Feline vestibular disorders. Part II: diagnostic approach and differential diagnosis.

Results of a neurological examination usually permit localisation of a vestibular disorder to either the central or peripheral parts of the vestibular system. Many different disorders located in the same part of the vestibular system will produce similar clinical signs. Therefore, additional diagnostic tests beyond a neurological examination are required in order to make an accurate diagnosis. The objectives of this review are to outline a diagnostic approach for disorders affecting the feline vestibular system, and to summarise the clinically important features of frequently diagnosed diseases affecting the vestibular system of cats

Report From Focus Groups With Mainers About the Dirigo Health Plan

Measures the public's views and understanding of the Dirigo Health Reform Act, which was established to provide affordable health care for every Maine citizen and a new process for containing costs and improving healthcare quality

Intracranial pressure monitoring in normal dogs using subdural and intraparenchymal miniature strain-gauge transducers.

BackgroundMonitoring of intracranial pressure (ICP) is a critical component in the management of intracranial hypertension. Safety, efficacy, and optimal location of microsensor devices have not been defined in dogs.Hypothesis/objectiveAssessment of ICP using a microsensor transducer is feasible in anesthetized and conscious animals and is independent of transducer location. Intraparenchymal transducer placement is associated with more adverse effects.AnimalsSeven adult, bred-for-research dogs.MethodsIn a prospective investigational study, microsensor ICP transducers were inserted into subdural and intraparenchymal locations at defined rostral or caudal locations within the rostrotentorial compartment under general anesthesia. Mean arterial pressure and ICP were measured continuously during physiological maneuvers, and for 20 hours after anesthesia.ResultsBaseline mean ± SD values for ICP and cerebral perfusion pressure were 7.2 ± 2.3 and 78.9 ± 7.6 mm Hg, respectively. Catheter position did not have a significant effect on ICP measurements. There was significant variation from baseline ICP accompanying physiological maneuvers (P < .001) and with normal activities, especially with changes in head position (P < .001). Pathological sequelae were more evident after intraparenchymal versus subdural placement.Conclusions and clinical importanceUse of a microsensor ICP transducer was technically straightforward and provided ICP measurements within previously reported reference ranges. Results support the use of an accessible dorsal location and subdural positioning. Transient fluctuations in ICP are normal events in conscious dogs and large variations associated with head position should be accounted for when evaluating animals with intracranial hypertension

Electroencephalogram of Healthy Horses During Inhaled Anesthesia.

BackgroundPrevious study of the diagnostic validity of electroencephalography (EEG) to detect abnormalities in equine cerebral cortical function relied on the administration of various drugs for sedation, induction, and maintenance of general anesthesia but used identical criteria to interpret recordings.ObjectivesTo determine the effects of 2 inhalation anesthetics on the EEG of healthy horses.AnimalsSix healthy horses.MethodsProspective study. After the sole administration of one of either isoflurane or halothane at 1.2, 1.4, and 1.6 times the minimum alveolar concentration, EEG was recorded during controlled ventilation, spontaneous ventilation, and nerve stimulation.ResultsBurst suppression was observed with isoflurane, along with EEG events that resembled epileptiform discharges. Halothane results were variable between horses, with epileptiform-like discharges and bursts of theta, alpha, and beta recorded intermittently. One horse died and 2 were euthanized as the result of anesthesia-related complications.Conclusions and clinical importanceThe results of this study indicate that the effects of halothane and isoflurane on EEG activity in the normal horse can be quite variable, even when used in the absence of other drugs. It is recommended that equine EEG be performed without the use of these inhalation anesthetics and that general anesthesia be induced and maintained by other contemporary means

Examining discourses of whiteness and the potential for reconciliation

The aim of this paper is to explore how examining discourses of whiteness can contribute to an anti-racism that does not simply reduce racism to problems located with the ‘other’ or focus on the benefits of anti-racism for the dominant group. We discuss how by examining discursive negotiations at the micro level we are able to critique dominance and privilege at the macro level. To illustrate this we use the findings from a discourse analysis (Henriques, Hollway, Urwin, Venn, & Walkerdine, 1998)of discussions with white Australians about their involvement in Reconciliation. In particular, we identify spaces for the examination and critique of whiteness within white Australians’ discursive negotiations of Reconciliation. We also discuss how engagement with Indigenous knowledges is a necessary part of the critique of whiteness

Student clinical placements: best practice checklist. Key points to consider when planning and coordinating student clinical placements

Maree O’Keefe, Sue McAllister, Teresa Burgess, Ieva Stupans, Amanda LeCouteu

Building team for quality learning in clinical placement

Maree O’Keefe, Sue McAllister, Teresa Burgess, Ieva Stupans, Amanda LeCouteu

Photonuclear reactions of actinides in the giant dipole resonance region

Photonuclear reactions at energies covering the giant dipole resonance (GDR) region are analyzed with an approach based on nuclear photoabsorption followed by the process of competition between light particle evaporation and fission for the excited nucleus. The photoabsorption cross section at energies covering the GDR region is contributed by both the Lorentz type GDR cross section and the quasideuteron cross section. The evaporation-fission process of the compound nucleus is simulated in a Monte-Carlo framework. Photofission reaction cross sections are analyzed in a systematic manner in the energy range of $\sim$ 10-20 MeV for the actinides $^{232}$Th, $^{238}$U and $^{237}$Np. Photonuclear cross sections for the medium-mass nuclei $^{63}$Cu and $^{64}$Zn, for which there are no fission events, are also presented. The study reproduces satisfactorily the available experimental data of photofission cross sections at GDR energy region and the increasing trend of nuclear fissility with the fissility parameter $Z^2/A$ for the actinides.Comment: 4 pages including 2 tables and 1 figur

Between a ROC and a hard place: decision making and making decisions about using the SCQ

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/74877/1/j.1469-7610.2007.01762.x.pd