Comparative assessment of seller’s staining test (SST) and direct fluorescent antibody test for rapid and accurate laboratory diagnosis of rabies.

Background: Rabies causes 55, 000 annual human deaths globally and about 10,000 people are exposed annually in Nigeria. Diagnosis of animal rabies in most African countries has been by direct microscopic examination. In Nigeria, the Seller’s stain test (SST) was employed until 2009. Before then, both SST and dFAT were used concurrently until the dFAT became the only standard method. Objective: This study was designed to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the SST in relation to the ‘gold standard’ dFAT in diagnosis of rabies in Nigeria. Methods: A total of 88 animal specimens submitted to the Rabies National Reference Laboratory, Nigeria were routinely tested for rabies by SST and dFAT. Results: Overall, 65.9% of the specimens were positive for rabies by SST, while 81.8% were positive by dFAT. The sensitivity of SST in relation to the gold standard dFAT was 81.0% (95% CIs; 69.7% - 88.6%), while the specificity was 100% (95% CIs; 76% - 100%). Conclusion: The relatively low sensitivity of the SST observed in this study calls for its replacement with the dFAT for accurate diagnosis of rabies and timely decisions on administration of PEP to prevent untimely deaths of exposed humans.

Preliminary assessment of the numerical competencies of children from a public preschool and kindergarten in Cuenca

Existe abundante evidencia de que los niños pequeños son capaces de desarrollar un conocimiento matemático y que las destrezas aritméticas de estos niños son predictores de su desempeño académico futuro. También existe un acuerdo común de que la calidad de la educación matemática inicial tiene una importante influencia en el aprendizaje posterior de los niños. En Ecuador hay escasos estudios sobre las competencias matemáticas tempranas de los niños y sobre su enseñanza. Por ello, se inició un estudio para (1) evaluar las competencias numéricas de los niños de pre-escolar y kindergarten (primero de básica) que asisten a una escuela pública de Cuenca, con el objetivo de analizar críticamente su pensamiento y razonamiento numérico; y (2) examinar las prácticas y creencias de los profesores con relación a la enseñanza de la matemática y a las competencias matemáticas de los niños. La aplicación del Test de Conocimiento Numérico (Griffin, 2005) demostró que la mayoría de los niños participantes no habían desarrollado habilidades numéricas básicas. Adicionalmente, los profesores expresaron una fuerte creencia de que los niños pequeños no son capaces de tener un pensamiento matemático. Como consecuencia, las actividades matemáticas que realizan los niños y profesores son desarrolladas de manera insuficiente. Las implicaciones científicas y prácticas de estos resultados son discutidas.

Safety assessment in primary Mycobacterium tuberculosis smear microscopy centres in Blantyre Malawi: a facility based cross sectional survey

Introduction Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is transmitted mainly through aerosolization of infected sputum which puts laboratory workers at risk in spite of the laboratory workers’ risk of infection being at 3 to 9 times higher than the general public. Laboratory safety should therefore be prioritized and optimized to provide sufficient safety to laboratory workers. Objective To assess the safety for the laboratory workers in TB primary microscopy centres in Blantyre urban. Methodology TB primary microscopy centers in Blantyre urban were assessed in aspects of equipment availability, facility layout, and work practice, using a standardized WHO/AFRO ISO 15189 checklist for the developing countries which sets the minimum safety score at ≥80%. Each center was graded according to the score it earned upon assessment. Results Only one (1) microscopy center out nine (9) reached the minimum safety requirement. Four (4) centers were awarded 1 star level, four (4) centers were awarded 2 star level and only one (1) center was awarded 3 star level. Conclusion In Blantyre urban, 89% of the Tuberculosis microscopy centers are failing to provide the minimum safety to the laboratory workers. Government and other stake holders should be committed in addressing the safety challenges of TB microscopy centres in the country to ensure safety for the laboratory workers. Recommendations It is recommended that the study be conducted at the regional or national level for both public and private laboratories in order to have a general picture of safety in Tb microscopy centres possibly across the country.

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) improved communication skills of student of Pharmacology in Medicine and Podiatry degree.

Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) improved communication skills of student of Pharmacology in Medicine and Podiatry degree. Bellido I, Blanco E, Gomez-Luque A. D. Pharmacology and Clinical Therapeutic. Medicine School. University of Malaga. IBIMA. Malaga, Spain. Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are versatile multipurpose evaluative tools that can be utilized to assess health care professionals in a clinical setting including communication skills and ability to handle unpredictable patient behavior, which usually are not included in the traditional clinical exam. To designee and perform OSCEs by student is a novelty that really like to the students and may improve their arguing and planning capacities and their communication skills. Aim: To evaluate the impact of designing, developing and presenting Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) by student in the communication skills development and in the learning of medicines in Medicine and Podiatry undergraduate students. Methods: A one-year study in which students were invited to voluntarily form groups (4 students maximum). Each group has to design and perform an OSCE (10 min maximum) showing a clinical situation/problem in which medicines’ use was needed. A clinical history, camera, a mobile-phone's video editor, photos, actors, dolls, simulators or whatever they may use was allowed. The job of each group was supervised and helped by a teacher. The students were invited to present their work to the rest of the class. After each OSCE performance the students were encouraged to ask questions if they wanted to do it. After all the OSCEs performances the students voluntarily answered a satisfaction survey. Results: Students of Pharmacology of Medicine degree and Podiatry degree, N=80, 53.75% female, 21±2.3 years old were enrolled. 26 OSCEs showing a clinical situation or clinical problem were made. The average time spent by students in making the OSCE was 21.5±9 h. The percentage of students which were satisfied with this way of presentation of the OSCE was 89.7%. Conclusion: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE) designed and performed by student of Pharmacology of the Medicine and Podiatry Degree improved their communication skills.

Assessment of Epstein-Barr virus nucleic acids in gastric but not in breast cancer by next-generation sequencing of pooled Mexican samples

Gastric (GC) and breast (BrC) cancer are two of the most common and deadly tumours. Different lines of evidence suggest a possible causative role of viral infections for both GC and BrC. Wide genome sequencing (WGS) technologies allow searching for viral agents in tissues of patients with cancer. These technologies have already contributed to establish virus-cancer associations as well as to discovery new tumour viruses. The objective of this study was to document possible associations of viral infection with GC and BrC in Mexican patients. In order to gain idea about cost effective conditions of experimental sequencing, we first carried out an in silico simulation of WGS. The next-generation-platform IlluminaGallx was then used to sequence GC and BrC tumour samples. While we did not find viral sequences in tissues from BrC patients, multiple reads matching Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) sequences were found in GC tissues. An end-point polymerase chain reaction confirmed an enrichment of EBV sequences in one of the GC samples sequenced, validating the next-generation sequencing-bioinformatics pipeline.

Local productive arrangements for biodiesel production in Brazil: Environmental assessment of small-holders integrated oleaginous crops management.

Sustainability assessments were carried out in small-holders? farms in four territories where productive arrangements have been organized for production of minor oleagi- nous crops under the Brazilian biodiesel program. The study aimed at checking local impacts of the biodiesel productive chains at the rural establishment scale, and pro- moting the environmental performance of the selected farms, henceforth proposed as sustainable management demonstration units. Assessments were carried out with the APOIA-NovoRural system, which integrates 62 objective and quantitative indicators re- lated to five sustainability dimensions: i) Landscape Ecology, ii) Environmental Quality (Atmosphere, Water and Soil), iii) Socio-cultural Values, iv) Economic Values and v) Management and Administration. The main results point out that, in general, the eco- logical dimensions of sustainability, that is, the Landscape Ecology and Atmosphere, Water, and Soil quality indicators, show adequate field conditions, seemingly not yet negatively affected by increases in chemical inputs and natural resources use predicted as important potential impacts of the agro-energy sector. The Economic Values indica- tors have been favorably influenced in the studied farms, due to a steadier demand and improved prices for the oleaginous crops. On the other hand, valuable positive conse- quences expected for favoring farmers? market insertion, such as improved Socio-cultural Values and Management & Administration indicators, are still opportunities to be ma-terialized. The Environmental Management Reports issued to the farmers, based on the presented sustainability assessment procedures, offer valuable documentation and com-munication means for consolidating the organizational influence of the local productive arrangements studied. These productive arrangements were shown to be determinant for the selection of crop associations and diversification, as well as for the provision of technical assistance and the stabilization of demand - conditions that promote value aggregation and income improvements, favoring small-holders? insertion in the market. More importantly, these locally organized productive arrangements have been shown to strongly influence the valorization of natural resources and environmental assets, which are fundamental if sustainable rural development is to take place under the emerging agro-energy scenario.

Objective evaluation of surgical competency for minimally invasive surgery with a collection of simple tests

Objective: This study aims at determining if a collection of 16 motor tests on a physical simulator can objectively discriminate and evaluate practitioners' competency level, i.e. novice, resident, and expert. Methods: An experimental design with three study groups (novice, resident, and expert) was developed to test the evaluation power of each of the 16 simple tests. An ANOVA and a Student Newman-Keuls (SNK) test were used to analyze results of each test to determine which of them can discriminate participants' competency level. Results: Four of the 16 tests used discriminated all of the three competency levels and 15 discriminated at least two of the three groups (α= 0.05). Moreover, other two tests differentiate beginners\' level from intermediate, and other seven tests differentiate intermediate level from expert. Conclusion: The competency level of a practitioner of minimally invasive surgery can be evaluated by a specific collection of basic tests in a physical surgical simulator. Reduction of the number of tests needed to discriminate the competency level of surgeons can be the aim of future research.

