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Messenger RNA (mRNA) is revolutionizing the future of therapeutics in a variety of diseases, including neurological disorders. Lipid formulations have shown to be an effective platform technology for mRNA delivery and are the basis for the approved mRNA vaccines. In many of these lipid formulations, polyethylene glycol (PEG)-functionalized lipid provides steric stabilization and thus plays a key role in improving the stability both ex vivo and in vivo. However, immune responses towards PEGylated lipids may compromise the use of those lipids in some applications (e.g., induction of antigen specific tolerance), or within sensitive tissues (e.g., central nervous system (CNS)). With respect to this issue, polysarcosine (pSar)-based lipopolymers were investigated as an alternative to PEG-lipid in mRNA lipoplexes for controlled intracerebral protein expression in this study. Four polysarcosine-lipids with defined sarcosine average molecular weight (Mn = 2 k, 5 k) and anchor diacyl chain length (m = 14, 18) were synthesized, and incorporated into cationic liposomes. We found that the content, pSar chain length and carbon tail lengths of pSar-lipids govern the transfection efficiency and biodistribution. Increasing carbon diacyl chain length of pSar-lipid led up to 4- and 6-fold lower protein expression in vitro. When the length of either pSar chain or lipid carbon tail increased, the transfection efficiency decreased while the circulation time was prolonged. mRNA lipoplexes containing 2.5% C14-pSar2k resulted in the highest mRNA translation in the brain of zebrafish embryos through intraventricular injection, while C18-pSar2k-liposomes showed a comparable circulation with DSPE-PEG2k-liposomes after systemic administration. To conclude, pSar-lipid enable efficient mRNA delivery, and can substitute PEG-lipids in lipid formulations for controlled protein expression within the CNS.

Intermittent bolus feeding for E. coli cultivations in minibioreactor systems (MBRs) profoundly affects the cell metabolism. Bolus feeding leads to temporal substrate surplus and transient oxygen limitation, which triggers the formation of inhibitory byproducts. Due to the high oxygen demand right after the injection of the substrate, the dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) signal exhibits a negative pulse. This contribution describes and analyzes this DOT response in E. coli minibioreactor cultivations. In addition to gaining information on culture conditions, a unique response behavior in the DOT signal was observed in the analysis. This response appeared only at a dilution ratio per biomass unit higher than a certain threshold. The analysis highlights a plausible relationship between a metabolic adaptation behavior and the newly observed DOT signal segment not reported in the literature. A hypothesis that links particular DOT segments to specific metabolic states is proposed. The quantitative analysis and mechanistic model simulations support this hypothesis and show the possibility of obtaining cell physiological and growth parameters from the DOT signal.

The integrated lipopeptide (RVA)/gene complexes are fabricated with bi-directional regulation on tumor cells and micro-environment. After self-assembling and target coating modification, the poly(gamma-glutamic acid) (gamma-PGA)/RVA nano-vectors can sequentially respond to pH & redox stimuli, and guarantee efficient therapeutic gene delivery and control release of all -trans retinoic acid. The design provides a facile but promising strategy to treat refractory cancers.(c) 2023 Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Chinese Chemical Society and Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.

Objective: Cutibacterium acnes is suspected to cause low grade infections and screw loosening after dorsal instrumentation and gains more and more interest for its role in spine pathology. While C. acnes belongs to the standard skin flora, its pathogenic role remains a question of debate. Methods: [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL]

Objective: Due to demographic changes and an increased incidence of cancer with age, the number of patients with brain metastases (BM) is constantly increasing, especially among the elderly. Nevertheless, geriatric patients are often overlooked in clinical trials and impact of resection of BM is a frequently [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL]

Dies lecture given by Prof.dr. Matthias Barz Professor fro Biopharmacy during the 447th Dies Natalis on Tuesday 8 February 2022 in the Pieterskerk

https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/researching-the-city/book263531#contents

Objective: Brain tumor-related seizures are common in glioma patients. Many studies investigated risk factors for preoperative seizures as those are associated with improved survival. The role of preoperative tumor volume was discussed controversial in the literature. Aim of this study was to assess[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 70. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Skandinavischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie

The global biomass demand for food and fodder as well as for energy production will continuously increase in the near future, leading to increasing pressure on land use. For example, agriculture and forestry on drained peatlands will substantially change the physical, biological and chemical soil properties and results in peat degradation, accompanied by huge emissions of greenhouse gases. Peatlands cover an estimated area of ca. 400 million ha, equivalent to 3 % of the Earth’s land surface [23]. According FAO only 15 % percent of peatlands are drained and used for agriculture, grazing, peat mining and forestry, especially for bioenergy plantations, but causing almost 6 percent of total anthropogenic CO2 emissions and almost 25 percent of the GHG emissions from the entire land use [10]. Since November 2018, HTW in collaboration with Greifswald University started a new and innovative research project, studying the production of biomass on wet peatland sites and the optimization of the thermal utilization of such biomass sources in small and medium scale applications, e.g. household systems and centralized heating plants for communities. The project is therefore focused on an alternative opportunity of using peatlands for bioenergy production, avoiding soil degradation and reducing fossil fuel based GHG emissions by replacing such fuels. Several peat forming plant species such as Common Reed, Reed Canary Grass Sedge species can be produced on rewetted peatlands. Common Reed (Phragmites australis) e.g. grows rapidly and the annual yields will reach under Central European conditions between 3.6 up to 43 t dry matter per ha and year (depending on water level, nutrient availability and pH values) [31]. The heating value of reed (17.7 MJ/kg) e.g. is remarkable and comparable with Miscanthus. Modified conventional agricultural technologies are suitable to harvest, compact, transport and store the reed and well established conversion technologies as e. g. boiler technologies for straw can be used for the utilization of the reed biomass. The presentation and the respective publication of the related paper will introduce the first results of this research project, including the results of measuring campaigns, carried out at a 800 kW heating plant for community heating in Malchin (Mecklenburg Western Pomerania) during February/March 2019. В ближайшем будущем мировой спрос на биомассу для призводства продуктов питания и корма, а также энергии будет непрерывно расти, что приведет к увеличению нагрузки на землепользование. Например, сельское и лесное хозяйство на осушенных торфяниках существенно изменит физические, биологические и химические свойства почвы и приведет к деградации торфа, сопровождаемой огромными выбросами парниковых газов. Торфяные угодья занимают около 400 млн га, что эквивалентно 3 % поверхности Земли [23]. По данным ФАО, только 15 % торфяников осушаются и используются для сельского и лесного хозяйства, выпаса скота, добычи торфа и особенно в качестве биоэнергетических плантаций. В результате этой деятельности количество выбросов составляет 6 % от общих антропогенных (CO2) и почти 25 % выбросов ПГ от землепользования [10]. С ноября 2018 г. HTW в сотрудничестве с Университетом Грайфсвальда начал новый инновационный исследовательский проект, посвященный изучению производства биомассы на заболоченных торфяниках и оптимизации термического использования источников биомассы в малых и средних проектах: бытовых системах и централизованных отопительных установках. Проект сфокусирован на альтернативной возможности использования торфяников для производства биоэнергии, предотвращения деградации почвы и сокращения выбросов парниковых газов на основе замены ископаемого топлива. На повторно заболоченных торфяниках можно выращивать несколько видов таких торфообразующих растений, как обыкновенный тростник, канареечник тростниковидный или осока. Тростник обыкновенный (Phragmites australis) быстро растет, а ежегодный урожай в среднеевропейских условиях может достигать от 3,6 до 43 т сухого вещества на гектар в год (в зависимости от уровня воды, наличия питательных веществ и значений pH) [31]. Теплотворная способность тростника (17,7 МДж/кг), например, сопоставима с мискантусом. Модифицированные традиционные сельскохозяйственные технологии подходят для сбора, уплотнения, транспортировки и хранения тростника. Хорошо зарекомендовавших себя технологии переработки, например, теплотехнику для соломы можно использовать для утилизации тростниковой биомассы. В отчете и соответствующих актах представлены итоги исследовательского проекта, включая результаты замеров, проведенных на теплоцентрали мощностью 800 кВт коммунального отопления в Мальхин (Мекленбург, Западная Померания), в феврале и марте 2019 г.

