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To prioritize 100 animal diseases and zoonoses in Europe, we used a multicriteria decision-making procedure based on opinions of experts and evidence-based data. Forty international experts performed intracategory and intercategory weighting of 57 prioritization criteria. Two methods (deterministic with mean of each weight and probabilistic with distribution functions of weights by using Monte Carlo simulation) were used to calculate a score for each disease. Consecutive ranking was established. Few differences were observed between each method. Compared with previous prioritization methods, our procedure is evidence based, includes a range of fields and criteria while considering uncertainty, and will be useful for analyzing diseases that affect public health.

Background: Failure of passive transfer (FPT) in beef calves can be detected by refractometry. Nevertheless, different models of refractometers are available, and few studies compare them for the detection of FPT.Objectives: To compare the accuracy of 4 different refractometers for measuring serum total protein concentrations in comparison with results obtained by the biuret method and, based on the serum IgG threshold of 1,600 mg/mL, to determine, for each refractometer, the optimal serum protein concentration's lowest threshold for successful passive transfer.Animals: One hundred and eight healthy beef calves, 3-8 days of age. Methods: Observational study. The concentrations of serum total proteins were determined with 4 different models of refractometers and compared with the biuret method by a Bland-Altman statistical method. The optimal serum protein concentration's lowest threshold for successful passive transfer was determined for each refractometer by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. In addition, the serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentration was compared with the serum gamma-glutamyl transferase (c-GT) activity and with the total immunoglobulin concentration.Results: The refractometric measurements were highly correlated with those obtained by the biuret method. Serum total protein concentration threshold values of 56, 58, 54, and 56 g/L were found respectively for the Atago, Atago ATC, Wolf ATC, and digital ATC refractometers. Immunoglobulins were highly correlated with IgG, whereas c-GT only reflected colostrum uptake by the calf.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: All refractometers could be used for the assessment of passive transfer using their individual serum protein concentration threshold.

A culture from the lower airway secretions is the optimal sample to guide antibiotic therapy in cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. The authors therefore examined whether sputum induction is an efficient, safe and acceptable procedure in CF children without spontaneous expectorations.Nineteen patients were studied. Their mean age (range) was 8.6 yrs (4.3±15.2 yrs). Their mean forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was 88% predicted (46± 122%). NaCl solutions from 0.9±6% were inhaled, after baseline lung function tests before and after salbutamol.All patients did produce secretions. Alveolar macrophages were present in 16/19 induced samples. The procedure induced minor but significant bronchoconstriction: the mean change (range) in postsalbutamol FEV1 (% pred) was -7 (-24±16). Percutaneous oxygen saturation remained above 90% in all children. The test had to be discontinued in one child because of cough and wheeze. Acceptability of the procedure evaluated using a visual analogue scale from -7±7 showed a mean value (range) at the final concentration of -1.23 (-6.16±5.88).It is concluded that sputum induction is possible, safe and acceptable in cystic fibrosis children who do not expectorate spontaneously. Chronic lower respiratory tract infection is the predominant manifestation of cystic fibrosis (CF). In young CF patients it is important to recognize and treat lung infection as early as possible, since with correct treatment Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization can be avoided or delayed [1,2]. A culture from the lower airway secretions is necessary to guide antimicrobial therapy. Sputum cultures are considered a valuable substitute for a lower airway sample obtained by bronchoscopy or thoracotomy, since results from both sites will correspond in over 70% of cases [3].Many young CF patients do not produce sputum. Since oropharyngeal cultures have only a poor positive predictive value [4,5], bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) remains the standard technique to obtain a lower airway sample in these patients. It is, however, an expensive, time consuming, unpleasant and potentially harmful procedure.Recently, in patients infected with Pneumocystis carinii and Mycobacteria [6±8], sputum induction during hypertonic saline inhalation was proven to provide information comparable to that obtained by bronchoscopy and BAL. Similarly, cytological evaluation of induced sputum is considered helpful in patients with asthma and lung malignancies [9±11]. Sputum induction using hypertonic saline is efficacious in >90% of adult asthmatics [12]. Although the drop in postsalbutamol forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) after inhalation was larger in asthmatics than in normals a fall exceeding 20% only occurred in 3/37 patients. Sputum induction using hypertonic saline is also efficacious and safe in adolescent asthmatics [13,14] and isotonic saline sputum induction appears to be safe in children with acute asthma [15]. Although the feasibility of sputum induction has been reported in patients with CF [16], a systemati...

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