Empfehlungen zum Einsatz des klassisch-homöopathischen Behandlungsverfahrens bei der Therapie der akuten katarrhalischen Mastitis des Rindes

The EU-Regulation (No. 2092/91) postulates that homeopathic and phytotherapeutic remedies shall be used in preference to allopathic products chemically synthesised, provided that their therapeutic effect is proven. However, in the literature only few scientific data are available. The objective of a clinical control trial was to examine the effectiveness of the classical homeopathic treatment in the case of bovine clinical mastitis in comparison to the chemotherapeutic treatment and to a control group given a placebo. In the trial only cases of mild or moderate acute clinical mastitis caused by environmental associated pathogens and cases with negative bacteriological result in the milk sample were enclosed. A number of 147 quarters affected with acute clinical mastitis were treated. 56 days after beginning of the treatment, 30.8% of the cows with positive bacteriological status at day 0 given homeopathic treatment were cured in contrast to 4.3% in the placebo-group. The chemotherapeutic treatment resulted in 24.1% cured cases. The differences in healing between the homeopathic and the placebo group were significant (p<0.05), while the difference between the homeopathic and chemotherapeutic therapy regime was not. The results indicate that there is a therapeutic effect of homeopathic treatment in case of mild or moderate clinical mastitis, but the proof of effectiveness is closely related to the inclusion criteria and to the comprehensive procedure of diagnosis

Establishment of a standard operating procedure for predicting the time of calving in cattle

Precise calving monitoring is essential for minimizing the effects of dystocia in cows and calves. We conducted two studies in healthy cows that compared seven clinical signs (broad pelvic ligaments relaxation, vaginal secretion, udder hyperplasia, udder edema, teat filling, tail relaxation, and vulva edema) alone and in combination in order to predict the time of parturition. The relaxation of the broad pelvic ligaments combined with teat filling gave the best values for predicting either calving or no calving within 12 h. For the proposed parturition score (PS), a threshold of 4 PS points was identified below which calving within the next 12 h could be ruled out with a probability of 99.3% in cows (95.5% in heifers). Above this threshold, intermitted calving monitoring every 3 h and a progesterone rapid blood test (PRBT) would be recommended. By combining the PS and PRBT (if PS ≥ 4), the prediction of calving within the next 12 h improved from 14.9% to 53.1%, and the probability of ruling out calving was 96.8%. The PRBT was compared to the results of an enzyme immunoassay (sensitivity, 90.2%; specificity, 74.9%). The standard operating procedure developed in this study that combines the PS and PRBT will enable veterinarians to rule out or predict calving within a 12 h period in cows with high accuracy under field conditions

Efficacy of homeopathic and antibiotic treatment strategies in cases of mild and moderate bovine clinical mastitis

The objective of this clinical control trial was to examine the effectiveness of the classical homeopathic treatment strategy in cases of mild and moderate bovine clinical mastitis in comparison with antibiotic and placebo treatments. Owing to characteristics of the selected herds, only cases of clinical mastitis caused by environmental pathogens and clinical cases with negative bacteriological result in the pre-treatment milk sample were included in the trial. A total of 136 lactating dairy cows with 147 affected quarters from four herds in Germany were randomly allocated to three treatment groups. The cows were examined on days 0, 1, 2 and on days 7, 14, 28 and 56 post initial infection to assess clinical signs. Simultaneously, with the exception of days 1 and 2, quarter milk samples for laboratory examinations (bacteriology, somatic cell count) were collected to assess bacteriological and cytological cure rates. On days 28 and 56, treatment strategies did not differ significantly with respect to the clinical outcomes and the total cure rate in cases of bacteriological negative mastitis (n=56). In cases of pathogen-positive mastitis (n=91), the cure rate after 4 and 8 weeks was similar between the two treatment strategies, homeopathy and antibiotic treatment, but the difference between the homeopathic and the placebo treatment at day 56 was significant (P&lt;0·05). The results indicate a therapeutic effect of homeopathic treatment in cases of mild and moderate clinical mastitis. However, independent of treatment strategy and bacteriological status, the total cure rate was on a low level, revealing limitations in the effectiveness of both antibiotic and homeopathic treatment strategies.</jats:p

Instrumentality and expressiveness at work: Predictors of the strain and job satisfaction of men in female-dominated occupations

Sobiraj S, Korek S, Rigotti T. Instrumentality and expressiveness at work: Predictors of the strain and job satisfaction of men in female-dominated occupations. Zeitschrift für Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie. 2014;58(3):111-124