An essential need: creating opportunities for veterinary students and graduates to gain an appreciation of responsibilities and opportunities in global veterinary issues

Globalisation trends and biorterrorism issues have led to new concerns relating to public health, animal health, international trade and food security. There is an imperative to internationalise and strengthen global public health capacity by renewed emphasis on veterinary public health in veterinary education and increasing opportunities for elective experiential learning in public practice programmes for veterinary students. Recent experience with a US-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program is used as an example of potential ways in which veterinary students can gain an appreciation for global veterinary issues.

B-mode Ultrasound and Doppler Mode for Early-stage Pregnancy Diagnosis in Shi-Tzu Bitches

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Sistema de cálculo para determinação do tempo de exposição em radioterapia veterinária

Radiotherapy in veterinary practice is already known and widely distributed in large specialized centers of developed countries. In early 2000, there were about 30 radiotherapy equipment specifically designed for the veterinary clinic in the United States. In Brazil, the veterinary radiotherapy is still confined to research in universities, where most of the procedures is radiation therapy performed with superficial x-ray machines, with a voltage between 50 and 150 kVp, focus-distance surface (DFS) between 20,0cm and 40,0cm. As that occurs in human medicine, new research strengthens the development and prospects for the use of radiotherapy as a safe option for treating cancer in animals. This paper presents a methodology for calculating the exposure time for superficial radiotherapy procedures in veterinary medicine for small animals (dogs and cats). The dosimetric parameters of X-rays are determined using a spreadsheet tool for Microsoft Office Excel, developed in this paper for a device Dermopan 2, Veterinary Hospital of UNESP in Araçatuba. Using the worksheet helps the veterinarian to determine the time of exposure to radiation determined for each clinical case, optimize the workflow for professionals in veterinary radiotherapy procedures, which often lack the medical physics in team and at the time of radiotherapy. The correct use of spreadsheet decreases the chances of errors in dose rates of radiation, providing a higher quality of care

Estudo da deposição de energia das radiofrequências através do método das diferenças finitas dependentes do tempo Monografia

Radiotherapy in veterinary practice is already known and widely distributed in large specialized centers of developed countries. In early 2000, there were about 30 radiotherapy equipment specifically designed for the veterinary clinic in the United States. In Brazil, the veterinary radiotherapy is still confined to research in universities, where most of the procedures is radiation therapy performed with superficial x-ray machines, with a voltage between 50 and 150 kVp, focus-distance surface (DFS) between 20,0cm and 40,0cm. As that occurs in human medicine, new research strengthens the development and prospects for the use of radiotherapy as a safe option for treating cancer in animals. This paper presents a methodology for calculating the exposure time for superficial radiotherapy procedures in veterinary medicine for small animals (dogs and cats). The dosimetric parameters of X-rays are determined using a spreadsheet tool for Microsoft Office Excel, developed in this paper for a device Dermopan 2, Veterinary Hospital of UNESP in Araçatuba. Using the worksheet helps the veterinarian to determine the time of exposure to radiation determined for each clinical case, optimize the workflow for professionals in veterinary radiotherapy procedures, which often lack the medical physics in team and at the time of radiotherapy. The correct use of spreadsheet decreases the chances of errors in dose rates of radiation, providing a higher quality of care

Pathogenicity of Nc-Bahia and Nc-1 strains of Neospora caninum in experimentally infected cows and buffaloes in early pregnancy

Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite known as an important cause of bovine abortion worldwide. Little is currently known about how different strains of N. caninum vary in their pathogenicity. In this study, we compared a Brazilian strain, Nc-Bahia, with the first isolate of this coccidian, Nc-1. Eight cows and seven buffaloes were submitted to fixed-time artificial insemination protocols for a better control of pregnancy. Group 1 was inoculated with Nc-Bahia (n=8; five cows and three buffaloes), and Group 2 was inoculated with Nc-1 (n=5; two cows and three buffaloes). One nonpregnant female of each species was left uninfected as sentinel controls for potential environmental infection. All inoculated animals received 5×108 tachyzoites of N. caninum, by intravenous route, on the 70th day of gestation. Uninfected animals remained seronegative throughout the experiment, indicating no exogenous infection, whereas all inoculated animals became seropositive to N. caninum. In Group 1, abortion was found in only one cow on 42 days postinfection (dpi; frequency of abortion=12.5 %), whilst all animals from Group 2 aborted on 35 dpi (frequency of abortion= 100 %). Parasite DNA was detected by seminested PCR in maternal, foetal and placental tissues, confirming vertical transmission in Groups 1 and 2, although histological lesions had different frequencies and degrees of severity between the groups. There was evidence of lower pathogenicity of Nc- Bahia compared to Nc-1 when used in experimental infection, as it caused fewer abortions, as well as less frequent and milder histological lesions. This was the first time Nc-Bahia has been used for experimental infection.

