Biomedical subjects

R M McDowell

Publications and source records attributed to R M McDowell.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1998

Risk assessment and economic analysis for managing risks to human health from pathogenic microorganisms in the food supply.

Risk managers increasingly face having to justify their decisions in allocating limited resources. These decisions may include prioritizing hazards, determining appropriate levels of safety, and identifying and selecting optimal risk reduction strategies. These decisions require making choices among alternatives, choices that may be difficult because they invariably involve trade-offs. Integrating risk assessment and economic analyses can aid decision making by determining the benefits and costs of alternative actions. Risk assessment and economic analysis provide the measurement tools that will facilitate intelligent, informed, risk management and will enable effective and efficient resource allocation decisions.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗

PubMed1997

Long-term sequelae to foodborne disease.

Most of the concern about foodborne disease has been focused on the immediate effects of acute infection. Recent information has shown that many of these foodborne infections also have long-term sequelae with serious health effects and a significant economic impact. To increase the awareness of animal health professionals to these sequelae, the authors discuss two groups of sequelae which are strongly associated with preceding infection (reactive arthritides, including Reiter's syndrome, and the Guillain-Barré syndrome) as well as the possible association between Crohn's disease and Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. The discussion includes a description of the disease syndromes along with epidemiological and economic information. More reliable epidemiologial and economic data on chronic sequelae to foodborne disease will be needed for future evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of mitigation strategies to reduce the occurrence of foodborne pathogens.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

An assessment of the risk of foreign animal disease introduction into the United States of America through garbage from Alaskan cruise ships.

The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) has been exploring methods of quantitative risk assessment to support decision-making, provide risk management options and identify research needs. With current changes in world trade, regulatory decisions must have a scientific basis which is transparent, consistent, documentable and defensible. These quantitative risk assessment methods are described in an accompanying paper in this issue. In the present article, the authors provide an illustration by presenting an application of these methods. Prior to proposing changes in regulations, USDA officials requested an assessment of the risk of introduction of foreign animal disease to the United States of America through garbage from Alaskan cruise ships. The risk assessment team used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate this question. Quantitative risk assessment methods were used to estimate the amount of materials of foreign origin being sent to Alaskan landfills. This application of quantitative risk assessment illustrates the flexibility of the methods in addressing specific questions. By applying these methods, specific areas were identified where more scientific information and research were needed. Even with limited information, the risk assessment provided APHIS management with a scientific basis for a regulatory decision.

Alaska↗

PubMed1993

Developing a quantitative risk assessment process.

The international animal health community is advocating a more widespread use of quantitative risk assessment in making international trade decisions. In this article, the authors explain why quantitative risk assessment is a valuable tool, outline a process with key steps for developing a quantitative risk assessment, and describe a method for quantifying the uncertainty associated with the results of a risk assessment.

Animal Diseases↗

PubMed1993

Standardization of nomenclature for animal health risk analysis.

The authors propose standard definitions for terms and concepts commonly used in agricultural risk analysis. The differences between risk analysis and risk assessment are explained, and the relationship of these two terms with the more familiar terms "epidemiology" and "biostatistics" is discussed. The authors stress the importance of differentiating words and phrases which share similar sounds but are subtly different, and the necessity of developing a common nomenclature in agricultural risk analysis. An opportunity is provided for readers to comment on the definitions presented.

Agriculture↗

PubMed1973

Bone morphogenesis in implants of insoluble bone gelatin.

Insoluble bone gelatin with inclusions of insoluble noncollagenous protein produces new bone when implanted in muscle in allogeneic rats. The implanted residue provides the milieu for expression of bone morphogenetic potential of migratory mesenchymal cells. Neutral buffer solutions activate endogenous enzymes that degrade components essential for cell interactions and differentiation of bone. Chloroform-methanol either denatures or extracts constituents responsible for degradation. Insoluble bone gelatin produces new bone after extraction at 2 degrees with neutral salts, 0.5 M EDTA, 0.1 M Tris.HCl, 4 M urea, 0.5 M hydroxylamine, and 10 M KCNS, as well as after limited digestion with pepsin or collagenase, but not after extraction with 5 M guanidine, 7 M urea, water saturated with phenol, or after alkali hydrolysis with 0.1 N NaOH. The specific activity of cell populations interacting with insoluble bone gelatin suggests that a chemical bond between collagen and a noncollagenous protein or part of a protein, cleaved by a neutral proteinase, controls the bone morphogenetic reaction.

Animals↗