Verbesserte Transparenz im Naturkostmarkt: Datenerhebung Naturkostfacheinzelhandel unter Berücksichtigung der Ausbildungsangebote

Der spezialisierte Naturkosthandel (NKH) stellt in Deutschland traditionell einen wichtigen Absatzkanal für ökologisch erzeugte Lebensmittel dar. Dieses Marktsegment ist dominiert von Klein- und Mittleren Unternehmen (KMU) und damit gekennzeichnet von einer relativ hohen Marktintransparenz. Da alle Marktbeteiligten ebenso wie die Politik aktuelle und belastbare Daten benötigen, wurden im BÖLN-Projekt 08OE123 die Strukturdaten des Naturkostfachhandels erstmals für das Jahr 2009 ff erhoben (siehe: https://orgprints.org/20521/1/20521-08OE123-bnn-roeder-kuhnert-2011-strukturdaten_naturkostfachhandel.pdf). Inzwischen ist aufgrund der dynamischen Marktentwicklung eine neue, grundlegende Erhebung der aktuellen Strukturdaten erforderlich. Durch diese fundierte Vollerhebung wird sichergestellt, dass die strukturelle Basis aufgrund von Annahmen und Schätzungen möglichst wenig anfällig für Ungenauigkeiten ist. Die wichtigsten Ergebnisse der Strukturdatenerhebung lassen sich wie folgt zusammenfassen: Anhand der Erhebung konnte die Existenz von 2.516 stationären Verkaufsstellen des Naturkostfachhandels verifiziert werden. Dies entspricht einem Zuwachs von sieben Prozent seit der letzten Erhebung im Jahr 2010. Die Läden sind im Durchschnitt größer als 2010, vor allem die Anzahl der Bio-Supermärkte ab 400 m² hat stark zugenommen. Allerdings stellen die Bio-Fachgeschäfte bis 399 m² mit einem Anteil von 60 Prozent immer noch den größten Teil der Verkaufsstellen dar. Nach wie vor konzentrieren sich die Naturkost-Verkaufsstellen in städtischen Ballungsräumen sowie in Süd- und Westdeutschland. In fast allen Bundesländern ist ein Zuwachs bezüglich Anzahl und Größe der Verkaufsstellen zu verzeichnen. Viele stationäre Verkaufsstellen erweitern ihr Angebot mittlerweile mit Zusatzangeboten wie Café, Bistro, Lieferservice oder Online-Shop. Der Grad der Diversifizierung hat zugenommen. Für 38 Prozent steht nach eigener Einschätzung die Nachfolgeplanung noch an. Je größer die Fläche einer Verkaufsstelle ist, desto größer ist deren Umsatz, desto mehr Mitarbeiter werden in dieser beschäftigt, desto eher werden Azubis ausgebildet und desto aktiver sind diese hinsichtlich der Nutzung von Weiterbildungsangeboten. Es sind 58 Prozent der Antwortenden nach eigener Einschätzung im Bereich Aus- und Weiterbildung aktiv, der weit überwiegende Teil aus dieser Gruppe ist der Kategorie Bio-Supermarkt zuzurechnen. Während 31 Prozent der Antwortenden angeben keine Zeit für Aus- und Weiterbildung zu haben. Diese Gruppe wird weit überwiegend aus der Kategorie der Bio-Fachgeschäfte und der Hofläden gespeist. Praxisbezug, Aktualität und Nähe sind die wesentlichen Kriterien für die Teilnahme an einer Weiterbildung

A closer look into the microbiome of microalgal cultures

Although bacteria are commonly co-occurring in microalgal cultivation and production systems, little is known about their community structure and how it might be affected by specific microalgal groups or growth conditions. A better understanding about the underlying factors that determine the growth of specific bacterial populations is not only important for optimizing microalgal production processes, but also in the context of product quality when the algal biomass is to be used for future food or feed. We analyzed the bacterial community composition associated with nine microalgal strains in stock culture, maintained in two different growth media, to explore how specific taxonomic microalgal groups, microalgal origin, or the growth medium affect the bacterial community composition. Furthermore, we monitored the bacterial community composition for three Phaeodactylum strains during batch cultivation in bubble columns to examine if the bacterial composition alters during cultivation. Our results reveal that different microalgal genera, kept at the same cultivation conditions over many years, displayed separate and unique bacterial communities, and that different strains of the same genus had very similar bacterial community compositions, despite originating from different habitats. However, when maintained in a different growth medium, the bacterial composition changed for some. During batch cultivation, the bacterial community structure remained relatively stable for each Phaeodactylum strain. This indicates that microalgae seem to impact the development of the associated bacterial communities and that different microalgal genera could create distinct conditions that select for dominance of specific bacteria. However, other factors such as the composition of growth medium also affect the formation of the bacterial community structure.publishedVersio

