A Collaborative Response to the COVID-19 Challenge: Developing an International Platform for Sharing E-learning Materials for Veterinary Education.

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept through Europe in 2020, veterinary educational institutions faced new challenges overnight: distance learning became imperative, and teachers were forced to develop e-learning material on the fly. As a response to the unfortunate situation, veterinary faculties at three European universities (Utrecht, Copenhagen, Helsinki) applied for and received an Erasmus+ grant to develop an international platform for sharing veterinary e-learning material. Technical and administrative challenges caused a slow start.

Knowledge attainment, learning approaches, and self-perceived study burnout among European veterinary students.

Introduction: This study investigates the relationship between approaches to learning, self-perceived study burnout, and the level of knowledge among veterinary students. Veterinary educational programs are under regular development and would benefit greatly from detailed feedback on students' knowledge, proficiency, influencing factors, and coping mechanisms.

Methods: The VetRepos consortium developed and calibrated an item repository testing knowledge across the entire veterinary curriculum.

Development of a shared item repository for progress testing in veterinary education.

Introduction: Progress testing in education is an assessment principle for the measurement of students' progress over time, e.g., from start to graduation.

A Genome-Wide Association Study of IVGTT-Based Measures of First-Phase Insulin Secretion Refines the Underlying Physiology of Type 2 Diabetes Variants.

Understanding the physiological mechanisms by which common variants predispose to type 2 diabetes requires large studies with detailed measures of insulin secretion and sensitivity. Here we performed the largest genome-wide association study of first-phase insulin secretion, as measured by intravenous glucose tolerance tests, using up to 5,567 individuals without diabetes from 10 studies. We aimed to refine the mechanisms of 178 known associations between common variants and glycemic traits and identify new loci.

Kisspeptin-10 and the G protein-coupled receptor 54 are differentially expressed in the canine pregnant uterus and trophoblast cells.

Uterine tissue was collected from bitches after ovariohysterectomy at different times after ovulation. Samples were assigned to four groups: metestrous non-pregnant, day 10-12, n = 4; pre-implantation, day 10-12, n = 9; post-implantation, day 18-25, n = 13; mid-gestation, day 30-40, n = 7. RT-qPCR detection was performed for kiss1 and the G protein-coupled receptor 54 (GPR54, specific receptor for kisspeptin).