Long-term immunologic response to antiretroviral therapy in low-income countries: a collaborative analysis of prospective studies

BACKGROUND: Few data are available on the long-term immunologic response to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in resource-limited settings, where ART is being rapidly scaled up using a public health approach, with a limited repertoire of drugs. OBJECTIVES: To describe immunologic response to ART among ART patients in a network of cohorts from sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia. STUDY POPULATION/METHODS: Treatment-naive patients aged 15 and older from 27 treatment programs were eligible. Multilevel, linear mixed models were used to assess associations between predictor variables and CD4 cell count trajectories following ART initiation. RESULTS: Of 29 175 patients initiating ART, 8933 (31%) were excluded due to insufficient follow-up time and early lost to follow-up or death. The remaining 19 967 patients contributed 39 200 person-years on ART and 71 067 CD4 cell count measurements. The median baseline CD4 cell count was 114 cells/microl, with 35% having less than 100 cells/microl. Substantial intersite variation in baseline CD4 cell count was observed (range 61-181 cells/microl). Women had higher median baseline CD4 cell counts than men (121 vs. 104 cells/microl). The median CD4 cell count increased from 114 cells/microl at ART initiation to 230 [interquartile range (IQR) 144-338] at 6 months, 263 (IQR 175-376) at 1 year, 336 (IQR 224-472) at 2 years, 372 (IQR 242-537) at 3 years, 377 (IQR 221-561) at 4 years, and 395 (IQR 240-592) at 5 years. In multivariable models, baseline CD4 cell count was the most important determinant of subsequent CD4 cell count trajectories. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate robust and sustained CD4 response to ART among patients remaining on therapy. Public health and programmatic interventions leading to earlier HIV diagnosis and initiation of ART could substantially improve patient outcomes in resource-limited settings.

Immunodeficiency in children starting antiretroviral therapy in low-, middle-, and high-income countries.

BACKGROUND The CD4 cell count or percent (CD4%) at the start of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is an important prognostic factor in children starting therapy and an important indicator of program performance. We describe trends and determinants of CD4 measures at cART initiation in children from low-, middle-, and high-income countries. METHODS We included children aged <16 years from clinics participating in a collaborative study spanning sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. Missing CD4 values at cART start were estimated through multiple imputation. Severe immunodeficiency was defined according to World Health Organization criteria. Analyses used generalized additive mixed models adjusted for age, country, and calendar year. RESULTS A total of 34,706 children from 9 low-income, 6 lower middle-income, 4 upper middle-income countries, and 1 high-income country (United States) were included; 20,624 children (59%) had severe immunodeficiency. In low-income countries, the estimated prevalence of children starting cART with severe immunodeficiency declined from 76% in 2004 to 63% in 2010. Corresponding figures for lower middle-income countries were from 77% to 66% and for upper middle-income countries from 75% to 58%. In the United States, the percentage decreased from 42% to 19% during the period 1996 to 2006. In low- and middle-income countries, infants and children aged 12-15 years had the highest prevalence of severe immunodeficiency at cART initiation. CONCLUSIONS Despite progress in most low- and middle-income countries, many children continue to start cART with severe immunodeficiency. Early diagnosis and treatment of HIV-infected children to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with immunodeficiency must remain a global public health priority.

