Severity of cardiovascular disease and health-related quality of life in men with prostate cancer: a longitudinal analysis from CaPSURE.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the influence of comorbid cardiovascular disease severity on health-related quality of life (HRQL) in men treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) or radiotherapy (RT) for early stage prostate cancer.MethodsSubjects (n=830) with non-metastatic disease who had been diagnosed in 2000-2002 were drawn from Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Urologic Research Endeavor (CaPSURE). We evaluated the influence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) severity on generic and disease-specific HRQL before and 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after treatment with RP or RT. HRQL was measured with the SF-36 and the UCLA Prostate Cancer Index.ResultsMen with moderate (n=193) or severe (n=51) cardiovascular disease had worse pre-treatment HRQL than did men without CVD (n=293) (P<0.01); HRQL scores were worse in men referred for RT. During 24 months of follow-up, men with moderate or severe CVD had worse SF-36 physical and mental component summaries and worse bowel function at all time points (P<0.05). Men with severe CVD also experienced a slower recovery in physical function (P=0.03) and sexual functioning (P=0.02) than did men without CVD.ConclusionsProstate cancer patients with moderate to severe CVD have worse HRQL during follow-up. Those with severe CVD recover their physical and sexual functioning more slowly after treatment

Microbial growth response to substrate complexity under different temperature regimes

Soil microbial communities mediate soil feedbacks to climate change and a thorough understanding of their response to increasing temperatures is central for predicting climate-induced changes in carbon fluxes. However, it is still unclear how microbial communities will change their structure and functions in response to temperature change and availability of organic carbon of varying complexity. Here, we present results from a lab-based study where soil microbial communities were exposed to different temperatures and organic C of different stability. Soil samples were collected from vegetated and bare fallow plots located in two regions in southwest Germany varying in climatic and edaphic conditions. Soils amended with cellobiose (CB), xylan or coniferyl alcohol (CA, lignin precursor) were incubated at 5, 15 and 25 °C. We generally found highest cumulative respiration (CO2-C) at 25 °C in all substrate treatments even though total microbial growth (measured as total extracted DNA) was higher at 15 °C. Fungal biomass (measured from ergosterol content and fungal PLFAs) responded significantly to added substrate and incubation temperature, with higher fungal biomass at 5 or 15 °C than 25 °C in all substrate amendments. Xylan addition resulted in significantly higher ergosterol contents than for CB and CA. Within region, land-use significantly affected fungal biomass response to added substrate; however, the temperature response was similar between fallow and vegetated plots. Bacterial community response was also significantly affected by substrate quality. In contrast to fungi, the growth response of Gram+ and Gram- bacteria declined in the order CB > xylan > CA. Currently, we are analyzing the qPCR data understand the response of different bacterial taxa to temperature and substrate complexity. Our results demonstrate the importance of the interaction between soil temperature and substrate quality for soil microbial community functions and growth strategies

The DAG1 transcription factor negatively regulates the seed-to-seedling transition in Arabidopsis acting on ABA and GA levels

BACKGROUND: In seeds, the transition from dormancy to germination is regulated by abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GAs), and involves chromatin remodelling. Particularly, the repressive mark H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) has been shown to target many master regulators of this transition. DAG1 (DOF AFFECTING GERMINATION1), is a negative regulator of seed germination in Arabidopsis, and directly represses the GA biosynthetic gene GA3ox1 (gibberellin 3-β-dioxygenase 1). We set to investigate the role of DAG1 in seed dormancy and maturation with respect to epigenetic and hormonal control. RESULTS: We show that DAG1 expression is controlled at the epigenetic level through the H3K27me3 mark during the seed-to-seedling transition, and that DAG1 directly represses also the ABA catabolic gene CYP707A2; consistently, the ABA level is lower while the GA level is higher in dag1 mutant seeds. Furthermore, both DAG1 expression and protein stability are controlled by GAs. CONCLUSIONS: Our results point to DAG1 as a key player in the control of the developmental switch between seed dormancy and germination

Satisfaction and annoyance of residents in neighbourhoods situated near industrial activity. Analysis of telephone survey data on the residential environment

