Relevant factors for the impact of social media marketing strategies: Empirical study of the internet travel agency sector

Projecte final de carrera fet en col.laboració amb Karlsruher Institut für TechnologieEnglish: Final proyect with the topic "relevant factors for the impact of social media marketing strategies - an empirical study of the internet travel agency sector" at Faculty of Informatics and the chair of management. Supervised by Ferran Sabaté and Antonio Cañabate. Student Philipp Lebherz

Diversität von psychrophilen sulfatreduzierenden und thermophilen sporenbildenden Mikroorganismen im arktischen Meeressediment vor Spitzbergen

Mehr als 90 % des Meeresbodens weist eine Temperatur von unter 4 ° C auf und stellt somit einen wichtigen Lebensraum für marine Mikroorganismen dar. Durch DsrAB-Stammbaumanalyse konnte ein Einblick in die Diversität von sulfatreduzierenden Mikroorganismen (SRM) in diesem Lebensraum gewonnen werden. Der Vergleich zweier mariner Standorte vor der Westküste von Svalbard ergab eine unterschiedliche phylogenetische Zusammensetzung. So bildeten die Mehrheit der gefundenen OTUs (67 % der Sequenzen) des Sediment des nördlicher gelegenen Smeerenburgfjorden (Station J) eine tiefzweigende, monophyletische Gruppe, welche keine Verwandtschaft zu kultivierbaren SRM aufwies, während der Großteil der erhaltenen OTUs (52 % der Sequenzen), isoliert aus dem Sediment von van Mijenfjorden (Station AH) den Deltaproteobacteria zugeordnet werden konnte. Ein weiteres Ziel dieser Arbeit war die Durchführung einer 16S-rRNS-Stammbaumanalyse sowie die Quantifizierung von sporenbildenden, thermophilen Mikroorganismen in arktischem Sediment, isoliert aus zwei Inkubationsreihen bei 50 °C mit, bzw. ohne initialer Zugabe von organischen Substraten. Die Quantifizierung von thermophilen SRM zeigte für beide Inkubationen nach einer anfänglichen Erhöhung der Gen-Abundanz, eine gleichbleibende Kopienzahl der DNS-Matrize für die restliche Inkubation. Die initiale Substratzugabe schien dabei keinen Einfluss auf das Wachstum der SRM, aber auf ihre metabolische Aktivität zu haben. Anhand der phylogenetische Analyse konnte die Mehrheit der Sequenzen (54 %), welche mit allgemeinen 16S-rRNS-Primern amplifiziert wurden, der Klasse der Clostridia zugeordnet werden. 20 % aller Sequenzen gruppierten dabei innerhalb der Gattung Desulfotomaculum, welche Vertreter beinhaltet, die in der Lage sind durch Endosporen extreme Bedingungen zu überdauern. Des Weiteren wurden Sequenzen identifiziert, welche eine hohe Sequenzähnlichkeit zu Vertretern der Gattungen Tepidibacter, Caloranaerobacter und Garciella aufwiesen. Diese Linien beinhalten thermophile Organismen, welche Kohlenhydrate und Proteine zu kurzkettigen freien Fettsäuren abbauen und somit SRM Elektronendonoren zu Verfügung stellen. Einige Vertreter dieser Linien sind mit Ölreservoirs oder heißen marinen Quellen assoziiert, welche möglicherweise den Ursprung der thermophilen Organismen in diesem Habitat darstellen.Since 90 % of the marine sediment has a temperature below 4 °C it is a very important habitat for microorganisms. It was possible to gain insight into the diversity of sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) in this habitat by analysing DsrAB-sequences. The comparison of two different fjord sediments on the west coast of Svalbard in the Arctic showed differences in the phylogeny of SRB. Most (67 %) of the sequences obtained from the northern Smeerenburgfjorden sediment (station J), showed no affinity to cultivated SRB and generated a monophyletic, deeply branching group within the tree. However, the majority the sequences (52 %) obtained from sediment of the southern van Mijenfjorden (Station AH) were related to the Deltaproteobacteria. Another aim of this study was the phylogenetic analysis and quantification of thermophilic, spore-forming microorganisms obtained from two incubations of arctic sediment at 50 °C. Volatile fatty acids (VFA) were added to one incubation at the beginning of the experiment. The quantification of the SRB showed an increase of 16S-rRNA gene abundance at the beginning of incubation. After this the gene abundance remained constant. Initial adding VFA seemed to have no effect on the growth rate but on the metabolic activity of the bacteria. The phylogenetic analysis showed that most of the sequences (54 %) - amplified with general 16S-rRNS-primers - belong to the class Clostridia. 20 % of all sequences grouped within the genus Desulfotomaculum, which are able to form endospores and are assumed to cause the increase of sulphate reduction at 50 °C. Moreover, sequences where identified which show a high similarity to bacteria of the genera Tepidibacter, Caloranaerobacter and Garciella. These lineages contain thermophilic microorganisms able to catabolize carbohydrates and proteins to VFA that serve as electron-donors for SRB. Some microorganisms of these genera are associated with oil reservoirs or hydrothermal vents, which may serve as sources for the thermophilic population in the arctic sediment

