Goal conflicts in long-term cropping system trials - the example of carrots

Agricultural research on multiple cropping systems in parallel increases the potential for knowledge transfer between organic and conventional systems. This project aims to develop cropping systems towards greater sustainability through work in long-term trials that have a unique opportunity to contribute to a holistic research perspective. Data on the fourth crop rotation (2007-2012) are now being compiled. This paper presents preliminary results from cultivation of carrots as an example to demonstrate goal conflicts in organic and conventional systems between good nutrient management and good economy on one hand and nematode control and intensive cropping systems (good short-term economy) on the other. Good productivity and sustainable production levels are major overall goals in the project. The conclusion is that more research on nematode susceptibility and propagating at different crops and varieties is very important

Safety and efficacy of fluticasone propionate in the topical treatment of skin diseases

Fluticasone propionate - the first carbothioate corticosteroid - has been classified as a potent anti-inflammatory drug for dermatological use. It is available as 0.05% cream and 0.005% ointment formulations for the acute and maintenance treatment of patients with dermatological disorders such as atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo. This glucocorticoid is characterized by high lipophilicity, high glucocorticoid receptor binding and activation, and a rapid metabolic turnover in skin. Although skin blanching following fluticasone propionate exceeds that of corticosteroids of medium strength, several clinical trials demonstrate a low potential for cutaneous and systemic side-effects, even in difficult-to-treat areas like the face, the eyelids and intertriginous areas. Even among paediatric patients with atopic dermatitis, fluticasone propionate proved to be safe and effective. These pharmacological and clinical properties are reflected by the high therapeutic index of this glucocorticoid

Role of fatty acid transporters in epidermis: Implications for health and disease

Skin epidermis is an active site of lipid synthesis. The intercellular lipids of human stratum corneum (SC) are unique in composition and quite different from the lipids found in most biological membranes. The three major lipids in the SC are free fatty acids, cholesterol and ceramides. Fatty acids can be synthesized by keratinocytes de novo and, in addition, need to be taken up from the circulation. The latter process has been shown to be protein mediated, and several fatty acid transporters are expressed in skin. Recent studies of transgenic and knockout animal models for fatty acid transporters and the identification of fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4 or SLC27A4) mutations as causative for Ichthyosis Prematurity Syndrome highlight the vital roles of fatty acid transport and metabolism in skin homeostasis. This review provides an overview of our current understanding of the role of fatty acids and their transporters in cutaneous biology, including their involvement in epidermal barrier generation and skin inflammation

Editorial: Energy, Resources and the Environment – Interdisciplinary answers to approach the sustainable energy and resources conundrum

Every year, the European Geosciences Union (EGU) brings together experts from all over the world at its General Assembly, covering all disciplines of the Earth, planetary and space sciences. The EGU Division on Energy, Resources and the Environment (ERE) is concerned with one of the humankind's most challenging goals – providing affordable, reliable and sustainable energy and other georesources. A collection of contributions from the ERE Division at the EGU General Assembly 2018 is assembled within the present special issue in Advances in Geosciences.</p

Partial differential equations for self-organization in cellular and developmental biology

Understanding the mechanisms governing and regulating the emergence of structure and heterogeneity within cellular systems, such as the developing embryo, represents a multiscale challenge typifying current integrative biology research, namely, explaining the macroscale behaviour of a system from microscale dynamics. This review will focus upon modelling how cell-based dynamics orchestrate the emergence of higher level structure. After surveying representative biological examples and the models used to describe them, we will assess how developments at the scale of molecular biology have impacted on current theoretical frameworks, and the new modelling opportunities that are emerging as a result. We shall restrict our survey of mathematical approaches to partial differential equations and the tools required for their analysis. We will discuss the gap between the modelling abstraction and biological reality, the challenges this presents and highlight some open problems in the field

Design of a Microsphere-Based High-Throughput Gene Expression Assay to Determine Estrogenic Potential

Recently gene expression studies have been multiplied at an accelerated rate by the use of high-density microarrays. By assaying thousands of transcripts at a time, microarrays have led to the discovery of dozens of genes involved in particular biochemical processes, for example, the response of a tissue/organ to a given chemical with therapeutic or toxic properties. The next step in these studies is to focus on the response of a subset of relevant genes to verify or refine potential therapeutic or toxic properties. We have developed a sensitive, high-throughput gene expression assay for this purpose. In this assay, based on the Luminex xMAP system, carefully selected oligonucleotides were covalently linked to fluorescently coded microspheres that are hybridized to biotinylated cRNA followed by amplification of the signal, which results in a rapid, sensitive, multiplexed assay platform. Using this system, we have developed an RNA expression profiling assay specific for 17 estrogen-responsive transcripts and three controls. This assay can evaluate up to 100 distinct analytes simultaneously in a single sample, in a 96-well plate format. This system has improved sensitivity versus existing microsphere-based assays and has sensitivity and precision comparable with or better than microarray technology. We have achieved detection levels down to 1 amol, detecting rare messages in complex cRNA samples, using as little as 2.5 μg starting cRNA. This assay offers increased throughput with decreased costs compared with existing microarray technologies, with the trade-off being in the total number of transcripts that can be analyzed

