Effect of weather variables on biomass production and N uptake of catch crops, and their influence on soil water and Nmin content in Northern Germany

Der Anbau von nicht winterharten Zwischenfrüchten mit Resistenz gegenüber dem Rübenzystennematoden erfolgt bundesweit auf etwa der Hälfte der nächstjährigen Zuckerrübenfelder. Die vorliegende Studie zielte darauf ab, (i) den Einfluss der Witterungsbedingungen im Zeitraum des Zwischenfruchtanbaus auf das Wachstum von Weißem Senf (Sinapis alba) und einer Artenmischung aus 7 legumen und nicht-legumen Pflanzenarten zu analysieren. Darüber hinaus sollte die Wirkung dieser Zwischenfrüchte auf (ii) die Wasserverfügbarkeit für die Folgefrucht Zuckerrübe und (iii) das N-Auswaschungsrisiko über Winter im Vergleich zu einer Variante Strohmulch unter den Boden-, Klima- und Anbaubedingungen Norddeutschlands erfasst werden. Dazu wurden Feldversuche in 15 Umwelten durchgeführt (2012/13–2014/15, 5 Standorte pro Jahr).In einer Korrelationsanalyse erwiesen sich die mittlere tägliche Niederschlagsmenge nach Aussaat der Zwischen­frucht bis Ende September und die Lufttemperatur um die Monatsmitte des Septembers als maßgebliche Einflussgrößen auf die oberirdische Biomassebildung der Zwischenfrüchte bis Anfang November. Diese beiden Para­meter erklärten bis zu 70% der Varianz der Zwischenfrucht-Biomasse. Parameter, die den Aussaattermin bzw. die Länge der Vegetationszeit der Zwischenfrüchte unmittelbar beinhalteten, fanden keinen Eingang in die abgeleitete multiple Regression. Im Mittel senkte der Zwischenfruchtanbau den Bodenwassergehalt vor und nach Winter nicht gegenüber Strohmulch, wenngleich er vor Winter in 7 Umwelten nach Strohmulch signifikant höher lag als nach Zwischenfrucht. Nach Winter traten in keiner Umwelt mehr Unterschiede auf. Somit war der Boden­vorrat von Wasser für die nachfolgenden Zuckerrüben durch den Anbau von im Spätherbst gemulchten Zwischenfrüchten gegenüber Strohmulch nicht verringert.Sowohl der Senf als auch die Artenmischung senkten den Boden-Nmin-Gehalt vor Winter deutlich ab. Damit ist zunächst von einem geringeren Risiko der Nitratauswaschung während der Wintermonate auszugehen. Dennoch kann bei einem frühen Häckseltermin sowie milder und nasser Winterwitterung eine N-Mineralisation stattfinden, die das Auswaschungsrisiko erheblich steigert.In eine Gesamtbewertung des Zwischenfruchtanbaus in derzeit praxisüblicher Form müssen weitere Aspekte wie Nematodenkontrolle, Lachgasfreisetzung, Humusgehalt, Bodenstruktur, Erosionsschutz und Biodiversität einbezogen werden.The cultivation of non-frost tolerant catch crops with resistance against the beet cyst nematode is performed on almost 50% of the German sugar beet fields. Our study aimed to elucidate (i) the effect of weather variables during the growth period of catch crops on the biomass production of white mustard (Sinapis alba) and a species mixture including 7 legume and non-legume plant species. In addition, the influence of such catch crops on (ii) the amount of plant available soil water for subsequent sugar beet, and (iii) the risk of nitrate leaching over winter compared to a reference without catch crop (straw mulch) under the soil, climatic and management condition of Northern Germany was investigated. Field experiments were conducted in 15 environments (2012/13–2014/15, 5 sites per year).Correlation analysis revealed the mean daily rainfall after catch crop sowing until the end of September and the air temperature around mid-September as the main factors determining catch crop biomass production until beginning of November. The combination of both parame­ters explained up to 70% of the variation of the catch crop biomass. Parameters including the sowing date or the length of the growing season were not maintained in the multiple regression that was developed. Across all envi­ronments catch crop cultivation did not decrease the soil water content before and after winter compared to straw mulch, even if before winter it was significantly lower after straw mulch in 7 out of the 15 environments included. After winter such differences had completely disappeared. Thus, water consumption of catch crops mulched in late autumn did not shorten soil water supply for subsequent sugar beet crops.Both, cultivation of white mustard and species mixture substantially decreased the soil mineral nitrogen content before winter, which may indicate a lower risk of N leaching over winter. Nevertheless, when mulched in late autumn followed by mild temperatures and high rainfall over winter, N mineralization from catch crop residues may substantially increase the risk of N leaching.A comprehensive evaluation of the current practice of catch crop cultivation requires to take into account further aspects such as beet cyst nematode control, N2O emission, humus content, soil structure, erosion control and biodiversity

