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The nonlactating period is a critically important time for dairy cow health and optimal subsequent milk yield. Regarding udder health, at the beginning and end of this period, cows are most susceptible to new intramammary infections. In addition, dry-off is also the optimal time to cure any existing mammary-gland infections. Hence, intramammary-infused antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT) after final milking is an important and widely used mastitis control measure. DCT can be administered either to all quarters of all cows or only to infected cows or quarters. The global antibiotic resistance problem causes an increasing need to reduce antibiotic use in livestock, but a shift in management should not harm animal welfare or impair farm profitability. Although selective treatment of only infected cows is a more sustainable approach, accurate and cost-effective identification of cows or quarters in need of medication is a challenge. The objective of this epidemiologic study was to determine ideal drying-off practices to maintain good udder health and productivity while implementing prudent use of antibiotics. The specific focus of interest was on DCT, and an additional aim was to examine risk factors for post-calving udder health problems and reduced milk yield. The three cohort studies comprised retrospective herd- and cow-level dairy-herd-recording data registered from conventional, commercial Finnish dairy farms. The first study evaluated herd-level associations between milk somatic cell count (SCC), milk yield, and various farm characteristics, with an emphasis on antibiotic usage at dry-off. The second study investigated whether the herd-level DCT practice was associated with cow-level udder health in early lactation. The third study determined cow-level milk yield and SCC differences within the first half of lactation between selectively DCT-treated and -untreated cows. Results show that herd-level selective-DCT strategy, even with a very moderate proportion of medicated cows, is no hindrance to maintenance of low herd-average SCC and good milk yield. Regardless of the farm’s DCT practice, average milk yield increased over time, while average SCC remained rather constant. However, the large variation between farms in average yield and SCC over DCT practices suggests the need for farm-specific protocols. The practice of treating all cows in a herd was associated with lower test-day SCC within early lactation compared with the selective-DCT practice. Moreover, a DCT-treated cow on a selective-DCT farm had lower SCC after calving than did an untreated cow. This indicates that DCT continues to be an effective mastitis control practice. Most selective-DCT farms administered DCT to only one-third of their cows, or less. The DCT effect on milk yield differed depending on late-lactation SCC, so that a higher SCC near dry-off led to an increased difference in yield between treated and untreated cows within the first half of lactation. A missed DCT for a high-SCC cow thus had an adverse effect on subsequent lactation milk yield and on SCC, highlighting the need for accurate selection of cows to be treated. Risk factors associated with higher post-calving SCC included high late-lactation SCC, lactational mastitis treatment, high parity, high preceding-lactation average SCC, and high milk yield near dry-off. Rising awareness of the selective-DCT approach currently is emerging in those countries where it is common to treat all cows at the end of lactation. The successful implementation of selective DCT on Finnish farms will hopefully encourage these countries to gradually reduce antibiotic use in dairy livestock. Such a development would perhaps have a positive effect on consumer confidence in the dairy industry. On Finnish dairy farms, rapid structural change in agriculture continues, and therefore maintaining the current low consumption of antibiotics requires optimal farm management, professional advice, and active monitoring. Umpikausi on lypsylehmän tulevan terveyden ja optimaalisen maidontuotannon kannalta kriittisen tärkeä tuotantokierron vaihe. Lehmät ovat kaikkein alttiimpia uusille utaretulehduksille heti umpeutuksen jälkeen ja juuri ennen poikimista. Lisäksi umpeutusvaihe on paras aika lääkitä jo olemassa olevia utaretulehduksia. Tämän vuoksi umpihoito antibioottia sisältävillä, utareen sisäisesti annosteltavilla lääkkeillä lypsykauden lopuksi on tehokas ja yleinen keino vähentää utaretulehduksen esiintyvyyttä. Umpihoito voidaan antaa karjan kaikille lehmille tai valikoidusti vain piilevää utaretulehdusta sairastaville lehmille. Maailmanlaajuisen antibioottiresistenssiongelman myötä on tarve vähentää antibioottien käyttöä kotieläinten hoidossa. Valikoidusti toteutettu umpihoito on vastuullisempi toimintatapa, mutta sen haasteena on umpihoitoa tarvitsevien lehmien tunnistaminen tarkasti ja kustannustehokkaasti. Tämän epidemiologisen tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli kartoittaa umpeutuskäytäntöjä, joilla saavutetaan hyvä utareterveys ja maidontuotanto vastuullisesti antibiootteja käyttäen. Tutkimuksen erityisen kiinnostuksen kohteena olivat lääkkeelliset umpihoidot. Lisäksi tutkimus kartoitti umpeutukseen liittyviä riskitekijöitä, jotka altistavat utareterveysongelmille sekä alentuneelle maidontuotannolle umpikauden jälkeen. Tutkimuksen aineisto koostui suomalaisten lypsykarjatilojen karja- ja lehmäkohtaisista tuotosseurantatiedoista. Ensimmäinen osatutkimus kartoitti umpihoitokäytäntöjen ja erilaisten tilaominaisuuksien yhteyksiä lypsykarjojen maidon keskisolulukuun ja keskituotokseen. Toinen osatutkimus selvitti tilojen umpihoitokäytäntöjen yhteyksiä lehmien alkulypsykauden utareterveyteen. Kolmas osatutkimus kartoitti valikoidusti umpilääkittyjen ja lääkitsemättömien lehmien välisiä eroja maitotuotoksessa ja soluluvussa seuraavan lypsykauden alkupuoliskolla. Tulokset osoittavat, että jopa hyvin maltillisella umpihoidettujen lehmien osuudella voidaan saavuttaa karjan hyvä utareterveys ja keskituotos. Riippumatta tilan umpihoitokäytännöstä, tarkasteltujen vuosien aikana maidon keskituotos nousi, ja maidon keskisoluluku pysyi melko muuttumattomana. Tilojen väliset erot keskituotoksessa ja -soluluvussa olivat suuria, mikä viittaa tilakohtaisten umpeutusohjeiden tarpeeseen. Verrattuna valikoivaan umpihoitokäytäntöön, karjan kaikkien lehmien lääkitseminen oli yhteydessä lehmien alhaisempaan solulukuun alkulypsykaudella. Tiloilla, jotka toteuttivat valikoivaa umpihoitokäytäntöä, poikimisen jälkeinen soluluku oli alhaisempi lääkityillä kuin lääkitsemättömillä lehmillä. Tämän perusteella umpihoito on edelleen tehokas utaretulehduksen torjuntakeino. Suurin osa valikoivasti hoitavista maidontuottajista lääkitsi enintään kolmanneksen lehmistään. Umpihoidon vaikutus tuotokseen vaihteli loppulypsykauden soluluvun mukaan. Loppulypsykaudella korkean soluluvun omaavan lehmän lääkitsemättä jättäminen vaikutti haitallisesti myöhempään maitotuotokseen ja utareterveyteen, mikä korostaa hoidettavien lehmien tarkan valinnan merkitystä. Umpeutukseen liittyviä utaretulehdusongelmien riskitekijöitä olivat loppulypsykauden korkea soluluku, aiemmin sairastettu ja lääkehoitoa vaatinut utaretulehdus, korkea ikä, edeltävän lypsykauden korkea keskisoluluku ja korkea päivämaitotuotos lähellä umpeutusta. Maissa, joissa on tavanomaista lääkitä kaikki lehmät lypsykauden lopuksi, tiedostetaan enenevässä määrin, että valikoiva hoito on vastuullisempi hoitokäytäntö. Toivottavasti suomalaisilla lypsykarjatiloilla onnistuneesti toteutettu valikoiva umpihoito toimii kannustavana esimerkkinä kansainvälisille pyrkimyksille vähentää antibioottien käyttöä. Maatalouden nopea rakennemuutos jatkuu suomalaisilla maitotiloilla, ja vallitsevan, vähäisen antibioottikulutuksen ylläpitäminen edellyttää ihanteellista maatilanhoitoa, ammattitaitoista neuvontaa ja aktiivista seurantaa.

Antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT) is an important part of most mastitis control programs. Updating DCT recommendations is an ongoing topic due to the global problem of antimicrobial resistance. Finland, along with other Nordic countries, has implemented selective DCT for decades. Our study analyzed Dairy Herd Improvement (DHI) information from 241 Finnish farmers who participated in a survey about their drying-off practices. The aim was to evaluate herd-level associations between milk somatic cell count (SCC), milk production, and various antimicrobial DCT approaches both cross-sectionally in 2016 and longitudinally in 2012 - 2016. The three DCT approaches in the study were selective, blanket, and no DCT use. An additional aim was to evaluate whether dynamic changes occurred in herd-average SCC and annual milk production over five years, and whether these potential changes differed between different DCT approaches. The method for the longitudinal analyses was growth modeling with random coefficient models. Differences in SCC and milk production between farms with different DCT approaches were minor. Regardless of the farm's DCT approach, annual milk production increased over the years, while average SCC was reasonably constant. The variability in SCC and milk production across all DCT groups was low between years, and most of the variability was between farms. Compared to other milking systems, farms with automatic milking system (AMS) had higher SCC, and in 2016 higher milk production. The results of this study suggest that it is possible to maintain low herd-average SCC and good milk production when using selective DCT and following the guidelines for prudent antimicrobial use. Average SCC and milk production varied across the herds, suggesting that advice on DCT practices should be herd-specific. The methodology of growth modeling using random coefficient models was applicable in analyzing longitudinal data, in which the time frame was relatively short and the number of herds was limited.

