Ultrasonic field mapping through a multimode optical fibre

Miniaturising ultrasonic field mapping systems could lead to novel endoscopes capable of photoacoustic tomography and other techniques. However, developing high-resolution arrays of sensitive, sub-millimetre scale ultrasound sensors presents a challenge for traditional piezoelectric transducers. To address this challenge, we conceived an ultrasonic detection concept in which an optical ultrasonic sensor array is read out using a laser beam scanned through a 0.24 mm diameter multimode optical fibre using optical wavefront shaping. We demonstrate this system enables ultrasonic field mapping with >2500 measurement points, paving the way to developing miniaturised photoacoustic endoscopes and other ultrasonic systems based on the presented concept

Veterinärers anmälningsplikt av bristande djurskydd : Erfarenheter bland svenska veterinärer. En enkätstudie

Veterinärer och annan djurhälsovårdspersonal omfattas av djurskyddslagen (2018:1192), och ska i enlighet med dess 8 kap. 18 § göra en anmälan till kontrollmyndigheten vid misstanke om att djur inte hålls eller sköts efter djurskyddslagen. Det saknas konkreta data på i vilken utsträckning detta görs av veterinärer, och om veterinärer väljer att inte anmäla bristande djurskydd.  En onlineenkät spreds till Sveriges veterinärer via sociala medier, Sveriges Veterinärförbund, Veterinärmagazinet samt landets stora djursjukhus, med 10 frågor om deras erfarenheter om anmälningar av djurskyddsfall. Det kom in 366 svar. Resultaten visar att nästan 76 % av de som svarade hade någon gång anmält en djurägare till Länsstyrelsen, och den vanligaste anledningen till anmälan var vanvård eller bristande veterinärvård (71 %). Det visade sig också att hela 70 % av respondenterna hade någon gång låtit bli att anmäla ett djurskyddsfall, men i efterhand känt att de borde ha gjort det.   De vanligaste anledningarna till att en veterinär inte har anmält djurhållaren är risken att de inte kommer att återvända till veterinär, avsaknaden av rutiner och stöd på arbetsplatsen, rädslan för personliga hot samt hot mot yrket och arbetsplatsen samt osäkerhet på vad som klassas som djurskyddsfall. Studien visade också att mer utbildning önskas av 60 % av respondenterna, samt att det finns brister i anmälningsprocessen och förtroendet för länsstyrelsen.  Studien visar att mer forskning i ämnet behövs, inklusive att undersöka närmare hur länsstyrelsen och veterinärer kan arbeta mer effektivt tillsammans för att uppnå ett bättre djurskydd i Sverige. Veterinarians and other animal health personnel, such as veterinary nurses, are in accordance with 8 kap. 18 § Animal Welfare Act (2018:1192) obligated to report any animal cruelty to the County Administrative Board. There are gaps in knowledge and data concerning to what extent animal cruelty cases are reported among Swedish veterinarians, or when and why they would choose to not report. This study was performed with an online survey that was sent out to veterinarians in Sweden via social media platforms, the Swedish Veterinary Association, the Swedish veterinary journal Veterinärmagazinet and through emails to the country’s large animal hospitals The survey received 366 responses.  The results show that almost 76 % of the participants had reported animal cruelty or animal neglect cases at least one. The most common reason was neglect (71 %). It also revealed that 70 % of the respondents had opted to not report a case, even though they later considered they should have.  The most common reasons for not reporting animal cruelty cases were risk of the owner not returning to veterinary care, the lack of routines or support for reporting animal cruelty cases in the workplace, the fear of personal threat or threat to the profession as well as being unsure of what counted as an animal cruelty case. The study also showed that there is a need and wish for more education in the field as well as identified difficulties in the reporting process and the trust in  the County Administrative board. Further research is recommended including how veterinarians and the County Administrative Board can work better together to aim for better animal welfare

'I think if we have healthy animals we'll have healthy people' - A qualitative study exploring the perceptions of zoonotic diseases and the One Health concept among veterinarians and medical doctors in Stockholm, Sweden

