Search

Grazing ability is difficult to record in animals under free-ranging conditions without sophisticated methods. Alternatively, grazing ability may be indirectly inferred from changes in BW and production characteristics during the grazing period. The present study investigated the effect of grazing oil resource-limited rangelands on BW, wool characteristics, and offspring weaning weights in nine hundred five 5/8, 7/8, and fullblood Merino ewes of 2 to 7 yr of age during a grazing period of approximately 2.5 mo (between January and March). A total of 469 ewes gave birth to a single lamb, 248 to twin lambs, and 188 did not give birth. Body weights were measured and wool samples taken before and after the ewes were allowed to graze freely on the rangelands; absolute change in BW and change in BW as a percentage of initial BW were estimated. On average, grazing on resource-poor rangelands resulted in BW loss, a reduction in fiber diameter and its CV, and increased staple length. Animals with finer wool at the start of the grazing period lost phenotypically (r = -0.07, P < 0.05) and genetically (r = -0.23, P < 0.05) less BW during the grazing period and had a greater probability to carry 1 lamb (or 2) to term (P < 0.05). Animals that lost less BW produced more greasy fleece (r = 0.09, P < 0.01). Body weight change did not significantly influence offspring weaning weights. Change in BW was moderately heritable at h2 = 0.29; fiber diameter was strongly heritable at h2 = 0.51. Animals with the least inclusion of Merino genetics lost more BW (P < 0.01) during the grazing period and had a more uniform fiber diameter (P < 0.05) but shorter staples (P < 0.05) and less fleece (P < 0.0001) than animals with a greater level of Merino genetics. Our results indicate that animals with finer wool appeared to be better adapted to the cold Nevada desert. Thus, selection for finer wool may positively influence adaptability to resource-limited cold climate conditions; alternatively, BW change may be selected for directly. Because nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy can have adverse consequences for the offspring, indirect selection for grazing ability would foremost result in healthier ewes that can produce lambs and wool without compromising their welfare. Key words: adaptability, body weight gain, fiber diameter, selection, sheep doi:10.2527/jas.2009-2221

It is suspected that prolactin may affect mohair growth; therefore, effects of infusing prolactin on mohair growth were investigated using a skin perfusion technique. Seven Angora wethers (average body weight, 30 [+ or -] 3 kg) were implanted bilaterally with silicon catheters into the superficial branches of the deep circumflex iliac artery and vein. For the first 14 d of the experiment, animals were infused (2.4 mL/h) with prolactin (one side) or control (other side) into the deep circumflex iliac arteries. The infusion rate of prolactin was 2.21 mg/d and was calculated to triple prolactin blood concentration in the perfused region. The area of skin supplied by the deep circumflex iliac artery was approximately 240 [cm.sup.2]. Two weeks after the cessation of infusions, 100-[cm.sup.2] areas within the perfused regions were shorn to determine mohair growth. Greasy and clean mohair production was decreased (P < 0.05) by prolactin compared with control (3.79 vs 4.62 and 3.02 vs 3.67 g/[100 [cm.sup.2] x 28 d], respectively). Oxygen saturation in blood hemoglobin from the deep circumflex iliac veins was greater (P < 0.02) on the side infused with prolactin than on the control side (75.1 vs 68.2%). Higher concentrations of methionine, lysine, valine, isoleucine, and leucine were observed in blood of the deep circumflex iliac vein on the side infused with prolactin vs that infused with control (P < 0.05). In conclusion, direct skin infusion with prolactin decreased mohair fiber synthesis by the skin and may have concomitantly lessened oxygen consumption. Thus, effects of increasing prolactin concentration approximately two-fold in the skin on mohair fiber growth may not be limited to simple competition for nutrients between skin and other tissues such as the mammary gland. Key Words: Angora, Goats, Mohair, Prolactin

The effect of infusing dipeptides or their amino acids on mohair growth of Angora goats was investigated using a skin perfusion technique. Seven Angora wethers (average BW 24 [+ or -] 2.5 kg) were implanted bilaterally with silicon catheters into the superficial branches of the deep circumflex iliac artery and vein and carotid artery. The experiment consisted of three 28-d phases. In the first 14 d of Phases I and 3, saline was infused into deep circumflex iliac arteries supplying skin and in Phase 2 a mixture of dipeptides (methionine-leucine [Met-Leu], lysine-leucine [Lys-Leu]) was infused into the artery on one side, and free amino acids were administered on the other side. Infusion rates of peptides were 0.85 mg/h Met-Leu and 0.85 mg/h Lys-Leu in 2.4 mL saline. Infusion rates of amino acids were 0.474 mg/h Lys, 0.483 mg/h Met, and 0.743 mg/h Leu in 2.4 mL saline. A 100- [cm.sup.2] area within the perfused region was used to determine mohair growth. Two weeks after the cessation of infusions, perfused areas were shorn. Clean mohair production from the dipeptide- and amino acids-perfused regions were similar (4.21 vs 4.35 g/[100 [cm.sup.2] [+ or -] 28 d], respectively; P > 0.05). However, clean mohair production during dipeptides and amino acids infusions was greater (P < 0.01) than that observed during saline infusions (3.63 g/[100 [cm.sup.2] [+ or -] 28 d]). There were no significant differences between dipeptides and free amino acids in concentrations of various hormones and metabolites in blood from deep circumflex iliac veins (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the studied small dipeptides and amino acids similarly increased mohair fiber growth, presumably through supplying limiting amino acids directly to the fiber follicle. Key Words: Amino Acids, Angora, Dipeptides, Goats, Growth, Mohair

The presence or absence of horns in Merino sheep is controlled by the expression of the Ho gene. An analysis of a crossbreed of horned Merino rams and hornless polled New Zealand Romney ewes shows that horn development is controlled by two loci. The Ho locus is present on the sheep chromosome OOV10 and has no effect on fleece characteristics. It is probably orthologous to the african horn locus. The HH1 locus also determines horn development and has pleiotropic effect on the fleece. It is probably present on the sheep chromosome OOV1 and may be orthologous to the polled locus of cattle.

Yellow discoloration of sheep fleece is undesirable as it limits the range of dying shades of apparel, knitwear, and carpet products. Therefore, in this experiment the potential of genetic selection to alter the whiteness or yellowness of fleece wool was evaluated. Scoured wool color was measured as Commission Internationale de lEclairage (CIE) X, Y, Z values, where Y measures brightness and Y-Z is related to yellowness. Romney rams with high breeding values for wool brightness or yellowness were selected as parents. Ewes (n=200/year) were randomly allocated to each selection line (brightness or yellowness) at the initiation of the trial, and subsequently replacements were selected from within the lines. Data from four consecutive births (n=500, born in 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997) comprising 30 sire groups in two flocks were analyzed by residual maximum likelihood. Traits included weaning weight (WW), yearling weight (SW), greasy (GF) and clean (CF) fleece weights, fiber diameter (VD) and coefficient of FD variation (FDCV), brightness (CIE Y) and yellowness (CIE Y-Z). The wool brightness and yellowness selection lines differed for CIE Y (P WW SW GF CF kg kg kg kg Y Brightness 21.9 36.6 2.76 2.14 57.08 Yellowness 21.6 37.0 2.85 2.24 56.15 SED 0.4 0.6 0.06 0.05 0.26 * [h.sup.2] 0.24 0.34 0.40 0.48 0.15 SE 0.14 0.16 0.16 0.18 0.11 Y-Z FD FDCV % Brightness 3.41 34.8 26.4 Yellowness 3.82 37.2 27.1 SED 0.07 * 0.6 * 0.9 [h.sup.2] 0.02 0.58 0.66 SE 0.08 0.43 0.47

Prolactin is believed to mediate seasonal hair follicle growth cycles; therefore the effect of prolactin infusion on mohair growth of Angora goats was investigated using a skin perfusion technique. Six Angora wethers (average BW 30 # 3 kg) were implanted bilaterally with silicon catheters into the superficial branches of the deep circumflex iliac artery and the deep circumflex iliac vein. For the first 14 d of the experiment animals were infused (2.4 ml/h) into the deep circumflex iliac arteries with prolactin (one side) and saline (other side). The infusion rate of prolactin was 221 # g/d and was calculated to triple prolactin blood concentration in the perfused region. The area of skin supplied by the deep circumflex iliac artery was