Health knowledge and infection control by event horse owners

Infection control and quarantine measures are essential to minimise the impact of equine infectious diseases, but their uptake by equestrians involved with sport horses in the United Kingdom is undocumented. Using a questionnaire, this study aimed to: i) determine the knowledge and practices of eventing equestrians about their horses’ health and the clinical signs of endemic and exotic equine infectious diseases and ii) assess existing infection control and quarantine measures on event horse yards. A questionnaire was designed, piloted and distributed electronically over six weeks. The target respondents were equestrians involved in eventing, including jumping their horses over fences either 100cms. Data were described qualitatively and analysed statistically to identify any relationships between selected parameters. A total of 146 responses were analysed. The majority of respondents were female, involved as amateurs in eventing and their veterinary surgeon was the first choice for advice. To assess temperature,owners often used touch, but rectal temperature was taken rarely. The majority of horses were vaccinated against tetanus and influenza but a minority against EHV-1/-4. Most respondents identified the clinical signs of influenza and Streptococcus equi, but were less certain about EHV-1/-4. Only 30.1% of respondents had access to quarantine facilities, which were significantly more likely to be available in professional yards (p=0.043) and in riders competing above the 100cm level (p=0.0003). Professionals competing their horses above 100cm were significantly more likely to have quarantine facilities (p<0.05). A majority of yards with quarantine facilities isolated new horses for 2-4 weeks. Facilities included a separate stable (81.8%) or field (68.2%), but separate equipment (47.7%) and access to disinfectant (36.4%) were available less frequently. In conclusion, amateur equestrians involved in eventing require better education on the routine use of infection control and quarantine measures to minimise the impact of equine infectious diseases and thus strengthen infection control nationally

Small Business Enterprise and Development: Consultation Modes

By  means  of four   illustrative  case studies,  consultation  interventions  in small  and  medium sized  (SMEs)  enterprises  are  explored     Recognized  consultation  intervention  modes  of 'expert ',  'doctor-patient' and  'process  consultation'  are found  to fluctuate  rapidly  within each case st11dy, making apparent the need for  consultants to be flexible  and adopt an appropriate stance for  client and contingencies of the situation.  The permeability  of the boundaries between content and process issues, with diagnosis and intervention inter-woven, is also apparent. The article concludes with a consideration of the conditions for success for different consultation modes with small businesses and implications for small businesses and enterprise development in their use of consultants

Health knowledge and infection control by event horse owners

Infection control and quarantine measures are essential to minimise the impact of equine infectious diseases, but their uptake by equestrians involved with sport horses in the United Kingdom is undocumented. Using a questionnaire, this study aimed to: i) determine the knowledge and practices of eventing equestrians about their horses’ health and the clinical signs of endemic and exotic equine infectious diseases and ii) assess existing infection control and quarantine measures on event horse yards. A questionnaire was designed, piloted and distributed electronically over six weeks. The target respondents were equestrians involved in eventing, including jumping their horses over fences either 100cms. Data were described qualitatively and analysed statistically to identify any relationships between selected parameters. A total of 146 responses were analysed. The majority of respondents were female, involved as amateurs in eventing and their veterinary surgeon was the first choice for advice. To assess temperature,owners often used touch, but rectal temperature was taken rarely. The majority of horses were vaccinated against tetanus and influenza but a minority against EHV-1/-4. Most respondents identified the clinical signs of influenza and Streptococcus equi, but were less certain about EHV-1/-4. Only 30.1% of respondents had access to quarantine facilities, which were significantly more likely to be available in professional yards (p=0.043) and in riders competing above the 100cm level (p=0.0003). Professionals competing their horses above 100cm were significantly more likely to have quarantine facilities (p<0.05). A majority of yards with quarantine facilities isolated new horses for 2-4 weeks. Facilities included a separate stable (81.8%) or field (68.2%), but separate equipment (47.7%) and access to disinfectant (36.4%) were available less frequently. In conclusion, amateur equestrians involved in eventing require better education on the routine use of infection control and quarantine measures to minimise the impact of equine infectious diseases and thus strengthen infection control nationally

Estimation of juvenile striped bass relative abundance in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, January 2004-December 2004 : annual progress report

The primary objective of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science juvenile striped bass survey is to monitor the relative annual recruitment success of juvenile striped bass in the major Virginia nursery areas of lower Chesapeake Bay. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initially funded the survey from 1967 to 1973. After a hiatus ending in 1980, funds were provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Emergency Striped Bass Study program. Commencing with the 1988 annual survey, the work was jointly supported by Wallop-Breaux funds (Sport Fish Restoration Act) administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. This report summarizes the results of the 2005 sampling period and compares these results with previous years

Estimation of juvenile striped bass relative abundance in the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay, January 2006-December 2006 : annual progress report

The primary objective of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science juvenile striped bass survey is to monitor the relative annual recruitment success of juvenile striped bass in the major Virginia nursery areas of lower Chesapeake Bay. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service initially funded the survey from 1967 to 1973. After a hiatus ending in 1980, funds were provided by the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Emergency Striped Bass Study program. Commencing with the 1988 annual survey, the work was jointly supported by Wallop-Breaux funds (Sport Fish Restoration Act) administered through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission. This report summarizes the results of the 2006 sampling period and compares these results with previous years

