Charité

About: Charité is a healthcare organization based out in Berlin, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 30624 authors who have published 64507 publications receiving 2437322 citations. The organization is also known as: Charite & Charité – University Medicine Berlin.

Does Pet Ownership in Infancy Lead to Asthma or Allergy at School Age? Pooled Analysis of Individual Participant Data from 11 European Birth Cohorts

Abstract: This collaborative project was initiated, supported and funded by the Global Allergy and Asthma European Network (GA2LEN; www.ga2len.net) under the 6th framework programme of the European Commission (project no. FOOD-CT-2004-506378). Sources of funding of the individual birth cohort studies are described in their publications

Inhibition of IL-12/IL-23 signaling reduces Alzheimer's disease–like pathology and cognitive decline

Abstract: The pathology of Alzheimer's disease has an inflammatory component that is characterized by upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, particularly in response to amyloid-β (Aβ). Using the APPPS1 Alzheimer's disease mouse model, we found increased production of the common interleukin-12 (IL-12) and IL-23 subunit p40 by microglia. Genetic ablation of the IL-12/IL-23 signaling molecules p40, p35 or p19, in which deficiency of p40 or its receptor complex had the strongest effect, resulted in decreased cerebral amyloid load. Although deletion of IL-12/IL-23 signaling from the radiation-resistant glial compartment of the brain was most efficient in mitigating cerebral amyloidosis, peripheral administration of a neutralizing p40-specific antibody likewise resulted in a reduction of cerebral amyloid load in APPPS1 mice. Furthermore, intracerebroventricular delivery of antibodies to p40 significantly reduced the concentration of soluble Aβ species and reversed cognitive deficits in aged APPPS1 mice. The concentration of p40 was also increased in the cerebrospinal fluid of subjects with Alzheimer's disease, which suggests that inhibition of the IL-12/IL-23 pathway may attenuate Alzheimer's disease pathology and cognitive deficits.

Effects of Resveratrol on Memory Performance, Hippocampal Functional Connectivity, and Glucose Metabolism in Healthy Older Adults

Abstract: Dietary habits such as caloric restriction or nutrients that mimic these effects may exert beneficial effects on brain aging. The plant-derived polyphenol resveratrol has been shown to increase memory performance in primates; however, interventional studies in older humans are lacking. Here, we tested whether supplementation of resveratrol would enhance memory performance in older adults and addressed potential mechanisms underlying this effect. Twenty-three healthy overweight older individuals that successfully completed 26 weeks of resveratrol intake (200 mg/d) were pairwise matched to 23 participants that received placebo (total n = 46, 18 females, 50-75 years). Before and after the intervention/control period, subjects underwent memory tasks and neuroimaging to assess volume, microstructure, and functional connectivity (FC) of the hippocampus, a key region implicated in memory functions. In addition, anthropometry, glucose and lipid metabolism, inflammation, neurotrophic factors, and vascular parameters were assayed. We observed a significant effect of resveratrol on retention of words over 30 min compared with placebo (p = 0.038). In addition, resveratrol led to significant increases in hippocampal FC, decreases in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body fat, and increases in leptin compared with placebo (all p < 0.05). Increases in FC between the left posterior hippocampus and the medial prefrontal cortex correlated with increases in retention scores and with decreases in HbA1c (all p < 0.05). This study provides initial evidence that supplementary resveratrol improves memory performance in association with improved glucose metabolism and increased hippocampal FC in older adults. Our findings offer the basis for novel strategies to maintain brain health during aging.

Y chromosome haplotype reference database (YHRD): update.

Abstract: The freely accessible YHRD (Y Chromosome Haplotype Reference Database, www.yhrd.org) is designed to store Y chromosome haplotypes from global populations and had replaced three earlier database versions collecting European, Asian and US American Y chromosomes separately. The focus is to disseminate haplotype frequency data to forensic analysts, researchers, and to everyone who is interested in historical and family genetics. YHRD considers reduction of the available number of polymorphisms on the Y chromosome to a uniform data string of 11 highly variable Y-STR loci as an efficient way to rapidly screen many world populations and to make their Y chromosome profiles comparable. Typing of the YHRD 11-locus core set is facilitated by commercial products, namely diagnostic PCR kits, and endorsed by scientific and forensic analyst's societies as ISFG or SWGDAM. YHRD is structured by the assignment of each submitted population sample to a set of populations sharing a common linguistic, demographic, genetic or geographic background (metapopulations). This principle facilitates the statistical evaluation of haplotype matches due to a significant enlargement of sample sizes. With the rapid growth of the database the definition of homogeneous metapopulations is now also feasible solely on the basis of the genetic data as exemplified for the whole dataset of YHRD, release 19 (August 2006). Large sample numbers within genetically defined metapopulations also allows the development of biostatistical methods to estimate the frequency of unobserved or rare haplotypes ("haplotype frequency surveying method"). Essential for the YHRD project is its collaborative character relying on the engagement of individual laboratories to make their data accessible via YHRD and to share the YHRD standards regarding data quality.