Stressresistenz und -adaption von Forellen aus Intensiv- und Extensivhaltung unter definierten Haltungsbedingungen bei besonderer Berücksichtigung ökologischer Produktionspraktiken

Ziel war es Forellen unterschiedlicher Herkunft auf die bestmögliche Anpassungsfähigkeit und größte Stressresistenz in Bezug auf vorgeschriebene ökologische Haltungsbedingungen (ökologisch intensive Haltung mit maximal 25 kg/ m3 und extensive, maximal 6 kg/ m3) zu untersuchen und dabei neue valide, minimal invasiv messbare Stressparameter zu etablieren. Im Verbund der Agrar- und Ernährungswissenschaftlichen Fakultät der CAU mit der Gesellschaft für Marine Aquakultur mbH (GMA) und dem Institut für Fischerei der Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Landwirtschaft, sowie später dem Leibnitz Institut für Nutztierbiologie, Institut Genombiologie, Abteilung Fischgenetik (FBN) wurde nach Etablierung von molekularen Stressmarkern unter Nutzung eines Fütterungsstressmodellversuchs mit Sojabohnenmehl, die Stressresistenz und adaptation von zwei unterschiedlichen Forellenherkünften in intensiver und extensiver ökologischer Haltung untersucht. Stressparameter müssen immer Stressartspezifisch betrachtet werden. Es wurde als Nebenergebnis ein Modell zur Untersuchung von Stress entwickelt, das in der Futtermittelforschung angewendet werden kann. Insgesamt wurde die mRNA aus Blut von 88 verschiedenen Genen untersucht. Neben drei Haushaltsgenen, konnten die regulierten Gene den übergeordneten Signaltransduktionswegen wie der SERPIN G Superfamilie, der intrazelluläre PI3K/Aktin-, Toll-like Rezeptor-, NF-κ B-, MAP-Kinase- und JAK-STAT-Signaltransduktion oder intrazellulären Pathogenerkennungsrezeptoren zugeordnet werden. Es wurde die mRNA Expression der Blutzellen auf verschiede pro- und anti-inflammatorische Zytokine, Chemokine, Stoffe die an der Akuten-Phase-Reaktion beteiligt, der Komplementkaskade zugeordnet werden können oder an Entzündungsreaktionen beteiligt sind, sowie Hitzeschockproteine getestet. Abschließend wurden verschiedene Markergene für bestimmte Zellpopulation mit untersucht. Die Ergebnisse stellen eine wichtige Grundlage dar, um „animal welfare“ in der Forellenhaltung besser beurteilen zu können. Bisher beziehen sich die Parameter auf oftmals wenig standardisierbare Beobachtungen wie Verhalten, Farbveränderungen und ähnliches. Diese Ergebnisse hier stellen die Grundlage dar, um zukünftig praktische Detektionssysteme – vergleichbar mit einem Diabetestest – auch in Hinblick auf Aquakultur 4.0 entwickeln zu können

Bullying Roles in Changing Contexts: The Stability of Victim and Bully Roles from Primary to Secondary School

The present study was conducted to predict bullying roles over a six years time period and across contexts differing in the degree of peer hierarchies. Out of two representative data sets from primary (N = 1525) and secondary school (N = 2958), 282 children (156 boys; 126 girls) were followed up longitudinally. Self reports on bullying experiences and peer reports about social status were assessed by a structured individual interview (in primary school) and by questionnaire given classwise (in secondary school). Risk analyses showed, that only a bully role in primary school yields a risk to be sustained in secondary school. However, victims in primary school classes with a more pronounced degree of hierarchical structuring proved stable in their role while the victim role was unstable from primary school classes with low hierarchical structuring. This interaction did not apply to bully role stability. Differential characteristics of the victim and the bully role in primary school and secondary school settings are discussed.Die vorliegende Untersuchung wurde durchgeführt, um Bullyingrollen über einen Zeitraum von sechs Jahren und Kontexte, die sich im Ausmaß der sozialen Strukturierung unterschieden, vorherzusagen. Auf der Grundlage von zwei repräsentativen Datensätzen aus der Grundschule (n= 1525) und der weiterführenden Schule (N= 2958) wurden dazu die Daten von 282 Kinder (156 Jungen, 126 Mädchen) längsschnittlich analysiert. Die Selbstberichte über Bullyingerfahrungen und Mitschülerberichte über den sozialen Status der Kinder wurden in der Grundschule durch ein strukturiertes Interview und in der weiterführenden Schule durch klassenweise Fragebogenerhebung erfasst. Riskikoanalysen zeigen, dass nur die Täterrolle in der Grundschule einen Risikofaktor für eine Täterrolle in der weiterführenden Schule darstellt. Eine Opferrolle war hingegen nur dann stabil, wenn die Opfer in Grundschulklassen mit schon ausgeprägten Dominanzstrukturen viktimisiert wurden, während aus Grundschulklassen mit geringer hierarchischer Strukturierung keine stabile Opferrolle vorhersagbar war. Dieses Interaktionmuster gilt nicht für die Stabilität der Täterrollen. Differentielle Charakteristika der Opferrolle und der Täterrolle in der Grundschule und der weiterführenden Schule werden diskutiert

