•Over 3 million pet records analysed showing differences in periodontal disease risk.•The majority of dogs diagnosed with periodontal disease weighed under 15 kg.•Risk factors include age, being ...overweight, and time since last scale and polish.•Highlights dogs most at risk on which diagnostic efforts should be focussed.
Despite periodontal disease (PD) being amongst the most common diagnoses in primary-care practice, the disease is generally underdiagnosed. However, the millions of clinical records generated by pet hospitals each year provide unique opportunities to generate insights about disease risk across large numbers of dogs. The objective of this study was to undertake a retrospective analysis of medical records to ascertain which sizes and breeds of dog are most frequently diagnosed with PD. Although data collection regarding PD was not consistent, it was assumed that the same inconsistencies in recording periodontal abnormalities were present across the range of bodyweight, breed categories and breeds.
Over 3 million medical records across 60 breeds of dogs visiting a chain of veterinary hospitals in the United States collected over a 5-year period were analysed. Statistical analysis of a subset of these records found that extra-small (<6.5 kg) breeds of dog were up to five times more likely to be diagnosed with PD than giant breeds (>25 kg) (P <0.0001). The majority of breeds most frequently diagnosed with PD were in the extra-small, small (6.5−9 kg) and medium-small (9−15 kg) breed size categories. Additional risk factors for PD diagnosis included age, being overweight and time since last scale and polish. Veterinarians should consider targeting client education about dental health, and diagnostic efforts, towards canine patients of the small-breed size categories and those with a higher risk of developing PD (e.g. overweight).
Treatment options are limited for people infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) with decompensated liver disease. The C-SALT study assessed elbasvir (EBR) plus grazoprevir (GZR) in individuals with ...HCV genotype 1 infection and Child-Pugh class B (CP-B) cirrhosis.
In this 12-week, phase 2, nonrandomized, open-label study (NCT02115321; Protocol MK-5172-059), participants with CP-B cirrhosis received EBR 50 mg plus GZR 50 mg once daily, and a control group of noncirrhotic participants received EBR 50 mg plus GZR 100 mg once daily. The primary endpoint was sustained virologic response 12 weeks after the end of therapy.
Sustained virologic response at 12 weeks after the end of therapy was achieved by 27/30 (90.0%) CP-B participants and 10/10 (100.0%) noncirrhotic participants. Two participants relapsed, and one died during follow-up after having undetectable HCV RNA at the end of treatment. Most CP-B participants had stable or improved model for end-stage liver disease and Child-Pugh scores at follow-up week 12 compared with baseline. There was no significant difference in drug exposure between groups, despite the differing GZR dose. Adverse events occurring in >10% of participants were fatigue (CP-B: 30.0%; noncirrhotic: 30.0%), arthralgia (16.7%; 20.0%), nausea (10.0%; 20.0%), and headache (10.0%; 50.0%). No serious treatment-related adverse events or hepatic events of clinical interest occurred.
EBR 50 mg plus GZR 50 mg once daily for 12 weeks was highly effective and well tolerated in a traditionally hard-to-treat population.
Although EBR plus reduced-dose GZR is not available for people with CP-B cirrhosis, these results complement phase 2/3 trial data and real-world experience with EBR/GZR.
A novel and simplified gradient IC-HRMS approach is presented in this work for forensic profiling of ionic energetic material residues, including low-order explosives and gunshot residue (GSR). This ...new method incorporated ethanolic eluents to facilitate direct coupling of IC and HRMS without auxiliary post-column infusion pumps that are traditionally used to assist with gas phase transfer. Ethanolic eluents also enabled better integration with an in-service protocol for direct analysis of high-order organic explosives by IC-HRMS, without requiring solvent exchange before injection. Excellent method performance was achieved, enabling both full scan qualitative and quantitative analysis, as required. In particular, linearity for 19 targeted compounds yielded R2 > 0.99 across several orders of magnitude, with trace analysis possible at the low-mid pg level. Reproducibility and mass accuracies were also excellent, with peak area %RSDs <10%, tR %RSDs <0.4% and δm/z < 3 ppm. The method was applied to targeted analysis of latent fingermarks and swabbed hand sweat samples to determine contact with a black-powder substitute containing nitrate, benzoate and perchlorate. When combined with principal component analysis (PCA), the effect of time since handling on recorded signals could be interpreted further in order to support forensic investigations. In a second, non-targeted application, PCA using full scan IC-HRMS data enabled classification of GSR from three different types of ammunition. An additional 20 markers of GSR were tentatively identified in silico, in addition to the 15 anions detected during targeted analysis. This new approach therefore streamlines and adds consistency and flexibility to forensic analysis of ionic energetic material. Furthermore, it also has implications for targeted, non-targeted and suspect screening applications in other fields by expanding the separation space to low molecular weight inorganic and organic anions.
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•A novel gradient IC-HRMS approach developed and validated for explosive analysis.•An ethanolic eluent allowed direct analysis of extracts in organic solvent.•Both quantitative targeted and non-targeted analysis demonstrated.•Retrospective HRMS data mining approach applied for advanced forensic applications.
