[Literature review on phyto-therapeutics for the treatment of bovine mastitis]. / Literaturübersicht zum Thema ­Phytotherapie zur Behandlung von ­Mastitis beim Rind.

INTRODUCTION: Literature review on phyto-therapeutics for the treatment of bovine mastitis.

INTRODUCTION: Afin de trouver une alternative aux traitements antibiotiques conventionnels des mammites bovines, une recherche bibliographique a été menée en 2015 sur les agents phytothérapeutiques qui ont été étudiés in vitro et utilisés in vivo (sur des patients) dans le monde entier. Une recherche bibliographique est l'une des premières étapes du développement d'un agent phytothérapeutique peroral contre les mammites bovines en utilisant la méthode de «pharmacologie inverse¼. Des phytothérapies citées dans le monde entier dans tous les types d'administration ont été compilées et comptées. Un total de 935 citations pertinentes différentes ont été trouvées dans 195 publications, qui ont été séparées et comptées en fonction de leur type d'appli­cation et de l'espèce cible. La liste de toutes les plantes et les citations peuvent être téléchargés à partir de http://vets.ch/desktop/liste-des-plantes_fuchs_def_sat.pdf . On a répertorié dans la présente étude 106 plantes pour l'application perorale, 45 plantes pour l'application intra mammaire et 24 huiles essentielles (perorale, intra mammaire ou topique) pour le traitement des mammites bovines. La condition préalable à cette sélection était que les plantes soient mentionnées dans la littérature comme agent thérapeutique. En outre, il a été pris en compte si des études in vitro ou in vivo avaient déjà été menées. D'une part, cette liste devrait servir de preuve de l'utilisation traditionnelle des plantes dans le traitement des mammites bovines et, d'autre part, constituer une base pour de nouvelles recherches.

Is remote live urologic surgery a reality? Evidences from a systematic review of the literature.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The possibility of performing remote-surgery has been the goal to achieve, since the early development of the first surgical robotic platforms. This systematic review aims to analyse the state of the art in the field and to provide an overview of the possible growth of this technology. METHODS: All English language publications on Telementoring and Telesurgery for minimally invasive urologic procedures were evaluated. We followed the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses) statement to evaluate PubMed®, Scopus®, and Web of Science™ databases (up to June 2019). RESULTS: Our electronic search identified a total of 124 papers in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Of these, 81 publications were identified for detailed review, which yielded 22 included in the present systematic review. Our results showed that remote surgery has been under-utilised until today, mostly due to the lack of appropriate telecommunication technologies. CONCLUSION: Remote live surgery is a growing technology that is catalyzing incremental interest. Despite not being yet reliable today on a regular basis in its most advanced applications, thanks to the advent of novel data-transmission technologies, telepresence might become a critical educational methodology, highly impacting the global healthcare system.

Bio-orthogonal chemistry-based method for fluorescent labelling of ribosomal RNA in live mammalian cells.

A bio-orthogonal chemistry-based approach for fluorescent labelling of ribosomal RNA is described. It involves an adenosine analogue modified with trans-cyclooctene and masked 5'-phosphate group using aryl phosphoramidate. The incorporation into rRNA has been confirmed using agarose gel electrophoresis, as well as a highly sensitive UHPLC-MS/MS method. Fluorescent labelling of rRNA has been achieved in live HeLa cells via an inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction with a tetrazine conjugated to an Oregon Green fluorophore. This communication describes the stepwise approach that led to the development and characterization of the probe. The results demonstrate a new strategy towards development of future fluorescent probes to investigate the biochemistry of nucleic acids.

Orbital State Manipulation of a Diamond Nitrogen-Vacancy Center Using a Mechanical Resonator.

We study the resonant optical transitions of a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center that is coherently dressed by a strong mechanical drive. Using a gigahertz-frequency diamond mechanical resonator that is strain coupled to a NV center's orbital states, we demonstrate coherent Raman sidebands out to the ninth order and orbital-phonon interactions that mix the two excited-state orbital branches. These interactions are spectroscopically revealed through a multiphonon Rabi splitting of the orbital branches which scales as a function of resonator driving amplitude and is successfully reproduced in a quantum model. Finally, we discuss the application of mechanical driving to engineering NV-center orbital states.

let-7b and let-7c microRNAs promote histone H2B ubiquitylation and inhibit cell migration by targeting multiple components of the H2B deubiquitylation machinery.

Monoubiquitylation of histone H2B (H2Bub1) is catalyzed mainly by the RNF20/RNF40 complex and erased by multiple deubiquitylating enzymes (DUBs). H2Bub1 influences many aspects of chromatin function, including transcription regulation and DNA repair. Cancer cells often display reduced levels of H2Bub1, and this reduction may contribute to cancer progression. The let-7 family of microRNAs (miRNAs) comprises multiple members with reported tumor-suppressive features, whose expression is frequently downregulated in cancer. We now report that let-7b and let-7c can positively regulate cellular H2Bub1 levels. Overexpression of let-7b and let-7c in a variety of non-transformed and cancer-derived cell lines results in H2Bub1 elevation. The positive effect of let-7b and let-7c on H2Bub1 levels is achieved through targeting of multiple mRNAs, coding for distinct components of the H2B deubiquitylation machinery. Specifically, let-7b and let-7c bind directly and inhibit the mRNAs encoding the DUBs USP42 and USP44, and also the mRNA encoding the adapter protein ATXN7L3, which is part of the DUB module of the SAGA complex. RNF20 knockdown (KD) strongly reduces H2Bub1 levels and increases the migration of non-transformed mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer-derived cells. Remarkably, overexpression of let-7b, which partly counteracts the effect of RNF20 KD on H2Bub1 levels, also reverses the pro-migratory effect of RNF20 KD. Likewise, ATXN7L3 KD also increases H2Bub1 levels and reduces cell migration, and this anti-migratory effect is abolished by simultaneous KD of RNF20. Together, our findings uncover a novel function of let-7 miRNAs as regulators of H2B ubiquitylation, suggesting an additional mechanism whereby these miRNAs can exert their tumor-suppressive effects.

Cooling a mechanical resonator with nitrogen-vacancy centres using a room temperature excited state spin-strain interaction.

Cooling a mechanical resonator mode to a sub-thermal state has been a long-standing challenge in physics. This pursuit has recently found traction in the field of optomechanics in which a mechanical mode is coupled to an optical cavity. An alternate method is to couple the resonator to a well-controlled two-level system. Here we propose a protocol to dissipatively cool a room temperature mechanical resonator using a nitrogen-vacancy centre ensemble. The spin ensemble is coupled to the resonator through its orbitally-averaged excited state, which has a spin-strain interaction that has not been previously studied. We experimentally demonstrate that the spin-strain coupling in the excited state is 13.5±0.5 times stronger than the ground state spin-strain coupling. We then theoretically show that this interaction, combined with a high-density spin ensemble, enables the cooling of a mechanical resonator from room temperature to a fraction of its thermal phonon occupancy.

Erratum: Cooling a mechanical resonator with nitrogen-vacancy centres using a room temperature excited state spin-strain interaction.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14358.].

Coexistence of superconductivity and ferromagnetism in Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2-xSex (x = 0.5 and 1.0), a non-U material with Tc < TFM.

We have carried out detailed magnetic and transport studies of the new Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2-xSex (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) superconductors derived by doping Se in Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2. Se-doping produces several effects: it suppresses semiconducting-like behavior observed in the undoped Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2, the ferromagnetic ordering temperature, TFM, decreases considerably from 7.5 K (in Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2) to 3.5 K and the superconducting transition temperature, Tc, gets enhanced slightly to 2.9-3.3 K. Thus in these Se-doped materials, TFM is marginally higher than Tc. Magnetization studies provide evidence of bulk superconductivity in Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2-xSex at x ≥ 0.5 in contrast to the undoped Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2 (x = 0) where magnetization measurements indicate a small superconducting volume fraction. Quite remarkably, as compared with the effective paramagnetic Ce-moment (~2.2 µB), the ferromagnetically ordered Ce-moment in the superconducting state is rather small (~0.1 µB) suggesting itinerant ferromagnetism. To the best of our knowledge, Sr0.5Ce0.5FBiS2-x Sex (x = 0.5 and 1.0) are distinctive Ce-based bulk superconducting itinerant ferromagnetic materials with Tc < TFM. Furthermore, a novel feature of these materials is that they exhibit a dual and quite unusual hysteresis loop corresponding to both the ferromagnetism and the coexisting bulk superconductivity.

