Background and Aim: Bovine mastitis has a negative impact on animals, and improper antibiotic use has caused an increase in bacterial resistance. Therefore, medicinal plants could serve as an alternative treatment for this condition. Polyphenols have potential as antibiotic agents. Oak bark has long been used as a medicine and has shown antibacterial effects. Moreover, research on heather plant demonstrated that it has antibacterial properties. This study aimed to assess the antibacterial effects of oak (Quercus robur) bark and heather (Calluna vulgaris L.) herb extracts against common bovine mastitis pathogens. Materials and Methods: Dried oak bark and heather herb were used to prepare extracts using 30%, 50%, and 70% ethanol and acetone as solvents. Their polyphenol content was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. Bovine mastitis-inducing clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Serratia liquefaciens, Staphylococcus aureus, and reference cultures of S. aureus and E. coli were used for antibacterial tests. All extracts were screened through a disk diffusion test to ascertain their antibacterial effects, and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) were determined for the most effective extracts. Results: Oak bark extracts had variable antibacterial effects against S. aureus and Streptococcus strains, but no statistically significant difference was observed in activity against E. coli. The disk diffusion test showed that the oak bark extracts obtained using acetone and ethanol at 30% yielded the best results. However, the 70% acetone oak extract alone affected all types of bacteria. Further antibacterial tests of 70% acetone and 30% ethanol oak extracts revealed that the lowest MIC and MBC scores were against S. aureus strains and E. coli reference cultures. Conversely, the heather herb extracts exhibited broader activity against all types of bacteria, although better results were observed against Gram-positive bacteria. There was also a negative correlation between solvent concentration and antibacterial effect (p < 0.05, r = –0.507). The highest inhibition zone scores and broadest spectrum were observed in samples prepared in 30% ethanol. There was no statistically significant correlation between the phenolic content of plants and their antibacterial effects. Conclusion: Oak bark and heather extracts could be used as potential antibacterial agents against bovine mastitis pathogens.
A bovine mastitis is an infectious disease, which is usually treated with antibiotics. Alternatively, herbal medicine has been proposed due to bacterial resistance. The aim of this study was to determine the antibacterial activity of the acetonic and ethanolic extracts of dried flowers and leaves of Tanacetum vulgare L. against bovine mastitis-inducing clinical isolates such as Escherichia coli, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Serratia liquefaciens, Staphylococcus aureus, and reference cultures of S. aureus and E. coli. The extracts of T. vulgare showed partial antibacterial activity against tested strains of S. aureus. The MIC and MBC values of a 70% ethanol extract of flowers (MIC = 3.4 mg/mL, MBC = 3.4–6.8 mg/mL) were lower than for the 70% ethanol extract of leaves (MIC = 15.7–31.4 mg/mL, MBC = 62.9–125.9 mg/mL). The flower extracts showed low activity against E. coli (MIC = 53.9 mg/mL, MBC = 53.9–107.8 mg/mL) and S. agalactiae (MIC, MBC = 53.9 mg/mL). T. vulgare leaf extracts had minimal antibacterial effects against Streptococcus strains (MIC = 31.4–62.9 mg/mL, MBC = 53.9–125.9 mg/mL) and Serratia liquefaciens (MIC, MBC = 125.9 mg/mL). However, flower extracts had a higher phenolic content that did not correlate with antibacterial effects. T. vulgare flower and leaf extracts could be combined to obtain broader antibacterial effects.
The aim of the research is to emphasize the practical implementation of the formative assessment. The research leads to the conclusion that lecturers implement the findings of different theories and researches on formative assessment rather slowly in their daily work and practice. This article shows the way from theory to practice in the study course Human molecular biology at Rīga Stradiņš University. Quantitative and qualitative data collection methods are used to research the influence of formative assessment both on individual and institutional levels. The results show the importance of feedback information both for lecturer and student. It is concluded that immediate feedback is important for the improvement of student's achievements. The road towards initiating formative assessment on institutional level has been outlined.
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Riga Stradins University (RSU) has almost 70-year-experience in implementing health care and 20-year-experience social science studies. RSU has more than 9000 students, 26% of whom are international students. International recognition is enabled by direct correlation between quality of studies and competitiveness of graduates. Quality of studies is being systematically improved and mapping of the study results is a significant tool in implementation of the process. A mapping system created by RSU makes it possible to analyse study programmes, study course connections, succession, implementation, novelty and correspondence to the professional standard requirements, identifying level of alignment between graduate outcomes, study programme, study course results and study activities. Consequently, it is possible to trace synergy between a study programme and development tendencies of the discipline. With rapid developments in the medical industry, discussions about the use of biomaterials are being raised, which is an essential component in strategical specialisation fields in Medicine and Dentistry in RSU. Biomaterials are used in many of today's medical devices, including artificial skin, blood vessels, hearts, pacemakers, dental fillings, wires, plates and pins for bone repair, total artificial joint replacements. The aim of the research is to study the conformity of biomaterials content acquisition in RSU Dentistry study programme to significant research findings.
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