Metatranscriptomics captures dynamic shifts in mycorrhizal coordination in boreal forests

Carbon storage and cycling in boreal forests—the largest terrestrial carbon store—ismoderated by complex interactions between trees and soil microorganisms. However,existing methods limit our ability to predict how changes in environmental conditionswill alter these associations and the essential ecosystem services they provide. To addressthis, we developed a metatranscriptomic approach to analyze the impact of nutrientenrichment on Norway sprucefine roots and the community structure, function, andtree–microbe coordination of over 350 root-associated fungal species. In response toaltered nutrient status, host trees redefined their relationship with the fungal commu-nity by reducing sugar efflux carriers and enhancing defense processes. This resulted ina profound restructuring of the fungal community and a collapse in functional coordi-nation between the tree and the dominant Basidiomycete species, and an increase infunctional coordination with versatile Ascomycete species. As such, there was a func-tional  shift  in  community  dominance  from  Basidiomycetes  species,  with  importantroles in enzymatically cycling recalcitrant carbon, to Ascomycete species that have mela-nized cell walls that are highly resistant to degradation. These changes were accompa-nied  by  prominent  shifts  in  transcriptional  coordination  between  over  60  predictedfungal effectors, with more than 5,000 Norway spruce transcripts, providing mechanis-tic insight into the complex molecular dialogue coordinating host trees and their fungalpartners. The host–microbe dynamics captured by this study functionally inform howthese complex and  sensitive biological  relationships may mediate  the carbon  storagepotential of boreal soils under changing nutrient conditions

Effect of Apheresis for ABO and HLA Desensitization on Anti-Measles Antibody Titers in Renal Transplantation

Desensitization strategies for ABO-incompatible renal transplants with plasma exchange (PE) or specific immunoadsorption (IA) decrease immunoglobulin levels. After recent measles outbreak and decreasing vaccination rates, we studied the impact of apheresis on anti-measles antibodies. Anti-measles antibodies were measured before desensitization, before transplantation and during followup in 12 patients with ABO incompatibility (2x PE only, 8x IA only, and 2x IA and PE) and 3 patients with donor-specific HLA antibodies (all PE). Patients received rituximab, IVIG, and standard immunosuppressive therapy. All patients had detectable anti-measles antibodies before desensitization (mean 3238 mU/l, range 560–8100). After 3–6 PE sessions, titers decreased significantly to 1710 mU/l (P < 0.05), in one patient to nondetectable values, while IA only maintained protective titers. After a median followup of 64 days, anti-measles antibodies returned to baseline in all patients. Immunity against measles was temporarily reduced by apheresis but remained detectable in most patients at time of transplantation. Desensitization maintains long-term protective immunity against measles

Outcome after Desensitization in HLA or ABO-Incompatible Kidney Transplant Recipients: A Single Center Experience

Background The shortage of deceased donors led to an increase of living donor kidney (LDK) transplantations performed in the presence of donor-specific antibodies (DSA) or ABO incompatibility (ABOi) using various desensitization protocols. Methods We herein analyzed 26 ABOi and 8 Luminex positive DSA patients who were successfully desensitized by anti-CD20, antigen-specific immunoadsorption and/or plasmapheresis to receive an LDK transplant. Twenty LDK recipients with non-donor-specific HLA-antibodies (low risk) and 32 without anti-HLA antibodies (no risk) served as control groups. Results 1-year graft survival rate and renal function was similar in all 4 groups (creatinine: 1.63 +/- 0.5 vs 1.78 +/- 0.6 vs 1.64 +/- 0.5 vs 1.6 +/- 0.3 mg/dl in ABOi, DSA, low risk and no risk group). The incidence of acute T-cell mediated rejections did not differ between the 4 groups (15% vs 12, 5% vs 15% vs 22% in ABOi, DSA, low risk and no risk), while antibody-mediated rejections were only found in the DSA (25%) and ABOi (7.5%) groups. Incidence of BK nephropathy (BKVN) was significantly more frequent after desensitization as compared to controls (5/34 vs 0/52, p = 0.03). Conclusion We demonstrate favorable short-term allograft outcome in LDK transplant recipients after desensitization. However, the desensitization was associated with an increased risk of BKVN

上海轉帳制度(劃頭制度)の推移

Background: Kidney transplantation is the gold standard of therapy in patients with terminal renal insufficiency. Living donor transplantation is a well-established option in this field. Enlarging the donor's pool implicates the acceptance of an increased rate of comorbidities. Among them, coronary artery disease is a growing problem. An increasing number of patients, undergoing living donation, receive antiplatelet therapies due to coronary disease. Case presentation: Here we report about the perioperative treatment with a drug-eluting balloon in a patient with major cardiac risk factors who underwent kidney transplantation. Conclusion: At the current time no recommendation can be given for the routine use of drug-eluting balloons

