Sicherung von Dämmen, Deichen und Stauanlagen : Handbuch für Theorie und Praxis ; Vol. V - 2015

Die Universität Siegen beschäftigt sich seit über 15 Jahren wissenschaftlich und im Bereich der anwendungsorientierten Forschung mit diesem Thema und hat dazu mittlerweile fünf Symposien durchgeführt. Mit der Veröffentlichung soll die langjährige Tradition als etablierte wissenschaftliche Plattform mit einem Wissensaustausch auf europäischer Ebene fortgesetzt werden. Die Bearbeitung dieser Thematik erfolgt auf der Basis der bewährten Kooperation zwischen Geotechnik und Wasserbau an der Universität Siegen. Aktuelle Ereignisse, wie z.B. die aus England oder Australien im Februar des Jahres 2014, machen uns aber auch deutlich, dass ein absoluter Schutz gegen Extremereignisse nicht möglich ist. Sie zeigen aber auch, dass dort wo technischer Hochwasserschutz konsequent umgesetzt wurde Schäden vermieden werden konnten. Wir sind nach den Ereignissen in den vergangenen Jahren aufgefordert wissenschaftlich noch leistungsfähigere und duktilere Systeme zu entwickeln. Weiter ist die Wissenschaft in der Pflicht, die Zivile Sicherheit im Hochwasser-schutz permanent zu bewerten, zu bearbeiten und ganzheitliche-interdisziplinäre und länderübergreifende Lösungen für die Zivilgesellschaft einzufordern

Diagnosis of inflammatory demyelination in biopsy specimens: a practical approach

Multiple sclerosis is the most frequent demyelinating disease in adults. It is characterized by demyelination, inflammation, gliosis and a variable loss of axons. Clinically and histologically, it shares features with other demyelinating and/or inflammatory CNS diseases. Diagnosis of an inflammatory demyelinating disease can be challenging, especially in small biopsy specimens. Here, we summarize the histological hallmarks and most important neuropathological differential diagnoses of early MS, and provide practical guidelines for the diagnosis of inflammatory demyelinating diseases

Severe acute respiratory syndrome diagnostics using a coronavirus protein microarray

To monitor severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infection, a coronavirus protein microarray that harbors proteins from SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and five additional coronaviruses was constructed. These microarrays were used to screen ≈400 Canadian sera from the SARS outbreak, including samples from confirmed SARS-CoV cases, respiratory illness patients, and healthcare professionals. A computer algorithm that uses multiple classifiers to predict samples from SARS patients was developed and used to predict 206 sera from Chinese fever patients. The test assigned patients into two distinct groups: those with antibodies to SARS-CoV and those without. The microarray also identified patients with sera reactive against other coronavirus proteins. Our results correlated well with an indirect immunofluorescence test and demonstrated that viral infection can be monitored for many months after infection. We show that protein microarrays can serve as a rapid, sensitive, and simple tool for large-scale identification of viral-specific antibodies in sera

Murine Model for Lymphocytic Tropism by Borrelia burgdorferi

In vitro studies have demonstrated direct interactions between Borrelia burgdorferi and human B and T cells. However, largely because disseminated infections typically occur at very low density, little is known about associations between spirochetes and mammalian host cells in vivo. To assess whether spirochetes interact directly with lymphocytes in mammals, we developed a mouse model for lymphotropism. By repeatedly coincubating spirochetes with primary mouse lymphocytes that were immobilized by adherence to immunomagnetic beads, we were able to preferentially enrich cultures for or against bacteria with constitutive affinity for murine B and T cells. Populations of lymphotropically enriched, stock infectious, and lymphotropically depleted spirochetes were injected intradermally into mice. Lymphocytes were then purified from the blood and spleens of challenged mice and placed into spirochetal culture medium. Cultures of B. burgdorferi were obtained from primary lymphocyte preparations from mice challenged with each of the three populations of spirochetes. Recovery of lymphocyte-associated bacteria occurred within 1 h of challenge with enriched bacteria. Lymphocyte preparations from mice challenged with stock infectious and lymphotropically depleted bacteria produced cultures after 1 day postchallenge. All lymphocyte preparations were culture negative after 1 week. These results demonstrate that lymphotropic B. burgdorferi is infectious in mice and suggest that associations between spirochetes and lymphocytes occur in vivo. The results also suggest that factors involved in lymphocytic binding may be inducible in vivo. Thus, this system provides a model for studying the role of such interactions in mammalian infections