Detection and assessment of electrocution in endangered raptors by infrared thermography

BACKGROUND Most European birds of prey find themselves in a poor state of conservation, with electrocution as one of the most frequent causes of unnatural death. Since early detection of electrocution is difficult, treatment is usually implemented late, which reduces its effectiveness. By considering that electrocution reduces tissue temperature, it may be detectable by thermography, which would allow a more rapid identification. Three individuals from three endangered raptor species [Spanish imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti), Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) and Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)] were studied thermographically from the time they were admitted to a rehabilitation centre to the time their clinical cases were resolved. CASES PRESENTATION The three raptors presented lesions lacking thermal bilateral symmetry and were consistent with electrocution of feet, wings and eyes, visible by thermography before than clinically; lesions were well-defined and showed a lower temperature than the surrounding tissue. Some lesions evolved thermally and clinically until the appearance of normal tissue recovered, while others evolved and became necrotic. A histopathological analysis of a damaged finger amputated off a Lammergeier, and the necropsy and histopathology examination of an osprey, confirmed the electrocution diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that thermography is effective and useful for the objective and early detection and monitoring of electrocuted birds, and that it may prove especially useful for examining live animals that require no amputation or cannot be subjected to invasive histopathology.

Assessment of the sensitivity and specificity of serological (IFAT) and molecular (direct PCR) techniques for diagnosis of leishmaniasis in lagomorphs using a Bayesian approach

Leishmaniasis, caused by Leishmania infantum, is a vector-borne zoonotic disease that is endemic to the Mediterranean basin. The potential of rabbits and hares to serve as competent reservoirs for the disease has recently been demonstrated, although assessment of the importance of their role on disease dynamics is hampered by the absence of quantitative knowledge on the accuracy of diagnostic techniques in these species. A Bayesian latent-class model was used here to estimate the sensitivity and specificity of the Immuno-fluorescence antibody test (IFAT) in serum and a Leishmania-nested PCR (Ln-PCR) in skin for samples collected from 217 rabbits and 70 hares from two different populations in the region of Madrid, Spain. A two-population model, assuming conditional independence between test results and incorporating prior information on the performance of the tests in other animal species obtained from the literature, was used. Two alternative cut-off values were assumed for the interpretation of the IFAT results: 1/50 for conservative and 1/25 for sensitive interpretation. Results suggest that sensitivity and specificity of the IFAT were around 70–80%, whereas the Ln-PCR was highly specific (96%) but had a limited sensitivity (28.9% applying the conservative interpretation and 21.3% with the sensitive one). Prevalence was higher in the rabbit population (50.5% and 72.6%, for the conservative and sensitive interpretation, respectively) than in hares (6.7% and 13.2%). Our results demonstrate that the IFAT may be a useful screening tool for diagnosis of leishmaniasis in rabbits and hares. These results will help to design and implement surveillance programmes in wild species, with the ultimate objective of early detecting and preventing incursions of the disease into domestic and human populations.

Assessment of Health-Related Quality of Life using the EQ-5D-3L in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

The daily experience with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has significant adverse effects on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). HRQoL assessment is essential for measuring the impact of the disease on the patient and selecting individualized strategies. Generic measures for assessing HRQoL are very useful because, unlike specific measurement instruments, they allow for the comparison with other instruments. The EQ-5D-3L is a generic measure and it describes HRQoL in five dimensions; mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, with three levels each. In Portugal, studies using the EQ-5D-3L as a generic measure to assess HRQoL in diabetic patients are scarce. Objective: To assess HRQoL in individuals with T2DM using the Portuguese version of the EQ-5D-3L. Methodology: An accidental sample of patients with T2DM (n=437) was selected at Family Health Units and healthcare centers in Coimbra, Portugal, between January 2013 and January 2014. The EQ-5D-3L was applied in interviews. The EQ-5D-3L score was calculated based on the answers to the five dimensions and the value system for the Portuguese population. Results: In this sample, 100% of the participants answered the EQ-5D-3L. The HRQoL score was 0.6772 in the EQ-5D-3L and 64.85 in the EQ-VAS. The most frequent answers to the five dimensions were no problems or some problems. The mean score of the EQ-5D-3L was significantly associated with age, male gender, high level of education, having an occupation, practicing physical activity, being single and having been diagnosed with T2DM for less time. The Cronbach alpha's value was 0.674, confirming an acceptable internal consistency. Conclusion: HRQoL levels in individuals with T2DM are lower than the national average and vary depending on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The EQ-5D-3L is a reliable instrument that can be used to assess the quality of life of diabetic patients and contribute to assess the patients' overall health status, adding data from the subjective dimension of self-care management.

