Biology subjects

Vapalahti, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Vapalahti, K..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2021

Risk and protective factors of feline tooth resorption in 8115 Finnish cats

Tooth resorption (TR) is one of cats most common dental diseases. It is a painful condition characterized by progressive dental destruction, which eventually results in loss of teeth. The aetiology of the TR remains unclear, but associations with old age, breed, other oral and dental diseases, and certain environmental factors have been suspected. In our study, we used part of the data from the extensive feline health and environmental survey of 8115 Finnish cats collected through an online survey targeted at cat owners. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of cats having TR and to study risk factors for TR. Because TR is difficult to detect and, in addition, the feline health survey was very comprehensive and included diagnoses defined by both veterinarians and owners themselves, we limited our study to a subpopulation of cats diagnosed with oral or dental disease by a veterinarian and undergone dental examination or surgery under sedation (n=944). The frequency of veterinary-diagnosed TR was 3.9% in the entire health survey data (316/8115) and increased to 21% in the subpopulation of veterinarian-diagnosed and sedated cats (202/944). We utilized case-control multivariable logistic regression in this subpopulation to determine the risk factors and breed variation of feline TR. The 202 cats diagnosed with TR were defined as TR cases and the 742 cats without TR diagnoses served as controls. Results indicate that the risk of TR increases with age. Dental calculus, gingivitis, and periodontitis were associated with TR. These findings and the interaction of dental calculus with gingivitis and periodontitis might suggest that inflammatory changes caused by dental calculus increase the risk of TR. We found Cornish Rex, European, and Ragdoll at higher risk for TR. Exotic-Persians had lower risk, and Turkish van and Devon Rex had no TR. The observed differences between breeds highlight a genetic contribution. In addition, female cats that had food available constantly had significantly less TR than female cats that had feeding times. The underlying influential reasons for this result remain unexplained in our study.

pathology↗

bioRxiv2020

Elevated blood creatinine -a biomarker of renal function- associates with multiple metabolic perturbations in dogs

BACKGROUNDRenal diseases, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) are common in dogs. While the kidneys have multiple important metabolic functions, the occurrence of metabolic disturbances in canine renal diseases has not been extensively studied. OBJECTIVESTo identify metabolic changes in blood samples exhibiting elevated blood creatinine, indicating reduced renal filtration. ANIMALSSamples consisted of clinical samples analysed by a 1H NMR-based metabolomics platform. The case group included 23 samples with creatinine > 125 mol/l, and the control group 873 samples with creatinine within the reference interval. METHODSBiomarker association with elevated creatinine was evaluated utilizing three statistical approaches: Wilcoxon rank-sum test and logistic regression analysis (FDR-corrected p-values), and classification using random forest. Means of the biomarkers were compared to reference intervals. A heatmap and histograms visualized the differences. RESULTSThe levels of citrate, tyrosine, branched-chain amino acids, valine, leucine, albumin, linoleic acid % and the ratio of phenylalanine to tyrosine differed significantly both in the Wilcoxon test and logistic regression, acetate levels only in Wilcoxon test and docosapentaenoic acid % only in logistic regression (p <. 05). The ten most significant markers in random forest corresponded to the Wilcoxon test, supplemented with alanine. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCEThis study identified multiple metabolic changes associated with elevated blood creatinine, including prospective diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets. The NMR metabolomics test is a promising tool for improving diagnostics and management of canine renal diseases. Further research is needed to verify the association of these changes to the canine patients clinical state.

molecular biology↗

bioRxiv2019

Characteristics of a novel NMR-based metabolomics platform for dogs

Metabolomics has proven itself an invaluable research tool, providing comprehensive insight to systemic metabolism. However, the lack of scalable and quantitative methods with known reference intervals and documented reproducibility has prevented the use of metabolomics in the clinical setting. This study describes the development and validation of a quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) -based metabolomics platform for canine serum and plasma samples. Altogether 8247 canine samples were analyzed using a Brukers 500 MHz NMR spectrometer. Using statistical approaches derived from international guidelines, we defined reference intervals for 123 biomarkers, studied method precision, analyte storage stability, the effect of prolonged contact to red blood cells, differences of blood collection tubes, interference of lipemia, hemolysis and bilirubinemia, method comparison, and demonstrated the methods practical relevance in a hyperglycemic cohort. Owing to the advantages of quantitative results, high reproducibility, and scalability, this canine metabolomics platform holds great potential for numerous clinical and research applications to improve canine health and well-being.

molecular biology↗