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During summer 2022, the European Wildlife Observatory (EOW2), involving 50 study areas in at least 30 European countries, has applied similar camera‐trapping‐based population estimation protocols and data collection standards to facilitate harmonization and interoperability. For this purpose, continuous training of the network of wildlife professionals in Europe is a key activity of the EOW. In this context, in May 2022 the ENETWILD consortium organized a first online training course to update information on methodology to process with next steps in the field. The course here reported took place in two different dates, 28th September, and 21st November 2022, online. The first part of the course (28th September) presented the progress of the EOW and focused on the analytical tools incorporated to Agouti app, on the use of information technology tools and artificial intelligence to process and analyse photo‐trappings to finally obtain a standardized database, ready for analysis. The main objective of the course offered on 21st November was providing detailed instructions on running the random encounter model (REM) on camera trap data packages from Agouti and incorporating some recommendations to improve the calibration of images for distance estimation. We also presented SMART app adapted to the EOW, which facilitates the collection of information in the field using stablished density estimation protocols to make these data available in the destock in real time (cloud‐based solution). SMART is flexible enough to incorporate new protocols and species, as methods (such as camera traps‐based) and needs continuously evolve. The integration of SMART tools on EOW was successfully done for (i) distance sampling, (ii) hunting data and (iii) camera trap protocols. This course was successfully attended by 46 wildlife biologists, animal health professionals and wildlife experts from national hunting and forestry authorities. Detailed explanations, protocols, and examples for applying such protocols were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to provide tools to wildlife professionals and researchers in order to facilitate data collection on wildlife density estimation following standardized protocols in the field. This is relevant for efficient harmonized data management systems, from the field to final reporting. Our main objective was to facilitate the collection of information in the field using established density estimation protocols. The specific objectives were (i) to evaluate and use already existing data registration IT tools for collecting and storing the data in the field; (ii) to make these data available in real time (cloud‐based solution), and (iii) being flexible enough to incorporate new protocols and species, as methods (such as camera trap‐based) and needs continuously evolves. We improved an already existing tool, Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART; https://smartconservationtools.org/). It is an open source software, which allows easily collect, visualize, store, analyze, report and act on a wide range of field data relevant for wildlife monitoring. The integration of SMART tools on EOW was successfully done for (i) distance sampling, (ii) hunting data and (iii) camera trap protocols. ENETWILD, therefore, made now available new IT functionalities to wildlife professionals and researchers to facilitate and harmonize wildlife data collection systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main objectives of ENETWILD consortium is to collect data on density, hunting statistics and wildlife occurrence in order to model the geographical distribution and abundance of wildlife species across Europe as a tool to support the assessment of risks associated, for example, with disease transmission. Created in the framework of the ENETwild project, the European Wildlife Observatory (EOW2) provides the backbone for an integrated, interdisciplinary, multi‐sectoral and multi‐institutional approach to wildlife monitoring, initially focusing on terrestrial mammals in Europe. The EOW applies similar camera‐trapping‐based protocols for population estimation and data collection standards to facilitate harmonization and interoperability. For this purpose, continuous training of the network of wildlife professionals in Europe is a key activity of the EOW. In this context, during the last few years the ENETWILD consortium has organized different online training courses and workshops on the use of camera traps, addressing different approaches from the design and handling of camera traps to the processing of the collected data. Many of the participants in our previous courses are now part of the EOW and require updated information on methodology to process with next steps in the field. The course here reported presented improvements and refinements in the sampling protocols, aimed specially at new collaborators to be incorporated in the network. Therefore, the objectives of this introductory online course held on 5th May 2022 were: (i) to present milestones and achievements of the ENETWILD project and the EOW, and (ii) to review scientific methods for determining wildlife abundance and density, providing specific training on camera trapping methods and protocols, specifically the random encounter method (REM) and other methods which do not require identification of individuals. This course was attended by 46 wildlife biologists, animal health professionals and wildlife experts from national hunting and forestry authorities. Detailed explanations, protocols, and examples for applying such protocols were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anthropogenic pressure has well‐documented effects on the spatial distribution of biodiversity but it can also have more subtle effects on wildlife, influencing the time of the day and for how long animals are active. These temporal effects have not received much attention from the scientific and conservation community, despite activity being intrinsically related to crucial aspects in an animal's life. Here we use data from a large‐scale camera trap survey (517 survey sites covering more than 1000 km2) conducted in areas under distinct levels of protection in the Brazilian Cerrado to investigate the effect of anthropogenic pressure on the activity of mammal species >1 kg. We used both circular statistics and GLMMs to investigate whether species would shift activity towards the night in response to disturbance, resulting in a decrease of diurnal activity in areas under lower protection levels and closer to households. Our results revealed that most species investigated did not show a temporal response to anthropogenic pressure, with only two species responding in the way we expected: tamanduas reduced the probability of daytime activity closer to households and collared peccaries reduced diurnal activity slightly in areas under lower protection levels. Our findings also suggest that environmental factors have a greater influence on species' activity than indicators of pressure in the mosaic of protected areas studied. Although stricter levels of habitat protection are known to have a positive and strong influence on the spatial distribution of many mammal species in the study region, we showed here that human pressure has only a modest effect on the period these species were active. This limited temporal response highlights the need for large natural areas under low disturbance that allow mammal species to respond spatially to threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The trade in wildlife products can represent an important source of income for poor people, but also threaten wildlife locally, regionally and internationally. Bushmeat provides livelihoods for hunters, traders and sellers, protein to rural and urban consumers, and has depleted the populations of many tropical forest species. Management interventions can be targeted towards the consumers or suppliers of wildlife products. There has been a general assumption in the bushmeat literature that the urban trade is driven by consumer demand with hunters simply fulfilling this demand. Using the urban bushmeat trade in the city of Kumasi, Ghana, as a case study, we use a range of datasets to explore the processes driving the urban bushmeat trade. We characterise the nature of supply and demand by explicitly considering three market attributes: resource condition, hunter behaviour, and consumer behaviour. Our results suggest that bushmeat resources around Kumasi are becoming increasingly depleted and are unable to meet demand, that hunters move in and out of the trade independently of price signals generated by the market, and that, for the Kumasi bushmeat system, consumption levels are driven not by consumer choice but by shortfalls in supply and consequent price responses. Together, these results indicate that supply-side processes dominate the urban bushmeat trade in Kumasi. This suggests that future management interventions should focus on changing hunter behaviour, although complementary interventions targeting consumer demand are also likely to be necessary in the long term. Our approach represents a structured and repeatable method to assessing market dynamics in information-poor systems. The findings serve as a caution against assuming that wildlife markets are demand driven, and highlight the value of characterising market dynamics to inform appropriate management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unsustainable hunting threatens both biodiversity and local livelihoods. Despite high levels of research effort focused on understanding the dynamics of bushmeat trade and consumption, current research is largely site specific. Without synthesis and quantitative analysis of available case studies, the national and regional characteristics of bushmeat trade and consumption remain largely speculative, impeding efforts to inform national and regional policy on bushmeat trade. Here we describe the structure and content of the West and Central African bushmeat database which holds quantitative data on bushmeat sales, consumption and offtake for 177 species from 275 sites across 11 countries in two regions, spanning three decades of research. Despite this wealth of available data, we found important biases in research effort. The majority of studies in West and Central Africa have collected market data, which although providing a useful record of bushmeat sales, are limited in their ability to track changes in hunting offtake. In addition, few data exist for West Africa, and few studies have tracked changes over time, using repeat sampling. With new initiatives in the regions to track bushmeat hunting, this database represents an opportunity to synthesise current and future data on bushmeat hunting, consumption and trade in West and Central Africa, identify gaps in current understanding, and systematically target future monitoring efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disclaimer: In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time., Purpose: This project utilized the guidance of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) autoverification toolkit to refine our health system's approach to autoverification and contribute to the literature regarding appropriate use of autoverification technology in a pediatric and adult emergency department (ED)., Summary: This single-center quality improvement study was conducted in an academic medical center ED that has 33 pediatric beds and 77 adult beds. A team consisting of clinical pharmacy specialists in emergency medicine, medication safety and informatics personnel, operational managers, and pharmacy leadership was identified to develop and implement autoverification best practices in the ED utilizing practices outlined within the ASHP autoverification toolkit. Before implementation of best practices, defined as the "preoptimization" state, autoverification took place for most medications available in the automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs). By anchoring the autoverification rule on ADC inventory, it was challenging to optimize both inventory practices and autoverification best practices. This project focused on redesigning the autoverification rules in the electronic health record, defined as the "postoptimization" state. In the postoptimization state, autoverification in the ED was updated to better align with regulatory standards. Autoverification metrics and the percentage of orders that autoverified vs required pharmacist verification were analyzed in the preoptimization and postoptimization states., Conclusion: This project utilized the guidance from ASHP's autoverification toolkit to refine our health system's approach to autoverification. High-alert medications (eg, insulin, extended-release opioids, digoxin) were taken off autoverification following implementation. Optimization of autoverification rules allows more orders for high-alert medications to be reviewed by a pharmacist., (© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2024. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: Unsafe storage of firearms is associated with increased risk of suicide.. However, contemporary population-based data on the prevalence and correlates of firearm storage practices among veterans are limited., Methods: Data were from the 2022 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study, a nationally representative sample of 2441 veterans. Analyses examined: (1) the prevalence of firearm storage practices; (2) sociodemographic, psychiatric, and clinical characteristics associated with storing firearms loaded and/or in non-secure location; and (3) associations between types of potentially traumatic events and storage practices., Results: More than half of veterans reported owning one or more personal firearms (50.9%). Among firearm owners, 52.9% reported some form of unsafe firearm storage practice (i.e., loaded and/or non-secure location), with 39.9% reporting that they stored one or more firearms loaded. After adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, major depressive, alcohol and drug use disorders, direct trauma exposures, future suicidal intent, and traumatic brain injury were associated with storing firearms loaded and/or in a non-secure location (ORs = 1.09-7.16). Veterans with a history of specific forms of direct trauma exposure (e.g., physical assault) were more likely to store firearms unsafely., Limitations: Cross-sectional design precludes causal inference., Conclusions: Half of U.S. veterans who own firearms store at least one personal firearm loaded and/or in a non-secure location, with approximately four-in-ten keeping a loaded firearm in the home. These high rates underscore the importance of nationwide training initiatives to promote safe firearm storage for all service members and veterans, regardless of risk status, as well as for healthcare professionals working with veterans., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest MLH has served as a paid consultant for Spectrum Therapeutics in the past two years. No other authors have any disclosures., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Voluntary event reporting systems continue to be the most common method used to identify adverse events in most US hospitals; however, this method fails to capture more than 90% of adverse drug events (ADEs). The purpose of this study is to examine which medication-related triggers have the highest positive predictive values (PPV) for detecting ADEs at a large academic medical centre., Methods: A 1-year, single-centre, retrospective quality improvement study was conducted to assess the PPV of four medication-related triggers: flumazenil, naloxone, glucose <70 mg/dL or dextrose 50%. Retrospective chart review was conducted on a random sample of eligible patients to establish if an ADE occurred and determine its preventability. Assessed triggers were also compared against the hospital's voluntary event reporting system to determine whether the events were previously reported., Results: A total of 161 triggers were reviewed. PPV values for detection of ADEs were 0.55, 0.58, 0.76 and 0.68 for flumazenil, naloxone, glucose <70 mg/dL and dextrose 50%, respectively. PPV values for detection of preventable ADEs were 0.09, 0.16, 0.32 and 0.34 for flumazenil, naloxone, glucose <70 mg/dL and dextrose 50%, respectively. Of the 107 ADEs identified, three events were reported through the hospital's voluntary event reporting system (2.8%)., Conclusions: Trigger tools successfully detected both preventable and non-preventable ADEs. Events detected using trigger tools are unlikely to be reported through voluntary event reporting systems; therefore, trigger tools can serve as a useful adjunct for adverse event detection., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© European Association of Hospital Pharmacists 2023. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

In the Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus ), the levels of progesterone products 5α-pregnane, 3α-hydroxypregnane, and 17α-progesterone are elevated during pregnancy. Detection of a sudden decrease in blood progesterone product levels in the final days of pregnancy is considered an objective way of predicting impending parturition. Point-of-care (POC) tests eliminate the cost involved in transporting samples to an external laboratory and provide an almost instant result, facilitating decision-making for animal monitoring and management. This proof-of-concept study aims to investigate the ability of the AgPlus POC immunoassay system to measure 4-pregnen-3,20-dione in pregnant elephant serum samples and adapt the method for detection of the preparturient progesterone decrease. Frozen serum samples of two pregnant elephants (N = 82) and fresh serum samples of one pregnant elephant (N = 10) were analyzed using both the POC method and a radioimmunoassay in a reference laboratory. Statistical analysis of the data showed that there was no significant difference between the two methods for detection of the progesterone drop, indicating that the POC method can be considered appropriate for use in elephant parturition prediction. Refinement of the methodology, an increase of sample size, and temporal tandem radioimmunoassay would be required to further validate this method for use in elephant reproductive management.

Background: The childhood obesity epidemic in the United States has increased utilization of health care and prescribing of medications in overweight and obese children, yet it is unclear whether this has led to more medication errors. The objective of this study was to review all available literature on incidence and types of medication errors in overweight and obese children., Methods: A search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases was conducted for all studies and oral abstracts through December 2020 reporting medication errors in overweight or obese children aged ≤ 18 years. All studies were identified and extracted via a Covidence database. Two reviewers independently reviewed studies and rated the methodologic quality of those included per GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) criteria., Results: The search identified 1,016 abstracts from databases. Following review, full text was obtained for 146 articles, of which 141 were excluded. A total of 5 studies met criteria for inclusion and described dosing errors of antimicrobials, anesthetics, and paracetamol in overweight and obese pediatric patients. Two of the 5 studies compared medication errors in obese to nonobese children, and both found that medication errors (both over- and underdosing) were generally more common among obese children. The identified reasons for medication errors included incorrect dosing weight, incorrect dosing strategy, over- and underdosing with weight-based and flat-fixed dosing, and inapposite use of age-based dosing schemas., Conclusion: There is a paucity of patient safety evidence available evaluating medication use in overweight and obese children and associated medication errors. Overweight and obese children may be at increased risk of medication errors, although the clinical significance of this is unknown., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify potential failure points in a new chemotherapy preparation technology and to implement changes that prevent or minimize the consequences of those failures before they occur using the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) approach., Methods: An FMEA was conducted by a team of medication safety pharmacists, oncology pharmacists and technicians, leadership from informatics, investigational drug, and medication safety services, and representatives from the technology vendor. Failure modes were scored using both Risk Priority Number (RPN) and Risk Hazard Index (RHI) scores., Results: The chemotherapy preparation workflow was defined in a 41-step process with 16 failure modes. The RPN and RHI scores were identical for each failure mode because all failure modes were considered detectable. Five failure modes, all attributable to user error, were deemed to pose the highest risk. Mitigation strategies and system changes were identified for 2 failure modes, with subsequent system modifications resulting in reduced risk., Conclusion: The FMEA was a useful tool for risk mitigation and workflow optimization prior to implementation of an intravenous compounding technology. The process of conducting this study served as a collaborative and proactive approach to reducing the potential for medication errors upon adoption of new technology into the chemotherapy preparation process., (© American Society of Health-System Pharmacists 2021. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Free or subsidised mosquito net (MN) distribution has been an increasingly important tool in efforts to combat malaria in recent decades throughout the developing world, making great strides towards eradicating this hugely detrimental disease. However, there has been increasing concern in the natural resource management and healthcare communities over alternative use of MNs, particularly in artisanal fisheries where it has been suggested they pose a threat to sustainability of fish stocks. So far, little evidence has been presented as to the global prevalence and characteristics of MN fishing, limiting global management initiatives and incentives for action across disciplines. We conducted a rapid global assessment of mosquito net fishing (MNF) observations from expert witnesses living and/or working in malarial zones using an internet survey. MNF was found to be a broadly pan-tropical activity, particularly prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa. MNF is conducted using a variety of deployment methods and scales including seine nets, scoop/dip nets, set nets and traps. MNF was witnessed in a broad range of marine and freshwater habitats and was seen to exploit a wide range of taxa, with capture of juvenile fish reported in more than half of responses. Perceived drivers of MNF were closely related to poverty, revealing potentially complex and arguably detrimental livelihood and food security implications which we discuss in light of current literature and management paradigms. The key policies likely to influence future impacts of MNF are in health, regarding net distribution, and natural resource management regarding restrictions on use. We outline critical directions for research and highlight the need for a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to development of both localised and broad-scale policy.

