@article{StreeseKotliarDeiserothetal.2020, author = {Streese, Lukas and Kotliar, Konstantin and Deiseroth, Arne and Infanger, Denis and Gugleta, Konstantin and Schmaderer, Christoph and Hanssen, Henner}, title = {Retinal endothelial function in cardiovascular risk patients: A randomized controlled exercise trial}, series = {Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports}, volume = {30}, journal = {Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports}, number = {2}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Oxford}, issn = {1600-0838}, doi = {10.1111/sms.13560}, pages = {272 -- 280}, year = {2020}, abstract = {The aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on retinal microvascular endothelial function in cardiovascular (CV) risk patients. In the randomized controlled trial, middle-aged and previously sedentary patients with increased CV risk (aged 58 ± 6 years) with ≥ two CV risk factors were randomized into a 12-week HIIT (n = 33) or control group (CG, n = 36) with standard physical activity recommendations. A blinded examiner measured retinal endothelial function by flicker light-induced maximal arteriolar (ADmax) and venular (VDmax) dilatation as well as the area under the arteriolar (AFarea) and venular (VFarea) flicker curve using a retinal vessel analyzer. Standardized assessments of CV risk factors, cardiorespiratory fitness, and retinal endothelial function were performed before and after HIIT. HIIT reduced body mass index, fat mass, and low-density lipoprotein and increased muscle mass and peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). Both ADmax (pre: 2.7 ± 2.1\%, post: 3.0 ± 2.2\%, P = .018) and AFarea (pre: 32.6 ± 28.4\%*s, post: 37.7 ± 30.6\%*s, P = .016) increased after HIIT compared with CG (ADmax, pre: 3.2 ± 1.8\%, post: 2.9 ± 1.8\%, P = .254; AFarea, pre: 41.6 ± 28.5\%*s, post: 37.8 ± 27.0\%*s, P = .186). Venular function remained unchanged after HIIT. There was a significant association between ∆-change VO2peak and ∆-changes ADmax and AFarea (P = .026, R² = 0.073; P = .019, R² = 0.081, respectively). 12-weeks of HIIT improved retinal endothelial function in middle-aged patients with increased CV risk independent of the reduction in classical CV risk factors. Exercise has the potential to reverse or at least postpone progression of small vessel disease in older adults with increased CV risk under standard medication. Dynamic retinal vessel analysis seems to be a sensitive tool to detect treatment effects of exercise interventions on retinal microvascular endothelial function in middle-aged individuals with increased CV risk.}, language = {en} } @article{HamouKotliarTanetal.2020, author = {Hamou, Hussam Aldin and Kotliar, Konstantin and Tan, Sonny Kian and Weiß, Christel and Blume, Christian and Clusmann, Hans and Schubert, Gerrit Alexander and Albanna, Walid}, title = {Surgical nuances and placement of subgaleal drains for supratentorial procedures—a prospective analysis of efficacy and outcome in 150 craniotomies}, series = {Acta Neurochirurgica}, volume = {2020}, journal = {Acta Neurochirurgica}, number = {162}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {Cham}, issn = {0942-0940}, doi = {10.1007/s00701-019-04196-6}, pages = {729 -- 736}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Background For supratentorial craniotomy, surgical access, and closure technique, including placement of subgaleal drains, may vary considerably. The influence of surgical nuances on postoperative complications such as cerebrospinal fluid leakage or impaired wound healing overall remains largely unclear. With this study, we are reporting our experiences and the impact of our clinical routines on outcome in a prospectively collected data set. Method We prospectively observed 150 consecutive patients undergoing supratentorial craniotomy and recorded technical variables (type/length of incision, size of craniotomy, technique of dural and skin closure, type of dressing, and placement of subgaleal drains). Outcome variables (subgaleal hematoma/CSF collection, periorbital edema, impairment of wound healing, infection, and need for operative revision) were recorded at time of discharge and at late follow-up. Results Early subgaleal fluid collection was observed in 36.7\% (2.8\% at the late follow-up), and impaired wound healing was recorded in 3.3\% of all cases, with an overall need for operative revision of 6.7\%. Neither usage of dural sealants, lack of watertight dural closure, and presence of subgaleal drains, nor type of skin closure or dressing influenced outcome. Curved incisions, larger craniotomy, and tumor size, however, were associated with an increase in early CSF or hematoma collection (p < 0.0001, p = 0.001, p < 0.01 resp.), and larger craniotomy size was associated with longer persistence of subgaleal fluid collections (p < 0.05). Conclusions Based on our setting, individual surgical nuances such as the type of dural closure and the use of subgaleal drains resulted in a comparable complication rate and outcome. Subgaleal fluid collections were frequently observed after supratentorial procedures, irrespective of the closing technique employed, and resolve spontaneously in the majority of cases without significant sequelae. Our results are limited due to the observational nature in our single-center study and need to be validated by supportive prospective randomized design.}, language = {en} } @article{RamoshabaHuismanLammertynetal.2020, author = {Ramoshaba, Nthai E. and Huisman, Hugo W. and Lammertyn, Leandi and Kotliar, Konstantin and Schutte, Aletta E. and Smith, Wayne}, title = {Retinal microvasculature and masked hypertension in young adults: the African-PREDICT study}, series = {Hypertension Research}, journal = {Hypertension Research}, number = {43}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {Osaka}, issn = {1348-4214}, doi = {10.1038/s41440-020-0487-0}, pages = {1231 -- 1238}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Masked hypertension is known to induce microvascular complications. However, it is unclear whether early microvascular changes are already occurring in young, otherwise healthy adults. We therefore investigated whether retinal microvascular calibers and acute responses to a flicker stimulus are related to masked hypertension. We used the baseline data of 889 participants aged 20-30 years who were taking part in the African Prospective study on the Early Detection and Identification of Cardiovascular Disease and Hypertension. Clinic and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure were measured. The central retinal artery equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal vein equivalent were calculated from fundus images, and retinal vessel dilation was determined in response to flicker light-induced provocation. A smaller CRAE was observed in those with masked hypertension vs. those with normotension (157.1 vs. 161.2 measuring units, P < 0.001). In forward multivariable-adjusted regression analysis, only CRAE was negatively related to masked hypertension [adjusted R² = 0.267, β = -0.097 (95\% CI = -0.165; -0.029), P = 0.005], but other retinal microvascular parameters were not associated with masked hypertension. In multivariable logistic regression analyses, masked hypertension [OR = 2.333, (95\% CI = 1.316; 4.241), P = 0.004] was associated with a narrower CRAE. In young healthy adults, masked hypertension was associated with retinal arteriolar narrowing, thereby reflecting early microvascular alterations known to predict cardiovascular outcomes in later life.}, language = {en} } @article{SmithKotliarLammertynetal.2020, author = {Smith, Wayne and Kotliar, Konstantin and Lammertyn, Leandi and Ramoshaba, Nthai E. and Vilser, Walthard and Huisman, Hugo W. and Schutte, Aletta E.}, title = {Retinal vessel caliber and caliber responses in true normotensive black and white adults: The African-PREDICT study}, series = {Microvascular Research}, volume = {128}, journal = {Microvascular Research}, number = {Article 103937}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0026-2862}, doi = {10.1016/j.mvr.2019.103937}, year = {2020}, abstract = {Purpose Globally, a detrimental shift in cardiovascular disease risk factors and a higher mortality level are reported in some black populations. The retinal microvasculature provides early insight into the pathogenesis of systemic vascular diseases, but it is unclear whether retinal vessel calibers and acute retinal vessel functional responses differ between young healthy black and white adults. Methods We included 112 black and 143 white healthy normotensive adults (20-30 years). Retinal vessel calibers (central retinal artery and vein equivalent (CRAE and CRVE)) were calculated from retinal images and vessel caliber responses to flicker light induced provocation (FLIP) were determined. Additionally, ambulatory blood pressure (BP), anthropometry and blood samples were collected. Results The groups displayed similar 24 h BP profiles and anthropometry (all p > .24). Black participants demonstrated a smaller CRAE (158 ± 11 vs. 164 ± 11 MU, p < .001) compared to the white group, whereas CRVE was similar (p = .57). In response to FLIP, artery maximal dilation was greater in the black vs. white group (5.6 ± 2.1 vs. 3.3 ± 1.8\%; p < .001). Conclusions Already at a young age, healthy black adults showed narrower retinal arteries relative to the white population. Follow-up studies are underway to show if this will be related to increased risk for hypertension development. The reason for the larger vessel dilation responses to FLIP in the black population is unclear and warrants further investigation.}, language = {en} } @article{NeumaierKotliarHaerenetal.2021, author = {Neumaier, Felix and Kotliar, Konstantin and Haeren, Roel Hubert Louis and Temel, Yasin and L{\"u}ke, Jan Niklas and Seyam, Osama and Lindauer, Ute and Clusmann, Hans and Hescheler, J{\"u}rgen and Schubert, Gerrit Alexander and Schneider, Toni and Albanna, Walid}, title = {Retinal Vessel Responses to Flicker Stimulation Are Impaired in Ca v 2.3-Deficient Mice—An in- vivo Evaluation Using Retinal Vessel Analysis (RVA)}, series = {Frontiers in Neurology}, volume = {12}, journal = {Frontiers in Neurology}, publisher = {Frontiers}, doi = {10.3389/fneur.2021.659890}, pages = {1 -- 11}, year = {2021}, language = {en} } @article{SeifarthGrosseGrossmannetal.2017, author = {Seifarth, Volker and Grosse, Joachim O. and Grossmann, Matthias and Janke, Heinz Peter and Arndt, Patrick and Koch, Sabine and Epple, Matthias and Artmann, Gerhard and Temiz Artmann, Ayseg{\"u}l}, title = {Mechanical induction of bi-directional orientation of primary