Talking about a Christine Borland sculpture: effective empathy in contemporary anatomy art (and an emerging counterpart in medical training?)

This Introduction and interview discusses the poetical and empathic insights that are a key to the effectiveness of contemporary artist Christine Borland's practice and its relevance to the medical humanities, visual art research and medical students’ training. It takes place in a context of intensive interest in reciprocity and conversation as well as expert exchange between the fields of Medicine and Contemporary Arts. The interview develops an understanding of medical research and the application of its historical resources and contemporary practice-based research in contemporary art gallery exhibitions. Artists tend not to follow prescriptive programmes towards new historical knowledge, however, a desire to form productive relationships between history and contemporary art practice does reveal practical advantages. Borland's research also includes investigations in anatomy, medical practices and conservatio

Microbial colonization and ureteral stent-associated storage lower urinary tract symptoms: the forgotten piece of the puzzle?

Purpose: Ureteral stents are frequently associated with side effects. Most patients suffer from storage lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Storage LUTS are commonly attributed to the irritation of the trigone, smooth muscle spasm or a combination of factors. The relationship between microbial ureteral stent colonization (MUSC) and de novo or worsening storage LUTS has not been investigated yet. Methods: Five hundred ninety-one polyurethane ureteral stents from 275 male and 153 female patients were prospectively evaluated. The removed stents were sonicated to dislodge adherent microorganisms. Urine flow cytometry was performed to detect pyuria. A standardized urinary symptom questionnaire was given to all patients. Results: Thirty-five per cent of male and 28% of female cases showed de novo or worsened storage LUTS. MUSC was more common in patients with storage LUTS compared to patients without storage LUTS (men: 26 vs. 13%, respectively, P<0.05; women: 63 vs. 48%, respectively, P=0.13). Pyuria was significantly more common in patients with storage LUTS compared to patients without storage LUTS (men: 55 vs. 40%, respectively, P<0.05; women: 70 vs. 45%, respectively, P<0.05). No significant correlation was observed between the detected genera of microorganisms and storage LUTS. Conclusions: Our data show a significant association between MUSC- and stent-related de novo experienced or worsened storage LUTS in men. The incidence of MUSC is most common in both female and male patients with storage LUTS and accompanying pyuria. In these patients, a combination of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs may be regarded as treatment optio

Saccharomyces cerevisiae goes through distinct metabolic phases during its replicative lifespan

A comprehensive description of the phenotypic changes during cellular aging is key towards unraveling its causal forces. Previously, we mapped age-related changes in the proteome and transcriptome (Janssens et al., 2015). Here, employing the same experimental procedure and model-based inference, we generate a comprehensive account of metabolic changes during the replicative life of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. With age, we found decreasing metabolite levels, decreasing growth and substrate uptake rates accompanied by a switch from aerobic fermentation to respiration, with glycerol and acetate production. The identified metabolic fluxes revealed an increase in redox cofactor turnover, likely to combat increased production of reactive oxygen species. The metabolic changes are possibly a result of the age-associated decrease in surface area per cell volume. With metabolism being an important factor of the cellular phenotype, this work complements our recent mapping of the transcriptomic and proteomic changes towards a holistic description of the cellular phenotype during aging

Ornipressin in the treatment of functional renal failure in decompensated liver cirrhosis

In 11 patients with decompensated cirrhosis and deteriorating renal function, the effect of the vasoconstrictor substance 8-ornithin vasopressin (ornipressin; POR 8; Sandoz, Basel, Switzerland) on renal function, hemodynamic parameters, and humoral mediators was studied. Ornipressin was infused at a dose of 6 IU/h over a period of 4 hours. During ornipressin infusion an improvement of renal function was achieved as indicated by significant increases in inulin clearance (+65%), paraaminohippuric acid clearance (+49%), urine volume (+45%), sodium excretion (+259%), and fractional elimination of sodium (+130%). The hyperdynamic circulation was reversed to a nearly normal circulatory state. The increase in systemic vascular resistance (+60%) coincided with a decrease of a previously elevated renal vascular resistance (-27%) and increase in renal blood flow (+44%). The renal fraction of the cardiac output increased from 2.3% to 4.7% (P less than 0.05). A decline of the elevated plasma levels of noradrenaline (2.08-1.13 ng/mL; P less than 0.01) and renin activity (27.6-14.2 ng.mL-1.h-1; P less than 0.01) was achieved. The plasma concentration of the atrial natriuretic factor increased in most of the patients, but slightly decreased in 3 patients. The decrease of renal vascular resistance and the increase of renal blood flow and of the renal fraction of cardiac output play a key role in the beneficial effect of ornipressin on renal failure. These changes develop by an increase in mean arterial pressure, the reduction of the sympathetic activity, and probably of an extenuation of the splanchnic vasodilation. A significant contribution of atrial natriuretic factor is less likely. The present findings implicate that treatment with ornipressin represents an alternative approach to the management of functional renal failure in advanced liver cirrhosis

