Betriebswirtschaftliche und marktbezogene Analyse von Hoffesten als Instrument der Regionalvermarktung

Vor allem im ökologischen Landbau werden Hoffeste, also Veranstaltungen auf bäuerlichen Bio-Betrieben, sehr oft eingesetzt. Wegen des Fehlens offizieller Zahlen ist jedoch schwer einzuschätzen, welchen Beitrag diese Feste zu einer erfolgreichen Regionalvermarktung leisten. Hieran setzt die vorliegende Studie an, die sich folgendermaßen gliedert. Im ersten Teil wird eine betriebswirtschaftliche Analyse von 19 Hoffest-Veranstaltern durchgeführt, die eine sehr breite Streuung der Kennzahlen aufweist. Im Allgemeinen wird den Betriebsleitern empfohlen, sich Transparenz über Aufwand und Ertrag ihrer Veranstaltung zu verschaffen und die betriebswirtschaftlichen Ergebnisse im Hinblick auf die für das Fest formulierten Marketingziele zu bewerten. Der zweite Teil der Studie beschäftigt sich mit der Wahrnehmung der Hoffeste durch die Besucher. Hierfür wurden diese zunächst auf dem Hoffest selbst (n=788) und nochmals nach sechs Monaten (n=73) befragt. Die Gäste auf Hoffesten zeichnen sich durch eine sehr positive Wahrnehmung der Hoffeste aus. Während bei den Stammgästen das Biokauf-Verhalten durch Hoffeste bestätigt wird, bleibt die Langzeitwirkung auf Neukunden unklar. Die Studie zeigt Maßnahmen auf, durch die das Leistungsspektrum von Hoffesten erfolgreich zur Geltung kommt. Insgesamt zeigen die Ergebnisse eine hohe Individualität von Hoffesten auf ökologisch wirtschaftenden Betrieben auf. Aufgrund der Besucherwahrnehmung lässt sich sagen, dass die Hoffeste ein wirksames Kommunikationsinstrument mit hohem Glaubwürdigkeitsfaktor und Erlebnischarakter für die Direktvermarkter sind

Detection of treponemes in digital dermatitis lesions of captive European bison (Bison bonasus).

A newly-discovered foot disease of unknown origin in captive European Bison (Bison bonasus) was recently detected at Berne Animal Park. Dermatitis of the interdigital cleft of varying degrees of severity was diagnosed in all animals (n = 10). The aim of this study was to describe the gross and histological lesions of the interdigital cleft found in 10 captive European bison and to identify involved potential pathogens in affected feet using molecular-based methods for Treponema spp., Dichelobacter nodosus and Fusobacterium necrophorum. Lesions were scored according to the degree of gross pathology at limb level. In a single animal, the gross lesions were restricted to focal lesions on the dorsal aspect of the digital skin of each foot (score 1), whereas all other animals showed at least one foot with extended lesions including the interdigital cleft (score 2). The presence of viable spirochaetes was observed in all animals using dark field microscopy. Applying fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) on biopsies, Treponema spp. were identified, infiltrating the skin lesions in varying numbers in nine animals. Nested PCRs for Treponema medium, Treponema phagedenis and Treponema pedis of swab samples showed three positive animals out of ten for the latter two, whereas pooled biopsy samples were positive in all ten animals for at least T. phagedenis (9/10) and/or T. pedis (7/10), while all samples were negative for T. medium. However, none of these Treponema species could be isolated and sequence analysis of the amplified products showed 100% match of 365 base pairs (bp) to Treponema phylotype PT3 and almost full match (530 of 532 bp, 99.6%) to Treponema phylotype PT13. The presence of T. phagedenis, PT3 and PT13 phylotypes was confirmed by FISH analyses. The phylotypes of T. phagedenis were present in all hybridized positive biopsies of Treponema spp., and PT13 and PT3 were less abundant. Neither D. nodosus nor F. necrophorum were detected. The histological Treponema score was mostly mild. Digital dermatitis in captive European Bison is contagious and differs from bovine digital dermatitis, concerning associated pathogens as well as gross appearance

Depressive Symptomatik in der Allgemeinbevölkerung vor und im ersten Jahr der COVID-19-Pandemie: Ergebnisse der GEDA-Studie 2019/2020

