Gerhard W. Brauer

Ethnoveterinary medicines used for ruminants in British Columbia, Canada

BackgroundThe use of medicinal plants is an option for livestock farmers who are not allowed to use allopathic drugs under certified organic programs or cannot afford to use allopathic drugs for minor health problems of livestock.MethodsIn 2003 we conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 participants obtained using a purposive sample. Medicinal plants are used to treat a range of conditions. A draft manual prepared from the data was then evaluated by participants at a participatory workshop.ResultsThere are 128 plants used for ruminant health and diets, representing several plant families. The following plants are used for abscesses: Berberis aquifolium/Mahonia aquifolium Echinacea purpurea, Symphytum officinale, Bovista pila, Bovista plumbea, Achillea millefolium and Usnea longissima. Curcuma longa L., Salix scouleriana and Salix lucida are used for caprine arthritis and caprine arthritis encephalitis.Euphrasia officinalis and Matricaria chamomilla are used for eye problems.Wounds and injuries are treated with Bovista spp., Usnea longissima, Calendula officinalis, Arnica sp., Malva sp., Prunella vulgaris, Echinaceapurpurea, Berberis aquifolium/Mahonia aquifolium, Achillea millefolium, Capsella bursa-pastoris, Hypericum perforatum, Lavandula officinalis, Symphytum officinale and Curcuma longa.Syzygium aromaticum and Pseudotsuga menziesii are used for coccidiosis. The following plants are used for diarrhea and scours: Plantago major, Calendula officinalis, Urtica dioica, Symphytum officinale, Pinus ponderosa, Potentilla pacifica, Althaea officinalis, Anethum graveolens, Salix alba and Ulmus fulva.Mastitis is treated with Achillea millefolium, Arctiumlappa, Salix alba, Teucrium scorodonia and Galium aparine. Anethum graveolens and Rubus sp., are given for increased milk production.Taraxacum officinale, Zea mays, and Symphytum officinale are used for udder edema. Ketosis is treated with Gaultheria shallon, Vaccinium sp., and Symphytum officinale. Hedera helix and Alchemilla vulgaris are fed for retained placenta.ConclusionSome of the plants showing high levels of validity were Hedera helix for retained placenta and Euphrasia officinalis for eye problems. Plants with high validity for wounds and injuries included Hypericum perforatum, Malva parviflora and Prunella vulgaris. Treatments with high validity against endoparasites included those with Juniperus communis and Pinus ponderosa. Anxiety and pain are well treated with Melissa officinalis and Nepeta caesarea.

Ethnoveterinary medicines used for horses in Trinidad and in British Columbia, Canada

This paper investigates the commonalities in ethnoveterinary medicine used for horses between Trinidad (West Indies) and British Columbia (Canada). These research areas are part of a common market in pharmaceuticals and are both involved in the North American racing circuit. There has been very little research conducted on medicinal plants used for horses although their use is widespread. The data on ethnoveterinary medicines used for horses was obtained through key informant interviews with horse owners, trainers, breeders, jockeys, grooms and animal care specialists in two research areas: Trinidad and British Columbia (BC). A participatory validation workshop was held in BC. An extensive literature review and botanical identification of the plants was also done. In all, 20 plants were found to be used in treating racehorses in Trinidad and 97 in BC. Of these the most-evidently effective plants 19 of the plants used in Trinidad and 66 of those used in BC are described and evaluated in this paper. Aloe vera, Curcuma longa and Ricinus communis are used in both research areas. More research is needed in Trinidad to identify plants that respondents claimed were used in the past. Far more studies have been conducted on the temperate and Chinese medicinal plants used in BC and therefore these ethnoveterinary remedies reflect stronger evidence of efficacy.

Impact of image size on effectiveness of digital imaging systems

Radiologists detect small diagnostic signals in radiographic film images by altering the distance between the eye and the image, effectively zooming in on a particular detail. Details thus enlarged are more perceptible to the viewer. Considering that conventional film images are nearly life-size, the potential for increasing the detection of small signals in this manner is high. Digital images, however, presented in video format are usually smaller than life-size, sometimes more than 50% smaller. While local enlargements using computer-based imaging systems are extremely useful, the radiologist cannot examine a whole, life-size image. The importance of the latter in the diagnostic process is revealed in detection studies using the same images of a chest phantom with small nodular inclusions, in different size formats. A clear positive correlation exists between overall image size and the detection of signals that are of a diagnostically-relevant size. While it is widely accepted that image fidelity is an important determinant in the clinical acceptability of digital radiography, digital image displays should also be large enough to display life-size images.

Digital image display station performance requirements based on physician experience with a prototype system

The authors report on observations of, and interviews with, physicians using a prototype digital image display and reporting station. While the users generally agree that image quality is clinically satisfactory they are unanimous in their opinion that improvements in the man-machine interface are required before case review by this mechanism is clinically acceptable in a production environment. A model image and information user interface is presented. It was developed in answer to the needs of radiologists and referring physicians operating in the imaging department of a community acute care facility. In such an environment images and related information must be communicated quickly and often simultaneously to different parts of the department and hospital. The user interface to the management system and the management system itself must address the varied functions and the needs of both the medical and clerical staff that perform them. Image enhancement processes, for example, must be restricted to those which quickly provide significantly more perceivable diagnostic information. Little used processes that may occupy significant portions of the display and the consoles computing power must be trimmed or eliminated.

Medicinal plants used in British Columbia, Canada for reproductive health in pets

In 2003, semi-structured interviews were conducted in British Columbia, Canada with participants obtained using a purposive sample on the ethnoveterinary remedies used for animals. Twenty-nine participants provided the information in this paper on the ethnoveterinary remedies used for reproductive health in dogs and cats. The plants used for pregnancy support and milk production in pets were raspberry-leaf (Rubus idaeus), motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) and ginger (Zingiber officinale). Uterine infections were treated with black cohosh (Actaea racemosa) and goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis). Most of the studies conducted on these plants have not been conducted on companion animals.

Signal detection in digital chest-phantom images acquired with an image intensifier

Signal detection performance was evaluated on the basis of ROC analysis using both digital and conventional images of a humanoid chest phantom. Simulated focal (coin) lesions were the target pathology. Digital images were acquired using a 57-cm image intensifier, digitized to 1024×1024×10 bits, and compared, in both video and laser-printed film formats, with conventional 14×17-inch chest films. Signal detection using digital video and laser printed images, of the same image polarity as conventional images, was found not to differ significantly from that achieved using conventional images, despite the smaller size of the digital images.

Digital image display station performance requirements based on physician experience with a prototype system.

The authors report on observations of and interviews with physicians using a prototype digital image display and reporting station. While the users generally agree that image quality is clinically satisfactory, they are unanimous in their opinion that improvements in the man-machine interface are required before case review by this mechanism is clinically acceptable in a production environment. A model image and information user interface is presented. It was developed in answer to the needs of radiologists and referring physicians operating in the imaging department of a community acute-care facility. In such an environment images and related information must be communicated quickly and often simultaneously to different parts of the department and hospital. The user interface with the management system and the management system itself must address the varied functions and the needs of both the medical and clerical staff. Image enhancement processes, for example, must be restricted to those that quickly provide significantly more perceivable diagnostic information. Little-used processes that may occupy significant portions of the display and the console’s computing power must be trimmed or eliminated.

Principles And Problems Of Technology Assessment; The Case Of Picture Archiving And Communication Systems

This paper discusses some of the key conceptual issues underlying technology assessment, particularly as related to PACS technology. Basic issues of technology assessment such as efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency, as well as the assessment objectives relating to the adoption, abandonment and appropriateness of technology, are presented and related to the needs of hospital management and medical imaging professionals. The example of PACS technology is used to illustrate the special needs in the general technology assessment methodology which are imposed when evaluating diagnostic imaging systems.

Digital Chest Imaging Using a 57-cm Image Intensifier: A Receiver-Operating Characteristic Study of User Performance

Chest radiography provides one of the great challenges to digital diagnostic imaging because of (1) the relatively large size of the chest field, (2) the contrast range required to resolve subtle pathological changes in soft tissue density, and (3) the high degree of spatial resolution required to discriminate pathological detail. The field size problem was resolved by using a 57-cm image intensifier whose video output of the chest could be digitized. The issue of contrast resolution was addressed in a recently completed receiver-operating characteristic study of the detectability of low-contrast densities in a humanoid chest phantom. The latter indicated that, despite the smaller size of the digital image, they were adequate for resolving clinically significant soft-tissue densities. The question of spatial resolution in digital diagnostic images is addressed in the study presented. A set of 41 clinical cases were selected to provide the typical range of diagnostic type experienced in routine diagnostic radiology. The images were each presented as conventional film, digital laser-printer, and digital video images. The results of an ROC analysis of five readers’ performance in each of the viewing modes is presented.

Education, Understanding, and Eudaemonia

Helen Keller, a person who coped with the world while being unable either to see or hear,1 made a profound contribution to our understanding of human capability. In her writing Keller frequently referred to various human attributes that, in her estimation, made human life good and worthwhile: