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Der Speierling ist eine südeuropäisch-submediterrane Baumart. Wegen seiner essbaren und als Weinzusatz nutzbaren Früchte wird er seit dem Altertum kultiviert. Dadurch ist der Status in Mitteleuropa teilweise unklar. In Deutschland befindet sich der Speierling an der Arealnordgrenze. Er kommt hier als Waldbaum selten an wärmebegünstigten und zumeist basenreichen Standorten vor, insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit ehemaliger Nieder- oder Mittelwaldnutzung. In Hessen hat der Speierling keine ursprünglichen Vorkommen. Die Vorkommen im Rhein-Main-Tiefland (Region SW) sind kulturbedingt oder es handelt sich dabei um spontane Einzelvorkommen. Die bisher als indigen angesehenen Vorkommen im Oberen Mittelrheintal, Rheingaugebirge, Wispertaunus (alle Region NW) und Rheingau (Region SW) werden aufgrund von Quellenrecherchen neu bewertet und als Kulturrelikte (Verwilderung) angesehen (Statusvorschläge: T für die Regionen Nordwest und Südwest).
Buchbesprechungen
(2015)
Es werden folgende Publikation rezensiert: Dietz et al.: Hessische Naturwaldreservate im Portrait: Weserhänge, Hessen-Forst: Artenschutzinfo Nr. 11, Hessisches Ministerium für Umwelt, Energie, Landwirtschaft und Verbraucherschutz: Natura 2000, Lippert & Meierott: Kommentierte Artenliste der Farn- und Blütenpflanzen Bayerns, Starke-Ottich et al.: Stadtnatur im Wandel-Artenvielfalt in Frankfurt am Main.
The paper addresses the problem of justifying ethically sound dimensions of poverty or well-being for use in a multidimensional framework. We combine Sen’s capability approach and Rawls’ method of political constructivism and argue that the constitution and its interpretative practice can serve as an ethically suitable informational basis for selecting dimensions, under certain conditions. We illustrate our Constitutional Approach by deriving a set of well-being dimensions from an analysis of the Italian Constitution. We argue that this method is both an improvement on those used in the existing literature from the ethical point of view, and has a strong potential for providing the ethical basis of a conception of well-being for the public affairs of a pluralist society. In the final part, we elaborate on the implications for measuring well-being based on data, by ranking Italian regions in terms of well-being, and pointing out the differences in results produced by different methods.
Anlass für diese molekular-genetische Studie war der Verdacht, dass die seit 1986 bekannten und seitdem stark expandierten Populationen des Zwerg- Sonnenröschens (Fumana procumbens) im Naturschutzgebiet "Scheid bei Volkmarsen" in Nordhessen angesalbt wurden. Die Art war zuvor aus Nordhessen nicht gemeldet; lediglich in Südhessen waren isolierte Vorkommen auf kalkreichen Sanddünen bekannt. Eine Split-Netzwerk-Analyse basierend auf AFLP-Profilen von 69 Individuen an acht Lokalitäten konnte aufdecken, dass sich die südhessischen und französischen Populationen im Netzwerk jeweils klar als eigene Gruppen abgrenzen, während sich die nordhessischen Individuen mit den thüringischen, sachsen-anhaltinischen und gotländischen Aufsammlungen mischen. Die Frage nach der Ansalbung der Bestände lässt sich durch die Studie nicht beantworten. Wurde angesalbt, dann stammte das Ausgangsmaterial höchstwahrscheinlich aus den östlich sich anschließenden Populationen.
Seit dem Erscheinen der als Beiheft 11 publizierten "Letzten Nachweise der in Hessen ausgestorbenen oder verschollenen Pflanzenarten" und der im vorigen Heft von "Botanik und Naturschutz in Hessen" nachgetragenen Funde konnten weitere Angaben zu ehemaligen Vorkommen in Hessen durch Auswertung von gedruckten Quellen und Sichtung von Herbarbelegen gewonnen werden. Eine Art, Wolffia arrhiza, konnte inzwischen wiedergefunden werden. Außerdem ergeben sich Erstnachweise für Vorkommen auf bislang nicht genannten TK-Quadranten.
Die hessischen Vorkommen des Elsässer Haarstrangs (Peucedanum alsaticum) wurden 2013 bei einer umfassenden Bestandsaufnahme erfasst. Nur bei Wiesbaden- Kastel und im Gebiet zwischen der Mainspitze und Groß-Gerau konnten Bestände gefunden werden. Da auch in der jüngeren Vergangenheit Wuchsorte verloren gingen, ist es notwendig, die verbliebenen Bestände durch geeignete Maßnahmen zu sichern und zu erhalten.
Das Herbar von Theodor Beyer, separat gelagert in Marburg (MB), wurde analysiert mit Blick auf Belege aus Hessen. Unter etlichen Tausend Belegen befinden sich auch 1336 Belege aus Hessen, darunter 746 von Theodor Beyer zwischen 1818 und 1827 gesammelte. Weitere bedeutende Sammler aus diesem Raum sind Wilhelm Gärtner und Gottfried Gärtner. Angaben zur Biographie von Theodor Beyer werden gemacht. Die Belege wurden überwiegend um Frankfurt am Main und Hanau gesammelt. Unser Wissen über die ehemalige Verbreitung der hessischen Pflanzen wird durch Belege von Sesleria caerulea, Erstfund für die Region Südwest, Viola elatior, erster sicherer Nachweis für die Untermainebene, oder Belege der Unbeständigen Cyclospermum leptophyllum und Urtica pilulifera erweitert.
