Knockdown of TPI in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells and its impact on angiogenesis in vitro

Introduction: Angiogenic behaviour has been shown as highly versatile among Endothelial cells (ECs) causing problems of in vitro assays of angiogenesis considering their reproducibility. It is indispensable to investigate influencing factors of the angiogenic potency of ECs. Objective: The present study aimed to analyse the impact of knocking down triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) on in vitro angiogenesis and simultaneously on vimentin (VIM) and adenosylmethionine synthetase isoform type 2 (MAT2A) expression. Furthermore, native expression profiles of TPI, VIM and MAT2A in the course of angiogenesis in vitro were examined. Methods: Two batches of human dermal microvascular ECs were cultivated over 50 days and stimulated to undergo angiogenesis. A shRNA-mediated knockdown of TPI was performed. During cultivation, time-dependant morphological changes were detected and applied for EC-staging as prerequisite for quantifying in vitro angiogenesis. Additionally, mRNA and protein levels of all proteins were monitored. Results: Opposed to native cells, knockdown cells were not able to enter late stages of angiogenesis and primarily displayed a downregulation of VIM and an uprise in MAT2A expression. Native cells increased their TPI expression and decreased their VIM expression during the course of angiogenesis in vitro. For MAT2A, highest expression was observed to be in the beginning and at the end of angiogenesis. Conclusion: Knocking down TPI provoked expressional changes in VIM and MAT2A and a deceleration of in vitro angiogenesis, indicating that TPI represents an angiogenic protein. Native expression profiles lead to the assumption of VIM being predominantly relevant in beginning stages, MAT2A in beginning and late stages and TPI during the whole course of angiogenesis in vitro

3D-Scans und -Modelle von anatomischen Präparaten und Sammlungsexponaten

Spätestens seit der erfolgreichen und gutbesuchten Ausstellungsreihe „Körperwelten“ von Gunther von Hagens, in der plastinierte menschliche Ganzkörpermodelle ausgestellt wurden, zeigte sich, welche Faszination und Anziehungskraft die Anatomie auf die Öffentlichkeit ausübt. Studierende der Veterinärmedizin lernen in den ersten zwei Jahren ihres Studiums den anatomischen Aufbau des Körpers von verschiedenen Tierarten. Das Erlernen der Anatomie ist nicht einfach. Es erfordert die Identifizierung, das Verständnis und das Auffinden anatomischer Strukturen im dreidimensionalen Raum. Das Curriculum beinhaltet daher unter anderem praktische Sektionsübungen an Tierkadavern. Dabei haben viele Studierende Schwierigkeiten, die in den Lehrbüchern in zweidimensionalen Abbildungen dargestellten Strukturen auf den dreidimensionalen Tierkörper zu übertragen. Im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojekts untersucht ein Team am Institut für Veterinär-Anatomie der Freien Universität Berlin, ob annotierte dreidimensionale Scans anatomischer Präparate eine sinnvolle Alternative zu zweidimensionalen Abbildungen darstellen. Zusätzlich sollen mittels 3D-Druck erstellte Modelle anatomischer Präparate als zeit- und raumunabhängige Lernressource untersucht werden. Die Methode der 3D-Digitalisierung und -Modellierung erschließt einen weiteren Mehrwert. Damit können die Präparate von Gurlt und Ziegler, zwei historische Sammlungen embryologischer Modelle aus dem 19. und 20. Jahrhundert, welche im Institut für Veterinär-Anatomie ausgestellt sind, digitalisiert werden. Aufgrund ihres beträchtlichen historischen Wertes und ihrer Fragilität waren sie bisher nur in Schaukästen ausgestellt, wurden aber nicht mehr aktiv in der Lehre in den Händen von Studierenden eingesetzt. In diesem Beitrag wird dargelegt, wie man diese unter Verwendung der erwähnten Techniken in die anatomische und embryologische Lehre integriert und auch mittels einer eigens erstellten Online-Plattform einer breiteren Öffentlichkeit zugänglich macht.Peer Reviewe

Task force veterinary anatomy: Joint efforts of the five German veterinary schools to ensure education during the COVID-19 pandemic

