Bremerhaven Economic Development (Germany)

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are the most common malignancies in young men. The clinical management largely relies on classical serum tumor markers. However, these markers offer limited sensitivity and specificity, underscoring the need for more reliable biomarkers. In recent years, members of the miR-371∼373 microRNA (miR) cluster, particularly miR-371a-3p, have emerged as superior alternatives, showing excellent diagnostic performance in various clinical settings. While most of the research efforts regarding miR-371∼373 have focused on its clinical utility, recent studies suggest that miR-371a-3p is more than just a diagnostic marker. In this narrative mini-review, we highlight five recent studies all of which provide novel insights into its broader biological roles. The key issues are as follows: (1) the release of miR-371a-3p from cancer cells is accomplished via extracellular vesicles; (2) the miRNA plays an important role in intercellular communication between tumor cells and the tumor microenvironment. (3) There are strong analogies between the human miR-371∼373 cluster and the murine miR-290∼295 cluster, which support the relevance of the gPAK mouse model for preclinical research. (4) miR-371a-3p contributes to cisplatin resistance in TGCTs, and antagomir-based inhibition of this miRNA might be an emerging potential therapeutic strategy. (5) The detection of miR-371a-3p in serum of pregnant women suggests a functional role in feto-maternal signaling. This concise review aims to bridge the gap between clinical and experimental research, positioning miR-371a-3p as both a superior biomarker and a pivotal molecule in TGCT biology with potential therapeutic implications.

BackgroundThe microRNA-371a-3p (M371) is a sensitive novel serum biomarker of testicular germ cell tumours (GCTs) and a certified test is available for consistent clinical testing. In view of the well-known biological analogies of GCTs and embryogenesis, we hypothesized that the marker substance M371 is also present in serum of pregnant women. The goal of this report was to analyse maternal serum for M371.Materials and methodsM371 serum levels were measured in 36 third-trimester pregnant women. Control groups consisted of 12 non-pregnant young women, 12 healthy young males, and 12 patients with GCTs. M371 levels were measured by quantitative real time PCR using the certified M371 test with the standard cutoff of RQ = 5. Statistical methods involved receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analysis with Youden index analysis, and statistical comparisons of median serum levels of patients with those of controls as well as for comparisons of subgroups of patients according to age and infant sex.ResultsAll pregnant women had measurable M371 levels, with 83.3% of the patients having elevated levels above the cutoff, while traces below cutoff were detected in the remainder. Healthy female and male controls were both below cutoff. ROC analysis revealed a 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity of the test when the cutoff of RQ = 0.4 defined by Youden index analysis was employed. The median level in pregnant women was significantly lower than that in GCT patients (10.8 [interquartile range 6.1–20.3] versus RQ = 139.5 [IQR 54.9–630.3], p < 0.001). Individual M371 levels were not associated with patient age and with infant sex.ConclusionsThe evidence for elevated levels of microRNA-371a-p in maternal serum is a novel finding. This result accords with the various analogies between GCTs and embryogenesis documented previously. The finding supports the view that cells involved in human reproduction share epigenetic features with human embryonic stem cells. Further studies are required to explore if this finding could be utilized clinically.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40001-025-02906-8.

Curcuma longa (turmeric) is widely used as a medicinal plant, buth in traditional medicine (including, but not limited to, Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine), and as a dietary supplement. Most studies regarding potential therapeutic activities of turmeric have focused on curcuminoids, which have poor bioavailability. Turmeric most commonly used for the treatment of inflammation and pain, but are also used in other indications. In East Africa, Curcuma longa leaves are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of epilepsy. We have previously reported the identification of turmerones as anti-epileptic constituents from Curcuma longa, using a zebrafish seizure model to carry out in vivo bioassay-guided fractionation. Subsequent testing of turmerones in mouse seizure models confirmed their anti-epileptic activity, but relied on i.v. or i.p. administration. To further evaluate the potential of turmerones to treat epilepsy, we tested the effects of oral administration of turmerones (essential oil of Curcuma longa purified to contain >98% turmerones) on seizure duration and latency in a mouse epilepsy model with seizures induced by the GABA(A) receptor antagonist pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). Mice with PTZ-induced seizures pre-treated with turmerones at 50 mg/kg p.o. for 7 days exhibited a 79% decrease in seizure duration and a doubling of seizure latency. A similar decrease in seizure duration was observed in the 6-Hz mouse epilepsy model pre-treated with turmerones at 50 mg/kg p.o. for 7 days. These initial results suggest a potential anti-seizure effect through oral administration of turmerones, which will be investigated further in these and additional epilepsy models.