Towards a table-top microscope for nanoscale magnetic imaging using picosecond thermal gradients.

Research advancement in magnetoelectronics is challenged by the lack of a table-top magnetic measurement technique with the simultaneous temporal and spatial resolution necessary for characterizing magnetization dynamics in devices of interest, such as magnetic memory and spin torque oscillators. Although magneto-optical microscopy provides superb temporal resolution, its spatial resolution is fundamentally limited by optical diffraction. To address this challenge, we study heat rather than light as a vehicle to stroboscopically transduce a local magnetic moment into an electrical signal while retaining picosecond temporal resolution. Using this concept, we demonstrate spatiotemporal magnetic microscopy using the time-resolved anomalous Nernst effect (TRANE). Experimentally and with supporting numerical calculations, we find that TRANE microscopy has temporal resolution below 30 ps and spatial resolution determined by the area of thermal excitation. Based on these findings, we suggest a route to exceed the limits imposed by far-field optical diffraction.

Reactivation of epigenetically silenced miR-512 and miR-373 sensitizes lung cancer cells to cisplatin and restricts tumor growth.

MicroRNAs (miRs) regulate a variety of cellular processes, and their impaired expression is involved in cancer. Silencing of tumor-suppressive miRs in cancer can occur through epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation and histone deacetylation. We performed comparative miR profiling on cultured lung cancer cells before and after treatment with 5'aza-deoxycytidine plus Trichostatin A to reverse DNA methylation and histone deacetylation, respectively. Several tens of miRs were strongly induced by such 'epigenetic therapy'. Two representatives, miR-512-5p (miR-512) and miR-373, were selected for further analysis. Both miRs were secreted in exosomes. Re-expression of both miRs augmented cisplatin-induced apoptosis and inhibited cell migration; miR-512 also reduced cell proliferation. TEAD4 mRNA was confirmed as a direct target of miR-512; likewise, miR-373 was found to target RelA and PIK3CA mRNA directly. Our results imply that miR-512 and miR-373 exert cell-autonomous and non-autonomous tumor-suppressive effects in lung cancer cells, where their re-expression may benefit epigenetic cancer therapy.

Mechanical spin control of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond.

We demonstrate direct coupling between phonons and diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center spins by driving spin transitions with mechanically generated harmonic strain at room temperature. The amplitude of the mechanically driven spin signal varies with the spatial periodicity of the stress standing wave within the diamond substrate, verifying that we drive NV center spins mechanically. These spin-phonon interactions could offer a route to quantum spin control of magnetically forbidden transitions, which would enhance NV-based quantum metrology, grant access to direct transitions between all of the spin-1 quantum states of the NV center, and provide a platform to study spin-phonon interactions at the level of a few interacting spins.

Spin coherence during optical excitation of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond.

We examine the quantum spin state of a single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond at room temperature as it makes a transition from the orbital ground state (GS) to the orbital excited state (ES) during nonresonant optical excitation. While the fluorescence readout of NV-center spins relies on conservation of the longitudinal spin projection during optical excitation, the question of quantum phase preservation has not been examined. Using Ramsey measurements and quantum process tomography of the optical excitation process, we measure a trace fidelity of F=0.87±0.03, which includes ES spin dephasing during measurement. Extrapolation to the moment of optical excitation yields F≈0.95. This result provides insight into the interaction between spin coherence and nonresonant optical absorption through a vibronic sideband.

