Genomic medicine has become a growing reality; however, it is still taking its first steps in veterinary medicine. Through this approach, it will be possible to trace the genetic profile of a given individual and thus know their susceptibility to certain diseases, namely periodontal disease. This condition is one of the most frequently diagnosed in companion animal clinics, especially in dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmong the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids is now a rising concern in wildlife within Europe, after the detection of the first case in Norway in 2016, in a wild reindeer and until June 2022 a total of 34 cases were described in Norway, Sweden and Finland. The definite diagnosis is , performed in target areas of the brain and lymph nodes. Samples are first screened using a rapid test and, if positive, confirmed by immunohistochemistry and Western immunoblotting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic variability is the main cause of phenotypic variation. Some variants may be associated with several diseases and can be used as risk biomarkers, identifying animals with higher susceptibility to develop the pathology. Genomic medicine uses this genetic information for risk calculation, clinical diagnosis and prognosis, allowing the implementation of more effective preventive strategies and/or personalized therapies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 3-to-4-year-old roe deer ( L.) was admitted to the Veterinary Hospital. Although it showed well-developed antlers with retained velvet, an external female appearance and genitalia were evident.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWasting disease in small ruminants is frequently detected at slaughterhouses. The wasting disorder is manifested by the deterioration of the nutritional and physiological state of the animal indicated by thinness, emaciation, and cachexia. Evidence of emaciation and cachexia, alone, are pathological conditions leading to carcass condemnation during an inspection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTransmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) or prion diseases are a fatal group of infectious, inherited and spontaneous neurodegenerative diseases affecting human and animals. They are caused by the conversion of cellular prion protein (PrP) into a misfolded pathological isoform (PrP or prion- proteinaceous infectious particle) that self-propagates by conformational conversion of PrP. Yet by an unknown mechanism, PrP can fold into different PrP conformers that may result in different prion strains that display specific disease phenotype (incubation time, clinical signs and lesion profile).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeriodontal Disease is an infectious and inflammatory disorder triggered mainly by periodontopathogenic bacteria, however, as a multifactorial disease, several factors modulate its progression, namely, genetic factors. Toll-like receptors (TLR) recognize molecular patterns present in pathogens and trigger an immune response against them. Thus, sequences variants in TLR genes seem to have the potential to modify the predisposition to Periodontal Disease and its progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common canine prostatic disorder. Although most or even all intact male dogs may develop BPH by 5-8 years of age, many show no clinical signs. Taking into account the non-specific character of clinical and ultrasonographic findings, a new diagnostic approach has recently been proposed based on the augmentation of blood canine prostate-specific arginine esterase (CPSE) in hyperplasic dogs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSocial barriers have been shown to reduce gene flow and contribute to genetic structure among populations in species with high cognitive capacity and complex societies, such as cetaceans, apes and humans. In birds, high dispersal capacity is thought to prevent population divergence unless major geographical or habitat barriers induce isolation patterns by dispersal, colonization or adaptation limitation. We report that Iberian populations of the red-billed chough, a social, gregarious corvid with high dispersal capacity, show a striking degree of genetic structure composed of at least 15 distinct genetic units.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe complete mitochondrial genomes of Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) and Yellow-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus) were sequenced using the Ion Torrent PGM platform. These mitogenomes contain 16,889 bp (Red-billed Chough) and 16,905 bp (Yellow-billed Chough), including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, and a control region (D-loop). The gene content, orientation, and structure are similar to a wide range of other vertebrate species and the nucleotide composition is very similar to other Passeriformes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeriodontal disease (PD) refers to a group of inflammatory diseases that affect the periodontium, the organ which surrounds and supports the teeth. PD is a highly prevalent disease with a multifactorial etiology and, in humans the individual susceptibility is known to be strongly determined by genetic factors. Several candidate genes have been studied, namely genes related with molecules involved in the inflammatory response.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman ERBB2 is a proto-oncogene that codes for the erbB-2 epithelial growth factor receptor. In human breast cancer (HBC), erbB-2 protein overexpression has been repeatedly correlated with poor prognosis. In more recent works, underexpression of this gene has been described in HBC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We studied the influence of the ACE I/D and ACTN3 R577X polymorphisms (single or combined) on lower-extremity function in older women in response to high-speed power training.
Methods: One hundred and thirty-nine healthy older Caucasian women participated in this study (age: 65.5 ± 8.
Salivary duct lithiasis is a condition characterized by the partial or total obstruction ofa salivary gland or its excretory duct due to the formation of sialoliths. A 9-year-old female donkey, belonging to the unique and endangered indigenous breed of donkey in Portugal, was diagnosed with a sialolith in the rostral portion of the right parotid duct based on clinical, oral, dental, and radiographic examination results. Surgical removal of the sialolith was done through a percutaneous approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSarcopenia is characterized by a progressive generalized decrease of skeletal muscle mass, strength and function with aging. Recently, the genetic determination has been associated with muscle mass and muscle strength in elderly. These two phenotypes of risk are the most commonly recognized and studied for sarcopenia, with heritability ranging from 30 to 85% for muscle strength and 45-90% for muscle mass.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrognathism and brachygnathism are craniofacial deformities that severely affect the health of human and vertebrates, such as donkeys. The multifactorial etiology of this disease makes the genetic analysis a powerful tool for its understanding and prevention of spreading these deformities. This study aims to contribute to the characterization of the genetic basis of prognathism and brachygnathism in donkeys, using the Zamorano-Leonés donkey, an endangered Spanish breed, as a model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigh-resolution melting (HRM) analysis is a very attractive and flexible advanced post-PCR method with high sensitivity/specificity for simple, fast and cost-effective genotyping based on the detection of specific melting profiles of PCR products. Next generation real-time PCR systems, along with improved saturating DNA-binding dyes, enable the direct acquisition of HRM data after quantitative PCR. Melting behaviour is particularly influenced by the length, nucleotide sequence and GC content of the amplicons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic variation of the human ACE I/D and ACTN3 R577X polymorphisms subsequent to 12 weeks of high-speed power training on maximal strength (1RM) of the arm and leg muscles, muscle power performance (counter-movement jump), and functional capacity (sit-to-stand test) was examined in older Caucasian women [n = 139; mean age 65.5 (8.2) years; 67.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe human ERBB2 proto-oncogene is widely considered a key gene involved in human breast cancer onset and progression. Among spontaneous tumors, mammary tumors are the most frequent cause of cancer death in cats and second most frequent in humans. In fact, naturally occurring tumors in domestic animals, more particularly cat mammary tumors, have been proposed as a good model for human breast cancer, but critical genetic and molecular information is still scarce.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of the study was to examine the effects of 12 weeks high-speed power training on isometric contraction (handgrip strength), maximal strength (1RM), muscle power (walking velocity, counter movement jump and ball throwing) and functional tasks of the arm and leg muscles (sit-to-stand and get-up and go). Fifty-six older women were divided into an experimental group and a control group [EG, n=28, 62.5 (5.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe selection of a DNA extraction method is a critical step when subsequent analysis depends on the DNA quality and quantity. Unlike mammals, for which several capable DNA extraction methods have been developed, for molluscs the availability of optimized genomic DNA extraction protocols is clearly insufficient. Several aspects such as animal physiology, the type (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe molecular and genetic research has contributed to a better understanding of the periodontal disease (PD) in humans and has shown that many genes play a role in the predisposition and progression of this complex disease. Variations in human lactotransferrin (LTF) gene appear to affect anti-microbial functions of this molecule, influencing the PD susceptibility. PD is also a major health problem in small animal practice, being the most common inflammatory disease found in dogs.
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