Effect of ultra low fat diet on regulatory T cells of dogs with intestinal limphangiectasia secondary to chronic enteropathy: A pilot study

Ultra low fat diet (ULFD) has shown a good therapeutic effect in dogs with intestinal lymphangiectasia secondary to CE (IL-CE). As we hypothesized that the mechanism of ULFD may involve the resolution of immunological impairment in IL-CE dogs, our study aimed to investigate the effect of ULFD on the circulating regulatory T cell (Treg) of IL-CE dogs. Treg frequency of pre- and post-ULFD blood samples from dogs with IL-CE (n = 3) were measured using flow cytometry. Treg frequency in IL-CE group before ULFD treatment showed lower tendency when compared to healthy control (mean±SD; 2.0±1.6% and 4.3±1.4%, respectively), and showed increased tendency after ULFD (mean±SD; 4.5±3.5%). The results suggested that ULFD might restore circulating Treg frequency of IL-CE dogs

Evaluation of duodenal perfusion by contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy and intestinal lymphoma

Background: Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) can be used to evaluate intestinal perfusion in healthy dogs. It is helpful for diagnosing and monitoring inflammatory bowel disease in humans and could be useful for dogs with chronic intestinal diseases. Objectives: To examine duodenal perfusion in dogs with chronic inflammatory enteropathy (CIE) and intestinal lymphoma. Animals: Client-owned dogs with CIE (n = 26) or intestinal lymphoma (n = 7) and dogs with gastrointestinal signs but histopathologically normal duodenum (controls, n = 14). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, clogs with CIE were classified into remission (n = 16) and symptomatic (n = 10) groups based on clinical scores determined at the time of CEUS. The duodenum was scanned after IV injection of Sonazoid (R) (0.01 mL/kg). CEUS-derived perfusion parameters, including time-to-peak, peak intensity (PI), area under the curve (AUC), and wash-in and wash-out rates were evaluated. Results: The PI was significantly higher in the symptomatic CIE group (median (range); 105.4 (89.3-128.8) MPV) than in the control group (89.9 (68.5-112.2) MPV). The AUC was significantly higher in the symptomatic CIE group (4847.9 (3824.3-8462.8) MPV.sec) than in the control (3448.9 (1559.5-4736.9) MPV.sec) and remission CIE (3862.3 (2094.5-6899.0) MPV.sec) groups. The PI and clinical score were positively correlated in the CIE group. No significant differences in perfusion parameters were detected between the lymphoma and CIE groups or the lymphoma and control groups. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The PI and AUC can detect duodenal inflammation and hence are potentially useful for excluding a diagnosis of CIE

Plasma-free amino acid profiles in dogs with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background Metabolomic analysis using blood samples has been suggested to be useful for the early detection of cancer. Among metabolites, plasma-free amino acid (PFAA) profiles are potential diagnostic biomarkers for several diseases including cancer. However, the relationship between PFAA concentrations and liver tumors in dogs remains unknown. Objective To determine the characteristics of PFAA profiles of dogs with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and correlated clinical features. Animals Thirty-four client-owned dogs diagnosed with HCC (n = 26) and benign liver diseases (n = 8) and 11 age-matched healthy dogs. Methods Prospective study using heparinized blood samples from fasted dogs. Plasma was deproteinized, and the concentrations of 21 amino acids were measured using an automated high-performance liquid chromatography amino acid analyzer. Results Plasma glutamic acid concentrations were significantly different among groups (P < .0024 after Bonferroni correction). Compared to healthy dogs, dogs with HCC and benign liver diseases had significantly higher concentrations of glutamic acid by post hoc analysis. However, no significant difference in the PFAA profiles of HCC and benign liver diseases were detected. In addition, preoperative and postoperative PFAA profiles of dogs with HCC were not significantly different. Conclusions and Clinical Importance Increased glutamic acid concentrations might play a role in the development or be a consequence of liver tumor formation. However, PFAA profiles of HCC could not be differentiated from those of benign lesions. In addition, glutamic acid concentrations did not change after surgical resection. These results indicate that PFAA profiles may not be useful biomarkers for detecting HCC in dogs

草津白根山湯釜南東で観測される季節変化に関する調査

A variation in geomagnetic total intensity suggestive of thermal demagnetization was observed in the subsurface near Yugama Crater Lake from April to July 2018, and a decrease of about 1.5 nT in total intensity was observed from March to May at the continuous station Q in south-east flank of Yugama Crater Lake from the following year onward. In order to distinguish this seasonal variation from variations due to thermal demagnetization or magnetic susceptibility, it is necessary to identify the cause of the seasonal variation. In this paper, we examine the surface temperature variation by focusing on the seasonal variation in net solar radiation during the snowmelt season among the causes due to seasonal variation of either solar activity or meteorology. Since no meteorological observations were made at the station Q, we used meteorological data published by the Japan Meteorological Agency to estimate the surface temperature. As a result, the temperature variation estimated from net solar radiation was small compared to the significant step-like variation in net solar radiation during the snowmelt season. The estimated surface temperatures were similar to those calculated from soil temperatures measured at the station Q. The seasonal variations in total intensity during the snowmelt season were not due to variations in surface temperature associated with the variation in net solar radiation, and may be due to other causes.令和4年度 Conductivity Anomaly研究会日時：令和4年12月26日（月）09:25-18:30, 12月27日（火）09:00-16:30場所：京都大学防災研究所連携研究棟3階301号室およびZoo