Evaluation of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α and urine non-transferrin-bound iron concentrations in cats with chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: Hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) regulate gene transcription, which aids hypoxia adaptation while promoting renal fibrosis. Non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) is a catalytic form of iron that can lead to oxidative damage. However, NTBI in cat biofluids has rarely been evaluated.

Urinary angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and its activity in cats with chronic kidney disease.

Introduction: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) played an important role in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) and it was proved to be renoprotective in renal disease. Urinary angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (uACE2) has been shown to reflect renal injury in human and experimental studies, but its role in feline kidney disease remains unknown.

Aims: Our objectives involve comparing uACE2 concentrations and activities in cats across CKD stages with healthy controls, investigating the relationship between uACE2 concentrations, activities, and clinicopathological data in feline CKD patients, and assessing the predictive abilities of both for CKD progression.

Investigating the Efficacy of Kidney-Protective Mixture-Containing Pet Treats in Feline Chronic Kidney Disease and Its Possible Mechanism.

Microbiota-based strategies are a novel auxiliary therapeutic and preventative way of moderating chronic kidney disease (CKD). mixture (Lm) was previously demonstrated to exert a renal-protective function in the CKD mice model. The efficacy of probiotics in pet foods is a relatively new area of study, and thus verifying the potential health benefits is necessary.

A simple electrochemical immunosensor based on a gold nanoparticle monolayer electrode for neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin detection.

An electrochemical immunosensor for the accurate detection of cat neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) in urine samples based on an electrode with a monolayer of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was proposed in this study. To fabricate the sensing electrode, a nickel mold with concave micron hemisphere array was prepared and then used to transfer the micron hemispherical structure onto a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film using the hot embossing technique. A gold thin film was sputtered onto the micron hemispherical structure array, after which 1,6-hexanedithol and AuNPs were uniformly deposited on the PET membrane to form a sensing electrode.

Evaluation of and the prognostic factors for cats with big kidney-little kidney syndrome.

Background: The term big kidney-little kidney syndrome in cats has been used for many years, but the definitions are not consistent and relevant research is limited.

Objective: To determine the factors that differ between normal and BKLK cats, as well as to develop models for predicting the 30-day survival of cats with ureteral obstruction (UO).

Animals: Sixteen healthy cats and 64 cats with BKLK.

Hypochlorite-induced porcine model of peritoneal fibrosis through the activation of IL1β-CX3CL1-TGFβ1 signal axis.

Patients with kidney failure rely on life-saving peritoneal dialysis to facilitate waste exchange and maintain homeostasis of physical conditions. However, peritoneal dialysis often results in peritoneal fibrosis and organ adhesion that subsequently compromise the efficiency of peritoneal dialysis and normal functions of visceral organs. Despite rodent models provide clues on the pathogenesis of peritoneal fibrosis, no current large animal model which shares high degree of physiological and anatomical similarities to human is available, limiting their applications on the evaluation of pre-clinical therapeutic efficacy.

Urine hemojuvelin in cats with naturally occurring kidney disease.

Background: Soluble-type hemojuvelin in serum and urine has been shown to be a biomarker in humans for chronic kidney disease (CKD) and acute kidney injury (AKI). No similar research has been conducted on cats.

Objective: Urine hemojuvelin (u-hemojuvelin) can be used as a clinical indicator for cats with various renal diseases.

Alleviating chronic kidney disease progression through modulating the critical genus of gut microbiota in a cisplatin-induced Lanyu pig model.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of Probiotic mix 1 (Pm1) with Lactobacillus plantarum subsp. plantarum, Lactobacillusparacasei subsp. paracasei, and Streptococcus salivarius subsp.

Identification of urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin molecular forms and their association with different urinary diseases in cats.

Background: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), a promising renal biomarker, can exists as a monomer, a dimer and/or in a NGAL/matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) complex form when associated with different urinary diseases in humans and dogs. In this study, the presence of the various different molecular forms of NGAL in cat urine (uNGAL) was examined and whether these forms are correlated with different urinary diseases was explored.

Results: One hundred and fifty-nine urine samples from cats with various different diseases, including acute kidney injury (AKI, 22 cats), chronic kidney disease (CKD, 55 cats), pyuria (44 cats) and other non-renal and non-pyuria diseases (non-RP, 26 cats), as well as healthy animals (12 cats), were collected.

Expression and the molecular forms of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and matrix metalloproteinase 9 in canine mammary tumours.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a new biomarker for renal injury. It is also involved in tumorigenesis of different human cancer types. The oncogenic role of NGAL is related to its molecular forms, and heterodimer formation with matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) promotes human breast cancer (HBC) invasion and metastasis.

The association of indoxyl sulfate with fibroblast growth factor-23 in cats with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Indoxyl sulfate (IS) has been reported not only to increase with the severity of impaired renal function, but also possibly to be a factor associated with bone abnormalities linked to fibroblast growth factor-23 (FGF-23) in humans with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is not yet known whether this correlation between IS and FGF-23 holds true for cats with CKD.

Hypothesis: Accumulation of IS is related to FGF-23 secretion in cats with CKD.

Honokiol, a Polyphenol Natural Compound, Attenuates Cisplatin-Induced Acute Cytotoxicity in Renal Epithelial Cells Through Cellular Oxidative Stress and Cytoskeleton Modulations.

Cisplatin is a potent anti-cancer drug that has been widely used in the treatment of various cancers; however, cisplatin administration results in severe nephrotoxicity and impedes its clinical applications. In this study, we showed that honokiol, a polyphenol constituent extracted from exhibited a short-term protective effect against cisplatin-induced damages in renal epithelial cells . The protective effects of honokiol were resulted from the combination of (1) reduced cellular oxidative stress ranging from 53 to 32% reduction during a 24-h incubation, (2) the maintenance of cellular antioxidant capacity and (3) the stabilization of cytoskeletal structure of the kidney epithelial cells.

The different molecular forms of urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin present in dogs with urinary diseases.

Background: Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) is a useful biomarker for the early prediction of renal diseases. NGAL may exist as monomer, dimer and/or NGAL/MMP-9 complex forms in humans. In this study, the existence of various forms of NGAL in urine (uNGAL) was determined and whether these forms are related to the different urinary diseases found in dogs is further discussed.

Urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) as a biomarker for acute canine kidney injury.

Background: Biomarkers for the early prediction of canine acute kidney injury (AKI) are clinically important. Recently, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) was found to be a sensitive biomarker for the prediction of human AKI at a very early stage and the development of AKI after surgery. However, NGAL has not yet been studied with respect to dog kidney diseases.

Molecular detection of autosomal-dominant feline polycystic kidney disease by multiplex amplification refractory mutation system polymerase chain reaction.

Feline autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), with its characteristic growth of fluid-filled cysts of different sizes, is the most prevalent inherited genetic disease of cats. The point mutation (C-->A transversion) in exon 29 of the PKD1 gene is known to contribute to ADPKD development and can thus serve as a target for the molecular genetic diagnosis of ADPKD. To this end, a simple amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was designed with 3 primers: 2 forward primers specifically targeting either the mutant or normal allele, and 1 universal reverse primer for amplification of both alleles.

Identification, expression and antigenic analysis of recombinant hemagglutinin proteins of canine distemper virus.

Canine distemper (CD) is a widely distributed disease of dogs, caused by the canine distemper virus (CDV). In the present study, the gene encoding the hemagglutinin (H) protein of a CDV isolate from central Taiwan was sequenced and compared with other strains. Sequence variations were noticed in the H gene from the field CDV strain that had previously been implicated in the increasing incidence of CD.