Population density and habitat use of the Green Woodpecker Picus viridis in Donau-Auen National Park (Lower Austria)

In einer 1170 ha großen Probefläche im Nationalpark Donau- Auen (Niederösterreich) wurden Siedlungsdichten und Habitatpräferenzen des Grünspechts Picus viridis untersucht. Im Rahmen einer rationalisierten Revierkartierung zwischen Februar und April 2008 wurden 14 Reviere ermittelt (Revierdichte: 0,12 Reviere/10 ha). Basierend auf dem Vorkommen der Art in 400 m x 400 m Rastern wurde der Einfluss der vorherrschenden Baumarten, des Bestandesalters, der Länge der Waldrandgrenze sowie der Länge der Seitenarme auf das Vorkommen des Grünspechts mittels verallgemeinerter linearer Modelle analysiert. Der beste Prädiktor für das Vorkommen der Art war der Grenzlinienanteil zwischen Wald und Nicht-Wald-Bereichen. Die meisten Reviere befanden sich in Bereichen des Untersuchungsgebiets, die durch einen Damm vor Hochwasser geschützt sind. Die Harte Au wurde im Vergleich zur Weichen Au signifikant bevorzugt. Dies ist höchstwahrscheinlich mit einer besseren Nahrungsverfügbarkeit (Ameisen) in den trockeneren Gebieten zu erklären. Es konnten keine signifikanten Präferenzen für bestimmte Baumarten festgestellt werden, Hybridpappeln und Weiden (Arten der Weichen Au) wurden jedoch scheinbar gemieden, was aber wohl eher auf die weniger günstigen Bedingungen in feuchteren Lebensräumen zurückzuführen ist. Alle Reviere lagen im Waldrandbereich und beinhalteten Wiesen, Teile des Damms, aber auch landwirtschaftlich genutzte Felder. Bei fünf Revieren dürften intensiv genutzte Getreidefelder den einzigen Offenlandanteil darstellen.Population densities and habitat use of the Green Woodpecker Picus viridis were studied in a 1,170 ha study area in the Donau- Auen National Park (Lower Austria). Territory mapping (three visits) between February and April 2008 yielded a minimum of 14 territories, which corresponds to 0.12 territories/10 ha. Based on the incidence of the species in 400 m x 400 m grids, generalized linear models were constructed and the presence of the species was related to dominant tree species, tree age, length of the forest boundary and length of river sidearms. The best predictor for the presence of P. viridis was the length of the forest boundary. Most territories were located in areas protected from flooding by a dyke. Hardwood forest was significantly preferred to softwood forest. This can be explained by a better food supply (ants) in drier areas. No significant preferences for particular tree species were found; however, hybrid poplars and willows were apparently avoided, which can be attributed to less favourable conditions in wetter habitats. All territories were located at the forest’s edges and contained meadows or agricultural fields. In five territories, agricultural fields seemed to constitute the only open land

Process analytical utility of Raman spectroscopy for cell therapy manufacturing

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Acoustic cell washing and raman spectroscopy technologies To address cell therapy bioprocess challenges

Many organizations are confronting the challenges of economically ensuring the manufacture of safe and efficacious cell therapy products. These processes often depend on devices and methods that were developed for only related applications, such as blood cell processing or scientific research. Thus, we are in a window of opportunity to tailor innovative technologies to address the emerging specialized needs of cell therapy manufacturing. The most frequent unit operation is to wash cells between process stages, such as from DMSO containing cryopreservation medium to culture expansion medium. In particular for relatively small-scale autologous cell therapy processing, cell washing is imperfectly performed by closed system blood cell centrifuges or filters. We previously developed an acoustic cell separation device, widely used for over 15 years in CHO cell perfusion cultures. This technology acts as a non-fouling filter for months of operation, by using the forces generated in ultrasonic standing wave fields. These forces separate cells from medium based on differences in density and compressibility. Greater than 99.9% cell washing with 95% washed cell recovery efficiencies have been provided by our device. We also have recently enhanced the acoustic technology to perfuse 100 million cell/mL cultures, maintaining \u3e99% cell separation efficiencies. This provides an alternative high performance closed manufacturing system, to perfuse, concentrate and wash cells, with no physical filter barrier or mechanical moving parts. While many clinical trials have had few adverse events, the great promise of cellular therapies comes with grave risks, such as from potentially oncogenic pluripotent cells present in embryonic stem cell derived populations. There is an urgent need for process analytical technologies to non-invasively monitor mammalian cell populations and improve the reliability of manufactured cell products. This includes to monitor both the expected differentiation as well as to detect unexpected cells in the process. Recently, technological advances have led to an explosive growth in the capabilities of Raman spectroscopy, increasing the potential for novel applications. We are developing the use of this spectroscopic technique to track cell development, by measuring macromolecular changes in cell samples from cultures where stem cells are differentiated towards insulin-producing cells for the treatment of diabetes. Raman spectroscopy has great potential to provide continuous on-line assessment of cell quality during the manufacture of cell-derived therapeutic cells