Spin-light coherence for single-spin measurement and control in diamond.

The exceptional spin coherence of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond motivates their function in emerging quantum technologies. Traditionally, the spin state of individual centers is measured optically and destructively. We demonstrate dispersive, single-spin coupling to light for both nondestructive spin measurement, through the Faraday effect, and coherent spin manipulation, through the optical Stark effect. These interactions can enable the coherent exchange of quantum information between single nitrogen-vacancy spins and light, facilitating coherent measurement, control, and entanglement that is scalable over large distances.

Effect of dietary fat supplementation during late pregnancy and first six months of lactation on maternal and infant vitamin A status in rural Bangladesh.

Dietary fat intake is extremely low in most communities with vitamin A deficiency. However, its role in vitamin A status of pregnant and lactating women is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of supplementing women with fat from mid-/late pregnancy until six months postpartum on their vitamin A status and that of their infants. Women recruited at 5-7 months of gestation were supplemented daily with 20 mL of soybean-oil (n = 248) until six months postpartum or received no supplement (n = 251). Dietary fat intake was assessed by 24-hour dietary recall at enrollment and at 1, 3 and 6 months postpartum. Concentrations of maternal plasma retinol, beta-carotene, and lutein were measured at enrollment and at 1, 3 and 6 months postpartum, and those of infants at six months postpartum. Concentration of breastmilk retinol was measured at 1, 3 and 6 months postpartum. The change in concentration of plasma retinol at three months postpartum compared to pregnancy was significantly higher in the supplemented compared to the control women (+0.04 vs -0.07 micromol/L respectively; p < 0.05). Concentrations of plasma beta-carotene and lutein declined in both the groups during the postpartum period but the decline was significantly less in the supplemented than in the control women at one month (beta-carotene -0.07 vs -0.13 micromol/L, p < 0.05); lutein -0.26 vs -0.49 micromol/L, p < 0.05) and three months (beta-carotene -0.04 vs -0.08 micromol/L, p < 0.05; lutein -0.31 vs -0.47 micromol/L, p < 0.05). Concentration of breastmilk retinol was also significantly greater in the supplemented group at three months postpartum than in the controls (0.68 +/- 0.35 vs 0.55 +/- 0.34 micromol/L respectively, p < 0.03). Concentrations of infants' plasma retinol, beta-carotene, and lutein, measured at six months of age, did not differ between the groups. Fat supplementation during pregnancy and lactation in women with a very low intake of dietary fat has beneficial effects on maternal postpartum vitamin A status.

[Depression in Parkinson's disease--Part 2: Therapy and management]. / Depression beim idiopathischen Parkinson-Syndrom--Teil 2: Therapie und Management.

A good number of different methods and antidepressive agents are now available for the management of depressive symptoms, the efficacy of which has been confirmed by clinical studies. Various approaches--be it medication, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), psychoeducation and psychotherapy--have also been developed to treat depression in patients with Parkinson's disease. Unfortunately, only a few controlled studies exist for this very specific group of patients. Systematic knowledge of treatment options, however, is lacking. Efficient management of depressive symptoms is absolutely indispensable considering the proven impact of a depression on the patients' quality of life. So far, more than half of the patients afflicted with Parkinson's disease and depression do not receive proper antidepressive therapy. This survey gives an overview on the pharmacological, somatic and psychological procedures of treatment applied in this group of patients, along with useful suggestions.

Bacterial phenylalanine and phenylacetate catabolic pathway revealed.

