University of Münster

About: University of Münster is a education organization based out in Münster, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Transplantation. The organization has 35609 authors who have published 69059 publications receiving 2278534 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Munster & University of Muenster.

Systemic Inflammatory Parameters in Patients With Atherosclerosis of the Coronary and Peripheral Arteries

Abstract: Plasma concentration of markers of inflammation are increased in patients with atherosclerosis. However, it is unclear whether the pattern and magnitude of this increase vary with the site and extent of disease. In 147 patients undergoing semiquantitative coronary angiography, we measured the acute-phase reactants C-reactive protein (CRP) or serum amyloid A (SAA); the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin 6 (IL-6); the active and total fractions of the anti-inflammatory cytokine transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta); the macrophage activation marker neopterin; and the infection marker procalcitonin. Compared with 62 patients without either coronary artery disease (CAD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD), 57 patients with CAD but no PAD showed greater median CRP (0. 4 versus 0.2 mg/dL, P=0.004) and IL-6 (3.8 versus 1.6 pg/mL, P=0. 007) levels and a lower level of active-TGF-beta (57 versus 100 ng/mL, P=0.038). Moreover, CRP, IL-6, and neopterin levels showed a positive and the active TGF-beta level a negative correlation with the extent of coronary atherosclerosis. Compared with these 57 patients with CAD alone, 15 patients with PAD and CAD had higher median levels of SAA (17 versus 7 mg/mL, P=0.008), IL-6 (12 versus 4 pg/mL, P=0.002), neopterin (14 versus 11 mg/dL, P=0.006), and total TGF-beta (11834 versus 6417 ng/L, P=0.001). However, these strong univariate associations of markers of inflammation and atherosclerosis were lost in multivariate analysis once age, sex, and high density lipoprotein cholesterol or fibrinogen were taken into account. Increased plasma levels of CRP, SAA, IL-6, TGF-beta, neopterin, and procalcitonin constitute an inflammatory signature of advanced atherosclerosis and are correlated with the extent of disease but do not provide discriminatory diagnostic power over and above established risk factors.

Metal Clusters and Colloids

Abstract: The properties of solid matter are determined by the “infinite” three-dimensional arrangement of its building blocks. These can consist of single ions, covalently organized units such as “SiO2” in quartz, or individual molecules in a molecular lattice, e.g., I2 in iodine crystals. What does “infinite” mean? How small can a piece of a distinct material become and still be the same material? The optical properties of quartz, the brilliance of diamond, the conductivity of graphite, or the melting point of gold will all change at some point if the number of specific building blocks becomes small enough. In the last decade there has been important progress towards answering these questions and it has been shown that the nature of materials can dramatically change if the borderline of what we call the “solid state” is reached. Nanometer-sized “cutouts” of various solid materials have been made and their properties studied. In all cases the chemical and physical properties deviate considerably from those of the bulk: the rules of classical mechanics are replaced by those of quantum mechanics. A few examples are presented to elucidate this. Fullerenes as well as carbon nanotubes are considered as nature’s fascinating answer to what happens if the size of an element is reduced to the

Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus? Examining Gender Differences in Self-Presentation on Social Networking Sites

Abstract: Psychological research on gender differences in self-presentation has already revealed that women place higher priority on creating a positive self-presentation, while men are less concerned about the image they present in face-to-face (ftf) communication. Nowadays, with the extensive use of new media, self-presentation is no longer so closely tied to ftf situations, but can also take place in the online world. Specifically, social networking sites (SNS), such as Facebook or MySpace, offer various features such as profile pictures, groups, and virtual bulletin boards with which users can create elaborated online representations of themselves. What remains open is whether this virtual self-presentation on SNS is subject to gender differences. Based on studies emphasizing gender-related differences in Internet communication and behavior in general, it can be assumed that men and women have different motives regarding their SNS usage as well. A multimethodological study, combining results of an onli...

VE-cadherin antibody accelerates neutrophil recruitment in vivo.

Abstract: Neutrophils enter sites of inflammation by crossing the endothelial lining of the blood vessel wall. VE-cadherin is an endothelial specific, homophilic adhesion molecule located at the lateral cell surface. We have generated a monoclonal antibody against mouse VE-cadherin which inhibits electrical resistance of endothelial cell monolayers in vitro as well as aggregation of VE-cadherin transfected cells. In vivo, this antibody was found to increase vascular permeability and to accelerate the entry of neutrophils into chemically inflamed mouse peritoneum. Thus, VE-cadherin is essential for the integrity of the endothelial barrier in vivo. Our data suggest that opening of VE-cadherin mediated endothelial cell contacts may be a relevant step during neutrophil extravasation.