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Abstract Background In inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) of humans, nutrient malabsorption can result in fat-soluble vitamin deficiency, especially of vitamin D. In veterinary species, decreased concentrations of vitamin D are relatively common in dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE), but data on the status of other fat-soluble vitamins (FSVs) is lacking. Objectives Determine the serum concentrations of retinol, vitamin D, and α-tocopherol in dogs with CE compared with healthy dogs and compare clinical, clinicopathologic variables between CE and healthy dogs to detect associations with decreased FSVs concentrations. Animals Eighteen client-owned dogs with CE and 33 healthy dogs. Methods Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D), serum retinol and α-tocopherol concentrations were compared between groups. Correlations and multiple regression modeling were used to examine the relationship between serum 25(OH)D, retinol, and α-tocopherol concentrations and clinical and clinicopathological variables. Results Dogs with low serum albumin concentrations were more likely to have lower 25(OH)D concentrations than dogs with normal serum albumin concentration. Dogs with CE had higher serum concentrations of retinol, and variable α-tocopherol concentrations. The cause of these dysregulated vitamin concentrations is unclear and requires further study. Conclusion and Clinical Importance Dogs with severe forms of CE should be monitored for decreased concentrations of 25(OH)D. Additional studies are needed to evaluate the clinical relevance and the possible benefit of vitamin D supplementation in these patients.

Suspected bacterial urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common cause of overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. A bedside diagnostic test that could accurately predict urine culture results would prevent antimicrobial overuse, but accurate biomarkers have not yet been identified in veterinary medicine. The objective of this study was to evaluate urine myeloperoxidase (uMPO) as a rapidly available, accurate marker to predict urine culture results. We hypothesized that uMPO would be higher in dogs with a positive urine culture than in dogs with a negative urine culture, and that uMPO could be used to aid in the accurate diagnosis of significant bacteriuria. Urine samples were collected from a veterinary university clinical pathology lab. uMPO concentration was measured using a commercially available canine myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Following validation, samples from 98 dogs that had a urinalysis and urine culture performed as part of their diagnostic investigation were included. Forty-seven dogs had a negative urine culture and fifty-one dogs had a positive urine culture. uMPO levels were significantly higher in samples that had a positive culture (median 2.13 ng/ml; IQR 0.98-7.07) versus samples that had a negative culture (median 1.07 ng/ml; IQR 0.52-1.84)(p < 0.005). Based on receiver-operator characteristic, a cutoff of 0.55 ng/ml was chosen to maximize sensitivity and specificity. Using a cutoff of 0.55 ng/ml, uMPO had a sensitivity of 70% and specificity of 69% to determine the presence of a positive culture. However, the degree of overlap between groups may preclude the use of this test as a surrogate for urine culture in a clinical setting.

Abstract Background Information regarding measurement and supplementation of vitamin K1 (vitK1) in dogs with chronic enteropathy (CE) is limited. Hypothesis/Objectives Compare vitK1 concentrations of healthy dogs to dogs with CE and determine if supplementation with vitK1 increases vitK1 concentrations compared to placebo. Animals Twenty client-owned dogs with CE and 20 healthy university-owned research colony dogs. Methods Prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Dogs with CE were randomly assigned to receive placebo or vitk1 2.5 mg/kg PO q12h for 3 weeks. Vitamin K concentrations were measured pre- and post supplementation using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and compared to vitK1 concentrations in the healthy cohort. Results All healthy dogs had initial vitK1 median concentrations of 0.10 ng/mL (interquartile range [IQR], 0.05), which was similar to dogs that received either placebo (n = 5; 0.10 ng/mL; IQR, 0.05) or vitK1 (n = 7; 0.10 ng/mL; IQR, 0.05) before supplementation. Dogs with CE receiving vitK1 had increased vitK1 concentrations (12.5 ng/mL; IQR, 4.1) after 3 weeks of supplementation compared with baseline (0.10 ng/mL; p < 0.001), placebo group after 3 weeks (0.10 ng/mL; p < 0.0001) and healthy dogs (0.10 ng/mL; p < 0.004). Conclusions and Clinical Importance Oral supplementation with vitK1 increased vitK1 concentration in the serum of dogs with CE, but a clinical benefit from increased vitK1 concentrations was not identified. The absence of difference in vitK1 concentrations between healthy and CE dogs before supplementation requires additional investigation.

Abstract Background The effects of vitamin D supplementation are unknown in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy (PLE). Objective To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and clinical benefit of orally administered cholecalciferol in dogs with PLE and decreased serum concentrations of 25OHD. Animals Twenty-eight dogs with PLE, decreased 25OHD, and serum ionized calcium (iCa) > 1.0 mmol/L (n = 15 treated with cholecalciferol, n = 13 treated with placebo). Methods Prospective, double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial. Dogs randomized to receive 400 IU/kg cholecalciferol or placebo PO daily along with standard therapy for 6 weeks. Clinical and biochemical variables were measured at baseline (T0) and monitored at 2 (T1), 4 (T2), and 6 (T3) weeks postmedication initiation. Clinical and biochemical variables were also measured 6 weeks following discontinuation of study medication (T4). Variables were compared in dogs with PLE receiving cholecalciferol versus placebo at T0–T4 using Student's t test or Mann–Whitney U tests and a mixed-effects model. Correlations between 25OHD and clinical and biochemical variables were also performed. Results Dogs with PLE treated with cholecalciferol had higher 25OHD concentrations at T2 compared to dogs treated with placebo (225 nmol/L, range 72–434 vs. 80 nmol/L, range 31–254 nmol/L; p = 0.004). Clinical and biochemical variables did not otherwise differ between dogs with PLE treated with cholecalciferol versus placebo at T0–T4. Serum albumin correlated with 25OHD at T0–T3(p < 0.005 for all comparisons). Hypervitaminosis D without ionized hypercalcemia occurred in five dogs (18%). Conclusions While PLE dogs treated with cholecalciferol had higher 25OHD concentrations at study timepoints, a clinical benefit of supplementation was not observed.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections have spilled over from humans to companion and wild animals since the inception of the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, whole genome sequencing data of the viral genomes that infect non-human animal species have been scant. Here, we detected and sequenced a SARS-CoV-2 delta variant (AY.3) in fecal samples from an 11-year-old domestic house cat previously exposed to an owner who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Molecular testing of two fecal samples collected 7 days apart yielded relatively high levels of viral RNA. Sequencing of the feline-derived viral genomes showed the two to be identical, and differing by between 4 and 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms in pairwise comparisons to human-derived lineage AY.3 sequences collected in the same geographic area and time period. However, several mutations unique to the feline samples reveal their divergence from this cohort on phylogenetic analysis. These results demonstrate continued spillover infections of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants that threaten human and animal health, as well as highlight the importance of collecting fecal samples when testing for SARS-CoV-2 in animals. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first published case of a SARS-CoV-2 delta variant in a domestic cat in the United States.

Case summary An adult male neutered Russian Blue cat presented for a right-sided nasal mass with bilateral retropharyngeal and right mandibular lymphadenomegaly. Medial retropharyngeal lymph node excision with nasal mass biopsy revealed eosinophilic sclerosing lymphadenitis and eosinophilic and lymphoplasmacytic rhinitis, respectively. Bacterial culture of the lymph node grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and treatment with pradofloxacin was started. Despite initial improvement, clinical signs recurred after 9 months, and fine-needle aspirates of the right mandibular and left medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes showed eosinophilic and mastocytic infiltration. Bacterial culture of the left medial retropharyngeal lymph node grew P aeruginosa, and treatment with anti-inflammatory doses of prednisolone and, later, marbofloxacin was instituted. Relevance and novel information This report describes a case of feline eosinophilic sclerosing lymphadenitis diagnosed outside of the abdominal cavity and is the first case reported to be associated with P aeruginosa. Feline eosinophilic sclerosing lymphadenitis should be considered as a differential for lymphadenopathy occurring in areas other than the abdominal cavity. Feline eosinophilic sclerosing lymphadenitis may develop in cats due to a species-specific inflammatory response to chronic bacterial and fungal infections.

