Flexible miniature ribbon cables for long-term connection to implantable sensors

This paper describes the development of miniature, multi-lead ribbon cables for connecting implantable sensors to host electronics, either implanted or in the external world. The cables are flexible, electrically stable and biocompatible. Two technologies have been developed: one using polyimide (DuPont PI-2555) and the other using silicon as the support material. The present cables are less than 200 [mu]m wide, are 10 to 20 [mu]m thick and can be of arbitrary length (typically 1-2 cm). They can support as many leads as desired and can be bonded to the sensor substrate using flip-chip bonding techniques.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28664/1/0000481.pd

Wt1 transcription factor impairs cardiomyocyte specification and drives a phenotypic switch from myocardium to epicardium.

During development, the heart grows by addition of progenitor cells to the poles of the primordial heart tube. In the zebrafish, Wilms tumor 1 transcription factor a (wt1a) and b (wt1b) genes are expressed in the pericardium, at the venous pole of the heart. From this pericardial layer, the proepicardium emerges. Proepicardial cells are subsequently transferred to the myocardial surface and form the epicardium, covering the myocardium. We found that while wt1a and wt1b expression is maintained in proepicardial cells, it is downregulated in pericardial cells that contributes cardiomyocytes to the developing heart. Sustained wt1b expression in cardiomyocytes reduced chromatin accessibility of specific genomic loci. Strikingly, a subset of wt1a- and wt1b-expressing cardiomyocytes changed their cell-adhesion properties, delaminated from the myocardium and upregulated epicardial gene expression. Thus, wt1a and wt1b act as a break for cardiomyocyte differentiation, and ectopic wt1a and wt1b expression in cardiomyocytes can lead to their transdifferentiation into epicardial-like cells.NM has been funded by SNF grant 320030E-164245 and ERC Consolidator grant 2018 819717. The CNIC is supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MCIN) and the Pro CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505). Benoît Zuber is supported by SNF grant 179520 and ERA-NET NEURON grant 185536. M.O. was supported by SNF grant PCEFP3_186993.S

Multiplexed, High Density Electrophysiology with Nanofabricated Neural Probes

Extracellular electrode arrays can reveal the neuronal network correlates of behavior with single-cell, single-spike, and sub-millisecond resolution. However, implantable electrodes are inherently invasive, and efforts to scale up the number and density of recording sites must compromise on device size in order to connect the electrodes. Here, we report on silicon-based neural probes employing nanofabricated, high-density electrical leads. Furthermore, we address the challenge of reading out multichannel data with an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) performing signal amplification, band-pass filtering, and multiplexing functions. We demonstrate high spatial resolution extracellular measurements with a fully integrated, low noise 64-channel system weighing just 330 mg. The on-chip multiplexers make possible recordings with substantially fewer external wires than the number of input channels. By combining nanofabricated probes with ASICs we have implemented a system for performing large-scale, high-density electrophysiology in small, freely behaving animals that is both minimally invasive and highly scalable

Robust penetrating microelectrodes for neural interfaces realized by titanium micromachining

Neural prosthetic interfaces based upon penetrating microelectrode devices have broadened our understanding of the brain and have shown promise for restoring neurological functions lost to disease, stroke, or injury. However, the eventual viability of such devices for use in the treatment of neurological dysfunction may be ultimately constrained by the intrinsic brittleness of silicon, the material most commonly used for manufacture of penetrating microelectrodes. This brittleness creates predisposition for catastrophic fracture, which may adversely affect the reliability and safety of such devices, due to potential for fragmentation within the brain. Herein, we report the development of titanium-based penetrating microelectrodes that seek to address this potential future limitation. Titanium provides advantage relative to silicon due to its superior fracture toughness, which affords potential for creation of robust devices that are resistant to catastrophic failure. Realization of these devices is enabled by recently developed techniques which provide opportunity for fabrication of high-aspect-ratio micromechanical structures in bulk titanium substrates. Details are presented regarding the design, fabrication, mechanical testing, in vitro functional characterization, and preliminary in vivo testing of devices intended for acute recording in rat auditory cortex and thalamus, both independently and simultaneously

