Active educational cooperation between universities and adult education centres. A progress report on the project “U niversity Meets Public” and the Adult Education Centre science programme

Aktiven Bildungskooperationen zwischen Universitäten und Volkshochschulen scheint heute nichts mehr im Wege zu stehen. Und doch ist diese Annäherung nicht nur Anlass für Überschneidungen, sondern teilweise auch für Konkurrenz. Der vorliegende Beitrag versucht entlang einer Beschreibung des Schnittstellenprojektes „University Meets Public“ die Perspektiven der Kooperationspartnerinnen zusammenzuführen. „University Meets Public“ ist heute Teil des Wissenschaftsprogrammes der Wiener Volkshochschulen (kurz „VHS Science“) und ermöglicht vier Wiener Universitäten mit Vortragsreihen und einem World Café die Öffnung für die lokale Bevölkerung. VHS Science bietet seit 2012 neben den University Meets Public-Angeboten auch Vorträge, Kurse, Workshops und Podiumsdiskussionen von und mit nationalen und internationalen WissenschafterInnen und schließt damit an das Verständnis von Popular Education im Sinne eines Empowermentprojektes an. (DIPF/Orig.)Nothing hinders the process of active educational cooperation between universities and adult education centres anymore. However, this narrowing of the gaps between universities and adult education is an occasion not only for the overlapping of ideas but also in some cases for competition. This article attempts to unite perspectives of cooperation by describing the project “University Meets Public”. This project is part of the outreach programme of the Viennese Adult Education Centres (abbr.: “VHS Science”) and allows four Viennese universities to reach the local population through lecture series and a World Café. Since 2012, VHS Science has offered “University Meets Public” in the form of lectures, courses, workshops and panel discussions by and with national and international researchers, thereby supporting the concept of popular education as empowerment projects. (DIPF/Orig.

Shifts of fecal microbiota in immunosuppressed patients following chemotherapeutic treatment analyzed by TaqMan-PCR and PCR-DGGE with special focus on 454 sequencing

