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Introduction/Aims: Carriers of DMD pathogenic variants may become symptomatic and develop muscle‐related manifestations. Despite that, few studies have attempted to characterize changes in the muscles of these carriers using imaging tools, particularly muscle ultrasound (MUS). The aim of this study was to compare lower limb MUS findings in carriers of DMD pathogenic variants (cDMD) vs healthy controls. Methods: Twenty‐eight women (15 cDMD and 13 controls) underwent clinical evaluation and MUS. We collected information about muscle‐related symptoms and assessed muscle strength. MUS was performed by a single physician (blind to the genetic status of subjects). The following muscles were assessed: rectus femoris, sartorius, tibialis anterior, and medial gastrocnemius. For each site, we computed data on muscle thickness, cross‐sectional area, sound attenuation index, and elastography. Between‐group comparisons were assessed using nonparametric tests and p‐values <.05 were deemed significant. Results: None of the subjects had objective muscle weakness, but exercise intolerance/fatigue was reported by four cDMDs and only one control. Regarding MUS, sound attenuation indices were significantly higher among carriers for all muscles tested. Longitudinal and axial deep echo intensities for the rectus femoris and tibialis anterior were also higher in the cDMD group compared with controls. No significant between‐group differences were noted for elastography values, muscle area, or mean echo intensities. Discussion: cDMD have skeletal muscle abnormalities that can be detected using quantitative MUS. Further studies are needed to determine whether such abnormalities are related to muscle symptoms in these patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black soldier fly meal in pet diets is gaining acceptance. This study aimed to assess the use of black soldier fly larvae defatted meal (BSFL) and its impact on blood parameters, biochemical markers, organic antioxidant capacity, skin barrier function and skin and coat quality. A cross-over study involved eight beagle dogs with two periods of 50 days each and a washout period of seven days in between. Two approximately iso-nutritive extruded diets were evaluated, the first containing 29.5% BSFL meal and a control diet containing 26% poultry by-product meal (PBP) as protein source. Skin and coat evaluations and blood collections were conducted before and after each period. Skin barrier function was assessed by measurement of trans epidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum hydration (SCH) in belly and pinna of the dogs on days 0, 15, 30, and 45 of each period. A trend for higher antioxidant effect significant reduction in serum scavenging capacity was found with PBP for BSFL diet trough malondialdehyde and Vitamin E measurement in dog's serum 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay. When fed PBP diet dogs exhibited reduction in serum cholesterol triglycerides and decreased LDL levels after 50 days, while dogs fed BSFL presented significant reduction in ALT. TEWL was significantly reduced in belly and pinna over time when dogs were fed BSFL, and TEWL in belly was significantly lower in dogs fed BSFL in comparison to PBP. while Increased SCH was also higher for the BSFL group observed in the same along the feeding period in comparison to PBP, indicating improved ability of the dogs to retain water and keep skin moisture. Improvement skin barrier function could be related to fatty acids from BSFL and increased sebaceous lipids in skin. These are responsible for to avoid water loss and improve skin protection against microbial insults. Inclusion of BSFL as protein source did not promote negative changes in blood biochemistry and had minor antioxidant effect in healthy dogs. However, it proved effective in improving skin barrier function, making BSFL a valuable alternative protein source for dogs, particularly those with sensitive skin or allergies manifesting on the skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of fruit fibres as a way of reusing industrial waste is attractive and necessary, increasing the efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of the industry. This study characterized guava fibre as a fibrous ingredient and evaluated its effects when included in extruded diets for dogs on nutrient digestibility, faecal traits, fermentation products, gastrointestinal transit time and palatability. Four diets were formulated: CO (control diet, no fibrous ingredients added), GF3 (3% guava fibre), GF6 (6% guava fibre) and GF12 (12% guava fibre). The guava fibre was added to diets in replacement of maize, with small adjustments in the other ingredients to ensure similar contents of protein and fat. The diets were fed to 24 adult Beagle dogs (6 per diet) during 15 days for adaptation followed by 15 days for assessment of digestibility, fermentation end products and gastrointestinal transit time. The palatability of G6 and G12 treatments was evaluated against the CO by the two‐pan test. Results were compared by analysis of variance and polynomial contrasts according to the guava fibre inclusion level (p < 0.05). The addition of guava fibre did not change nutrient intake except for the increase on dietary fibre (p < 0.001). Fibre inclusion resulted in a quadratic reduction in total tract apparent digestibility for dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and crude energy (p < 0.001), and on the metabolizable energy content of the foods (p < 0.001). Guava fibre addition did not change the faecal concentration of ammonia, lactic acid, faecal pH and branched chain fatty acids but it decreased acetic and propionic acids concentration (p < 0.01). The inclusion of 12% guava fibre did result in a faster transit time (p = 0.046) compared to the control diet. Guava fibre can be characterized as a novel insoluble non‐fermentable fibre source that could be safely used in levels up to 12% in canine extruded diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insects like the black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens; BSFL) have been proposed as protein-rich feed ingredients to support the growing demand for meat. The BSFL hold also promise for use as a protein source in pet foods and, as such, it has been studied for palatability, nutritional quality and health effects in dogs and cats. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of including BSFL meal in a dry, extruded food on nutritional quality and health in healthy adult cats. Two similar compositions of dry, extruded foods were formulated to meet the FEDIAF nutrition guidelines for adult cats of which one was chicken mealbased (control, with 34.3% chicken meal) and the other BSFL meal-based (inclusion of 37.5% BSFL meal). BSFL meal contained 95.0% dry matter, 53.1% crude protein, 14.3% crude fat, 6.0% ash (Protix, Dongen, The Netherlands). Two groups of four cats were each fed one of the two foods for two 28-d periods in a crossover design, with sample collection during the last 7 d of each period. Cats were housed in groups of the same sex during the first 21 d of each period. Both foods were well-accepted by the cats. No health problems (including coat and skin condition) were noted throughout the study. Food type did not impact body weight (P = 0.850). Food intake was greater when cats were fed the BSFL-based food (P < 0.001). Consistency scores of fresh feces were optimal and did not differ between the foods. Compared with the control food, the food with BSFL meal had decreased apparent fecal digestibility values for dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen, and gross energy (P < 0.05) although all values were high. Digestibility values for acid-hydrolyzed fat were similar for both foods (P = 0.628). Diets resulted in changes in fermentation product concentrations, like fecal ammonia was less when cats fed this food compared with the control food (P < 0.001), but the fecal concentrations of the short-chain fatty acids and biogenic amines were generally increased (P < 0.05). Moreover, reduced fecal bacterial diversity and affected bacterial relative abundance suggested that inclusion of BSFL meal steered the microbial composition in the distal gut of cats. It was observed increased relative abundance of bacteria genus considered beneficial for host health like Bifidobacterium (P < 0.001) and Megasphaera (P < 0.036); and inhibition of genus Negativibacillus and Lachnoclostridium (P < 0.001), previously associated to digestive issues and negative for gut health. Overall, the data gathered in this study suggests that BSFL meal is an adequate alternative ingredient for extruded dry cat foods and may exert a prebiotic effect on intestinal microbiota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Regular exercise is a stressful stimulus that elicits physiological responses in systolic and diastolic functions in human athletes, the so-called "athlete's heart". The present study reports findings obtained from echocardiography to measure the ventricular dimensions at rest in beagle dogs undergoing an endurance training program carried out on a treadmill with the intensity set at 70–80% of the velocity corresponding to the lactate threshold. Echocardiography was performed with routine measurements of the left ventricular systolic and diastolic function by the two-dimensional and Doppler techniques. After the training, the principal component analysis of echocardiographic variables was conducted to evaluate dimensional changes in left ventricular function. Principal components analysis was able to capture the qualitative echocardiographic changes produced by the endurance training. Eight weeks of the lactate-guided endurance training program could lead to concomitant left ventricular dilation without hypertrophy of the ventricular walls, emphasizing the left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions. These results suggest that submaximal aerobic training may induce physiological cardiac remodeling, improve the left ventricular functions, promote health, and minimize any injuries produced during heart disease, although its effectiveness for the latter effect must be confirmed in future studies. This research focuses on the adjustments in systolic and diastolic functions that are not fully understood in dogs submitted to athletic training. Beagle dogs carried out an endurance training program (ETP) prescribed from the external training load, corresponding to 70–80% of the lactate threshold (VLT) velocity. Eighteen dogs were randomly assigned to two groups: control (C, n = 8), active dogs that did not perform any forced exercise, and trained (T, n = 10), submitted to the ETP during eight weeks. All dogs were evaluated before and after the ETP period using two-dimensional echocardiography, M-mode, Doppler, and two-dimensional speckle tracking. A principal component analysis (PCA) of the echocardiographic variables was performed. The ETP improved the left ventricular internal dimension at the end of diastole (LVDd), the left ventricular internal dimension at the end of diastole to aorta ratio (LVDd: Ao), and the strain rate indices. PCA was able to capture the dimensionality and qualitative echocardiography changes produced by the ETP. These findings indicated that the training prescribed based on the lactate threshold improved the diastolic and systolic functions. This response may be applied to improve myocardial function, promote health, and mitigate any injuries produced during heart failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Large dog breeds commonly produce unformed faeces. The present study hypothesised that foods for large dog breeds require higher starch gelatinisation (SG) to reduce organic matter flow to colon. Fifteen Rottweilers (Ro; 49.4 ± 6.12 kg), 18 Beagles (Be; 12.13 ± 1.75 kg) and 20 Shih‐Tzus (ST; 4.62 ± 1.15 kg) were fed one of three diets, all based on the same sorghum formulation, processed to obtain three levels of SG: SG90 (91.8% SG), SG50 (50.7% SG) and SG30 (27.4% SG). Foods were provided for 23 days, and the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of nutrients, faecal production and fermentation products, Na, K and Cl apparent absorption and gastrointestinal transit time (GTT) were evaluated. Results were submitted to analysis of variance considering SG, breed and their interactions, and means compared by the Tukey test (p < 0.05). All dogs promptly ate the foods. Faeces scores were lower for Ro than for Be and ST, and lower for SG30 than SG90 (p < 0.05). Faeces pH was higher, and total short‐chain fatty acids were lower for SG90 than for SG50 and SG30 (p < 0.01), regardless of breed. No diet effect was observed for GTT (p > 0.05), but it was lower for Ro (41.7 ± 6.2 h) than for ST (48.7 ± 8.6 h). The CTTAD of nutrients was lower for SG30, intermediary for SG50 and higher for SG90 (p < 0.05), and among breeds CTTAD was higher for Be than ST and Ro (p < 0.05), which did not differ from each other, except for crude protein CTTAD which was lower for Ro (p < 0.05). The apparent absorption of Na and K was higher for the SG90 treatment, and for Be in comparison with Ro and ST (p < 0.05). Food SG had a remarkable influence on Ro faeces formation and on the CTTAD in all breeds. Greater fermentation in the colon and lower protein CTTAD may be involved in Ro unformed faeces formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]