Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus in Insured Swedish Cats in Relation to Age, Breed and Sex

Background: Diabetes mellitus ( DM) is a common endocrinopathy in cats. Most affected cats suffer from a type of diabetes similar to type 2 diabetes in humans. An increasing prevalence has been described in cats, as in humans, related to obesity and other lifestyle factors. Objectives: To describe the incidence of DM in insured Swedish cats and the association of DM with demographic risk factors, such as age, breed and sex. Animals: A cohort of 504,688 individual cats accounting for 1,229,699 cat- years at risk ( CYAR) insured by a Swedish insurance company from 2009 to 2013. Methods: We used reimbursed insurance claims for the diagnosis of DM. Overall incidence rates and incidence rates stratified on year, age, breed, and sex were estimated. Results: The overall incidence rate of DM in the cohort was 11.6 cases ( 95% confidence interval [ CI], 11.0- 12.2) per 10,000 CYAR. Male cats had twice as high incidence rate ( 15.4; 95% CI, 14.4- 16.4) as females ( 7.6; 95% CI, 6.9- 8.3). Domestic cats were at higher risk compared to purebred cats. A significant association with breed was seen, with the Burmese, Russian Blue, Norwegian Forest cat, and Abyssinian breeds at a higher risk compared to other cats. No sex predisposition was found among Burmese cats. Several breeds with a lower risk of DM were identified. Conclusions and clinical importance: Our results verify that the Burmese breed is at increased risk of developing DM. We also identified several previously unreported breeds with increased or decreased risk of DM

Circulating Tissue Polypeptide-Specific Antigen in Pre-Diagnostic Pancreatic Cancer Samples

Simple Summary:& nbsp;Detecting cancer early significantly increases the chances of successful (surgical) treatment. Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancer forms, since it is usually discovered at a late and already spread stage. Finding biomarkers showing pancreatic cancer at an early stage is a possible approach to early detection and improved treatment. The aim of our study was to assess the potential of tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) as a biomarker for early pancreatic cancer detection. We studied TPS levels in blood plasma samples from a population-based biobank in Vasterbotten, Sweden that were collected before individuals were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although TPS levels are raised at diagnosis, this occurs late, and thus TPS does not seem to hold promise as an early detection marker for pancreatic cancer.& nbsp;Early detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is challenging, and late diagnosis partly explains the low 5-year survival. Novel and sensitive biomarkers are needed to enable early PDAC detection and improve patient outcomes. Tissue polypeptide specific antigen (TPS) has been studied as a biomarker in PDAC diagnostics, and it has previously been shown to reflect clinical status better than the 'golden standard' biomarker carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9) that is most widely used in the clinical setting. In this cross-sectional case-control study using pre-diagnostic plasma samples, we aim to evaluate the potential of TPS as a biomarker for early PDAC detection. Furthermore, in a subset of individuals with multiple samples available at different time points before diagnosis, a longitudinal analysis was used. We assessed plasma TPS levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 267 pre-diagnostic PDAC plasma samples taken up to 18.8 years before clinical PDAC diagnosis and in 320 matched healthy controls. TPS levels were also assessed in 25 samples at PDAC diagnosis. Circulating TPS levels were low both in pre-diagnostic samples of future PDAC patients and in healthy controls, whereas TPS levels at PDAC diagnosis were significantly increased (odds ratio 1.03; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.05) in a logistic regression model adjusted for age. In conclusion, TPS levels increase late in PDAC progression and hold no potential as a biomarker for early detection.Peer reviewe

European dog owner perceptions of obesity and factors associated with human and canine obesity

Abstract Obesity is a common nutrition-related disorder leading to reduced life expectancy in both humans and dogs. With the aim of identifying new prevention and control options, the study objectives were (1) to investigate dog-owner perceptions about obesity in terms of themselves and their dogs, and (2) to identify factors associated with obesity and possible social, environmental and economic drivers for its development in dog owners and their pets. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was performed across multiple countries. The questionnaire focused on human and canine obesity, associated factors and potential drivers, and was distributed online and in the form of hard copies among dog owners in 11 European countries. In total, 3,185 responses from ten countries were included in multivariable analyses. Between 19.1% and 48.8% of the dog owners reported to be overweight/obese. Owner-reported overweight/obesity in dogs ranged from 6.0% to 31.3% based on body condition score charts, and 31.8% to 69.4% based on body fat index charts. Common factors associated with obesity in owners and their dogs were age, gender and owners’ attitudes to diet and physical activity. Dog owners who did not consider obesity to be a disease were more likely to have obese dogs

CA19-9 and apolipoprotein-A2 isoforms as detection markers for pancreatic cancer: a prospective evaluation.

Recently, we identified unique processing patterns of apolipoprotein A2 (ApoA2) in patients with pancreatic cancer. Our study provides a first prospective evaluation of an ApoA2 isoform ("ApoA2-ATQ/AT"), alone and in combination with carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), as an early detection biomarker for pancreatic cancer. We performed ELISA measurements of CA19-9 and ApoA2-ATQ/AT in 156 patients with pancreatic cancer and 217 matched controls within the European EPIC cohort, using plasma samples collected up to 60 months prior to diagnosis. The detection discrimination statistics were calculated for risk scores by strata of lag-time. For CA19-9, in univariate marker analyses, C-statistics to distinguish future pancreatic cancer patients from cancer-free individuals were 0.80 for plasma taken ≤6 months before diagnosis, and 0.71 for >6-18 months; for ApoA2-ATQ/AT, C-statistics were 0.62, and 0.65, respectively. Joint models based on ApoA2-ATQ/AT plus CA19-9 significantly improved discrimination within >6-18 months (C = 0.74 vs. 0.71 for CA19-9 alone, p = 0.022) and ≤ 18 months (C = 0.75 vs. 0.74, p = 0.022). At 98% specificity, and for lag times of ≤6, >6-18 or ≤ 18 months, sensitivities were 57%, 36% and 43% for CA19-9 combined with ApoA2-ATQ/AT, respectively, vs. 50%, 29% and 36% for CA19-9 alone. Compared to CA19-9 alone, the combination of CA19-9 and ApoA2-ATQ/AT may improve detection of pancreatic cancer up to 18 months prior to diagnosis under usual care, and may provide a useful first measure for pancreatic cancer detection prior to imaging

Feline diabetes mellitus

Feline diabetes mellitus (DM) is strikingly similar to human type 2 diabetes. Cats and humans share many risk factors for the disease, including an association with insulin resistance coupled to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. There are also pathophysiological resemblances, with β-cell loss and amyloid deposition in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. In people, ethnicity has been associated with an increased risk of DM, and in cats, a breed predisposition has been identified, with the Burmese breed at increased risk. The aims of this thesis were to identify risk factors for DM in cats and to increase understanding of disease pathogenesis. We used insurance data from Agria Pet Insurance to determine the general incidence of DM in Swedish cats, and the incidence in relation to age, sex and breed. We found that incidence rates peaked when cats were 13 years old. Male cats developed DM twice as often as female cats. The Burmese breed, along with the Russian Blue, Abyssinian, and Norwegian Forest cat breeds, showed an increased risk of DM, while several breeds showed a lower risk. Owners of diabetic and non-diabetic cats from the same cohort were invited to participate in a web survey, with questions on e.g. type of diet, feeding regime, and activity levels. We found associations between overweight and an increased risk of DM. Access to the outdoors was protective. There was an increased risk of DM in cats eating predominantly dry food, compared to wet food, in the group of cats considered normal-weight by their owners. Since overweight was shown to be a strong risk factor for DM, we studied if factors associated with DM were also associated with risk of overweight. Several shared risk factors for DM and overweight were found, such as eating predominantly dry food, being male, and considered being a greedy eater. Cats from Birman and Persian breeds, with a decreased risk of DM, were less often overweight. Finally, we studied the metabolism in the Burmese, Birman, and Maine coon breeds, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and hormone immunoassays. There were differences in the metabolic profiles between breeds, with patterns of metabolites in the Burmese cats resembling patterns seen with insulin resistance in people. In conclusion, both new and previously reported factors associated with DM and overweight in cats were identified in this thesis. Knowledge of predisposing factors can help owners and veterinarians to identify cats at risk, and enables prevention of disease

När familjehemssekreterare talar om umgänge : en diskursanalys

När barn av olika anledningar inte kan bo kvar hos sina biologiska föräldrar hamnar de flesta inom samhällets vård under heldygnsinsats. Den vanligaste formen av heldygnsinsats är i dagsläget vård i familjehem. När barn placeras i familjehem får barnet en egen socialsekreterare och familjehemmet får en annan, denne kallas för familjehemssekreterare. Familjehemssekreteraren deltar vid överväganden av familjehemsvården och har ett visst inflytande i umgängesfrågor. Syftet med denna studie är att få en djupare förståelse för vad familjehemssekreterarna anser om umgänge mellan de biologiska föräldrarna och barn placerade i familjehem enligt lag (1990:52) med särskilda bestämmelser om vård av unga (LVU) utifrån principen om barnets bästa. Genom intervjuer baserade på vinjetter med fem familjehemssekreterare och en familjehemsgruppschef verksamma på två olika socialkontor ämnade denna studie att finna diskurser om umgänge. Resultaten visar två diskurser rörande umgänge: diskursen om umgänge som en självklarhet och diskursen om umgänge utifrån barnets behov. Empirin analyserades med stöd av anknytningsteorin och teorin om handlingsutrymme

Sexåringarnas steg in i skolan : åldersintegrering på gott eller ont?

