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At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Relationships between the presence of Johne's disease and farm and management factors in dairy cattle in England.

The data collected by a postal questionnaire sent to 3772 randomly selected dairy farmers in England and the border regions in Wales were used to estimate the relationships between the presence of clinical Johne's disease and farm and management factors associated with that disease. Two binary outcomes (case reported in 1993, case reported in 1994) and 27 predictor variables were considered. Only two variables were consistently and significantly associated with clinical disease in multivariable analysis. Farms on which Channel Island breeds were predominant were associated with an increased risk of reporting disease (odds ratios (ORs) ranged from 10.9 to 12.9). The presence of farmed deer on the farm also increased the risk of reporting disease (ORs ranged from 15.2 to 209.3). There were other significant but inconsistent associations involving the source of replacements, age of first-offering hay, type of concentrate feed to calves, and calving in individual pens when the cows were at grass. Since Johne's disease is predominantly subclinical, these contributing factors may play important roles in switching subclinical infection to overt disease.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2005

Multiple sclerosis in Newfoundland and Labrador--a model for disease prevalence.

BACKGROUND: Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, have been almost exclusively populated by immigrants from southwest England and southeast Ireland. The province's population grew largely by natural increase from 20,000 people in 1835 to half a million at present. Very little interregional migration occurred within the province. This uniquely-populated region and its subsequent founder effect provide the basis to develop models of disease prevalence. OBJECTIVES: To develop a model for the regional prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS), accounting for settlement patterns and geographic location (latitude). METHODS: All living MS patients with confirmed addresses (438 patients) in the province were mailed a survey requesting their place of birth. Regional prevalences were calculated from a 75% rate of return of the survey. Theoretical regional prevalences were proportionally calculated from the source prevalences of southwest England, southeast Ireland, Scotland and the Channel Islands based on settlement patterns. These theoretical regional prevalences were corrected for geographical variations of latitude based on observations in the United Kingdom. Theoretical and actual regional prevalences were compared. RESULTS: When actual regional prevalences were compared with theoretical prevalences, very little variation was noted, especially after correcting for variation in latitude. CONCLUSION: A regional variation in MS prevalence is noted in the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador. This regional variation can be modeled by using both migration patterns and latitudinal position. This model demonstrates that the prevalence of MS is influenced by both genetic and environmental contributions.

Emigration and Immigration↗
PubMed2000

Revision of Lyonothamnus A. Gray (Rosaceae) from the Neogene of Western North America.

Lyonothamnus Gray is a monotypic genus of evergreen trees endemic to California's Channel Islands. There is one species, L. floribundus, with two subspecies, ssp. floribundus and ssp. asplenifolius. Subspecies floribundus has simple and entire-margined leaves, while leaves of ssp. asplenifolius are pinnate and composed of three to seven primary segments. Despite its restricted modern occurrence, three fossil species have been described from Neogene paleofloras in the far western United States. Lyonothamnus mohavensis Axelrod is known from California; L. parvifolius (Axelrod) Wolfe and L. cedrusensis Axelrod, from Nevada. However, the size ranges used to segregate these species were all found to fall within the range of L. parvifolius from Stewart Valley, Nevada. Study of intact leaves reveals that the combination of (1) number of primary segments, (2) length of primary segments, (3) number of medial secondary segments per primary segment, and (4) lengths and widths of medial secondary segments is important in segregating species. Using these characters, L. parvifolius and L. wolfei Erwin et Schorn sp. nov. are recognized from Nevada and Oregon, and two species, L. mohavensis and L. axelrodii Erwin et Schorn sp. nov., from California. This renewed taxonomy within an updated temporal framework provides an important first step toward understanding the evolution, diversity, paleoecology, and paleobiogeographic history of this unusual member of the Rosaceae.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

High levels of genetic polymorphism in the insular endemic herb Jepsonia malvifolia.

Jepsonia malvifolia is a long-lived perennial herb endemic to the Channel Islands of southern California and Guadalupe Island, Mexico. Twelve populations of J. malvifolia on San Clemente Island were surveyed for their genotype at 21 allozyme loci, revealing high levels of genetic polymorphism. For all individuals across San Clemente Island, 95.2% of loci are polymorphic with A(p) = 2.90 and H(e) = 0.179. Populations averaged 60.2% polymorphic loci with A(p) = 2.42 and H(e) = 0.158. Most variation is found within rather than among populations (G(ST) = 0.101), although differentiation among populations is significant. Genetic identities range from 0.936 to 0.999 with mean I = 0.975. There is no significant relationship between genetic and geographic distance. Gene flow among populations is Nm = 9.5 based on private alleles and Nm = 2.2 based on F(ST). Outcrossing rates based on fixation indices average t = 0.753, indicating a primarily outcrossed mating system. The genetic variation observed is unusually high for an insular endemic herb and indicates that J. malvifolia is unlikely to be endangered by genetic factors.

Enzymes↗
PubMed2000

Matched-field processing, geoacoustic inversion, and source signature recovery of blue whale vocalizations.

