Diversity on a small scale - phylogeography of the locally endemic dwarf succulent genus Oophytum (Aizoaceae) in the Knersvlakte of South Africa.

Background And Aims: Oophytum (Aizoaceae) is a locally endemic genus of the extremely fast evolving subfamily Ruschioideae and consists of only two formally accepted species (O. nanum and O. oviforme).

Characterization of a Panel of Cross-Reactive Hantavirus Nucleocapsid Protein-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies.

Hantaviruses are emerging pathogens with a worldwide distribution that can cause life-threatening diseases in humans. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against hantavirus nucleocapsid (N) proteins are important tools in virus diagnostics, epidemiological studies and basic research studies on virus replication and pathogenesis. Here, we extend the collection of previously generated MAbs raised against a segment of Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV) N protein harbored on virus-like particles (VLPs) and MAbs against N proteins of Sin Nombre orthohantavirus/Andes orthohantavirus by generating nine novel MAbs against N proteins of Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus (DOBV), Tula orthohantavirus (TULV), Thottapalayam thottimvirus (TPMV) and PUUV.

Spatial and Temporal Dynamics and Molecular Evolution of in German Vole Populations.

Tula orthohantavirus (TULV) is a rodent-borne hantavirus with broad geographical distribution in Europe. Its major reservoir is the common vole (), but TULV has also been detected in closely related vole species. Given the large distributional range and high amplitude population dynamics of common voles, this host-pathogen complex presents an ideal system to study the complex mechanisms of pathogen transmission in a wild rodent reservoir.

Zoonotic pathogen screening of striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius) from Austria.

The striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius) is known to carry several zoonotic pathogens, including Leptospira spp. and Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus (DOBV). Since its first detection in 1996 in south-east Austria, the striped field mouse has further expanded its range in Austria.

Motivation and Barriers to Maintaining Lifestyle Changes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes after an Intensive Lifestyle Intervention (The U-TURN Trial): A Longitudinal Qualitative Study.

The purpose of this study was to explore and identify factors that influence motivation for and barriers to adopting and maintaining lifestyle changes in patients with type 2 diabetes, following participation in an intensive multiple-lifestyle intervention. Participants were recruited from the U-TURN trial, a one-year, intensive lifestyle intervention for type 2 diabetes patients. This study was conducted over time; informants were interviewed twice after the trial ended with a six-month interval between interviews.

Cornea donation in Germany: Obtaining consent.

Tissue donation is important to reverse cornea-related blindness. Unfortunately, the willingness to make a decision concerning organ and tissue donation while still alive remains low despite all efforts. By analyzing anonymized archived data from 25 654 next-of-kin interviews from our database over a period of 5 years (2013-2018), it was found that only 20.

Resilience and lifestyle-related factors as predictors for health-related quality of life among early adolescents: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To examine whether lifestyle-related factors and resilience predict health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a sample of early adolescents.

Methods: A total of 611 eighth grade pupils (response rate: 79%) participated in this cross-sectional study. The variables measured were physical activity (accelerometer), cardiorespiratory fitness (Andersen test) and a questionnaire assessing dietary habits, sleep disturbance, resilience (Resilience Scale for Adolescents) and HRQoL (KIDSCREEN-27).

Changes in Physical Activity, Physical Fitness and Well-Being Following a School-Based Health Promotion Program in a Norwegian Region with a Poor Public Health Profile: A Non-Randomized Controlled Study in Early Adolescents.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to examine the changes in physical activity (PA), physical fitness and psychosocial well-being in early adolescents following implementation of a school-based health promotion program in secondary schools.

Methods: Six municipalities in Telemark County, Norway, were recruited into intervention (6 schools) or control groups (9 schools). A total of 644 pupils participated in the study (response rate: 79%).

Secondary contact between diverged host lineages entails ecological speciation in a European hantavirus.

The diversity of viruses probably exceeds biodiversity of eukaryotes, but little is known about the origin and emergence of novel virus species. Experimentation and disease outbreak investigations have allowed the characterization of rapid molecular virus adaptation. However, the processes leading to the establishment of functionally distinct virus taxa in nature remain obscure.

Occurrence and distribution of Giardia species in wild rodents in Germany.

Background: Giardiasis is an important gastrointestinal parasitic disease in humans and other mammals caused by the protozoan Giardia duodenalis. This species complex is represented by genetically distinct groups (assemblages A-H) with varying zoonotic potential and host preferences. Wild rodents can harbor potentially zoonotic assemblages A and B, and the rodent-specific assemblage G.

