Biologische Kontrolle von Eulenraupen im Kohl mittels Baculoviren

Baculoviren sind als hoch selektive biologische Kontrollagenzien für Kohleulenraupen (Mamestra brassicae) seit längerem bekannt und ihre gute Wirksamkeit wurde schon in verschiedenen Gewächshaus- und Freilandversuchen nachgewiesen. Um die Kontrollsituation von Kohleulenraupen im ökologischen Gemüseanbau insbesondere bei niedrigen Temperaturen zu verbessern, wurden die eulenpathogenen Mamestra brassicae Nukelopolyhedrovirus (MbMNPV) und Mamestra configurata Nukleopolyhedrovirus (MacoNPV-A) als mögliche Kontrollagentien geprüft. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass auch MacoNPV-A für M.brassicae pathogen ist. In vergleichenden Bioassays bei 24°C zeigten MbMNPV und MacoNPV-A keinen signifikanten Unterschied hinsichtlich ihrer biologischen Aktivität gegenüber M.brassicae. In weiteren Bioassays wurden die konzentrationsabhängige Mortalität von M.brassicae im 2. Larvenstadium sowie die gefressene Blattfläche bei 24, 20, 16 und 12°C bestimmt. Im Vergleich zu 24 und 20°C waren die mittleren Letalkonzentrationen bei 16 und 12°C 100 bzw. 1000fach höher. Für eine mittlere Reduktion der konsumierten Blattfläche waren hingegen bei Temperaturen unter 20°C 10 bis 100fach höhere Konzentrationen notwendig. Durch die Neuformulierung von MbMNPV (Probis GmbH, Wiernsheim) konnte eine Wirkungssteigerung im Vergleich zu der nicht formulierten Virussuspension im Bioassay erzielt werden. In einem Freilandtest mit künstlicher Infestation in Kohlrabi konnte eine weitere Steigerung des Wirkungsgrades durch die Kombination mit dem Bacillus thuringiensis Präparat XenTari® im Vergleich zur Einzelapplikation der beiden Präparate erreicht werden. Eine breite Freilandtestung der Baculoviren-Präparaten gegen Kohlraupen bei kühler Witterung als Einzelpräparat und in Kombination mit Bacillus thuringiensis Präparaten sowie neuester Applikationstechnik für Ober- und Unterblattbehandlung wird empfohlen

Representing First-Order Logic Using Graphs

Abstract. We show how edge-labelled graphs can be used to represent first-order logic formulae. This gives rise to recursively nested structures, in which each level of nesting corresponds to the negation of a set of existentials. The model is a direct generalisation of the negative application conditions used in graph rewriting, which count a single level of nesting and are thereby shown to correspond to the fragment ∃¬∃ of first-order logic. Vice versa, this generalisation may be used to strengthen the notion of application conditions. We then proceed to show how these nested models may be flattened to (sets of) plain graphs, by allowing some structure on the labels. The resulting formulae-as-graphs may form the basis of a unification of the theories of graph transformation and predicate transformation

Detection of types of HPV among HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Kenyan women undergoing cryotherapy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure

Objective: To assess the baseline types of HPV infection among HIV-positive and HIV-negative women in western Kenya undergoing cryotherapy or loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted of baseline HPV characteristics of women undergoing visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) and cryotherapy or LEEP. After a positive VIA in HIV-positive and HIV-negative women, data on demographics, CD4 count, and use of antiretroviral therapy and a cervical swab were collected. HPV typing was performed using the Roche Linear Array. Results: Of 175 participants, 86 (49.1%) were HIV-positive and had a higher prevalence of low-risk HPV types (odds ratio [OR] 5.28, P=0.005) compared with HIV-negative women. The most common high-risk (HR)-HPV types in HIV-positive women were HPV 16 (13.9%) and HPV 18 (11.1%). HIV-positive women requiring LEEP were more likely to have HR-HPV types (OR 6.67, P=0.012) and to be infected with multiple HR-HPV types (OR 7.79, P=0.024) compared to those undergoing cryotherapy. Conclusion: HIV-positive women requiring LEEP versus cryotherapy had a higher prevalence of any HR-HPV type and multiple HR-HPV types. There were no such differences in HPV types identified among HIV-negative women

Strategic programming on graph rewriting systems

We describe a strategy language to control the application of graph rewriting rules, and show how this language can be used to write high-level declarative programs in several application areas. This language is part of a graph-based programming tool built within the port-graph transformation and visualisation environment PORGY.Comment: In Proceedings IWS 2010, arXiv:1012.533

