Publications by authors named "Shawna R Cook"

Article Synopsis
  • Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer globally, but its genetic causes are not well understood, prompting research using dog breeds known to develop this cancer.
  • A study identified 15 genetic loci that predict the risk of GC in Belgian Tervuren and Sheepdog breeds, highlighting specific genetic variants that may contribute to the disease.
  • Interestingly, the related Belgian Malinois breed shows lower GC incidence, suggesting protective genetic traits which were also investigated, revealing differences in regulatory variants among the breeds.
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Background: Neuroaxonal dystrophy (NAD) is a group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders characterized primarily by the presence of spheroids (swollen axons) throughout the central nervous system. In humans, NAD is heterogeneous, both clinically and genetically. NAD has also been described to naturally occur in large animal models, such as dogs.

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Gram-negative bacterial septicemia is mediated through binding of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mammalian toll-like receptor protein 4 (TLR4). TLR4 and its cognate protein, myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2) form a heterodimeric complex after binding LPS. This complex induces a cascade of reactions that results in increased proinflammatory cytokine gene expression, including TNFα, which leads to activation of innate immunity.

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