Abstract: The present invention is based on the unexpected finding that, in addition to catalase, SOD is also involved in protecting tumor cells, wherein the inhibition effects of the two protective enzymes support one another in a complementary manner. The invention thus relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing at least two antibodies or the biologically active fragments thereof, wherein the one antibody is directed against the catalase and the other antibody is directed against the superoxide dismutase, as well as their use for treating a tumor disease.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for increasing the diagnostic likelihood of the presence or absence of, or monitoring the progression or activity of an inflammatory autoimmune disease (AID), comprising detecting mitochondrial NA (e.g. mtDNA) in a sample from an individual suffering from the AID or suspected of suffering from the AID.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of at least one amine oxidase inhibitor for modulating the activity of the lysine-specific demethylase (LSD1) in a mammal and to pharmaceutical compositions for controlling the androgen receptor-dependent gene expression, comprising an effective dose of at least one amine oxidase inhibitor suitable for modulating the activity of the lysine-specific demethylase (LSD1) in a mammal. The invention also relates to assay systems allowing to test LSD1 inhibitors for their ability to inhibit LSD1 function.

Abstract: The present invention relates to synthetic lipoteicoic acid (LTA) mimetics which are useful as vaccine components for therapy and/or prophylaxis of bacterial infection.

Abstract: Isolated monoclonal antibodies or an antigen binding portion thereof which bind to prostate specific membrane antigen in its native form occurring on the surface of tumor cells characterized in that it is linked to a label or a cytotoxic agent or constructed as a part of a bispecific antibody or a recombinant diabody.

Abstract: The present invention relates to substrates comprising covalently attached antimicrobial polymers, which act as synthetic mimics of antimicrobial peptides (SMAMPs) and are preferably obtained by ring opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). The inventive antimicrobial polymers exhibit a molecular weight of more than 100,000 g mol?1 and are preferably covalently attached to the surface of a substrate, e.g. an implant, a medical device, medical equipment or a (tissue-supporting) biomaterial, etc. Covalent bonding may be carried out using a photoreactive crosslinker but also by “grafting onto” or “grafting from”. The present invention is also directed to uses of the inventive antimicrobial polymers as defined herein, e.g. for antimicrobially coating a surface of such a substrate with a layer of the inventive antimicrobial polymer.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a bio-functionalized stimulus-responsive dissolvable PEG-hydrogel. This inventive stimulus-responsive dissolvable PEG-hydrogel comprises a matrix of PEG-polymers, which are modified to contain at least one multifunctional fusion protein, the multifunctional fusion protein preferably comprising as components a substrate binding peptide (SBP), preferably a repetitive RGD-binding peptide and/or a ZZ-binding domain, preferably a tag for purification, and at least one N- and/or C-terminal linker. The present invention is furthermore directed to the use of such inventive stimulus-responsive dissolvable PEG-hydrogels in the treatment of lesions, in surgical dressings, for wound treating, for soft and hard tissue regeneration, for the treatment of wounds in the oral cavity, in the field of ophthalmology, in the field of periodontal defects, etc. The invention also describes a method of treatment for such diseases.

Abstract: The present invention relates to antigens, more particularly protein antigens of enterococcal pathogens which are useful as vaccine components for therapy and/or prophylaxis.

Abstract: An immunological confirmation method is disclosed for the detection of hepatitis B virus infection wherein the testing of certain samples showing unclear reactivity is repeated once without and once in the presence of recombinantly produced HBcAg particles. If the sample is truly hepatitis B virus core antibody positive, the rHBcAg will trap the anti-HBcAg antibodies and influence the readout accordingly.

Abstract: A method for operating a nuclear magnetic resonance imaging device, wherein a continuous sequence of radio-frequency (=RF) pulses are radiated onto a sample, ? being the constant phase value for all magnetization vectors, and all magnetization vectors undergo a phase progression Fn=n? during the n-th sequence interval, wherein P is the number of RF pulses after which the phase angle of the magnetization vectors is repeated, wherein the total gradient moment in one or more directions in space having a value greater than 0, and consecutive pulses exhibit a constant repetition time TR, wherein, after radiation of one RF pulse, one k-space row is acquired. The method is characterized in that any one- or multi-dimensional arrangement of k-space rows is repeated identically N times, and signals from identical k-space rows are averaged or added. The method increases the efficiency of the gradient spoiling and thus the efficiency of artifact suppression.

Abstract: A method for position dependent change in the magnetization in an object, according to a requirement in a magnetic resonance measurement, wherein radio-frequency pulses are irradiated in conjunction with supplementary magnetic fields that vary in space and over time and are superposed on the static and homogeneous basic field of a magnetic resonance measurement apparatus along a z-direction, is characterized in that non-linear supplementary magnetic fields are used, whose spatial gradient of the z-component is not constant at least at one instant of the irradiation, and that the radio-frequency pulses to be irradiated are calculated in advance, wherein progressions over time of the field strengths of the supplementary magnetic fields in the region of the object that are calculated and/or measured position-dependently are included in this calculation.

