Glomerular number and size in autopsy kidneys: The relationship to birth weight

Background. In the Southeast United States, African Americans have an estimated incidence of hypertension and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) that is five times greater than Caucasians. Higher rates of low birth weight (LBW) among African Americans is suggested to predispose African Americans to the higher risk, possibly by reducing the number of glomeruli that develop in the kidney. This study investigates the relationships between age, race, gender, total glomerular number (N-glom), mean glomerular volume (V-glom), body surface area (BSA), and birth weight. Methods. Stereologic estimates of N-glom and V-glom were obtained using the physical disector/fractionator combination for autopsy kidneys from 37 African Americans and 19 Caucasians. Results. N-glom was normally distributed and ranged from 227,327 to 1,825,380, an 8.0-fold difference. A direct linear relationship was observed between N-glom and birth weight (r=0.423, P=0.0012) with a regression coefficient that predicted an increase of 257,426 glomeruli per kilogram increase in birth weight (alpha=0.050:0.908). Among adults there was a 4.9-fold range in V-glom , and in adults, V-glom was strongly and inversely correlated with N-glom (r=-0.640, P=0.000002). Adult V-glom showed no significant correlation with BSA for males (r=-0.0150, P=0.936), although it did for females (r=0.606, P=0.022). No racial differences in average N-glom or V-glom were observed. Conclusion. Birth weight is a strong determinant of N-glom and thereby of glomerular size in the postnatal kidney. The findings support the hypothesis that LBW by impairing nephron development is a risk factor for hypertension and ESRD in adulthood.

A comparison of the responses of first and second year veterinary science students to group project work

A change in curriculum permitted a direct and simultaneous comparison between first and second year responses to group project work while assuming similar prior experience with this method of learning. Responses were obtained by a survey form and by meetings with individual groups. Overall, there were no differences between first and second year responses, although analyses of gender responses suggested trends whereby males indicated they had developed greater creativity and felt they had contributed more to the group. The majority of students responded that group project work was a positive experience and a useful learning experience.

Sample registration of vital events with verbal autopsy: a renewed commitment to measuring and monitoring vital statistics

Registration of births, recording deaths by age, sex and cause, and calculating mortality levels and differentials are fundamental to evidence-based health policy, monitoring and evaluation. Yet few of the countries with the greatest need for these data have functioning systems to produce them despite legislation providing for the establishment and maintenance of vital registration. Sample vital registration (SVR), when applied in conjunction with validated verbal autopsy, procedures and implemented in a nationally representative sample of population clusters represents an affordable, cost-effective, and sustainable short- and medium-term solution to this problem. SVR complements other information sources by producing age-, sex-, and cause-specific mortality data that are more complete and continuous than those currently available. The tools and methods employed in an SVR system, however, are imperfect and require rigorous validation and continuous quality assurance; sampling strategies for SVR are also still evolving. Nonetheless, interest in establishing SVR is rapidly growing in Africa and Asia. Better systems for reporting and recording data on vital events will be sustainable only if developed hand-in-hand with existing health information strategies at the national and district levels; governance structures; and agendas for social research and development monitoring. If the global community wishes to have mortality measurements 5 or 10 years hence, the foundation stones of SVR must be laid today.

Stress in veterinary science students: A study at the University of Queensland

This paper reports on the results of a survey of selected University of Queensland (UQ) veterinary students aimed at elucidating factors causing stress during the five undergraduate years of the program. Students from each of the five years were asked to form six- or seven-member focus groups. Each focus group was then interviewed and their opinions sought on causes of ongoing stress and the ranking of those causes into predetermined categories. They were also asked to give their opinions on counseling services available within the university and what, if any, services they would like to see in place to help students with stress-related problems. Students in the first, third, and fourth years of the program rated academic issues as the most likely causes of ongoing stress, while students in the second and fifth years of the program ranked lifestyle and financial issues as more likely to cause ongoing stress. in most cases, students coped well with these causes of stress and tended not to use counseling services available to all UQ students. When faced with stressful issues, students looked to their classmates or family members for help and not to university counseling services. Students were also happy to approach staff members in the Veterinary School when faced with a problem. The authors nevertheless conclude that mechanisms set in place at the undergraduate level to help veterinary students cope with stress should particularly benefit those students when they become new graduates and are faced with the stresses of veterinary practice.

A comparison of responses to group learning between first-year Asian and first-year Australian veterinary science students

Introduction - Group learning has been used to enhance deep (long-term) learning and promote life skills, such as decision making, communication, and interpersonal skills. However, with increasing multiculturalism in higher education, there is little information available as to the acceptance of this form of learning by Asian students or as to its value to them. Methodology - Group-learning projects, incorporating a seminar presentation, were used in first-year veterinary anatomical science classes over two consecutive years (2003 and 2004) at the School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland. Responses of Australian and Asian students to survey forms evaluating the learning experience were analyzed and compared. Results - All students responded positively to the group learning, indicating that it was a useful learning experience and a great method for meeting colleagues. There were no significant differences between Asian and Australian students in overall responses to the survey evaluating the learning experience, except where Asian students responded significantly higher than Australian students in identifying specific skills that needed improving. Conclusions - Group learning can be successfully used in multicultural teaching to enhance deep learning. This form of learning helps to remove cultural barriers and establish a platform for continued successful group learning throughout the program.

