University of Cologne

About: University of Cologne is a education organization based out in Cologne, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 32050 authors who have published 66350 publications receiving 2210092 citations. The organization is also known as: Universität zu Köln & Universitatis Coloniensis.

Percutaneous Mitral Annuloplasty for Functional Mitral Regurgitation Results of the CARILLON Mitral Annuloplasty Device European Union Study

Abstract: Background— Functional mitral regurgitation (FMR), a well-recognized component of left ventricular remodeling, is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in heart failure patients. Percutaneous mitral annuloplasty has the potential to serve as a therapeutic adjunct to standard medical care. Methods and Results— Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, moderate to severe FMR, an ejection fraction <40%, and a 6-minute walk distance between 150 and 450 m were enrolled in the CARILLON Mitral Annuloplasty Device European Union Study (AMADEUS). Percutaneous mitral annuloplasty was achieved through the coronary sinus with the CARILLON Mitral Contour System. Echocardiographic FMR grade, exercise tolerance, New York Heart Association class, and quality of life were assessed at baseline and 1 and 6 months. Of the 48 patients enrolled in the trial, 30 received the CARILLON device. Eighteen patients did not receive a device because of access issues, insufficient acute FMR reduction, or coronary artery compromi...

Consumer versus resource control of producer diversity depends on ecosystem type and producer community structure.

Abstract: Consumer and resource control of diversity in plant communities have long been treated as alternative hypotheses. However, experimental and theoretical evidence suggests that herbivores and nutrient resources interactively regulate the number and relative abundance of coexisting plant species. Experiments have yielded divergent and often contradictory responses within and among ecosystems, and no effort has to date reconciled this empirical variation within a general framework. Using data from 274 experiments from marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, we present a cross-system analysis of producer diversity responses to local manipulations of resource supply and/or herbivory. Effects of herbivory and fertilization on producer richness differed substantially between systems: (i) herbivores reduced species richness in freshwater but tended to increase richness in terrestrial systems; (ii) fertilization increased richness in freshwater systems but reduced richness on land. Fertilization consistently reduced evenness, whereas herbivores increased evenness only in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Producer community evenness and ecosystem productivity mediated fertilization and herbivore effects on diversity across ecosystems. Herbivores increased producer richness in more productive habitats and in producer assemblages with low evenness. These same assemblages also showed the strongest reduction in richness with fertilization, whereas fertilization increased (and herbivory decreased) richness in producer assemblages with high evenness. Our study indicates that system productivity and producer evenness determine the direction and magnitude of top-down and bottom-up control of diversity and may reconcile divergent empirical results within and among ecosystems.

MCI conversion to dementia and the APOE genotype A prediction study with FDG-PET

Abstract: Objectives: To investigate whether the combination of fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) PET measures with the APOE genotype would improve prediction of the conversion from mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer disease (AD). Method: After 1 year, 8 of 37 patients with MCI converted to AD (22%). Differences in baseline regional glucose metabolic rate (rCMRglc) across groups were assessed on a voxel-based basis using a two-factor analysis of variance with outcome (converters [n = 8] vs nonconverters [n = 29]) and APOE genotype (E4 carriers [E4+] [n = 16] vs noncarriers [E4−] [n = 21]) as grouping factors. Results were considered significant at p Results: All converters showed reduced rCMRglc in the inferior parietal cortex (IPC) as compared with the nonconverters. Hypometabolism in AD-typical regions, that is, temporoparietal and posterior cingulate cortex, was found for the E4+ as compared with the E4− patients, with the E4+/converters (n = 5) having additional rCMRglc reductions within frontal areas, such as the anterior cingulate (ACC) and inferior frontal (IFC) cortex. For the whole MCI sample, IPC rCMRglc predicted conversion to AD with 84% overall diagnostic accuracy ( p = 0.003). Moreover, ACC and IFC rCMRglc improved prediction for the E4+ group, yielding 100% sensitivity, 90% specificity, and 94% accuracy ( p Conclusion: Fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-PET measures may improve prediction of the conversion to Alzheimer disease, especially in combination with the APOE genotype.

An evaluation of LSU rDNA D1-D2 sequences for their use in species identification

Abstract: Background Identification of species via DNA sequences is the basis for DNA taxonomy and DNA barcoding. Currently there is a strong focus on using a mitochondrial marker for this purpose, in particular a fragment from the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI). While there is ample evidence that this marker is indeed suitable across a broad taxonomic range to delineate species, it has also become clear that a complementation by a nuclear marker system could be advantageous. Ribosomal RNA genes could be suitable for this purpose, because of their global occurrence and the possibility to design universal primers. However, it has so far been assumed that these genes are too highly conserved to allow resolution at, or even beyond the species level. On the other hand, it is known that ribosomal gene regions harbour also highly divergent parts. We explore here the information content of two adjacent divergence regions of the large subunit ribosomal gene, the D1-D2 region.