Leptospira Genomospecies and Sequence Type Prevalence in Small Mammal Populations in Germany.

Leptospirosis is a worldwide emerging infectious disease caused by zoonotic bacteria of the genus Leptospira. Numerous mammals, including domestic and companion animals, can be infected by Leptospira spp., but rodents and other small mammals are considered the main reservoir.

High prevalence of Rickettsia helvetica in wild small mammal populations in Germany.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, spotted fever rickettsioses are known as emerging diseases worldwide. Rickettsiae are obligately intracellular bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors. The ecology of Rickettsia species has not been investigated in detail, but small mammals are considered to play a role as reservoirs.

Puumala hantavirus infections in bank vole populations: host and virus dynamics in Central Europe.

Background: In Europe, bank voles (Myodes glareolus) are widely distributed and can transmit Puumala virus (PUUV) to humans, which causes a mild to moderate form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, called nephropathia epidemica. Uncovering the link between host and virus dynamics can help to prevent human PUUV infections in the future. Bank voles were live trapped three times a year in 2010-2013 in three woodland plots in each of four regions in Germany.

High genetic structuring of Tula hantavirus.

Tula virus (TULV) is a vole-associated hantavirus with low or no pathogenicity to humans. In the present study, 686 common voles (Microtus arvalis), 249 field voles (Microtus agrestis) and 30 water voles (Arvicola spec.) were collected at 79 sites in Germany, Luxembourg and France and screened by RT-PCR and TULV-IgG ELISA.

Leptospira spp. in rodents and shrews in Germany.

Leptospirosis is an acute, febrile disease occurring in humans and animals worldwide. Leptospira spp. are usually transmitted through direct or indirect contact with the urine of infected reservoir animals.

Autochthonous Dobrava-Belgrade virus infection in Eastern Germany.

A 21-year-old male patient from Borna, Saxony, in Eastern Germany, suffered from acute kidney injury (AKI) and symptoms typical for a hantavirus infection. These symptoms included nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and acute renal failure. Serological investigations by indirect IgM and IgG in-house ELISAs, commercial immunofluorescence and line assays, as well as chemiluminescence focus reduction neutralization assay confirmed an acute Dobrava-Belgrade virus (DOBV) infection of the patient.

The phosphoproteome and its physiological dynamics in Staphylococcus aureus.

Phosphorylation events on proteins during growth and stress/starvation can represent crucial regulation processes inside the bacterial cell. Therefore, serine, threonine and tyrosine phosphorylation patterns were analyzed by two powerful complementary proteomic methods for the human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Using 2D-gel analysis with a phosphosensitive stain (Pro-Q Diamond) and gel-free titanium dioxide based phosphopeptide enrichment, 103 putative phosphorylated proteins with successfully mapped 68 different phosphorylation sites were found in the soluble proteome of S.

Broad geographical distribution and high genetic diversity of shrew-borne Seewis hantavirus in Central Europe.

For a long time hantaviruses were believed to be exclusively rodent-borne pathogens. Recent findings of numerous shrew- and mole-borne hantaviruses raise important questions on their phylogenetic origin. The objective of our study was to prove the presence and distribution of shrew-associated Seewis virus (SWSV) in different Sorex species in Central Europe.

Influence of microgel architecture and oil polarity on stabilization of emulsions by stimuli-sensitive core-shell poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) microgels: Mickering versus Pickering behavior?

Charged poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) [P(NiPAM-co-MAA)] microgels can stabilize thermo- and pH-sensitive emulsions. By placing charged units at different locations in the microgels and comparing the emulsion properties, we demonstrate that their behaviors as emulsion stabilizers are very different from molecular surfactants and rigid Pickering stabilizers. The results show that the stabilization of the emulsions is independent of electrostatic repulsion although the presence and location of charges are relevant.

Functional investigation of methanol dehydrogenase-like protein XoxF in Methylobacterium extorquens AM1.

Methanol dehydrogenase-like protein XoxF of Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 exhibits a sequence identity of 50 % to the catalytic subunit MxaF of periplasmic methanol dehydrogenase in the same organism. The latter has been characterized in detail, identified as a pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ)-dependent protein, and shown to be essential for growth in the presence of methanol in this methylotrophic model bacterium. In contrast, the function of XoxF in M.