Interstitial cystitis-an imbalance of risk and protective factors?

Interstitial cystitis (IC) presents as a chronic pain condition with variable combinations of symptoms depending on the species and individual patient. It is diagnosed by the presence of lower urinary tract signs and symptoms in combination with a variety of comorbid health problems, a history of life adversities, and the absence of other conditions that could cause the lower urinary tract signs. IC occurs naturally in humans and cats as a dimensional condition, with patients presenting with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms.

High-frequency data from the U.S. Census Bureau during the COVID-19 pandemic: small vs. new businesses.

Small businesses experienced very sharp declines in activity, business sentiment, and expectations early in the pandemic. While there has been some recovery since then, multiple indicators of small business performance remained substantially in the negative range early in 2021. These findings are from a unique high frequency, real time, survey of small employer businesses, the Census Bureau's Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS).

Early maternal separation is not associated with changes in telomere length in domestic kittens ().

Objective: Studies of multiple species have found that adverse early life experiences, including childhood trauma and maternal separation, can result in accelerated telomere shortening. The objective of this study was to determine if premature separation from the mother affected telomere length in domestic kittens (). Subjects were 42 orphaned kittens and 10 mother-reared kittens from local animal rescue groups and shelters.

A survey-based assessment of risk factors for cross-sucking behaviors in neonatal kittens, .

Cross-sucking, or non-nutritive sucking on the bodies of littermates, is commonly observed in early-weaned animals. This behavior has been well-documented in production animals, which are often separated from their mothers before weaning. The behavior is less well-understood in other domestic species, such as cats (), that can be orphaned due to neglect, maternal death, or accidental separation.

Stress and Feline Health.

In the health sciences, stress often is defined in terms of stressors; events that are perceived as threats to one's perception of control. From this perspective, a stressor is anything that activates the central threat response system (CTRS). Recent research shows that the CTRS can be sensitized to environmental events through epigenetic modulation of gene expression.

Autonomic neurophysiologic implications of disorders comorbid with bladder pain syndrome vs myofascial pelvic pain.

Aims: The neuropathophysiology of a debilitating chronic urologic pain condition, bladder pain syndrome (BPS), remains unknown. Our recent data suggests withdrawal of cardiovagal modulation in subjects with BPS, in contrast to sympathetic nervous system dysfunction in another chronic pelvic pain syndrome, myofascial pelvic pain (MPP). We evaluated whether comorbid disorders differentially associated with BPS vs MPP shed additional light on these autonomic differences.

Robotic single-site endometriosis resection using near-infrared fluorescence imaging with indocyanine green: a prospective case series and review of literature.

We present our preliminary experience comparing robotic near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF) imaging using indocyanine green (ICG) to 2D laparoscopic white light (WL) and 3D robotic WL illumination, in their ability to visually detect endometriosis lesions during a robotic endometriosis resection procedure in a single center. A total of twenty women were screened and seven of them with symptomatic endometriosis were included in this prospective case series. The mean patient age was 33 years with the mean body mass index being 28.

A survey of feeding practices and use of food puzzles in owners of domestic cats.

Objectives: Food puzzles may provide enrichment to domestic cats. The purpose of our survey was to determine: (1) how respondents fed their cat (type[s] of food, amount and mode of delivery); (2) how many people used food puzzles to provide food for their cats; and (3) owner attitudes about food puzzles.

Methods: We conducted an online survey from January to April of 2018 to ask cat owners (n = 3192) questions related to their cat feeding practices and use of food puzzles.

Chronic Lower Urinary Tract Signs in Cats: Current Understanding of Pathophysiology and Management.

Cats that present with chronic lower urinary tract signs are often diagnosed with feline idiopathic/interstitial cystitis, a disease syndrome that is more than just a bladder disease and can be associated wtih a myriad of other co-morbidities. Further, gaining a better understanding of FIC (including the most accurate descriptive terminology) may help researchers, veterinarians, pet food companies, and clients develop and tailor the best possible approaches to management of these cat's unique health and welfare needs.

Comparison of Voiding Dysfunction Phenotypes in Women with Interstitial Cystitis/Bladder Pain and Myofascial Pelvic Pain: Results from the ICEPAC Trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether voiding parameters differ in patients with the common overlapping pelvic pain disorders, interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), and myofascial pelvic pain (MPP).

Methods: Uroflow and voiding diary assessed voiding phenotypes in this prospective cohort study (ICEPAC) of women comparing IC/BPS, IC/BPS +MPP, MPP, and healthy control (HC) subjects.

