Direct Measurement of Veterinary Student Learning Outcomes for the NAVMEC Professional Competencies in a Multi-User Virtual Learning Environment.

Education in veterinary medicine, as in other allied health care-health science professions and academia in general, has been subject to the public call for accountability for the quality of its student learning outcomes. A principal stakeholder in veterinary medicine is the American Veterinary Medical Association-Council on Education (AVMA-COE). AVMA-COE has adopted program accreditation standards requiring veterinary colleges to provide evidence that they are measuring and assessing the clinical competency of students before graduation and again shortly after graduation.

Preparation and Response for Flooding Events in Beef Cattle.

Flooding appears to be occurring at an increased frequency and severity, resulting in significant losses to the beef cattle industry. Responding to the needs of beef cattle is a resource-intense occurrence and beyond that provided by most local jurisdictions. It is incumbent on livestock producers to develop continuity of operations or emergency plans designed to limit the financial losses and compromised animal welfare that occur when livestock are exposed to flood conditions.

Management of a pet dog after exposure to a human patient with Ebola virus disease.

In October 2014, a health-care worker who had been part of the treatment team for the first laboratory-confirmed case of Ebola virus disease imported to the United States developed symptoms of Ebola virus disease. A presumptive positive reverse transcription PCR assay result for Ebola virus RNA in a blood sample from the worker was confirmed by the CDC, making this the first documented occurrence of domestic transmission of Ebola virus in the United States. The Texas Department of State Health Services commissioner issued a control order requiring disinfection and decontamination of the health-care worker's residence.

Evaluating geostatistical modeling of exceedance probability as the first step in disease cluster investigations: very low birth weights near toxic Texas sites.

Background: The first step in evaluating potential geographic clusters of disease calls for an evaluation of the disease risk comparing the risk in a defined location to the risk in neighboring locations. Environmental exposures, however, represent continuous exposure levels across space not an exposure with a distinct boundary. The objectives of the current study were to adapt, apply and evaluate a geostatistical approach for identifying disease clusters.

How a disaster preparedness rotation helps teach the seven NAVMEC professional competencies: the Texas A&M University Experience.

Changing societal expectations provide new challenges and opportunities for the veterinary medical profession. These changing expectations and approaches to the education of veterinary students in the future are reflected in the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium's report "Roadmap for Veterinary Medical Education in the 21st Century: Responsive, Collaborative, Flexible." They are also reflected in the expectations of the populace, who no longer find it acceptable that animals are not included in both planning for and responding to natural or manmade disasters.

Risk factors associated with nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome in horses.

Objective: To determine risk factors associated with the development of nasopharyngeal cicatrix syndrome (NCS) in horses.

Design: Retrospective case-control study.

Animals: 242 horses referred for endoscopic evaluation of the upper portion of the respiratory tract (121 horses with NCS and 121 control horses).

Serologic and bacteriologic culture prevalence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in goats and sheep and use of Bayesian analysis to determine value of assay results for prediction of future infection.

Objective: To determine the serologic and bacteriologic culture prevalence of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in sheep and goats and the value of such assays for prediction of future development of caseous lymphadenitis (CL).

Design: Observational study.

Animals: 919 goats and sheep in 3 herds in southwest Texas.

Risks of childhood cancer among Texas watersheds, based on mothers' living locations at the time of birth.

Cancer is the most common fatal disease among US children. The fetus has reduced resistance to toxic injury and is especially prone to mutagenic injury because of the high rate of cell division. A fetus can be exposed to environmental toxins through maternal consumption of contaminated water.

Comparison of three treatment regimens for sheep and goats with caseous lymphadenitis.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of 3 treatment regimens for small ruminants with caseous lymphadenitis.

Design: Randomized clinical trial.

Animals: 44 client-owned sheep and goats.

Use of Walpole's solution for treatment of goats with urolithiasis: 25 cases (2001-2006).

Objective: To determine results of ultrasound-guided cystocentesis and percutaneous infusion of Walpole's solution for treatment of male goats with urolithiasis.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 25 male goats with urolithiasis treated with Walpole's solution.

An evaluation of the health status of the Lavaca Bay, Texas ecosystem using Crassostrea virginica as the sentinel species.

Locational risks for compromised ecosystem health for the eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) harvested from Lavaca Bay, Texas were estimated. Flow cytometric evaluation of variations in DNA content and the lysosomal destabilization assay were used for evaluation of genotoxicity and stress, respectively. Bayesian geo-statistical methods were utilized to estimate and evaluate spatial effects.

Geostatistical analysis of DNA damage in oysters, Crassostrea virginica, in Lavaca Bay, Texas.

This study evaluated the health of the marine ecosystem in Lavaca Bay, Texas using the Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) as the sentinel species. Lavaca Bay has a history of having gradients of concentrations of pollutants present with some areas containing concentrations high enough to pose a threat to marine ecosystem health. The Comet assay was used to evaluate for the presence of genotoxic response in oyster hematocytes.

Geostatistical analysis of biomarkers of genotoxicity in cattle, Bos taurus and Bos taurus x Bos indicus, sentinels near industrial facilities.

This study, performed at the behest of ranchers living and working down-prevailing wind from industrial facilities located in Calhoun County, Texas investigated locational risks to ecosystem health associated with proximity to specific industrial complexes. Concerns expressed were for potential genotoxicity in cattle resulting from the release of complex chemical mixtures. The Comet Assay and flow cytometric evaluation of variations in DNA content were utilized to evaluate DNA damage.

Bayesian spatial modeling of Lavaca Bay pollutants.

Locational risk of increased mercury and PAH concentrations in Lavaca Bay, Texas sediments and eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) harvested from Lavaca Bay, Texas were analysed. Chemical analysis results were evaluated utilizing Bayesian geo-statistical methods for comparison of the model fit of a random effects model versus a convoluted model which included both random and spatial effects. For those results fit best with the convoluted model, continuous surface maps of predicted parameter values were created.

Imaging diagnosis--bacterial diskospondylitis in a goat.

A 3-year-old intact male Boer goat was evaluated for paraplegia. Computed tomography (CT) indicated the presence of diskospondylitis, which had previously not been reported in this species, and significant compressive myelopathy. Chronic bacterial pneumonia, epididymitis, nephritis, and soft-tissue abscesses were believed to result in hematogenous spread of bacteria to the affected disk spaces.