Entwicklung eines Online-Leitfadens für On-Farm Research

Im Rahmen des Vorhabens wurde ein internetbasierter Online-Leitfaden für Praxisversuche erstellt. Ziel des über das zentrale Internetportal www.oekolandbau.de kommunizierten und der landwirtschaftlichen Praxis zugänglich gemachten Hilfsmittels ist es, Praktikern anhand eines menügeführten Leitfadens die selbstständige und / oder expertenunterstützte Durchführung von Praxisversuchen im eigenen Betrieb zu ermöglichen. Der Online-Leitfaden für Praxisversuche stellt ein Instrumentarium im Sinne einer „Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe“ zur Verfügung. Durch die angebotenen weitreichenden Hintergrundinformationen sowie Entscheidungshilfen wird der Nutzer einerseits mit den Grundlagen der Versuchsplanung, -durchführung und -auswertung vertraut gemacht. Andererseits erhält er konkrete Unterstützung bei der Versuchsfragestellung, Auswahl des Versuchsdesigns, der Datenerhebung und Auswertung. Dem Online-Leitfaden für Praxisversuche zugrunde liegen die in der Literatur verfügbaren Anleitungen zu Praxisversuchen aus dem In- und Ausland, Expertenbefragungen sowie zwei im Rahmen des Vorhabens durchgeführte Praxisversuche. Letztere dienten vor allem der Abschätzung des Zeitbedarfs für die gesamte Versuchsdurchführung und die zugrunde liegenden Arbeitsschritte sowie der Validierung der im Leitfaden vorgeschlagenen Arbeitsschritte. Der im Vorhaben erstellte Online-Leitfaden wird als Webseite www.praxisversuche.de über das Internetportal www.oekolandbau.de der Praxis zur Verfügung gestellt. Das zentrale Internetportal www.oekolandbau.de bietet hierfür die geeignete Umgebung mit zahlreichen inhaltlichen Informationen sowie Adressen von Beratern, Forschungsstätten etc. Der Online-Leitfaden für Praxisversuche bildet derzeit die in der Praxis am ehesten eingesetzten Versuchstypen ab. Er ist insbesondere ausgelegt für die Zielgruppe Landwirte bzw. die Kombination Landwirt plus externe Experten. Der Online-Leitfaden ist so aufgebaut, dass er weiterentwickelt werden kann, z. B. durch die Ergänzung weiterer Versuchsdesigns, tiefer reichender Auswertungsmöglichkeiten etc. Ferner erscheint die Entwicklung des Leitfadens zu einer Standardplattform für Praxisversuche, die sowohl von Landwirten wie instituionellen Versuchsanstellern genutzt werden kann, möglich und sinnvoll

Leitfaden für Praxisversuche

Nach Ansicht der Autoren sollen und können Versuche im eigenen Betrieb nicht wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen an Forschungseinrichtungen ersetzen. Vielmehr stellen sie eine sinnvolle Ergänzung zur Forschung an solchen Institutionen dar. Durch ein optimales Zusammenspiel beider Formen könnten so in Zukunft dem Landwirt die Informationen an die Hand gegeben werden, die er für seine erfolgreiche Betriebsführung braucht. Dieser Leitfaden für Praxisversuche deckt Experimente zur pflanzlichen Erzeugung ab. Unberührt davon lassen sich jedoch auch Versuche zur Tierhaltung, im Vermarktungsbereich oder zur Betriebswirtschaft im eigenen Betrieb durchführen. Der vorliegende Leitfaden gibt grundlegende und nützliche Informationen darüber, wie ein nicht wissenschaftlich ausgebildeter Landwirt in seinem Betrieb einfache Versuche anlegen kann, die einem Mindestmaß an wissenschaftlichen Anforderungen genügen, ohne jedoch den Landwirt zu überfordern. Dementsprechend versteht sich der Leitfaden für den Praktiker als „Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe“. Je nach Fragestellung, Ausbildungsstand und verfügbarer Zeit können Landwirte solche Praxisversuche allein durchführen oder sich Unterstützung durch ihren Berater oder andere Experten z.B. von Landesämtern und Landwirtschaftskammern, staatlichen Lehr- und Versuchsanstalten oder Universitäten holen. Der Schwerpunkt des Leitfadens liegt auf Hinweisen zur Planung und Durchführung von Experimenten im laufenden landwirtschaftlichen Betrieb. Dabei soll die Versuchsdurchführung eine Datenqualität liefern, die ein auf den gesamten Standort übertragbares Ergebnis und bei Bedarf tiefere statistische Auswertungen ermöglicht. In der Regel ist für den Landwirt in erster Linie die Gewinnung von Ergebnissen und Erkenntnissen entscheidend, die für seinen Betrieb oder Standort gelten. In den meisten Fällen sind dazu einfach zu berechnende statistische Größen wie Mittelwert und Streuungsmaß als Anhaltspunkte für die Datenauswertung ausreichend. Wir empfehlen allerdings, die Anlage der Versuche und die Erhebung der Daten in einer Weise durchzuführen, die die Möglichkeit offen hält, die Daten z. B. gemeinsam mit einem Experten vertieften statistischen Tests zu unterziehen, um ggf. eine weitere Bewertung der Daten vorzunehmen

