0000000000056121
AUTHOR
Thomas Lang
Cubic boron nitride: A new prospective material for ultracold neutron application
Abstract At the ultracold neutron (UCN) source of the TRIGA research reactor in Mainz, we have measured for the first time the material optical wall-potential of cubic boron nitride. The measurements were performed with a time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer. The samples investigated had a wall-potential of ( 305 ± 15 ) neV . This value is in good agreement with the result extracted from neutron reflectometry data and theoretical expectations. Because of its high critical velocity for UCN and its good dielectric characteristics, cubic boron nitride coatings (isotopically enriched) will be useful for a number of applications in UCN experiments.
Covalently bonded layer-by-layer assembly of multifunctional thin films based on activated esters.
We demonstrate that chemically stable, multifunctional polymer thin films can be obtained using the layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition based on covalent bonds between adsorbing chains. Poly(pentafluorophenyl-4-vinylbenzoate) (P1) or poly(pentafluorophenylacrylate) (P2) polymers were assembled with poly(allyl amine) (PAAm) to yield LbL multilayer films through amide bond formation by the reaction between activated esters of P1 or P2 and amine groups in PAAm, which was quantitatively monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). It was found that the difference in the solubility of P1 and P2 against ethanol, which was used as the solvent for PAAm, during the LbL deposition yields…
Functional characterization of protein variants of the human multidrug transporter ABCC2 by a novel targeted expression system in fibrosarcoma cells
The multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (MRP2/ABCC2) is involved in the efflux of endogenous and xenobiotic substrates, including several anticancer and antiviral drugs. The functional consequences of ABCC2 protein variants remain inconsistent, which may be due to shortcomings of the in vitro assays used. To study systematically the functional consequences of nonsynonymous ABCC2 variants, we used a novel “Screen and Insert” (ScIn) technology to achieve stable and highly reproducible expression of 13 ABCC2 variants in HT1080 cells. Western blotting revealed lower (30–65%) ABCC2 expression for D333G, R1174H, and R1181L as compared with wild type (WT; 100%), whereas the linked variant V1…
Tuning the surface of nanoparticles: Impact of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) on protein adsorption in serum and cellular uptake
Item does not contain fulltext Due to the adsorption of biomolecules, the control of the biodistribution of nanoparticles is still one of the major challenges of nanomedicine. Poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEtOx) for surface modification of nanoparticles is applied and both protein adsorption and cellular uptake of PEtOxylated nanoparticles versus nanoparticles coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and non-coated positively and negatively charged nanoparticles are compared. Therefore, fluorescent poly(organosiloxane) nanoparticles of 15 nm radius are synthesized, which are used as a scaffold for surface modification in a grafting onto approach. With multi-angle dynamic light scattering, asym…
6-mercaptopurine and 9-(2-phosphonyl-methoxyethyl) adenine (PMEA) transport altered by two missense mutations in the drug transporter gene ABCC4
Multiple drug resistance protein 4 (MRP4, ABCC4) belongs to the C subfamily of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily and participates in the transport of diverse antiviral and chemotherapeutic agents such as 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and 9-(2-phosphonyl methoxyethyl) adenine (PMEA). We have undertaken a comprehensive functional characterization of protein variants of MRP4 found in Caucasians and other ethnicities. A total of 11 MRP4 missense genetic variants (nonsynonymous SNPs), fused to green fluorescent protein (GFP), were examined in Xenopus laevis oocytes for their effect on expression, localization, and function of the transporter. Radiolabeled 6-MP and PMEA were chosen…
Plastic ingestion by pelagic and demersal fish from the North Sea and Baltic Sea
Plastic ingestion by marine biota has been reported for a variety of different taxa. In this study, we investigated 290 gastrointestinal tracts of demersal (cod, dab and flounder) and pelagic fish species (herring and mackerel) from the North and Baltic Sea for the occurrence of plastic ingestion. In 5.5% of all investigated fishes, plastic particles were detected, with 74% of all particles being in the microplastic (<5mm) size range. The polymer types of all found particles were analysed by means of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Almost 40% of the particles consisted of polyethylene (PE). In 3.4% of the demersal and 10.7% of the pelagic individuals, plastic ingestion was …
Annual cycles of apoptosis, DNA strand breaks, heat shock proteins, and metallothionen isoforms in dab (Limanda limanda): influences of natural factors and consequences for biological effect monitoring
The present study was undertaken to investigate the influence of natural and anthropogenic stressors on the induction of apoptosis, metallothionein (MT) isoforms, heat shock proteins and DNA strand breaks in the marine flatfish dab (Limbanda limanda) Seasonal changes and possible physiological influences were evaluated over a 1-year period at a fixed location northwest of Helgoland in the German Bight. These results were compared with data from sampling sites in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Annual cycles could be observed for all parameters except for Cd. The data revealed that changes in biomarker are not only linked to physiological processes related to reproduction but also to facto…
Variability in human hepatic MRP4 expression: influence of cholestasis and genotype
The multidrug resistance protein 4 (MRP4) is an efflux transporter involved in the transport of endogenous substrates and xenobiotics. We measured MRP4 mRNA and protein expression in human livers and found a 38- and 45-fold variability, respectively. We sequenced 2 kb of the 5'-flanking region, all exons and intron/exon boundaries of the MRP4 gene in 95 patients and identified 74 genetic variants including 10 non-synonymous variations, seven of them being located in highly conserved regions. None of the detected polymorphisms was significantly associated with changes in the MRP4 mRNA or protein expression. Immunofluorescence microscopy indicated that none of the non-synonymous variations af…
The role of therapist and patient in-session behavior for treatment outcome in exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy for panic disorder with agoraphobia.
