In: ACS Nano, 2014, vol. 8, no. 4, p. 3451–3460
A major contemporary concern in developing effective liposome–nanoparticle hybrids is the present inclusion size limitation of nanoparticles between vesicle bilayers, which is considered to be around 6.5 nm in diameter. In this article, we present experimental observations backed by theoretical considerations which show that greater structures can be incorporated within vesicle membranes by...
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In: European Journal of Neuroscience, 2006, vol. 23, no. 4, p. 1082-1086
We developed a non-invasive method to measure and quantify human circadian PER2 gene expression in oral mucosa samples and show that this gene oscillates in a circadian (= about a day) fashion. We also have the first evidence that induction of human PER2 expression is stimulated by exposing subjects to 2 h of light in the evening. This increase in PER2 expression was statistically significant...
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007, vol. 104, no. 31, p. 12843-12848
Production of TNF-α and IL-1 in infectious and autoimmune diseases is associated with fever, fatigue, and sleep disturbances, which are collectively referred to as sickness behavior syndrome. In mice TNF-α and IL-1 increase nonrapid eye movement sleep. Because clock genes regulate the circadian rhythm and thereby locomotor activity and may alter sleep architecture we assessed the influence of...
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In: Scientific Reports, 2015, vol. 5, p. -
Intensive efforts in recent years to develop and commercialize in vitro alternatives in the field of risk assessment have yielded new promising two- and three dimensional (3D) cell culture models. Nevertheless, a realistic 3D in vitro alveolar model is not available yet. Here we report on the biofabrication of the human air-blood tissue barrier analogue composed of an endothelial cell, basement...
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In: Journal of Biological Rhythms, 2006, vol. 21, no. 2, p. 149-154
A genetic approach was used to investigate whether the emergence of circadian rhythms in murine pups is dependent on a functional maternal clock. Arrhythmic females bearing either the mPer1Brdm1/Per2Brdm1 or mPer2Brdm1/Cry1-/- double-mutant genotype were crossed with wild-type males under constant darkness. The heterozygous offspring have the genetic...
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In: Chronobiology International, 2009, vol. 26, no. 7, p. 1462-1469
In our modern society, we are exposed to different artificial light sources that could potentially lead to disturbances of circadian rhythms and, hence, represent a risk for health and welfare. Investigating the acute impact of light on clock-gene expression may thus help us to better understand the mechanisms underlying disorders rooted in the circadian system. Here, we show an overall...
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Thèse de doctorat : Université de Fribourg, 2009 ; Nr. 1625.
The continuous light-dark cycles caused by the rotation of the Earth around its own axis facilitated the evolution of circadian clocks, which have a huge impact on our daily life. Deregulation of the internal clock can lead to sleeping disorders, depression and various other health problems. Thus it is important to understand the mechanisms which allow our clock to tick properly. Since circadian...
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In: BioResearch Open Access, 2015, vol. 4, no. 1, p. 457–468
Epithelial tissue serves as an interface between biological compartments. Many in vitro epithelial cell models have been developed as an alternative to animal experiments to answer a range of research questions. These in vitro models are grown on permeable two-chamber systems; however, commercially available, polymer-based cell culture inserts are around 10 μm thick. Since the basement...
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In: Swiss Medical Weekly, 2013, p. -
Due to the constant expansion within the nanotechnology industry in the last decade, nanomaterials are omnipresent in society today. Nanotechnology-based products have numerous different applications ranging from electronic (e.g., advanced memory chips) to industrial (e.g., coatings or composites) to biomedical (e.g., drug delivery systems, diagnostics). Although these new nanomaterials can be...
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In: PLoS ONE, 2010, vol. 5, no. 9, p. e12540
Over time, organisms developed various strategies to adapt to their environment. Circadian clocks are thought to have evolved to adjust to the predictable rhythms of the light-dark cycle caused by the rotation of the Earth around its own axis. The rhythms these clocks generate persist even in the absence of environmental cues with a period of about 24 hours. To tick in time, they continuously...
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