Ökozüchtungsplattform Ruhstorf: Etablierung einer partizipativen Kooperationsplattform zur Unterstützung der Sortenentwicklung für den Ökolandbau

Ökozüchtung bei Pflanzen ist notwendig, um robuste und an die Bedingungen des Ökolandbaus angepasste Sorten zu etablieren. An der LfL wird dazu mit finanzieller Beteiligung bayerischer KMUs im Bereich Pflanzenzüchtung und Ernährung eine partizipative Züchtungsplattform aufgebaut

Einfluss der Sorte auf die Backqualität von ökologisch erzeugtem Winterroggen

Seit der Jahrtausendwende kommt es beim Backen von Roggenbroten zu dem Problem des Trockenbackens. Es zeigt sich, dass die üblichen Methoden die Verarbeitungseigenschaften nicht mehr ausreichend beschreiben. Daher ist es notwendig, neue Methoden, sowie den Einfluss der Sorte zu untersuchen

The endogenous thrombin potential in patients with left ventricular assist device or heart transplant

BackgroundThe Heartmate 3 (HM 3) is a left ventricular assist device featuring less shear stress, milder acquired von Willebrand syndrome, and fewer bleeding incidences than its predecessor the Heartmate II (HM II). The novel surface coating of the HM 3 suggests less contact activation of plasmatic coagulation. We hypothesized that patients with HM 3 exhibit fewer aberrations in their thrombin potential than patients with HM II. We compared these results with the thrombin potential of patients with heart transplantation (HTX).MethodsThrombin generation in plasma samples of patients with HM II (n = 16), HM 3 (n = 20), and HTX (n = 13) was analyzed 3 days after implantation/transplantation and after long-term support (3–24 months) with HM II (n = 16) or HM 3 (n = 12) using calibrated automated thrombography. Heparin in postoperative samples was antagonized with polybrene.ResultsThree days postoperatively HM II patients exhibited a lower endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) than HM 3 and HTX patients (HM II: 947 ± 291 nM*min; HM 3: 1231 ± 176 nM*min; HTX: 1376 ± 162 nM*min, p < 0.001) and a lower velocity index of thrombin generation (HM II: 18.74 ± 10.90 nM/min; HM 3: 32.41 ± 9.51 nM/min; HTX: 37.65 ± 9.41 nM/min, p < 0.01). Subtle differences in the thrombin generation profiles remained in HM II and HM 3 patients under long-term support (Velocity Index: HM II: 38.70 ± 28.46 nM/min; HM 3: 73.32 ± 32.83 nM/min, p < 0.05). Prothrombin fragments 1 + 2 were higher in HM II than in HM 3 patients (HM II: 377.7 ± 208.4 pM; HM 3: 202.1 ± 87.7 pM, p < 0.05) and correlated inversely with the ETP (r = −0.584, p < 0.05).ConclusionWe observed a more aberrant thrombin generation in HM II than in HM 3 despite comparable anticoagulation and routine parameters. A trend toward lower values was still observable in HM 3 compared to HTX patients. Calibrated automated thrombography may be a good tool to monitor the coagulation state of these patients and guide anticoagulation in the future

Congenital syndactyly in cattle: four novel mutations in the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 gene (LRP4)

BACKGROUND: Isolated syndactyly in cattle, also known as mulefoot, is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait with variable penetrance in different cattle breeds. Recently, two independent mutations in the bovine LRP4 gene have been reported as the primary cause of syndactyly in the Holstein and Angus cattle breeds. RESULTS: We confirmed the previously described LRP4 exon 33 two nucleotide substitution in most of the affected Holstein calves and revealed additional evidence for allelic heterogeneity by the identification of four new LRP4 non-synonymous point mutations co-segregating in Holstein, German Simmental and Simmental-Charolais families. CONCLUSION: We confirmed a significant role of LRP4 mutations in the pathogenesis of congenital syndactyly in cattle. The newly detected missense mutations in the LRP4 gene represent independent mutations affecting different conserved protein domains. However, the four newly described LRP4 mutations do still not explain all analyzed cases of syndactyly

Comparison of F-18-T807 and F-18-THK5117 PET in a Mouse Mode of Tau Pathology

Positron-emission-tomography (PET) imaging of tau pathology has facilitated development of anti-tau therapies. While members of the arylquinoline and pyridoindole families have been the most frequently used tau radioligands so far, analyses of their comparative performance in vivo are scantly documented. Here, we conducted a head-to-head PET comparison of the arylquinoline (18)FT807 and the pyridoindole (18)FTHK5117 PET in a mouse model of tau pathology. PET recordings were obtained in groups of (N = 5-7) P301S and wild-type (WT) mice at 6 and 9 months of age. Volume-of-interest based analysis (standard-uptake-value ratio, SUVR) was used to calculate effect sizes (Cohen's d) for each tracer and age. Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) was used to assess regional similarity (dice coefficient) of tracer binding alterations for the two tracers. Immunohistochemistry staining of neurofibrillary tangles was performed for validation ex vivo. Significantly elevated F-18-T807 binding in the brainstem of P301S mice was already evident at 6 months (+14%, p < 0.01, d = 1.64), and increased further at 9 months (+23%, p < 0.001, d = 2.70). F-18-THK5117 indicated weaker increases and effect sizes at 6 months (+5%, p < 0.05, d = 1.07) and 9 months (+10%, p < 0.001, d = 1.49). Regional similarity of binding of the two tracers was high (71%) at 9 months. F-18-T807 was more sensitive than F-18-THK5117 to tau pathology in this model, although both tracers present certain obstacles, which need to be considered in the design of longitudinal preclinical tau imaging studies

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives