Pathological classification of equine recurrent laryngeal neuropathy

Recurrent Laryngeal Neuropathy (RLN) is a highly prevalent and predominantly left‐sided, degenerative disorder of the recurrent laryngeal nerves (RLn) of tall horses, that causes inspiratory stridor at exercise because of intrinsic laryngeal muscle paresis. The associated laryngeal dysfunction and exercise intolerance in athletic horses commonly leads to surgical intervention, retirement or euthanasia with associated financial and welfare implications. Despite speculation, there is a lack of consensus and conflicting evidence supporting the primary classification of RLN, as either a distal (“dying back”) axonopathy or as a primary myelinopathy and as either a (bilateral) mononeuropathy or a polyneuropathy; this uncertainty hinders etiological and pathophysiological research. In this review, we discuss the neuropathological changes and electrophysiological deficits reported in the RLn of affected horses, and the evidence for correct classification of the disorder. In so doing, we summarize and reveal the limitations of much historical research on RLN and propose future directions that might best help identify the etiology and pathophysiology of this enigmatic disorder

Primary health care in the South African context - medical students' perspectives

Background Both the South African Department of Health and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have committed to the primary health care (PHC) approach, which is best captured in the Declaration of Alma Ata. If medical students are to be trained in the PHC approach, it is important that they not only have a good understanding of this approach, but are also aware of the social, economic and political context that they will be working in when they have qualified, so that they can develop realistic expectations of their careers as doctors. From research that was conducted at UCT, this article covers UCT medical students' views of health care in South Africa, including their perceptions of the applicability and implementation of the PHC approach for South Africa, and their perceptions of how the South African government features in issues of health and the PHC approach. Methods Mixed-methods were used, but this article will focus on the qualitative data gathered. One hundred and seventeen medical students (years one to four) were purposively selected to be involved in focus groups and interviews. These focus groups were conducted between February 2004 and March 2005. Results Students acknowledged that the state of health care in South Africa needs to change and showed an awareness of the role that South Africa's history of apartheid has played in the state of health care in these areas and the existence of inequity. They however did not agree on the applicability of the PHC approach to the South African situation. The PHC approach is seen not to be working in South Africa because of various obstacles to its implementation and success, such as disorganisation within the health system, and a lack of infrastructure, finances and resources. There seemed to be a general understanding amongst the students that they will have been trained in the PHC approach but then will be working within a system that has possibly not undergone similar changes. Students agreed on the important role of government in PHC, some maintaining that the government should be at the forefront of its implementation, but were generally dissatisfied with the role the South African government is currently playing in health care. Conclusion It is encouraging that students are generally aware of the reality of health care in South Africa and of the fact that more change needs to take place. However, it may be that many students who have a limited understanding of the impact that apartheid had on health care provision in South Africa, and this could then impact on students' perceptions of the applicability of the current PHC approach for South Africa. Students' views that the PHC approach has not been fully implemented in South Africa are a concern, as it is these types of views that are likely to cause students to lose confidence in the PHC approach, and will most likely widen the disjuncture between theory of the approach and the reality of its implementation. Regarding the political dynamics of the PHC approach, students do need to be aware of political factors that can impact on the success of this approach. Discussion around and research into the social, economic and political context of health care and medical education has particular relevance for South Africa, and it is vital that students' views on these issues are acknowledged so that areas for change can be identified and addressed

Primary health care in the South African context – medical students\' perspectives

Background Both the South African Department of Health and the University of Cape Town (UCT) have committed to the primary health care (PHC) approach, which is best captured in the Declaration of Alma Ata. If medical students are to be trained in the PHC approach, it is important that they not only have a good understanding of this approach, but are also aware of the social, economic and political context that they will be working in when they have qualified, so that they can develop realistic expectations of their careers as doctors. From research that was conducted at UCT, this article covers UCT medical students' views of health care in South Africa, including their perceptions of the applicability and implementation of the PHC approach for South Africa, and their perceptions of how the South African government features in issues of health and the PHC approach. Methods Mixed-methods were used, but this article will focus on the qualitative data gathered. One hundred and seventeen medical students (years one to four) were purposively selected to be involved in focus groups and interviews. These focus groups were conducted between February 2004 and March 2005. Results Students acknowledged that the state of health care in South Africa needs to change and showed an awareness of the role that South Africa's history of apartheid has played in the state of health care in these areas and the existence of inequity. They however did not agree on the applicability of the PHC approach to the South African situation. The PHC approach is seen not to be working in South Africa because of various obstacles to its implementation and success, such as disorganisation within the health system, and a lack of infrastructure, finances and resources. There seemed to be a general understanding amongst the students that they will have been trained in the PHC approach but then will be working within a system that has possibly not undergone similar changes. Students agreed on the important role of government in PHC, some maintaining that the government should be at the forefront of its implementation, but were generally dissatisfied with the role the South African government is currently playing in health care. Conclusion It is encouraging that students are generally aware of the reality of health care in South Africa and of the fact that more change needs to take place. However, it may be that many students who have a limited understanding of the impact that apartheid had on health care provision in South Africa, and this could then impact on students' perceptions of the applicability of the current PHC approach for South Africa. Students' views that the PHC approach has not been fully implemented in South Africa are a concern, as it is these types of views that are likely to cause students to lose confidence in the PHC approach, and will most likely widen the disjuncture between theory of the approach and the reality of its implementation. Regarding the political dynamics of the PHC approach, students do need to be aware of political factors that can impact on the success of this approach. Discussion around and research into the social, economic and political context of health care and medical education has particular relevance for South Africa, and it is vital that students' views on these issues are acknowledged so that areas for change can be identified and addressed. South African Family Practice Vol. 49 (10) 2007: pp. 6-1

Medical students' attitudes towards the primary healthcare approach - what are they and how do they change?

Background: The context of the research presented in this article is the new MBChB curriculum at the University of Cape Town (UCT) that has been in operation since 2002. This new curriculum is primary health care (PHC) driven and puts emphasis on the integration of biological and psychosocial elements. The context of curriculum reform at UCT can be placed within the broader South African context, in which the South African Department of Health has made a commitment to the PHC approach. The aim of this research was to provide an understanding of medical students’ attitudes towards the PHC approach. The findings presented in this article form part of a broader set of findings for a PhD research study aimed at qualitatively exploring medical students’ attitudes towards and perceptions of PHC. Methods: A qualitative approach was used and focus groups and interviews were conducted with second-, third- and fourth year medical students at UCT. A total of 82 students were purposively selected to participate in the research. A content analytic approach was used to analyse the focus group and interview data. Results: The students generally had a positive attitude towards the PHC approach and were positive about UCT’s decision to promote this approach. Some, however, were concerned about the international relevance and status of their degree, and concerns were also raised about the contrast between the theory and reality of the approach, with many labelling PHC as idealistic. The students’ responses indicated that their attitudes towards the PHC approach were open to change during the course of their academic career and were influenced by a range of factors. Some of these factors are related to the medical school environment, such as the PHC approach itself, how PHC is taught, and the views of other students and staff at UCT. Other factors that were not related to the university included personality, the students’ background and exposure to health facilities, and clinical exposure outside UCT. Conclusion: These findings raise the question of whether students are able to think and feel positively about the PHC approach, but not actually internalise the philosophy of the approach. The students’ struggle with the incongruence between what is perceived as the idealistic theory of PHC and the reality of health care in South Africa is also an issue that needs to be acknowledged. These issues have international relevance, and are particularly significant in South Africa, where a commitment has been made by the South African Department of Health to the PHC approach and where doctors are set to play a vital role in its implementation and success

Non-Perturbative Renormalization of the Lattice Heavy Quark Classical Velocity

We discuss the renormalization of the lattice formulation of the Heavy Quark Effective Theory (LHQET). In addition to wave function and composite operator renormalizations, on the lattice the classical velocity is also renormalized. The origin of this renormalization is the reduction of Lorentz (or O(4)) invariance to (hyper)cubic invariance. We present results of a new, direct lattice simulation of this finite renormalization, and compare the results to the perturbative (one loop) result. The simulation results are obtained with the use of a variationally optimized heavy-light meson operator, using an ensemble of lattices provided by the Fermilab ACP-MAPS collaboration.Comment: 3 pages, postscript compressed with uufiles, TeX not available; Talk presented at LATTICE96(heavy quarks

Using Rheo-Small-Angle Neutron Scattering to Understand How Functionalised Dipeptides Form Gels

We explore the use of rheo-small-angle neutron scattering as a method to collect structural information from neutron scattering simultaneously with rheology to understand how low-molecular-weight hydrogels form and behave under shear. We examine three different gelling hydrogel systems to assess what structures are formed and how these influence the rheology. Furthermore, we probe what is happening to the network during syneresis and why the gels do not recover after an applied strain. All this information is vital when considering gels for applications such as 3D-printing and injection