In vitro characterization of 177Lu-radiolabelled chimeric anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody and a preliminary dosimetry study

Purpose: 131I- and 90Y-labelled anti-CD20 antibodies have been shown to be effective in the treatment of low-grade, B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). However, the most appropriate radionuclide in terms of high efficiency and low toxicity has not yet been established. In this study we evaluated an immunoconjugate formed by the anti-CD20 antibody rituximab and the chelator DOTA (1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid). DOTA-rituximab was prepared as a kit formulation and can be labelled in a short time (<20min) with either 177Lu or 90Y. Materials and methods: Immunoconjugates with different numbers of DOTA molecules per rituximab were prepared using p-SCN-Bz-DOTA. In vitro immunoreactivity and stability were tested and preliminary dosimetric results were acquired in two patients. Results: The immunological binding properties of DOTA-rituximab to the CD20 antigen were found to be retained after conjugation with up to four chelators. The labelled product was stable against a 105 times excess of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA, 37°C, 7days). Two patients with relapsed NHL were treated with 740MBq/m2 body surface 177Lu-DOTA-rituximab. Scintigraphic images showed specific uptake at tumour sites and acceptable dosimetric results. The mean whole-body dose was found to be 314mGy. The administration of 177Lu-DOTA-rituximab was tolerated well. Conclusion: Our results show that DOTA-rituximab (4:1) can be labelled with 177Lu with sufficient stability while the immunoconjugate retains its immunoreactivity. 177Lu-DOTA-rituximab is an interesting, well-tolerated radiolabelled antibody with clinical activity in a low dose range, and provides an approach to the efficient treatment with few side effects for patients with relapsed NH

A promising protocol for the endothelialization of vascular grafts in an instrumented rotating bioreactor towards clinical application

Pre-endothelialization of a tissue-engineered vascular graft before implantation aims to prevent thrombosis and immunoreactions. This work demonstrates a standardized cultivation process to build a confluent monolayer with human aortal endothelial cells on xenogenous scaffolds. Pre-tested dynamic cultivation conditions in flow slides with pulsatile flow (1 Hz) representing arterial wall conditions were transferred to a newly designed multi-featured rotational bioreactor system. The medium was thickened with 1% methyl cellulose simulating a non-Newtonian fluid comparable to blood. Computational fluid dynamics was used to estimate the optimal volume flow and medium distribution inside the bioreactor chamber for defined wall-near shear stress levels. Flow measurements were performed during cultivation for constant monitoring of the process. Three decellularized porcine arteries were seeded and cultivated in the bioreactor over six days. 1% MC turned out to be the optimal percentage to achieve shear stress values ranging up to 10 dyn/cm2. Vascular endothelial cells formed a continuous monolayer with significant cell alignment in the direction of flow. The presented cultivation protocol in the bioreactor system thus displays a promising template for graft endothelialization and cultivation. Therefore, establishing a key step for future tissue-engineered vascular graft development with a view towards clinical application

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging in children – how and why? A systematic review

Whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly being used for a number of indications. Our aim was to review and describe indications and scan protocols for diagnostic value of whole-body MRI for multifocal disease in children and adolescents, we conducted a systematic search in Medline, Embase and Cochrane for all published papers until November 2018. Relevant subject headings and free text words were used for the following concepts: 1) whole-body, 2) magnetic resonance imaging and 3) child and/or adolescent. Included were papers in English with a relevant study design that reported on the use and/or findings from whole-body MRI examinations in children and adolescents. This review includes 54 of 1,609 papers identified from literature searches. Chronic nonbacterial osteomyelitis, lymphoma and metastasis were the most frequent indications for performing a whole-body MRI. The typical protocol included a coronal STIR (short tau inversion recovery) sequence with or without a coronal T1-weighted sequence. Numerous studies lacked sufficient data for calculating images resolution and only a few studies reported the acquired voxel volume, making it impossible for others to reproduce the protocol/images. Only a minority of the included papers assessed reliability tests and none of the studies documented whether the use of whole-body MRI affected mortality and/or morbidity. Our systematic review confirms significant variability of technique and the lack of proven validity of MRI findings. The information could potentially be used to boost attempts towards standardization of technique, reporting and guidelines development

