Epicardial pacemaker placement in cats is associated with resolution of clinical signs and excellent quality of life.

Objective: To describe complications and outcomes in cats undergoing epicardial pacemaker (EP) implantation for artificial cardiac pacing and to investigate improvement in clinical signs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following surgery.

Methods: 39 client-owned cats that underwent EP placement. Medical records of 4 UK-based referral hospitals were searched and data reviewed retrospectively between July 2010 and December 2022.

May Measurement Month 2021: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Australia.

May Measurement Month (MMM) is a global and national blood pressure (BP) screening campaign initiated by the International Society of Hypertension to improve awareness of BP worldwide. This study reports on the findings of the MMM21 campaign in Australia. Adult participants (≥18 years) were screened through opportunistic sampling across Australia between 1 May and 30 November 2021.

Use of an autologous pericardial patch to repair a post-traumatic caudal vena cava cicatrix in a dog.

Objective: To report the use of a pericardial patch graft to repair a post-traumatic caudal vena cava cicatrix in a dog.

Study Design: Case report.

Animals: A 1 year-old Rottweiler presenting with ascites following presumed blunt thoracic trauma.

Epicardial pacemaker placement is associated with low complication rate and improved quality of life in dogs.

Objective: To describe complications and outcomes in dogs undergoing epicardial pacemaker (EP) implantation, identify factors associated with survival, and investigate improvement in clinical signs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) following surgery.

Animals: 52 client-owned dogs that underwent EP placement.

Methods: Medical records of 4 UK-based referral hospitals were searched and data reviewed retrospectively between July 2010 and December 2022.

Evidence review and considerations for use of first line genome sequencing to diagnose rare genetic disorders.

Early use of genome sequencing (GS) in the diagnostic odyssey can reduce suffering and improve care, but questions remain about which patient populations are most amenable to GS as a first-line diagnostic test. To address this, the Medical Genome Initiative conducted a literature review to identify appropriate clinical indications for GS. Studies published from January 2011 to August 2022 that reported on the diagnostic yield (DY) or clinical utility of GS were included.

Clinical genetic counseling and translation considerations for polygenic scores in personalized risk assessments: A Practice Resource from the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

Polygenic scores (PGS) are primed for use in personalized risk assessments for common, complex conditions and population health screening. Although there is growing evidence supporting the clinical validity of these scores in certain diseases, presently, there is no consensus on best practices for constructing PGS or demonstrated clinical utility in practice. Despite these evidence gaps, individuals can access their PGS information through commercial entities, research programs, and clinical programs.

Evaluating the impact of a new educational tool on understanding of polygenic risk scores for alcohol use disorder.

Introduction: As gene identification efforts have advanced in psychiatry, so have aspirations to use genome-wide polygenic information for prevention and intervention. Although polygenic risk scores (PRS) for substance use and psychiatric outcomes are not yet available in clinical settings, individuals can access their PRS through online direct-to-consumer resources. One of these widely used websites reports that alcohol use disorder is the third most requested PRS out of >1,000 conditions.

Models of communication for polygenic scores and associated psychosocial and behavioral effects on recipients: A systematic review.

Purpose: This study aimed to systematically review current models for communicating polygenic scores (PGS) and psycho-behavioral outcomes of receiving PGSs.

Methods: Original research on communicating PGSs and reporting on psycho-behavioral outcomes was included. Search terms were applied to 5 databases and were limited by date (2009-2021).

Patient and provider perspectives on polygenic risk scores: implications for clinical reporting and utilization.

Background: Polygenic risk scores (PRS), which offer information about genomic risk for common diseases, have been proposed for clinical implementation. The ways in which PRS information may influence a patient's health trajectory depend on how both the patient and their primary care provider (PCP) interpret and act on PRS information. We aimed to probe patient and PCP responses to PRS clinical reporting choices METHODS: Qualitative semi-structured interviews of both patients (N=25) and PCPs (N=21) exploring responses to mock PRS clinical reports of two different designs: binary and continuous representations of PRS.

Clinical Implementation of Combined Monogenic and Polygenic Risk Disclosure for Coronary Artery Disease.

Background: State-of-the-art genetic risk interpretation for a common complex disease such as coronary artery disease (CAD) requires assessment for both monogenic variants-such as those related to familial hypercholesterolemia-as well as the cumulative impact of many common variants, as quantified by a polygenic score.

Objectives: The objective of the study was to describe a combined monogenic and polygenic CAD risk assessment program and examine its impact on patient understanding and changes to clinical management.

Methods: Study participants attended an initial visit in a preventive genomics clinic and a disclosure visit to discuss results and recommendations, primarily via telemedicine.

Clinical findings, surgical treatment and long-term outcome of dogs and cats with double aortic arch: four cases (2005-2022).

Objective: To describe the clinical presentation, diagnostic findings, treatment and long-term outcome following surgery of dogs and cats undergoing surgical treatment for a double aortic arch.

Materials And Methods: Medical records of dogs and cats diagnosed with a double aortic arch between 2005 and 2022 at three small animal referral hospitals were retrospectively reviewed. Long-term outcome was assessed by a clinical examination and/or by contacting the owners or referring veterinarians.