porcine bladder smooth muscle cells in tubular fibrin-poly(vinylidene fluoride) scaffolds for ureteral and urethral repair using cyclic and focal balloon catheter stimulation}, series = {Journal of Biomaterials Applications}, volume = {32}, journal = {Journal of Biomaterials Applications}, number = {3}, publisher = {Sage}, address = {London}, issn = {1530-8022}, doi = {10.1177/0885328217723178}, pages = {321 -- 330}, year = {2017}, language = {en} } @article{GossmannFrotscherLinderetal.2016, author = {Goßmann, Matthias and Frotscher, Ralf and Linder, Peter and Bayer, Robin and Epple, U. and Staat, Manfred and Temiz Artmann, Ayseg{\"u}l and Artmann, Gerhard}, title = {Mechano-pharmacological characterization of cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells}, series = {Cellular physiology and biochemistry}, volume = {38}, journal = {Cellular physiology and biochemistry}, number = {3}, publisher = {Karger}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1421-9778 (Online)}, doi = {10.1159/000443124}, pages = {1182 -- 1198}, year = {2016}, abstract = {Background/Aims: Common systems for the quantification of cellular contraction rely on animal-based models, complex experimental setups or indirect approaches. The herein presented CellDrum technology for testing mechanical tension of cellular monolayers and thin tissue constructs has the potential to scale-up mechanical testing towards medium-throughput analyses. Using hiPS-Cardiac Myocytes (hiPS-CMs) it represents a new perspective of drug testing and brings us closer to personalized drug medication. Methods: In the present study, monolayers of self-beating hiPS-CMs were grown on ultra-thin circular silicone membranes and deflect under the weight of the culture medium. Rhythmic contractions of the hiPS-CMs induced variations of the membrane deflection. The recorded contraction-relaxation-cycles were analyzed with respect to their amplitudes, durations, time integrals and frequencies. Besides unstimulated force and tensile stress, we investigated the effects of agonists and antagonists acting on Ca²⁺ channels (S-Bay K8644/verapamil) and Na⁺ channels (veratridine/lidocaine). Results: The measured data and simulations for pharmacologically unstimulated contraction resembled findings in native human heart tissue, while the pharmacological dose-response curves were highly accurate and consistent with reference data. Conclusion: We conclude that the combination of the CellDrum with hiPS-CMs offers a fast, facile and precise system for pharmacological, toxicological studies and offers new preclinical basic research potential.}, language = {en} } @article{SeifarthGossmannGrosseetal.2015, author = {Seifarth, Volker and Goßmann, Matthias and Grosse, J. O. and Becker, C. and Heschel, I. and Artmann, Gerhard and Temiz Artmann, Ayseg{\"u}l}, title = {Development of a Bioreactor to Culture Tissue Engineered Ureters Based on the Application of Tubular OPTIMAIX 3D Scaffolds}, series = {Urologia Internationalis}, volume = {2015}, journal = {Urologia Internationalis}, number = {95}, publisher = {Karger}, address = {Basel}, issn = {0042-1138}, doi = {10.1159/000368419}, pages = {106 -- 113}, year = {2015}, language = {en} } @article{ArinkinDigelPorstetal.2014, author = {Arinkin, Vladimir and Digel, Ilya and Porst, Dariusz and Temiz Artmann, Ayseg{\"u}l and Artmann, Gerhard}, title = {Phenotyping date palm varieties via leaflet cross-sectional imaging and artificial neural network application}, series = {BMC bioinformatics}, volume = {15}, journal = {BMC bioinformatics}, number = {55}, issn = {1471-2105}, doi = {10.1186/1471-2105-15-55}, pages = {1 -- 8}, year = {2014}, abstract = {Background True date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L.) are impressive trees and have served as an indispensable source of food for mankind in tropical and subtropical countries for centuries. The aim of this study is to differentiate date palm tree varieties by analysing leaflet cross sections with technical/optical methods and artificial neural networks (ANN). Results Fluorescence microscopy images of leaflet cross sections have been taken from a set of five date palm tree cultivars (Hewlat al Jouf, Khlas, Nabot Soltan, Shishi, Um Raheem). After features extraction from images, the obtained data have been fed in a multilayer perceptron ANN with backpropagation learning algorithm. Conclusions Overall, an accurate result in prediction and differentiation of date palm tree cultivars was achieved with average prediction in tenfold cross-validation is 89.1\% and reached 100\% in one of the best ANN.}, language = {en} } @article{MiciliValterOflazetal.2013, author = {Micili, Serap C. and Valter, Markus and Oflaz, Hakan and Ozogul, Candan and Linder, Peter and F{\"o}ckler, Nicole and Artmann, Gerhard and Digel, Ilya and Temiz Artmann, Ayseg{\"u}l}, title = {Optical coherence tomography : a potential tool to predict premature rupture of fetal membranes}, series = {Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H : Journal of engineering in medicine}, volume = {Vol. 227}, journal = {Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H : Journal of engineering in medicine}, number = {No. 4}, publisher = {Sage}, address = {London}, issn = {0046-2039 (Print) ; 2041-3033 (E-Journal)}, pages = {393 -- 401}, year = {2013}, language = {en} }