A new variant of slow bee paralysis virus revealed by transcriptome analysis

Using NGS data from an RNA-seq library, we reveal a novel variant of slow bee paralysis virus (SBPV) in a pooled sample of adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) collected in southwest Germany. We provide its sequence (NCBI Accession No. PP100271) and demonstrate that it is infective for adult honey bees by feeding

MicroRNA expression in high-grade B-cell lymphoma with 11q aberration

Mature aggressive B-cell lymphomas, such as Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), show variations in microRNA (miRNA) expression. The entity of High-grade B-cell lymphoma with 11q aberration (HGBCL-11q) shares several biological features with both BL and DLBCL but data on its miRNA expression profile are yet scarce. Hence, this study aims to analyze the potential differences in miRNA expression of HGBCL-11q compared to BL and DLBCL. We evaluated the expression profiles of 2083 miRNAs in 25 HGCBL-11q, 7 BL, 131 DLBCL, and tonsils using the HTG EdgeSeq miRNA whole transcriptome assay. Uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) and differential gene expression analyses based on DESeq2 were carried out. UMAP analysis of miRNA expression did not reveal distinct groups among the studied lymphomas. However, differential gene expression investigations detected sets of overexpressed miRNAs in HGBCL-11q when compared to BL (miR-9-3p, miR-9-5p, miR-3919, miR-129-1-3p, miR-129-2-3p, miR-331-3p, miR-196b-5p, and miR-28-5p) and DLBCL (miR-3919, miR-1290, miR-4538, and miR-4791), respectively. Notably, miR-3919 showed heterogeneous but significantly higher expression (p-value < 0.001) in HGBCL-11q than in both, BL and DLBCL. We identified a group of differentially expressed miRNAs between HGBCL-11q vs. BL and DLBCL, with miR-3919 as the most commonly and recurrently overexpressed miRNA in HGBCL-11q

Der Einfluss einer Sepsis auf die Opioiddosis bei Intensivpatienten : eine retrospektive Studie

In der Literatur gibt es Hinweise darauf, dass eine Sepsis die Schmerzschwelle sinken lässt. Deswegen generierten wir die Hypothese, dass septische Intensivpatienten einen höheren Schmerzmittelbedarf haben als die nicht septischen. Unsere retrospektive Studie mit 638 Patienten zeigte, dass die Sepsis keinen direkten Einfluss auf die gesamte Opioiddosis und Sufentanildosis in 24 Stunden hatte, sobald der Faktor „Kommunikationsfähigkeit“ berücksichtigt wurde. Die Kommunikationsfähigkeit hat einen signifikanten Einfluss auf die gesamte Opioid- und Sufentanildosis in 24 Stunden. Die Hypothese, dass die Sepsis die Schmerzschwelle sinken lässt, konnte in dieser Arbeit nicht eindeutig belegt werden. Denn der Effekt des höheren Opioidbedarfs bei septischen Intensivpatienten ist nicht direkt durch die Sepsis bedingt, sondern vielmehr durch den Faktor der Kommunikationsfähigkeit

Management of acute myocardial infarction in chronic kidney disease in Germany : an observational study

Background: Managing acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage renal disease on dialysis (renal replacement therapy, RRT) presents challenges due to elevated complication risks. Concerns about contrast-related kidney damage may lead to the omission of guideline-directed therapies like percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in this population. Methods: We analysed German-DRG data of 2016 provided by the German Federal Bureau of Statistics (DESTATIS). We included cases with a primary diagnosis of AMI (ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) or Non-ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (NSTEMI) ICD-10: I21 or I22) with and without CKD or RRT. We calculated crude- and age-standardized hospitalization rates (ASR, per 100,000 person years). Furthermore, we calculated log-binominal regression models adjusting for sex, CKD, RRT, comorbidities, and place of residence to estimate adjusted relative-risks (aRR) for receiving treatments of interest in AMI, such as PCI or CABG. Results: We identified 217,514 AMI-cases (69,728 STEMI-cases and 147,786 NSTEMI-cases). AMI-cases without CKD had percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in 60.8%. In contrast, AMI-cases with CKD or RRT had PCI in 46.6% and 54.5%, respectively. The ASR for AMI-cases amounted to 184.7 (95%CI 183.5-185.8) per 100,000 person years. In regression analysis AMI-cases with CKD were less likely treated with PCI (aRR: 0.89 (95%CI 0.88–0.90)), compared to cases without CKD. AMI-Cases with RRT showed no difference in PCI rates (aRR: 1.0 (95%CI 0.97–1.03)) but were more frequently treated with CABG (aRR: 2.20 (95%CI 2.03–2.39)). Conversely, CKD was negatively associated with CABG (aRR: 0.71, 95%CI 0.67–0.75) when non-CKD cases were used as the reference group. Conclusion: We show that AMI-cases with CKD underwent PCI less frequently, while RRT has no discernible impact on PCI utilization in AMI. Furthermore, AMI-cases with RRT exhibited a higher CABG rate

