Welcome to JLUpub

Communities in JLUpub

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2

JLUdata
Forschungsdatenrepositorium
JLUdocs
Schriftenrepositorium

Recent Submissions

The ICH score combined with the CRP\/albumin ratio as an improved early prognostic tool for in-hospital mortality in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage
(2026) Haferkorn, K.; Bender, M.; Uhl, E.; Stein, M.
Introduction: The ICH score is a widely used tool for predicting mortality in spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) patients, but its accuracy for early in-hospital prognosis remains limited. Recently, the C-reactive protein (CRP)/albumin ratio has been identified as a potential biomarker associated with in-hospital mortality (IHM) in sICH patients. Research question: This study aimed to investigate whether combining the established ICH score with the CRP/albumin ratio at admission improves the prediction of IHM in sICH patients. Material and methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted including 379 patients with sICH treated in an intensive care unit between 02/2008 and 12/2017. Based on previous findings identifying a CRP/albumin ratio >1.22 as an independent predictor of IHM, the ICH score was modified by adding one point when this threshold was exceeded. Prognostic performance of the original ICH score and the modified ICH (mICH) score was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis in the entire cohort and in subgroups of patients with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) ≤ 8 and intraventricular hemorrhage. Results: The mICH score demonstrated improved prognostic performance compared with the original ICH score in the overall cohort (AUC 0.776 vs. 0.761). In patients with severe neurological impairment (GCS ≤8), the predictive accuracy increased from an AUC of 0.672 to 0.719. Similarly, in patients with intraventricular hemorrhage, the AUC improved from 0.747 to 0.774. The modified score showed higher sensitivity and improved Youden index values across analyses. Discussion and conclusion: Incorporating the CRP/albumin ratio into the original ICH score was associated with modestly improved discrimination for in-hospital mortality, with more pronounced gains in patients presenting with GCS ≤8 or intraventricular hemorrhage.
Urine-based point-of-care detection of direct oral anticoagulant activity in acute stroke : accuracy at anti-Xa thresholds relevant for intravenous thrombolysis
(2026) Gerner, Stefan T.; Braemer, Alina; Juenemann, Martin B.; Mrochen, Anne; Braun, Tobias; Olbricht, Linus; Diel, Norma J.; Sachs, Ulrich J.; Huttner, Hagen B.; Alhaj Omar, Omar
Background: Rapid assessment of direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) activity is essential in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), particularly because intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) may be considered at anti-Xa levels ≤ 100 ng/mL. Laboratory drug-specific assays; however, are often limited by availability and turnaround time. A urine-based point-of-care (POC) test may provide a rapid alternative. Objectives: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of a urine-based POC dipstick for detecting clinically relevant DOAC activity at (1) the established screening threshold (≥30 ng/mL) and (2) the IVT-relevant threshold (≥100 ng/mL), using calibrated plasma DOAC levels as a reference standard. Methods: In this prospective diagnostic accuracy study (UPTURN trial), consecutive AIS patients underwent urine-based POC testing. Dipstick results, recorded as visual and automatic readouts, were analyzed against plasma DOAC activity. Relevant anticoagulant activity was defined as anti-Xa ≥30 ng/mL; the IVT eligibility threshold was defined as anti-Xa <100 ng/mL. Factor Xa inhibitors were quantified using drug-specific chromogenic anti-Xa assays; dabigatran activity was measured using Biophen DTI. Diagnostic accuracy metrics were calculated with exact 95% CIs. Time-to-result was compared between POC testing and plasma assays. Results: Among 101 AIS patients (55 with DOAC intake), the urine-based dipstick test reliably identified relevant anticoagulatory activity (anti-Xa ≥30 ng/mL) with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 96.3% (automated readout). Visual interpretation yielded similar accuracy. For higher anti-Xa levels (≥100 ng/mL), sensitivity remained 100%, though specificity decreased (74.4%). A double-positive visual result increased specificity to 92.8% at 84.4% sensitivity. Median time to result was 19 minutes for urine testing versus 144 minutes for blood-based assays. Test performance was consistent across DOAC agents, dosages, and intake timing. Visual grading enabled semiquantitative discrimination of DOAC levels. Conclusion: Urine-based DOAC dipstick testing is a rapid, accurate, and reliable method for detecting anticoagulatory activity in AIS patients, providing a valuable tool to guide acute therapeutic decisions. Future studies are warranted to validate its clinical impact and broader applicability, especially in the emergency setting.
Computational and experimental engineering of a Pleurotus citrinopileatus lipases : structural insights and functional optimization to adapt the hydrolytic profile for cheese applications
