Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for the acquisition and interpretation of expirograms comprising: a gas measuring probe that is designed to determine the gas concentration ƒmess of a gas in exhaled respiratory air; a reading device that is connected to the gas measuring probe via signal and is designed to read for a plurality of values x1, . . . , xN of an exhaled volume of the exhaled respiratory air the respective determined gas concentrations ƒmess(x1), . . . , ƒmess(xN) from the gas measuring probe; a storage device that is designed to store the values x1, . . . , xN assigned to the gas concentrations ƒmess(x1), . . . , ƒmess(xN); a function fitting unit that is connected to the storage device via signal and that is designed to determine a non-linear fit function ƒ(x)=g(x)·h(x)+OffsetGas for the stored gas concentrations ƒmess(x1), . . .

Abstract: A method according to the technique of a steady state free precession (SSFP) gradient echo method, in particular, of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) tomography, wherein a regular sequence of radio frequency pulses with flip angle ? is applied at temporally constant intervals TR, wherein the phase of these pulses is increased in subsequent steps by a constant phase increment, is characterized in that a predetermined phase encoding scheme is performed in such a manner that each individual phase encoding step is identically repeated N times under the following conditions: N is an even number and N?2; successive measured NMR signals are averaged, which minimizes the artefacts produced due to incrementation of the phase encoding gradients.

Abstract: A magnetic resonance (NMR) method for fast, dynamic, spatially resolved measurement of the temporal changes in NMR signals by means of repeated data acquisition in individual measurements (Acq) with measuring sequences which are sensitive to a parameter to be observed, in an NMR apparatus with shim coils for correcting the magnetic field is characterized in that during data acquisition of each individual measurement (Acq) in acquisition steps (S1 . . . Sn) with a time lag, the magnetic field distribution in the NMR apparatus is measured, technically or physiologically based changes in the magnetic field distribution are determined therefrom in a calculation step (Scalc) as well as a change in the currents in the magnetic field required for compensation thereof, and the dynamic changes in the magnetic field distribution are compensated for by means of the correspondingly changed shim currents.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an assay system for specific inhibitors of protein kinase C-related kinases (PRKs) relating to one or more of the reactions wherein said protein kinase C-related kinases are involved under physiological conditions. The invention also relates to a process for identifying specific inhibitors for protein kinase C-related kinases.

Abstract: The invention relates to the use of hyperforin for treating cancer diseases and/or precancerous stages. In addition, the invention relates to a hyperforin-containing ointment or cream and to its production and use. The hyperforin-containing ointment or cream is also suitable for treating inflammatory skin diseases, geriatric skin and bacterial skin diseases and also skin diseases in the sphere of veterinary medicine.

Abstract: Polypeptide sequences which play a part in the regulation of skeletal muscle differentiation, and nucleic acids coding therefor, and the use thereof in diagnosis and therapy are disclosed. Possible uses are also indicated for antibodies which are directed against corresponding epitopes of the GRIM1 polypeptide.

Abstract: A nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) method for spatially resolved measurement of the distribution of signals of metabolites of different resonance frequencies by application of a sequence of radio-frequency pulses and switched magnetic fields, wherein the generated signals are generated by application of read gradients in a spatially encoded manner in the direction of these gradients, is characterized in that, after a time interval TR/2, the initially excited magnetization is subjected to a sequence of several radio frequency pulses, which are equally spaced by time intervals TR, and the used magnetic field gradients in each TR interval are applied such that the originally excited magnetization is repeatedly refocused in several TR intervals and thereby read out several times, several signals are generated within one TR interval by multiple inversion of the read gradient, and the signals which are read-out several times are each identically spatially encoded by application of phase encoding gradients and there

Abstract: A multi-slice NMR imaging method for recording N slices (N>1) from a measuring object, wherein for complete image reconstruction, an acquisition in m (m>1) repetition steps with different spatial encoding is used, with a magnetization preparation in the form of a saturation pulse which is selective with respect to chemical shift and which is applied P times (1?P<N) in each repetition step such that through each of these chemical shift selective saturation pulses the spins to be saturated of one of the N slices in the measuring object are optimally saturated and consequently the signals of N-P slices are saturated only sub-optimally, is characterized in that the temporal sequence of the saturation pulses and/or the sequence of the acquisition of the differently spatially encoded signals of the individual slices is permuted such that after termination of the acquisition, for each slice the signals with identical spatial encoding were recorded in the same fashion also with respect to saturation preparat

Abstract: The invention discloses the use of low molecular weight hyaluronic acid fragments, which can be suitably modified, where appropriate, for producing vaccines. The vaccines are particularly suitable for controlling cancer diseases. Surprisingly, it has been found that low molecular weight hyaluronic acid fragments, which can be suitably modified, where appropriate, can be used both for preparing mature dendritic cells and directly, together with antigens or peptides or carrier systems, as an adjuvant in vaccines. It is likewise possible to couple the low molecular weight hyaluronic acid fragments, which can be suitably modified, where appropriate, to an antigen, peptide or carrier system. The coupled system can then be advantageously employed as a vaccine, in particular for treating cancer diseases.