Mastitis remains the most expensive disease of dairy cows, and antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT) at dry-off is an important part of mastitis control. Regardless of the infection status, blanket DCT is administered to all quarters of all cows, which is controversial due to the worldwide problem of antimicrobial resistance. Even though selective DCT of only infected cows is a more sustainable approach, choosing animals for treatment is not always straightforward. Our aim was to evaluate whether the herd-level DCT approach is associated with early lactation udder health problems, taking into account the cow characteristics. The information source was 2015?2017 Dairy Herd Improvement data with 7461 multiparous cows from 241 Finnish dairy herds. Information on the herd-level DCT approach was obtained from farmers? questionnaire responses in 2017, and the three different approaches were selective DCT, blanket DCT, and no DCT. The statistical tool for the data analysis was a generalized linear mixed model with a random herd effect for binary outcomes and a linear mixed model with a random herd effect for a continuous outcome. The two binary outcomes were the odds of having high milk somatic cell count (SCC ? 200 000 cells/mL) on the first test-day within 5?45 days in milk (DIM) and the odds of mastitis treatment in early lactation up to 45 DIM. The third outcome was the mean milk lnSCC (? 1000 cells/ mL) within 120 DIM. Selective DCT was the prevailing treatment practice in our data. Blanket DCT was associated with lower SCC after calving. Cows more likely to have high SCC after calving were older cows, cows with high average SCC during the previous lactation, and cows with high milk yield near dry-off. A mastitis treatment in the early lactation was more likely if, during the previous lactation, the cow had high average SCC, high peak milk production, or high milk yield near dry-off. Our findings indicate that DCT is still effective in mastitis control. Cows with high milk yield, especially near dry-off, and cows with persistently high SCC require attention when considering next lactation udder health. Mastitis remains the most expensive disease of dairy cows, and antibiotic dry cow therapy (DCT) at dry-off is an important part of mastitis control. Regardless of the infection status, blanket DCT is administered to all quarters of all cows, which is controversial due to the worldwide problem of antimicrobial resistance. Even though selective DCT of only infected cows is a more sustainable approach, choosing animals for treatment is not always straightforward. Our aim was to evaluate whether the herd-level DCT approach is associated with early lactation udder health problems, taking into account the cow characteristics. The information source was 2015?2017 Dairy Herd Improvement data with 7461 multiparous cows from 241 Finnish dairy herds. Information on the herd-level DCT approach was obtained from farmers? questionnaire responses in 2017, and the three different approaches were selective DCT, blanket DCT, and no DCT. The statistical tool for the data analysis was a generalized linear mixed model with a random herd effect for binary outcomes and a linear mixed model with a random herd effect for a continuous outcome. The two binary outcomes were the odds of having high milk somatic cell count (SCC ? 200 000 cells/mL) on the first test-day within 5?45 days in milk (DIM) and the odds of mastitis treatment in early lactation up to 45 DIM. The third outcome was the mean milk lnSCC (? 1000 cells/ mL) within 120 DIM. Selective DCT was the prevailing treatment practice in our data. Blanket DCT was associated with lower SCC after calving. Cows more likely to have high SCC after calving were older cows, cows with high average SCC during the previous lactation, and cows with high milk yield near dry-off. A mastitis treatment in the early lactation was more likely if, during the previous lactation, the cow had high average SCC, high peak milk production, or high milk yield near dry-off. Our findings indicate that DCT is still effective in mastitis control. Cows with high milk yield, especially near dry-off, and cows with persistently high SCC require attention when considering next lactation udder health.

Purpose To describe how appreciative management occurs in the working environment of physiotherapists. Methods Cross-sectional survey. The data was collected with an electronic questionnaire. The survey instrument was Appreciative Management Scale. The participants were 474 physiotherapists working in clinical or managerial positions from public or private sector. Results Appreciative management was realized on an average level within physiotherapy. The highest scoring dimension was Equality and the weakest was Systematic Management. Appreciative management and all of its four categories were associated with the management education received by the manager, the respondent's position, and his or her current duties. The dimension of Appreciation of Know-how and its subdimensions of Guidance and Autonomy were recognized more often when the manager's basic training was in physiotherapy rather than another field. Conclusions It is important that managers in physiotherapy recognize the characteristics of appreciative management, so they can include them as part of their good practice and as part of their own leadership style. Managers in physiotherapy need to be encouraged to participate in management education and also enable the participation of others. A background in physiotherapy can be seen to further the practice and development of physiotherapy. Offering physiotherapists challenging assignments and enabling their career development in physical therapy units is therefore of great importance.

In order to characterize the sensitivity of an analog of levodopa and a dopamine transporter ligand to detect defects in nigrostriatal function, the uptake of [(18)F]FDOPA and [(18)F]CFT was studied ex vivo in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. The brains of these rats were unilaterally lesioned with an intranigral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine. The lesioned animals were divided into three groups subject to their behavior after pharmacological challenges. Circling behavior was recorded after amphetamine, apomorphine, and L-DOPA challenge in order to predict lesion size. The spatial distribution of radioactivity after [(18)F]FDOPA or [(18)F]CFT injection in brain sections was determined with digital autoradiography. Regions of interest were left/right striatum, left/right substantia nigra, and cerebellum. The degree of unilateral lesion for each animal was confirmed by counting of nigral tyrosine hydroxylase-positive cell bodies. With both tracers the uptake in the lesioned side was lower than in the intact side in the striatum and in the substantia nigra. In conclusion, both tracers clearly demonstrated nigrostriatal dopaminergic hypofunction and correlated with the number of nigral dopaminergic neurons. However, [(18)F]FDOPA showed a much higher unspecific uptake of radioactivity, due to extensive metabolism; therefore, this tracer was less sensitive than the transporter tracer [(18)F]CFT to detect these defects.