Publications by authors named "P G Shiels"

Article Synopsis
  • Understanding planetary health is crucial as it emphasizes the interconnectedness of human well-being and the health of global ecosystems, highlighting the dangers of an anthropocentric worldview that contributes to environmental crises.
  • The text stresses that current environmental issues heighten inflammation and oxidative stress, leading to lifestyle diseases and accelerated aging, suggesting a need for a paradigm shift in how we address these challenges.
  • By adopting a biomimetic approach that learns from nature's solutions and evolutionary processes, we may find effective strategies to mitigate health impacts from environmental stressors and combat lifestyle diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The Liaison Committee on Medical Education requires that medical students receive individualized feedback on their self-directed learning skills. Pre-clinical students are asked to complete multiple spaced critical appraisal assignments. However, the individual feedback requires significant faculty time.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • Globally, while people are living longer, many experience a decline in health due to age-related diseases, highlighting the need for better classification systems to address these issues.
  • A consensus meeting with 150 experts established criteria for identifying ageing-related pathologies, requiring a 70% agreement for approval among participants.
  • The agreed criteria focus on conditions that progress with age, contribute to functional decline, and are backed by human studies, setting a foundation for future classification and staging efforts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a prevalent disease among felids; yet its origin is still poorly understood, and the disease often remains asymptomatic for years, underscoring the need for early diagnosis. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic value of urinalysis in accurately staging CKD, particularly as routine health checks in large felids often overlook its significance. In this research, ultrasound-guided cystocentesis (UGC) was performed on 50 captive nondomestic felids during routine veterinary health checks under general anesthesia.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The gut microbiota performs several crucial roles in a holobiont with its host, including immune regulation, nutrient absorption, synthesis, and defense against external pathogens, significantly influencing host physiology. Disruption of the gut microbiota has been linked to various chronic conditions, including cardiovascular, kidney, liver, respiratory, and intestinal diseases. Studying how animals adapt their gut microbiota across their life course at different life stages and under the dynamics of extreme environmental conditions can provide valuable insights from the natural world into how the microbiota modulates host biology, with a view to translating these into treatments or preventative measures for human diseases.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF