Diet and activity in Swedish dogs

In this thesis the demographics, diet and activity in a defined population of 460 insured Swedish dogs between 1 and 3 years was presented. The data was collected by using a mail and telephone questionnaire. The repeatability (the questionnaire repeated to the same dog owners) and validity (questionnaire compared to 7-day weighed registration of dietary intake and recording of activity) of the questionnaire were examined, and shown to be good to excellent for most of the parameters measured. Also, the most commonly used commercial dog feeds were analysed, and the results were compared to the declared values and to the recommended nutrient profiles. The insured dogs were shown to be representative for all Swedish dogs of the same age. A typical Swedish dog consumed 75% of the energy intake from commercial feeds, and a smaller part as table foods, but with large variations between individuals. Most of the dogs were fed total diets supplying adequate amounts of the nutrients compared to the recommended nutrient profiles. Total diets that did cause deviations from recommended levels were most commonly those consisting of only table foods (too low levels of vitamins and minerals) or commercial feeds supplied with extra vitamin and mineral supplements (too high levels of vitamins and minerals). The total energy intakes were comparable to previously published studies on maintenance energy requirements of adult dogs, but varied due to sex, breed and weight. Three quarters of the dogs performed some type of activity for one hour or more per day, but although substantial variations were recorded, there was no significant difference in energy intake that could be related to the amount of activity recorded. There was a tendency (P=0.07) that the general temperament of the dog had an influence on the energy intake. The analysed protein and fat content in commercial feeds was on average highly correlated with the declared values and with the recommended nutrient profiles. However, especially the calcium but also other minerals of commercial dog feeds often deviated from declared values, and did not always meet the AAFCO (2000) nutrient profiles. More expensive feeds had the same magnitude of deviation from declared energy and nutrient values as did feeds of a lower cost. This validated questionnaire could be used to collect data on dietary intake and activity in future epidemiological studies in order to quantify the influence of these factors of the effects on health and disease in defined populations of dogs

ÖLIV OCH FASTLANDSTRANSPORTER - En studie i skärgårdsbors relation till bilen och dess alternativ

Transporter är en vital del av dagens samhälle. Förväntningarna på hög rörlighet är stor och vår ekonomi och våra sociala nätverk är uppbyggda därefter. Det medför dock även många problem. Dominansen av snabba, motoriserade fordon (främst bilar) skapar tydliga barriärer i samhället och staden. Allt snabbare transporter möjliggör att samhället breder ut sig över allt större ytor och i förlängningen har vi inte tjänat särskilt mycket på de snabbare transporterna. Planerare kan arbeta för att göra ett bilfritt liv enkelt. Hållbar rörlighet kan byggas in i människors omgivning. Detta uppnås bland annat genom att planeringen främjar alternativ till bilen. Att ge plats för kollektiva transportmedel i staden ökar deras marknadsandel medan tillgång till parkering främjar användandet av bilen. Vi behöver även minska behovet av rörlighet. I Göteborgs södra skärgård finns sex öar som är bebodda året runt. Ingen av öarna tillåter privatbilism på ön. Boendeparkeringar för södra skärgården finns på fastlandet, vid Saltholmen och i Långedrag. På Saltholmen trängs ett flertal aktiviteter med boende och värdefull naturmiljö. Trycket på parkeringsplatser är hårt och trängseln är stor, särskilt sommartid då antalet besökare och tillfälligt boende i skärgården ökar markant. För att inte skapa för stora påfrestningar på natur- och boendemiljö vid Saltholmen och Långedrag önskar planerarna finna fler lösningar än att bara bygga ut antalet parkeringar. Syftet med uppsatsen är att få en ökad förståelse för skärgårdsbors, närmare bestämt åretruntboende småbarnsföräldrars, relation till bilen och hur de löser transporter i vardagen. Mina frågeställningar handlar om hur skärgårdsbor använder bilar, vilka alternativ som kan minska behovet av bilar och vilka faktorer som motverkar utnyttjandet av dessa alternativ. För denna studie har jag intervjuat sex personer, två boende på Asperö och fyra boende på Köpstadsö. Jag bor själv på Köpstadsö, vilket ger mig en unik inblick och förståelse i ämnet, men naturligtvis också påverkar min analys av resultatet. Detta stämmer överens med min hermeneutiska kunskapssyn. Min kunskapssyn innebär också att jag valt informella djupintervjuer som metod. En viktig faktor som framkommit i studien är respondenternas resmönster: havsöverfarten skapar en barriär som gör att respondenterna tenderar att kombinera flera ärenden i samma resa för att kunna minska antalet resor. Detta kan alltså främjas för att användandet av andra transportmedel än bil skall bli attraktivt. Respondenternas förutsättningar i vardagen och deras emotionella koppling till bilen påverkar deras bilanvändande och deras uppfattningar om alternativen. Två av respondenterna har varken körkort eller bil, medan två använder den egna bilen så gott som dagligen. Alla använder sig av kollektivtrafiken på fastlandet då och då, vissa så gott som varje vardag, andra betydligt mer sällan. Barriärer mot användandet av kollektivtrafiken är opålitliga eller obefintliga avgångar, långa och/eller varierande restider, många byten och långa väntetider, svårigheter att få med sig mycket saker, svårigheter att göra multipla stopp och dåliga förhållanden vid hållplatserna. Barriärer mot bilpooler är höga kostnader, brist på flexibilitet, dålig tillgång till fordon vid vissa tider, bristfällig användarvänlighet och svårigheter att få med sig t.ex. bilbarnstolar. Barriärer mot cykeln som framkommit i studien är bristfällig infrastruktur, dåligt underhåll av fordon och vana. Tillgången till service, t.ex. i form av utlämning av beställda varor och livsmedelsbutiker, behöver förbättras på den egna ön eller lättåtkomligt (gärna med kollektivtrafiken) längs med skärgårdsbornas vardagliga resrutter för att transportbehovet skall minskas. Respondenternas förtroende för stadens politiker och tjänstemän påverkar deras vilja att använda bilen och ta till sig alternativen

