Efficacy of 5-day parenteral versus intramammary benzylpenicillin for treatment of clinical mastitis caused by gram-positive bacteria susceptible to penicillin in vitro

The efficacy of parenteral (intramuscular) or intramammary (IMM) benzylpenicillin treatment for clinical mastitis caused by gram-positive bacteria susceptible to penicillin in vitro was investigated. Cows with clinical mastitis in 1 udder quarter were randomly placed into 2 treatment groups. The preliminary bacteriological diagnosis of intramammary infection (IMI) was based on on-farm culturing, and the bacteriological diagnoses were later confirmed by a quantitative PCR assay. Clinical mastitis caused by gram-positive bacteria susceptible to benzylpenicillin was treated with penicillin via either the parenteral route (20 mg/kg) or IMM route (600 mg) once per day for 5 d. The outcome of the treatment was evaluated 3 to 4 wk after the onset of the treatment. The affected quarter was examined to assess the clinical cure, and milk samples were collected from the affected quarter to determine the bacteriological cure and milk N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activity. The survival and the composite milk somatic cell counts of the treated cows were followed up for 6 and 3 mo after treatment, respectively. A total of 140 cows with clinical mastitis were included in the study, 61 being treated with benzylpenicillin parenterally and 79 via the IMM route. From all quarters treated, 108 of 140 (77.1%) were cured clinically and 77 of 140 (55.0%) were cured bacteriologically. The route of treatment did not significantly affect the outcome of the treatment; 80.3% of the quarters with parenteral treatment and 74.7% of the quarters with IMM treatment showed a clinical cure, and 54.1 and 55.7% a bacteriological cure, respectively. The milk N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activity was significantly lower in the quarters with a clinical or bacteriological cure than in the quarters with no cure. The 6-mo survival and the proportion of cows with composite milk somatic cell counts <200,000/mL among the treated cows during the 3-mo follow-up period did not significantly differ between the treatment groups. In conclusion, the outcome of either parenteral or IMM benzylpenicillin treatment of clinical mastitis caused by penicillin-susceptible bacteria was similar.     

Seasonality in Estonian Traditional Landscape: The Example of Large Village Swings

Like every nation, Estonians have their own indigenous customs and habits. Village swings and the place of these swings in the landscape are focused upon as an example of such Estonian customs, and changes in landscape as related to seasonality and liminality are discussed. The word ‘swing’ is used to denote a large construction (traditionally made of wood) that is able to carry and swing at least two people. Village swings (for public use) are usually located in the middle of a village and the site is commonly used by young people as a place to meet and have a good time. Swinging takes place mostly in the spring and summer, forming one of the many seasonal activities that make up the Estonian traditional calendar. The seasonal break in swinging activity contributes to the eagerness with which swinging is resumed when spring returns, so seasonality creates frames, with the most valued time being the spring. With swinging, the spring has been celebrated as a very valuable and long-awaited season. Although the religious background for swinging has been forgotten, the place is still special and is visited mostly on certain festive occasions. As there is no comparable alternative to swing sites as a socializing place in the village, they have persisted through the centuries. The importance of preserving such unique seasonal places in Estonia's social landscape is demonstrated.     

Seed-mediated electrochemical growth of gold nanostructures on indium tin oxide thin films

Two-dimensional gold nanostructures (Au NSs) were fabricated on amine-terminated indium tin oxide (ITO) thin films using constant potential electrolysis. By controlling the deposition time and by choosing the appropriate ITO surface, Au NSs with different shapes were generated. When Au NSs were formed directly on aminosilane-modified ITO, the surface roughness of the interface was largely enhanced. Modification of such Au NSs with n-tetradecanethiol resulted in a highly hydrophobic interface with a water contact angle of 144°. Aminosilane-modified ITO films further modified with colloidal Au seeds before electrochemical Au NSs formation demonstrated interesting optical properties. Depending on the deposition time, surface colors ranging from pale pink to beatgold-like were observed. The optical properties and the chemical stability of the interfaces were characterized using UV-vis absorption spectroscopy. Well-defined localized surface plasmon resonance signals were recorded on Au-seeded interfaces with λ_max = 675 ± 2 nm (deposition time 180 s). The prepared interfaces exhibited long-term stability in various solvents and responded linearly to changes in the corresponding refractive indices.     

