Consistent decrease in conifer embolism resistance from the stem apex to base resulting from axial trends in tracheid and pit traits.

Introduction: Drought-induced embolism formation in conifers is associated with several tracheid and pit traits, which vary in parallel from stem apex to base. We tested whether this axial anatomical variability is associated with a progressive variation in embolism vulnerability along the stem from apex to base.

Methods: We assessed the tracheid hydraulic diameter (), mean pit membrane area () and the xylem pressure at 50% loss of conductivity () on longitudinal stem segments extracted at different distances from the stem apex () in a and an tree.

Predictors of partnership and sexual satisfaction and dyadic effects in couples affected by endometriosis and infertility.

Purpose: Endometriosis and infertility are associated with impaired partnership and sexuality of the patients, but also of their male partners. Also, endometriosis is one of the most common causes of infertility, resulting in a large overlap of both pathologies. The aim of this study was to determine the association of different predictors of partnership and sexual satisfaction and dyadic effects in couples with endometriosis and infertility.

Drought increases Norway spruce susceptibility to the Eurasian spruce bark beetle and its associated fungi.

Drought affects the complex interactions between Norway spruce, the bark beetle Ips typographus and associated microorganisms. We investigated the interplay of tree water status, defense and carbohydrate reserves with the incidence of bark beetle attack and infection of associated fungi in mature spruce trees. We installed roofs to induce a 2-yr moderate drought in a managed spruce stand to examine a maximum of 10 roof and 10 control trees for resin flow (RF), predawn twig water potentials, terpene, phenolic and carbohydrate bark concentrations, and bark beetle borings in field bioassays before and after inoculation with Endoconidiophora polonica and Grosmannia penicillata.

Insights into the Value of Lyso-Gb1 as a Predictive Biomarker in Treatment-Naïve Patients with Gaucher Disease Type 1 in the LYSO-PROOF Study.

Gaucher disease (GD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder arising from bi-allelic variants in the gene, encoding glucocerebrosidase. Deficiency of this enzyme leads to progressive accumulation of the sphingolipid glucosylsphingosine (lyso-Gb1). The international, multicenter, observational "Lyso-Gb1 as a Long-term Prognostic Biomarker in Gaucher Disease"-LYSO-PROOF study succeeded in enrolling a cohort of 160 treatment-naïve GD patients from diverse geographic regions and evaluated the potential of lyso-Gb1 as a specific biomarker for GD.

Psychological Aspects of Infertility - Results from an Actor-Partner Interdependence Analysis.

For some patients, undergoing medical treatment for infertility is a cause of major emotional stress which the couple needs to deal with together; it can be said that infertility is a shared stressor. From the literature it is known that a subjectively perceived sense of self-efficacy supports the patient's ability to cope adaptively with an illness. As the basis for this study, we assumed that high levels of self-efficacy are associated with low psychological risk scores (e.

Analysing medical predictors for the outcome of infertility treatment: a 5-year follow-up survey.

Purpose: For many couples, bearing children is a common life goal; however it cannot always be fulfilled. Undergoing infertility treatment does not always guarantee pregnancies and live births. Couples experience miscarriages and even discontinue infertility treatment.

Partners matter: The psychosocial well-being of couples when dealing with endometriosis.

Background: Endometriosis is often associated with severe dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain and dyspareunia and has a high impact on daily life as well as sexuality. Quality of partnership positively influences the course of various diseases and ability to cope with emotional and physical distress. However, studies focusing on the male partners of endometriosis patients are rare, and even less is known about the reciprocal relationship in these couples.

Physiological and anatomical responses to drought stress differ between two larch species and their hybrid.

Key Message: Hybrid saplings were more reactive to soil water deficit than Japanese and European larch. European larch had hydraulically safer wood and anisohydric behavior, Japanese and hybrid larch showed isohydric strategy.

Abstract: Deciduous larch species could be an alternative to evergreen conifers in reforestation, but little is known about drought sensitivity of their saplings.

Container volume affects drought experiments in grapevines: Insights on xylem anatomy and time of dehydration.

Plant stress experiments are commonly performed with plants grown in containers to better control environmental conditions. Nevertheless, the container can constrain plant growth and development, and this confounding effect is generally ignored, particularly in studies on woody species. Here, we evaluate the effect of the container volume in drought experiments using grapevine as a model plant.

Lignin Quantification of Papyri by TGA-Not a Good Idea.

Papyri belong to the oldest writing grounds in history. Their conservation is of the highest importance in preserving our cultural heritage, which is best achieved based on an extensive knowledge of the materials' constituents to choose a tailored conservation approach. Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) has been widely employed to quantify cellulose and lignin in papyrus sheets, yielding reported lignin contents of 25% to 40%.

Factors Influencing Success Rate of Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection with Azoospermic Male Patients.

Azoospermia affects about 1% of men, of whom up to 15% inquire about infertility treatment. Information about predictive factors for these couples is very limited. We performed a retrospective analysis of the clinical records of 118 cycles of intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment after testicular sperm extraction for male azoospermia carried out between January 2008 and October 2015.

Major central nervous system complications after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: A large retrospective study on 888 consecutive adult patients.

Objectives: Major complications affecting the central nervous system (CNS) present a challenge after allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT).

Methods: Incidence, risk factors, and outcome were retrospectively analyzed in 888 patients in a monocentric study.

Results: Cumulative incidence (CI) of major CNS complications at 1 year was 14.

Predictors for the Early Termination of a Psychological Intervention During Treatment with Assisted Reproductive Technologies.

Assisted reproductive technologies are typically perceived by couples as being an emotional burden. The objective of the study "Positive Ausrichtung bei unerfülltem Kinderwunsch" [Positive adjustment in infertility] (PACI) is to examine the efficacy and acceptance of a smartphone-supported psychosocial intervention during infertility treatment. In this investigation, the early drop-out of study subjects from the study is of primary interest.

Using the CODIT model to explain secondary metabolites of xylem in defence systems of temperate trees against decay fungi.

Background: In trees, secondary metabolites (SMs) are essential for determining the effectiveness of defence systems against fungi and why defences are sometimes breached. Using the CODIT model (Compartmentalization of Damage/Dysfunction in Trees), we explain defence processes at the cellular level. CODIT is a highly compartmented defence system that relies on the signalling, synthesis and transport of defence compounds through a three-dimensional lattice of parenchyma against the spread of decay fungi in xylem.

Drought-induced dieback of : a tale of hydraulic failure and carbon starvation.

Ongoing climate change is apparently increasing tree mortality rates, and understanding mechanisms of drought-induced tree decline can improve mortality projections. Differential drought impact on conspecific individuals within a population has been reported, but no clear mechanistic explanation for this pattern has emerged. Following a severe drought (summer 2012), we monitored over a 3-year period healthy (H) and declining (D) trees co-occurring in a karstic woodland to highlight eventual individual-specific physiological differences underlying differential canopy dieback.

The potential of Mid-Infrared spectroscopy for prediction of wood density and vulnerability to embolism in woody angiosperms.

Xylem resistance to embolism formation determines the species-specific drought tolerance and the survival prospects of plants under extreme climatic conditions. Fourier Transform-Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy is a cost-effective and rapid analytical tool with potential beyond its current use in plant physiology. We tested the use of FTIR spectroscopy as a method for estimating wood density (WD) and xylem resistance to embolism formation (P50) in 24 angiosperm species.

Prediction of hydraulic conductivity loss from relative water loss: new insights into water storage of tree stems and branches.

More frequently occurring, drought waves call for a deeper understanding of tree hydraulics and fast and easily applicable methods to measure drought stress. The aim of this study was to establish empirical relationships between the percent loss of hydraulic conductivity (PLC) and the relative water loss (RWL) in woody stem axes with different P , i.e.

Pre-Pregnancy Levels of Peripheral Natural Killer Cells as Markers for Immunomodulatory Treatment in Patients with Recurrent Miscarriage.

Immunological risk factors in patients with recurrent miscarriage (RM) are discussed controversially. Abnormalities of natural killer cells (NK) have been described in RM patients. Lipid infusions are known to modulate lymphocyte subsets.

Wood traits related to size and life history of trees in a Panamanian rainforest.

Wood structure differs widely among tree species and species with faster growth, higher mortality and larger maximum size have been reported to have fewer but larger vessels and higher hydraulic conductivity (Kh). However, previous studies compiled data from various sources, often failed to control tree size and rarely controlled variation in other traits. We measured wood density, tree size and vessel traits for 325 species from a wet forest in Panama, and compared wood and leaf traits to demographic traits using species-level data and phylogenetically independent contrasts.

Novel Hydraulic Vulnerability Proxies for a Boreal Conifer Species Reveal That Opportunists May Have Lower Survival Prospects under Extreme Climatic Events.

Top dieback in 40-60 years old forest stands of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] in southern Norway is supposed to be associated with climatic extremes.

Exploring involuntary childlessness in men - a qualitative study assessing quality of life, role aspects and control beliefs in men's perception of the fertility treatment process.

The goal of this study was to explore the experience and perception of men during the diagnosis of infertility and subsequent treatment, and the impact on role concepts, control beliefs, and quality of life on these processes. Furthermore, it aimed to derive improvements in how men should be counselled. A qualitative study was conducted.

Cross-cultural comparison of fertility specific quality of life in German, Hungarian and Jordanian couples attending a fertility center.

Background: Only a few studies have reported cross-cultural comparisons regarding psychosocial consequences of infertility. Differences between societies with different cultural backgrounds were revealed and seemed to be based on the importance of pronatalism. Our aim was to measure cross-cultural differences in fertility specific quality of life of infertile couples in Germany, Hungary and Jordan who attend a fertility center in a cross-sectional study.