Objective. Research is often lacking in low-income countries to substantiate the regulation of antibiotics in poultry production. Nonregulation of antibiotics in food animal industries has implications for human health. This study was conducted to provide an understanding of farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding the use of antibiotics in poultry production in Grenada. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted in August-September, 2016, surveying 30 poultry farmers each having 500 or more chickens grown for commercial purposes. Results. More than 1000 birds were kept on 18 (60.0%) farms. Antibiotics were used on the majority of farms (25, 83.3%). More than half of the respondents, 19 (63.3%), stated they were only somewhat aware of issues related to the use of antibiotics and the majority, 21 (70.0%), were also unable to define antimicrobial resistance. There was inconsistency in the farmers’ knowledge about how and when to use antibiotics. There was also a high level of noncompliance with manufacturers’ recommendations for use of antibiotics. The respondents were not aware of local programs to monitor antibiotic use or manage antibiotic resistance in the poultry industry. Conclusion. Generally, the farmers’ knowledge and practices were inconsistent with recommendations by the World Health Organization for antibiotic stewardship. While low-income countries, such as Grenada, are challenged with the lack of resources to undertake research and implement responsive actions, this research highlights the need for some immediate measures of remedy, such as education of farmers and monitoring procurement and use of antibiotics, to reduce risk to public health.

Breast cancer is the leading malignancy and the second most common cause of mortality in women. Although there have been advances in identifying biomarkers as potential targets for therapy, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) continues to have a poorer prognosis than the other receptor subtypes. The most common sites of metastasis are bone, liver, lung, and brain. We present a patient with known TNBC presenting with nausea and vomiting in whom computed tomography revealed a right-side pelvic mass causing hydronephrosis. Biopsy was consistent with TNBC of the ureter, an unusual site for breast cancer involvement. She required ureteral stent placement to relieve obstruction and has had good response to paclitaxel. Hydronephrosis due to malignancy presents significant risk of morbidity and mortality due to compromised renal function and must be resolved promptly to avoid compromise of renal function.

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Introduction: Chimerism analysis of recipient and donor cells enables the assessment of engraftment, minimal residual disease, and early detection of relapse post hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This is the first study to evaluate the use of two novel multiplex next generation sequencing (NGS) chimerism assays. Methods: DNA extracted from peripheral blood samples with known mixed chimerism percentages were used in two multiplex NGS chimerism assays following manufacturer's instructions to assess accuracy, reproducibility, lower limits of detection of chimerism. DNA sequencing was performed on the Illumina MiSeq system and analysis was completed using the associated manufacturer software. Results: Chimerism assay 1 (Devyser) utilized 10/24 informative markers and the lower limit of detection was 0.1%. Chimerism assay 2 (GenDx) utilized 17/32 informative markers and the lower limit of detection was 0.5%. Both assays demonstrated excellent comparable accuracy and reproducibility throughout all tested chimerism ratios. Conclusion: High sensitivity chimerism assays using NGS technology may allow better quantitative monitoring of engraftment post HSCT compared to the current gold standard short tandem repeat-based PCR with capillary electrophoresis (STR PCR CE) method.