Buchbesprechungen
(2014)
Es werden folgende Publikation rezensiert: Baumbach & Pfützenreuter: Steppenlebensräume Europas, Beil et al.: Die Sand-Silberscharte in Hessen, Bönsel et al.: Naturschätze in Gießen, Bönsel et al.: Von Venuskamm, Finkensame und Hasenohr, Bönsel et al.: Die Pflanzenwelt im Westerwald, Hodvina: Die Pflanzenaquarelle des Emil Pfeiffer, Jenrich et al.: Das Rote Moor, Lange: Blütenzauber, Magistrat der Stadt Offenbach am Main: Lebensräume und Artenvielfalt in Offenbach, Schmidt & Meyer: Hessische Naturwaldreservate im Portrait: Kinzigaue.
Die Fundmeldungen in Band 27 von Botanik und Naturschutz in Hessen stammen von: Ralf Angersbach, Annemarie Bähr, Karsten Böger, Dirk Bönsel, Wolfgang Ehmke, Marion Eichler, Christian Feuring, Hans-Joachim Flügel, Thomas Gregor, Heinz Kalheber, Iva Krausova, Hasko Friedrich Nesemann, Uwe Raabe, Susanne Raehse & Bernd Sauerwein, Bernd Sauerwein, Indra Starke-Ottich, Koloman Stich, Michael Uebeler und Franziska Walther.
Die Mitte der 1990er Jahre erfolgte Erfassung von Sedum villosum in Hessen wurde wiederholt. Die Vorkommen in der Rhön sind durch verringerte Weideintensität rückläufig. Ein Vorkommen ist hier offenbar erloschen. Das Vorkommen im Unteren Vogelsberg besteht weiterhin, obwohl die Standortbedingungen an einer Waldstraße ungünstig erscheinen. Das Vorkommen im Vorderen Vogelsberg ist erloschen. Ein zwischenzeitlich entdecktes Vorkommen in der Westhessischen Senke bei Alsfeld auf einem Basaltweg ist stabil; allerdings ist die Zukunftsprognose für dieses Vorkommen auf Grund von Brache negativ. Über die ersten Erfahrungen bei der Wiederansiedlung aus einer Erhaltungskultur wird berichtet.
Recommendations from the ESO-Karolinska Stroke Update Conference, Stockholm 13–15 November 2016
(2017)
About the meeting: The purpose of the European Stroke Organisation (ESO)-Karolinska Stroke Update Conference is to provide updates on recent stroke therapy research and to give an opportunity for the participants to discuss how these results may be implemented into clinical routine. Several scientific sessions discussed in the meeting and each session produced consensus statements. The meeting started 20 years ago as Karolinska Stroke Update, but since 2014, it is a joint conference with ESO. Importantly, it provides a platform for discussion on the ESO guidelines process and on recommendations to the ESO guidelines committee on specific topics. By this, it adds a direct influence from stroke professionals otherwise not involved in committees and work groups on the guidelines procedure. The discussions at the conference may also inspire new guidelines when motivated. The topics raised at the meeting are selected by the scientific programme committee mainly based on recent important scientific publications. The ESO-Karolinska Stroke Update consensus statement and recommendations will be published every 2 years and it will work as implementation of ESO-guidelines
Background: Electrical stimulation (ES) has a long history of successful use in the clinical treatment of refractory, non-healing bone fractures and has recently been proposed as an adjunct to bone tissue-engineering treatments to optimize their therapeutic potential. This idea emerged from ES’s demonstrated positive effects on stem cell migration, proliferation, differentiation and adherence to scaffolds, all cell behaviors recognized to be advantageous in Bone Tissue Engineering (BTE). In previous in vitro experiments we demonstrated that direct current ES, administered daily, accelerates Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) osteogenic differentiation. In the present study, we sought to define the optimal ES regimen for maximizing this pro-osteogenic effect.
Methods: Rat bone marrow-derived MSC were exposed to 100 mV/mm, 1 hr/day for three, seven, and 14 days, then osteogenic differentiation was assessed at Day 14 of culture by measuring collagen production, calcium deposition, alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenic marker gene expression.
Results: We found that exposing MSC to ES for three days had minimal effect, while seven and 14 days resulted in increased osteogenic differentiation, as indicated by significant increases in collagen and calcium deposits, and expression of osteogenic marker genes Col1a1, Osteopontin, Osterix and Calmodulin. We also found that cells treated with ES for seven days, maintained this pro-osteogenic activity long (for at least seven days) after discontinuing ES exposure.
Discussion: This study showed that while three days of ES is insufficient to solicit pro-osteogenic effects, seven and 14 days significantly increases osteogenic differentiation. Importantly, we found that cells treated with ES for only seven days, maintained this pro-osteogenic activity long after discontinuing ES exposure. This sustained positive osteogenic effect is likely due to the enhanced expression of RunX2 and Calmodulin we observed. This prolonged positive osteogenic effect, long after discontinuing ES treatment, if incorporated into BTE treatment protocols, could potentially improve outcomes and in doing so help BTE achieve its full therapeutic potential.
