Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg 3 articles published in JoVE Medicine Human Saphenous Vein Endothelial Cell Isolation and Exposure to Controlled Levels of Shear Stress and Stretch Thaís Girão-Silva*1,2, Miriam Helena Fonseca-Alaniz*1, Luís Alberto Oliveira Dallan1, Iuri Cordeiro Valãdao1, Gustavo Henrique Oliveira da Rocha1, José Eduardo Krieger1, Ayumi Aurea Miyakawa1 1Instituto do Coraçao (InCor), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, 2Cardiology Research Group, Faculty VI Medicine and Health Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg We describe a protocol to isolate and culture human saphenous vein endothelial cells (hSVECs). We also provide detailed methods to produce shear stress and stretch to study mechanical stress in hSVECs. Chemistry Catalytic Reactions at Amine-Stabilized and Ligand-Free Platinum Nanoparticles Supported on Titania During Hydrogenation of Alkenes and Aldehydes Nils Brinkmann1, Alexander Damps1, Michael Siemer1, Jessica Kräuter1, Frank Rößner1, Katharina Al-Shamery1 1Institute of Chemistry, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg This protocol shows a convenient method for comparing the catalytic properties of supported platinum catalysts, synthesized by deposition of nanosized colloids or by impregnation. The hydrogenation of cyclohexene serves as a model reaction to determine the catalytic activity of the catalysts. Neuroscience Immunolabeling and Counting Ribbon Synapses in Young Adult and Aged Gerbil Cochleae Friederike Steenken1, Sonny Bovee1, Christine Köppl1 1Cluster of Excellence "Hearing4all" and Research Centre Neurosensory Science, Department of Neuroscience, School of Medicine and Health Science, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg A protocol for processing young adult and aged gerbil cochleae by immunolabeling the afferent synaptic structures and hair cells, quenching autofluorescence in aged tissue, dissecting and estimating the length of the cochleae, and quantifying the synapses in image stacks obtained with confocal imaging is presented.