A pilot study of hair and cytokine balance alteration in healthy young women under major exam stress

Mouse models show that experimental stress mimicking prolonged life-stress exposure enhances neurogenic inflammation, induces adaptive immunity cytokine- imbalance characterized by a shift to Type 1 T-helper cell cytokines and increases apoptosis of epithelial cells. This affects hair growth in otherwise healthy animals. In this study, we investigate whether a prolonged naturalistic life-stress exposure affects cytokine balance and hair parameters in healthy humans. 33 (18 exam, 15 comparison) female medical students with comparable sociobiological status were analyzed during a stressful final examination period, at three points in time (T) 12 weeks apart. T1 was before start of the learning period, T2 between the three-day written exam and an oral examination, and T3 after a 12 week rest and recovery from the stress of the examination period. Assessments included: self-reported distress and coping strategies (Perceived Stress Questionnaire [PSQ], Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress [TICS]), COPE), cytokines in supernatants of stimulated peripheral blood mononucleocytes (PBMCs), and trichogram (hair cycle and pigmentation analysis). Comparison between students participating in the final medical exam at T2 and non-exam students, revealed significantly higher stress perception in exam students. Time-wise comparison revealed that stress level, TH1/TH2 cytokine balance and hair parameters changed significantly from T1 to T2 in the exam group, but not the control. However, no group differences were found for cytokine balance or hair parameters at T2. The study concludes that in humans, naturalistic stress, as perceived during participation in a major medical exam, has the potential to shift the immune response to TH1 and transiently hamper hair growth, but these changes stay within a physiological range. Findings are instructive for patients suffering from hair loss in times of high stress. Replication in larger and more diverse sample populations is required, to assess suitability of trichogram analysis as biological outcome for stress studies

Multi-omic signature of body weight change: results from a population-based cohort study

BACKGROUND: Excess body weight is a major risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases. The complex molecular mechanisms of body weight change-induced metabolic perturbations are not fully understood. Specifically, in-depth molecular characterization of long-term body weight change in the general population is lacking. Here, we pursued a multi-omic approach to comprehensively study metabolic consequences of body weight change during a seven-year follow-up in a large prospective study. METHODS: We used data from the population-based Cooperative Health Research in the Region of Augsburg (KORA) S4/F4 cohort. At follow-up (F4), two-platform serum metabolomics and whole blood gene expression measurements were obtained for 1,631 and 689 participants, respectively. Using weighted correlation network analysis, omics data were clustered into modules of closely connected molecules, followed by the formation of a partial correlation network from the modules. Association of the omics modules with previous annual percentage weight change was then determined using linear models. In addition, we performed pathway enrichment analyses, stability analyses, and assessed the relation of the omics modules with clinical traits. RESULTS: Four metabolite and two gene expression modules were significantly and stably associated with body weight change (P-values ranging from 1.9 × 10−4 to 1.2 × 10−24). The four metabolite modules covered major branches of metabolism, with VLDL, LDL and large HDL subclasses, triglycerides, branched-chain amino acids and markers of energy metabolism among the main representative molecules. One gene expression module suggests a role of weight change in red blood cell development. The other gene expression module largely overlaps with the lipid-leukocyte (LL) module previously reported to interact with serum metabolites, for which we identify additional co-expressed genes. The omics modules were interrelated and showed cross-sectional associations with clinical traits. Moreover, weight gain and weight loss showed largely opposing associations with the omics modules. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term weight change in the general population globally associates with serum metabolite concentrations. An integrated metabolomics and transcriptomics approach improved the understanding of molecular mechanisms underlying the association of weight gain with changes in lipid and amino acid metabolism, insulin sensitivity, mitochondrial function as well as blood cell development and function

