Homeopathy for seasonal allergic rhinitis: rationale, design and methods of the three-armed randomized controlled HOMEOSAR trial

Background: Patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) frequently use homeopathic therapy. Although there is some evidence that homeopathy may be effective in treating symptoms of SAR, there is a lack of high-quality clinical trials. Therefore, the aim of the homeopathy for SAR (HOMEOSAR) trial is to determine the efficacy of individualized or standardized homeopathic drug treatment compared to placebo regarding rhinitis-related quality of life in patients with SAR. Methods: This randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, three-armed intervention study will be conducted at two university hospital outpatient clinics for complementary and integrative medicine in Berlin and in 12 office-based practices specializing in homeopathic treatment in Germany. A total of 270 patients with clinical symptoms of SAR and positive allergy test to birch and grass pollen will receive homeopathic anamnesis and subsequently be randomized into (a) standardized homeopathic drug treatment with Galphimia Glauca (potency D6), (b) individualized homeopathic drug treatment (D6), or (c) placebo. All three groups can receive on-demand rescue medication as needed. Treatment will consist of two consultations and daily intake of the study medication for 4 weeks during the pollen season. The primary outcome is the mean overall score of the Rhinitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) in weeks 3 and 4, analyzed using analysis of covariance (adjusted for baseline RQLQ overall score and study center). A closed testing procedure will be used to control the overall type I error comparing the 3 treatment groups. Secondary outcomes include the overall RQLQ and its seven domain scores, responder status (decrease in RQLQ overall score of at least 0.5 points compared to the baseline value), use of rescue medication, intensity of total and individual SAR symptoms based on visual analog scale, generic health-related quality of life, safety, utilization of health care resources and associated costs. In addition, a qualitative data analysis is planned. Conclusion: The results of our study will contribute to clarifying the possible therapeutic effects of homeopathic drug treatment for patients with SAR

Investigation of Adverse Reactions in Tattooed Skin through Histological and Chemical Analysis

Background: Just as the number of tattooed people has increased in recent years, so has the number of adverse reactions in tattooed skin. Tattoo colourants contain numerous, partly unidentified substances, which have the potential to provoke adverse skin reactions like allergies or granulomatous reactions. Identification of the triggering substances is often difficult or even impossible. Methods: Ten patients with typical adverse reactions in tattooed skin were enrolled in the study. Skin punch biopsies were taken and the paraffin-embedded specimens were analysed by standard haematoxylin and eosin and anti-CD3 stainings. Tattoo colourants provided by patients and punch biopsies of patients were analysed with different chromatography and mass spectrometry methods and X-ray fluorescence. Blood samples of 2 patients were screened for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R). Results: Histology showed variable skin reactions such as eosinophilic infiltrate, granulomatous reactions, or pseudolymphoma. CD3+ T lymphocytes dominated the dermal cellular infiltrate. Most patients had adverse skin reactions in red tattoos (n = 7), followed by white tattoos (n = 2). The red tattooed skin areas predominantly contained Pigment Red (P.R.) 170, but also P.R. 266, Pigment Orange (P.O.) 13, P.O. 16, and Pigment Blue (P.B.) 15. The white colourant of 1 patient contained rutile titanium dioxide but also other metals like nickel and chromium and methyl dehydroabietate – known as the main ingredient of colophonium. None of the 2 patients showed increased levels of ACE and sIL-2R related to sarcoidosis. Seven of the study participants showed partial or complete remission after treatment with topical steroids, intralesional steroids, or topical tacrolimus. Conclusions: The combination of the methods presented might be a rational approach to identify the substances that trigger adverse reactions in tattoos. Such an approach might help make tattoo colourants safer in the future if such trigger substances could be omitted

Molecular characterisation of sporadic endolymphatic sac tumours and comparison to von Hippel–Lindau disease‐related tumours

Aims: Although inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau gene (VHL) on chromosome 3p25 is considered to be the major cause of hereditary endolymphatic sac tumours (ELSTs), the genetic background of sporadic ELST is largely unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of VHL mutations in sporadic ELSTs and compare their characteristics to VHL-disease-related tumours. Methods: Genetic and epigenetic alterations were compared between 11 sporadic and 11 VHL-disease-related ELSTs by targeted sequencing and DNA methylation analysis. Results: VHL mutations and small deletions detected by targeted deep sequencing were identified in 9/11 sporadic ELSTs (82%). No other cancer-related genetic pathway was altered except for TERT promoter mutations in two sporadic ELST and one VHL-disease-related ELST (15%). Loss of heterozygosity of chromosome 3 was found in 6/10 (60%) VHL-disease-related and 10/11 (91%) sporadic ELSTs resulting in biallelic VHL inactivation in 8/10 (73%) sporadic ELSTs. DNA methylation profiling did not reveal differences between sporadic and VHL-disease-related ELSTs but reliably distinguished ELST from morphological mimics of the cerebellopontine angle. VHL patients were significantly younger at disease onset compared to sporadic ELSTs (29 vs. 52 years, p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test). VHL-disease status was not associated with an increased risk of recurrence, but the presence of clear cells was found to be associated with shorter progression-free survival (p = 0.0002, log-rank test). Conclusion: Biallelic inactivation of VHL is the main mechanism underlying ELSTs, but unknown mechanisms beyond VHL may rarely be involved in the pathogenesis of sporadic ELSTs

PeRL:A circum-Arctic Permafrost Region Pond and Lake database

Ponds and lakes are abundant in Arctic permafrost lowlands. They play an important role in Arctic wetland ecosystems by regulating carbon, water, and energy fluxes and providing freshwater habitats. However, ponds, i.e., waterbodies with surface areas smaller than 1. 0 × 104ĝ€m2, have not been inventoried on global and regional scales. The Permafrost Region Pond and Lake (PeRL) database presents the results of a circum-Arctic effort to map ponds and lakes from modern (2002-2013) high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery with a resolution of 5ĝ€m or better. The database also includes historical imagery from 1948 to 1965 with a resolution of 6ĝ€m or better. PeRL includes 69 maps covering a wide range of environmental conditions from tundra to boreal regions and from continuous to discontinuous permafrost zones. Waterbody maps are linked to regional permafrost landscape maps which provide information on permafrost extent, ground ice volume, geology, and lithology. This paper describes waterbody classification and accuracy, and presents statistics of waterbody distribution for each site. Maps of permafrost landscapes in Alaska, Canada, and Russia are used to extrapolate waterbody statistics from the site level to regional landscape units. PeRL presents pond and lake estimates for a total area of 1. 4 × 106ĝ€km2 across the Arctic, about 17ĝ€% of the Arctic lowland ( &lt; ĝ€300ĝ€mĝ€a.s.l.) land surface area. PeRL waterbodies with sizes of 1. 0 × 106ĝ€m2 down to 1. 0 × 102ĝ€m2 contributed up to 21ĝ€% to the total water fraction. Waterbody density ranged from 1. 0 × 10 to 9. 4 × 101ĝ€kmĝ'2. Ponds are the dominant waterbody type by number in all landscapes representing 45-99ĝ€% of the total waterbody number. The implementation of PeRL size distributions in land surface models will greatly improve the investigation and projection of surface inundation and carbon fluxes in permafrost lowlands. Waterbody maps, study area boundaries, and maps of regional permafrost landscapes including detailed metadata are available at https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.868349

Epigenetic Control of the foxp3 Locus in Regulatory T Cells

Compelling evidence suggests that the transcription factor Foxp3 acts as a master switch governing the development and function of CD4(+) regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, whether transcriptional control of Foxp3 expression itself contributes to the development of a stable Treg lineage has thus far not been investigated. We here identified an evolutionarily conserved region within the foxp3 locus upstream of exon-1 possessing transcriptional activity. Bisulphite sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed complete demethylation of CpG motifs as well as histone modifications within the conserved region in ex vivo isolated Foxp3(+)CD25(+)CD4(+) Tregs, but not in naïve CD25(−)CD4(+) T cells. Partial DNA demethylation is already found within developing Foxp3(+) thymocytes; however, Tregs induced by TGF-β in vitro display only incomplete demethylation despite high Foxp3 expression. In contrast to natural Tregs, these TGF-β–induced Foxp3(+) Tregs lose both Foxp3 expression and suppressive activity upon restimulation in the absence of TGF-β. Our data suggest that expression of Foxp3 must be stabilized by epigenetic modification to allow the development of a permanent suppressor cell lineage, a finding of significant importance for therapeutic applications involving induction or transfer of Tregs and for the understanding of long-term cell lineage decisions

Slaughter weight rather than sex affects carcass cuts and tissue composition of Bisaro pigs

Carcass cuts and tissue composition were assessed in Bisaro pigs (n=64) from two sexes (31 gilts and 33 entire males) reared until three target slaughter body-weights (BW) means: 17 kg, 32 kg, and 79 kg. Dressing percentage and backfat thickness increased whereas carcass shrinkage decreased with increasing BW. Slaughter weight affected most of the carcass cut proportions, except shoulder and thoracic regions. Bone proportion decreased linearly with increasing slaughter BW, while intermuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue depots increased concomitantly. Slaughter weight increased the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportion but this impaired intramuscular and intermuscular adipose tissues in the loin primal. The sex of the pigs minimally affected the carcass composition, as only the belly weight and the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportions were greater in gilts than in entire males. Light pigs regardless of sex are recommended to balance the trade-offs between carcass cuts and their non-edible compositional outcomes.Work included in the Portuguese PRODER research Project BISOPORC – Pork extensive production of Bísara breed, in two alternative systems: fattening on concentrate vs chesnut, Project PRODER SI I&DT Medida 4.1 “Cooperação para a Inovação”. The authors are grateful to Laboratory of Carcass and Meat Quality of Agriculture School of Polytechnic Institute of Bragança ‘Cantinho do Alfredo’. The authors are members of the MARCARNE network, funded by CYTED (ref. 116RT0503).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

