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Biomedical subjects

K Naumann

Publications and source records attributed to K Naumann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The Arabidopsis thaliana genome contains at least 29 active genes encoding SET domain proteins that can be assigned to four evolutionarily conserved classes.

SET domains are conserved amino acid motifs present in chromosomal proteins that function in epigenetic control of gene expression. These proteins can be divided into four classes as typified by their Drosophila members E(Z), TRX, ASH1 and SU(VAR)3-9. Homologs of all four classes have been identified in yeast and mammals, but not in plants. A BLASTP screening of the Arabidopsis genome identified 37 genes: three E(z) homologs, five trx homologs, four ash1 homologs and 15 genes similar to Su(var)3-9. Seven genes were assigned as trx-related and three as ash1-related. Only four genes have been described previously. Our classification is based on the characteristics of the SET domains, cysteine-rich regions and additional conserved domains, including a novel YGD domain. RT-PCR analysis, cDNA cloning and matching ESTs show that at least 29 of the genes are active in diverse tissues. The high number of SET domain genes, possibly involved in epigenetic control of gene activity during plant development, can partly be explained by extensive genome duplication in Arabidopsis. Additionally, the lack of introns in the coding region of eight SU(VAR)3-9 class genes indicates evolution of new genes by retrotransposition. The identification of putative nuclear localization signals and AT-hooks in many of the proteins supports an anticipated nuclear localization, which was demonstrated for selected proteins.

Active Transport, Cell Nucleus↗

[Behavior medicine indications and evaluation of cognitive-behavioral therapy with attention-deficit/hyperkinetic children].

The president study evaluates the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders. Twenty-seven children (mean age: 9 years, 9 months) took part in the study. They had been diagnosed as having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder according to the DSM-III-R criteria. Of these 27 children, 14 were treated individually (15 sessions each) and 13 were assigned to an untreated control group. The children were evaluated before and after the intervention. Dependent measures included parent and teacher ratings, measures of cognitive performance and event-related potentials during attentional tasks. The intervention resulted in improved ratings of the children's behavior at home and at school by parents and teachers, respectively, and improved attentional performance. Furthermore, the intervention enabled the children to use their central nervous system activation (event-related potentials) more adequately. These effects are interpreted with reference to a multifactorial model of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. The results also provide evidence for the influence of cognitive-functional behavior preconditions on central nervous system activation.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

Effects of chronic stimulation with different impulse patterns on the expression of myosin isoforms in rat myotube cultures.

In order to study maturation and differentiation of aneural myotubes in vitro, long-term myotube cultures were established from hindlimb musculature of newborn rats. The developmental state of the myotubes was judged by their myosin heavy chain (HC) patterns. Newly formed myotubes only expressed the embryonic isoform, HCemb, older myotubes expressed the neonatal isoform HCneo, as well as the fast adult isoforms HCIIb and HCIId. HCIId increased continuously, reaching a relative concentration of 47% in 37-day-old cultures. The third fast isoform, HCIIa, was not detected and also the slow isoform HCI was absent. Effects of chronic (20 days) electrostimulation were studied by exposing the cultures to various stimulus patterns. Bursts of 250 ms duration at various pulse frequencies were applied at low and high burst frequencies. Although HCemb remained the predominant isoform under all conditions, different stimulus patterns induced specific changes in the patterns of fast and slow HC isoforms. Bursts of 250 ms duration at 15 Hz, 40 Hz, or 100 Hz, repeated every second or every 4 s, induced the expression of slow myosin, i.e., HCl. Bursts of 250 ms duration at 100 Hz, repeated every 100 s, enhanced the expression of HCIId, but not of HCI. Because slow myosin was induced at high burst frequency with low and high pulse rates, we suggest that burst frequency rather than pulse frequency has a specifying effect on myosin expression. Our results show that the basal program of myosin expression during myogenesis in vitro can be modulated by electrostimulation, suggesting a possible influence of neuromuscular activity on the development of adult fiber types.

Animals↗

Interface reactions between machinable bioactive glass-ceramics and bone.

A new biomaterial for bone substitution, a "machinable bioactive glass-ceramic" has been developed. The material contains two main crystal phases, mica and apatite, and is therefore machinable and bioactive. It has the advantage to be workable by the surgeon, if necessary, during operation. The preparation method of this glass-ceramic is described. Different types of the material can be produced in dependence of the composition, nucleation, and crystallization of the basic glass. In vivo and in vitro investigations showed a characteristic solubility of the material. A Ca-phosphate-rich interface layer with apatite crystals (from the basic glass-ceramic) and a thickness of about 5-10 micrometers grows as solid-state reaction between glass-ceramic and bone. This interface reaction is interpreted as a chemical process which includes a slight solubility of the glass-ceramic and a solid state reaction between the stable apatite crystals in the glass-ceramic and the bone.

Aluminum Silicates↗

[Mechanically processable bioactive glass ceramics--a new biomaterial for bone replacement. 1].

Anorganic materials as glass ceramics with their main crystal phase apatite can be used as biomaterial for the bone substitute. An interior compound between bioglass-ceramics implants and the bone was showed in animal experiments. The apatite crystals in the bioglass-ceramics produce obviously the start point for this fusion process. The shear strength of the compound is on average the eightfold of highly compact Al2O3 ceramics. The bioactive glass ceramics could solve possibly the problems of implant loosening and defect bridging-over. Mechanical processable bioactive ceramics was developed and tested with regard to these employment spheres.

Animals↗

[Model trials for isolation of soft rot bacteria by media containing pectic substances (author's transl)].

1. Under aerobic conditions bacterial soft rots are caused in the most cases by pectolytic Erwinia, Pseudomonas, and Bacillus spp. 2. Using 7 soft rotting strains several selective media were tested for their ability to sure a quick and exact isolation and differentiation of these pathogens. By bile salt-lactose-medium all Erwinia spp. under test could be isolated. For isolation of pectinolytic Pseudomonas strains the D4 medium of Kado and Heskett was suitable as the best one. 3. By the use of substrats containing pectic substances the results of isolation could be essentially improved: So, a sure differentiation of soft rotting bacteria and saprophytic organisms already upon the substrate and in addition, the isolation of pectinolytic Bacillus strains also became possible. The pectinolytic activity of the test strains on pectin-double layer-media was dependent upon the composition of the basal medium. 4. On the base of the results we obtained an isolation scheme is proposed, that allowed to indicate the pectolytic active bacilli (after heating to 80 degrees C for 10 min) on thioglycollate medium covered by a pectin layer, the Erwinia spp. on Stewart-Medium covered by pectin layer and the pectolytic pseudomonads on FPA-medium described by Sands, Hankin and Zucker (containing citrus pectin) to the equal time. 5. The trials also demonstrated, that the preparing of double layer-media instead of sodium polypectate mostly being recommended in literature lower estered pectic compounds can be used successfully.

Bacillus↗

[Effect of plant residues on the parasitic activity of soilborne pathogens and the saprophytic microflora of the soil. III. Influence of rye and rape grown as winter catch crop on the incidence of Cercosporella herpotrichoides Fron (author's transl)].

In a five-years field trial, the influence of two winter catchcrops, rye and rape, upon the incidence of Cercosporella herpotrichoides has been studied. The winter catch-crops had been repeated three times, followed either by stubble-crop or without in fall of the fourth year. The variants (blocks) had been completed by two variants without catch-crop, either carefully cultivated or overgrown with weeds. Each of the four blocks had been divided three times to be grown with three different crop sequences containing 80%, 60% (with the insusceptible corn), or 40% haulm fruit, respectively. Each of the 12 variants had been divided into two parts by continuous fallow stripe, one part being artificially infested with the pathogen in the beginning (1st winter wheat). In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year, only spring crops were grown, followed by winter wheat in the 5th year. The final exploration resulted in a medium to heavy degree of infection, being significantly higher in the 80% cereal crop sequence than in the 60% and 40% sequences. Concerning the catch-crops, infection in the rye variants was equal or significantly lower than in the carefully cultivated variants without catch-crop. On the other hand, infection of the rape variants had become significantly higher than that of the catch-crop-free ones, about as heavily as in the weed-infested variants. From fall 1966 to summer 1969, the development of the saprophytic soil microflora and several other edaphic parameters had been investigated. Remarkable differences in intensity of disintegration have been observed under the influence of the main crops, cereals or potatoes, respectively, but no differences could be stated resulting from the matter of disintegration--residues of rye or rape--, which might interpret the contrasting effects on the pathogen. Too, no indication for antagonistic activity of bacteria or actinomycetes has been noted. The results are compared with known facts of Cercosporella and of other soil borne pathogens. The difference in biology of Cercosporella on the one hand, and of root infecting fungi on the other hand seems to be most important to explain the results obtained.

Actinomycetales↗

[Effect of plant residues on the parasitic activity of soil-borne pathogens and the saprophytic microflora of the soil. II. Influence of a second crop cultivation one the incidence of Rhizoctonia solani (author's transl].

In a more years-lasting field trial the influence of a second crop cultivation of rye and rape in winter time on the incidence of Rhizoctonia solani Kühn on potato or mustard as indicator plants was studied. The second crops were ploughed in during spring time. On part of the trial was artificially infested by this causal agent. Three crop rotations with different proportions of host plants (potato) were compared. The results obtained demonstrate the following: 1. On the part of experimental area arficially infested the incidence rate was higher for 3 till 4 years than on the control plots, but later it became equally to the control one, which also was very high (approximately 50). 2. In the last very dry year (1969) the disease developed only a little. 3. The second crop cultivation decreased the incidence of R. solani in 7 (rye) or 8 (rape) of 10 cases, but mostly the rate of decreasing was low. 4. A high weed density induced by a diminished mechanical cultivation increased the incidence of R. solani at the end of the experiment (1969), specially in the rotation with 80% host plants. 5. The number of soil bacteria, the respiration rate, and partly also the activity of dehydrogenase and the soil acidity were increased by green manuring of the second crop, however, the number of the actinomycetes, and the cellulolytic activity didn't be influenced remarkably. 6. The second crop cultivation ist nounced as a measure stimulating the soil fertiligy and discussed in connection with the microbial processes taking place in soil.

Agriculture↗

[Effect of plant residues on the parasitic activity of soilborne pathogens and the saprophytic microflora of the soil. I. Model trials with Rhizoctonia solani Kühn (author's transl)].

1. In glass-house trials the influence of residues of clover, grass, and mixtures (1:1) of them added to natural and partially sterilized loam soil upon the parasitic activity of Rhizoctonia solani and the soil micro-organisms and their activity was analyzed. 2. Burying of plant residues (1%) increased the content of organic substance in soil for 8 weeks and longer. 3. The soil reaction (pH) was not noteworthy affected by application of clover or grass residues. 4. However, the populations of bacteria and actinomycetes were increased, especially by adding clover dried. In natural soil, the maximum of stimulation was reached later than in soil sterilized. Adding of grass and roots of grass enlarged the spectrum of fungi observed in the soil amended. Roots of grass stimulated the cellulose-decomposing organisms remarkably. 5. The activity of dehydrogenase (AD) was influenced in different manner: in natural soil fresh clover, grass, mixtures of them, and clover dried increased, and fresh roots of clover, grass, and mixtures of them diminished AD; in soil sterilized the most variants stimulated this activity. 6. All plants residues increased the cellulolytic activity of soil for a long time, but in sterilized soil this effect reached its maximum earlier than in natural soil amended and did not last so long, too. 7. The possible explanations for the inhibition of parasitic activity of Rhizoctonia solani caused by burying plant residues are discussed.

Mitosporic Fungi↗