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Von 2021 bis 2023 hat die Forschungsbibliothek Gotha – gefördert vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung ( https://www.bmbf.de/DE/Home/home_node.html ) – in der Förderlinie e-Heritage 35.000 Afrika- und Asienkarten der Sammlung Perthes erschlossen und digitalisiert. Damit ist ca. ein Fünftel der 185.000 Blätter umfassenden Kartensammlung Perthes weltweit zugänglich. Der Erfahrungsbericht beschreibt mit Blick auf die spezifische Überlieferungssituation der Sammlung die Vorgeschichte, Herausforderungen, Lösungen, Realisierung und Ergebnisse des Vorhabens für einen von der Wissenschaft zunehmend intensiver nachgefragten, kulturhistorisch bedeutenden Kartenbestand des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts.

Von 2021 bis 2023 hat die Forschungsbibliothek Gotha – gefördert vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung ( ) – in der Förderlinie e-Heritage 35.000 Afrika- und Asienkarten der Sammlung Perthes erschlossen und digitalisiert. Damit ist ca. ein Fünftel der 185.000 Blätter umfassenden Kartensammlung Perthes weltweit zugänglich. Der Erfahrungsbericht beschreibt mit Blick auf die spezifische Überlieferungssituation der Sammlung die Vorgeschichte, Herausforderungen, Lösungen, Realisierung und Ergebnisse des Vorhabens für einen von der Wissenschaft zunehmend intensiver nachgefragten, kulturhistorisch bedeutenden Kartenbestand des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts.

Background Obesity and low muscle mass are associated with worse outcomes of breast cancer patients. We conducted a controlled trial to study the impact of a ketogenic diet (KD) based on natural foods versus an unspecified standard diet (SD) on body composition in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Methods Patients with non-metastasized breast cancer were allocated to either the KD ( N  = 32) or the SD ( N  = 31) during radiotherapy. Body composition was measured weekly by bioimpedance analysis. Blood parameters and quality of life were assessed before, during, and at the end of radiotherapy. Results A total of 29 KD and 30 SD patients completed the study. During radiotherapy, mean and median fasting BHB concentrations in the KD group were 0.72 and 0.49 mmol/l (range 0.06–4.9) which was significantly higher than those in the SD group ( p  < 2.2 × 10 −16 ). There was a very small and insignificant increase in body weight and fat mass in the SD group, as well as a decrease of fat free mass. In contrast, patients in the KD group lost body weight and fat free and skeletal muscle mass quickly after diet onset, which for the most part was related to water losses. The KD did not cause further substantial changes in fat free or skeletal muscle mass, but was associated with a gradual decrease of 0.4 kg body weight and fat mass per week ( p  < 0.0001). The KD significantly decreased free T3 levels by 0.06 pg/ml/week ( p  = 6.3 × 10 −5 ). Global quality of life remained stable in the SD group but increased in the KD group from a score of 66.7 to 75.0 ( p  = 0.20). Conclusions In breast cancer patients undergoing curative radiotherapy, a KD based on natural foods is feasible. After initial water losses, the KD tends to reduce body weight and fat mass while preserving fat free and skeletal muscle mass. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02516501 , registered on August 06, 2015.

Back pain and postural abnormalities are increasingly prevalent among primary school children and may persist into adulthood. This randomized controlled trial evaluated a 12-week web-based preventive back-care intervention for 141 children aged 6–11 years. The intervention group ( n  = 71) received exercise and back-oriented education videos, while the control group ( n  = 70) received only educational videos regarding general health promotion. Outcomes included short-term goals such as postural evaluation, back pain, and postural endurance, as well as prevention-oriented outcomes including trunk endurance, functional mobility, back-related knowledge, and psychological well-being (self-compassion and self-concept), complemented by parent-reported information. Exploratory analyses examined subgroup differences in program response. The intervention significantly increased back-related knowledge ( p  < .001, partial η² = 0.228) and positive self-compassion ( p  = .011, partial η² = 0.045), but did not lead to significant group differences in posture, back pain prevalence, trunk muscle endurance, functional mobility, self-concept, negative self-compassion, or daily sitting time. Adherence varied, and postural assessment was limited by the lack of a standard medical examination, which should be considered when interpreting the results. These findings highlight challenges in digital health promotion for young children and suggest that future programs may benefit from increased interactivity, parental involvement, and in-person components to effectively support spinal health in this age group.

Epistatic interactions between genes are a major factor in evolution. Hybrid necrosis is an example of a deleterious phenotype caused by epistatic interactions that is observed in many intra- and interspecific plant hybrids. A large number of hybrid necrosis cases share phenotypic similarities, suggesting a common underlying mechanism across a wide range of plant species. Here, we report that approximately 2% of intraspecific crosses in Arabidopsis thaliana yield F1 progeny that express necrosis when grown under conditions typical of their natural habitats. We show that several independent cases result from epistatic interactions that trigger autoimmune-like responses. In at least one case, an allele of an NB-LRR disease resistance gene homolog is both necessary and sufficient for the induction of hybrid necrosis, when combined with a specific allele at a second locus. The A. thaliana cases provide insights into the molecular causes of hybrid necrosis, and serve as a model for further investigation of intra- and interspecific incompatibilities caused by a simple epistatic interaction. Moreover, our finding that plant immune-system genes are involved in hybrid necrosis suggests that selective pressures related to host-pathogen conflict might cause the evolution of gene flow barriers in plants.

To evaluate the safety and tolerability of intravitreal ISTH0036, an antisense oligonucleotide selectively targeting transforming growth factor beta 2 (TGF-β2), in patients with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) undergoing trabeculectomy (TE; glaucoma filtration surgery). In this prospective phase I trial glaucoma patients scheduled for TE with mitomycin C (MMC) received a single intravitreal injection of ISTH0036 at the end of surgery in escalating total doses of 6.75 μg, 22.5 μg, 67.5 μg or 225 μg, resulting in calculated intraocular ISTH0036 concentrations in the vitreous humor of approximately 0.3 μM, 1 μM, 3 μM or 10 μM after injection, respectively. Outcomes assessed included: type and frequency of adverse events (AEs), intraocular pressure (IOP), numbers of interventions post trabeculectomy, bleb survival, visual acuity, visual field, electroretinogram (ERG), slit lamp biomicroscopy and optic disc assessment. In total, 12 patients were treated in the 4 dose groups. Main ocular AEs observed were corneal erosion, corneal epithelium defect, or too high or too low IOP, among others. No AE was reported to be related to ISTH0036. All other safety-related analyses did not reveal any toxicities of concern, either. The mean medicated preoperative IOP at decision time-point for surgery was 27.3 mmHg +/- 12.6 mmHg (SD). Mean IOP (±SD) for dose levels 1, 2, 3, and 4 were at Day 43 9.8 mmHg ± 1.0 mmHg, 11.3 mmHg ± 6.7 mmHg, 5.5 mmHg ± 3.0 mmHg and 7.5 mmHg ± 2.3 mmHg SD; and at Day 85 9.7 mmHg ± 3.3 mmHg, 14.2 mmHg ± 6.5 mmHg, 5.8 mmHg ± 1.8 mmHg and 7.8 mmHg ± 0.6 mmHg, respectively. In contrast to IOP values for dose levels 1 and 2, IOP values for dose levels 3 and 4 persistently remained below 10 mmHg throughout the observation period. This first-in-human trial demonstrates that intravitreal injection of ISTH0036 at the end of TE is safe. Regarding IOP control, single-dose ISTH0036 administration of 67.5 μg or 225 μg at the time of TE resulted in IOP values persistently < 10 mmHg over the three month postoperative observation period.

