TY - JOUR A1 - Molinnus, Denise A1 - Hardt, Gabriel A1 - Siegert, Petra A1 - Willenberg, Holger S. A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Detection of Adrenaline in Blood Plasma as Biomarker for Adrenal Venous Sampling JF - Electroanalysis N2 - An amperometric bi-enzyme biosensor based on substrate recycling principle for the amplification of the sensor signal has been developed for the detection of adrenaline in blood. Adrenaline can be used as biomarker verifying successful adrenal venous sampling procedure. The adrenaline biosensor has been realized via modification of a galvanic oxygen sensor with a bi-enzyme membrane combining a genetically modified laccase and a pyrroloquinoline quinone-dependent glucose dehydrogenase. The measurement conditions such as pH value and temperature were optimized to enhance the sensor performance. A high sensitivity and a low detection limit of about 0.5–1 nM adrenaline have been achieved in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4, relevant for measurements in blood samples. The sensitivity of the biosensor to other catecholamines such as noradrenaline, dopamine and dobutamine has been studied. Finally, the sensor has been successfully applied for the detection of adrenaline in human blood plasma. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/elan.201800026 SN - 1521-4109 VL - 30 IS - 5 SP - 937 EP - 942 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Oberländer, Jan A1 - Mayer, Marlena A1 - Greeff, Anton A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Spore-based biosensor to monitor the microbicidal efficacy of gaseous hydrogen peroxide sterilization processes JF - Biosensors and Bioelectronics N2 - In this work, a spore-based biosensor is evaluated to monitor the microbicidal efficacy of sterilization processes applying gaseous hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The sensor is based on interdigitated electrode structures (IDEs) that have been fabricated by means of thin-film technologies. Impedimetric measurements are applied to study the effect of sterilization process on spores of Bacillus atrophaeus. This resilient microorganism is commonly used in industry to proof the sterilization efficiency. The sensor measurements are accompanied by conventional microbiological challenge tests, as well as morphological characterizations with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The sensor measurements are correlated with the microbiological test routines. In both methods, namely the sensor-based and microbiological one, a tailing effect has been observed. The results are evaluated and discussed in a three-dimensional calibration plot demonstrating the sensor's suitability to enable a rapid process decision in terms of a successfully performed sterilization. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bios.2017.12.045 SN - 0956-5663 VL - 104 SP - 87 EP - 94 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - Frotscher, Ralf A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - Computational Analysis of Pelvic Floor Dysfunction T2 - Women's Health and Biomechanics N2 - Pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD) is characterized by the failure of the levator ani (LA) muscle to maintain the pelvic hiatus, resulting in the descent of the pelvic organs below the pubococcygeal line. This chapter adopts the modified Humphrey material model to consider the effect of the muscle fiber on passive stretching of the LA muscle. The deformation of the LA muscle subjected to intra-abdominal pressure during Valsalva maneuver is compared with the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination of a nulliparous female. Numerical result shows that the fiber-based Humphrey model simulates the muscle behavior better than isotropic constitutive models. Greater posterior movement of the LA muscle widens the levator hiatus due to lack of support from the anococcygeal ligament and the perineal structure as a consequence of birth-related injury and aging. Old and multiparous females with uncontrolled urogenital and rectal hiatus tend to develop PFDs such as prolapse and incontinence. KW - Pelvic muscle KW - Muscle fibers KW - Passive stretching KW - Pelvic floor dysfunction Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-3-319-71574-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71574-2_17 N1 - Lecture Notes in Computational Vision and Biomechanics, vol 29 SP - 217 EP - 230 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - Modelling of Soft Connective Tissues to Investigate Female Pelvic Floor Dysfunctions JF - Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine N2 - After menopause, decreased levels of estrogen and progesterone remodel the collagen of the soft tissues thereby reducing their stiffness. Stress urinary incontinence is associated with involuntary urine leakage due to pathological movement of the pelvic organs resulting from lax suspension system, fasciae, and ligaments. This study compares the changes in the orientation and position of the female pelvic organs due to weakened fasciae, ligaments, and their combined laxity. A mixture theory weighted by respective volume fraction of elastin-collagen fibre compound (5%), adipose tissue (85%), and smooth muscle (5%) is adopted to characterize the mechanical behaviour of the fascia. The load carrying response (other than the functional response to the pelvic organs) of each fascia component, pelvic organs, muscles, and ligaments are assumed to be isotropic, hyperelastic, and incompressible. Finite element simulations are conducted during Valsalva manoeuvre with weakened tissues modelled by reduced tissue stiffness. A significant dislocation of the urethrovesical junction is observed due to weakness of the fascia (13.89 mm) compared to the ligaments (5.47 mm). The dynamics of the pelvic floor observed in this study during Valsalva manoeuvre is associated with urethral-bladder hypermobility, greater levator plate angulation, and positive Q-tip test which are observed in incontinent females. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/9518076 SN - 1748-6718 VL - 2018 IS - Article ID 9518076 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - Hindawi CY - New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kohler, Annette A1 - Kirschner-Hermanns, Ruth A1 - Staat, Manfred A1 - Brehmer, Bernhard T1 - Pathogenese, funktionelle und anatomische Aspekte der weiblichen Belastungsinkontinenz T1 - Female stress incontinence: aspects of pathogenesis and functional anatomy JF - Aktuelle Urologie N2 - Der vorliegende Artikel fokussiert sich auf die weibliche Belastungsinkontinenz als Insuffizienz der Speicherfunktion der Blase, auch wenn im klinischen Alltag die Harninkontinenz der Frau häufig verschiedene Ursachen hat und insbesondere eine Belastungsinkontinenz im Alter und bei neurologischer Komorbidität nur selten isoliert vorkommt. Das kleine Becken der Frau ist sowohl als Funktions- als auch als strukturelle Einheit zu betrachten. Dabei unterliegen bei der Frau Blase, Harnröhre, Gebärmutter und Enddarm sowie die muskulären und ligamentösen Strukturen des kleinen Beckens durch Fertilitätsphase, mögliche Schwangerschaften, Geburten und Menopausen-Phase, über das „normale Altern“ hinaus, gravierenden Veränderungen. This article focuses on female stress incontinence in the form of pelvic floor dysfunction and urethral sphincter deficiency, although isolated stress incontinence accounts for less than half of all incontinence cases. Especially in women of old age and those with neurological comorbidities, the causes of incontinence are mostly multifactorial. Also it has to be considered that the female bladder, urethra, uterus and rectum as well as the muscular and ligamentous structures of the female pelvis minor are affected by phases of fertility, possible pregnancies, births and menopause in addition to the normal ageing process. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0043-120616 SN - 1438-8820 VL - 49 IS - 1 SP - 47 EP - 51 PB - Thieme CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Laura, C.O. A1 - Drechsler, Klaus A1 - Erdt, M. A1 - Wesarg, S. A1 - Bale, R. T1 - Intervention assessment tool for primary tumors in the liver JF - Current Directions in Biomedical Engineering N2 - After a liver tumor intervention the medical doctor has to compare both pre and postoperative CT acquisitions to ensure that all carcinogenic cells are destroyed. A correct assessment of the intervention is of vital importance, since it will reduce the probability of tumor recurrence. Some methods have been proposed to support the medical doctors during the assessment process, however, all of them focus on secondary tumors. In this paper a tool is presented that enables the outcome validation for both primary and secondary tumors. Therefore, a multiphase registration (preoperative arterial and portal phases) followed by a registration between the pre and postoperative CT images is carried out. The first registration is in charge of the primary tumors that are only visible in the arterial phase. The secondary tumors will be incorporated in the second registration step. Finally, the part of the tumor that was not covered by the necrosis is quantified and visualized. The method has been tested in 9 patients, with an average registration error of 1.41 mm. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1515/cdbme-2018-0081 SN - 2364-5504 VL - 4 IS - 1 SP - 337 EP - 340 PB - De Gruyter CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinke, Lars N. A1 - Knicker, Axel J. A1 - Albracht, Kirsten T1 - Evaluation of passively induced shoulder stretch reflex using an isokinetic dynamometer in male overhead athletes JF - Isokinetics and Exercise Science N2 - BACKGROUND: Muscle stretch reflexes are widely considered to beneficially influence joint stability and power generation in the lower limbs. While in the upper limbs and especially in the muscles surrounding the shoulder joint such evidence is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the electromyographical response in the muscles crossing the shoulder of specifically trained overhead athletes to an anterior perturbation force. METHODS: Twenty healthy male participants performed six sets of different external shoulder rotation stretches on an isokinetic dynamometer over a range of amplitudes and muscle pre-activation moment levels. All stretches were applied with a dynamometer acceleration of 10,000∘/s2 and a velocity of 150∘/s. Electromyographical response was measured via sEMG. RESULTS: Consistent reflexes were not observed in all experimental conditions. The reflex latencies revealed a significant muscle main effect (F (2,228) = 99.31, p< 0.001; η2= 0.466; f= 0.934) and a pre-activation main effect (F (1,228) = 142.21, p< 0.001; η2= 0.384; f= 1.418). The stretch reflex amplitude yielded a significant pre-activation main effect (F (1,222) = 470.373, p< 0.001; η2= 0.679; f= 1.454). CONCLUSION: Short latency muscle reflexes showed a tendency to an anterior to posterior muscle recruitment whereby the main internal rotator muscles of the shoulder revealed the most consistent results. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3233/IES-184111 SN - 1878-5913 VL - 26 IS - 4 SP - 265 EP - 274 PB - IOS Press CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lanzl, Ines T1 - Vaskuläre Biomarker der retinalen Gefäβanalyse T1 - Vascular Biomarkers in Retinal Vessel Analysis JF - Klinische Monatsblätter fur Augenheilkunde N2 - Mit modernen nicht invasiven bildgebenden Verfahren lassen sich anhand der Fundusfotografie bzw. der optischen Verfilmung Aspekte der funktionellen und strukturellen retinalen Gefäßveränderungen objektiv untersuchen. Der Zustand und das Verhalten retinaler Gefäße beeinflussen im prä-, post- und kapillaren Bereich den Blutfluss und strömungsbedingte Stoffwechselverhältnisse passiv und aktiv über den Gefäßdurchmesser. Retinale Gefäße gleichen von Aufbau und Funktion den zerebralen Gefäßen und spiegeln den Zustand der Mikrozirkulation wider. Mithilfe von aus den Gefäßweiten berechneten Biomarkern soll eine Aussage über die Prognose von systemischen vaskulär bedingten Erkrankungen getroffen werden. Die statische retinale Gefäßanalyse befasst sich mit der Untersuchung des Zustandes der prä- und postkapillaren Gefäßdurchmesser der retinalen Mikrozirkulation anhand einer optischen Fundusaufnahme. Bei der dynamischen retinalen Gefäßanalyse wird der Längsschnitt eines retinalen Gefäßes nicht invasiv funktionell und strukturell über einen Zeitraum vor, während und nach einer spezifischen vaskulären Stimulation untersucht. Die genaue Methodologie der Auswertung und die Bezeichnung der Parameter variieren bei unterschiedlichen Ansätzen. Mittels retinaler Gefäßanalyse wurden bislang mehrere klinische Querschnitts- und Interventionsstudien in der Augenheilkunde und anderen Fachgebieten, inkl. Kardiologie, Neurologie, Neurochirurgie, Nephrologie, Gynäkologie, Sportmedizin, Diabetologie, Hypertensiologie usw. durchgeführt. Mit der statischen retinalen Gefäßanalyse steht eine kostengünstige, reproduzierbare, nicht invasive Screeningtechnik zur Verfügung, um eine prognostische Aussage über die Gefäßgesundheit eines individuellen Patienten zu treffen. Die dynamische retinale Gefäßanalyse besitzt ein weiteres diagnostisches Anwendungsspektrum als die statische, da sie das Verhalten retinaler Gefäße zeitkontinuierlich untersucht. Die Evaluation vaskulärer Erkrankungen sowie zerebro- bzw. kardiovaskulärer Morbidität und Mortalität mittels mehrerer methodologischer Modalitäten retinaler Gefäßanalyse mit ihren jeweiligen quantitativen Biomarkern bietet eine zukunftsträchtige diagnostische Perspektive. Die interdisziplinäre klinische Anwendung dieser vaskulären Biomarker gewinnt zunehmend an Bedeutung, sowohl in der Augenheilkunde als auch in anderen Fachgebieten. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1055/a-0774-7987 SN - 0023-2165 VL - 235 IS - 12 SP - 1352 EP - 1359 PB - Thieme CY - Stuttgart ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Molinnus, Denise T1 - Integration of biomolecular logic principles with electronic transducers on a chip Y1 - 2018 PB - Philipps-Universität / Fachbereich Pharmazie CY - Marburg/Lahn ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Krome, Cornelia A1 - Sander, Volker T1 - Time series analysis with apache spark and its applications to energy informatics T2 - Proceedings of the 7th DACH+ Conference on Energy Informatics N2 - In energy economy forecasts of different time series are rudimentary. In this study, a prediction for the German day-ahead spot market is created with Apache Spark and R. It is just an example for many different applications in virtual power plant environments. Other examples of use as intraday price processes, load processes of machines or electric vehicles, real time energy loads of photovoltaic systems and many more time series need to be analysed and predicted. This work gives a short introduction into the project where this study is settled. It describes the time series methods that are used in energy industry for forecasts shortly. As programming technique Apache Spark, which is a strong cluster computing technology, is utilised. Today, single time series can be predicted. The focus of this work is on developing a method to parallel forecasting, to process multiple time series simultaneously with R and Apache Spark. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s42162-018-0043-1 N1 - Energy Informatics 2018, Volume 1 Supplement 1 ER - TY - THES A1 - Bhattarai, Aroj T1 - Constitutive modeling of female pelvic floor dysfunctions and reconstructive surgeries using prosthetic mesh implants Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-3-9818074-8-6 U6 - https://doi.org/10.17185/duepublico/70340 N1 - Duisburg-Essen, Univ., Diss., 2018 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Figueroa-Miranda, Gabriela A1 - Feng, Lingyan A1 - Shiu, Simon Chi-Chin A1 - Dirkzwager, Roderick Marshall A1 - Cheung, Yee-Wai A1 - Tanner, Julian Alexander A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Offenhäusser, Andreas A1 - Mayer, Dirk T1 - Aptamer-based electrochemical biosensor for highly sensitive and selective malaria detection with adjustable dynamic response range and reusability JF - Sensor and Actuators B: Chemical N2 - Malaria infection remains a significant risk for much of the population of tropical and subtropical areas, particularly in developing countries. Therefore, it is of high importance to develop sensitive, accurate and inexpensive malaria diagnosis tests. Here, we present a novel aptamer-based electrochemical biosensor (aptasensor) for malaria detection by impedance spectroscopy, through the specific recognition between a highly discriminatory DNA aptamer and its target Plasmodium falciparum lactate dehydrogenase (PfLDH). Interestingly, due to the isoelectric point (pI) of PfLDH, the aptasensor response showed an adjustable detection range based on the different protein net-charge at variable pH environments. The specific aptamer recognition allows sensitive protein detection with an expanded detection range and a low detection limit, as well as a high specificity for PfLDH compared to analogous proteins. The specific feasibility of the aptasensor is further demonstrated by detection of the target PfLDH in human serum. Furthermore, the aptasensor can be easily regenerated and thus applied for multiple usages. The robustness, sensitivity, and reusability of the presented aptasensor make it a promising candidate for point-of-care diagnostic systems. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2017.07.117 SN - 0925-4005 VL - 255 IS - P1 SP - 235 EP - 243 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Miyamoto, Koichiro A1 - Seki, Kosuke A1 - Suto, Takeyuki A1 - Werner, Frederik A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo T1 - Improved spatial resolution of the chemical imaging sensor with a hybrid illumination that suppresses lateral diffusion of photocarriers JF - Sensor and Actuators B: Chemical N2 - The chemical imaging sensor is a semiconductor-based chemical sensor capable of visualizing pH and ion distributions. The spatial resolution depends on the lateral diffusion of photocarriers generated by illumination of the semiconductor substrate. In this study, two types of optical setups, one based on a bundle of optical fibers and the other based on a binocular tube head, were developed to project a hybrid illumination of a modulated light beam and a ring-shaped constant illumination onto the sensor plate. An improved spatial resolution was realized by the ring-shaped constant illumination, which suppressed lateral diffusion of photocarriers by enhanced recombination due to the increased carrier concentration. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2018.07.016 SN - 0925-4005 VL - 273 SP - 1328 EP - 1333 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lapitan, Denis G. A1 - Rogatkin, Dmitrii A. A1 - Persheyev, Sydulla K. A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin T1 - False spectra formation in the differential two-channel scheme of the laser Doppler flowmeter JF - Biomedizinische Technik N2 - Noise in the differential two-channel scheme of a classic laser Doppler flowmetry (LDF) instrument was studied. Formation of false spectral components in the output signal due to beating of electrical signals in the differential amplifier was found out. The improved block-diagram of the flowmeter was developed allowing to reduce the noise. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1515/bmt-2017-0060 SN - 0013-5585 VL - 63 IS - 4 SP - 439 EP - 444 PB - De Gruyter CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Röhlen, Desiree A1 - Pilas, Johanna A1 - Dahmen, Markus A1 - Keusgen, Michael A1 - Selmer, Thorsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Toward a Hybrid Biosensor System for Analysis of Organic and Volatile Fatty Acids in Fermentation Processes JF - Frontiers in Chemistry N2 - Monitoring of organic acids (OA) and volatile fatty acids (VFA) is crucial for the control of anaerobic digestion. In case of unstable process conditions, an accumulation of these intermediates occurs. In the present work, two different enzyme-based biosensor arrays are combined and presented for facile electrochemical determination of several process-relevant analytes. Each biosensor utilizes a platinum sensor chip (14 × 14 mm²) with five individual working electrodes. The OA biosensor enables simultaneous measurement of ethanol, formate, d- and l-lactate, based on a bi-enzymatic detection principle. The second VFA biosensor provides an amperometric platform for quantification of acetate and propionate, mediated by oxidation of hydrogen peroxide. The cross-sensitivity of both biosensors toward potential interferents, typically present in fermentation samples, was investigated. The potential for practical application in complex media was successfully demonstrated in spiked sludge samples collected from three different biogas plants. Thereby, the results obtained by both of the biosensors were in good agreement to the applied reference measurements by photometry and gas chromatography, respectively. The proposed hybrid biosensor system was also used for long-term monitoring of a lab-scale biogas reactor (0.01 m³) for a period of 2 months. In combination with typically monitored parameters, such as gas quality, pH and FOS/TAC (volatile organic acids/total anorganic carbonate), the amperometric measurements of OA and VFA concentration could enhance the understanding of ongoing fermentation processes. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fchem.2018.00284 IS - 6 PB - Frontiers CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rodrigues, Raul T. A1 - Morais, Paulo V. A1 - Nordi, Cristina S. F. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Siqueira Jr., José R. A1 - Caseli, Luciano T1 - Carbon Nanotubes and Algal Polysaccharides To Enhance the Enzymatic Properties of Urease in Lipid Langmuir-Blodgett Films JF - Langmuir N2 - Algal polysaccharides (extracellular polysaccharides) and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were adsorbed on dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide Langmuir monolayers to serve as a matrix for the incorporation of urease. The physicochemical properties of the supramolecular system as a monolayer at the air–water interface were investigated by surface pressure–area isotherms, surface potential–area isotherms, interfacial shear rheology, vibrational spectroscopy, and Brewster angle microscopy. The floating monolayers were transferred to hydrophilic solid supports, quartz, mica, or capacitive electrolyte–insulator–semiconductor (EIS) devices, through the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) technique, forming mixed films, which were investigated by quartz crystal microbalance, fluorescence spectroscopy, and field emission