approximately 240 [cm.sup.2]. Two weeks after cessation of infusions, 100 [cm.sup.2] areas within the perfused regions were shorn to determine mohair growth. Greasy and clean mohair production was decreased (P < 0.05) by prolactin compared with saline (3.79 vs 4.62 g and 3.02 vs 3.67g/100 [cm.sup.2]/28 d, respectively). Oxygen saturation in blood hemoglobin from deep circumflex iliac veins was greater (P < 0.02) on the side infused with prolactin than on the control side (75.1 vs 68.2%). Higher concentrations of Met, Lys, Val, Ileu and Leu were observed in the venous blood taken from the deep circumflex iliac vein on the side infused with prolactin compared with saline (P < 0.05). Direct skin infusion with prolactin decreased fiber synthesis and may have decreased oxygen consumption by the skin. Decreased fiber production/nutrient utilization by the skin may be due to competition for nutrients with other processes that are regulated by prolactin such as lactation or reproduction. Selection of animals with low blood prolactin or low seasonal blood prolactin variation may reduce rest phase of fiber follicles and improve fiber production. Key Words: Skin perfusion, Prolactin, Mohair

The manipulation of seasonal reproduction in goats for fall kidding allows for marketing of young meat goats during Christmas and Easter holiday seasons. Although meat goats are often reared on low to moderate planes of nutrition, high quality diets may be desirable for production of out-of-season meat goats. Fifty-eight (29 males and 29 females) fall born (October) Spanish kids with an initial average BW of 13.5 kg were used in an experiment with two 9-wk feeding phases (I and II), and individually housing. Goats consumed ad libitum prairie hay (L), dehydrated alfalfa pellets (M), or 70% concentrate diet (H), either throughout the 18-wk experiment (MM and HH) or with a diet change at the beginning of phase II (LM, LH, and MH). Four goats per treatment were slaughtered at the end of phase II. Body weight, hot and chilled carcass weights, dressing percentages were determined. Proportion of lean, fat, and bone tissues in the selected primal cuts (leg, rack and loin of a half carcass) were calculated from dissected weights. Body weight of slaughtered animals was 22.3 (SE 1.5), 19.7 (SE 1.8), 20.9 (SE 2.2), 24.6 (SE 1.7), and 23.3 (SE 1.7) kg, and mean dressing percentage was 49.2 (SE 1.4), 47.8 (SE 0.5), 43.5 (SE 0.6), 47.8 (SE 1.1), and 45.8% (SE 1.1) for HH, LH, LM, MH, and MM, respectively, being greater for treatments consuming H vs M in phase II. Chilled carcass weight was less (P < 0.05) for LM and LH than for MM, MH and HH (10.9, 9.1, 8.7, 11.4, and 10.2 kg for HH, LH, LM, MH, and MM respectively). Lean, fat and bone proportions of three primal cuts (leg, rack, and loin) were 63.6, 16.4, and 20.6% for HH; 67.0, 12.1, and 20.8% for LH; 67.0, 10.4, and 22.6% for LM; 62.5, 17.6, and 19.9% for MH; and 66.6, 11.6, and 21.7% for MM, respectively. The fat component of dissected primal cuts was greater (P < 0.05) for goats on H than M in phase II. In conclusion, pelleted high quality forage may support ADG of meat goats at least as great as concentrate-based diets, both with a constant nutritional plane and the low quality forage feeding. High concentrate diets appear to promote fattening beyond what would be expected from ADG. Key Words: Goat, Carcass, Lean

Increasing production of animal fibres has increased the need for a portable instrument that measures fibre diameter and associated characteristics with precision and accuracy. This research evaluated a new portable fibre tester (PFT) by measuring the diameter and related characteristics of tops and scoured fibres of wool, alpaca, and vicuña. The PFT was constructed with integrated mechanical, optical, electronic, and informatic components. Textile tops of sheep wool, alpaca fibres, and mohair goat fibres were used as standard references to calibrate the PFT and determine its accuracy and precision. The results were compared with those from a wool industry standard instrument (OFDA2000) that uses similar technology. The PFT had high accuracy (-0.01, -0.12, and -0.01 µm) for average fibre diameter (AFD) of wool, alpaca, and mohair fibres, respectively. Deviations of standard tops (ST) were within industry-accepted tolerance ranges. Standard errors, indicating precision, were low, ranging from 0.07 to 0.25 µm, 0.02 to 0.44 µm, and 0.09 to 0.024 µm, for wool, alpaca, and