Microarray based study on virulence-associated genes and resistance determinants of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from cattle

Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen which can colonise and infect not only man, but also domestic animals. Especially, infection of cattle is of high economic relevance as S. aureus is an important causal agent of bovine mastitis. In the present contribution, a DNA microarray was applied for the study of 144 different gene targets, including resistance genes and genes encoding exotoxins, in S. aureus isolated from cows. One hundred and twenty-eight isolates from Germany and Switzerland were tested. These isolates were assigned to 20 different strains and nine clonal complexes. The majority of isolates belonged either to apparently closely related clonal complexes 8, 25, and 97 (together 34.4%) or were related to the sequenced bovine strain RF122 (48.4%). Notable characteristics of S. aureus of bovine origin are the carriage of intact haemolysin beta (in 82% of isolates tested), the absence of staphylokinase (in 89.1%), the presence of allelic variants of several exotoxins such as toxic shock syndrome toxin and enterotoxin N, and the occurrence of the leukocidin lukF-P83/lukM (in 53.1%). Two isolates were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). One of them was a clonal complex 8 MRSA related to the epidemic MRSA strain Irish 01. The other one belonged to ST398/spa-type 34 resembling a newly emerging MRSA strain which has been described to occur in humans as well as in domestic animals. The presence of these two strains highlights the possibility of transfers of S. aureus strains between different host species.     

煤矸石充填复垦地理化特性与重金属分布特征

为研究煤矸石充填复垦地农作物产量达到最佳时的覆土厚度及煤矸石充填复垦地重金属分布状况,该文以新庄孜矿煤矸石充填复垦地作为研究对象,采取室外田间小区试验和室内试验分析方法,选取不同覆土厚度50~60,60~70,70~80,80~90 cm的4类试验地块及对照地块对其土壤理化性质及农作物根系分布、长势产量、重金属元素含量进行调查分析,发现复垦地块各项指标与对照地块差异显著,劣于对照地块;煤矸石充填基质土壤理化性质较差;70~80 cm的厚度是煤矸石充填复垦造地较经济合理的覆土厚度。煤矸石复垦地重金属元素有向上迁移的趋势;复垦土壤及煤矸石基质中Pb、Zn、Cr元素含量处于安全水平;大部分监测的Cu、Ni、Cd元素含量高于淮南土壤背景值,低于中国土壤环境质量标准二级标准,对复垦土壤已构成潜在的威胁性,应予以重视;覆土厚度50~60 cm地块的煤矸石基质中Cu、Ni元素含量处于安全水平,煤矸石基质中Cd元素含量高于淮南土壤土壤背景值,低于中国土壤环境质量标准二级标准,应予以重视。结果表明70~80 cm的厚度是煤矸石充填复垦造地最佳覆土厚度;新庄孜煤矸石充填复垦地重金属有向上迁移的趋势,复垦土壤中重金属含量符合国家二级标准,未出现重金属污染情况,但部分重金属元素含量高于淮南市土壤背景值,应予以重视。     

Brownian motion of DNA confined within a two-dimensional array

Linear DNA molecules are visualized while undergoing Brownian motion inside media patterned with molecular-sized spatial constraints. The media, prepared by colloidal templating, trap the macromolecules within a two-dimensional array of spherical cavities interconnected by circular holes. Across a broad DNA size range, diffusion does not proceed by the familiar mechanisms of reptation or sieving. Rather, because of their inherent flexibility, DNA molecules strongly localize in cavities and only sporadically "jump" through holes. Jumping closely follows Poisson statistics. By reducing DNA's configurational freedom, the holes act as molecular weight-dependent entropic barriers. Sterically constrained macromolecular diffusion underlies many separation methods and assumes an important role in intracellular and extracellular transport.     

Versuche zur Gewebekultur in der GattungLycopersicon Miller I. Übersicht

Zusammenfassung Übersicht zu Anwendungen der Gewebekulturtechnik (Kalluskultur, Sproß- und Pflanzenregeneration aus Explantaten, Antherenkultur, Embryokultur, mit Ausnahme von Protoplastentechniken) in der GattungLycopersicon Miller.

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Experiments on tissue culture in the genusLycopersicon Miller. I. Survey

Summary A survey is given concerning applications of tissue culture techniques (callus culture, shoot and plant regeneration from explants and calluses, anther culture, embryo culture, except protoplast techniques) in the genusLycopersicon Miller.

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Lycopersicon Miller. I.

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Herrn Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. mult.Hans Stubbe mit herzlichen Glückwünschen zu seinem achtzigsten Geburtstag gewidmet.     

