23 research outputs found
Screening of Pleural Mesotheliomas for DNA-damage Repair Players by Digital Gene Expression Analysis Can Enhance Clinical Management of Patients Receiving Platin-Based Chemotherapy
Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare, predominantly
asbestos-related and biologically highly aggressive tumour leading to a dismal
prognosis. Multimodality therapy consisting of platinum-based chemotherapy is
the treatment of choice. The reasons for the rather poor efficacy of platinum
compounds remain largely unknown. Material and Methods: For this exploratory
mRNA study, 24 FFPE tumour specimens were screened by digital gene expression
analysis. Based on data from preliminary experiments and recent literature, a
total of 366 mRNAs were investigated using a Custom CodeSet from NanoString.
All statistical analyses were calculated with the R i386 statistical
programming environment. Results: CDC25A and PARP1 gene expression were
correlated with lymph node spread, BRCA1 and TP73 expression levels with
higher IMIG stage. NTHL1 and XRCC3 expression was associated with TNM stage.
CHECK1 as well as XRCC2 expression levels were correlated with tumour
progression in the overall cohort of patients. CDKN2A and MLH1 gene expression
influenced overall survival in this collective. In the adjuvant treated cohort
only, CDKN2A, CHEK1 as well as ERCC1 were significantly associated with
overall survival. Furthermore, TP73 expression was associated with progression
in this subgroup. Conclusion: DNA-damage response plays a crucial role in
response to platin-based chemotherapeutic regimes. In particular, CHEK1, XRCC2
and TP73 are strongly associated with tumour progression. ERCC1, MLH1, CDKN2A
and most promising CHEK1 are prognostic markers for OS in MPM. TP73, CDKN2A,
CHEK1 and ERCC1 seem to be also predictive markers in adjuvant treated MPMs.
After a prospective validation, these markers may improve clinical and
pathological practice, finally leading to a patients' benefit by an enhanced
clinical management
Massive parallel sequencing and digital gene expression analysis reveals potential mechanisms to overcome therapy resistance in pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors
Background: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths
worldwide. 25% show neuroendocrine differentiation (typical/atypical
carcinoids, large-/small-cell neuroendocrine carcinomas). Carcinoids present
with long survival rates, but metastatic carcinoids correlate with decreased
survival and are commonly insensitive to standard chemotherapy or radiation.
Therefore, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed. Material and
methods: 70 representative tumor specimens were used for next-generation
sequencing analysis of 14 genes related to therapy response. Additionally,
mRNA-expression profiles of 60 matching samples were determined for 13
selected drug targets by using the NanoString nCounter technology. Results: A
number of features known to sensitize tumors for different targeted therapies
could be identified, which hopefully improve the clinical management of this
subgroup of lung neoplasias. In particular, EGFR expression was observed in
the investigated tumors in a noteworthy manner. Additionally, MDM2 was
strongly expressed in the majority of all samples whereas the expression of
its physiological inhibitor, CDKN2A, was nearly absent in all low-grade
tumors. TP53 showed a high frequency of variants in high-grade tumors but
mutations were rare in carcinoids. Conclusion: Based on our results,
therapeutic approaches with MDM2-inhibitors and monoclonal anti-EGFR
antibodies may be promising in pulmonary carcinoid tumors
People, pollution and pathogens – Global change impacts in mountain freshwater ecosystems
Mountain catchments provide for the livelihood of more than half of humankind, and have become a key destination for tourist and recreation activities globally. Mountain ecosystems are generally considered to be less complex and less species diverse due to the harsh environmental conditions. As such, they are also more sensitive to the various impacts of the Anthropocene. For this reason,mountain regions may serve as sentinels of change and provide ideal ecosystems for studying climate and global change impacts on biodiversity. We here review different facets of anthropogenic impacts on mountain freshwater ecosystems. We put particular focus on micropollutants and their distribution and redistribution due to hydrological extremes, their direct influence on water quality and their indirect influence on ecosystem health via changes of freshwater species and their interactions. We show that those changes may drive pathogen establishment in new environments with harmful consequences for freshwater species, but also for the human population. Based on the reviewed literature, we recommend reconstructing the recent past of anthropogenic impact through sediment analyses, to focus efforts on small, but highly productive waterbodies, and to collect data on the occurrence and variability of microorganisms, biofilms, plankton species and key species, such as amphibians due to their bioindicator value for ecosystem health and water quality. The newly gained knowledge can then be used to develop a comprehensive framework of indicators to robustly inform policy and decision making on current and future risks for ecosystem health and human well-being
