Musik und Schule

As a result of the cognitive turn in psychology and educational science, music is gradually returning to its role, already anchored in antiquity, as a fundamental subject in school and out-of-school education. Recent studies and observations confirm that learning is facilitated and sustainably promoted through music lessons in kindergarten and school. These topics were addressed in various facets at the international congress Music and School - Aims and Paths of Music Education and discussed against the background of a holistic didactics of music. Selected contributions have been collected in this volume.; Musik kehrt in Folge der kognitiven Wende in der Psychologie und der Erziehungswissenschaft schrittweise wieder in ihre, bereits in der Antike verankerte Rolle als grundlegendes Fach in der schulischen und außerschulischen Erziehung zurück. Neuere Studien und Beobachtungen bestätigen, dass durch Musikunterricht in Kindergarten und Schule das Lernen erleichtert und nachhaltig gefördert wird. In verschiedenen Facetten wurden diese Themen auf dem internationalen Kongress Musik und Schule – Ziele und Wege der Musikpädagogik behandelt und vor dem Hintergrund einer ganzheitlichen Musikdidaktik diskutiert. Ausgewählte Beiträge wurden in diesem Band gesammelt.; Con la svolta cognitiva della psicologia e delle scienze dell’educazione, la musica riprende gradualmente il ruolo, delineato sin dall’antichità, di materia fondamentale per ogni processo educativo. Studi e indagini recenti confermano che nella scuola dell’infanzia e nella scuola primaria l’educazione musicale facilita e rafforza i processi di apprendimento come le relazioni tenute nell’ambito del convegno Musica e scuola – Obiettivi e metodi della Pedagogia musicale, qui raccolte, intendono dimostrare

Arginase Inhibition Reverses Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a heterogeneous disorder associated with a poor prognosis. Thus, the development of novel treatment strategies is of great interest. The enzyme arginase (Arg) is emerging as important player in PH development. The aim of the current study was to determine the expression of ArgI and ArgII as well as the effects of Arg inhibition in a rat model of PH. PH was induced in 35 Sprague–Dawley rats by monocrotaline (MCT, 60 mg/kg as single-dose). There were three experimental groups: sham-treated controls (control group, n = 11), MCT-induced PH (MCT group, n = 11) and MCT-induced PH treated with the Arg inhibitor Nω-hydroxy-nor-l-arginine (nor-NOHA; MCT/NorNoha group, n = 13). ArgI and ArgII expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Right ventricular systolic pressure (RVPsys) was measured and lung tissue remodeling was determined. Induction of PH resulted in an increase in RVPsys (81 ± 16 mmHg) compared to the control group (41 ± 15 mmHg, p = 0.002) accompanied by a significant elevation of histological sum-score (8.2 ± 2.4 in the MCT compared to 1.6 ± 1.6 in the control group, p < 0.001). Both, ArgI and ArgII were relevantly expressed in lung tissue and there was a significant increase in the MCT compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Arg inhibition resulted in a significant reduction of RVPsys to 52 ± 19 mmHg (p = 0.006) and histological sum-score to 5.8 ± 1.4 compared to the MCT group (p = 0.022). PH leads to increased expression of Arg. Arg inhibition leads to reduction of RVPsys and diminished lung tissue remodeling and therefore represents a potential treatment strategy in PH

Mutations in sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase cause nephrosis with ichthyosis and adrenal insufficiency

Steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome (SRNS) causes 15% of chronic kidney disease cases. A mutation in 1 of over 40 monogenic genes can be detected in approximately 30% of individuals with SRNS whose symptoms manifest before 25 years of age. However, in many patients, the genetic etiology remains unknown. Here, we have performed whole exome sequencing to identify recessive causes of SRNS. In 7 families with SRNS and facultative ichthyosis, adrenal insufficiency, immunodeficiency, and neurological defects, we identified 9 different recessive mutations in SGPL1, which encodes sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) lyase. All mutations resulted in reduced or absent SGPL1 protein and/or enzyme activity. Overexpression of cDNA representing SGPL1 mutations resulted in subcellular mislocalization of SGPL1. Furthermore, expression of WT human SGPL1 rescued growth of SGPL1-deficient dpl1. yeast strains, whereas expression of disease-associated variants did not. Immunofluorescence revealed SGPL1 expression in mouse podocytes and mesangial cells. Knockdown of Sgpl1 in rat mesangial cells inhibited cell migration, which was partially rescued by VPC23109, an S1P receptor antagonist. In Drosophila, Sply mutants, which lack SGPL1, displayed a phenotype reminiscent of nephrotic syndrome in nephrocytes. WT Sply, but not the disease-associated variants, rescued this phenotype. Together, these results indicate that SGPL1 mutations cause a syndromic form of SRNS