Surgical therapy of primary hepatic angiosarcoma

Abstract Background Primary hepatic angiosarcoma (PHA) is a rare tumor entity. Radical surgical resection is currently considered the best treatment choice. The aim of this analysis is to report our experience with surgery for PHA. Methods All resections of PHA from 01/2002 until 06/2017 were identified from our prospective institutional database. All cases were re-confirmed by a second pathologist. We analyzed completeness of resection, overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Results Nine patients with PHA underwent hepatic resection. Median follow-up after surgery was 15.5 months (range: 3–144). At last follow-up 4/9 patients were alive, three of them without recurrence 15, 21 and 144 months after surgery. Five patients developed PHA recurrence. Four of these died 3 to 17 months after surgery. One patient with PHA recurrence is alive 15 months after surgery. Another patient without PHA recurrence died 59 months after surgery from pancreatic cancer. Median OS and DFS after resection was 18 months (range: 3–144 months) and 10 months (range: 2–144 months), respectively. After R-0 resection (n = 8), the median OS and DFS was 59 and 11 months. Conclusions Resection of PHA is the only approach to achieve complete tumor removal and offers a chance for long-term survival and should be evaluated in cases of PHA

Elderly Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma benefit from Liver Transplantation as much as younger ones

Abstract: Introduction: The literature on liver transplantation (LT) for cirrhosis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (cirr-HCC) in elderly patients (≥65 years of age) is scarce. The aim of this study was therefore to analyze the outcome after LT for cirr-HCC in elderly patients in our single-center experience. Methods: All consecutive patients who underwent LT for cirr-HCC at our center were identified from our prospectively collected LT database and stratified into an elderly (≥65 years) and a younger (<65 years) cohort. Perioperative mortality as well as Kaplan-Meier estimations of overall (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were compared between age strata. A sub-group analysis was performed for patients with HCC only inside Milan criteria. For further oncological comparison, outcome in the subgroup of elderly LT recipients with HCC inside Milan was also compared to a group of elderly patients undergoing liver resection for cirr-HCC inside Milan extracted from our institutional liver resection database. Results: Out of 369 consecutive patients with cirr-HCC who underwent LT between 1998 and 2022 at our center, we identified 97 elderly (with a subgroup of 14 septuagenarians) and 272 younger LT patients. 5- and 10-year OS in elderly compared to younger LT patients was 63% and 52% vs. 63% and 46% (p = 0.67), respectively, while 5- and 10-year RFS was 58% and 49% vs. 58% and 44% (p = 0.69). 5-/10-year OS and RFS in 50 elderly LT recipients with HCC inside Milan were 68%/55% and 62%/54%, respectively, which compared to 46%/38% (p = 0.07)and 26%/14% (p < 0.0001) in elderly patients after liver resection for cirr-HCC inside Milan. Discussion/Conclusion: Our results in almost 100 elderly patients after LT for cirr-HCC show that older age per se should not be considered a contraindication to LT and that selected elderly patients older than 65 and even 70 years benefit from LT as much as younger ones

Outcome after Resection for Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Noncirrhotic Liver—A Single Centre Study

Liver cirrhosis is the most common risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, 10 to 15% of all HCC arise in a non-cirrhotic liver. Few reliable data exist on outcome after liver resection in a non-cirrhotic liver. The aim of this single-centre study was to evaluate the outcome of resection for HCC in non-cirrhotic liver (NC-HCC) and to determine prognostic factors for overall (OS) and intrahepatic recurrence-free (RFS) survival. From 2008 to 2020, a total of 249 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. Primary outcome was OS and RFS. Radiological and pathological findings, such as tumour size, number of nodules, Tumour-, Nodes-, Metastases- (TNM) classification and vascular invasion as well as extent of surgical resection and laboratory liver function were collected. Here, 249 patients underwent liver resection for NC-HCC. In this case, 50% of patients underwent major liver resection, perioperative mortality was 6.4%. Median OS was 35.4 months (range 1–151 months), median RFS was 10.5 months (range 1–128 moths). Tumour diameter greater than three centimetres, multifocal tumour disease, vascular invasion, preoperative low albumin and increased alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) values were associated with significantly worse OS. Our study shows that resection for NC-HCC is an acceptable treatment approach with comparatively good outcome even in extensive tumours

Opinions and use of neoadjuvant therapy for resectable, borderline resectable, and locally advanced pancreatic cancer: International survey and case-vignette study

Background: Several new treatment options have become available for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but the support for their use for resectable, borderline resectable and locally advanced PDAC is unclear. Methods: A survey was distributed to the members of the European-African Hepato-Pancreato Biliary Association (E-AHPBA) and the pancreas group of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) regarding 1) definitions of local resectability, 2) indications for neoadjuvant therapy and 3) case-vignettes regarding the resectability and treatment of PDAC. Results: In total, 114 participants from 37 countries were registered. About 35% of respondents, each, were of the opinion that borderline resectability is defined by any venous tumor contact and venous involvement < 180° or > 180°, respectively. The majority (75.4%) of participants believed that borderline resectable PDAC has a high risk for R1 resection and that neoadjuvant therapy might increase the R0-resection rate (79.8%) and improve oncological patient selection (84.2%). Chemotherapy was regarded useful to convert locally advanced to resectable PDAC by 55.7% of respondents. In the cases with resectable, borderline resectable, and locally advanced PDAC, 10 (8.8%), 78 (68.4%), 55 (48.2%) of participants would start with chemotherapy, respectively. Conclusions: Although definitions for borderline resectability differ among European surgeons, there seems to be a rather strong support for preoperative chemotherapy in PDAC aiming at minimizing R1 resections while increasing resection rates

The Quantitative Nuclear Matrix Proteome as a Biochemical Snapshot of Nuclear Organization

The nuclear matrix (NM) is an operationally defined structure of the mammalian cell nucleus that resists stringent biochemical extraction procedures applied subsequent to nuclease-mediated chromatin digestion of intact nuclei. This comprises removal of soluble biomolecules and chromatin by means of either detergent (LIS: lithium diiodosalicylate) or high salt (AS: ammonium sulfate, sodium chloride) treatment. So far, progress toward defining <i>bona fide</i> NM proteins has been hindered by the problem of distinguishing them from copurifying abundant contaminants and extraction-method-intrinsic precipitation artifacts. Here, we present a highly improved NM purification strategy, adding a FACS sorting step for efficient isolation of morphologically homogeneous lamin B positive NM specimens. SILAC-based quantitative proteome profiling of LIS-, AS-, or NaCl-extracted matrices versus the nuclear proteome together with rigorous statistical filtering enables the compilation of a high-quality catalogue of NM proteins commonly enriched among the three different extraction methods. We refer to this set of 272 proteins as the NM central proteome. Quantitative NM retention profiles for 2381 proteins highlight elementary features of nuclear organization and correlate well with immunofluorescence staining patterns reported in the Human Protein Atlas, demonstrating that the NM central proteome is significantly enriched in proteins exhibiting a nuclear body as well as nuclear speckle-like morphology

The Quantitative Nuclear Matrix Proteome as a Biochemical Snapshot of Nuclear Organization

The nuclear matrix (NM) is an operationally defined structure of the mammalian cell nucleus that resists stringent biochemical extraction procedures applied subsequent to nuclease-mediated chromatin digestion of intact nuclei. This comprises removal of soluble biomolecules and chromatin by means of either detergent (LIS: lithium diiodosalicylate) or high salt (AS: ammonium sulfate, sodium chloride) treatment. So far, progress toward defining <i>bona fide</i> NM proteins has been hindered by the problem of distinguishing them from copurifying abundant contaminants and extraction-method-intrinsic precipitation artifacts. Here, we present a highly improved NM purification strategy, adding a FACS sorting step for efficient isolation of morphologically homogeneous lamin B positive NM specimens. SILAC-based quantitative proteome profiling of LIS-, AS-, or NaCl-extracted matrices versus the nuclear proteome together with rigorous statistical filtering enables the compilation of a high-quality catalogue of NM proteins commonly enriched among the three different extraction methods. We refer to this set of 272 proteins as the NM central proteome. Quantitative NM retention profiles for 2381 proteins highlight elementary features of nuclear organization and correlate well with immunofluorescence staining patterns reported in the Human Protein Atlas, demonstrating that the NM central proteome is significantly enriched in proteins exhibiting a nuclear body as well as nuclear speckle-like morphology

Mixed Hepatocellular Cholangiocarcinoma: A Comparison of Survival between Mixed Tumors, Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma and Hepatocellular Carcinoma from a Single Center

