Diagnostic potential of plasma carboxymethyllysine and carboxyethyllysine in multiple sclerosis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study compared the level of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), <it>N</it>-(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) and <it>N</it>-(Carboxyethyl)lysine (CEL), in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HCs), correlating these markers with clinical indicators of MS disease severity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>CML and CEL plasma levels were analyzed in 99 MS patients and 43 HCs by tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Patients were stratified based on drug modifying therapies (DMTs) including interferon beta, glatiramer acetate and natalizumab.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The level of plasma CEL, but not CML, was significantly higher in DMT-naïve MS patients when compared to HCs (P < 0.001). Among MS patients, 91% had higher than mean plasma CEL observed in HCs. DMTs reduced CML and CEL plasma levels by approximately 13% and 40% respectively. CML and CEL plasma levels correlated with the rate of MS clinical relapse.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our results suggest that AGEs in general and CEL in particular could be useful biomarkers in MS clinical practice. Longitudinal studies are warranted to determine any causal relationship between changes in plasma level of AGEs and MS disease pathology. These studies will pave the way for use of AGE inhibitors and AGE-breaking agents as new therapeutic modalities in MS.</p

Future Potentials and Strategies of non-research-intensive Industries in Germany – Impacts on Competitiveness and Employment. Summary

Non-research-intensive industries and businesses have played a comparatively minor role in the economic and innovation policy debate so far. Due to the strong focus of the political discussion on research-intensive sectors, the potential of non-research-intensive industries and businesses for Germany as a business location was usually not attributed any particular significance in the past. Based on growth theory considerations, intensive research and development (R&D) was usually associated with higher economic growth and greater international competitiveness. This report focuses on non-research-intensive sectors and companies and addresses the question of what direct and, above all, indirect contributions these sectors make to Germany\u27s international competitiveness and what future potential results from this. It examines the competitive and innovation strategies pursued by research-intensive companies and the extent to which current economic developments create pressure for change that could affect the market position and survival of research-intensive companies in the future. Furthermore, the question is addressed as to which developments are foreseeable with regard to competitiveness and thus with regard to employment opportunities in non-research-intensive industries. Finally, it is clarified which effects on the qualification requirements of these employees are foreseeable due to current developments. The analysis of the macroeconomic importance of non-research-intensive industries is based on official statistical data at the national and international level. The analyses at the company level are based on a telephone survey of more than 200 non-research-intensive companies and 88 particularly research-intensive companies in the German manufacturing sector. Supplementary evaluations are carried out using data from the survey "Modernisation of Production 2009" by the Fraunhofer ISI. The data includes information on topics such as the market environment, the competitive strategy, the specific innovation patterns, the competence equipment, the ability to absorb and implement external information, the protection and importance of different forms of knowledge or the future opportunities and risks of these enterprises

Soil microbes drive the classic plant diversity­ productivity pattern

Ecosystem productivity commonly increases asymptotically with plant species diversity, and determining the mechanisms responsible for this well-known pattern is essential to predict potential changes in ecosystem productivity with ongoing species loss. Previous studies attributed the asymptotic diversity–productivity pattern to plant competition and differential resource use (e.g., niche complementarity). Using an analytical model and a series of experiments, we demonstrate theoretically and empirically that host-specific soil microbes can be major determinants of the diversity–productivity relationship in grasslands. In the presence of soil microbes, plant disease decreased with increasing diversity, and productivity increased nearly 500%, primarily because of the strong effect of density-dependent disease on productivity at low diversity. Correspondingly, disease was higher in plants grown in conspecific-trained soils than heterospecific-trained soils (demonstrating host-specificity), and productivity increased and host-specific disease decreased with increasing community diversity, suggesting that disease was the primary cause of reduced productivity in species-poor treatments. In sterilized, microbe-free soils, the increase in productivity with increasing plant species number was markedly lower than the increase measured in the presence of soil microbes, suggesting that niche complementarity was a weaker determinant of the diversity–productivity relationship. Our results demonstrate that soil microbes play an integral role as determinants of the diversity–productivity relationship

Predictors of early recurrence after resection of colorectal liver metastases

BACKGROUND: Early recurrence after resection of colorectal liver metastases (CLM) is common. Patients at risk of early recurrence may be candidates for enhanced preoperative staging and/or earlier postoperative imaging. The aim of this study was to determine if there are any risk factors that specifically predict early liver-only and systemic recurrence. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of prospective database of patients undergoing liver resection (LR) for CLM from 2004 to 2006 was undertaken. Early recurrence was defined as occurring within 18 months of LR. Patients were classified into three groups: early liver-only recurrence, early systemic recurrence and recurrence-free. Preoperative factors were compared between patients with and without early recurrence. RESULTS: Two hundred and forty-three consecutive patients underwent LR for CLM. Twenty-seven patients (11%) developed early liver-only recurrence. Dukes C stage and male sex were significantly associated with early liver-only recurrence (P < 0.05). Sixty-six patients (27%) developed early systemic recurrence. Tumour size ≥3.6 cm and tumour number (>2) were significantly associated with early systemic recurrence (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to stratify patients according to the risk of early liver-only or systemic recurrence after resection of CLM. High-risk patients may be candidates for preoperative MRI and/or computed tomography-positron emission tomography (CT-PET) scan and should receive intensive postoperative surveillance