89 research outputs found
SchlĂŒsselfaktoren fĂŒr ökonomisch erfolgreiche Bio-Low-Input-Milchviehbetriebe
Biologisch wirtschaftende Low-Input-Milchviehbetriebe bieten multifunktionale Vorteile fĂŒr die Umwelt, Gesellschaft und am Markt. Es bestehen diesbezĂŒglich aber nach wie vor produktionstechnische und wirtschaftliche Herausforderungen. Zur UnterstĂŒtzung interessierter Milchviehbetriebe wurde daher in Ăsterreich 2015 ein Bildungsprojekt mit dem Titel âLow-Input-Praktikerâ gestartet. Bis 2018 nahmen rund 160 Teilnehmer an den sechs Ausbildungskursen (8 Tageskurse + regionale Arbeitskreistreffen ĂŒber ein Jahr verteilt) teil. Entsprechend den aktuell vorliegenden ökonomischen Ergebnisse zu den biologisch wirtschaftenden Low-Input-Betriebe (N = 81) sind folgende Aspekte wichtige SchlĂŒsselfaktoren fĂŒr den wirtschaftlichen Erfolg: 1.) Futterkostenreduzierung durch hohe GrundfutterqualitĂ€t in der Laktationsphase, 2.) optimales GrĂŒnland- und Weide-Management, 3.) effizienter Kraftfutter- und DĂŒngereinsatz, 4.) fruchtbare KĂŒhe welche sich gut an die Low-Input Bedingungen anpassen können 5.) hohe MilchqualitĂ€t und ausreichende Milchleistung pro Kuh und 6.) Möglichkeiten die Milch im Rahmen von PrĂ€mienprogrammen zu vermarkten. Im Jahr 2017 variierte die Direktkostenfreie-Leistung zwischen dem oberen und unteren Quartil der untersuchten Bio-Low-Input Betriebe zwischen 2.819 und 1.613 ⏠pro Kuh bzw. zwischen 43.9 und 32.7 Cent pro kg produzierter Milch. Zusammenfassend kann festgestellt werden, dass standortangepasste und gut gefĂŒhrte Low-Input-Strategien eine Basis fĂŒr eine nachhaltige ökologische Milchwirtschaft in Ăsterreich darstellen können
Dynamic Up-Regulation of PD-L1 in the Progression of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
The introduction of immune checkpoint inhibition for recurrent and metastatic head and
neck cancer has brought a new treatment option for patients suffering from advanced oral cancers
without a chance for curation using surgery or radiotherapy. The application of immune checkpoint
inhibitors in most cases is based on the expression levels of PD-L1 in the tumor tissue. To date, there
is a lack of data on the dynamic regulation of PD-L1 during disease progression. Therefore, this study
aimed to evaluate the expression levels of PD-L1 in a large cohort of patients (n = 222) with oral
squamous cell carcinoma including primary and recurrent tumors. Semiautomatic digital pathology
scoring was used for the assessment of PD-L1 expression levels in primary and recurrent oral
squamous cell carcinoma. Survival analysis was performed to evaluate the prognostic significance
of the protein expression at different stages of the disease. We found a significant up-regulation
of PD-L1 expression from primary disease to recurrent tumors (mean PD-L1 H-scores: primary
tumors: 47.1 ± 31.4; recurrent tumors: 103.5 ± 62.8, p < 0.001). In several cases, a shift from low
PD-L1 expression in primary tumors to high PD-L1 expression in recurrent tumors was identified.
Multivariate Cox regression analysis did not reveal a significantly higher risk of death (p = 0.078)
or recurrence (p = 0.926) in patients with higher PD-L1 expression. Our findings indicate that the
exclusive analysis of primary tumor tissue prior to the application of checkpoint blockade may lead
to the misjudgment of PD-L1 expression in recurrent tumors
Multicenter Evaluation of the Course of Coagulopathy in Patients with Isolated Traumatic Brain Injury:Relation to CT Characteristics and Outcome
This prospective multicenter study investigated the association of the course of coagulation abnormalities with initial computed tomography (CT) characteristics and outcome in patients with isolated traumatic brain injury (TBI). Patient demographics, coagulation parameters, CT characteristics, and outcome data of moderate and severe TBI patients without major extracranial injuries were prospectively collected. Coagulopathy was defined as absent, early but temporary, delayed, or early and sustained. Delayed/sustained coagulopathy was associated with a higher incidence of disturbed pupillary responses (40% versus 27%; p<0.001) and higher Traumatic Coma Data Bank (TCDB) CT classification (5 (2-5) versus 2 (1-5); p=0.003) than in patients without or with early, but short-lasting coagulopathy. The initial CT of patients with delayed/sustained coagulopathy more frequently showed intracranial hemorrhage and signs of raised intracranial pressure (ICP) compared to patients with early coagulopathy only. This was paralleled by higher in-hospital mortality rates (51% versus 33%; p<0.05), and poorer 6-month functional outcome in patients with delayed/sustained coagulopathy. The relative risk for in-hospital mortality was particularly related to disturbed pupillary responses (OR 8.19; 95% CI 3.15,21.32; p<0.001), early, short-lasting coagulopathy (OR 6.70; 95% CI 1.74,25.78; p=0.006), or delayed/sustained coagulopathy (OR 5.25; 95% CI 2.06,13.40; p=0.001). Delayed/sustained coagulopathy is more frequently associated with CT abnormalities and unfavorable outcome at 6 months after TBI than early, short-lasting coagulopathy. Our finding that not only the mere presence but also the time course of coagulopathy holds predictive value for patient outcome underlines the importance of systematic hemostatic monitoring over time in TBI
Molecular Analysis and Genetic Mapping of the Rhodopsin Gene in Families with Autosomal Dominant Retinitis Pigmentosa
Eighty-eight patients/families with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (RP) were screened for rhodopsin mutations. Direct sequencing revealed 13 different mutations in a total of 14 (i.e., 16%) unrelated patients. Five of these mutations (T4K, Q28H, R135G, F220C, and C222R) have not been reported so far. In addition, multipoint linkage analysis was performed on two large families with autosomal dominant RP due to rhodopsin mutations by using five DNA probes from 3q21-q24. No tight linkage was found between the rhodopsin locus (RHO) and D3S47 (Ξmax = 0.08). By six-point analysis, RHO was localized in the region between D3S21 and D3S47, with a maximum lod score of 13.447 directly at D3S20
Infections with Avian Pathogenic and Fecal Escherichia coli Strains Display Similar Lung Histopathology and Macrophage Apoptosis
The purpose of this study was to compare histopathological changes in the lungs of chickens infected with avian
pathogenic (APEC) and avian fecal (Afecal) Escherichia coli strains, and to analyze how the interaction of the bacteria with
avian macrophages relates to the outcome of the infection. Chickens were infected intratracheally with three APEC strains,
MT78, IMT5155, and UEL17, and one non-pathogenic Afecal strain, IMT5104. The pathogenicity of the strains was assessed by
isolating bacteria from lungs, kidneys, and spleens at 24 h post-infection (p.i.). Lungs were examined for histopathological
changes at 12, 18, and 24 h p.i. Serial lung sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE), terminal deoxynucleotidyl
dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) for detection of apoptotic cells, and an anti-O2 antibody for detection of MT78 and
IMT5155. UEL17 and IMT5104 did not cause systemic infections and the extents of lung colonization were two orders of
magnitude lower than for the septicemic strains MT78 and IMT5155, yet all four strains caused the same extent of
inflammation in the lungs. The inflammation was localized; there were some congested areas next to unaffected areas. Only
the inflamed regions became labeled with anti-O2 antibody. TUNEL labeling revealed the presence of apoptotic cells at 12 h
p.i in the inflamed regions only, and before any necrotic foci could be seen. The TUNEL-positive cells were very likely dying
heterophils, as evidenced by the purulent inflammation. Some of the dying cells observed in avian lungs in situ may also be
macrophages, since all four avian E. coli induced caspase 3/7 activation in monolayers of HD11 avian macrophages. In
summary, both pathogenic and non-pathogenic fecal strains of avian E. coli produce focal infections in the avian lung, and
these are accompanied by inflammation and cell death in the infected areas
Helden in der Schule. Akten der Tagung Kloster Banz 2014
