Charakterisierung der lichtinduzierten Arrhythmie des circadianen Systems beim Dsungarischen Zwerghamster (Phodopus sungorus) auf physiologischer und molekularer Ebene

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Einflüsse der proinflammatorischen Zytokine Tumor-Nekrose-Faktor-Alpha und Interleukin-1 auf Meniskusgewebe vom Rind

Degenerative und entzündliche Gelenkerkrankungen wie Osteoarthrose und Rheumtoide Arthritis spielen in der Gesellschaft gerade auch vor dem Hintergrund der demografischen Entwicklung eine immer größere Rolle. Das Knie mit den für seine biomechanische Funktionalität wichtigen Menisken ist ein häufig von diesen Erkrankungen betroffenes Gelenk. Dabei ist bekannt, dass proinflammatorische Zytokine wie IL-1 und TNF-α wichtige Mediatoren im Rahmen der pathophysiologischen Prozesse sind. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte in einem In-vitro-Modell mit dreitägiger Inkubationszeit gezeigt werden, dass IL-1 und TNF-α zu einem verstärkten Metabolismus von Proteoglykanen am Meniskusgewebe von Rindern führen. Sie führten dosis- und zeitabhängig zu einer gesteigerten Freisetzung von Glykosaminoglykanen aus dem Gewebe. Des Weiteren konnte unter Einfluss der Zytokine eine vermehrte Spaltung von Aggrekan (NITEGE-Spaltfragmente) und eine gesteigerte Expression kataboler Enzyme (ADAMTS-4 sowie MMP-1, -2, -3 und -13) beobachtet werden. Durch Versuche mit Enzyminhibitoren (TIMPs) konnte gezeigt werden, dass Aggrekanasen (insbesondere ADAMTS-4) im Rahmen des Versuchszeitrahmens eine wichtige Rolle beim Proteoglykanabbau spielen. Durch zymografische Analysen konnte zudem Anhalt dafür gefunden werden, dass die in den Expressionsanalysen am stärksten heraufregulierte Matrixmetalloproteinase MMP-3 zunächst in erster Linie in ihrer biologisch inaktiven Pro-Form vorliegt und daher zu diesem Zeitpunkt der entzündlichen Prozesse am Meniskusgewebe eine untergeordnete Rolle spielen könnte. Neben dem gesteigerten Proteoglykanmetabolismus konnte unter Einfluss von TNF-α und IL-1 ebenfalls eine regelhaft gesteigerte Freisetzung von Stickoxid (NO) erfasst werden. Durch Versuche mit einem NO-Synthase-Inhibitor (L-NMMA) konnte für den vorliegenden Versuchszeitrahmen von drei Tagen keine unmittelbare Abhängigkeit des Proteoglykanmetabolismus von der NO-Freisetzung detektiert werden. Sowohl die zytokininduziert gesteigerte GAG-Freisetung als auch die gesteigerte Spaltung von Aggrekan blieb unter gehemmter NO-Produktion erhöht. Durch die Ergebnisse der vorliegenden Arbeit konnte zusammenfassend also bestätigt werden, dass TNF-α und IL-1 vergleichbar zu Forschungsergebnissen an Gelenkknorpelgewebe in wesentlichem Maße an der Induktion des Proteoglykanmetabolismus an Meniskusgewebe von Rindern beteiligt sind. Dabei scheint der gesteigerte Abbau von Proteoglykanen in der simulierten frühen entzündlichen Phase in erster Linie durch Aggrekanasen (ADAMTS-4) bewerkstelligt zu werden und von der ebenfalls gesteigerten NO-Freisetzung unabhängig zu sein. TNF-α und IL-1 im Allgemeinen bzw. Aggrekanasen (ADAMTS-4) im Speziellen könnten also zukünftig weiterhin bzw. zusätzlich wichtige Angriffspunkte für die Intervention bei Erkrankungen wie Osteoarthrose und Rheumatoider Arthritis darstellen. Weitere Untersuchungen an menschlichem Meniskusgewebe sollten folgen, um die pathophysiologischen Zusammenhänge von OA und RA noch detaillierter zu entschlüsseln und um so noch spezifischere Präventions- und Behandlungskonzepte entwickeln zu können