mohair fibre tops, respectively. The correlations of measurements of AFD from the two instruments were 0.99 for wool, alpaca, and mohair fibres, but lower for vicuña fibres (0.82). No evidence of bias was observed. Therefore, the PFT may be used as an alternative instrument for measuring fibre diameter and quantifying variation in diameter of wool, mohair, and alpaca fibres. The PFT has appeal for use in the field for practical animal selection and fleece classification based on fibre characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pharmacists' roles are evolving from that of compounders and dispensers of medicines to that of experts on medicines within multidisciplinary health care teams. In the developing country context, the pharmacy is often the most accessible or even the sole point of access to health care advice and services. Because of their knowledge of medicines and clinical therapeutics, pharmacists are suitably placed for task shifting in health care and could be further trained to undertake functions such as clinical management and laboratory diagnostics. Indeed, pharmacists have been shown to be willing, competent, and cost-effective providers of what the professional literature calls "pharmaceutical care interventions"; however, internationally, there is an underuse of pharmacists for patient care and public health efforts. A coordinated and multifaceted effort to advance workforce planning, training and education is needed in order to prepare an adequate number of well-trained pharmacists for such roles. Acknowledging that health care needs can vary across geography and culture, an international group of key stakeholders in pharmacy education and global health has reached unanimous agreement that pharmacy education must be quality-driven and directed towards societal health care needs, the services required to meet those needs, the competences necessary to provide these services and the education needed to ensure those competences. Using that framework, this commentary describes the Pharmacy Education Taskforce of the World Health Organization, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Pharmaceutical Federation Global Pharmacy and the Education Action Plan 2008–2010, including the foundation, domains, objectives and outcome measures, and includes several examples of current activities within this scope.

Abstract Background There is a lack of evidence to inform policy development on the reasons why health professionals migrate. Few studies have sought to empirically determine factors influencing the intention to migrate and none have explored the relationship between factors. This paper reports on the first international attempt to investigate the migration intentions of pharmacy students and identify migration factors and their relationships. Methods Responses were gathered from 791 final-year pharmacy students from nine countries: Australia, Bangladesh, Croatia, Egypt, Portugal, Nepal, Singapore, Slovenia and Zimbabwe. Data were analysed by means of Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and two-step cluster analysis to determine the relationships between factors influencing migration and the characteristics of subpopulations most likely and least likely to migrate. Results Results showed a significant difference in attitudes towards the professional and sociopolitical environment of the home country and perceptions of opportunities abroad between those who have no intention of migrating and those who intend to migrate on a long-term basis. Attitudes of students planning short-term migration were not significantly different from those of students who did not intend to migrate. These attitudes, together with gender, knowledge of other migrant pharmacists and past experiences abroad, are associated with an increased propensity for migration. Conclusion Given the influence of the country context and environment on migration intentions, research and policy should frame the issue of migration in the context of the wider human resource agenda, thus viewing migration as one form of attrition and a symptom of other root causes. Remuneration is not an independent stand-alone factor influencing migration intentions and cannot be decoupled from professional development factors. Comprehensive human resource policy development that takes into account the issues of both remuneration and professional development are necessary to encourage retention.

