scholarly journals Causes of gastrointestinal colic at an equine referral hospital in South Africa (1998 - 2007)

2009 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Voigt ◽  
M.N. Saulez ◽  
C.M. Donnellan ◽  
B. Gummow
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
White Cell Count ◽  
Exploratory Laparotomy ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Referral Hospital ◽  
Total Serum Protein ◽  
Total Serum ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
The Common

The most common causes of gastrointestinal colic at an equine referral hospital in South Africa were determined following retrieval of the medical records of horses admitted during a 10-year study period. The study included 935 horses of which 28 % were admitted after hours. Most horses were Thoroughbreds (54 %), male (57 %), with a mean age of 8.2 years and originated from the Gauteng Province (81 %). Heart rate (98 %), mucous membrane colour (95 %) and auscultation of the abdomen (91 %) were the clinical data commonly obtained at admission. Packed cell volume, total serum protein and white cell count were recorded in 78 %, 75 % and 44 % of horses respectively. Transrectal palpation (93 %), nasogastric intubation (84 %), intravenous catheterisation (74 %) and abdominocentesis (53 %) were the most frequently performed procedures. Medical intervention was performed in 558 horses (60 %). The common causes of medical colic were impactions (39 %), tympany (7 %) and displacement of the large colon (6 %). An exploratory laparotomy was performed in 331 horses (36 %). The common causes of surgical colic were displacement (29 %), impaction (22 %) and small intestinal strangulating lesions (18 %). Death occurred in 3 % of horses, while euthanasia before medical intervention was performed in 4 %. Overall, medical intervention was successful in 93 % of horses and 67 % in horses managed surgically. In conclusion, 55 % of all the equine admissions responded to medical intervention and the recovery rate for horses receiving both medical and surgical intervention was comparable to that reported in other studies.

scholarly journals Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris expansion in South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ielyzaveta M. Ivanova ◽  
Craig T. Symes
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sturnus Vulgaris ◽  
Anthropogenic Change ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
The Past ◽  
Entire Country ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Common ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Using Data

The Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris has progressively expanded its range in South Africa since its introduction into Cape Town in the late 19th century. In the past few decades it has extended this range into Gauteng province. Using data from the Southern African Bird Atlas Project 2, this paper examines the spread and relative abundance changes for the species across South Africa over the past 10 years, with a detailed look at the recently-colonised Gauteng. Across South Africa, the Common Starling's distribution has shifted, and grown. As it spreads north along the coastline and northwards inland, some of the former range has been lost. In Gauteng, the species has shown a range and abundance expansion over the same period. If the observed trends are to continue, this species is likely to eventually become a prominent species across the entire country, and further north into the sub-region. However, the potential impact that this species has on indigenous avifauna is unknown and, in the face of rapid anthropogenic change, remains to be investigated.

scholarly journals Establishment of baseline haematology and biochemistry parameters in wild adult African penguins (Spheniscus demersus)

2015 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nola J. Parsons ◽  
Adam M. Schaefer ◽  
Stephen D. Van der Spuy ◽  
Tertius A. Gous
Keyword(s):  
Cell Count ◽  
White Cell Count ◽  
White Cell ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Total Serum Protein ◽  
Total Serum ◽  
Red Cell ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Spheniscus Demersus ◽  
Red Cell Count

There are few publications on the clinical haematology and biochemistry of African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) and these are based on captive populations. Baseline haematology and serum biochemistry parameters were analysed from 108 blood samples from wild, adult African penguins. Samples were collected from the breeding range of the African penguin in South Africa and the results were compared between breeding region and sex. The haematological parameters that were measured were: haematocrit, haemoglobin, red cell count and white cell count. The biochemical parameters that were measured were: sodium, potassium, chloride, calcium, inorganic phosphate, creatinine, cholesterol, serum glucose, uric acid, bile acid, total serum protein, albumin, aspartate transaminase and creatine kinase. All samples were serologically negative for selected avian diseases and no blood parasites were detected. No haemolysis was present in any of the analysed samples. Male African penguins were larger and heavier than females, with higher haematocrit, haemoglobin and red cell count values, but lower calcium and phosphate values. African penguins in the Eastern Cape were heavier than those in the Western Cape, with lower white cell count and globulin values and a higher albumin/globulin ratio, possibly indicating that birds are in a poorer condition in the Western Cape. Results were also compared between multiple penguin species and with African penguins in captivity. These values for healthy, wild, adult penguins can be used for future health and disease assessments.

scholarly journals After-hours equine emergency admissions at a university referral hospital (1998 - 2007) : causes and interventions

2009 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Viljoen ◽  
M.N. Saulez ◽  
C.M. Donnellan ◽  
L. Bester ◽  
B. Gummow
Keyword(s):  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Medical Records ◽  
Medical Intervention ◽  
Hospital Length ◽  
Referral Hospital ◽  
Hospital Length Of Stay ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
Emergency Admissions ◽  
After Hours ◽  
Reason For Admission

