Einfluss von Einstellungen von Bäuerinnen und Bauern auf die Anwendung von Hausmitteln bei Nutztieren im Joglland, Österreich

Im Hinblick auf die Richtlinien der ökologischen Landwirtschaft auf chemisch- synthetische Arzneimittel zu verzichten und beispielsweise pflanzliche Heilmittel einzusetzen, scheint eine Einbindung von pflanzlichen Hausmitteln in die Tierheilkunde sinnvoll. Die Faktoren, die mit dem Hausmitteleinsatz in Verbindung stehen bzw. diesen begünstigen könnten, wurden bisher wenig untersucht. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es einerseits, das Wissen von ausgewählten Bäuerinnen und Bauern zu Hausmitteln zu dokumentieren und andererseits Faktoren zu ermitteln, die positiv auf den Hausmitteleinsatz einwirken könnten. Aufbauend auf die Theory of Reasoned Action von Fishbein und Ajzen wurde ein Modell entwickelt, anhand dessen Hypothesen abgeleitet und Einflussfaktoren geprüft wurden. Im Joglland, Steiermark wurden 45 Bäuerinnen und Bauern, von denen 19 nach den Richtlinien der ökologischen Landwirtschaft wirtschafteten, im Jahr 2011 mit Hilfe eines standardisierten Fragebogens zu den ihnen in der Tierheilkunde bekannten Hausmitteln befragt, sowie die Einstellung zum Hausmitteleinsatz erhoben. Die Auswertung der Daten erfolgte mit deskriptiven und interferenzstatistischen Methoden. Insgesamt wurden von den Bäuerinnen und Bauern 144 verschiedene Hausmittel genannt, von denen der Großteil pflanzlichen Ursprungs war. 55 Pflanzenarten konnten als Rohstoffe für Hausmittel bestimmt werden. Männer konnten signifikant mehr Hausmittel nennen und setzten auch mehr ein als Frauen. Zudem setzten GesprächspartnerInnen, die viele Hausmittel kannten, auch mehr ein. GesprächspartnerInnen mit einer positiven Einstellung zum Hausmitteleinsatz wandten diese auch vermehrt an und eine positive Intention, Hausmittel einzusetzen, spiegelte sich auch in der Anwendung wider. Keinen signifikanten Einfluss auf den Hausmitteleinsatz hatten beispielsweise die Faktoren Alter, ökologische Wirtschaftsweise, Einstellung des behandelnden Tierarztes/ der Tierärztin zum Hausmitteleinsatz und Anwendung von Hausmitteln in der Humanmedizin

Spatial Modulation Microscopy for Real-Time Imaging of Plasmonic Nanoparticles and Cells

Spatial modulation microscopy is a technique originally developed for quantitative spectroscopy of individual nano-objects. Here, a parallel implementation of the spatial modulation microscopy technique is demonstrated based on a line detector capable of demodulation at kHz frequencies. The capabilities of the imaging system are shown using an array of plasmonic nanoantennas and dendritic cells incubated with gold nanoparticles.Comment: 3 pages, 4 figure

Common ADRB2 Haplotypes Derived from 26 Polymorphic Sites Direct β2-Adrenergic Receptor Expression and Regulation Phenotypes

Background: The β2-adrenergic receptor (β2AR) is expressed on numerous cell-types including airway smooth muscle cells and cardiomyocytes. Drugs (agonists or antagonists) acting at these receptors for treatment of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart failure show substantial interindividual variability in response. The ADRB2 gene is polymorphic in noncoding and coding regions, but virtually all ADRB2 association studies have utilized the two common nonsynonymous coding SNPs, often reaching discrepant conclusions. Methodology/Principal Findings: We constructed the 8 common ADRB2 haplotypes derived from 26 polymorphisms in the promoter, 5′UTR, coding, and 3′UTR of the intronless ADRB2 gene. These were cloned into an expression construct lacking a vector-based promoter, so that β2AR expression was driven by its promoter, and steady state expression could be modified by polymorphisms throughout ADRB2 within a haplotype. “Whole-gene” transfections were performed with COS-7 cells and revealed 4 haplotypes with increased cell surface β2AR protein expression compared to the others. Agonist-promoted downregulation of β2AR protein expression was also haplotype-dependent, and was found to be increased for 2 haplotypes. A phylogenetic tree of the haplotypes was derived and annotated by cellular phenotypes, revealing a pattern potentially driven by expression. Conclusions/Significance: Thus for obstructive lung disease, the initial bronchodilator response from intermittent administration of β-agonist may be influenced by certain β2AR haplotypes (expression phenotypes), while other haplotypes may influence tachyphylaxis during the response to chronic therapy (downregulation phenotypes). An ideal clinical outcome of high expression and less downregulation was found for two haplotypes. Haplotypes may also affect heart failure antagonist therapy, where β2AR increase inotropy and are anti-apoptotic. The haplotype-specific expression and regulation phenotypes found in this transfection-based system suggest that the density of genetic information in the form of these haplotypes, or haplotype-clusters with similar phenotypes can potentially provide greater discrimination of phenotype in human disease and pharmacogenomic association studies