Spermatogonia, as adult stem cells from the male reproductive system, are attracting strong interest from those studying male reproductive gamete preservation and developing new approaches in transgenic animals. Protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) is a marker of sheep spermatogonia, which has been validated by J. R. Rodriguez-Sosa et al.(2006).The objective of this study was to develop an in vitroculture system for spermatogonial growth. Twenty 2- to 3-month-old rams were randomly selected at a local slaughter house for testicular tissue collection. Two-step enzymatic digestion methods were used for spermatogonia isolation from seminiferous tubules. In brief, mechanically isolated seminiferous tubules from testicular tissue were incubated in 1:1 1 mg mL-1collagenase and hyaluronidase with 5 μg mL-1DNase I for 20 min at 37°C. Most of the surrounding interstitial cells will fall off from seminiferous tubules by slightly pipetting. Seminiferous tubules were from cell suspensions after natural sedimentation in PBS and then were digested in 0.25% trypsin + 0.04% EDTAfor 5 to 7 min at 37°C to disassociate tubules into single cells. Data were analyzed with ANOVA procedures. Means of 5 specimens were presented. Of the total isolated cells, 19.7 ± 5.3% were identified as PGP9.5+cells, and 23.8 ± 3.6% were identified as c-kit+ cells. C-kit, the transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor for stem cell factor, has been identified, which is expressed and functional in differentiating A1-A4 spermatogonia but not in spermatogonial stem cells (OhtaH2000). For in vitroculture of spermatogonia, DMEM supplemented with 1X ITS (insulin, transferrin, selenium), 100 μM β-mercaptoethano, 6 mML-Glutamine, and 1X nonessential amino acids were used as basic culture medium. We have found that in primary spermatogonia culture, cells cultured together with testis somatic cells (sertoli cells) in basic medium supplied with 2.5% fetal bovine serum (FBS) were much more efficient than culturing with a supplement of 10% FBS. In primary culture, growing round-shaped cell colonies were visible from Day 5 in basic culture medium. In subculture, colonies were enzymically digested into smaller pieces from Day 8 to 10 and then placed onto mouse embryonic fibroblasts feeder layer in 2.5% FBS basic medium with the addition of 100 ng mL-1glial cell-derived neurotropic factor, 10 ng mL-1leukemia inhibitory factor, and 10 ng mL-1basic fibroblast growth factor. PGP9.5+ spermatogonia cell colonies maintained their normal round shape until 4 to 5 passages. However, in subsequent passages, the colonies became flattened and cells gradually lost their interconnection and the growth pattern present in the early passages. Also in subsequent passages, cells began expressing more C-kit than PGP9.5. In conclusion, PGP9.5+ spermatogonia were successfully isolated from 2- to 3-month-old ram testis, and PGP 9.5 cell colonies were maintained and proliferated in the in vitroculture system up to 2 months. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacteria of the cryptic lineage of genus Escherichia, or Escherichia cryptic clades (cryptic clades), are phenotypically indistinguishable from Escherichia coli (E. coli) using standard biochemical tests. Except for clade I (C-I), cryptic clades were hypothetically believed to be environmental but not enteric. If so, they would hinder the interpretation of current E. coli-based water quality (fecal pollution) monitoring in the United States because environmental bacteria do not indicate the presence of harmful fecal material. This study was performed to develop a rapid method for the detection of cryptic clades and to investigate their potential impact on water quality monitoring. By whole-genome comparison, one gene, named ecc (Escherichiacryptic clades), was identified to be unique to C-II through C-VIII. An end-point polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, eccPCR, was developed by targeting the ecc. The results of in-silico and wet tests demonstrated 100 % sensitivity and specificity of the eccPCR to detect C-II through C-VIII. Based on the EPA Method 1603, 519 presumptive E. coli isolates were obtained from the fecal samples of 13 different host species and 192 isolates from surface water samples taken at four locations in a watershed of mid-Missouri. As indicated by the eccPCR amplification, the overall prevalence of C-II through C-VIII in the presumptive E. coli isolates was estimated to be about 0.6 % in the fecal samples and about 1.6 % in the water samples. Therefore, the potential impact of cryptic clades on water quality monitoring may be limited if EPA Method 1603 is used. Furthermore, clades C-II through C-VIII in stream water samples were found repeatedly only at a single sampling site, but neither at the upstream sites nor five kilometers downstream of the site. The data do not support nor reject the environmental hypothesis about cryptic clades. Further study is needed to determine the implication of the observation., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare that no conflict of interest exists., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: To explore the nature of the relationship between and factors associated with productivity and performance among the community health volunteer (CHV) cadre (Village Health Teams, VHT) in Busia District, Eastern Uganda. The study was carried out to contribute to the global evidence on strategies to improve CHV productivity and performance., Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 140 VHT members as subjects and respondents. Data were collected between March and May 2013 on the performance and productivity of VHT members related to village visits and activities for saving maternal and child lives, as well as on independent factors that may be associated with these measures. Data were collected through direct observation of VHT activities, structured interviews with VHTs, and review of available records. The correlation between performance and productivity scores was estimated, and LASSO regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with these two scores independently., Results: VHTs demonstrated wide variation in productivity measures, conducting a median of 13.2 service units in a three-month span (range: 2.0-114.9). Performance of the studied VHTs was generally high, with a median performance score (out of 100) of 96.4 (range: 50.9-100.0). We observed a weak correlation coefficient of 0.05 (p = 0.57) between productivity and performance scores. Older VHT age (≥50 years old, reference: <50 years old) (11.14, 95% CI: 3.26-19.01) and knowledge of danger signs (in units of ten-percentage points, 1.92, 95% CI: 0.01-3.83) were positively associated with productivity scores. Job satisfaction (1.46, 95% CI: 0.13-2.80) and knowledge of danger signs (in units of ten-percentage points, 1.02, 95% CI: 0.05-1.98) were positively associated with performance scores., Conclusions: Older VHT age and knowledge of danger signs were positively associated with productivity, and job satisfaction and knowledge of danger signs were positively associated with performance. No correlation was observed between productivity and performance scores. This lack of correlation suggests that interventions to improve CHV effectiveness may affect the two dimensions of effectiveness differently. We recommend that productivity and performance both be monitored to evaluate the overall impact of interventions to increase CHV effectiveness.

Inadequate medication dispensing and management by healthcare providers can contribute to poor outcomes among HIV-positive patients. Gaps in medication availability, often associated with pharmacy workforce shortages, are an important barrier to retention in HIV care in Uganda. An intervention to address pharmacy staffing constraints through strengthening pharmaceutical management, dispensing practices, and general competencies of facility clinical and pharmacy staff was implemented in 14 facilities in three districts in eastern Uganda. Teams of staff were organised in each facility and supported to apply quality improvement (QI) methods to address deficits in availability and rational use of HIV drugs. To evaluate the intervention, baseline and end line data were collected 24 months apart. Dispensing practices, clinical wellness and adherence to antiretrovirals improved by 45%, 28% and 20% from baseline to end line, respectively. All clients at end line received the medications prescribed, and medications were correctly, completely and legibly labelled more often. Clients better understood when, how much and for how long they were supposed to take their prescribed medicines at end line. Pharmaceutical management practices also improved from baseline in most categories by statistically significant margins. Facilities significantly improved on correctly recording stock information about antiretroviral drugs (53%vs100%, P<0.0001). Coinciding with existing staff taking on pharmaceutical roles, facilities improved management of unwanted and expired drugs, notably by optimising use of existing health workers and making pharmaceutical management processes more efficient. Implementation of this improvement intervention in the 14 facilities appeared to have a positive impact on client outcomes, pharmacy department management and providers' self-reported knowledge of QI methods. These results were achieved at a cost of about US$5.50 per client receiving HIV services at participating facilities., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.

Developing rapid and sensitive methods for the detection of pathogenic Escherichia coli O157:H7 remains a major challenge in food safety. The present study attempts to develop an immunofluorescence technique that uses Protein-A-coated, magnetic beads as the platform. The immunofluorescence technique described here is a direct detection method in which E. coli O157:H7 cells are labeled with tetramethylrhodamine (TRITC) fluorescent dye. TRITC-labeled bacteria are captured by the desired antibody (Ab), which is immobilized on the Protein-A magnetic beads. Fluorescence of the captured cells is recorded in a fluorescence spectrophotometer, where the fluorescence values are shown to be directly proportional to the number of bacteria captured on the immunobead. The formation of an immunocomplex is evidenced by the fluorescence of the beads under microscopy. The Ab immobilization procedure is also evidenced by microscopy using fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-labeled Ab. The total experimental time, including preparation of the sample, is just 1h. The minimum bacterial concentration detected by this method is 1.2±0.06×10(3)CFUml(-1). The high specificity of this method was proved by using the specific monoclonal Ab (MAb) in the test. The proposed protocol was successfully validated with E. coli O157:H7-infected meat samples. This approach also opens the door for the detection of other bacterial pathogens using Protein-A magnetic beads as a detection platform., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: This paper describes a rapid assessment of Cambodia's current system for regulating its health professions. The assessment forms part of a co-design process to set strategic priorities for strengthening health profession regulation to improve the quality and safety of health services. A health system approach for strengthening health professions' regulation is underway and aims to support the Government of Cambodia's plans for scaling up its health workforce, improving health services' safety and quality, and meeting its Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) obligations to facilitate trade in health care services., Methods: The assessment used a mixed methods approach including: A desktop review of key laws, plans, reports and other documents relating to the regulation of the health professions in Cambodia (medicine, dentistry, midwifery, nursing and pharmacy); Key informant interviews with stakeholders in Cambodia (The term "stakeholders" refers to government officials, people working on health professional regulation, people working for the various health worker training institutions and health workers at the national and provincial level); Surveys and questionnaires to assess Cambodian stakeholder knowledge of regulation; Self-assessments by members of the five Cambodian regulatory councils regarding key capacities and activities of high-performing regulatory bodies; and A rapid literature review to identify: The key functions of health professional regulation; The key issues affecting the Cambodian health sector (including relevant developments in the wider ASEAN region); and "Smart" health profession regulation practices of possible relevance to Cambodia., Results: We found that the current regulatory system only partially meets Cambodia's needs. A number of key regulatory functions are being performed, but overall, the current system was not designed with Cambodia's specific needs in mind. The existing system is also overly complex, with considerable duplication and overlap between governance and regulatory arrangements for the five regulated professions., Conclusions: There is considerable scope for reform to the current regulatory system to better align the system to Cambodia's: Current needs and circumstances; Health system strategic priorities; and International obligations. Cambodia is also well placed to base its reformed regulatory system on recent developments of "smart regulatory practices" for health professionals.