Aromatic compounds constitute the second most abundant class of organic substrates and environmental pollutants, a substantial part of which (e.g., phenylalanine or styrene) is metabolized by bacteria via phenylacetate. Surprisingly, the bacterial catabolism of phenylalanine and phenylacetate remained an unsolved problem. Although a phenylacetate metabolic gene cluster had been identified, the underlying biochemistry remained largely unknown. Here we elucidate the catabolic pathway functioning in 16% of all bacteria whose genome has been sequenced, including Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida. This strategy is exceptional in several aspects. Intermediates are processed as CoA thioesters, and the aromatic ring of phenylacetyl-CoA becomes activated to a ring 1,2-epoxide by a distinct multicomponent oxygenase. The reactive nonaromatic epoxide is isomerized to a seven-member O-heterocyclic enol ether, an oxepin. This isomerization is followed by hydrolytic ring cleavage and beta-oxidation steps, leading to acetyl-CoA and succinyl-CoA. This widespread paradigm differs significantly from the established chemistry of aerobic aromatic catabolism, thus widening our view of how organisms exploit such inert substrates. It provides insight into the natural remediation of man-made environmental contaminants such as styrene. Furthermore, this pathway occurs in various pathogens, where its reactive early intermediates may contribute to virulence.

[Non-motor Symptoms Questionnaire and Scale for Parkinson's disease. Cross-cultural adaptation into the German language]. / Non-motor Symptoms Questionnaire und Scale für das idiopathische Parkinson-Syndrom. Interkulturell adaptierte Versionen in deutscher Sprache.

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multisytem degenerative disorder. In addition to motor symptoms such as akinesia, rigidity and tremor, various non-motor symptoms occur, which are still insufficiently diagnosed. Moreover, the frequently used scales and scores do not adequately detect these non-motor symptoms. The Non-motor Symptoms Questionnaire (NMSQuest) is an established self-completed patient questionnaire with 30 qualitative questions covering all important non-motor symptoms of PD. The Non-motor Symptoms Scale (NMSScale) is a grade rating scale for estimating the frequency and severity of non-motor symptoms in PD. Since there are only original English versions of both questionnaires available, self-translated versions were frequently used or the questionnaires were not used at all in native German patients. We used international guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation of questionnaires to provide standard versions of both non-motor symptoms questionnaires in the German language.

[Early deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease]. / Brauchen wir die frühzeitige tiefe Hirnstimulation beim Morbus Parkinson?

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is a powerful treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease with levodopa-induced motor complications. Randomized controlled studies have shown that motor fluctuations and quality of life are significantly more improved by STN-DBS than by best medical treatment. The main delay before neurosurgery is currently 14 years after diagnosis. Clinical pilot data suggest that neurosurgery performed already with beginning motor fluctuations and an average disease duration of 7 years may lead to earlier improvement of motor deficits and quality of life, thus preventing disease-related psycho-social decline, and extending the period of beneficial effects of STN-DBS. Results of an ongoing multicenter trial (EARLYSTIM) comparing the effects of STN-DBS and best medical treatment on motor symptoms, quality of life, and psycho-social adaptation will be available in 2 years time and will clarify whether or not early STN-DBS is superior to best medical treatment.

Spin control of drifting electrons using local nuclear polarization in ferromagnet-semiconductor heterostructures.

We demonstrate methods to locally control the spin rotation of moving electrons in a GaAs channel. The Larmor frequency of optically injected spins is modulated when the spins are dragged through a region of spin-polarized nuclei created at a MnAs/GaAs interface. The effective field created by the nuclei is controlled either optically or electrically using the ferromagnetic proximity polarization effect. Spin rotation is also tuned by controlling the carrier traverse time through the polarized region. We demonstrate coherent spin rotations of 5π   rad during transport.

Gigahertz dynamics of a strongly driven single quantum spin.

Two-level systems are at the core of numerous real-world technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging and atomic clocks. Coherent control of the state is achieved with an oscillating field that drives dynamics at a rate determined by its amplitude. As the strength of the field is increased, a different regime emerges where linear scaling of the manipulation rate breaks down and complex dynamics are expected. By calibrating the spin rotation with an adiabatic passage, we have measured the room-temperature "strong-driving" dynamics of a single nitrogen vacancy center in diamond. With an adiabatic passage to calibrate the spin rotation, we observed dynamics on sub-nanosecond time scales. Contrary to conventional thinking, this breakdown of the rotating wave approximation provides opportunities for time-optimal quantum control of a single spin.