Clinical research self-efficacy in academic veterinary clinicians in the United States.

Objective: Clinical research is a growing part of the academic clinician's job, and documenting areas of low self-efficacy can inform training initiatives.

Sample: 182 US academic veterinary clinicians.

Methods: A survey of academic veterinary clinicians was distributed to 31 US institutions.

Clinical validation of a blood-based liquid biopsy test integrating cell-free DNA quantification and next-generation sequencing for cancer screening in dogs.

Objective: To validate the performance of a novel, integrated test for canine cancer screening that combines cell-free DNA quantification with next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis.

Sample: Retrospective data from a total of 1,947 cancer-diagnosed and presumably cancer-free dogs were used to validate test performance for the detection of 7 predefined cancer types (lymphoma, hemangiosarcoma, osteosarcoma, leukemia, histiocytic sarcoma, primary lung tumors, and urothelial carcinoma), using independent training and testing sets.

Methods: Cell-free DNA quantification data from all samples were analyzed using a proprietary machine learning algorithm to determine a Cancer Probability Index (High, Moderate, or Low).

Next-generation sequencing-based liquid biopsy may be used for detection of residual disease and cancer recurrence monitoring in dogs.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a next-generation sequencing-based liquid biopsy test for cancer monitoring in dogs.

Samples: Pre- and postoperative blood samples were collected from dogs with confirmed cancer diagnoses originally enrolled in the CANcer Detection in Dogs (CANDiD) study. A subset of dogs also had longitudinal blood samples collected for recurrence monitoring.

Detection of Age-Related Somatic Alterations in Canine Blood Using Next-Generation Sequencing-Based Liquid Biopsy: An Analysis of over 4800 Dogs.

Age-related somatic genomic alterations in hematopoietic cell lines have been well characterized in humans; however, this phenomenon has not been well studied in other species. Next-generation sequencing-based liquid biopsy testing for cancer detection was recently developed for dogs and has been used to study the genomic profiles of blood samples from thousands of canine patients since 2021. In this study, 4870 client-owned dogs with and without a diagnosis or suspicion of cancer underwent liquid biopsy testing by this method.

Clinical experience with next-generation sequencing-based liquid biopsy testing for cancer detection in dogs: a review of 1,500 consecutive clinical cases.

Objective: To review ordering patterns, positivity rates, and outcome data for a subset of consecutive samples submitted for a commercially available, blood-based multicancer early-detection liquid biopsy test for dogs using next-generation sequencing at 1 laboratory.

Sample: 1,500 consecutively submitted blood samples from client-owned dogs with and without clinical suspicion and/or history of cancer for prospective liquid biopsy testing between December 28, 2021, and June 28, 2022.

Procedures: We performed a retrospective observational study, reviewing data from 1,500 consecutive clinical samples submitted for liquid biopsy testing.

Etiology and Pathophysiology of Diabetes Mellitus in Dogs.

Canine diabetes results from a wide spectrum of clinical pathophysiological processes that cause a similar set of clinical signs. Various causes of insulin deficiency and beta cell loss, insulin resistance, or both characterize the disease, with genetics and environment playing a role. Understanding the genetic and molecular causes of beta cell loss will provide future opportunities for precision medicine, both from a therapeutic and preventative perspective.

Age at cancer diagnosis by breed, weight, sex, and cancer type in a cohort of more than 3,000 dogs: Determining the optimal age to initiate cancer screening in canine patients.

The goal of cancer screening is to detect disease at an early stage when treatment may be more effective. Cancer screening in dogs has relied upon annual physical examinations and routine laboratory tests, which are largely inadequate for detecting preclinical disease. With the introduction of non-invasive liquid biopsy cancer detection methods, the discussion is shifting from how to screen dogs for cancer to when to screen dogs for cancer.

Cancer detection in clinical practice and using blood-based liquid biopsy: A retrospective audit of over 350 dogs.

Background: Guidelines-driven screening protocols for early cancer detection in dogs are lacking, and cancer often is detected at advanced stages.

Hypothesis/objectives: To examine how cancer typically is detected in dogs and whether the addition of a next-generation sequencing-based "liquid biopsy" test to a wellness visit has the potential to enhance cancer detection.