Medical records of equine after-hours admissions from 1998 to 2007 are reviewed. Data extracted from the medical records included signalment, reason for admission, pre-admission treatment, clinical presentation, procedures performed, final diagnoses, complications occurring in hospital, length of stay and outcome. Eight hundred and twenty after-hours admissions were available of which 75 % were classified as emergencies. Most horses originated from Gauteng province (82 %), with Thoroughbred, Arabian, and Warmbloods representing 46 %, 10 % and 7 % of horses. Horses had a median age of 7 years and were predominantly male (60 %). Gastrointestinal (64 %) and musculoskeletal (19 %) disorders were the primary reasons for admission. Anti-inflammatories, sedation and antibiotics were given in 51 %, 20 % and 15 % of cases respectively prior to referral. On admission, 23 % of horses had surgical intervention. Intravenous catheterisation (64 %), rectal examination (61 %), nasogastric intubation (56 %), abdominocentesis (33 %) and ultrasonography (19 %) were the procedures performed most frequently. Surgical and medical colics constituted 28 % and 27 % respectively of the overall diagnoses, while piroplasmosis was diagnosed in 5 % of horses. Post-admission complications occurred in <2 % of horses. The median length of stay was 4 days (95 % CI: 1 to 21 days). Overall survival to discharge was 74 %. This study demonstrates that the majority of after-hours equine admissions to a university referral hospital required medical intervention and were mostly due to gastrointestinal disorders. Information obtained from this study can be used in emergency referral planning.

scholarly journals PLEURAL EFFUSION;

2012 ◽  
Vol 19 (06) ◽  
pp. 812-815
Author(s):  
AZAM MUSHTAQ ◽  
Salman AYYAZ ◽  
SHAKEEL AHMED KHAN
Keyword(s):  
Liver Cirrhosis ◽  
Pleural Effusion ◽  
Pleural Fluid ◽  
Cardiac Failure ◽  
White Cell Count ◽  
Congestive Cardiac Failure ◽  
Common Cause ◽  
Nephritic Syndrome ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
The Common

Objective: To determine the frequency of various diseases presenting with pleural effusion. Setting: Department of ChestMedicine, Nishtar Hospital, Multan. Period: March 2010 to September 2010. Material and methods: A total of 100 patients both sexes, morethan 12 years old, with clinically and radiologically confirmed pleural effusion underwent diagnostic thoracocentesis. Pleural fluid wasexamined grossly and for sugar, protein, LDH, total and differential white cell count and malignant cells. Pleural fluid culture and pleural biopsywas done in case of exudative effusion. Results: Tuberculosis was the most common cause (28%) of exudative pleural effusion followed byparapneumonic effusion (25%) and malignant effusion (9%). Congestive cardiac failure (13%) and liver cirrhosis (8%) were the commonestcause of transudative pleural effusion. Renal failure (5%), nephritic syndrome (2%), pancreatitis (2%), systemic lupus erythmatosus (2%) werethe other significant causes of pleural effusion. Conclusion:- Tuberculosis, paraneumonic effusion and malignancies are the common cause ofexudative pleural effusion while congestive cardiac failure, liver cirrhosis and nephritic syndrome are common causes of transudative effusion.

scholarly journals Effect of nutritional status of pregnant women on birth weight of newborns at Butajira Referral Hospital, Butajira, Ethiopia

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 205031211982709 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gashaw Garedew Woldeamanuel ◽  
Teshome Gensa Geta ◽  
Tesfaye Petros Mohammed ◽  
Mulualem Belachew Shuba ◽  
Temesgen Abera Bafa
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Hemoglobin Level ◽  
Referral Hospital ◽  
Total Serum Protein ◽  
Total Serum ◽  
Total Serum Cholesterol ◽  
Cross Sectional

Back ground: Maternal nutritional status influences the developmental environment of the fetus which consequently affects the birth weight of the newborn. However, the association between maternal nutritional factors and birth weight is complex and is not well characterized in Ethiopia. Objective: To assess the effect of maternal anthropometry and biochemical profile on birth weight of babies at Butajira Referral Hospital, Butajira, Ethiopia. Methods and materials: Laboratory-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 337 pregnant women at the hospital. Socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics were collected using pre-tested questionnaires. Blood sample was collected from each pregnant women for determination of total serum protein, total serum cholesterol and hemoglobin level. However, maternal dietary habits were not assessed in this study. Results: A total of 337 pregnant women were involved in the study. The mean (standard deviation) birth weight of the newborns was 3.14 ± 0.46 kg. After adjusting for different maternal factors, parity (p = 0.013), hemoglobin level (p = 0.046), pre-pregnancy body mass index (p < 0.001) and weight gain during pregnancy (p < 0.001) were positively associated with birth weight of the newborns, while the associations with total protein (p = 0.822) and total cholesterol (p = 0.423) were not significant. Conclusion: This study has shown that nutritional status of pregnant women as indicated by maternal anthropometry and hemoglobin level was associated with birth weight of the baby. Therefore, nutritional status of the pregnant women should be improved to reduce the risk of low birth weight.

Ascertaining the Role of Leadership on Employee Satisfaction in Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province of South Africa Using Qualitative Research

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kingstone Mutsonziwa ◽  
Philip Serumaga-Zake
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Employee Satisfaction ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Gauteng Province ◽  
Career Growth ◽  
Quantitative Results ◽  
Mixed Approach

This paper is based on the study a Doctor of Business Leadership (DBL) thesis titled A Statistical Model for Employee Satisfaction in the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province. The purpose of this study was to identify the attributes that affect employee satisfaction in the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province, South Africa. In order to address the overall objective of this study, the researcher used a two-tiered (mixed) approach in which both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies were used to complement and enrich the results. This paper is only based on the qualitative component of the study on leadership aspects based on six leaders (two from Social research and four from Market research) that were interviewed. The leaders were selected based on their knowledge of the industry and the expertise they have. Participation in the survey was voluntary. This paper illustrates the power of the qualitative techniques to uncover or unmask the leadership aspects in the Market and Social Research Industries and also gives the human touch to the quantitative results. It was found that leadership and management within the Market and Social Research Industries in Gauteng Province must ensure that they are accommodative in terms of mentoring their subordinates. The industry is driven by quality driven processes and strong leadership. More importantly, issues of a good working environment, remuneration, career growth, and recognition must always be addressed in order to increase employee satisfaction, reduce staff turnover, and attempt to optimize labour productivity. The qualitative findings also help a deeper understanding of leadership within the industry.

scholarly journals The Physical Activity-Dependent Hematological and Biochemical Changes in School Horses in Comparison to Blood Profiles in Endurance and Race Horses

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1128
Author(s):  
Małgorzata Maśko ◽  
Małgorzata Domino ◽  
Tomasz Jasiński ◽  
Olga Witkowska-Piłaszewicz
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Blood Parameters ◽  
Total Serum Protein ◽  
Total Serum ◽  
Improve Performance ◽  
Blood Profile ◽  
Hematological And Biochemical Parameters ◽  
Activity Dependent ◽  
Race Horses ◽  
Blood Profiles

Blood testing is one of the most important ways to improve performance, facilitate recovery and monitor the training of endurance and race horses. However, little is known about the physical activity-dependent changes of blood parameters in horses used for pleasure and in riding schools. This study aimed to perform routine blood tests for training monitoring of sport horses in three different horse types of use. Then the values of blood indicators were compared between school, endurance and race horses to find similarities in the physical activity-dependent profile. The study was carried out on 15 endurance, 15 race and 15 school healthy horses who underwent the typical effort for their disciplines. The hemogram parameters, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), blood lactate (LAC), and total serum protein (TSP) concentrations were measured using the same protocol and equipment. Measurements of main hematological and biochemical physical activity-dependent parameters were conducted before, immediately after and 30 min after training. In school horses, the physical activity-dependent increase of WBC (40.9%) and CPK (76.4%) was similar to endurance horses, whereas an increase of RBC (19.1%), HGB (18.6%) and HCT (19.4%) were more similar to race horses. The moderate effort-dependent increase of LAC concentration (2775%) was lower than in race horses (7526%) and higher than in endurance horses (390%). Limiting the training or work monitoring assessment of school horses to only the endurance or racing blood profile may result in the omission of significant changes in hematological and biochemical parameters.

scholarly journals From “Technical Newbies” to “Optimistic Politicians”

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
James Prater ◽  
Konstantinos Kirytopoulos ◽  
Tony Ma
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Scheduling Problems ◽  
Information Technology Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
The Common ◽  
Project Estimation ◽  
Engineering Projects

Purpose Despite the advent of sophisticated control methods, there are still significant issues regarding late delivery of information technology projects. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the common causes of scheduling problems specifically in the information technology projects context. Design/methodology/approach Through a quantitative research, the importance of those causes, as well as the underpinning factors driving them, is explored. The causes are ranked according to their relative important index, and exploratory factor analysis is employed to reveal underlying dimensions (factors) of these causes. Findings From the analysis, four factors were extracted, namely, “Dataless Newbie,” “Technical Newbie,” “Pragmatic Futurist” and “Optimistic Politician.” These factors explain the different latent conditions that lead to scheduling problems in information technology projects. Practical implications The key contribution of this research is that it enlightens the latent conditions underpinning scheduling problems. Also, the evidence provides that schedule development for information technology projects is impacted by the same causes that impact engineering projects, and that applying a number of mitigation techniques widely used within the engineering area, such as reference class, would, no doubt, not only improve information technology schedules but also reduce the political pressures on the project manager. Originality/value This research provides a valuable insight into understanding the underlying factors for poor project estimation.

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