"Psicoanalisi di Parigi"

in Il lavoro culturale (2016)

"Doing Family" im Bild .Visualisierte Geschlechterrollen gestern und heute.

Speeches/Talks (2016)

Mutation analyses and association studies to assess the role of the presenilin-associated rhomboid-like gene in Parkinson's disease

in Neurobiology of Aging (2016), 39

Presenilin-associated rhomboid-like (PARL), a serine protease located in the inner mitochondrial membrane, has been shown to genetically interact and process PTEN-induced putative kinase a protein known ... [more ▼]

Presenilin-associated rhomboid-like (PARL), a serine protease located in the inner mitochondrial membrane, has been shown to genetically interact and process PTEN-induced putative kinase a protein known for its critical role in mitochondrial homeostasis and early-onset forms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The identification of a PD-associated variant in the PARL gene (p.Ser77Asn) led us to assess the relevance of PARL for PD pathogenesis using a mutation screening of the coding sequences and adjacent intronic sequences. We investigated 3 single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs3792589, rs13091, and rs3732581), a synonymous base substitution (Leu79Leu) and the previously described p.Ser77Asn mutation, which were subsequently screened in more than 2000 patients and controls. Not detecting the p.Ser77Asn mutation in our cohort, nor a robust association between variations in the PARL gene and PD, the role of disease causing genetic variants in the PARL gene could not be further substantiated in our samples. Our findings indicate that PARL mutations are a rare cause of PD and genetic variants are neither strong nor common risk factors in PD. [less ▲]

Review to Thede Kahl / Peter Mario Kreuter / Christina Vogel (Ed.): Culinaria balcanica, Berlin: Frank & Timme (2015)

in Philologica Jassyensia (2016), 23

The handling of loops in argumentation networks

in Journal of Logic and Computation (2016), 26(4), 1065--1147

Educational performance of children of migrant parents in Ghana, Nigeria and Angola

in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (2016), 42(5), 834856

Migration and the education of children who stay behind in Moldova and Georgia

in International Journal of Educational Development (2016), 51(November), 96107

Surface modified cellulose scaffolds for tissue engineering

in Cellulose (2016)

We report the ability of cellulose to support cells without the use of matrix ligands on the surface of the material, thus creating a two-component system for tissue engineering of cells and materials ... [more ▼]

We report the ability of cellulose to support cells without the use of matrix ligands on the surface of the material, thus creating a two-component system for tissue engineering of cells and materials. Sheets of bacterial cellulose, grown from a culture medium containing Acetobacter organism were chemically modified with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride or by oxidation with sodium hypochlorite in the presence of sodium bromide and 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpipiridine 1-oxyl radical to introduce a positive, or negative, charge, respectively. This modification process did not degrade the mechanical properties of the bulk material, but grafting of a positively charged moiety to the cellulose surface (cationic cellulose) increased cell attachment by 70 compared to unmodified cellulose, while negatively charged, oxidised cellulose films (anionic cellulose), showed low levels of cell attachment comparable to those seen for unmodified cellulose. Only a minimal level of cationic surface derivitisation (ca 3 degree of substitution) was required for increased cell attachment and no mediating proteins were required. Cell adhesion studies exhibited the same trends as the attachment studies, while the mean cell area and aspect ratio was highest on the cationic surfaces. Overall, we demonstrated the utility of positively charged bacterial cellulose in tissue engineering in the absence of proteins for cell attachment. [less ▲]

Plasma membrane calcium ATPases (PMCAs) as potential targets for the treatment of essential hypertension.

in Pharmacology and Therapeutics (2016), 159

The incidence of hypertension, the major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is increasing. Thus, there is a pressing need for the development of new and more effective strategies to ... [more ▼]

The incidence of hypertension, the major modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease, is increasing. Thus, there is a pressing need for the development of new and more effective strategies to prevent and treat hypertension. Development of these relies on a continued evolution of our understanding of the mechanisms which control blood pressure (BP). Resistance arteries are important in the regulation of total peripheral resistance and BP; changes in their structure and function are strongly associated with hypertension. Anti-hypertensives which both reduce BP and reverse changes in resistance arterial structure reduce cardiovascular risk more than therapies which reduce BP alone. Hence, identification of novel potential vascular targets which modify BP is important. Hypertension is a multifactorial disorder which may include a genetic component. Genome wide association studies have identified ATP2B1, encoding the calcium pump plasma membrane calcium ATPase 1 (PMCA1), as having a strong association with BP and hypertension. Knockdown or reduced PMCA1 expression in mice has confirmed a physiological role for PMCA1 in BP and resistance arterial regulation. Altered expression or inhibition of PMCA4 has also been shown to modulate these parameters. The mechanisms whereby PMCA1 and 4 can modulate vascular function remain to be fully elucidated but may involve regulation of intracellular calcium homeostasis and/or comprise a structural role. However, clear physiological links between PMCA and BP, coupled with experimental studies directly linking PMCA1 and 4 to changes in BP and arterial function, suggest that they may be important targets for the development of new pharmacological modulators of BP. [less ▲]

A bicategory of reduced orbifolds from the point of view of differential geometry

in Journal of Geometry and Physics (2016), 108