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For the equine veterinarian, it is often difficult to interpret degenerative radiographic changes in the small tarsal joints of clinically healthy young horses on sales or prepurchase radiographs. The aim of this study was to expand the knowledge in this area by investigating the prevalence and progression of degenerative radiographic findings of the small tarsal joints in a homogenous population of young horses. For this purpose, the first part of the study comprised the radiographic examination of 292 two-year-old, clinically healthy and untrained Warmblood stallions to determine the prevalence of radiographic degenerative changes in the small tarsal joints. The second part of the study assessed the development of such degenerative changes over five to sixteen months. This time period is relevant for the public sale or stallion approval preparation of the horses. Follow-up radiographs of 77 stallions with degenerative changes were taken and evaluated to monitor the development of these changes over time. A standardized evaluation of the radiographs was guaranteed by a detailed evaluation scheme and three experienced and specifically qualified investigators. Our hypotheses were: a. Degenerative radiologic findings in the small tarsal joints have a high prevalence even in young and clinically healthy horses, b. Such radiologic changes can be dynamic over a short period of time. In the first part of the study, 22.6% of the stallions showed radiologic changes consistent with degenerative joint disease. There were osteophytes in the distal intertarsal and/or tarsometatarsal joint in 15.4%, areas of reduced radiopacity in the central tarsal or third tarsal bone in 6.5%, narrowing of the joint space of the distal intertarsal and/or tarsometatarsal joint in 0.3%, and sclerosis at the distal intertarsal joint in 0.7% of the horses. Dorsoproximal spurs at the third metatarsal bone were observed in 27.4% of horses; this was the most common radiologic finding. However, this f

The polymetallic Zinnwald-Cínovec deposit is represented by greisen-type mineralisation hosted within the apical portion of a small granite intrusion. Similar to other granitic stocks with Sn-W mineralisation in the Erzgebirge, the Zinnwald granite intruded during the post-collisional stage of the late-Variscan (Permo-Carboniferous) magmatic evolution. These intrusions are characterised by the prominent enrichment of incompatible elements (F, Li, Rb, Cs, Sn, Nb and Ta) and the depletion of P2O5. The deposit is located in the eastern part of the Erzgebirge region, Germany and straddles the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. It is characterised by flat dipping, sheet-like greisen ore bodies (up to 40 m in thickness) and veins (up to 1 m in thickness) located in the apical part and along the quaquaversal dipping edges of the granite stock. The greisen bodies predominantly consist of quartz, Li-Rb-Cs-bearing mica (named zinnwaldite), topaz, fluorite and accessory kaolinite and cassiterite. Historically mined for its cassiterite and wolframite ores since the 16th and 19th century, respectively, the deposit still provides access to a wide spread system of drifts and adits. Selected parts of the underground mine are now presented by the visitor's mine "Vereinigt Zwitterfeld zu Zinnwald". These local conditions are favourable for the re-examination of the exhibited greisen mineralisation. Within the framework of the ongoing Li and Sn exploration project of the SolarWorld Solicium GmbH in the German part of the deposit, an underground sampling campaign has been conducted, incorporating a series of 88 channel samples gained at two different levels (Tiefer Bünau adit = 750 m a.s.l.; Tiefe Hilfe Gottes adit = 720 m a.s.l.). Equally spaced channels of 2 m intervals and approximate dimensions of 180 x 5 x 2.5 cm have been created on pre-selected and detailed mapped walls of two different adits within the mine. The sample material has been gained for mineralogical and

The polymetallic Zinnwald-Cínovec deposit is represented by greisen-type mineralisation hosted within the apical portion of a small granite intrusion. Similar to other granitic stocks with Sn-W mineralisation in the Erzgebirge, the Zinnwald granite intruded during the post-collisional stage of the late-Variscan (Permo-Carboniferous) magmatic evolution. These intrusions are characterised by the prominent enrichment of incompatible elements (F, Li, Rb, Cs, Sn, Nb and Ta) and the depletion of P2O5. The deposit is located in the eastern part of the Erzgebirge region, Germany and straddles the border between Germany and the Czech Republic. It is characterised by flat dipping, sheet-like greisen ore bodies (up to 40 m in thickness) and veins (up to 1 m in thickness) located in the apical part and along the quaquaversal dipping edges of the granite stock. The greisen bodies predominantly consist of quartz, Li-Rb-Cs-bearing mica (named zinnwaldite), topaz, fluorite and accessory kaolinite and cassiterite. Historically mined for its cassiterite and wolframite ores since the 16th and 19th century, respectively, the deposit still provides access to a wide spread system of drifts and adits. Selected parts of the underground mine are now presented by the visitor's mine "Vereinigt Zwitterfeld zu Zinnwald". These local conditions are favourable for the re-examination of the exhibited greisen mineralisation. Within the framework of the ongoing Li and Sn exploration project of the SolarWorld Solicium GmbH in the German part of the deposit, an underground sampling campaign has been conducted, incorporating a series of 88 channel samples gained at two different levels (Tiefer Bünau adit = 750 m a.s.l.; Tiefe Hilfe Gottes adit = 720 m a.s.l.). Equally spaced channels of 2 m intervals and approximate dimensions of 180 x 5 x 2.5 cm have been created on pre-selected and detailed mapped walls of two different adits within the mine. The sample material has been gained for mineralogical and