Matched-field processing (MFP) and global inversion techniques have been applied to vocalizations from four whales recorded on a 48-element tilted vertical array off the Channel Islands in 1996. Global inversions from selected whale calls using as few as eight elements extracted information about the surrounding ocean bottom composition, array shape, and the animal's position. These inversion results were then used to conduct straightforward MFP on other calls. The sediment sound-speed inversion estimates are consistent with those derived from sediment samples collected in the area. In general, most animals swam from the east to west, but one animal remained within approximately 500 m of its original position over 45 min. All whales vocalized between 10 and 40 m depth. Three acoustic sequences are discussed in detail: the first illustrating a match between an acoustic track and visual sighting, the second tracking two whales to ranges out to 8 km, and the final sequence demonstrating high-resolution dive profiles from an animal that changed its course to avoid the research platform FLIP (floating instrument platform). This last whale displayed an unusual diversity of signals that include three strong frequency-modulated (FM) downsweeps which contain possible signs of an internal resonance. The arrival of this same whale coincided with a sudden change in oceanographic conditions.

Acoustics↗
PubMed2006

Strong top-down control in southern California kelp forest ecosystems.

Global-scale changes in anthropogenic nutrient input into marine ecosystems via terrestrial runoff, coupled with widespread predator removal via fishing, have created greater urgency for understanding the relative role of top-down versus bottom-up control of food web dynamics. Yet recent large-scale studies of community regulation in marine ecosystems have shown dramatically different results that leave this issue largely unresolved. We combined a multiyear, large-scale data set of species abundances for 46 species in kelp forests from the California Channel Islands with satellite-derived primary production and found that top-down control explains 7- to 10-fold more of the variance in abundance of bottom and mid-trophic levels than does bottom-up control. This top-down control was propagated via a variety of species-level direct and indirect responses to predator abundance. Management of top-down influences such as fishing may be more important in coastal marine ecosystems, particularly in kelp forest systems, than is commonly thought.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Tackling the tobacco challenge: achieving 'healthy public policy' in tobacco control in Guernsey.

Scientific evidence identifying smoking as the major cause of poor health and premature death in both industrialised and increasingly in developing countries is now overwhelming. Despite this, for a variety of reasons, there has been reluctance amongst many Governments including that of Britain, to take all logical action necessary to restrict and reduce smoking, especially amongst the young. The States of Guernsey in the Channel Islands has recently agreed to introduce an integrated package of measures designed specifically to make smoking less attractive and less accessible and less affordable to young people in an attempt to reduce the number of addicted adult smokers. These measures include a total ban of all public advertising of tobacco, apart from at point of sale, a substantial price rise followed by further price rises for a minimum period of five years, a raising of the minimum age for the purchase of tobacco from 16 to 18 years, an increase in the size and content of pack health warnings, and increased funding for specific nonsmoking health promotion activities. The various barriers to achieving these reforms are described.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Psychological services for people with stroke: compliance with the U.K. National Clinical Guidelines.

BACKGROUND: The UK National Clinical Guidelines for Stroke (2000) include recommendations on psychological services. The third National Sentinel Audit of Stroke was completed in 2001-2002. OBJECTIVES: To examine the extent to which UK stroke services complied with the national guidelines. DESIGN: Use of three retrospective case note audits of hospital admissions, covering the period from admission to six months after discharge, and audits of how stroke services were organized. SETTING: Hospitals within England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. SUBJECTS: Stroke patients admitted consecutively within a three-month time frame. MAIN MEASURES: Compliance with the guidelines on mood disorders and cognitive impairments, and changes between audits. RESULTS: The 2001-2002 audit provided data on 60% of possible participants, from 145 hospitals and 5152 patients. Compliance with the guideline to screen for mood disturbance was poor; the median patient compliance rate of hospitals was 50%. More hospitals (88%) had a locally agreed cognitive assessment protocol in 2001-2002 than in 1998 (68%) and in 1999 (82%). However, actual rates of screening for cognitive difficulties were lower than implied by the existence of a local protocol. There were no strong case-mix associates of mood and cognitive screening. Access to clinical psychologists was poor. Mood and cognitive assessment rates were not much better for stroke units with access to clinical psychologists than for units without access (mood: p = 0.6, cognition: p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: Although compliance with some of the guidelines has improved, many areas in current psychological services for stroke urgently need attention.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Nursing in war-time Guernsey: a preliminary review.

The research for this article was carried out in the Channel Island of Guernsey during 1996-97 and focuses on the remarkable resilience of a small group of nurses as they strove to provide an emergency hospital service to the civilian population of Guernsey between 1940 and 1945, during which time German forces were in occupation. Insights are provided into a unique period of nursing history, giving a flavour of the harsh environment in which care was provided. Hospital records at the time described a nurse as 'someone who earns her living nursing', therefore the title 'nurse' is used collectively to describe both the qualified State Registered Nurse and the unqualified junior staff. The article is part of an ongoing oral history project representing a collaborative venture between the Department of Health Studies at the University of Lincolnshire and Humberside, and the School of Healthcare Studies at the University of Leeds. Data for this study were obtained from a series of semi-structured audio-taped interviews with 13 former nurses who worked at the States of Guernsey Emergency Hospital during the occupation. Supporting data were derived from official archives, news reports and other published literature. The article is based on the author's inaugural lecture delivered at The University of Lincoln Campus, Friday 30 May 1997.

Germany↗
PubMed2000

Barriers to gene flow in Embiotoca jacksoni, a marine fish lacking a pelagic larval stage.

Marine species generally show high dispersal capabilities, which should be accompanied by high levels of gene flow and low speciation rates. However, studies that focused on the relationship between dispersal and gene flow in marine fishes have been inconclusive. This study focuses on the black surfperch, Embiotoca jacksoni, a temperate reef fish that lacks a pelagic larval stage and lives on almost continuous reefs along the California and Baja California coasts. Mitochondrial control-region sequences from 240 individuals were obtained, and phylogeographic patterns were analyzed. A major phylogeographic break was found at Santa Monica Bay, a sandy expanse that prevents adult dispersal. Deep water separating the southern California Channel Islands was also found to be a major barrier to gene flow. Minor phylogeographic breaks were also detected in the Big Sur/Morro Bay and in the Punta Eugenia/Guerrero Negro regions, but none in the Point Conception region. Gene flow levels in E. jacksoni were found to be almost identical to those of another species with limited dispersal, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, thus indicating that the lack of a pelagic larval stage combined with barriers to adult dispersal may have had similar effects on these two species.

Animals↗
PubMed1985

An epizootic of leptospirosis in California sea lions.

Between May and December 1984, an epizootic of leptospirosis in California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) occurred along the west coast of the United States from Monterey County, Calif, northward to Seattle, Wash. Clinical signs observed were severe depression, excessive thirst, and tucked-up posturing, with associated leukocytosis and increased globulin, BUN, and creatinine values. Effective antibiotic therapy consisted of tetracycline (22 mg/kg of body weight every 8 hours, orally) or potassium penicillin G (44,000 U/kg every 12 hours, orally or IM) for 10 to 14 days. Sixty-six sea lions were treated successfully and released. Necropsies of animals that died indicated marked kidney swelling, darkened reniculi, and poorly differentiated cortices and medullae, thick, black bile in gallbladders, thick, pale yellow pericardial fluid, and friable hemorrhagic mesentery. Primary histologic lesions were tubular nephritis and glomerulonephritis. Darkfield microscopy of kidney macerates and/or urine, and results of the microscopic agglutination test, using Leptospira serovar pomona-killed antigen led to a presumptive diagnosis of leptospirosis. Bacteriologic isolation and identification is ongoing. The epizootic primarily affected juvenile or subadult male California sea lions migrating northward from breeding rookeries of southern California's Channel Islands.

Animal Population Groups↗
PubMed1995

Legionnaires' disease surveillance: England and Wales 1994.

One hundred and sixty cases of legionnaires' disease in England and Wales were reported to the PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre in 1994, a rate of 3.1 cases per million population. Twenty-seven cases died. Eighty-nine cases (56%) were associated with travel, either in the United Kingdom (UK) or abroad, and six with a stay in hospital; the remaining cases were presumed to have acquired infection in the community. Seven outbreaks were detected in England and Wales: one was associated with a holiday centre, one with a hotel in London, two with industrial sites, and three occurred in the community. A further four clusters were associated with travel abroad: Spain, Ibiza, the Channel Islands, and a Mediterranean cruise. One hundred and twenty-eight of the 160 cases (79%) were sporadic--that is, not known to be associated with outbreaks--43 of which (34%) were not associated with travel nor acquired in hospital.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Associations between altered immune function and organochlorine contamination in young Caspian terns (Sterna caspia) from Lake Huron, 1997-1999.

Previous studies of laboratory animals and wildlife species have demonstrated the immunotoxicity of organochlorines. This study confirmed that associations between organochlorines and suppressed T cell function and enhanced antibody production in young Caspian terns from the Great Lakes, first observed in the early 1990s, continued into the late 1990s. These associations were based on measurement of organochlorines in plasma of individuals and pooled egg samples. During 1997-99, immune function, hematological variables, and organochlorine contamination were measured in prefledgling Caspian terns at two Lake Huron colonies: Channel Shelter Island (Confined Disposal Facility) at the mouth of the Saginaw River in southern Saginaw Bay and Elm Island in the North Channel. Elevated organochlorine exposure, reproductive effects, and decreased recruitment have been documented previously in the Saginaw Bay colony. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in eggs and plasma and 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(p)chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) in plasma were consistently higher in Saginaw Bay compared to the North Channel. The mean phytohemagglutinin (PHA) skin test, a measure of T lymphocyte function, was 42% lower in Saginaw Bay. Regression analyses showed strong negative associations between the PHA response and plasma PCBs and, to a slightly lesser degree, DDE. Despite interyear differences, total antibody titers following immunization with sheep red blood cells were higher in Saginaw Bay than the North Channel. Titers were positively associated with plasma PCBs and DDE. Plasma PCBs and DDE were negatively correlated with the percentage of monocytes and positively correlated with the percentage of basophils.

Animals↗