Trends in Cancer Incidence in Different Antiretroviral Treatment-Eras amongst People with HIV

Despite cancer being a leading comorbidity amongst individuals with HIV, there are limited data assessing cancer trends across different antiretroviral therapy (ART)-eras. We calculated age-standardised cancer incidence rates (IRs) from 2006-2021 in two international cohort collaborations (D:A:D and RESPOND). Poisson regression was used to assess temporal trends, adjusted for potential confounders. Amongst 64,937 individuals (31% ART-naïve at baseline) and 490,376 total person-years of follow-up (PYFU), there were 3763 incident cancers (IR 7.7/1000 PYFU [95% CI 7.4, 7.9]): 950 AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs), 2813 non-ADCs, 1677 infection-related cancers, 1372 smoking-related cancers, and 719 BMI-related cancers (groups were not mutually exclusive). Age-standardised IRs for overall cancer remained fairly constant over time (8.22/1000 PYFU [7.52, 8.97] in 2006-2007, 7.54 [6.59, 8.59] in 2020-2021). The incidence of ADCs (3.23 [2.79, 3.72], 0.99 [0.67, 1.42]) and infection-related cancers (4.83 [4.2, 5.41], 2.43 [1.90, 3.05]) decreased over time, whilst the incidence of non-ADCs (4.99 [4.44, 5.58], 6.55 [5.67, 7.53]), smoking-related cancers (2.38 [2.01, 2.79], 3.25 [2.63-3.96]), and BMI-related cancers (1.07 [0.83, 1.37], 1.88 [1.42, 2.44]) increased. Trends were similar after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, HIV-related factors, and ART use. These results highlight the need for better prevention strategies to reduce the incidence of NADCs, smoking-, and BMI-related cancers

Femoral revision knee Arthroplasty with Metaphyseal sleeves: the use of a stem is not mandatory of a structural point of view

Purpose Metaphyseal sleeves are an option for patients with severe metaphyseal bony defects requiring TKA revision. Although sleeves are usually used with stems, little is known about the exact contribution/need of the stem for the initial sleeve-bone interface stability, particularly in the femur, if the intramedullary canal is deformed or bowed. It is hypothesised that diaphyseal-stem addition increases the sleeve-femur interface stability and the strain-shielding effect on the metaphyseal femur relatively to the stemless condition. Material and methods Synthetic-femur was used to measure cortex strain behaviour and implant cortex micromotions for three techniques: only femoral-component, stemless-sleeve and stemmed-sleeve. Paired t-tests were performed to evaluate the statistical significance of the difference between mean principal strains and implant-cortex micromotions. Finite-element models were developed to assess the cancellous-bone strain behaviour and sleeve-bone interface micromotions; these models were validated against the measurements. Results Cortex strains are reduced significantly (p<0.05) in 83% of strain gauges on stemmed-sleeve, which compares with 33% in stemless condition. Both techniques presented a cancellous bone strain reduction of 50% at the distal region and an increase of nearly four times at the sleeve proximal region relative to the model only with the femoral component. Both techniques presented sleeve-bone micromotions amplitude below 50-150μm, suitable for bone ingrowth. Conclusions The use of a supplemental diaphyseal-stem potentiates the risk of cortex bone resorption compared with the stemless-sleeve condition; however, the stem is not vital for increasing the initial sleeve-bone stability and has a minor effect on the cancellous-bone strain behaviour. Of a purely structural point view, appears that the use of a diaphyseal-femoral-stem with the metaphyseal sleeve is not mandatory in the revision TKA which is particularly relevant in cases where the use of stems is impracticable.publishe

Timing of eating across ten European countries - results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study

