A longitudinal study of bovine viral diarrhea virus in a semi-closed management dairy cattle herd, 2020–2022

IntroductionBovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) brings great economic loss to the cattle industry worldwide. Developing a control/prevention strategy requires the prior assessment of certain epidemiological parameters. To determine the BVD incidence rate and associated risk factors, a dairy cattle herd in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia was monitored between 2020 and 2022.MethodsNasal swabs (n = 190), rectal swabs (n = 190), and sera (n = 190) were collected from 79 cows in this herd. Collected sera and swabs were tested using the commercially available ELISAs for the BVDV antibodies and antigens, respectively. Collected sera were also tested for the presence of BVDV nucleic acids using commercial real-time RT-PCR kits.Results and discussionOur data show BVDV seroprevalence (18.8%, 15%, and 8.2%) in the tested animals in 2020–2022, respectively. None of the collected nasal swabs, rectal swabs, or sera tested positive for the BVDV antigen, whereas 10.1%, 10%, and 18.1% of the tested sera were positive for BVDV nucleic acid in 2020–2022, respectively. The incidence rate was estimated at 0.02446 new cases/year despite the detection of BVDV in seronegative animals on single or two occasions at ≥6-month intervals. Young calves and bulls remained apparently unexposed to BVDV despite their presence with BVDV-infected females, with no significant physical separation. Both seropositivity and nucleic acid detectability showed significant positive and negative correlations, respectively, with reproductive performance. Collectively, the present study provides useful clues about the transmissibility of BVDV in the presence of possibly persistently infected animals. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first longitudinal study of BVDV in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia. Further detailed characterization of the circulating BVDVs is encouraged

Demo abstract: IAssist - Rapid deployment and maintenance of tiny sensing systems

Commercial, coin-sized iButton temperature logger devices are well-suited for densely instrumenting large outdoor areas. An efficient workflow for deploying and maintaining those devices is necessary when striving to deploy and operate several hundreds of data logger devices. Additionally, a sophisticated data management is required for handling the emerging, large amounts of meta and measurement data. Therefore, we developed iAssist, a solution that integrates the handling of iButton data logger devices together with a GPS receiver and a digital camera for gathering accurate location information. iAssist efficiently supports the whole workflow consisting of deploying, relocating and reading tiny sensing systems. iAssist is especially tailored for outdoor operation asking for as little user interaction as possible. Copyright 2010 ACM

Patient perceptions of epinephrine auto-injectors: exploring barriers to use

Background:? In recent years, government initiatives have proposed that patient self-care should serve as a key resource in response to the anticipated increase in global demand for health care. However, if patients are to be empowered as self-carers, barriers to engagement must be identified and overcome. Anaphylaxis is an increasingly common life-threatening allergic reaction. Patients at risk of anaphylaxis are prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors and play a crucial role in delivering their own care and management of this condition. One key recommendation is that patients routinely carry an epinephrine auto-injector with them and deploy the device when needed. However, only a small proportion of patients that require epinephrine actually receive it.Objective:? To explore the reasons why patients who have been prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors fail to adhere to self-care and management recommendations.Methods:? In-depth interviews with 15 adults who have been prescribed epinephrine auto-injectors were carried out to explore the barriers that exist in the provision of effective self-care and management of anaphylaxis.Results:? Inconsistent health professional advice, perceived stigma of carrying a ‘weapon-like’ device, poor device design and limited patient training were identified as barriers to carriage or use. Patients were reluctant to carry devices in public because of perceived and observed stigma and suspicion. They were happy to ignore expiry dates, and some participants were confident that the emergency services would provide them with the appropriate care they needed, and therefore, did not carry the device in urban areas.Conclusions and clinical implications:? Improved training of patients, the public and health professionals around both the carriage and use of auto-injectors are areas for urgent attention if improved levels of self-care are to be attained. The design of epinephrine auto-injectors should also receive attention as patients often fail to carry them owing to size and aesthetics