Eichenprozessionsspinner in Mecklenburg Vorpommern

Oak Processionary Moth in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerani

One-dimensional metal chains on Pt vicinal surfaces

High-density arrays (5 x 10(6) cm(-1)) of parallel nanowires have been grown using the vicinal Pt(997) surface as a template. Single monatomic rows of Ag and Cu can be deposited with subrow precision. We demonstrate real-time monitoring and characterization of the growth of the atomic chains as a function of temperature by thermal energy helium atom scattering. Scanning tunneling microscopy provides further insight into the structure of the metal rows. Growth mode and alloying with the Pt substrate are discussed as a function of temperature. Our results provide the basis for the creation of surfaces with a uniform distribution of wires having the same average width for the investigation of the electronic, magnetic, and chemical properties of one-dimensional and quasi-one-dimensional metal structures

Frenkel and charge transfer excitons in C60

We have studied the low energy electronic excitations of C60 using momentum dependent electron energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission. The momentum dependent intensity of the gap excitation allows the first direct experimental determination of the energy of the 1Hg excitation and thus also of the total width of the multiplet resulting from the gap transition. In addition, we could elucidate the nature of the following excitations - as either Frenkel or charge transfer excitons.Comment: RevTEX, 3 Figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.

Structure and magnetism of atomically thin Fe layers on flat and vicinal Pt surfaces

Ultrathin Fe films on Pt substrates have been investigated under ultrahigh vacuum conditions by scanning tunneling microscopy, low energy electron diffraction, magneto-optical Kerr effect, x-ray magnetic circular dichroism measurements, and Kerr microscopy. We present a comparison between Fe films on flat Pt(111) and stepped Pt(997), with particular focus on the magnetic anisotropy in the submonolayer thickness range below 0.2 monolayer coverage, and above the spin reorientation transition at 3 monolayer thickness. The comparison of structure and magnetism suggests that the perpendicular easy axis found for films thinner than three monolayers is due to dominating contributions from both film interfaces to the anisotropy energy. The Fe-Pt interface contribution has its origin in the hybridization of the Fe 3d with the Pt 5d band. The in-plane magnetic anisotropy above 3 atomic layers film thickness can be correlated directly with peculiarities of the film structure

MOG-IgG in NMO and related disorders: a multicenter study of 50 patients. Part 1: Frequency, syndrome specificity, influence of disease activity, long-term course, association with AQP4-IgG, and origin

BACKGROUND: Antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG) have been suggested to play a role in a subset of patients with neuromyelitis optica and related disorders. OBJECTIVE: To assess (i) the frequency of MOG-IgG in a large and predominantly Caucasian cohort of patients with optic neuritis (ON) and/or myelitis; (ii) the frequency of MOG-IgG among AQP4-IgG-positive patients and vice versa; (iii) the origin and frequency of MOG-IgG in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF); (iv) the presence of MOG-IgG at disease onset; and (v) the influence of disease activity and treatment status on MOG-IgG titers. METHODS: 614 serum samples from patients with ON and/or myelitis and from controls, including 92 follow-up samples from 55 subjects, and 18 CSF samples were tested for MOG-IgG using a live cell-based assay (CBA) employing full-length human MOG-transfected HEK293A cells. RESULTS: MOG-IgG was detected in 95 sera from 50 patients with ON and/or myelitis, including 22/54 (40.7 %) patients with a history of both ON and myelitis, 22/103 (21.4 %) with a history of ON but no myelitis and 6/45 (13.3 %) with a history of longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis but no ON, and in 1 control patient with encephalitis and a connective tissue disorder, all of whom were negative for AQP4-IgG. MOG-IgG was absent in 221 further controls, including 83 patients with AQP4-IgG-seropositive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders and 85 with multiple sclerosis (MS). MOG-IgG was found in 12/18 (67 %) CSF samples from MOG-IgG-seropositive patients; the MOG-IgG-specific antibody index was negative in all cases, indicating a predominantly peripheral origin of CSF MOG-IgG. Serum and CSF MOG-IgG belonged to the complement-activating IgG1 subclass. MOG-IgG was present already at disease onset. The antibodies remained detectable in 40/45 (89 %) follow-up samples obtained over a median period of 16.5 months (range 0-123). Serum titers were higher during attacks than during remission (p < 0.0001), highest during attacks of simultaneous myelitis and ON, lowest during acute isolated ON, and declined following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: To date, this is the largest cohort studied for IgG to human full-length MOG by means of an up-to-date CBA. MOG-IgG is present in a substantial subset of patients with ON and/or myelitis, but not in classical MS. Co-existence of MOG-IgG and AQP4-IgG is highly uncommon. CSF MOG-IgG is of extrathecal origin. Serum MOG-IgG is present already at disease onset and remains detectable in the long-term course. Serum titers depend on disease activity and treatment status

