Serum proteomic profiles in CKCS with Mitral valve disease.

BACKGROUND: Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MVD) is the most common acquired heart disease in dogs, and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) is the most studied breed because of the high prevalence, early onset and hereditary component evidenced in the breed. MVD has different severity levels, and there are many practical limitations in identifying its asymptomatic stages. Proteomic techniques are valuable for studying the proteins and peptides involved in cardiovascular diseases, including the period prior to the clinical onset of the disease. The aim of this study was to identify the serum proteins that were differentially expressed in healthy CKCS and those affected by MVD in mild to severe stages. Proteomics analysis was performed using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis separation and a bioinformatics analysis for the detection of differentially expressed spots. In a comparative analysis, protein spots with a p < 0.05 (ANOVA) were considered statistically significant and were excised from the gels for analysis by MALDI-TOF-MS for protein identification. RESULTS: Eight proteins resulted differentially expressed among the groups and significantly related to the progression of the disease. In mild affected group versus healthy dogs complement factor H isoform 2, inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase, hemopexin, dystrobrevin beta isoform X7 and CD5 molecule-like resulted to be down-regulated, whereas fibronectin type-III domain-containing protein 3A isoform X4 was up-regulated. In severe affected dogs versus healthy group complement factor H isoform 2, calpain-3 isoform X2, dystrobrevin beta isoform X7, CD5 molecule-like and l-2-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase resulted to be down-regulated. Complement factor H isoform 2, calpain-3 isoform X2, dystrobrevin beta isoform X7, CD5 molecule-like and hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase were found to be down-regulated in mild affected group versus healthy dogs. All of these proteins except complement factor H followed a decreasing trend according to the progression of the pathology. CONCLUSION: The differential expression of serum proteins demonstrates the possibility these might be valuable for the detection and monitoring of the disease. Further longitudinal studies are required to determine whether differential protein expression occurs sufficiently early in the progression of the disease and with sufficient predictive value to allow proteomics analysis to be used as an early detection and on-line diagnostic tool.

Survival in cats with primary and secondary cardiomyopathies.

OBJECTIVES: Feline cardiomyopathies (CMs) represent a heterogeneous group of myocardial diseases. The most common CM is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), followed by restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM). Studies comparing survival and outcome for different types of CM are scant. Furthermore, little is known about the cardiovascular consequences of systemic diseases on survival. The aim of this retrospective study was to compare survival and prognostic factors in cats affected by HCM, RCM or secondary CM referred to our institution over a 10 year period. METHODS: The study included 94 cats with complete case records and echocardiographic examination. Fifty cats presented HCM, 14 RCM and 30 secondary CM. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in survival time was identified for cats with HCM (median survival time of 865 days), RCM (273 days) and secondary CM (<50% cardiac death rate). In the overall population and in the primary CM group (HCM + RCM), risk factors in the multivariate analysis, regardless of the CM considered, were the presence of clinical signs, an increased left atrial to aortic root (LA/Ao) ratio and a hypercoagulable state. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Primary CMs in cats share some common features (ie, LA dimension and hypercoagulable state) linked to feline cardiovascular physiology, which influence survival greatly in end-stage CM. The presence of clinical signs has to be regarded as a marker of disease severity, regardless of the underlying CM. Secondary CMs are more benign conditions, but if the primary disease is not properly managed, the prognosis might also be poor in this group of patients.