ASSESSMENT OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN GREENHOUSE PRODUCTION IN THE WEST REGION OF PORTUGAL

Greenhouse production is a very important activity in the West region of Portugal, with an area of approximately 800 ha where the regular production consists in two crops per year, one in winter-spring and the other in summer-autumn. Many growers are now prepared to better exploit market opportunities, since they know that the big export window opportunity is from June to September, when the production is difficult in other regions of south due to high temperatures. Grower’s use new and more productive varieties, either in soil or hydroponic systems, mostly in unheated greenhouses, naturally ventilated, and equipped with modern fertigation systems. Greenhouse production causes some environmental impacts due to the high use of inputs. Several improvements in technologies and crop practices may contribute to increase the use efficiency of resources, decreasing the negative environmental impacts. Greenhouse vegetable production in Northern EU countries is based on the supply of heating and differs significantly from the production system in the Southern EU countries. In the Northern countries, direct energy inputs, mostly for heating, are predominant while in the South the indirect energy input is also important, mainly associated with fertilizers, plastic cover materials and other auxiliary materials. The main objective of this work was to characterise the greenhouse production systems in the West region of Portugal, in order to evaluate the energetic consumptions (direct and indirect), the GHH emissions, the production costs and the farmer’s income. With this work the mostly important inputs were identified, allowing proposing alternative measures to improve efficiency and sustainability. All the data was obtained by surveys performed directly with growers, previously selected to be representative of the crop practices and greenhouse type of the region. However, more research should be performed in order to develop and to test technologies capable to improve resources use efficiency in greenhouse production.

Assessment of the elderly’s functional ability to manage theirmedication: a systematic literature review

Background The evaluation of the elderly’s ability to manage medication through the use of a validated tool can be a significant step in identifying inabilities and needs, with the objective of increasing their self-care skills, and promoting successful aging. Aim of the review To identify studies assessing the elderly’s functional ability to manage their own medication. Method For the search strategy, the PICO method was used: P—Population(elderly), I—Instruments (tools for assessing medication management ability), C—Context (community) and O—Outcomes (functional ability to manage medication). Thefinal search query was run in MEDLINE/PubMed,CINAHL Plus, ISI Web of Science and Scopus. The whole process was developed according to the PRISMA statement. Results The search retrieved 8051 records. In each screening stage, the selection criteria were applied to eliminate records where at least one of the exclusion criteria was verified. At the end of this selection, we obtained a total of 18 papers (17 studies). The results allow the conclusion to be drawn that studies use several different instruments, most of them not validated. The authors agree that medication management abilities decrease as cognitive impairment increases, even if a lot of studies assess only the physical dimension. DRUGS was the instrument most often used. Conclusion Older adults’ ability to manage their medication should be assessed using tools specifically built and validate for the purpose. DRUGS (which uses the real regimen taken by the elderly) was the most widely used assessment instrument in the screened studies.

From Traditional Assessment to the New Competency-Based Assessment

The evaluation of school students has always attempted to estimate the effort, abilities and learning of students. However, at the beginning, evaluation consisted in measuring the progress of the student’s behavior compared to a desirable behavior. Later on, different changes in evaluation benefited the processes addressed to assessing the academic achievement of students and learning itself. Today, the demands of the contemporary society are vast and numerous: students not only require knowledge, they need to develop skills, values and postures. Postmodern education requires individuals to develop different talents and competencies to grow in every way. Therefore, evaluation should respond to such needs promoting an ethical, technical, reliable assessment of the student’s competencies, thus providing more fair and objective, qualitative and quantitative judgments. This dissertation project is the result of a literature review of several authors and the daily work of teachers in the Centros de Educación Media Superior a Distancia [High School Distance Centers] of Morelos, Mexico.

Assessment of heavy metals in soils of a vineyard region with the use of principal component analysis.

Agricultural management with chemicals may contaminate the soil with heavy metals. The objective of this study was to apply Principal Component Analysis and geoprocessing techniques to identify the origin of the metals Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ni, Pb, Cr and Cd as potential contaminants of agricultural soils. The study was developed in an area of vineyard cultivation in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. Soil samples were collected and GPS located under different uses and coverings. The metal concentrations in the soils were determined using the DTPA method. The Cu and Zn content was considered high in most of the samples, and was larger in the areas cultivated with vineyards that had been under the application of fungicides for several decades. The concentrations of Cu and Zn were correlated. The geoprocessing techniques and the Principal Component Analysis confirmed the enrichment of the soil with Cu and Zn because of the use and management of the vineyards with chemicals in the preceding decades.