A checklist of the outh Italian cultivated plants

Summary Ten collecting missions in South Italy together with an intensive study of literature sources allowed the compilation of a checklist of the cultivated plant species of south Italy. This checklist contains 540 taxa belonging to 520 different species. The alphabetically ordered articles for the taxa contain the botanical name, the plant family, Italian folk names, information about the distribution in the area referring to the regions, data on collections during our missions indicating the regions, too, details of plant uses and references to relevant, mostly Italian literature sources, including reports from our own explorations and papers based on the material collected. Three appendices provide indexes of synonyms and folk names, respectively, with reference to the accepted botanical names, and an index of families and genera. The information given in this checklist was extracted from a database of the cultivated plants of South Italy, a microcomputer-based system. The checklist is a useful tool for further plant genetic resources exploration in Italy, but may be also of interest for ethnobotanists and other researchers engaged in cultivated plants.

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Liste der Kulturpflanzen Süditaliens

Zusammenfassung Zehn Sammelreisen in Süditalien und ein intensives Literaturstudium ermöglichten die Zusammenstellung einer Liste der Kulturpflanzen Süditaliens. Diese Liste enthält 540 Taxa, die 520 verschiedenen Arten angehören. Die alphabetisch geordneten Artikel über die einzelnen Taxa enthalten den botanischen Namen, die Pflanzenfamilie, italienische Volksnamen, Verbreitung im Gebiet nach Regionen aufgeführt, Aufsammlungen während unserer Sammelreisen ebenfalls auf die Regionen bezogen, Angaben über die Nutzung der Pflanzen und Verweise auf wichtige, meist italienische Literaturquellen, einschließlich der Berichte über unsere eigenen Sammelreisen und von Arbeiten, die sich auf unserem Sammelmaterial begründen. Drei Register gestatten das Aufsuchen von Informationen in der Liste nach Synonymen bzw. nach Volksnamen, mit Verweis auf den akzeptierten Namen, und nach Familien und Gattungen. Die in der Liste enthaltene Information wurde aus einer Datenbank der Kulturpflanzen Süditaliens, einem mikrocomputer-gestützten System, ausgewählt. Die Liste kann für die weitere Erfassung pflanzlicher genetischer Ressourcen in Italien nützlich, aber auch für Ethnobotaniker und andere Wissenschaftler, die sich mit Kulturpflanzen befassen, interessant sein.

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Zur Planung und Durchführung von Versuchen an Hunden zur Qualitätsprüfung von Futtermitteln

If the quality of food or feed is to be tested in experiments with the dogs, the criteria of evaluation are of other kind than in studies with farm or with small laboratory animals. In livestock the effect of the quality of feed is examined by well definable performances, e.g. fattening, milk production, egg production. In the case of small laboratory animals mainly growth or metabolism experiments are carried out. For testing the quality of feed with dogs the strongly marked olfactory sense of the dogs is used in order to find out the feed preferred in feedselection experiments. Furthermore, dogs are used expecially in long-term experiments. In these studies the effect of the quality of feed on numerous biological parameters is investigated. Here, the parameters are to be considered not only individually but also in their correlations to each other. The views are presented which are to be regarded during the planning, carrying out and the evaluation of feed-selection experiments and of long-term experiments during the breeding phase of bitches and the growth phase of young dogs. Results of a series of experiments are reported. The use of a complete feed for breeding and maintenance (feed U) was compared with the use of a special breeding feed (feed Z) and a special maintenance feed (feed H), respectively, in dogs of the strain Chbi: BEAGLE. The feed-selection experiments showed no preference for either diet. Initially, on changing diets, the dogs consumed more of whichever new feed was given. From the parameters which characterize the breeding performance the only biologically relevant and statistically significant difference determined was a higher feed consumption in the feed-U-group. In the rearing phase the feed comsumption was higher in the feed-U-group, too.     

A catena in northeast Brandenburg (Bölkendorf): Soil biota,root growth and soil structure

Typical for the morainal landscape of NE‐Germany are catenas with pronounced gradients of abiotic factors, such as soil texture and organic matter content. For adequate management of these regions, their ecology must be better understood. In this context, the biological interactions in soil play an important role. The present study is based on the hypothesis that the gradients of abiotic factors across the catena are reflected in soil biota, i.e. earthworms and microarthropods, and root growth.

Sampling was carried out at selected positions across the catenary sequence of Boelkendorf, Brandenburg, for earthworms, Collembola and roots in April 1994. The soil physical analysis comprised measurements of soil bulk density and penetration resistance.

A positive correlation between earthworm abundance, numbers of Collembola and root growth at different catena positions was found. The top position especially, a calcaric regosol with low organic matter content, was markedly different with respect to soil biological and physical characteristics. High bulk densities and high soil resistance in the subsoil coincided with low earthworm densities, low microarthropod numbers and impeded rootability of the soil.     