Objective To examine timing of eating across ten European countries. Design Cross-sectional analysis of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study using standardized 24 h diet recalls collected during 1995-2000. Eleven predefined food consumption occasions were assessed during the recall interview. We present time of consumption of meals and snacks as well as the later:earlier energy intake ratio, with earlier and later intakes defined as 06.00-14.00 and 15.00-24.00 hours, respectively. Type III tests were used to examine associations of sociodemographic, lifestyle and health variables with timing of energy intake. Setting Ten Western European countries. Subjects In total, 22 985 women and 13 035 men aged 35-74 years (n 36 020). Results A south-north gradient was observed for timing of eating, with later consumption of meals and snacks in Mediterranean countries compared with Central and Northern European countries. However, the energy load was reversed, with the later:earlier energy intake ratio ranging from 0 center dot 68 (France) to 1 center dot 39 (Norway) among women, and from 0 center dot 71 (Greece) to 1 center dot 35 (the Netherlands) among men. Among women, country, age, education, marital status, smoking, day of recall and season were all independently associated with timing of energy intake (all PPeer reviewe

Trends in Cancer Incidence in Different Antiretroviral Treatment-Eras amongst People with HIV

Despite cancer being a leading comorbidity amongst individuals with HIV, there are limited data assessing cancer trends across different antiretroviral therapy (ART)-eras. We calculated age-standardised cancer incidence rates (IRs) from 2006–2021 in two international cohort collaborations (D:A:D and RESPOND). Poisson regression was used to assess temporal trends, adjusted for potential confounders. Amongst 64,937 individuals (31% ART-naïve at baseline) and 490,376 total person-years of follow-up (PYFU), there were 3763 incident cancers (IR 7.7/1000 PYFU [95% CI 7.4, 7.9]): 950 AIDS-defining cancers (ADCs), 2813 non-ADCs, 1677 infection-related cancers, 1372 smoking-related cancers, and 719 BMI-related cancers (groups were not mutually exclusive). Age-standardised IRs for overall cancer remained fairly constant over time (8.22/1000 PYFU [7.52, 8.97] in 2006–2007, 7.54 [6.59, 8.59] in 2020–2021). The incidence of ADCs (3.23 [2.79, 3.72], 0.99 [0.67, 1.42]) and infection-related cancers (4.83 [4.2, 5.41], 2.43 [1.90, 3.05]) decreased over time, whilst the incidence of non-ADCs (4.99 [4.44, 5.58], 6.55 [5.67, 7.53]), smoking-related cancers (2.38 [2.01, 2.79], 3.25 [2.63–3.96]), and BMI-related cancers (1.07 [0.83, 1.37], 1.88 [1.42, 2.44]) increased. Trends were similar after adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, HIV-related factors, and ART use. These results highlight the need for better prevention strategies to reduce the incidence of NADCs, smoking-, and BMI-related cancers

Surface ocean iron fertilization: the role of subduction zone and hotspot volcanic ash and fluxes into the Pacific Ocean

Surface ocean iron (Fe) fertilization can affect the marine primary productivity (MPP), thereby impacting on CO2 exchanges at the atmosphere-ocean interface and eventually on climate. Mineral (aeolian or desert) dust is known to be a major atmospheric source for the surface ocean biogeochemical iron cycle, but the significance of volcanic ash is poorly constrained. We present the results of geochemical experiments aimed at determining the rapid release of Fe upon contact of pristine volcanic ash with seawater, mimicking their dry deposition into the surface ocean. Our data show that volcanic ash from both subduction zone and hot spot volcanoes (n = 44 samples) rapidly mobilized significant amounts of soluble Fe into seawater (35–340 nmol/g ash), with a suggested global mean of 200 ± 50 nmol Fe/g ash. These values are comparable to the range for desert dust in experiments at seawater pH (10–125 nmol Fe/g dust) presented in the literature (Guieu et al., 1996; Spokes et al., 1996). Combining our new Fe release data with the calculated ash flux from a selected major eruption into the ocean as a case study demonstrates that single volcanic eruptions have the potential to significantly increase the surface ocean Fe concentration within an ash fallout area. We also constrain the long-term (millennial-scale) airborne volcanic ash and mineral dust Fe flux into the Pacific Ocean by merging the Fe release data with geological flux estimates. These show that the input of volcanic ash into the Pacific Ocean (128–221 × 1015 g/ka) is within the same order of magnitude as the mineral dust input (39–519 × 1015 g/ka) (Mahowald et al., 2005). From the similarity in both Fe release and particle flux follows that the flux of soluble Fe related to the dry deposition of volcanic ash (3–75 × 109 mol/ka) is comparable to that of mineral dust (1–65 × 109 mol/ka). Our study therefore suggests that airborne volcanic ash is an important but hitherto underestimated atmospheric source for the Pacific surface ocean biogeochemical iron cycle