A reconfigurable real-time compressive-sampling camera for biological applications

Many applications in biology, such as long-term functional imaging of neural and cardiac systems, require continuous high-speed imaging. This is typically not possible, however, using commercially available systems. The frame rate and the recording time of high-speed cameras are limited by the digitization rate and the capacity of on-camera memory. Further restrictions are often imposed by the limited bandwidth of the data link to the host computer. Even if the system bandwidth is not a limiting factor, continuous high-speed acquisition results in very large volumes of data that are difficult to handle, particularly when real-time analysis is required. In response to this issue many cameras allow a predetermined, rectangular region of interest (ROI) to be sampled, however this approach lacks flexibility and is blind to the image region outside of the ROI. We have addressed this problem by building a camera system using a randomly-addressable CMOS sensor. The camera has a low bandwidth, but is able to capture continuous high-speed images of an arbitrarily defined ROI, using most of the available bandwidth, while simultaneously acquiring low-speed, full frame images using the remaining bandwidth. In addition, the camera is able to use the full-frame information to recalculate the positions of targets and update the high-speed ROIs without interrupting acquisition. In this way the camera is capable of imaging moving targets at high-speed while simultaneously imaging the whole frame at a lower speed. We have used this camera system to monitor the heartbeat and blood cell flow of a water flea (Daphnia) at frame rates in excess of 1500 fps

Rapid wide-field heterodyne interferometry with custom 2D CMOS camera

© The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2015. A wide-field pseudo-heterodyne interference contrast microscope is described, which employs a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phase-sensitive camera. The use of multiple wells in the camera enables extremely rapid measurement of a full phase field at high resolution and the modulation frequency is not limited by the camera frame rate. The high data acquisition frequency allows the effects of microphonics to be frozen to mitigate the effect of lowfrequency disturbance

Comparison of minimally invasive surgical approaches for hysterectomy at a community hospital: robotic-assisted laparoscopic hysterectomy, laparoscopic-assisted vaginal hysterectomy and laparoscopic supracervical hysterectomy

The study reported here compares outcomes of three approaches to minimally invasive hysterectomy for benign indications, namely, robotic-assisted laparoscopic (RALH), laparoscopic-assisted vaginal (LAVH) and laparoscopic supracervical (LSH) hysterectomy. The total patient cohort comprised the first 237 patients undergoing robotic surgeries at our hospital between August 2007 and June 2009; the last 100 patients undergoing LAVH by the same surgeons between July 2006 and February 2008 and 165 patients undergoing LAVHs performed by nine surgeons between January 2008 and June 2009; 87 patients undergoing LSH by the same nine surgeons between January 2008 and June 2009. Among the RALH patients were cases of greater complexity: (1) higher prevalence of prior abdominopelvic surgery than that found among LAVH patients; (2) an increased number of procedures for endometriosis and pelvic reconstruction. Uterine weights also were greater in RALH patients [207.4 vs. 149.6 (LAVH; P < 0.001) and 141.1 g (LSH; P = 0.005)]. Despite case complexity, operative time was significantly lower in RALH than in LAVH (89.9 vs. 124.8 min, P < 0.001) and similar to that in LSH (89.6 min). Estimated blood loss was greater in LAVH (167.9 ml) than in RALH (59.0 ml, P < 0.001) or LSH (65.7 ml, P < 0.001). Length of hospital stay was shorter for RALH than for LAVH or LSH. Conversion and complication rates were low and similar across procedures. Multivariable regression indicated that LAVH, obesity, uterine weight ≥250 g and older age predicted significantly longer operative time. The learning curve for RALH demonstrated improved operative time over the case series. Our findings show the benefits of RALH over LAVH. Outcomes in RALH can be as good as or better than those in LSH, suggesting the latter should be the choice primarily for women desiring cervix-sparing surgery

