Human temporal bones versus mechanical model to evaluate three middle ear transducers

A life-size mechanical middle ear model and human temporal bones were used to evaluate three different middle ear transducers for implantable hearing aids: the driving rod transducer (DRT), the floating mass transducer (FMT) or vibrant sound bridge, and the contactless transducer (CLT). Results of the experiments with the mechanical model were within the range of the results for human temporal bones. However, results with the mechanical model showed better reproducibility. The handling of the mechanical model was considerably simpler and less time-consuming. Systematic variations of mounting parameters showed that the angle of the rod has virtually no effect on the output of the DRT, the mass loading on the cable of the FMT has a larger impact on the output than does the tightness of crimping, and the output level of the CLT can be increased by 10 dB by optimizing the mounting parameters

Reliable set-up for in-loop 11C-carboxylations using Grignard reactions for the preparation of [carbonyl-11C]WAY-100635 and [11C]-(+)-PHNO

AbstractAim of this work was the implementation of a generalized in-loop synthesis for 11C-carboxylations and subsequent 11C-acylations on the TRACERlab FxC Pro platform. The set-up was tested using [carbonyl-11C]WAY-100635 and, for the first time, [11C]-(+)-PHNO. Its general applicability could be demonstrated and both [carbonyl-11C]WAY-100635 and [11C]-(+)-PHNO were prepared with high reliability and satisfying outcome

Exploring the impact of BDNF Val66Met genotype on serotonin transporter and serotonin-1A receptor binding.

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) Val66Met polymorphism (rs6265) may impact on the in-vivo binding of important serotonergic structures such as the serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and the serotonin-1A (5-HT1A) receptor. Previous positron emission tomography (PET) studies on the association between Val66Met and 5-HTT and 5-HT1A binding potential (BPND) have demonstrated equivocal results.We conducted an imaging genetics study investigating the effect of Val66Met genotype on 5-HTT or 5-HT1A BPND in 92 subjects. Forty-one subjects (25 healthy subjects and 16 depressive patients) underwent genotyping for Val66Met and PET imaging with the 5-HTT specific radioligand [11C]DASB. Additionally, in 51 healthy subjects Val66Met genotypes and 5-HT1A binding with the radioligand [carbonyl-11C]WAY-100635 were ascertained. Voxel-wise and region of interest-based analyses of variance were used to examine the influence of Val66Met on 5-HTT and 5-HT1A BPND.No significant differences of 5-HTT nor 5-HT1A BPND between BDNF Val66Met genotype groups (val/val vs. met-carrier) were detected. There was no interaction between depression and Val66Met genotype status.In line with previous data, our work confirms an absent effect of BDNF Val66Met on two major serotonergic structures. These results could suggest that altered protein expression associated with genetic variants, might be compensated in vivo by several levels of unknown feedback mechanisms. In conclusion, Val66Met genotype status is not associated with changes of in-vivo binding of 5-HTT and 5-HT1A receptors in human subjects

<i>Mgf</i> and <i>Igf1</i> mRNA expression profile (normalized to 18S rRNA) of various porcine tissue samples (A) and within different zones of the growth plate separated by laser capture microdissection (B) as quantified by real-time PCR.

<p>(n≥3 per tissue, One-way ANOVA of log-transformed data (a) or Kruskal-Wallis with Bonferroni-adjusted post-hoc tests (b) were used to detect differences between groups: ** p<0.01; ***p<0.001 vs proliferative chondrocytes; ^###p<0.001 vs hypertrophic chondrocytes. Data are presented as mean + SEM).</p

Peptide sequences of MGF in different species.

<p>MGF sequences are highly conserved and always consist of 25 amino acids with the exception of the human MGF peptide, which consists of only 24 amino acids.</p

Proliferation effects of MGF/IGF-1.

<p>Effects of IGF-1, different MGF peptides and their combination on proliferation of porcine growth plate chondrocytes as measured by BrdU staining. (n = 5–11 per group; One-way ANOVA of log-transformed data, Games-Howell post-hoc analyses: * p<0.05; ** p<0.01; *** p<0.001 vs respective untreated control; Data are shown as mean + SEM).</p