Sabine Amon

Glycosylation analysis of glycoproteins and proteoglycans using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry strategies

This review highlights recent developments in glycosylation analysis by modern MS in combination with CE based preseparation. Focused on CE‐MS strategies aimed for glycotyping, the review addresses the detailed glycoform analysis of glycoproteins, glycopeptides, and proteoglycans. Glycoform analysis in the context of modern glycoproteomics is briefly addressed, as well. CZE, CIEF, and frontal analysis CE approaches hyphenated to high‐resolution multistage MS for the detailed analysis of protein‐linked glycan structures are overviewed in a comprehensive way. Advantages and limitations of various methodological approaches and techniques as well as mass spectrometric instrumentation are discussed in the particular context of glycoanalysis.

Is the introduction of anonymous delivery associated with a reduction of high neonaticide rates in Austria? A retrospective study.

To assess rates of neonaticide after the implementation of a preventative ‘anonymous delivery’ law in mid‐2001 in Austria. Women are allowed to access antenatal care and give birth in a hospital anonymously, without showing any ID and free of charge.

Filicide in Austria and Finland - A register-based study on all filicide cases in Austria and Finland 1995-2005

BackgroundFilicide is the tragic crime of murdering ones own child. Previous research has found that the offending parents are commonly depressed and that suicide is often associated as an actual act or an intention. Yet, filicide is an underreported crime and previous studies have been strained with methodological problems. No comprehensive international studies on filicide have been presented in the literature until now.MethodsThis was a descriptive, comprehensive, register-based study of all filicides in Austria and Finland during 1995-2005. Filicide-suicide cases were also included.ResultsMost of the perpetrators were the biological mothers; in Austria 72%, in Finland 52%. Suicide followed filicide either as an attempt or a fulfilled act in 32% and 54% of the cases in Austria and Finland, respectively. Psychotic mood disorders were diagnosed for 10% of the living perpetrators in Austria, and 12% in Finland. Non-psychotic depression was diagnosed in 9% of surviving perpetrators in Austria, 35% in Finland.ConclusionThe data from the two countries demonstrated that filicide is such a multifaceted and rare phenomenon that national data from individual countries seldom offer sufficient scope for its thorough study. Further analyses are needed to produce a complete picture of filicide.

Confirmation of immuno-reactivity of the recombinant major birch pollen allergen Bet v 1a by affinity-CIEF.

Affinity‐CIEF has been applied to characterize a recombinant product of the major birch pollen allergen Betula verrucosa isoform 1a (Bet v 1a) immuno‐chemically. For this purpose mAbs of the IgG‐type have been produced in‐lab from two murine hybridoma lines, specified as clones 2 and 5.1. Both IgG clones were characterized by SDS‐PAGE, MALDI‐TOF‐MS and CIEF. The purified IgG solutions had to be dialysed against 10 mmol/L phosphate (pH 7.4) to prevent IgG precipitation and to ensure appropriate CIEF separation. Both tested monoclonal IgGs (mIgGs) comprised four constituents covering pI ranges of 6.98–7.09 and 6.78–7.03 for clones 2 and 5.1 with major peaks at pI 7.09 and 7.03, respectively. When increasing amounts of Bet v 1a (pI 4.95) were incubated with 2.0 μmol/L mIgG, novel peaks were progressively induced in a pI range slightly more acidic than the focusing region of mIgGs. These peaks grew on the expense of original mIgG peaks. All pI values were calculated using two pI marker compounds with a repeatability of better than 0.03 units. New peaks represent complexes between Bet v 1a and mIgG either of 1:1 or of 2:1 binding stoichiometry. At a molar ratio of 2:1, saturation of both IgG paratopes with allergen (Ag) molecules was achieved as indicated by unbound Bet v 1a. The current CIEF approach addresses the proof of single epitope integrity in the course of immuno‐chemical characterization of Bet v 1a. Contrary to traditional immunoassays, affinity CIEF allows for a distinction and relative quantification of mAbs, Ag–antibody complexes and Ag variants coexisting in one sample.

Gender differences in legal outcomes of filicide in Austria and Finland

Female offenders of filicide have been found to receive more lenient legal handling than male offenders. We aimed to discover these possible gender differences in the legal outcome of filicide cases. This was a binational register-based study covering all filicide offenders in Austria and Finland 1995–2005. We examined the legal outcomes of the crimes of all living offenders (64 mothers and 26 fathers). Mothers received a conviction of murder and life imprisonment less often than fathers. Within psychotic and personality-disordered offenders, infanticides, and offenders convicted for life, gender differences were less evident. Even though there seems to be some gender differences within the legal outcomes of filicide, ruling seemed more consistent than expected within distinct subgroups of offenders. Gender-based assumptions should not hinder equal and just handling of filicide cases.