Animals: Client-owned dogs with definitive cancer diagnoses enrolled in a clinical validation study for a novel blood-based multicancer early detection test.

Comparison of biochemical and hematologic values obtained via jugular venipuncture and peripheral intravenous catheters in dogs.

Background: Sampling from a peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) might be a more efficient and less traumatic collection of blood for serum biochemistry (SB) or CBC than direct venipuncture (DV). Agreement between results of samples obtained by these methods has not been evaluated in dogs.

Objectives: The primary objectives were to determine whether sampling from PIVC could be used in place of DV for dogs.

The effect of capromorelin on glycemic control in healthy dogs.

Capromorelin is a ghrelin-receptor agonist widely used as an appetite stimulant in dogs. Capromorelin disrupts glucose homeostasis in cats but information regarding its effects on canine glucose homeostasis is lacking. The study objective was to evaluate the effect of capromorelin on glucose homeostatic mechanisms in healthy dogs.

Gastroduodenal ulceration in dogs with liver disease.

Background: Liver disease is frequently cited as a cause of gastroduodenal ulceration (GDU) in dogs but studies regarding GDU and liver disease are limited.

Objectives: To document the presence of GDU in dogs with liver disease.

Animals: Forty dogs that underwent liver biopsy, computed tomographic (CT) angiography or both at the University of Florida Small Animal Hospital to diagnose congenital or acquired liver disease.

Exploration of autoantibody responses in canine diabetes using protein arrays.

Canine diabetes has been considered a potential model of human type 1 diabetes (T1D), however the detection of autoantibodies common in humans with T1D in affected dogs is inconsistent. The aim of this study was to compare autoantibody responses in diabetic and healthy control dogs using a novel nucleic acid programmable protein array (NAPPA) platform. We performed a cross-sectional study of autoantibody profiles of 30 diabetic and 30 healthy control dogs of various breeds.

Targeted metabolomic analysis identifies increased serum levels of GABA and branched chain amino acids in canine diabetes.

Introduction: Dogs with naturally occurring diabetes mellitus represent a potential model for human type 1 diabetes, yet significant knowledge voids exist in terms of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the canine disorder. Untargeted metabolomic studies from a limited number of diabetic dogs identified similarities to humans with the disease.

Objective: To expand and validate earlier metabolomic studies, identify metabolites that differ consistently between diabetic and healthy dogs, and address whether certain metabolites might serve as disease biomarkers.

Serum trypsin-like immunoreactivity in dogs with diabetes mellitus.

Background: Concurrent exocrine pancreatic dysfunction and decreased pancreatic organ size are common findings in various stages of human type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) is incompletely described in diabetic dogs.

Objective: To compare canine trypsin-like immunoreactivity (cTLI) of diabetic dogs with that of healthy controls.

A CTSA One Health Alliance guidance on institutional review of veterinary clinical studies.

Harmonized institutional processes and reviewer training are vital to maintain integrity and ethical rigor of the veterinary clinical research pipeline and are a prerequisite to future work that might establish centralized or single-site ethical and regulatory review to ease initiation of multi-center studies. Funded by a CTSA One Health Alliance (COHA) pilot award, a diverse working group of veterinary clinicians and institutional representatives was convened in February 2020 to develop a guidance document detailing broadly agreed upon practices for ethical review and approval of veterinary clinical studies conducted in the United States.The working group defined key areas of need for consensus, developed a set of associated guidelines, and circulated these for review by COHA's fifteen member institutions.

Evaluation for type 1 diabetes associated autoantibodies in diabetic and non-diabetic Australian terriers and Samoyeds.

Background: Evidence for an autoimmune etiology in canine diabetes is inconsistent and could vary based on breed. Previous studies demonstrated that small percentages of diabetic dogs possess autoantibodies to antigens known to be important in human type 1 diabetes, but most efforts involved analysis of a wide variety of breeds. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65), insulinoma-associated protein 2 (IA-2), and zinc transporter 8 (ZnT8) autoantibodies in diabetic and non-diabetic Australian Terriers and Samoyeds, two breeds with comparatively high prevalence of diabetes, in the United States.

