Romandramatische Textverhältnisse

Im Zuge der Postdramatik, welche sich im vergangenen Jahrzehnt als theatrale Form zunehmend auf der Bühne etablierte und die Hierarchie des Theatertextes gegenüber anderen Bühnen- und Theaterelementen in Frage stellte, hat sich in jüngster Vergangenheit besonders ein Trend auf den deutschsprachigen Theaterbühnen herausgezeichnet: Die Inszenierung von Romanen für die Bühne. In Folge der Romandramatisierung ist der Theatertext nach Form und Inhalt nicht mehr ein dramatischer Text und der historischen Trias von Lyrik, Epik und Dramatik zuzuordnen, sondern verlangt nach einem neuen Verständnis auf Gattungs- und Bedeutungsebene. Frank Castorf, Regisseur, Intendant und Autor an der Berliner Volksbühne spezialisierte sich in seiner Theaterarbeit auf die Adaptierung von Romanen. Für eine Untersuchung der Übertragungsmomente durch den Gattungswechsel ist nicht nur die Kategorisierung und Definition der Gattung Romandramatisierung in der gattungshistorischen Trias zwischen Roman und Drama erforderlich, sondern auch eine Untersuchung der Theaterästhetik Castorfs und seiner zur Dramatisierung ausgewählten Grundlagentexte. Die hier analysierte Bühnenfassung basiert auf Alfred Döblins Roman Berlin Alexanderplatz. Die Geschichte vom Franz Biberkopf. Die beiden Autoren Castorf und Döblin arbeiten mit ähnlichen oder parallelen Ästhetischen Verfahrensweisen, wie durch die Untersuchung ersichtlich wird. Eine dritte Komponente in der Analyse von Romandramatisierungen bildet die konkrete Textanalyse zur Verdeutlichung der Prozesse durch die Gattungsübertragung. Zeitgenössische Dramenanalyse steht hier vor dem Problem, angemessene Analysekriterien für die Romandramatisierung zu finden. Da für ein adäquates Analysemodell die aristotelischen Grundkonzepte eines Dramas für den entstandenen Text als unzureichend erklärt werden, fordert die entstandene Gattung nach einer Erweiterung der klassischen Dramenanalyse. Im Kontext der Theaterästhetik Castorfs, die sich zwischen dramatischen und postdramatischen Theater bewegt, ist die Hinzuziehung postdramatischer Stilmittel vonnöten. In der Textanalyse der Romandramatisierung werden somit die Kriterien Text, Sprache, Figur und Körper, Geschichte und Handlung, Raum und Zeit und ergänzend die Komponente der Postdramatischen Intermedialität untersucht

Development and evaluation of an interdisciplinary teaching model via 3D printing

The investigation aimed to assess the feasibility of creating an interdisciplinary training model simulating endodontic, restorative as well as implantologic treatment procedures by using 3D printing technology. A CBCT scan of the mandible of a real patient was initially taken. The generated DICOM-data were converted to a STL-file, which was further processed to design spaces for exchangeable replica teeth, a bone segment and an adapter to fix the model in a mannequin's head. After the manufacturing process, the model was evaluated by dental students performing a root canal treatment, the insertion of a glass fibre post and the insertion of an implant. The workflow allowed a simple and cost-effective way of manufacturing a single model, which is suitable for several training scenarios in the fields of endodontics, prosthodontics and implantology. The model was rated as being comparable to the real patient situation and offers repetitive treatment simulations. The present workflow is a feasible way of using DICOM-data and 3D printing for an interdisciplinary training model. The dental schools can design models according to their own curriculum and put the focus on a patient centered education

Inactivation and inducible oncogenic mutation of p53 in gene targeted pigs.

Mutation of the tumor suppressor p53 plays a major role in human carcinogenesis. Here we describe gene-targeted porcine mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and live pigs carrying a latent TP53(R167H) mutant allele, orthologous to oncogenic human mutant TP53(R175H) and mouse Trp53(R172H), that can be activated by Cre recombination. MSCs carrying the latent TP53(R167H) mutant allele were analyzed in vitro. Homozygous cells were p53 deficient, and on continued culture exhibited more rapid proliferation, anchorage independent growth, and resistance to the apoptosis-inducing chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin, all characteristic of cellular transformation. Cre mediated recombination activated the latent TP53(R167H) allele as predicted, and in homozygous cells expressed mutant p53-R167H protein at a level ten-fold greater than wild-type MSCs, consistent with the elevated levels found in human cancer cells. Gene targeted MSCs were used for nuclear transfer and fifteen viable piglets were produced carrying the latent TP53(R167H) mutant allele in heterozygous form. These animals will allow study of p53 deficiency and expression of mutant p53-R167H to model human germline, or spontaneous somatic p53 mutation. This work represents the first inactivation and mutation of the gatekeeper tumor suppressor gene TP53 in a non-rodent mammal

Ketogenic diet and fasting diet as Nutritional Approaches in Multiple Sclerosis (NAMS): protocol of a randomized controlled study

BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common inflammatory disease of the central nervous system in young adults that may lead to progressive disability. Since pharmacological treatments may have substantial side effects, there is a need for complementary treatment options such as specific dietary approaches. Ketone bodies that are produced during fasting diets (FDs) and ketogenic diets (KDs) are an alternative and presumably more efficient energy source for the brain. Studies on mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis showed beneficial effects of KDs and FDs on disease progression, disability, cognition and inflammatory markers. However, clinical evidence on these diets is scarce. In the clinical study protocol presented here, we investigate whether a KD and a FD are superior to a standard diet (SD) in terms of therapeutic effects and disease progression. METHODS: This study is a single-center, randomized, controlled, parallel-group study. One hundred and eleven patients with relapsing-remitting MS with current disease activity and stable immunomodulatory therapy or no disease-modifying therapy will be randomized to one of three 18-month dietary interventions: a KD with a restricted carbohydrate intake of 20-40 g/day; a FD with a 7-day fast every 6 months and 14-h daily intermittent fasting in between; and a fat-modified SD as recommended by the German Nutrition Society. The primary outcome measure is the number of new T2-weighted MRI lesions after 18 months. Secondary endpoints are safety, changes in relapse rate, disability progression, fatigue, depression, cognition, quality of life, changes of gut microbiome as well as markers of inflammation, oxidative stress and autophagy. Safety and feasibility will also be assessed. DISCUSSION: Preclinical data suggest that a KD and a FD may modulate immunity, reduce disease severity and promote remyelination in the mouse model of MS. However, clinical evidence is lacking. This study is the first clinical study investigating the effects of a KD and a FD on disease progression of MS

Einsatz von Protein- und Metabolit-Profiling-Methoden zur Unterscheidung von ökologischem und konventionellem Weizen

The interest in methods to proof organic food authenticity increases with the steadily rising popularity of food labelled organic. Profiling techniques enable the detection of a wide range of substances in biological samples. Together with bioinformatics tools these techniques are useful for biomarker searching, e. g. in plant extracts. Metabolomic and proteomic profiling techniques were used to screen organic and conventional wheat, originating from the DOK field trial in Switzerland. Up to 11 wheat varieties from three harvest years were analysed. We were able to detect a number of metabolites and proteins with significant differences between samples of conventional and organic grown wheat of the variety “Runal”. Results viewed across all 11 varieties indicated a higher influence of both the variety and the seasonal effects than the cultivation form. Nevertheless, PCA performed on metabolite data for the individual varieties and for individual growing seasons revealed a clustering according to the cultivation forms. Further research is necessary to assess, whether these methods can be applied to distinguish organic and conventional wheat from agricultural practice

Substrate binding disrupts dimerization and induces nucleotide exchange of the chloroplast GTPase Toc33

GTPases act as molecular switches to control many cellular processes, including signalling, protein translation and targeting. Switch activity can be regulated by external effector proteins or intrinsic properties, such as dimerization. The recognition and translocation of pre-proteins into chloroplasts [via the TOC/TIC (translocator at the outer envelope membrane of chloroplasts/inner envelope membrane of chloroplasts)] is controlled by two homologous receptor GTPases, Toc33 and Toc159, whose reversible dimerization is proposed to regulate translocation of incoming proteins in a GTP-dependent manner. Toc33 is a homodimerizing GTPase. Functional analysis suggests that homodimerization is a key step in the translocation process, the molecular functions of which, as well as the elements regulating this event, are largely unknown. In the present study, we show that homodimerization reduces the rate of nucleotide exchange, which is consistent with the observed orientation of the monomers in the crystal structure. Pre-protein binding induces a dissociation of the Toc33 homodimer and results in the exchange of GDP for GTP. Thus homodimerization does not serve to activate the GTPase activity as discussed many times previously, but to control the nucleotide-loading state. We discuss this novel regulatory mode and its impact on the current models of protein import into the chloroplast

Learning to classify organic and conventional wheat - a machine-learning driven approach using the MeltDB 2.0 metabolomics analysis platform

Kessler N, Bonte A, Albaum S, et al. Learning to classify organic and conventional wheat - a machine-learning driven approach using the MeltDB 2.0 metabolomics analysis platform. Frontiers in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology. 2015;3: 35.We present results of our machine learning approach to the problem of classifying GC-MS data originating from wheat grains of different farming systems. The aim is to investigate the potential of learning algorithms to classify GC-MS data to be either from conventionally grown or from organically grown samples and considering different cultivars. The motivation of our work is rather obvious on the background of nowadays increased demand for organic food in post-industrialized societies and the necessity to prove organic food authenticity. The background of our data set is given by up to eleven wheat cultivars that have been cultivated in both farming systems, organic and conventional, throughout three years. More than 300 GC-MS measurements were recorded and subsequently processed and analyzed in the MeltDB 2.0 metabolomics analysis platform, being briefly outlined in this paper. We further describe how unsupervised (t-SNE, PCA) and supervised (RF, SVM) methods can be applied for sample visualization and classification. Our results clearly show that years have most and wheat cultivars have second-most influence on the metabolic composition of a sample. We can also show, that for a given year and cultivar, organic and conventional cultivation can be distinguished by machine-learning algorithms

Association of distinct fine specificities of anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies with elevated immune responses to Prevotella intermedia in a subgroup of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and periodontitis

Objective In addition to the long-established link with smoking, periodontitis (PD) is also a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). To elucidate the mechanism by which PD could induce antibodies to citrullinated peptides (ACPA), we examine the antibody response to a novel citrullinated peptide from cytokeratin type I 13 identified in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), and compare the response to 4 other citrullinated peptides in patients with RA, well-characterized for PD and smoking. Methods The citrullinomes of GCF and periodontal tissue from people with PD were mapped by mass spectrometry. Antibodies to citrullinated peptides from cytokeratin type I 13 (cCK13), tenascin-C (cTNC5), vimentin (cVIM), enolase (CEP-1) and fibrinogen β (cFIBβ) were examined by ELISA in patients with RA (n=287) and osteoarthritis (OA) (n=330), and cross-reactivity assessed by inhibition assays. Results A novel citrullinated peptide cCK13-1 (444TSNASGR-cit-TSDV-cit-RP458) identified in GCF, exhibited elevated antibody responses in RA patients (24%). Anti-cCK13-1 antibodies correlated with anti-cTNC5 antibodies, and absorption experiments confirmed this was not due to cross-reactivity. Only anti-cCK13-1 and anti-cTNC5 were associated with antibodies to the periodontal pathogen Prevotella intermedia (p=0.05 and p =0.001 respectively), but not with antibodies to Porphyromonas gingivalis arginine gingipains. Antibodies to CEP-1, cFIBβ and cVIM correlated with each other, and with smoking and shared epitope risk factors in RA. Conclusion This study identifies two groups of ACPA fine specificities associated with different RA risk factors; one predominantly linked to smoking and shared epitope, the other linking anti- cTNC5 and cCK13-1 to infection with the periodontal pathogen P. intermedia

Successful Inhibition of Tumor Development by Specific Class-3 Semaphorins Is Associated with Expression of Appropriate Semaphorin Receptors by Tumor Cells

The class-3 semaphorins (sema3s) include seven family members. Six of them bind to neuropilin-1 (np1) or neuropilin-2 (np2) receptors or to both, while the seventh, sema3E, binds to the plexin-D1 receptor. Sema3B and sema3F were previously characterized as tumor suppressors and as inhibitors of tumor angiogenesis. To determine if additional class-3 semaphorins such as sema3A, sema3D, sema3E and sema3G possess anti-angiogenic and anti-tumorigenic properties, we expressed the recombinant full length semaphorins in four different tumorigenic cell lines expressing different combinations of class-3 semaphorin receptors. We show for the first time that sema3A, sema3D, sema3E and sema3G can function as potent anti-tumorigenic agents. All the semaphorins we examined were also able to reduce the concentration of tumor associated blood vessels although the potencies of the anti-angiogenic effects varied depending on the tumor cell type. Surprisingly, there was little correlation between the ability to inhibit tumor angiogenesis and their anti-tumorigenic activity. None of the semaphorins inhibited the adhesion of the tumor cells to plastic or fibronectin nor did they modulate the proliferation of tumor cells cultured in cell culture dishes. However, various semaphorins were able to inhibit the formation of soft agar colonies from tumor cells expressing appropriate semaphorin receptors, although in this case too the inhibitory effect was not always correlated with the anti-tumorigenic effect. In contrast, the anti-tumorigenic effect of each of the semaphorins correlated very well with tumor cell expression of specific signal transducing receptors for particular semaphorins. This correlation was not broken even in cases in which the tumor cells expressed significant concentrations of endogenous semaphorins. Our results suggest that combinations of different class-3 semaphorins may be more effective than single semaphorins in cases in which tumor cells express more than one type of semaphorin receptors

A new rating scale for adult ADHD based on the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90-R)

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults is increasingly recognized as a clinically important syndrome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric performance of a new scale for adult ADHD based on the widely used Symptom Checklist 90 Revised (SCL-90-R). Scale performance was assessed in a clinical study including 100 ADHD patients and 65 opiate-dependent patient controls, and in the Zurich study, an epidemiological age cohort followed over 30 years of adult life. Assessments included a ROC analysis of sensitivity and specificity, internal consistency, test-retest reliability, external validity and measurement invariance over nine testing occasions. The new scale showed a sensitivity and specificity of 75 and 54%, respectively, internal consistency over 0.8 (McDonald's omega, Cronbach's alpha), one-year test-retest reliabilities over 0.7, statistically significant and substantial correlations with two other validated self-rating scales of adult ADHD (R = 0.5 and 0.66, respectively), and an acceptable degree of longitudinal stability (i.e., measurement invariance). The proposed scale must be further evaluated, but these preliminary results indicate it could be a useful rating instrument for adult ADHD in situations where SCL-90-R data, but no specific ADHD assessment, are available, such as in retrospective data analysis or in prospective studies with limited methodical resources