Glucocorticoid Dosages and Acute-Phase Reactant Levels at Giant Cell Arteritis Flare in a Randomized Trial of Tocilizumab

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate glucocorticoid doses and serological findings in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) flares. METHODS: Patients with GCA were randomly assigned to receive double-blind dosing with subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ) 162 mg weekly plus 26-week prednisone (TCZ-QW+Pred-26), every-other-week TCZ plus 26-week prednisone (TCZ-Q2W+Pred-26), placebo plus 26-week prednisone (PBO+Pred-26), or placebo plus 52-week prednisone (PBO+Pred-52). Outcomes were prednisone dose, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at the time of flare and remission during 52 weeks. RESULTS: One hundred patients received TCZ-QW+Pred-26, 49 received TCZ-Q2W+Pred-26, 50 received PBO+Pred-26, and 51 received PBO+Pred-52. Among 149 TCZ-treated patients, 36 (24%) experienced flare, 23 (64%) of whom were still receiving prednisone (median dose, 2.0 mg/day). Among 101 PBO+Pred-treated patients, 59 (58%) experienced flare, 45 (76%) of whom were receiving prednisone (median dose, 5.0 mg/day). Many flares occurred while patients were taking more than 10 mg/day prednisone: 9 (25%) in the TCZ groups and 13 (22.0%) in the placebo groups. Thirty-three flares (92%) in TCZ-treated groups and 20 (34%) in PBO+Pred-treated groups occurred with normal CRP. More than half the PBO+Pred-treated patients had elevated CRP without flare. Benefits of the combination of TCZ plus prednisone over prednisone alone for remission induction were apparent by 8 weeks. CONCLUSION: Most GCA flares occurred while patients were still receiving prednisone. Acute-phase reactants were not reliable indicators of flare in patients treated with TCZ plus prednisone or with prednisone alone. The addition of TCZ to prednisone facilitates earlier GCA control. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

The stigma of obesity in the general public and its implications for public health - a systematic review

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Up to this date, prevalence rates of obesity are still rising. Aside from co-morbid diseases, perceived discrimination and stigmatization leads to worsen outcomes in obese individuals. Higher stigmatizing attitudes towards obese individuals may also result in less support of preventive and interventive measures. In light of the immense burden of obesity on health care systems and also on the individuals' quality of life, accepted and subsidized preventive measures are needed. Policy support might be determined by views of the lay public on causes of obesity and resulting weight stigma. This study seeks to answer how representative samples of the lay public perceive people with obesity or overweight status (stigmatizing attitudes); what these samples attribute obesity to (causal attribution) and what types of interventions are supported by the lay public and which factors determine that support (prevention support).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A systematic literature search was conducted. All studies of representative samples reporting results on (a) stigmatizing attitudes towards overweight and obese individuals, (b) causal beliefs and (c) prevention support were included.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Only 7 articles were found. One study reported prevalence rates of stigmatizing attitudes. About a quarter of the population in Germany displayed definite stigmatizing attitudes. Other studies reported causal attributions. While external influences on weight are considered as well, it seems that internal factors are rated to be of higher importance. Across the studies found, regulative prevention is supported by about half of the population, while childhood prevention has highest approval rates. Results on sociodemographic determinants differ substantially.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Further research on public attitudes toward and perception of overweight and obesity is urgently needed to depict the prevailing degree of stigmatization. Introducing a multidimensional concept of the etiology of obesity to the lay public might be a starting point in stigma reduction.</p

An Analysis of Two Genome-wide Association Meta-analyses Identifies a New Locus for Broad Depression Phenotype

