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Assessing risk factors for drug storage practices in veterinary surgeries: A questionnaire study of UK veterinary professionals.BackgroundSafe drug storage practices are essential in veterinary practice to maintain optimal standards of animal care. Practical challenges in clinic may impact their uptake, which could affect drug efficacy and the success of treatment. The UK is presumed to provide high standards for animal care and welfare in the veterinary profession and may provide an interesting case study to assess veterinary drug storage practices.MethodsAn online survey with 184 practice participants assessed UK veterinary professionals' responses on drug storage practices. This included socio-demographic information and questions or statements that examined storage practices compliant with the requirements established by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the regulatory body for veterinary practice in the UK.ResultsOverall, practices followed RCVS-recommended measures, though there was clear selectivity for stock temperature checks (72.2%), over other measures, particularly, replacing stock (54.4%) and returning medications to refrigerated storage (52.5%). Clinical experience and practice type impacted most on drug storage practices, with more experienced clinicians and small animal practices showing greater uptake of best measures.ConclusionsWe suggest that practices should adopt all of the RCVS measures in relation to veterinary drug storage practices. Socio-demographic factors should be considered because they can act as risk factors influencing best practice in clinics. Our findings may have wider implications for the veterinary profession in general, given similar demographic trends in veterinary practice in many European countries.
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Quantifying morphological changes in middle trapezius with ultrasonography and histogram matching for participants with and without Facioscapulohumeral DystrophyObjective: Echogenicity is a biomarker in facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). Currently, it is not possible to compare echogenicity values, derived using quantified muscle sonography capture, based on different equipment instrumentation settings. Image normalization, using histogram matching, could address this limitation. The aim of this study was to investigate the sensitivity of histogram matching, with trapezius muscle echogenicity values, in participants with and without FSHD. Materials and Methods: Sensitivity analysis of a single measurement timepoint case control study of participants with FSHD, using age- and gender-matched controls. Correlations between trapezius muscle echogenicity, muscle thickness, and shoulder range of movements were also completed. Results: Data were collected for 14 participants, seven with FSHD and seven controls. The cohort had a mean age of 41.6 years. The FSHD group echogenicity values (118.2) were higher than controls (42.3), respectively, as well as statistically significant ( p = .002). An overall variance of 6.2 (range = −2.9 to 15.4) was identified between the reference images. Echogenicity explained 81% of the variance in muscle thickness and 74% of the variance in range of movement muscle thickness was explained by 61% of the variance for range of movement. Conclusion: Histogram matching for comparison of echogenicity was required. Different reference images affect echogenicity values, but the variability was less than between group differences. Further longitudinal evaluation based on a larger sample of participants is needed.
