Canine lymphoma is one of the commonest forms of spontaneous canine neoplasia. Improved understanding of the genetic and environmental risk factors for canine lymphoma, including breed differences, may have comparative benefits for the study of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in humans. In this study, data from a pet insurance company were used to estimate the incidences of canine lymphoma for pedigree breeds in the UK. Out of a total of 130,684 insured dogs, 103 had a diagnosis of lymphoma recorded. A significant breed effect was found with the boxer, bulldog and bull mastiff breeds, all having a high incidence of lymphoma. The small number of lymphoma cases recorded may have limited our ability to detect other breeds with an elevated risk. Incidence of lymphoma was found to increase with age, peaking at 10 years of age.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to determine whether an innovative interactive distance training program is an effective modality to train community health workers (CHWs) to become members of the diabetes health care team. The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center has developed a rigorous diabetes training program for CHWs involving both distance and hands-on learning as part of Project ECHO™ (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes). Methods Twenty-three diverse CHW participants from across New Mexico were enrolled in the first training session. Participants completed surveys at baseline and at the end of the program. They attended a 3-day hands-on training session, followed by weekly participation in tele/video conferences for 6 months. Wilcoxon signed-rank statistics were used to compare pre- and posttest results. Results Participants demonstrated significant improvements in diabetes knowledge ( P = .002), diabetes attitudes ( P = .04) and confidence in both clinical and nonclinical skills ( P < .001 and P = .04, respectively). Additionally, during focus group discussions, participants reported numerous benefits from participation in the program. Conclusions Community health worker participation in the Project ECHO diabetes training program resulted in significant increases in knowledge, confidence, and attitudes in providing care to patients with diabetes. Studies are ongoing to determine whether the training has a positive impact on patient outcomes.

BackgroundRetention in care is critical for treatment and prevention of HIV. Many HIV care clinics measure retention rate, but data are often incomplete for patients who are classified as lost to follow-up but may be actually in care elsewhere, moved, or died. The Data to Care (D2C) initiative supports data sharing between health departments and HIV providers to confirm patient care status and facilitate reengagement efforts for out of care HIV patients.MethodsThe University of Chicago Medicine (UCM) provided an electronic list to the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) of adult HIV-positive patients whose retention status was not certain. Retention in care was defined as at least 2 visits >90 days apart within the prior 12 months. CDPH matched this list of patients with data from the Chicago electronic HIV surveillance database. Matches were based on patient name, including alternative spellings and phonetics, and birth date. CDPH also cross-checked patient names with the CDC’s national enhanced HIV-AIDS Reporting System (eHARS) database. CDPH provided UCM with patient current care status, i.e., patient was in care elsewhere (as verified by lab data), moved out of state, or deceased.Results780 HIV-positive patients received care in the UCM adult HIV clinic from January 1, 2013 to March 31, 2017. Of these, 360 were retained in care as of March 2017. We shared data with CDPH for 492 patients. Of these, 294 (59.8%) were matched, and 168 (34.1%) had a date of last medical care provided. See Table 1 for patient dispositions, before and after data sharing. 24 (13.4%) of patients believed to be lost to follow up according to UCM records were confirmed either transferred care or deceased according to health department data.ConclusionData sharing between the health department and HIV providers can improve data accuracy regarding retention in care among people living with HIV.Table 1. HIV Patient disposition data before and after data sharing with health departmentPatient dispositionBefore data sharing, n (%)After data sharing, n (%)Currently in care at UCM360 (46.2%)360 (46.2%)Transferred139 (17.8%)143 (18.3%)Deceased63 (8.1%)83 (10.6%)Incarcerated1 (0.1%)1 (0.1%)Moved out of jurisdiction39 (5.0%)39 (5.0%)Lost to follow up178 (22.8%)154 (19.7%)Disclosures J. P. Ridgway, Gilead FOCUS: Grant Investigator, Grant recipient; D. Pitrak, Gilead Sciences FOCUS: Grant Investigator, Grant recipient

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Background Research has shown that religious affiliation has a protective effect against deliberate self-harm. This is particularly pronounced in periods of increased religious significance, such as periods of worship, celebration, and fasting. However, no data exist as to whether this effect is present during the Christian period of Lent. Our hypothesis was that Lent would lead to decreased presentations of self-harm emergency department (ED) in a predominantly Catholic area of Ireland. Methods Following ethical approval, we retrospectively analysed data on presentations to the ED of University Hospital Limerick during the period of Lent and the 40 days immediately preceding it. Frequency data were compared using Pearson’s chi-squared tests in SPSS. Results There was no significant difference in the overall number of people presenting to the ED with self-harm during Lent compared to the 40 days preceding it (χ2 = 0.75, df = 1, p > 0.05), and there was no difference in methods of self-harm used. However, there was a significant increase in attendances with self-harm during Lent in the over 50’s age group (χ2 = 7.76, df = 1, p = 0.005). Conclusions Based on our study, Lent is not a protective factor for deliberate self-harm and was associated with increased presentations in the over 50’s age group. Further large-scale studies are warranted to investigate this finding as it has implications for prevention and management of deliberate self-harm.