Neutering of cats and dogs in Ireland; pet owner self-reported perceptions of enabling and disabling factors in the decision to neuter

Background. Failure among pet owners to neuter their pets results in increased straying and overpopulation problems. Variations in neutering levels can be explained by cultural differences, differences in economic status in rural and urban locations, and owner perceptions about their pet. There are also differences between male and female pet owners. There is no research pertaining to Irish pet owner attitudes towards neutering their pets. This paper identified the perceptions of a sample of Irish cat and dog owners that influenced their decisions on pet neutering.Methods. This study was conducted using social science (qualitative) methods, including an interview-administered survey questionnaire and focus group discussions. Data was coded and managed using Nvivo 8 qualitative data analysis software.Results. Focus groups were conducted with 43 pet (cats and dogs) owners. Two major categories relating to the decision to neuter were identified: (1) enabling perceptions in the decision to neuter (subcategories were: controlling unwanted pet behaviour; positive perceptions regarding pet health and welfare outcomes; perceived owner responsibility; pet function; and the influence of veterinary advice), and (2) disabling perceptions in the decision to neuter (subcategories were: perceived financial cost of neutering; perceived adequacy of existing controls; and negative perceptions regarding pet health and welfare outcomes).Discussion. Pet owner sense of responsibility and control are two central issues to the decision to neuter their pets. Understanding how pet owners feel about topics such as pet neutering, can help improve initiatives aimed at emphasising the responsibility of population control of cats and dogs

Risk Factors for Canine Osteoarthritis and Its Predisposing Arthropathies: A Systematic Review

Osteoarthritis is a common clinical and pathological end-point from a range of joint disorders, that ultimately lead to structural and functional decline of the joint with associated lameness and pain. Increasing understanding of the risk factors associated with osteoarthritis will assist in addressing the significant threat it poses to the welfare of the dog population and implementing preventive measures. Presented here, is the first comprehensive systematic review and evaluation of the literature reporting risk factors for canine osteoarthritis. This paper aimed to systematically collate, review and critically evaluate the published literature on risk factors for canine osteoarthritis and its predisposing conditions such as developmental joint dysplasias, cruciate ligament degeneration, and patellar luxation. Peer-reviewed publications were systematically searched for both osteoarthritis and predisposing arthropathies on Web of Science and PubMed following PRISMA (2009) guidelines, using pre-specified combinations of keywords. Sixty-two papers met the inclusion criteria and were evaluated and graded on reporting quality. Identified risk factors included both modifiable factors (neuter status and body weight) for which intervention can potentially affect the risk of occurrence of osteoarthritis, and unmodifiable factors (sex, breed, and age) which can be used to identify individuals most “at risk.” Osteoarthritis in dogs frequently develops from predisposing arthropathies, and therefore risk factors for these are also important to consider. Papers evaluated in this study were rated as medium to high-quality; gap analysis of the literature suggests there would be significant benefit from additional research into the interactions between and relative weighting of risk factors. There are a number of examples where research outcomes are conflicting such as age and sex; and further investigation into these factors would be beneficial to attain greater understanding of the nature of these risks. Comprehensively collating the published risk factors for osteoarthritis and its predisposing conditions offers opportunities to identify possible means for control and reduction within the population through preventative methods and control strategies. These factors are highlighted here, as well as current literature gaps where further research is warranted, to aid future research direction