Objective There is a very limited amount of research on the relationship between therapist and patient in-session behavior and treatment outcome in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for panic disorder with agoraphobia (PD/AG). Additionally, the findings tend to be inconclusive. This study investigates the association between therapist competence, adherence, patient interpersonal behavior, and therapeutic alliance and outcome in a low-control CBT setting by using comprehensive measures. Methods Twenty-six patients with PD/AG received 12 sessions of exposure-based CBT. With regard to the outcome, treatments were classified either as problematic or nonproblematic by means of distinct criteria…
High sustained virologic response rates in children with chronic hepatitis C receiving peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin
Pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) alfa-2b plus ribavirin (RBV) is the standard of care for adults with chronic hepatitis C but was not approved for the treatment of children at the time of this study. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PEG-IFN alfa-2b plus RBV in children.Children and adolescents ages 3-17 years were treated with PEG-IFN alfa-2b (60microg/m(2)/week) plus RBV (15mg/kg/day). The duration of therapy was 24 weeks for genotype (G) 2 and G3 patients with low viral load (600,000IU/ml) and 48 weeks for G1, G4, and G3 with high viral load (or=600,000IU/ml). The primary end point was sustained virologic response (SVR), defined as undetectable hepatitis C vi…
Interactions of silica nanoparticles with lung epithelial cells and the association to flotillins
Amorphous silica nanoparticles (aSNPs) gain increasing popularity for industrial and therapeutic claims. The lung with its surface area of 100-140 m(2) displays an ideal target for therapeutic approaches, but it represents also a serious area of attack for harmful nanomaterials. The exact nature of the cytotoxic effects of NPs is still unknown. Furthermore, cellular pathways and the destiny of internalized NPs are still poorly understood. Therefore, we examined the cytotoxicity (MTS, LDH) and inflammatory responses (IL-8) for different-sized aSNPs (30, 70, 300 nm) on our lung epithelial cells line NCI H441 and endothelial cell line ISO-HAS-1. Additionally, colocalization studies have been c…
Entwicklung und Validierung von Instrumenten zur Überprüfung der therapeutischen Adhärenz und Kompetenz bei der Behandlung der Panikstörung
Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Die Güte der Expositionsvorbereitung wird als wichtiger Faktor für die erfolgreiche Behandlung der Panikstörung mit Agoraphobie gesehen. Jedoch fehlt es an geeigneten Instrumenten, um dies zu untersuchen. Fragestellung: Ziel der Studie ist die Konstruktion und Validierung von Skalen zur Erfassung der Adhärenz und Kompetenz bei der Vorbereitung der Exposition. Methode: Vier Experten wurden zur Inhaltsvalidierung herangezogen. Die weitere Überprüfung der Reliabilität und Validität erfolgte auf der Basis von 84 psychotherapeutischen Behandlungen von Patienten mit Panikstörung und Agoraphobie. Ergebnisse: Die Adhärenz- und Kompetenzskala wiesen eine …
GLRB allelic variation associated with agoraphobic cognitions, increased startle response and fear network activation: a potential neurogenetic pathway to panic disorder.
Contains fulltext : 177350.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access) The molecular genetics of panic disorder (PD) with and without agoraphobia (AG) are still largely unknown and progress is hampered by small sample sizes. We therefore performed a genome-wide association study with a dimensional, PD/AG-related anxiety phenotype based on the Agoraphobia Cognition Questionnaire (ACQ) in a sample of 1370 healthy German volunteers of the CRC TRR58 MEGA study wave 1. A genome-wide significant association was found between ACQ and single non-coding nucleotide variants of the GLRB gene (rs78726293, P=3.3 x 10-8; rs191260602, P=3.9 x 10-8). We followed up on this finding in a larger dimensional AC…
The unique complexity of the CYP3A4 upstream region suggests a nongenetic explanation of its expression variability.
The individually variable and unpredictable expression of CYP3A4 compromises therapies with 50% of contemporary drugs. Gene variants explain only a fraction of this variability.We investigated the evolution of CYP3A4 transcriptional regulation by nuclear receptors such as the xenobiotics sensors PXR and CAR.The combination of a proximal ER6 element with XREM and CLEM represents the original scheme of CYP3A regulation by nuclear receptors in placental mammals. Among human CYP3A genes, this scheme is retained only in CYP3A4, whereas non-CYP3A4 genes lost these elements to a variable extent during primate evolution. In parallel, the number of elements outside XREM and CLEM potentially responsi…