Hintergrund: Studienergebnisse zu Auswirkungen der COVID-19-Pandemie auf die psychische Gesundheit im ersten Jahr der Pandemie sind widersprüchlich. Die Studie GEDA 2019/2020 ermöglicht, Veränderungen hinsichtlich der depressiven Symptomatik in der Bevölkerung zu untersuchen. Methode: Mit einem standardisierten telefonischen Interview wurde eine Zufallsstichprobe der Bevölkerung in Deutschland ab 15 Jahren befragt. Um saisonale Effekte auszuschließen, wurden 10.220 Interviewte des Zeitraums April 2019 bis Januar 2020 mit 11.900 des Zeitraums April 2020 bis Januar 2021 verglichen. Das Vorliegen einer depressiven Symptomatik wurde mit dem international etablierten 8-Item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8) erfasst. Ergebnisse: Die Prävalenz der depressiven Symptomatik reduzierte sich im hier betrachteten ersten Jahr der Pandemie von vorher 9,2 % auf 7,6 %. Veränderungen fallen bei Frauen und Männer sowie Alters- und Bildungsgruppen unterschiedlich aus. Die Analyse von Einzelsymptomen legt nahe, dass es sich nicht um eine Verringerung von psychischen Störungen des depressiven Formenkreises im engeren Sinne handelt, sondern um einen Rückgang stressassoziierter Einzelsymptome. Schlussfolgerungen: Der Rückgang von stressassoziierten depressiven Symptomen in Teilen der Bevölkerung lässt sich als Hinweis darauf werten, dass pandemiebedingte Veränderungen in Alltag und Arbeitswelt sich in bestimmten Gruppen positiv auf einzelne Bereiche psychischer Gesundheit ausgewirkt haben könnten, zumindest temporär im ersten Jahr der Pandemie. Die weiterhin stark ausgeprägte soziale Ungleichheit in der depressiven Symptomatik zuungunsten unterer Bildungsgruppen bekräftigt, dass der Bedarf an soziallagenbezogener Gesundheitsförderung und Prävention mit Blick auf die Lebens- und Arbeitsbedingungen sozial benachteiligter Menschen in Pandemiezeiten nicht aus dem Blickfeld geraten darf. Für Gruppen in der Bevölkerung, die in dieser Phase der Pandemie teilweise eine Verschlechterung der Symptomlage zeigten, z. B. die geminderte Konzentrationsfähigkeit hochaltriger Männer, sollten zukünftig gezielte Unterstützungsmöglichkeiten geschaffen werden

Genomic Characterization and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Dromedary-Associated Staphylococcaceae from the Horn of Africa.

Members of the Staphylococcaceae family, particularly those of the genus Staphylococcus, encompass important human and animal pathogens. We collected and characterized Staphylococcaceae strains from apparently healthy and diseased camels (n = 84) and cattle (n = 7) in Somalia and Kenya. We phenotypically characterized the strains, including their antimicrobial inhibitory concentrations. Then, we sequenced their genomes using long-read sequencing, closed their genomes, and subsequently compared and mapped their virulence- and resistance-associated gene pools. Genome-based phylogenetics revealed 13 known Staphylococcaceae and at least two novel species. East African strains of different species encompassed novel sequence types and phylogenetically distant clades. About one-third of the strains had non-wild-type MICs. They were resistant to at least one of the following antimicrobials: tetracycline, benzylpenicillin, oxacillin, erythromycin, clindamycin, trimethoprim, gentamicin, or streptomycin, encoded by tet(K), blaZ/blaARL, mecA/mecA1, msrA/mphC, salA, dfrG, aacA-aphD, and str, respectively. We identified the first methicillin- and multidrug-resistant camel S. epidermidis strain of sequence type (ST) 1136 in East Africa. The pool of virulence-encoding genes was largest in the S. aureus strains, as expected, although other rather commensal strains contained distinct virulence-encoding genes. We identified toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems such as the hicA/hicB and abiEii/abiEi families, reported here for the first time for certain species of Staphylococcaceae. All strains contained at least one intact prophage sequence, mainly belonging to the Siphoviridae family. We pinpointed potential horizontal gene transfers between camel and cattle strains and also across distinct Staphylococcaceae clades and species. IMPORTANCE Camels are a high value and crucial livestock species in arid and semiarid regions of Africa and gain importance giving the impact of climate change on traditional livestock species. Our current knowledge with respect to Staphylococcaceae infecting camels is very limited compared to that for other livestock species. Better knowledge will foster the development of specific diagnostic assays, guide promising antimicrobial treatment options, and inform about potential zoonotic risks. We characterized 84 Staphylococcaceae strains isolated from camels with respect to their antimicrobial resistance and virulence traits. We detected potentially novel Staphylococcus species, resistances to different classes of antimicrobials, and the first camel multidrug-resistant S. epidermidis strain of sequence type 1136

Association of Clonal Hematopoiesis of Indeterminate Potential with Inflammatory Gene Expression in Patients with COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease with an inflammatory pheno type with increasing prevalence in the elderly. Expanded population of mutant blood cells carrying somatic mutations is termed clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). The associ ation between CHIP and COPD and its relevant effects on DNA methylation in aging are mainly unknown. Analyzing the deep-targeted amplicon sequencing from 125 COPD patients, we found enhanced incidence of CHIP mutations (~20%) with a predominance of DNMT3A CHIP-mediated hypomethylation of Phospholipase D Family Member 5 (PLD5), which in turn is positively correlated with increased levels of glycerol phosphocholine, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and deteriorating lung function