Background: There has been a resurgence of interest in national Community Health Worker (CHW) programs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). A lack of strong research evidence persists, however, about the most efficient and effective strategies to ensure optimal, sustained performance of CHWs at scale. To facilitate learning and research to address this knowledge gap, the authors developed a generic CHW logic model that proposes a theoretical causal pathway to improved performance. The logic model draws upon available research and expert knowledge on CHWs in LMICs., Methods: Construction of the model entailed a multi-stage, inductive, two-year process. It began with the planning and implementation of a structured review of the existing research on community and health system support for enhanced CHW performance. It continued with a facilitated discussion of review findings with experts during a two-day consultation. The process culminated with the authors' review of consultation-generated documentation, additional analysis, and production of multiple iterations of the model., Results: The generic CHW logic model posits that optimal CHW performance is a function of high quality CHW programming, which is reinforced, sustained, and brought to scale by robust, high-performing health and community systems, both of which mobilize inputs and put in place processes needed to fully achieve performance objectives. Multiple contextual factors can influence CHW programming, system functioning, and CHW performance., Conclusions: The model is a novel contribution to current thinking about CHWs. It places CHW performance at the center of the discussion about CHW programming, recognizes the strengths and limitations of discrete, targeted programs, and is comprehensive, reflecting the current state of both scientific and tacit knowledge about support for improving CHW performance. The model is also a practical tool that offers guidance for continuous learning about what works. Despite the model's limitations and several challenges in translating the potential for learning into tangible learning, the CHW generic logic model provides a solid basis for exploring and testing a causal pathway to improved performance.

This study is to tackle the challenge posed by the "naturalized" Escherichia coli population against the worldwide practice of E. coli-based water quality monitoring. In the literature, the putative glucosyltransferase gene (ycjM) of E. coli has been identified in silico to be one of the 114 genes specific to enteric E. coli. Based on the sequence of E. coli K-12 MG1655, a PCR assay (ycjPCR) targeting ycjM was developed in this study. As demonstrated by the ycjPCR assay using 367 E. coli strains isolated from animal feces, 97.2% of the isolates carried the ycjM with variations from 93.9% to 100% among nine different host sources, but none of the 17 strains of non-E. coli bacteria and only 23.0% of the environment-isolated cryptic Escherichia strains contained the ycjM. These data experimentally confirmed ycjM to be enteric specific. Our study also showed that the ycjPCR assay was superior to the commonly used tuf- or uidA-based PCR methods in differentiating enteric E. coli from ß-D-glucuronidase-positive environmental bacteria. Furthermore, study on 190 E. coli isolates from water samples, using EPA Method 1603 followed by bacterial identification with Biolog MicroStation™ and ycjPCR assay, indicated that the prevalence of ycjM in the E. coli water isolates had a significant (p < 0.05, odds ratio ) spatial variation from 69.6% to 93.8%. These data suggest that E. coli profile using EPA Method 1603 or other ß-D-glucuronidase-activity-based methods may need further analysis using the ycjM profile to accurately determinate fecal pollution in water., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To explore the existence and characteristics of national and local medication error reporting (MER) systems and to describe national medication safety experts' perceptions of a good and effective MER system and barriers to reporting., Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study, 32 medication safety experts were identified through member organizations of the International Pharmaceutical Federation in 88 countries and other professional organizations in 3 additional countries. These experts were invited to participate in an online survey., Results: Sixteen national medication safety experts from different countries participated in the study (response rate, 50%). A national (n = 5) or local (n = 6) MER system existed in 11 of these countries. In 5 countries, no MER system existed. The most common features of the MER systems were confidentiality of the reported information and providing feedback to those involved in reporting. Most experts perceived that a good and effective MER system was characterized by the opportunity to learn from errors by those involved in reporting, having a nonpunitive approach to reporting, and ease of use. They also perceived that a blame culture, lack of time, training, and coordination of reporting were the main barriers to reporting., Conclusions: Blame culture, a lack of time, training and coordination of reporting continue to be the major barriers to reporting. Learning from errors and having a nonpunitive approach to reporting were thought to be the most critical features of a MER system. Difficulties in identifying national medication safety experts indicates a need for promoting international networking of medication safety experts and bodies for sharing information and learning from others.