Incidence Rate of Otitis Externa Episodes in Atopic Dogs Is Reduced by a Therapeutic Diet in a 6-Month Randomised, Blinded, Controlled, Clinical Trial.

Background: Recurrent otitis externa (OE) episodes commonly affect dogs with canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) despite ongoing cAD treatment.

Objective: To determine if a therapeutic diet with active ingredients targeting the skin barrier and allergy pathways reduces the incidence rate of OE.

Animals, Materials And Methods: Thirty-four client-owned dogs with active erythroceruminous OE + cAD (not necessarily active) were randomised to test (n = 16) or control diet (n = 18), fed for up to 6 months.

A Randomised-Controlled Study Demonstrates That Diet Can Contribute to the Clinical Management of Feline Atopic Skin Syndrome (FASS).

Feline atopic skin syndrome (FASS) is a common inflammatory and highly pruritic skin condition. It typically manifests according to one or more of four different clinical lesion patterns: miliary dermatitis, self-induced alopecia, head and neck pruritus, and eosinophilic granuloma complex. FASS is a chronic and relapsing condition that often persists for life.

Glycyrrhizin intake higher than the current international guidelines has no detectable hypermineralocorticoid-like effect in dogs.

Glycyrrhizin-enriched extracts from licorice root are associated with numerous health benefits and are widely used in phytotherapy. There is evidence that ingesting glycyrrhizin beyond threshold concentrations can impact the metabolism of cortisol, inhibiting its conversion to an inactive form, cortisone, via 11-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. A consequence can be a form of hypermineralocorticoidism, with elevated potassium excretion and associated hypertension, as demonstrated in rats and humans.

A comprehensive analysis of gut and skin microbiota in canine atopic dermatitis in Shiba Inu dogs.

Background: Like its human counterpart, canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a chronic relapsing condition; thus, most cAD-affected dogs will require lifelong treatment to maintain an acceptable quality of life. A potential intervention is modulation of the composition of gut microbiota, and in fact, probiotic treatment has been proposed and tried in human atopic dermatitis (AD) patients. Since dogs are currently receiving intensive medical care, this will be the same option for dogs, while evidence of gut dysbiosis in cAD is still missing, although skin microbial profiling in cAD has been conducted in several studies.

Impacts to canine dermal microbiota associated with repeated bathing.

Introduction: Working dogs routinely operate in environmental conditions which may necessitate daily bathing to remove contaminants or soilage. The impacts of frequent or repeated bathing on the canine dermal microbiota are unknown. The objective of this study was to characterize changes in canine dermal microbial populations following repeated daily bathing.

The Linoleic Acid Content of the Stratum Corneum of Ichthyotic Golden Retriever Dogs Is Reduced as Compared to Healthy Dogs and a Significant Part Is Oxidized in Both Free and Esterified Forms.

Golden Retrievers may suffer from -related inherited ichthyosis. Our study shows that in the stratum corneum (SC) of ichthyotic dogs, linoleic acid (LA) is also present in the form of 9-keto-octadecadienoic acid (9-KODE) instead of the acylacid form as in normal dogs. The fatty acids purified from SC strips (LA, acylacids) were characterized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI).

A novel therapeutic diet can significantly reduce the medication score and pruritus of dogs with atopic dermatitis during a nine-month controlled study.

Background: Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a common chronic relapsing pruritic skin disease for which management commonly relies on life-long use of immunomodulatory drugs. A number of the medications used are associated with adverse effects and the potential for complications during long-term use.

Hypothesis: The goal of the study was to determine if a complete and balanced diet formulated for therapeutic benefit could contribute towards management of cAD.

Association of the canine ATP7A and ATP7B with hepatic copper accumulation in Dobermann dogs.

Background: Hepatic copper accumulation causes chronic hepatitis in dogs. Mutations in the copper transporters ATP7A and ATP7B were, respectively, associated with attenuation and enhancement of hepatic copper concentrations in Labrador Retrievers. There is a predisposition of Dobermanns to hepatitis with increased hepatic copper concentrations.

Increased dietary intake of tyrosine upregulates melanin deposition in the hair of adult black-coated dogs.

The principle determinant of melanin derived hair colour and patterning in mammals is genetic, but environmental factors are now thought to play a role. It has been shown that the concentration of melanins in cat hair is influenced by the amino acid composition of their diets. Also, puppies were found to require tyrosine (Tyr) intake significantly greater than that recommended for normal growth and development in order to optimize melanin expression in their coats.

Linoleate-enriched diet increases both linoleic acid esterified to omega hydroxy very long chain fatty acids and free ceramides of canine stratum corneum without effect on protein-bound ceramides and skin barrier function.

Few studies have investigated the influence of increased amounts of dietary linoleic acid on the epidermal lipid biochemistry and TEWL in healthy subject. The influence of dietary linoleic acid on canine stratum corneum (SC) lipids was studied by feeding two groups of five dogs differential amounts of linoleic acid (LA) for three months. SC was harvested by tape stripping and lipids were analyzed by thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Gene expression patterns in the progression of canine copper-associated chronic hepatitis.

Copper is an essential trace element, but can become toxic when present in abundance. The severe effects of copper-metabolism imbalance are illustrated by the inherited disorders Wilson disease and Menkes disease. The Labrador retriever dog breed is a novel non-rodent model for copper-storage disorders carrying mutations in genes known to be involved in copper transport.

The Menkes and Wilson disease genes counteract in copper toxicosis in Labrador retrievers: a new canine model for copper-metabolism disorders.

The deleterious effects of a disrupted copper metabolism are illustrated by hereditary diseases caused by mutations in the genes coding for the copper transporters ATP7A and ATP7B. Menkes disease, involving ATP7A, is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder of copper deficiency. Mutations in ATP7B lead to Wilson disease, which is characterized by a predominantly hepatic copper accumulation.

The effect of long-term feeding of skin barrier-fortified diets on the owner-assessed incidence of atopic dermatitis symptoms in Labrador retrievers.

We investigated the effect of feeding a skin barrier function-augmenting diet early in dogs' lives on the appearance of clinical signs associated with canine atopic dermatitis. Pregnant bitches (starting 5 weeks after mating) and their subsequent litters (up to 1 year of age) were fed either supplemented or unsupplemented diets. Nutrients supplemented were nicotinamide, pantothenate, histidine, inositol and choline.

Nutritional management of inherited copper-associated hepatitis in the Labrador retriever.

Canine hereditary copper-associated hepatitis is characterized by gradual hepatic copper accumulation eventually leading to liver cirrhosis. Therapy is aimed at creating a negative copper balance with metal chelators, of which D-penicillamine is the most commonly used. D-penicillamine often causes gastro-intestinal side effects and life-long continuous therapy may lead to a deficiency of copper and zinc.

D-penicillamine treatment of copper-associated hepatitis in Labrador retrievers.

d-penicillamine is effectively used in the lifelong treatment of copper toxicosis in Bedlington terriers and Wilson's disease in humans. A complex form of copper-associated hepatitis has recently been characterized in the Labrador retriever. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of d-penicillamine treatment for copper-associated hepatitis in this breed, to study the effects on hepatic copper, iron and zinc concentrations, and to evaluate parameters to predict optimal duration of treatment.

Assessment of methods of evaluating sarcopenia in old dogs.

Objective: To evaluate clinically applicable methods of assessing lean body mass in dogs and compare muscle mass and inflammatory markers in healthy young and old dogs.

Animals: 9 healthy young (1 to 5 years old) and 10 old (> 8 years old) Labrador Retrievers with a body condition score of 5 to 6 of 9.

Procedures: Radiography of the thoracolumbar region was performed for measurement of epaxial muscle height at the level of T13-L1.

Canine models of copper toxicosis for understanding mammalian copper metabolism.

Hereditary forms of copper toxicosis exist in man and dogs. In man, Wilson's disease is the best studied disorder of copper overload, resulting from mutations in the gene coding for the copper transporter ATP7B. Forms of copper toxicosis for which no causal gene is known yet are recognized as well, often in young children.

IPEADAM study: indoor endotoxin exposure, family status, and some housing characteristics in English children.

Background: Many environmental factors have been investigated to determine their involvement in the asthma epidemic.

Objective: We sought to investigate the indoor environment of English children.

Method: The Indoor Pollutants, Endotoxin, Allergens, Damp and Asthma in Manchester (IPEADAM) study recruited 200 asthmatic and age-, sex-, and sibship size-matched nonasthmatic children after a questionnaire-based community screening epidemiology survey.

Levels of second hand smoke in pubs and bars by deprivation and food-serving status: a cross-sectional study from North West England.

Background: The UK government proposed introducing partial smokefree legislation for England with exemptions for pubs and bars that do not prepare and serve food. We set out to test the hypothesis that pubs from more deprived areas and non food-serving pubs have higher levels of particulate air pollution.

Methods: We conducted a cross sectional study in four mainly urban areas of the North West of England.

Dietary constituents are able to play a beneficial role in canine epidermal barrier function.

Epidermal barrier function is a critical attribute of mammalian skin. The barrier is responsible for preventing skin-associated pathologies through controlling egress of water and preventing ingress of environmental agents. Maintaining the quality and integrity of the epidermal barrier is therefore of considerable importance.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress leads to the selective transcriptional downregulation of the glucoamylase gene in Aspergillus niger.

We describe a new endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated stress response in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger. The inhibition of protein folding within the ER leads to cellular responses known collectively as the unfolded protein response (UPR) and we show that the selective transcriptional downregulation of the gene encoding glucoamylase, a major secreted protein, but not two non-secreted proteins, is an additional consequence of ER stress. The transcriptional downregulation effect is shown by nuclear run-on studies to be at the level of transcription, rather than mRNA stability, and is found to be mediated through the promoter of glaA in a region more than 1 kb upstream of the translational start.

The weak acid preservative sorbic acid inhibits conidial germination and mycelial growth of Aspergillus niger through intracellular acidification.

The growth of the filamentous fungus Aspergillus niger, a common food spoilage organism, is inhibited by the weak acid preservative sorbic acid (trans-trans-2,4-hexadienoic acid). Conidia inoculated at 10(5)/ml of medium showed a sorbic acid MIC of 4.5 mM at pH 4.

A high yield method for growing primary canine keratinocytes.

From a small amount of starting material, a large quantity of canine keratinocytes can be generated for experimental purposes using a refined method of explant culture to initiate the growth of basal cells with a high proliferative potential. The dividing capacity of cultures was promoted by a system selecting clonogenic cells onto an i3T3 feeder layer in combination with carefully monitoring cell morphology and passaging to select out excessive numbers of differentiated keratinocytes. Levels of contaminating dermal fibroblasts, which if left unchecked will overgrow keratinocytes, were kept to a minimum by a combination of careful explant micro-dissection to remove dermis, eliminating explants with signs of fibroblast growth as well as using cholera toxin, EGF and i3T3 feeder layers.