In vitro growth of enterococci of bovine origin in bovine mammary secretions from various stages of lactation

In vitro growth responses of Enterococcus faecium and Enterococcus faecalis were tested in cell-free, fat-free bovine mammary secretions. Mammary secretions were collected during the dry period, and during early, late, and extended lactation. Sixty-three enterococcal isolates from aseptically collected bovine quarter milk samples and bedding samples from a commercial dairy herd were tested. Isolates from bovine quarter milk samples originated from mammary glands with clinical mastitis, cows with composite somatic cell score >4, postpartum milk samples, or from routine milk samples submitted to a mastitis diagnostic laboratory. Source of enterococcal isolates and the species significantly contribute to the ability of organisms to multiply in mammary secretions from various stages of lactation. Isolates collected from milk samples of the commercial herd and isolates from milk submitted to a mastitis diagnostic lab did not display enhanced growth in mammary secretions compared with isolates from bedding. Growth responses of E. faecalis were greater than those for E. faecium in secretions collected during the dry period, late lactation, and extended lactation. Bacterial growth did not differ between enterococcal species in mammary secretion collected from cows in early lactation. Differences in bacterial growth between E. faecalis and E. faecium in mammary secretions may indicate differences between species in susceptibility of mammary glands during the lactation cycle.     

Study of the antibiotic sensitivity of Shigella newcastle isolated in Zaporozhe Province

Sensitivity to antibacterial drugs of 510 strains of Shigella Newcastle isolated from both sporadic patients and cases during the disease outbreaks was studied. The studies revealed a rather high percentage of Shigella Newcastle resistant to the antibiotics widely used in clinical practice. Most of the strains, i.e. 90.5 per cent were resistant to tetracycline and a significant number of the isolates, i.e. 55.6--53.3 per cent were resistant to streptomycin and erythromycin. A statistically reliable predominance of the Shigella resistant to levomycetin and streptomycin in the disease foci was noted as compared to the Shigella isolated from the sporadic patients. Most of the isolates were simultaneously resistant to several antibiotics. Thus, resistance to 2,3--4 and 5--6 antibiotics was found in 28, 54.3 and I.I per cent of the cultures respectively. At the same time almost all Shigella Newcastle strains were sensitive to rifampicin, neomycin and monomycin (aminoglycoside antibiotics), enteroseptol (oxychinoline drug) and furazolidone (nitrofuran drug).     

Vitamin B12-binding substances elaborated by the mucous membrane of the stomach]

Accurate electrocardiographic diagnosis of myocardial ischemia or infarction is difficult in patients with the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome; however, myocardial ischemia may also have profound effects on the electrophysiologic characteristics of the bypass tract in these patients. Comparison of studies performed during and two months following an episode of significant myocardial ischemia demonstrated substantial prolongation of the refractoriness of the bypass tract during the period of ischemia. Bypass refractoriness was prolonged by 196 msec, yet atrioventricular nodal refractoriness was not significantly different from normal. These studies, therefore, suggest that, on occasion, the presence of acute myocardial ischemia may, in fact, obscure the electrocardiographic diagnosis of the Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.     

Traits, tests, and personality research.

Skepticism regarding the utility of personality tests seems widespread in contemporary personality, clinical, and social psychology. Five sources of this skepticism can be identified. First, the trait concept has been widely criticized in the recent literature; since tests are assumed to measure traits, their role in developing psychological theory is also questioned. Second, it is frequently claimed that tests simply don't work very well, that social behavior is largely a function of situational constraints. Third, current enthusiasm for experimental research tends to minimize the importance of individual differences and the tests that are used to assess them. Fourth, behavior therapy and labeling theory have encouraged the view that tests are irrelevant as adjuncts to psychotherapy. Finally, the ease with which test data can be collected encourages mindless research. Each of these issues is reviewed, and arguments are presented to suggest that personality assessment continues to be an intellectually and scientifically defensible enterprise. (70 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prolonged in vitro exposure of Staphylococcus aureus to germicidal teat dips

Eight strains of Staphylococcus aureus were tested to determine if prolonged exposure to commercial teat dips could enhance bacterial tolerance to teat dips in vitro. All strains of S. aureus were serially plated 15 times on chemically defined agar medium containing sublethal concentrations of linear dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid, chlorhexidine, sodium hypochlorite, and iodophor teat dips. Growth responses of S. aureus to chlorhexidine, sodium hypochlorite, and iodophor were not affected by prolonged exposure to these teat dips. Isolates subcultured on agar containing .1% linear dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid teat dip subsequently had a greater mean growth response to .1% solution of the germicide than did controls subcultured on basal medium. Hemolytic patterns, tube coagulase, clumping factor, and protein A reactions of S. aureus were not altered by exposure to any of the teat dips tested. In general, prolonged exposure to commercial teat dips did not alter germicidal susceptibility of S. aureus.     

