University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Mitigation of serotonin-caused suppression of osteoblast function by extracts of the psychoactive indigenous plant Sceletium tortuosum

Abstract Background Sceletium tortuosum is an endemic plant in Southern Africa, traditionally used as kanna by the indigenous people and also exploited commercially due to its mood-elevating properties. Mesembrine, a major alkaloid from this plant, acts as a selective serotonin r...

CD8+ effector memory and regulatory T cell dynamics predict subclinical atherosclerotic plaque formation in healthy aging

<title>Abstract</title> Background Subclinical atherosclerotic plaque (SAP) develops silently in older adults. Early biological changes that predict plaque formation are not well defined. We examined whether immunological, and metabolic or functional measures identify vascular vu...

Caregiver-reported experience of integrated care for children with special health care needs and its sociodemographic, health- and network-related correlates in Germany: Cross-sectional results from the PART-CHILD cohort

Abstract Background Children with special health care needs (CSHCN) often rely on cross-sectoral care networks involving medical, therapeutic, educational, and social services. However, key dimensions of integrated care, including cross-sectoral communication and attention to fam...

Calr-mediated calcium buffering: a molecular barrier to in vivo cardiac reprogramming

In a recent publication in Cell Stem Cell , Cai et al. 1 employed an in vivo Perturb-seq strategy to systematically identify molecular barriers that limit direct cardiac reprogramming following myocardial infarction (MI). This study provides a conceptual and technological framewo...

The Plasmodium heme detoxification protein functions in mitochondrial protein synthesis

Abstract Malaria blood-stage parasites digest ~80% of host cell hemoglobin within a degradative vacuole, releasing heme that is detoxified by sequestration into hemozoin crystals. Although essential for survival and a validated drug target, the mechanisms of heme biomineralizatio...

Global stability and uniform persistence in an epidemic model with saturating fomite-mediated transmission

Abstract We analyse the global dynamics of a Susceptible–Vaccinated–Exposed–Infected–Recovered (SVEIR) epidemic model with demographic turnover, imperfect vaccination, and two transmission routes: direct host-to-host contagion and indirect transmission via contaminated fomites. I...

Two-year efficacy and safety outcomes of the Paul Glaucoma Implant compared to the Ahmed Glaucoma Valve

PURPOSE: To compare efficacy and safety profiles of the Paul Glaucoma Implant (PGI) and Ahmed Glaucoma Valve (AGV) in the treatment of adults with glaucoma over a 2-year of follow-up period. METHODS: This retrospective, single-center, comparative study included adult patients who...

Effective Reductionof Anti-PEG Antibody Recognitionvia PEG Copolymers with Ethyl Glycidyl Ether and Isopropyl GlycidylEther

Abstract Anti-PEG antibodies (APAs) lead to accelerated blood clearance of PEGylated drugs and nanocarriers. Randomized PEG (rPEG) reduces APA recognition by randomly incorporating glycidyl methyl ether in PEG. Extending this concept, statistical copolymerization of ethylene oxid...