Integreringen av sexåringarna i skolverksamheten ökar, tillsammans med årskurs ett bildar de en gemensam klass. Rigmor Lindö skriver att upplägget för hur integreringen ser ut skiljer sig mellan skolor runt om i Sverige . Syftet med denna studie är att få en bild av hur man väljer att integrera sexåringarna inom ett rektorsområde och hur de arbetar med barnens läs- och skrivutveckling, samt hur skolsituationen för barnen ser ut. För att få reda på syftet har vi använt oss av kvalitativa metoder, som kvalitativa forskningsintervjuer och deltagande observationer, precis som Steinar Kvale förespråkar . I denna studie har det deltagit fem pedagoger från två olika skolor. Endast en pedagog var negativ till integreringen, men ingen av pedagogerna menar att integrering påverkar barnens läs- och skrivutveckling, trots en tidigare skolstart. En slutsats från vår sida är att integreringen både har positiva och negativa sidor och om man ska integrera måste man göra det på rätt sätt för att det ska gynna både barn och vuxna i skolan

När familjehemssekreterare talar om umgänge : en diskursanalys

När barn av olika anledningar inte kan bo kvar hos sina biologiska föräldrar hamnar de flesta inom samhällets vård under heldygnsinsats. Den vanligaste formen av heldygnsinsats är i dagsläget vård i familjehem. När barn placeras i familjehem får barnet en egen socialsekreterare och familjehemmet får en annan, denne kallas för familjehemssekreterare. Familjehemssekreteraren deltar vid överväganden av familjehemsvården och har ett visst inflytande i umgängesfrågor. Syftet med denna studie är att få en djupare förståelse för vad familjehemssekreterarna anser om umgänge mellan de biologiska föräldrarna och barn placerade i familjehem enligt lag (1990:52) med särskilda bestämmelser om vård av unga (LVU) utifrån principen om barnets bästa. Genom intervjuer baserade på vinjetter med fem familjehemssekreterare och en familjehemsgruppschef verksamma på två olika socialkontor ämnade denna studie att finna diskurser om umgänge. Resultaten visar två diskurser rörande umgänge: diskursen om umgänge som en självklarhet och diskursen om umgänge utifrån barnets behov. Empirin analyserades med stöd av anknytningsteorin och teorin om handlingsutrymme

"Lika enkelt att pröva den där kärleksgrejen" : Svenska mäns erfarenheter av relationer som inletts med sexköp i Thailand En kvalitativ studie

The aim of this study in social work was to investigate, describe and analyze six Swedish men’s description and experiences of relationships with bargirls in Thailand, whom the men initially paid for sexual services. We also aim to find out how these men look upon prostitu-tion, masculinity and gender and we analyze these themes in relation to the men’s description of their relationships. The theoretical approach was social constructivist theories of masculini-ty in combination with gender theory. The study was conducted using qualitative individual half structured definition interviews with six men living in Thailand and the interviews were conducted in Pattaya, Thailand. The results show that the men’s view of prostitution differs from what they experience in Thailand and that they therefore don’t perceive it as prostitution. This is partly a consequence of their view of masculinity, which includes that the man shall have economic responsibility for women. The men find it harsh to adapt to the gender equali-ty discourse in Sweden and express that they appreciate that the relations with the bargirls consists of separate duties for the sexes

Overweight in adult cats: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Overweight in cats is a major risk factor for diabetes mellitus and has also been associated with other disorders. Overweight and obesity are believed to be increasing problems in cats, as is currently seen in people, with important health consequences. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of overweight in cats from two different cohorts in a cross-sectional study design and to assess associations between overweight and diagnoses, and between overweight and demographic and environmental factors. Data were obtained from medical records for cats (n = 1072) visiting an academic medical center during 2013–2015, and from a questionnaire on insured cats (n = 1665). From the medical records, information on body condition score, breed, age, sex, neutering status, and diagnosis was obtained. The questionnaire included questions relating to the cat’s body condition, breed, age, sex, neutering status, outdoor access, activity level, and diet. Data were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression. Results The prevalence of overweight was 45% in the medical records cohort and 22% in the questionnaire cohort, where owners judged their pet’s body condition. Overweight cats in the medical records cohort were more likely to be diagnosed with lower urinary tract disease, diabetes mellitus, respiratory disease, skin disorders, locomotor disease, and trauma. Eating predominantly dry food, being a greedy eater, and inactivity were factors associated with an increased risk of overweight in the final model in the questionnaire cohort. In both cohorts, the Birman and Persian breeds, and geriatric cats, were less likely to be overweight, and male cats were more likely to be overweight. Conclusions The prevalence of overweight cats (45%) as assessed by trained personnel was high and in the same range as previously reported. Birman and Persian cats had a lower risk of overweight. The association with dry food found in adult, neutered cats is potentially important because this type of food is commonly fed to cats worldwide, and warrants further attention. Drawbacks related to the study design need to be acknowledged when interpreting the results, such as a potential for selection bias for cats visiting an animal hospital, and an information bias for questionnaire data. The high occurrence of overweight in cats needs to be addressed because it negatively affects their health