Concentrations of cardiac Troponin I before and after ovariohysterectomy in 46 female dogs with pyometra

Background  

Canine pyometra is a common disease in countries where routine spaying of young dogs is not common practice. This disease is known to lead to systemic inflammation potentially affecting multiple organs in the body, including the heart. Cardiac-specific Troponin I (cTnI) is a sensitive marker of myocardial cell damage, which can result from ischemia, trauma, toxins or inflammation. Dogs with pyometra are also exposed to anaesthesia which can potentially result in myocardial cell damage. The aims of the study were 1) to evaluate the occurrence of myocardial cell damage as indicated by increased serum concentrations of cTnI in dogs with pyometra and relate these to presence of systemic inflammation and 2) to evaluate the change in cTnI-concentrations after anaesthesia and surgery.     

Renal histomorphology in dogs with pyometra and control dogs,and long term clinical outcome with respect to signs of kidney disease

Background  

Age-related changes in renal histomorphology are described, while the presence of glomerulonephritis in dogs with pyometra is controversial in current literature.     

Cardiac troponin I levels in canine pyometra

Background  

Myocardial injury may contribute to unexpected deaths due to pyometra. To detect myocardial damage, measurement of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) is currently the most sensitive and specific method. The aims of the present study were to evaluate presence of myocardial damage in canine pyometra by analysis of cTnI, to explore whether myocardial injury was associated with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and to evaluate whether other clinical or laboratory parameters were associated with cTnI increase.     

Pyometra in Bitches Induces Elevated Plasma Endotoxin and Prostaglandin F2α Metabolite Levels

   

Endotoxemia in bitches with pyometra can cause severe systemic effects directly or via the release of inflammatory mediators. Plasma endotoxin concentrations were measured in ten bitches suffering from pyometra with moderately to severely deteriorated general condition, and in nine bitches admitted to surgery for non-infectious reasons. Endotoxin samples were taken on five occasions before, during and after surgery. In addition, urine and uterine bacteriology was performed and hematological, blood biochemical parameters, prostaglandin F_2α metabolite 15-ketodihydro-PGF_2α (PG-metabolite), progesterone and oestradiol (E₂-17β) levels were analysed.     

Incidence of pyometra in Swedish insured cats

Pyometra is a clinically relevant problem in intact female cats and dogs. The etiology is similar in both animal species, with the disease caused by bacterial infection of a progesterone-sensitized uterus. Here, we studied pyometra in cats with the aim to describe the incidence and probability of developing pyometra based on age and breed. The data used were reimbursed claims for veterinary care insurance or life insurance claims or both in cats insured in a Swedish insurance database from 1999 to 2006. The mean incidence rate (IR) for pyometra was about 17 cats per 10,000 cat years at risk (CYAR). Cats with pyometra were diagnosed at a median age of 4 years and a significant breed effect was observed. The breed with the highest IR (433 cats per 10,000 CYAR) was the Sphynx, and other breeds with IR over 60 cats per 10,000 CYAR were Siberian cat, Ocicat, Korat, Siamese, Ragdoll, Maine coon, and Bengal. Pyometra was more commonly diagnosed with increasing age, with a marked increase in cats older than 7 years. The mean case fatality rate in all cats was 5.7%, which is slightly higher than corresponding reports in dogs of 3% to 4%. Geographical location (urban or rural) did not affect the risk of developing the disease. The present study provides information of incidence and probability of developing pyometra based on age, breed, and urban or rural geographical location. These data may be useful for designing cat breeding programs in high-risk breeds and for future studies of the genetic background of the disease.     

An investigation on the presence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chlamydiaceae</Emphasis> in Swedish dogs

Background  

Bacteria belonging to the family Chlamydiaceae cause a broad spectrum of diseases in a wide range of hosts, including man, other mammals, and birds. Upper respiratory and genital diseases are common clinical problems caused by Chlamydiaceae. Very little is known about chlamydial infections in dogs. Few clinical reports on natural disease in dogs describe mainly conjunctival and upper respiratory signs, and the role of Chlamydiaceae in genital disease is unclear. The present study aimed at studying the prevalence of Chlamydiaceae in healthy dogs and in dogs with genital or upper respiratory disease, including conjunctivitis.     

Sebaceous adenitis in Swedish dogs,a retrospective study of 104 cases

Background  

Sebaceous adenitis (SA) is an uncommon, immune mediated skin disease in dogs. The aim was to retrospectively investigate SA in dogs in Sweden with respect to breed, sex and age distribution. A second aim was to retrospectively compare clinical signs in dogs with generalized SA and to estimate the survival after diagnosis in the English springer spaniel, standard poodle and the akita.     

Radiographic and ultrasonographic findings in a dog with emphysematous pyometra

Background

Emphysematous pyometra is a rare canine disease characterized by gas-forming bacteria infecting the uterus and causing an accumulation of both gas and infectious exudate in the uterine lumen. While radiological features of emphysematous pyometra have been previously described in dogs, the ultrasonographic appearance has not been reported.

Case presentation

A 7-year-old intact female Labrador Retriever was presented because of a 1 day history of vomiting, anorexia, mild polyuria/polydipsia and signs of fatigue. On physical examination the dog had a swollen vulva with a sparse amount of yellow discharge. Lateral and ventrodorsal radiographs showed a dilated predominantly gas-filled tubular structure located in the mid and cranial abdomen traversing from left to right and ending dorsally at the level of the 12th thoracic vertebra. A small intestinal ileus was initially suspected. Following the radiographic examination, abdominal ultrasound was performed. In the left mid and caudal abdomen there were two thin-walled gas-containing tubular structures. One had the typical layered appearance of an intestinal wall and represented the descending colon. The second structure had a similar thickness but homogenously hypoechoic wall and contained gas and echogenic fluid in the lumen. By use of several positional changes of the dog aiming to alter the location of the intraluminal gas, the second structure was traced to the right ovary cranially and the uterine body caudally, confirming that the structure was the right uterine horn. A final diagnosis of emphysematous pyometra was made.

Conclusion

Ultrasound can be used as a non-invasive diagnostic method to differentiate between small intestinal ileus and emphysematous pyometra.

     

Lactate Up-Regulates the Expression of Lactate Oxidation Complex-Related Genes in Left Ventricular Cardiac Tissue of Rats

Background

Besides its role as a fuel source in intermediary metabolism, lactate has been considered a signaling molecule modulating lactate-sensitive genes involved in the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism. Even though the flux of lactate is significantly high in the heart, its role on regulation of cardiac genes regulating lactate oxidation has not been clarified yet. We tested the hypothesis that lactate would increase cardiac levels of reactive oxygen species and up-regulate the expression of genes related to lactate oxidation complex.

Methods/Principal Findings

Isolated hearts from male adult Wistar rats were perfused with control, lactate or acetate (20mM) added Krebs-Henseleit solution during 120 min in modified Langendorff apparatus. Reactive oxygen species (O₂ ^●-/H₂O₂) levels, and NADH and NADPH oxidase activities (in enriched microsomal or plasmatic membranes, respectively) were evaluated by fluorimetry while SOD and catalase activities were evaluated by spectrophotometry. mRNA levels of lactate oxidation complex and energetic enzymes MCT1, MCT4, HK, LDH, PDH, CS, PGC1α and COXIV were quantified by real time RT-PCR. Mitochondrial DNA levels were also evaluated. Hemodynamic parameters were acquired during the experiment. The key findings of this work were that lactate elevated cardiac NADH oxidase activity but not NADPH activity. This response was associated with increased cardiac O₂ ^●-/H₂O₂ levels and up-regulation of MCT1, MCT4, LDH and PGC1α with no changes in HK, PDH, CS, COXIV mRNA levels and mitochondrial DNA levels. Lactate increased NRF-2 nuclear expression and SOD activity probably as counter-regulatory responses to increased O₂ ^●-/H₂O₂.

Conclusions

Our results provide evidence for lactate-induced up-regulation of lactate oxidation complex associated with increased NADH oxidase activity and cardiac O₂ ^●-/H₂O₂ driving to an anti-oxidant response. These results unveil lactate as an important signaling molecule regulating components of the lactate oxidation complex in cardiac muscle.     

Concentrations of C-reactive protein,serum amyloid A,and haptoglobin in uterine arterial and peripheral blood in bitches with pyometra

Pyometra is a life-threatening reproductive disorder that affects the uterus of female dogs. This study was designed to identify the possible indicators of uterine inflammation by comparing C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), and haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations in uterine arterial and peripheral venous blood in bitches with open- and closed-cervix pyometra. CRP, SAA, and Hp concentrations were higher in bitches with closed-cervix pyometra irrespective of the site of blood collection. Higher acute-phase protein concentrations were observed in peripheral compared with uterine arterial blood in bitches with closed-cervix pyometra, whereas the levels were comparable in dogs with open-cervix pyometra. Our results indicate that mean acute-phase protein concentrations differ according to pyometra type/severity and blood source and suggest the possible use of peripheral blood levels of CRP, SAA, and Hp to monitor inflammation during the course of pyometra.     

Cortisol secretion after adrenocorticotrophin (ACTH) and Dexamethasone tests in healthy female and male dogs

Background  

For the conclusive diagnosis of Cushing's Syndrome, a stimulating ACTH test or a low suppressive Dexamethasone test is used. Reports in other species than the dog indicate that plasma cortisol concentration after ACTH administration is affected by gender. We investigated the effect of gender on the cortisol response to ACTH and Dexamethasone tests in dogs.     

Clinical and biochemical changes in 53 Swedish dogs bitten by the European adder - <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vipera berus</Emphasis>

Background  

Every year many dogs in Sweden are bitten by Vipera berus, the only venomous viper in Sweden. This prospective study investigated clinical signs, some biochemical parameters, treatment, and progress of disease after snakebite in 53 dogs. Effects of treatment with and without glucocorticoids were evaluated.     

Plasma PGF2α metabolite levels in cats with uterine disease

Uterine disease induces PGF_2α increase in many animal species, which can be measured by the metabolite 15-keto-(13,14)-dihydro-PGF_2α (PGFM). Plasma PGFM levels are associated with severity of the uterine disease and presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) in dogs. The objectives in this study were to investigate PGFM levels, presence of SIRS, and clinical and laboratory parameters in female cats as possible indicators for severity of uterine disease. In total, 7 female cats with pyometra, 2 with mucometra, 7 with cystic endometrial hyperplasia (CEH), and 14 healthy control cats were included. Physical examination, ovariohysterectomy, and histopathology were performed, laboratory parameters were analyzed, and PGFM levels were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Analysis of variance, Fisher's exact test, Student's t-test and Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient were used for data analysis. In cats with pyometra, mean PGFM levels were increased (21.1 nmol L⁻¹) but were decreased in cats with CEH (0.4 nmol L⁻¹) compared with control cats (0.6 nmol L⁻¹). In cats with mucometra, the mean PGFM level was 8.8 nmol L⁻¹. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome was present in 6 (85%) cats with pyometra, 1 cat with mucometra, and 1 cat with CEH. Hospitalization length was negatively correlated with albumin and positively correlated with total white blood cell count (WBC), neutrophils, band neutrophils (BN), percentage BN (PBN), and monocytes. Pyometra and mucometra were associated with increased plasma levels of PGFM. The parameters albumin, WBC, neutrophils, BN, PBN, and monocytes may be useful to determine morbidity as measured by hospitalization length.     

Serum levels of autoantibodies against C-reactive protein correlate with renal disease activity and response to therapy in lupus nephritis

Introduction  

Serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) seldom reflect disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We have previously shown that autoantibodies against neo-epitopes of CRP often occur in SLE, but that this does not explain the modest CRP response seen in flares. However, we have repeatedly found that anti-CRP levels parallel lupus disease activity, with highest levels in patients with renal involvement; thus, we aimed to study anti-CRP in a material of well-characterized lupus nephritis patients.     

Serum insulin-like growth factor-I,iron, C-reactive protein,and serum amyloid A for prediction of outcome in dogs with pyometra

Pyometra, accumulation of pus in the uterus, is a bacterial infection that frequently initiates systemic inflammation. The disease may have lethal consequences when the systemic effects are severe or complications occur. Markers for identifying high-risk patients and predicting outcome are therefore in high demand. The objective of this study was to measure serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), iron, C-reactive protein (CRP), and serum amyloid A (SAA) in bitches with pyometra and to explore the possible value of these variables for detection of increased morbidity. In total, 31 bitches were diagnosed with pyometra and destined for surgical treatment (ovariohysterectomy) and 17 healthy bitches were included in the study. Concentrations of IGF-I and iron were lower in the pyometra group (mean concentration 221.2 ± 22.5 ng/mL and 16.9 ± 1.6 μmol/L, respectively) compared with the healthy control group (mean concentration 366.7 ± 46.2 ng/mL and 38.1 ± 2.7 μmol/L, respectively). In contrast, concentrations of CRP and SAA were significantly higher in bitches with pyometra (mean concentrations 212.9 ± 17.3 mg/L and 119.9 ± 8.5 mg/L, respectively) compared with the control group (<5 mg/L and <10 mg/L, respectively). None of the explored variables were associated with morbidity as measured by duration of postoperative hospitalization. In conclusion, IGF-I and iron concentrations were decreased in pyometra, whereas SAA and CRP concentrations were increased in the disease. Although unspecific, measurement of these variables may be valuable as adjunctive markers for prognosis in cases of pyometra.     