Introduction Zoonotic diseases and One Health are two important factors of public health, with the increase of zoonotic disease transmission globally and the suggested need for a transdisciplinary approach. The One Health concept is an area where many fields of expertise work together to achieve healthy people, animals and environment. Many studies have been done on the topic, but not many qualitative studies regarding the perception of zoonotic diseases and One Health, in high- income settings.  This study aims to explore the differences in perceptions of primary care and emergency physicians and veterinarians in Stockholm, Sweden, regarding zoonotic disease and the One Health concept.  Methods  Six veterinarians and six medical doctors in Stockholm, Sweden, were interviewed in spring of 2018, through in- depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used.  Findings  It is apparent that the medical doctors are unaware about the One Health concept and do not include animal contact frequently in their diagnostic history taking. This differs to the veterinarians who all appeared concerned about zoonotic diseases and how to work towards One Health. These findings seem to be due to the medical doctors feeling they lack training in zoonotic diseases and One Health.  Conclusion  Medical doctors feel they lack training in zoonotic disease transmission and One Health. It would be helpful to look deeper into the medical curriculum of Swedish medical schools and determine the content of zoonoses and One Health to allow for changes. This would be important to achieve a transdisciplinary approach when dealing with zoonotic diseases

Veterinärers anmälningsplikt av bristande djurskydd : Erfarenheter bland svenska veterinärer. En enkätstudie

Veterinärer och annan djurhälsovårdspersonal omfattas av djurskyddslagen (2018:1192), och ska i enlighet med dess 8 kap. 18 § göra en anmälan till kontrollmyndigheten vid misstanke om att djur inte hålls eller sköts efter djurskyddslagen. Det saknas konkreta data på i vilken utsträckning detta görs av veterinärer, och om veterinärer väljer att inte anmäla bristande djurskydd.  En onlineenkät spreds till Sveriges veterinärer via sociala medier, Sveriges Veterinärförbund, Veterinärmagazinet samt landets stora djursjukhus, med 10 frågor om deras erfarenheter om anmälningar av djurskyddsfall. Det kom in 366 svar. Resultaten visar att nästan 76 % av de som svarade hade någon gång anmält en djurägare till Länsstyrelsen, och den vanligaste anledningen till anmälan var vanvård eller bristande veterinärvård (71 %). Det visade sig också att hela 70 % av respondenterna hade någon gång låtit bli att anmäla ett djurskyddsfall, men i efterhand känt att de borde ha gjort det.   De vanligaste anledningarna till att en veterinär inte har anmält djurhållaren är risken att de inte kommer att återvända till veterinär, avsaknaden av rutiner och stöd på arbetsplatsen, rädslan för personliga hot samt hot mot yrket och arbetsplatsen samt osäkerhet på vad som klassas som djurskyddsfall. Studien visade också att mer utbildning önskas av 60 % av respondenterna, samt att det finns brister i anmälningsprocessen och förtroendet för länsstyrelsen.  Studien visar att mer forskning i ämnet behövs, inklusive att undersöka närmare hur länsstyrelsen och veterinärer kan arbeta mer effektivt tillsammans för att uppnå ett bättre djurskydd i Sverige. Veterinarians and other animal health personnel, such as veterinary nurses, are in accordance with 8 kap. 18 § Animal Welfare Act (2018:1192) obligated to report any animal cruelty to the County Administrative Board. There are gaps in knowledge and data concerning to what extent animal cruelty cases are reported among Swedish veterinarians, or when and why they would choose to not report. This study was performed with an online survey that was sent out to veterinarians in Sweden via social media platforms, the Swedish Veterinary Association, the Swedish veterinary journal Veterinärmagazinet and through emails to the country’s large animal hospitals The survey received 366 responses.  The results show that almost 76 % of the participants had reported animal cruelty or animal neglect cases at least one. The most common reason was neglect (71 %). It also revealed that 70 % of the respondents had opted to not report a case, even though they later considered they should have.  The most common reasons for not reporting animal cruelty cases were risk of the owner not returning to veterinary care, the lack of routines or support for reporting animal cruelty cases in the workplace, the fear of personal threat or threat to the profession as well as being unsure of what counted as an animal cruelty case. The study also showed that there is a need and wish for more education in the field as well as identified difficulties in the reporting process and the trust in  the County Administrative board. Further research is recommended including how veterinarians and the County Administrative Board can work better together to aim for better animal welfare

