Response of Arthrospira platensis to different temperatures regarding growth and biochemical composition.

The growth of cyanobacteria can vary considerably depending on the ambient temperature. Since the optimal growth temperature for Arthrospira platensis (strain SAG21.99) is not yet known, this was investigated in the present study. The study revealed that a process temperature of 30 °C seems to be optimal for the Arthrospira strain SAG21.99 cultivation in terms of a maximum biomass productivity. This was also true for the phycocyanin content which was at 30 °C significantly higher than at 20 or 40 °C.

Voices of society: the emergence of civil-society practices aiming to engage in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, public groups mobilised themselves in civil-society engagement practices (CSEPs) aiming to improve or suggest alternative epidemic management. This study explores the motivation to establish CSEPs and their perceived contributions to epidemic management, to gain insight whether integrating views of CSEPs could add value. A systematic online search was executed to identify CSEPs focused on COVID-19 management between January 2020 and January 2022 in the Netherlands. In order to create a comprehensible overview of the identified CSEPs, relevant characteristics were gathered and mapped, for example, local or national scope, subject of action and goals. A selection of CSEPs was interviewed between April and June 2022 to study their motivators to start the CSEPs and perceived contributions to management. The search resulted in the identification of 22 CSEPs, of which members of 14 CSEPs were interviewed. These members indicated several issues that motivated the start of their CSEP, namely; shortage of equipment, sense of solidarity, and a perceived lack of governmental action, lack of democratic values and lack in diversity of perspectives in epidemic management. All respondents believed to have contributed to policy or society, by influencing opinions, and occasionally by altering policy. However, respondents encountered obstacles in their attempts to contribute such as inability to establish contact with authorities, feeling unheard or undermined, and complications due to the interplay of political interests. In conclusion, CSEPs have fulfilled various roles such as providing alternative management policies, producing equipment, representing the needs of vulnerable populations, and supporting citizens and providing citizens with other viewpoints and information. The identified motivators to establish CSEPs in this study uncover room for improvements in policy. These insights, together with the identified perceived barriers of CSEPs, can be used to improve the connection between (future) epidemic management and public priorities and interests.

Exploring 'quality' in science communication online: Expert thoughts on how to assess and promote science communication quality in digital media contexts.

In recent years, the public visibility of science has greatly increased. In the digital media landscape, a wide range of players is now engaged in science communication via various online channels. While these developments offer opportunities, they also entail risks for the quality of science communication. This study explores how the quality of science communication can be assessed and promoted in the increasingly complex digital ecosystem. A two-wave survey with international science communication experts served as a basis to develop a quality framework for digital science communication and to formulate strategies to promote the quality of science communication online. Besides these outcomes, results hint at blind spots in the discourse of science communication quality that demand further investigation and reflection.

Time-resolved relaxation and fragmentation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons investigated in the ultrafast XUV-IR regime.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) play an important role in interstellar chemistry and are subject to high energy photons that can induce excitation, ionization, and fragmentation. Previous studies have demonstrated electronic relaxation of parent PAH monocations over 10-100 femtoseconds as a result of beyond-Born-Oppenheimer coupling between the electronic and nuclear dynamics. Here, we investigate three PAH molecules: fluorene, phenanthrene, and pyrene, using ultrafast XUV and IR laser pulses. Simultaneous measurements of the ion yields, ion momenta, and electron momenta as a function of laser pulse delay allow a detailed insight into the various molecular processes. We report relaxation times for the electronically excited PAH*, PAH+* and PAH2+* states, and show the time-dependent conversion between fragmentation pathways. Additionally, using recoil-frame covariance analysis between ion images, we demonstrate that the dissociation of the PAH2+ ions favors reaction pathways involving two-body breakup and/or loss of neutral fragments totaling an even number of carbon atoms.

Effect of Arthrospira powders from different producers on the formation of endothelial cell monolayers.

Arthrospira platensis (AP) and some of its derived products have well-established biological activities as antioxidants or as agents to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors. Furthermore, AP products have gained increasing importance as potential anti-cancer agents. However, the ingredients of the available products vary greatly with the origin, the type of production and processing, which could have significant consequences for their biological effects. Therefore, the composition and biological influence of five distinct AP powders, which were acquired commercially or produced at a public biotechnology institute, were investigated in regard to their endothelialization capacity using a cell impedance- (CI) based measurement method. The study revealed that the AP composition and especially the influence on HUVEC proliferation differed significantly between the five AP powders up to 109%.Thus, it could be shown that the method used allows the reliable detection of quantitative differences in biological effects of different AP preparations.

Arthrospira platensis accelerates the formation of an endothelial cell monolayer and protects against endothelial cell detachment after bacterial contamination.

Within the last years a comprehensive number of scientific studies demonstrated beneficial effect of Arthropira platensis (AP) as dietary supplement due to a high content of proteins, minerals and vitamins. Positive effects like promoting the immune system, reducing inflammation and an anti-oxidant capacity are reported. In this study, the effect of an aqueous AP extract on primary human venous endothelial cells (HUVEC) was investigated. In addition, the effect of AP on HUVEC treated with a bacterial toxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPA), inducing an activation of HUVEC and cellular detachment, was analyzed. Depending on the concentration of AP extract a significantly accelerated formation of an endothelial cell monolayer was observed. Furthermore, the detachment of HUVEC after LPA addition was dramatically reduced by AP. In conclusion, the data are promising and indicatory for an application of Arthrospira platensis in the clinical field.

Effects of gut microbial metabolite trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) on platelets and endothelial cells.

Thrombotic events result from different pathologies and are the underlying causes of severe diseases like stroke or myocardial infarction. Recent basic research now revealed a link between food uptake, food conversion and gut metabolism. Gut microbial production of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) from dietary nutrients like choline, lecithin and L-carnitine was associated with the development of cardiovascular diseases. Within this review we give a systematic overview about the influence of TMAO on blood components like platelets and endothelial cells which both are involved as key players in thrombotic processes. In summary, a mechanistic correlation between the gut microbiome, TMAO and cardiovascular diseases becomes obvious and emphasizes to the significance of the intestinal microbiome.

COVID-19 and the endothelium.

There is growing evidence that COVID-19 not only affects the lungs but beyond that the endothelial system. Recent studies showed that this can lead to microcirculatory impairments and in consequence to functional disorders of all inner organs. The combination of endothelial dysfunction with a generalized inflammatory state and complement elements may together contribute to the overall pro-coagulative state described in COVID-19 patients leading to venular as well as to arteriolar occlusions.

Herd immunity or suppression strategy to combat COVID-19.

Some months ago, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) broke out in Wuhan, China, and spread rapidly around the world. Some states, such as the Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden and the USA initially focused on keeping the restrictions for economy and society as low as possible. The responsible authorities were of the opinion - and still are e.g. in Sweden - that it is sufficient enough to protect particularly vulnerable persons such as the elderly or people with pre-existing conditions. The idea behind this is that as soon as 60 to 70 percent of the population is infected with a pathogen, a so-called "herd immunity" has developed. However, the increasing numbers of deaths and modelling studies showed the expected overload of the hospitals. Therefore, most countries decided for a temporary lockdown with the exception of Sweden.Based on the number of the total population, three times more people died from COVID-19 in Sweden (2679 deaths per 10 million inhabitants) compared to Germany (6848 deaths per 80 million inhabitants). The comparison Sweden versus Taiwan is even worse because 1072 times more people died in Sweden based on the number of the population (6 deaths per 24 million inhabitants).In the face of the lack of an antiviral treatment and the lack of a protective vaccine one must state Taiwan has made the best out of the pandemic situation whereas Sweden failed completely.

How we should respond to the Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 outbreak: A German perspective.

BACKGROUND: In the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic Germany missed to set up efficient containment measures. Consequently, the number of cases increased exponentially until a lockdown was implemented to suppress the spread of SARS-CoV-2. Fortunately, Germany has a high capability for coronavirus lab testing and more than 30,000 ICU beds. These capabilities and the lockdown turned out to be an advantage to combat the pandemic and to prevent a health-system overload. AIM: The aim was to predict the plateau day of SARS-CoV-2 infections or deaths. RESULTS: The effect on the viral spread of the German measures taken and the impact on the peak of new infection cases is shown. By normalizing daily case numbers, the plateau day of the current outbreak in Germany could be calculated to be reached at April 12, 2020 (day 103 of 2020). CONCLUSION: Normalized case number curves are helpful to predict the time point at which no further new infections will occur if the epidemic situation remains stable. Upon reaching the plateau day during a lockdown phase, a residual time-period of about 2-3 weeks can be utilized to prepare a safe unlocking period. As can be learned from Asian countries such as South Korea and Taiwan there must be strict rules to keep the risk of infection low. Those include social distancing, face mask wearing in combination with digital contact tracing and serosurveillance studies. Following those rules, a safe dance around the infection curve allows to keep the population at a reduced infection rate.

Effects of acrolein in comparison to its prodrug cyclophosphamide on human primary endothelial cells in vitro.

Cyclophosphamide (CPA) is one of the most successful anticancer prodrugs that becomes effective after biotransformation in the liver resulting in the toxic metabolite acrolein. Cancer is often accompanied by thromboembolic events, which might be a result of dysfunctional endothelial cells due to CPA treatment. Here, the effect of 1 mM CPA or acrolein (10/50/100/500 µM) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was analyzed after two days of treatment. The addition of CPA or 10 µM acrolein did not affect HUVECs. However, concentrations of 100 µM and 500 µM acrolein significantly reduced the number of adherent cells by 86 ±â€¯13% and 99 ±â€¯1% and cell viability by 51 ±â€¯29% and 93 ±â€¯8% compared to the control. Moreover, pronounced stress fibers as well as multiple nuclei were observed and von Willebrand factor (vWF) was completely released. Lactate dehydrogenase was 8.5 ±â€¯7.0-fold and 252.9 ±â€¯42.9-fold increased showing a loss of cell membrane integrity. The prostacyclin and thromboxane secretion was significantly increased by the addition of 500 µM acrolein (43.1 ±â€¯17.6-fold and 246.4 ±â€¯106.3-fold) indicating cell activation/pertubation. High doses of acrolein led to HUVEC death and loss of vWF production. This effect might be associated with the increased incidence of thromboembolic events in cancer patients treated with high doses of CPA.

Age-related morphology and function of human arterial endothelial cells.

Endothelialization of cardiovascular implants is regarded as a promising strategy for long-term compatibility. While umbilical vein endothelial cells are typically applied in research, human arterial endothelial cells (HAEC) from elderly donors would be the obvious source for autologous cellularization strategies.In our approach, HAEC from 16 donors of varying age (16-63 years) were divided into two groups (<30 years and >30 years) and analyzed regarding morphology, viability, proliferation, function and senescence status.No age-related differences were found regarding morphology, viability, density, prostacyclin and nitrite secretion or collagen and laminin production. However, the metabolic activity was slightly decreased (p = 0.0374) and the membrane integrity marginally impaired (p = 0.0404) in cells from older donors. Two out of three senescence assays detected more senescence markers in cells from older donors.According to the assays applied here, HAEC from young and elderly donors up to the age of 63 years could be judged equally suitable for autologous cellularization strategies. However, this finding should be regarded with caution due to the extremely large variability between individual donors. Further studies comprising a larger sample size are necessary to investigate this issue more thoroughly.

Colon cancer cells cultured under hyperosmotic conditions as in vitro model to investigate dehydration effects on cancer drug susceptibility.