Guiding Brain Tumor Resection Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Nanoparticles and a Hand-Held Raman Scanner

The current difficulty in visualizing the true extent of malignant brain tumors during surgical resection represents one of the major reasons for the poor prognosis of brain tumor patients. Here, we evaluated the ability of a hand-held Raman scanner, guided by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoparticles, to identify the microscopic tumor extent in a genetically engineered RCAS/tv-a glioblastoma mouse model. In a simulated intraoperative scenario, we tested both a static Raman imaging device and a mobile, hand-held Raman scanner. We show that SERS image-guided resection is more accurate than resection using white light visualization alone. Both methods complemented each other, and correlation with histology showed that SERS nanoparticles accurately outlined the extent of the tumors. Importantly, the hand-held Raman probe not only allowed near real-time scanning, but also detected additional microscopic foci of cancer in the resection bed that were not seen on static SERS images and would otherwise have been missed. This technology has a strong potential for clinical translation because it uses inert gold-silica SERS nanoparticles and a hand-held Raman scanner that can guide brain tumor resection in the operating room

From open radical hysterectomy to robot-assisted laparoscopic radical hysterectomy for early stage cervical cancer: aspects of a single institution learning curve

We analysed the introduction of the robot-assisted laparoscopic radical hysterectomy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer with respect to patient benefits and surgeon-related aspects of a surgical learning curve. A retrospective review of the first 14 robot-assisted laparoscopic radical hysterectomies and the last 14 open radical hysterectomies in a similar clinical setting with the same surgical team was conducted. Patients were candidates for a laparoscopic sentinel node procedure, pelvic lymph node dissection and open radical hysterectomy (RH) before August 2006 and were candidates for a laparoscopic sentinel node procedure, pelvic lymph node dissection and robot-assisted laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (RALRH) after August 2006. Overall, blood loss in the open cases was significantly more compared with the robot cases. Median hospital stay after RALRH was 5 days less than after RH. The median theatre time in the learning period for the robot procedure was reduced from 9 h to less that 4 h and compared well to the 3 h and 45 min for an open procedure. Three complications occurred in the open group and one in the robot group. RALRH is feasible and of benefit to the patient with early stage cervical cancer by a reduction of blood loss and reduced hospital stay. Introduction of this new technique requires a learning curve of less than 15 cases that will reduce the operating time to a level comparable to open surgery

Constructing the digitalized sporting body: black and white masculinity in NBA/NHL internet memes

In this article, I examine the ways sport fans construct and circulate discourses of race and masculinity in cyberspace. I do this through an examination of a set of Internet memes that juxtapose the bodies of National Hockey League players with National Basketball Association players in one single image. I argue these memes celebrate White masculinity, while at the same time constructing African American athletes as individualistic, selfish, and unwilling to sacrifice their bodies for the greater good of the team. More so, I argue that these memes construct a form of racial ideology that is representative of White backlash politics

Induction of aromatic ring: cleavage dioxygenases in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strain KB2 in cometabolic systems

Stenotrophomonas maltophilia KB2 is known to produce different enzymes of dioxygenase family. The aim of our studies was to determine activity of these enzymes after induction by benzoic acids in cometabolic systems with nitrophenols. We have shown that under cometabolic conditions KB2 strain degraded 0.25–0.4 mM of nitrophenols after 14 days of incubation. Simultaneously degradation of 3 mM of growth substrate during 1–3 days was observed depending on substrate as well as cometabolite used. From cometabolic systems with nitrophenols as cometabolites and 3,4-dihydroxybenzoate as a growth substrate, dioxygenases with the highest activity of protocatechuate 3,4-dioxygenase were isolated. Activity of catechol 1,2- dioxygenase and protocatechuate 4,5-dioxygenase was not observed. Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase was active only in cultures with 4-nitrophenol. Ability of KB2 strain to induce and synthesize various dioxygenases depending on substrate present in medium makes this strain useful in bioremediation of sites contaminated with different aromatic compounds