Somatosensory mu activity reflects imagined pain intensity of others

In accordance with simulation theories of empathy, the somatosensory cortex is involved in the perception of pain of others. Cognitive processes, like perspective taking, can alter empathy‐related activity within the somatosensory cortex. The current study investigates whether this modulation is caused by the imagined sensation of pain or by the cognitive load of a perspective‐taking task. Applying a within‐subject design, participants (N = 30) watched pictures of painful and nonpainful actions, while imagining reduced, normal, or increased pain perception of the observed individual. Mu activity (8–13 Hz), which is inversely correlated with sensorimotor‐cortex activity, was measured via EEG. To calculate mu activity (central electrodes) and alpha activity (occipital electrodes), which served as a control for effects of cognitive load, a fast Fourier transform was applied. Mu suppression linearly increased from reduced to normal to increased imagined pain (p < .05), while alpha activity was unaffected by the imagined pain (p > .80). Suppression of the 8–13 Hz band at central and occipital electrodes was stronger in response to painful actions compared to nonpainful actions (p < .01). These results indicate that modulation of mu activity through perspective taking reflects the imagined pain intensity and not the cognitive load induced by the task.     

No Apparent Correlation of kp with Steric Hindrance for Branched Acrylates

The Arrhenius parameters of the propagation rate coefficient, k_p, are determined via the pulsed laser polymerization—size exclusion chromatography (PLP‐SEC) method for five branched acrylates (tert‐butyl (tBA), isobornyl (iBoA), benzyl (BnA), 2‐ethylhexyl (EHA), and 2‐propylheptyl acrylate (PHA)) in 1 m solution in butyl acetate (BuAc) to complete the series, published by Haehnel et al. in 2014, of branched acrylates (isononyl (INA‐A), tridecyl (TDA‐A and TDN‐A), heptadecyl (C17A), and henicosyl acrylate (C21A)) in solution that do not show a trend in k_p. Furthermore, the propagation rate coefficients of the branched acrylates in 1 m solution are critically compared with the branched acrylates in bulk as well as branched methacrylates. A summary of the trends and family‐type behavior for the linear and branched (meth)acrylates as well as methacrylates with cyclic ester side chains is provided. For the branched acrylates in 1 m solution, no clear trends of the propagation rate coefficients, k_p, or Arrhenius parameters A and E_A are detectable and—in contrast to the corresponding methacrylates—there is no family‐type behavior observed in solution as well as in bulk.

     

Simultaneous Identification of Multiple β-Lactamases in Acinetobacter baumannii in Relation to Carbapenem and Ceftazidime Resistance,Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Shotgun proteomics using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was applied to detect β-lactamases in clinical Acinetobacter baumannii isolates. The correlation of the detection of β-lactamase proteins (rather than PCR detection of the corresponding genes) with the resistance phenotypes demonstrated an added value for LC-MS/MS in antimicrobial susceptibility testing.     

Persistence of the immune response after vaccination with the Japanese encephalitis vaccine,IXIARO® in healthy adults: A five year follow-up study

Immunization with the Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine IXIARO® results in protective neutralizing antibody levels for one year. Since persistence of protective titer levels beyond one year was unknown, a 5?years follow-up study was conducted. Additionally, data were stratified to compare the persistence of protective neutralizing antibodies against JE in people with or without tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) vaccination.Four weeks after the primary series, the percentage of subjects with PRNT50 titer ≥1:10 in the intent-to-treat population was 99%; the rate after 5?years was 81.6%. By month 24, 36, 48 and 60, the percentages were still 90.7%, 91.7%, 90.1%, 85.9%, respectively in the population who had received TBE vaccine compared to 67.9%, 71.9%, 69.1%, 63.8% in the population who had not. No long-term safety concerns were identified.These data indicate that vaccination with IXIARO® is able to induce protective titers that persist up to 60?months after the primary immunization.Clinical trial registry number NCT00596102.     

Structural and biomolecular changes in aorta and pulmonary trunk of patients with aortic aneurysm and valve disease: implications for the Ross procedure.

OBJECTIVES: A higher incidence of pulmonary autograft dilatation is assumed in patients with ascending aortic dilatation and bicuspid aortic valve disease. To examine whether structural abnormalities are present in the ascending aorta as well as in the pulmonary trunk (PT) we specifically addressed molecular mechanisms and signalling pathways for aneurysm formation in ascending aortic aneurysms and PT of patients with different aortic valve pathology undergoing an extended Ross procedure. METHODS: Wall segments resected from aortic aneurysms (20 patients, 7 bicuspid aortic valves BAV, and 13 tricuspid aortic valves TAV) and from PTs were submitted to analysis of leukocyte infiltration (immunohistochemistry), smooth muscle cell (SMC) apoptosis (in situ end-labelling of DNA-fragments TUNEL), and expression of death-promoting proteins perforin, granzyme B, Fas/FasL (immunoblotting). RESULTS: Degenerative changes including rarefication and apoptosis of SMCs were significantly more severe in BAV than TAV disease (apoptotic index 9.2+/-3.2 vs. 11.9+/-6.2, P = 0.02). Immunohistochemistry confirmed presence and activation of death-promoting mediators in aneurysmal tissue whereas pulmonary tissue displayed only few apoptotic cells, occasional Fas+cells, rarely colocalized with FasL. By Western blot analysis extracts from BAV and TAV but not pulmonary artery wall contained appreciable amounts of perforin, granzyme B, and Fas/FasL. CONCLUSION: Aneurysm formation is associated with SMC apoptosis and local signal expression of activated cells in patients with bicuspid as well as TAV. The PT itself is not pathologically involved with only minor degenerative changes. Although the disease process in the aorta appeared to be more severe in patients with BAV, there was similarity of histological and molecular changes of the pulmonary artery wall in all patients. Dilation of the pulmonary autograft seems not to be the result of histopathological and biomolecular mechanisms in the PT.     

Fetts?ureinduzierte -Zell-Apoptose

Zusammenfassung. q Hintergrund und Ziele: Erhöhte Fettsäurespiegel gelten als wichtiger pathogenetischer Faktor des Diabetes mellitus Typ 2, da sie sowohl die periphere Insulinresistenz als auch eine -Zell-Dysfunktion oder sogar den -Zell-Tod (Lipoapoptose) fördern. Ziel dieser Studie war zu untersuchen, ob der apoptotische Effekt von Fettsäuren von der Kettenlänge und/oder dem Sättigungsgrad abhängt und welche Signalwege hierbei beteiligt sind. q Material und Methodik: RIN1046-38-Zellen und primäre humane Inselzellen wurden mit verschiedenen Fettsäuren behandelt. Die Apoptoserate wurde mittels Zellzyklusanalyse (subG1-DNS-Gehalt) und TUNEL-Assay bestimmt. Die intrazelluläre Verteilung der Proteinkinase-C-(PKC-) wurde mit einem isoformspezifischen Antikörper mittels konfokaler Lasermikroskopie analysiert. q Ergebnisse: In RIN1046-38-Zellen führte die Behandlung mit den gesättigten Fettsäuren Palmitat und Stearat (1 mM, 24 h) zu einer Zunahme der Apoptoserate von basal 0,5% auf ungefähr 20%. Im Gegensatz dazu hatten die einfach ungesättigten Fettsäuren Palmitoleat und Oleat sowie die mehrfach ungesättigte Fettsäure Linoleat keinen Apoptose induzierenden Effekt. Ungesättigte Fettsäuren waren vielmehr in der Lage, RIN1046-38-Zellen vor dem lipoapoptotischen Effekt der gesättigten Fettsäuren zu schützen. Diese Ergebnisse konnten in primären humanen -Zellen bestätigt werden. Bei der Untersuchung der zugrunde liegenden Signalwege in RIN1046-38-Zellen zeigte sich, dass nur die gesättigten Fettsäuren in der Lage waren, eine Translokation der PKC- in den Kern zu induzieren. q Schlussfolgerungen: Fettsäuren zeigen unterschiedliche Effekte auf die Lebensfähigkeit von -Zellen: Gesättigte Fettsäuren wirken proapoptotisch, ungesättigte Fettsäuren wirken lipoapoptoseprotektiv. Unsere Daten sprechen ferner für eine Beteiligung der PKC- an der fettsäureinduzierten Apoptose. Abstract. q Background and Aims: Elevated free fatty acid (FFA) levels are believed to be one of the major contributing factors in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. FFAs enhance peripheral insulin resistance, promote -cell dysfunction, and trigger -cell death. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the lipoapoptotic effect of FFAs is determined by the degree of saturation and the chain length, and which pathways might be involved. q Material and Methods: After incubation of RIN1046-38 rat insulinoma cells and primary human islet cells with different FFAs, apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry (sub-G1-DNA formation) and TUNEL assay, respectively. Intracellular distribution of proteinkinase C- (PKC- ) was determined by confocal laser microscopy. q Results: In RIN1046-38 cells, the sub-G1 fraction increased 40-fold over basal (0.5% to approximately 20%) after treatment with the saturated FFAs palmitate and stearate (1 mM, 24 h), while the monounsaturated FFAs palmitoleate and oleate as well as the polyunsaturated FFA linoleate had no proapoptotic effect. Unsaturated FFAs even more prevented palmitate- and stearate-induced apoptosis completely. Furthermore, these results could be confirmed in primary -cells of human islets. Investigating potential underlying signaling pathways, it was found that only the saturated FFAs were able to induce nuclear translocation of PKC- . q Conclusions: FFAs exert different effects on -cell survival. Saturated FFAs turned out to be pro-apoptotic, whereas unsaturated FFAs protected from saturated FFA-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, our data suggest an involvement of PKC- in apoptosis induced by saturated FFAs.