Retaining study participants from this mobile population can be challenging and may warrant additional support.”
“Case Description-An 8-month-old spayed female domestic ferret (Mustela putodus furo) was referred for examination to determine the cause of lethargy and severe anemia.
Clinical Findings-Initial examination revealed that the ferret was lethargic but with appropriate mentation. The only other abnormal findings were severe pallor of the mucous membranes, nasal plenum, and skin and a PCV of 8%. Pure red
cell aplasia (PRCA) was diagnosed on the basis of cytologic evaluation of a bone marrow biopsy specimen.
Treatment and Outcome-Medical treatment included blood transfusions, Fludarabine in vitro IM administration selleck of iron dextran, oral administration of antimicrobials and gastrointestinal tract protectants, and SC administration of erythropoietin. Once PRCA was diagnosed, the ferret was orally administered prednisone, cyclosporine, and azathioprine. Nine months after onset of treatment, the PRCA was in remission and the ferret was doing well. Immunosuppressive
treatment was discontinued at 14 months after onset of treatment, and 36 months after initial examination, the ferret appeared to be healthy.
Clinical Relevance-It is important that PRCA be considered as a differential diagnosis for a ferret with severe anemia. Prolonged immunosuppressive treatment was successful in the ferret described here. (J Am Vet Med Assoc 2010;237:695-700)”
“OBJECTIVE: To assess the robustness of socio-economic inequalities in tuberculosis (TB) prevalence find more surveys.
DESIGN: Data were drawn from the TB prevalence survey conducted
in Lusaka Province, Zambia, in 2005-2006. We compared TB socio-economic inequalities measured through an asset-based index (Index 0) using principal component analysis (PCA) with those observed using three alternative indices: Index 1 and Index 2 accounted respectively for the biases resulting from the inclusion of urban assets and food-related variables in Index 0. Index 3 was built using regression-based analysis instead of PCA to account for the effect of using a different assets weighting strategy.
RESULTS: Household socio-economic position (SEP) was significantly associated with prevalent TB, regardless of the index used; however, the magnitude of inequalities did vary across indices. A strong association was found for Index 2, suggesting that the exclusion of food-related variables did not reduce the extent of association between SEP and prevalent TB. The weakest association was found for Index 1, indicating that the exclusion of urban assets did not lead to higher extent of TB inequalities.
CONCLUSION: TB socio-economic inequalities seem to be robust to the choice of SEP indicator. The epidemiological meaning of the different extent of TB inequalities is unclear. Further studies are needed to confirm our conclusions.