Ruprecht-Karls Heidelberg University 5 articles published in JoVE Medicine Cardiac Response to β-Adrenergic Stimulation Determined by Pressure-Volume Loop Analysis Rebekka Medert*1,2, Lucas Bacmeister*1,2,3, Sebastian Segin*1,2,4, Marc Freichel1,2, Juan E. Camacho Londoño1,2 1Pharmakologisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, 2DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), partner site Heidelberg/Mannheim, 3Department of Internal Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, 4Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen Here we describe a cardiac pressure-volume loop analysis under increasing doses of intravenously infused isoproterenol to determine the intrinsic cardiac function and the β-adrenergic reserve in mice. We use a modified open-chest approach for the pressure-volume loop measurements, in which we include ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure. Chemistry Synthesis of Bimetallic Pt/Sn-based Nanoparticles in Ionic Liquids Christine Dietrich1,2, Georgios Uzunidis1,2, Yannick Träutlein1, Silke Behrens1,2 1Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 2Ruprecht-Karls University of Heidelberg A protocol for the synthesis of bimetallic nanoparticles in ionic liquids and the procedure of their catalytic testing in the selective hydrogenation of unsaturated aldehydes are described. Immunology and Infection Isolation of Peritoneum-derived Mast Cells and Their Functional Characterization with Ca2+-imaging and Degranulation Assays Volodymyr Tsvilovskyy1, Alejandra Solis-Lopez1, Kathrin Öhlenschläger1, Marc Freichel1 1Institute of Pharmacology, Ruprecht-Karls Heidelberg University Here, we present a protocol to isolate and cultivate murine peritoneal mast cells. We also describe two protocols for their functional characterization: a fluorescent imaging of intracellular free Ca2+ concentration and a degranulation assay based on colorimetric quantification of the released β-hexosaminidase. Engineering Preparation of Liquid-exfoliated Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Nanosheets with Controlled Size and Thickness: A State of the Art Protocol Claudia Backes1, Damien Hanlon2, Beata M. Szydlowska2, Andrew Harvey2, Ronan J. Smith2, Thomas M. Higgins1, Jonathan N. Coleman2 1Chair of Applied Physical Chemistry, Ruprecht-Karls University Heidelberg, 2School of Physics and CRANN, Trinity College Dublin A protocol for the liquid exfoliation of layered materials to nanosheets, their size selection and size measurement by microscopic and spectroscopic techniques is presented. Chemistry Qualitative Identification of Carboxylic Acids, Boronic Acids, and Amines Using Cruciform Fluorophores Thimon Schwaebel1, Rio Carlo Lirag2, Evan A. Davey1, Jaebum Lim2, Uwe H. F. Bunz1, Ognjen Š. Miljanić2 1Organisch-Chemisches Institut, Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, 2Department of Chemistry, University of Houston Cross-conjugated cruciform fluorophores based on 1,4-distyryl-2,5-bis(arylethynyl)benzene and benzobisoxazole nuclei can be used to qualitatively identify diverse Lewis acidic and Lewis basic analytes. This method relies on the differences in emission colors of the cruciforms that are observed upon analyte addition. Structurally closely related species can be distinguished from each other.