Evaluation of short‐term safety of ultrasound‐guided foetal fluid sampling in the dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

Background: In humans, analysis of amniotic fluid is widely used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Amniocentesis has scarcely been used in veterinary medicine to date, despite a tremendous potential for clinical and research applications in dogs. Our study aimed to establish a safe method for foetal fluid sampling in female dogs. Methods: Two transabdominal ultrasound-guided methods were assessed: the "free hand" and the needle-guided bracket sampling. In addition, through a subsequent routinely scheduled ovariohysterectomy, fluid was directly collected. Samples from 98 conceptuses were collected at day 46.7 +/- 7.5 of pregnancy. Results: The amount of fluid retrieved varied between 0.5 and 5.0 ml per collection. Macroscopic examination of the uterus and conceptuses identified 53% of the puncture sites. Neither fluid leakage nor foetal injury was detected, and six hematomas (5.8%) were visible. Ultrasound-guided foetal fluid collection was found to be potentially safe, and it can be performed by using either transabdominal method. Conclusion: Foetal fluid collection is possible with relative ease and low short-term risk, and may open paths for diagnostic, therapeutic and research purposes in dogs. The procedure can provide new insights into prenatal clinical medicine, including diagnostics of foetal deaths, early identification of heritable diseases and so on

What is psychiatry? Co-producing complexity in mental health

What is psychiatry? Such a question is increasingly important to engage with in light of the development of new diagnostic frameworks that have wide-ranging and international clinical and societal implications. I suggest in this reflective essay that ‘psychiatry' is not a singular entity that enjoins consistent forms of critique along familiar axes; rather, it is a heterogeneous assemblage of interacting material and symbolic elements (some of which endure, and some of which are subject to innovation). In underscoring the diversity of psychiatry, I seek to move towards further sociological purchase on what remains a contested and influential set of discourses and practices. This approach foregrounds the relationships between scientific knowledge, biomedical institutions, social action and subjective experience; these articulations co-produce both psychiatry and each other. One corollary of this emphasis on multiplicity and incoherence within psychiatric theory, research and practice, is that critiques which elide this complexity are rendered problematic. Engagements with psychiatry are, I argue, best furthered by recognising its multifaceted nature

Motorcycling edgework: A practice theory perspective

In an effort to elucidate a deep understanding of the experience of dangerous motorcycling behaviour, we employ a practice theory perspective, drawing out connections between the practice, the consumption of objects, and the meanings surrounding both. Using the Biographical Narrative Interpretive Method (BNIM), we offer possible explanations as to why, in the face of troubling accident statistics, some motorcyclists continue to drive at excessive speeds. Narrative accounts portray dangerous motorcycling practice as autotelic, impulsive edgework, incorporating a strong connection between rider and machine, and embedded with symbolic, emotional values that cannot be accounted for by traditional rational choice models. Our findings allow for the potential of policymakers to address such motorcycling practice in ways more meaningful to those engaged in it

Narratives of risk : women at midlife, 'medical experts' and health technologies

Original article can be found at: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713424479 Copyright Informa / Taylor and Francis Group [Full text of this article is not available in the UHRA]The 'management' of midlife women's bodies is becoming an increasingly important focus for both themselves and medical 'experts'. Health technologies play a major part in this process, given health promotion messages about their usefulness for maintaining and enhancing the quality of life. But how do individual women interpret such messages? This paper explores the factors that impact upon health decision making in relation to a group of these technologies. In particular, we examine how related risks are assessed by women themselves and jointly with health professionals, in the clinical context. Drawing upon literature from the sociology of the body and embodiment, debates about risk and feminist research on the menopause, we argue that midlife needs to be understood as an embodied experience and that women's decisions about technology-based health interventions need to be contextualised. The paper draws upon research data from interviews with individual women and health professionals, and recordings of clinical consultations which relate to the specific technologies of HRT, bone densitometry and breast screening. The data reveal the emergence of two major risk narratives within consultations and interviews, health risks and social risks. We conclude that the health decisions and practices of both lay women and health professionals reflect a complex mixture of expert knowledge and advice, and embodied cultural experience.Peer reviewe

Application of whole genome sequencing technology in the investigation of genetic causes of fetal, perinatal, and early infant death

Death in the fetal, perinatal, and early infant age-group has a multitude of causes, a proportion of which is presumed to be genetic. Defining a specific genetic aberration leading to the death is problematic at this young age, due to limited phenotype-genotype correlation inherent in the underdeveloped phenotype, the inability to assess certain phenotypic traits after death, and the problems of dealing with rare disorders. In this study, our aim was to increase the yield of identification of a defined genetic cause of an early death. Therefore, we employed whole genome sequencing and bioinformatic filtering techniques as a comprehensive, unbiased genetic investigation into 16 fetal, perinatal, and early infant deaths, which had undergone a full autopsy. A likely genetic cause was identified in two cases (in genes; COL2A1 and RYR1) and a speculative genetic cause in a further six cases (in genes: ARHGAP35, BBS7, CASZ1, CRIM1, DHCR7, HADHB, HAPLN3, HSPG2, MYO18B, and SRGAP2). This investigation indicates that whole genome sequencing is a significantly enabling technology when determining genetic causes of early death.Jane E Armes, Mark Williams, Gareth Price, Tristan Wallis, Renee Gallagher, Admire Matsika, Christopher Joy, Melanie Galea, Glenn Gardener, Rick Leach, Sigrid MA Swagemakers, Rick Tearle, Andrew Stubbs, James Harraway, Peter J van der Spek and Deon J Vente