Die (Un-)Ordnung des Schreibens. Der Index général und die Amerikanischen Reisetagebücher

Zusammenfassung Die Amerikanischen Reisetagebücher wurden von Alexander von Humboldt während seines gesamten Lebens genutzt, dabei annotiert, auseinandergenommen und in Teilen an andere Forscher weitergegeben. In seinem letzten Lebensjahrzehnt ließ er diese in jene neun ledernen Bände einbinden, die heute in der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz überliefert sind. Eine der Leitthesen der bisherigen Forschung lautete, dass dabei ihre ursprüngliche Ordnung verlorenging bzw. dass sie in großer Unordnung neu gebunden wurden. In dem Beitrag wird gezeigt, dass diese Leitthese nicht zutrifft. Vielmehr darf von einem weitgehenden Erhalt des ursprünglichen Zustands der Tagebuchbände ausgegangen werden, jenes Zustands, der in dem 1805 in Berlin angefertigten alphabetischen Register zu seinen Manuskripten (Index général) überliefert ist. Analysiert wurden neben dem Index selbst die Materialität der Bän- de, besonders Paginierungssprünge und Schnittkanten. Zudem wurde die bestehende Foliierung kritisch hinterfragt. Abstract The American Travel Journals were used by Alexander von Humboldt throughout his life, annotated, taken apart and passed on in parts to other researchers. In the last decade of his life he had them bound in those nine leather volumes that are now preserved in the Berlin State Library – Prussian Cultural Heritage. Previous research used to uphold the argument that the original order of Humboldt’s texts was lost in the process or that they were rebound in great disorder. The article shows that this argument is misleading. Rather, it can be assumed that the original state of the journal volumes has been largely preserved, based on the information that has survived in the alphabetical index to his manuscripts (Index général) made in Berlin in 1805. In addition to the Index itself, the materiality of the volumes was analyzed, especially pagination gaps and cut edges. Furthermore, the existing foliation was critically examined. Résumé Le Journal de voyage américain a été utilisé par Alexander de Humboldt tout au long de sa vie, annoté, démonté et transmis en partie à d’autres chercheurs. Au cours de la dernière décennie de sa vie, il l’a fait relier dans les neuf volumes en cuir, aujourd’hui conservés à la Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz. L’une des thèses principales de la recherche menée jusqu’à présent était que l’ordre d’origine avait été perdu ou qu’ils avaient été reliés dans un grand désordre. L’article montre que cette thèse n’est pas correcte. On peut au contraire partir du principe que les volumes du Journal ont conservé dans une large mesure leur état d’origine, celui qui a été transmis dans l’index alphabétique de ses manuscrits (Index général) établi à Berlin en 1805. En plus de l’index lui-même, l’analyse a porté sur la matérialité des volumes, en particulier sur les sauts de pagination et les bords de coupe. En outre, la foliotation a été examinée de manière critique.

Effectiveness of Chitosan against Mature Biofilms Formed by Food Related Bacteria

Chitosan has proven antimicrobial properties against planktonic cell growth. Little is known, however, about its effects on already established biofilms. Oriented for application in food industry disinfection, the effectiveness of both medium molecular weight (MMW) chitosan and its enzymatically hydrolyzed product was tested against mature biofilms of four pathogenic strains, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica, and a food spoilage species, Pseudomonas fluorescens. Unexpectedly, log reductions were in some cases higher for biofilm than for planktonic cells. One hour exposure to MMW chitosan (1% w/v) caused a 6 log viable cell reduction on L. monocytogenes monospecies mature biofilms and reduced significantly (3–5 log reductions) the attached population of the other organisms tested, except S. aureus. Pronase-treated chitosan was more effective than MMW chitosan on all tested microorganisms, also with the exception of S. aureus, offering best results (8 log units) against the attached cells of B. cereus. These treatments open a new possibility to fight against mature biofilms in the food industry

Small-molecule inhibition of a depalmitoylase enhances Toxoplasma host-cell invasion.