'I think if we have healthy animals we'll have healthy people' - A qualitative study exploring the perceptions of zoonotic diseases and the One Health concept among veterinarians and medical doctors in Stockholm, Sweden

Introduction Zoonotic diseases and One Health are two important factors of public health, with the increase of zoonotic disease transmission globally and the suggested need for a transdisciplinary approach. The One Health concept is an area where many fields of expertise work together to achieve healthy people, animals and environment. Many studies have been done on the topic, but not many qualitative studies regarding the perception of zoonotic diseases and One Health, in high- income settings.  This study aims to explore the differences in perceptions of primary care and emergency physicians and veterinarians in Stockholm, Sweden, regarding zoonotic disease and the One Health concept.  Methods  Six veterinarians and six medical doctors in Stockholm, Sweden, were interviewed in spring of 2018, through in- depth interviews. Thematic analysis was used.  Findings  It is apparent that the medical doctors are unaware about the One Health concept and do not include animal contact frequently in their diagnostic history taking. This differs to the veterinarians who all appeared concerned about zoonotic diseases and how to work towards One Health. These findings seem to be due to the medical doctors feeling they lack training in zoonotic diseases and One Health.  Conclusion  Medical doctors feel they lack training in zoonotic disease transmission and One Health. It would be helpful to look deeper into the medical curriculum of Swedish medical schools and determine the content of zoonoses and One Health to allow for changes. This would be important to achieve a transdisciplinary approach when dealing with zoonotic diseases

Spatially-resolved readout of a Fabry-Perot ultrasound sensor interrogated through a multimode optical fibre using wavefront shaping

The spatially-resolved interrogation of a Fabry-Perot ultrasound sensor using a laser beam focussed through a multimode fibre is demonstrated. To scan the beam across the sensor as required to read it out, optical wavefront shaping was employed to compensate for the scrambling of light in the fibre. By providing a means to map ultrasound through inexpensive, lightweight fibres, this could lead to new ultrasonic and photoacoustic imaging systems such as endoscopes and flexible handheld probes

A nocturnal inhibitor of carboxylation in leaves

The diurnal variation in the activity of ribulose-l,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPCase), the major CO2-fixing enzyme in plants, has been shown to result from the influx and efflux of Mg2+ ions into and out of the chloroplast stroma. A recent re-examination of the phenomenon indicates that the inactivation of the enzyme, rather than being due to the efflux of Mg2+, is correlated in some plant species with an increase in the concentration of an organic phosphate ester in the chloroplast in the dark1-3. We have purified this potent inhibitor from dark-treated potato (Solanum tuberosum) leaves, and established that its structure is 2-carboxy-D-arabinitol-1-phosphate, a molecule that closely resembles an intermediate in the carboxylase reaction of RuBPCase

Testicular Cancer prosthesis: understanding current practices of health professionals’ and patients’ views and experiences

Background: Previous studies indicate that approximately a quarter of men with testicular cancer will opt for a testicular prosthesis for reasons including concerns over body image, future relationships and appearance. However, little is known about UK health care professionals’ practices and views in terms of how and at what point a prosthesis is discussed with patients. Men’s views have also received relatively little attention. This study aims to explore men’s experiences and views regarding prosthesis and to explore current practice and views among UK health professionals who care for men with testicular cancer. Methods: A mixed methods design will be employed. A postal survey will be sent to approximately 500 testicular cancer patients using the Thames Valley germ cell database, including those who have a prosthesis and those without. The survey will also be promoted via targeted social media to maximise recruitment. The survey will assess quality of life after testicular cancer including impact on sexual relationships, body image, wellbeing, decision regret and views towards prosthesis. An online survey of approximately 240 surgeons, oncologists and nurses who would normally discuss prostheses with testicular cancer patients will also be conducted. A sub-sample of survey respondents (men and health professionals) will be invited to participate in an in-depth telephone interview to generate a deeper understanding of the topic. Interview data will be analysed using Thematic Analysis. Results: The study is currently undergoing ethical review. Recruitment is planned to commence in April 2020. Conclusions: Findings will inform how support and information given to testicular cancer patients regarding prosthesis could be optimised in the future. In particular, findings will inform ways of helping men decide whether or not to have a prosthesis, such as a decision aid. The study is funded by Urology Cancer Research and Education (UCARE) charity