Serum symmetric dimethylarginine concentrations in enalapril- or telmisartan-treated dogs with proteinuric chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibition (RAASi) reduces intraglomerular pressure and is a standard therapy for dogs with proteinuric chronic kidney disease (CKD). RAASi can acutely decrease glomerular filtration rate (GFR); however, its effects on the marker of GFR serum symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) concentration in dogs have not been specifically evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes, relative to pretreatment values, in serum SDMA concentrations in dogs with proteinuric CKD receiving RAASi therapy.

From Ridge 2 Reef: An interdisciplinary model for training the next generation of environmental problem solvers.

Regional and global environmental challenges have become increasingly complex and require broader solutions than a single discipline can provide. Although there is a growing need for interdisciplinary research, many graduate education programs still train students within the confines of a particular discipline or specialty. The Ridge 2 Reef research traineeship program at the University of California, Irvine, aimed to provide transferable and interdisciplinary skill training to prepare graduate students from different disciplines to address current and future environmental challenges.

Therapy with clopidogrel or rivaroxaban has equivalent impacts on recurrence of thromboembolism and survival in cats following cardiogenic thromboembolism: the SUPERCAT study.

Objective: To assess the impact of clopidogrel or rivaroxaban administration on recurrence of arterial thromboembolism (ATE) in cats that have recovered from cardiogenic ATE.

Methods: This multicenter prospective double-masked protocol enrolled 45 cats that had recovered from cardiogenic ATE and were randomized to receive either clopidogrel (18.75 mg/cat, PO; n = 19) or rivaroxaban (2.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in kidney diseases of cats and dogs.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) has a well-established key pathophysiologic role in kidney diseases, and pharmacotherapy targeting this system is a mainstay of treatment of affected human beings, cats, and dogs. Several studies have evaluated the circulating RAAS in animals with spontaneous or experimentally induced kidney diseases. Evidence supporting the activation of this system has been demonstrated in some - but not all - studies and individuals, and the interindividual variability in circulating RAAS markers is high.

Characterization of the circulating markers of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in telmisartan- or enalapril-treated dogs with proteinuric chronic kidney disease.

Background: Effects of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) inhibitors enalapril and telmisartan on circulating RAAS in dogs with proteinuric chronic kidney disease (pCKD) are undescribed.

Objectives: To characterize the RAAS in untreated dogs with pCKD compared to healthy, life-stage- and sex-matched controls, and in dogs with pCKD after 30 days of treatment with enalapril or telmisartan.

Animals: Dogs with pCKD (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 20).

Effect of gabapentin on ambulatory, direct, systemic arterial blood pressure in apparently healthy cats in the at-home and in-clinic environments.

Objectives: Situational increases in blood pressure (BP) frequently confound the accurate diagnosis of pathological systemic hypertension in cats. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of gabapentin on direct, ambulatory systolic arterial BP (SBP) in cats in at-home and in-clinic environments.

Methods: Six adult purpose-bred cats with surgically implanted femoral artery telemetric BP-sensing catheters were administered 100 mg of gabapentin or a placebo orally in two randomized, masked, crossover study phases.

Effects of orally administered pimobendan on platelet function in healthy adult cats.

Objective: Several phosphodiesterase inhibitors have demonstrable antiplatelet actions when administered to human patients. Concentration-dependent inhibition of feline platelet aggregation by pimobendan has been previously demonstrated in vitro. However, there are no published reports characterizing the effect of oral pimobendan, administered at therapeutic doses, on platelet function in cats.

Characterization of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system in cats with naturally occurring chronic kidney disease.

Background: The role of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is incompletely understood.

Objective: To characterize components of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in cats with CKD.

Animals: Eleven cats with naturally occurring CKD (CKD group) and 8 healthy control cats.

A systems approach using Diversity Outbred mice distinguishes the cardiovascular effects and genetics of circulating GDF11 from those of its homolog, myostatin.

Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is a member of the TGF-β protein family that has been implicated in the development of cardiac hypertrophy. While some studies have suggested that systemic GDF11 protects against cardiomyocyte enlargement and left ventricular wall thickening, there remains uncertainty about the true impact of GDF11 and whether its purported effects are actually attributable to its homolog myostatin. This study was conducted to resolve the statistical and genetic relationships among GDF11, myostatin, and cardiac hypertrophy in a mouse model of human genetics, the Diversity Outbred (DO) stock.

Clinical assessment of heartworm-infected Beagles treated with a combination of imidacloprid/moxidectin and doxycycline, or untreated.

Background: Administration of moxidectin topically and doxycycline PO has been utilized experimentally as an alternative treatment for heartworm disease. However, clinical effects of this protocol remain poorly characterized.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical and postmortem findings associated with administration of doxycycline and monthly 10% imidacloprid + 2.

Evaluation of profibrotic gene transcription in renal tissues from cats with naturally occurring chronic kidney disease.

Background: Increased gene transcription of hypoxia-induced mediators of fibrosis in renal tissue has been identified in experimentally induced, ischemic chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Objective: To characterize hypoxia-induced profibrotic pathways in naturally occurring CKD in cats.

