Influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection in domestic cat.

Influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus continues to rapidly spread worldwide. In 2009, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 infection in a domestic cat from Iowa was diagnosed by a novel PCR assay that distinguishes between Eurasian and North American pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus matrix genes. Human-to-cat transmission is presumed.

Peer assessment of a final-year capstone experience for formative evaluation of a pathology curriculum.

In spring of 2005, the authors implemented and evaluated a process at the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in which third-year students evaluated fourth-year students' performances on an advanced case-analysis assignment. This assignment, called the case correlation assignment, required a thorough integration and explanation of all ante- and post-mortem data for a specific hospital patient. Using a 21-point rubric, the necropsy course instructor and third-year students rated these assignments. Fourth-year students' performances on this assignment were used as an indicator of the success of the pathology curriculum. The authors evaluated the assessment process for feasibility, reliability, and validity. Many-facet Rasch analysis was used to determine item, case, and rater agreement. The assessment process produced good agreement among items and cases (VM4 student competence). Furthermore, most third-year students were able to reliably rate the case correlation assignments with no special training. The evaluation process was cost effective and occurred in the context of regular course assignments, thereby making it feasible. A case can be made that the overall process provides a valid measure of the pathology program's success in preparing students in the area of veterinary pathology.

Effectiveness of a computer-based tutorial for teaching how to make a blood smear.

BACKGROUND: Computer-aided instruction (CAI) was developed to teach veterinary students how to make blood smears. This instruction was intended to replace the traditional instructional method in order to promote efficient use of faculty resources while maintaining learning outcomes and student satisfaction. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a computer-aided blood smear tutorial on 1) instructor's teaching time, 2) students' ability to make blood smears, and 3) students' ability to recognize smear quality. METHODS: Three laboratory sessions for senior veterinary students were taught using traditional methods (control group) and 4 sessions were taught using the CAI tutorial (experimental group). Students in the control group received a short demonstration and lecture by the instructor at the beginning of the laboratory and then practiced making blood smears. Students in the experimental group received their instruction through the self-paced, multimedia tutorial on a laptop computer and then practiced making blood smears. Data was collected from observation, interview, survey questionnaires, and smear evaluation by students and experts using a scoring rubric. RESULTS: Students using the CAI made better smears and were better able to recognize smear quality. The average time the instructor spent in the room was not significantly different between groups, but the quality of the instructor time was improved with the experimental instruction. CONCLUSIONS: The tutorial implementation effectively provided students and instructors with a teaching and learning experience superior to the traditional method of instruction. Using CAI is a viable method of teaching students to make blood smears.

The case correlation assignment: connecting antemortem and postmortem data in the senior year at Iowa State University.

Instructors of the senior necropsy rotation at Iowa State University experienced difficulty ensuring similarity of case exposure and workload during the year. This was problematic during times of low caseload, as, without necropsy cases, there was no uniform method for training or assessing students. A new assignment, the Case Correlation Assignment (CCA), was created in order to improve the educational rigor and consistency of the rotation, increase utilization of necropsy cases as teaching material, and provide students more opportunities to correlate clinical pathology data with lesions. The CCA provides an opportunity for senior students to present and explain the antemortem and postmortem findings from an ISU-VTH patient in case report format. This illustrated report is submitted via WebCT. Students receive feedback on WebCT through a scoring rubric and written comments from the instructor. Since 2002, approximately 420 students have completed this assignment. The average score on the assignment over the four-year period is 94.7%. Despite complaints about the hard work required, students generally report that writing the CCA is a valuable learning experience. The CCA allows for greater utilization of necropsy cases and the incorporation of clinical pathology into necropsy cases. Currently, the CCA is used in a peer-assessment assignment in the junior pathology course and has been incorporated into case-based teaching courses. The CCA has been revised and expanded over the past four years in response to student feedback and to the discovery of new ways to utilize the completed assignments as teaching material.

A novel educational tool for teaching diagnostic reasoning and laboratory data interpretation to veterinary (and medical) students.

The Diagnostic Pathfinder was designed to help students learn diagnostic problem solving by supporting them in explaining relationships among history and physical examination findings, data abnormalities, and the underlying mechanisms of disease. The Pathfinder has been used to teach diagnostic problem solving to veterinary students since 2001 and is currently in use at 10 colleges of veterinary medicine. This article describes how the Pathfinder works and summarizes results from studies exploring the effect of Pathfinder use on learning and satisfaction. Pathfinder characteristics are described in terms of their influence on cognitive load, and strategies are provided for effective implementation.

What motivates individuals to protect themselves from risks: the case of wildland fires.

This research investigates the cognitive perceptual process that homeowners go through when faced with the decision to protect themselves from the risk of wildfires. This decision can be examined by looking at the interaction between the integrated protection motivation theory-transtheoretical model and different levels of homeowners' subjective knowledge related to wildfire risks. We investigated the role of motivation, decision stages of risk readiness, and subjective knowledge on the number of risk-mitigating actions undertaken by homeowners living in high-risk communities. The results indicate that homeowners who are in an early or precontemplative stage (both low and high subjective knowledge) as well as low knowledge contemplatives are motivated by their perceived degree of vulnerability to mitigate the risk. In contrast, high knowledge contemplatives' potential behavioral changes are more likely to be motivated by increasing their perceptions of the severity of the risk. Risk-mitigating behaviors undertaken by high knowledge action homeowners are influenced by their perceptions of risk severity, self-efficacy, and response efficacy. In contrast, the low knowledge action homeowners engage in risk reduction behaviors without the influence of any of the PMT variables; demonstrating their motivation to emulate others in their community. These results have implications for the type of information that should be used to effectively communicate risks in an effort to influence the diverse homeowner segments to engage in risk-reduction behaviors.

Mechanism-based diagnostic reasoning: thoughts on teaching introductory clinical pathology.

Teaching introductory clinical pathology to veterinary students is a challenging endeavor that requires a shift in learning strategies from rote memorization to diagnostic reasoning. Educational research has identified discrete cognitive stages required to achieve the automated, unconscious thinking process used by experts. Building on this knowledge, we developed a case-based approach to clinical pathology instruction that actively engages students in the learning process and links performance with positive reward. Simulated cases provide context and create a structure, or "schema", which enhances the learning process by enabling students to synthesize facts and link them with their causal mechanism to reach a defensible diagnostic conclusion. Web-based tools, including the "Problem List Generator" and tutorials, have been developed to facilitate this process. Through the collaborative Biomedical Informatics Research Group, we are working to further develop and evaluate Web-based instructional tools and new educational methods, to clarify the diagnostic reasoning processes used by experienced clinical pathologists, and, ultimately, to better educate our future students to be effective diagnosticians.

A comparison of the cytologic and histologic features of meningiomas in four dogs.

The cytologic and histologic features of 2 intracranial and 2 spinal (extramedullary cervical) canine meningiomas were compared. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis in 2 cases revealed mild, mixed cell pleocytosis, primarily composed of small lymphocytes and monocytoid cells, with a moderate increase in total protein concentration. Cytologic features suggestive of meningioma included cells with both epithelial and mesenchymal characteristics and a tendency towards cell clustering. Tumor location also was useful in making a diagnosis. The 4 meningiomas differed histologically from one another, and included angioblastic, psammomatous, meningotheliomatous, and microcystic anaplastic types, which conformed to a classification scheme for human meningiomas. The classification scheme could not be applied to cytologic specimens.