The future demand for and potential shortages of food-supply veterinarians have been the subject of much concern. Using the Delphi forecasting method in a three-phase Web-based survey process, a panel of experts identified the trends and issues shaping the demand for and supply of academic food-animal veterinarians, then forecasted the likely future demand and shortages of food-supply veterinarians employed in academic institutions in the United States and Canada through 2016. The results indicate that there will be increasing future demand and persistent shortages of academic food-supply veterinarians unless current trends are countered with targeted, strategic action. The Delphi panel also evaluated the effectiveness of several strategies for reversing current trends and increasing the number of food-supply veterinarians entering into academic careers. Academic food-supply veterinarians are a key link in the system that produces food-supply veterinarians for all sectors (private practice, government service, etc.); shortages in the academic sector will amplify shortages wherever food-supply veterinarians are needed. Even fairly small shortages have significant public-health, food-safety, animal-welfare, and bio-security implications. Recent events demonstrate that in an increasingly interconnected global economic food supply system, national economies and public health are at risk unless an adequate supply of appropriately trained food-supply veterinarians is available to counter a wide variety of threats ranging from animal and zoonotic diseases to bioterrorism.
To review a series of farm injuries in the parkland region of Manitoba, compare the collected data to similar studies, and provide a baseline for deriving effective preventive measures for the local community.
Retrospective case study involving review of hospital charts.
The population studied was derived from the catchment area for Dauphin General Hospital, a referral centre servicing an agricultural region of 57,000 people.
Seventy-two patients were admitted to hospital between January 1981 and December 1991 after being injured by agricultural machines, farm animals, herbicides or other chemicals, and fertilizers. Four fatalities were identified through a review of local medical examiner records, for a total of 76 cases.
The following data were abstracted for each case: sex, age, time and date of injury, cause, type of injury, and body part involved.
Most cases involved men, between the ages of 20 and 69, during the afternoon and early evening with a seasonal peak in late summer. More than 60% of injuries were caused by agricultural machinery, followed by animal-related injuries (25%). Grain augers were the most common type of machine causing injury (35%). All patients younger than 9 years were female, and 75% of their injuries involved farm animals. A decreasing annual frequency of farm injuries was noted over the 11-year period. Fewer accidents involving farm machinery appear most responsible for this trend.
Many agriculture-related injuries occur in the parkland region of Manitoba. The type and pattern of injuries observed resembles those documented in other studies. With effective education and preventive measures, most injuries and fatalities could be prevented. Physicians are obliged to encourage and support educational programs in their communities and to review safety practices with patients.
Notes
Cites: Can Med Assoc J. 1978 Mar 4;118(5):519-22630513
Cites: Pediatrics. 1989 Feb;83(2):267-712913557
Cites: Ann Intern Med. 1981 Sep;95(3):312-47271092
Cites: J Occup Med. 1982 Feb;24(2):142-57057283
Cites: J Trauma. 1984 Feb;24(2):150-26694241
Cites: Am J Ind Med. 1990;18(2):179-922206049
Cites: Occup Med. 1991 Jul-Sep;6(3):529-391948533
Cites: Am J Ind Med. 1992;21(5):619-221609809
Cites: Am J Ind Med. 1992;21(5):623-361609810
Cites: J Trauma. 1978 Feb;18(2):134-6344902
Cites: Am Fam Physician. 1988 Oct;38(4):233-443051979
Cites: Pediatrics. 1985 Oct;76(4):562-64047799
Cites: Pediatrics. 1985 Oct;76(4):567-734047800
Cites: J Emerg Med. 1985;3(3):205-104093573
Cites: J Trauma. 1986 Jun;26(6):559-603723625
Cites: Scand J Prim Health Care. 1987 May;5(2):91-93616279
Cites: CMAJ. 1988 Jan 15;138(2):168-93334932
Cites: Am Surg. 1988 Apr;54(4):192-43355015
Comment In: Can Fam Physician. 1995 Oct;41:16708829575
Comment In: Can Fam Physician. 1995 Jul;41:1141-527647614