Project of a photovoltaic power plant with an output of 200 kW for the energy community community
Předkládaná práce se zaměřuje na návrh fotovoltaické elektrárny. Nejprve je popsána teorie solárnà energie, principu fotoelektrického jevu, typů fotovoltaických článků, druhů fotovoltaických systémů a recyklace fotovoltaických panelů. Poté je zpracována současná legislativa a možnosti podpory. Dále následuje praktický návrh fotovoltaické elektrárny o instalovaném výkonu 235,79 kWp. Poslednà část je věnována energetickému, ekonomickému a ekologickému zhodnocenà navrhované elektrárny.ObhájenoSubmitted thesis focuses on a design of a photovoltaic power plant. First of all, solar energy is described, followed by the principle of the photoelectric effect, types of photovoltaic cells and systems and recycling of photovoltaic panels. After that the current legislation and support options are elaborated. The main part of this theses is devoted to a design of a photovoltaic power plant with an installed capacity of 235,79 kW. In the last part, energy, economic and ecological evaluation of the proposed power plant are outlined
Resistive Films Realized by Thick Film Technology
PĹ™edkládaná práce je zaměřena na tištÄ›nĂ© odporovĂ© vrstvy tvoĹ™enĂ© tlustovrstvou technologiĂ. Nejprve je popsán princip technologie tlustĂ˝ch vrstev, pouĹľĂvanĂ© pasty a metoda nanášenĂ tÄ›chto past pomocĂ sĂtotisku. PotĂ© je zpracován pĹ™ehled odporovĂ˝ch past, kde jsou uvedeny jejich základnĂ vlastnosti. Dále je uveden pĹ™ehled tištÄ›nĂ˝ch vĂ˝konovĂ˝ch rezistorĹŻ vyhledanĂ˝ch na trhu. ZávÄ›r práce shrnuje praktickĂ© měřenĂ základnĂch elektrickĂ˝ch vlastnostĂ tištÄ›nĂ˝ch rezistorĹŻ.ObhájenoSubmitted bachelor´s thesis is focused on printed resistive films created by thick film technology. First, the principle of thick film technology, used pastes and method of applying these pastes by screen printing are described in this thesis. Then there is an overview of resistence pastes, where their basic properties are listed. There is also a summary of high-power resistors on the market. The final part of thesis is focused on the practical applications and on the practical measurement of the electrical properties of printed resistors
Modelling mountain hydrology to understand the impact of abiotic environmental variables on the health of aquatic ecosystems
International audienc
Modeling abiotic controls on amphibian epidemics due to a chytrid fungus in mountain aquatic ecosystems
International audienc
Modeling abiotic controls on amphibian epidemics due to a chytrid fungus in mountain aquatic ecosystems
International audienc
<i>ACTB</i>, <i>CDKN1B</i>, <i>GAPDH</i>, <i>GRB2</i>, <i>RHOA</i> and <i>SDCBP</i> Were Identified as Reference Genes in Neuroendocrine Lung Cancer via the nCounter Technology
<div><p>Background</p><p>Neuroendocrine lung cancer (NELC) represents 25% of all lung cancer cases and large patient collectives exist as formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue only. FFPE is controversially discussed as source for molecular biological analyses and reference genes for NELC are poorly establishes.</p><p>Material and methods</p><p>Forty-three representative FFPE-specimens were used for mRNA expression analysis using the digital nCounter technology (NanoString). Based on recent literature, a total of 91 mRNA targets were investigated as potential tumor markers or reference genes. The geNorm, NormFinder algorithms and coefficient of correlation were used to identify the most stable reference genes. Statistical analysis was performed by using the R programming environment (version 3.1.1)</p><p>Results</p><p>RNA integrity (RIN) ranged from 1.8 to 2.6 and concentrations from 34 to 2,109 ng/ÎĽl. However, the nCounter technology gave evaluable results for all samples tested. <i>ACTB</i>, <i>CDKN1B</i>, <i>GAPDH</i>, <i>GRB2</i>, <i>RHOA</i> and <i>SDCBP</i> were identified as constantly expressed genes with high stability (M-)values according to geNorm, NormFinder and coefficients of correlation.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>FFPE-derived mRNA is suitable for molecular biological investigations via the nCounter technology, although it is highly degraded. <i>ACTB</i>, <i>CDKN1B</i>, <i>GAPDH</i>, <i>GRB2</i>, <i>RHOA</i> and <i>SDCBP</i> are potent reference genes in neuroendocrine tumors of the lung.</p></div