Changes in the timings of seasonality as a result of anthropogenic climate change are predicted to occur over the coming decades. While this is expected to have widespread impacts on the dynamics of infectious disease through environmental forcing, empirical data are lacking. Here, we investigated whether seasonality, specifically the timing of spring ice-thaw, affected susceptibility to infection by the emerging pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) across a montane community of amphibians that are suffering declines and extirpations as a consequence of this infection. We found a robust temporal association between the timing of the spring thaw and Bd infection in two host species, where we show that an early onset of spring forced high prevalences of infection. A third highly susceptible species (the midwife toad, Alytes obstetricans) maintained a high prevalence of infection independent of time of spring thaw. Our data show that perennially overwintering midwife toad larvae may act as a year-round reservoir of infection with variation in time of spring thaw determining the extent to which infection spills over into sympatric species. We used future temperature projections based on global climate models to demonstrate that the timing of spring thaw in this region will advance markedly by the 2050s, indicating that climate change will further force the severity of infection. Our findings on the effect of annual variability on multi-host infection dynamics show that the community-level impact of fungal infectious disease on biodiversity will need to be re-evaluated in the face of climate change.This article is part of the themed issue 'Tackling emerging fungal threats to animal health, food security and ecosystem resilience'., (© 2016 The Authors.)

Growing threats to biodiversity in the tropics mean there is an increasing need for effective monitoring that balances scientific rigor with practical feasibility. Alternatives to professional techniques are emerging that are based on the involvement of local people. Such locally based monitoring methods may be more sustainable over time, allow greater spatial coverage and quicker management decisions, lead to increased compliance, and help encourage attitude shifts toward more environmentally sustainable practices. Nevertheless, few studies have yet compared the findings or cost-effectiveness of locally based methods with professional techniques or investigated the power of locally based methods to detect trends. We gathered data on bushmeat-hunting catch and effort using a professional technique (accompanying hunters on hunting trips) and two locally based methods in which data were collected by hunters (hunting camp diaries and weekly hunter interviews) in a 15-month study in Equatorial Guinea. Catch and effort results from locally based methods were strongly correlated with those of the professional technique and the spatial locations of hunting trips reported in the locally based methods accurately reflected those recorded with the professional technique. We used power simulations of catch and effort data to show that locally based methods can reliably detect meaningful levels of change (20% change with 80% power at significance level [alpha]= 0.05) in multispecies catch per unit effort. Locally based methods were the most cost-effective for monitoring. Hunter interviews collected catch and effort data on 240% more hunts per person hour and 94% more hunts per unit cost, spent on monitoring, than the professional technique. Our results suggest that locally based monitoring can offer an accurate, cost-effective, and sufficiently powerful method to monitor the status of natural resources. To establish such a system in Equatorial Guinea, the current lack of national and local capacity for monitoring and management must be addressed.

We analyzed data from over 4500 elephants to show that animals in European zoos have about half the median life span of conspecifics in protected populations in range countries. This discrepancy is clearest in Asian elephants; unlike African elephants in zoos, this species' infant mortality is very high (for example, twice that seen in Burmese timber camps), and its adult survivorship in zoos has not improved significantly in recent years. One risk factor for Asian zoo elephants is being moved between institutions, with early removal from the mother tending to have additional adverse effects. Another risk factor is being born into a zoo rather than being imported from the wild, with poor adult survivorship in zoo-born Asians apparently being conferred prenatally or in early infancy. We suggest stress and/or obesity as likely causes of zoo elephants' compromised survivorship.

What determines the vulnerability of protected areas, a fundamental component of biodiversity conservation, to political instability and warfare? We investigated the efficacy of park protection at Garamba National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo) before, during and after a period of armed conflict. Previous analysis has shown that bushmeat hunting in the park increased fivefold during the conflict, but then declined, in conjunction with changes in the sociopolitical structures (social institutions) that controlled the local bushmeat trade. We used park patrol records to investigate whether these changes were facilitated by a disruption to anti-poaching patrols. Contrary to expectation, anti-poaching patrols remained frequent during the conflict (as bushmeat offtake increased) and decreased afterwards (when bushmeat hunting also declined). These results indicate that bushmeat extraction was determined primarily by the social institutions. Although we found a demonstrable effect of anti-poaching patrols on hunting pressure, even a fourfold increase in patrol frequency would have been insufficient to cope with wartime poaching levels. Thus, anti-poaching patrols alone may not always be the most cost-effective means of managing protected areas, and protected-area efficacy might be enhanced by also working with those institutions that already play a role in regulating local natural-resource use.