Die Mikrobiota im menschlichen Darm stellt ein komplexes dicht besiedeltes Ökosystem dar, welches aus etwa 10^13-10^14 Mikroorganismen mit mehr als 1000 verschiedenen Bakterienarten besteht. Die Zusammensetzung dieser ist ein Ergebnis natürlicher Selektion sowohl auf mikrobieller als auch auf Wirtsebene. Trotz großer Unterschiede der Mikrobiota zwischen einzelnen Individuen, konnte eine aktuelle Studie drei robuste Bakteriencluster identifizieren. Diese "Enterotypen" zeigten sich unabhängig der Herkunft der Versuchspersonen. Die Mikroorganismen im Darm erfüllen eine Vielzahl nützlicher Aufgaben für den Wirtsorganismus, wie zum Beispiel die Fermentierung von unverdauten Nahrungsbestandteilen und die Produktion von kurzkettigen Fettsäuren. Weiters regulieren sie die Entwicklung des Darmepithels und sind an der Synthese von Vitaminen beteiligt. Die Mikrobiota dient zudem als natürliche Barriere gegen pathogene Bakterien und moduliert das Immunsystem des Wirts. Während des Erwachsenenalters ist die Zusammensetzung der Darmbakterien relativ stabil, kann jedoch durch verschiedene Faktoren beeinflusst werden. Dazu gehören Ernährung und Lifestyle sowie auch verschiedene Erkrankungen oder medizinische Behandlungen. Veränderungen in der Zusammensetzung und somit auch der metabolischen Funktion der Mikrobiota können sich auf die Entwicklung und Pathogenese von Übergewicht, atopischen Erkrankungen, Durchfall, Verstopfung und entzündlichen Darmerkrankungen auswirken. Die vorliegende Diplomarbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Analyse der Veränderungen der fäkalen Mikrobiota von Onkologie-Patienten während einer Chemo- und Antibiotikatherapie. Ziel war, mittels 16S rRNA basierten kulturunabhängigen Methoden den Einfluss von verschiedenen Chemotherapeutika auf die Diversität und Menge der Darmbakterien zu erfassen. Dazu wurden Stuhlproben von 17 Chemotherapie-Patienten mit oder ohne gleichzeitiger Antibiotika-Einnahme mit 16 gesunden Kontrollpersonen ähnlichen Alters und Geschlechts verglichen. Untersucht wurden vier verschiedene Zeitpunkte vor, während und nach eines Chemotherapiezyklus. Absolute und relative Zahlen von Bakterien, Bacteroides, Bifidobakterien, Clostridium cluster IV, XIVa und Clostridium difficile im Stuhl wurden mit real time PCR (TaqMan-Detektion) erfasst. Diversitätsanalysen erfolgten mit DGGE (Denaturierungs-Gradientengel-Elektrophorese) und high-throughput Seqenzierung. Chemotherapiepatienten (± Antibiotika) zeigten im Vergleich zur gesunden Kontrollgruppe signifikant weniger Gesamtbakterien (p <0,05). Auch direkt nach einem Chemotherapiezyklus waren die absoluten Bakterienzahlen deutlich verringert (p = 0.037) und zudem der relative Anteil von Clostridium cluster XIVa signifikant erniedrigt. Dennoch konnte sich die Mikrobiota nach Beendigung der Chemotherapie meist wieder auf das Ausgangsniveau und bei manchen Patienten auch darüber hinaus erholen. DGGE fingerprinting zeigte nach einer chemotherapeutischen Intervention eine verringerte Diversität von Clostridium Cluster IV und XIVa, cluster IV wurde zusätzlich durch gleichzeitige Antibiotika-Einnahme beeinflusst. Bei drei der 17 Onkologie-Patienten konnte nach der Chemotherapie ein Vorkommen von Clostridium difficile beobachtet werden. Gleichzeitig zeigten die Genera Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Veillonella und Faecalibacterium prausnitzii einen Abfall. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass Chemotherapeutika einen erheblichen Einfluss auf die Zusammensetzung der fäkalen Mikrobiota haben können. Durch diese Veränderungen kann die Besiedlung mit potentiell pathogenen Bakterien wie Clostridium difficile begünstigt und die nützlichen Funktionen der Darmbakterien beeinträchtigt werden, was im Verlauf einer Chemotherapie zu schweren Nebenwirkungen beitragen kann.The human intestinal microbiota represents a complex, densely populated ecosystem, which is composed of about 10^13-10^14 microorganisms of more than 1000 different bacterial species. The composition of the gastrointestinal microbiota comes as a result of natural selection at both the host and microbial levels. Despite high inter-individual variation a recent study identified three robust bacterial clusters - referred to as enterotypes - that are not nation or continent specific. Gut microorganisms carry out a variety of beneficial functions for the host such as immune modulation, fermenting unused energy substrates and producing short-chain fatty acids, regulating the development of the gut and producing vitamins. Furthermore they act as a natural barrier against harmful, pathogenic bacteria. Although the intestinal microbiota is relatively stable throughout adult life, it can be altered by host, diet, environment, bacterial factors and during various disease processes or exposure to medical treatment. These changes in composition and metabolic function of gut microbiota can influence a host’s physiology and pathology and influence the development of obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, atopic diseases, diarrhea and constipation. The aim of this thesis was to investigate shifts in the composition of fecal microbiota of oncology patients in response to chemotherapy and antibiotics. Abundance and diversity of fecal bacteria were assessed with culture independent molecular methods. Feces of 17 ambulant patients under immune-suppressive chemotherapy with or without concomitant antibiotics were analyzed before and after a chemotherapy cycle at four points in time in comparison to 16 gender- and agematched healthy controls. Abundance and diversity of all bacteria, Bacteroides, bifidobacteria, Clostridium cluster IV and XIVa as well as Clostridium difficile were assessed by targeting 16S rRNA genes with TaqMan qPCR, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting and high-throughput sequencing. Patients receiving chemotherapy (± antibiotics) harbored significantly less bacteria (p< 0.05) than healthy controls. Furthermore absolute numbers of bacteria (p = 0.037) were significantly lower following a single treatment of chemotherapy, but the microbiota recovered within a few days, sometimes even showing a "rebound-effect". The mean percentage of Clostridium cluster XIVa decreased significantly after administration of chemotherapy. DGGE fingerprinting showed decreased diversity of Clostridium cluster IV and XIVa in response to chemotherapy. Clostridium cluster IV diversity was particularly affected by antibiotics. In three out of seventeen oncology patients Clostridium difficile occurred following chemotherapy. Additionally, a decrease in the genera Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Veillonella and Faecalibacterium was observed. In conclusion, chemotherapy treatment alters the composition of fecal microbiota and thus may favor colonization with potential pathogens such as C. difficile. These changes affect and alter the functions of the GI microbiota and may contribute to severe side effects in oncology patients