Dogs with chronic giardiasis, histoplasmosis, or histiocytic ulcerative colitis, among other primary gastrointestinal diseases, may have similar results to the dogs labeled as “CE/IBD” and may have even been part of that group of dogs. [...]cohorts have been studied in detail, the authors' suggestion that a combination of ACA, ACNA, and AGA could aid in IBD diagnosis is unfounded or potentially even detrimental to the dogs diagnosed based on these biomarkers. While the work-up mentioned did include a minimum database and fecal examination for endoparasites, a standardized diagnostic work-up, including the outcome of broad-spectrum anthelminthic therapy or dietary trials, or tissue diagnosis, all essential for a diagnosis of IBD, are missing. [...]all we can conclude from the current study is that the panel of the three markers described has a 90% sensitivity and a 96% specificity in differentiating dogs with a variety of signs of chronic gastrointestinal disease from dogs that have signs of chronic gastrointestinal disease due to hypoadrenocorticism, EPI, possible pancreatitis, possible lymphoma, or healthy control dogs. [...]the authors state that the markers described in their study have been used as clinical tools for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal conditions in humans for decades.

Equine asthma is a naturally occurring lung disease characterized by chronic, partially reversible airway obstruction, pulmonary remodeling, and lower airway inflammation. Asthma is currently divided into two major groups, mild to moderate asthma (mEA) and severe asthma (sEA), but further subtyping by phenotype (i.e., clinical presentation) and/or endotype (i.e., cellular mechanisms) may be warranted. For this study, we were interested in further investigation of cellular and inflammatory characteristics of EA, including airway mast cells. The purpose of this study was to: (1) compare mast cell protease mRNA expression between healthy and asthmatic horses, (2) analyze the cytokine profile present in BALF of currently defined equine asthma groups, and (3) use these data to evaluate potential biomarkers of defined asthma groups. We hypothesized that there would be significant differences in the cellular mast cell phenotypes (i.e., mucosal vs. connective tissue) and cytokine profiles in the BALF of asthmatic vs. healthy horses and across asthma groups. We assert these characteristics may inform additional subtypes of equine asthma. Adult horses were recruited from the institution's teaching herd and clinical caseload. Mast cell protease gene expression of the BALF cellular component and multiplex bead immunoassay for cytokine concentrations in the BALF supernatant were investigated. Airway mast cells primarily expressed tryptase, with low levels of chymase. No significant changes in protease expression were detected across groups. Horses with severe asthma had increased TNF-α, CXCL-8, and IFN-γ concentrations in BALF supernatant. Multidimensional analysis demonstrated healthy and mEA horses have overlapping characteristics, with sEA separating from the other groups. This difference was primarily due to BALF neutrophil and lymphocyte concentrations. These study results further inform understanding of EA immunopathology, and future studies designed to investigate asthma phenotypes and endotypes. Ultimately, a better understanding of these groups could help identify novel therapeutic strategies.

Quantitative variations in score profiles from the parent version of the PDD Behavior Inventory (PDDBI) were examined in young Autism and PDD-NOS groups defined by ADOS-G and ADI-R criteria, relative to a not spectrum (NS) group of similar age. Both the Autism and the PDD-NOS group profiles markedly differed from the NS group. The most sensitive measures of group differences were those domain and composite scores that assessed social communication competence, as well as the overall Autism Composite score. Sensitivity, specificity and positive and negative predictability measures were quite good for these measures. It was concluded that the PDDBI is useful in assisting in the differential diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Conventional mental health services are frequently criticized for failing to support people and communities in their care. Open Dialogue is a non-conventional humanistic approach to mental health care, which has been implemented in many different settings globally. At two Australian public health care services, implementation of the approach led to positive client outcomes and sustained organizational and clinical change. The aim of the study was to identify and explore the organizational, management, leadership and cultural factors that contributed to sustained implementation in these complex systems. We conducted nine individual semi-structured interviews of health care leaders and managers from the two sites. Transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed thematically. Leaders facilitated a gradual development of clinical and organizational legitimacy for the non-standardized Open Dialogue approach by holding the anxiety and frustration of practitioners and parts of the administration, cultivating cultural change and adaptation and by continually removing organizational obstacles.