Evaluation of graded levels of Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 on apparent nutrient digestibility, stool quality, and intestinal health indicators in healthy adult dogs.

Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086 is a commercially available spore-forming non-toxigenic microorganism approved for use in dog foods with high resiliency to stresses associated with commercial manufacturing. The objectives of this research were to examine the effect of B. coagulans on stool quality, nutrient digestibility, and intestinal health markers in healthy adult dogs. Extruded diets containing graded levels of B. coagulans applied either to the base ration before extrusion or to the exterior of the kibble as a topical coating after extrusion were randomly assigned to 10 individually housed adult beagle dogs (7 castrated males and 3 spayed females) of similar age (5.75 ± 0.23 yr) and body weight (12.3 ± 1.5 kg). The study was designed as a 5 × 5 replicated Latin square with 16-d adaptation followed by 5-d total fecal collection for each period. Five dietary treatments were formulated to deliver a dose of 0-, 6-, 7-, 8-, and 9-log10 colony-forming units (CFU) per dog per day for the control (CON), extruded B. coagulans (PEX), and low, moderate, and high B. coagulans coating levels (PCL, PCM, and PCH), respectively. Food-grade TiO2 was added to all diets at a level of 0.4% to serve as an indigestible dietary marker for digestibility calculations. Data were analyzed using a mixed model through SAS (version 9.4, SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC) with treatment as a fixed effect and room (i.e., replicate), period, and dog(room) as random effects. Apparent total tract digestibility of organic matter, crude protein, crude fat, and gross energy calculated by the marker method were numerically greatest for dogs fed the 9-log10 dose treatment with increases (P < 0.05) observed in gross energy and organic matter digestibility compared with the negative control. No significant differences were observed in food intake, stool quality, fecal pH, fecal ammonia, fecal short-chain fatty acids, or branched-chain fatty acids for the extruded B. coagulans treatment (PEX) or the coated B. coagulans treatments (PCL, PCM, and PCH) compared with CON. These results suggest that B. coagulans has a favorable impact on nutrient digestibility and no apparent adverse effects when added to extruded diets at a daily intake level of up to 9-log10 CFU in healthy adult dogs.

Sustainability and Pet Food: Is There a Role for Veterinarians?

Sustainability has become a watchword for a wide array of resource-intensive goods and services. This is promulgated by an increasing global population and concerns that natural resources and a hospitable climate will not be preserved for future generations. Life-cycle analysis is a tool that provides a framework to determine the magnitude products contribute to carbon emissions and depletion of natural resources. In this review, published research has been summarized to provide an overview of the impacts that pet food production and pet ownership have on the environment and the prospective role of veterinary practitioners in advocating for sustainability.

Effects of different carbohydrate sources on taurine status in healthy Beagle dogs.

This study evaluated the effects of a grain-based (GB) and grain-free (GF) diet on protein utilization and taurine status in healthy Beagle dogs. Two practical dog diets sufficient in crude protein, sulfur amino acids, and taurine content were formulated with the same ingredients with exception of the carbohydrate sources. The GB contained sorghum, millet, and spelt while potatoes, peas, and tapioca starch were used in the GF. A total of 12 Beagle dogs were used in a completely randomized design with six replicates per treatment. The study consisted of an adaptation period of 2 wk followed by an experimental period of 28 d in which GB and GF were fed to the dogs. At the end of the adaptation period and every 2 wk after it (day 0, day 14, day 28), markers of taurine metabolism were analyzed in whole blood (taurine), plasma (taurine, methionine, and cystine), urine (taurine:creatinine), and fresh fecal samples (primary and secondary bile acids). Fecal samples were collected during the last 6 d of experimental period for digestibly assessment using titanium dioxide as an external marker. Taurine markers and digestibility data were analyzed in a repeated measures model and one-way ANOVA, respectively, using PROC GLIMMIX in SAS (version 9.4). Apparent crude protein digestibility was not affected by treatment, but dogs fed GF diet had lower apparent organic matter digestibility compared with those fed GB (P < 0.05). Greater plasma taurine concentrations were observed at days 14 and 28 compared with day 0; wherein dogs fed GF exhibited greater increase compared to those fed GB (P < 0.05). Whole blood taurine concentrations, plasma methionine concentrations, and urinary taurine:creatinine were also greater at days 14 and 28 compared with day 0 (P < 0.05), but no effect of diet was observed. Total bile acid excretion was similar between GF and GB groups, but dogs fed GF excreted a higher proportion of primary bile acids compared with those fed GB (25.49% vs. 12.09% at day 28, respectively). In summary, overall taurine status was not affected by dietary treatments, however, our results suggest that the higher content of oligosaccharides and soluble fibers in the GF diet may alter the composition of the fecal bile acid pool.