Intestinal graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is a life-threatening, inflammatory donor T cell-mediated complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). In the light of the reported efficacy of interleukin-23 (IL-23)-blockade to mitigate syngeneic intestinal inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease patients, targeting IL-23 and thereby interleukin-17a (IL-17a) producing T helper (Th17) cells as the T cell subset assumed to be mostly regulated by IL-23, has emerged as a putatively general concept to harness immune-mediated mucosal inflammation irrespective of the underlying trigger. However, the role of Th17 cells during allo-response driven colitis remains ambiguous due to a series of studies with inconclusive results. Interestingly, we recently identified granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF+) T cells to be promoted by interleukin-7 (IL-7) signaling and controlled by the activating protein-1 transcription factor family member basic leucine zipper transcription factor ATF-like (BATF) as critical mediators of intestinal GvHD in mice. Given the dual role of BATF, the contribution of IL-23-mediated signaling within donor T cells and bona fide Th17 cells remains to be delineated from the regulation of GM-CSF+ T cells in the absence of BATF. Here, we found in a complete MHC class I-mismatched model that genetic inactivation of the IL-23 receptor (IL-23R) or the transcription factor retinoic acid-related orphan receptor gamma t (RORγt) within donor T cells similarly ablated Th17 cell formation in vivo but preserved the T cells’ ability to induce intestinal GvHD in a compared to wild-type controls indistinguishable manner. Importantly, RORγt-independent manifestation of intestinal GvHD was completely dependent on BATF-regulated GM-CSF+ T cells as BATF/RORγt double-deficient T cells failed to induce colitis and the antibody-mediated blockage of IL-7/IL-7R interaction and GM-CSF significantly diminished signs of intestinal GvHD elicited by RORγt-deficient donor T cells. Finally, in analogy to our murine studies, colonic RORC expression levels inversely correlated with the presence of GvHD in allo-HSCT patients. Together, this study provides a crucial example of a BATF-dependent, however, IL-23R signaling- and RORγt-, i.e., Th17 fate-independent regulation of a colitogenic T cell population critically impacting the current understanding of intestinal GvHD.
We present an open-source Python package to compute information-theoretical quantities for electroencephalographic data. Electroencephalography (EEG) measures the electrical potential generated by the cerebral cortex and the set of spatial patterns projected by the brain's electrical potential on the scalp surface can be clustered into a set of representative maps called EEG microstates. Microstate time series are obtained by competitively fitting the microstate maps back into the EEG data set, i.e., by substituting the EEG data at a given time with the label of the microstate that has the highest similarity with the actual EEG topography. As microstate sequences consist of non-metric random variables, e.g., the letters A–D, we recently introduced information-theoretical measures to quantify these time series. In wakeful resting state EEG recordings, we found new characteristics of microstate sequences such as periodicities related to EEG frequency bands. The algorithms used are here provided as an open-source package and their use is explained in a tutorial style. The package is self-contained and the programming style is procedural, focusing on code intelligibility and easy portability. Using a sample EEG file, we demonstrate how to perform EEG microstate segmentation using the modified K-means approach, and how to compute and visualize the recently introduced information-theoretical tests and quantities. The time-lagged mutual information function is derived as a discrete symbolic alternative to the autocorrelation function for metric time series and confidence intervals are computed from Markov chain surrogate data. The software package provides an open-source extension to the existing implementations of the microstate transform and is specifically designed to analyze resting state EEG recordings.
This study aims at characterizing the diversity and temporal changes of species richness and composition of fungi in an ecotone of a forest border and a meadow in the Taunus mountain range in Germany. All macroscopically visible, epigeous fungi and vascular plants were sampled monthly over three years, together with climatic variables like humidity and temperature that influence fungal diversity and composition as shown by previous studies. In this mosaic landscape, a total of 855 fungal species were collected and identified based on morphological features, the majority of which belonged to Ascomycota (51 %) and Basidiomycota (45 %). Records of fungal species and plant species (218) for this area yielded a fungus to plant species ratio of 4:1, with a plant species accumulation curve that reached saturation. The three years of monitoring, however, were not sufficient to reveal the total fungal species richness and estimation factors showed that a fungus to plant species ratio of 6:1 may be reached by further sampling efforts. The effect of climatic conditions on fungal species richness differed depending on the taxonomic and ecological group, with temporal patterns of occurrence of Basidiomycota and mycorrhizal fungi being strongly associated with temperature and humidity, whereas the other fungal groups were only weakly related to abiotic conditions. In conclusion, long-term, monthly surveys over several years yield a higher diversity of macroscopically visible fungi than standard samplings of fungi in autumn. The association of environmental variables with the occurrence of specific fungal guilds may help to improve estimators of fungal richness in temperate regions.
Recent studies have suggested increased plasticity of differentiated cells within the intestine to act both as intestinal stem cells (ISCs) and tumour-initiating cells. However, little is known of the processes that regulate this plasticity. Our previous work has shown that activating mutations of Kras or the NF-κB pathway can drive dedifferentiation of intestinal cells lacking Apc. To investigate this process further, we profiled both cells undergoing dedifferentiation in vitro and tumours generated from these cells in vivo by gene expression analysis. Remarkably, no clear differences were observed in the tumours; however, during dedifferentiation in vitro we found a marked upregulation of TGFβ signalling, a pathway commonly mutated in colorectal cancer (CRC). Genetic inactivation of TGFβ type 1 receptor (Tgfbr1/Alk5) enhanced the ability of KrasG12D/+ mutation to drive dedifferentiation and markedly accelerated tumourigenesis. Mechanistically this is associated with a marked activation of MAPK signalling. Tumourigenesis from differentiated compartments is potently inhibited by MEK inhibition. Taken together, we show that tumours arising in differentiated compartments will be exposed to different suppressive signals, for example, TGFβ and blockade of these makes tumourigenesis more efficient from this compartment.
Studies investigating the prevalence, cause, and consequence of multiple sclerosis (MS) fatigue typically use single measures that implicitly assume symptom-stability over time, neglecting information about if, when, and why severity fluctuates. We aimed to examine the extent of moment-to-moment and day-to-day variability in fatigue in relapsing-remitting MS and healthy individuals, and identify daily life determinants of fluctuations. Over 4 weekdays, 76 participants (38 relapsing-remitting MS; 38 controls) recruited from multiple sites provided real-time self-reports six times daily (n = 1661 observations analyzed) measuring fatigue severity, stressors, mood, and physical exertion, and daily self-reports of sleep quality. Fatigue fluctuations were evident in both groups. Fatigue was highest in relapsing-remitting MS, typically peaking in late-afternoon. In controls, fatigue started lower and increased steadily until bedtime. Real-time stressors and negative mood were associated with increased fatigue, and positive mood with decreased fatigue in both groups. Increased fatigue was related to physical exertion in relapsing-remitting MS, and poorer sleep quality in controls. In relapsing-remitting MS, fatigue fluctuates substantially over time. Many daily life determinants of fluctuations are similar in relapsing-remitting MS and healthy individuals (stressors, mood) but physical exertion seems more relevant in relapsing-remitting MS and sleep quality most relevant in healthy individuals.
