Inflammatory and immune variables as predictors of survival in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Background: We aimed to investigate the association between selected inflammatory and immune variables and survival of dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). We evaluated data of 62 client-owned dogs with MMVD, grouped into preclinical, stable congestive heart failure (CHF) and unstable CHF. Univariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to quantify the association of white blood cell count, concentrations and percentages of T lymphocytes and their subtypes (T helper lymphocytes, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, double positive T lymphocytes, double negative T lymphocytes) and B lymphocytes with survival.

Cardiac Electromechanical Activity in Healthy Cats and Cats with Cardiomyopathies.

Optimal heart function depends on perfect synchronization between electrical and mechanical activity. In this pilot study, we aimed to investigate the electromechanical activity of the heart in healthy cats and cats with cardiomyopathy with phonocardiography (PCG) synchronized to an electrocardiography (ECG) pilot device. We included 29 cats (12 healthy cats and 17 cats diagnosed with cardiomyopathy) and performed a clinical examination, PCG synchronized with ECG and echocardiography.

Evaluation of antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve degeneration stage B1.

Myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) is the most common naturally occurring heart disease in dogs. There is a lack of data on antioxidant status and oxidative damage in dogs with MMVD stage B1 according to the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM B1). The aim of this study was to investigate antioxidant status (plasma vitamin E, lipid-standardized vitamin E (LS-VitE), antioxidant capacity of lipid-(ACL) and water-soluble antioxidants, whole blood glutathione peroxidase and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase), and lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA)] in dogs with MMVD ACVIM B1.

Identification of novel genetic risk factors of dilated cardiomyopathy: from canine to human.

Background: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a life-threatening heart disease and a common cause of heart failure due to systolic dysfunction and subsequent left or biventricular dilatation. A significant number of cases have a genetic etiology; however, as a complex disease, the exact genetic risk factors are largely unknown, and many patients remain without a molecular diagnosis.

Methods: We performed GWAS followed by whole-genome, transcriptome, and immunohistochemical analyses in a spontaneously occurring canine model of DCM.

Echocardiographic analysis of dogs before and after surgical treatment of brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome.

Brachycephalic dogs with brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) are a valuable animal model for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in humans. Clinical signs of upper airway obstruction improve after surgical treatment of BOAS, but the impact of surgery on morphology and function of the heart has not been studied. Therefore, we aimed to compare the echocardiographic variables of dogs before and after surgical treatment of BOAS.

Radiologic Evaluation of Portosystemic Shunts in Humans and Small Animals: Review of the Literature with Clinical Case Reports.

The portal venous system is a network of vessels that carry blood from the capillary beds of the major abdominal organs to the liver. During embryology, the portal venous system can develop aberrantly, leading to vascular connections between the portal and systemic venous circulation known as portosystemic shunts. The purpose of this comparative review with a few short representative case reports was to present the similarities and differences in portosystemic shunts in humans and small animals and their radiologic evaluation.

Effects of Coenzyme Q Supplementation on Oxidative Stress Markers, Inflammatory Markers, Lymphocyte Subpopulations, and Clinical Status in Dogs with Myxomatous Mitral Valve Disease.

Scarce data exist on the effects of coenzyme Q (CoQ) supplementation in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of CoQ supplementation on oxidative stress markers (glutathione peroxidase, F2-isoprostanes), markers of inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-α, TNF soluble receptor II, leucocytes, and their subtypes), lymphocyte subpopulations (T helper and cytotoxic T lymphocytes, including activated T lymphocytes, and B lymphocytes), and echocardiographic and clinical parameters in dogs with MMVD. In this randomized, controlled, double-blind, longitudinal study, 43 MMVD dogs in stages ACVIM (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine classification) B2 and ACVIM C and D (congestive heart failure (CHF)) received water-soluble coenzyme Q (100 mg twice daily) or placebo for 3 months, and 12 non-supplemented healthy dogs served as controls.

Peripheral blood lymphocyte subtypes in dogs with different stages of myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Background: Data on alterations in peripheral blood lymphocyte (PBL) subtypes in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is lacking.

Objectives: To investigate PBL subtypes and their correlation with parameters of inflammation and MMVD progression markers in dogs with different stages of MMVD.

Animals: Seventy-eight client-owned dogs: 65 with MMVD (American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine [ACVIM] classification stages B2, C, and D) and 13 healthy controls.

Inflammation and its association with oxidative stress in dogs with heart failure.

Background: Inflammation and oxidative stress can contribute to the development and progression of heart failure. This study aimed to investigate the association between inflammatory and oxidative stress markers in dogs with congestive heart failure (CHF). Associations between the disease severity marker N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and markers of inflammation and oxidative stress were also determined.

Randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial of the effects of coenzyme Q supplementation on plasma coenzyme Q concentration in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

Objective: To determine the dose of coenzyme Q (CoQ) needed to achieve at least a 3-fold increase in plasma CoQ concentration in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) and congestive heart failure (CHF).

Animals: 18 dogs with CHF due to MMVD and 12 healthy dogs.

Procedures: In a randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial, dogs with MMVD were given 50 or 100 mg of water-soluble CoQ (ubiquinone; total daily dose, 100 mg [n = 5] or 200 mg [6]) or a placebo (7), PO, twice a day for 2 weeks in addition to regular cardiac treatment.

Antioxidant capacity of lipid- and water-soluble antioxidants in dogs with subclinical myxomatous mitral valve degeneration anaesthetised with propofol or sevoflurane.

Background: Antioxidants located in both the hydrophilic and lipophilic compartments of plasma act as a defence system against reactive oxygen species (ROS). Excessive production of ROS during anaesthesia affects the antioxidant capacity of plasma and may result in oxidative stress. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of lipid- (ACL) and water-soluble (ACW) antioxidants in client-owned dogs diagnosed with periodontal disease and early-stage myxomatous mitral valve degeneration (MMVD) and anaesthetised for a dental procedure with propofol and sevoflurane or with propofol only.

Systemic inflammation in dogs with advanced-stage heart failure.

Background: Although human studies have shown that inflammation plays a role in the development of congestive heart failure, scarce information exists on white blood cell count (WBC) and differential cell counts in various stages of heart failure in man and dogs. A few studies demonstrated increased concentrations of C-reactive protein (CRP), a major acute-phase protein, in cardiac diseases in dogs. Our research aimed to investigate whether CRP concentration, WBC and neutrophil count (NEUT), as markers of systemic inflammation, are elevated in canine cardiovascular patients.

Pulmonary Circulation Transvascular Fluid Fluxes Do Not Change during General Anesthesia in Dogs.

General anesthesia (GA) can cause abnormal lung fluid redistribution. Pulmonary circulation transvascular fluid fluxes ( ) are attributed to changes in hydrostatic forces and erythrocyte volume (EV) regulation. Despite the very low hydraulic conductance of pulmonary microvasculature it is possible that GA may affect hydrostatic forces through changes in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and EV through alteration of erythrocyte transmembrane ion fluxes ( ).

Markers of oxidative stress in dogs with heart failure.

We tested the hypothesis that indirect measures of oxidative stress (vitamin E, glutathione peroxidase, and malondialdehyde) differ in dogs in heart failure resulting from either myxomatous mitral valve disease or dilated cardiomyopathy. Dogs were classified according to the International Small Animal Cardiac Health Council (ISACHC) classification. Additionally, the effect of cardiac therapy on oxidative stress parameters and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in advanced stages of congestive heart failure was investigated.

Plasma coenzyme Q concentration, antioxidant status, and serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide concentration in dogs with various cardiovascular diseases and the effect of cardiac treatment on measured variables.

OBJECTIVE To determine the plasma total antioxidant capacity, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase activity, whole blood glutathione peroxidase activity, and plasma coenzyme Q (CoQ) concentration in dogs with various stages of cardiovascular diseases and in healthy dogs; assess the influence of cardiac treatment on the levels of antioxidant variables, plasma CoQ concentration, and serum N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration, and determine any correlation between the disease severity (NT-proBNP concentration) and antioxidant variables or CoQ concentration. ANIMALS 43 dogs with various types and stages of cardiovascular diseases (congenital and acquired) and 29 healthy dogs. PROCEDURES Blood samples were collected from all dogs for spectrophotometric assessment of antioxidant variables.

Two-dimensionally-guided M-mode and pulsed wave Doppler echocardiographic evaluation of the ventricles of apparently healthy cats.

Objective: To determine two-dimensionally-guided (2D-guided) M-mode and pulsed-wave (PW) Doppler echocardiographic reference intervals range of healthy non-sedated cats.

Animals: Fifty-three healthy, unsedated domestic cats.

Materials And Methods: Cats were interrogated via standard imaging planes with 2D-guided PW Doppler, using 5.

Comparison of high definition oscillometric and Doppler ultrasonic devices for measuring blood pressure in anaesthetised cats.

Indirect blood pressure measurements using high definition oscillometric (HDO) and Doppler devices were compared in 50 anaesthetised client-owned cats presented for various surgical procedures. Sites of cuff placement for Doppler were identified as forelimb and hindlimb and for HDO as forelimb and tail. Oscillometric and Doppler readings were obtained in 90.

Polycystic kidney disease: a review and occurrence in Slovenia with comparison between ultrasound and genetic testing.

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is an inherited autosomal kidney disease which is most commonly identified in Persian and Persian related cats. Positive cats have multiple cysts of various sizes that occur in the renal cortex and medulla and occasionally in other abdominal organs. PKD often leads to renal failure which occurs from mid to late in life.

Evaluation of the phospholamban gene in purebred large-breed dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy.

Objective: To evaluate the role of the phospholamban gene in purebred large-breed dogs with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Animals: 6 dogs with DCM, including 2 Doberman Pinschers, 2 Newfoundlands, and 2 Great Danes.

Procedure: All dogs had clinical signs of congestive heart failure, and a diagnosis of DCM was made on the basis of echocardiographic findings.

Characterization of the canine desmin (DES) gene and evaluation as a candidate gene for dilated cardiomyopathy in the Dobermann.

Canine-dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs is a disease of the myocardium associated with dilatation and impaired contraction of the ventricles and is suspected to have a genetic cause. A missense mutation in the desmin gene (DES) causes DCM in a human family. Human DCM closely resembles the canine disease.