Heidelberg (Poland)

Photosensitive organs are essential for most animals to perceive and respond to their environment. While the gene regulatory networks establishing retinal identity are deeply conserved across metazoans (reviewed in Gehring, 2012; Vopalensky & Kozmik, 2009; Hahn et al., 2023), the retinal architecture varies widely - from invertebrate compound eyes to vertebrate camera-type eyes (Lamb et al., 2007; Schwab, 2017; Arendt & Wittbrodt, 2001). Despite this morphological diversity, early eye anlagen in both, invertebrates and vertebrates, share an initial pseudo-stratified epithelial organization (Weasner & Kumar, 2022; Randlett et al., 2010; Das et al., 2003; Kitambi & Malicki, 2008), which is maintained and elaborated into multi-layered retinae in vertebrates. In contrast, the invertebrate neuroepithelium is re-organized as ommatidia develop. Laminar organisation of the vertebrate retina appears to be a consequence of initial polarisation of the retinal neuroepithelium. This is, however, challenging to test in the organismal context. To address the plasticity of retinal architecture and the impact of epithelial polarity on the structuring of retinal tissue, we take advantage of retinal organoids derived from medaka (Oryzias latipes) (Zilova et al., 2021) that allow to modulate polarity cues and test their impact on the level of epithelialization and structural organisation of the forming retina. We show that under specific culture conditions, medaka retinal organoids undergo a striking morphological switch depending on the level of apico-basal polarity imposed. When polarity cues are continuously provided, a laminated retinal epithelium is established in the organoid. The absence of polarity cues results in the formation of horizontal cellular clusters containing the retinal cell types, which form the vertical retinal column in the developing embryo. We demonstrate that the emergence of this alternative retinal architecture is associated with a loss of epithelial polarity, notably the absence of extracellular matrix (ECM) components, such as laminin, which efficiently rescues lamination. Our findings indicate that tissue-level polarization and lamination in vertebrate retinae require specific extrinsic cues, and that in their absence, differentiating retinal cell types self-organize into structurally distinct, retinal units. This reveals an unexpected plasticity in vertebrate retinal development and indicates a potential for alternative modes of retinal patterning.

Summary The HuCCSar project is an CO2 hub, transport and storage pilot project. This project is fully aligned with the EU’s decarbonization pathway, supporting the EU ETS framework while demonstrating the viability of domestic storage options that reduce dependence on offshore alternatives. By establishing a robust CO2 storage network within Poland, the HuCCSar project will shape the future of industrial decarbonization across Central and Eastern Europe. This initiative project marks the development and implementation of Poland’s first onshore CCS value chain, featuring reinterpretation of existing geological data, acquisition of new data, and a 50kT pilot CO2 injection to validate storage capacity, injectivity, and containment. It includes the construction of the country’s first CO2 pipeline under new technical regulations, enhanced societal acceptance through transparent communication, and stakeholder engagement. A publicly accessible, real-time monitoring tool ensures transparency, while inter-sectoral cooperation between emitters and service providers supports the formation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to drive project development forward.

Unterrichtsplanung gehört zum Kerngeschäft aller LehrerInnen in Sonder- und Regelschulen. Fundiert und praxisorientiert zeigt dieses Buch, welche Schritte für einen systematisch geplanten und strukturierten Unterricht zu beachten sind und wie eine Didaktik für Lerngruppen mit SchülerInnen mit geistiger Behinderung konkret umgesetzt werden kann. Am Beispiel eines Unterrichtsprojekts werden die wichtigsten didaktischen Schritte dargestellt: Die Auswahl von Inhalten, Zielformulierung, methodische und mediale Vermittlung, Kommunikation im Klassenzimmer sowie die Analyse von Unterrichtsverläufen.

Rapid three-dimensional imaging over extended fields of view (FOVs) is crucial to the study of organism-wide systems and biological processes in vivo. Selective-plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) is a powerful method for high spatio-temporal resolution in toto imaging of such biological specimens. However, typical SPIM implementations preclude conventional sample mounting and have anisotropic imaging performance, in particular when designed for large FOVs over 1 mm diameter. Here, we introduce axial sweeping of the illumination into a non-orthogonal dual-objective oblique plane microscope (OPM) design, thereby enabling the observation of freely moving animals over millimeter-sized FOVs, at close to isotropic, sub-cellular resolution. We apply our mesoscopic axially swept OPM (MASOPM) to image the behavioral dynamics of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis over 1 × 0.7 × 0.4 mm at 1.7 × 2.6 × 3.7 µm resolution and 0.5 Hz volume rate.

Dieser Band vermittelt praxisnah die Grundprinzipien sprachlicher Bildung und Förderung, Wissen über Sprachentwicklung, Sprach- und Sprechstörungen sowie Beobachtungs- und Dokumentationsprozesse. Ein besonderes Augenmerk liegt auf Mehrsprachigkeit, der Nutzung digitaler Medien für gelingende Interaktionen und Elternarbeit.

Background: GLP-1 and GLP-2 (glucagon-like peptide-1/2) are incretin hormones that are co-secreted from intestinal L-cells in response to food. While GLP-1 is known to induce postprandial insulin secretion and to improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with diabetes, GLP-2 is a local intestinal growth factor enhancing intestinal nutrient absorption. GLP-2 agonists are clinically used for the treatment of patients with short bowel syndrome. The relevance of GLP-2 beyond the gut is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of GLP-2 for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods: Circulating GLP-2 levels were assessed at time of hospital admission in 1929 patients with myocardial infarction. The primary outcome of the study was the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke (3-P-MACE). To induce atherosclerosis, Glp2r –/– or WT mice were injected with PCSK9 virus and fed a HCD for 12 weeks. Results: Kaplan-Meier survival plots and univariable cox regression analyses found GLP-2 to be associated with adverse outcome (3-P-MACE and all-cause mortality; log. GLP-2 values HR: 2.87; p<.0001). Further adjustment for age, sex, smoking, hypertension, hypercholesterinemia, previous CVD and diabetes mellitus did not affect this association (log. GLP-2 values HR: 2.66; p=0.0055). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses illustrated that GLP-2 is a strong indicator for early events, which proved to be superior to Troponin T and hs-CRP. To asses the functional role of GLP-2 in CVD in an experimental approach we injected Glp2r –/– or WT mice PCSK9 virus and fed these mice a HCD. After 12 weeks Glp2r –/– mice compared to WT littermates presented with a significant reduction in plaque volume and lesion size. While body weight and leukocyte numbers in various organs were unaffected, Glp2r –/– mice had significantly lower cholesterol levels. Conclusion: Circulating GLP-2 levels are independently associated with cardiovascular events in patients with myocardial infarction while inactivation of the GLP-2 system reduces atherosclerosis in mice. Future studies are needed to investigate whether the GLP-2 receptor might provide a novel therapeutic target for cardiovascular disease.

Abstract Purpose Long-term invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) is a major burden for those affected and causes high costs for the health care system. Early risk assessment is a prerequisite for the best possible support of high-risk patients during the weaning process. We aimed to identify risk factors for long-term IMV within 96 hours after the onset of IMV. Methods The analysis was based on data from the AOK Baden-Württemberg; patients who received IMV ≥ 96h and were discharged between 2015 and 2017 were analysed. Health claims data were considered for the previous year and 30 days after hospitalisation. Long-term IMV was defined as evidence of invasive home mechanical ventilation (HMV), IMV≥ 500h, or readmission with (re)prolonged ventilation. The performance of the model was evaluated on a 2018 data-set. Results 7.584 hospitalisations were analysed. Criteria for long-term IMV were met in 38.3% of cases, of which 13.9% had evidence of HMV, 73.1% were ventilated >500 hours and/or 40.3% were rehospitalised with IMV. Several risk factors could be identified, including pre-existing conditions, admission diagnosis, prescribed aids and procedures. By combining all these factors into a final model, the risk for long-term IMV could be estimated with a sensitivity and specificity of respectively 49 and 80% on the test data set (when classifiying patients based on their predicted probability with a cut-off of 41.15%). Conclusion Based on health claims data alone, the risk for long-term IMV could be estimated with an acceptable predictive quality as early as 96 hours after the start of IMV.

La Sociedad de Estudios Kantianos en Lengua Española (SEKLE) invita a participar en el Congreso Internacional que tendrá lugar en Santiago de Compostela del 15 al 19 de julio del 2024. El VI Congreso Internacional de la SEKLE celebra no solo el encuentro bienal de esta Sociedad de Estudios Kantianos sino también el tricentenario del nacimiento de Immanuel Kant (1724-1804). El lema Caminos del pensar, evoca metafóricamente tanto el Camino de Santiago y la bella ciudad anfitriona, como los múltiples caminos abiertos por el pensar kantiano a tres siglos de su nacimiento. Consideramos la historia evolutiva de su pensamiento, que, desde nuestro punto de vista, no recorre uno, sino varios caminos, lo que también vale para su historia efectual. Etimológicamente la palabra 'camino' o 'caminos' sugiere el problema del método o de los métodos del pensamiento de Kant y existe en nuestro pensador incluso “un camino que todavía no ha sido nunca hollado” (KrV, A 98), a saber, el de la Deducción trascendental de las categorías. Muchos son los caminos, tanto nacionales como internacionales, que pueden traer a las investigadoras y a los investigadores kantianos a Santiago de Compostela, en ocasión del tricentenario de su nacimiento. Además de los temas mencionados, son bienvenidas las contribuciones sobre cualquier otro aspecto del pensamiento de Kant. Los idiomas del congreso son: español, alemán, portugués, inglés, italiano, francés y gallego.