BACKGROUND: In most clinical studies older people are underrepresented compared to the demographic reality. However, risk for some severe diseases like cancer typically increase with age. Most insight into cancer treatment comes from mixed-age patient cohorts, leading to a lack of detailed understanding of cancer drug effects in the elderly population. There is growing evidence that cancer drug effects can be influenced by dehydration conditions often found in older people. Colon cancer remains the second leading cause of death by cancer in Europe. Inter- and intra-heterogeneity of tumors contribute to why some individuals do not respond to specific cancer therapies or may often suffer a relapse. OBJECTIVE: Our study applies an in vitro drug test system for simulating treatment with cytostatics of colorectal cancer in elderly patients with dehydration condition. METHODS: Two well-known colon cancer cell lines, Caco-2 and RKO, harboring defined cancer-related mutations, were step-wisely adapted from routine culture medium to a severe hyperosmotic condition (397 mOmol/kg) by adding sodium chloride to the medium. We investigated the effects of these cell culture conditions, which should mimic cellular dehydration in elderly people, on the growth characteristics of the cells. Therefore, cell proliferation was investigated by measuring population doubling times. Furthermore, we investigated how the metabolic activity of the cells was influenced by treatment with different concentrations of cyclophosphamide (CPA) under normal and hyperosmotic conditions. RESULTS: We found that Caco-2 and RKO cell lines have an identical cell doubling time of 23 hours in normosmotic medium. However, hyperosmotic medium lifted the doubling time of Caco-2 cells to 31 hours while that of RKO cells did not change. Despite reduced cell proliferation rates, hyperosmotic medium sensitized Caco-2 cells to treatment with 10 mM CPA for 48 hours as measured by metabolic activity assays on ATP levels. CONCLUSIONS: The two investigated colon cancer cells lines reacted differently to hyperosmotic conditions. Only the growth of Caco-2 cells was reduced by increased osmolality. Despite this reduced growth their sensitivity to an alkylating cytostatic agent was even slightly increased. We are now in line to examine these effects in more detail and with more tumor cell lines.

[Vigilance for veterinary medicinal products: Reports of adverse reactions in the year 2017]. / Vigilance der Tierarzneimittel: Gemeldete unerwünschte Wirkungen im Jahr 2017.

INTRODUCTION: A total of 306 reports of adverse reactions to veterinary medicinal products were received during the year 2017 representing an increase of 21% compared to the previous year. The majority of these reports described reactions concerning companion animals (180 dogs and 59 cats) as well as cattle (38 reports) and horses (14 reports). Most of the reported reactions were linked to the use of antiparasitics (158 reports), hormone products (30 reports) and anti-inflammatory products (25 reports). 40 reports were generated from consultations with Tox Info Suisse in Zürich and mainly involved the excessive intake of flavoured tablets and, in some cases, the use of products under the cascade regulation (applied to another species than that authorized). Nine signals were identified from the reports, resulting in revisions of the product information in the sections addressing contra-indications or adverse reactions.

INTRODUCTION: En 2017, 306 annonces d'effets indésirables de médicaments vétérinaires ont été enregistrées, ce qui constitue une augmentation de 21% par rapport à l'année précédente. Des réactions ont principalement été rapportées chez les petits animaux (180 chiens et 59 chats), ainsi que chez les bovins (38 annonces) et les chevaux (14 annonces). Les groupes de médicaments les plus souvent concernés étaient, comme les années précédentes, les antiparasitaires (158 annonces), les préparations hormonales (30 annonces) et les anti-inflammatoires (25 annonces). Quarante cas ont été transmis par Tox Info Suisse, Zürich, qui concernaient principalement l'absorption en surdose de médicaments vétérinaires aromatisés ainsi que quelques cas de reconversions. Sur la base de l'ensemble des annonces, neuf signaux ont été identifiés qui ont conduit à l'adaptation des informations sur les produits dans les rubriques «effets secondaires indésirables¼ ou «contre-indications¼.