A Multidisciplinary Approach Evaluating Soybean Meal-Induced Enteritis in Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

This study evaluated a diverse range of markers of feeding stress to obtain a more precise assessment of the welfare of rainbow trout in relation to inadequate husbandry conditions. A feeding stress model based on dietary soybean meal was employed to identify suitable minimally invasive “classical” stress markers, together with molecular signatures. In a 56-day feeding experiment, rainbow trout were fed diets containing different levels of soybean meal. The impact of these different soybean meal diets on rainbow trout was assessed by water quality analyses, clinical health observations, classic growth and performance parameters, gut histopathology, blood-parameter measurements and multigene-expression profiling in RNA from whole blood. Soybean meal-induced enteritis was manifested phenotypically by an inflammatory reaction in the posterior section of the intestine and by diarrhoea in some trout. These inflammatory changes were associated with decreased supranuclear vacuolation. The haematocrit values and the levels of plasma cortisol and circulating lymphocytes in the blood were increased in trout that had consumed high amounts of SBM. Notably, the increased haematocrit depended significantly on the bodyweight of the individual trout. The transcript levels of certain genes (e.g., MAP3K1, LYG, NOD1, STAT1 and HSP90AB) emerged as potentially useful indicators in the blood of rainbow trout providing valuable information about inadequate nutrition. The expression-profiling findings provide a basis for improved, minimally invasive monitoring of feeding regimens in trout farming and may stimulate the development of practical detection devices for innovative aquaculture operations

Kreislaufanlagen - Positionen des Ökosektors

Geeignete Standorte für herkömmliche Formen der Aquakultur werden weltweit knapp, und eine Erhöhung der Produktion gerät zunehmend mit Zielen des Umwelt- und Naturschutzes in Konflikt. Der in Deutschland extrem geringe Selbstversorgungsgrad mit Fisch kann daher in erster Linie über eine Produktionssteigerung in Kreislaufanlagen (KLA), d.h. in geschlossenen, standortunabhängigen und entsprechend technisierten Systemen, erhöht werden. Im Nationalen Strategieplan Aquakultur für Deutschland wird insofern ein besonderer Fokus auf das Produktionspotential in KLA gelegt, bzw. ein deutliches Wachstum nur in diesem Bereich (Steigerung auf 20.000 t bis 2020) als möglich erachtet. Bei dem hier beantragten Vorhaben wird geklärt, wie relevante Interessensgruppen die Vereinbarkeit von Aquakultur in KLA mit der Ökologischen Lebensmittelwirtschaft bewerten. Die Frage stellt sich einerseits aus Sicht der Erzeuger, denn die Produktion in KLA ist durch hohe Umweltauflagen sowie komplexe Haltungssysteme aufwändig und benötigt daher Wege, ihre Alleinstellungsmerkmale (z.B. Transparenz, Regionalität, Verzicht auf Chemie und Tierarznei) auf glaubhaftem Weg an den Verbraucher zu kommunizieren. Andererseits aus Sicht der richtliniengebenden Ökoverbände und Institutionen, denn sie sind von Seiten des Marktes und der Gesellschaft aufgefordert, zu dieser immer wichtiger werdenden Zukunftstechnologie fundiert Stellung zu beziehen

Human model of primary carnitine deficiency cardiomyopathy reveals ferroptosis as a novel mechanism

Primary carnitine deficiency (PCD) is an autosomal recessive monogenic disorder caused by mutations in SLC22A5. This gene encodes for OCTN2, which transports the essential metabolite carnitine into the cell. PCD patients suffer from muscular weakness and dilated cardiomyopathy. Two OCTN2-defective human induced pluripotent stem cell lines were generated, carrying a full OCTN2 knockout and a homozygous OCTN2 (N32S) loss-of-function mutation. OCTN2-defective genotypes showed lower force development and resting length in engineered heart tissue format compared with isogenic control. Force was sensitive to fatty acid-based media and associated with lipid accumulation, mitochondrial alteration, higher glucose uptake, and metabolic remodeling, replicating findings in animal models. The concordant results of OCTN2 (N32S) and -knockout emphasizes the relevance of OCTN2 for these findings. Importantly, genome-wide analysis and pharmacological inhibitor experiments identified ferroptosis, an iron- and lipid-dependent cell death pathway associated with fibroblast activation as a novel PCD cardiomyopathy disease mechanism

Segmented flow generator for serial crystallography at the European X-ray free electron laser

Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) with X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs) allows structure determination of membrane proteins and time-resolved crystallography. Common liquid sample delivery continuously jets the protein crystal suspension into the path of the XFEL, wasting a vast amount of sample due to the pulsed nature of all current XFEL sources. The European XFEL (EuXFEL) delivers femtosecond (fs) X-ray pulses in trains spaced 100 ms apart whereas pulses within trains are currently separated by 889 ns. Therefore, continuous sample delivery via fast jets wastes >99% of sample. Here, we introduce a microfluidic device delivering crystal laden droplets segmented with an immiscible oil reducing sample waste and demonstrate droplet injection at the EuXFEL compatible with high pressure liquid delivery of an SFX experiment. While achieving ~60% reduction in sample waste, we determine the structure of the enzyme 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonate-8-phosphate synthase from microcrystals delivered in droplets revealing distinct structural features not previously reported

The German National Registry of Primary Immunodeficiencies (2012-2017)

Introduction: The German PID-NET registry was founded in 2009, serving as the first national registry of patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) in Germany. It is part of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) registry. The primary purpose of the registry is to gather data on the epidemiology, diagnostic delay, diagnosis, and treatment of PIDs. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data was collected from 2,453 patients from 36 German PID centres in an online registry. Data was analysed with the software Stata® and Excel. Results: The minimum prevalence of PID in Germany is 2.72 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among patients aged 1–25, there was a clear predominance of males. The median age of living patients ranged between 7 and 40 years, depending on the respective PID. Predominantly antibody disorders were the most prevalent group with 57% of all 2,453 PID patients (including 728 CVID patients). A gene defect was identified in 36% of patients. Familial cases were observed in 21% of patients. The age of onset for presenting symptoms ranged from birth to late adulthood (range 0–88 years). Presenting symptoms comprised infections (74%) and immune dysregulation (22%). Ninety-three patients were diagnosed without prior clinical symptoms. Regarding the general and clinical diagnostic delay, no PID had undergone a slight decrease within the last decade. However, both, SCID and hyper IgE- syndrome showed a substantial improvement in shortening the time between onset of symptoms and genetic diagnosis. Regarding treatment, 49% of all patients received immunoglobulin G (IgG) substitution (70%—subcutaneous; 29%—intravenous; 1%—unknown). Three-hundred patients underwent at least one hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Five patients had gene therapy. Conclusion: The German PID-NET registry is a precious tool for physicians, researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, politicians, and ultimately the patients, for whom the outcomes will eventually lead to a more timely diagnosis and better treatment

Scale cortisol is positively correlated to fin injuries in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared in commercial flow through systems

Suboptimal farm management can lead to (chronic) stress and can result in external morphological damage, which both can have deleterious effects on fish performance and welfare. This study is the first to investigate a potential correlation between chronic stress and the occurrence of external morphological damage in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) reared commercial flow through systems. To quantify chronic stress in eight different farms, scales of 10 fish per farm were sampled for scale cortisol analysis using UPLC-MS/MS. Measured external morphological damage of fish included damage to the eyes, skin and fins, as well as deformities and emaciation. Further, the influence of management (water supply, water supply per kg fish, total water exchange duration, average stocking density, feeding frequency) and water quality (oxygen, temperature, pH, ammonium, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, turbidity) on chronic stress level and external morphological damage was assessed. Measured eyeand skin damage, deformities and emaciation occurred less frequently, while fin injuries were common and differed significantly in severity between farms. Results on all fish across farms showed a highly positive correlation between scale cortisol and total fin injury. A limited water supply, -supply per kg fish and -exchange as well as higher stocking densities and feeding frequencies resulted in a comparably reduced water quality, indicated by correlations with lower oxygen levels, higher levels of nitrogen compounds, higher temperature and turbidity. After conducting a principal component analysis, multiple linear regression models showed that scale cortisol was mainly predicted by total fin injury, temperature and the pH, ammonia and nitrite component. Total fin injury was majorly predicted by the management component concerning water supply, -supply per kg fish and -exchange duration as well as by stocking density, scale cortisol, the pH, ammonia and nitrite component and feeding frequency. Findings on scale cortisol support fin injuries to be an important welfare issue and suitable on-farm welfare indicator. Higher scale cortisol levels and higher fin injuries, directly and indirectly influenced by farm management, are indicative for impaired welfare and support the necessity of reducing chronic stress and the occurrence of fin injuries in aquaculture settings

Bullying and victimization of primary school children in England and Germany : prevalence and school factors

Differences in definitions and methodologies for assessing bullying in primary school children between countries have precluded direct comparisons of prevalence rates and school factors related to bullying. A total of 2377 children in England (6-year-olds/Year 2: 1072; 8-year-olds/Year 4: 1305) and 1538 in Germany (8-year-olds/Year 2) were questioned individually using an identical standard interview. In both countries the types of bullying to victimize others were similar: boys were most often perpetrators, most bullies were also victims (bully/victims), most bullying occurred in playgrounds and the classroom, and SES and ethnicity only showed weak associations with bullying behaviour. Major differences were found in victimization rates with 24% of English pupils becoming victims every week compared with only 8% in Germany. In contrast, fewer boys in England engaged every week in bullying (2.5–4.5%) than German boys (7.5%), while no differences were found between girls. In England, children in smaller classes were more often victimized. Further study of the group of bully/victims, schooling differences in England vs. Germany and implications for prevention of bullying are discussed