More room for legume - Consumer acceptance of meat substitution with classic, processed and meat-resembling legume products.

The substitution of meat with legumes is one way of making food consumption more sustainable. The substitution would ease the debate on food security and is aligned with the recommendations of climate change experts. Consumer preferences on whether meat should be substituted and how meat can be substituted are heterogeneous. This article explores consumers' acceptance of replacing meat with legumes, their acceptance of meat alternatives made from legumes and their acceptance of processed legumes in general. Consumer samples were drawn from Germany (GER: N = 633) and New Zealand (NZ: N = 445). The samples reflect the underlying age, gender and income distributions. Two separate latent class analyses reveal seven consumer types with five in each country. A large cluster from both countries will not consider substituting meat with legumes or buying processed legume products. Another cluster will consider processed legume products if the products are not marketed as an alternative to meat. Although they do not use them regularly, many consumers in NZ are open to using meat substitutes made from legumes. Another group would prefer to directly substitute meat with specific legumes rather than having highly processed products. We discuss the cluster specific findings and how to develop consumers' acceptance of meat substitution with respect to each cluster.

No Evidence of Herpesvirus Infection in West Highland White Terriers With Canine Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

In humans, horses, and rodents, an association between pulmonary fibrotic disorders and gammaherpesvirus infection has been suggested. In dogs, canine idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (CIPF), a progressive fibrotic lung disease of unknown origin and poorly understood pathophysiology, has been reported to occur in West Highland white terriers (WHWTs). The present study investigated the potential association between CIPF and herpesvirus infection. A PCR assay, using a mixture of degenerate and deoxyinosine-substituted primers targeting highly conserved regions of the DNA polymerase gene (DPOL) of herpesviruses, was applied on both lung and blood samples from WHWTs affected with CIPF and controls. Herpesvirus DPOL sequence could not be amplified from any of 46 lung samples (28 affected WHWTs and 18 control dogs of various breeds) and 38 blood samples (19 CIPF WHWTs and 19 control age-matched WHWTs) included. An association between CIPF and herpesvirus infection is therefore unlikely. Investigation of other causes of the disease is warranted.

Water availability and population origin affect the expression of the tradeoff between reproduction and growth in Plantago coronopus.

Investment in reproduction and growth represent a classic tradeoff with implication for life history evolution. The local environment can play a major role in the magnitude and evolutionary consequences of such a tradeoff. Here, we examined the investment in reproductive and vegetative tissue in 40 maternal half-sib families from four different populations of the herb Plantago coronopus growing in either a dry or wet greenhouse environment. Plants originated from populations with an annual or a perennial life form, with annuals prevailing in drier habitats with greater seasonal variation in both temperature and precipitation. We found that water availability affected the expression of the tradeoff (both phenotypic and genetic) between reproduction and growth, being most accentuated under dry condition. However, populations responded very differently to water treatments. Plants from annual populations showed a similar response to drought condition with little variation among maternal families, suggesting a history of selection favouring genotypes with high allocation to reproduction when water availability is low. Plants from annual populations also expressed the highest level of plasticity. For the perennial populations, one showed a large variation among maternal families in resource allocation and expressed significant negative genetic correlations between reproductive and vegetative biomass under drought. The other perennial population showed less variation in response to treatment and had trait values similar to those of the annuals, although it was significantly less plastic. We stress the importance of considering intraspecific variation in response to environmental change such as drought, as conspecific plants exhibited very different abilities and strategies to respond to high versus low water availability even among geographically close populations.

Metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma in a western lowland gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla): no evidence of virus-induced carcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Cervical Cancer is the second most common cancer among women. Nevertheless, similar tumours have only been rarely described in Great Apes. This report characterizes the pathological and molecular features of a metastatic endocervical adenocarcinoma in a Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla g. gorilla). METHODS: Necropsy and histopathology was performed to identify the cause of the disease in an cachectic 50-year-old western lowland gorilla. Immunohistochemistry for Ki67, oestrogen receptor alpha and ERBB2 was performed to characterize the tumor. In addition, Pan-herpesvirus and Pan-papillomavirus PCR were used to identify a possible viral cause. RESULTS: The endoccervical carcinoma showed a severe metastatic spread to the lung, brain and bone and was herpesvirus and papillomavirus-negative. Most tumor cells were ERBB2-positive, 15% of tumor cells were Ki67-positive and only few tumor cells had oestrogen receptor alpha expression. CONCLUSIONS: Histopathologically and immunohistochemically, the tumour had striking similarities to human endocervicial adenocarcinomas of the common type. However, PCR analysis failed to identify herpes- or papillomaviral DNA in the tumor at the time of necropsy, thus leaving the question for cause of the disease open.

