Spolna aktivnost i razmnožavanje u tri divlje subpopulacije sivog puha (Myoxus glis)

Population-ecology and reproduction in three subpopulations of the fat dormouse (Myoxus glis Linné, 1766) were studied in central Germany in the years 1992 and 1993. Animals were captured in wooden livetraps twice a month, during trapping-periods lasting three days, and marked individually by tattooing. Surprisingly, after a year with good reproductive success (1992), a total lack of reproduction was observed in all three areas in 1993. Reproductive failure coincided with an lack of food resources in fall 1993. Presumably, bad weather conditions or predictive environmental signals, such as missing flower buds in the dry spring of 1993, prevented gonadal development in males.Population-ecology and reproduction in three subpopulations of the fat dormouse (Myoxus glis Linné, 1766) were studied in central Germany in the years 1992 and 1993. Animals were captured in wooden livetraps twice a month, during trapping-periods lasting three days, and marked individually by tattooing. Surprisingly, after a year with good reproductive success (1992), a total lack of reproduction was observed in all three areas in 1993. Reproductive failure coincided with an lack of food resources in fall 1993. Presumably, bad weather conditions or predictive environmental signals, such as missing flower buds in the dry spring of 1993, prevented gonadal development in males

Evidence for a Pathophysiological Role of Keratinocyte-Derived Type III Interferon (IFNλ) in Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus

Type I IFNs (IFNα/β) have been shown to have a central role in the pathophysiology of lupus erythematosus (LE). The recently discovered type III IFNs (IFNλ1/IL29, IFNλ2/IL28a, IFNλ3/IL28b) share several functional similarities with type I IFNs, particularly in antiviral immunity. As IFNλs act primarily on epithelial cells, we investigated whether type III IFNs might also have a role in the pathogenesis of cutaneous LE (CLE). Our investigations demonstrate that IFNλ and the IFNλ receptor were strongly expressed in the epidermis of CLE skin lesions and related autoimmune diseases (lichen planus and dermatomyositis). Significantly enhanced IFNλ1 could be measured in the serum of CLE patients with active skin lesions. Functional analyses revealed that human keratinocytes are able to produce high levels of IFNλ1 but only low amounts of IFNα/β/γ in response to immunostimulatory nuclear acids, suggesting that IFNλ is a major IFN produced by these cells. Exposure of human keratinocytes to IFNλ1 induced the expression of several proinflammatory cytokines, including CXCL9 (CXC-motiv ligand 9), which drive the recruitment of immune cells and are associated with the formation of CLE skin lesions. Our results provide evidence for a role of type III IFNs in not only antiviral immunity but also autoimmune diseases of the skin

Trennen und Absetzen von Kälbern in der kuhgebundenen Aufzucht

Dieser ProYoungStock-Practice Abstract gibt praktische Empfehlungen für eine schrittweise Gestaltung von Trennung und Absetzen von Kälbern in der kuhgebundenen Aufzucht. Diese soll dazu beitragen, den Stress für Tier und Mensch so gering wie möglich zu halten und Gewichtseinbußen der Kälber und Milchabgabestörungen bei Kühen vorzubeugen

Separation and weaning of calves reared in cow-calf contact systems

This ProYoungStock Practice Abstract gives practical recommendations for gradual separation and weaning of calves, which will help to keep the stress for animals and humans as low as possible, to prevent weight losses of calves and milk ejection problems in cows

OCORRÊNCIA DA FORMIGA CORTADEIRA ATTA SEXDENS (L.) (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) RELACIONADA A ESTRADAS NÃO-PAVIMENTADAS EM DUAS ÁREAS DO SEMIÁRIDO BRASILEIRO COM GRAUS DE PERTURBAÇÃO CONTRASTANTES

