Phosphatidylserine Supplementation as a Novel Strategy for Reducing Myocardial Infarct Size and Preventing Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling

Phosphatidylserines are known to sustain skeletal muscle activity during intense activity or hypoxic conditions, as well as preserve neurocognitive function in older patients. Our previous studies pointed out a potential cardioprotective role of phosphatidylserine in heart ischemia. Therefore, we investigated the effects of phosphatidylserine oral supplementation in a mouse model of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). We found out that phosphatidylserine increases, significantly, the cardiomyocyte survival by 50% in an acute model of myocardial ischemia-reperfusion. Similar, phosphatidylserine reduced significantly the infarcted size by 30% and improved heart function by 25% in a chronic model of AMI. The main responsible mechanism seems to be up-regulation of protein kinase C epsilon (PKC-ε), the main player of cardio-protection during pre-conditioning. Interestingly, if the phosphatidylserine supplementation is started before induction of AMI, but not after, it selectively inhibits neutrophil’s activation, such as Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β) expression, without affecting the healing and fibrosis. Thus, phosphatidylserine supplementation may represent a simple way to activate a pre-conditioning mechanism and may be a promising novel strategy to reduce infarct size following AMI and to prevent myocardial injury during myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery. Due to the minimal adverse effects, further investigation in large animals or in human are soon possible to establish the exact role of phosphatidylserine in cardiac diseases.     

Direct Laser Patterning of Soft Matter: Photothermal Processing of Supported Phospholipid Multilayers with Nanoscale Precision

Direct laser patterning of supported phospholipid multilayers is investigated. Spin coating is used to fabricate stacked bilayers of 1,2‐dioleoyl‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphate (DOPA). Photothermal processing with a focused laser beam at λ = 514 nm allows removal of the coating at predefined positions without causing any significant change in adjacent areas. Moreover, processing with nanoscale precision is feasible despite the soft and fluid nature of phospholipid films. In particular, holes with diameters from 1.8 µm down to 300 nm and below are fabricated by using a 1/e² laser spot size of about 2.5 µm. In addition, patterning is also very flexible and can be carried out over macroscopic length scales and at short processing times. Considering these features photothermal laser processing constitutes a powerful tool for micro‐ and nanopatterning of phospholipid films.     

Characterization of Thermal Spray Coatings for Cylinder Running Surfaces of Diesel Engines

Future demands of diesel engines are about low-friction and wear-resistant materials in order to increase the efficiency and achieve environmentally sound solutions. Thus, thermally sprayed Fe-base coatings are investigated for application as cylinder running surfaces in cast aluminum crankcases. They should allow the desired combination of structural, productional, and topographical properties required in Diesel engines. To understand the influence of the characteristic microstructures on the integrity of the composites the coatings have to be examined in laboratory tests in terms of different loading situations. Cavitation tests were carried out where the tribological stability of these coatings and their ability to resist high-frequency cyclic impact stresses are revealed. Composite samples (base material and coating) were investigated in terms of crack initiation in a scanning electron microscope with an in situ 3-point-bending test. The endurance under cyclic mechanical stresses was tested with a 4-point-bending stress controlled test.     

Identification of a Δ4‐desaturase from the microalga Ostreococcus lucimarinus

Very long chain PUFA (VLCPUFA) like DHA are essential and health‐beneficial components of the human diet. Due to a shortfall in VLCPUFA supply, research is ongoing to establish VLCPUFA production in heterologous systems like for example oilseed plants. For this purpose it is crucial to identify the required enzymes from primary producers of VLCPUFA. Here, we describe a cDNA from the microalga Ostreococcus lucimarinus coding for a Δ4‐fatty acid desaturase. It exhibits a cytochrome b₅ domain fused to its amino terminus and three histidine boxes that are typically found in front‐end desaturases. Heterologous expression of the partly codon‐optimized version of the cDNA in yeast revealed that the encoded protein catalyzes the desaturation of (n‐3)‐ as well as (n‐6)‐substrates with a preference for VLCPUFA. In yeast it localized at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane and analysis of the product distribution into different lipid classes suggested that the enzyme most likely acts in a lipid‐dependent manner. Practical applications : The identified Δ4‐desaturase may be useful for the production of DHA in transgenic oleaginous organisms like annual oilseed crops.     

Teachers' occupational well-being and quality of instruction: The important role of self-regulatory patterns.

Teachers' occupational well-being (level of emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction) and quality of instruction are two key aspects of research on teaching that have rarely been studied together. The role of occupational engagement and resilience as two important work-related self-regulatory dimensions that predict occupational well-being and teachers' instructional performance in the classroom was investigated. In Part 1 of the study, self-regulatory data from 1,789 German mathematics teachers were subjected to a latent profile analysis, yielding four self-regulatory types (healthy-ambitious, unambitious, excessively ambitious, and resigned) that differed significantly on emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. In Part 2, the association between teachers' self-regulatory type and instructional performance was examined in a subsample of 318 teachers. Results showed that teachers' self-regulatory type predicted the quality of instruction in three of the four aspects of instructional performance examined. Moreover, teachers' self-regulatory type was systematically linked to differences in students' motivation. No association was found between teacher self-regulation and student achievement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Messmodelle im Ingenieurbauwesen. Eine Bilanz

Measurement models in civil engineering. A review The research project “‘Last Witnesses’ Measurement Models in Civil Engineering – Scientific Significance and Preservation” was funded as part of the priority program 2255 “Construction as Cultural Heritage” of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and consists of three sub-projects divided between the University of Innsbruck, the Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences and the Technical University of Munich. The project aimed to locate the last surviving measurement models in German-speaking countries, document them, classify them in terms of construction history, digitise them and evaluate their state of conservation. This report is intended to provide an overview of the initial situation, the approaches, the difficulties and the results and findings achieved in the project.     

An Advanced ‘clickECM’ That Can be Modified by the Inverse-Electron-Demand Diels-Alder Reaction

The extracellular matrix (ECM) represents the natural environment of cells in tissue and therefore is a promising biomaterial in a variety of applications. Depending on the purpose, it is necessary to equip the ECM with specific addressable functional groups for further modification with bioactive molecules, for controllable cross-linking and/or covalent binding to surfaces. Metabolic glycoengineering (MGE) enables the specific modification of the ECM with such functional groups without affecting the native structure of the ECM. In a previous approach (S. M. Ruff, S. Keller, D. E. Wieland, V. Wittmann, G. E. M. Tovar, M. Bach, P. J. Kluger, Acta Biomater. 2017 , 52, 159–170), we demonstrated the modification of an ECM with azido groups, which can be addressed by bioorthogonal copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). Here, we demonstrate the modification of an ECM with dienophiles (terminal alkenes, cyclopropene), which can be addressed by an inverse-electron-demand Diels-Alder (IEDDA) reaction. This reaction is cell friendly as there are no cytotoxic catalysts needed. We show the equipment of the ECM with a bioactive molecule (enzyme) and prove that the functional groups do not influence cellular behavior. Thus, this new material has great potential for use as a biomaterial, which can be individually modified in a wide range of applications.