A closer look into the microbiome of microalgal cultures

Although bacteria are commonly co-occurring in microalgal cultivation and production systems, little is known about their community structure and how it might be affected by specific microalgal groups or growth conditions. A better understanding about the underlying factors that determine the growth of specific bacterial populations is not only important for optimizing microalgal production processes, but also in the context of product quality when the algal biomass is to be used for future food or feed. We analyzed the bacterial community composition associated with nine microalgal strains in stock culture, maintained in two different growth media, to explore how specific taxonomic microalgal groups, microalgal origin, or the growth medium affect the bacterial community composition. Furthermore, we monitored the bacterial community composition for three Phaeodactylum strains during batch cultivation in bubble columns to examine if the bacterial composition alters during cultivation. Our results reveal that different microalgal genera, kept at the same cultivation conditions over many years, displayed separate and unique bacterial communities, and that different strains of the same genus had very similar bacterial community compositions, despite originating from different habitats. However, when maintained in a different growth medium, the bacterial composition changed for some. During batch cultivation, the bacterial community structure remained relatively stable for each Phaeodactylum strain. This indicates that microalgae seem to impact the development of the associated bacterial communities and that different microalgal genera could create distinct conditions that select for dominance of specific bacteria. However, other factors such as the composition of growth medium also affect the formation of the bacterial community structure

Health-Related Physical Fitness and Arterial Stiffness in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Introduction: Despite decreasing mortality in pediatric oncology as a result of standardized treatment protocols, the high number of functional and cardiovascular late sequelae due to anticarcinogenic therapy remains unchanged. The aim of this study was to further assess functional limitations in Health-related Physical Fitness (HRPF) and cardiovascular risk by means of markers of arterial stiffness in Childhood Cancer Survivors (CCS).Materials and Methods: Between March 2016 and August 2017 a total of 92 CCS (Age 12.5 ± 4.2 years, 43 girls) were recruited from their routine follow-up outpatient visit. HRPF was assessed using five Fitnessgram® tasks. Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) along with peripheral and central blood pressure were assessed using oscillometric measurements performed by Mobil-O-Graph. Z-scores were used to compare the test results either to German reference values or to a recent healthy reference cohort.Results: In CCS, the HRPF was significantly reduced (z-score: −0.28 ± 1.01, p = 0.011) as compared to healthy peers. The peripheral Systolic Blood Pressure (pSBP) was significantly increased (z-score: 0.31 ± 1.11, p = 0.017) and the peripheral Diastolic Blood Pressure (pDBP) was decreased (z-score: −0.30 ± 1.25, p = 0.040), resulting in an increased pulse pressure. The PWV (p = 0.649) and cSBP (p = 0.408), were neither increased nor showed any association to HRPF.Discussion: CCS showed functional limitations in HRPF and an increased pulse pressure, which acts as an early onset parameter of arterial stiffness. Both a low HRPF and impaired hemodynamics are independent cardiovascular risk factors and needs to be taken into consideration in tertiary prevention of CCS

Whole-body MRI in children and adolescents: Can T2-weighted Dixon fat-only images replace standard T1-weighted images in the assessment of bone marrow?

Objective: When performing whole-body MRI for bone marrow assessment in children, optimizing scan time is crucial. The aim was to compare T2 Dixon fat-only and TSE T1-weighted sequences in the assessment of bone marrow high signal areas seen on T2 Dixon water-only in healthy children and adolescents. Materials and methods: Whole-body MRIs from 196 healthy children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years (mean 12.0) were obtained including T2 TSE Dixon and T1 TSE-weighted images. Areas with increased signal on T2 Dixon water-only images were scored using a novel, validated scoring system and classified into “minor” or “major” findings according to size and intensity, where “major” referred to changes easily being misdiagnosed as pathology in a clinical setting. Areas were assessed for low signal on T2 Dixon fat-only images and, after at least three weeks to avoid recall bias, on the T1-weighted sequence by two experienced pediatric radiologists. Results: 1250 high signal areas were evaluated on T2 Dixon water-only images. In 1159/1250 (92.7%) low signal was seen on both T2 Dixon fat-only and T1-weighted sequences while in 24 (1.9%) it was not present on either sequence, with an absolute agreement of 94.6%. Discordant findings were found in 67 areas, of which in 18 (1.5%) low signal was visible on T1-weighted images alone and in 49 (3.9%) on T2 Dixon fat-only alone. The overall kappa value between the two sequences was 0.39. The agreement was higher for major as compared to minor findings (kappa values of 0.69 and 0.29, respectively) and higher for the older age groups. Conclusion: T2 Dixon fat-only can replace T1-weighted sequence on whole-body MRI for bone marrow assessment in children over the age of nine, thus reducing scan time