Gene transfer of wild-type apoA-I and apoA-I Milano reduce atherosclerosis to a similar extent

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The atheroprotective effects of systemic delivery of either apolipoprotein A-I (wtApoA-I) or the naturally occurring mutant ApoA-I Milano (ApoA-I_M) have been established in animal and human trials, but direct comparison studies evaluating the phenotype of ApoA-I or ApoAI-Milano knock-in mice or bone marrow transplantated animals with selectively ApoA-I or ApoAI-Milano transduced macrophages give conflicting results regarding the superior performance of either one. We therefore sought to compare the two forms of apoA-I using liver-directed somatic gene transfer in hypercholesterinemic mice – a model which is most adequately mimicking the clinical setting.</p> <p>Methods and results</p> <p>Vectors based on AAV serotype 8 (AAV2.8) encoding wtApoA-I, ApoA-I_Mor green fluorescent protein (GFP) as control were constructed. LDL receptor deficient mice were fed a Western Diet. After 8 weeks the AAV vectors were injected, and 6 weeks later atherosclerotic lesion size was determined by aortic <it>en face </it>analysis. Expression of wtApoA-I reduced progression of atherosclerosis by 32% compared with control (p = 0.02) and of ApoA-I_Mby 24% (p = 0.04). There was no significant difference between the two forms of ApoA-I in inhibiting atherosclerosis progression.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Liver-directed AAV2.8-mediated gene transfer of wtApoA-I and ApoA-I_Meach significantly reduced atherosclerosis progression to a similar extent.</p

Relevant factors for the impact of social media marketing strategies: Empirical study of the internet travel agency sector

Projecte final de carrera fet en col.laboració amb Karlsruher Institut für TechnologieEnglish: Final proyect with the topic "relevant factors for the impact of social media marketing strategies - an empirical study of the internet travel agency sector" at Faculty of Informatics and the chair of management. Supervised by Ferran Sabaté and Antonio Cañabate. Student Philipp Lebherz

Interleukin-6 predicts inflammation-induced increase of Glucagon-like peptide-1 in humans in response to cardiac surgery with association to parameters of glucose metabolism

Objective: Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) is an incretin hormone, which gets secreted in response to nutritional stimuli from the gut mediating glucose-dependent insulin secretion. Interestingly, GLP-1 was recently found to be also increased in response to inflammatory stimuli in an interleukin 6 (IL-6) dependent manner in mice. The relevance of this finding to humans is unknown but has been suggested by the presence of high circulating GLP-1 levels in critically ill patients that correlated with markers of inflammation. This study was performed to elucidate, whether a direct link exists between inflammation and GLP-1 secretion in humans. Research design and methods: We enrolled 22 non-diabetic patients scheduled for cardiac surgery as a reproducible inflammatory stimulus with repeated blood sampling before and after surgery. Results: Mean total circulating GLP-1 levels significantly increased in response to surgery from 25.5 +/- 15.6 pM to 51.9 +/- 42.7 pM which was not found in a control population. This was preceded by an early rise of IL6, which was significantly associated with GLP-1 under inflammatory but not basal conditions. Using repeated measure ANCOVA, IL6 best predicted the observed kinetics of GLP-1, followed by blood glucose concentrations and cortisol plasma levels. Furthermore, GLP-1 plasma concentrations significantly predicted endogenous insulin production as assessed by C-peptide concentrations over time, while an inverse association was found for insulin infusion rate. Conclusion: We found GLP-1 secretion to be increased in response to inflammatory stimuli in humans, which was associated to parameters of glucose metabolism and best predicted by IL6

Increased plasma vaspin concentration in patients with sepsis: an exploratory examination

