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This article explores the nutritional needs and health outcomes of ageing cats and dogs. It discusses the lack of explicit nutritional guidelines for feeding ageing animals and emphasizes the importance of increased scientific knowledge in this area. The article also highlights the differences in nutrient requirements between cats and dogs and the impact of dietary format on their health. It discusses the role of the gut microbiome in ageing and calls for updated nutrient guidelines that consider the unique nutritional requirements of ageing cats and dogs. The article also discusses the mechanisms of aging in cats and dogs, the effects of diet on their aging process, and the lack of specific nutritional guidelines for senior pets. It mentions the need for further research to understand the aging process in cats and dogs and develop targeted dietary interventions to improve their healthspan. The article provides a table summarizing nutrients that have been proven to be effective in improving certain aspects of cats' and dogs' health. It also discusses the health concerns affecting senior pets, such as sarcopenia, inflammageing, and cognitive function. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for further research to understand the specific nutrient requirements of aging cats and dogs and develop nutritional guidelines for them. [Extracted from the article]

Surprisingly little is known about how the home environment influences the behaviour of pet cats. This study aimed to determine how factors in the home environment (e.g., with or without outdoor access, urban vs. rural, presence of a child) and the season influences the daily behaviour of cats. Using accelerometer data and a validated machine learning model, behaviours including being active, eating, grooming, littering, lying, scratching, sitting, and standing were quantified for 28 pet cats. Generalized estimating equation models were used to determine the effects of different environmental conditions. Increasing cat age was negatively correlated with time spent active (p < 0.05). Cats with outdoor access (n = 18) were less active in winter than in summer (p < 0.05), but no differences were observed between seasons for indoor-only (n = 10) cats. Cats living in rural areas (n = 7) spent more time eating than cats in urban areas (n = 21; p < 0.05). Cats living in single-cat households (n = 12) spent more time lying but less time sitting than cats living in multi-cat households (n = 16; p < 0.05). Cats in households with at least one child (n = 20) spent more time standing in winter (p < 0.05), and more time lying but less time sitting in summer compared to cats in households with no children (n = 8; p < 0.05). This study clearly shows that the home environment has a major impact on cat behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review provides an evaluative overview of five concepts specific to developmental and neurobiological psychology that are found to be largely overlooked in current textbooks. A sample of 19 introductory psychology texts was surveyed to develop a list, including glial cell signaling, grandmother cells, memory reconsolidation, brain plasticity, and moral judgements by infants. These topics are relatively new, have proven to be of high impact in their respective fields, but are rarely discussed in psychological textbooks or by instructors in the classroom. In addition to a brief, but detailed background on each of the concepts, potential textbook chapters and classroom topics that would benefit from a discussion of these concepts are identified. Finally, this review briefly addresses possible ways for textbook authors to incorporate these new topics in future editions of texts without drastically increasing the overall length of the text.

Despite the success of LDL-lowering drugs in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD), there remains a large burden of residual disease due in part to persistent dyslipidemia characterized by elevated levels of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) and reduced levels of HDL. This form of dyslipidemia is increasing globally as a result of the rising prevalence of obesity and metabolic syndrome. Accumulating evidence suggests that impaired hepatic clearance of cholesterol-rich TRL remnants leads to their accumulation in arteries, promoting foam cell formation and inflammation. Low levels of HDL may associate with reduced cholesterol efflux from foam cells, aggravating atherosclerosis. While fibrates and fish oils reduce TRL, they have not been uniformly successful in reducing CVD, and there is a large unmet need for new approaches to reduce remnants and CVD. Rare genetic variants that lower triglyceride levels via activation of lipolysis and associate with reduced CVD suggest new approaches to treating dyslipidemia. Apolipoprotein C3 (APOC3) and angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) have emerged as targets for inhibition by antibody, antisense, or RNAi approaches. Inhibition of either molecule lowers TRL but respectively raises or lowers HDL levels. Large clinical trials of such agents in patients with high CVD risk and elevated levels of TRL will be required to demonstrate efficacy of these approaches., Introduction Imagine a 60-year-old patient with metabolic syndrome (obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia) who is taking a statin and has an LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) level of 70 mg/dL but also [...]

