The challenge of teaching undergraduates evidence-based veterinary medicine

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons now lists 'How to evaluate evidence' as a day one competence for newly qualified vets. In this article, representatives from each of the veterinary schools in the UK discuss how the challenge of delivering and assessing the concepts of evidence-based veterinary medicine in a crowded undergraduate curriculum can be met.

Combined Analysis of Neutrino and Antineutrino Oscillations at T2K

T2K reports its first results in the search for CP violation in neutrino oscillations using appearance and disappearance channels for neutrino- and antineutrino-mode beams. The data include all runs from January 2010 to May 2016 and comprise 7.482×10^{20} protons on target in neutrino mode, which yielded in the far detector 32 e-like and 135  μ-like events, and 7.471×10^{20} protons on target in antineutrino mode, which yielded 4 e-like and 66  μ-like events. Reactor measurements of sin^{2}2θ_{13} have been used as an additional constraint. The one-dimensional confidence interval at 90% for the phase δ_{CP} spans the range (-3.13, -0.39) for normal mass ordering. The CP conservation hypothesis (δ_{CP}=0, π) is excluded at 90% C.L.

Measurement of Coherent π^{+} Production in Low Energy Neutrino-Carbon Scattering

We report the first measurement of the flux-averaged cross section for charged current coherent π^{+} production on carbon for neutrino energies less than 1.5 GeV, and with a restriction on the final state phase space volume in the T2K near detector, ND280. Comparisons are made with predictions from the Rein-Sehgal coherent production model and the model by Alvarez-Ruso et al., the latter representing the first implementation of an instance of the new class of microscopic coherent models in a neutrino interaction Monte Carlo event generator. We observe a clear event excess above background, disagreeing with the null results reported by K2K and SciBooNE in a similar neutrino energy region. The measured flux-averaged cross sections are below those predicted by both the Rein-Sehgal and Alvarez-Ruso et al.

Nine-year results of whole femoral head allograft with articular cartilage for acetabular impaction grafting in revision hip replacement

INTRODUCTION Acetabular impaction bone grafting with a cemented polyethylene socket aims to reconstitute the bone stock in hip revision. This is an effective but resource intensive and time consuming technique. Usually, the articular cartilage is removed from the femoral head allograft. Our objective was to assess the late results of using the whole femoral head, retaining the cartilage. METHODS Forty-two acetabular revisions using impacted morselised bone graft (retaining the articular cartilage) and a cemented socket were studied retrospectively. The mean follow-up duration was 9.3 years (range: 6-13 years). Clinical and radiological assessment was made using the Oxford hip score, the classification of Hodgkinson et al (1988) for socket loosening and the classification of Gie et al (1993) for evaluation of allograft incorporation. RESULTS Twenty-seven sockets (75.0%) were radiologically stable, six (16.7%) were radiologically loose and three (8.3%) had migrated. Thirty cases (83.3%) showed good trabecular remodelling and six (16.74%) showed trabecular incorporation without remodelling. Six patients were lost to follow-up. Kaplan-Meier analysis calculated a survival rate of 94.5% at a mean of 9.3 years (95% confidence interval: 8.1-10.4 years) for all reasons of failure, with two re-revisions. CONCLUSIONS The nine-year results of the aforementioned technique are comparable with other major studies. Particularly when the supply of allograft and operative time are limited, retaining the articular cartilage of the femoral head is a safe and successful alternative.

Evaluating Quality and Adequacy of Gastrointestinal Samples Collected using Reusable or Disposable Forceps

Background

Sample quality of gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsies is of paramount importance for accurate histological diagnosis. Many veterinary practices use reusable forceps as a result of perceived decreased cost. With reusable forceps, it remains unknown whether sample quality declines with repeated use and becomes inferior to single‐use forceps and is therefore more or less cost effective than single‐use forceps.

Hypothesis/Objectives

The study hypothesis was that reusable forceps sample quality would deteriorate after repeated use as compared to single‐use forceps.

Animals

Sixty‐five dogs undergoing gastrointestinal endoscopy for diagnostic investigations at the Hospital for Small Animals, Edinburgh University.

Method

A prospective, pathologist‐blinded study comparing single‐use and reusable alligator standard cup biopsy forceps (Olympus 2.0 mm 1550 mm) with 5 randomized reusable forceps. Sample quality (stomach, duodenum, ileum, and colon) was assessed by a single pathologist using the WSAVA guidelines.

Results

There was no difference in the adequacy, depth, villi number, or crush artifact in the 4 intestinal areas between forceps type with at least 10, and up to 15, repeated uses of the reusable forceps.

Conclusions and clinical importance

This study demonstrates that reusable cup biopsy forceps provide equivalent biopsy quality after repeated uses to single‐use forceps and are cost effective at 10‐case use.

Measurement of Muon Antineutrino Oscillations with an Accelerator-Produced Off-Axis Beam

T2K reports its first measurements of the parameters governing the disappearance of ν[over ¯]_{μ} in an off-axis beam due to flavor change induced by neutrino oscillations. The quasimonochromatic ν[over ¯]_{μ} beam, produced with a peak energy of 0.6 GeV at J-PARC, is observed at the far detector Super-Kamiokande, 295 km away, where the ν[over ¯]_{μ} survival probability is expected to be minimal. Using a data set corresponding to 4.01×10^{20} protons on target, 34 fully contained μ-like events were observed. The best-fit oscillation parameters are sin^{2}(θ[over ¯]_{23})=0.45 and |Δm[over ¯]_{32}^{2}|=2.51×10^{-3}  eV^{2} with 68% confidence intervals of 0.38-0.64 and 2.26-2.80×10^{-3}  eV^{2}, respectively. These results are in agreement with existing antineutrino parameter measurements and also with the ν_{μ} disappearance parameters measured by T2K.