CoScience - Gemeinsam forschen und publizieren mit dem Netz

Der Arbeitsalltag von Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftlern hat sich in den letzten Jahren dramatisch verändert. Forschen, Schreiben und Publizieren sind mittlerweile stark durch netzbasierte Anwendungen geprägt. Das digitale Zeitalter aber hat nicht nur neue technische Werkzeuge hervorgebracht, sondern auch neue Wege eröffnet, um Wissen zu generieren und zu verbreiten. Dies gilt sowohl innerhalb der akademischen Weltals auch über diese hinaus. Das Arbeiten mit dem Netz stellt unsere bisherigen etablierten wissenschaftlichen Praktiken in Frage. Forschung wird zunehmend vernetzt, kollaborativ, multimedial, trans- bzw. interdisziplinär durchgeführt

ADAMTS genes and the risk of cerebral aneurysm

OBJECTIVE Cerebral aneurysms (CAs) affect 2%-5% of the population, and familial predisposition plays a significant role in CA pathogenesis. Several lines of evidence suggest that genetic variations in matrix metalloproteinase genes (MMP) are involved in the etiopathology of CAs. The authors performed a case-control study to investigate the effect of 4 MMP variants from the ADAMTS family on the pathogenesis of CAs. METHODS To identify susceptible genetic variants, the authors investigated 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 4 genes from the ADAMTS family (ADAMTS2, -7, -12, and -13) known to be associated with vascular diseases. The study included 353 patients with CAs and 1055 healthy adults. RESULTS The authors found significant associations between CA susceptibility and genetic variations in 3 members of the ADAMTS family. The largest risk for CA (OR 1.32, p = 0.006) was observed in carriers of the ADAMTS2 variant rs11750568, which has been previously associated with pediatric stroke. Three SNPs under investigation are associated with a protective effect in CA pathogenesis (ADAMTS12 variant rs1364044: OR 0.65, p = 0.0001; and ADAMTS13 variants rs739469 and rs4962153: OR 0.77 and 0.63, p = 0.02 and 0.0006, respectively), while 2 other ADAMTS13 variants may confer a significant risk (rs2301612: OR 1.26, p = 0.011; rs2285489: OR 1.24, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that reduced integrity of the endothelial wall, as conferred by ADAMTS variants, together with inflammatory processes and defective vascular remodeling plays an important role in CA pathogenesis, although the mechanism of action remains unknown. The authors' findings may lead to specific screening of at-risk populations in the future

Handreichung Kostenstrukturen und Geschäftsmodelle: Welche Kostenstrukturen und möglichst nachhaltigen Förderansätze gibt es für gebührenfreie wissenschaftliche Zeitschriften?

Die vorliegende Handreichung möchte Zeitschriften bzw. ihre Redaktionen in die Lage versetzen, ihre eigenen Kostenstrukturen zu analysieren und damit verbundene Rollen (neu) zu definieren. Daneben sollen sie Finanzierungs- und Förderentscheidungen treffen können, die idealerweise Teil einer nachhaltigen finanziellen Strategie sind. Die Handreichung ist Teil der Sammlung 'Wissenschaftsgeleitetes Publizieren. Sechs Handreichungen mit Praxistipps und Perspektiven' - DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.816941

The association between complement component 2/complement factor B polymorphisms and age-related macular degeneration: A HuGE review and meta-analysis

The authors performed a systematic review of the association of complement component 2(C2)/complement factor B (CFB) gene polymorphisms with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In total, data from 19 studies published between 2006 and 2011 were pooled for 4 polymorphisms: rs9332739 and rs547154 in the C2 gene and rs4151667 and rs641153 in the CFB gene. Data extraction and assessments for risk of bias were independently performed by 2 reviewers. Allele frequencies and allele and genotypic effects were pooled. Heterogeneity and publication bias were explored. Pooled minor allele frequencies for all 4 SNPs were between 4.7% and 9.6% for all polymorphisms, except for an Indian population in which the C allele at rs9332739 was the major allele. For the C2 polymorphisms, the minor C allele at rs9332739 and the minor T allele at rs547154 carried estimated relative risks (odds ratios) of 0.55 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.46, 0.65) and 0.47 (95% CI: 0.39, 0.57), respectively. For the CFB polymorphisms, the minor A alleles at rs4151667 and rs614153 carried estimated risks of 0.54 (95% CI: 0.45, 0.64) and 0.41 (95% CI: 0.34, 0.51), respectively. These allele effects contributed to an absolute lowering of the risk of all AMD in Caucasian populations by 2.0%-6.0%. This meta-analysis provides a robust estimate of the protective association of C2/CFB with AMD