Cerebrospinal fluid findings in patients with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies. Part 1: Results from 163 lumbar punctures in 100 adult patients

BACKGROUND: New-generation cell-based assays have demonstrated a robust association of serum autoantibodies to full-length human myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG-IgG) with (mostly recurrent) optic neuritis, myelitis, and brainstem encephalitis, as well as with neuromyelitis optica (NMO)-like or acute-disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM)-like presentations. However, only limited data are yet available on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) findings in MOG-IgG-associated encephalomyelitis (MOG-EM; also termed MOG antibody-associated disease, MOGAD). OBJECTIVE: To describe systematically the CSF profile in MOG-EM. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cytological and biochemical findings (including white cell counts and differentiation; frequency and patterns of oligoclonal bands; IgG/IgM/IgA and albumin concentrations and CSF/serum ratios; intrathecal IgG/IgA/IgM fractions; locally produced IgG/IgM/IgA concentrations; immunoglobulin class patterns; IgG/IgA/IgM reibergrams; Link index; measles/rubella/zoster (MRZ) reaction; other anti-viral and anti-bacterial antibody indices; CSF total protein; CSF L-lactate) from 163 lumbar punctures in 100 adult patients of mainly Caucasian descent with MOG-EM were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Most strikingly, CSF-restricted oligoclonal IgG bands, a hallmark of multiple sclerosis (MS), were absent in almost 90% of samples (N = 151), and the MRZ reaction, the most specific laboratory marker of MS known so far, in 100% (N = 62). If present, intrathecal IgG (and, more rarely, IgM) synthesis was low, often transient and mostly restricted to acute attacks. CSF WCC was elevated in > 50% of samples (median 31 cells/μl; mostly lymphocytes and monocytes; > 100/μl in 12%). Neutrophils were present in > 40% of samples; activated lymphocytes were found less frequently and eosinophils and/or plasma cells only very rarely (< 4%). Blood-CSF barrier dysfunction (as indicated by an elevated albumin CSF/serum ratio) was present in 48% of all samples and at least once in 55% of all patients (N = 88) tested. The frequency and degree of CSF alterations were significantly higher in patients with acute myelitis than in patients with acute ON and varied strongly depending on attack severity. CSF L-lactate levels correlated significantly with the spinal cord lesion load in patients with acute myelitis (p < 0.0001). Like pleocytosis, blood-CSF barrier dysfunction was present also during remission in a substantial number of patients. CONCLUSION: MOG-IgG-positive EM is characterized by CSF features that are distinct from those in MS. Our findings are important for the differential diagnosis of MS and MOG-EM and add to the understanding of the immunopathogenesis of this newly described autoimmune disease

Shifting the Paradigm: The Putative Mitochondrial Protein ABCB6 Resides in the Lysosomes of Cells and in the Plasma Membrane of Erythrocytes

ABCB6, a member of the adenosine triphosphate–binding cassette (ABC) transporter family, has been proposed to be responsible for the mitochondrial uptake of porphyrins. Here we show that ABCB6 is a glycoprotein present in the membrane of mature erythrocytes and in exosomes released from reticulocytes during the final steps of erythroid maturation. Consistent with its presence in exosomes, endogenous ABCB6 is localized to the endo/lysosomal compartment, and is absent from the mitochondria of cells. Knock-down studies demonstrate that ABCB6 function is not required for de novo heme biosynthesis in differentiating K562 cells, excluding this ABC transporter as a key regulator of porphyrin synthesis. We confirm the mitochondrial localization of ABCB7, ABCB8 and ABCB10, suggesting that only three ABC transporters should be classified as mitochondrial proteins. Taken together, our results challenge the current paradigm linking the expression and function of ABCB6 to mitochondria