Combinatorial chromophore assembly inside a DNA four-way junction

In 1964 first proposed by Robin Holliday as a mechanistic model to solve the mystery of how genetic information is exchanged in yeast, the DNA four-way junction or Holliday junction (HJ) was proofed to be the key in- termediate in homologous recombination and became an important tool in the field of DNA origami, computation and nanomachines. Herein we use the assembly of four modified nucleic acid strands into the planar square conformation of this higher order DNA structure to demonstrate in a proof of principle manner the cumulative effect of pyrene moieties interacting inside the junction.[1][2]

Health-related quality of life in rural children living in four European countries: the GABRIEL study

OBJECTIVE Measuring children's health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is of growing importance given increasing chronic diseases. By integrating HRQOL questions into the European GABRIEL study, we assessed differences in HRQOL between rural farm and non-farm children from Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Poland to relate it to common childhood health problems and to compare it to a representative, mostly urban German population sample (KIGGS). METHODS The parents of 10,400 school-aged children answered comprehensive questionnaires including health-related questions and the KINDL-R questions assessing HRQOL. RESULTS Austrian children reported highest KINDL-R scores (mean: 80.9; 95 % CI [80.4, 81.4]) and Polish children the lowest (74.5; [73.9, 75.0]). Farm children reported higher KINDL-R scores than non-farm children (p = 0.002). Significantly lower scores were observed in children with allergic diseases (p < 0.001), with sleeping difficulties (p < 0.001) and in overweight children (p = 0.04). The German GABRIEL sample reported higher mean scores (age 7-10 years: 80.1, [79.9, 80.4]; age 11-13 years: 77.1, [74.9, 79.2]) compared to the urban KIGGS study (age 7-10 years: 79.0, [78.7-79.3]; age 11-13 years: 75.1 [74.6-75.6]). Socio-demographic or health-related factors could not explain differences in HRQOL between countries. CONCLUSIONS Future increases in chronic diseases may negatively impact children's HRQOL.

Effects of intensive arm training with the rehabilitation robot ARMin II in chronic stroke patients: four single-cases

BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted therapy offers a promising approach to neurorehabilitation, particularly for severely to moderately impaired stroke patients. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of intensive arm training on motor performance in four chronic stroke patients using the robot ARMin II. METHODS: ARMin II is an exoskeleton robot with six degrees of freedom (DOF) moving shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. Four volunteers with chronic (>or= 12 months post-stroke) left side hemi-paresis and different levels of motor severity were enrolled in the study. They received robot-assisted therapy over a period of eight weeks, three to four therapy sessions per week, each session of one hour.Patients 1 and 4 had four one-hour training sessions per week and patients 2 and 3 had three one-hour training sessions per week. Primary outcome variable was the Fugl-Meyer Score of the upper extremity Assessment (FMA), secondary outcomes were the Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), the Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS), the Maximal Voluntary Torques (MVTs) and a questionnaire about ADL-tasks, progress, changes, motivation etc. RESULTS: Three out of four patients showed significant improvements (p < 0.05) in the main outcome. The improvements in the FMA scores were aligned with the objective results of MVTs. Most improvements were maintained or even increased from discharge to the six-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: Data clearly indicate that intensive arm therapy with the robot ARMin II can significantly improve motor function of the paretic arm in some stroke patients, even those in a chronic state. The findings of the study provide a basis for a subsequent controlled randomized clinical trial.

Congenital factor XIII deficiency in Pakistan: characterization of seven families and identification of four novel mutations

Deficiency of coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) belongs to the rare bleeding disorders and its incidence is higher in populations with consanguineous marriages. The aims of this study were to characterize patients and relatives from seven families with suspected FXIII deficiency from Pakistan and to identify the underlying mutations. As a first indicator of FXIII deficiency, a 5M urea clot solubility test was used. Plasma FXIII A- and B-subunit antigen levels were determined by ELISA. FXIII activity was measured with an incorporation assay. Sequencing of all exons and intron/exon boundaries of F13A was performed, and a novel splice site defect was confirmed by RT-PCR analysis. Genetic analysis revealed six different mutations in the F13A gene. Two splice site mutations were detected, a novel c.1460+1G>A mutation in the first nucleotide of intron 11 and a previously reported c.2045G>A mutation in the last nucleotide of exon 14. Neither of them was expressed at protein level. A novel nonsense mutation in exon 4, c.567T>A, p.Cys188X, was identified, leading in homozygous form to severe FXIII deficiency. Two novel missense mutations were found in exons 8 and 9, c.1040C>A, p.Ala346Asp and c.1126T>C, p.Trp375Arg, and a previously reported missense mutation in exon 10, c.1241C>T, p.Ser413Leu. All patients homozygous for these missense mutations presented with severe FXIII deficiency. We have analysed a cohort of 27 individuals and reported four novel mutations leading to congenital FXIII deficiency.

Religiosity, family orientation, and life satisfaction of adolescents in four countries

This study examined the rarely investigated interplay between religiosity, family orientation, and life satisfaction of adolescents across four countries with a Christian tradition and different religious contexts.A mediation relationship between religiosity and life satisfaction through family orientation moderated by the country context of religiosity was examined. In a sample of 1,077 adolescents from France (n = 172), Germany (n = 270), Poland (n = 348), and the United States (n = 287), we found that in all cultures, religiosity had a positive impact on adolescents’ family orientation, which was in turn related to a higher life satisfaction.This link was stronger in cultures with a high overall religiosity (Poland and the United States) as compared to one of the two cultures with the lowest importance of religion (Germany).

Sympathy, distress, and prosocial behavior of preschool children in four cultures

This study examined emotional responding (sympathy and distress) and prosocial behavior as well as their relations across four cultures in a specific context. Preschool children (N = 212) from two Western cultures, Germany and Israel, and two South-East Asian cultures, Indonesia and Malaysia, participated in this study. Children's emotional reactions and prosocial behavior were observed when interacting with an adult in a quasi-experimental situation. Results showed that children from the two South-East Asian cultures, as compared to children from the two Western cultures, displayed more self-focused distress and less prosocial behavior. Across cultures, a positive relation between sympathy and prosocial behavior and a negative relation between self-focused distress and prosocial behavior were found. The strengths of these relations were moderated by culture. These results are discussed with regard to their cultural meaning in the specific experimental situation as well as to general culture-specific characteristics.