Nach einem beinahe 70-jährigen Stillstand der bergmännischen Tätigkeiten im Revier der Li-Sn-W-Lagerstätte Zinnwald im Osterzgebirge gehen die Erkundungsbemühungen in die nächste Runde. Die Freiberger Firma SolarWorld Solicium GmbH, einhundertprozentige Tochter der SolarWorld AG, erkundet seit der Erteilung der Aufsuchungsgenehmigung durch das Sächsische Oberbergamt im Februar 2011 gemeinsam mit der TU Bergakademie Freiberg und der GEOS Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH Mitteleuropas größtes bekanntes Li-Vorkommen.

INTRODUCTION: 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, "ecstasy") is a recreational club drug with supposed neurotoxic effects selectively on the serotonin system. MDMA users consistently exhibit memory dysfunction but there is an ongoing debate if these deficits are induced mainly by alterations in the prefrontal or mediotemporal cortex, especially the hippocampus. Thus, we investigated the relation of verbal memory deficits with alterations of regional cerebral brain glucose metabolism (rMRGlu) in recreational MDMA users. METHODS: Brain glucose metabolism in rest was assessed using 2-deoxy-2-((18)F)fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography ((18)FDG PET) in 19 male recreational users of MDMA and 19 male drug-naïve controls. (18)FDG PET data were correlated with memory performance assessed with a German version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. RESULTS: As previously shown, MDMA users showed significant impairment in verbal declarative memory performance. PET scans revealed significantly decreased rMRGlu in the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal and inferior parietal cortex, bilateral thalamus, right hippocampus, right precuneus, right cerebellum, and pons (at the level of raphe nuclei) of MDMA users. Among MDMA users, learning and recall were positively correlated with rMRGlu predominantly in bilateral frontal and parietal brain regions, while recognition was additionally related to rMRGlu in the right mediotemporal and bihemispheric lateral temporal cortex. Moreover, cumulative lifetime dose of MDMA was negatively correlated with rMRGlu in the left dorsolateral and bilateral orbital and medial PFC, left inferior parietal and right lateral temporal cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Verbal learning and recall deficits of recreational MDMA users are correlated with glucose hypometabolism in prefrontal and parietal cortex, while word recognition was additionally correlated with mediotemporal hypometabolism. We conclude that memory deficits of MDMA users arise from combi

Contains fulltext : 103763.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)

Contains fulltext : 103763.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Closed access)

The impact of microhabitat structures and food availability on the abundance of forest rodents

In a large-scale meta-analysis, it has been recently shown that the transcription factor 4 (TCF4) gene is among the most prominent susceptibility genes for schizophrenia. Moreover, transgenic mice overexpressing TCF4 in the brain display a reduction of sensorimotor gating measured by prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR). PPI is heritable and has been established as an important translational endophenotype of schizophrenia. We therefore investigated the impact of the schizophrenia susceptibility gene TCF4 (rs9960767) on sensorimotor gating of the ASR in healthy humans and in patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder. We assessed PPI, startle reactivity, and habituation of the ASR in two independent samples. The first sample consisted of 107 healthy volunteers from London, UK. The second sample was a schizophrenia spectrum group (n = 113) of 73 schizophrenia patients and 40 individuals at high risk for schizophrenia from Bonn, Germany (total sample n = 220). In both samples, PPI was strongly decreased in carriers of the schizophrenia risk allele C of the TCF4 gene (meta-analysis across both samples: p = 0.00002), whereas startle reactivity and habituation were unaffected by TCF4 genotype. Sensorimotor gating is modulated by TCF4 genotype, indicating an influential role of TCF4 gene variations in the development of early information-processing deficits in schizophrenia.

It has been recently shown that Catechol O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val(158)Met polymorphism strongly influences prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR) in healthy human volunteers. Given that schizophrenia patients exhibit impairment in PPI and that COMT is a putative susceptibility gene for schizophrenia, we investigated the impact of the COMT Val(158)Met polymorphisms on PPI in schizophrenic inpatients. We analyzed COMT Val(158)Met polymorphisms and assessed startle reactivity, habituation, and PPI of ASR in 68 Caucasian schizophrenia inpatients. Clinical symptoms were measured with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Patients carrying the Val(158)Met Met/Met allele showed elevated PPI levels whereas startle reactivity and habituation did not differ from the other two genotypes. These preliminary results imply that PPI is influenced by COMT Val(158)Met genotype in schizophrenia as well. In concert with other findings, our data suggest that PPI is a polygenic trait.

