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The human body is equipped with an intricate system to protect itself from pathogens and foreign material. The innate defense provides the first line of protection. The detection of foreign material triggers two immediate reactions. First, it causes an enzymatic reaction called the complement cascade that opsonizes the material and stimulates its phagocytosis...

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The human genome consists of about 3x109 basepairs of DNA that encode for an estimated 22.000 distinct genes. This two meters of DNA is fitted into an approximately 6 μm nucleus by packaging and folding the DNA fiber into chromatin...

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Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is a disease of the small perforating cerebral arteries, arterioles, venules and capillaries and is very common in the elderly population. CSVD is an important cause of cognitive, mood and motor disturbances. However, it is not well understood which patients are at risk for developing these clinical symptoms. The studies in this thesis are aimed at investigating the relation between brain imaging measures and the development of motor disturbances and mortality in CSVD...

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Environmental sustainability and efficient use of fossil fuels are the major drivers of combustion research. Industries manufacturing combustors are increasingly applying reactive computational fluid dynamics to attain the aforementioned objectives and for complementing costly experimental rigs...

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma [HNSCCs] is the sixth most common cancer worldwide, of which the oral squamous cell carcinoma [OSCC] and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma [OPSCC] are two most common tumors with 300.000 new cases worldwide [1]. The traditional risk factors for developing HNSCC are tobacco and excessive alcohol use, which have a synergistic effect [2]. In the last decades, the causative role of high risk human papillomavirus [HPV] in HNSCCs is widely established, particularly in tumors arising from the oropharyngeal region. HPV-positive OPSCC is considered a distinct molecular entity with a better prognosis compared to its HPV-negative counterpart [3, 4]. Despite improvements in conventional therapy, the five-year s..

Despite their microscopic dimensions, bacteria have a significant impact on all life on earth. They inhabit various habitats as diverse as soil, water, acidic hot springs and Arctic environments. Furthermore, many bacteria live in symbiotic or parasitic relationships with animals and plants. With approximately 1030 bacteria on earth, they form a biomass which exceeds that of all plants and animals [1]. Bacteria recycle nutrients, influence the atmosphere and cause disease. To better understand the biological phenomena underlying the bacterial kingdom, several species or so-called model organisms are being extensively studied, assuming that bacteria share some fundamental mechanisms. On the basis of this assumption, discoveries made in the m..

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In the diagnostic process of prostate cancer, several radiologic imaging modalities significantly contribute to the detection and localization of the disease. These range from transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to positron emission tomography (PET)...

Inflammatory bowel diseases are a large healthcare problem in the western world; they affect over two million citizens in Europe alone. The diseases result from inappropriate inflammatory responses to intestinal microbes in a genetically susceptible host. They comprise of two types of chronic intestinal disorders: Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis...

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The endothelium is one of the largest organs in the human body with an estimated total area of blood-endothelium interface of 350m². It envelops the flowing blood in a continuous layer of cells and performs a myriad of functions in fluid exchange, blood pressure control, inflammatory responses and coagulation regulation. Under physiological conditions, the endothelial surface is a potent anticoagulant that inhibits platelet adhesion and blood clotting...