Hormonale Kontrazeption mit einem Dienogest-haltigen Präparat: Ergebnisse einer 7-Jahres-Studie

Das orale Kontrazeptivum Valette© der Firma Jenapharm enthält die Wirkstoffe Ethinylestradiol (0,03 mg) und Dienogest (2,0 mg). In der ersten und bisher einzigen Langzeituntersuchung über das neue Gestagen Dienogest wurden die Einflüsse auf den Zyklusverlauf, den Lipoproteinstoffwechsel, hämatologische Parameter, Serumproteine, Ionen und das Antioxidative System über 7 Jahre untersucht. Im Mittelpunkt des Interesses standen die Einflüsse des Dienogest mit seiner hohen gestagenen Potenz und seiner anti- androgenen Partialwirkung, sowie die Auswirkungen der gering dosierten Estrogenkomponente. Es gelang für Valette© eine positive bis inerte Auswirkung auf den Stoffwechsel, ein außerordentlich stabiles Zyklusmuster und eine sehr gute kontrazeptive Potenz nachzuweisen

Freiwilligenarbeit im Safer Nightlife-Ansatz : Motivation ehrenamtlicher Arbeit im Kontext der Gesundheitsförderung im Nachtleben am Beispiel des Projektes (apo)THEKE Safer Nightlife des Diakonischen Werkes Stadtmission Dresden e.V.

Die Bachelorarbeit befasst sich mit dem Projekt (apo)THEKE Safer Nightlife des Diakonischen Werkes Stadtmission Dresden e.V. Untersucht wird die Motivation ehrenamtlicher Arbeit im Kontext der Gesundheitsförderung im Nachtleben. Der Schwerpunkt der Arbeit liegt dabei auf einer qualitativen Erhebung mittels narrativen Interviews, die zur Ermittlung von Ergebnissen für den gewählten Forschungsgegenstand führen sollen. Dazu wurde vorbereitend eine Literaturrecherche durchgeführt, um der empirischen Untersuchung ein Ausgangsbasis bereitzustellen. Als Auswertungsinstrument fungierte die qualitative Inhaltsanalyse in Form eines Kategoriensystems

Inhibition of the photoinduced structural phase transition in the excitonic insulator Ta2_2NiSe5_5

Femtosecond time-resolved mid-infrared reflectivity is used to investigate the electron and phonon dynamics occurring at the direct band gap of the excitonic insulator Ta$_2$NiSe$_5$ below the critical temperature of its structural phase transition. We find that the phonon dynamics show a strong coupling to the excitation of free carriers at the \Gamma\ point of the Brillouin zone. The optical response saturates at a critical excitation fluence $F_C = 0.30~\pm~0.08$~mJ/cm$^2$ due to optical absorption saturation. This limits the optical excitation density in Ta$_2$NiSe$_5$ so that the system cannot be pumped sufficiently strongly to undergo the structural change to the high-temperature phase. We thereby demonstrate that Ta$_2$NiSe$_5$ exhibits a blocking mechanism when pumped in the near-infrared regime, preventing a nonthermal structural phase transition

How viruses hijack the ERAD tuning machinery

An essential step during the intracellular life cycle of many positive-strand RNA viruses is the rearrangement of host cell membranes to generate membrane-bound replication platforms. For example, Nidovirales and Flaviviridae subvert the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) for their replication. However, the absence of conventional ER and secretory pathway markers in virus-induced ER-derived membranes has for a long time hampered a thorough understanding of their biogenesis. Recent reports highlight the analogies between mouse hepatitis virus-, equine arteritis virus-, and Japanese encephalitis virus-induced replication platforms and ER-associated degradation (ERAD) tuning vesicles (or EDEMosomes) that display nonlipidated LC3 at their cytosolic face and segregate the ERAD factors EDEM1, OS-9, and SEL1L from the ER lumen. In this Gem, we briefly summarize the current knowledge on ERAD tuning pathways and how they might be hijacked for viral genome replication. As ERAD tuning components, such as SEL1L and nonlipidated LC3, appear to contribute to viral infection, these cellular pathways represent novel candidate drug targets to combat positive-strand RNA viruses

Proteostasis: bad news and good news from the endoplasmic reticulum

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an intracellular compartment dedicated to the synthesis and maturation of secretory and membrane proteins, totalling about 30% of the total eukaryotic cells proteome. The capacity to produce correctly folded polypeptides and to transport them to their correct intra- or extracellular destinations relies on proteostasis networks that regulate and balance the activity of protein folding, quality control, transport and degradation machineries. Nutrient and environmental changes, pathogen infection aging and, more relevant for the topics discussed in this review, mutations that impair attainment of the correct 3D structure of nascent polypeptide chains may compromise the activity of the proteostasis networks with devastating consequences on cells, organs and organisms’ homeostasis. Here we present a review of mechanisms regulating folding and quality control of proteins expressed in the ER, and we describe the protein degradation and the ER stress pathways activated by the expression of misfolded proteins in the ER lumen. Finally, we highlight select examples of proteopathies (also known as conformational disorders or protein misfolding diseases) caused by protein misfolding in the ER and/or affecting cellular proteostasis and therapeutic interventions that might alleviate or cure the disease symptoms