Ausgehend von der Feststellung, dass die Integration mittelalterlicher Texte im Deutschunterricht in der Schulpraxis weitgehend ein Desiderat darstellt, prĂ€sentierten Beitragende aus Schule und Wissenschaft bei der Tagung âHelden in der Schuleâ im Oktober 2014 ihre Projekte und Ideen zu und Erfahrungen mit der Implementation germanistisch-mediĂ€vistischer Inhalte im Deutschunterricht. Dabei reichen die BeitrĂ€ge von allgemeinen Ăberlegungen zum Nutzen mittelalterlicher Literatur in der Schule ĂŒber konkrete UnterrichtsentwĂŒrfe bis hin zur Umsetzung in der Waldorfschule und der Integration schulbezogener Lehrveranstaltungen in der UniversitĂ€t. Bei aller Verschiedenheit in den Herangehensweisen wird in allen BeitrĂ€gen eindrucksvoll deutlich gemacht, dass mittelalterliche Literatur auch im 21. Jahrhundert ĂŒberaus lohnend in die Unterrichtspraxis einbezogen werden kann.Since medieval texts are not treated enough in school, lecturers working in school and university presented their projects, ideas and experiences concerning the implementation of German-mediavistic contents in German school lessons during the conference âHeroes in Schoolâ in October 2014. The topics concern general reflection about the profitability of medieval literature in school, concrete lesson plans, the implementation in Rudolf Steiner schools, the integration of seminars in university that deal with the work in school etc. All articles demonstrate that the integration of medieval literature in school worth the effort â also in the 21st century
HIV Drug Resistance (HIVDR) in Antiretroviral Therapy-NaĂŻve Patients in Tanzania Not Eligible for WHO Threshold HIVDR Survey Is Dramatically High
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended guidelines for a HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) survey for resource-limited countries. Eligibility criteria for patients include age below 25 years in order to focus on the prevalence of transmitted HIVDR (tHIVDR) in newly-infected individuals. Most of the participating sites across Africa have so far reported tHIVDR prevalences of below 5%. In this study we investigated whether the rate of HIVDR in patients <25 years is representative for HIVDR in the rest of the therapy-naĂŻve population. HIVDR was determined in 88 sequentially enrolled ART-naĂŻve patients from Mwanza, Tanzania (mean age 35.4 years). Twenty patients were aged <25 years and 68 patients were aged 25-63 years. The frequency of HIVDR in the study population was 14.8% (95%; CI 0.072-0.223) and independent of NVP-resistance induced by prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs. Patients >25 years had a significantly higher HIVDR frequency than younger patients (19.1%; 95% CI 0.095-0.28) versus 0%, Pâ=â0.0344). In 2 out of the 16 patients with HIVDR we found traces of antiretrovirals (ARVs) in plasma. ART-naĂŻve patients aged over 25 years exhibited significantly higher HIVDR than younger patients. Detection of traces of ARVs in individuals with HIVDR suggests that besides transmission, undisclosed misuse of ARVs may constitute a significant factor in the generation of the observed high HIVDR rate. The current WHO tHIVDR survey that is solely focused on the transmission of HIVDR and that excludes patients over 25 years of age may therefore result in substantial underestimation of the prevalence of HIVDR in the therapy-naĂŻve population. Similar studies should be performed also in other areas to test whether the so far reported optimistic picture of low HIVDR prevalence in young individuals is really representative for the rest of the ART-naĂŻve HIV-infected population
The experimental power of FR900359 to study Gq-regulated biological processes.
Despite the discovery of heterotrimeric αÎČÎł G proteins âŒ25 years ago, their selective perturbation by cell-permeable inhibitors remains a fundamental challenge. Here we report that the plant-derived depsipeptide FR900359 (FR) is ideally suited to this task. Using a multifaceted approach we systematically characterize FR as a selective inhibitor of Gq/11/14 over all other mammalian Gα isoforms and elaborate its molecular mechanism of action. We also use FR to investigate whether inhibition of Gq proteins is an effective post-receptor strategy to target oncogenic signalling, using melanoma as a model system. FR suppresses many of the hallmark features that are central to the malignancy of melanoma cells, thereby providing new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Just as pertussis toxin is used extensively to probe and inhibit the signalling of Gi/o proteins, we anticipate that FR will at least be its equivalent for investigating the biological relevance of Gq
Herpes zoster incidence in Germany - an indirect validation study for self-reported disease data from pretest studies of the population-based German National Cohort
Background: Until now, herpes zoster (HZ)-related disease burden in Germany has been estimated based on health insurance data and clinical findings. However, the validity of self-reported HZ is unclear. This study investigated the validity of self-reported herpes zoster (HZ) and its complication postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) using data from the pretest studies of the German National Cohort (GNC) in comparison with estimates based on health insurance data.
Methods: Data of 4751 participants aged between 20 and 69âyears from two pretest studies of the GNC carried out in 2011 and 2012 were used. Based on self-reports of physician-diagnosed HZ and PHN, age- and sex-specific HZ incidence rates and PHN proportions were estimated. For comparison, estimates based on statutory health insurance data from the German population were considered.
Results: Eleven percent (95%-CI, 10.4 to 12.3, nâ=â539) of the participants reported at least one HZ episode in their lifetime. Our estimated age-specific HZ incidence rates were lower than previous estimates based on statutory health insurance data. The PHN proportion in participants older than 50âyears was 5.9% (1.9 to 13.9%), which was in line with estimates based on health insurance data.
Conclusion: As age- and sex-specific patterns were comparable with that in health insurance data, self-reported diagnosis of HZ seems to be a valid instrument for overall disease trends. Possible reasons for observed differences in incidence rates are recall bias in self-reported data or overestimation in health insurance data
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