Results: In 36 HC, 24 IC/BPS, 37 IC/BPS + MPP, and 14 MPP subjects, the voiding diary measurements indicate lower voided volumes in IC/BPS and IC/BPS + MPP groups (185 ± 24 mL, 169 ± 20 mL, respectively) compared to HC and MPP groups (294 ± 24 mL, 226 ± 36 mL, respectively; P <.

Feline Interstitial Cystitis Enhances Mucosa-Dependent Contractile Responses to Serotonin.

Purpose: To determine whether responses to serotonin are altered in bladder strips from cats diagnosed with a naturally occurring form of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis termed feline interstitial cystitis (FIC).

Methods: Full thickness bladder strips were isolated from aged matched healthy control cats and cats with clinically verified FIC. Bladder strips were mounted in an organ bath and connected to a tension transducer to record contractile activity.

Corrigendum: Inflammation and Tissue Remodeling in the Bladder and Urethra in Feline Interstitial Cystitis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2018.

Predictors of oversedation in hospitalized patients.

Purpose: Results of a study to determine demographic and clinical characteristics predictive of oversedation and potential opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD) in hospitalized patients are reported.

Methods: In a retrospective case-controlled study, an incident reporting database was searched to identify cases of in-hospital oversedation; to form the control group, patients who did not experience an oversedation event while hospitalized were sampled in reverse chronological order until the desired total sample size ( = 225) was obtained. An allocation ratio of 2:1 was specified to adjust for case variability.

Early weight loss outcomes from a newly established hospital-affiliated specialized obesity care delivery model in Central Florida.

Significance: We evaluated weight loss outcomes in a newly established hospital-affiliated, physician-directed multidisciplinary, and personalized obesity care model.

Methods: Fifty established patients in a specialized obesity medicine practice underwent intensive lifestyle intervention ±adjunctive pharmacotherapy (46/50) for >6 consecutive months and when required, psychological intervention. We identified demographics, obesity-related comorbidities, anthropometric changes over time, and laboratory screen.

Inflammation and Tissue Remodeling in the Bladder and Urethra in Feline Interstitial Cystitis.

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a debilitating chronic disease of unknown etiology. A naturally occurring disease termed feline interstitial cystitis (FIC) reproduces many features of IC/BPS patients. To gain insights into mechanisms underlying IC/BPS, we investigated pathological changes in the lamina propria (LP) of the bladder and proximal urethra in cats with FIC, using histological and molecular methods.

A Specialized Medical Management Program to Address Post-operative Weight Regain in Bariatric Patients.

Introduction: Although bariatric surgery results in massive weight loss, weight regain over time up to as much as 25% is not uncommon. Weight regain in this population often leads to long-term weight loss failure and non-compliance in clinical follow-up and program recommendations.

Methods: We analyzed early weight outcomes at 3 and 6 months of 48 bariatric patients referred to an individualized, multidisciplinary medical management program at the Center for Obesity Medicine (COM) to address weight regain in 2015 and compared to a group of matched non-bariatric patients.

The South Dakota Model: Health Care Professions Student Disaster Preparedness and Deployment Training.

Objective: The Association of American Medical Colleges recommended an increase in medical education for public health emergencies, bioterrorism, and weapons of mass destruction in 2003. The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine (USD SSOM) implemented a 1-day training event to provide disaster preparedness training and deployment organization for health professions students called Disaster Training Day (DTD).

Methods: Hospital staff and emergency medical services personnel provided the lecture portion of DTD using Core Disaster Life Support (CDLS; National Disaster Life Support Foundation) as the framework.

Robotic laparoendoscopic single-site benign gynecologic surgery: a single-center experience.

The da Vinci Xi surgical system was released with several upgrades and modifications compared to the previous robotic generations to facilitate minimal invasive surgery. Herein, we present our preliminary experience of robotic laparoendoscopic single-site gynecologic surgery performed for benign indications with the da Vinci Xi robotic system in a single center. Thirty-five female patients underwent robotic single-site surgery between June 2016 and January 2017.

Behavior and Welfare of Domestic Cats Housed in Cages Larger than U.S. Norm.

The effect of providing additional floor space on cat behavior and welfare is not well documented. This study involved replication of an investigation of cats' responses to enhanced cage and room environments using cages of 0.56 m with the same methodology but an increased space allowance of 1.

Responsiveness of cats (Felidae) to silver vine (Actinidia polygama), Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica), valerian (Valeriana officinalis) and catnip (Nepeta cataria).

Background: Olfactory stimulation is an often overlooked method of environmental enrichment for cats in captivity. The best known example of olfactory enrichment is the use of catnip, a plant that can cause an apparently euphoric reaction in domestic cats and most of the Pantherinae. It has long been known that some domestic cats and most tigers do not respond to catnip.