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www.pbgv.org
Winter2014
ISaberTails
ReportonAKCCHFresearchprojectsfundedbytheFoundation
TheFoundationhasreceivedprogressreportsfromfiveinvestigatorswhoseresearchisfundedbytheFoundation.
Thereportsarethefollowing:
IPBGVHealthReport
byLauraLiscum,PBGVCAHealthCommittee
Theseinvestigatorsarestudyingadrenalcancersthatare
deadlyandcauseCushing’ssyndrome.Surgeryisapreferred
treatmentforthiscancer;however,itisacostlyand
specializedprocedure.Thetwoavailabledrugsarenot
veryeffectiveandnotsafeforusearoundchildrenand
pregnantwomen.
Heretheyareinvestigating“theapplicabilityof
compoundscalledsteroidogenicfactor1(SF-1)inverse
agonists.Ourpreviousstudiesdemonstratedalinkbetween
themetastaticabilityofadrenalcancerandtheexpression
ofSF-1.Therefore,suppressingtheSF-1factoractivitymakes
sense.Evenmore,laboratorystudieshadshownthatadrenal
cellsincubatedwithcompoundsaffectingSF-1,stopped
beinghormonallyactiveandthattheircellulargrowthwas
suppressed.Assuch,SF-1inverseagonistsrepresentaperfect
medicaltreatmentofcanineadrenalcancer.Inthecurrent
project,wewilltesttheeffectivenessofSF-1inverseagonists
incanineadrenalcancertissue.Thetissuewillbeharvested
fromdogswithadrenalcancerwhowillundergosurgery
astreatment.”
Thisprojecthasjuststartedandtherearenoresultsyet.
Theresearchersarehopefulthatidentificationofanew
treatmentforthiscancerindogswillalsohelphumans
withadrenalcancers.
Grant02011.IdentificationofNovelDrugstoHaltthe
MetastasisofTumorsThatCauseCushing'sSyndrome.
Dr.SaraGalac,UniversityofUtrecht
Theinvestigatorsproposeto“conductaprospective,
randomizedanddouble-blindedclinicaltrialevaluating
theeffectivenessofprolotherapyinclinicalcaninepatients
sufferingfromosteoarthritis.”Prolotherapyinvolves
injectinganon-activeirritantsolutionintothejointin
ordertostrengthenthetissuesandalleviatepain.The
mechanismofactionofthistherapyisunknown.
Heretheycompleted“arandomized,placebo-controlled
pilotstudyofintraarticular25-percentdextroseprolotherapy
givenat0and6weeksforreliefofosteoarthritisofthe
elbowandstiflesindogs.Tendogswithlamenessdueto
stifleorelbowosteoarthritiswereevaluatedbyorthopedic
exam,lamenessandpainscores,jointmotionassessment,
andobjectivegaitanalysisatsixand12weekspost-initial
injection.Therewerenostatisticallysignificantclinical
differencesinlamenessorpainscores,radiographicscoresor
gaitanalysisparametersduetotreatment.Weightbornein
thearthriticprolotherapytreatedlimbincreased24percent
duringthetrialwhiletheplacebo-treatedlimbdecreased
weightborneby5.3percent,butthedifferencewasnotsta-
tisticallysignificant.Largerstudiesareneededtodetermine
efficacybecauseanalysisofdatafromthesepilotdogsindi-
catedasamplesizeof29to106animalswouldbeneededto
demonstratestatisticallysignificantresultsonthegaitanaly-
sissystem,themostunbiasedmethodofevaluationused.”
Unfortunately,thismeansthattherewerenosignificant
benefitsofthedextroseprolotherapyfortreatmentof
osteoarthritisoftheelbowandstifleindogs.
Grant018930A.ANovel,PracticalandCost-Effective
TreatmentforCanineArthritis.
Dr.JamesRoush,KansasStateUniversity
Theinvestigatorsproposedtoconduct“anin-depth
EhrlichiaprevalencestudyfocusedonwesternTennessee
ticksaffectingcanines.Wewillidentifytickscollected
fromcanines,anddeterminetheEhrlichiaspeciesassociated
withtheseticksandwithquestingtickssampledfrom
vegetation.”
Inthestudythey“identifiedthreeEhrlichiaspeciesin
twospeciesofticks(A.americanumandI.scapularis)and
twoAnaplasmaspeciesintwotickspecies(A.americanum
andI.scapularis).Themostfrequentlycollectedtickson
canines,D.variabilis(Americandogtick),didnothaveany
Ehrlichia.Wethenscreenedallofthecollectedticksfor
RickettsiaanddidnotidentifyanypathogenicRickettsia
withinthoseticks.Therewasnospatialclusteringof
EhrlichiaorRickettsia-positiveticks.Theidentificationof
pathogenicEhrlichiaandnon-pathogenicRickettsiawithin
twodifferenttickspecieswarrantsfurtherinvestigationsto
understandtheetiologicalagentsandinteractionsofthe
vectorsresponsibleforthehighincidenceofEhrlichiosis
andRickettsiosisintheregion.”
Grant01894-A.DocumentationofDisease-CausingTicksin
aFieldTrialEnvironmentforthePurposeofDeveloping
PracticalandCost-EffectiveStrategiesforTickControl.
Dr.RebeccaTroutFryxell,UniversityofTennessee