At the start of the COVID-pandemic in March 2020, the Institutes of Veterinary Anatomy of the five German educational institutions were confronted with the challenge of digitalising all lectures for the second and fourth semesters of veterinary students. After an online kick-off event and a preliminary status quo meeting, all available digital teaching material was exchanged for students to stream from learning platforms. Lectures were either synchronized or made available as audio recordings and connotated slides on the learning platforms. Fortunately, digital microscopic slides had already been in use, which made it easy for students to access them. Dissection exercises mostly consisted of self- study, using instructive videos and interactive exercises. In the second half of the semester, four of the educational institutions were able offer a restricted number of in-person gross anatomy classes under reinforced conditions. Success monitoring took place online through different formats, and partially on a voluntary basis, via the learning platforms. Although the past two semesters had to almost exclusively take place online due to the unprecedented circumstances, and joint efforts of the five veterinary institutions, there is a general consensus that the practical education in anatomy, histology and embryology is essential to veterinary students. In fact, it is the only way they can obtain the necessary skills to successfully complete the rest of their degree.Die Veterinäranatomischen Institute der fünf deutschen Bildungsstätten standen zu Beginn der Coronapandemie im März 2020 vor der Herausforderung, die gesamte Lehre für die Studierenden des zweiten und vierten Fachsemesters in digitaler Form durchzuführen. Nach einem Kickoff-Onlinemeeting und einer ersten Bestandsaufnahme wurden vorhandene digitale Lehrmedien zum Streamen auf den Lernplattformen ausgetauscht. Vorlesungen wurden synchron gehalten oder asynchron als vertonte bzw. annotierte Dateien auf den Lernplattformen hochgeladen. Die mikroskopischen Präparate konnten den Studierenden dank schon bestehender Anwendungen zur virtuellen Mikroskopie komplikationslos zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Die Präparierübungen wurden überwiegend zum Selbststudium anhand von Lehrvideos und interaktiven Übungsaufgaben angeboten. In der zweiten Semesterhälfte wurden in der makroskopischen Anatomie an vier Standorten einige wenige Präsenztermine für die Studierenden unter verschärften Hygienebedingungen angeboten. Erfolgskontrollen wurden ausschließlich online über die Lernplattformen in verschiedenen Formaten und zum Teil fakultativ durchgeführt. Auch wenn die vergangenen beiden Semester in Zusammenarbeit aller Standorte den Umständen geschuldet fast ausschließlich digital stattfinden musste, besteht der allgemeine Konsens, dass die praktische Ausbildung in den Fächern Anatomie, Histologie und Embryologie essentiell für die Studierenden der Veterinärmedizin ist. Nur so können sie die notwendigen Kenntnisse und Fertigkeiten für ihr weiteres erfolgreiches Studium erlangen

Digitale Dingwelten

Der digitale Wandel hat wissenschaftlichen Sammlungen eine Fülle technischer Möglichkeiten an die Hand gegeben, Objekte zu digitalisieren, zu dokumentieren und auf vielfältige Weise nutzbar zu machen. Die sechste Auflage des „Jungen Forums für Sammlungs- und Objektforschung“ widmet sich daher den digitalen Methoden und Werkzeugen, die im Kontext einer forschenden oder auch lehrenden Befassung mit den Sammlungsdingen und ihren digitalen Abbildern zum Einsatz kommen. Dieser Band vereint elf Beiträge von Nachwuchswissenschaftler:innen aus den Bereichen Archäologie, Geschichtsdidaktik, Digital Humanities, Kunstgeschichte, Kunstpädagogik, Kunsttechnologie und Restaurierungswissenschaft, Psychologie sowie der Human- und Veterinärmedizin, die sich mit digitalen Dingwelten auseinandersetzen, indem sie jeweils unterschiedliche Fragestellungen und Methoden heranziehen. Die Reflexion über forschungsleitende methodische Aspekte objektbezogener Forschung bildet einen gemeinsamen Bezugspunkt der Beiträge.Peer Reviewe

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Expression of vimentin, TPI and MAT2A in human dermal microvascular endothelial cells during angiogenesis in vitro

Introduction In vitro assays of angiogenesis face immense problems considering their reproducibility based on the inhomogeneous characters of endothelial cells (ECs). It is necessary to detect influencing factors, which affect the angiogenic potency of ECs. Objective This study aimed to analyse expression profiles of vimentin (VIM), triosephosphate isomerase (TPI) and adenosylmethionine synthetase isoform type–2 (MAT2A) during the whole angiogenic cascade in vitro. Furthermore, the impact of knocking down vimentin (VIM) on angiogenesis in vitro was evaluated, while monitoring TPI and MAT2A expression. Methods A long–term cultivation and angiogenic stimulation of human dermal microvascular ECs was performed. Cells were characterized via VEGFR–1 and VEGFR–2 expression and a shRNA–mediated knockdown of VIM was performed. The process of angiogenesis in vitro was quantified via morphological staging and mRNA–and protein–levels of all proteins were analysed. Results While native cells ran through the angiogenic cascade chronologically, knockdown cells only entered beginning stages of angiogenesis and died eventually. Cell cultures showing a higher VEGFR–1 expression survived exclusively and displayed an upregulation of MAT2A and TPI expression. Native cells highly expressed VIM in early stages, MAT2A mainly in the beginning and TPI during the course of angiogenesis in vitro