AbstractBackgroundThe genetics of depression has been explored in genome-wide association studies that focused on either major depressive disorder or depressive symptoms with mostly negative findings. A broad depression phenotype including both phenotypes has not been tested previously using a genome-wide association approach. We aimed to identify genetic polymorphisms significantly associated with a broad phenotype from depressive symptoms to major depressive disorder.MethodsWe analyzed two prior studies of 70,017 participants of European ancestry from general and clinical populations in the discovery stage. We performed a replication meta-analysis of 28,328 participants. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability and genetic correlations were calculated using linkage disequilibrium score regression. Discovery and replication analyses were performed using a p-value-based meta-analysis. Lifetime major depressive disorder and depressive symptom scores were used as the outcome measures.ResultsThe SNP-based heritability of major depressive disorder was 0.21 (SE = 0.02), the SNP-based heritability of depressive symptoms was 0.04 (SE = 0.01), and their genetic correlation was 1.001 (SE = 0.2). We found one genome-wide significant locus related to the broad depression phenotype (rs9825823, chromosome 3: 61,082,153, p = 8.2 × 10–9) located in an intron of the FHIT gene. We replicated this SNP in independent samples (p = .02) and the overall meta-analysis of the discovery and replication cohorts (1.0 × 10–9).ConclusionsThis large study identified a new locus for depression. Our results support a continuum between depressive symptoms and major depressive disorder. A phenotypically more inclusive approach may help to achieve the large sample sizes needed to detect susceptibility loci for depression

Framework and baseline examination of the German National Cohort (NAKO)

The German National Cohort (NAKO) is a multidisciplinary, population-based prospective cohort study that aims to investigate the causes of widespread diseases, identify risk factors and improve early detection and prevention of disease. Specifically, NAKO is designed to identify novel and better characterize established risk and protection factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory and infectious diseases in a random sample of the general population. Between 2014 and 2019, a total of 205,415 men and women aged 19–74 years were recruited and examined in 18 study centres in Germany. The baseline assessment included a face-to-face interview, self-administered questionnaires and a wide range of biomedical examinations. Biomaterials were collected from all participants including serum, EDTA plasma, buffy coats, RNA and erythrocytes, urine, saliva, nasal swabs and stool. In 56,971 participants, an intensified examination programme was implemented. Whole-body 3T magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 30,861 participants on dedicated scanners. NAKO collects follow-up information on incident diseases through a combination of active follow-up using self-report via written questionnaires at 2–3 year intervals and passive follow-up via record linkages. All study participants are invited for re-examinations at the study centres in 4–5 year intervals. Thereby, longitudinal information on changes in risk factor profiles and in vascular, cardiac, metabolic, neurocognitive, pulmonary and sensory function is collected. NAKO is a major resource for population-based epidemiology to identify new and tailored strategies for early detection, prediction, prevention and treatment of major diseases for the next 30 years. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10654-022-00890-5

Genome-wide interaction study of a proxy for stress-sensitivity and its prediction of major depressive disorder

Individual response to stress is correlated with neuroticism and is an important predictor of both neuroticism and the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD). Identification of the genetics underpinning individual differences in response to negative events (stress-sensitivity) may improve our understanding of the molecular pathways involved, and its association with stress-related illnesses. We sought to generate a proxy for stress-sensitivity through modelling the interaction between SNP allele and MDD status on neuroticism score in order to identify genetic variants that contribute to the higher neuroticism seen in individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of depression compared to unaffected individuals. Meta-analysis of genome-wide interaction studies (GWIS) in UK Biobank (N = 23,092) and Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study (N = 7,155) identified no genome-wide significance SNP interactions. However, gene-based tests identified a genome-wide significant gene, ZNF366, a negative regulator of glucocorticoid receptor function implicated in alcohol dependence (p = 1.48x10-7; Bonferroni-corrected significance threshold p < 2.79x10-6). Using summary statistics from the stress-sensitivity term of the GWIS, SNP heritability for stress-sensitivity was estimated at 5.0%. In models fitting polygenic risk scores of both MDD and neuroticism derived from independent GWAS, we show that polygenic risk scores derived from the UK Biobank stress-sensitivity GWIS significantly improved the prediction of MDD in Generation Scotland. This study may improve interpretation of larger genome-wide association studies of MDD and other stress-related illnesses, and the understanding of the etiological mechanisms underpinning stress-sensitivity