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.

Ethnobotanical reports from Latvia show that Tanacetum vulgare, Calluna vulgaris, Quercus robur, Artemisa absinthium, and Artemisia vulgaris contain phenolic compounds that have antioxidant properties, which can be beneficial in the treatment and prophylaxis of many diseases. The aim of this study was to characterize the phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of these plants. Plant extracts were prepared using ethanol or acetone and then freeze-dried. Their total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and total tannin content (TTC) were determined and characterized by HPLC. Their antioxidant properties were determined using a DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging assay. C. vulgaris herb and T. vulgare leaf extracts contained the highest amounts of flavonoids, but the bark of Q. robur had mostly tannins and phenolic acids. A. absinthium and A. vulgaris had the lowest amounts of polyphenols. When compared using extraction solvents, all acetone extracts had more TPC, more TFC, and better antioxidant activity. All plants contained chlorogenic acid, which contributes to antioxidant properties. The analysed plant extracts could be used in future studies to develop medicinal products with antioxidant properties.

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.

Vadlīniju mērķis ir sniegt praktiskus ieteikumus docētājiem un studējošajiem mākslīgā intelekta izmantošanai, ierobežošanai un lietošanas apguvei studiju procesā. Materiāls izstrādāts Rīgas Stradiņa universitātes Pedagoģiskās izaugsmes centrā (RSU PIC). Atslēgvārdi: Mākslīgais intelekts; IT rīki; MI izmantošanas vadlīnijas; pedagoģija; Digitālās prasmes; inovācijas; tehnoloģijas; ētiska MI izmantošana; akadēmiskais godīgums; vaicājumu formulēšana; ģeneratīvais intelekts; teksta ģenerēšana, attēlu ģenerēšana; studiju procesa plānošana; studiju procesa organizēšana.

Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) has almost 70 years of experience in providing health care education and 20 years of experience in teaching social sciences. RSU has more than 9,000 students, 26% of whom are international. Until ‘COVID-19’ had reached a global pandemic, RSU practised mainly campus-based intensive learning and teaching, offering a few blended learning courses. Therefore, RSU administration and academic staff faced an unprecedented situation when all face-to-face teaching had to be transformed into remote learning in only a couple of days. In order to monitor the quality of this transition, identify areas of improvement now and in future, and, most importantly, learn the concerns of students, one month after commencing remote learning, RSU worked out a questionnaire. The results highlighted the dimensions of benefits and challenges, clearly indicating the need to adjust the amount of time needed for studies, the need to strengthen self-paced learning skills and provide an effective feedback. In order to gather the experience and vision of the academic staff regarding the processes of remote learning, seven webinars were organized. The feedback from academic staff highlighted the need for organizational, technological, and pedagogical improvements in order to develop high-quality technology-enhanced learning and teaching process. The analysis of the gathered data and conclusions based on them have allowed us to reach our goal – to describe the experience and lessons learned of RSU in moving all learning and teaching online during the ‘COVID-19’ pandemic.

Objective: The link between snus, periodontal diseases and oral malignancy is still in question in different literature. This study aims to explore the impact of snus on mucosal lesions and oral malignancy along with evaluation of strategies for snus cessation and approaches to communication with patients. Methods: A questionnaire about tobacco consumption habits was made. A heavy snus group, a light snus group and a control group were made. Oral biopsy samples were tested for protein gene product 9.5, tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 2, chromogranin A and B, matrix metalloproteinase 2, interleukin-1, interleukin-10 using immunohistochemical techniques. Periodontal pocket biofilms were tested with combined polymerase chain reaction and were subsequently analyzed in order to determine the presence of pathogenic periodontal bacteria, such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia, Treponema denticola and Prevotella intermedia. Results: Biopsy results showed cellular disorganization, apoptosis, hyperkeratosis and prevalence of keratotic seborrhea in the area of snus sachets. Microbiological examination revealed the presence of periodontal pathogens in the snus users group. High concentration of pathogenic periodontal bacteria Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia was found in groups of both heavy and light snus users, yet they were absent in the samples of the control group. High concentration of Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola was also found in the groups of heavy and light snus users, whereas they were present in samples of only two patients of the control group. Conclusions: Snus changes cell function, it can lead to oral malignancy and promote periodontal disease regardless of the frequency and amount of snus used.