Echocardiographic indices of age- and gender-dependent cardiac remodeling over the adult lifespan in Irish Wolfhounds

Treating Senescence like Cancer: Novel Perspectives in Senotherapy of Chronic Diseases

The WHO estimated around 41 million deaths worldwide each year for age-related non-communicable chronic diseases. Hence, developing strategies to control the accumulation of cell senescence in living organisms and the overall aging process is an urgently needed problem of social relevance. During aging, many biological processes are altered, which globally induce the dysfunction of the whole organism. Cell senescence is one of the causes of this modification. Nowadays, several drugs approved for anticancer therapy have been repurposed to treat senescence, and others are under scrutiny in vitro and in vivo to establish their senomorphic or senolytic properties. In some cases, this research led to a significant increase in cell survival or to a prolonged lifespan in animal models, at least. Senomorphics can act to interfere with a specific pathway in order to restore the appropriate cellular function, preserve viability, and to prolong the lifespan. On the other hand, senolytics induce apoptosis in senescent cells allowing the remaining non–senescent population to preserve or restore tissue function. A large number of research articles and reviews recently addressed this topic. Herein, we would like to focus attention on those chemical agents with senomorphic or senolytic properties that perspectively, according to literature, suggest a potential application as senotherapeutics for chronic diseases.

Echocardiographic and electrocardiographic evaluation of North American Irish Wolfhounds

Background

Cardiac disease is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Irish Wolfhounds (IWs), but its prevalence and clinical characteristics in North American IWs are incompletely described.

Hypothesis/Objectives

That atrial fibrillation (AF) is a diagnostic marker of echocardiographic abnormalities, and that clinical characteristics predict development of IW cardiomyopathy (IWCM). To define the prevalence of arrhythmias and echocardiographic abnormalities in North American IWs.

Animals

Six hundred and forty‐five adult IWs presented for screening examinations intended to identify familial cardiac disease.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort study, reference intervals defined based on echocardiographic data from IW classified as normal, were used to define the prevalence of structural and functional abnormalities. A logistic model was developed to identify clinical findings that predict future development of IWCM.

Results

The prevalence of AF was 8.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.6‐11.2) of which 55.5% had echocardiographic abnormalities. IWCM defined by left atrial enlargement, left ventricular dilatation, and systolic dysfunction had a prevalence of 1.8% (0.72‐2.8). Positive and negative likelihood ratios for AF in the identification of IWCM were, respectively, 10.8 (7.29‐16) and 0.2 (0.06‐0.69). Multivariable logistic regression identified AF (odds ratio [OR]; 10.6, 95% CI, 2.67‐42.3) and male sex (OR; 3.8, 95% CI, 1.02‐14) as predictors of future development of IWCM.

Conclusions and Clinical Importance

Atrial fibrillation is common in North American IW. It occurs in association with structural cardiac disease but also in its absence. Irish Wolfhounds cardiomyopathy is characterized by chamber enlargement but minimally decreased ejection phase indices of myocardial function. Atrial fibrillation is a risk factor for future development of IWCM.

Irish wolfhounds with subclinical atrial fibrillation: progression of disease and causes of death

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate the frequency of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and cardiac death (CD) in Irish wolfhounds (IW) with subclinical atrial fibrillation (AF) and to compare cardiac and all-cause mortality to those of a contemporaneous control group of apparently healthy IW with sinus rhythm.

ANIMALS

Fifty-two IW with AF, but without echocardiographic evidence of DCM or other cardiac disease, and an age- and gender-matched control cohort of 52 apparently healthy IW.

METHODS

Data from 1552 IW were retrospectively evaluated. Fifty-two dogs with subclinical AF were compared with 52 IW controls. Time from initial diagnosis to development of DCM was recorded, and survival data were analyzed using cumulative incidence functions.

RESULTS

26/52 AF dogs developed DCM. At study end, in the AF and control group each, 49/52 AF dogs had died, three remained alive. Death in the AF cohort was attributed to CD in 22/49 dogs (12 congestive heart failure [CHF], 10 sudden cardiac deaths [SCD]), while 27 dogs died from non-CD. In the control group, significantly fewer dogs developed DCM (11/52 dogs, p=0.004), even fewer died from CD (5/49; three CHF, two SCD; p=0.001). The odd ratios (95% confidence interval) for dogs with AF vs. controls to develop DCM was 3.7 (1.6-8.8) and to die from CD was 7.2 (2.4-21.2). Median all-cause survival for AF IWs (CD, 36.3 months; non-CD, 33.2 months) did not differ significantly from the control group (CD, 28.6 months, p=0.377; non-CD, 45.3 months, p=0.631).

CONCLUSION

IW with subclinical AF commonly develop DCM and die from cardiac death.

Dilated cardiomyopathy in 151 Irish Wolfhounds: Characteristic clinical findings, life expectancy and causes of death

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an important cause of morbidity in Irish Wolfhounds (IW), a breed also predisposed to neoplastic and orthopedic diseases that shorten life expectancy. The objective of this study was to investigate survival and causes of death in IW with DCM and to characterise the clinical findings of DCM over time. Data from cardiovascular examinations performed in 1591 IW, including echocardiography and electrocardiography, were retrospectively evaluated. IW with DCM on medical therapy with long term longitudinal follow-up were included in this study (n=151; 95 males, 56 females). Based on their clinical status at initial diagnosis, IW were classified into one of three groups: preclinical DCM with sinus rhythm (PC-DCM-SR, n=35), preclinical DCM with atrial fibrillation (PC-DCM-AF, n=87), and congestive heart failure with DCM and AF (CHF-DCM-AF, n=29). Survival data were analyzed using cumulative incidence functions, Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression. CHF was predominantly characterized by chylous pleural and mild pericardial effusions. Causes of death were cardiac (CD) in 73/151 and non-cardiac (non-CD) in 62/151; 16 dogs remained alive at study end. The majority of deaths in both preclinical DCM groups were non-CD (PC-DCM-AF=51.9% non-CD, 48.1% CD; PC-DCM-SR, 65.5% non-CD, 34.5% CD). In the CHF-DCM-AF group most dogs (89.6%) experienced a CD. Median survival of the CHF-DCM-AF group (7.3 months) was significantly shorter than in the PC-DCM-AF group (21.9 months) or PC-DCM-SR group (29.1 months, P=0.001). CHF-DCM-AF in IW was associated with reduced life expectancy and CD, while most IW with preclinical DCM died from non-cardiac causes.