Blood Lead Level Testing and Retesting Among Newly Arriving Refugee Children, Pennsylvania, 2015-2019.

To (1) determine the prevalence of elevated blood lead levels (EBLLs; ≥ 5 µg/dL) among newly arrived refugee children, (2) understand the demographic characteristics of refugee children with EBLLs, and (3) assess health care providers' compliance with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations for retesting. We matched refugee demographic data (2015-2019) from the CDC's Electronic Disease Notification (EDN) system with lead-testing laboratory report data from the Pennsylvania National Electronic Disease Surveillance System using Match*Pro software. Of 3833 refugee children 16 years or younger in the EDN system, matching identified 3142 children with blood lead level data.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of Florida physicians regarding dengue before and after an educational intervention.

Background: Failure to recognize and appropriately manage dengue early in the clinical course may result in late initiation of supportive treatment for severe disease. In Florida, travel-related and autochthonous dengue occur and are likely under-recognized. The objective of this study was to evaluate physician knowledge of dengue and its management before and after an educational intervention in Florida.

Effect of lameness on sow longevity.

Objective: To analyze the association of lameness and performance variables on sow longevity by use of time-to-event analysis.

Design: Cohort study.

Animals: 674 sows from a commercial breeding herd.

Effect of group size and structure on the welfare and performance of pregnant sows in pens with electronic sow feeders.

Pregnant sows were housed in dynamic, twice-mixed, and static groups of different sizes in pens with electronic sow feeders (ESFs) to study the effect of group size and structure on sow welfare and performance. The total injury score (TIS) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in the dynamic group than in the other groups in general and 2 wk after mixing.

Pain detection and amelioration in animals on the farm: issues and options.

Pain in nonhuman animals is a difficult concept to identify and measure. This article briefly describes the consequences of pain in animals on the farm and explains the reasons for the minimal use of analgesics in farmed animals. Pain can have implications for both animal welfare and economics.

Evaluation of well-being, productivity, and longevity of pregnant sows housed in groups in pens with an electronic sow feeder or separately in gestation stalls.

Objective: To compare well-being, performance, and longevity of gestating sows housed in stalls or in pens with an electronic sow feeder (ESF).

Animals: 382 pregnant sows of parities 1 through 6.

Procedure: Sows were housed in separate stalls (n = 176) or group pens (206) with an ESF.

Sow housing: opportunities, constraints, and unknowns.

As Webster has stated, we have real opportunities to provide incremental improvements to a whole range of welfare factors. We need a disciplined approach that takes into account the skills of farmers, veterinarians, and the whole range of other specialists involved in animal agriculture. Improvement is best based on a model of discovery, transparency, and dialogue.

Evaluation of patterns of removal and associations among culling because of lameness and sow productivity traits in swine breeding herds.

Objective: To characterize patterns of removal and evaluate the associations among culling because of lameness and sow productivity traits among culled gilts and sows.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Sample Population: Data from a convenience sample of 11 farms pertaining to the removal of 51,795 gilts and sows from January 1991 to December 2002.

Comparison of injuries in sows housed in gestation stalls versus group pens with electronic sow feeders.

Objective: To compare the location and severity of injuries in pregnant sows housed in individual gestation stalls with that in pregnant sows housed in dynamic groups in pens with electronic sow feeders.

Design: Prospective study.

Animals: 100 pregnant sows of parity 1 to 3 and various body weights.

Evaluation of the relationship between injuries and size of gestation stalls relative to size of sows.

Objective: To determine whether there is a relationship between sow injuries and size of gestation stalls relative to sow size.

Design: Prospective study.

Animals: 267 pregnant sows.