The Objective Structured Clinical Examination: three decades of development

The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) has become a standard for performance-based assessment in many health professions. Originally developed for assessment in medical schools, the OSCE has been widely adopted for teaching, assessment, and certification purposes in most health professions. This article outlines the reasons for the rapid uptake of OSCEs and explores some of the key features of OSCE development that have implications for use in veterinary medicine.     

Detection and Monitoring of Larger Grain Borer, Prostephanus truncatus (Horn) (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)

Methods for detecting and for monitoring Prostephanus truncatus(Horn) are crucial components in phyto- sanitary control, research programmes and pest management against this beetle. P. truncatus is unusual in that its populations are distributed widely between natural habitats and stores holding maize grain and dried cassava roots, which necessitates a similarly wide range of sampling methodologies. This review considers successful and unsuccessful approaches to sampling the pest populations in both stores and the natural environment and concludes with a consideration of how monitoring could contribute to integrated pest management for P. truncatus.     

两轮多重反转录巢式PCR方法扩增全长GalUR基因

研究了两轮多重反转录巢式PCR扩增全长基因的方法.先用多重巢式引物和cDNA进行第1轮PCR扩增;再用纯化的第1轮PCR产物和相同的引物进行第2轮扩增;最后通过改变Mg^2＋浓度、退火时间和退火温度进行PCR条件的优化,以增加PCR扩增的产量,用于克隆.结果显示该方法方便和快速地扩增出了草莓（Fragaria ananassa cv.SweatCharlie）高产量和高质量的全长GalUR基因,也非常快速地扩增出了用于基因构建的带有酶切位点的全长GalUR基因.该方法也可以用于其它全长基因的克隆.     

Using a modified ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) assay for detection of lipid hydroperoxides in plant tissue.

The ferrous oxidation-xylenol orange (FOX) assay was adapted for quantifying lipid hydroperoxides (LOOHs) in plant extracts. Excised pieces of several fruit and vegetable species were exposed to 83 kJ m(-2) day(-1) of biologically effective ultraviolet B irradiance (UV-B(BE)) for 10-12 days to induce cellular oxidation. The LOOH and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations of these plant tissues were assessed with the FOX and iodometric assays for the former and a modified TBARS assay for the latter. There was generally good agreement between the FOX and iodometric methods both prior to and following the UV exposure. However, the iodometric assay appeared to have some difficulty in consistently quantifying lower LOOH levels (<11 microM), whereas the FOX assay measured LOOH concentrations as low as 5 microM. All tissues exhibited UV-induced increases in TBARS, indicating a marked degree of cellular oxidation in the exposed tissue segments. Compared with the iodometric assay, the FOX method consistently generated less variable LOOH values. The presence of authentic linoleic acid-OOHs in spiked avocado and spinach samples (11 microM) was identified with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry techniques, which validated corresponding FOX assay results. The FOX method is inexpensive, is not sensitive to ambient O2 or light levels, and can rapidly generate LOOH measurements. The physiological value of the FOX assay resides in its ability to measure initial rather than more advanced fatty acid oxidation; hence, early membrane-associated stress events in plant tissue can be detected.     

Lymphoscintigraphy in healthy dogs and dogs with experimentally created thoracic duct abnormalities.

Lymphoscintigraphic evaluation of the thoracic duct (TD) was performed in 10 healthy and 12 dogs with experimentally created TD abnormalities (6 dogs with TD lacerations and 6 dogs with cranial vena ligations). Complete imaging took 4 hours and caused no adverse effects or complications. Lymphoscintigraphy of healthy dogs failed to image the TD; however, background activity in the abdomen and thorax, and radioactivity in the kidneys, bladder, liver, and heart were noticed. Lacerations and transections of the TD were experimentally created in 6 dogs to ascertain whether TD rupture could be detected with lymphoscintigraphy. Lymphoscintigraphy was performed within 48 hours of creating the TD defect. There was no significant difference in the scintigraphic pattern of healthy dogs and those with experimentally created TD defects. Ligation of the cranial vena cava was performed in 6 dogs; 3 dogs developed chylothorax. In those 3 dogs, diffuse radioactivity was imaged in the thorax and was compatible with thoracic lymphangiectasia. In one of these dogs, linear activity consistent with the TD and localized regions of radioactivity cranial to the heart (compatible with the mediastinal lymph nodes) were noticed. Lymphoscintigraphic findings in these dogs correlated with lymphangiographic findings.     

Effect of sight barriers in pens of breeding ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) II. Reproductive parameters

1. The effects of sight barriers in the pens of breeding ring-necked pheasants were investigated on a commercial game farm over a 10-week laying season. 2. Reproductive performance was recorded as egg production, numbers of eggs rejected for hatching together with measures of fertility, embryonic mortality and hatchability for 11 pens with barriers and 11 pens that were left open and acted as controls. 3. Egg production per pen and the numbers of rejected eggs were not significantly affected by the presence of the barriers. 4. Fertility was significantly higher and persisted for longer in the barrier pens, particularly towards the end of the laying season. 5. Embryonic mortality was unaffected by the presence of the barriers but hatchability was significantly lower in the open pens, which was associated with lower levels of fertility. 6. Establishing sight barriers in breeder pens for commercial pheasants would appear not only to offer improved welfare but also significant commercial advantages.