Preparing pharmacy students to communicate effectively with adolescents.

Objectives: To develop an elective workshop designed to equip pharmacy students with skills to effectively communicate with adolescents. To conduct preliminary evaluation of the workshop to assess its impact on pharmacy student perceived confidence and knowledge relating to the importance of adolescent counselling and counselling techniques.

Methods: Academics from three universities in three countries collaborated on the workshop development and evaluation.

Comparison of an inertial sensor system with a stationary force plate for evaluation of horses with bilateral forelimb lameness.

Objective: To assess the analytic sensitivity of an inertial sensor system for detection of the more severely affected forelimb in horses with bilateral lameness.

Animals: 18 adult horses with forelimb lameness.

Procedures: Horses were fitted with inertial sensors and evaluated for lameness with a stationary force plate as they were trotted in a straight line.

The use of force plate measurements to titrate the dosage of a new COX-2 inhibitor in lame horses.

Reasons For Performing Study: Lameness is a highly prevalent condition in horses and the principal cause of removal from athletic activity. In clinical studies to evaluate nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug therapies, force plates are commonly used to assess improvement of lameness objectively.

Hypothesis: To use a force plate to determine the optimal dose of a new COX-2 inhibitor (firocoxib) that will reduce lameness, when administered orally to horses once daily.

Comparison of efficacy and safety of paste formulations of firocoxib and phenylbutazone in horses with naturally occurring osteoarthritis.

Objective: To compare efficacy and safety of paste formulations of firocoxib and phenylbutazone in horses with naturally occurring osteoarthritis.

Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial.

Animals: 253 client-owned horses with naturally occurring osteoarthritis.