Refine
Year of publication
- 2021 (413) (remove)
Document Type
- Article (339)
- Doctoral Thesis (72)
- Part of a Book (1)
- Final Thesis (1)
Language
- English (413) (remove)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (413)
Keywords
- - (284)
- COVID-19 (10)
- cold physical plasma (7)
- inflammation (7)
- reactive oxygen species (7)
- cancer (6)
- climate change (6)
- quality of life (6)
- SARS-CoV-2 (5)
- aging (5)
Institute
- Institut für Biochemie (38)
- Institut für Pharmazie (23)
- Institut für Physik (23)
- Kliniken und Polikliniken für Innere Medizin (23)
- Abteilung für Mikrobiologie und Molekularbiologie (21)
- Institut für Botanik und Landschaftsökologie & Botanischer Garten (20)
- Klinik und Poliklinik für Neurologie (19)
- Institut für Psychologie (18)
- Institut für Community Medicine (17)
- Institut für Immunologie u. Transfusionsmedizin - Abteilung Immunologie (15)
Publisher
- MDPI (155)
- Frontiers Media S.A. (88)
- Wiley (28)
- SAGE Publications (12)
- BMJ Publishing Group (7)
- IOP Publishing (6)
- S. Karger AG (6)
- Public Library of Science (PLoS) (3)
- American Society for Microbiology (ASM) (2)
- De Gruyter (2)
A Brief History of APIs
(2021)
Online platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter offer a wide range of data for scientific research. Since many of the social media providers have set up application programming interfaces (APIs), extensive volumes of data can be collected automatically (Jünger, 2018; Keyling & Jünger, 2016). Social media data are attractive, inter alia, because they not only include already available communication, such as that from public media, but they also make organisational and interpersonal communication visible (Ledford, 2020). In addition, these data are process-generated (Baur, 2011, p. 1234), meaning that they are generated independently of scientific research and thus promise an authentic insight into human behaviour. 1 A wide range of studies in the social sciences exploit APIs for data collection and analysis. Thus, the establishment and development of APIs has significant implications for science.
Ion trajectories have been simulated for an assembly of a linear quadrupole ion-filter and a linear Paul trap with additional pin electrodes for MS SPIDOC, a project in preparation for the study of biomolecules by single-particle imaging with X-ray pulses. The ion-optical components are based on digital RF guiding and trapping fields. In order to carefully handle biomolecules over a wide mass-over-charge range, the module presented consists of separate components for filtering and accumulation/trapping in order to select the ions of interest and to convert the beam from a continuous ion source to ion bunches, respectively, as required for the experiments downstream. The present analysis focuses on the transmission efficiency and mass resolving power of the filter, as well as the buffer-gas-pressure-dependent ion capture and thermalization in the trap for the example of a mass-to-charge ratio equivalent to hemoglobin 15+ ions. The resulting optimized ion bunch delivered by the assembly is characterized.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), due to its genomic heterogeneity and lack of development of effective therapies, will become the second leading cause of cancer-related death within 10 years. Therefore, identifying novel targets that can predict response to specific treatments is a key goal to personalize pancreatic cancer therapy and improve survival. Given that the occurrence of oncogenic KRAS mutations is a characteristic event in PDAC leading to genome instability, a better understanding of the role of DNA repair mechanisms in this process is desirable. The aim of our study was to investigate the role of the error-prone DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) repair pathway, alt-EJ in the presence of KRAS G12D mutation in pancreatic cancer formation. Our findings showed that oncogenic KRAS contributes to the activation of the alt-EJ mechanism by increasing the expression of Polθ, Lig3 and Mre11, key components of alt-EJ in both mouse and human PDAC models. In addition, we demonstrated that alt-EJ has increased activity in DNA DSBs repair pathway in a mouse and human model of PDAC bearing KRAS G12D mutation. We further focused on estimating the impact of alt-EJ inactivation by polymerase theta (Polθ) deletion on pancreatic cancer development and survival in genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs). Here, we described that although deficiency of Polθ resulted in delayed cancer progression and prolonged survival of experimental mice, it can lead to full-blown PDAC. Our study showed that disabling one component of the alt-EJ may be insufficient to fully suppress pancreatic cancer progression and a complete understanding of all alt-EJ factors and their involvement in DSB repair and oncogenesis is required.
Background: COVID-19 lead to the adoption of containment measures including temporary closure of dental clinics. Despite the risk of infection transmission, dental emergencies have not ceased during this pandemic and had to be managed also in the lockdown period.
Aim: To analyze the profiles and offered management options of pediatric patients presenting with dental emergencies during a COVID-19 lockdown.
Design: Retrospective analysis of patient records of children seeking emergency dental treatment during a 7-week lockdown period in 2020 in a university pedodontics clinic in Germany, compared to a similar cohort from 2019. Data on patient level, tooth level, and session level were collected. An analysis of the digital records after 6 months follow-up was performed for the patients who received Non-Aerosol Generating Procedures (NAGP) as management for dental emergency in the lockdown period in 2020.
Results: The 2020 cohort consisted of 83 patients, while the 2019 cohort included 46 patients showing 45% higher necessity for emergency treatment in 2020. Most common chief complaint was oral mucosal conditions in 2020 (26.4%), and irreversible pulpitis in 2019 (25.5%). Dental caries (without spontaneous pain) was the second most chief complaint in both cohorts (20.7% and 23.4% respectively). Most interventions in 2020 were Minimally Invasive Treatments such as the hall technique and silver diammine fluoride (20.3%), which were in 2019 not considered, followed by pharmacological treatment (16.9%), which were in 2019 also highly used (35.9%). The 6 months follow up for the NAGP revealed benefit in management of the acute dental problem, by either direct treatment or by postponing the treatment need to a later time period.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic led to increase in emergency pediatric dental visits and shifted treatment options towards less invasive procedures.
In challenging situations, where aerosols increase the risk of infection transmission, NAPD are a viable option in the management of dental emergencies, especially in pediatric dentistry.
Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is likely to be the second-most common cause of dementia in individuals under 65 years of age. Pathognomonic changes in personality, behavior and motivation are known to lead to high caregiver stress and burden, with little support being available. The aim of this work is to present the current state of knowledge on the characteristics, challenges and unmet needs of caregivers as well as on possible interventions.
Two scoping reviews on caregiver burden using the PRISMA checklist for scoping reviews were conducted using PubMed, Web of Science and ScienceDirect in April 2017 and November 2019, respectively. A total of 107 articles were considered eligible and were analyzed qualitatively and summarized.
Our results show that caregivers of patients with FTLD are often female, spouses of the PwD, younger in age, have underage children and provide care at home. Behavioral and motivational disturbances in the PwD are perceived to be the most burdensome aspects of caregiving. Those caring for an individual with the bvFTD subtype thus report higher levels of burden than caregivers of an individual with a form of PPA. With rising dementia severity, caregivers report higher levels of burden. Many caregivers experience a decline in their own physical and mental health as well as a significant financial burden resulting from care duties. The deterioration of the relationship between the PwD and their caregivers is a main burdensome aspect. Only few interventions were conducted so far, and none of those that were identified were designed as an RCT. The most efficacious interventions were those aimed directly at caregivers, whereas interventions aiming at the amelioration of symptoms in the PwD showed little effect.
Further research should reproduce and validate efficacious interventions and establish new interventional approaches. Another focus should be set on the situation of underage children of individuals with FTLD and relatives of a person with hereditary FTD. More research from non-Western countries is needed in order to identify culture-specific factors of caregiver burden. Along those lines, support structures for FTLD caregivers should be assessed on a local basis and extended accordingly. So far, no study has assessed the relationship between caregiver burden and possible consequences for the quality of care provided to the PwD in FTLD specifically. Awareness both in the wider population and among healthcare professionals is an urgent need for the future since FTLD is often misdiagnosed, leading to a delay in obtaining the correct diagnosis and access to suitable support.
Abstract
This brief discussion paper is concerned with the sequence [have NP Vpp] and its distinction into a causative and a passive construction, which hinges on the (non-)agentivity of the subject participant, so that the sequence can be seen as ambiguous in that respect. Instead of analyzing these uses as two different constructions, I propose a unified analysis as instances of the affactive construction. This construction has the functional potential of putting primary focus on secondary participants, so-called afficiary participants. The potential ambiguity with regard to the agentivity of these participants is not an issue in usage, as it is only evoked as part of the conceptual content in the background.