In many of the Dutch national policy plans, environmental quality is a strong guiding principle. From an environmental science and policy perspective, environmental quality at the local level is affected by sound, odour and air pollution, as well as external safety risks. This study examines the relationship between people's perception of sound and odour (noise and odour annoyance) and the perceived environmental quality, represented as residential satisfaction (RS). Data from 19 telephone surveys (TLO) were compiled in a large TLO database. In the present study data from 17 TLOs performed in 86 locations, covering 18,000 respondents were analysed. Typically, TLOs are used for policy or maintenance purposes to assess the RS of people living in the vicinity of industrial plants or factories. Data on (individual) exposure levels were not available for these analyses. A remarkeble finding is the observed dispersion of correlations between annoyance and satisfaction per location (n=84, correlations for sound and satisfaction: -0,57 en 0,07; for odour and satisfaction between: -0,57 en 0,37). For this reason a multi-level analysis (MLA) was performed. This finding indicates location specific differences, probably due to differences in exposure levels. Furthermore, tenure and type of dwelling appeared to be relatively strong predictors of residential satisfaction. Homeowners appeared to be more satisfied than tenants. People in flats were more dissatisfied than people living in (semi-)detached houses. Annoyance from noise and (offensive) odours was another, relatively strong, predictor of RS. In general, residents reporting more annoyance were less satisfied with their residential situation. Other predictors of RS were age, gender, and the number of facilities in the dwelling. Older people and women were more satisfied with their residential situation than younger people and men, respectively. The more facilities present in the dwelling, the more satisfied residents appeared to be. Residential satisfaction is determined by a combination of subjective (e.g. annoyance), objective (e.g. number of facilities) and personal factors (e.g. age, gender). Annoyance appears to be a relatively important factor of residential satisfaction but tenure and dwelling type appear to be, relatively, more important. It is strongly recommended to add sound and odour exposure data to the TLO-database.Het begrip 'kwaliteit' speelt in steeds meer beleidsvoornemens van de (rijks)overheid een krachtig sturende rol. Voor de lokale omgeving, de leefomgeving, is de algemene beleidsdoelstelling van VROM het verbeteren en in stand houden van de woonkwaliteit. Belangrijke determinanten van de ervaren kwaliteit van de leefomgeving zijn (hinder van) geluid, geur, luchtverontreiniging en externe veiligheid. In dit onderzoek wordt de invloed van hinder van geluid en geur op de ervaren kwaliteit (tevredenheid) van de leefomgeving onderzocht. De belangrijkste vragen waren a) wat is de invloed van hinder op de woontevredenheid en b) welke persoons- en/of woonkenmerken zijn van invloed op de woontevredenheid? De gegevens zijn verzameld met behulp van Telefonische Leefsituatie Onderzoeken (TLO's) bij mensen die in de buurt van (industriele) bedrijvigheid wonen. Verschillende TLO's (n=19) zijn in een groot TLO-bestand samengevoegd. In deze analyse is gebruik gemaakt van 17 TLO's met daarin in totaal 86 onderzoekslocaties en ongeveer 18.000 respondenten. Vanwege de gelaagde structuur van de gegevens is uitgevoerd. Gegevens over (individuele) blootstellingniveaus waren voor deze analyses niet beschikbaar. Een opmerkelijk bevinding is de grote spreiding in de (cor)relatie tussen woontevredenheid en hinder per locatie (n=84, correlaties voor geluid tussen: -0,57 en 0,07; voor geur tussen -0,57 en 0,37). Dit is de reden waarom in afwijking van eerder onderzoek een multi-level analyse (MLA) is uitgevoerd. Deze bevinding duidt op locatie-specifieke verschillen die van invloed kunnen zijn op de relatie woontevredenheid en hinder. Verschillen in blootstellingsnivo's zouden hieraan ten grondslag kunnen liggen. De andere bevindingen zijn in overeenstemming met resultaten van soortgelijk onderzoek. De bezitsvorm van de woning (eigenaar-huurder) en het type woning blijken relatief belangrijke voorspellers van tevredenheid met de leefomgeving. In het algemeen zijn huurders minder tevreden dan eigenaren. Flatbewoners zijn minder tevreden dan mensen in (half)vrijstaande huizen. Daarnaast blijkt hinder (van lawaai en stank) een relatief belangrijke voorspeller van woontevredenheid te zijn. Naarmate respondenten meer hinder ondervinden zijn ze minder tevreden met hun leefomgeving. De leeftijd, het geslacht, en het aantal voorzieningen in de woning van de respondent zijn eveneens voorspellers van woontevredenheid, zij het in mindere mate. Vrouwen en oudere mensen zijn meer tevreden met hun leefomgeving dan mannen respectievelijk jongere mensen. Naarmate in een woning meer voorzieningen aanwezig zijn tonen de bewoners zich meer tevreden. De tevredenheid met de leefomgeving in woongebieden nabij industriele activiteit wordt bepaald door een mix van persoons-, belevings- en omgevingsgebonden kenmerken. De mate van hinder is een relatief belangrijke determinant van woontevredenheid maar is niet de belangrijkste. Bezitsvorm van de woning en type woning zijn, relatief gezien, belangrijker. Het is aan te bevelen de, mede op basis van de variatie in de relatie tussen hinder en woontevredenheid de TLO-data uit te breiden met (vergelijkbare) blootstellingsgegevens