Nitrogen content of herbarium specimens from arable fields and mesic meadows reflect the intensifying agricultural management during the 20th century

Arable fields and mesic meadows have been affected by intensifying agricultural management and nutrient input during the 20th century, but direct evidence for the long-term impact of intensification on plant nutrient contents remains scarce. Non-destructive novel spectroscopic methods can produce such data from herbarium specimens, making it possible to investigate how contents of leaf nutrient traits, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, changed over the last century, and what role habitat type and management practices play. We carried out a resurvey study of functional traits in arable field and mesic meadow communities. We used specimens from two German herbaria with a high coverage of their local floras: the herbaria Senckenberg Görlitz and Senckenberg Haussknecht in Jena. Following specimen information, the same plant species were resampled in the field in 2022 at the same locations. We employed near-infrared spectroscopy to predict leaf nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon content of herbarium and field specimens. Nutrient content changes over time were compared with public records of regional P and N fertilization. Overall, 1270 specimens of 76 species from both herbarium and field were studied, the oldest from the 19th century. Leaf nitrogen and the leaf nitrogen:phosphorus ratio increased significantly through time, while leaf phosphorus and carbon content decreased significantly over time. Arable field species showed a stronger response in leaf phosphorus content and leaf nitrogen:phosphorus ratio than mesic meadow species. The total amount of nitrogen or phosphorus fertilizer applied per year on a regional scale was found to be significantly correlated with the respective leaf nutrient content levels. Synthesis: Our study shows a long-term increase of leaf nitrogen in the studied habitats, paralleling increased chemical fertilizer applications in Germany. Our data indicate a shift from predominantly N-limited towards more P-limited growth conditions. The stronger response of species from arable fields compared to species from mesic meadows could indicate a faster adjustment to environmental pressures. This study thus also serves to showcase the potential of the combination of herbarium collections and NIR spectroscopy

The ground-nesting bee Anthophora plumipes as a model species for assessing effects of soil-mediated pesticide exposure

Though many wild bee species nest in the ground, little is known of their potential exposure to pesticide residues in soil, or the effects of such exposure. Here, we introduce Anthophora plumipes as a potential model ground-nesting solitary bee species for controlled exposure to pesticides through soil. Bees from a naturally occurring population were allowed to nest in loam blocks containing varying concentrations of the neonicotinoid imidacloprid. Measured residues of imidacloprid in brood provisions and in bee bodies remained at < 0.01% of the concentration in surrounding soil, suggesting limited migration of contaminants from soil to brood. Furthermore, imidacloprid contamination had no marked effect on the number, survival, body size or rate of parasitism of offspring at the tested concentrations (≤ 10 mg/kg). This species native to Eurasia and North Africa may be a suitable model for further research on the ecotoxicology of ground-nesting solitary bee species

Discovery of nostatin A, an azole-containing proteusin with prominent cytostatic and pro-apoptotic activity

Ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptides (RiPPs) are intriguing compounds with potential pharmacological applications. While many RiPPs are known as antimicrobial agents, a limited number of RiPPs with anti-proliferative effects in cancer cells are available. Here we report the discovery of nostatin A (NosA), a highly modified RiPP belonging among nitrile hydratase-like leader peptide RiPPs (proteusins), isolated from a terrestrial cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. Its structure was established based on the core peptide sequence encoded in the biosynthetic gene cluster recovered from the producing strain and subsequent detailed nuclear magnetic resonance and high-resolution mass spectrometry analyses. NosA, composed of a 30 amino-acid peptide core, features a unique combination of moieties previously not reported in RiPPs: the simultaneous presence of oxazole/thiazole heterocycles, dehydrobutyrine/dehydroalanine residues, and a sactionine bond. NosA includes an isobutyl-modified proline residue, highly unusual in natural products. NosA inhibits proliferation of multiple cancer cell lines at low nanomolar concentration while showing no hemolysis. It induces cell cycle arrest in S-phase followed by mitochondrial apoptosis employing a mechanism different from known tubulin binding and DNA damaging compounds. NosA also inhibits Staphylococcus strains while it exhibits no effect in other tested bacteria or yeasts. Due to its novel structure and selective bioactivity, NosA represents an excellent candidate for combinatorial chemistry approaches leading to development of novel NosA-based lead compounds

Educational attainment and cognitive behavioral therapy treatment outcome in late-life depression : a secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial

Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the association of different levels of educational attainment with the impact of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Late-Life Depression (LLD-CBT) compared to a supportive unspecific intervention (SUI). Methods: A secondary analysis of the multicenter, randomized controlled trial “CBTlate” was conducted with n = 229 participants aged 60 years and older with moderate to severe depression who received either LLD-CBT (n = 115) or SUI (n = 114). Depressive symptoms as outcome were assessed with the 30-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Educational attainment was categorized according to the school and vocational education based system (CASMIN). Intention-to-treat analysis was performed using multilevel mixed effects linear models. Results: While the model showed no significant overall effect of education on treatment outcome, analysis revealed a significant treatment effect for the low educational attainment group (group*time interaction, x2(2) = 6.45, p = .040) with LLD-CBT being superior to SUI in the reduction of depressive symptoms from baseline to the end of treatment (Estimated Marginal Mean Difference (EMMD) = 5.30, 95 %-CI = 8.93 to 2.12) and to follow-up (EMMD = -7.34, 95 %-CI = 11.24 to 3.43). There was no corresponding significant effect for the medium and high educational group. In the low remission and response rates were significantly higher in the LLD-CBT compared to the SUI group at follow-up. Conclusion: Participants may have responded differently to LLD-CBT and SUI depending on their previous school and vocational education. This may be taken into account for future research and potentially when treating patients with LLD and individualizing interventions for this patient group

Aspects of diagnostic competence of primary school teachers in spelling lessons : an empirical analysis of judgement accuracy with regard to spelling errors in (non-)integrated writing

Die diagnostische Kompetenz von Lehrkräften ist ein entscheidender Faktor für die Förderung der Grundbildung. Im Beitrag wird die Urteilsakkuratheit als Teilbereich der diagnostischen Kompetenz untersucht und im Kontext der Rechtschreibleistungen von Drittklässler*innen mittels quantitativer Fehleranalysen analysiert. Diese wird in zwei unterschiedlichen Schreibdimensionen erfasst: im integrierten Schreiben (Texte) und im nicht-integrierten Schreiben (Tests). Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Lehrkräfte die Rechtschreibleistungen ihrer Schüler*innen, gemessen an der Fehleranzahl auf 100 Wörter, weitgehend akkurat einschätzen können. Gleichzeitig orientieren sich die Einschätzungen stärker an den Ergebnissen des nicht-integrierten Schreibens, einer primär schulisch relevanten Schreibdimension, und weniger an einer didaktisch perspektivierten und auf Grundbildung bezogenen Fähigkeit

Migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa in Tunisia : A storm in a Teacup?

Keywords: sub-Saharan immigrants, Tunisian labour market, multidimensional integration, difference-in-differencesSchlagworte: Einwanderer aus Ländern südlich der Sahara, tunesischer Arbeitsmarkt, multidimensionale Integration, Differenz-in-Differenze