(2026) Henrich, Lea; Broel, Niklas; Schüler, Jonathan; Lang, Marius; Li, Binglin; Gand, Martin
Mutants of a golden oyster mushroom lipase (Pleurotus citrinopileatus; PCI_Lip), were engineered to enhance hydrolysis profiles for cheese production. Key residues affecting activity were identified by SMME (Structure model based on AlphaFold3 prediction, followed by Molecular docking, Molecular dynamics, and Experimental validation) in three rounds of mutagenesis. Double mutants S163M + L302G and L302G + L305A showed significant improvements in photometric assays. The pNPH/pNPP ratios of 11.6 ± 1.1 and 10.4 ± 1.1 of both mutants, respectively, were improved compared to the wild type's 0.4 ± 0.1. Cheese made with S163M + L302G had a taste similar to the one prepared with a commercial enzyme in a descriptive testing, and both mutants demonstrated enhanced catalytic efficiency for short- to medium-chain fatty acids. These findings could be further confirmed by SPME-GC–MS analysis of the cheese samples. A structurally similar lipase from Phlebia centrifuga was investigated due to structural similarity with RMSD of 0.444 Å. The comparison of both lipases highlighted the key role of the lid domain in substrate specificity and affinity. This work advances the understanding of fungal lipases and their potential in food biotechnology.
800 million years of co-evolution in the green plant lineage : the case of LEUNIG and SEUSS transcriptional co-regulators
(2026) Garrecht, Julian; Rössner, Clemens; Sreechakram, Vishnu Narayanan Suma; Li, Qiwei; Braun, Sigurd; Golz, John F; Becker, Annette
The evolution of land plants has involved significant restructuring and expansion of gene networks responsible for developmental processes, leading to the emergence of new gene expression and protein interaction patterns. The LEUNIG (LUG) and SEUSS (SEU) families of transcriptional co-regulators play crucial roles in angiosperm sexual reproduction, and in developmental and environmental response pathways. These proteins often function together in widely pleiotropic actions and are central members of larger transcription-regulating complexes, interacting with various proteins, such as floral homeotic MADS-box transcription factors. However, the origins and evolution of interaction networks of these gene families remain poorly understood. To systematically address this knowledge gap, we conducted a comprehensive analysis integrating phylogeny reconstruction, protein domain analysis, and protein interaction studies across a broad range of streptophyte algae and land plants. Our findings demonstrate that the LUG and SEU genes have existed for at least 800 million years, with specific domains remaining nearly invariant. Protein interaction analyses reveal that LUG- and SEU-like proteins physically interact in streptophyte algae and across all land plant lineages. Notably, the origin of their interactions with MADS-box proteins also dates to at least the streptophyte algae, highlighting the ancient and conserved roles of LUG and SEU proteins as essential components of transcriptional regulation and hubs for protein interactions. Our analysis reveals insights into the ancient origins and conserved roles of LUG and SEU family members in transcriptional regulation in algal and land plant lineages.
An assessment of anti-ganglioside antibodies for the diagnosis of avian ganglioneuritis and potential correlation with gross lesions, microscopic findings and serologic titers in cockatiels challenged with parrot bornavirus
(2026) Bücking, Bianca; Gartner, Anna Maria; Herzog, Sibylle; Herden, Christiane; Heiker, Julia; Schmidt, Anne; Büttner, Kathrin; Lierz, Michael
Avian ganglioneuritis is one of the most widespread diseases of psittacines and is caused by parrot bornavirus (PaBV). It has been suggested that PaBV causes a T-cell-mediated immunopathology comparable to Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1). However, the factors involved in progression from infection to clinical disease in psittacines remain poorly understood. It has been proposed that autoantibodies directed against endogenous gangliosides of the central and peripheral nervous systems contribute to disease development. These anti-ganglioside antibodies have been suggested as potential diagnostic markers for birds developing clinical avian ganglioneuritis independent from the causing infectious agent. In this study, 257 plasma samples from cockatiels (Nymphicus hollandicus) experimentally infected with PaBV, with known infection status as well as defined clinical and postmortem outcomes, were submitted in a blinded manner to a commercial laboratory for anti-ganglioside antibody testing. The results were compared with the presence of anti-PaBV antibodies, clinical signs, gross pathological findings, and histopathological results. Among 25 birds with dilated proventriculi at the time of necropsy, 9 (36%) tested positive for anti-ganglioside antibodies, whereas 16 (64%) tested negative. Of 56 birds with histopathological avian ganglioneuritis, 26 (46.43%) tested positive and 30 (53.57%) tested negative. Among 33 birds without histopathological inflammatory lesions, 19 (57.58%) tested negative and 14 (42.42%) tested positive. These results indicate that no association between the occurrence of avian ganglioneuritis and the detection of anti-ganglioside antibodies was seen.