Animals: Twelve client-owned cats with CKD and 8 healthy control cats.

Profibrotic gene transcription in renal tissues from cats with ischemia-induced chronic kidney disease.

Objective: To characterize transcription of profibrotic mediators in renal tissues of cats with ischemia-induced chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Sample: Banked renal tissues from 6 cats with experimentally induced CKD (RI group) and 8 healthy control cats.

Procedures: For cats of the RI group, both kidneys were harvested 6 months after ischemia was induced for 90 minutes in 1 kidney.

Provider- and Patient-Related Barriers to and Facilitators of Digital Health Technology Adoption for Hypertension Management: Scoping Review.

Background: The uptake of digital health technology (DHT) has been surprisingly low in clinical practice. Despite showing great promise to improve patient outcomes and disease management, there is limited information on the factors that contribute to the limited adoption of DHT, particularly for hypertension management.

Objective: This scoping review provides a comprehensive summary of barriers to and facilitators of DHT adoption for hypertension management reported in the published literature with a focus on provider- and patient-related barriers and facilitators.

Safety and efficacy of orally administered telmisartan for the treatment of systemic hypertension in cats: Results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial.

Background: Information regarding the efficacy of telmisartan for feline systemic arterial hypertension is limited.

Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of PO administered telmisartan solution in hypertensive cats.

Animals: Client-owned cats with indirect systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP) of 160-200 mm Hg, based on multiple measurements.

Relationships among urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio, urine specific gravity, and bacteriuria in canine urine samples.

Background: Proteinuria is a marker of chronic kidney disease in dogs and a risk factor for increased morbidity and death. Predictive models using the results of readily available screening tests could foster early recognition.

Objective: To determine whether urine specific gravity (USG) and semiquantitative category of dipstick protein can be used to predict urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UP : C) and to examine the effect of urine culture results on UP : C in dogs.

Response Gene to Complement 32 Maintains Blood Pressure Homeostasis by Regulating α-Adrenergic Receptor Expression.

Rationale: Hypertension prevalence is much higher among children and adolescents with low birth weight and greater postnatal weight gain than in individuals with normal birth weight. However, the cause and molecular mechanisms underlying this complication remain largely unknown. Our previous studies have shown that RGC-32 (response gene to complement 32)-deficient (RGC-32) mice are born significantly smaller but grow faster than their WT (wild type) controls, which allows adult RGC-32 mice to attain body weights similar to those of control mice.

ACVIM consensus statement: Guidelines for the identification, evaluation, and management of systemic hypertension in dogs and cats.

An update to the 2007 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) consensus statement on the identification, evaluation, and management of systemic hypertension in dogs and cats was presented at the 2017 ACVIM Forum in National Harbor, MD. The updated consensus statement is presented here. The consensus statement aims to provide guidance on appropriate diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in dogs and cats.

Approaches to Canine Heartworm Disease Treatment Among Alumni of a Single College of Veterinary Medicine.

This descriptive study was designed to ascertain the current heartworm treatment strategies employed by veterinary graduates of a single college of veterinary medicine, to assess the frequency with which each of these treatment strategies is prescribed, and to report the motivation behind the use of these treatment strategies. A survey containing a combination of multiple-choice and open-ended questions was distributed via e-mail with an online link during 2013 to graduates of the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine. Demographic data and opinions regarding treatment for cases of canine heartworm disease (HWD) were obtained, and motivation for recommending different treatment strategies was assessed.

Evaluation of orally administered telmisartan for the reduction of indirect systolic arterial blood pressure in awake, clinically normal cats.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of multiple once- or twice-daily oral dosage rates of the angiotensin II, type-1 receptor blocker, telmisartan (TEL), or placebo (PLA) on indirect systolic arterial blood pressure (SBP) in awake, clinically normal cats.

Methods: Utilizing an incomplete crossover design and following a 14 day acclimation period, 28 healthy laboratory cats were randomized to undergo treatment with three of the following 14 day treatment protocols, each separated by a 1 week washout period: oral PLA q24h, oral TEL at a dosage of 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 mg/kg q24h, or oral TEL at a dosage of 1 or 1.

Treatment of supraventricular tachycardia in a horse.

Objective: To describe the treatment of persistent supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) in a young horse in endurance training.

Case Summary: A 6-year-old Arab gelding in endurance training presented for a dysrhythmia and decreased performance. SVT was diagnosed and conversion to a normal sinus rhythm was achieved following administration of a constant rate infusion of amiodarone.

Assessing Academic Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, and Attitudes in Undergraduate Physiology Students.

Academic self-efficacy affects the success of students in the sciences. Our goals were to develop an instrument to assess the self-efficacy and attitudes toward science of students in an undergraduate physiology course. We hypothesized 1) that our instrument would demonstrate that students taking this course would exhibit greater self-efficacy and more positive attitudes toward science than students in a non-science undergraduate course, and 2) that the physiology students' self-efficacy and attitudes would improve after completing the course.