Identification of bla(CMY-7) and associated plasmid-mediated resistance genes in multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from dogs at a veterinary teaching hospital in Australia

Objectives: To determine clonality and identify plasmid-mediated resistance genes in 11 multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli (MDREC) isolates associated with opportunistic infections in hospitalized dogs in Australia. Methods: Phenotypic (MIC determinations, modified double-disc diffusion and isoelectric focusing) and genotypic methods (PFGE, plasmid analysis, PCR, sequencing, Southern hybridization, bacterial conjugation and transformation) were used to characterize, investigate the genetic relatedness of, and identify selected plasmid-mediated antimicrobial resistance genes, in the canine MDREC. Results: Canine MDRECs were divided into two clonal groups (CG 1 and 2) with distinct restriction endonuclease digestion and plasmid profiles. All isolates possessed bla(CMY-7) on an similar to 93 kb plasmid. In CG 1 isolates, bla(TEM), catA1 and class 1 integron-associated dfrA17-aadA5 genes were located on an similar to 170 kb plasmid. In CG 2 isolates, a second similar to 93 kb plasmid contained bla(TEM) and unidentified class 1 integron genes, although a single CG 2 strain carried dfrA5. Antimicrobial susceptibility profiling of E. coli K12 transformed with CG 2 large plasmids confirmed that the bla(CMY-7)-carrying plasmid did not carry any other antimicrobial resistance genes, whereas the bla(TEM)/class 1 integron-carrying plasmid carried genes conferring resistance to tetracycline and streptomycin also. Conclusions: This is the first report on the detection of plasmid-mediated bla(CMY-7) in animal isolates in Australia. MDREC isolated from extraintestinal infections in dogs may be an important reservoir of plasmid-mediated resistance genes.

Validity of verbal autopsy procedures for determining cause of death in Tanzania

Objectives: To validate verbal autopsy (VA) procedures for use in sample vital registration. Verbal autopsy is an important method for deriving cause-specific mortality estimates where disease burdens are greatest and routine cause-specific mortality data do not exist. Methods: Verbal autopsies and medical records (MR) were collected for 3123 deaths in the perinatal/neonatal period, post-neonatal < 5 age group, and for ages of 5 years and over in Tanzania. Causes of death were assigned by physician panels using the International Classification of Disease, revision 10. Validity was measured by: cause-specific mortality fractions (CSMF); sensitivity; specificity and positive predictive value. Medical record diagnoses were scored for degree of uncertainty, and sensitivity and specificity adjusted. Criteria for evaluating VA performance in generating true proportional mortality were applied. Results: Verbal autopsy produced accurate CSMFs for nine causes in different age groups: birth asphyxia; intrauterine complications; pneumonia; HIV/AIDS; malaria (adults); tuberculosis; cerebrovascular diseases; injuries and direct maternal causes. Results for 20 other causes approached the threshold for good performance. Conclusions: Verbal autopsy reliably estimated CSMFs for diseases of public health importance in all age groups. Further validation is needed to assess reasons for lack of positive results for some conditions.

World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP) guidelines for evaluating the efficacy of acaricides against ticks (Ixodidae) on ruminants

These guidelines have been prepared to assist in the planning, conduct and interpretation of studies for the assessment of the efficacy of acaricides (excluding vaccines and other bio-control agents) against single and multi-host ticks (Ixodidae) on ruminants. Information is provided on the selection of animals, dose determination, dose confirmation and field studies, record keeping and result interpretation. The use of pen facilities is advocated for dose determination and confirmation studies for defining therapeutic and persistent efficacy. A minimum of two studies per tick species for which claims are sought is recommended for each dose determination and dose confirmation investigation. If dose confirmation studies demonstrate greater than 95% efficacy the sponsor may proceed to field studies, where a minimum of two studies per geographical location is preferred to confirm the therapeutic and persistent efficacy under field conditions. If dose confirmation studies demonstrate less than 95% efficacy then longer-term field studies can be conducted over two tick seasons with a minimum of two studies per geographical location. These studies can incorporate other control methods such as tick vaccines, to demonstrate stable long-term tick management. Specific advice is also given on conducting studies with paralysis ticks. These guidelines are also intended to assist investigators on how to conduct specific experiments, to provide specific information for registration authorities involved in the decision-making process, to assist in the approval and registration of new acaricides, and to facilitate the worldwide adoption of standard procedures. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.