Serum concentrations of adiponectin were compared between sex-matched hypothyroid (n = 18) and euthyroid (n = 18) client-owned dogs with comparable ages and body condition scores (BCS). Concentrations of adiponectin (mean; 95% confidence interval) were significantly (P < 0.01) higher in hypothyroid (17.2 µg/mL; 12.1-20.5 µg/mL) than healthy (8.0 µg/mL; 5.6-11.4 µg/mL) dogs following adjustment for potential confounders (BCS, age and sex). Serum concentrations of adiponectin were significantly negatively associated with concentrations of total thyroxine (P <0.05) and positively correlated with concentrations of cholesterol (r = 0.6, P <0.01) in hypothyroid dogs. In conclusion, this study demonstrated increased serum concentrations of adiponectin in dogs with hypothyroidism. Suggestive of the presence of resistance to adiponectin that could have contributed to development of hyperlipidemia and insulin resistance in these dogs or alternatively, could be a consequence of these metabolic alterations.

Joint engagement (JE) is a state in which two people attend to a common target. By supporting an infant's attention to the target, JE promotes encoding of information. This process has not been studied in toddlers despite the fact that language and social interaction develop rapidly in this period. We asked whether JE modulates object discrimination in typically developing toddlers. In a pilot evaluation of a novel, naturalistic paradigm, toddlers (n = 11) were introduced to toys by an examiner with or without JE. Toddlers then viewed images of the toys while high-density electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Analysis focused on the differential neural response to objects presented in the two conditions. EEG components of interest included frontal positive component (Pb), negative component (Nc), and positive slow wave. Toddlers discriminated between conditions with a larger Pb peak amplitude to stimuli presented with JE and a larger Nc mean amplitude to the stimuli presented without JE, reflecting greater familiarity with the toys presented socially. Our findings suggest that JE supports object learning in toddlers, and supports the potential utility of this novel paradigm in both the assessment and the potential to detect impairment in social learning among toddlers.

In July 2018, the Food and Drug Administration warned about a possible relationship between dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in dogs and the consumption of dog food formulated with potatoes and pulse ingredients. This issue may impede utilization of pulse ingredients in dog food or consideration of alternative proteins. Pulse ingredients have been used in the pet food industry for over 2 decades and represent a valuable source of protein to compliment animal-based ingredients. Moreover, individual ingredients used in commercial foods do not represent the final nutrient concentration of the complete diet. Thus, nutritionists formulating dog food must balance complementary ingredients to fulfill the animal's nutrient needs in the final diet. There are multiple factors that should be considered, including differences in nutrient digestibility and overall bioavailability, the fermentability and quantity of fiber, and interactions among food constituents that can increase the risk of DCM development. Taurine is a dispensable amino acid that has been linked to DCM in dogs. As such, adequate supply of taurine and/or precursors for taurine synthesis plays an important role in preventing DCM. However, requirements of amino acids in dogs are not well investigated and are presented in total dietary content basis which does not account for bioavailability or digestibility. Similarly, any nutrient (e.g., soluble and fermentable fiber) or physiological condition (e.g., size of the dog, sex, and age) that increases the requirement for taurine will also augment the possibility for DCM development. Dog food formulators should have a deep knowledge of processing methodologies and nutrient interactions beyond meeting the Association of American Feed Control Officials nutrient profiles and should not carelessly follow unsubstantiated market trends. Vegetable ingredients, including pulses, are nutritious and can be used in combination with complementary ingredients to meet the nutritional needs of the dog.

Federated learning (FL) is a method used for training artificial intelligence models with data from multiple sources while maintaining data anonymity, thus removing many barriers to data sharing. Here we used data from 20 institutes across the globe to train a FL model, called EXAM (electronic medical record (EMR) chest X-ray AI model), that predicts the future oxygen requirements of symptomatic patients with COVID-19 using inputs of vital signs, laboratory data and chest X-rays. EXAM achieved an average area under the curve (AUC) >0.92 for predicting outcomes at 24 and 72 h from the time of initial presentation to the emergency room, and it provided 16% improvement in average AUC measured across all participating sites and an average increase in generalizability of 38% when compared with models trained at a single site using that site's data. For prediction of mechanical ventilation treatment or death at 24 h at the largest independent test site, EXAM achieved a sensitivity of 0.950 and specificity of 0.882. In this study, FL facilitated rapid data science collaboration without data exchange and generated a model that generalized across heterogeneous, unharmonized datasets for prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19, setting the stage for the broader use of FL in healthcare.