Although there have been numerous advances in our understanding of how apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii enter host cells, many of the signaling pathways and enzymes involved in the organization of invasion mediators remain poorly defined. We recently performed a forward chemical-genetic screen in T. gondii and identified compounds that markedly enhanced infectivity. Although molecular dissection of invasion has benefited from the use of small-molecule inhibitors, the mechanisms underlying induction of invasion by small-molecule enhancers have never been described. Here we identify the Toxoplasma ortholog of human APT1, palmitoyl protein thioesterase-1 (TgPPT1), as the target of one class of small-molecule enhancers. Inhibition of this uncharacterized thioesterase triggered secretion of invasion-associated organelles, increased motility and enhanced the invasive capacity of tachyzoites. We demonstrate that TgPPT1 is a bona fide depalmitoylase, thereby establishing an important role for dynamic and reversible palmitoylation in host-cell invasion by T. gondii

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Cell Communication and Signaling / HtrA-mediated E-cadherin cleavage is limited to DegP and DegQ homologs expressed by gram-negative pathogens

Background: The serine proteases HtrA/DegP secreted by the human gastrointestinal pathogens Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni) cleave the mammalian cell adhesion protein E-cadherin to open intercellular adhesions. A wide range of bacteria also expresses the HtrA/DegP homologs DegQ and/or DegS, which significantly differ in structure and function. Methods: E-cadherin shedding was investigated in infection experiments with the Gram-negative pathogens H. pylori, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Salmonella enterica subsp. Enterica (S. Typhimurium), Yersinia enterocolitica (Y. enterocolitica), and Proteus mirabilis (P. mirabilis), which express different combinations of HtrAs. Annotated wild-type htrA/degP, degQ and degS genes were cloned and proteolytically inactive mutants were generated by a serinetoalanine exchange in the active center. All HtrA variants were overexpressed and purified to compare their proteolytic activities in casein zymography and in vitro E-cadherin cleavage experiments. Results: Infection of epithelial cells resulted in a strong E-cadherin ectodomain shedding as reflected by the loss of full length E-cadherin in whole cell lysates and formation of the soluble 90 kDa extracellular domain of E-cadherin (NTF) in the supernatants of infected cells. Importantly, comparing the caseinolytic and E-cadherin cleavage activities of HtrA/DegP, DegQ and DegS proteins revealed that DegP and DegQ homologs from H. pylori, S. Typhimurium, Y. enterocolitica, EPEC and P. mirabilis, but not activated DegS, cleaved E-cadherin as a substrate in vitro. Conclusions: These data indicate that E-cadherin cleavage is confined to HtrA/DegP and DegQ proteins representing an important prevalent step in bacterial pathogenesis.(VLID)213841

TEI-XML-Datenset der Tagebücher, Briefe, Dokumente, Forschungsbeiträge, Chronologieeinträge und Register der edition humboldt digital

<p>Das Datenset enthält alle edierten Texte (Tagebücher, Briefe und weitere Dokumente) sowie Paratexte (Forschungsbeiträge, Einträge der Chronologie zu Alexander von Humboldts Leben, Register und Glossar) der Version 8 der <a href="https://edition-humboldt.de">edition humboldt digital</a>, die am 11. Mai 2022 erschienen ist.</p&gt

National Research Data Infrastructure for the Research of Microbiota (NFDI4Microbiota)

<p>Poster presented by Cordula Hege on the 30th Annual Meeting of the German Society for Parasitology in 2023 in Giessen. </p> <p><strong><span>Introduction</span></strong></p> <p><span>Recent technologies like high-throughput molecular sequencing lead to the generation of large data. However, the use and re-use of this data has failed to exploit its potential. The NFDI (National Research Data Infrastructure) wants to change this by developing a comprehensive research data management, encompassing different consortia.  NFDI4Microbiota aims to facilitate the digital transformation in the microbiological community (bacteriology, mycology, virology and parasitology). Providing access to data, analysis services, training and standards.</span></p> <p><strong><span>Objectives </span></strong></p> <p><span>Central for the NFDI4Microbiota consortium is the development and provision of the computational infrastructure and analytical workflows required to store, access, process, and interpret various microbiome- and parasitology-related data types. NFDI4Microbiota works on developing and implementing software and standardized workflows for users to analyse their own datasets (i.e. for quality control, data processing, statistical analyses, and visualizations of different data types and results). </span></p> <p><strong><span>Materials & methods</span></strong></p> <p><span>The German microbial research will be engaged through training and community building activities, and by creating a cloud-based system that will make the storage, integration and analysis of microbial data, especially omics data, consistent, reproducible, and accessible.  So, NFDI4Microbiota will promote the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) principles and Open Science.</span></p> <p><strong>Results </strong></p> <p><span>NFDI4Microbiota consists of ten well-established partner institutions, is supported by five professional societies and more than 50 participants. Several workshops and training events for the community have already taken place and more will follow. Moreover, the consortium launched an ambassador program to connect with the participants, thereby helping to identify the needs of their local community. Technical solutions are developed, tested and refined in several use cases from different fields of microbiology. All relevant information and specific services are made available via the web portal.</span></p> <p><strong><span>Conclusion </span></strong></p> <p><span>Producers and users of data will benefit from FAIR data (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Re-usable) more likely to be cited and integrated into a wider microbial inquiry. The current data parasitism would shift to a future data mutualism benefiting all partners. The NFDI4Microbiota will support the parasitology community through this process with an elaborate training program.</span></p> <p> </p&gt