Antioxidant properties and bioactive components of Norton (Vitis aestivalis) and Cabernet Franc (Vitis vinifera) wine grapes

Three wine grapes, Norton (Vitis aestivalis), Cabernet Franc clone1, and Cabernet Franc clone313 (Vitis vinifera), collected from a Virginia vineyard were evaluated and compared for their antioxidant properties and phenolic profile. All grape extracts exerted remarkable antioxidant activities. Their oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) values were not significantly different from one another, ranging from 22.9 to 26.7 μmol TE/g of fresh weight. The Cabernet Franc clone1 had the strongest 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals scavenging activity (8.8 μmol TE/g) compared to the Norton or Cabernet Franc clone313 grape extracts (7.9 μmol TE/g and 5.4 μmol TE/g, respectively). The Norton grape contained significantly higher total phenolic, anthocyanin, and flavonoid content than the Cabernet Franc grapes (p < 0.05). The hydroxybenzoic acids, in particular gallic acid, were the major phenolic acids in all the grape extracts. The Norton grape variety was found to be rich in malvidin-diglucoside and malvidin-glucoside, while the malvidin-diglucoside was negligible in the Cabernet Franc grapes. The results suggest a remarkable impact of grape genotype on its antioxidant properties and phenolic composition in Virginia-grown wine grapes.     

Intramammary challenge of the bovine mammary gland with coliform bacteria during early involution

Isolates of Escherichia coli (n = 12), Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 20), and Klebsiella oxytoca (n = 10) were used to challenge involuting mammary glands at 7 d of the dry period. Bacteria were selected for challenge on the basis of their ability to grow in a pooled source of dry cow secretion obtained at 21 d of involution. Challenge bacteria were classified as highly adapted (in vitro growth greater than 7 cfu log10/ml) or poorly adapted (growth less than 2 cfu log10/ml) for growth in dry cow secretion. Intramammary infusion of Escherichia coli, K. pneumoniae, and K. oxytoca resulted in 0, 40, and 30%, respectively, of quarters infected. Isolates highly adapted for growth in dry cow secretion caused 75% of K. pneumoniae and 67% of K. oxytoca experimental intramammary infections. Results indicated that the ability to overcome inhibitory properties of dry cow secretion was related to the establishment of K. pneumoniae and K. oxytoca intramammary infections in the dry gland. There was no evidence that growth of E. coli in dry cow secretion related to pathogenicity in the dry gland. Experimental challenge using multiple isolates did confirm the resistance of the involuting mammary gland to E. coli infection.     

Comparative study of cyclophosphamide, 6-mercaptopurine, azathiopurine and methotrexate. Relative effects on the humoral and the cellular immune response in the mouse

The effects of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine on the concomitant development of the humoral and the cellular immune responses of mice to a single antigen, the El4 tumour cell, were investigated. The measurements of cellular and humoral immunity were carried out in the same animal using lymphocyte and antibody mediated lysis of the El4 cell, a measurement system independent of underlying anti-inflammatory effects. A regimen of daily cyclophosphamide had a more pronounced suppressive effect on the humoral response than on the cellular response, in agreement with other investigators. A single low dose of cyclophosphamide stimulated the cellular response and suppressed the humoral response. Single or multiple high doses of cyclophosphamide maximally suppressed both the cellular and humoral response. Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine, in contrast to the results of other investigations, caused equivalent inhibition of both the humoral and cellular responses and thus lacked selectivity. Methotrexate also provided equivalent inhibition of both the humoral and cellular responses at all dose levels investigated.     

A Bayesian hierarchical correlation model for fMRI cluster analysis

Data-driven cluster analysis is potentially suitable to search for, and discriminate between, distinct response signals in blood oxygenation level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging (BOLD fMRI), which appear during cerebrovascular disease. In contrast to model-driven methods, which test for a particular BOLD signal whose shape must be given beforehand, data-driven methods generate a set of BOLD signals directly from the fMRI data by clustering voxels into groups with correlated time signals. Here, we address the problem of selecting only the clusters that represent genuine responses to the experimental stimulus by modeling the correlation structure of the clustered data using a Bayesian hierarchical model. The model is empirically justified by demonstrating the hierarchical organization of the voxel correlations after cluster analysis. BOLD signal discrimination is demonstrated using: 1) simulations that contain multiple pathological BOLD response signals; and 2) fMRI data acquired during an event-related motor task. These demonstrations are compared with results from a model-driven method based on the general linear model. Our simulations show that the data-driven method can discriminate between the BOLD response signals, while the model-driven method only finds one signal. For fMRI, the data-driven method distinguishes between the BOLD signals appearing in the sensorimotor cortex and those in basal ganglia and putamen, while the model-driven method combines these signals into one activation map. We conclude that the proposed data-driven method provides an objective framework to identify and discriminate between distinct BOLD response signals.