Sex hormones modulate pathogenic processes in experimental traumatic brain injury.

Clinical and animal studies have revealed sex-specific differences in histopathological and neurological outcome after traumatic brain injury (TBI). The impact of perioperative administration of sex steroid inhibitors on TBI is still elusive. Here, we subjected male and female C57Bl/6N mice to the controlled cortical impact (CCI) model of TBI and applied pharmacological inhibitors of steroid hormone synthesis, that is, letrozole (LET, inhibiting estradiol synthesis by aromatase) and finasteride (FIN, inhibiting dihydrotestosterone synthesis by 5α-reductase), respectively, starting 72 h prior CCI, and continuing for a further 48 h after CCI. Initial gene expression analyses showed that andro…

Large birds travel farther in homogeneous environments

Aim: Animal movement is an important determinant of individual survival, population dynamics and ecosystem structure and function. Nonetheless, it is still unclear how local movements are related to resource availability and the spatial arrangement of resources. Using resident bird species and migratory bird species outside the migratory period, we examined how the distribution of resources affects the movement patterns of both large terrestrial birds (e.g., raptors, bustards and hornbills) and waterbirds (e.g., cranes, storks, ducks, geese and flamingos). Location: Global. Time period: 2003–2015. Major taxa studied: Birds. Methods: We compiled GPS tracking data for 386 individuals across 3…

Lifetimes and g-factors of the HFS states in H-like and Li-like bismuth

The LIBELLE experiment performed at the experimental storage ring (ESR) at the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany, has successfully determined the ground state hyperfine (HFS) splittings in hydrogen-like ($^{209}\rm{Bi}^{82+}$) and lithium-like ($^{209}\rm{Bi}^{80+}$) bismuth. The study of HFS transitions in highly charged ions enables precision tests of QED in extreme electric and magnetic fields otherwise not attainable in laboratory experiments. Besides the transition wavelengths the time resolved detection of fluorescence photons following the excitation of the ions by a pulsed laser system also allows to extract lifetimes of the upper HFS levels and g-fac…

Transmurality of scar influences the effect of a hybrid-intervention with autologous bone marrow cell injection and aortocoronary bypass surgery (MNC/CABG) in patients after myocardial infarction

Abstract Background Cell therapy (CTx) is a strategy to support cardiac regeneration after myocardial infarction (MI). Thus far, clinical studies provided mixed results. Here, we investigated whether transmurality of the infarct may play a relevant role. Methods 18 patients (63±3years, 15 male) undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery 2.2±0.7months post MI participated. 10 had transmural and 8 non-transmural infarct scars assessed by Tc-99m-MIBI Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and F18-FDG-Positron-Emission-Tomography (PET). During surgery, 10ml of sternal bone marrow were obtained, mononuclear cells (MNC) were isolated. At the end of surgery MNC wer…

Simulation and theory of fluid demixing and interfacial tension of mixtures of colloids and nonideal polymers.

An extension of the Asakura-Oosawa-Vrij model of hard sphere colloids and non-adsorbing polymers, that takes polymer non-ideality into account through a repulsive stepfunction pair potential between polymers, is studied with grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations and density functional theory. Simulation results validate previous theoretical findings for the shift of the bulk fluid demixing binodal upon increasing strength of polymer-polymer repulsion, promoting the tendency to mix. For increasing strength of the polymer-polymer repulsion, simulation and theory consistently predict the interfacial tension of the free colloidal liquid-gas interface to decrease significantly for fixed colloi…

An improved value for the hyperfine splitting of hydrogen-like209Bi82+

We report an improved measurement of the hyperfine splitting in hydrogen-like bismuth (209Bi82+) at the experimental storage ring ESR at GSI by laser spectroscopy on a coasting beam. Accuracy was improved by about an order of magnitude compared to the first observation in 1994. The most important improvement is an in situ high voltage measurement at the electron cooler (EC) platform with an accuracy at the 10 ppm level. Furthermore, the space charge effect of the EC current on the ion velocity was determined with two independent techniques that provided consistent results. The result of nm provides an important reference value for experiments testing bound-state quantum electrodynamics in t…

Bio-imaging with the helium-ion microscope: A review

Scanning helium-ion microscopy (HIM) is an imaging technique with sub-nanometre resolution and is a powerful tool to resolve some of the tiniest structures in biology. In many aspects, the HIM resembles a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), but the use of helium ions rather than electrons provides several advantages, including higher surface sensitivity, larger depth of field, and a straightforward charge-compensating electron flood gun, which enables imaging of non-conductive samples, rendering HIM a promising high-resolution imaging technique for biological samples. Starting with studies focused on medical research, the last decade has seen some particularly spectacular …

High precision hyperfine measurements in Bismuth challenge bound-state strong-field QED

Electrons bound in highly charged heavy ions such as hydrogen-like bismuth 209Bi82+ experience electromagnetic fields that are a million times stronger than in light atoms. Measuring the wavelength of light emitted and absorbed by these ions is therefore a sensitive testing ground for quantum electrodynamical (QED) effects and especially the electron–nucleus interaction under such extreme conditions. However, insufficient knowledge of the nuclear structure has prevented a rigorous test of strong-field QED. Here we present a measurement of the so-called specific difference between the hyperfine splittings in hydrogen-like and lithium-like bismuth 209Bi82+,80+ with a precision that is improve…

Role of balloon occlusion for mononuclear bone marrow cell deposition after intracoronary injection in pigs with reperfused myocardial infarction

Aims In clinical studies on cell therapy for acute myocardial infarction (MI), cells are usually applied by intracoronary infusion with balloon (IC/B). To test the utility of balloon occlusion, mononuclear bone marrow cell (MNC) retention after intracoronary infusion without balloon (IC/noB) was compared with IC/B and intramyocardial (IM) injection. Methods and results Four hours after LAD ligation in male pigs, reperfusion was allowed (confirmed by coronary angiography). Five days later, 1 × 108 autologous 111Indium-labelled MNC were injected IC/noB ( n = 4), IC/B ( n = 4), or IM ( n = 4). At 1 h the fraction of injected MNC that was detected in the heart was 4.1 ± 1.1% after IC/noB inject…

Imaging and Ion-Beam Milling of Biological Specimens with the Helium-Ion Microscope

Isotropic-nematic interface and wetting in suspensions of colloidal platelets.

We study interfacial phenomena in a colloidal dispersion of sterically stabilized gibbsite platelets, exhibiting coexisting isotropic and nematic phases separated by a sharp horizontal interface. The nematic phase wets a vertical glass wall and polarized light micrographs reveal homeotropic surface anchoring both at the free isotropic-nematic interface and at the wall. On the basis of complete wetting of the wall by the nematic phase, as found in our density functional calculations and computer simulations, we analyze the balance between Frank elasticity and surface anchoring near the contact line. Because of weak surface anchoring, the director field in the capillary rise region is uniform…

Data from: Large birds travel farther in homogeneous environments

Aim: Animal movement is an important determinant of individual survival, population dynamics, and ecosystem structure and function. Yet it is still unclear how local movements are related to resource availability and the spatial arrangement of resources. Using resident bird species and migratory bird species outside of the migratory period, we examined how the distribution of resources affect the movement patterns of both large terrestrial birds (e.g., raptors, bustards, hornbills) and waterbirds (e.g., cranes, storks, ducks, geese, flamingos). Location: Global Time Period: 2003 - 2015 Major taxa studied: Birds Methods: We compiled GPS tracking data for 386 individuals across 36 bird specie…