Abstract: A method of MRT according to the principle of signal generation in the driven equilibrium (DE) or also steady state free precession (SFP) wherein a periodic sequence of RF pulses with a flip angle &agr; is applied with a time delay TR wherein the phase of these pulses is alternated in subsequent steps, is characterized in that the periodic sequence of RF pulses is preceded by a sequence of (n+1) pulses for which the following conditions are valid: a first excitation pulse with preferred flip angle &agr;0=90° precedes the subsequently equidistant sequence of RF pulses at a preferred separation TR/2, the flip angle &agr;1 of the subsequent pulse is larger than &agr; and identical or approximately identical to 180°, the flip angle &agr;1 of the i-th pulse in the region i=2 . . . n is selected such that &agr;i≦&agr;i-1 and &agr;i≧&agr; and the phases of these pulses alternate.

Abstract: Diagnostic and therapeutic applications for certain types of cancer and precancerous conditions, including those deriving from hematologic cells, are described. Of particular interest are those cancers and precancerous conditions associated with increased signaling in the RAS-MAP kinase pathway. The diagnostic and therapeutic applications described herein are based on certain mutations in the protein tyrosine phosphatase gene PTPN11 and its expression product, PTPN11, promoting a gain-of-function in PTPN11 activity. Also described are nucleotide sequences, amino acid sequences, probes, and primers related to PTPN11 and PTPN11 variants, and cells expressing such variants.

Abstract: The invention relates to a bone substitute material which comprises a soft matrix, living cells and a setting matrix. The invention also relates to processes for producing such a bone substitute material and to the use of non-ceramic hydroxyapatite cement for producing a cell-containing bone substitute material. The latter can be injected minimally invasively into a bone defect in a suitable injection apparatus relevant for the invention.

Abstract: A bone substitute material is prepared which comprises a soft matrix, living cells and a setting matrix comprising non-ceramic hydroxyapatite cement. The bone substitute material can be injected minimally invasively into a bone defect with a suitable injection apparatus. In an embodiment, living cells are mixed with a fibrinogen solution and then with a thrombin solution to form the soft matrix, and the soft matrix is mixed with an aqueous solution of non-ceramic hydroxyapatite cement to obtain the bone substitute material which remains unsolidified until after application to a body.

Abstract: A method of magnetic resonance (NMR) for spatially resolved measurement of the distribution of NMR signals of metabolites (CSI) with low signal intensity, wherein on a spin ensemble, a sequence of radio frequency (RF) pulses is applied which are mutually offset by a time interval of a repetition time TR and magnetic gradient fields are switched of which at least one causes spatial encoding of the excited spins, is characterized in that the repetition time TR between the exciting RF pulses is selected to be at the most in the magnitude transverse relaxation time T2* of the spins to be excited, preferably approximately T2*/10 and that the magnetic gradient fields are selected such that their action integral is completely balanced over a repetition period of a time period TR such that NMR signal production is carried out according to the principle of steady state free precession (SSFP).

Abstract: An imaging multi-slice NMR method for recording N slices (N>1) wherein for complete image reconstruction, recording in m individual steps (m>1) is carried out, wherein the recording of each step of each slice is carried out within a time period TA, is characterized in that the recording is carried out in r repetition cycles (r>m) and that during each of these repetition cycles, data from P slices (P<N) is acquired, wherein for recording the complete data set of m*N recording steps, the number of repetition cycles is r=m*N/P, wherein possible steps which remain due to non-dividability of m*N by P are attached or ignored, wherein spatial encoding can be different during each repetition step from slice to slice as long as after r repetitions for each slice all m spatial encoding steps are recorded, and wherein also the position of the P slices within the volume under investigation defined by the total number N of slices to be recorded can be different as long as the data for reconstructing N s

Abstract: A method for magnetic resonance imaging (NMR) subjects a sample of magnetic spins, having differing Larmor frequencies and located in an external magnetic field, to a sequence of at least two radio frequency pulse sequences in time separation tm with respect to each other, wherein the difference in Larmor frequencies is due to the type of nuclei, to the inhomogeneities of the magnetic field utilized, or through action of an additional magnetic field gradient and wherein the first radio frequency pulse sequence effects excitation of, relative to the distribution of Larmor frequencies, periodic modulation of the z-magnetization having a modulation separation 2&Dgr;&ohgr; and the second radio frequency pulse sequence transfers this periodic modulating z-magnetization into transverse magnetization leading to signal production.