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    Keratin homogeneity in the tail feathers of Pavo cristatus and Pavo cristatus mut. alba
    (San Diego, Calif. : Elsevier, 2010) Pabisch, S.; Puchegger, S.; Kirchner, H.O.K.; Weiss, I.M.; Peterlik, H.
    The keratin structure in the cortex of peacocks' feathers is studied by X-ray diffraction along the feather, from the calamus to the tip. It changes considerably over the first 5. cm close to the calamus and remains constant for about 1. m along the length of the feather. Close to the tip, the structure loses its high degree of order. We attribute the X-ray patterns to a shrinkage of a cylindrical arrangement of β-sheets, which is not fully formed initially. In the final structure, the crystalline beta-cores are fixed by the rest of the keratin molecule. The hydrophobic residues of the beta-core are locked into a zip-like arrangement. Structurally there is no difference between the blue and the white bird. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.
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    Application of new lysine-based peptide dendrimers D3K2 and D3G2 for gene delivery: Specific cytotoxicity to cancer cells and transfection in vitro
    (San Diego, Calif. : Elsevier, 2020) Gorzkiewicz, Michal; Konopka, Malgorzata; Janaszewska, Anna; Tarasenko, Irina I.; Sheveleva, Nadezhda N.; Gajek, Arkadiusz; Neelov, Igor M.; Klajnert-Maculewicz, Barbara
    In order to enhance intracellular uptake and accumulation of therapeutic nucleic acids for improved gene therapy methods, numerous delivery vectors have been elaborated. Based on their origin, gene carriers are generally classified as viral or non-viral vectors. Due to their significantly reduced immunogenicity and highly optimized methods of synthesis, nanoparticles (especially those imitating natural biomolecules) constitute a promising alternative for virus-based delivery devices. Thus, we set out to develop innovative peptide dendrimers for clinical application as transfection agents and gene carriers. In the present work we describe the synthesis of two novel lysine-based dendritic macromolecules (D3K2 and D3G2) and their initial characterization for cytotoxicity/genotoxicity and transfection potential in two human cell line models: cervix adenocarcinoma (HeLa) and microvascular endothelial (HMEC-1). This approach allowed us to identify more cationic D3K2 as potent delivery agent, being able to increase intracellular accumulation of large nucleic acid molecules such as plasmids. Moreover, the dendrimers exhibited specific cytotoxicity towards cancer cell line without showing significant toxic effects on normal cells. These observations are promising prognosis for future clinical application of this type of nanoparticles. © 2019 The Authors
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    Temperature-related excess mortality in German cities at 2 °C and higher degrees of global warming
    (San Diego, Calif. : Elsevier, 2020) Huber, Veronika; Krummenauer, Linda; Peña-Ortiz, Cristina; Lange, Stefan; Gasparrini, Antonio; Vicedo-Cabrera, Ana M.; Garcia-Herrera, Ricardo; Frieler, Katja
    Background: Investigating future changes in temperature-related mortality as a function of global mean temperature (GMT) rise allows for the evaluation of policy-relevant climate change targets. So far, only few studies have taken this approach, and, in particular, no such assessments exist for Germany, the most populated country of Europe. Methods: We assess temperature-related mortality in 12 major German cities based on daily time-series of all-cause mortality and daily mean temperatures in the period 1993–2015, using distributed-lag non-linear models in a two-stage design. Resulting risk functions are applied to estimate excess mortality in terms of GMT rise relative to pre-industrial levels, assuming no change in demographics or population vulnerability. Results: In the observational period, cold contributes stronger to temperature-related mortality than heat, with overall attributable fractions of 5.49% (95%CI: 3.82–7.19) and 0.81% (95%CI: 0.72–0.89), respectively. Future projections indicate that this pattern could be reversed under progressing global warming, with heat-related mortality starting to exceed cold-related mortality at 3 °C or higher GMT rise. Across cities, projected net increases in total temperature-related mortality were 0.45% (95%CI: −0.02–1.06) at 3 °C, 1.53% (95%CI: 0.96–2.06) at 4 °C, and 2.88% (95%CI: 1.60–4.10) at 5 °C, compared to today's warming level of 1 °C. By contrast, no significant difference was found between projected total temperature-related mortality at 2 °C versus 1 °C of GMT rise. Conclusions: Our results can inform current adaptation policies aimed at buffering the health risks from increased heat exposure under climate change. They also allow for the evaluation of global mitigation efforts in terms of local health benefits in some of Germany's most populated cities. © 2020 The Authors