Disk-Loss and Disk Renewal Phases in Classical Be Stars II. Detailed Analysis of Spectropolarimetric Data

In Wisniewski et al. 2010, paper I, we analyzed 15 years of spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric data from the Ritter and Pine Bluff Observatories of 2 Be stars, 60 Cygni and {\pi} Aquarii, when a transition from Be to B star occurred. Here we anaylize the intrinsic polarization, where we observe loop-like structures caused by the rise and fall of the polarization Balmer Jump and continuum V-band polarization being mismatched temporally with polarimetric outbursts. We also see polarization angle deviations from the mean, reported in paper I, which may be indicative of warps in the disk, blobs injected at an inclined orbit, or spiral density waves. We show our ongoing efforts to model time dependent behavior of the disk to constrain the phenomena, using 3D Monte Carlo radiative transfer codes.Comment: 2 pages, 6 figures, IAU Symposium 27

Rare Earth Element Partitioning in Lunar Minerals: An Experimental Study

The partitioning behavior of rare earth elements (REE) between minerals and melts is widely used to interpret the petrogenesis and geologic context of terrestrial and extra-terrestrial samples. REE are important tools for modelling the evolution of the lunar interior. The ubiquitous negative Eu anomaly in lunar basalts is one of the main lines of evidence to support the lunar magma ocean (LMO) hypothesis, by which the plagioclase-rich lunar highlands were formed as a flotation crust during differentiation of a global-scale magma ocean. The separation of plagioclase from the mafic cumulates is thought to be the source of the Eu depletion, as Eu is very compatible in plagioclase. Lunar basalts and volcanic glasses are commonly depleted in light REEs (LREE), and more enriched in heavy REEs (HREE). However, there is very little experimental data available on REE partitioning between lunar minerals and melts. In order to interpret the source of these distinctive REE patterns, and to model lunar petrogenetic processes, REE partition coefficients (D) between lunar minerals and melts are needed at conditions relevant to lunar processes. New data on D(sub REE) for plagioclase, and pyroxenes are now available, but there is limited available data for olivine/melt D(sub REE), particularly at pressures higher than 1 bar, and in Fe-rich and reduced compositions - all conditions relevant to the lunar mantle. Based on terrestrial data, REE are highly incompatible in olivine (i.e. D much less than 1), however olivine is the predominant mineral in the lunar interior, so it is important to understand whether it is capable of storing even small amounts of REE, and how the REEs might be fractionatied, in order to understand the trace element budget of the lunar interior. This abstract presents results from high-pressure and temperature experiments investigating REE partitioning between olivine and melt in a composition relevant to lunar magmatism

Evaluation of a school-based nutrition and physical activity programme for Grade 4 learners in the Western Cape province

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Making the Difference programme (MTDP), an education-and activity-based intervention for Grade 4 learners at primary schools in the Western Cape. Design: This was a cross-sectional, post-intervention survey of an existing programme, using control schools as a comparator. Setting and subjects: The study involved Western Cape primary schools in the 2009 school year. Schools were randomly sampled from two regions. Four intervention (active in the MTDP) and five control (non-participating) schools (n = 325 learners) were selected. Outcome measures: The following outcome measures were assessed using an administered questionnaire to learners: learners' knowledge of, attitudes towards, and behaviour in relation to nutrition and physical activity. Results: A small but significant improvement (eating vegetables and taking lunch boxes to school) was demonstrated with regard to self-reported behaviour in relation to nutrition in the intervention group. However, this behaviour was not explained by differences in barriers to healthy eating, self-efficacy or knowledge, which were not different between the groups, or by perceived social support, which was actually significantly increased in the control group. Groups displayed no differences in physical activity or sedentary behaviour. However, the results showed a significant difference between the groups in terms of a reduction in perceived barriers to physical activity and increased physical activity self-efficacy in the active group. Conclusion: While the MTDP only had a modest effect on the self-reported nutrition and physical activity behaviour of the learners, results regarding lower perceived barriers to physical activity and increased physical activity self-efficacy were promising

Pregnancy in the lab

No matter your career stage, pregnancy in the lab raises complex questions - and definitive answers are hard to come by. In conversation with members of , we share our experience, discuss research into the challenges and move the conversation to the support needed by people who are pregnant. We conclude that community is critical to improve experiences