Raman microscopy-based cytochemical investigations of potential niche-forming inhomogeneities present in human embryonic stem cell colonies

Measuring spatial and temporal patterns of cytochemical variation in human embryonic stem cell (hESC) colonies is necessary for understanding the role of cellular communication in spontaneous differentiation, the mechanisms of biological niche creation, and structure-generating developmental processes. Such insights will ultimately facilitate directed differentiation and therewith promote advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, the patterns of cytochemical inhomogeneities of hESC colonies are not well studied and their causes are not fully understood. We used Raman spectroscopic mapping to contrast supracellular variations in cytochemical composition across pluripotent and partly differentiated hESC colonies to gain a better understanding of the early-stage (i.e., 5 days) effects of the differentiation process on the nature and evolution of these patterns. Higher protein-to-nucleic acid ratios, a differentiation status indicator observed previously using Raman spectroscopy, confirmed reported results that spontaneous differentiation is more pronounced on the edges of a colony than elsewhere. In addition, pluripotent and partly differentiated colonies also showed higher lipid concentrations relative to nucleic acids at colony edges in contrast to relative glycogen concentrations, which were up to 400% more pronounced in the colony centers compared to their edges. Pluripotent and partly differentiated colonies differed, with the latter having higher average protein-to-nucleic acid and lipid-to-nucleic acid ratios but a lower glycogen-to-nucleic acid ratio. In both cases, cell density, pluripotency, and high glycogen appeared to vary in tandem. Spatial variations in glycogen- and protein-to-nucleic acid ratios have features on the order of 100 μm and larger. These dimensions are consistent with those reported for stem cell niches and suggest that cytochemical inhomogeneities may provide colony-level information about niches and niche formation. These results demonstrate Raman mapping to be a potentially useful technique for revealing the complexities in the spatial organization of hESC cultures and thus for monitoring the evolution of engineered hESC niches.     

In situ analysis of living embryonic stem cells by coherent anti-stokes Raman microscopy

Embryonic stem cells (ESC), derived from preimplantation embryos, are defined by their ability to both self-renew and differentiate into all of the cells and tissues of a mature animal. Efforts to develop methods for in vitro culture of ESC for research or eventual therapeutic applications are hampered by the lack of rapid, nondestructive assays for distinguishing ESC from other (differentiated) cells within a growing culture. Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is shown here to be a sensitive and nondestructive method for identifying mouse ESC based on selective observation of specific molecular vibrations believed to be spectroscopic markers indicating the differentiated vs undifferentiated states of such cells. The nonlinear nature of CARS also permits imaging with subcellular resolution, potentially offering a means by which chemical changes accompanying the early stages of differentiation may be associated with certain intracellular compartments (e.g., nucleus, cytoplasm, membranes). A novel exposure/collection configuration is described, which yields high collection efficiency and low interference from nonresonant background components.     

Mire landscapes in Estonian fiction and identity

ABSTRACT

Images used to promote Estonia both home and abroad frequently highlight the element of pristine nature, often represented by the mire. Mires have witnessed historical change that can be described from ecological, institutional and perceptional aspects; artistic representations of mires have been transforming as well. The article observes literary representations of mires, based on 80 Estonian works of fiction, thus tracing the Estonians’ relationship with the wetlands surrounding them and discussing the position of the mire in the evolving Estonian identity. The works derive from the past century and a half—the period when both Estonian literature and the modern Estonian nation became established. The current prevailing values emerged due to environmental ideas and advocate protecting and visiting the mires that, although not having been part of Estonians’ identity discourse historically, still constitute a facet in the image of Estonia as a country today.