Continuous blood glucose monitoring reveals enormous circadian variations in pregnant diabetic rats
(2018)
Aim: Diabetes in pregnancy is a major burden with acute and long-term consequences. Its treatment requires adequate diagnosis and monitoring of therapy. Many experimental research on diabetes during pregnancy has been performed in rats. Recently, continuous blood glucose monitoring of non-pregnant diabetic rats revealed an increased circadian variability of blood glucose that made a single blood glucose measurement per day inappropriate to reflect glycemic status. Continuous blood glucose measurement has never been performed in pregnant rats. We wanted to perform continuous blood glucose monitoring in pregnant rats to decipher the influence of pregnancy on blood glucose in diabetic and normoglycemic status.
Methods: We used the transgenic Tet29 diabetes rat model with an inducible knock down of the insulin receptor via RNA interference upon application of doxycycline (DOX) leading to insulin resistant type II diabetes. All Tet29 rats received a HD-XG telemetry implant (Data Sciences International, USA) that measured blood glucose and activity continuously. Rats were divided into four groups and blood glucose was monitored until end of pregnancy or the corresponding period: Tet29 + DOX (diabetic) non-pregnant, Tet29 + DOX (diabetic) pregnant, Tet29 (normoglycemic) non-pregnant, Tet29 (normoglycemic) pregnant.
Results: All analyzed rats displayed a circadian variation in blood glucose concentration. Circadian variability was much more pronounced in pregnant diabetic rats than in normoglycemic pregnant rats. Pregnancy ameliorated variation in blood glucose in diabetic situation. Pregnancy continuously decreased blood glucose during normoglycemic pregnancy. Diabetic rats were less active than normoglycemic rats. We performed a calculation showing that application of continuous blood glucose measurement reduces animal numbers needed to detect a given effect in experimental setting by decreasing variability and SD.
Interpretation: Continuous blood glucose monitoring via a telemetry device in pregnant rats provides a more informative picture of the glycemic situation in comparison to single measurements. This could improve diagnosis and therapy of diabetes, decrease animal numbers within experimental settings, and add another physiological parameter (activity) to the analysis that could be helpful in testing therapeutic concepts targeting blood glucose levels and peripheral muscle function. We propose continuous glucose monitoring as a new tool for the evaluation of pregnant diabetic rats.
Spontaneous brain activity is characterized in part by a balanced asynchronous chaotic state. Cortical recordings show that excitatory (E) and inhibitory (I) drivings in the E-I balanced state are substantially larger than the overall input. We show that such a state arises naturally in fully adapting networks which are deterministic, autonomously active and not subject to stochastic external or internal drivings. Temporary imbalances between excitatory and inhibitory inputs lead to large but short-lived activity bursts that stabilize irregular dynamics. We simulate autonomous networks of rate-encoding neurons for which all synaptic weights are plastic and subject to a Hebbian plasticity rule, the flux rule, that can be derived from the stationarity principle of statistical learning. Moreover, the average firing rate is regulated individually via a standard homeostatic adaption of the bias of each neuron’s input-output non-linear function. Additionally, networks with and without short-term plasticity are considered. E-I balance may arise only when the mean excitatory and inhibitory weights are themselves balanced, modulo the overall activity level. We show that synaptic weight balance, which has been considered hitherto as given, naturally arises in autonomous neural networks when the here considered self-limiting Hebbian synaptic plasticity rule is continuously active.
Oxidized phospholipids (oxPAPC) induce endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Here we show that oxPAPC induce a gene network regulating serine-glycine metabolism with the mitochondrial methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase (MTHFD2) as a causal regulator using integrative network modeling and Bayesian network analysis in human aortic endothelial cells. The cluster is activated in human plaque material and by atherogenic lipoproteins isolated from plasma of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the MTHFD2-controlled cluster associate with CAD. The MTHFD2-controlled cluster redirects metabolism to glycine synthesis to replenish purine nucleotides. Since endothelial cells secrete purines in response to oxPAPC, the MTHFD2-controlled response maintains endothelial ATP. Accordingly, MTHFD2-dependent glycine synthesis is a prerequisite for angiogenesis. Thus, we propose that endothelial cells undergo MTHFD2-mediated reprogramming toward serine-glycine and mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism to compensate for the loss of ATP in response to oxPAPC during atherosclerosis.
Objective: We present the statistical analysis plan of a prespecified Tranexamic Acid for Hyperacute Primary Intracerebral Haemorrhage (TICH)-2 sub-study aiming to investigate, if tranexamic acid has a different effect in intracerebral haemorrhage patients with the spot sign on admission compared to spot sign negative patients. The TICH-2 trial recruited above 2000 participants with intracerebral haemorrhage arriving in hospital within 8 h after symptom onset. They were included irrespective of radiological signs of on-going haematoma expansion. Participants were randomised to tranexamic acid versus matching placebo. In this subgroup analysis, we will include all participants in TICH-2 with a computed tomography angiography on admission allowing adjudication of the participants’ spot sign status.
Results: Primary outcome will be the ability of tranexamic acid to limit absolute haematoma volume on computed tomography at 24 h (± 12 h) after randomisation among spot sign positive and spot sign negative participants, respectively. Within all outcome measures, the effect of tranexamic acid in spot sign positive/negative participants will be compared using tests of interaction. This sub-study will investigate the important clinical hypothesis that spot sign positive patients might benefit more from administration of tranexamic acid compared to spot sign negative patients.
Trial registration: ISRCTN93732214 (http://www.isrctn.com)
Background: Early-life institutional deprivation produces disinhibited social engagement (DSE). Portrayed as a childhood condition, little is known about the persistence of DSE-type behaviours into, presentation during, and their impact on, functioning in adulthood.
Aims: We examine these issues in the young adult follow-up of the English and Romanian Adoptees study.
Method: A total of 122 of the original 165 Romanian adoptees who had spent up to 43 months as children in Ceauşescu's Romanian orphanages and 42 UK adoptees were assessed for DSE behaviours, neurodevelopmental and mental health problems, and impairment between ages 2 and 25 years.
Results: Young adult DSE behaviour was strongly associated with early childhood deprivation, with a sixfold increase for those who spent more than 6 months in institutions. However, although DSE overlapped with autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms it was not, in itself, related to broader patterns of mental health problems or impairments in daily functioning in young adulthood.
Conclusions: DSE behaviour remained a prominent, but largely clinically benign, young adult feature of some adoptees who experienced early deprivation.
The mechanistic target of the rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor, temsirolimus, has significantly improved the outcome of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). However, development of temsirolimus-resistance limits its effect and metastatic progression subsequently recurs. Since integrin α7 (ITGA7) is speculated to promote metastasis, this investigation was designed to investigate whether temsirolimus-resistance is associated with altered ITGA7 expression in RCC cell lines and modified tumor cell adhesion and invasion. Caki-1, KTCTL-26, and A498 RCC cell lines were driven to temsirolimus-resistance by exposing them to temsirolimus over a period of 12 months. Subsequently, adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells, to immobilized fibronectin, or collagen was investigated. Chemotaxis was evaluated with a modified Boyden chamber assay and ITGA7 expression by flow cytometry and western blotting. Chemotaxis significantly decreased in temsirolimus-sensitive cell lines upon exposure to low-dosed temsirolimus, but increased in temsirolimus-resistant tumor cells upon reexposure to the same temsirolimus dose. The increase in chemotaxis was accompanied by elevated ITGA7 at the cell surface membrane with simultaneous reduction of intracellular ITGA7. ITGA7 knock-down significantly diminished motility of temsirolimous-sensitive cells but elevated chemotactic activity of temsirolimus-resistant Caki-1 and KTCTL-26 cells. Therefore, ITGA7 appears closely linked to adhesion and migration regulation in RCC cells. It is postulated that temsirolimus-resistance is associated with translocation of ITGA7 from inside the cell to the outer surface. This switch forces RCC migration forward. Whether ITGA7 can serve as an important target in combatting RCC requires further investigation.
Background: For prostate cancer treatment, treatment options with minimal side effects are desired. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) is non-invasive, standard of care and delivered in either conventional fractionation over 8 weeks or with moderate hypo-fractionation over about 5 weeks. Recent advances in radiotherapy technology have made extreme hypo-fractionated stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) of prostate cancer feasible, which has not yet been introduced as a standard treatment method in Germany. Initial results from other countries are promising, but long-term results are not yet available. The aim of this study is to investigate feasibility and effectiveness of SBRT for prostate cancer in Germany.
Methods/design: This German bi-center single group trial (HYPOSTAT) is designed to evaluate feasibility and effectiveness, as measured by toxicity and PSA-response, respectively, of an extreme hypo-fractionated SBRT regimen with five fractions of 7 Gy in treatment of localized low and intermediate risk prostate cancer. The target volume includes the prostate with or without the base of seminal vesicles depending on risk stratification and uncertainty margins that are kept at 3–5 mm. SBRT treatment is delivered with the robotic CyberKnife system, which was recently introduced in Germany. Acute and late toxicity after one year will be evaluated according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE v. 4.0), Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) Scores. The quality of life will be assessed before and after treatment with the EORTC QLQ C30 questionnaire. Hypothesizing that the proportion of patients with grade 2 side effects or higher is less or equal than 2.8%, thus markedly lower than the standard EBRT percentage (17.5%), the recruitment target is 85 patients.
Discussion: The HYPOSTAT trial aims at demonstrating short term feasibility of extreme hypo-fractioned SBRT for the treatment of prostate cancer and might be used as the pilot study for a multi-center multi-platform or for randomized-controlled trials comparing conventional radiotherapy with SBRT for localized prostate cancer in the future. The study concept of patient enrollment, follow up and evaluation by multiple public university clinics and actual patient treatment in dedicated private radiosurgery practices with high-tech radiation equipment is unique for clinical trials.
Study status: The study is ongoing and currently recruiting patients.
Trial registration: Registration number: NCT02635256 (clinicaltrials.gov). Registered 8 December 2015
Natural Killer (NK) cells are involved in the host immune response against infections due to viral, bacterial and fungal pathogens, all of which are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Since the recovery of the immune system has a major impact on the outcome of an infectious complication, there is major interest in strengthening the host response in immunocompromised patients, either by using cytokines or growth factors or by adoptive cellular therapies transfusing immune cells such as granulocytes or pathogen-specific T-cells. To date, relatively little is known about the potential of adoptively transferring NK cells in immunocompromised patients with infectious complications, although the anti-cancer property of NK cells is already being investigated in the clinical setting. This review will focus on the antimicrobial properties of NK cells and the current standing and future perspectives of generating and using NK cells as immunotherapy in patients with infectious complications, an approach which is promising and might have an important clinical impact in the future.
Early and adequate restoration of endothelial and tubular renal function is a substantial step during regeneration after ischemia reperfusion (IR) injury, occurring, e.g., in kidney transplantation, renal surgery, and sepsis. While tubular epithelial cell injury has long been of central importance, recent perception includes the renal vascular endothelium. In this regard, the fibrin cleavage product fibrinopeptide Bβ15-42 mitigate IR injury by stabilizing interendothelial junctions through its affinity to VE-cadherin. Therefore, this study focused on the effect of Bβ15-42 on post-acute physiological renal regeneration. For this, adult male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to a 30 min bilateral renal ischemia and reperfusion for 24 h or 48 h. Animals were randomized in a non-operative control group, two operative groups each treated with i.v. administration of either saline or Bβ15-42 (2.4 mg/kg) immediately prior to reperfusion. Endothelial activation and inflammatory response was attenuated in renal tissue homogenates by single application of Bβ15-42. Meanwhile, Bβ15-42 did not affect acute kidney injury markers. Regarding the angiogenetic players VEGF-A, Angiopoietin-1, Angiopoietin-2, however, we observed significant higher expressions at mRNA and trend to higher protein level in Bβ15-42 treated mice, compared to saline treated mice after 48 h of IR, thus pointing toward an increased angiogenetic activity. Similar dynamics were observed for the intermediate filament vimentin, the cytoprotective protein klotho, stathmin and the proliferation cellular nuclear antigen, which were significantly up-regulated at the same points in time. These results suggest a beneficial effect of anatomical contiguously located endothelial cells on tubular regeneration through stabilization of endothelial integrity. Therefore, it seems that Bβ15-42 represents a novel pharmacological approach in the targeted therapy of acute renal failure in everyday clinical practice.
Background: Root and tuber crops are a major food source in tropical Africa. Among these crops are several species in the monocotyledonous genus Dioscorea collectively known as yam, a staple tuber crop that contributes enormously to the subsistence and socio-cultural lives of millions of people, principally in West and Central Africa. Yam cultivation is constrained by several factors, and yam can be considered a neglected “orphan” crop that would benefit from crop improvement efforts. However, the lack of genetic and genomic tools has impeded the improvement of this staple crop.
Results: To accelerate marker-assisted breeding of yam, we performed genome analysis of white Guinea yam (Dioscorea rotundata) and assembled a 594-Mb genome, 76.4% of which was distributed among 21 linkage groups. In total, we predicted 26,198 genes. Phylogenetic analyses with 2381 conserved genes revealed that Dioscorea is a unique lineage of monocotyledons distinct from the Poales (rice), Arecales (palm), and Zingiberales (banana). The entire Dioscorea genus is characterized by the occurrence of separate male and female plants (dioecy), a feature that has limited efficient yam breeding. To infer the genetics of sex determination, we performed whole-genome resequencing of bulked segregants (quantitative trait locus sequencing [QTL-seq]) in F1 progeny segregating for male and female plants and identified a genomic region associated with female heterogametic (male = ZZ, female = ZW) sex determination. We further delineated the W locus and used it to develop a molecular marker for sex identification of Guinea yam plants at the seedling stage.
Conclusions: Guinea yam belongs to a unique and highly differentiated clade of monocotyledons. The genome analyses and sex-linked marker development performed in this study should greatly accelerate marker-assisted breeding of Guinea yam. In addition, our QTL-seq approach can be utilized in genetic studies of other outcrossing crops and organisms with highly heterozygous genomes. Genomic analysis of orphan crops such as yam promotes efforts to improve food security and the sustainability of tropical agriculture.
The myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) regulates transcription in cardiac myocytes and adverse remodeling of adult hearts. Activators of G protein‐coupled receptors (GPCRs) have been reported to activate MEF2, but a comprehensive analysis of GPCR activators that regulate MEF2 has to our knowledge not been performed. Here, we tested several GPCR agonists regarding their ability to activate a MEF2 reporter in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. The inflammatory mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) strongly activated MEF2. Using pharmacological and protein‐based inhibitors, we demonstrated that PGE2 regulates MEF2 via the EP3 receptor, the βγ subunit of Gi/o protein and two concomitantly activated downstream pathways. The first consists of Tiam1, Rac1, and its effector p21‐activated kinase 2, the second of protein kinase D. Both pathways converge on and inactivate histone deacetylase 5 (HDAC5) and thereby de‐repress MEF2. In vivo, endotoxemia in MEF2‐reporter mice induced upregulation of PGE2 and MEF2 activation. Our findings provide an unexpected new link between inflammation and cardiac remodeling by de‐repression of MEF2 through HDAC5 inactivation, which has potential implications for new strategies to treat inflammatory cardiomyopathies.
Recent experiments have demonstrated that visual cortex engages in spatio-temporal sequence learning and prediction. The cellular basis of this learning remains unclear, however. Here we present a spiking neural network model that explains a recent study on sequence learning in the primary visual cortex of rats. The model posits that the sequence learning and prediction abilities of cortical circuits result from the interaction of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) and homeostatic plasticity mechanisms. It also reproduces changes in stimulus-evoked multi-unit activity during learning. Furthermore, it makes precise predictions regarding how training shapes network connectivity to establish its prediction ability. Finally, it predicts that the adapted connectivity gives rise to systematic changes in spontaneous network activity. Taken together, our model establishes a new conceptual bridge between the structure and function of cortical circuits in the context of sequence learning and prediction.
