Reduzierung des Ascosporenpotentials von Venturia inaequlis durch Förderung der Fallaub-Zersetzung

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible enhancement of leaf decomposition by means of different nitrogen containing products or mulching of leaves and the resulting reduction of the ascopore potential of Venturia inaequalis. For each treatment 30 scabbed leaves of 'Jonagold' were placed in wire-mesh cages with or without fleece to avoid or allow activity of earthworms, respectively. The leaves were treated as follows: untreated as a control, spraying or addition of: urea (46% N), Siapton (organic liquid fertiliser, 7% N), horn meal (organic fertiliser, 10-14% N), Radivit (decomposition enhancer, 9% N) and slightly rotted manure (0,5% N). All treatments were adjusted to a similar amount of N per m2. In addition leaves in one treatment were mulched. The decomposition of leaves was strongly enhanced by mulching and use of Radivit in both years, irrespective of interference by earthworms. Application of urea enhanced decomposition of leaves only in the first year. In tendency, ascospore production was reduced by all treatments in comparison to the control. The lowest number of ascospores was obtained after mulching of leaves in both years. For all other treatments, the influence of the weather and application/distribution technique are discussed

Erfassung von Vorstellungen von der Zelle und der Zellteilung mit dem Own-Word-Mapping Verfahren

In dieser Studie wurde das Own-Word-Mapping (OWM) im Biologieunterricht mit 75 Schülern dreier 9. Realschulklassen zur Erhebung von Schülervorstellungen von der Zelle und der Zellteilung eingesetzt. Das OWM stellt ein geeignetes Verfahren zur Erhebung von Schülervorstellungen für Forschungszwecke dar. Aus 27% aller OW-Maps konnten 20 Konzepte zum Thema identifi ziert werden, von denen 17 bereits aus anderen Untersuchungen bekannt waren. Zusätzlich wurden drei neue Konzepte zur Zelle und der Zellteilung gefunden. Berücksichtigt man, dass jeweils nur Abschnitte der Verknüpfungsketten in den OW-Maps ausgewertet werden konnten, stellt das hier genutzte OWM wohl kein effi zientes Verfahren dar, um ein Sprechen über Vorstellungen zur Zelle und Zellteilung im Unterricht anzuregen. Im untersuchten Fall erwiesen sich mikroskopische Aufnahmen von Zellen gegenüber Schemazeichnungen als wesentlich günstigere Anfangsund Zielbilder, um spezifi sche und fachnahe Vorstellungen von der Zelle und der Zellteilung bei den Schülern anzuregen

Increased evidence of nutrient imbalances in forest trees across Europe

202

Subjective and objective assessment of physical activity in multiple sclerosis and their relation to health-related quality of life

Background Physical activity (PA) is frequently restricted in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and aiming to enhance PA is considered beneficial in this population. We here aimed to explore two standard methods (subjective plus objective) to assess PA reduction in PwMS and to describe the relation of PA to health-related quality of life (hrQoL). Methods PA was objectively measured over a 7-day period in 26 PwMS (EDSS 1.5–6.0) and 30 matched healthy controls (HC) using SenseWear mini® armband (SWAmini) and reported as step count, mean total and activity related energy expenditure (EE) as well as time spent in PA of different intensities. Measures of EE were also derived from self-assessment with IPAQ (International Physical Activity Questionnaire) long version, which additionally yielded information on the context of PA and a classification into subjects’ PA levels. To explore the convergence between both types of assessment, IPAQ categories (low, moderate, high) were related to selected PA parameters from objective assessment using ANOVA. Group differences and associated effect sizes for all PA parameters as well as their relation to clinical and hrQoL measures were determined. Results Both, SWAmini and IPAQ assessment, captured differences in PA between PwMS and HC. IPAQ categories fit well with common cut-offs for step count (p = 0.002) and mean METs (p = 0.004) to determine PA levels with objective devices. Correlations between specifically matched pairs of IPAQ and SWAmini parameters ranged between r .288 and r .507. Concerning hrQoL, the lower limb mobility subscore was related to four PA measures, while a relation with patients’ report of general contentment was only seen for one. Conclusions Both methods of assessment seem applicable in PwMS and able to describe reductions in daily PA at group level. Whether they can be used to track individual effects of interventions to enhance PA levels needs further exploration. The relation of PA measures with hrQoL seen with lower limb mobility suggests lower limb function not only as a major target for intervention to increase PA but also as a possible surrogate for PA changes