[Online information system for -phytotherapy in animals]. / Online-Informationssystem für die Phytotherapie bei Tieren.

INTRODUCTION: Phytotherapy becomes increasingly popular in veterinary medicine. To fully exploit the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants and ensure their safe use, knowledge about the effective plant parts and preparations is required. Improper use and overdosage of medicinal plants can be toxic. With www.phytoarznei.ch, we provide an online decision support aid that allows for the retrieval of currently available information on medicinal plants and their use in domestic animals. This decision support system is based on the available literature in the field, which after critical evaluation has been incorporated into a structured database. For each medicinal plant or drug, we have listed therapeutic indications, different application types, organoleptic properties, plant ingredients, pharmacological effects, dosages, duration of treatment, toxicity, legal frame for use in livestock and relevance for doping. A user-friendly access to all data is achieved by means of two search programs, either by entering the plant name or name of the drug in a search field or by selecting the desired animal species and therapeutic application from respective drop-down lists. This database on medicinal plant applications in animals is linked to the poisonous plant database of the University of Zurich and, for marketed preparations, to the Swiss compendium of veterinary medicinal products as well as to an index of related veterinary products.

INTRODUCTION: En médecine vétérinaire aussi, la phytothérapie devient de plus en plus populaire. Exploiter le potentiel thérapeutique des plantes médicinales et assurer leur utilisation en toute sécurité nécessite toutefois une connaissance particulière des parties de plantes ou des préparations efficaces. Une utilisation inappropriée et un surdosage de plantes médicinales peuvent être toxiques. C'est pourquoi nous avons créé un outil de prise de décision en ligne, www.phytoarznei.ch, qui permet un accès rapide aux connaissances actuelles sur les plantes médicinales et leur utilisation sur les animaux. Ce système d'information est basé sur la littérature spécialisée disponible qui a été incorporée, après une évaluation critique, dans une base de données structurée. Les indications thérapeutiques, les modes d'applications, les propriétés organoleptiques, les composants, les effets pharmacologiques, doses, la durée du traitement, la toxicité, les réglementations juridiques chez les animaux de rente ainsi que la pertinence en matière de dopage sont répertoriés pour chaque plante médicinale ou médicament à base de plantes. Deux programmes de recherche fournissent un accès convivial, soit par la saisie du nom de la plante, du nom du médicament ou des ingrédients de la plante dans une zone de recherche, soit en sélectionnant les espèces d'animaux souhaitées ainsi que l'utilisation thérapeutique dans des menus déroulants correspondants. Cette base de données des plantes médicinales est liée avec base de plantes toxiques de l'Université de Zurich et, si des produits finis correspondants sont disponibles, au Compendium des médicaments vétérinaires suisse ainsi qu'à un répertoire de produits vétérinaires.

Coherent Control of the Rotation Axis of Molecular Superrotors.

The control of ultrafast molecular rotational motion has benefited from the development of innovative techniques in strong-field laser physics. Here, we theoretically demonstrate a novel type of coherent control by inducing rotation of an asymmetric-top molecule about two different molecular axes. An optical centrifuge is applied to the hydrogen sulfide (H2S) molecule to create a molecular superrotor, an object performing ultrafast rotation about a well-defined axis. Using two distinct pulse envelopes for the optical centrifuge, we show that H2S can be excited along separate pathways of rotational states. This leads to stable rotation about two entirely different molecular axes while ensuring rotation is about the propagation direction of the centrifuge, i.e., the laboratory-fixed Z-axis. The presented scheme to control the angular momentum alignment of a molecule will, for instance, be useful in studies of molecule-molecule or molecule-surface scattering, especially due to the large amounts of energy associated with superrotors, which can even be controlled by changing the duration of the optical centrifuge pulse.

Evidence for cytostatic effect of cyclophosphamide on human vein endothelial cells in cancer therapy: Preliminary in vitro results.

In cancer therapy, a number of drugs with different mechanisms of action are in clinical use, which act directly after administration without metabolism, while others only become active in the metabolites produced in the liver. Such drugs/metabolites - especially when administered parenterally - interact in high concentrations with the endothelium. Whether this induces adverse responses of the endothelial cells (EC) is barely studied for many medicaments.This pilot in vitro study revealed that the addition of cyclophosphamide (CPA) to the culture medium (5 or 10 mM, respectively) showed a clear influence on EC compared to non-treated EC: The number of adherent human vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) decreased by the addition of CPA in a concentration-dependent manner compared to the untreated control, whereby the vitality of adherent cells was not affected. In addition, concomitant with activation of the adherent HUVEC, increased migratory activity occurred.These results are in agreement with clinical events like thromboses in patients in compromised condition under therapy with CPA, as the detachment of EC might induce responses of circulating platelets leading to the adherence and aggregation with the risk of the formation of thrombi. Whether CPA acts directly or via toxic metabolites on EC will be examined in more detail in following studies.

Influence of different surface treatments of poly(n-butyl acrylate) networks on fibroblasts adhesion, morphology and viability.

BACKGROUND: Physical and chemical characteristics of implant materials determine the fate of long-term cardiovascular devices. However, there is still a lack of fundamental understanding of the molecular mechanisms occurring in the material-tissue interphase. In a previous study, soft covalently crosslinked poly(n-butyl acrylate) networks (cPnBA) were introduced as sterilizable, non-toxic and immuno-compatible biomaterials with mechanical properties adjustable to blood vessels. Here we study the influence of different surface treatments in particular oxygen plasma modification and fibrinogen deposition as well as a combinatorial approach on the adhesion and viability of fibroblasts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Two types of cPnBA networks with Young's moduli of 0.19±0.01 MPa (cPnBA04) and 1.02±0.01 MPa (cPnBA73) were synthesized and post-modified using oxygen plasma treatment (OPT) or fibrinogen coating (FIB) or a combination of both (OPT+FIB). The water contact angles of the differently post-treated cPnBAs were studied to monitor changes in the wettability of the polymer surfaces. Because of the key role of vascular fibroblasts in regeneration processes around implant materials, here we selected L929 fibroblasts as model cell type to explore morphology, viability, metabolic activity, cell membrane integrity as well as characteristics of the focal adhesions and cell cytoskeleton on the cPnBA surfaces. RESULTS: Compared to non-treated cPnBAs the advancing water-contact angles were found to be reduced after all surface modifications (p < 0.05, each), while lowest values were observed after the combined surface treatment (OPT+FIB). The latter differed significantly from the single OPT and FIB. The number of adherent fibroblasts and their adherence behavior differed on both pristine cPnBA networks. The fibroblast density on cPnBA04 was 743±434 cells·mm-2, was about 6.5 times higher than on cPnBA73 with 115±73 cells·mm-2. On cPnBA04 about 20% of the cells were visible as very small, round and buckled cells while all other cells were in a migrating status. On cPnBA73, nearly 50% of fibroblasts were visible as very small, round and buckled cells. The surface functionalization either using oxygen plasma treatment or fibrinogen coating led to a significant increase of adherent fibroblasts, particularly the combination of both techniques, for both cPnBA networks. It is noteworthy to mention that the fibrinogen coating overruled the characteristics of the pristine surfaces; here, the fibroblast densities after seeding were identical for both cPnBA networks. Thus, the binding rather depended on the fibrinogen coating than on the substrate characteristics anymore. While the integrity of the fibroblasts membrane was comparable for both polymers, the MTS tests showed a decreased metabolic activity of the fibroblasts on cPnBA. CONCLUSION: The applied surface treatments of cPnBA successfully improved the adhesion of viable fibroblasts. Under resting conditions as well as after shearing the highest fibroblast densities were found on surfaces with combined post-treatment.