Treponema infection associated with genital ulceration in wild baboons.

The authors describe genital alterations and detailed histologic findings in baboons naturally infected with Treponema pallidum. The disease causes moderate to severe genital ulcerations in a population of olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis) at Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania. In a field survey in 2007, 63 individuals of all age classes, both sexes, and different grades of infection were chemically immobilized and sampled. Histology and molecular biological tests were used to detect and identify the organism responsible: a strain similar to T pallidum ssp pertenue, the cause of yaws in humans. Although treponemal infections are not a new phenomenon in nonhuman primates, the infection described here appears to be strictly associated with the anogenital region and results in tissue alterations matching those found in human syphilis infections (caused by T pallidum ssp pallidum), despite the causative pathogen's greater genetic similarity to human yaws-causing strains.

A novel herpesvirus in the sanctuary chimpanzees on Ngamba Island in Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies in non-human primates have led to the discovery of novel primate herpesviruses. In order to get more information on herpesvirus infections in apes, we studied wild born captive chimpanzees. METHODS: Chimpanzees of the Ngamba island sanctuary, Uganda, were analyzed with pan-herpes polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the herpesvirus DNA polymerase gene and the glycoprotein B gene. The obtained sequences were connected by long-distance PCR, and analyzed phylogenetically. RESULTS: Twenty-one of 40 individuals were infected with members of the Gammaherpesvirinae, two of them with a novel member of this subfamily. Phylogenetically, the novel virus fell into a clade of primate rhadinoviruses and the Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (human herpesvirus 8), representing a third distinct rhadinovirus in chimpanzees. CONCLUSION: Non-human primates harbor several herpesviruses many of which are still unknown. This has implications to management of primates in sanctuaries requiring continuous updates on the management protocols to deal with potential occupational pathogens.

RNA turnover in Trypanosoma brucei.

Regulation of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) mRNA turnover in Trypanosoma brucei was studied in bloodstream forms, in procyclic cells, and during in vitro transformation of bloodstream forms to procyclic cells by approach-to-equilibrium labeling and pulse-chase experiments. Upon initiation of transformation at 27 degrees C in the presence of citrate-cis-aconitate, the half-life of VSG mRNA was reduced from 4.5 h in bloodstream forms to 1.2 h in transforming cells. Concomitantly, an approximately 25-fold decrease in the rate of transcription was observed, resulting in a 100-fold reduction in the steady-state level of de novo-synthesized VSG mRNA. This low level of expression was maintained for at least 7 h, finally decreasing to an undetectable level after 24 h. Transcription of the VSG gene in established procyclic cells was undetectable. For comparison, the turnover of polyadenylated and nonpolyadenylated RNA, beta-tubulin mRNA, and mini-exon-derived RNA (medRNA) was studied. For medRNA, no significant changes in the rate of transcription or stability were observed during differentiation. In contrast, while the rate of transcription of beta-tubulin mRNA in in vitro-cultured bloodstream forms, transforming cells, and established procyclic cells was similar, the half life was four to five times longer in procyclic cells (t1/2, 7 h) than in cultured bloodstream forms (t1/2, 1.4 h) or transforming cells (t1/2, 1.7 h). Inhibition of protein synthesis in bloodstream forms at 37 degrees Celsius caused a dramatic 20-fold decrease in the rate of VSG mRNA synthesis and a 6-fold decrease in half-life to 45 min, while beta-tubulin mRNA was stabilized 2- to 3-fold and mRNA stability remained unaffected. It is postulated that triggering transformation or inhibiting protein synthesis induces changes in the abundance of the same regulatory molecules which effect the shutoff of VSG gene transcription in addition to shortening the half-life of VSG mRNA.

Repression and reactivation of the variant surface glycoprotein gene in Trypanosoma brucei.

Rapid repression of variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) synthesis is an early event during the in vitro transformation of Trypanosoma brucei from coated bloodstream forms to uncoated procyclic cells. Repression occurs at the transcriptional level and is triggered by the combined action of two signals: a reduction in temperature from 37 to 27 degrees C and the addition of the citric acid cycle intermediates citrate and cis-aconitate. It is shown that synthesis of VSG mRNA can be reactivated up to 8 h after triggering differentiation by releasing either one or both of the signals. After 30 h repression is irreversible. The results suggest that transformation of bloodstream forms to procyclic cells proceeds through a reversible phase to an irreversible committed state. A reversible repression of VSG mRNA synthesis is also observed upon inhibition of protein synthesis in bloodstream forms at 37 degrees C.

Detection and multigenic characterization of a novel gammaherpesvirus in goats.

Evidence for the existence of a caprine gammaherpesvirus was obtained by analysis of peripheral blood leucocytes of goats with PCR assays that target the herpesvirus genes encoding the glycoprotein B (gB), the DNA polymerase (DPOL) and the terminase (TERM) with degenerate and deoxyinosine-substituted primers. A contiguous 3.6 kbp sequence extending from the gB to the DPOL gene was then determined with specific primers. All sequences (gB, DPOL and TERM) showed a close relationship with the corresponding genes of the Gammaherpesvirinae. Alignment of amino acid sequences revealed a particularly high percentage of identity with the ovine herpesvirus type 2 (>83%), followed by the alcelaphine herpesvirus 1 (>76%) and the bovine lymphotropic herpesvirus (>61%). Phylogenetic analyses confirmed these relationships. The putative novel goat herpesvirus from which these sequences originate was tentatively designated caprine herpesvirus 2. This virus is the first gammaherpesvirus recognized in goats.

Serum levels of soluble CD23, but not soluble CD25, predict disease progression in early stage B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Serum levels of the soluble forms of CD23 (sCD23) and CD25 (sCD25) were prospectively analyzed with respect to their prognostic relevance in early stage B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). SCD23 and sCD25 levels were determined in 105 patients with newly diagnosed B-CLL (Binet stage A). In 93 of the patients, these levels were correlated with other already established indicators for risk of disease progression, including the histologic pattern of bone marrow infiltration, lymphocyte doubling time (LDT), and the serum level of thymidine kinase (TK). High serum levels of both sCD23 and of sCD25 were associated with a diffuse bone marrow infiltration, a LDT < or = 12 months, and elevated (>5 U/L) serum TK, respectively. Moreover, examination of the clinical course of 76 untreated patients showed that high levels of sCD23, but not of sCD25, at initial diagnosis were linked with disease progression. Furthermore, in a stepwise Cox regression model, high levels of sCD23 and a short LDT were shown to be strong predictors of progressive disease within the first year of disease presentation. Therefore, it appears to be justified to incorporate sCD23 levels into the risk profile of early stage B-CLL and to take them into account for stratification in risk-adapted treatment strategies.

Efficacy of a low molecular weight heparin administered intravenously or subcutaneously in comparison with intravenous unfractionated heparin in the treatment of deep venous thrombosis. Certoparin-Study Group.

BACKGROUND: The main objective of the study presented was to test if thrombus regression can be improved by treatment with an intravenously or subcutaneously administered low molecular weight heparin (LMWH). Patients with acute deep vein thrombosis were randomly assigned to receive either intravenous UFH (131 patients), intravenous (i.v.) LMWH (128 patients), or 8000 IU of the same LMWH bid subcutaneously (s.c.) (128 patients). All patients were treated with heparin for 14 to 16 days. Vitamin-K-antagonist prophylaxis was started between Day 12 and Day 14 after enrollment into the study. METHODS: Phlebographies and perfusion/ventilation lung scans were performed at baseline and on Days 12 to 16. Primary endpoint of the study was a reduction of the phlebographic Marder score. Secondary endpoints were recurrent thrombosis and pulmonary embolism (PE), major and minor bleedings and the rate of PE at inclusion and at the end of the study assessed by ventilation/perfusion scans. RESULTS: The Marder score improved by at least 30% in 32.4% (95% CI: 22.6 ... 42.2) of the patients receiving UFH, in 34.0% (95% CI: 24.9 ... 44.0) receiving LMWH i.v. and in 42.6% (95% CI: 32.8 ... 52.8) treated with the low molecular weight heparin s.c. The difference between LMWH s.c. and UFH was 10.2% (95% CI: -3.7% ... +24.5%) (p = 0.11). PE with clinical signs confirmed by objective methods occurred in three patients of the UFH group, one of whom died and was not observed in patients of the i.v. or s.c. LMWH-groups. During the first 15 days no patient receiving UFH or i.v. LMWH, and one patient on s.c. LMWH had a recurrent thrombosis. Major bleedings were observed in four patients receiving i.v. UFH compared to nine patients on i.v. LMWH (one of these patients died) and one patient on s.c. LMWH. Perfusion ventilation lung scans were obtained from 287 patients at baseline and from 246 patients on Days 12-16. PE, defined according to PIOPED-criteria as intermediate or high probability scans, was observed in 38.0% of the patients entering the study and in 18.3% on Days 12 to 16. New asymptomatic PE occurred less frequently in the groups on LMWH (7.1%, 7.5%, respectively) than in the UFH-group (12.6%) (not significant). CONCLUSIONS: S.c. treatment with a LMWH (certoparin) (b.i.d.) is at least as effective as UFH i.v. The hypothesis of increased efficacy of subcutaneous LMWH in resolving venous thrombi will have to be confirmed by an independent study comparing s.c. LMWH with UFH. The i.v. continuous infusion of the LMWH for 12 to 16 days does not result in a higher venous re-opening rate than intravenous standard heparin.

Unusual crystalline structures in photoreceptors of Lonchoplanella axi (Plathelminthes, Rhabdocoela, 'Typhloplanoida'): functional aspects and phylogenetic implications.

Lonchoplanella axi has a pair of small dot-like pigment-cup ocelli. Each eye is composed of a single cup cell and two sensory cells of the rhabdomeric type. The most conspicuous differentiations in the sensory cells are spindle-shaped crystalline structures accompanying the nuclei. These structures flank the dorsolateral, respectively ventrolateral side of the nucleus. It is supposed that these 'spindles' serve rather as an additional shading device than as dioptrics. Since such structures in photoreceptors have hitherto not been reported for representatives of the Plathelminthes, it is concluded that the spindle-shaped crystalline bodies in the eyes of Lonchoplanella axi are an autapomorphic feature of this species or even an autapomorphy of the taxon Mariplanellinae.

Eyes covered by mitochondrial lenses in Petaliella spiracauda and Ptychopera purasjokii (Plathelminthes, Rhabdocoela, Trigonostominae). Ultrastructural features and phylogenetic implications.

The submicroscopic anatomy of the eyes in Petaliella spiracauda and Ptychopera purasjokii is described. These eyes correspond in general to the basic pattern of rhabdomeric pigment-cup ocelli. This, however, does not apply to modifications of the cup cell such as the differentiation of mitochondrial lenses. Corresponding with two sensory cells two extensions of the cup cell capping the eye aperture are crowded with small unmodified mitochondria in the eyes of P. spiracauda. The eyes of P. purasjokii have three sensory cells and the lenticular element is formed by a trifoil-shaped differentiation of three giant mitochondrial derivatives. These derivatives show peripheral appendages of various configurations, all of which resemble the profiles of small mitochondria. The implication of the existence of such appendages is that the lenses in P. purasjokii are derived from many fused mitochondria, rather than from a single enlarged one. It is concluded that the unmodified or modified mitochondrial differentiations in proliferations of the pigment cell capping the opening of the eye cup serve to focalize incoming light. The evolution of mitochondrial lenses in Plathelminthes is considered.

[Incidence of intravenous thrombolytic therapy and fatalities in patients with acute transmural myocardial infarct (Q infarct). A study of observations from 1984 to 1987]. / Häufigkeit der intravenösen Thrombolysetherapie und Letalität bei Patienten mit akutem transmuralen Myokardinfarkt (Q-Infarkt). Eine Beobachtungsstudie von 1984 bis 1987.

All patients admitted to the ICU with acute myocardial infarction (MI) were treated by the same protocol since 1984. We report the results in Q-wave-MI of 1987 compared to 1984. Age (67.2 +/- 12.4 vs. 66.8 +/- 11.4 years), sex distribution (70.1% vs. 71.9% male), time elapse between begin of symptoms and admittance to the hospital (15.5 +/- 27.0 vs. 15.0 +/- 32.5 hours) were similar in both years, but the total number of definite Q-MI decreased by 22% from 135 (1984) to 105 (1987). Inhospital mortality (20% vs. 23%) and ICU mortality (14% vs. 20%) tended to decrease, although differences did not reach statistical significance. This was paralleled by an increase in the rate of i.v. thrombolytic therapy from 17% (1984) to 28% (1987) of all patients with Q-MI. The percentage of patients who definitely received i.v. thrombolysis when all indication criteria were present and all contraindicatory factors excluded increased from 47% (1984) to 97% (1987). We conclude, that the performance of i.v. thrombolysis in all patients, who fulfill the general accepted criteria for thrombolysis may improve clinical course and outcome in a given population of patients with acute Q-wave-infarction.

[Predictive value of a combined physiologic-therapeutic oriented score system in patients of intensive internal medicine]. / Aussagefähigkeit eines kombinierten physiologisch-therapeutisch orientierten Score-Systems (KOPT) bei Patienten der internen Intensivmedizin.

171 consecutive patients of a medical intensive care unit (age 18 to 81 years, mortality 24.6%) who were treated in the ICU for at least 72 hours were investigated in order to test the hypothesis, that the combination of therapeutic scoring (TISS) and physiologic scoring (APS) may improve the prognostic significance of score systems and/or the severity of disease classification in critically ill patients. Discrimination of survivors and non-survivors of the combined score was comparable to the results of isolated scores. A higher weighting of the physiology parameters in the combined score did not improve its prognostic significance. On the other hand, only the combined score implicated a linear increase of mortality with increasing score point values. - We conclude, that the combined score system improves the severity of disease classification in critically ill medical patients.

[Porcine malignant catarrhal fever: diagnostic findings and first detection of the pathogenic agent in diseased swine in Switzerland]. / Porcines Bösartiges Katarrhalfieber: Diagnostische Befunde und erstmaliger Nachweis des Erregers bei erkrankten Schweinen in der Schweiz.

For the first time Ovine Herpesvirus 2 (OvHV-2) was identified in Swiss pigs as the causative agent of Porcine Malignant Catarrhal Fever (MCF). Diseased animals from two farms were observed to show weakness, anorexia, fever up to 41 degrees C, and neurological symptoms, i.e. ataxia, convulsions and hyperesthesia, erosion on the snout and in the oral and nasal mucosa, as well as multiple skin lesions. Histopathological findings included severe non-purulent inflammation with mononuclear cell infiltration in several organs. Most dominant were meningo-encephalitis, disseminated nephritis as well as purulent catarrhalic bronchopneumonia. The findings were quite reminiscent of the lesions due to MCF in cattle and give therefore substantial proof to use Porcine Malignant Catarrhal Fever as the term for the disease. Identification of the causative agent was done with a quantitative PCR specific for OvHV-2. Different tissues from diseased animals were positive. Furthermore, one animal which had been ill for more than five days tested positive for antibodies against an epitope conserved among MCF viruses. Serum samples from diseased animals reacted negative towards Classical Swine Fever- and Pseudorabies virus antigen. A weakly positive reaction against porcine enterovirus type I argued against the involvement of enteroviruses in the observed disease. Moreover, by means of different conventional PCRs, we detected the newly discovered porcine lymphotropic herpesviruses for the first time in Switzerland and could at the same time exclude their involvement in Porcine Malignant Catarrhal Fever.