhombencephalic superior and inferior raphe always contained ample serotonergic cells.

Population awareness and attitudes toward waste-related health risks in Accra, Ghana.

Despite significant knowledge about the potential health hazards of waste, there are few studies in African cities that investigate awareness of health issues related to waste management, although such research is needed to lower population exposure. This paper examines the case study of Accra in Ghana, a city dealing with serious health and pollution problems. Three focus groups and 157 households in Accra were surveyed on household waste disposal and awareness of waste-related health hazards.

Optimal EPO dosing in hemodialysis patients using a non-linear model predictive control approach.

Anemia management with erythropoiesis stimulating agents is a challenging task in hemodialysis patients since their response to treatment varies highly. In general, it is difficult to achieve and maintain the predefined hemoglobin (Hgb) target levels in clinical practice. The aim of this study is to develop a fully personalizable controller scheme to stabilize Hgb levels within a narrow target window while keeping drug doses low to mitigate side effects.

Comparison of PEGylated and non-PEGylated proticles: An in vitro and in vivo study.

The development of so-called Proticles opens attractive possibilities for new drug delivery systems. Proticles are nanoparticles (NPs), which are formed by self-assembly of negatively charged oligonucleotides in combination with the positively charged peptide protamine. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a widely known pharmaceutical agent to stop particle growth and prolong circulation half-life of drug delivery systems.

Electrochemical detection of NOx gas based on disposable paper-based analytical device using a copper nanoparticles-modified screen-printed graphene electrode.

A disposable gas-sensing paper-based device (gPAD) was fabricated in origami design which integrates the gas adsorbent and the electrochemical detection zone in a single device. The gPAD for the determination of NOx gas uses a screen-printed graphene electrode modified with copper nanoparticles (CuNP/SPGE) to achieve high sensitivity and selectivity. The gPAD detects both, NO and NO (as NOx) with same current responses.

Bulk and Surface-Stabilized Structures of Paracetamol Revisited by Raman Confocal Microscopy.

We revisit the polymorphism of paracetamol by means of a micro-Raman technique, which has proved to be a powerful tool for structure recognition. Distinct lattice phonon spectra clearly identified the pure phases. Confocality enabled us to detect phase mixing between form II and either I or III on a micrometric scale in the same crystallite.

Chylothorax and Chylous-Like Diseases in Children: Clinical Management.

Chylothorax and chylous-like diseases are rare conditions and difficult to treat. But they may represent potentially life-threatening disorders and important causes of morbidity and prolonged hospitalization, especially in critically ill children. Conservative as well as surgical therapeutic management strategies are continuously performed at our institution, however the results have never been evaluated and no guidelines for treatment recommendations have been put into practice so far.

Soluble syndecan-3 binds chemokines, reduces leukocyte migration in vitro and ameliorates disease severity in models of rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Syndecans are heparan sulfate proteoglycans that occur in membrane-bound or soluble forms. Syndecan-3, the least well-characterised of the syndecan family, is highly expressed on synovial endothelial cells in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Here, it binds pro-inflammatory chemokines with evidence for a role in chemokine presentation and leukocyte trafficking into the joint, promoting the inflammatory response.

Subclinical inflammation, telomere shortening, homocysteine, vitamin B6, and mortality: the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study.

Purpose: Short telomeres and B vitamin deficiencies have been proposed as risk factors for age-related diseases and mortality that interact through oxidative stress and inflammation. However, available data to support this concept are insufficient. We aimed to investigate the predictive role of B vitamins and homocysteine (HCY) for mortality in cardiovascular patients.