Structure-Effect Relationships of Novel Semi-Synthetic Cannabinoid Derivatives.

Background: As a library of cannabinoid (CB) derivatives with (-)-trans-cannabidiol (CBD) or (-)-trans-cannabidivarin (CBDV) scaffold, we synthesized nine novel cannabinoids: 2-hydroxyethyl cannabidiolate (2-HEC), 2-hydroxypentyl cannabidiolate (2-HPC), 2,3-dihydroxypropyl cannabidiolate (GCBD), cyclohexyl cannabidiolate (CHC), n-hexyl-cannabidiolate (HC), 2-(methylsulfonamido)ethyl cannabidiolate (NMSC), 2-hydroxyethyl cannabidivarinolate (2-HECBDV), cyclohexyl cannabidivarinolate (CHCBDV), and n-hexyl cannabidivarinolate (HCBDV). Their binding and intrinsic effects at the CB1- and CB2-receptors and the effects on inflammatory signaling cascades were investigated in in vitro and ex vivo cell models. Materials and Methods: Binding affinity was studied in membranes isolated from CB-receptor-transfected HEK293EBNA cells, intrinsic functional activity in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, and activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) in phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)/ionomycin (IO)-treated Jurkat T-cells. Inhibition of interleukin (IL)-17-induced pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines [IL-6, IL-1β, CC-chemokine ligand 2 (CCL2), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α] was studied in RAW264.7 macrophages at the RNA level. Pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-α) expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) expression were investigated at the protein level in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated primary human monocytes. Results: Derivatives with long aliphatic side chains at the ester position at R1 [HC (5)] as well as the ones with polar side chains [2-HECBDV (7), NMSC (6), and 2-HEC (1)] can be selective for CB2-receptors. The CBDV-derivatives HCBDV and CHCBDV demonstrated specific binding at CB1- and CB2-receptors at nanomolar concentrations. 2-HEC, 2-HPC, GCBD, and NMSC were agonists at CB2-receptor and antagonists at CB1-receptor. CHC bound both receptors at submicromolar ranges and was an agonist for these receptors. 2-HECBDV was an agonist at CB2-receptor and an antagonist at the CB1-receptor despite its modest affinity at this receptor (micromolar range). NMSC inhibited NF-κB and NFAT activity, and 2-HEC, 2-HPC, and GCBD dose-dependently inhibited PMA/IO-stimulated NFAT activation. CHC and HC dose-dependently reduced IL-1β and CCL2 messenger RNA (mRNA) expression. NMSC inhibited IL-1β, CCL2, and TNF-α at lower doses. At higher doses, it induced a pronounced increase in IL-6 mRNA. 2-HEC, 2-HPC, and GCBD dose-dependently inhibited LPS-induced IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6 synthesis. NMSC further increased LPS-stimulated IL-1β release but inhibited IL-8, TNF-α, and PGE2. Conclusion: The CBD- and CBDV-derivatives studied are suitable for targeting CB-receptors. Some may be used as selective CB2 agonists. The length of the aliphatic rest at R2 of CBD (pentyl) and CBDV (propyl) did not correlate with the binding affinity. Higher polarity at R1 appeared to favor the agonistic activity at CB2-receptors