Baseline and follow-up activity and functional connectivity in reward neural circuitries in offspring at risk for bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a serious psychiatric illness with demonstrated abnormalities in reward processing circuitry. Examining this circuitry in youth at familial risk for BD may provide further insight into the underlying mechanisms of BD development. In this study, we compared offspring of bipolar parents (OBP, n = 32), offspring of comparison parents with non-BD psychopathology (OCP, n = 36), and offspring of healthy parents (OHP, n = 39) during a functional magnetic resonance imaging reward processing task. Elastic net regression analyses identified 26 activity, functional connectivity (FC), and demographic variables that explained 34.24% of the variance in group (λ = 0.224). ANOVA and post-hoc analyses revealed that OBP had significantly lower right ventral striatum-left caudal anterior cingulate FC to loss (OBP versus OCP: p = 0.028, OBP versus OHP: p = 0.015) and greater right pars orbitalis-left (OBP versus OCP: p = 0.003, OBP versus OHP: p = 0.036) and -right (OBP versus OCP: p = 0.001, OBP versus OHP: p = 0.038) orbitofrontal cortex FC to reward versus OCP and OHP, respectively. These findings were not affected by non-BD psychopathology, psychotropic medication use, or symptomatology. There were no changes in, or relationships between, neuroimaging or symptom measures at follow-up (mean(SD) = 2.70(1.22) year inter-scan interval) in a subset of youth with follow-up data (OBP, n = 14; OCP, n = 8; OHP, n = 19). These findings suggest that lower right ventral striatum-left caudal anterior cingulate FC to loss and greater right pars orbitalis-orbitofrontal cortex FC to reward may be trait-level neural markers that may reflect risk for BD in at-risk youth. These findings comprise important steps toward identifying neural markers of BD risk, which may enhance early identification and guide interventions for youth at familial risk for BD.

White matter - emotion processing activity relationships in youth offspring of bipolar parents.

BACKGROUND: Early detection of Bipolar Disorder (BD) is critical for targeting interventions to delay or prevent illness onset. Yet, the absence of objective BD biomarkers makes accurately identifying at-risk youth difficult. In this study, we examined how relationships between white matter tract (WMT) structure and activity in emotion processing neural circuitry differentiate youth at risk for BD from youth at risk for other psychiatric disorders. METHODS: Offspring (ages 8-17) of parents with BD (OBP, n = 32), offspring of comparison parents with non-BD psychopathology (OCP, n = 30), and offspring of healthy parents (OHP, n = 24) underwent diffusion tensor and functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing an emotional face processing task. Penalized and multiple regression analyses included GROUP(OBP,OCP)xWMT interactions as main independent variables, and emotion processing activity as dependent variables, to determine significant group differences in WMT-activity relationships. RESULTS: 8 GROUPxWMT interaction variables contributed to 16.5% of the variance in amygdala and prefrontal cortical activity to happy faces. Of these, significant group differences in slopes (inverse for OBP, positive for OCP) existed for the relationship between forceps minor radial diffusivity and rostral anterior cingulate activity (p = 0.014). Slopes remained significantly different in unmedicated youth without psychiatric disorders (p = 0.017) and were moderated by affective lability symptoms (F(1,29) = 5.566, p = 0.036). LIMITATIONS: Relatively small sample sizes were included. CONCLUSIONS: Forceps minor radial diffusivity-rostral anterior cingulate activity relationships may reflect underlying neuropathological processes that contribute to affectively labile youth at risk for BD and may help differentiate them from youth at risk for other psychiatric disorders.

Association of Neuroimaging Measures of Emotion Processing and Regulation Neural Circuitries With Symptoms of Bipolar Disorder in Offspring at Risk for Bipolar Disorder.

Importance: Bipolar disorder (BD) is difficult to distinguish from other psychiatric disorders. Neuroimaging studies can identify objective markers of BD risk. Objective: To identify neuroimaging measures in emotion processing and regulation neural circuitries and their associations with symptoms specific to youth at risk for BD. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional (August 1, 2011, to July 31, 2017) and longitudinal (February 1, 2013, to November 30, 2017) neuroimaging study performed at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center compared a sample of 31 offspring of parents with BD (OBP) with 28 offspring of comparison parents with non-BD psychopathologies (OCP) and 21 offspring of healthy parents (OHP); OBP, OCP, and OHP were recruited from the Bipolar Offspring Study and the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms Study. Main Outcomes and Measures: Group differences in activity and functional connectivity during emotional face processing and n-back task performance in amygdala, dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices (PFC), caudal anterior cingulate cortices (cACC), and rostral anterior cingulate cortices (rACC) neuroimaging measures showing between-group differences and symptom severity (anxiety, affective lability, depression, mania). We hypothesized that elevated amygdala activity and/or lower PFC activity and abnormal amygdala to PFC functional connectivity would distinguish OBP from OCP and OHP, and magnitudes of these abnormalities would positively correlate with elevated symptom severity. We explored associations between changes in neuroimaging and symptom measures over follow-up (mean [SD], 2.9 [1.4] years) in a subset of participants (n = 30). Results: Eighty participants were included (mean [SD] age, 14.2 (2.1) years; 35 female). Twelve neuroimaging measures explained 51% of the variance in the results of neuroimaging measures overall. Of the 12, 9 showed significant main associations of the group; however, after post hoc analyses and Bonferroni corrections, only 7 showed statistically significant associations between groups (corrected P < .05 for all). Of the 7, 2 showed significant relationships with symptoms. Offspring of parents with BD had greater right rACC activity when regulating attention to happy faces vs OCP (mean [SD] difference, 0.744 [0.249]; 95% CI, 0.134-1.354; P = .01), which positively correlated with affective lability severity (ρ = 0.304; uncorrected P = .006). Offspring of parents with BD had greater amygdala to left cACC functional connectivity when regulating attention to fearful faces vs OCP (mean [SD] difference, 0.493 [0.169]; 95% CI, 0.079-0.908; P = .01). Increases in this measure positively correlated with increases in affective lability over follow-up (r = 0.541; P = .003). Conclusions and Relevance: Greater anterior cingulate cortex activity and functional connectivity during emotion regulation tasks may be specific markers of BD risk. These findings highlight potential neural targets to aid earlier identification of and guide new treatment developments for BD.