A practical approach to designing syndromic surveillance systems for livestock and poultry

The field of animal syndromic surveillance (SyS) is growing, with many systems being developed worldwide. Now is an appropriate time to share ideas and lessons learned from early SyS design and implementation. Based on our practical experience in animal health SyS, with additions from the public health and animal health SyS literature, we put forward for discussion a 6-step approach to designing SyS systems for livestock and poultry. The first step is to formalise policy and surveillance goals which are considerate of stakeholder expectations and reflect priority issues (1). Next, it is important to find consensus on national priority diseases and identify current surveillance gaps. The geographic, demographic, and temporal coverage of the system must be carefully assessed (2). A minimum dataset for SyS that includes the essential data to achieve all surveillance objectives while minimizing the amount of data collected should be defined. One can then compile an inventory of the data sources available and evaluate each using the criteria developed (3). A list of syndromes should then be produced for all data sources. Cases can be classified into syndrome classes and the data can be converted into time series (4). Based on the characteristics of the syndrome-time series, the length of historic data available and the type of outbreaks the system must detect, different aberration detection algorithms can be tested (5). Finally, it is essential to develop a minimally acceptable response protocol for each statistical signal produced (6). Important outcomes of this pre-operational phase should be building of a national network of experts and collective action and evaluation plans. While some of the more applied steps (4 and 5) are currently receiving consideration, more emphasis should be put on earlier conceptual steps by decision makers and surveillance developers (1-3).

The application of medical informatics to the veterinary management programs at companion animal practices in Alberta, Canada: a case study.

Companion animals closely share their domestic environment with people and have the potential to, act as sources of zoonotic diseases. They also have the potential to be sentinels of infectious and noninfectious, diseases. With the exception of rabies, there has been minimal ongoing surveillance of, companion animals in Canada. We developed customized data extraction software, the University of, Calgary Data Extraction Program (UCDEP), to automatically extract and warehouse the electronic, medical records (EMR) from participating private veterinary practices to make them available for, disease surveillance and knowledge creation for evidence-based practice. It was not possible to build, generic data extraction software; the UCDEP required customization to meet the specific software, capabilities of the veterinary practices. The UCDEP, tailored to the participating veterinary practices', management software, was capable of extracting data from the EMR with greater than 99%, completeness and accuracy. The experiences of the people developing and using the UCDEP and the, quality of the extracted data were evaluated. The electronic medical record data stored in the data, warehouse may be a valuable resource for surveillance and evidence-based medical research.

Model for ranking freshwater fish farms according to their risk of infection and illustration for viral haemorrhagic septicaemia

We developed a model to calculate a quantitative risk score for individual aquaculture sites. The score indicates the risk of the site being infected with a specific fish pathogen (viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV); infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus, Koi herpes virus), and is intended to be used for risk ranking sites to support surveillance for demonstration of zone or member state freedom from these pathogens. The inputs to the model include a range of quantitative and qualitative estimates of risk factors organised into five risk themes (1) Live fish and egg movements; (2) Exposure via water; (3) On-site processing; (4) Short-distance mechanical transmission; (5) Distance-independent mechanical transmission. The calculated risk score for an individual aquaculture site is a value between zero and one and is intended to indicate the risk of a site relative to the risk of other sites (thereby allowing ranking). The model was applied to evaluate 76 rainbow trout farms in 3 countries (42 from England, 32 from Italy and 2 from Switzerland) with the aim to establish their risk of being infected with VHSV. Risk scores for farms in England and Italy showed great variation, clearly enabling ranking. Scores ranged from 0.002 to 0.254 (mean score 0.080) in England and 0.011 to 0.778 (mean of 0.130) for Italy, reflecting the diversity of infection status of farms in these countries. Requirements for broader application of the model are discussed. Cost efficient farm data collection is important to realise the benefits from a risk-based approach.

A case-control study to estimate the effects of acute clinical infection with the Schmallenberg virus on milk yield, fertility and veterinary costs in Swiss dairy herds.

Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was first detected in Switzerland in July 2012 and many Swiss dairy farmers reported acute clinical signs in dairy cattle during the spread of the virus until December 2012. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the effects of an acute infection with SBV on milk yield, fertility and veterinary costs in dairy farms with clinical signs of SBV infection (case farms), and to compare those farms to a matched control group of dairy farms in which cattle did not show clinical signs of SBV infection. Herd size was significantly (p<0.001) larger in case farms (33 cows, n=77) than in control farms (25 cows, n=84). Within case herds, 14.8% (median) of the cows showed acute clinical signs. Managers from case farms indicated to have observed a higher abortion rate during the year with SBV (6.5%) than in the previous year (3.7%). Analysis of fertility parameters based on veterinary bills and data from the breeding associations showed no significant differences between case and control farms. The general veterinary costs per cow from July to December 2012 were significantly higher (p=0.02) in case (CHF 19.80; EUR 16.50) than in control farms (CHF 15.90; EUR 13.25). No differences in milk yield were found between groups, but there was a significant decrease in milk production in case farms in the second half year in 2012 compared to the same period in 2011 (p<0.001) and 2013 (p=0.009). The average daily milk yield per cow (both groups together) was +0.73kg higher (p=0.03) in the second half year 2011 and +0.52kg (p=0.12) in the second half year 2013 compared to the same half year 2012. Fifty-seven percent of the cows with acute clinical signs (n=461) were treated by a veterinarian. The average calculated loss after SBV infection for a standardized farm was CHF 1606 (EUR 1338), which can be considered as low at the national level, but the losses were subject to great fluctuations between farms, so that individual farms could have very high losses (>CHF 10,000, EUR 8333).

Is family medicine meeting the HIV/AIDS challenge? A national survey of family physicians' beliefs, clinical competence, and experience regarding HIV disease

A national sample of family physicians was surveyed to (1) assess family physicians' beliefs about the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and individuals at risk for infection, their clinical competence regarding HIV-related issues, and their experiences with HIV disease; (2) present conclusions to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) to effect the development of an early clinical care protocol and a continuing medical education curriculum; and (3) collect base-line data for use in the evaluation of an early clinical care protocol and a continuing medical education curriculum, in the case that such programs are developed and disseminated. After considering retired or deceased respondents, of the 2,660 physicians surveyed, 1,678 (63.7%) responded. The resulting sample was representative of the active members of the AAFP. About 77% of the respondents were unable to accurately identify the universal precautions for blood and body fluids to prevent occupational transmission of HIV or hepatitis B virus (HBV). Residency trained and board certified physicians expressed fewer "external constraints," such as fear of losing patients, obviating them from providing treatment to individuals with HIV disease (p =.004 and p $<$.001, respectively). These physicians also manifested fewer "internal constraints" to the provision of HIV treatment, such as fear of becoming infected (p $<$.001 and p =.012, respectively). Residency trained physicians also expressed a greater comfort with discussing sexually-related topics with their patients than did non-residency trained physicians (p $<$.001). There were 67.1% of the physicians surveyed who reported never providing treatment to an individual with HIV disease. Residency trained and board certified physicians expressed a greater likelihood to provide treatment to HIV-infected patients (p $<$.001) than non-residency trained and non-board certified physicians.^ Among the various primary care specialties, family medicine is especially vulnerable to the current challenges of HIV/AIDS. These challenges are augmented by the epidemiologic pattern that characterizes AIDS. For the past several years, we have seen AIDS in this country assume a similar pattern to that seen in most other countries; HIV is becoming increasingly prevalent in the heterosexual population as well as in locations removed from metropolitan centers. This current phase of the epidemic generates greater pressures upon primary care physicians, particularly family physicians, to become better acquainted with the means to provide early care to HIV/AIDS patients and to prevent HIV/AIDS among their patients. Family medicine is especially appropriate for providing care to HIV patients because family medicine involves treatment to all age groups and conditions; other primary care specialties focus on limited patient populations or specific conditions. Family physicians should be armed with the expertise to confront HIV/AIDS. However, family physicians' clinical competence and experience with HIV is not known. The data collected in this survey describes their competencies, attitudes, and experiences. ^

The veterinary surgeon's vade mecum. A complete guide to the cure of all diseases incident to horses, cattle, sheep, and dogs ...

Mode of access: Internet.

Fleming's vest pocket veterinary adviser: Veterinary science as it applies to the more prevalent ailments of horses and cattle, condensed, simplified and made practical for the farmer and stockman.

Mode of access: Internet.

Neuvième Congrès international de médecine vétérinaire à La Haye, 13-19 septembre 1909. Comités nationaux, programme des questions à traiter, etc. Neunter Internationaler Tierärtzlicher Kongress im Haag, 13-19 September 1909. National-Komitees, Verhandlungsgegenstände, u.s.w. The Ninth International Veterinary Congress at The Hague, 13-19 September 1909. National committees, subjects to be treated, etc.

Cover title.