Cy Twombly. Bild, Text, Paratext

Die Bildwerke des US-amerikanischen Künstlers Cy Twombly (1928–2011) gelten als hermetisch und schwer zugänglich. Bleistiftgekritzel, Farbballungen, taumelnde Linien, einander überlagernde Farbschichten und Einschreibungen, geometrische Figuren, Zahlen, Zahlenreihen, Wörter, Zitatfragmente und rätselhafte Bildtitel stellen Forscher wie Betrachter vor ganz besondere Herausforderungen. Gemäß der interdisziplinär-transkulturellen Forschungsmethode des Internationalen Kollegs Morphomata an der Universität zu Köln versammelte im Juni 2012 ein Kongress neben Kunsthistorikern auch namhafte Fachleute aus den Bereichen Ägyptologie, Archäologie, Germanistik, Gräzistik, Anglistik, Japanologie und Romanistik, d.h. all jenen Fachgebieten und Kulturkreisen, die eine Inspirationsquelle für das OEuvre Cy Twomblys darstellten. Befragen diese den Bezug zwischen Werktitel, Werk und eingeschriebenen Zitaten, so legen führende Vertreter der Twomblyforschung den Fokus auf Bildsprache und Schriftbildlichkeit bei Cy Twombly. Durch umfassende Deutungen berühmter Einzelwerke und Werkgruppen in sämtlichen von Twombly angewandten künstlerischen Medien erschließt der Band in einem fächerübergreifenden Blick einen Zugang zur assoziativ-referentiellen Bildsprache Cy Twomblys

Precise Prediction for M_W in the MSSM

We present the currently most accurate evaluation of the W boson mass, M_W, in the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (MSSM). The full complex phase dependence at the one-loop level, all available MSSM two-loop corrections as well as the full Standard Model result have been included. We analyse the impact of the different sectors of the MSSM at the one-loop level with a particular emphasis on the effect of the complex phases. We discuss the prediction for M_W based on all known higher-order contributions in representative MSSM scenarios. Furthermore we obtain an estimate of the remaining theoretical uncertainty from unknown higher-order corrections.Comment: 38 pages, 25 figures. Minor corrections, additional reference

Cy Twombly. Image, Text, Paratext

The artworks of the US artist Cy Twombly (1928–2011) are considered to be hermetic and inaccessible. Pencil scribblings, explosions of paint, tumbling lines, overlapping layers of color, and inscriptions, geometrical figures, numerals, rows of numbers, words, fragments of quotations, and enigmatic work-titles present very special challenges to both researchers and viewers. In the interdisciplinary and transcultural research method of the Morphomata International Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Cologne, a conference was held in June 2012 that brought art historians together with renowned scholars of Egyptology, Archaeology, German, Greek, English, Japanese, and the Romance languages, i.e. all the fields and cultural spheres that were a source of inspiration for the œuvre of Cy Twombly. While these scholars inquire into the relation between title, work, and inscribed quotations, leading representatives of research on Twombly focus on the visual language and scriptural-imagistic quality of Cy Twombly’s work. Through comprehensive interpretations of famous single works and groups in all the artistic media employed by Twombly, the volume’s cross-disciplinary view opens up a route into the associative-referential visual language of Cy Twombly

Intranasal delivery of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells, macrophages, and microglia to the brain in mouse models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