A cross-sectional analysis of factors associated with detection of oncogenic human papillomavirus in human immunodeficiency virus-infected and uninfected Kenyan women

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is caused by oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPV) and is one of the most common malignancies in women living in sub-Saharan Africa. Women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a higher incidence of cervical cancer, but the full impact on HPV detection is not well understood, and associations of biological and behavioral factors with oncogenic HPV detection have not been fully examined. Therefore, a study was initiated to investigate factors that are associated with oncogenic HPV detection in Kenyan women. METHODS: Women without cervical dysplasia were enrolled in a longitudinal study. Data from enrollment are presented as a cross-sectional analysis. Demographic and behavioral data was collected, and HPV typing was performed on cervical swabs. HIV-uninfected women (n = 105) and HIV-infected women (n = 115) were compared for demographic and behavioral characteristics using t-tests, Chi-square tests, Wilcoxon sum rank tests or Fisher\u27s exact tests, and for HPV detection using logistic regression or negative binomial models adjusted for demographic and behavioral characteristics using SAS 9.4 software. RESULTS: Compared to HIV-uninfected women, HIV-infected women were older, had more lifetime sexual partners, were less likely to be married, were more likely to regularly use condoms, and were more likely to have detection of HPV 16, other oncogenic HPV types, and multiple oncogenic types. In addition to HIV, more lifetime sexual partners was associated with a higher number of oncogenic HPV types (aIRR 1.007, 95% CI 1.007-1.012). Greater travel distance to the clinic was associated with increased HPV detection (aOR for detection of \u3e /= 2 HPV types: 3.212, 95% CI 1.206-8.552). Older age (aOR for HPV 16 detection: 0.871, 95% CI 0.764-0.993) and more lifetime pregnancies (aOR for detection of oncogenic HPV types: 0.706, 95% CI, 0.565-0.883) were associated with reduced detection. CONCLUSION: HIV infection, more lifetime sexual partners, and greater distance to health-care were associated with a higher risk of oncogenic HPV detection, in spite of ART use in those who were HIV-infected. Counseling of women about sexual practices, improved access to health-care facilities, and vaccination against HPV are all potentially important in reducing oncogenic HPV infections

Assessment of protein allergenicity on the basis of immune reactivity: animal models.

Because of the public concern surrounding the issue of the safety of genetically modified organisms, it is critical to have appropriate methodologies to aid investigators in identifying potential hazards associated with consumption of foods produced with these materials. A recent panel of experts convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization suggested there is scientific evidence that using data from animal studies will contribute important information regarding the allergenicity of foods derived from biotechnology. This view has given further impetus to the development of suitable animal models for allergenicity assessment. This article is a review of what has been achieved and what still has to be accomplished regarding several different animal models. Progress made in the design and evaluation of models in the rat, the mouse, the dog and in swine is reviewed and discussed

Correction to: Integrative analysis of loss-of-function variants in clinical and genomic data reveals novel genes associated with cardiovascular traits

Erratum for Integrative analysis of loss-of-function variants in clinical and genomic data reveals novel genes associated with cardiovascular traits. [BMC Med Genomics. 2019

A mechanistic framework for cardiometabolic and coronary artery diseases

Coronary atherosclerosis results from the delicate interplay of genetic and exogenous risk factors, principally taking place in metabolic organs and the arterial wall. Here we show that 224 gene-regulatory coexpression networks (GRNs) identified by integrating genetic and clinical data from patients with (n = 600) and without (n = 250) coronary artery disease (CAD) with RNA-seq data from seven disease-relevant tissues in the Stockholm-Tartu Atherosclerosis Reverse Network Engineering Task (STARNET) study largely capture this delicate interplay, explaining >54% of CAD heritability. Within 89 cross-tissue GRNs associated with clinical severity of CAD, 374 endocrine factors facilitated inter-organ interactions, primarily along an axis from adipose tissue to the liver (n = 152). This axis was independently replicated in genetically diverse mouse strains and by injection of recombinant forms of adipose endocrine factors (EPDR1, FCN2, FSTL3 and LBP) that markedly altered blood lipid and glucose levels in mice. Altogether, the STARNET database and the associated GRN browser (http://starnet.mssm.edu) provide a multiorgan framework for exploration of the molecular interplay between cardiometabolic disorders and CAD