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent primary liver malignancy, followed by intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). In addition, there is a mixed form for which only limited data are available. The aim of this study was to compare recurrence and survival of the mixed form within the cohorts of patients with HCC and ICC from a single center. Methods: Between January 2008 and December 2020, all patients who underwent surgical exploration for ICC, HCC, or mixed hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (mHC-CC) were included in this retrospective analysis. The data were analyzed, focusing on preoperative and operative details, histological outcome, and tumor recurrence, as well as overall and recurrence-free survival. Results: A total of 673 surgical explorations were performed, resulting in 202 resections for ICC, 344 for HCC (225 non-cirrhotic HCC, ncHCC; 119 cirrhotic HCC, cHCC), and 14 for mHC-CC. In addition, six patients underwent orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) in the belief of dealing with HCC. In 107 patients, tumors were irresectable (resection rate of 84%). Except for the cHCC group, major or even extended liver resections were required. Vascular or visceral extensions were performed regularly. Overall survival (OS) was highly variable, with a median OS of 17.6 months for ICC, 26 months for mHC-CC, 31.8 months for cHCC, and 37.2 months for ncHCC. Tumor recurrence was common, with a rate of 45% for mHC-CC, 48.9% for ncHCC, 60.4% for ICC, and 67.2% for cHCC. The median recurrence-free survival was 7.3 months for ICC, 14.4 months for cHCC, 16 months for mHC-CC, and 17 months for ncHCC. The patients who underwent OLT for mHC-CC showed a median OS of 57.5 and RFS of 56.5 months. Conclusions: mHC-CC has a comparable course and outcome to ICC. The cholangiocarcinoma component seems to be the dominant one and, therefore, may be responsible for the prognosis. ‘Accidental’ liver transplant for mHC-CC within the Milan criteria offers a good long-term outcome. This might be an option in countries with no or minor organ shortage

Influence of Lymphangio (L), Vascular (V), and Perineural (Pn) Invasion on Recurrence and Survival of Resected Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma

(1) Background: Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is a rare malignancy. Besides tumor, nodal, and metastatic status, the UICC TNM classification describes further parameters such as lymphangio- (L0/L1), vascular (V0/V1/V2), and perineural invasion (Pn0/Pn1). The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of these parameters on recurrence and survival. (2) Methods: All surgical explorations for patients with ICC between January 2008 and June 2018 were collected and further analyzed in our institutional database. Statistical analyses focused on perineural, lymphangio-, and vascular invasion examined histologically and their influence on tumor recurrence and survival. (3) Results: Of 210 patients who underwent surgical exploration, 150 underwent curative-intended resection. Perineural invasion was present in 41, lymphangioinvasion in 21, and vascular invasion in 37 patients (V1 n = 34, V2 n = 3). Presence of P1, V+ and L1 was significantly associated with positivity of each other of these factors (p &lt; 0.001, each). None of the three parameters showed direct influence on tumor recurrence in general, but perineural invasion influenced extrahepatic recurrence significantly (p = 0.019). Whereas lymphangio and vascular invasion was neither associated with overall nor recurrence-free survival, perineural invasion was significantly associated with a poor 1-, 3- and 5-year overall survival (OS) of 80%, 35%, and 23% for Pn0 versus 75%, 23%, and 0% for Pn1 (p = 0.027). Concerning recurrence-free survival (RFS), Pn0 showed a 1-, 3- and 5-year RFS of 42%, 18%, and 16% versus 28%, 11%, and 0% for Pn1, but no significance was reached (p = 0.091). (4) Conclusions: Whereas lymphangio- and vascular invasion showed no significant influence in several analyses, the presence of perineural invasion was associated with a significantly higher risk of extrahepatic tumor recurrence and worse overall survival

Polyamine metabolism is a central determinant of helper T cell lineage fidelity

Polyamine synthesis represents one of the most profound metabolic changes during T cell activation, but the biological implications of this are scarcely known. Here, we show that polyamine metabolism is a fundamental process governing the ability of CD4+ helper T cells (TH) to polarize into different functional fates. Deficiency in ornithine decarboxylase, a crucial enzyme for polyamine synthesis, results in a severe failure of CD4+ T cells to adopt correct subset specification, underscored by ectopic expression of multiple cytokines and lineage-defining transcription factors across TH cell subsets. Polyamines control TH differentiation by providing substrates for deoxyhypusine synthase, which synthesizes the amino acid hypusine, and mice in which T cells are deficient for hypusine develop severe intestinal inflammatory disease. Polyamine-hypusine deficiency caused widespread epigenetic remodeling driven by alterations in histone acetylation and a re-wired tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Thus, polyamine metabolism is critical for maintaining the epigenome to focus TH cell subset fidelity