In view of the rapid preclinical development of cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury, and tumors, the safe and efficient delivery and targeting of therapeutic cells to the central nervous system is critical for maintaining therapeutic efficacy and safety in the respective disease models. Our previous data demonstrated therapeutically efficacious and targeted delivery of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the brain in the rat 6-hydroxydopamine model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The present study examined delivery of bone marrow derived MSCs, macrophages, and microglia to the brain in a transgenic model of PD ((Thy1)-h[A30P] αS) and an APP/PS1 model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) via intranasal application (INA). INA of microglia in naïve BL/6 mice led to targeted and effective delivery of cells to the brain. Quantitative PCR analysis of eGFP DNA showed that the brain contained the highest amount of eGFP-microglia (up to 2.1x104) after INA of 1x106 cells, while the total amount of cells detected in peripheral organs did not exceed 3.4x103. Seven days after INA, MSCs expressing eGFP were detected in the olfactory bulb (OB), cortex, amygdala, striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum, and brainstem of (Thy1)-h[A30P] αS transgenic mice, showing predominant distribution within the OB and brainstem. INA of eGFP-expressing macrophages in 13 month-old APP/PS1 mice led to delivery of cells to the OB, hippocampus, cortex, and cerebellum. Both, MSCs and macrophages contained Iba-1-positive population of small microglia-like cells and Iba-1-negative large rounded cells showing either intracellular Amyloid beta (macrophages in APP/PS1 model) or α-Synuclein (MSCs in (Thy1)-h[A30P] αS model) immunoreactivity. Here we show, for the first time, intranasal delivery of cells to the brain of transgenic PD and AD mouse models. Additional work is needed to determine the optimal dosage (single treatment regimen or repeated administrations) to achieve functional improvement in these mouse models with intranasal microglia/macrophages and MSCs

Intranasal delivery of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells, macrophages, and microglia to the brain in mouse models of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease

In view of the rapid preclinical development of cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disorders, traumatic brain injury, and tumors, the safe and efficient delivery and targeting of therapeutic cells to the central nervous system is critical for maintaining therapeutic efficacy and safety in the respective disease models. Our previous data demonstrated therapeutically efficacious and targeted delivery of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to the brain in the rat 6-hydroxydopamine model of Parkinson’s disease (PD). The present study examined delivery of bone marrow derived MSCs, macrophages, and microglia to the brain in a transgenic model of PD ((Thy1)-h[A30P] αS) and an APP/PS1 model of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) via intranasal application (INA). INA of microglia in naïve BL/6 mice led to targeted and effective delivery of cells to the brain. Quantitative PCR analysis of eGFP DNA showed that the brain contained the highest amount of eGFP-microglia (up to 2.1x104) after INA of 1x106 cells, while the total amount of cells detected in peripheral organs did not exceed 3.4x103. Seven days after INA, MSCs expressing eGFP were detected in the olfactory bulb (OB), cortex, amygdala, striatum, hippocampus, cerebellum, and brainstem of (Thy1)-h[A30P] αS transgenic mice, showing predominant distribution within the OB and brainstem. INA of eGFP-expressing macrophages in 13 month-old APP/PS1 mice led to delivery of cells to the OB, hippocampus, cortex, and cerebellum. Both, MSCs and macrophages contained Iba-1-positive population of small microglia-like cells and Iba-1-negative large rounded cells showing either intracellular Amyloid beta (macrophages in APP/PS1 model) or α-Synuclein (MSCs in (Thy1)-h[A30P] αS model) immunoreactivity. Here we show, for the first time, intranasal delivery of cells to the brain of transgenic PD and AD mouse models. Additional work is needed to determine the optimal dosage (single treatment regimen or repeated administrations) to achieve functional improvement in these mouse models with intranasal microglia/macrophages and MSCs

Language technologies for a multilingual Europe

This volume of the series “Translation and Multilingual Natural Language Processing” includes most of the papers presented at the Workshop “Language Technology for a Multilingual Europe”, held at the University of Hamburg on September 27, 2011 in the framework of the conference GSCL 2011 with the topic “Multilingual Resources and Multilingual Applications”, along with several additional contributions. In addition to an overview article on Machine Translation and two contributions on the European initiatives META-NET and Multilingual Web, the volume includes six full research articles. Our intention with this workshop was to bring together various groups concerned with the umbrella topics of multilingualism and language technology, especially multilingual technologies. This encompassed, on the one hand, representatives from research and development in the field of language technologies, and, on the other hand, users from diverse areas such as, among others, industry, administration and funding agencies. The Workshop “Language Technology for a Multilingual Europe” was co-organised by the two GSCL working groups “Text Technology” and “Machine Translation” (http://gscl.info) as well as by META-NET (http://www.meta-net.eu)