Micro-educational opportunities in outreach clinical dental education.

Outreach education at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy is providing a valuable platform to offer students 'micro-educational opportunities'. Some of these are highly innovative experiences, which allow senior students across the dental team to take short periods of time away from the clinic to broaden their life experience. The maturity of senior students generates a significant added-value to their educational experiences with minimal loss of clinical time. Another important outcome, which echoes the Marmot review on Health Inequalities (2010), is the population of the City of Portsmouth, particularly the socially deprived, gain better access to oral health advice, prevention and treatment. Our experience suggests these opportunities enhance the undergraduate experience, equipping our new colleagues for a professional life in a changing and challenging environment.

Caries control in health service practice.

It is suggested that it makes sense for dentists providing care for individual patients to take account of caries risk (as assessed by presentation of active, non-cavitated lesions) when deciding how to allocate time and effort of themselves and their staff. However, there is a question as to how realistic it is to ask the dental team to provide a full diagnostic assessment and all the preventive treatment required for a patient for the payment provided by 1 UDA. It is to be hoped that one or more of the Steele pilots will come up with a practical solution for controlling caries in NHS practice.

Field studies on equine influenza vaccination regimes in thoroughbred foals and yearlings.

SUMMARY: The purpose of these studies was to examine the response of Thoroughbred foals and yearlings to different influenza vaccines and vaccination regimes. The horses' antibody levels against haemagglutinin, an established correlate of protection were measured by haemagglutination inhibition. The first study investigated the extent to which maternal antibodies interfered with the humoral response to a subunit vaccine. The findings suggest that repeat vaccination in the face of maternal antibodies may induce tolerance as defined by serological testing. The second study compared the immune response elicited by a subunit immune stimulating complex (ISCOM) vaccine, an inactivated whole virus vaccine and the same product containing equine herpesviruses and equine reoviruses in addition to equine influenza virus. The monovalent vaccine induced a significantly better response than the ISCOM or the multivalent vaccine. The final study demonstrated that the inclusion of an additional booster vaccination, between the second and third vaccination recommended by the vaccine manufacturers and required under the rules of racing in certain countries, is of benefit to young horses. Since these studies were performed, several of the vaccines have been updated with more recent virus strains in line with WHO/OIE recommendations. However, the general principles investigated in the studies remain relevant to these vaccines.

Assessing site vulnerability to phosphorus loss in an agricultural watershed.

A P index was developed as a tool to rank agricultural fields on the basis of P loss vulnerability, helping to target remedial P management options within watersheds. We evaluated two approaches, a soil P threshold and components of a P index, by comparing site vulnerability estimates derived from these two approaches with measured runoff P losses in an agricultural watershed in Pennsylvania. Rainfall-surface runoff simulations (70 mm h(-1) for 30 min) were conducted on 57 sites representing the full range of soil P concentrations and management conditions found in the watershed. Each site was comprised of two, abutting 2-m2 runoff plots, serving as duplicate observations. For sites that had not received P additions for at least six months prior to the study, Mehlich-3 P concentration was strongly associated with dissolved P concentrations (r2 = 0.86) and losses (r2 = 0.83) in surface runoff, as well as with total P concentration (r2 = 0.80) and loss (r2 = 0.74). However, Mehlich-3 P alone was poorly correlated with runoff P from sites receiving manure within three weeks prior to rainfall. The P index effectively described 88 and 83% of the variability in dissolved P concentrations and losses from all sites in the watershed, and P index ratings exhibited strong associations with total P concentrations (r2 = 0.81) and losses (r2 = 0.79). When site-specific observations were extrapolated to all fields in the watershed, management recommendations derived from a P index approach were less restrictive than those derived from the soil P threshold approach, better reflecting the low P loads exported from the watershed.

Prevalence of gastric lesions in foals without signs of gastric disease: an endoscopic survey.

Gastroendoscopic examinations were conducted on 75 Thoroughbred foals aged two to 85 days on seven breeding farms in England and Ireland. The foals showed no signs of gastric disease. There was no significant difference between lesion prevalence in foals in England (16 of 28 foals; 57 per cent) or Ireland (22 of 47 foals; 47 per cent). Neither was there any sex predilection (18 of 36 males; 20 of 39 females). Lesions were most prevalent in foals under 10 days old (8 of 9) and least prevalent in foals older than 70 days (3 of 10). Lesions occurred most frequently in the squamous mucosa immediately adjacent to the margo plicatus along the greater curvature (34 foals), whereas lesions in the squamous fundus, the glandular fundus, and the lesser curvature were observed in 11, six and three foals, respectively. Lesions were not observed in the squamous mucosa surrounding the cardia. Gastric lesions were more prevalent in foals with a previous disorder than in those without (68 vs 43 per cent) and particularly with a history of recent or concurrent diarrhoea (9 of 14).

The effects of naloxone on endotoxic and hemorrhagic shock in horses.

The effects of naloxone on the cardiovascular, hematologic and metabolic derangements associated with endotoxic and hemorrhagic shock were studied in unanesthetized horses. In the first of 3 experiments blood glucose and lactate levels, hematocrit, white, red and differential white cell counts, rectal temperature and clinical signs were obtained before and after endotoxin (10 micrograms/Kg) administration in 5 horses. In the second experiment, two groups of 3 horses received either intravenous naloxone (0.04 mg/Kg) or saline, 7 minutes prior to endotoxin. In a third experiment two groups of 4 horses received either saline or naloxone (0.20 mg/Kg) immediately following acute hemorrhage. In the second and third experiments, pulse, mean arterial and right ventricular pressures, and heart rate were also observed. Endotoxin and acute hemorrhage produced hypothermia, leukopenia, lymphopenia, neutropenia, elevations in hematocrit, blood glucose and blood lactate, and clinical signs of shock. Naloxone (0.040 mg/Kg IV) significantly lowered endotoxin-induced increases in right ventricular pressure and heart rate, and at a higher dose (0.20 mg/Kg) antagonized the decrease in pulse and heart rate, and tachycardia observed after acute hemorrhage. These results suggest endogenous opioids are involved in the pathogenesis of shock. Naloxone appeared to attenuate some of the cardiovascular responses associated with shock and thus may be of therapeutic value in shock management.

Effects of enkephalins versus opiates on locomotor activity of the horse.

The enkephalins are small, pentapeptide neurotransmitter molecules which have reportedly been used in racing horses. In our experiments, D-Ala2-Metenkephalinamide and leucine enkephalin were administered to horses intravenously (IV) and intracisternally (IC). Leucine enkephalin had little effect on locomotor activity by either route at doses of 0.01 mg/Kg or less. Methionine enkephalinamide, an enzyme resistant enkephalin analog, had no significant effect when given IV (0.002 and 0.008 mg/kg). Other experiments involving intracisternal dosing with this long acting form at higher levels (0.005-.011 mg/Kg), elicited an initial increase in locomotor activity, a rise in temperature, a marked increase in blood pressure, hyperventilation, the appearance of a rapid eye blinking reflex, lack of coordination and quivering. In contrast, dosing with fentanyl either IV (0.01) mg/Kg) or Ic (0.0002 mg/Kg) produced a tenfold increase in locomotor activity without accompanying adverse clinical symptoms. The data suggest that very large doses of IV administered enkephalins or their analogs may be necessary to increase locomotor activity but such doses may also elicit a number of less desirable side effect.