Considering the socio‐economic and cultural diversity of the world, it is a bold undertaking by international organisations to propose welfare policies designed to apply to all or many countries. We argue that since the 1990s, new instruments of quantification have extended the knowledge base of international organisations, helping them to design and communicate policy proposals with a global scope. We map these numerical instruments in the field of basic income protection, showing that they serve to identify global social problems and to design global models of welfare. Three case studies illustrate the findings. To make sense of the spread of quantification, we draw on world society theory, arguing that the numerical instruments create a global space of observation, comparison and deliberation regarding social reform. We conclude that numerical instruments have facilitated the expansion of global social protection since the 1990s, but have also narrowed social concerns in the process.

Die Ergebnisse der Genossenschaftserhebung werden im Folgenden in drei Abschnitten dargestellt. Zuerst werden die Ergebnisse der Befragung der Produktivgenossenschaften prasentiert (Abschnitt 5.1). Die beschaftigungsorientierten Sozialgenossenschaften wurden gesondert ausgewertet, und die Ergebnisse werden im zweiten Teil dieses Kapitels (Abschnitt 5.2) kurz dargestellt. Im dritten Teil (Abschnitt 5.3) werden die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse der Genossenschaftserhebung in einem Zwischenfazit zusammengefasst.

European Union (EU)-level agencies have emerged as important actors on the EU's policy-making scene. To date, we know relatively little about the personnel working in EU agencies: what attitudes do EU agency staff members hold on issue-dimensions relevant for the EU integration process? How do they perceive of their role in EU policy-making? Moreover, we know little about the cohesiveness of attitudes of agency staff within and between different EU agencies. The aim of this contribution is conceptually and empirically descriptive. It draws on original data from an online survey of professionals working in EU agencies to gain insights into the attitudes held by EU agency staff on three substantive attitudinal dimensions: conceptions relating to legitimate and accountable EU governance, conceptions about the preferred level of centralization of political authority in the EU, as well as views on economic governance in the EU. While the conceptual focus of this paper is on attitudes and not on behaviour, the attitudes held by EU agency staff and their relative homo- or heterogeneity is likely to affect perceptions and evaluations of the political environment and interpretations of the challenges agency staff members face in their substantive area of work. The findings of the survey will enable us to draw broader conclusions about the type and quality of accountability relationships as well as of the EU's democratic legitimacy. Moreover, the data will permit to inform arguments about the actor quality of EU agencies, which are often conceived as efficient institutional solutions to overcome credibility problems.

Das Buch basiert auf Beitragen zur internationalen Tagung „The Gender of Politics: The Example of Reproduction Policies in Austria, Finland, Portugal, Romania, Russia and the US“, die vom 13. Marz bis 15. Marz 2003 in Wien stattgefunden hat. Der Sammelband enthalt vierzehn Aufsatze von Wissenschaftlerinnen aus sechs Landern zu den Themen „Abtreibung“, „Reproduktionsmedizin“ und „Kinderbetreuung”. Vor dem Hintergrund der aktuellen bundesdeutschen Debatte um die „Kinderkrippen“ und das „Elterngeld“ ist das Werk uneingeschrankt zu empfehlen.

Thermal treatment of contaminated soil has gained great interest. If biological methods have no sufficient cleaning effect, the soil material must be deposited or incinerated. Thermal treatment of contaminated soil with supercritical water (Tc = 374 °C, Pc = 22.1 MPa), in contrast to incineration, leads to clean soil material without creating nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide. Depending on the type of contamination, reaction products are CO2, H2O, inorganic acids and highly volatile hydrocarbons. The process is carried out at elevated pressures (25 MPa) and, compared to incineration, at moderate temperatures (375–600 °C). Residence times are short (< 120 s) and reaction products can be controlled by conditions of state relating to the oxidation (Brunner 1994).