Betaine and Soluble Fiber Improve Body Composition and Plasma Metabolites in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common condition in cats and cachexia (loss of lean body mass) is a concern. A nutrition-based intervention was investigated in cats with CKD for its effects on body composition, the plasma metabolome, and possible implications on health.

Methods: After a 4-week prefeed period with the control food, cats with CKD (N = 24) were randomized to one of six groups to consume a control food; a food supplemented with 0.

A Diet Supplemented with Polyphenols, Prebiotics and Omega-3 Fatty Acids Modulates the Intestinal Microbiota and Improves the Profile of Metabolites Linked with Anxiety in Dogs.

A nutrition-based approach was utilized to examine the effects of fish oil and a polyphenol blend (with or without tomato pomace) on the fecal microbiota and plasma/fecal metabolomes. Forty dogs, aged 5-14 years, were fed a washout food, then randomized to consume a control (fish oil and polyphenol blend without tomato pomace) or test (fish oil and polyphenol blend with tomato pomace) food, then the washout food, and crossed over to consume the test or control food; each for 30 days. Several metabolites differed when comparing consumption of the washout with either the control or test foods, but few changed significantly between the test and control foods.

Feeding cats with chronic kidney disease food supplemented with betaine and prebiotics increases total body mass and reduces uremic toxins.

Cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have a decreased ability to maintain body weight. As CKD advances, loss of body weight contributes to morbidity and mortality. The goal of this study was to evaluate the combined effects of feeding betaine and prebiotics on body weight of both CKD and healthy cats.

Effect of Nutrition on Age-Related Metabolic Markers and the Gut Microbiota in Cats.

Age-related changes in the gut microbiota and metabolites are associated with the increased risk of detrimental conditions also seen with age. This study evaluated whether a test food with potential anti-aging benefits results in favorable changes in plasma and fecal metabolites and the fecal microbiota in senior cats. Forty healthy domestic cats aged 8.

Effect of Added Dietary Betaine and Soluble Fiber on Metabolites and Fecal Microbiome in Dogs with Early Renal Disease.

Renal diets are recommended for dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study examined the effects of foods with added betaine and fiber on the plasma and fecal metabolome and fecal microbiome in dogs with early stage CKD. At baseline, several metabolites differed between healthy dogs and those with CKD.

Varying Protein Levels Influence Metabolomics and the Gut Microbiome in Healthy Adult Dogs.

The optimal ranges of protein for healthy adult dogs are not known. This study evaluated the impact of long-term consumption of foods containing low, medium, and high levels of protein on serum, urine, and fecal metabolites, and gut microbiome in beagles. Following maintenance on a prefeed food for 14 days, dogs (15 neutered males, 15 spayed females, aged 2-9 years, mean initial weight 11.

The Effects of Nutrition on the Gastrointestinal Microbiome of Cats and Dogs: Impact on Health and Disease.

The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome of cats and dogs is increasingly recognized as a metabolically active organ inextricably linked to pet health. Food serves as a substrate for the GI microbiome of cats and dogs and plays a significant role in defining the composition and metabolism of the GI microbiome. The microbiome, in turn, facilitates the host's nutrient digestion and the production of postbiotics, which are bacterially derived compounds that can influence pet health.

Changes in the Fecal Metabolome Are Associated with Feeding Fiber Not Health Status in Cats with Chronic Kidney Disease.

The objective was to determine the effects of feeding different fiber sources to cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) compared with healthy cats (both n = 10) on fecal metabolites. A cross-over within split-plot study design was performed using healthy and CKD cats (IRIS stage 1, 2, and 3). After cats were fed a complete and balanced dry food designed to aid in the management of renal disease for 14 days during a pre-trial period, they were randomly assigned to two fiber treatments for 4 weeks each.

Chronic kidney disease in cats alters response of the plasma metabolome and fecal microbiome to dietary fiber.

Methods: A cross-over study within a split-plot design was performed using healthy (n = 10) and CKD cats [IRIS Stage 1 and 2; n = 10]. Cats were fed dry Prescription Diet® k/d® Feline with chicken, during a pre-trial period and then randomly assigned to two fiber treatments for 4 weeks each. Treatment foods were formulated similar to pre-trial food, with the exception that they contained 0.

Low Concentration Intra-Tympanic Gentamicin Treatment for Menière's Disease: A Long-Term Follow Up.

Background: Intra-tympanic injections of gentamicin (ITG), a known ototoxic agent, have been proven to be effective in controlling Menière's disease (MD) symptoms, in patients who did not respond to conservative therapy, although its safety was questionable.

Objectives: To study whether low-concentration ITG, in refractory MD, had an effect on the ipsilateral hearing, in comparison to the contralateral ear, and to study the effectiveness of such treatment.

Methods: A comparative, retrospective cohort study was conducted between 2003 and 2015, and compared the change in the hearing level between the injected ear and the contralateral, untreated ear.

Antiviral activity of zinc salts against transmissible gastroenteritis virus in vitro.

Zinc has been shown to mediate antiviral effects against certain viruses. However, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. We investigated the effects of the two zinc salts, zinc chloride (ZnCl(2)) and zinc sulfate (ZnSO(4)), on infection of swine testicle (ST) cells with transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) and compared it to the effects of a control salt, magnesium sulfate (MgSO(4)).

Colchicine prolongs patency of myringotomy in an animal model.

Objective: Chronic otitis media with effusion (COME) is a frequently observed condition in childhood. The most common and effective surgical therapy for COME is myringotomy with insertion of a ventilation tube (VT). Our aims were to investigate the combined effect of myringotomy and the topical application of Colchicine solution to the external ear canal for the prolongation of patency in the treatment of patients with COME and to evaluate the ototoxicity of Colchicine applied directly to the middle ear.

Febrile illnesses of different etiology among outpatients in four health centers in Northwestern Ethiopia.

Fever of different etiology is common in tropical and subtropical countries of the world. Etiological agents of febrile illnesses were assessed in 653 acute febrile patients aged 3 to 17 years who attended the outpatient departments of Dembecha Health Center, Jiga Health Center, Quarit Health Center, and Finoteselam Hospital in western Gojjam zone, northwestern Ethiopia. Malaria was the most prevalent illness, infecting 62% of all cases.

Attitudes of old age psychiatrists in England and Wales to the use of mood stabilizer drugs.

Objective: This study investigates attitudes to the prescription of mood stabilizer drugs for older patients by old age psychiatrists.

Methods: From a sample of 508 members of the Old Age Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists practicing in England and Wales, 188 (37%) took part in a postal questionnaire survey. A proforma questionnaire investigating opinions about potential indications for, and current concerns about, mood stabilizer drugs was sent to all participants.

Remifentanil-sevoflurane anaesthesia for laparoscopic cholecystectomy: comparison of three dose regimens.

The objective of this study was to determine a dosing regimen for remifentanil-sevoflurane anaesthesia that achieves an optimal balance between quality of anaesthesia and time to recovery. Patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly allocated to receive 0.4, 0.

[Same-day diathermic hemorrhoidectomy in 48 patients; few complications and tolerable pain].

Object: To measure pain characteristics and to ascertain patient satisfaction and level of complications after day-care haemorrhoidectomy.

Design: Prospective.

Method: Diathermic haemorrhoidectomy was performed in daytime care in 40 successive patients in hospital De Heel, Zaandam in 1997-1998.

Long-term effects of two different ventilatory modes on oxygenation in acute lung injury. Comparison of airway pressure release ventilation and volume-controlled inverse ratio ventilation.

A total of 18 patients with acute lung injury (ALI) were sequentially ventilated with two different modes of mechanical ventilation, each applied for a period of 24 h: (1) volume-controlled inverse ratio ventilation (VC-IRV), (2) airway pressure release ventilation (APRV). The individual sequence of both ventilatory modes was randomized. Ventilatory minute volume was adjusted for a PaCO2 of 35 to 45 mm Hg at the beginning of the study during the first ventilatory mode and then kept constant within preset limits.