Robenacoxib shows efficacy for the treatment of chronic degenerative joint disease-associated pain in cats: a randomized and blinded pilot clinical trial.

The main objective of this pilot clinical trial was to evaluate outcome measures for the assessment of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) robenacoxib in cats with degenerative joint disease-associated pain (DJD-pain). Otherwise healthy cats (n = 109) with DJD-pain entered a parallel group, randomized, blinded clinical trial. Cats received placebo (P) or robenacoxib (R) for two consecutive 3-week periods.

Novel use of an activity monitor to model jumping behaviors in cats.

Objective: To develop methods to identify and characterize activity monitor (AM) data signatures for jumps performed by cats.

Animals: 13 healthy, client-owned cats without evidence of osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease.

Procedures: Each cat was fitted with the same AM, individually placed in an observation room, then simultaneously recorded by 3 video cameras during the observation period (5 to 8 hours).

Dog importation and changes in heartworm prevalence in Colorado 2013-2017.

Background: Animal welfare organizations, in order to increase dog adoptions and reduce euthanasia of homeless dogs, are transporting large numbers of dogs from state-to-state. Only approximately 1/3 of animal welfare organizations reportedly test for heartworm infection, treat, or provide heartworm prevention prior to transporting dogs. The reported prevalence of heartworms in dogs in animal shelters or rescued following natural disasters ranges between 14.

Empirical evaluation of consistency and accuracy of methods to detect differentially expressed genes based on microarray data.

Background: In this study, we empirically evaluated the consistency and accuracy of five different methods to detect differentially expressed genes (DEGs) based on microarray data.

Methods: Five different methods were compared, including the t-test, significance analysis of microarrays (SAM), the empirical Bayes t-test (eBayes), t-tests relative to a threshold (TREAT), and assumption adequacy averaging (AAA). The percentage of overlapping genes (POG) and the percentage of overlapping genes related (POGR) scores were used to rank the different methods on their ability to maintain a consistent list of DEGs both within the same data set and across two different data sets concerning the same disease.

Antecedents and mediators of community connection in African American women with breast cancer.

Objective: To describe the theory of community connection defined as close relationships with women and men who are members of a neighborhood, a church, a work group, or an organization. Antecedent and mediator variables related to community connection are identified.

Design/methods: A cross-sectional design was used to assess for relationships among theorized antecedents and mediators of community connection in a sample of 144 African American women aged 21 years and older (mean = 54.

Significance of margin and extent of dysplasia in loop electrosurgery excision procedure biopsies performed for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion in predicting persistent disease.

Context: High-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 and 3) are commonly treated with loop electrosurgery excision procedure (LEEP) biopsies.

Objective: To highlight the significance of positive margins and extent of positive margins of the cervical LEEP biopsies in predicting the persistence of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and to provide suggestions for reporting margins in cervical LEEP biopsies.

Design: The pathology files at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences were searched for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2 and 3 treated by LEEP biopsy from 1990 to 2001.

Sources of variation in Affymetrix microarray experiments.

Background: A typical microarray experiment has many sources of variation which can be attributed to biological and technical causes. Identifying sources of variation and assessing their magnitude, among other factors, are important for optimal experimental design. The objectives of this study were: (1) to estimate relative magnitudes of different sources of variation and (2) to evaluate agreement between biological and technical replicates.

Effect of normalization on significance testing for oligonucleotide microarrays.

Motivation: Normalization techniques are used to reduce variation among gene expression measurements in oligonucleotide microarrays in an effort to improve the quality of the data and the power of significance tests for detecting differential expression. Of several such proposed methods, two that have commonly been employed include median-interquartile range normalization and quantile normalization. The median-IQR method applied directly to fold-changes for paired data also was considered.

Veterans with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) have a markedly increased rate of second malignancy, which is the most common cause of death.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) have an increased incidence of high-grade lymphoid malignancy. The risk of non-lymphoid second malignancy in this population is not well-defined to date. To test the hypothesis that patients with CLL/SLL have an increased risk of second malignancy, we studied the rate of second malignancy in 132 CLL/SLL patients and compared it to the rate of malignancy (excluding non-melanomatous skin cancer) in the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System population of approximately 38,000 veterans over a period of 11.

Autoimmune cytopenia does not predict poor prognosis in chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) is characterized by an acquired immune defect that can cause autoimmune complications, including anemia and thrombocytopenia. We conducted an observational study of the epidemiology, clinical presentation and significance of autoimmune complications of CLL/SLL in 132 patients from a large population (>45,000 veterans), in which at least 90% of patients with CLL/SLL have been previously identified. Over a period of 12.

Neoglycans, carbodiimide-modified glycosaminoglycans: a new class of anticancer agents that inhibit cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis.

The soluble form of the syndecan-1 heparan sulfate proteoglycan acts as a tumor suppressor molecule that inhibits growth and induces apoptosis of some cancer cell lines in vitro. Analogs of syndecan-1 were produced by carbodiimide (EDAC) conjugation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains to a protein scaffold, thereby generating synthetic proteoglycans that were evaluated for anticancer properties. Surprisingly, when analyzing activities of the controls, we discovered that EDAC modified GAG chains inhibit myeloma cell viability even in the absence of protein.