Gamma-glutamyltransferase is a strong predictor of secondary sclerosing cholangitis after lung transplantation for COVID-19 ARDS

Background: Lung transplantation (LTx) can be considered for selected patients suffering from COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Secondary sclerosing cholangitis in critically ill (SSC-CIP) patients has been described as a late complication in COVID-19 ARDS survivors, however, rates of SSC-CIP after LTx and factors predicting this detrimental sequela are unknown. Methods: This retrospective analysis included all LTx performed for post-COVID ARDS at 8 European LTx centers between May 2020 and January 2022. Clinical risk factors for SSC-CIP were analyzed over time. Prediction of SSC-CIP was assessed by ROC-analysis. Results: A total of 40 patients were included in the analysis. Fifteen patients (37.5%) developed SSC-CIP. GGT at the time of listing was significantly higher in patients who developed SSC-CIP (median 661 (IQR 324-871) vs 186 (109-346); p = 0.001). Moreover, higher peak values for GGT (585 vs 128.4; p < 0.001) and ALP (325 vs 160.2; p = 0.015) were found in the ‘SSC’ group during the waiting period. Both, GGT at the time of listing and peak GGT during the waiting time, could predict SSC-CIP with an AUC of 0.797 (95% CI: 0.647-0.947) and 0.851 (95% CI: 0.707-0.995). Survival of ‘SSC’ patients was severely impaired compared to ‘no SSC’ patients (1-year: 46.7% vs 90.2%, log-rank p = 0.004). Conclusions: SSC-CIP is a severe late complication after LTx for COVID-19 ARDS leading to significant morbidity and mortality. GGT appears to be a sensitive parameter able to predict SSC-CIP even at the time of listing

Synchronous and proportional deglacial changes in Atlantic meridional overturning and northeast Brazilian precipitation

Changes in heat transport associated with fluctuations in the strength of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) are widely considered to affect the position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), but the temporal immediacy of this teleconnection has to date not been resolved. Based on a high-resolution marine sediment sequence over the last deglaciation, we provide evidence for a synchronous and near-linear link between changes in the Atlantic interhemispheric sea surface temperature difference and continental precipitation over northeast Brazil. The tight coupling between AMOC strength, sea surface temperature difference, and precipitation changes over northeast Brazil unambiguously points to a rapid and proportional adjustment of the ITCZ location to past changes in the Atlantic meridional heat transport

Follow-up of the GHSG HD16 trial of PET-guided treatment in early-stage favorable Hodgkin lymphoma.

The primary analysis of the GHSG HD16 trial indicated a significant loss of tumor control with PET-guided omission of radiotherapy (RT) in patients with early-stage favorable Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). This analysis reports long-term outcomes. Overall, 1150 patients aged 18-75 years with newly diagnosed early-stage favorable HL were randomized between standard combined-modality treatment (CMT) (2x ABVD followed by PET/CT [PET-2] and 20 Gy involved-field RT) and PET-2-guided treatment omitting RT in case of PET-2 negativity (Deauville score [DS] < 3). The study aimed at excluding inferiority of PET-2-guided treatment and assessing the prognostic impact of PET-2 in patients receiving CMT. At a median follow-up of 64 months, PET-2-negative patients had a 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) of 94.2% after CMT (n = 328) and 86.7% after ABVD alone (n = 300; HR = 2.05 [1.20-3.51]; p = 0.0072). 5-year OS was 98.3% and 98.8%, respectively (p = 0.14); 4/12 documented deaths were caused by second primary malignancies and only one by HL. Among patients assigned to CMT, 5-year PFS was better in PET-2-negative (n = 353; 94.0%) than in PET-2-positive patients (n = 340; 90.3%; p = 0.012). The difference was more pronounced when using DS4 as cut-off (DS 1-3: n = 571; 94.0% vs. DS ≥ 4: n = 122; 83.6%; p < 0.0001). Taken together, CMT should be considered standard treatment for early-stage favorable HL irrespective of the PET-2-result

Impact of Spatial Soil and Climate Input Data Aggregation on Regional Yield Simulations

This work was financially supported by the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) through the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE), (2851ERA01J). FT and RPR were supported by FACCE MACSUR (3200009600) through the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MMM). EC, HE and EL were supported by The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (220-2007-1218) and by the strategic funding ‘Soil-Water-Landscape’ from the faculty of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences) and thank professor P-E Jansson (Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm) for support. JC, HR and DW thank the INRA ACCAF metaprogramm for funding and Eric Casellas from UR MIAT INRA for support. CB was funded by the Helmholtz project “REKLIM—Regional Climate Change”. CK was funded by the HGF Alliance “Remote Sensing and Earth System Dynamics” (EDA). FH was funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) under the Grant FOR1695. FE and SS acknowledge support by the German Science Foundation (project EW 119/5-1). HH, GZ, SS, TG and FE thank Andreas Enders and Gunther Krauss (INRES, University of Bonn) for support. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD