Browsing by Subject "RELAXIN"
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(2022)The etiology of canine perinea) hernia (PH) remains unclear, although as a disease of older male dogs, it is likely to be hormonal. The role of the prostate in the formation of PH has been questioned; however, prospective and systematic evaluation of prostates in these dogs is absent in the literature. In this prospective case-control study, CT imaging was used to assess prostatic changes in dogs with PH (n = 46) and compare these findings with those of intact age-matched male dogs (n = 23). Using the OsiriX (R) DICOM viewer, we measured prostatic volume and correlated it with the size of the dog by using the length of the sixth lumbar vertebra. In addition, we recorded spatial and morphological changes of the prostate, such as heterogenicity, intra- and paraprostatic cysts, and mineralizations, as well as prostatic location and rotation. We found that dogs with PH had larger prostates (P < .001) that more often contained cysts (P < .001) and had larger cyst diameters (P = .013) than age-matched controls. Prostates of PH dogs also contained paraprostatic cysts (17.4%) and focal mineralizations (32.6%), which were absent in the control group. Abnormal rotation and location of the prostate were common in dogs with PH. In conclusion, these findings support the use of CT as an adjunct diagnostic imaging modality for the evaluation of the prostate in dogs with PH. Further studies are needed to evaluate nonprostatic CT findings in the pelvic cavity of PH dogs.
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(2017)Cardiogenic shock (CS) is a cardiac emergency often leading to multiple organ failure and death. Assessing organ dysfunction and appropriate risk stratification are central for the optimal management of these patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of abnormal liver function tests (LFTs), as well as early changes of LFTs and their impact on outcome in CS. We measured LFTs in 178 patients in CS from serial blood samples taken at 0 hours, 12 hours, and 24 hours. The associations of LFT abnormalities and their early changes with all-cause 90-day mortality were estimated using Fisher's exact test and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Baseline alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was abnormal in 58% of the patients, more frequently in nonsurvivors. Abnormalities in other LFTs analyzed (alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and total bilirubin) were not associated with short-term mortality. An increase in ALT of >20% within 24 hours (AALT>+20%) was observed in 24% of patients. AALT>+20% was associated with a more than 2-fold increase in mortality compared with those with stable or decreasing ALT (70% and 28%, p +20% was associated with increased 90-day mortality independent of other known" risk factors. In conclusion, an increase in ALT in the initial phase was seen in 1/4 of patients in CS and was independently associated with 90-day mortality. This finding suggests that serial ALT measurements should be incorporated in the clinical assessment of patients in CS. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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(2019)Glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1c)) is an important measure of glycemia in diabetes. HbA(1c) is influenced by environmental and genetic factors both in people with and in people without diabetes. We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) for HbA(1c) in a Finnish type 1 diabetes (T1D) cohort, FinnDiane. Top results were examined for replication in T1D cohorts DCCT/EDIC, WESDR, CACTI, EDC, and RASS, and a meta-analysis was performed. Three SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium on chromosome 13 near relaxin family peptide receptor 2 (RXFP2) were associated with HbA(1c) in FinnDiane at genome-wide significance (P <5 x 10(-8)). The minor alleles of rs2085277 and rs1360072 were associated with higher HbA(1c) also in the meta-analysis with RASS (P <5 x 10(-8)), where these variants had minor allele frequencies 1%. Furthermore, these SNPs were associated with HbA(1c) in an East Asian population without diabetes (P 0.013). A weighted genetic risk score created from 55 HbA(1c)-associated variants from the literature was associated with HbA(1c) in FinnDiane but explained only a small amount of variation. Understanding the genetic basis of glycemic control and HbA(1c) may lead to better prevention of diabetes complications.
