Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery: a New Method of Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Rats

The study in Wistar rats attempted to improve the occlusion technique of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) as a precise method for initiating stroke. In a first part it was necessary to study the exact anatomy of blood vessels of the brain in seven rats of 170-410 g body weight by corrosion cast. The lengths and diameters of defined locations of the blood vessels were measured. The temporary as well as the permanent methods were refined or replaced. The first one was completed in main training the physiological blood flow after temporary occlusion, while the permanent occlusion was performed by positioning a silicone cap in the MCA. A filament guide was introduced from the common carotid artery (CCA) via internal carotid artery (ICA) to guide the silicon cap at the branch of the MCA. Histological sections of the brain of rats showed 24 h after the permanent occlusion a reproducible infarct in the brain. This area corresponded very well with the supply of the MCA. The new occlusion method with a silicon cap was compared with the occlusion methods of CCA route and external carotid artery (ECA) route. The total infarct volume was significantly larger in the CCA route and ECA route groups than in the silicon cap group (means: CCA route 261 mm³; ECA route 191 mm³ vs. 128 mm³ silicon cap group; P  < 0,05). It could be demonstrated that the new silicon cap occlusion technique imitates the pathological situation of a cerebral infarct in man. Moreover it is less invasive for the animals and more precise and reproducible regarding the infarcted area in comparison to the other occlusion methods. Based on anatomical measurements of the blood vessels the described silicon cap method can be recommended for rats of a body weight between 340–370 g.     

Social effects on crowding preferences of urban forest visitors

An image-based stated choice approach was used to investigate the conditions determining why visitors to an urban forest in Vienna feel crowded or not. Respondents (N=213) evaluated several sets of images depicting trail use scenarios with different levels of social crowding conditions and several types of social interferences. Forest users were segmented into three groups based on their global evaluations of use levels during weekends and work days, resulting in a crowding-averse, a crowding-tolerant, and a crowding-indifferent segment. Crowding-averse respondents reacted much more negatively to scenarios with high-use levels, heterogeneous trail use conditions, and violations of personal minimum spatial requirements caused by the presence of others. This user group felt overcrowded because social conditions experienced in the area interfered with their main visiting goals, especially to walk with their dog unleashed and to recreate. By contrast, crowding-tolerant respondents disliked very low-use and high-use situations, and preferred a certain amount of social stimulation in the form of some encounters, and more heterogeneous trail use conditions.     

Comparative efficacies of oral ketoconazole and terbinafine for reducing Malassezia population sizes on the skin of Basset Hounds

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of oral ketoconazole and terbinafine for reducing population sizes of Malassezia yeasts on canine skin. Twenty-one Basset Hounds were randomised in three groups of seven according to Malassezia populations. Dogs in the first group were treated by oral administration of ketoconazole (Ketofungol) 200 mg, Janssen-Cilag) at 10 mg x kg-1, every 24 h with food, for 3 weeks. Dogs in the second group were treated by oral administration of terbinafine (Lamisil) 250 mg, Novartis) at 30 mg x kg-1, every 24 h with food, for 3 weeks. The seven remaining dogs were used as controls. Malassezia population sizes were assessed by use of contact plates on four cutaneous sites at days 7, 14 and 21. Both ketoconazole and terbinafine were effective in reducing the baseline levels of Malassezia organisms with no significant difference between the two drugs. In further studies, oral terbinafine should be evaluated for the management of canine cases of Malassezia dermatitis.     

Bekämpfung der Gnomonia-Blattbräune an Süßkirschen

The infestation of sweet cherry trees with Gnomonia erythrostoma has undergone an alarming increase. It leads to minor plant performance and fruit quality and may cause major problems for the fruit farmer up to existential problems. In order to thwart this development the Bavarian State Ministry of Agriculture and Forest Management has funded a three year pilot study to develop an effective control for this disease. Besides laboratory experiments investigating mechanisms of infection, field tests with new fungicides were performed. Our studies show that these fungicides are highly effective to eliminate infections with Gnomonia erythrostoma. In addition these substances have positive side effects such as controlling other diseases like the brown rot caused by Monilia.     

Metabolic labeling of plant cell cultures with K15NO3 as a tool for quantitative analysis of proteins and metabolites

Strategies for robust quantitative comparison between different biological samples are of high importance in experiments that address biological questions beyond the establishment of protein lists. Here, we propose the use of ¹⁵N-KNO₃ as the only nitrogen source in Arabidopsis cell cultures in order to achieve a metabolically fully labeled cell population. Proteins from such metabolically labeled culture are distinguishable from unlabeled protein populations by a characteristic mass shift that depends on the amino acid composition of the tryptic peptide analyzed. In addition, the metabolically labeled cell extracts are also suitable for comparative quantitative analysis of nitrogen-containing cellular metabolic complement. Protein extracts from unlabeled and from standardized ¹⁵N-labeled cells were combined into one sample for joined analytical processing. This has the advantage of (i) reduced experimental variability and (ii) immediate relative quantitation at the level of single extracted peptide and metabolite spectra. Together ease and accuracy of relative quantitation for profiling experiments is substantially improved. The metabolic labeling strategy has been validated by mixtures of protein extracts and metabolite extracts from the same cell cultures in known ratios of labeled to unlabeled extracts (1:1, 1:4, and 4:1). We conclude that saturating metabolic ¹⁵N-labeling provides a robust and affordable integrative strategy to answer questions in quantitative proteomics and nitrogen focused metabolomics.     

Reactivity of workshop monoclonal antibodies on paraformaldehyde-fixed porcine blood mononuclear cells

One hundred sixty-four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) of the second international swine CD workshop were tested for their reactivity with porcine blood mononuclear cells before and after fixing the cells with varying concentrations of paraformaldehyde (PFA) (1, 5 and 10 g l⁻¹). A total of 38 (out of 134) positive reacting mAbs were significantly affected in their binding behavior on fixed cells. Modulation was seen as reduction in binding (staining intensity and/or % positive cells, n=18) or in elevated values (n=20). Modified mAb binding occurred after fixing cells with 5 to 10 g l⁻¹ PFA.     

Einfluss assoziativer rhizosphärenbakterien auf die äHrstoffaufnahme und den Ertrag von Mais

In mehrjährigen Feldversuchen (1990–1995) in Nordostdeutschland wurde der Einfluß selektierter assoziativer Rhizosphärenbakterien auf den Ertrag und die Nährstoffaufnahme bei Mais untersucht.

Der Trockenmasse‐ und Kolbenertrag zur Siloreife bzw. der Samenertrag wurde durch die Bakterienstämme Pseudomonas fluorescens (PsIA12), Agrobacterium rhizogenes (A1A4), Rhizobium trifolii (R39) und z.T. durch Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (PsIB2) in den Jahren 1990 bis 1995 auf lehmigen Sandböden wiederholt signifikant, auf sandigem Lehm zum Teil signifikant erhöht. Maissorten können unterschiedlich auf die Bakterieninokulation reagieren. Die Bakterien stimulierten insbesondere bei Jungpflanzen die Wurzelentwicklung und die Nährstoffaufnahme (N, P, K) aus dem Boden. Sie bildeten Phytohormone (Auxine und z.T. Cytokinine) und überlebten, auch unter Feldbedingungen, im Rhizosphärenraum von Mais während der gesamten Vegetation.