Simulating microbial degradation of organic matter in a simple porous system using the 3-D diffusion-based model MOSAIC

This paper deals with the simulation of microbial degradation of organic matter in soil within the pore space at a microscopic scale. Pore space was analysed with micro-computed tomography and described using a sphere network coming from a geometrical modelling algorithm. The biological model was improved regarding previous work in order to include the transformation of dissolved organic compounds and diffusion processes. We tested our model using experimental results of a simple substrate decomposition experiment (fructose) within a simple medium (sand) in the presence of different bacterial strains. Separate incubations were carried out in microcosms using five different bacterial communities at two different water potentials of −10 and −100 cm of water. We calibrated the biological parameters by means of experimental data obtained at high water content, and we tested the model without changing any parameters at low water content. Same as for the experimental data, our simulation results showed that the decrease in water content caused a decrease of mineralization rate. The model was able to simulate the decrease of connectivity between substrate and microorganism due the decrease of water content

A Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis of Natural Genetic Variation for \u3ci\u3eDrosophila melanogaster\u3c/i\u3e Oxidative Stress Survival

Little is known about natural genetic variation for survival under oxidative stress conditions or whether genetic variation for oxidative stress survival is associated with that for life-history traits. We have investigated survival in a high-oxygen environment at 2 adult densities using a set of re-combinant inbred lines (RILs) isolated from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster. Female and male oxidative stress survival was highly correlated. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for oxidative stress survival were identified on both autosomes. These QTLs were sometimes sex or density spe-cific but were most often not. QTLs were identified that colocalize to the same region of the genome as longevity in other studies using the same set of RILs. We also determined early-age egg produc-tion and found QTLs for this trait, but there was no support for an association between oxidative stress survival and egg production

A Quantitative Trait Locus Analysis of Natural Genetic Variation for \u3ci\u3eDrosophila melanogaster\u3c/i\u3e Oxidative Stress Survival

Little is known about natural genetic variation for survival under oxidative stress conditions or whether genetic variation for oxidative stress survival is associated with that for life-history traits. We have investigated survival in a high-oxygen environment at 2 adult densities using a set of re-combinant inbred lines (RILs) isolated from a natural population of Drosophila melanogaster. Female and male oxidative stress survival was highly correlated. Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for oxidative stress survival were identified on both autosomes. These QTLs were sometimes sex or density spe-cific but were most often not. QTLs were identified that colocalize to the same region of the genome as longevity in other studies using the same set of RILs. We also determined early-age egg produc-tion and found QTLs for this trait, but there was no support for an association between oxidative stress survival and egg production

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an internet intervention for family caregivers of people with dementia: design of a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The number of people with dementia is rising rapidly as a consequence of the greying of the world population. There is an urgent need to develop cost effective approaches that meet the needs of people with dementia and their family caregivers. Depression, feelings of burden and caregiver stress are common and serious health problems in these family caregivers. Different kinds of interventions are developed to prevent or reduce the negative psychological consequences of caregiving. The use of internet interventions is still very limited, although they may be a cost effective way to support family caregivers in an earlier stage and diminish their psychological distress in the short and longer run.</p> <p>Methods/design</p> <p>A pragmatic randomized controlled trial is designed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of ‘Mastery over Dementia’, an internet intervention for caregivers of people with dementia. The intervention aims at prevention and decrease of psychological distress, in particular depressive symptoms. The experimental condition consists of an internet course with 8 sessions and a booster session over a maximum period of 6 months guided by a psychologist. Caregivers in the comparison condition receive a minimal intervention. In addition to a pre and post measurement, an intermediate measurement will be conducted. In addition, there will be two follow-up measurements 3 and 6 months after post-treatment in the experimental group only. To study the effectiveness of the intervention, depressive symptoms are used as the primary outcome, whereas symptoms of anxiety, role overload and caregiver perceived stress are used as secondary outcomes. To study which caregivers profit most of the internet intervention, several variables that may modify the impact of the intervention are taken into account. Regarding the cost-effectiveness, an economic evaluation will be conducted from a societal perspective.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This study will provide evidence about the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of an internet intervention for caregivers. If both can be shown, this might set the stage for the development of a range of internet interventions in the field of caregiving for people with dementia. This is even more important because future generations of caregivers will be more familiar with the use of internet.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>NTR-2051/RCT-DDB</p

Endothelial cell-derived oxysterol ablation attenuates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.

The vasculature is a key regulator of leukocyte trafficking into the central nervous system (CNS) during inflammatory diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the impact of endothelial-derived factors on CNS immune responses remains unknown. Bioactive lipids, in particular oxysterols downstream of Cholesterol-25-hydroxylase (Ch25h), promote neuroinflammation but their functions in the CNS are not well-understood. Using floxed-reporter Ch25h knock-in mice, we trace Ch25h expression to CNS endothelial cells (ECs) and myeloid cells and demonstrate that Ch25h ablation specifically from ECs attenuates experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Mechanistically, inflamed Ch25h-deficient CNS ECs display altered lipid metabolism favoring polymorphonuclear myeloid-derived suppressor cell (PMN-MDSC) expansion, which suppresses encephalitogenic T lymphocyte proliferation. Additionally, endothelial Ch25h-deficiency combined with immature neutrophil mobilization into the blood circulation nearly completely protects mice from EAE. Our findings reveal a central role for CNS endothelial Ch25h in promoting neuroinflammation by inhibiting the expansion of immunosuppressive myeloid cell populations