Abstract Much effort has been put in the identification of risk factors and pre-motor markers for Parkinson's disease (PD). In contrast to many of the pre-motor markers, SN hyperechogenicity (SN+) ...assessed by transcranial sonography (TCS) has been found to be conclusive for vulnerability for PD. In two centers in Germany 1204 individuals ≥50 years without the diagnosis of PD were recruited and the prevalence and relation of SN+ to a range of pre-motor markers was evaluated. SN+ was detected in 193 (16.0%) of 1204 subjects. Hyposmia (25.4%) was the most frequent sign in the cohort, followed by the occurrence of slight motor deficits. Male gender, positive family history of PD as possible risk factors and the pre-motor markers slight parkinsonian signs, one-sided reduced arm swing, and hyposmia were found to be significantly associated with SN+. The number of subjects who had more than one marker was significantly larger in the SN+ subgroup than in the non-hyperechogenic group (9.2% vs. 2.1%). Most of the discussed markers for PD seem to be unspecific with older age, but related to SN+. Co-occurrence of these markers is more probable in SN+ subjects. These findings may have implications for the design of high-risk cohorts for PD.
Objective
We aimed to estimate the incidence of cerebral sinus and venous thrombosis (CVT) within 1 month from first dose administration and the frequency of vaccine‐induced immune thrombotic ...thrombocytopenia (VITT) as the underlying mechanism after vaccination with BNT162b2, ChAdOx1, and mRNA‐1273, in Germany.
Methods
A web‐based questionnaire was e‐mailed to all departments of neurology. We requested a report of cases of CVT occurring within 1 month of a COVID‐19 vaccination. Other cerebral events could also be reported. Incidence rates of CVT were calculated by using official statistics of 9 German states.
Results
A total of 45 CVT cases were reported. In addition, 9 primary ischemic strokes, 4 primary intracerebral hemorrhages, and 4 other neurological events were recorded. Of the CVT patients, 35 (77.8%) were female, and 36 (80.0%) were younger than 60 years. Fifty‐three events were observed after vaccination with ChAdOx1 (85.5%), 9 after BNT162b2 (14.5%) vaccination, and none after mRNA‐1273 vaccination. After 7,126,434 first vaccine doses, the incidence rate of CVT within 1 month from first dose administration was 0.55 (95% confidence interval CI = 0.38–0.78) per 100,000 person‐months (which corresponds to a risk of CVT within the first 31 days of 0.55 per 100,000 individuals) for all vaccines and 1.52 (95% CI = 1.00–2.21) for ChAdOx1 (after 2,320,535 ChAdOx1 first doses). The adjusted incidence rate ratio was 9.68 (95% CI = 3.46–34.98) for ChAdOx1 compared to mRNA‐based vaccines and 3.14 (95% CI = 1.22–10.65) for females compared to non‐females. In 26 of 45 patients with CVT (57.8%), VITT was graded highly probable.
Interpretation
Given an incidence of 0.02 to 0.15 per 100,000 person‐months for CVT in the general population, these findings point toward a higher risk for CVT after ChAdOx1 vaccination, especially for women. ANN NEUROL 2021;90:627–639
Genetic variability in the promoter and 3' region of the SNCA gene coding α-synuclein modulates the risk to develop sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). Whether this is mediated by regulating ...α-synuclein expression levels remains unknown. Therefore, we analyzed levels of α-synuclein in blood and human post mortem brain tissue including the substantia nigra using quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay in vivo. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs356219, a tagging SNP for a disease-associated haplotype in the 3' region of the SNCA gene, has a significant effect on SNCA mRNA levels in the substantia nigra and the cerebellum. Further, the "protective" genotype 259/259 of the PD-associated promoter repeat NACP-Rep1 is associated with lower protein levels in blood than genotypes 261/261, 259/261, and 259/263. In conclusion, we provide evidence that α-synuclein levels are influenced by genetic variability in the promoter and 3' region of the SNCA gene in vivo.--Fuchs, J., Tichopad, A., Golub, Y., Munz, M., Schweitzer, K. J., Wolf, B., Berg, D., Mueller, J. C., Gasser, T. Genetic variability in the SNCA gene influences α-synuclein levels in the blood and brain.
Wissenschaftseinrichtungen sollen ihre Forschungsergebnisse zunehmend effektiver verwerten. Hierfür ist eine Professionalisierung der internen Innovationsprozesse notwendig. Der Einsatz von Software, ...so genannter Computer-Aided-Innovation-Tools, spielt eine immer größere Rolle. Der Artikel beleuchtet deren Einsatz in öffentlichen Forschungseinrichtungen. (HoF/Text übernommen).
An enquiry among public scientific institutions showed that there is no comprehensive use of software-tools within technology transfers. Reasons and possible practice solutions have been reviewed. (HoF/text adopted).
Die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden umfassenden Potenzialanalyse belegen, daß die Unternehmen in der Region Oberlausitz-Niederschlesien aufgrund der kleinteiligen Wirtschaftsstruktur nur über schwach ...ausgeprägte Innovationspotenziale verfügen. Hinzu kommt, daß mit Ausnahme der FuE-Potenziale an den Hochschulen in der Region keine weiteren Einrichtungen existieren, deren Mitarbeiter in Vollzeit Forschungstätigkeiten nachgehen. Dennoch gibt es punktuelle Stärken, die die Oberlausitz als potenten Standort für zukunftsorientierte Technologien ausweisen. - Ausgehend von den in der Region vorhandenen Stärken konnten als entwicklungsträchtige Schwerpunkte die Technologiefelder IuK, Oberflächen-, Bau-, Fertigungstechnik und Automatisierung identifiziert werden. Die vorhandenen guten Unternehmens- und Wissenschaftspotenziale auf den Feldern Energie und Umwelt müssen noch stärker verknüpft werden. In beiden Bereichen ist auf Grundlage der regionalen FuE-Kompetenz die Ansiedlung innovativer Unternehmen anzustreben.
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