Skeletal Muscle-Specific Methyltransferase METTL21C Trimethylates p97 and Regulates Autophagy-Associated Protein Breakdown

Summary: Protein aggregates and cytoplasmic vacuolization are major hallmarks of multisystem proteinopathies (MSPs) that lead to muscle weakness. Here, we identify METTL21C as a skeletal muscle-specific lysine methyltransferase. Insertion of a β-galactosidase cassette into the Mettl21c mouse locus revealed that METTL21C is specifically expressed in MYH7-positive skeletal muscle fibers. Ablation of the Mettl21c gene reduced endurance capacity and led to age-dependent accumulation of autophagic vacuoles in skeletal muscle. Denervation-induced muscle atrophy highlighted further impairments of autophagy-related proteins, including LC3, p62, and cathepsins, in Mettl21c−/− muscles. In addition, we demonstrate that METTL21C interacts with the ATPase p97 (VCP), which is mutated in various human MSP conditions. We reveal that METTL21C trimethylates p97 on the Lys315 residue and found that loss of this modification reduced p97 hexamer formation and ATPase activity in vivo. We conclude that the methyltransferase METTL21C is an important modulator of protein degradation in skeletal muscle under both normal and enhanced protein breakdown conditions. : Wiederstein et al. describe the skeletal muscle methyltransferase Mettl21c. They found that ablation of Mettl21c in mice results in muscle weakness and disturbance of the protein degradation machinery. Those changes are hallmarks of multisystem proteinopathies. They demonstrate that Mettl21c modulates p97 activity, which is frequently mutated in human patients with muscle weakness. Keywords: methyltransferases, skeletal muscle, p97, atrophy, autophag

acdc – Automated Contamination Detection and Confidence estimation for single-cell genome data

Lux M, Krüger J, Rinke C, et al. acdc – Automated Contamination Detection and Confidence estimation for single-cell genome data. BMC Bioinformatics. 2016;17(1): 543.Background A major obstacle in single-cell sequencing is sample contamination with foreign DNA. To guarantee clean genome assemblies and to prevent the introduction of contamination into public databases, considerable quality control efforts are put into post-sequencing analysis. Contamination screening generally relies on reference-based methods such as database alignment or marker gene search, which limits the set of detectable contaminants to organisms with closely related reference species. As genomic coverage in the tree of life is highly fragmented, there is an urgent need for a reference-free methodology for contaminant identification in sequence data. Results We present acdc, a tool specifically developed to aid the quality control process of genomic sequence data. By combining supervised and unsupervised methods, it reliably detects both known and de novo contaminants. First, 16S rRNA gene prediction and the inclusion of ultrafast exact alignment techniques allow sequence classification using existing knowledge from databases. Second, reference-free inspection is enabled by the use of state-of-the-art machine learning techniques that include fast, non-linear dimensionality reduction of oligonucleotide signatures and subsequent clustering algorithms that automatically estimate the number of clusters. The latter also enables the removal of any contaminant, yielding a clean sample. Furthermore, given the data complexity and the ill-posedness of clustering, acdc employs bootstrapping techniques to provide statistically profound confidence values. Tested on a large number of samples from diverse sequencing projects, our software is able to quickly and accurately identify contamination. Results are displayed in an interactive user interface. Acdc can be run from the web as well as a dedicated command line application, which allows easy integration into large sequencing project analysis workflows. Conclusions Acdc can reliably detect contamination in single-cell genome data. In addition to database-driven detection, it complements existing tools by its unsupervised techniques, which allow for the detection of de novo contaminants. Our contribution has the potential to drastically reduce the amount of resources put into these processes, particularly in the context of limited availability of reference species. As single-cell genome data continues to grow rapidly, acdc adds to the toolkit of crucial quality assurance tools