The genetic factors determining the progression of prodromal syndromes to first episode schizophrenia have remained enigmatic to date. In a unique prospective multicentre trial we assessed whether variants at the D-amino acid oxidase activator (DAOA)/G72 locus influence progression to psychosis. Young subjects with a prodromal syndrome were observed prospectively for up to 2 years to assess the incidence of progression to schizophrenia or first episode psychosis. Of 82 probands with a prodromal syndrome, 21 probands experienced progression to psychosis within the observation period. Assessment of nine common variants in the DAOA/G72 locus yielded two variants with predictive value for symptom progression: all four probands with the rs1341402 CC genotype developed psychosis, compared to 17 out of 78 probands with the TT or CT genotypes (chi2 =12.348; df =2; p= 0.002). The relative risk for progression to psychosis was significantly increased in the CC genotype: RR=4.588 (95% C.I.=2.175-4.588). Similarly, for rs778294, 50% of probands with the AA genotype, but only 22 % of probands with a GG or GA genotype progressed to psychosis (chi2 = 7.027; df= 2; p = 0.030). Moreover, haplotype analysis revealed a susceptibility haplotype for progression to psychosis. This is one of the first studies to identify a specific genetic factor for the progression of prodromal syndromes to schizophrenia, and further underscores the importance of the DAOA/G72 gene for schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia patients exhibit impairment in prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR), which is commonly interpreted as a sensorimotor gating deficit. To date, it is unclear when these gating deficits arise. Results of animal studies and some human data suggest that PPI deficits are in part genetically determined, such that gating deficits could be present before the onset of a full-blown psychosis. To test this assumption, we investigated PPI of ASR in individuals with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia and patients with first-episode schizophrenia. METHODS: Startle reactivity, habituation, and PPI of ASR, as well as a neuropsychological test battery, were assessed in 54 subjects with prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia (35 early and 19 late prodromal subjects), 31 first-episode schizophrenia patients (14 unmedicated, 17 medicated), and 28 healthy control subjects. Patients were also examined with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. RESULTS: Prodromal subjects and unmedicated patients with first-episode schizophrenia showed significant PPI deficits, whereas schizophrenia patients treated with risperidone had almost normal PPI. Startle reactivity decreased with greater severity of symptoms (control subjects, early prodromal group > late prodromal group > unmedicated first-episode patients) but was almost normal in the medicated patients. With respect to habituation, prodromal subjects and schizophrenia patients did not differ from healthy control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: PPI disruption is already present in a prodromal state of schizophrenia, but startle reactivity deficits seem to emerge with the onset of acute psychosis.

Background: Schizophrenia patients exhibit impairment in prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR) suggesting a sensorimotor gating deficit. The serotonin-2A receptor (5-HT2AR) has been implicated in both the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and the PPI deficits of schizophrenia patients. Moreover, both schizophrenia and PPI are thought to be inheritable. Thus, we investigated the impact of three 5-HT2AR polymorphisms (A-1438G, T102C, H452Y) on PPI in schizophrenia patients. Methods: We analyzed the 5-HT2AR A-1438G, T102C, and H452Y polymorphisms and assessed startle reactivity, habituation, and PPI of ASR in 68 Caucasian schizophrenia inpatients. Patients were also examined with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Results: The 5-HT2AR A-1438G and T102C polymorphisms were in complete linkage disequilibrium. Patients carrying the T102C TT and the A-1438G AA allele show significantly higher PPI levels and a faster early habituation compared to all other variants. 5-HT2AR A-1438G and T102C genotype explained about 11% of the PPI and early habituation variance. In contrast, the 5-HT2AR H452Y polymorphism did not affect startle parameter. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that PPI and habituation are modulated by 5-HT2AR A-1438G and T102C genotype in schizophrenia. Consequently, alterations within brain 5-HT2ARs may contribute to the PPI deficits in schizophrenia.

The chemical processes and their thermal effects taking place inside a dump of an open-cast mine during a reclamation process are a matter of interest among geoenvironmental engineers and scientists. Fiber-optic-distributed-temperature sensing (DTS) was applied together with a soil ground water monitoring system (SGM-System) at the dump in the open-cast mine (Cospuden) for investigating those processes. An optical fiber was mounted at the entire length of a double-pipe SGM-System. The temperature was measured monthly, along the depth of 50 m, with a spatial resolution of 0.5 m. The accuracy of the temperature gauge was 0.05 K. The system was utilized for the localization of heat production zones in the subsurface, for the determination of the temperature variation's penetration depth from the surface into the soil of the dump and for the determination of the influence of the SGM-System on the subsurface temperature balance. The results were compared with a heat transport model and then interpreted.

Contains fulltext : 24066___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access)

Contains fulltext : 24066___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access)

Contains fulltext : 24066___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access)