Associations between maternal vitamin D status and porcine litter characteristics throughout gestation.

Emerging evidence suggests an important role of vitamin D in the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and the regulation of foetal growth across mammalian species. However, the temporal changes in maternal vitamin D status throughout gestation in the pig and the relationship between maternal vitamin D status and litter characteristics of interest across gestation remain poorly understood and under-investigated. The abundance of 25(OH)D in maternal plasma was quantified by HPLC-MS/MS at gestational days (GD) 18, 30, 45, 60 and 90 (n = 5-11 gilts/GD).

The effect of season, management and endocrinopathies on vitamin D status in horses.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is common in humans and is increasingly linked to the pathogenesis of a multitude of diseases including obesity and metabolic syndrome. The biology of vitamin D in horses is poorly described; the relative contribution of the diet and skin synthesis to circulating concentrations is unclear and associations with the endocrine disease have not been explored.

Objectives: To determine the relationship between management, season and endocrine disease and vitamin D status in horses.

Vitamin D insufficiency in COVID-19 and influenza A, and critical illness survivors: a cross-sectional study.

Objectives: The steroid hormone vitamin D has roles in immunomodulation and bone health. Insufficiency is associated with susceptibility to respiratory infections. We report 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25(OH)D) measurements in hospitalised people with COVID-19 and influenza A and in survivors of critical illness to test the hypotheses that vitamin D insufficiency scales with illness severity and persists in survivors.

Relationship between vitamin D status and clinical outcomes in dogs with a cranial cruciate ligament rupture.

Cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) is one of the most common orthopaedic disorders diagnosed in dogs yet the factors which influence postoperative clinical outcomes are poorly understood. Low vitamin D status has been linked to poorer clinical outcomes in human patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between pre-operative vitamin D status, as defined by serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations, and initial disease severity and clinical outcomes in dogs undergoing surgical treatment for a CCLR.

Determinants of vitamin D status in Kenyan calves.

Vitamin D plays a critical role in calcium homeostasis and in the maintenance and development of skeletal health. Vitamin D status has increasingly been linked to non-skeletal health outcomes such as all-cause mortality, infectious diseases and reproductive outcomes in both humans and veterinary species. We have previously demonstrated a relationship between vitamin D status, assessed by the measurement of serum concentrations of the major vitamin D metabolite 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and a wide range of non-skeletal health outcomes in companion and wild animals.

Effects of surgery on free and total 25 hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in dogs.

Background: It is unclear whether a low total 25(OH)D concentration is a cause or consequence of illnesses. To address this knowledge gap, studies measuring free and total 25(OH)D during the evolution and resolution of an inflammatory process are required.

Objectives: Serum total and free 25(OH)D concentrations would transiently decline after cruciate surgery in dogs.

Vitamin D Metabolism and Profiling in Veterinary Species.

The demand for vitamin D analysis in veterinary species is increasing with the growing knowledge of the extra-skeletal role vitamin D plays in health and disease. The circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin-D (25(OH)D) metabolite is used to assess vitamin D status, and the benefits of analysing other metabolites in the complex vitamin D pathway are being discovered in humans. Profiling of the vitamin D pathway by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) facilitates simultaneous analysis of multiple metabolites in a single sample and over wide dynamic ranges, and this method is now considered the gold-standard for quantifying vitamin D metabolites.

Vitamin D status is seasonally stable in northern European dogs.

Background: Numerous studies in veterinary species have recently linked vitamin D status with nonskeletal health disorders. Previous studies have indicated that dogs cannot produce endogenous vitamin D via cutaneous production and rely solely on dietary intake of vitamin D. The seasonal variation of vitamin D seen in humans due to changes in ultraviolet (UV) exposure, therefore, is unlikely to be replicated in these animals.

HYPERVITAMINOSIS D IN A GIANT ANTEATER () AND A LARGE HAIRY ARMADILLO () RECEIVING A COMMERCIAL INSECTIVORE DIET.

Hypervitaminosis D was diagnosed in a giant anteater () and a large hairy armadillo () being fed a commercial insectivore diet. Clinical findings included weight loss, reduced appetite, vomiting, and suspected abdominal discomfort. Hypercalcemia (3.

Development and application of a LC-MS/MS assay for simultaneous analysis of 25-hydroxyvitamin-D and 3-epi-25-hydroxyvitamin-D metabolites in canine serum.

Hypovitaminosis D and hypervitaminosis D are well recognised disorders in dogs. Hypovitaminosis D can occur following consumption of a diet inadequately supplemented with vitamin D or as a sequelae of severe intestinal disease. Hypervitaminosis D may occur as a result of consuming proprietary dog foods over-supplemented with vitamin D or through ingestion of vitamin D containing medicinal products or rodenticides.

The selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor mavacoxib (Trocoxil) exerts anti-tumour effects in vitro independent of cyclooxygenase-2 expression levels.

The inducible inflammatory enzyme cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and its product prostaglandin E2 (PGE ) are prominent tumour promoters, and expression of COX-2 is elevated in a number of tumours of both humans and canines. Targeting COX-2 in cancer is an attractive option because of readily available non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and there is a clear epidemiological link between NSAID use and cancer risk. In this study, we aim to establish the anti-tumourigenic effects of the selective, long-acting COX-2 inhibitor mavacoxib.

Investigation of relationship between vitamin D status and reproductive fitness in Scottish hill sheep.

There is a growing interest in the influence of vitamin D on ovine non-skeletal health. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between pre-mating vitamin D status, as assessed by serum concentrations of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D; comprising D and D] and subsequent reproductive performance of genetically unimproved Scottish Blackface (UBF), genetically improved Scottish Blackface (IBF) and Lleyn ewes kept under Scottish hill conditions. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations were determined in serum samples harvested in November from ewes grazed outdoors.

Cyclooxygenase-2: A Role in Cancer Stem Cell Survival and Repopulation of Cancer Cells during Therapy.

Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an inducible form of the enzyme that catalyses the synthesis of prostanoids, including prostaglandin E2 (PGE), a major mediator of inflammation and angiogenesis. COX-2 is overexpressed in cancer cells and is associated with progressive tumour growth, as well as resistance of cancer cells to conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These therapies are often delivered in multiple doses, which are spaced out to allow the recovery of normal tissues between treatments.