Reliability of the Mouse Grimace Scale in C57BL/6JRj Mice

To maintain and foster the welfare of laboratory mice, tools that reliably measure the current state of the animals are applied in clinical assessment. One of these is the Mouse Grimace Scale (MGS), a coding system for facial expression analysis. Since there are concerns about the objectivity of the MGS, we further investigated its reliability. Four observers (two experienced and two inexperienced in use of the MGS) scored 188 images of 33 female and 31 male C57BL/6JRj mice. Images were generated prior to, 150 min, and two days after ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. The intraclass correlations coefficient (ICC = 0.851) indicated good agreement on total MGS scores between all observers when all three time points were included in the analysis. However, interrater reliability was higher in the early post-anesthetic period (ICC = 0.799) than at baseline (ICC = 0.556) and on day 2 after anesthesia (ICC = 0.329). The best agreement was achieved for orbital tightening, and the poorest agreement for nose and cheek bulge, depending on the observers’ experience levels. In general, experienced observers produced scores of higher consistency when compared to inexperienced. Against this background, we critically discuss factors that potentially influence the reliability of MGS scoring

Task Force Veterinäranatomie: Zusammenarbeit der fünf deutschen Standorte zur Sicherung der Lehre während der COVID-19-Pandemie

At the start of the COVID-pandemic in March 2020, the Institutes of Veterinary Anatomy of the five German educational institutions were confronted with the challenge of digitalising all lectures for the second and fourth semesters of veterinary students. After an online kick-off event and a preliminary status quo meeting, available digital teaching material was exchanged for students to stream from learning platforms. Lectures were either synchronized or made available as audio recordings and connotated slides on the learning platforms. Fortunately, digital microscopic slides had already been in use, which made it easy for students to access them. Dissection exercises mostly consisted of self-study, using instructive videos and interactive exercises. In the second half of the semester, four of the educational institutions were able to offer a restricted number of in-person gross anatomy classes under reinforced conditions. Success monitoring took place online through different formats, and partially on a voluntary basis, via the learning platforms. Although the past two semesters had to almost exclusively take place online due to the unprecedented circumstances, and joint efforts of the five veterinary institutions, there is a general consensus that the practical education in anatomy, histology and embryology is essential to veterinary students. In fact, it is the only way they can obtain the necessary skills to successfully complete the rest of their degree.Die Veterinäranatomischen Institute der fünf deutschen Bildungsstätten standen zu Beginn der Coronapandemie im März 2020 vor der Herausforderung, die gesamte Lehre für die Studierenden des zweiten und vierten Fachsemesters in digitaler Form durchzuführen. Nach einem Kickoff-Onlinemeeting und einer ersten Bestandsaufnahme wurden vorhandene digitale Lehrmedien zum Streamen auf den Lernplattformen ausgetauscht. Vorlesungen wurden synchron gehalten oder asynchron als vertonte bzw. annotierte Dateien auf den Lernplattformen hochgeladen. Die mikroskopischen Präparate konnten den Studierenden dank schon bestehender Anwendungen zur virtuellen Mikroskopie komplikationslos zur Verfügung gestellt werden. Die Präparierübungen wurden überwiegend zum Selbststudium anhand von Lehrvideos und interaktiven Übungsaufgaben angeboten. In der zweiten Semesterhälfte wurden in der makroskopischen Anatomie an vier Standorten einige wenige Präsenztermine für die Studierenden unter verschärften Hygienebedingungen angeboten. Erfolgskontrollen wurden ausschließlich online über die Lernplattformen in verschiedenen Formaten und zum Teil fakultativ durchgeführt. Auch wenn die vergangenen beiden Semester in Zusammenarbeit aller Standorte den Umständen geschuldet fast ausschließlich digital stattfinden musste, besteht der allgemeine Konsens, dass die praktische Ausbildung in den Fächern Anatomie, Histologie und Embryologie essentiell für die Studierenden der Veterinärmedizin ist. Nur so können sie die notwendigen Kenntnisse und Fertigkeiten für ihr weiteres erfolgreiches Studium erlangen

The late complications of totally implantable central venous access ports: The results from an Italian multicenter prospective observation study

a b s t r a c t Purpose: The principal aim of this study is to analyze the incidence of late complications in oncologic patients with totally implanted central venous access ports. Methods: A prospective multicenter observational study was conducted in 26 Italian oncologic outpatient clinics. 1076 cancer patients with Totally Implanted Central Venous Access Ports (TIAP) were observed. 515 devices were observed in patients under treatment and 561 in patients who went to the outpatient clinic only for flushing. Results: Late complications observed in patients under treatment were: 3 pocket infections (0.09/1000 days of port observation), 1 cutaneous infection (0.03/1000 days of port observation), 8 occlusions (0.24/ 1000 days of port observation) and 12 others. In patients using the device only for flushing we observed 4 cases of device related bacteremia (0.04/ 1000 days of port observation), 1 pocket infection (0.01/1000 days of port observation), 1 cutaneous infection (0.01/1000 days of port observation), 3 occlusions (0.03/1000 days of port observation) and 7 other complications. Conclusions: The low incidence of complications suggests that TIAP is safe and reliable for long term intermittent venous access. Our results support the use of TIAP in the oncology patients

Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on cancer immunotherapy in Italy: a survey of young oncologists

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has overwhelmed the health systems worldwide. Data regarding the impact of COVID-19 on cancer patients (CPs) undergoing or candidate for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are lacking. We depicted the practice and adaptations in the management of patients with solid tumors eligible or receiving ICIs during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a special focus on Campania region