Inhibition of the photoinduced structural phase transition in the excitonic insulator Ta2NiSe5{\mathrm{Ta}}_{2}{\mathrm{NiSe}}_{5}

Femtosecond time-resolved midinfrared reflectivity is used to investigate the electron and phonon dynamics occurring at the direct band gap of the excitonic insulator Ta2NiSe5 below the critical temperature of its structural phase transition. We find that the phonon dynamics show a strong coupling to the excitation of free carriers at the Γ point of the Brillouin zone. The optical response saturates at a critical excitation fluence FC=0.30±0.08 mJ/cm2 due to optical absorption saturation. This limits the optical excitation density in Ta2NiSe5 so that the system cannot be pumped sufficiently strongly to undergo the structural change to the high-temperature phase. We thereby demonstrate that Ta2NiSe5 exhibits a blocking mechanism when pumped in the near-infrared regime, preventing a nonthermal structural phase transition

Human uncertainty in interaction with a machine: establishing a reference dataset

We investigate the task of malformed object classification in an industrial setting, where the term ‘malformed’ encompasses objects that are misshapen, distorted, corroded or broken. Recognizing whether such an object can be repaired, taken apart so that its components can be used otherwise, or dispatched for recycling, is a difficult classification task. Despite the progress of artificial intelligence for the classification of objects based on images, the classification of malformed objects still demands human involvement, because each such object is unique. Ideally, the intelligent machine should demand expert support only when it is uncertain about the class. But what if the human is also uncertain? Such a case must be recognized before being dealt with. Goal of this research thread is to establish a reference dataset on human uncertainty for such a classification problem and to derive indicators of uncertainty from sensory inputs. To this purpose, we designed an experiment for an object classification scenario where the uncertainty can be directly linked to the difficulty of labelling each object. By thus controlling uncertainty, we intend to build up a reference dataset and investigate how different sensory inputs can serve as uncertainty indicators for these data

Integration vor Ort: Ein boomendes Aufgabenfeld zwischen zivilgesellschaftlichem Engagement und querschnittsorientierter Kommunalpolitik

Die Art und Weise des Zusammenlebens im Quartier (Stadtteil) und das dort vorhandene zivilgesellschaftliche Engagement haben nachhaltigen Einfluss darauf, wie soziale Integration abläuft. Für die erfolgreiche Integration vor Ort ist jedoch der gesamte kommunale Kontext entscheidend - eine Verengung des Blicks auf die Ebene des Quartiers ist daher nicht sinnvoll. Neben den für die soziale Integration maßgeblichen kommunalpolitischen Initiativen und Maßnahmen (z.B. Wohnungspolitik, soziale Arbeit) beeinflussen auch die spezifischen lokalen Debatten die Art und Weise der Integration. Für die Ausgestaltung einer integrierenden Stadtentwicklungspolitik bestehen auf kommunaler Ebene Spielräume und verschiedene Ansatzpunkte - beispielsweise die Einrichtung von Ehrenamtsagenturen, die vorausschauende Zusammenarbeit mit der lokalen Wirtschaft, die Förderung einer Anerkennungskultur und nicht zuletzt der flexible Umgang mit aufenthaltsrechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen

Detection of Tumor Cell-Specific mRNA in the Peripheral Blood of Patients with Breast Cancer-Evaluation of Several Markers with Real-Time Reverse Transcription-PCR

It is widely known that cells from epithelial tumors, e. g., breast cancer, detach from their primary tissue and enter blood circulation. We show that the presence of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in samples of patients with primary and metastatic breast cancer can be detected with an array of selected tumor-marker-genes by reverse transcription real-time PCR. The focus of the presented work is on detecting differences in gene expression between healthy individuals and adjuvant and metastatic breast cancer patients, not an accurate quantification of these differences. Therefore, total RNA was isolated from blood samples of healthy donors and patients with primary or metastatic breast cancer after enrichment of mononuclear cells by density gradient centrifugation. After reverse transcription real-time PCR was carried out with a set of marker genes (BCSP, CK8, Her2, MGL, CK18, CK19). B2M and GAPDH were used as reference genes. Blood samples from patients with metastatic disease revealed increased cytokine gene levels in comparison to normal blood samples. Detection of a single gene was not sufficient to detect CTCs by reverse transcription real-time PCR. Markers used here were selected based on a recent study detecting cancer cells on different protein levels. The combination of such a marker array leads to higher and more specific discovery rates, predominantly in metastatic patients. Identification of CTCs by PCR methods may lead to better diagnosis and prognosis and could help to choose an adequate therapy