Detection and quantification of 14 <Emphasis Type="Italic">Campylobacter</Emphasis> species in pet dogs reveals an increase in species richness in feces of diarrheic animals

Background  

The genus Campylobacter includes many species, some of which are known human and animal pathogens. Even though studies have repeatedly identified domestic dogs as a risk factor for human campylobacteriosis, our understanding of Campylobacter ecology in this reservoir is limited. Work to date has focused primarily on a limited number of species using culture-based methods. To expand our understanding of Campylobacter ecology in dogs, a collection of fecal samples from 70 healthy and 65 diarrheic pet dogs were examined for the presence and levels of 14 Campylobacter species using quantitative PCR.     

Effect of a single acupuncture treatment on surgical wound healing in dogs: a randomized,single blinded,controlled pilot study

Background  

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of acupuncture on wound healing after soft tissue or orthopaedic surgery in dogs.     

Response projected clustering for direct association with physiological and clinical response data

Background  

Microarray gene expression data are often analyzed together with corresponding physiological response and clinical metadata of biological subjects, e.g. patients' residual tumor sizes after chemotherapy or glucose levels at various stages of diabetic patients. Current clustering analysis cannot directly incorporate such quantitative metadata into the clustering heatmap of gene expression. It will be quite useful if these clinical response data can be effectively summarized in the high-dimensional clustering display so that important groups of genes can be intuitively discovered with different degrees of relevance to target disease phenotypes.     

Diabetes Medication Use and Blood Lactate Level among Participants with Type 2 Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Carotid MRI Study

Background

The objective of this study is to compare lactate levels between users and non-users of diabetes medications under the hypothesis that the level of lactate is a marker of oxidative capacity.

Methods

The cross-sectional data of 493 participants aged 61–84 with type 2 diabetes who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Carotid MRI study were analyzed using survey weighted linear regression.

Results

Median plasma lactate level was 8.58 (95% CI: 8.23, 8.87) mg/dl. Comparing users of diabetic medications with non-users, thiazolidinedione use was significantly associated with lower lactate level (7.57 (6.95–8.25) mg/dL vs. 8.78 (8.43–9.14) mg/dL), metformin use with a slightly higher lactate level (9.02 (8.51–9.58) mg/dL vs. 8.36 (7.96–8.77) mg/dL), and sulfonylurea and insulin use were not associated with lactate level. After adjustment for demographic and lifestyle factors, the plasma lactate level for thiazolidinedione users was 15.78% lower than that for non-users (p<0.001). Considering use of each medication separately and in combination did not change the results.

Conclusion

In conclusion, thiazolidinedione use was associated with lower plasma lactate level compared to non-use and metformin use was only marginally associated with a slightly higher lactate level. These results are consistent with the previously demonstrated effects of diabetes medications on oxidative metabolism. Further investigation of the role that diabetes medications play in improvement of oxidative metabolism is warranted.     

Gut and liver fat metabolism in depancreatized dogs: effects of exercise and acute insulin infusion

Namdaran, Kiarash, Deanna P. Bracy, D. Brooks Lacy, JaniceL. Johnson, Jennifer L. Bupp, and David H. Wasserman. Gut andliver fat metabolism in depancreatized dogs: effects of exercise andacute insulin infusion. J. Appl.Physiol. 83(4): 1339-1347, 1997.Excessivecirculating fat levels are a defining feature of poor metabolic controlin diabetes. Splanchnic adipose tissue is a source of free fatty acids(FFA), and the liver is a key site of FFA utilization and the solesource of ketones. Despite the role of splanchnic tissues in fatmetabolism, little is known about how these tissues respond to diabetesunder divergent metabolic conditions. Therefore, splanchnic fatmetabolism was studied in poorly controlled diabetes under twoconditions. First, it was studied during exercise, a stimulus thatenhances FFA flux. Second, it was studied while insulin was beingacutely infused to achieve levels normally present during exercise, atreatment that may be expected to inhibit lipolysis. For this purpose,liver and gut arteriovenous differences were used during rest and 2.5 h of treadmill exercise in insulin-deficient(n = 6) and acutely insulin-infused(n = 4) depancreatized (PX) dogs. Thedata show that 1) exercise, ininsulin-deficient PX dogs, leads to an increase in net FFA release frommesenteric fat that is equal in magnitude to the response innondiabetic dogs; 2) net hepaticfractional FFA extraction is increased twofold during exercise in bothinsulin-deficient PX dogs and nondiabetic control dogs;3) during exercise, ~40 and 75%of the FFA consumed by the liver is effectively transferred from fatstores mobilized from splanchnic adipose tissue in insulin-deficient PXand nondiabetic dogs, respectively;4) hepatic ketogenic efficiency iselevated during rest three- to fourfold in insulin-deficient PX dogscompared with nondiabetic control dogs and remains elevated duringexercise; and 5) surprisingly, acuteinsulin replacement is ineffective in normalizing net gut, hepatic, orsplanchnic FFA or ketone body balances in PX dogs.