Qualitative and quantitative control of carbonated cola beverages using ¹H NMR spectroscopy

1H Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy (400 MHz) was used in the context of food surveillance to develop a reliable analytical tool to differentiate brands of cola beverages and to quantify selected constituents of the soft drinks. The preparation of the samples required only degassing and addition of 0.1% of TSP in D?O for locking and referencing followed by adjustment of pH to 4.5. The NMR spectra obtained can be considered as "fingerprints" and were analyzed by principal component analysis (PCA). Clusters from colas of the same brand were observed, and significant differences between premium and discount brands were found. The quantification of caffeine, acesulfame-K, aspartame, cyclamate, benzoate, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), sulfite ammonia caramel (E 150D), and vanillin was simultaneously possible using external calibration curves and applying TSP as internal standard. Limits of detection for caffeine, aspartame, acesulfame-K, and benzoate were 1.7, 3.5, 0.8, and 1.0 mg/L, respectively. Hence, NMR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics is an efficient tool for simultaneous identification of soft drinks and quantification of selected constituents.     

Yield formation of five crop species under water shortage and differential potassium supply

A long‐term field experiment on a Haplic Phaeozem, established 1949 with four levels of potassium (K) supply (5, 69, 133, and 261 kg K ha^?1), was analyzed for the interaction between K supply and yield loss of five crop species by water shortage. The crop species were cultivated simultaneously side‐by‐side in the following rotation: potato (Solanum tuberosum L.), silage maize (Zea mays L.), spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), beet (Beta vulgaris L.), and spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). The treatment with 133 kg K ha^?1 supply had a nearly balanced K budget. In the treatments with lower supply, the soil delivered K from its mineral constituents. On the low‐K plots (especially on those with only 5 kg K ha^?1), crops suffered yield depressions of nearly all main harvest products (cereal grains, potato tubers, beet storage roots, silage maize) and by‐products (straw, beet leaves) by up to 40.7% of dry matter. Only wheat grains were an exception. Potassium concentrations in the harvested plant parts decreased nearly in parallel to the reduction of their dry matter yields, with the exception of cereal grains, which kept stable concentrations even in the treatment with only 5 kg K ha^?1. A comparison of four year‐pairs with differing levels of precipitation in yield‐relevant periods showed an average water shortage‐induced depression of dry matter yields by 19.7% in the main harvest products. The severity of this yield depression was not mitigated by elevated K supply, with the exception of beet leaves, where the dry matter production was stabilized by high K supply. In this crop, the reduction of storage‐root yield was associated with a decrease in harvest index and was therefore obviously caused by an inhibition of assimilate translocation from the leaves into these organs, in contrast to cereals, where water shortage primarily affected dry matter production in vegetative organs. It is concluded that the physiological causes of yield reduction by drought stress and the possibility of its amelioration by K supply differ between plant species and organs.     

Suitability of the peroral administration of the marker creatinine for the quantitative determination of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in dogs

Established renal function tests for the quantitative determination of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) in small animals by means of an exogenous clearance marker like creatinine are based on the intravenous or subcutaneous administration of the marker. In order to simplify performing the test, the suitability of the peroral administration of the marker substance was tested. Exogenous creatinine was administered to 17 Beagle dogs successively by the peroral (dose: 4 g/m2 BSA) and the subcutaneous route (dose: 2 g/m2 BSA). Both routes were tested sequentially in fasted and fed animals. In addition to the peroral administration of creatinine, the absorption marker D-Xylose (dose: 0.5 g/kg body weight) was given per os. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated based on serum concentration--time data of both markers. Maximum serum concentrations of the exogenous creatinine (C(max) = 1284 +/- 173 micromol/l) were observed 92 +/- 19 min post-dose (t(max)) in fasted dogs after peroral administration of creatinine. C(max) (956 +/- 209 micromol/l) and t(max) (67 +/- 13 min) were statistically significantly reduced in fed animals. The exogenous plasma clearance of creatinine was about 1/3 lower in fasted animals (94 +/- 15 ml/min/m2) than in fed ones (134 +/- 28 ml/min/m2). The apparent terminal disposition half-life of the exogenous creatinine showed mean values of about 170 min (fasted) and 200 min (fed). After peroral administration of D-Xylose, fasted animals showed higher C(max) (3.9 +/- 0.99 mmol/l) and t(max) values (60 +/- 18 min) than fed dogs (C(max) = 2.2 +/- 0.55 mmol/l, t(max) = 40 +/- 15 min). C(max) and t(max) did not differ between fed and fasted dogs after subcutaneous administration of creatinine. Creatinine clearance was again higher in fed (124 +/- 12.8 ml/min/m2) than in fasted dogs (104 +/- 9.0 ml/min/m2) after subcutaneous administration of the marker. The terminal disposition half-live was, however, similar with about 130-140 min. The route of administration (peroral vs. subcutaneous) did not influence the calculated clearance (no statistical significance when p < 0.01 is required). Creatinine in a dose of 4 g/m2 BSA can be administered by the peroral route of administration for assessing the GFR. For the quantitative determination of GFR standardized condition are required, i.e. animals have to be fasted for > or = 6 hours.