Degenerative joint disease (DJD) has a 90% prevalence in older cats and adversely affects quality of life1 . Long-term administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs is usually required but can have adverse effects² . Nutraceuticals have been shown to relieve joint pain in cats without such side effects; however, due to differences in dose rates and formulations there is no consensus as to their efficacy. Most studies have utilized subjective insensitive measures such as veterinary or owner-assessed changes in activity. Accelerometers can provide objective data on cat activity and can identify specific behaviors³ .Triaxial accelerometers (ActiGraph, Pensacola, FL) were fitted to the collars of 16 cats (aged 11 to 16 yr; Massey University, Palmerston North, NZ) for 20 wk to assess their activity and behavior. The cats were fed the same diet (Chef: Kraft Heinz Wattie’s Ltd., Hastings, NZ) for 4 wk to collect baseline acceleration data, before being divided into two groups balanced for physical activity. After 4 wk, a blood sample were taken from all of the cats to establish their baseline levels of a range of inflammatory markers (e.g., IL-6, TNFα, INF- γ, SDF-1). The test group (n = 8) then received a joint supplement added to the baseline diet while the control group (n = 8) were fed the diet unsupplemented for 16 wk. The commercial joint supplement contained glucosamine, chondroitin sulphate, and green-lipped mussel (Tandem, Wellington, NZ), at daily doses shown previously to be effective in cats4,5,6. The aim of the work was to assess the efficacy of the joint supplement in maintaining or promoting activity and specific behaviors in the cats. At the end of the period of supplementation a second blood sample was taken and assessed for the same range of inflammatory markers. Overall physical activity was not different between groups at baseline but was greater over the study in the test group compared with the control (P < 0.03). Grooming, as identified by the algorithm, showed a tendency (P = 0.051) to be greater in the test group than the control. These results suggest that the supplement had a positive effect on both overall activity and more specifically on grooming behavior in old cats. However, no differences in the range of inflammatory markers were seen before or after supplementation. While the behavioral measures could indicate the supplement reduced the effects of DJD, further research is required to confirm this.¹ Cunningham et al (2022) Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 24, 962-974. ² Lemetayer and Taylor (2014) Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 16, 547-562; 3 Smit et al., (2023) Sensors 23, 7165; 4 Corbee (2022) Veterinary Medicine and Science 8, 1025–1035; 5 Corbee et al. (2013) Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 97, 846–853; 6 Lascelles et al. (2010) Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 24, 487–495. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male and female infants from rural Ethiopia were tested to investigate relations among hemoglobin (Hb), anthropometry, and attention. A longitudinal design was used to examine differences in attention performance from 6 (M = 24.9 weeks, n = 89) to 9 months of age (M = 40.6 weeks, n = 85), differences hypothesized to be related to changes in iron status and growth delays. Stunting (length-for-age z scores less than -2.0) and attention performance, t(30) = -2.42, p = 0.022, worsened over time. Growth and Hb predicted attention at 9 months, R[superscript 2] = 0.15, p less than 0.05, but not at 6. The study contributes to the knowledge base concerning the relations among Hb, early growth, and attention.

The goal of this study was to examine the development of attention and response inhibition from ages 5 to 7. Forty children (20 5-year-olds and 20 7-year-olds) completed four counterbalanced phases of a continuous performance task. Phase 1 was designed to measure attention without distraction, Phase 2 was designed to measure attention with distraction, Phase 3 was designed to measure attention and response inhibition without distraction, and Phase 4 was designed to measure attention and response inhibition with distraction. With regard to attention, 7-year-olds performed significantly better than 5-year-olds. This age difference was more pronounced when distraction was present. With regard to response inhibition, there were no significant age differences. These results appear to suggest that attention improves between ages 5 and 7 but response inhibition does not. However, conclusions regarding response inhibition were limited because the distraction appeared to have had too powerful an effect on the 5-year-olds. Implications and future directions are discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

Speed of information processing and recognition memory can be assessed in infants using a visual information processing (VIP) paradigm. In a sample of 100 infants 6-8 months of age from Southern Ethiopia, we assessed relations between growth and VIP. The 69 infants who completed the VIP protocol had a mean weight z score of -1.12 plus or minus 1.19 SD, and length z score of -1.05 plus or minus] 1.31. The age-appropriate novelty preference was shown by only 12 infants. When age was controlled, longest look duration during familiarization was predicted by weight (sr[superscript 2] = 0.16, p = 0.001) and length (sr[superscript 2] = 0.05, p = 0.058), and mean look duration during test phases was predicted by head circumference (sr[superscript 2] = 0.08, p = 0.018) implying that growth is associated with development of VIP. These data support the validity of VIP as a measure of infant cognitive development that is sensitive to nutritional factors and flexible enough to be adapted to individual cultures.

Microsoft[R] Producer[R] is a powerful yet user-friendly PowerPoint companion tool for creating on-demand multimedia presentations. Instructors can easily distribute these presentations via compact disc or streaming media over the Internet. We describe the features of the software, system requirements, and other required hardware. We also describe 3 approaches to using the software to enhance teaching of graduate and undergraduate psychology courses, offer tips on effective use of Producer, list other similar software, and note some shortcomings. Producer can be a useful tool for the teaching of psychology via both traditional and online formats.