Exploratory analysis of anti-insulin antibodies in diabetic dogs receiving recombinant human insulin.

Objectives: To quantify anti-insulin antibodies in diabetic dogs treated with recombinant human insulin and to determine if insulin dosage or duration of treatment differed between anti-insulin antibody-positive and -negative diabetic dogs.

Materials And Methods: Descriptive preliminary study using serum from 24 client-owned diabetic dogs treated for a minimum of 2 weeks with recombinant human insulin, and 24 client-owned healthy control dogs without diabetes. Sera were analysed by radioimmunoassay for anti-insulin antibodies.

Untargeted metabolomic analysis in non-fasted diabetic dogs by UHPLC-HRMS.

Introduction: We recently identified variances in serum metabolomic profiles between fasted diabetic and healthy dogs, some having similarities to those identified in human type 1 diabetes.

Objectives: Compare untargeted metabolomic profiles in the non-fasted state.

Methods: Serum from non-fasted diabetic (n = 6) and healthy control (n = 6) dogs were analyzed by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.

Readability of consent forms in veterinary clinical research.

Background: "Readability" of consent forms is vital to the informed consent process. The average human hospital consent form is written at a 10th grade reading level, whereas the average American adult reads at an 8th grade level. Limited information currently exists regarding the readability of veterinary general medical or clinical research consent forms.

Development of a two-stage model system to investigate the mineralization mechanisms involved in idiopathic stone formation: stage 2 in vivo studies of stone growth on biomimetic Randall's plaque.

Idiopathic stone formers often form calcium oxalate (CaOx) stones that are attached to calcium phosphate (CaP) deposits in the renal tissue, known as Randall's plaques (RP). Plaques are suggested to originate in the renal tubular basement membrane and spread into the interstitial regions where collagen fibrils and vesicles become mineralized; if the epithelium is breached, the RP becomes overgrown with CaOx upon exposure to urine. We have developed a two-stage model system of CaP-CaOx composite stones, consisting of Stage (1) CaP mineralized plaque, followed by Stage (2) CaOx overgrowth into a stone.

Untargeted metabolomic analysis in naturally occurring canine diabetes mellitus identifies similarities to human Type 1 Diabetes.

While predominant as a disease entity, knowledge voids exist regarding the pathogenesis of canine diabetes. To test the hypothesis that diabetic dogs have similar metabolomic perturbations to humans with type 1 diabetes (T1D), we analyzed serum metabolomic profiles of breed- and body weight-matched, diabetic (n = 6) and healthy (n = 6) dogs by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) profiling. We report distinct clustering of diabetic and control groups based on heat map analysis of known and unknown metabolites.

Comparative Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Diabetes in Humans, NOD Mice, and Canines: Has a Valuable Animal Model of Type 1 Diabetes Been Overlooked?

Despite decades of research in humans and mouse models of disease, substantial gaps remain in our understanding of pathogenic mechanisms underlying the development of type 1 diabetes. Furthermore, translation of therapies from preclinical efforts capable of delaying or halting β-cell destruction has been limited. Hence, a pressing need exists to identify alternative animal models that reflect human disease.

Pathogenesis of calcium oxalate urinary stone disease: species comparison of humans, dogs, and cats.

Idiopathic calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis is a highly recurrent disease that is increasing in prevalence. Decades of research have not identified effective methods to consistently prevent the formation of nephroliths or induce medical dissolution. Idiopathic calcium oxalate nephroliths form in association with renal papillary subepithelial calcium phosphate deposits called Randall's plaques (RPs).

Effects of oral prednisone administration with or without ultralow-dose acetylsalicylic acid on coagulation parameters in healthy dogs.

Objective: To determine the effects of oral prednisone administration with or without ultralow-dose acetylsalicylic acid on coagulation parameters in healthy dogs and to assess intraindividual variation in thromboelastography results.

Animals: 14 healthy research dogs and 10 healthy client-owned dogs.

Procedures: In a randomized controlled trial, research dogs underwent thromboelastography twice (3 days apart), and intraindividual variation in test results was calculated.