Erfassung des atmosphärischen Phosphoreintrags in ein Niedermoor

In einem brandenburgischen Moor wurde der Phosphor-Eintrag auf seine Oberfläche bestimmt. Die Einträge weisen sowohl witterungsbedingte als auch zufällige Unterschiede auf. Durch eine Ausreißer-Filterung des Meßdatensatzes gelingt eine Einschätzung, ob die Proben deponierte atmosphärische Stoffe repräsentieren oder durch kurzfristig in der Luft befindliche Stoffe kontaminiert sind. Die mittlere atmosphärische Phosphor-Depositionsrate beträgt 0,65 kg ha-1 a-1 für den Zeitraum Dezember 2007 bis Dezember 2008. Der Eintrag erfolgt im wesentlichen in der intensiven Wachstumszeit von April bis August. Das Bergerhoff-Verfahren erweist sich grundsätzlich als für die Erfassung atmosphärischer Phosphor-Einträge geeignet

Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas sp. Strain LD120, Isolated from the Marine Alga Saccharina latissima

We report the draft genome sequence of Pseudomonas sp. strain LD120, which was isolated from a brown macroalga in the Baltic Sea. The genome of this marine Pseudomonas protegens subgroup bacterium harbors biosynthetic gene clusters for toxic metabolites typically produced by members of this Pseudomonas subgroup, including 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol, pyoluteorin, and rhizoxin analogs.ISSN:2576-098

Molecularly defined diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor (DLGNT) comprises two subgroups with distinct clinical and genetic features

Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumors (DLGNT) represent rare CNS neoplasms which have been included in the 2016 update of the WHO classification. The wide spectrum of histopathological and radiological features can make this enigmatic tumor entity difficult to diagnose. In recent years, large-scale genomic and epigenomic analyses have afforded insight into key genetic alterations occurring in multiple types of brain tumors and provide unbiased, complementary tools to improve diagnostic accuracy. Through genome-wide DNA methylation screening of > 25,000 tumors, we discovered a molecularly distinct class comprising 30 tumors, mostly diagnosed histologically as DLGNTs. Copy-number profiles derived from the methylation arrays revealed unifying characteristics, including loss of chromosomal arm 1p in all cases. Furthermore, this molecular DLGNT class can be subdivided into two subgroups [DLGNT methylation class (MC)-1 and DLGNT methylation class (MC)-2], with all DLGNT-MC-2 additionally displaying a gain of chromosomal arm 1q. Co-deletion of 1p/19q, commonly seen in IDH-mutant oligodendroglioma, was frequently observed in DLGNT, especially in DLGNT-MC-1 cases. Both subgroups also had recurrent genetic alterations leading to an aberrant MAPK/ERK pathway, with KIAA1549:BRAF fusion being the most frequent event. Other alterations included fusions of NTRK1/2/3 and TRIM33:RAF1, adding up to an MAPK/ERK pathway activation identified in 80% of cases. In the DLGNT-MC-1 group, age at diagnosis was significantly lower (median 5 vs 14 years, p < 0.01) and clinical course less aggressive (5-year OS 100, vs 43% in DLGNT-MC-2). Our study proposes an additional molecular layer to the current histopathological classification of DLGNT, of particular use for cases without typical morphological or radiological characteristics, such as diffuse growth and radiologic leptomeningeal dissemination. Recurrent 1p deletion and MAPK/ERK pathway activation represent diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets, respectively—laying the foundation for future clinical trials with, e.g., MEK inhibitors that may improve the clinical outcome of patients with DLGNT

Myth and Symbol II: Symbolic phenomena in Ancient Greek culture.

Papers from the second and third international symposia on symbolism at The Norwegian institute at Athens, September 21-24, 2000 and September 19-22,200

Anti-Transforming Growth Factor β IgG Elicits a Dual Effect on Calcium Oxalate Crystallization and Progressive Nephrocalcinosis-Related Chronic Kidney Disease

Crystallopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases caused by intrinsic or environmental microparticles or crystals, promoting tissue inflammation and scarring. Certain proteins interfere with crystal formation and growth, e.g., with intrarenal calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal formation, a common cause of kidney stone disease or nephrocalcinosis-related chronic kidney disease (CKD). We hypothesized that immunoglobulins can modulate CaOx microcrystal formation and crystal growth and that therefore, biological IgG-based drugs designed to specifically target disease modifying proteins would elicit a dual effect on the outcome of CaOx-related crystallopathies. Indeed, both the anti-transforming growth factor (TGF)beta IgG and control IgG1 antibody impaired CaOx crystallization in vitro, and decreased intrarenal CaOx crystal deposition and subsequent CKD in mice on an oxalate-rich diet compared to oxalate-fed control mice. However, the TGF beta-specific IgG antibody showed nephroprotective effects beyond those of control IgG1 and substantially reduced interstitial fibrosis as indicated by magnetic resonance imaging, silver and a-smooth muscle actin staining, RT-qPCR, and flow cytometry for pro-fibrotic macrophages. Suppressing interstitial fibrosis slowed the decline of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) compared to treatment with control IgG1 [slope of m = -8.9 vs. m = -14.5 mu l/min/100 g body weight (BW)/day, Delta = 38.3%], an increased GFR at the end of the study (120.4 vs. 42.6 mu l/min/100 g BW, Delta = 64.6%), and prolonged end stage renal disease (ESRD)-free renal survival by 10 days (Delta = 38.5%). Delayed onset of anti-TGF beta IgG from day 7 was no longer effective. Our results suggest that biological drugs can elicit dual therapeutic effects on intrinsic crystallopathies, such as anti-TGF beta IgG antibody treatment inhibits CaOx crystallization as well as interstitial fibrosis in nephrocalcinosis-related CKD

Predisposing and Precipitating Risk Factors for Delirium in Elderly Patients Admitted to a Cardiology Ward: An Observational Cohort Study in 1,042 Patients.

Aim: Although the risk factors for delirium in general medicine are well-established, their significance in cardiac diseases remains to be determined. Therefore, we evaluated the predisposing and precipitating risk factors in patients hospitalized with acute and chronic heart disease. Methods and Results: In this observational cohort study, 1,042 elderly patients (≥65 years) admitted to cardiology wards, 167 with and 875 without delirium, were included. The relevant sociodemographic and cardiac- and medical-related clusters were assessed by simple and multiple regression analyses and prediction models evaluating their association with delirium. The prevalence of delirium was 16.0%. The delirious patients were older (mean 80 vs. 76 years; p < 0.001) and more often institutionalized prior to admission (3.6 vs. 1.4%, p = 0.05), hospitalized twice as long (12 ± 10 days vs. 7 ± 7 days; p < 0.001), and discharged more often to nursing homes (4.8 vs. 0.6%, p < 0.001) or deceased (OR, 2.99; 95% CI, 1.53-5.85; p = 0.003). The most relevant risk factor was dementia (OR, 18.11; 95% CI, 5.77-56.83; p < 0.001), followed by history of stroke (OR, 6.61; 95% CI 1.35-32.44; p = 0.020), and pressure ulcers (OR, 3.62; 95% CI, 1.06-12.35; p = 0.040). The predicted probability for developing delirium was highest in patients with reduced mobility and institutionalization prior to admission (PP = 31.2%, p = 0.001). Of the cardiac diseases, only valvular heart disease (OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.01-2.44; p = 0.044) significantly predicted delirium. The patients undergoing cardiac interventions did not have higher rates of delirium (OR, 1.39; 95% CI 0.91-2.12; p = 0.124). Conclusion: In patients admitted to a cardiology ward, age-related functional and cognitive impairment, history of stroke, and pressure ulcers were the most relevant risk factors for delirium. With regards to specific cardiological factors, only valvular heart disease was associated with risk for delirium. Knowing these factors can help cardiologists to facilitate the early detection and management of delirium

Low sensitivity of a urine LAM-ELISA in the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The development and evaluation of rapid and accurate new diagnostic tools is essential to improve tuberculosis (TB) control in developing countries. In a previous study, the first release of a urine LAM-ELISA by Chemogen (Portland, USA) has been evaluated with a promising sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of pulmonary TB. In the present study, the now commercially available assay has been clinically assessed regarding its diagnostic value alone and in combination with clinical co-factors.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The test was applied to two urine samples from 291 consecutively enrolled Tanzanian patients with suspected pulmonary tuberculosis. The participants were subsequently assigned to classification groups according to microbiological, clinical and radiological findings at recruitment and during a maximum follow up period of 56 days.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 35 out of 69 pulmonary TB cases -confirmed by smear microscopy and/or solid culture and/or liquid culture- showed at least one positive LAM-ELISA result (sensitivity 50.7%). The sensitivity was noticeably higher in females (66.7%) and in HIV positive participants (62.0%). The specificity amounted to 87.8% and was determined in participants with negative results in all microbiological tests and with sustained recovery under antibiotic treatment at day 56. Correlation with urinalysis revealed that proteinuria was significantly and positively associated with LAM-positivity (<it>P </it>= 0.026).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This commercially available generation of LAM-ELISA does not appear to be useful as an independent diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis. The question whether the assay is suitable as a supplemental device in the diagnosis of HIV-associated TB, requires further investigations.</p

Prior Sexual Trauma Exposure Impacts Posttraumatic Dysfunction and Neural Circuitry Following a Recent Traumatic Event in the AURORA Study

Background: Prior sexual trauma (ST) is associated with greater risk for posttraumatic stress disorder after a subsequent traumatic event; however, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms remain opaque. We investigated longitudinal posttraumatic dysfunction and amygdala functional dynamics following admission to an emergency department for new primarily nonsexual trauma in participants with and without previous ST. Methods: Participants (N = 2178) were recruited following acute trauma exposure (primarily motor vehicle collision). A subset (n = 242) completed magnetic resonance imaging that included a fearful faces task and a resting-state scan 2 weeks after the trauma. We investigated associations between prior ST and several dimensions of posttraumatic symptoms over 6 months. We further assessed amygdala activation and connectivity differences between groups with or without prior ST. Results: Prior ST was associated with greater posttraumatic depression (F1,1120 = 28.35, p = 1.22 × 10−7, ηp2 = 0.06), anxiety (F1,1113 = 17.43, p = 3.21 × 10−5, ηp2 = 0.05), and posttraumatic stress disorder (F1,1027 = 11.34, p = 7.85 × 10−4, ηp2 = 0.04) severity and more maladaptive beliefs about pain (F1,1113 = 8.51, p = .004, ηp2 = 0.02) but was not related to amygdala reactivity to fearful versus neutral faces (all ps \u3e .05). A secondary analysis revealed an interaction between ST and lifetime trauma load on the left amygdala to visual cortex connectivity (peak Z value: −4.41, corrected p \u3c .02). Conclusions: Findings suggest that prior ST is associated with heightened posttraumatic dysfunction following a new trauma exposure but not increased amygdala activity. In addition, ST may interact with lifetime trauma load to alter neural circuitry in visual processing regions following acute trauma exposure. Further research should probe the relationship between trauma type and visual circuitry in the acute aftermath of trauma

The AURORA Study: A Longitudinal, Multimodal Library of Brain Biology and Function after Traumatic Stress Exposure

Adverse posttraumatic neuropsychiatric sequelae (APNS) are common among civilian trauma survivors and military veterans. These APNS, as traditionally classified, include posttraumatic stress, postconcussion syndrome, depression, and regional or widespread pain. Traditional classifications have come to hamper scientific progress because they artificially fragment APNS into siloed, syndromic diagnoses unmoored to discrete components of brain functioning and studied in isolation. These limitations in classification and ontology slow the discovery of pathophysiologic mechanisms, biobehavioral markers, risk prediction tools, and preventive/treatment interventions. Progress in overcoming these limitations has been challenging because such progress would require studies that both evaluate a broad spectrum of posttraumatic sequelae (to overcome fragmentation) and also perform in-depth biobehavioral evaluation (to index sequelae to domains of brain function). This article summarizes the methods of the Advancing Understanding of RecOvery afteR traumA (AURORA) Study. AURORA conducts a large-scale (n = 5000 target sample) in-depth assessment of APNS development using a state-of-the-art battery of self-report, neurocognitive, physiologic, digital phenotyping, psychophysical, neuroimaging, and genomic assessments, beginning in the early aftermath of trauma and continuing for 1 year. The goals of AURORA are to achieve improved phenotypes, prediction tools, and understanding of molecular mechanisms to inform the future development and testing of preventive and treatment interventions

ENIGMA-anxiety working group : Rationale for and organization of large-scale neuroimaging studies of anxiety disorders

Altres ajuts: Anxiety Disorders Research Network European College of Neuropsychopharmacology; Claude Leon Postdoctoral Fellowship; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation, 44541416-TRR58); EU7th Frame Work Marie Curie Actions International Staff Exchange Scheme grant 'European and South African Research Network in Anxiety Disorders' (EUSARNAD); Geestkracht programme of the Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw, 10-000-1002); Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) program within the National Institute of Mental Health under the Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP, MH002781); National Institute of Mental Health under the Intramural Research Program (NIMH-IRP, ZIA-MH-002782); SA Medical Research Council; U.S. National Institutes of Health grants (P01 AG026572, P01 AG055367, P41 EB015922, R01 AG060610, R56 AG058854, RF1 AG051710, U54 EB020403).Anxiety disorders are highly prevalent and disabling but seem particularly tractable to investigation with translational neuroscience methodologies. Neuroimaging has informed our understanding of the neurobiology of anxiety disorders, but research has been limited by small sample sizes and low statistical power, as well as heterogenous imaging methodology. The ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group has brought together researchers from around the world, in a harmonized and coordinated effort to address these challenges and generate more robust and reproducible findings. This paper elaborates on the concepts and methods informing the work of the working group to date, and describes the initial approach of the four subgroups studying generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and specific phobia. At present, the ENIGMA-Anxiety database contains information about more than 100 unique samples, from 16 countries and 59 institutes. Future directions include examining additional imaging modalities, integrating imaging and genetic data, and collaborating with other ENIGMA working groups. The ENIGMA consortium creates synergy at the intersection of global mental health and clinical neuroscience, and the ENIGMA-Anxiety Working Group extends the promise of this approach to neuroimaging research on anxiety disorders