Abstract: What is disclosed is pharmaceutical compositions which contain a pharmaceutically active amount of at least one active substance which increases the available NO concentration in the cell, together with at least one active substance which stimulates the NADPH oxidase.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an isolated soluble CCR6 receptor polypeptide capable of binding to CCL18 and/or CCL20 and to a method for quantifying the concentration of a soluble CCR6 receptor polypeptide in a liquid sample from a subject. The present invention also relates to a method for detecting and/or prognosticating an interstitial lung disease or a cancer in a subject by determining the level of a soluble CCR6 receptor polypeptide in a sample from said subject and further provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound capable of inhibiting the activity and/or the expression of CCL18 or CCL20 for the treatment of said diseases. The present invention further relates to an isolated polypeptide capable of binding to and inhibiting the activity of the chemokine receptor CCR6 and to a method for identifying further inhibitors of CCR6 receptor activity.

Abstract: A method for measuring the cerebral perfusion of a living organism (1) by means of magnetic resonance (=“MR”) imaging proposes acquisition of further MR signals in a slice (5) that is pervaded by an artery that supplies the blood to the brain in order to determine the temporal progression of the concentration of the contrast medium during the bolus passage in the artery. During acquisition of the further MR signals, a magnetic field gradient is applied in such a way that projection images of the slice are generated. In each time interval between the excitations of the further MR signals, at least one radio-frequency (=“RF”) pulse is irradiated that causes saturation of the nuclear spin magnetization in the slice. This enables simultaneous measurement of the contrast medium flow in the vessels supplying the brain and the brain tissue within the same sequence with an adapted dynamic range.

Abstract: A method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is characterized by the following steps: a) forming a susceptibility model (305, 403) of at least a part of a subject (S), including an imaged body part (203), by using a structural magnetic resonance image (301) of the part of the subject (S) and/or prior knowledge of the anatomy of the subject (S); b) computing susceptibility-induced field deviations (404) present in the imaging volume at each time MR signals are acquired using the susceptibility model (305, 403) and the knowledge of a monitored position and monitored orientation (401) of the part of the subject (S) at that time; c) using the information about the susceptibility-induced field deviations (404) derived in b) for image correction (406), in particular correction of image distortions and/or intensity modulations. The quality of magnetic resonance imaging of moving subjects is thereby improved.

Abstract: A method for RARE magnetic resonance imaging comprising slice selective excitation of two or more slices and of one or more nuclei, followed by refocusing of these slices and application of gradient pulses which cause a division of the signal into spin echoes and stimulated echoes, is characterized by application of refocusing slice selective RF pulses, which are placed to fulfill the echo-spacing CPMG condition for each slice and by arrangement of gradient pulses which cause the phase accumulated by spins in each slice between two consecutive refocusing RF pulses corresponding to that slice to be equal, thus fulfilling the CPMG phase accumulation condition. Thereby, the obtainable signal can be increased and stabilized.

Abstract: The present invention refers to a method for inducing tumor apoptosis by influencing the ROS (reactive oxygen species) signaling pathway in tumor cells. Increasing the level of ROS leads to the selective inactivation of a tumor cell catalase and subsequently to an apoptosis of these cells. The level of ROS can be increased by increasing the level of nitric oxide through inhibition of the enzymes nitric oxide dioxygenase or arginase. According to the present invention inhibitors of the nitric oxide dioxygenase or arginase can be used for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of cancer. The present invention further provides a method for identifying compounds which can be used for the treatment of cancer, wherein the method allows to specifically identify compounds which induce apoptosis through the ROS signaling pathway. The present invention also provides a kit for identifying compounds which induce tumor apoptosis by inactivating a catalase on the tumor cell surface.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance method for using radio frequency pulses for spatially selective and frequency selective or multidimensionally spatially selective excitation of an ensemble of nuclear spins with an initial distribution of magnetization in a main magnetic field aligned along a z-axis, wherein a spin magnetization with a given target distribution of magnetization is generated, and for refocusing the spin magnetization, is characterized in that the radio frequency pulse is used as a sequence of sub-pulses of independent duration, courses of gradients and spatial and/or spectral resolution, comprising one or more large angle RF pulses with tip angles greater than or approximately equal to 15°, which generate a gross distribution of magnetization approximating the target distribution of magnetization or a desired modification of the distribution of magnetization with a mean deviation less than or approximately equal to 15°, wherein the actual effect of the LAPs on the distribution of spin magnetization before

Abstract: A method for accelerating data acquisition in MRI with N-dimensional spatial encoding has a first method step in which a transverse magnetization within an imaged object volume is prepared having a non-linear phase distribution. Primary spatial encoding is thereby effected through application of switched magnetic fields. Two or more RF receivers are used to simultaneously record MR signals originating from the imaged object volume, wherein, for each RF receiver, an N-dimensional data matrix is recorded which is undersampled by a factor Ri per selected k-space direction. Data points belonging to a k-space matrix which were not recoded by a selected acquisition schema are reconstructed using a parallel imaging method, wherein reference information concerning receiver coil sensitivities is extracted from a phase-scrambled reconstruction of the undersampled data matrix.

Abstract: The present invention provides in vitro methods for detecting, grading or prognosticating cancer, in particular prostate cancer. The invention further provides isolated polynucleotides suitable for reducing or inhibiting the expression of protein kinase C beta I and/or II and/or alpha (and consequently the levels of histone H3 phosphorylated at threonine 6, histone H3 monomethylated at lysine 4, histone H3 dimethylated at lysine 4, histone H3 trimethylated at lysine 4) and further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising said polynucleotides for the treatment or prevention of cancer, in particular prostate cancer.