Introduction: Vaspin (visceral adipose tissue-derived serpin) was first described as an insulin-sensitizing adipose tissue hormone. Recently its anti-inflammatory function has been demonstrated. Since no appropriate data is available yet, we sought to investigate the plasma concentrations of vaspin in sepsis. Materials and methods: 57 patients in intensive care, fulfilling the ACCP/SCCM criteria for sepsis, were prospectively included in our exploratory study. The control group consisted of 48 critically ill patients, receiving intensive care after trauma or major surgery. Patients were matched by age, sex, weight and existence of diabetes before statistical analysis. Blood samples were collected on the day of diagnosis. Vaspin plasma concentrations were measured using a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Vaspin concentrations were significantly higher in septic patients compared to the control group (0.3 (0.1-0.4) ng/mL vs. 0.1 (0.0-0.3) ng/mL, respectively; P < 0.001). Vaspin concentration showed weak positive correlation with concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP) (r = 0.31, P = 0.002) as well as with SAPS II (r = 0.34, P = 0.002) and maximum of SOFA (r = 0.39, P < 0.001) scoring systems, as tested for the overall study population. Conclusion: In the sepsis group, vaspin plasma concentration was about three-fold as high as in the median surgical control group. We demonstrated a weak positive correlation between vaspin and CRP concentration, as well as with two scoring systems commonly used in intensive care settings. Although there seems to be some connection between vaspin and inflammation, its role in human sepsis needs to be evaluated further

Increased plasma zonulin in patients with sepsis

Introduction: Zonulin is a eukaryotic protein structurally similar to Vibrio cholerae’s zonula occludens toxin. It plays an important role in the opening of small intestine tight junctions. The loss of gut wall integrity during sepsis might be pivotal and has been described in various experimental as well as human studies. Increased levels of zonulin could be demonstrated in diseases associated with increased intestinal inflammation, such as celiac disease and type 1 diabetes. We therefore investigated the role of plasma levels of zonulin in patients with sepsis as a non-invasive marker of gut wall integrity. Materials and methods: Plasma level of zonulin was measured in 25 patients with sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock according to ACCP/SCCM criteria at the first day of diagnosed sepsis. 18 non-septic post-surgical ICU-patients and 20 healthy volunteers served as control. Plasma levels were determined by using commercially available ELISA kit. Data are given as median and interquartile range (IQR). Results: Significantly higher plasma concentration of zonulin were found in the sepsis group: 6.61 ng/mL (IQR 3.51-9.46), as compared to the to the post-surgical control group: 3.40 ng/mL (IQR 2.14-5.70) (P = 0.025), as well as to the healthy group: 3.55 ng/mL (IQR 3.14-4.14) (P = 0.008). Conclusion: We were able demonstrate elevated levels of plasma zonulin, a potential marker of intestinal permeability in septic patients. Increased zonulin may serve as an additional mechanism for the observed increased intestinal permeability during sepsis and SIRS

AAV-mediated photoreceptor transduction of the pig cone-enriched retina

Recent success in clinical trials supports the use of adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors for gene therapy of retinal diseases caused by defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). In contrast, evidence of the efficacy of AAV-mediated gene transfer to retinal photoreceptors, the major site of inherited retinal diseases, is less robust. In addition, although AAV-mediated RPE transduction appears efficient, independently of the serotype used and species treated, AAV-mediated photoreceptor gene transfer has not been systematically investigated thus so far in large animal models, which also may allow identifying relevant species-specific differences in AAV-mediated retinal transduction. In the present study, we used the porcine retina, which has a high cone/rod ratio. This feature allows to properly evaluate both cone and rod photoreceptors transduction and compare the transduction characteristics of AAV2/5 and 2/8, the two most efficient AAV vector serotypes for photoreceptor targeting. Here we show that AAV2/5 and 2/8 transduces both RPE and photoreceptors. AAV2/8 infects and transduces photoreceptor more efficiently than AAV2/5, similarly to what we have observed in the murine retina. The use of the photoreceptor-specific rhodopsin promoter restricts transgene expression to porcine rods and cones, and results in photoreceptor transduction levels similar to those obtained with the ubiquitous promoters tested. Finally, immunological, toxicological and biodistribution studies support the safety of AAV subretinal administration to the large porcine retina. The data presented here on AAV-mediated transduction of the cone-enriched porcine retina may affect the development of gene-based therapies for rare and common severe photoreceptor diseases

Sequence Analysis of the Cloned mRNA Coding for Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenase from Chicken Heart Muscle

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66279/1/j.1432-1033.1983.tb07239.x.pd