A Test for the Identity of Dysoptic with Blind in Mice

A genetic test for the identity of two mutants Dysoptic and Blind was made. The results of breeding point to their identity, but the results are not absolutely conclusive. A study of the Dysoptic-Blind embryo may furnish the final evidence

Chromosomes of the Laboratory Mouse

The chromosome number of 40 for the laboratory mouse was confirmed. A karyotype of mouse chromosomes was made. The chromosomes can be arranged into four groups based on size and shape

Further Test for the Identity of Dysoptic with Blind in Mice

The embryos of two mutant stocks of mice, Dysoptic and Blind , were studied. Both mutations are dominant, and lethal when homozygous. The homozygous embryos of each individual stock as well as those of “Dysoptic by Blind matings die at the same stage of development and show a similar pattern of retarded growth. It appears that the mutations are identical

A Study of Blindness in the House Mouse

A study of blindness in mice, heterozygous for a dominant lethal mutation is reported. The eyelids may fail to fuse in the late embryo or may open at 2 or 3 days of age. The expression of the character may be an opacity of one or both eyes, reduced size of eyeball in one or both eyes, or opacity in one with reduced size in the other. Penetrance is incomplete

Optic Nerve Size in Blind and Normal Mice

Measurements of eyes and optic nerves of blind and normal mice were taken at ages ranging from 1-60 days. The mice used were from a Bagg albino strain in which a dominant mutation for blindness had occurred. The size of the optic nerve appears to be dependent upon the development of the eye. Optic nerves from blind eyes are smaller than those from normal eyes, and optic nerves from blind eyes without a lens and with a folded retina are smaller than those from eyes with a lens, even though the lens is vacuolated and the cornea is thickened

Epidemiology of imported cutaneous leishmaniasis at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, London, United Kingdom: use of polymerase chain reaction to identify the species.

This study reviewed all patients diagnosed with imported cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London, United Kingdom, over an 11-year period. Diagnostic and epidemiologic information was collected prospectively for all patients with imported CL to this hospital during 1998-2009. A total of 223 patients were given a diagnosis of CL. Ninety patients were diagnosed with Old World CL, which was caused most commonly by Leishmania donovani complex (n = 20). A total of 71% were tourists to the Mediterranean region, 36% were migrants or visiting friends and relatives, and 17% were soldiers. One hundred thirty-three patients were given a diagnosis of New World CL. The Leishmania subgenus Viannia caused 97 of these cases; 44% of these were in backpackers and 29% were in soldiers. Polymerase chain reaction was more sensitive and faster for detecting Leishmania DNA (86% for Old World CL and 96% for New World CL) than culture. This is the largest study of imported leishmaniasis, and demonstrates that tourists to the Mediterranean and backpackers in Central and South America are at risk for this disease

Hässeldala – a key site for Last Termination climate events in northern Europe

The Last Termination (19 000–11 000 a BP) with its rapid and distinct climate shifts provides a perfect laboratory to study the nature and regional impact of climate variability. The sedimentary succession from the ancient lake at Hässeldala Port in southern Sweden with its distinct Lateglacial/early Holocene stratigraphy (>14.1–9.5 cal. ka BP) is one of the few chronologically well‐constrained, multi‐proxy sites in Europe that capture a variety of local and regional climatic and environmental signals. Here we present Hässeldala's multi‐proxy records (lithology, geochemistry, pollen, diatoms, chironomids, biomarkers, hydrogen isotopes) in a refined age model and place the observed changes in lake status, catchment vegetation, summer temperatures and hydroclimate in a wider regional context. Reconstructed mean July temperatures increased between c. 14.1 and c. 13.1 cal. ka BP and subsequently declined. This latter cooling coincided with drier hydroclimatic conditions that were probably associated with a freshening of the Nordic Seas and started a few hundred years before the onset of Greenland Stadial 1 (c. 12.9 cal. ka BP). Our proxies suggest a further shift towards colder and drier conditions as late as c. 12.7 cal. ka BP, which was followed by the establishment of a stadial climate regime (c. 12.5–11.8 cal. ka BP). The onset of warmer and wetter conditions preceded the Holocene warming over Greenland by c. 200 years. Hässeldala's proxies thus highlight the complexity of environmental and hydrological responses across abrupt climate transitions in northern Europe

A national training program for simulation educators and technicians: evaluation strategy and outcomes

Open AccessThis article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.BACKGROUND: Simulation-based education (SBE) has seen a dramatic uptake in health professions education over the last decade. SBE offers learning opportunities that are difficult to access by other methods. Competent faculty is seen as key to high quality SBE. In 2011, in response to a significant national healthcare issue--the need to enhance the quality and scale of SBE--a group of Australian universities was commissioned to develop a national training program--Australian Simulation Educator and Technician Training (AusSETT) Program. This paper reports the evaluation of this large-scale initiative. METHODS: The AusSETT Program adopted a train-the-trainer model, which offered up to three days of workshops and between four and eight hours of e-learning. The Program was offered across all professions in all states and territories. Three hundred and three participants attended workshops with 230 also completing e-learning modules. Topics included: foundational learning theory; orientation to diverse simulation modalities; briefing; and debriefing. A layered objectives-oriented evaluation strategy was adopted with multiple stakeholders (participants, external experts), methods of data collection (end of module evaluations, workshop observer reports and individual interviews) and at multiple data points (immediate and two months later). Descriptive statistics were used to analyse numerical data while textual data (written comments and transcripts of interviews) underwent content or thematic analysis. RESULTS: For each module, between 45 and 254 participants completed evaluations. The content and educational methods were rated highly with items exceeding the pre-established standard. In written evaluations, participants identified strengths (e.g. high quality facilitation, breadth and depth of content) and areas for development (e.g. electronic portfolio, learning management system) of the Program. Interviews with participants suggested the Program had positively impacted their educational practices. Observers reported a high quality educational experience for participants with alignment of content and methods with perceived participant needs. CONCLUSIONS: The AusSETT Program is a significant and enduring learning resource. The development of a national training program to support a competent simulation workforce is feasible. The Program objectives were largely met. Although there are limitations with the study design (e.g. self-report), there are strengths such as exploring the impact two months later. The evaluation of the Program informs the next phase of the national strategy for simulation educators and technicians with respect to content and processes, strengths and areas for development

Clinical evaluation of a loop-mediated amplification kit for diagnosis of imported malaria.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of malaria relies on parasite detection by microscopy or antigen detection; both fail to detect low-density infections. New tests providing rapid, sensitive diagnosis with minimal need for training would enhance both malaria diagnosis and malaria control activities. We determined the diagnostic accuracy of a new loop-mediated amplification (LAMP) kit in febrile returned travelers. METHODS: The kit was evaluated in sequential blood samples from returned travelers sent for pathogen testing to a specialist parasitology laboratory. Microscopy was performed, and then malaria LAMP was performed using Plasmodium genus and Plasmodium falciparum-specific tests in parallel. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on all samples as the reference standard. Primary outcome measures for diagnostic accuracy were sensitivity and specificity of LAMP results, compared with those of nested PCR. RESULTS: A total of 705 samples were tested in the primary analysis. Sensitivity and specificity were 98.4% and 98.1%, respectively, for the LAMP P. falciparum primers and 97.0% and 99.2%, respectively, for the Plasmodium genus primers. Post hoc repeat PCR analysis of all 15 tests with discrepant results resolved 4 results in favor of LAMP, suggesting that the primary analysis had underestimated diagnostic accuracy. CONCLUSIONS: Malaria LAMP had a diagnostic accuracy similar to that of nested PCR, with a greatly reduced time to result, and was superior to expert microscopy

Pharmacist services for non-hospitalised patients

We are very grateful to the Chief Scientist Office, Scottish Government, for funding this review (CZH/4/1041). The authors wish to thank the members of Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) Group who supported this review, particularly Ms Tamara Rader and Mr Paul Miller for conducting the searches, and Ms Julia Worswick for her continued and good‐natured assistance throughout the update. We are very grateful to Dr Imran Omar for providing additional technical support. We thank Ms Caroline Burnett, Ms Andrea Fraser, Mrs Bev Smith and Ms Lynn McKenzie for their administrative and clerical support of this review. We thank the referees whose comments improved the reporting and interpretation of this review. These include: External referees: Yoon K Loke; Newton Opiyo; Internal editor: Carmel Hughes; Statistical editor: Sofia Massa; Contact editor: Gillian Leng; Managing editor: Daniela Gonçalves‐Bradley We also thank National Institute for Health Research, via Cochrane Infrastructure funding to the EPOC Group. The views and opinions expressed therein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Systematic Reviews Programme, NIHR, NHS or the Department of Health.Peer reviewedPublisher PD