Impact of nicotine and maternal BMI on fetal birth weight

Data from 110.047 singleton pregnancies, achieved from the German Perinatal Survey in Schleswig-Holstein and registered between 2010 and 2017 were analyzed in August 2018 concerning maternal BMI and smoking. The BMI was taken from the maternity log. Information concerning the smoking status were self-reported and further subdivided into the following four categories: a) non-smokers; b) 1-7 cigarettes/day; c) 8-14 cigarettes/ day; and d) ≥ 15 cigarettes/ day. Furthermore, we classified women by their BMI into underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese. Comparisons between non-smokers and the respective smoking group, and their relationship with maternal BMI were performed by the t-test (birth weight). A number of 97.092 women (88.2%) were non-smokers and 12.955 (11.8%) were smokers. Furthermore 10.3% of women of normal weight smoked during pregnancy, but both high and low BMI were associated with a high prevalence of smoking. The proportion of smokers was highest (18.1%) among underweight women (BMI ≤ 18.5 kg/m2). A large number of smokers (15.5%) were registered in the obesity group (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Mean birth weight (≥ 37 + 0 gestational age) increased with increasing maternal BMI, and was reduced by smoking for every BMI category. The differences between smokers and non-smokers were always highly significant (p < 0.001). Mean birth weight varied between 2995 g in underweight frequent smokers and 3607 g in obese non-smokers. Conclusion Both maternal BMI and smoking during pregnancy influences the birth weight and therefore pregnancy outcome. Smoking during pregnancy was significantly associated with low birth weight. Pregnant women should be advised to cease or at least reduce smoking in order to improve the birth weight of the newborn and to minimize child morbidities

Addition of Synthetic Feeding Attractant Increases Catches of Rhagoletis batava Hering and Carpomyia schineri Loew. in Fluorescent Yellow Sticky Traps

The addition of the synthetic Rhagoletis feeding attractant (consisting of ammonium carbonate and ammonium acetate, developed previously for Rhagoletis cerasi L.) to both fluorescent yellow or transparent sticky traps significantly increased catches of the fruit flies Rhagoletis batava Hering (pest of sea buckthorn) and Carpomyia schineri Loew. (pest of rose hips). Traps with lures were detecting the occurrence of both species 1–2 weeks before as compared to traps without lure, and quantitative aspects of the flight could be followed in more detail in traps with lure. Thus in detection and monitoring surveys, where sensitivity of the trap is highly important, the use of traps with synthetic lure added is strongly recommended

COMADRE: A global data base of animal demography

This is the final version. Available on open access from Wiley via the DOI in this recordData accessibility: The data associated with this manuscript can be accessed at www.comadre-db.orgThe open-data scientific philosophy is being widely adopted and proving to promote considerable progress in ecology and evolution. Open-data global data bases now exist on animal migration, species distribution, conservation status, etc. However, a gap exists for data on population dynamics spanning the rich diversity of the animal kingdom world-wide. This information is fundamental to our understanding of the conditions that have shaped variation in animal life histories and their relationships with the environment, as well as the determinants of invasion and extinction. Matrix population models (MPMs) are among the most widely used demographic tools by animal ecologists. MPMs project population dynamics based on the reproduction, survival and development of individuals in a population over their life cycle. The outputs from MPMs have direct biological interpretations, facilitating comparisons among animal species as different as Caenorhabditis elegans, Loxodonta africana and Homo sapiens. Thousands of animal demographic records exist in the form of MPMs, but they are dispersed throughout the literature, rendering comparative analyses difficult. Here, we introduce the COMADRE Animal Matrix Database, an open-data online repository, which in its version 1.0.0 contains data on 345 species world-wide, from 402 studies with a total of 1625 population projection matrices. COMADRE also contains ancillary information (e.g. ecoregion, taxonomy, biogeography, etc.) that facilitates interpretation of the numerous demographic metrics that can be derived from its MPMs. We provide R code to some of these examples. Synthesis: We introduce the COMADRE Animal Matrix Database, a resource for animal demography. Its open-data nature, together with its ancillary information, will facilitate comparative analysis, as will the growing availability of databases focusing on other aspects of the rich animal diversity, and tools to query and combine them. Through future frequent updates of COMADRE, and its integration with other online resources, we encourage animal ecologists to tackle global ecological and evolutionary questions with unprecedented sample size.Australian Research Council (ARC)Evolutionary Demography Laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR)Natural Environment Research Council (NERC

The biogeography of community assembly: latitude and predation drive variation in community trait distribution in a guild of epifaunal crustaceans

While considerable evidence exists of biogeographic patterns in the intensity of species interactions, the influence of these patterns on variation in community structure is less clear. Studying how the distributions of traits in communities vary along global gradients can inform how variation in interactions and other factors contribute to the process of community assembly. Using a model selection approach on measures of trait dispersion in crustaceans associated with eelgrass (Zostera marina) spanning 30 degrees of latitude in two oceans, we found that dispersion strongly increased with increasing predation and decreasing latitude. Ocean and epiphyte load appeared as secondary predictors; Pacific communities were more overdispersed while Atlantic communities were more clustered, and increasing epiphytes were associated with increased clustering. By examining how species interactions and environmental filters influence community structure across biogeographic regions, we demonstrate how both latitudinal variation in species interactions and historical contingency shape these responses. Community trait distributions have implications for ecosystem stability and functioning, and integrating large-scale observations of environmental filters, species interactions and traits can help us predict how communities may respond to environmental change.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio