Südkorea: Ein Apfel für acht Franken

In Südkorea ist gesundes und schönes Obst viel wert. Das fördert den Bioanbau, erfordert aber auch guten Pflanzenschutz. Daher steht Südkorea mit FiBL-Forschenden im Austausch

Sud Corea: una mela per otto franchi

Nella Corea del Sud la frutta sana e bella vale molto. Ciò promuove l’agricoltura biologica ma occorre una buona difesa delle piante. Perciò la Corea del Sud è in contatto con i ricercatori del FiBL

Corée du Sud: La pomme à huit francs

Les fruits beaux et sains sont très recherchés en Corée du Sud. Cela favorise l’agriculture bio mais exige une bonne protection phytosanitaire et donc les conseils du FiBL

Magnetic susceptibility of the QCD vacuum at finite quark-chemical potential

We investigate the QCD magnetic susceptibility chi at the finite quark-chemical potential (mu>0) and at zero temperature (T=0) to explore the pattern of the magnetic phase transition of the QCD vacuum. For this purpose, we employ the nonlocal chiral quark model derived from the instanton vacuum in the presence of the chemical potential in the chiral limit. Focusing on the Nambu-Goldstone phase, we find that the magnetic susceptibility remains almost stable to mu~200 MeV, and falls down drastically until the the quark-chemical potential reaches the critical point mu_c~320 MeV. Then, the strength of the chi is reduced to be about a half of that at mu=0, and the first-order magnetic phase transition takes place, corresponding to the chiral restoration. From these observations, we conclude that the response of the QCD vacuum becomes weak and unstable to the external electromagnetic field near the critical point, in comparison to that for vacuum. It is also shown that the breakdown of Lorentz invariance for the magnetic susceptibility, caused by the finite chemical potential, turns out to be small.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

STAT1 and Nmi are downstream targets of Ets-1 transcription factor in MCF-7 human breast cancer cell

AbstractEts-1 is a cellular homologue of the product of the viral ets oncogene of the E26 virus, and it functions as a tissue-specific transcription factor. It plays an important role in cell proliferation, differentiation, lymphoid cell development, transformation, angiogenesis, and apoptosis. Ets-1 controls the expression of critical genes involved in these processes by binding to ets binding sites present in the transcriptional regulatory regions. Here, we transiently overexpressed Ets-1 in MCF-7 and comprehensively searched for potential downstream targets of Ets-1 by cDNA microarray analysis. The expressions of several interferon-related genes including STAT1 and Nmi were augmented by the overexpression of Ets-1. RT-PCR and Western blotting confirmed the increase in the levels of STAT1 and Nmi mRNA and protein. In contrast, Ets-1 siRNA decreased the expression of STAT1 and Nmi proteins. As in our transient transfection experiments, stable overexpression of Ets-1, also increased the protein expression of STAT1 and Nmi in MCF-7 cells. Taken together, our results indicate that STAT1 and Nmi are downstream targets of Ets-1 in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Safety and Efficacy of Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 in Multilevel Posterolateral Lumbar Fusion in a Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial

Objective This study is an investigator-initiated, prospective, randomized, controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combined use of recombinant human BMP-2 (rhBMP-2) and a hydroxyapatite (HA) carrier in multilevel fusion in patients with adult spinal deformity (ASD). Methods Thirty patients underwent posterolateral fusion for lumbar spinal deformities at 3 to 5 segments between L1 and S1. The patients received rhBMP-2+HA or HA on the left or right side of the transverse processes. They were followed up regularly at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Fusion was defined according to the bone bridging on computed tomography scans. The fusion rate per segment was subanalyzed. Function and quality of life as well as pain in the lower back and lower extremities were evaluated. Results The union rate for the rhBMP-2+HA group was 100% at 6 and 12 months. The union rate for the HA group was 77.8% (21 of 27) at 6 months and 88.0% (22 of 25) at 12 months (p = 0.014 at 6 months; not significant at 12 months). All segments were fused at 6 and 12 months in the rhBMP-2+HA group (p < 0.001). In the HA group, 108 of 115 segments (93.5%) were fused at 6 months and 105 of 109 segments (96.3%) at 12 months. Other clinical parameters (visual analogue scale, 36-item Short Form Health Survey, and Scoliosis Research Society-22 scores) improved compared to baseline. Conclusion Combining rhBMP-2 and an HA carrier is a safe and effective method to achieve multilevel fusion in patients with ASD