Organizational Culture as a Factor of Hospital Competitiveness? Results of an Empirical Analysis

Der Beitrag untersucht die Frage, wie Krankenhäuser ihre Wettbewerbsfähigkeit steigern können und stellt dabei den "weichen" Faktor der Organisationskultur in den Mittelpunkt. Speziell wird untersucht, welche Eigenheiten eine Organisationskultur aufweist, die die Veränderungsbereitschaft der Organisationsmitglieder und damit die Innovationsfähigkeit als Wettbewerbsfaktor erhöht. Auf der Basis der Unterscheidung zwischen einer offenen und einer geschlossenen Organisationskultur (Gebert / Boerner 1999) wird die Hypothese entwickelt, dass eine offenere Organisationskultur die Veränderungsbereitschaft und Innovation einer Organisation fördert und als Antwort auf Wettbewerbsdruck interpretiert werden kann. Diese Hypothese wird zunächst an Organisationen außerhalb des Krankenhausbereiches empirisch überprüft. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird anschließend empirisch untersucht, ob und inwieweit eine offenere Organisationskultur auch im Krankenhaus für die Innovativität und damit die Wettbewerbsfähigkeit bedeutsam ist und welcher Öffentklichkeitsgrad im Krankenhaus derzeit vorherrscht. Aus den Ergebnissen werden Folgerungen für das Krankenhausmanagement gezogen

Two-Component FAD-Dependent Monooxygenases: Current Knowledge and Biotechnological Opportunities

Flavoprotein monooxygenases create valuable compounds that are of high interest for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical industries, among others. Monooxygenases that use flavin as cofactor are either single- or two-component systems. Here we summarize the current knowledge about two-component flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent monooxygenases and describe their biotechnological relevance. Two-component FAD-dependent monooxygenases catalyze hydroxylation, epoxidation, and halogenation reactions and are physiologically involved in amino acid metabolism, mineralization of aromatic compounds, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The monooxygenase component of these enzymes is strictly dependent on reduced FAD, which is supplied by the reductase component. More and more representatives of two-component FAD-dependent monooxygenases have been discovered and characterized in recent years, which has resulted in the identification of novel physiological roles, functional properties, and a variety of biocatalytic opportunities

Antitumor astins originate from the fungal endophyte Cyanodermella asteris living within the medicinal plant Aster tataricus

Peer reviewe

Two-component FAD-dependent monooxygenases

Flavoprotein monooxygenases create valuable compounds that are of high interest for the chemical, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical industries, among others. Monooxygenases that use flavin as cofactor are either single- or two-component systems. Here we summarize the current knowledge about two-component flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent monooxygenases and describe their biotechnological relevance. Two-component FAD-dependent monooxygenases catalyze hydroxylation, epoxidation, and halogenation reactions and are physiologically involved in amino acid metabolism, mineralization of aromatic compounds, and biosynthesis of secondary metabolites. The monooxygenase component of these enzymes is strictly dependent on reduced FAD, which is supplied by the reductase component. More and more representatives of two-component FAD-dependent monooxygenases have been discovered and characterized in recent years, which has resulted in the identification of novel physiological roles, functional properties, and a variety of biocatalytic opportunities

Cyanodermella asteris sp. nov. (Ostropales) from the inflorescence axis of Aster tataricus

An endophytic fungus isolated from the inflorescence axis of Aster tataricus is proposed as a new species. Phylogenetic analyses based on sequences from the ribosomal DNA cluster (the ITS1+5.8S+ITS2, 18S, and 28S regions) and the RPB2 gene revealed a relationship between the unknown fungus and the Stictidaceae lineage of the Ostropales. The new species, Cyanodermella asteris, grows in standard fungal growth media as a fluffy, pink filamentous fungus. Asexual and sexual sporulation has not yet been observed on media or in the plant.</p

Astin c production by the endophytic fungus cyanodermella asteris in planktonic and immobilized culture conditions

International audienceThe fungal endophyte Cyanodermella asteris (C. asteris) has been recently isolated from the medicinal plant Aster tataricus (A. tataricus). This fungus produces astin C, a cyclic pentapeptide with anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. The production of this secondary metabolite is compared in immobilized and planktonic conditions. For immobilized cultures, a stainless steel packing immersed in the culture broth is used as a support. In these conditions, the fungus exclusively grows on the packing, which provides a considerable advantage for astin C recovery and purification. C. asteris metabolism is different according to the culture conditions in terms of substrate consumption rate, cell growth, and astin C production. Immobilized-cell cultures yield a 30% increase of astin C production, associated with a 39% increase in biomass. The inoculum type as spores rather than hyphae, and a pre-inoculation washing procedure with sodium hydroxide, turns out to be beneficial both for astin C production and fungus development onto the support. Finally, the influence of culture parameters such as pH and medium composition on astin C production is evaluated. With optimized culture conditions, astin C yield is further improved reaching a five times higher final specific yield compared to the value reported with astin C extraction from A. tataricus (0.89 mg g(-1) and 0.16 mg g(-1) respectively)