Caval chemodectoma in a cat.

Case Summary: An 11-year-old male neutered domestic shorthair cat was presented with a 4-week history of an intermittent cough and dyspnoea. A pleural effusion was identified, which was confirmed as chyle. Echocardiography and CT revealed a 16 mm mass cranial to the heart, which was invading the cranial vena cava.

Association of the Interaction Between Familial Hypercholesterolemia Variants and Adherence to a Healthy Lifestyle With Risk of Coronary Artery Disease.

Importance: Familial hypercholesterolemia variants impair clearance of cholesterol from the circulation and increase risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). The extent to which adherence to a healthy lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of CAD in carriers and noncarriers of variants warrants further study.

Objective: To assess the association of the interaction between familial hypercholesterolemia variants and adherence to a healthy lifestyle with risk of CAD.

Gait analysis as a robust pain behavioural endpoint in the chronic phase of the monoiodoacetate-induced knee joint pain in the rat.

The monoiodoacetate-induced rat model of osteoarthritis knee pain is widely used. However, there are between-study differences in the pain behavioural endpoints assessed and in the dose of intraarticular monoiodoacetate administered. This study evaluated the robustness of gait analysis as a pain behavioural endpoint in the chronic phase of this model, in comparison with mechanical hyperalgesia in the injected (ipsilateral) joint and development of mechanical allodynia in the ipsilateral hind paws.

Sinonasal mycosis following transfrontal craniotomy in three dogs.

Case Description: Three dogs were presented for investigation of chronic nasal discharge and epistaxis 141, 250, and 357 days after undergoing transfrontal craniotomy to treat an intracranial meningioma (2 dogs) or a meningoencephalocele (1 dog).

Clinical Findings: CT findings were consistent with destructive rhinitis and frontal sinusitis in all 3 dogs, with results of histologic examination and fungal culture of samples obtained during frontal sinusotomy confirming mycotic infection. Frontal sinusotomy revealed fungal plaques covering a combination of bone and residual surgical tissue adhesive at the site of the previous craniotomy in all 3 dogs.

May Measurement Month 2019: an analysis of blood pressure screening results from Australia.

May Measurement Month (MMM) is an annual global blood pressure (BP) screening campaign aimed at obtaining standardized BP measurements and other relevant health information from members of the community to increase awareness of elevated BP and the associated risks. Adults (≥18 years) were recruited through opportunistic sampling across the various Australian states during May 2019. Three BP readings were recorded in a standardized manner for each participant, and data on lifestyle factors and comorbidities were collected.

Design and user experience testing of a polygenic score report: a qualitative study of prospective users.

Background: Polygenic scores-which quantify inherited risk by integrating information from many common sites of DNA variation-may enable a tailored approach to clinical medicine. However, alongside considerable enthusiasm, we and others have highlighted a lack of standardized approaches for score disclosure. Here, we review the landscape of polygenic score reporting and describe a generalizable approach for development of a polygenic score disclosure tool for coronary artery disease.

Surgical Management of Three Dogs with an Interatrial Communication and Atrioventricular Valve Abnormalities.

• Large interatrial communications in dogs are rare. • When indicated, surgical closure of an interatrial communication is possible. • When indicated, surgical repair of the atrioventricular valve is possible.

Pharmacological characterization of the chronic phase of the monoiodoacetate-induced rat model of osteoarthritis pain in the knee joint.

For patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, pain is the most debilitating symptom. Although it has been proposed that the chronic phase of the monoiodoacetate (MIA)-induced rodent model of knee joint pain may be superior to other chronic or acute OA models for assessing the analgesic efficacy of novel molecules, relatively few pharmacological studies have been conducted in the chronic phase of this model. Hence, this study was designed to use pharmacological methods to characterize the chronic phase of the MIA-induced rat model of knee joint OA pain.

Randomized prospective evaluation of genome sequencing versus standard-of-care as a first molecular diagnostic test.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic yield and clinical relevance of clinical genome sequencing (cGS) as a first genetic test for patients with suspected monogenic disorders.

Methods: We conducted a prospective randomized study with pediatric and adult patients recruited from genetics clinics at Massachusetts General Hospital who were undergoing planned genetic testing. Participants were randomized into two groups: standard-of-care genetic testing (SOC) only or SOC and cGS.

Improving reporting standards for polygenic scores in risk prediction studies.

Polygenic risk scores (PRSs), which often aggregate results from genome-wide association studies, can bridge the gap between initial discovery efforts and clinical applications for the estimation of disease risk using genetics. However, there is notable heterogeneity in the application and reporting of these risk scores, which hinders the translation of PRSs into clinical care. Here, in a collaboration between the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen) Complex Disease Working Group and the Polygenic Score (PGS) Catalog, we present the Polygenic Risk Score Reporting Standards (PRS-RS), in which we update the Genetic Risk Prediction Studies (GRIPS) Statement to reflect the present state of the field.

Interventricular Septal Hematoma Associated with Surgical Mitral Valve Repair in Four Dogs.

• IVSH may occur in dogs following surgical MVR. • The cause of IVSH in dogs undergoing MVR remains unknown. • Mortality attributable to IVSH in these four dogs was 50%.