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Study Design:A prospective intervention of noninvasive abdominal massage using an electromechanical apparatus on bowel function in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).Objectives:To evaluate the effects of noninvasive abdominal massage using an electromechanical apparatus on bowel function in individuals with SCI and chronic bowel problems. This easy-to-use apparatus can be applied by the patients at home without the help of a therapist.Setting:Homes of community-living individuals.Methods:Twenty-one subjects with SCI were instructed to use the massage apparatus daily for 20 min during a 10-week period. Compliance, effects, side effects and user satisfaction were assessed using questionnaires.Results:Fifteen subjects completed the 10-week period. Although some characteristics of defecation changed positively for some of the subjects (time to result, amount, consistency), none felt better or more confident after using the massage device. In addition, some individuals experienced negative side effects (predominantly pain or discomfort). The overall satisfaction with the device is ambiguous, with half of the group judging the device as insufficient and the other half as at least adequate.Conclusion:The use of an electromechanical massage device does not improve bowel function in most individuals with SCI who have chronic bowel problems. Why some subjects benefit and others do not should be investigated in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasons for performing study African horse sickness is an insect-transmitted, noncontagious disease of equids caused by African horse sickness virus ( AHSV). Mortality can exceed 90% in fully susceptible horse populations. A live-attenuated (modified live) cell-culture-adapted ( MLV) polyvalent AHSV vaccine is widely used to control African horse sickness in endemic areas in southern Africa. Field studies detailing antibody responses of vaccinated horses are lacking. Objectives To determine antibody titres to the 9 known serotypes of AHSV in a cohort of broodmares that were regularly vaccinated with the MLV AHSV vaccine and to measure the passive transfer and rate of decay of maternal antibody to the individual virus serotypes in foals. Methods Serum was collected from 15 mares before foaling and from their foals after foaling and monthly thereafter for 6 months. Antibody titres to each of the 9 AHSV serotypes were determined by serum virus neutralisation assay. Results There was marked variation in the antibody response of the mares to individual AHSV serotypes even after repeated vaccination, with consistently higher titre responses to some virus serotypes. Likewise, the duration of maternally derived antibodies in foals differed among serotypes. Conclusions Data from this study confirm variation of the neutralising antibody response of individual mares to repeated vaccination with polyvalent AHSV vaccine. Virus strains of individual AHSV serotypes included in the vaccine may vary in their inherent immunogenicity. Passively acquired maternal antibodies to AHSV vary markedly among foals born to vaccinated mares, with further variation in the duration of passive immunity to individual AHSV serotypes. Potential relevance These data are relevant to the effective utilisation of live-attenuated AHSV vaccines in endemic regions, and potentially to the use of vaccines in response to future incursions of AHSV into previously free regions. Further studies involving a larger population will be required to determine the optimal time for vaccinating foals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine whether subclinical cases, together with clinical cases, of African horse sickness (AHS) occur in immunised horses in field conditions, whole blood samples were collected and rectal temperatures recorded weekly from 50 Nooitgedacht ponies resident in open camps at the Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Onderstepoort, during 2008-2010. The samples were tested for the presence of African horse sickness virus (AHSV) RNA by a recently developed real-time RT-PCR. It was shown that 16% of immunised horses in an AHS endemic area were infected with AHSV over a 2 year period, with half of these (8%) being subclinically infected. The potential impact of such cases on the epidemiology of AHS warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The South African National Roads SOC Agency (SANRAL) identified two bridges on the N12, section 9 to be widened and improved. The bridges were to be repaired of their existing structural defects and widened to allow safer passage of traffic and pedestrians along the route. Repairs to concrete, replacement of existing structural elements and retrofitting of improved elements were undertaken simultaneously to bring the bridges up to specification and safety standards. Through this effort, the bridges durability and lifespans were greatly improved and prolonged. Further substantial benefits were injected into the local environment and community through job creation and education with the local population of the area.

Abstract Background The Worldwide Antimalarial Resistance Network (WWARN) is a global collaboration to support the objective that anyone affected by malaria receives effective and safe drug treatment. The Pharmacology module aims to inform optimal anti-malarial drug selection. There is an urgent need to define the drug exposure - effect relationship for most anti-malarial drugs. Few anti-malarials have had their therapeutic blood concentration levels defined. One of the main challenges in assessing safety and efficacy data in relation to drug concentrations is the comparability of data generated from different laboratories. To explain differences in anti-malarial pharmacokinetics in studies with different measurement laboratories it is necessary to confirm the accuracy of the assay methods. This requires the establishment of an external quality assurance process to assure results that can be compared. This paper describes this process. Methods The pharmacology module of WWARN has established a quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) programme consisting of two separate components: 1. A proficiency testing programme where blank human plasma spiked with certified reference material (CRM) in different concentrations is sent out to participating bioanalytical laboratories. 2. A certified reference standard programme where accurately weighed amounts of certified anti-malarial reference standards, metabolites, and internal standards are sent to participating bioanalytical and in vitro laboratories. Conclusion The proficiency testing programme is designed as a cooperative effort to help participating laboratories assess their ability to carry out drug analysis, resolve any potential problem areas and to improve their results - and, in so doing, to improve the quality of anti-malarial pharmacokinetic data published and shared with WWARN. By utilizing the same source of standards for all laboratories, it is possible to minimize bias arising from poor quality reference standards. By providing anti-malarial drug standards from a central point, it is possible to lower the cost of these standards.

African horse sickness (AHS) is a fatal disease of equids relevant to the global equine industry. Detection of AHS virus (AHSV) during outbreaks has become more rapid and efficient with the advent of group specific reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction (GS RT-qPCR) assays to detect AHSV nucleic acid. Use of GS RT-qPCR together with recently described type specific (TS RT-qPCR) assays cannot only expedite diagnosis of AHS but also facilitate further evaluation of the dynamics of AHSV infection in the equine host. A potential limitation to the application of these assays is that they detect viral nucleic acid originating from any AHS live attenuated vaccine (LAV), which is the vaccine type routinely administered to horses in South Africa. The aim of this study was to contrast the dynamics and duration of the RNAaemia to the serological responses of horses following immunization with a commercial polyvalent AHSV-LAV using GS and TS RT-qPCR assays and serum neutralisation tests. The results of the study showed extended RNAemia in vaccinated horses, and that more horses tested positive on GS RT-qPCR with lower Cq values after receiving the AHSV-LAV containing types 1, 3 and 4 prior to the vaccine containing types 2, 6, 7 and 8, rather than when the vaccine combinations were reversed. Furthermore, lower Cq values were obtained when vaccines were administered 4 weeks apart as compared with a longer interval or 12 weeks apart. These findings are of particular relevance in regions where AHSV-LAVs are used as the use of these vaccines may complicate the accurate interpretation of diagnostic testing results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]