BACKGROUND: Farmers' children are less frequently sensitized to common allergens than the non-farmers' children, but less is known about their sensitization to other allergens and its association with clinical diseases. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of farm environment with atopic sensitization, allergic diseases, expression of allergen-induced symptoms, and the importance of specific sensitization against 'common' (timothy, dog, cat, birch, Dermatophagoides pteronyssimus, mugwort) and 'other' (cockroach, horse, Lepidoglyphus destructor, cow) allergens for asthma and allergic diseases in children. METHODS: A cross-sectional study including 344 farmers' and 366 non-farmers' children aged 6-13 years in eastern Finland, using a self-administered written questionnaire and skin prick tests against the above-mentioned allergens. RESULTS: Farmers' children had less asthma and allergic diseases and were less often sensitized against common allergens than the non-farmers' children. However, little difference was observed in sensitization against the other allergens between the farmers' (17.2%) and non-farmers (14.5%) children [adjusted odds ratios (aOR) 1.11 (0.71-1.72)]. Being sensitized against only other allergens, without sensitization against common allergens, was unrelated to asthma or allergic diseases. Among the single allergens, sensitization against pets or pollen, or against horse or cow, had the strongest association with asthma, hayfever, and atopic eczema; no such association was seen in D. pteronyssimus, mugwort, cockroach, or L. destructor. Farmers' children had significantly less often symptoms of allergic rhinitis in contact with dog (aOR 0.32%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15-0.67), cat (aOR 0.45, 0.22-0.88), or pollen (aOR 0.58%, 95% CI 0.37-0.90) than the non-farmers' children. CONCLUSION: Farm environment reduces the occurrence of asthma, allergic diseases, and atopic sensitization in children, and also the occurrence of allergen-induced rhinitis. Remarkable differences were observed between single allergens in their association with allergic disease, stressing the importance of allergen selection when defining atopy in epidemiological studies.
To investigate the prevalence of atopic disease among Finnish day care children and the relationship between atopy and environmental factors.
A cross-sectional study of 594 day care children aged 1-6 years from Helsinki, Finland. Each child's history of atopic diseases and environmental exposure was collected in a questionnaire completed by the parents.
The prevalence of diagnosed asthma was 0.9% for the 1-3-year olds and 5.5% for the 4-6-year olds, atopic eczema/dermatis was 16% in both groups, and allergic rhinitis 5% in the younger group, 9% in the older group. According to multivariable logistic regression models, breastfeeding (exclusive > or =4 months or partial > or =6 months) reduced the risk of atopic diseases (OR = 0.60; CI(95) 0.39-0.93, p = 0.021). Atopic diseases were more common in the oldest age group, 5-6-year olds, compared to the youngest, 1-2-year olds (OR = 2.18; CI(95) 1.14-4.15, p = 0.018). One parent with atopic disease increased the child's risk (OR = 1.89; CI(95) 1.20-2.97, p = 0.006), more so if both parents had a history (OR = 3.17; CI(95) 1.48-6.78, p = 0.003).
Our results support the hypothesis that breastfeeding for at least six months may protect against atopic diseases. The child's greater age (5-6 years) and parental history of atopic diseases increased the risk of atopy.
Although the cultural and nutritive importance of the turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) to precontact Native Americans and contemporary people worldwide is clear, little is known about the domestication of this bird compared to other domesticates. Mitochondrial DNA analysis of 149 turkey bones and 29 coprolites from 38 archaeological sites (200 BC-AD 1800) reveals a unique domesticated breed in the precontact Southwestern United States. Phylogeographic analyses indicate that this domestic breed originated from outside the region, but rules out the South Mexican domestic turkey (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) as a progenitor. A strong genetic bottleneck within the Southwest turkeys also reflects intensive human selection and breeding. This study points to at least two occurrences of turkey domestication in precontact North America and illuminates the intensity and sophistication of New World animal breeding practices.
Notes
Cites: Mol Ecol. 2002 Apr;11(4):643-5711972754
Cites: Bioinformatics. 2003 Aug 12;19(12):1572-412912839
