EMAS recommendations for conditions in the workplace for menopausal women

Women form a large part of many workforces throughout Europe. Many will be working throughout their menopausal years. Whilst the menopause may cause no significant problems for some, for others it is known to present considerable difficulties in both their personal and working lives. During the menopausal transition women report that fatigue and difficulties with memory and concentration can have a negative impact on their working lives. Furthermore, hot flushes can be a source of embarrassment and distress. Some consider that these symptoms can impact on their performance. Greater awareness among employers, together with sensitive and flexible management can be helpful for women at this time. Particular strategies might include: fostering a culture whereby employees feel comfortable disclosing health problems, allowing flexible working, reducing sources of work-related stress, providing easy access to cold drinking water and toilets, and reviewing workplace temperature and ventilation

Canine antibody response to Blastomyces dermatitidis WI-1 antigen

Objective: To assess whether dogs with blastomycosis produce antibodies against the WI-1 and A-antigens of Blastomyces dermatitidis and whether the antibodies are useful in serodiagnosis. Sample Population: 359 serum samples obtained from 245 dogs. Procedure: 233 samples from 122 dogs with blastomycosis, and 1 sample each from 24 dogs with suspected blastomycosis, 51 control dogs without infection, and 48 healthy dogs from an enzootic region were obtained. Antibodies against WI-1 antigen were detected by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Serum samples were tested in parallel for antibodies against the A-antigen of B dermatitidis by commercial agar-gel immunodiffusion (AGID) in a reference laboratory. Results: Antibodies were detected in 92% of infected dogs by RIA and in 41% by AGID. For 29 serum samples that were obtained 11 to 1,545 days after diagnosis, antibodies were detected in 92% of samples by RIA and 7% by AGID. For 93 serial serum samples from 29 dogs with blastomycosis, the mean anti-WI-1 titer was 1:18,761 at the time of diagnosis, and decreased to a mean of 1:1,338 by 210 days after treatment was initiated. Of 24 dogs with suspected infection, antibodies were detected in 67% by RIA and 33% by AGID. Control dogs without blastomycosis had no detectable antibodies in either assay. Thus, sensitivity was 92% for RIA and 41% for AGID, and specificity was 100% for both tests. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Anti-WI-1 antibodies are readily detected by RIA in dogs with blastomycosis. Titers become high, decline during treatment, and persist for months. Anti-A antibodies are sometimes detected with AGID, but these decrease quickly

Retrospective Survival Analysis of Cats with Feline Infectious Peritonitis Treated with Polyprenyl Immunostimulant That Survived over 365 Days

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) remains a major diagnostic and treatment challenge in feline medicine. An ineffective immune response is an important component of FIP pathophysiology; hence treatment with an immune stimulant such as Polyprenyl Immunostimulant™ (PI), which enhances cell-mediated immunity by upregulating the innate immune response via Toll-like receptors, is a rational approach. Records of cats with FIP treated with PI orally for over 365 days were retrospectively studied. Of these cats (n = 174), records were obtained for n = 103 cats with appropriate clinical signs and clinical pathology. Of these, n = 29 had FIP confirmed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) or reverse transcription polymerase-chain-reaction (RT-PCR). Most of the cats (25/29; 86%) had non-effusive FIP, and only 4/29 cats (14%) had effusive FIP. The mean survival time (MST) was 2927 days (eight years); with 55% of the cats (16/29) still being alive at the time data collection, and 45% (13/29) having died. A persistently low hematocrit plus low albumin:globulin (A:G) ratio, despite treatment, was a negative prognostic indicator. It took a mean of ~182 days and ~375 days, respectively, for anemia and low A:G ratio to resolve in the cats that presented with these laboratory changes. This study shows that PI is beneficial in the treatment of FIP, and more studies are needed to establish the best protocols of use

Safety, Tolerability, and Immunogenicity of a Recombinant, Genetically Engineered, Live-Attenuated Vaccine against Canine Blastomycosis▿

Blastomycosis is a severe, commonly fatal infection caused by the dimorphic fungus Blastomyces dermatitidis in dogs that live in the United States, Canada, and parts of Africa. The cost of treating an infection can be expensive, and no vaccine against this infection is commercially available. A genetically engineered live-attenuated strain of B. dermatitidis lacking the major virulence factor BAD-1 successfully vaccinates against lethal experimental infection in mice. Here we studied the safety, toxicity, and immunogenicity of this strain as a vaccine in dogs, using 25 beagles at a teaching laboratory and 78 foxhounds in a field trial. In the beagles, escalating doses of live vaccine ranging from 2 × 104 to 2 × 107 yeast cells given subcutaneously were safe and did not disseminate to the lung or induce systemic illness, but a dose of <2 × 106 yeast cells induced less fever and local inflammation. A vaccine dose of 105 yeast cells was also well tolerated in vaccinated foxhounds who had never had blastomycosis; however, vaccinated dogs with prior infection had more local reactions at the vaccine site. The draining lymph node cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes from vaccinated dogs demonstrated gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) specifically in response to stimulation with Blastomyces antigens. Thus, the live-attenuated vaccine against blastomycosis studied here proved safe, well tolerated, and immunogenic in dogs and merits further studies of vaccine efficacy