Investigation of the pathophysiology of bacterial mastitis using precision-cut bovine udder slices

Mastitis in cattle is a major health problem as well as incurring high costs for the dairy industry. To assess the suitability of precision-cut bovine udder slices (PCBUS) for bovine mastitis studies, we infected PCBUS with 2 different Staphylococcus aureus strains. Accordingly, we investigated both the tissue response to infection based on immune mediators at the mRNA and protein levels and the invasion of bacteria within the tissue. The studied proteins represent immune mediators of early inflammation [IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)] and showed a time-dependent increase in concentration. Infection of PCBUS with S. aureus resulted in increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines such as TNF-α, C-C motif chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20), IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-10, but not C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 8 (CXCL8), lingual antimicrobial peptide (LAP), or S100 calcium binding protein A9 (S100A9) at the mRNA level. To compare the data acquired with this model, we carried out investigations on primary bovine mammary epithelial cells. Our results showed that the immune responses of both models - PCBUS and primary bovine mammary epithelial cells - were similar. In addition, investigations using PCBUS enabled us to demonstrate adherence of bacteria in the physiological cell network. These findings support the use of PCBUS in studies designed to further understand the complex pathophysiological processes of infection and inflammation in bovine mastitis and to investigate alternative therapies for mastitis

Semitic Dialects and Dialectology

Characterised by the multiplicity and diversity of research and methodology, the European tradition of Semitic linguistics has always supported fieldwork and highly valued the data obtained in this way as it allows to create an interesting dynamic for linguistic studies itself. In the spirit of this tradition and to uphold it, the present book is a collection of articles based on data gathered primarily during field research expeditions. The volume is divided into two parts—Studies on various specific linguistic issues and Texts containing previously unpublished transcriptions of audio recordings in Arabic dialects, Maltese and Jibbali/Shehret.Die europäische Tradition der semitischen Linguistik, die sich durch Vielfalt der Forschungsmethoden auszeichnet, hat dialektologische Feldforschung immer hoch geschätzt, da die gewonnenen Sprachaufnahmen im Kontext der älteren Sprachformen gesetzt werden und somit eine hochgradig interessante Dynamik in der Sprachwissenschaft ermöglichen. Im Geiste dieser Tradition und um sie aufrechtzuerhalten, ist das vorliegende Buch eine Sammlung von Artikeln, deren Daten vor allem während der Feldforschung gesammelt wurden. Der Band gliedert sich in zwei Teile - Studien zu verschiedenen spezifischen linguistischen Fragestellungen und Texte mit bisher unveröffentlichten Transkriptionen von Audioaufnahmen in arabischen Dialekten, Maltesisch und Jibbali/Shehret

Refractories for Basic Oxygen Steel Converters in Germany

The progress and trends are in world crude steel production. Oxygen steel and electric steel will increase markedly in place of open hearth steel and the greater amount will be oxygen steel. Generally this will also be the case in west Germany. The production of open hearth steel should, however, end in 1982. At the same time the continuous cast crude steel production will increase rapidly

Antitumor activity of zoledronic acid in primary breast cancer cells determined by the ATP tumor chemosensitivity assay

Abstract Background The NeoAzure study has demonstrated that the use of the bisphosphonate zoledronic acid (Zol) in the neoadjuvant setting increases the rate of complete response in primary breast cancer and therefore indicates direct antitumor activity. The purpose of this study was to compare the antitumor effect of Zol with standard chemotherapy in primary breast cancer cells using ATP-tumor chemosensitivity assay (ATP-TCA). Methods Breast cancer specimens were obtained from patients with breast cancer who underwent primary breast cancer surgery at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tübingen, Germany, between 2006 through 2009. Antitumor effects of Zol, TAC (Docetaxel, Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide) and FEC (5-Fluorouracil, Epirubicin, Cyclophosphamide) were tested in 116 fresh human primary breast cancer specimens using ATP-TCA. ATP-TCA results were analyzed with different cut-off levels for the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50), for IC90 and for the sensitivity index (IndexSUM). Each single agent or combination was tested at six doubling dilutions from 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200% of test drug concentrations (TDC) derived from the plasma peak concentrations determined by pharmacokinetic data. The assay was carried out in duplicate wells with positive and negative controls. Results The median IndexSUM value was lower for Zol than for the combined regimen FEC (36.8%) and TAC (12.9%), respectively, indicating increased antitumor activity of Zol in primary breast cancer cells. The difference regarding Zol and FEC was significant (p  Conclusion Zoledronic acid has a strong antitumor effect on primary breast cancer cells in vitro which is equal or superior to commonly used chemotherapeutic regimens for treating breast cancer.</p