Simulating the effects of decoupled transfer payments using the land use model ProLand

This paper describes the bio-economic land use model ProLand and presents selected results for scenarios of coupled and fully decoupled Pillar One transfer payments under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The basic assumption for the model is that land users select the land use alternative from a set of agricultural and silvicultural land use systems which is expected to generate the highest possible land rent. The model is used to estimate effects of fully decoupled transfer payments on land use in a less favoured region in Hesse, Germany. The results confirm that the CAP Reform removes the distorting effects of coupled transfer payments. The extent and direction of land use changes are spatially variant. Overall, the CAP Reform will lead to increases of permanent grassland area at the cost of arable land. The total agricultural land rent generated in the region will grow substantially, mainly due to higher amounts of transfer payments.CAP Reform, land use modelling, decision support, spatial model, ProLand, Agricultural and Food Policy, Land Economics/Use,

MODELLIERUNG UND BEWERTUNG DER ENTKOPPELTEN DIREKTZAHLUNGEN - EINE ANWENDUNG DES LANDNUTZUNGSMODELLS PROLAND SOWIE DES BEWERTUNGS- UND MODELLRAHMENS CHOICE

Die Entkopplung der Direktzahlungen stellt neben Cross Compliance und Modulation das wesentliche Kernelement der Beschlüsse des Agrarministerrates vom Juni 2003 zur Reform der Gemeinsamen Agrarpolitik der EU dar. Ziel des Beitrags ist es, die Wirkungen der Entkopplung für eine benachteiligte Region in Hessen zu quantifizieren. Dazu wird der interdisziplinäre Modellverbund ITE2M (Integrated Tools for Ecological & Economic Modelling) herangezogen. Im Vergleich zu den Bedingungen der Agenda 2000 ist durch die Entkopplung der Prämienzahlungen mit einer Zunahme der Grünlandflächen zu rechnen. Eine regionale Nutzen-Kosten-Analyse unter Einbeziehung externer Effekte zeigt, dass die Wohlfahrt der Region durch die Entkopplung gesteigert wird, und zwar in erheblichem Maße durch verstärkt zufließende Transferzahlungen.Environmental Economics and Policy,

Modelling the CAP Reform at the Regional Level with ProLand

The reform of the European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will fundamentally affect the decision behaviour of land users. So far transfer payments were coupled to specific forms of land use. The reform encourages land users to make decisions concerning production based solely on market aspects. The effects of the CAP reform on the Lahn Dill region in Germany are simulated with the spatially explicit land use model ProLand. The results show that land use decisions will be based stronger on site specific natural conditions than was the case in the Agenda 2000 scenario. The transfer payment volume directed into the region increases considerably.modelling, decision support, land use, spatially explicit, Agricultural and Food Policy, Q01,

Hyponatriämie beim geriatrischen Patienten- Prävalenz, Ätiologie und Outcome

Hyponatriämie stellt die häufigste Elektrolytstörung dar. Ihre Prävalenz nimmt mit dem Alter wesentlich zu. Dennoch gibt es bei sehr alten Patienten diesbezüglich wenige Daten. Wir untersuchten retrospektiv 307 Patienten mit Hyponatriämie (zwischen 107 mmol/l und 134 mmol/l) mit einem Mindestalter von 85 Jahren (mittleres Alter 88,5 +/- 3,0), die über die Notaufnahme eines Allgemeinkrankenhauses zwischen dem 01.01.2012 und 31.12.2013 aufgenommen wurden. Unter anderem war eine schwere Hyponatriämie im Vergleich zu einer leichteren Hyponatriämie mit einer höheren Mortalität verbunden (17,9% vs. 9,0%; p=0,022). Eine schwere Hyponatriämie war eher mit einer besseren Nierenfunktion assoziiert als eine leichte oder mittelschwere Hyponatriämie (eGFR 62,8 ml/min. vs 54,7 ml/min; p=0,011). Die meisten Patienten (241; 78,5%) mit einer Hyponatriämie wurden mit Diuretika vorbehandelt, allerdings gab es bezüglich der Ausprägung der Hyponatriämie keine signifikante Assoziation mit einer bestimmten Medikamentenklasse oder einem bestimmten Medikamentenregime. Patienten mit leichter oder mittelschwerer Hyponatriämie zeichneten sich eher durch eine polypharmakologische Medikation und durch Multimorbidität aus als Patienten mit schwerer Hyponatriämie, was wahrscheinlich die wechselseite Beziehung zwischen diesen Aspekten widerspiegelt. Sehr alte Patienten, die zum stationären Aufnahmezeitpunkt eine Hyponatriämie aufweisen, sind gefährdet, die häusliche Selbstversorgung zu verlieren (68; 22,5%)

High resolution neurochemical gold staining method for myelin in peripheral and central nervous system at the light- and electron-microscopic level

Myelin is a multilamellar membrane structure primarily composed of lipids and myelin proteins essential for proper neuronal function. Since myelin is a target structure involved in many pathophysiological conditions such as metabolic, viral, and autoimmune diseases and genetic myelin disorders, a reliable myelin detection technique is required that is equally suitable for light- and electron-microscopic analysis. Here, we report that single myelinated fibers are specifically stained by the gold phosphate complex, Black gold, which stains myelin in the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerve fibers in a reliable manner. Electron-microscopic and morphometric analyses have revealed that gold particles are equally distributed in the inner, compact, and outer myelin layers. In contrast to Luxol fast blue, the gold dye stains proteinase-sensitive myelin structures, indicating its selective labeling of myelin-specific proteins. Aiming at defining the target of gold staining, we performed staining in several mouse myelin mutants. Gold complex distribution and myelin staining in MBP−/−/shiverer mouse mutants was comparable with that seen in wild-type mice but revealed a more clustered Black gold distribution. This gold staining method thus provides a sensitive and specific high-resolution marker for both central and peripheral myelin sheaths; it also allows the quantitative analysis of myelinated fibers at the light- and electron-microscopic level suitable for investigations of myelin and axonal disorder

Sociedade de Medicina: atas; Premio Dr. José Mariano da Rocha; Saudação do Dr. Mario Bernd ao Dr. Hisajo Jamaguchi

Atas das sessões de 7 e 21 de junho de 1935, da Sociedade de Medicina de Porto Alegre;Prêmio Dr. José Mariano da Rocha, da Sociedade de Medicina de Santa Maria (bases do concurso);Saudação do Dr. Mario Bernd ao Dr. Hisajo Jamaguchi, que proferiu uma conferência sobre câncer, em visita à Sociedade de Medicina de Porto Alegre

Galectin-3 Induces a Pro-degradative/inflammatory Gene Signature in Human Chondrocytes, Teaming Up with Galectin-1 in Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis

Inflammatory chemo-and cytokines and matrix-degrading proteases underlie the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). Aiming to define upstream regulators for these disease markers, we pursued initial evidence for an upregulation of members of the adhesion/growth-regulatory galectin family. Immunohistochemical localization of galectin-3 (Gal-3) in sections of human cartilage with increasing levels of degeneration revealed a linear correlation reaching a chondrocyte positivity of 60%. Presence in situ was cytoplasmic, the lectin was secreted from OA chondrocytes in culture and binding of Gal-3 yielded lactose-inhibitable surface staining. Exposure of cells to the lectin led to enhanced gene expression and secretion of functional disease markers. Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis broadened this result to reveal a pro-degradative/inflammatory gene signature under the control of NF-kappa B. Fittingly, targeting this route of activation by inhibitors impaired the unfavourable response to Gal-3 binding, as also seen by shortening the lectin's collagen-like repeat region. Gal-3's activation profile overlaps with that of homodimeric galectin-1 (Gal-1) and also has distinctive (supplementing) features. Tested at subsaturating concentrations in a mixture, we found cooperation between the two galectins, apparently able to team up to promote OA pathogenesis. In summary, our results suggest that a network of endogenous lectins is relevant for initiating this process cascade

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and the unfolded protein response in skeletal muscle of subjects suffering from peritoneal sepsis

We provide a descriptive characterization of the unfolded protein response (UPR) in skeletal muscle of human patients with peritoneal sepsis and a sepsis model of C57BL/6J mice. Patients undergoing open surgery were included in a cross-sectional study and blood and skeletal muscle samples were taken. Key markers of the UPR and cluster of differentiation 68 (CD68) as surrogate of inflammatory injury were evaluated by real-time PCR and histochemical staining. CD68 mRNA increased with sepsis in skeletal muscle of patients and animals (p < 0.05). Mainly the inositol-requiring enzyme 1α branch of the UPR was upregulated as shown by elevated X-box binding-protein 1 (XBP1u) and its spliced isoform (XBP1s) mRNA (p < 0.05, respectively). Increased expression of Gadd34 indicated activation of PRKR-Like Endoplasmic Reticulum Kinase (PERK) branch of the UPR, and was only observed in mice (p < 0.001) but not human study subjects. Selected cell death signals were upregulated in human and murine muscle, demonstrated by increased bcl-2 associated X protein mRNA and TUNEL staining (p < 0.05). In conclusion we provide a first characterization of the UPR in skeletal muscle in human sepsis

Proapoptotic activity of Ukrain is based on Chelidonium majus L. alkaloids and mediated via a mitochondrial death pathway

BACKGROUND: The anticancer drug Ukrain (NSC-631570) which has been specified by the manufacturer as semisynthetic derivative of the Chelidonium majus L. alkaloid chelidonine and the alkylans thiotepa was reported to exert selective cytotoxic effects on human tumour cell lines in vitro. Few clinical trials suggest beneficial effects in the treatment of human cancer. Aim of the present study was to elucidate the importance of apoptosis induction for the antineoplastic activity of Ukrain, to define the molecular mechanism of its cytotoxic effects and to identify its active constituents by mass spectrometry. METHODS: Apoptosis induction was analysed in a Jurkat T-lymphoma cell model by fluorescence microscopy (chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation), flow cytometry (cellular shrinkage, depolarisation of the mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-activation) and Western blot analysis (caspase-activation). Composition of Ukrain was analysed by mass spectrometry and LC-MS coupling. RESULTS: Ukrain turned out to be a potent inducer of apoptosis. Mechanistic analyses revealed that Ukrain induced depolarisation of the mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspases. Lack of caspase-8, expression of cFLIP-L and resistance to death receptor ligand-induced apoptosis failed to inhibit Ukrain-induced apoptosis while lack of FADD caused a delay but not abrogation of Ukrain-induced apoptosis pointing to a death receptor independent signalling pathway. In contrast, the broad spectrum caspase-inhibitor zVAD-fmk blocked Ukrain-induced cell death. Moreover, over-expression of Bcl-2 or Bcl-x(L )and expression of dominant negative caspase-9 partially reduced Ukrain-induced apoptosis pointing to Bcl-2 controlled mitochondrial signalling events. However, mass spectrometric analysis of Ukrain failed to detect the suggested trimeric chelidonine thiophosphortriamide or putative dimeric or monomeric chelidonine thiophosphortriamide intermediates from chemical synthesis. Instead, the Chelidonium majus L. alkaloids chelidonine, sanguinarine, chelerythrine, protopine and allocryptopine were identified as major components of Ukrain. Apart from sanguinarine and chelerythrine, chelidonine turned out to be a potent inducer of apoptosis triggering cell death at concentrations of 0.001 mM, while protopine and allocryptopine were less effective. Similar to Ukrain, apoptosis signalling of chelidonine involved Bcl-2 controlled mitochondrial alterations and caspase-activation. CONCLUSION: The potent proapoptotic effects of Ukrain are not due to the suggested "Ukrain-molecule" but to the cytotoxic efficacy of Chelidonium majus L. alkaloids including chelidonine

MicroRNA-96 Directly Inhibits γ-Globin Expression in Human Erythropoiesis

Fetal hemoglobin, HbF (α2γ2), is the main hemoglobin synthesized up to birth, but it subsequently declines and adult hemoglobin, HbA (α2β2), becomes predominant. Several studies have indicated that expression of the HbF subunit γ-globin might be regulated post-transcriptionally. This could be confered by ∼22-nucleotide long microRNAs that associate with argonaute proteins to specifically target γ-globin mRNAs and inhibit protein expression. Indeed, applying immunopurifications, we found that γ-globin mRNA was associated with argonaute 2 isolated from reticulocytes that contain low levels of HbF (<1%), whereas association was significantly lower in reticulocytes with high levels of HbF (90%). Comparing microRNA expression in reticulocytes from cord blood and adult blood, we identified several miRNAs that were preferentially expressed in adults, among them miRNA-96. The overexpression of microRNA-96 in human ex vivo erythropoiesis decreased γ-globin expression by 50%, whereas the knock-down of endogenous microRNA-96 increased γ-globin expression by 20%. Moreover, luciferase reporter assays showed that microRNA-96 negatively regulates expression of γ-globin in HEK293 cells, which depends on a seedless but highly complementary target site located within the coding sequence of γ-globin. Based on these results we conclude that microRNA-96 directly suppresses γ-globin expression and thus contributes to HbF regulation