The sunburn response in human skin is characterized by sequential eicosanoid profiles that may mediate its early and late phases.

yesSunburn is a commonly occurring acute inflammatory process, with dermal vasodilatation and leukocyte infiltration as central features. Ultraviolet (UV) B-induced hydrolysis of membrane phospholipids releases polyunsaturated fatty acids and their subsequent metabolism by cyclooxygenases (COX) and lipoxygenases (LOX) may produce potent eicosanoid mediators modulating different stages of the inflammation. Our objective was to identify candidate eicosanoids formed during the sunburn reaction in relation to its clinical and histological course. We exposed skin of healthy humans (n=32) to UVB and for 72h examined (i) expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory eicosanoids using LC/ESI-MS/MS and (ii) immunohistochemical expression of COX-2, 12-LOX, 15-LOX and leucocyte markers, while (iii) quantifying clinical erythema. We show that vasodilatory prostaglandins (PG)E2, PGF2¿ and PGE3 accompany the erythema in the first 24-48h, associated with increased COX-2 expression at 24h. Novel, potent leukocyte chemoattractants 11-, 12- and 8-monohydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (-HETE) are elevated from 4-72h, in association with peak dermal neutrophil influx at 24h, and increased dermal CD3+ lymphocytes and 12- and 15-LOX expression from 24-72h. Anti-inflammatory metabolite 15-HETE shows later expression, peaking at 72h. Sunburn is characterized by overlapping phases of increases in COX products followed by LOX products that may regulate subsequent events and ultimately its resolution.The Wellcome Trus

Prolactin Receptor in Primary Hyperparathyroidism – Expression, Functionality and Clinical Correlations

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) is an endocrine disorder most commonly affecting women, suggesting a role for female hormones and/or their receptors in parathyroid adenomas. We here investigated the prolactin receptor (PRLr) which is associated with tumours of the breast and other organs.</p> <h3>Methodology/Principal Findings</h3><p>PRLr expression was investigated in a panel of 37 patients with sporadic parathyroid tumours and its functionality in cultured parathyroid tumour cells. In comparison with other tissues and breast cancer cells, high levels of prolactin receptor gene (<em>PRLR</em>) transcripts were demonstrated in parathyroid tissues. PRLr products of 60/70 kDa were highly expressed in all parathyroid tumours. In addition varying levels of the 80 kDa PRLr isoform, with known proliferative activity, were demonstrated. In parathyroid tumours, PRLr immunoreactivity was observed in the cytoplasm (in all cases, n = 36), cytoplasmic granulae (n = 16), the plasma membrane (n = 12) or enlarged lysosomes (n = 4). In normal parathyroid rim (n = 28), PRLr was uniformly expressed in the cytoplasm and granulae. In <em>in vitro</em> studies of short-term cultured human parathyroid tumour cells, prolactin stimulation was associated with significant transcriptional changes in JAK/STAT, RIG-I like receptor and type II interferon signalling pathways as documented by gene expression profiling. Moreover, <em>PRLR</em> gene expression in parathyroid tumours was inversely correlated with the patients’ plasma calcium levels.</p> <h3>Conclusions</h3><p>We demonstrate that the prolactin receptor is highly abundant in human parathyroid tissues and that PRLr isoforms expression and PRLr subcellular localisation are altered in parathyroid tumours. Responsiveness of PRLr to physiological levels of prolactin was observed in the form of increased PTH secretion and altered gene transcription with significant increase of RIG-I like receptor, JAK-STAT and Type II interferon signalling pathways. These data suggest a role of the prolactin receptor in parathyroid adenomas.</p> </div

Muscle fiber-type distribution predicts weight gain and unfavorable left ventricular geometry: a 19 year follow-up study

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle consists of type-I (slow-twitch) and type-II (fast-twitch) fibers, with proportions highly variable between individuals and mostly determined by genetic factors. Cross-sectional studies have associated low percentage of type-I fibers (type-I%) with many cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: We investigated whether baseline type-I% predicts left ventricular (LV) structure and function at 19-year follow-up, and if so, which are the strongest mediating factors. At baseline in 1984 muscle fiber-type distribution (by actomyosin ATPase staining) was studied in 63 healthy men (aged 32–58 years). The follow-up in 2003 included echocardiography, measurement of obesity related variables, physical activity and blood pressure. RESULTS: In the 40 men not using cardiovascular drugs at follow-up, low type-I% predicted higher heart rate, blood pressure, and LV fractional shortening suggesting increased sympathetic tone. Low type-I% predicted smaller LV chamber diameters (P ≤ 0.009) and greater relative wall thickness (P = 0.034) without increase in LV mass (concentric remodeling). This was explained by the association of type-I% with obesity related variables. Type-I% was an independent predictor of follow-up body fat percentage, waist/hip ratio, weight gain in adulthood, and physical activity (in all P ≤ 0.001). After including these risk factors in the regression models, weight gain was the strongest predictor of LV geometry explaining 64% of the variation in LV end-diastolic diameter, 72% in end-systolic diameter, and 53% in relative wall thickness. CONCLUSION: Low type-I% predicts obesity and weight gain especially in the mid-abdomen, and consequently unfavourable LV geometry indicating increased cardiovascular risk