Homosexuelle Männlichkeit und Körperlichkeit im Alter(n): eine Gender-theoretische Perspektive (work in process)

"Viele der heute alten homosexuellen Männer haben aufgrund von Diskriminierungen und Kriminalisierungen über weite Teile ihres Lebenslaufes ihre Homosexualität versteckt gelebt. Erst langsam mit dem Altern der vermehrt offen lebenden Kohorten werden auch alte homosexuelle Männer sichtbarer. Lebenslagen, Problembereiche und Bedarfe alter homosexueller Männer werden inzwischen von Betroffenen thematisiert, sind jedoch im deutschsprachigen Raum noch weitgehend unerforscht. Homosexuelle Subkulturen sind geprägt von identitätsstiftenden Normen, wie z.B. dem in großen Teilen der Subkultur herrschenden Jugend- und Körperkult, der sich in einem an der Attraktivitätserwartung von Männern ausgerichteten Schönheitshandeln spiegelt. Mit Schönheitshandeln wird dabei einerseits die Abwertung homosexueller Männer als weiblich contrakariert und andererseits dieses 'weiblich' konnotierte Verhalten als identitätsstiftendes und sich von Heterosexuellen abgrenzendes Merkmal genutzt. Die körperlichen 'Attraktivitätsverluste' des Alterns stellen homosexuelle Männer vor die Herausforderung, ihren alternden Körper in ihr Selbstbild und ihre homosexuelle Identität zu integrieren. Zunehmend gewinnen Schönheitsnormen, Körperpflege und -styling jedoch auch für heterosexuelle Männer - zurzeit noch eher der jüngeren Generation - an Bedeutung. Wie sich unterschiedliche Männlichkeitskonstruktionen auf Einstellungen und Umgangsweisen mit dem Körper auswirken, ist bislang im deutschsprachigen Raum nicht untersucht worden. In dem Vortrag sollen erste Überlegungen zur Untersuchung von Auswirkungen unterschiedlicher Männlichkeiten (im Sinne Connell's Konzept der Hegemonialer Männlichkeit) auf Einstellungen und Umgangsweisen mit dem Körper anhand homosexueller Männer im Alter vorgestellt und diskutiert werden. Im Zentrum des Arbeitsberichtes soll daher der vielzitierte Jugend- und Körperkult homosexueller Subkulturen und seine Implikationen für altwerdende homosexuelle Männer stehen. Dazu wird die Verfasserin Falldarstellungen aus eigenen problemzentrierten Interviews mit älteren homosexuellen Männern aus Deutschland mit der angloamerikanische Diskussion um ein 'beschleunigtes' soziales Altern homosexueller Männer verbinden." (Autorenreferat

Microstructural Parcellation of the Human Cerebral Cortex – From Brodmann's Post-Mortem Map to in vivo Mapping with High-Field Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The year 2009 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of the famous brain map of Korbinian Brodmann. Although a “classic” guide to microanatomical parcellation of the cerebral cortex, it is – from today's state-of-the-art neuroimaging perspective – problematic to use Brodmann's map as a structural guide to functional units in the cortex. In this article we discuss some of the reasons, especially the problematic compatibility of the “post-mortem world” of microstructural brain maps with the “in vivo world” of neuroimaging. We conclude with some prospects for the future of in vivo structural brain mapping: a new approach which has the enormous potential to make direct correlations between microstructure and function in living human brains: “in vivo Brodmann mapping” with high-field magnetic resonance imaging

Distribution and classification of the extracellular matrix in the olfactory bulb

L

A Membrane-Bound Vertebrate Globin

The family of vertebrate globins includes hemoglobin, myoglobin, and other O2-binding proteins of yet unclear functions. Among these, globin X is restricted to fish and amphibians. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) globin X is expressed at low levels in neurons of the central nervous system and appears to be associated with the sensory system. The protein harbors a unique N-terminal extension with putative N-myristoylation and S-palmitoylation sites, suggesting membrane-association. Intracellular localization and transport of globin X was studied in 3T3 cells employing green fluorescence protein fusion constructs. Both myristoylation and palmitoylation sites are required for correct targeting and membrane localization of globin X. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a vertebrate globin has been identified as component of the cell membrane. Globin X has a hexacoordinate binding scheme and displays cooperative O2 binding with a variable affinity (P50∼1.3–12.5 torr), depending on buffer conditions. A respiratory function of globin X is unlikely, but analogous to some prokaryotic membrane-globins it may either protect the lipids in cell membrane from oxidation or may act as a redox-sensing or signaling protein

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

Effectiveness and safety of opicapone in Parkinson’s disease patients with motor fluctuations: the OPTIPARK open-label study

Background The efficacy and safety of opicapone, a once-daily catechol-O-methyltransferase inhibitor, have been established in two large randomized, placebo-controlled, multinational pivotal trials. Still, clinical evidence from routine practice is needed to complement the data from the pivotal trials. Methods OPTIPARK (NCT02847442) was a prospective, open-label, single-arm trial conducted in Germany and the UK under clinical practice conditions. Patients with Parkinson’s disease and motor fluctuations were treated with opicapone 50 mg for 3 (Germany) or 6 (UK) months in addition to their current levodopa and other antiparkinsonian treatments. The primary endpoint was the Clinician’s Global Impression of Change (CGI-C) after 3 months. Secondary assessments included Patient Global Impressions of Change (PGI-C), the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-8), and the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS). Safety assessments included evaluation of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs). Results Of the 506 patients enrolled, 495 (97.8%) took at least one dose of opicapone. Of these, 393 (79.4%) patients completed 3 months of treatment. Overall, 71.3 and 76.9% of patients experienced any improvement on CGI-C and PGI-C after 3 months, respectively (full analysis set). At 6 months, for UK subgroup only (n = 95), 85.3% of patients were judged by investigators as improved since commencing treatment. UPDRS scores at 3 months showed statistically significant improvements in activities of daily living during OFF (mean ± SD change from baseline: − 3.0 ± 4.6, p < 0.0001) and motor scores during ON (− 4.6 ± 8.1, p < 0.0001). The mean ± SD improvements of − 3.4 ± 12.8 points for PDQ-8 and -6.8 ± 19.7 points for NMSS were statistically significant versus baseline (both p < 0.0001). Most of TEAEs (94.8% of events) were of mild or moderate intensity. TEAEs considered to be at least possibly related to opicapone were reported for 45.1% of patients, with dyskinesia (11.5%) and dry mouth (6.5%) being the most frequently reported. Serious TEAEs considered at least possibly related to opicapone were reported for 1.4% of patients. Conclusions Opicapone 50 mg was effective and generally well-tolerated in PD patients with motor fluctuations treated in clinical practice. Trial registration Registered in July 2016 at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02847442)

Abstracts from the 8th International Conference on cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications

This work was supported by a restricted research grant of Bayer AG

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

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