White matter structure in youth with behavioral and emotional dysregulation disorders: a probabilistic tractographic study.

IMPORTANCE: Psychiatric disorders in youth characterized by behavioral and emotional dysregulation are often comorbid and difficult to distinguish. An alternative approach to conceptualizing these disorders is to move toward a diagnostic system based on underlying pathophysiologic processes that may cut across conventionally defined diagnoses. Neuroimaging techniques have potentials for the identification of these processes. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether diffusion imaging, a neuroimaging technique examining white matter (WM) structure, can identify neural correlates of emotional dysregulation in a sample of youth with different psychiatric disorders characterized by behavioral and emotional dysregulation. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Using global probabilistic tractography, we examined relationships between WM structure in key tracts in emotional regulation circuitry (ie, cingulum, uncinate fasciculus, and forceps minor) and (1) broader diagnostic categories of behavioral and emotional dysregulation disorders (DDs) and (2) symptom dimensions cutting across conventional diagnoses in 120 youth with behavioral and/or emotional DDs, a referred sample of the Longitudinal Assessment of Manic Symptoms (LAM) study. Thirty age- and sex-matched typically developing youth (control participants) were included. Multivariate multiple regression models were used. The study was conducted from July 1, 2010, to February 28, 2014. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Fractional anisotropy as well as axial and radial diffusivity were estimated and imported into a well-established statistical package. We hypothesized that (1) youth with emotional DDs and those with both behavioral and emotional DDs would show significantly lower fractional anisotropy compared with youth with behavioral DDs in these WM tracts and (2) that there would be significant inverse relationships between dimensional measures of affective symptom severity and fractional anisotropy in these tracts across all participants. RESULTS: Multivariate multiple regression analyses revealed decreased fractional anisotropy and decreased axial diffusivity within the uncinate fasciculus in youth with emotional DDs vs those with behavioral DDs, those with both DDs, and the controls (F6,160 = 2.4; P = .032; all pairwise comparisons, P < .002). In the same model, greater severity of manic symptoms was positively associated with higher fractional anisotropy across all affected youth (F3,85 = 2.8; P = .044). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings suggest that abnormal uncinate fasciculus and cingulum WM structure may underlie emotional, but not behavioral, dysregulation in pediatric psychiatric disorders and that a different neural mechanism may exist for comorbid emotional and behavioral DDs.

Erratum to 'Variability of manual lumbar spine segmentation' [International Journal of Spine Surgery 6 (2012) 167-173].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.ijsp.2012.04.002.].

Variability of manual lumbar spine segmentation.

BACKGROUND: The application of kinematic data acquired during biomechanical testing to specimen-specific, three-dimensional models of the spine has emerged as a useful tool in spine biomechanics research. However, the development of these models is subject to segmentation error because of complex morphology and pathologic changes of the spine. This error has not been previously characterized. METHODS: Eight cadaveric lumbar spines were prepared and underwent computed tomography (CT) scanning. After disarticulation and soft-tissue removal, 5 individual vertebrae from these specimens were scanned a second time. The CT images of the full lumbar specimens were segmented twice each by 2 operators, and the images of the individual vertebrae with soft tissue removed were segmented as well. The solid models derived from these differing segmentation sessions were registered, and the distribution of distances between nearest neighboring points was calculated to evaluate the accuracy and precision of the segmentation technique. RESULTS: Manual segmentation yielded root-mean-square errors below 0.39 mm for accuracy, 0.33 mm for intrauser precision, and 0.35 mm for interuser precision. Furthermore, the 95th percentile of all distances was below 0.75 mm for all analyses of accuracy and precision. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that such models are highly accurate and that a high level of intrauser and interuser precision can be achieved. The magnitude of the error presented here should inform the design and interpretation of future studies using manual segmentation techniques to derive models of the lumbar spine.