Instrumental Assessment of Stepping in Place Captures Clinically Relevant Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease

Fluctuations of motor symptoms make clinical assessment in Parkinson's disease a complex task. New technologies aim to quantify motor symptoms, and their remote application holds potential for a closer monitoring of treatment effects. The focus of this study was to explore the potential of a stepping in place task using RGB-Depth (RGBD) camera technology to assess motor symptoms of people with Parkinson's disease. In total, 25 persons performed a 40 s stepping in place task in front of a single RGBD camera (Kinect for Xbox One) in up to two different therapeutic states. Eight kinematic parameters were derived from knee movements to describe features of hypokinesia, asymmetry, and arrhythmicity of stepping. To explore their potential clinical utility, these parameters were analyzed for their Spearman's Rho rank correlation to clinical ratings, and for intraindividual changes between treatment conditions using standard response mean and paired t-test. Test performance not only differed between ON and OFF treatment conditions, but showed moderate correlations to clinical ratings, specifically ratings of postural instability (pull test). Furthermore, the test elicited freezing in some subjects. Results suggest that this single standardized motor task is a promising candidate to assess an array of relevant motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The simple technical test setup would allow future use by patients themselves

Impact of porcine cytomegalovirus on long-term orthotopic cardiac xenotransplant survival

Xenotransplantation using pig organs has achieved survival times up to 195 days in pig orthotopic heart transplantation into baboons. Here we demonstrate that in addition to an improved immunosuppressive regimen, non-ischaemic preservation with continuous perfusion and control of post-transplantation growth of the transplant, prevention of transmission of the porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) plays an important role in achieving long survival times. For the first time we demonstrate that PCMV transmission in orthotopic pig heart xenotransplantation was associated with a reduced survival time of the transplant and increased levels of IL-6 and TNF alpha were found in the transplanted baboon. Furthermore, high levels of tPA-PAI-1 complexes were found, suggesting a complete loss of the pro-fibrinolytic properties of the endothelial cells. These data show that PCMV has an important impact on transplant survival and call for elimination of PCMV from donor pigs

Xenoandrogenic Activity in Serum Differs across European and Inuit Populations

Background: Animal and in vitro studies have indicated that human male reproductive disorders can arise as a result of disrupted androgen receptor (AR) signalling by persistent organic pollutants (POPs) . Our aim in the present study was to compare serum xenoandrogenic activity between study groups with different POP exposures and to evaluate correlations to the POP proxy markers 2,2\ub4,4,4\ub4,5,5\ub4-hexachlorobiphenyl (CB-153) and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl) -ethylene (p,p\ub4-DDE) .Methods: We determined xenoandrogenic activity in the serum fraction containing the lipophilic POPs but free of endogenous hormones. Adult male serum (n = 261) from Greenland, Sweden, Warsaw (Poland) , and Kharkiv (Ukraine) was analyzed. Xenoandrogenic activity was determined as the effect of serum extract alone (XAR) and in the presence of the synthetic AR agonist R1881 (XARcomp) on AR transactivated luciferase activity.Results: The study groups differed significantly with respect to XARcomp activity, which was increased in the Inuits and decreased in the European study groups ; we observed no difference for XAR activity. We found the highest level of the AR antagonist p,p\ub4-DDE in Kharkiv, and accordingly, this study group showed the highest percent of serum samples with decreased XARcomp activities. Furthermore, the percentage of serum samples with decreased XARcomp activities followed the p,p\ub4-DDE serum level for the European study groups. No correlations between serum XAR or XARcomp activities and the two POP markers were revealed.Conclusions: The differences in XARcomp serum activity between the study groups suggest differences in chemical exposure profiles, genetics, and/or lifestyle factors