Development and validation of novel clinical endpoints in intermediate age-related macular degeneration in MACUSTAR

Background Currently, no validated clinical endpoints for treatment studies exist for intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD). Objective The European MACUSTAR study aims to develop and clinically validate adequate clinical endpoints for future treatment studies in iAMD and to identify early determinants of disease progression to late stage AMD. Material and methods The MACUSTAR study protocol was developed by an international consortium of researchers from academia, the pharmaceutical industry and medical device companies. The MACUSTAR project is funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative 2 (IMI2) of the European Union. Results The MACUSTAR study consists of a cross-sectional and a longitudinal investigation. A total of 750 subjects with early, intermediate and late AMD as well as control subjects with no signs of AMD will be included with a follow-up period of 3 years. Overall, 20 European study centers are involved. Conclusion The MACUSTAR project will generate large high-quality datasets, which will allow clinical validation of novel endpoints for future interventional trials in iAMD. The aim is that these endpoints will be accepted as suitable for medication approval studies by the regulatory authorities and that understanding of the disease process will be improved

Two Conformations of the Cytochrome c Oxidase Discriminated by Spectro-Electrochemistry Using SEIRAS

Electronic wiring of cytochrome c oxidase (CcO) from R. sphaeroides to gold surfaces was employed to monitor redox changes through redox centers, CuA, heme a, heme a3 and CuB. Electrochemical investigations revealed that under aerobic and reducing conditions the enzyme undergoes a gradual transition into an activated state. It is only in this state that proton pumping and catalytic currents can be observed. The potential of the catalytic current, however, is shifted by 450 mV negative from the standard redox potential of CuA. In contrast, “correct” standard redox potentials of all the centers in the positive potential range can be observed if the enzyme kept under anaerobic and oxidizing conditions. Then no proton pumping does take place. This state is therefore considered as a non-activated state. The transition between the two states is fully reversible. This was also verified by electrochemically-controlled surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) and surface-enhanced resonance Raman spectroscopy (SERRS)

Massenkultur mariner Makroalgen bei Helgoland zur Gewinnung von Phykokolloiden und zur Verwendung als Biosorptionsmittel. Untersuchungen der Tauglichkeit produzierter Algenbiomasse fuer den Einsatz als Biosorbens in der Abwasserreinigung Abschlussbericht

SIGLEAvailable from TIB Hannover: F96B1752+a / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekBundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie, Bonn (Germany)DEGerman

Table-top resonant magnetic scattering with extreme ultraviolet light from high-order harmonic generation

We demonstrate for the first time the applicability of high-order harmonic generation for probing magnetization properties with nanometer spatial resolution. High harmonics were generated by focusing an infrared femtosecond laser into a neon-filled gas cell. Using a high throughput monochromator, EUV pulses with a photon energy resonant to the magnetically dichroic Co M(2,3) absorption resonance were obtained. These were focused onto a CoPd alloy film and the magnetic scattering pattern was recorded in a transmission geometry. The scattering pattern induced by the magnetic domain structure consists of two well-defined bright spots revealing the presence of stripe domains of about 63nm in width. With the inherent femtosecond time resolution given by high harmonics, this demonstration paves the way to investigate ultrafast magnetization dynamics with femtosecond time and nanometer spatial resolutions, in jitter-free experiment based on table-top EUV light sources. Copyright (C) EPLA, 201