University of Marburg

About: University of Marburg is a education organization based out in Marburg, Germany. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Gene. The organization has 23195 authors who have published 42907 publications receiving 1506069 citations. The organization is also known as: Philipps University of Marburg & Philipps-Universität.

Seed banks and seed dispersal: important topics in restoration ecology

Abstract: Restoration ecology deals with the scientific and ecological background of nature management practices aiming at the re-establishment of plant species which have disappeared. As we focus on semi-natural landscapes, these disappearances can be caused by intensification of agricultural practices or cessation of human interference. Nature management practices attempt to re-establish the often species-rich original plant communities by the removal of nutrients (sod cutting, hay-making, grazing) after eutrophication (Schiefer 1984; Bobbink & Willems 1991; Oomes 1992; Bakker & OUT 1995), rewetting after severe drainage (Grootjans & Van Diggelen 1995; Koerselman & Verhoeven 1995), scrub and woodland removal (clear cutting, grazing) after bush encroachment (Willems 1988; Poschlod & Jordan 1992). The re-appearance of plant species may depend on their persistence in the soil seed bank as a ‘memory’ of the original plant community. If the species has been lost from the persistent soil seed bank, it has to be transported to the site of re-appearance by some vector, e.g. wind, water, animals, man, and incorporated into the fresh seed bank. The site of re-appearance after emerging either from the old seed bank or from the fresh seed bank has to be proven to be a safe site from the point of view of abiotic and biotic conditions (Harper 1977). Without the presence or arrival of seeds no re-appearance in the established vegetation will be possible. For this reason we focus on seed bank dynamics and seed dispersal in restoration ecology. We will present (i) a review of current methods of seed bank analysis including estimations of longevity and density, and (ii) the state of the art on methods and results of seed dispersal.

Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease 2017 Report: GOLD Executive Summary

Abstract: This Executive Summary of the Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management and Prevention of COPD, Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2017 Report focuses primarily on the revised and novel parts of the document. The most significant changes include: (i) the assessment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease has been refined to separate the spirometric assessment from symptom evaluation. ABCD groups are now proposed to be derived exclusively from patient symptoms and their history of exacerbations; (ii) for each of the groups A to D, escalation strategies for pharmacological treatments are proposed; (iii) the concept of de-escalation of therapy is introduced in the treatment assessment scheme; (iv)non-pharmacological therapies are comprehensively presented and (v) the importance of co-morbid conditions in managing COPD is reviewed.

Indacaterol–Glycopyrronium versus Salmeterol–Fluticasone for COPD

Abstract: BackgroundMost guidelines recommend either a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA) plus an inhaled glucocorticoid or a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA) as the first-choice treatment for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who have a high risk of exacerbations The role of treatment with a LABA–LAMA regimen in these patients is unclear MethodsWe conducted a 52-week, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, noninferiority trial Patients who had COPD with a history of at least one exacerbation during the previous year were randomly assigned to receive, by inhalation, either the LABA indacaterol (110 μg) plus the LAMA glycopyrronium (50 μg) once daily or the LABA salmeterol (50 μg) plus the inhaled glucocorticoid fluticasone (500 μg) twice daily The primary outcome was the annual rate of all COPD exacerbations ResultsA total of 1680 patients were assigned to the indacaterol–glycopyrronium group, and 1682 to the salmeterol–fluticasone group Indacaterol–glycopyrronium showed not onl

The mitochondrial proteins Atm1p and Nfs1p are essential for biogenesis of cytosolic Fe/S proteins.

Abstract: Iron-sulfur (Fe/S) cluster-containing proteins catalyse a number of electron transfer and metabolic reactions. Little is known about the biogenesis of Fe/S clusters in the eukaryotic cell. Here, we demonstrate that mitochondria perform an essential role in the synthesis of both intra- and extra-mitochondrial Fe/S proteins. Nfs1p represents the yeast orthologue of the bacterial cysteine desulfurase NifS that initiates biogenesis by producing elemental sulfur. The matrix-localized protein is required for synthesis of both mitochondrial and cytosolic Fe/S proteins. The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter Atm1p of the mitochondrial inner membrane performs an essential function only in the generation of cytosolic Fe/S proteins by mediating export of Fe/S cluster precursors synthesized by Nfs1p and other mitochondrial proteins. Assembly of cellular Fe/S clusters constitutes an indispensable biosynthetic task of mitochondria with potential relevance for an iron-storage disease and the control of cellular iron uptake.

High-throughput DNA methylation profiling using universal bead arrays

Abstract: We have developed a high-throughput method for analyzing the methylation status of hundreds of preselected genes simultaneously and have applied it to the discovery of methylation signatures that distinguish normal from cancer tissue samples. Through an adaptation of the GoldenGate genotyping assay implemented on a BeadArray platform, the methylation state of 1536 specific CpG sites in 371 genes (one to nine CpG sites per gene) was measured in a single reaction by multiplexed genotyping of 200 ng of bisulfite-treated genomic DNA. The assay was used to obtain a quantitative measure of the methylation level at each CpG site. After validating the assay in cell lines and normal tissues, we analyzed a panel of lung cancer biopsy samples (N = 22) and identified a panel of methylation markers that distinguished lung adenocarcinomas from normal lung tissues with high specificity. These markers were validated in a second sample set (N = 24). These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the method for reliably profiling many CpG sites in parallel for the discovery of informative methylation markers. The technology should prove useful for DNA methylation analyses in large populations, with potential application to the classification and diagnosis of a broad range of cancers and other diseases.