Unusual case of pleural effusion caused by amlodipine in a dog with systemic hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this report is to document the case of a dog that developed pleural effusion as a potential side-effect to the administration of a high-dose of amlodipine. CASE SUMMARY: A Yorkshire terrier dog (13-year-old, castrated male, 4.5 kg) presented with severe systemic hypertension (>200 mmHg), hyperkalaemia, and acute pancreatitis. The dog had hyperadrenocorticism, chronic valvular heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and cerebellar infarction as underlying diseases. Additionally, the dog had laboured breathing and tachypnoea during hospitalization. Screening examinations revealed a pleural effusion (pure transudate) for which hypoalbuminemia and thromboembolism were ruled out as the causes. Therefore, the adverse drug event of an anti-hypertensive drug (amlodipine) was tentatively diagnosed. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural effusion resolved within 24 h of reducing the dosage of amlodipine. Hence, the dog was diagnosed with amlodipine-induced pleural effusion. Rarely, amlodipine can cause pleural effusion after high-dose administrations in humans, but only two cases of peripheral edema have been reported in animals. If pleural effusion occurs in hypertensive patients administered amlodipine, it should be considered as the potential cause.

Gene expression of adipokines and inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of obese dogs.

BACKGROUND: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) have been identified as a possible marker of inflammation in obesity. Understanding the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in PBMCs in obese dogs will help control obesity-related inflammatory diseases. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of PBMCs in obesity-associated chronic inflammation by analyzing the expression of adipokines and inflammatory cytokines. METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from 25 subjects and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction determinations were performed to quantify the gene expression levels of adipokines and inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-α, IL-17, leptin, MCP-1, and adiponectin, in the PBMCs. RESULTS: The results showed that the gene expression levels of TNF-α (p < 0.001), IL-17 (p < 0.0001), and leptin (p < 0.0001) were strongly upregulated in the PBMCs of obese dogs compared to that in non-obese dogs. CONCLUSIONS: The changes in gene expression levels of inflammation-related adipokines and pro-inflammatory cytokines occur in PBMCs, which may contribute to the low-grade chronic inflammation that is present in obesity.

Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome with hypoadrenocorticism and diabetes mellitus in a dog: A rare case.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome, also called polyglandular autoimmune syndrome, is a rare immune-mediated disorder that involves various endocrine glands. PURPOSE: To report autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome in a dog. METHODS: A 9-year-old spayed female miniature poodle diagnosed with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus emergently visited our clinic for anorexia, severe depression, and vomiting. Hyponatremia, hypochloridemia, and recurrent hypoglycaemia were found. Hypoadrenocorticism was diagnosed based on consistent clinical signs and repeated adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation tests. RESULTS: After injecting deoxycorticosterone pivalate and increasing the oral prednisolone dose, the patient's systemic condition improved. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of hypoadrenocorticism concurrent with diabetes mellitus in a dog. Furthermore, we would like to present the probability of an immune-mediated disorder with multiple organs involved, like type IV autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome in humans.

Preparing cuprous oxide nanomaterials by electrochemical method for non-enzymatic glucose biosensor.

Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) nanostructure has been synthesized using an electrochemical method with a two-electrode system. Cu foils were used as electrodes and NH2(OH) was utilized as the reducing agent. The effects of pH and applied voltages on the morphology of the product were investigated. The morphology and optical properties of Cu2O particles were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and diffuse reflectance spectra. The synthesized Cu2O nanostructures that formed in the vicinity of the anode at 2 V and pH = 11 showed high uniform distribution, small size, and good electrochemical sensing. These Cu2O nanoparticles were coated on an Indium tin oxide substrate and applied to detect non-enzyme glucose as excellent biosensors. The non-enzyme glucose biosensors exhibited good performance with high response, good selectivity, wide linear detection range, and a low detection limit at 0.4 µM. Synthesized Cu2O nanostructures are potential materials for a non-enzyme glucose biosensor.

Psychiatry outpatient visits by atopic dermatitis patients varying in the complexity of their prescriptions: A nationwide cohort study conducted from 2005 to 2013.

The uncomfortable symptoms of atopic dermatitis (AD) often trigger psychological stress.We investigated the association between AD severity and outpatient visits to psychiatrists using Korean National Health Insurance claims data from 2004 to 2013.This was a retrospective cohort analysis; we estimated hazard ratios (HRs).Of the 266,182 subjects, 18,290 (6.9%) had a history of visiting a psychiatrist, and 25,419 (9.5%) were diagnosed with AD. Compared with the subjects without AD, subjects with AD had a higher HR for visiting a psychiatrist (3.70, 95% confidence interval [CI]:48 3.43-3.98), and this significantly increased as the complexity of the AD medications increased. Subjects who received topical treatments plus a systematic steroid (HR: 4.88, 95% CI: 4.51-5.27) and those who received topical treatments plus a systematic steroid plus a systematic calcineurin inhibitor (HR: 9.56, 95% CI: 4.29-21.28) had higher HRs compared with those without AD.Severe AD patients exhibited greater psychological stress than those without AD or with mild AD symptoms. Moreover, medication diversity may represent an efficient and low-cost method by which to identify a vulnerable population.