GPCRmd uncovers the dynamics of the 3D-GPCRome

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are involved in numerous physiological processes and are the most frequent targets of approved drugs. The explosion in the number of new three-dimensional (3D) molecular structures of GPCRs (3D-GPCRome) over the last decade has greatly advanced the mechanistic understanding and drug design opportunities for this protein family. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have become a widely established technique for exploring the conformational landscape of proteins at an atomic level. However, the analysis and visualization of MD simulations require efficient storage resources and specialized software. Here we present GPCRmd (http://gpcrmd.org/), an online platform that incorporates web-based visualization capabilities as well as a comprehensive and user-friendly analysis toolbox that allows scientists from different disciplines to visualize, analyze and share GPCR MD data. GPCRmd originates from a community-driven effort to create an open, interactive and standardized database of GPCR MD simulations.</p

Insurance data for research in companion animals: benefits and limitations

The primary aim of this article is to review the use of animal health insurance data in the scientific literature, especially in regard to morbidity or mortality in companion animals and horses. Methods and results were compared among studies on similar health conditions from different nations and years. A further objective was to critically evaluate benefits and limitations of such databases, to suggest ways to maximize their utility and to discuss the future use of animal insurance data for research purposes. Examples of studies on morbidity, mortality and survival estimates in dogs and horses, as well as neoplasia in dogs, are discussed

Synthesis of ¹¹C-labeled Sulfonyl Carbamates through a Multicomponent Reaction Employing Sulfonyl Azides, Alcohols, and [¹¹C]CO

We describe the development of a new methodology focusing on C-11-labeling of sulfonyl carbamates in a multicomponent reaction comprised of a sulfonyl azide, an alkyl alcohol, and [C-11] CO. A number of C-11-labeled sulfonyl carbamates were synthesized and isolated, and the developed methodology was then applied in the preparation of a biologically active molecule. The target compound was obtained in 24 +/- 10% isolated radiochemical yield and was evaluated for binding properties in a tumor cell assay; in vivo biodistribution and imaging studies were also performed. This represents the first successful radiolabeling of a non-peptide angiotensin II receptor subtype 2 agonist, C21, currently in clinical trials for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Basis for the gain and subsequent dilution of epidermal pigmentation during human evolution: The barrier and metabolic conservation hypotheses revisited

The evolution of human skin pigmentation must address both the initial evolution of intense epidermal pigmentation in hominins, and its subsequent dilution in modern humans. While many authorities believe that epidermal pigmentation evolved to protect against either ultraviolet B (UV-B) irradiation-induced mutagenesis or folic acid photolysis, we hypothesize that pigmentation augmented the epidermal barriers by shifting the UV-B dose-response curve from toxic to beneficial. Whereas erythemogenic UV-B doses produce apoptosis and cell death, suberythemogenic doses benefit permeability and antimicrobial function. Heavily melanized melanocytes acidify the outer epidermis and emit paracrine signals that augment barrier competence. Modern humans, residing in the cooler, wetter climes of south-central Europe and Asia, initially retained substantial pigmentation. While their outdoor lifestyles still permitted sufficient cutaneous vitamin D3 (VD3) synthesis, their marginal nutritional status, coupled with cold-induced caloric needs, selected for moderate pigment reductions that diverted limited nutritional resources towards more urgent priorities (=metabolic conservation). The further pigment-dilution that evolved as humans reached north-central Europe (i.e., northern France, Germany), likely facilitated cutaneous VD3 synthesis, while also supporting ongoing, nutritional requirements. But at still higher European latitudes where little UV-B breaches the atmosphere (i.e., present-day UK, Scandinavia, Baltic States), pigment dilution alone could not suffice. There, other nonpigment-related mutations evolved to facilitate VD3 production; for example, in the epidermal protein, filaggrin, resulting in reduced levels of its distal metabolite, trans-urocanic acid, a potent UV-B chromophore. Thus, changes in human pigmentation reflect a complex interplay between latitude, climate, diet, lifestyle, and shifting metabolic priorities