In the semiarid Brazilian Caatinga, we compared the occurrence of leaf-cutting ant nests (Atta sexdens) at two areas in Contendas do Sincorá, Bahia State: one single disturbed area subjected to cattle overgrazing (Fazenda Lagoa das Covas: FLC) and one protected area characterized by well-preserved patches of caatinga (Floresta Nacional Contendas do Sincorá: FNCS). We also tested if A. sexdens nests were more abundant near roads. No nest was observed in the FNCS, whereas 35 nests were recorded in the FLC (3.6 colonies ha-1). The number of A. sexdens nests clearly decreased with increasing road distance, which varied from zero to about 140 m. Nests were also observed on roads outside FLC and FNCS. We suggest that roads may be facilitating the expansion of A. sexdens range in the Caatinga vegetation at Contendas do Sincorá. We expect that A. sexdens presence will maintain or even increase the disturbing effects of cattle overgrazing on FLC vegetation. If A. sexdens also succeed to establish in FNCS, this protected area will experience a possible process of flora homogenization and impoverishment, favoring the establishment of plant species associated to anthropogenic disturbances. It is possible that other Caatinga areas are being subjected to the same process of Atta invasion favored by the establishment of paved and unpaved roads.Na Caatinga, semiárido brasileiro, nós comparamos a ocorrência de ninhos da formiga cortadeira (Atta sexdens) em duas áreas do município de Contendas do Sincorá, estado da Bahia: uma área perturbada por pecuária (Fazenda Lagoa das Covas: FLC), e uma protegida e com áreas preservadas de Caatinga (Floresta Nacional Contendas do Sincorá: FNCS). Nós também testamos se os ninhos de A. sexdens são mais abundantes próximos às estradas não pavimentadas. Nenhum ninho foi registrado na FNCS, em contraste, 35 ninhos foram registrados na FLC (3,6 colônias ha-1). O número de ninhos de A. sexdens claramente diminuiu com o aumento da distância da estrada, que variou de 0 a 140 m. Ninhos também foram observados nas estradas do lado de fora da FLC e da FNCS. Nós sugerimos que estradas podem estar facilitando a expansão de A. sexdens nas áreas de caatinga do município de Contendas do Sincorá. Nós esperamos que a presença de A. sexdens irá manter ou mesmo aumentar os efeitos dos distúrbios promovidos pelo gado na vegetação da FLC. Se o estabelecimento de A. sexdens na FNCS também for bem sucedido, nesta área protegida poderá ocorrer um processo de homogeneização e empobrecimento, favorecendo o estabelecimento de espécies de plantas associadas a perturbações antrópicas. É possível que outras áreas da Caatinga estejam sendo submetidas ao mesmo processo de invasão por Atta favorrecido por estradas pavimentadas e não-pavimentadas

IL‐13, periostin and dipeptidyl‐peptidase‐4 reveal endotype‐phenotype associations in atopic dermatitis

Background: The heterogeneous (endo)phenotypes of atopic dermatitis (AD) require precision medicine. Currently, systemic therapy is recommended to patients with an Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) ≥ 16. Previous studies have demonstrated an improved treatment response to the anti‐interleukin (IL)‐13 antibody tralokinumab in AD subgroups with elevated levels of the IL‐13‐related biomarkers dipeptidyl‐peptidase (DPP)‐4 and periostin. Methods: Herein, 373 AD patients aged ≥12 years were stratified by IL‐13$^{high}$, periostin$^{high}$ and DPP‐4$^{high}$ endotypes using cross‐sectional data from the ProRaD cohort Bonn. “High” was defined as >80th quantile of 47 non‐atopic controls. We analyzed endotype‐phenotype associations using machine‐learning gradient boosting compared to logistic regression. Results: Atopic dermatitis severity and eosinophils correlated with IL‐13 and periostin levels. Correlations of IL‐13 with EASI were stronger in patients with increased (rs = 0.482) than with normal (rs = 0.342) periostin levels. We identified eosinophilia >6% and an EASI range of 5.5–17 dependent on the biomarker combination to be associated with increasing probabilities of biomarker$^{high}$ endotypes. Also patients with mild‐to‐low‐moderate severity (EASI < 16) featured increased biomarkers (IL‐13$^{high}$: 41%, periostin$^{high}$: 48.4%, DPP‐4$^{high}$: 22.3%). Herthoge sign (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 1.89, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) [1.14–3.14]) and maternal allergic rhinitis (aOR = 2.79–4.47) increased the probability of an IL‐13$^{high}$‐endotype, “dirty neck” (aOR = 2.83 [1.32–6.07]), orbital darkening (aOR = 2.43 [1.08–5.50]), keratosis pilaris (aOR = 2.21 [1.1–4.42]) and perleche (aOR = 3.44 [1.72–6.86]) of a DPP‐4$^{high}$‐endotype. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of patients with EASI < 16 featured high biomarker levels suggesting systemic impact of skin inflammation already below the current cut‐off for systemic therapy. Our findings facilitate the identification of patients with distinct endotypes potentially linked to response to IL‐13‐targeted therapy

Kuhgebundene Kälberaufzucht- Welche Vor- und Nachteile haben verschiedene Ansätze? Welche offenen Fragen und Herausforderungen gibt es?