Objective: In primary glioblastoma (GBM) the role of resection is well established. However, different thresholds for a supposed clinical benefit have been published ranging from about 70% to total resection. We compared parametric and non-parametric models to investigate the nature of relationship[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 69. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Mexikanischen und Kolumbianischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie

Objective: Manifestation of malignant lymphomas in the spine is rare. There are only few case reports in the literature. Due to its rarity there is no gold standard for the management of patients suffering from spinal lymphoma manifestation. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data for 25 [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 69. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), Joint Meeting mit der Mexikanischen und Kolumbianischen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie

Objective: Many established prognostic factors for glioblastoma (GB) patients like histopathological diagnosis, molecular status and extent of resection can only be assessed postoperatively. The only well-known prognostic clinical factors that can be obtained preoperatively areage and the Karnofsky[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 68. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), 7. Joint Meeting mit der Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS)

Objective: Postoperative infarct volume is a prognostic factor for glioblastoma (GB) patients, postoperative hypoxia is suggested as potential mediatior for invasive tumor growth, resulting in diffuse/multifocal recurrence patterns. Aim of this study was to analyze distinct recurrence patterns[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 68. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), 7. Joint Meeting mit der Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS)

Objective: Treatment standards for newly diagnosed glioblastomas are well established and extend of resection is a significant prognostic factor on overall survival. Complete tumor resection is also for recurrent glioblastoma an important prognostic factor. To date however only few studies adressed [for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 68. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), 7. Joint Meeting mit der Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS)

Objective: Some pathologies such as spondylodiscitis, fractures or degenerative disease of the lumbar spine mandate internal fixation and anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF). We compared the pre-/postoperative radiological findings after rigid and semi-rigid internal fixation with Titanium-alloy[for full text, please go to the a.m. URL], 68. Jahrestagung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurochirurgie (DGNC), 7. Joint Meeting mit der Society of British Neurological Surgeons (SBNS)

Head-mounted eye tracking has significant potential for mobile gaze-based interaction with ambient displays but current interfaces lack information about the tracker\'s gaze estimation error. Consequently, current interfaces do not exploit the full potential of gaze input as the inherent estimation error can not be dealt with. The error depends on the physical properties of the display and constantly varies with changes in position and distance of the user to the display. In this work we present a computational model of gaze estimation error for head-mounted eye trackers. Our model covers the full processing pipeline for mobile gaze estimation, namely mapping of pupil positions to scene camera coordinates, marker-based display detection, and display mapping. We build the model based on a series of controlled measurements of a sample state-of-the-art monocular head-mounted eye tracker. Results show that our model can predict gaze estimation error with a root mean squared error of 17.99~px ($1.96^\\circ$).

Among other biomass fuels, common reed (Phragmites australis) is considered as a promising source for Bioenergy. Within the project “ENIM” partners from science, industry and agriculture develops an integrated process to use common reed from rewetted peatlands for the combined heat and power generation in a biomass CHP plant. Ecologically compatible solutions of the reed production and harvesting will be investigated, the necessary logistic will be developed and finally the process of the power plant will be adapted for the commercial utilization of reed as fuel. The project is supported by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) and will contribute to a sustainable and ecological land use and an environment friendly energy economy.

At present biogas plants produce biogas mainly from slurry by liquid fermentation. But the low substrate digestation of herbaceous biomass by liquid fermentation permits to use only a low amount of herbaceous biomass. Since April 2007 the collaborative project entitled “Development of a combined dry-wet fermentation process to produce biogas from herbaceous biomass substrates” is conducted at the Laboratory for Integrated Energy Systems of the University of Applied Sciences in Stralsund. The combined dry-wet fermentation is a progressive fermentation process that shall lead to a better substrate digestion, as well as to a higher biogas production.