The genetics of plant variety Large-scale genome-wide association (GWA) studies have become an important tool in human genomics, mostly focused on disease but also on adaptive variations such as skin colour. The technique is now shown to be similarly useful in plants. Atwell et al . report a GWA study of over a hundred phenotypes in naturally occurring inbred lines of Arabidopsis thaliana . The results range from significant associations, usually for single genes, to more difficult-to-interpret findings that indicate confounding by complex genetics and population structure. The accompanying paper by Todesco et al . demonstrates the ability of this technique to detect major-effect gene loci. Using forward genetics and GWA analyses, they show that variation at a single locus ( ACD6 ) in Arabidopsis underlies phenotypic variation in vegetative growth as well as resistance to infection. The strong enhancement of resistance mediated by one of the alleles at this locus explains its persistence in natural populations throughout the world, despite it drastically reducing new leaf production. Here, a combination of forward genetics and genome-wide association analyses has been used to show that variation at a single genetic locus in Arabidopsis thaliana underlies phenotypic variation in vegetative growth as well as resistance to infection. The strong enhancement of resistance mediated by one of the alleles at this locus explains the allele's persistence in natural populations throughout the world, even though it drastically reduces the production of new leaves. Plants can defend themselves against a wide array of enemies, from microbes to large animals, yet there is great variability in the effectiveness of such defences, both within and between species. Some of this variation can be explained by conflicting pressures from pathogens with different modes of attack 1 . A second explanation comes from an evolutionary ‘tug of war’, in which pathogens adapt to evade detection, until the plant has evolved new recognition capabilities for pathogen invasion 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 . If selection is, however, sufficiently strong, susceptible hosts should remain rare. That this is not the case is best explained by costs incurred from constitutive defences in a pest-free environment 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 . Using a combination of forward genetics and genome-wide association analyses, we demonstrate that allelic diversity at a single locus, ACCELERATED CELL DEATH 6 ( ACD6 ) 12 , 13 , underpins marked pleiotropic differences in both vegetative growth and resistance to microbial infection and herbivory among natural Arabidopsis thaliana strains. A hyperactive ACD6 allele, compared to the reference allele, strongly enhances resistance to a broad range of pathogens from different phyla, but at the same time slows the production of new leaves and greatly reduces the biomass of mature leaves. This allele segregates at intermediate frequency both throughout the worldwide range of A. thaliana and within local populations, consistent with this allele providing substantial fitness benefits despite its marked impact on growth.

Evolutionary principles are rarely considered in clinical oncology. We here aimed to test the feasibility and effects of a dietary and physical activity intervention based on evolutionary considerations in an oncological setting. A total of 13 breast cancer patients referred to our clinic for curative radiotherapy were recruited for this pilot study. The women were supposed to undertake a “Paleolithic lifestyle” (PL) intervention consisting of a Paleolithic diet and daily outdoor activity of at least 30 min duration while undergoing radiotherapy. Body composition was measured weekly by bioimpedance analysis. Blood parameters were assessed before, during, and at the end of radiotherapy. A control group on an unspecified standard diet (SD) was assigned by propensity score matching. A total of eleven patients completed the study. The majority of patients (64%) reported feeling good or very good during the intervention. The intervention group experienced an average decrease of 0.4 kg body weight (p < 0.001) and 0.34 kg (p < 0.001) fat mass per week, but fat-free and skeletal muscle mass were not significantly affected. Vitamin D levels increased slightly from 23.8 (11–37.3) ng/ml to 25.1 (22.6–41.6) ng/ml (p = 0.053). β-hydroxybutyrate levels were significantly increased and triglycerides and free T3 hormone levels significantly reduced by the PL intervention. This pilot study shows that adoption of a PL intervention during curative radiotherapy of breast cancer patients is feasible and able to reduce fat mass. Daily outdoor activity could eliminate vitamin D deficiency (vitamin D < 20 ng/ml). Future studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is associated with diverse psychiatric conditions. Sometimes, (e.g., in patients with autism spectrum disorder or acquired brain injuries) SIB is the most dominant symptom, severely restricting the psychosocial functioning and quality of life of the patients and inhibiting appropriate patient care. In severe cases, it can lead to permanent physical injuries or even death. Primary therapy consists of medical treatment and if implementable, behavioral therapy. For patients with severe SIB refractory to conventional therapy neuromodulation can be considered as a last recourse. In scientific literature, several successful lesioning and deep brain stimulation targets have been described that can indicate a common underlying neuronal pathway. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the short- and long-term clinical outcome of patients with severe, therapy refractory SIB who underwent DBS with diverse underlying psychiatric disorders and to correlate these outcomes with the activated connectivity networks. We retrospectively analyzed ten patients with SIB who underwent DBS surgery with diverse psychiatric conditions including autism spectrum disorder, organic personality disorder after hypoxic or traumatic brain injury or Tourette syndrome. DBS targets were chosen according to the underlying disorder, patients were either stimulated in the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, posterior hypothalamus, medial thalamus or ventrolateral thalamus. Clinical outcome was measured six months after surgery and at long-term follow-up after ten or more years using the Early Rehabilitation Barthel index (ERBI) and time of restraint. Connectivity patterns were analyzed using normative connectome. Based on previous literature the orbitofrontal cortex, superior frontal gyrus, the amygdala and the hippocampus were chosen as regions of interest. This analysis showed a significant improvement in the functionality of the patients with DBS in the short- and long-term follow-up. Good clinical outcome correlated with higher connectivity to the amygdala and hippocampus. These findings may suggest a common pathway, which can be relevant when planning a surgical procedure in patients with SIB.