[Travel time to memory clinics in Bavaria: A geographical analyses within the framework of digiDEM Bayern]. / Räumliche Erreichbarkeit von Gedächtnisambulanzen ­ Eine geographische Analyse im Rahmen von digiDEM Bayern.

BACKGROUND: Memory clinics can contribute significantly to a qualified diagnosis of dementia. Since the accessibility of medical facilities is an important predictor for their utilisation, the aim of this study was to determine the accessibility of memory clinics for persons with dementia in Bavaria. METHODS: We used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to determine travel times to the nearest memory clinic for all Bavarian municipalities based on OpenStreetMap road network data. RESULTS: The majority of the modelled persons with dementia in Bavaria (40%; n = 93,950) live in communities with an average travel time of 20 to 40 minutes to the nearest memory clinic. Almost 7,000 (3%) require more than one hour. Especially persons from rural communities have to travel significantly longer distances than people from urban areas. CONCLUSION: In view of demographic developments, there is an urgent need for memory clinics to be accessible throughout the country for all persons with dementia, regardless of where they live. The systematic development of memory clinics in areas with long travel times or the establishment of mobile diagnostic services could help to improve dementia care.

The glycerophospholipid inventory of Pseudomonas putida is conserved between strains and enables growth condition-related alterations.

Microorganisms, such as Pseudomonas putida, utilize specific physical properties of cellular membrane constituents, mainly glycerophospholipids, to (re-)adjust the membrane barrier to environmental stresses. Building a basis for membrane composition/function studies, we inventoried the glycerophospholipids of different Pseudomonas and challenged membranes of growing cells with n-butanol. Using a new high-resolution liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method, 127 glycerophospholipid species [e.g. phosphatidylethanolamine PE(32:1)] with up to five fatty acid combinations were detected. The glycerophospholipid inventory consists of 305 distinct glycerophospholipids [e.g. PE(16:0/16:1)], thereof 14 lyso-glycerophospholipids, revealing conserved compositions within the four investigated pseudomonads P. putida KT2440, DOT-T1E, S12 and Pseudomonas sp. strain VLB120. Furthermore, we addressed the influence of environmental conditions on the glycerophospholipid composition of Pseudomonas via long-time exposure to the sublethal n-butanol concentration of 1% (v/v), focusing on: (i) relative amounts of glycerophospholipid species, (ii) glycerophospholipid head group composition, (iii) fatty acid chain length, (iv) degree of saturation and (v) cis/trans isomerization of unsaturated fatty acids. Observed alterations consist of changing head group compositions and for the solvent-sensitive strain KT2440 diminished fatty acid saturation degrees. Minor changes in the glycerophospholipid composition of the solvent-tolerant strains P. putida S12 and Pseudomonas sp. VLB120 suggest different strategies of the investigated Pseudomonas to maintain the barrier function of cellular membranes.

Selected Pseudomonas putida strains able to grow in the presence of high butanol concentrations.

Adapted Pseudomonas putida strains grew in the presence of up to 6% (vol/vol) butanol, the highest reported butanol concentration tolerated by a microbe. P. putida might be an alternative host for biobutanol production, overcoming the primary limitation of currently used strains-insufficient product titers due to low butanol tolerance.