Dissolution behaviour of silicon nitride coatings for joint replacements

In this study, the dissolution rate of SiNx coatings was investigated as a function of coating composition, in comparison to a cobalt chromium molybdenum alloy (CoCrMo) reference. SiNx coatings with N/Si ratios of 0.3, 0.8 and 1.1 were investigated. Electrochemical measurements were complemented with solution (inductively coupled plasma techniques) and surface analysis (vertical scanning interferometry and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy). The dissolution rate of the SiNx coatings was evaluated to 0.2–1.4 nm/day, with a trend of lower dissolution rate with higher N/Si atomic ratio in the coating. The dissolution rates of the coatings were similar to or lower than that of CoCrMo (0.7–1.2 nm/day). The highest nitrogen containing coating showed mainly Si–N bonds in the bulk as well as at the surface and in the dissolution area. The lower nitrogen containing coatings showed Si–N and/or Si–Si bonds in the bulk and an increased formation of Si–O bonds at the surface as well as in the dissolution area. The SiNx coatings reduced the metal ion release from the substrate. The possibility to tune the dissolution rate and the ability to prevent release of metal ions encourage further studies on SiNx coatings for joint replacements

School in Change : the importance of the whole-day schools for the expression of origin-related, social inequalities : taking into account the situation in Saxony

Die Bachelorarbeit befasst sich mit den Modellen der Ganztagsschule und deren Wirkung auf die bestehenden sozialen, herkunftsbedingten Ungleichheiten innerhalb Deutschlands und speziell in Sachsen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit gehe ich dabei zunächst auf die Struktur und Organisation von Ganztagsschulen in Deutschland ein, bevor ich mich deren Stellenwert widme. Daran anschließend wende ich mich der Forschungsfrage zu, inwiefern das Konzept der Ganztagsschule soziale, herkunftsbedingte Ungleichheiten kompensieren kann.Hierzu werde ich, bezugnehmend auf die Profession der Sozialen Arbeit, Ausführungen zu Möglichkeiten und Grenzen erarbeiten welche abschließend in meinem Fazit ausgewertet werde

Die Funktion der miRNA 3687 im Hinblick auf das Prostata-Karzinom

Die miRNAs sind an der Regulation der Genexpression und somit an der zellulären Proteinbiosynthese beteiligt. Die Expressionsmuster von miRNAs unterscheiden sich sowohl bei Entwicklung als auch bei verschiedenen Stadien von Tumoren, sodass sie zu interessanten Kandidaten als prognostische Biomarker werden können. In der vorliegenden Arbeit stand die Überexpression der miR-3687 im Vordergrund. Ihre Rolle als pro- oder antionkogen agierende miRNA sollte untersucht werden. Mithilfe der Transfektion prostataspezifischer kastrationssensibler sowie kastrationsresistenter Zelllinien konnte eine Überexpression der miR-3687 in Prostatagewebe simuliert werden. Um den Erfolg der Zelltransfektion zu quantifizieren, wurde die stem – loop RT-qPCR etabliert. Mittels Massenspektrometrie konnten die differentiell exprimierten Proteine analysiert werden. Zur Anwendung kamen 2 verschiedenen Verfahren, gelfrei sowie gelbasiert. Dabei ergaben sich deutliche zellspezifische Unterschiede. Im gelbasierten Ansatz wurden beispielsweise für PC-3 Zellen ca. 1685 Proteine, im gelfreien Ansatz bis zu 543 Proteine (bei min. 2 Peptide count) detektiert, die anhand statistischer Parameter ausgewählt wurden. Über Western Blot Experimente erfolgte die Verifizierung interessanter Proteine. Hierbei konnte gezeigt werden, dass PC-3 Zellen miR-3687 reguliert die kleine Isoform des Androgenrezeptors exprimieren. Insbesondere das Protein Vimentin zeigte unter miR-3687 Einfluss in den beiden kastrationssensiblen Zelllinien eine Expressionsminderung. Da es sich bei diesem Protein um einen Marker für den epithelial mesenchymalen Übergang handelt, könnte die Überexpression der miR-3687 der Metastasierung von Krebszellen entgegenwirken und so einen neuen Therapieansatz darstellen. Hinweise auf einen antionkogenen Effekt ergeben die verminderte Expression des Androgenrezeptors in den kastrationsresistenten Zelllinien, die signifikant verminderte Expression des Tumorproteins D52-IF1 sowie die verminderte Expression des Proteins β3-Tubulin in allen Zelllinien. In dieser Arbeit konnte gezeigt werden, dass eine Vielzahl an Proteinen durch miR-3687 reguliert werden. Bei weiterer Untersuchung der miR-3687 könnte geklärt werden, ob dessen Überexpression allgemein im Gewebe oder nur in ausgewählten Zelllinien antionkogene Wirkungen aufweist und damit tumorsupprimierend wirkt, sodass sich daraus eine spezifische Therapie, beispielsweise nur für das kastrationsresistente Stadium des Prostatakarzinoms, ergeben könnte