Jedes Lebensmittel hat seinen Wert - Gegenüberstellung der Produktionswege von konventionell und ökologisch erzeugten Lebensmitteln am Beispiel Backwaren

Deutsche Bundesbürger werfen im Jahr durchschnittlich 235,- Euro in Form von 82 kg genussfähiger Lebensmittel in den Mülleimer. Gleichzeitig wird Deutschen Verbrauchern eine „Sparfuchs-Mentalität“ nachgesagt und in kaum einem anderen europäischen Land wird weniger Geld für Lebensmittel ausgegeben als in Deutschland. Hier tut sich eine Diskrepanz auf: einerseits das Bestreben, Geld sparen zu wollen – andererseits Geld im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes weg zu werfen. Diese Widersprüche im Verhalten lassen die Frage aufkommen, wie es um das Verhältnis der Verbraucher zu ihren täglichen Nahrungsmitteln gestellt ist. Dies lässt den Schluss zu, dass eine Wertschätzung gegenüber der Wertschöpfungskette nicht gegeben ist, vermutlich weil Unwissenheit über die aufwendigen Produktionsprozesse vom Rohstoff zum Endprodukt bei den meisten Verbrauchern besteht. Vor diesem Hintergrund entstand die Motivation, die Wertschöpfungskette von konventionell und ökologisch erzeugten Backwaren darzustellen und in einem Informationsflyer die bis zu zwanzig Hauptarbeitsschritte sichtbar zu machen. Daneben werden die Unterschiede von konventionell und ökologisch erzeugten Produkten aufgezeigt und der ethische bzw. qualitative Mehrwert von Bio-Lebensmitteln erläutert. Ein positiver Trend zeigt sich bereits in aktuellen Umfragen wie dem Ökobarometer 2013: besonders junge Menschen beschäftigen sich mehr mit nachhaltigem, bewusstem Konsum und greifen vermehrt zu Bio-Produkten. Hier gilt es anzuschließen, noch mehr Verbraucher aufzuklären und sie für ihre Kaufentscheidungen zu sensibilisieren. Durch die Kenntniserweiterung vom Herstellungsprozess, sowie von den zahlreichen beteiligten Parteien, soll ein bewussterer Umgang und ein verändertes Preisverständnis bei den Verbrauchern erzielt werden, was dazu beiträgt, die Wertschätzung und den Respekt für unsere täglichen Lebensmittel zu stärken.During one year, German citizens waste about 235,- Euros by throwing 82 kg of eatable food in the garbage. At the same time, German consumers are said to be rather niggardly with their expenses for foodstuff. In almost no other European country less money is spent for edibles than in Germany. These two facts show a wide discrepancy: on the one hand consumers aim to save money; on the other hand they throw their cash away in the truest sense of word. This contradiction in consumers’ behavior raises the question about the relationship of consumers towards their daily nourishment. It may be assumed, that an appreciation towards the value added chain is not present, which could be due to their missing knowledge about the complex production process from the raw materials to the end product. Bearing this situation in mind, it seems quite necessary to illustrate the whole value added chain. This is done on the example of bread, produced in conventional farming on the one hand and ecological farming on the other. There are up to twenty main production steps, which shall be illustrated in an informational flyer for consumers. Further the differences between conventional and ecological farming are to be identified as well as the ethical respectively qualitative additional benefit shall be clarified. In the current ‘Ökobarometer 2013’ a fairly positive trend can be realized: especially young people are engaged with sustainable and conscious consumption and make their choice more frequently for organic products. This is a good starting point to continue to inform more consumers and to sensitize them about their daily acting. Once they have achieved a bigger knowledge about the production process as well as of the numerous parties involved in this process, they shall develop a more conscious handling plus a more careful understanding of the price paid for food. These comprehensions shall strengthen the appreciation and the respect for their daily foodstuffs

Funktionäre Olympias auf einem hocharchaischen Bronzeblech (BrU 6)

Ein kleines, stark fragmentiertes dünnes Bronzeblech von vier erhaltenen Textzeilen erwähnt den Theokolos, den Proxenos und den Diaitater, den archaischen Vorgänger des Hellanodiken. Die Schrift ist elisch und lässt sich in das dritte Viertel des 6. Jh. v. Chr. datieren. Bemerkenswert ist der Umstand, dass das Blech schon im letzten Viertel des Jahrhunderts in einen Brunnen abgeräumt wurde, nachdem offenbar das Gesetz nach ca. 20–30 Jahren obsolet geworden und der Sichtbarkeit entzogen wurde.A small, heavily fragmented bronze sheet containing four text lines, mentions three Olympic magistrates: the theokolos, the proxenos and the diaitater. The last one is the archaic predecessor of the hellanodikas. The inscription is written with the Elean alphabet und may date back to the third quarter of the sixth century. Remarkably soon after, already 20 or 30 years later, the sheet was put away into a water well: the lex sacra probably became obsolete and was no longer visible