Background Protein-losing syndromes, specifically protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) and protein-losing nephropathy (PLN), are disease conditions when albumin and other protein-rich materials leak into the intestinal cavity or urine. Left untreated, there is a high mortality. Both PLE and PLN involve significant inflammation which is a part of the pathogenesis and treatment often includes the use of […] Read more »
Background The digestive tract is responsible for the absorption of nutrients and the elimination of waste; hence with chronic enteropathies (CE) and especially protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) these diseases can severely impact a patient’s health and may even result in death. Studies in companion animals have shown that patients with CE and PLE have low stores […] Read more »
C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and albumin have long been used independently as markers for prognosis. Patients with either high inflammation or low albumin have tended to have worse outcomes. The use of the C-reactive protein/ albumin ratio (CAR) is growing in human medicine as a prognostic index for disease severity. With the growing use of CRP […] Read more »
Background Vaccinations activate the adaptive immune process to provide lasting immunity to disease. Dogs and cats get vaccinated to a wide range of pathogens with the goal of high antibody titers and long duration of immunity (DOI). While generally successful, there are times vaccinations FAIL, or fail to provide the desired DOI. Vaccination failures and low DOI […] Read more »
In a series of studies (1-3) from the University of Missouri, the activated form of vitamin D (calcitriol) was shown to reduce TNF-α (pro-inflammatory cytokine) and increase IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokine). These in-vitro studies examined the effect calcitriol had on cultured canine leukocytes when exposed to lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Leukocytes possess the vitamin D receptor (VDR) along […] Read more »
CRP Is Elevated In Cardiac Disease Inflammation plays a key role in a wide variety of cardiac diseases. In human medicine, the measurement of high-sensitivity CRP is used to predict the future development of heart disease (1,2). Similarly, an elevated inflammatory response (and hence CRP) is found in dogs. Researchers have documented significant elevations of CRP in […] Read more »
C-reactive protein (CRP), a general marker of the inflammatory response, correlates directly with both the severity and duration of the inflammatory stimulation. One of the strongest responses is to an infection. Two recent publications demonstrate that CRP is useful to: Detect infections 6 days post-op Differentiate suppurative arthritis and osteoarthritis Detecting Post-Op Infections Reporting sensitivity/specificity […] Read more »
Background The C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR) is quickly finding ground as an outcome predictor in cancer. In both human and veterinary medicine, cancer mortality or complications arising from cancer is of major concern. In human medicine the use of CAR has been studied and found to be predictive of poor outcomes in a wide range of cancers, […] Read more »