Engineering the sub-Doppler force in magneto-optical traps

Current dual-frequency magneto-optical traps (MOTs) for ultracold molecules are plagued by sub-Doppler heating effects, making them vastly inferior to standard atomic MOTs. Here we demonstrate theoretically that the sub-Doppler effects in such a MOT can be engineered to provide cooling instead of heating. We give an intuitive picture how to achieve such cooling and show the cooling and trapping force results of the 16-level optical Bloch equations for the case of CaF molecules. From three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations we estimate the temperature and density of our MOT to be 40μK and 4×108cm-3, respectively, for a molecule number of 1×105. We also extend our idea to the case of atomic MOTs and show that it can be used to produce sub-Doppler forces in these systems that are much more robust against magnetic fields

Auto- und Heterotrophic Respiration in the Hohenheim Climate Change Experiment - The Importance of Temperature Change and Vegetation Period

Current Climate change (CC) research in soil science mainly focusses on natural ecosystems, without considering the potential of agro-ecosystems for feedback mechanisms to CC and CC mitigation through Carbon(C)-sequestration. We expect that CC induces increasing water limitation under elevated temperature, lowers the intensity of soil respiration and changes the ratio between the amount of root-dependent and basal soil respiration. Such changes might be due to differences in the intrinsic temperature and moisture sensitivity of microbial and root respiration and due to altered root exudation. In this project, we focus on CC-induced effects on plant-dependent and basal soil respiration to improve the estimation of long-term soil organic matter stabilization. Within the Hohenheim Climate Change (HoCC) experiment (established in 2008), barley plants were pulse-labelled with 20-atom% 13CO2 for 4 h using ventilated transparent chambers on warmed and control plots in an agricultural field. The labeling was done during three different stages (advanced tillering, booting and grain-filling) of the vegetation period, at which C-sink strength of shoot and root differs according to plant development. CO2-fluxes and isotopic composition were measured in real time in the field for the first 50h (post labeling) using a 13CO2 isotope analyzer. Results from tracing 13C-fluxes will clarify how soil moisture and long-term elevated temperature affect the overall C-balance in agricultural soils in dependence of the vegetation period. This will allow estimations of direction and strength of feedback mechanisms of terrestrial C-cycling under CC. Overall, insights obtained in this project will provide better understanding of the CC impact on and of temperate agricultural production systems

Microbial carbon turnover in the detritusphere

Microbial decomposition processes at the soil-litter interface involves a complex food web including fungi, bacteria, and archaea that compete for the organic matter. During the decomposition, the nutrient quantity and quality changes as well as the microbial community composition. It is still a challenge to identify and quantify active microbial species in concurrency with their absolute contribution to the carbon (C) turnover. In the frame of the DFG-Project (FOR 918) “Carbon flow in belowground food webs assessed by isotope tracers“ we determined the C flow and turnover of differently aged maize litter in bacteria and fungi of an arable soil. A microcosm experiment was set up with C-13-labeled and unlabeled maize litter on top of soil cores. A reciprocal transplantation of the labeled litter on soil cores with unlabeled litter allowed us to follow the C flow into different microbial groups at the early (0-4d), intermediate (4-12d) and late stage (28-36d) of litter decomposition. We analyzed microbial CO2 respiration, microbial biomass and PLFA pattern in the top 3 mm of the soil cores. To identify and quantify microbial species feeding on the substrate and to assess their degree of C-13 assimilation, DNA stable isotope probing followed by gene-targeted sequencing of bacteria and fungi are currently performed on the soil metagenome. We expected specific microbial communities (copio- and oligotrophic) involved in maize litter decomposition at the different stages of litter decay. During the initial days of the experiment, up to 17% of the CO2-C was maize-derived C. The C-13 content in the CO2 decreased with continuous decomposition of the litter. The highest absolute amount of maize-derived C was found in gram-positive bacteria in the early stage of litter decomposition. For fungi, the highest maize C incorporation was in the intermediate stage of litter decomposition. We calculated a faster C turnover in the fungal biomass than in the bacterial biomass for all three decomposition stages. But during the later stage of litter decomposition, maize-derived C was less utilized by both bacteria and fungi. These results will be concluded by the quantitative DNA-SIP method to provide a species-resolved contribution to the C turnover in the microbial food web at different decomposition stages in the detritusphere