Benefit in liver transplantation: a survey among medical staff, patients, medical students and non-medical university staff and students

Background: The allocation of any scarce health care resource, especially a lifesaving resource, can create profound ethical and legal challenges. Liver transplant allocation currently is based upon urgency, a sickest-first approach, and does not utilize capacity to benefit. While urgency can be described reasonably well with the MELD system, benefit encompasses multiple dimensions of patients' well-being. Currently, the balance between both principles is ill-defined. Methods: This survey with 502 participants examines how urgency and benefit are weighted by different stakeholders (medical staff, patients on the liver transplant list or already transplanted, medical students and non-medical university staff and students). Results: Liver transplant patients favored the sickest-first allocation, although all other groups tended to favor benefit. Criteria of a successful transplantation were a minimum survival of at least 1 year and recovery of functional status to being ambulatory and capable of all self-care (ECOG 2). An individual delisting decision was accepted when the 1-year survival probability would fall below 50%. Benefit was found to be a critical variable that may also trigger the willingness to donate organs. Conclusions: The strong interest of stakeholder for successful liver transplants is inadequately translated into current allocation rules

On the Thermal Rearrangement of the Bicyclo[1.1.0]butane System. A Kinetic Investigation of the Conversion of Tricyclo[4.1.0.02,7^{2,7}]heptanes into Bicyclo[3.2.0)hept-6-enes

No abstract availabl

Reaktion von Homobenzvalen mit Tetracyanethylen : Bildung eines Tetracyandihydrobarbaralan- und eines Tetracyancyclopropan-Derivats

In den Reaktionen von Tetracyanethylen (TCNE) und 5,6-Dichlor-2,3-dicyan-p-benzochinon mit Benzvalen haben wir kürzlich die ersten Beispiele für die lange gesuchte einstufige 1,4-Cycloaddition eines Alkens an ein Vinylcyclopropan gcfunden(I~J. Sie ist als [(.,2.+.2s)+ 112J-Prozeß der Dicls-Alder-Addition nahe verwandtllbl. Allerdings entsteht das betreffende TCNE-Addukt, ein Dihydrosemibullvalen-Derivat, nur in einer Ausbeute von wenigen Prozent. Die Hauptprodukte gehen aus einer Zwitterionischen Zwischenstufe hervor, die durch Anlagerung von TCNE an die Benzvalen-n-Bindung resultiert. Professor Rolf Huisgen zum 65. Geburtstag gewidme

Learned Immunosuppressive Placebo Response Attenuates Disease Progression in a Rodent Model of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Objective Patients with chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases benefit from a broad spectrum of immunosuppressive and antiproliferative medication available today. However, nearly all of these therapeutic compounds have unwanted toxic side effects. Recent knowledge about the neurobiology of placebo responses indicates that associative learning procedures can be utilized for dose reduction in immunopharmacotherapy while simultaneously maintaining treatment efficacy. This study was undertaken to examine whether and to what extent a 75% reduction of pharmacologic medication in combination with learned immunosuppression affects the clinical outcome in a rodent model of type II collagen-induced arthritis. Methods An established protocol of taste-immune conditioning was applied in a disease model of chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease (type II collagen-induced arthritis) in rats, where a novel taste (saccharin; conditioned stimulus [CS]) was paired with an injection of the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CSA) (unconditioned stimulus [US]). Following conditioning with 3 CS/US pairings (acquisition), the animals were immunized with type II collagen and Freund's incomplete adjuvant. Fourteen days later, at the first occurrence of clinical symptoms, retrieval was started by presenting the CS together with low-dose CSA as reminder cues to prevent the conditioned response from being extinguished. Results This "memory-updating" procedure stabilized the learned immune response and significantly suppressed disease progression in immunized rats. Clinical arthritis score and histologic inflammatory symptoms (both P < 0.05) were significantly diminished by learned immunosuppression in combination with low-dose CSA (25% of the full therapeutic dose) via beta-adrenoceptor-dependent mechanisms, to the same extent as with full-dose (100%) pharmacologic treatment. Conclusion These results indicate that learned immunosuppression appears to be mediated via beta-adrenoceptors and might be beneficial as a supportive regimen in the treatment of chronic inflammatory autoimmune diseases by diminishing disease exacerbation

3D Printed Capacitive Fluid Level Sensor

A three dimensional, additively manufactured interdigital capacitive sensor for fluid level measurement applications is introduced. The device was fabricated using the fused filament fabrication (FFF) additive manufacturing (AM) process and an off the shelf conductive filament with a volume resistivity ρ = 0.6 Ω cm. The 3D fabrication process allows great flexibility in terms of sensor ̇ design and an increase of the surface area between the electrodes, compensating the relatively large plate separation and yielding a high sensitivity to increasing fluid levels. The measurements presented in this abstract show the average increase of capacitance in response to an incrementally increasing volume of de-ionized water (DI-water) filled between the separate digits