Das Interesse an kuhgebundenen Aufzuchtsystemen nimmt zu. Der Workshops bietet die Möglichkeit, Vor- und Nachteile verschiedener kuhgebundenen Aufzuchtverfahren zu diskutieren und aktuelle Herausforderungen und Fragen zu identifizieren, die in Zukunft beantwortet werden müssen

The abundance of Ruminococcus bromii is associated with faecal butyrate levels and atopic dermatitis in infancy

Background: Impaired microbial development and decreased levels of short chain fatty acids, particularly butyrate, is suggested to have a role in the development of atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods: Faecal microbiota composition, abundance of selected bacterial groups and fermentation metabolites were compared at 90, 180 and 360 days of life between 27 children who developed AD by age one (AD group), and 39 controls (non-AD group) among the CARE (Childhood AlleRgy, nutrition and Environment) study cohort. Results: Diversity within the Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes phylum in the faecal microbiota was lower in the AD group compared to the non-AD group. Longitudinal analysis showed multiple amplicon sequence variants (ASV) within the same bacterial family to be differentially abundant. Namely, Ruminococcus bromii, a keystone primary starch degrader, and Akkermansia muciniphila, a mucin-utilizer, had lower abundance among the AD group. Children with AD were less likely to have high levels of faecal butyrate at 360 days compared to those without AD (11.5% vs 34.2%). At 360 days, children with high abundance of R. bromii had higher level of butyrate as well as lower proportion of children with AD compared to children with low abundance of R. bromii (11.1-12.5% vs 44.4-52.5%), which was independent of the abundance of the major butyrate producers. Conclusion: Our results suggested that R. bromii and other primary degraders might play an important role in the differences in microbial cross-feeding and metabolite formation between children with and without AD, which may influence the risk of developing the disease. Keywords: atopic dermatitis; butyrate; microbiota; resistant starch; short chain fatty acid

Atopic dermatitis: Correlation of distinct risk factors with age of onset in adulthood compared to childhood

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) has long been regarded as a primarily pediatric disease. However, there is growing evidence for a high rate of adult-onset AD. We aimed to characterize factors associated with adult-onset versus childhood-onset AD and controls. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data of the CK-CARE-ProRaD cohorts Bonn, Augsburg, Davos, Zürich of 736 adult patients stratified by age of AD onset (childhood-onset <18 years: 76.4% (subsets: 0 to 2; ≥2 to 6; ≥7 to 11; ≥12 to 18); adult-onset ≥18 years: 23.6% (subsets: ≥18 to 40; ≥41 to 60; ≥61) and 167 controls (91 atopic, 76 non-atopic)). Results: We identified active smoking to be associated with adult-onset AD versus controls (adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 5.54 [95% Confidence Interval: 1.06-29.01] vs. controls$^{non-atopic}$ , aOR = 4.03 [1.20-13.45] vs. controls$^{atopic}$ ). Conjunctivitis showed a negative association versus controls$^{atopic}$ (aOR = 0.36 [0.14-0.91]). Food allergy (aOR = 2.93 [1.44-5.96]), maternal food allergy (aOR = 9.43 [1.10-80.95]), palmar hyperlinearity (aOR = 2.11 [1.05-4.25]), and academic background (aOR = 2.14 [1.00-4.54]) increased the odds of childhood-onset AD versus controls$^{atopic}$. Shared AD-associated factors were maternal AD (4-34x), increased IgE (2-20x), atopic stigmata (2-3x) with varying effect sizes depending on AD onset and control group. Patients with adult-compared to childhood-onset had doubled odds of allergic rhinitis (aOR = 2.15 [1.12-4.13]), but reduced odds to feature multiple (3-4) atopic comorbidities (aOR = 0.34 [0.14-0.84]). Adult-onset AD, particularly onset ≥61 years, grouped mainly in clusters with low contributions of personal and familial atopy and high frequencies of physical inactivity, childhood-onset AD, particularly infant-onset, mainly in "high-atopic"-clusters. Conclusions: The identified associated factors suggest partly varying endo- and exogeneous mechanisms underlying adult-onset versus childhood-onset AD. Our findings might contribute to better assessment of the individual risk to develop AD throughout life and encourage prevention by non-smoking and physical activity as modifiable lifestyle factors