A greenhouse study was conducted to investigate the growth of the grass cover crops Agrostis capillaris, Festuca ovina, F. rubra, Lolium perenne, and Phleum pratense and their accumulation of Cu, Pb, ...Zn, Ni, and Cr in three metal-contaminated wastes arising from a steelworks, a lead mine, and a chemical works. Soil metals were extracted by five reagents (Mehlich 1, 0.1 M HCl, 0.005 M DTPA, 0.005 M EDTA, 0.005 M NTA) and values were correlated with plant tissue accumulation of metals. Agrostis capillaris accumulated the greatest concentration of metals from each waste material. Dry matter production for all grasses decreased on contaminated substrates compared to the control; however, overall ground cover was satisfactory except for A. capillaris on the chemical works waste. Lolium perenne and P. pratense consistently produced the highest dry matter yields. All grasses accumulated excessive amounts of Cr on the chemical waste and Pb on the mine waste, presumably from reservoirs in the readily extractable and soluble forms. The extractability of most metals was generally 0.1 M HCl Mehlich 1 DTPA = EDTA = NTA. Mehlich 1 did not appreciably extract Pb from two wastes. No extractant was able to represent metal uptake by a particular grass in a linear fashion
The transfer of radioactive caesium from soils to plants has been well researched. In contrast there is limited knowledge on natural stable 133Cs and its potential role as a predictor for ...radiocaesium behaviour. In a pot experiment with Agrostis capillaris close correlations were found between plant 137Cs and plant 133Cs concentrations (R2 90-96%). Season and leaf age had significant effects with concentrations increasing 10-30-fold between June and December. Simultaneously the plant concentrations of K, the nutrient analogue of Cs, decreased to around one third. In the soil the exchangeable fractions of K and 137Cs declined. No clear relationships were found between 137+133Cs in the plant and exchangeable K in the soil. However, at the end of the experiment the K content of the above-ground biomass was higher than the exchangeable pool in the soil, suggesting that depletion of soil K could be a key factor in the observed increase of plant 137+133Cs over time.
A GIS-based spatial decision support system (SDSS) is being developed for long-term management of radioactively contaminated land resources. The system is designed to assist decision-makers in the ...evaluation and selection of remediation strategies for food production in agricultural and semi-natural ecosystems at a regional scale. The suitability assessment of different remediation techniques is based on the level of contamination, the land-use management and a wide range of environmental parameters. Techniques which are found suitable with respect to reducing contamination of food products are subjected to an assessment of potential environmental and agri-economic impacts. This involves multicriteria decision-making methodology to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each technique and to incorporate decision-maker preferences into the assessment. The final output from the SDSS is in the form of maps at 10m resolution depicting for each grid cell either the most suitable countermeasure or the site suitability for a single countermeasure. This paper discusses the need for a spatial decision support system to optimise remediation strategies, provides an explanation of the methodology behind the system and describes how it can be implemented within the context of a GIS.
Ironstone mine spoil leaves a legacy of land contamination and diffiise water pollution with acidic, metal-rich drainage. Reclamation for woodland may exacerbate water pollution due to spoil ...amendment and disturbance. Constructed wetland systems (CWS) are increasingly used for treating acid mine drainage but their performance is poorly understood. A combined approach was used to reclaim the Benhar ironstone spoil heap in Central Scotland. Trees have been planted in spoil treated with dried pelleted sewage sludge, limestone and peat. Spoil drainage (pH 2.7, 247 mg 1−1 total Fe) passes through a CWS. Spoil throughflow, surface water chemistry and CWS performance were monitored for 12 months after reclamation. Acidity, Fe, Mn and Al concentrations declined in throughflow after reclamation, although this effect was not uniform. Soluble reactive P has been mobilised from the sewage sludge in residual areas of spoil acidity, but losses of other nutrients were short-lived. The CWS removes on average 33 % and 20–40 % of acidity and metal inputs but removal rates decrease in winter. Spoil reclamation has been successful in enabling vegetation establishment but has also increased Fe and Mn concentrations in surface drainage from the site, even after passage through the CWS.
Secondary effects are defined as any positive or negative impacts resulting from the application of countermeasures other than radiological benefits or direct costs. They are categorised into ...environmental, radioecological, economic and social effects. Impacts on the environment may include changes in water, air and soil pollution or in the conservation and amenity value of an area. Radioecological effects occur when the countermeasure unintentionally alters the behaviour of the target radionuclide or any other radionuclide present. Economic effects may range from changes in agricultural income to environmental costs (e.g. impact of soil erosion on fisheries). Social effects relate to the acceptability of countermeasures, for example in terms of consumer confidence and animal welfare. Recent research into the identification and assessment of secondary effects is summarised. Non-quantitative and quantitative approaches are explained and formal evaluation procedures involving decision matrices and decision support systems are introduced. Examples of recent experimental and modelling work focusing on radiocaesium are given for the following countermeasures: soil application of potassium, administration of AFCF to livestock and ploughing techniques.
Soil protection policies are being developed in many countries, particularly those in the European Union where pan-national regulatory frameworks now exist. We report an analysis of a survey of the ...views of a wide range of stakeholders in the soil resource of Scotland, including representatives of rural and urban land users, public bodies and authorities, non-governmental environmental organizations, and soil scientists based in Scotland. The four soil issues considered of particular importance were soil pollution, soil erosion, loss of soils to development, and loss of biodiversity. Comments were strongly polarized, either strongly promoting issues or indicating lack of awareness, on a set of topics: the loss of valued soils, loss of archaeological sites, and changes in terrestrial carbon store. It is argued that an integrated approach is required to implement any future soil protection strategies, and that special attention should be paid to monitoring long-term changes and to provision of soil survey data from urban areas.
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