Health knowledge and infection control by event horse owners

Infection control and quarantine measures are essential to minimise the impact of equine infectious diseases, but their uptake by equestrians involved with sport horses in the United Kingdom is undocumented. Using a questionnaire, this study aimed to: i) determine the knowledge and practices of eventing equestrians about their horses’ health and the clinical signs of endemic and exotic equine infectious diseases and ii) assess existing infection control and quarantine measures on event horse yards. A questionnaire was designed, piloted and distributed electronically over six weeks. The target respondents were equestrians involved in eventing, including jumping their horses over fences either 100cms. Data were described qualitatively and analysed statistically to identify any relationships between selected parameters. A total of 146 responses were analysed. The majority of respondents were female, involved as amateurs in eventing and their veterinary surgeon was the first choice for advice. To assess temperature,owners often used touch, but rectal temperature was taken rarely. The majority of horses were vaccinated against tetanus and influenza but a minority against EHV-1/-4. Most respondents identified the clinical signs of influenza and Streptococcus equi, but were less certain about EHV-1/-4. Only 30.1% of respondents had access to quarantine facilities, which were significantly more likely to be available in professional yards (p=0.043) and in riders competing above the 100cm level (p=0.0003). Professionals competing their horses above 100cm were significantly more likely to have quarantine facilities (

"Women's rights, the European Court and Supranational Constitutionalism"

This analysis examines supranational constitutionalism in the European Union. In particular, the study focuses on the role of the European Court of Justice in the creation of women’s rights. I examine the interaction between the Court and member state governments in legal integration, and also the integral role that women’s advocates – both individual activists and groups – have played in the development of EU social provisions. The findings suggest that this litigation dynamic can have the effect of fueling the integration process by creating new rights that may empower social actors and EU organizations, with the ultimate effect of diminishing member state government control over the scope and direction of EU law. This study focuses specifically on gender equality law, yet provides a general framework for examining the case law in subsequent legal domains, with the purpose of providing a more nuanced understanding of supranational governance and constitutionalism

An investigation into the prevalence of sleep disturbances in primary Sjögren’s syndrome: a systematic review of the literature

Objectives. To identify whether sleep disturbances are more prevalent in primary SS (pSS) patients compared with the general population and to recognize which specific sleep symptoms are particularly problematic in this population. Methods. Electronic searches of the literature were conducted in PubMed, Medline (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), PsychINFO (Ovid) and Web of Science and the search strategy registered a priori. Titles and abstracts were reviewed by two authors independently against a set of prespecified inclusion/exclusion criteria, reference lists were examined and a narrative synthesis of the included articles was conducted. Results. Eight whole-text papers containing nine separate studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the narrative analysis. Few of these studies met all of the quality assessment criteria. The studies used a range of self-reported measures and objective measures, including polysomnography. Mixed evidence was obtained for some of the individual sleep outcomes, but overall compared with controls, pSS patients reported greater subjective sleep disturbances and daytime somnolence and demonstrated more night awakenings and pre-existing obstructive sleep apnoea. Conclusions. A range of sleep disturbances are commonly reported in pSS patients. Further polysomnography studies are recommended to confirm the increased prevalence of night awakenings and obstructive sleep apnoea in this patient group. pSS patients with excessive daytime somnolence should be screened for co-morbid sleep disorders and treated appropriately. Interventions targeted at sleep difficulties in pSS, such as cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia and nocturnal humidification devices, have the potential to improve quality of life in this patient group and warrant further investigation

Evaluation of the current knowledge limitations in breast cancer research: a gap analysis

BACKGROUND A gap analysis was conducted to determine which areas of breast cancer research, if targeted by researchers and funding bodies, could produce the greatest impact on patients. METHODS Fifty-six Breast Cancer Campaign grant holders and prominent UK breast cancer researchers participated in a gap analysis of current breast cancer research. Before, during and following the meeting, groups in seven key research areas participated in cycles of presentation, literature review and discussion. Summary papers were prepared by each group and collated into this position paper highlighting the research gaps, with recommendations for action. RESULTS Gaps were identified in all seven themes. General barriers to progress were lack of financial and practical resources, and poor collaboration between disciplines. Critical gaps in each theme included: (1) genetics (knowledge of genetic changes, their effects and interactions); (2) initiation of breast cancer (how developmental signalling pathways cause ductal elongation and branching at the cellular level and influence stem cell dynamics, and how their disruption initiates tumour formation); (3) progression of breast cancer (deciphering the intracellular and extracellular regulators of early progression, tumour growth, angiogenesis and metastasis); (4) therapies and targets (understanding who develops advanced disease); (5) disease markers (incorporating intelligent trial design into all studies to ensure new treatments are tested in patient groups stratified using biomarkers); (6) prevention (strategies to prevent oestrogen-receptor negative tumours and the long-term effects of chemoprevention for oestrogen-receptor positive tumours); (7) psychosocial aspects of cancer (the use of appropriate psychosocial interventions, and the personal impact of all stages of the disease among patients from a range of ethnic and demographic backgrounds). CONCLUSION Through recommendations to address these gaps with future research, the long-term benefits to patients will include: better estimation of risk in families with breast cancer and strategies to reduce risk; better prediction of drug response and patient prognosis; improved tailoring of treatments to patient subgroups and development of new therapeutic approaches; earlier initiation of treatment; more effective use of resources for screening populations; and an enhanced experience for people with or at risk of breast cancer and their families. The challenge to funding bodies and researchers in all disciplines is to focus on these gaps and to drive advances in knowledge into improvements in patient care