Changes in Human Fecal Microbiota Due to Chemotherapy Analyzed by TaqMan-PCR, 454 Sequencing and PCR-DGGE Fingerprinting

BACKGROUND: We investigated whether chemotherapy with the presence or absence of antibiotics against different kinds of cancer changed the gastrointestinal microbiota. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Feces of 17 ambulant patients receiving chemotherapy with or without concomitant antibiotics were analyzed before and after the chemotherapy cycle at four time points in comparison to 17 gender-, age- and lifestyle-matched healthy controls. We targeted 16S rRNA genes of all bacteria, Bacteroides, bifidobacteria, Clostridium cluster IV and XIVa as well as C. difficile with TaqMan qPCR, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) fingerprinting and high-throughput sequencing. After a significant drop in the abundance of microbiota (p = 0.037) following a single treatment the microbiota recovered within a few days. The chemotherapeutical treatment marginally affected the Bacteroides while the Clostridium cluster IV and XIVa were significantly more sensitive to chemotherapy and antibiotic treatment. DGGE fingerprinting showed decreased diversity of Clostridium cluster IV and XIVa in response to chemotherapy with cluster IV diversity being particularly affected by antibiotics. The occurrence of C. difficile in three out of seventeen subjects was accompanied by a decrease in the genera Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, Veillonella and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. Enterococcus faecium increased following chemotherapy. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite high individual variations, these results suggest that the observed changes in the human gut microbiota may favor colonization with C. difficile and Enterococcus faecium. Perturbed microbiota may be a target for specific mitigation with safe pre- and probiotics

Feasibility of tundra vegetation height retrieval from Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data

The quantification of vegetation height for the circumpolar Arctic tundra biome is of interest for a wide range of applications, including biomass and habitat studies as well as permafrost modelling in the context of climate change. To date, only indices from multispectral data have been used in these environments to address biomass and vegetation changes over time. The retrieval of vegetation height itself has not been attempted so far over larger areas. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) holds promise for canopy modeling over large extents, but the high variability of near-surface soil moisture during the snow-free season is a major challenge for application of SAR in tundra for such a purpose. We hypothesized that tundra vegetation height can be derived from multispectral indices as well as from C-band SAR data acquired in winter (close to zero liquid water content). To test our hypothesis, we used C-band SAR data from Sentinel-1 and multi-spectral data from Sentinel-2. Results show that vegetation height can be derived with an RMSE of 44 cm from Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and 54 cm from Tasseled Cap Wetness index (TC). Retrieval from C-band SAR shows similar performance, but C-VV is more suitable than C-HH to derive vegetation height (RMSEs of 48 and 56 cm respectively). An exponential relationship with in situ height was evident for all tested parameters (NDVI, TC, C-VV and C-HH) suggesting that the C-band SAR and multi-spectral approaches possess similar capabilities including tundra biomass retrieval. Errors might occur in specific settings as a result of high surface roughness, high photosynthetic activity in wetlands or high snow density. We therefore introduce a method for combined use of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 to address the ambiguities related to Arctic wetlands and barren rockfields. Snow-related deviations occur within tundra fire scars in permafrost areas in the case of C-VV use. The impact decreases with age of the fire scar, following permafrost and vegetation recovery. The evaluation of masked C-VV retrievals across different regions, tundra types and sources (in situ and circumpolar vegetation community classification from satellite data) suggests pan-Arctic applicability to map current conditions for heights up to 160 cm. The presented methodology will allow for new applications and provide advanced insight into changing environmental conditions in the Arctic

Epigallocatechin Gallate Effectively Affects Senescence and Anti-SASP via SIRT3 in 3T3-L1 Preadipocytes in Comparison with Other Bioactive Substances

Aim. We investigated different bioactive compounds including epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), anthocyanidin, resveratrol, phloretin, spermidine, butyrate, and β-hydroxybutyrate with regard to their effect on SIRT3 via NRF2 and modulation of the proinflammatory senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in senescence induced 3T3-L1 preadipocytes. Methods. For induction of senescence, 3T3-L1 preadipocytes were incubated with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) for 8 days. Cell cycle inhibition was observed, and β-galactosidase activity was measured. After BrdU treatment, cells were treated with different bioactive compounds in various concentrations for 96 h. ELISA was used for determining proinflammatory cytokine IL6 in SASP cells. Results. CDKN1a increased significantly after BrdU incubation compared to untreated control (p<0.01). All secondary plant ingredients used for treatment, but not anthocyanidin 50 μM, decrease CDKN1a expression (p<0.05), whereas most endogenous substances did not attenuate CDKN1a. IL6 secretion positively correlated with CDKN1a (p<0.01), whereas EGCG could diminish both, IL6 and CDKN1a with the strongest effect (p<0.01). Although NRF2 positively correlated with SIRT3 activation (p<0.05), only resveratrol (p<0.01) and anthocyanidin (p<0.05) could activate NRF2 significantly. Solely anthocyanidin 50 μM (p<0.05) and 100 μM (p<0.01) and EGCG 50 μM (p<0.01) could increase SIRT3 expression. Activation of SIRT3 with EGCG correlated with lowered IL6 secretion significantly (p<0.05) but not with anthocyanidin. Conclusion. Accumulation of senescent cells in adipose tissue plays an important role in obesity and age-related diseases. SIRT3, located in the mitochondria, can regulate ROS via different pathways. Thus, targeting SIRT3 activating compounds such as EGCG may delay senescence of cells and senescence induced inflammatory processes

Five Days Periodic Fasting Elevates Levels of Longevity Related <i>Christensenella</i> and Sirtuin Expression in Humans

Periodic fasting (PF) is an increasingly popular approach that assists in the management of metabolic and inflammatory diseases as well as in preventing mechanisms involved in aging. However, little is known about the effects of fasting on gut microbiota and its impact on the epigenetic regulation of metabolically relevant enzymes, especially sirtuins (SIRTs). We analyzed the effect of periodic fasting on the human gut microbiota, SIRTs expression, and mitochondrial content in 51 males and females. The participants fasted under supervision for five consecutive days following the Buchinger fasting guidelines. Ketogenesis, selected mRNAs, miRNAs, mitochondrial (mt) DNA, and gut composition were analyzed before and after PF. PF triggered a significant switch in metabolism, as indicated by the increase in ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) and pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoform 4 (PDK4) expression in the capillary blood. MtDNA, SIRT1, SIRT3, and miRlet7b-5p expression in blood cells were elevated, whereas SIRT6 and miR125b-5p were not affected. Following fasting, gut microbiota diversity increased, and a statistically significant correlation between SIRT1 gene expression and the abundance of Prevotella and Lactobacillus was detected. The abundance of longevity related Christensenella species increased after fasting and inversely correlated with age as well as body mass index (BMI). Thus, this represents the first study that showing that fasting not only changes the composition of the gut microbiota, making it more diverse, but also affects SIRT expression in humans

Counteraction of Oxidative Stress by Vitamin E Affects Epigenetic Regulation by Increasing Global Methylation and Gene Expression of MLH1 and DNMT1 Dose Dependently in Caco-2 Cells

Obesity- or diabetes-induced oxidative stress is discussed as a major risk factor for DNA damage. Vitamin E and many polyphenols exhibit antioxidative activities with consequences on epigenetic regulation of inflammation and DNA repair. The present study investigated the counteraction of oxidative stress by vitamin E in the colorectal cancer cell line Caco-2 under normal (1 g/l) and high (4.5 g/l) glucose cell culture condition. Malondialdehyde (MDA) as a surrogate marker of lipid peroxidation and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was analyzed. Gene expression and promoter methylation of the DNA repair gene MutL homolog 1 (MLH1) and the DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) as well as global methylation by LINE-1 were investigated. Results revealed a dose-dependent counteracting effect of vitamin E on H2O2-induced oxidative stress. Thereby, 10 μM vitamin E proved to be more efficient than did 50 μM in reducing MDA. Further, an induction of MLH1 and DNMT1 gene expression was noticed, accompanied by an increase in global methylation. Whether LINE-1 hypomethylation is a cause or effect of oxidative stress is still unclear. In conclusion, supplementation of exogenous antioxidants like vitamin E in vitro exhibits beneficial effects concerning oxidative stress as well as epigenetic regulation involved in DNA repair

Primers and probes used for TaqMan qPCR quantification of 16S rRNA genes.

<p>Primers and probes used for TaqMan qPCR quantification of 16S rRNA genes.</p

Relevant clinical data of study participants undergoing immunesuppressive chemotherapy.

<p>PBSCT… peripheral blood stem cell transplant.</p