gun scanning electron microscopy. The enzyme activity was studied with UV–vis spectroscopy, and the feasibility of the thin film as a urea sensor was essayed in an EIS sensor device. The presence of CNT in the enzyme–lipid LB film not only tuned the catalytic activity of urease but also helped to conserve its enzyme activity. Viability as a urease sensor was demonstrated with capacitance–voltage and constant capacitance measurements, exhibiting regular and distinctive output signals over all concentrations used in this work. These results are related to the synergism between the compounds on the active layer, leading to a surface morphology that allowed fast analyte diffusion owing to an adequate molecular accommodation, which also preserved the urease activity. This work demonstrates the feasibility of employing LB films composed of lipids, CNT, algal polysaccharides, and enzymes as EIS devices for biosensing applications. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.langmuir.7b04317 SN - 1520-5827 VL - 34 IS - 9 SP - 3082 EP - 3093 PB - ACS Publications CY - Washington, DC ER - TY - BOOK A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Poghossian, Arshak T1 - Label-free biosensing: advanced materials, devices and applications Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-3-319-75219-8 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo A1 - Krause, Steffi A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro A1 - Werner, Frederik A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - (Bio-)chemical Sensing and Imaging by LAPS and SPIM T2 - Label-free biosensing: advanced materials, devices and applications N2 - The light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) and scanning photo-induced impedance microscopy (SPIM) are two closely related methods to visualise the distributions of chemical species and impedance, respectively, at the interface between the sensing surface and the sample solution. They both have the same field-effect structure based on a semiconductor, which allows spatially resolved and label-free measurement of chemical species and impedance in the form of a photocurrent signal generated by a scanning light beam. In this article, the principles and various operation modes of LAPS and SPIM, functionalisation of the sensing surface for measuring various species, LAPS-based chemical imaging and high-resolution sensors based on silicon-on-sapphire substrates are described and discussed, focusing on their technical details and prospective applications. KW - Chemical imaging KW - Field-effect device KW - Light-addressable potentiometric sensor KW - Potentiometry Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-3-319-75219-8 SP - 103 EP - 132 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Albanna, Walid A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Lüke, Jan Niklas A1 - Alpdogan, Serdar A1 - Conzen, Catharina A1 - Lindauer, Ute A1 - Clusmann, Hans A1 - Hescheler, Jürgen A1 - Vilser, Walthard A1 - Schneider, Toni A1 - Schubert, Gerrit Alexander T1 - Non-invasive evaluation of neurovascular coupling in the murine retina by dynamic retinal vessel analysis JF - Plos one N2 - Background Impairment of neurovascular coupling (NVC) was recently reported in the context of subarachnoid hemorrhage and may correlate with disease severity and outcome. However, previous techniques to evaluate NVC required invasive procedures. Retinal vessels may represent an alternative option for non-invasive assessment of NVC. Methods A prototype of an adapted retinal vessel analyzer was used to assess retinal vessel diameter in mice. Dynamic vessel analysis (DVA) included an application of monochromatic flicker light impulses in predefined frequencies for evaluating NVC. All retinae were harvested after DVA and electroretinograms were performed. Results A total of 104 retinal scans were conducted in 21 male mice (90 scans). Quantitative arterial recordings were feasible only in a minority of animals, showing an emphasized reaction to flicker light impulses (8 mice; 14 scans). A characteristic venous response to flicker light, however, could observed in the majority of animals. Repeated measurements resulted in a significant decrease of baseline venous diameter (7 mice; 7 scans, p < 0.05). Ex-vivo electroretinograms, performed after in-vivo DVA, demonstrated a significant reduction of transretinal signaling in animals with repeated DVA (n = 6, p < 0.001). Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first non-invasive study assessing murine retinal vessel response to flicker light with characteristic changes in NVC. The imaging system can be used for basic research and enables the investigation of retinal vessel dimension and function in control mice and genetically modified animals. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204689 VL - 13 IS - 10 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Balakirski, Galina A1 - Kotliar, Konstantin A1 - Pauly, Karolin J. A1 - Krings, Laura K. A1 - Rübben, Albert A1 - Baron, Jens M. A1 - Schmitt, Laurenz T1 - Surgical Site Infections After Dermatologic Surgery in Immunocompromised Patients: A Single-Center Experience JF - Dermatologic Surgery N2 - BACKGROUND Immunosuppression is often considered as an indication for antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent surgical site infections (SSI) while performing skin surgery. However, the data on the risk of developing SSI after dermatologic surgery in immunosuppressed patients are limited. PATIENTS AND METHODS All patients of the Department of Dermatology and Allergology at the University Hospital of RWTH Aachen in Aachen, Germany, who underwent hospitalization for a dermatologic surgery between June 2016 and January 2017 (6 months), were followed up after surgery until completion of the wound healing process. The follow-up addressed the occurrence of SSI and the need for systemic antibiotics after the operative procedure. Immunocompromised patients were compared with immunocompetent patients. The investigation was conducted as a retrospective analysis of patient records. RESULTS The authors performed 284 dermatologic surgeries in 177 patients. Nineteen percent (54/284) of the skin surgery was performed on immunocompromised patients. The most common indications for surgical treatment were nonmelanoma skin cancer and malignant melanomas. Surgical site infections occurred in 6.7% (19/284) of the cases. In 95% (18/19), systemic antibiotic treatment was needed. Twenty-one percent of all SSI (4/19) were seen in immunosuppressed patients. CONCLUSION According to the authors' data, immunosuppression does not represent a significant risk factor for SSI after dermatologic surgery. However, larger prospective studies are needed to make specific recommendations on the use of antibiotic prophylaxis while performing skin surgery in these patients. The available data on complications after dermatologic surgery have improved over the past years. Particularly, additional risk factors have been identified for surgical site infections (SSI). Purulent surgical sites, older age, involvement of head, neck, and acral regions, and also the involvement of less experienced surgeons have been reported to increase the risk of the SSI after dermatologic surgeries.1 In general, the incidence of SSI after skin surgery is considered to be low.1,2 However, antibiotics in dermatologic surgeries, especially in the perioperative setting, seem to be overused,3,4 particularly regarding developing antibiotic resistances and side effects. Immunosuppression has been recommended to be taken into consideration as an additional indication for antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent SSI after skin surgery in special cases.5,6 However, these recommendations do not specify the exact dermatologic surgeries, and were not specifically developed for dermatologic surgery patients and treatments, but adopted from other surgical fields.6 According to the survey conducted on American College of Mohs Surgery members in 2012, 13% to 29% of the surgeons administered antibiotic prophylaxis to immunocompromised patients to prevent SSI while performing dermatologic surgery on noninfected skin,3 although this was not recommended by Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology Advisory Statement. Indeed, the data on the risk of developing SSI after dermatologic surgery in immunosuppressed patients are limited. However, it is possible that due to the insufficient evidence on the risk of SSI occurrence in this patient group, dermatologic surgeons tend to overuse perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis. To make specific recommendations on the use of antibiotic prophylaxis in immunosuppressed patients in the field of skin surgery, more information about the incidence of SSI after dermatologic surgery in these patients is needed. The aim of this study was to fill this data gap by investigating whether there is an increased risk of SSI after skin surgery in immunocompromised patients compared with immunocompetent patients. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/DSS.0000000000001615 IS - 44 (12) SP - 1525 EP - 1536 PB - Wolters Kluwer ER -