Understanding the dog population in the Republic of Ireland: insight from existing data sources?
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Reliable information about national pet dog populations is an important contributor to informed decision-making, both by governments and national dog welfare organisations. In some countries, there is an improved understanding of aspects of the national pet dog population, but as yet limited published information is available in Ireland. The current study reviews the utility of existing data to inform our understanding of recent changes to the pet dog population in Ireland, including both biological and organisational processes. Results
Based on national data on dog licencing and microchipping registration, pet dog numbers have remained relatively stable in recent years (ie prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). Since 2015, there has been a substantial decrease in the number of dogs managed through dog control centres. Although the completeness of the data are likely variable, there appears to be substantial, and increasing, number of dogs moving from Ireland to other countries, including UK, Sweden, Italy, Germany and Singapore. We also note an increase (albeit much smaller) in the number of dogs being moved into Ireland. Conclusions
This study highlights the challenges faced when using existing national data to gain insights into the dog population of Ireland. The linking of existing national databases (individual dog identification, dog licencing, dog control statistics) has the potential to improve both the representativeness and accuracy of information about the Irish pet dog population. In the next phases of our work, we will focus on the work of dog welfare organisations, given both the increased role played by these organisations and the substantial public funding that has been committed in this sector. Supplementary Information
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13620-022-00223-8.
SUBMITTER: More S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9281166 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:BackgroundCompanion animal behaviour problems significantly impact companion animal (and owner) welfare. Veterinary behavioural medicine (VBM) is an emerging discipline and aims to provide evidence-based advice to owners and veterinary professionals to support normal behaviour in companion animals through appropriate socialisation and training and to address behaviour problems in a constructive and welfare-friendly manner. The approach to problem behaviours in dogs has changed in recent years; previously a mis-understanding of the biological theory of dominance has been used to explain certain behavioural problems in dogs which has led to the use of punishment-based treatment methods. Current research advocates the benefits of reward-based methods and highlights the risks of implementing positive punishment-based training techniques to both dogs and owners. Golden and Hanlon (Ir Vet J 71: 12, 2018) have reported that veterinary professionals in Ireland are frequently asked to advise on dog behaviour problems. This study aimed to explore veterinary professionals' understanding of training and treatment options for frequently encountered dog behaviour problems, and to help support the development of competences in VBM in Ireland.MethodsAn online survey was developed, including a pre-test evaluation by a pilot group of veterinary professionals, on SurveyMonkey®. The link to the online survey was distributed via third-party professional associations and social media. The survey contained twelve vignettes illustrating advice from veterinary professionals on common behaviour scenarios. Using a Likert Scale, respondents were asked to assess the likelihood of the advice to support best outcome for the dog. Best outcome was defined as one which provides a resolution to the behavioural problem while not compromising the animal's welfare.Results84 private veterinary practitioners (PVP) and 133 veterinary nurses (VN) completed the survey. In the majority of vignettes, most veterinary professionals agreed with our classification of best outcome, but several areas of uncertainty were identified. Marked variations in response were found for PVPs in vignettes depicting advice recommending citronella collars, invisible radio fences, trainers utilising dominance language, and another dog for separation anxiety. For VNs, variations in response were found in vignettes depicting dominance-based training and advice on separation anxiety. Significant differences were found in the responses of VNs and PVPs for the vignettes recommending the use of citronella collars (p?<?0.01) and invisible radio fences (p?<?0.05), where VNs agreed with their recommendation less often than PVPs. PVPs graduating since 2013 agreed with the recommendation of invisible radio fences less often than PVPs graduating before 2013 (p?<?0.05). VNs graduating before 2013 agreed with the recommendation of an accredited trainer (p?<?0.05) and disagreed with the use of flooding to treat fear (p?<?0.05) more often than VNs graduating since 2013.ConclusionsOur findings have identified specific areas of uncertainty with regards knowledge of positive punishment-based training and the treatment of common dog behaviour problems, highlighted the demand for continuing professional education in VBM and provided further evidence of the need to develop day one competences in VBM for veterinary medicine and nursing programmes at university level.
| S-EPMC6429707 | biostudies-literature
Project description:PURPOSE:Drinking (plain) water intake has been associated with weight loss and reducing energy intake in intervention trials. In free-living populations, replacing other beverages with drinking water is associated with reduced obesity risk. However, the association of total water intake and its sources, and body fat distribution remain unevaluated. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate total water intake and its sources and the association with anthropometric measures. METHODS:Cross-sectional study of 1500 adults aged 18-90 years (Irish National Adult Nutrition Survey, 2008-2010). Total water intake and its sources were estimated using food records. Associations of total water, drinking water, beverage moisture and food moisture intakes split by tertile, and BMI (kg/m2), waist circumference (cm), and bio-impedance derived body fat (%) were evaluated using covariate-adjusted linear regression analyses including adjustment for energy intake and energy expenditure. RESULTS:Higher consumption of total water was associated with lower waist circumference [β-coefficient (95% CI), p trend, tertile 3 versus tertile 1: - 2.19 (- 4.06, - 0.32), 0.036], but not BMI [- 0.44 (- 1.16, 0.28), 0.336] or body fat [- 0.87 (- 1.91, 0.17), 0.146]. Higher consumption of drinking water and food moisture were associated with lower BMI [- 0.65 (- 1.30, - 0.01), 0.027; - 0.64 (- 1.41, - 0.13), 0.014, respectively], body fat [- 1.51 (- 2.43, - 0.59), 0.001; - 1.00 (- 2.12, - 0.12), 0.001], and waist circumference [- 2.83 (- 4.51, - 1.16), < 0.001; - 1.84 (- 3.86, - 0.19), 0.082]. Beverage moisture was not associated with any of the anthropometric measurements. CONCLUSIONS:Consumption of drinking water and food moisture and not total water or beverage moisture were inversely associated with adiposity, independent of energy intake and expenditure. Advice encouraging drinking water and food moisture intake may be beneficial in addition to energy balance advice, in combating obesity.
| S-EPMC6499754 | biostudies-other
Project description:AbstractRoutine biomarker results from hospital laboratory information systems, covering hospitals and general practitioners, in Denmark are available to researchers through access to the regional Clinical Laboratory Information System Research Database at Aarhus University and the nationwide Register of Laboratory Results for Research. This review describes these two data sources. The laboratory databases have different geographical and temporal coverage. They both include individual-level biomarker results that are electronically transferred from laboratory information systems. The biomarker results can be linked to all other Danish registries at the individual level, using the unique identifier, the CPR number. The databases include variables such as the CPR number, date and time (hour and minute) of sampling, NPU code, and name of the biomarker, identification code for the laboratory and the requisitioner, the test result with the corresponding unit, and the lower and upper reference limits. Access to the two databases differs since they are hosted by two different institutions. Data cannot be transferred outside Denmark, and direct access is provided only to Danish institutions. It is concluded that access to data on routine biomarkers expands the detailed biological and clinical information available on patients in the Danish healthcare system. The full potential is enabled through linkage to other Danish healthcare registries.
| S-EPMC7244445 | biostudies-literature
Project description:A major purpose of biomedical terminologies is to provide uniform concept representation, allowing for improved methods of analysis of biomedical information. While this goal is being realized in bioinformatics, with the emergence of the Gene Ontology as a standard, there is still no real standard for the representation of clinical concepts. As discoveries in biology and clinical medicine move from parallel to intersecting paths, standardized representation will become more important. A large portion of significant data, however, is mainly represented as free text, upon which conducting computer-based inferencing is nearly impossible. In order to test our hypothesis that existing biomedical terminologies, specifically the UMLS Metathesaurus and SNOMED CT, could be used as templates to implement semantic and logical relationships over free text data that is important both clinically and biologically, we chose to analyze OMIM (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man). After finding OMIM entries' conceptual equivalents in each respective terminology, we extracted the semantic relationships that were present and evaluated a subset of them for semantic, logical, and biological legitimacy. Our study reveals the possibility of putting the knowledge present in biomedical terminologies to its intended use, with potentially clinically significant consequences.
| S-EPMC1480054 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Objectives To assess self reported outcomes and adverse events after self sourced medical abortion through online telemedicine.Design Population based study.Setting Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, where abortion is unavailable through the formal healthcare system except in a few restricted circumstances.Population 1000 women who underwent self sourced medical abortion through Women on Web (WoW), an online telemedicine service, between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012.Main outcome measures Successful medical abortion: the proportion of women who reported ending their pregnancy without surgical intervention. Rates of adverse events: the proportion who reported treatment for adverse events, including receipt of antibiotics and blood transfusion, and deaths reported by family members, friends, or the authorities. Care seeking for symptoms of potential complications: the frequency with which women reported experiencing symptoms of a potentially serious complication and the proportion who reported seeking medical attention as advised.Results In 2010-12, abortion medications (mifepristone and misoprostol) were sent to 1636 women and follow-up information was obtained for 1158 (71%). Among these, 1023 women confirmed use of the medications, and follow-up information was available for 1000. At the time women requested help from WoW, 781 (78%) were <7 weeks pregnant and 219 (22%) were 7-9 weeks pregnant. Overall, 94.7% (95% confidence interval 93.1% to 96.0%) reported successfully ending their pregnancy without surgical intervention. Seven women (0.7%, 0.3% to 1.5%) reported receiving a blood transfusion, and 26 (2.6%, 1.7% to 3.8%) reported receiving antibiotics (route of administration (IV or oral) could not be determined). No deaths resulting from the intervention were reported by family, friends, the authorities, or the media. Ninety three women (9.3%, 7.6% to 11.3%) reported experiencing any symptom for which they were advised to seek medical advice, and, of these, 87 (95%, 87.8% to 98.2%) sought attention. None of the five women who did not seek medical attention reported experiencing an adverse outcome.Conclusions Self sourced medical abortion using online telemedicine can be highly effective, and outcomes compare favourably with in clinic protocols. Reported rates of adverse events are low. Women are able to self identify the symptoms of potentially serious complications, and most report seeking medical attention when advised. Results have important implications for women worldwide living in areas where access to abortion is restricted.
| S-EPMC5431774 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND: There are no peer reviewed data on dog control records from an official agency in Ireland. In order to address this, a total of 2,669 official dog control service records generated during 2007 by Cork County Council dog control service were reviewed. RESULTS: Over 70 percent of records related to unwanted dogs and dogs not under their owners control. Stray dogs were collected by the service regularly throughout the year but with notable increase in voluntary surrenders by owners from January through to April. The majority of dogs collected or surrendered were male (2:1 ratio), of medium size, described as having a friendly temperament and were not wearing a neck collar. The Crossbreed and Greyhound breeds were more frequently collected as strays, while Greyhounds and German Shepherds were more frequently voluntarily surrendered by their owner. Restricted breeds such as Pit Bull terriers, German Shepherds and Rottweilers were more frequently reported by members of the public for aggressive behaviour while the only restricted breed reported for biting or snapping was the German Shepherd. CONCLUSIONS: Routine recording of dog control services in County Cork provide data on responsible dog ownership including the licensing of breeds, and surrender of owned dogs and the collection of stray dogs. Data capture and utilisation of dog control services by local authorities has potential to inform policy on responsible dog ownership and education programmes.
| S-EPMC3489852 | biostudies-other
Project description:IntroductionThe identification of genomic "targets" through next-generation sequencing (NGS) of patient's NSCLC tumors has resulted in a rapid expansion of targeted treatment options for selected patients. This retrospective study aims to identify the proportion of patients with advanced NSCLC in the Republic of Ireland whose tumors harbor actionable genomic alterations through broad NGS panel testing.MethodsInstitutional review board approval was obtained before study initiation. Patients with NSCLC whose tumors underwent genomic testing through the largest available NGS panel at a nationally funded Cancer Molecular Diagnostics laboratory (St. James's Hospital) between June 2017 and June 2022 were identified. Patient demographics and tumor-related data were collected by retrospective review from all cancer centers in Ireland, referring to the Cancer Molecular Diagnostics laboratory. A total of 203 (9%) tumor samples were excluded due to insufficient neoplastic cell content. Genomic data were collected through retrospective search of Ion Reporter software. The spectrum and proportion of patients with oncogenic driver mutations were evaluated using descriptive statistics (SPSS version 29.0).ResultsIn total, 2052 patients were identified. Patients were referred from 23 different hospital sites and all four geographic regions (Leinster = 1091, 53%; Munster = 763, 37.2%; Connacht = 191, 9.3%; Ulster = 7, 0.3%). Median age was 69 (range: 26-94) years; 53% were male. The most common tumor histologic subtype was adenocarcinoma (77%, n = 1577). An actionable genomic alteration was identified in 1099 cases (53%), the most common of which was KRAS (n = 657, 32%). Less frequently, NSCLC tumors harbored the following: MET exon 14 skipping (n = 53, 2.6%), MET amplification (n = 26, 1.3%), EGFR (n = 181, 8.8%), HER2 (n = 35, 1.7%), and BRAF (n = 72, 3.5%) mutations. Fusions were detected in 76 patients (3.7%) including ALK (n = 44, 58%), RET (n = 11, 14.5%), ROS1 (n = 16, 21%), and FGFR3 (n = 5, 6.6%), whereas no NTRK fusion was identified. Co-alterations were detected in 114 patients (5.6%), the most common of which was KRAS/PIK3CA (n = 19, 17%), EGFR/PIK3CA (n = 10, 8.5%), and KRAS/IDH1 (n = 9, 8%). Other co-alterations of interest identified included KRAS G12A/ROS1 fusion (n = 1) and KRAS G12C/BRAF G469A (n = 2).ConclusionsThis is the first retrospective study to comprehensively characterize the genomic landscape of NSCLC in Ireland, using the broadest available NGS panel. Actionable alterations were identified in 53.4% of the patients, and KRAS was the most common oncogenic driver alteration. Our study revealed a lower prevalence of patients whose tumor harbors ALK, ROS1, and RET fusions, compared with similar data sets.