Im Rahmen eines Artenhilfsprogramms der Botanischen Vereinigung für Naturschutz in Hessen wurde im Jahr 2012 eine Untersuchung zur Bestandssituation der in Hessen vom Aussterben bedrohten Saum-Segge (Carex hostiana) durchgeführt. Betrachtet man die bis in das Jahr 1798 zurückreichenden Literaturquellen und Herbarbelege, lassen sich über einen Zeitraum von mehr als 200 Jahren für 38 hessische TK25-Viertelquadranten Funde von Carex hostiana belegen. Aktuell kommt die Art nur noch in sechs TK25-Viertelquadranten vor, wobei in diesen 12 Populationen unterschieden werden können. Nach den durchgeführten Untersuchungen kann der Gesamtbestand der Saum-Segge in Hessen auf etwa 85000 Individuen geschätzt werden, wobei die besiedelte Fläche nur 2,76 ha beträgt. Die Schwerpunkte der Vorkommen liegen im Taunus und im Messeler Hügelland. Zu den erfassten Populationen werden pflanzensoziologische Aufnahmen präsentiert sowie Aussagen zum Erhaltungszustand und zu möglichen Schutz- und Entwicklungsmaßnahmen getroffen.
Within the scope of the Wildlife Conservation Programme of the Botanical Society for the Nature Conservation in Hesse, a comprehensive survey was carried out of a comparatively common species, the Common Pasque Flower (Pulsatilla vulgaris). It still occurs in large populations on the nutrient poor chalk meadows of the Vorderhoen and Kuppenhoen. Other populations are known from the Wetterau and the Schluechterner Becken. A few other populations are known, but they only have a few individuals. Altogether 64 populations were recorded, five with more than 1,000 plants. The largest population, with over 50,000 individuals, is in the Weinberg nature reserve, Molzbach (near Huenfeld).
Verwilderte Vorkommen von als Zierpflanzen genutzten Frühblühern wurden im Frühjahr 2012 auf 13 ausgewählten Frankfurter Friedhöfen untersucht. Dabei wurde auf eine gleichmäßige Verteilung der Untersuchungsflächen im Stadtgebiet genauso geachtet wie auf eine hohe Vielfalt an Friedhofstypen. Auf circa 155 ha Fläche wurden 46 Arten gefunden. Dabei ist die Artenzahl der untersuchten Artengruppe auf größeren, extensiv bewirtschafteten Friedhöfen deutlich höher als auf kleinen, intensiver gepflegten Anlagen. Dagegen konnte zwischen Artenzahl und Alter der Friedhöfe keine Korrelation nachgewiesen werden. Große, alte und extensiv bewirtschaftete Friedhöfe stellen einen Rückzugsort für urbanophobe Pflanzenarten dar, weil auf ihnen der anthropogene Einfluss geringer ist als im übrigen Stadtgebiet.
Die Vorkommen des Haarstrang-Wasserfenchels (Oenanthe peucedanifolia) wurden bei einer umfassenden Bestandsaufnahme der ehemaligen und aktuellen hessischen Nachweise erfaßt. Im Taunus und im Messeler Hügelland konnten zum Teil sehr individuenreiche Bestände gefunden werden. Dennoch gehört der Haarstrang- Wasserfenchel unter Berücksichtigung der noch in der jüngeren Vergangenheit verlorenen Wuchsorte zu den gefährdeten Pflanzenarten Hessens, für die es notwendig ist zum Überleben geeignete Schutz- und Erhaltungsmaßnahmen durchzuführen.
Seit dem Erscheinen der als Beiheft 11 publizierten "Letzten Nachweise der in Hessen ausgestorbenen oder verschollenen Pflanzenarten" konnten weitere Angaben zu ehemaligen Vorkommen in Hessen durch Auswertung von gedruckten Quellen und Sichtung von Herbarbelegen gewonnen werden. Für sechs Arten – Blackstonia acuminata, Illecebrum verticillatum, Laserpitium prutenicum, Luronium natans, Utricularia intermedia, Wolffia arrhiza – ließ sich ein jüngeres Datum des letzten Nachweises ermitteln. Zwei Arten, Bromus grossus und Cyperus flavescens, wurden in jüngster Zeit wieder in Hessen aufgefunden und können damit nicht mehr als verschollen gelten. Außerdem ergeben sich Erstnachweise für zwei Regionen und Angaben für Vorkommen auf 26 bislang nicht genannten TK-Quadranten.
Das im Gotischen Haus in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe aufbewahrte Herbarium des Geologen Friedrich Rolle (1827–1887) wurde gesichtet. Die von uns als Wildpflanzen klassifizierten Arten wurden nachbestimmt und alphabetisch mit den Fundortangaben aufgelistet. In der Auswertung unberücksichtigt blieben in der Sammlung vorhandene Kulturpflanzen und Belege aus dem Botanischen Garten Darmstadt. Die meisten Belege der Sammlung stammen aus der näheren Umgebung von Darmstadt und aus dem angrenzenden Odenwald sowie aus der Umgebung von Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. Auf bemerkenswerte Belege von Arten, die wegen ihres starken Rückgangs in der aktuellen Flora Hessens sehr selten geworden sind oder inzwischen ganz fehlen, wird eingegangen, zum Beispiel: Herminium monorchis, Liparis loeselii, Moenchia erecta, Orchis palustris und Tofieldia calyculata. Für Rheinland-Pfalz ist der Beleg der ausgestorbenen Androsace maxima hervorzuheben. Zur besseren Verwertung der Daten wurden die Fundorte den Messtischblatt-Qudranten zugeordnet.
Die Verbreitung von Carex hordeistichos in Hessen wurde während der Jahre 1999 bis 2012 untersucht. Die Art war aus 7 Fundgebieten in der Wetterau (4), dem Main-Taunus-Vorland (1), der Hessischen Rheinebene (1) und dem Vorderen Odenwald (1) bekannt. Nur die Population in der Wetterau bei Nieder-Wöllstadt besteht noch, 2012 war sie auf 1 Pflanze reduziert. Die übrigen Vorkommen sind seit über hundert Jahren verschollen und konnten nicht bestätigt werden. Möglichkeiten, die Art in Hessen vor dem Aussterben zu bewahren, werden diskutiert. Die Naturschutzbehörde des Wetteraukreises ist seit 1997 bemüht, im Rahmen eines Artenhilfsprogramms die existente Population zu stärken und neue aufzubauen.
Buchbesprechungen
(2013)
Vorkommen von Festuca pallens wurden 2011 und 2012 in Hessen nachgesucht. Für alle Populationen wurden die Chromosomenzahl und der Ploidiegrad ermittelt. Fast alle bekannten Vorkommen wurden in teilweise großen, ungefährdeten Beständen wiedergefunden. Bei den meisten Vorkommen erwiesen sich die Pflanzen als tetraploid und gehören damit zu F. csikhegyensis. Pflanzen von der Bodensteiner Lei westlich von Villmar (Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg) und von Basaltfelsen der Ruine Altenburg (Schwalm-Eder-Kreis) sind diploid und gehören zu F. pallens. Ein früheres Vorkommen von F. pallens am Kirchenfelsen in Dietkirchen (Landkreis Limburg-Weilburg) wurde bei Säuberungsmaßnahmen vernichtet.
Aus Anlass des 25-jährigen Bestehens der Zeitschrift "Botanik und Naturschutz in Hessen" wird ihre Entstehung und Entwicklung beschrieben sowie ein Überblick über den Umfang der bisher erschienenen Beiträge, das fachliche Spektrum und thematische Schwerpunkte gegeben. Die meisten wissenschaftlichen Beiträge sind den Fachgebieten Floristik und Vegetationskunde zuzuordnen, daneben finden sich auch Beiträge aus den Gebieten Naturschutz, Systematik und Taxonomie, Geschichte der Botanik, Morphologie, Paläobotanik, Phänologie, Faunistik und Tierökologie und weiteren benachbarten Fachgebieten. Als wesentliche thematische Schwerpunkte sind Artenliste und Rote Liste der Farn- und Samenpflanzen Hessens sowie Artenhilfsprogramme zu nennen.
Die triploide Schachtelhalmhybride Equisetum ×ascendens ist nun erstmals für das Bundesland Hessen nachgewiesen. Es handelt sich um zwei Vorkommen innerhalb des Rheinauengebietes "Kühkopf". Die Vorkommen schließen eine bisherige Verbreitungslücke am nördlichen Oberrhein. Biologie und Bestimmungsmerkmale der Sippe werden kurz vorgestellt.
Im Jahre 2012 wurde eine umfassende Bestandsaufnahme der ehemaligen und aktuellen hessischen Vorkommen des Moorglöckchens (Wahlenbergia hederacea) durchgeführt. Es konnten nur noch Restbestände ermittelt werden, die an den verbliebenen Wuchsorten stark gefährdet sind und bei denen ohne geeignete Hilfsmaßnahmen mit einem Erlöschen der Populationen zu rechnen ist.
Der Aufbau der Fundmeldungen wird ab Heft 25 geringfügig geändert, um eine leichtere Übernahme der Fundmeldungen in Datenbanken zu ermöglichen. Künftig gilt folgendes Schema: Fundmeldungsnummer (Heftnummer/fortlaufende Numerierung); TK/Viertelquadrant; Rechtswert/Hochwert; Region; Naturraum; Landkreis; Ort, Lage; Meereshöhe; Menge; Datum; Sonstiges. Die Fundmeldungen in Band 25 von Botanik und Naturschutz in Hessen stammen von: Kerstin Bär, Kurt Baumann, Ralph Baumgärtel, Wilfried Bennert, Christian Feuring, Martina Förster, Thomas Gregor, Uta Hillesheim, Sylvain Hodvina, Gerwin Kasperek, Matthias Kellner, Andreas König und Kai Uwe Nierbauer.
2011 wurden Gräben der Oberrheinebene auf ihren Makrophytenbestand untersucht. Die Mehrzahl der Gräben wies keine bemerkenswerten Pflanzenvorkommen auf. Callitriche obtusangula gehört allerdings zu den im Gebiet offenbar relativ weit verbreiteten Arten. Bemerkenswert ist der Bereich innerhalb einer Altrheinschlinge zwischen Geinsheim, Leeheim und Wallerstädten, wo in kleinen Gräben, deren Umgebung intensiv ackerbaulich genutzt wird, bemerkenswerte Arten wie Nitella capillaris, Ranunculus lingua, Samolus valerandi und Utricularia vulgaris vorkommen. Die Neuanlage von Gräben in diesem Bereich wird empfohlen.
Verbreitung, Habitatpräferenzen und Populationsdynamik des gefährdeten Feld-Enzians (Gentianella campestris) wurden in Hessen und angrenzenden Bundesländern untersucht. Die Art war früher in den Mittelgebirgsregionen des mittleren Deutschland häufig, aktuell sind nur noch drei Vorkommen in Hessen bekannt, zwei in Nordrhein-Westfalen und eines in Thüringen. G. campestris wächst in basischen, aber nicht kalkreichen Magerrasen. Die Art benötigt Beweidung und damit verbundene kleinflächige Bodenverwundungen, die die Keimung und Etablierung fördern. Obwohl das Management der Lebensräume in den letzten zehn Jahren stark verbessert wurde, setzt sich der Rückgang der Vorkommen insgesamt und der Anzahl blühender Individuen in einigen Populationen fort. Negative Auswirkungen eines ungeeigneten Beweidungsregimes sowie der Einfluss zu warmer und trockener Phasen im Frühling und Frühsommer werden diskutiert.
Buchbesprechungen
(2012)