Key molecular pathways affected by glaucoma pathology: is predictive diagnosis possible?

Prediction and prevention of glaucoma. Neurodegenerative eye disease glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness with estimated 67 million patients worldwide. Molecular pathomechanisms of glaucoma demonstrate both a considerable overlap with and remarkable particularities compared to other neurodegenerative disorders e.

Neurodegeneration: accelerated ageing or inadequate healthcare?

Current figures: About 300 million Diabetics frequently affected by Poly-Neuropathy as secondary complication, 18 million patients with Alzheimer's disease also diagnosed as Diabetes Type 3, neurodegenerative eye diseases with leading causes of blindness-diabetic retinopathy and estimated 67 million glaucoma patients worldwide, millions of patients with Parkinson's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Epilepsy, Cerebral Palsy and Dementia in the elderly-altogether dramatically affect life quality, social and economical indexes of populations around the globe. Optimistic versus Pessimistic Prognosis depends much on diagnostic, preventive and treatment approaches which healthcare will preferably adopt in the near future. Without innovation in healthcare, neurodegenerative disorders can reach more than 30% of global disease burden till 2020.

Cancer predisposition in diabetics: risk factors considered for predictive diagnostics and targeted preventive measures.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a lifelong progressive disease with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. Whereas cardiovascular complications are well-known for DM, increasing evidence indicates that diabetics are predisposed to cancer. Understanding of molecular pathomechanisms of cancer in DM is of great importance.

Inadequate diabetic care: global figures cry for preventive measures and personalized treatment.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a lifelong progressive disease. Currently there are more than 285 million DM-affected people worldwide. Globally the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise and is more pronounced in countries with large populations such as China, India and USA.

Time for new guidelines in advanced diabetes care: Paradigm change from delayed interventional approach to predictive, preventive & personalized medicine.

Global burden of diabetes mellitus clearly demonstrate inadequacy of current diabetes care measures: the costs of caring for patients with diabetes mellitus are the highest compared to other frequent pathologies. Nonetheless, for every 10 s one patient dies of diabetes-related consequences. Thus, there is urgent need for highly effective measures that would lead to reduced prevalence, better long-term outcomes and improved quality of life for diabetic patients reducing associated economic burden.

Advanced Diabetes care: three levels of prediction, prevention & personalized treatment.

Worldwide epidemic scale of Diabetes mellitus (DM) has been underestimated for a long time. Currently every 10 seconds one patient dies of diabetes-related pathologies. Given the high risk and prevalence of secondary complications as well as individual predisposition to target organ injury, DM is one of the best examples for the application of predictive diagnostics aimed at preventive measures and personalized treatment approaches.

Droplets on superhydrophobic surfaces: visualization of the contact area by cryo-scanning electron microscopy.

The contact area between liquids and solid surfaces plays the crucial role in the wetting and self-cleaning properties of surfaces. In this study, we have developed a cryo-preparation method to visualize the contact area between liquids and superhydrophobic biological surfaces by scanning electron microscopy. Aqueous liquids that do not crystallize during freezing, such as glycerol and phosphoric acid, were used.

Long-term results of endosteal implants following radical oral cancer surgery with and without adjuvant radiation therapy.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the long-term survival of implants and implant-retained prostheses in patients after ablative surgery of oral cancer with or without adjunctive radiation therapy.

Materials And Methods: Between 1997 and 2008, 66 patients who had undergone ablative tumor surgery in the oral cavity were treated with dental implants (n = 262). Thirty-four patients received radiation therapy in daily fractions of 2 Gy administered on 18 to 30 days.

Immigrational background affects the effectiveness of a school-based overweight prevention program promoting water consumption.

We tested whether a simple overweight prevention program promoting water consumption in elementary schools is equally effective in children with an immigrational background (MIG) and in those without (non-MIG). Thus, a secondary analysis of a controlled cluster trial, lasting one school year, was conducted. Thirty-two elementary schools located in low socioeconomic districts in two German cities were included.

Perceived parental rearing in subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder and their siblings.

Objective: Perceived parenting in patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is examined. We attempted to overcome some methodological limitations of prior studies by taking age of onset, parental OCD and comorbid depression into consideration. In addition, we included data from unaffected siblings to corroborate information on parental rearing.

Hierarchically sculptured plant surfaces and superhydrophobicity.

More than 400 million years of evolution of land plants led to a high diversity of adapted surface structures. Superhydrophobic biological surfaces are of special interest for the development of biomimetic materials for self-cleaning, drag reduction, and energy conservation. The key innovation in superhydrophobic biological surfaces is hierarchical sculpturing.

New perspectives for synergy research with the "omic"-technologies.

Synergistic effects, understood as true overadditive effects, are often observed in experimental and clinical studies using phytopharmaceuticals. The introduction of the "omic"-technologies is now opening new perspectives in rationalizing these effects and making use of them in the development of a new generation of phytopharmaceuticals. This review describes possible mechanism of synergistic actions of herbal drugs by mono- and multitargeting and by the activation of signal cascades.

Superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic plant surfaces: an inspiration for biomimetic materials.

The diversity of plant surface structures, evolved over 460 million years, has led to a large variety of highly adapted functional structures. The plant cuticle provides structural and chemical modifications for surface wetting, ranging from superhydrophilic to superhydrophobic. In this paper, the structural basics of superhydrophobic and superhydrophilic plant surfaces and their biological functions are introduced.

Biomimetic replicas: Transfer of complex architectures with different optical properties from plant surfaces onto technical materials.

Plant surfaces are characterized by a high diversity of structures which determine their optical properties, such as shiny, gleaming, silky, matt or iridescent. Replicas with different optical properties have been generated by using plant surfaces as templates and an improved replica technique. The technique allows the replication of complex surface structures with overhangs, cavities, and fragile or soft structures in a fast and cost-efficient way.

Auditory P300 in individuals clinically at risk for psychosis.

Background: Alterations of the auditory evoked P300 potential are among the most reliable biological markers of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to assess the amplitude, latency, and topography of the P300 in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis.

Methods: P300 event-related potentials were acquired with an auditory oddball paradigm from 100 patients putatively in an early initial prodromal state (EIPS) for psychosis or in a late initial prodromal state (LIPS), according to the criteria of the German Research Network on Schizophrenia, and from 40 healthy controls comparable with respect to age, gender, and estimated verbal IQ.

Antisaccade performance is related to genetic loading for schizophrenia.

Disturbances of the oculomotor system are promising endophenotypes for schizophrenia. Increased error rates in the antisaccade task and prolonged antisaccade latencies have been found in patients with schizophrenia and their first degree relatives. We investigated oculomotor performance in 41 parents of schizophrenia patients and 22 controls with a prosaccade task and an antisaccade task.

Prediction of degeneration of native and bioprosthetic aortic valves: issue-related particularities of diabetes mellitus.

Degenerative aortic valve stenosis is the leading cause of heart valve disease in elderly resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Although aortic stenosis has been recognized as a complex inflammatory and well-regulated process, its exact pathomechanisms are still largely unknown. Assessment by Echocardiography, Electron Beam Computed Tomography and Multislice Computed Tomography is useful for monitoring of disease progression.

Diabetes mellitus as a risk factor for cancer: stress or viral etiology?

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder. Currently over 230 million patients demonstrate already an epidemic scale of the disease. It is a lifelong progressive disease with a high mortality worldwide: every 10 seconds one patient dies on DM-related consequences.

The hydrophobic coatings of plant surfaces: epicuticular wax crystals and their morphologies, crystallinity and molecular self-assembly.

Plant surfaces are the interfaces of the organisms with respect to their environment. In the micro-dimension they show an enormous variety of functional three-dimensional structures. Their materials and structures developed over millions of years by evolutionary processes in which their functionality has been proven and selected by environmental pressures.

Influence of temporary abdominal wall repair on the intestinal integrity: an experimental study in the rat.

Background And Aims: The aim of this study was to analyze intestinal integrity after temporary abdominal wall repair with absorbable mesh.

Methods: Rats underwent abdominal wall repair with absorbable mesh or sham operation. Myeloperoxidase-positive cells in the intestinal muscularis were histochemically quantified.

Increasing sulfatide synthesis in myelin-forming cells of arylsulfatase A-deficient mice causes demyelination and neurological symptoms reminiscent of human metachromatic leukodystrophy.

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a lysosomal storage disorder caused by the deficiency of arylsulfatase A (ASA). This results in accumulation of sulfated glycosphingolipids, mainly 3-O-sulfogalactosylceramide (sulfatide), in the nervous system and various other organs. In patients, lipid storage causes a progressive loss of myelin leading to various neurological symptoms.

Reduction of high-affinity beta2-adrenergic receptor binding by hyperforin and hyperoside on rat C6 glioblastoma cells measured by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.

Beta-adrenergic receptors (beta-AR) are potential targets for antidepressants. Desensitization and downregulation of beta-AR are discussed as possible modes of action for antidepressants. We have investigated the effects of hyperforin and hyperoside, compounds with potentially antidepressant activity from St.

Application of the "-Omic-" technologies in phytomedicine.

The proof of efficacy of phytopreparations and the determination of their mode of action are permanent challenges for an evidence-based phytotherapy. The technology platform of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics ("-omic-" technologies) are high-throughput technologies. They increase substantially the number of proteins/genes that can be detected simultaneously and have the potential to relate complex mixtures to complex effects in the form of gene/protein expression profiles.

p21WAF1/CIP1 and 14-3-3 sigma gene expression in degenerated aortic valves: a link between cell cycle checkpoints and calcification.

The mechanisms underlying aortic valve degeneration are largely unknown. Cardiac tissue responds to a variety of stimuli by hypertrophic growth. Molecular mechanisms resulting in the hypertrophic response indicate similarity and overlap with those involved in both cell growth and death.