Late to bed, late to rise—Warmer autumn temperatures delay spring phenology by delaying dormancy
(2021)
Abstract
Spring phenology of temperate forest trees has advanced substantially over the last decades due to climate warming, but this advancement is slowing down despite continuous temperature rise. The decline in spring advancement is often attributed to winter warming, which could reduce chilling and thus delay dormancy release. However, mechanistic evidence of a phenological response to warmer winter temperatures is missing. We aimed to understand the contrasting effects of warming on plants leaf phenology and to disentangle temperature effects during different seasons. With a series of monthly experimental warming by ca. 2.4°C from late summer until spring, we quantified phenological responses of forest tree to warming for each month separately, using seedlings of four common European tree species. To reveal the underlying mechanism, we tracked the development of dormancy depth under ambient conditions as well as directly after each experimental warming. In addition, we quantified the temperature response of leaf senescence. As expected, warmer spring temperatures led to earlier leaf‐out. The advancing effect of warming started already in January and increased towards the time of flushing, reaching 2.5 days/°C. Most interestingly, however, warming in October had the opposite effect and delayed spring phenology by 2.4 days/°C on average; despite six months between the warming and the flushing. The switch between the delaying and advancing effect occurred already in December. We conclude that not warmer winters but rather the shortening of winter, i.e., warming in autumn, is a major reason for the decline in spring phenology.
Introduction: To maintain a sufficient donor pool, deferred first-time donors (FTD) should be motivated to return for blood donation. This pilot study investigates how deferral affects momentary mood, satisfaction with the donation process, and subsequent return behavior to examine their potential for motivating (deferred) FTD. Methods: All of the subjects (n = 96) completed a first questionnaire (A1) before pre-donation assessment. Deferred FTD (n = 22) were asked to complete a second questionnaire (A2) immediately after deferral, while non-deferred FTD (n = 74) filled in the second questionnaire (A3) after blood donation. The impact of deferral, momentary mood, and satisfaction with the donation process on return behavior within 12 months was tested by calculating two path analyses, controlling for sex and age. Results: Mood (p < 0.001) and satisfaction with social aspects of the donation process (p = 0.01) were decreased after deferral. Deferred FTD were less likely than non-deferred FTD to return to the blood donation center within 12 months (60.8 vs. 36.4%; p = 0.043). However, path analyses revealed that deferral effects on mood and satisfaction were not connected to return behavior. Instead, age had a significant influence on return behavior (p < 0.05) such that, overall, non-returning FTD were older than returning FTD, regardless of their deferral status. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that mood and satisfaction with the donation process are directly affected by deferral but not clearly responsible for low return rates. It seems promising to embed these variables in established health behavior models in further studies to increase the return rates of deferred FTD.
Introduction: Patients who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Weight loss can have a positive effect on glycemic control. Objective: We aimed to investigate glycemic control in patients with T2DM and overweight or obesity during a structured weight-loss program. Methods: This was a prospective, interventional study. We recruited 36 patients (14 men and 22 women) with a median age of 58.5 years and median body mass index (BMI) of 34.1, to a 15-week structured weight-loss program with a low-calorie (800 kcal) formula diet for 6 weeks. The primary end point, HbA<sub>1c</sub> level, and secondary end points, anthropometric data, medication, and safety, were assessed weekly. Laboratory values and quality of life were assessed at baseline and after 15 weeks. Results: HbA<sub>1c</sub> decreased from 7.3% at baseline to 6.5% at 15 weeks (p < 0.001), median body weight by 11.9 kg (p < 0.001), median BMI by 4.3 (p < 0.001) and median waist circumference by 11.0 cm (p < 0.001). Two participants discontinued insulin therapy, 4 could reduce their dosage of oral antidiabetic agents, and 6 completely discontinued their antidiabetic medication. Insulin dose decreased from 0.63 (0.38–0.89) to 0.39 (0.15–0.70) units/kg body weight (p < 0.001). No patient experienced hypoglycemic episodes or hospital emergency visits. Triglycerides and total cholesterol decreased as well as surrogate markers of liver function. However, the levels of high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C and LDL-C) as well as uric acid remain unchanged. Regarding quality of life, the median physical health score increased from 44.5 (39.7–51.4) at baseline to 48.0 (43.1–55.3; p = 0.007), and the median mental health score decreased from 42.1 (36.1–46.7) to 37.4 (30.3–43.7; p = 0.004). Conclusions: A structured weight-loss program is effective in the short term in reducing HbA<sub>1c</sub>, weight, and antidiabetic medication in patients with T2DM who are overweight or obese. Levels of HDL-C and LDL-C were not affected by short-term weight loss. The decline in mental health and the long-term effects of improved glycemic control require further trials.