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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