| S-EPMC10850121 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Better opioid prescribing practices, promoting effective opioid use disorder treatment, improving naloxone access, and enhancing public health surveillance are strategies central to reducing opioid-related morbidity and mortality. Successfully advancing and evaluating these strategies requires leveraging and linking existing secondary data sources. We conducted a scoping study in Fall 2017 at RAND, including a literature search (updated in December 2018) complemented by semi-structured interviews with policymakers and researchers, to identify data sources and linking strategies commonly used in opioid studies, describe data source strengths and limitations, and highlight opportunities to use data to address high-priority public health research questions. We identified 306 articles, published between 2005 and 2018, that conducted secondary analyses of existing data to examine one or more public health strategies. Multiple secondary data sources, available at national, state, and local levels, support such research, with substantial breadth in data availability, data contents, and the data's ability to support multi-level analyses over time. Interviewees identified opportunities to expand existing capabilities through systematic enhancements, including greater support to states for creating and facilitating data use, as well as key data challenges, such as data availability lags and difficulties matching individual-level data over time or across datasets. Multiple secondary data sources exist that can be used to examine the impact of public health approaches to addressing the opioid crisis. Greater data access, improved usability for research purposes, and data element standardization can enhance their value, as can improved data availability timeliness and better data comparability across jurisdictions.
| S-EPMC6971390 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-limiting autosomal recessive disease in the Republic of Ireland (ROI), with a previously quoted incidence of 1 in 1353 and carrier rate of 1 in 19. The National Newborn Screening (NBS) for CF was incorporated in July 2011 in the ROI. A cut-off point of the top 1% Immunoreactive Trypsinogen (IRT) was taken as an indication for 38 CFTR variant panel to maximise identification of affected CF cases and to minimise detection of carriers. All neonates from July 2011 to Dec 2017 with an elevated IRT on NBS were tested with 38 CFTR mutation panel and included. Clinical and laboratory database were analysed. In the first 6.5 years a total of 5,053 newborns (1.16% of total births) were screened with 38 CFTR panel. 170 CF affected cases, 320 unaffected carriers, 32 CF Screening Positive Inconclusive Diagnosis (CFSPID) were identified. There was one missed diagnosis. The most common disease-causing variant was c.1521_1523delCTT (p.(Phe508del)) followed by c.1652G>A (p.(Gly551Asp)). 95 out of 170 (55%) affected newborns were homozygous for c.1521_1523delCTT (p.(Phe08del)) and 25 (15%) carried at least one copy of c.1652G>A (p.(Gly551Asp)). Hence, 70% of affected newborns were eligible for CFTR modulator treatment. The NBS programme has identified almost triple the number of affected newborn with c.1652G>A (p.(Gly551Asp)) than previously quoted figures and identified less than 50% of carriers than predicted. The revised incidence and carrier frequency of CF in the ROI is 1 in 2570 and 1 in 25, respectively.
| S-EPMC7784902 | biostudies-literature
Project description:For emerging epidemics such as the COVID-19 pandemic, quantifying travel is a key component of developing accurate predictive models of disease spread to inform public health planning. However, in many LMICs, traditional data sets on travel such as commuting surveys as well as non-traditional sources such as mobile phone data are lacking, or, where available, have only rarely been leveraged by the public health community. Evaluating the accuracy of available data to measure transmission-relevant travel may be further hampered by limited reporting of suspected and laboratory confirmed infections. Here, we leverage case data collected as part of a COVID-19 dashboard collated via daily reports from the Malagasy authorities on reported cases of SARS-CoV-2 across the 22 regions of Madagascar. We compare the order of the timing of when cases were reported with predictions from a SARS-CoV-2 metapopulation model of Madagascar informed using various measures of connectivity including a gravity model based on different measures of distance, Internal Migration Flow data, and mobile phone data. Overall, the models based on mobile phone connectivity and the gravity-based on Euclidean distance best predicted the observed spread. The ranks of the regions most remote from the capital were more difficult to predict but interestingly, regions where the mobile phone connectivity model was more accurate differed from those where the gravity model was most accurate. This suggests that there may be additional features of mobility or connectivity that were consistently underestimated using all approaches but are epidemiologically relevant. This work highlights the importance of data availability and strengthening collaboration among different institutions with access to critical data - models are only as good as the data that they use, so building towards effective data-sharing pipelines is essential.
| S-EPMC8641444 | biostudies-literature