We describe the first reported case of grain-free diet-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in a dog in Korea. An 11-year-old female dog was referred with abdominal distention, anorexia, and vomiting, having been fed a grain-free diet for > 5 years. Thoracic radiography revealed cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema. Atrial fibrillation was detected using electrocardiography. The dog was tentatively diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to grain-free diet-induced DCM, and its diet changed to contain grain. Digoxin and diltiazem were prescribed for the atrial fibrillation, and pimobendan, enalapril, and furosemide for CHF. Significant improvements in echocardiographic indices were confirmed after 3 months.

We describe the first reported case of grain-free diet-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in a dog in Korea. An 11-year-old female dog was referred with abdominal distention, anorexia, and vomiting, having been fed a grain-free diet for > 5 years. Thoracic radiography revealed cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema. Atrial fibrillation was detected using electrocardiography. The dog was tentatively diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to grain-free diet-induced DCM, and its diet changed to contain grain. Digoxin and diltiazem were prescribed for the atrial fibrillation, and pimobendan, enalapril, and furosemide for CHF. Significant improvements in echocardiographic indices were confirmed after 3 months.

We describe the first reported case of grain-free diet-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in a dog in Korea. An 11-year-old female dog was referred with abdominal distention, anorexia, and vomiting, having been fed a grain-free diet for > 5 years. Thoracic radiography revealed cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema. Atrial fibrillation was detected using electrocardiography. The dog was tentatively diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to grain-free diet-induced DCM, and its diet changed to contain grain. Digoxin and diltiazem were prescribed for the atrial fibrillation, and pimobendan, enalapril, and furosemide for CHF. Significant improvements in echocardiographic indices were confirmed after 3 months.

We describe the first reported case of grain-free diet-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in a dog in Korea. An 11-year-old female dog was referred with abdominal distention, anorexia, and vomiting, having been fed a grain-free diet for > 5 years. Thoracic radiography revealed cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema. Atrial fibrillation was detected using electrocardiography. The dog was tentatively diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to grain-free diet-induced DCM, and its diet changed to contain grain. Digoxin and diltiazem were prescribed for the atrial fibrillation, and pimobendan, enalapril, and furosemide for CHF. Significant improvements in echocardiographic indices were confirmed after 3 months.

We describe the first reported case of grain-free diet-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) in a dog in Korea. An 11-year-old female dog was referred with abdominal distention, anorexia, and vomiting, having been fed a grain-free diet for > 5 years. Thoracic radiography revealed cardiomegaly and pulmonary edema. Atrial fibrillation was detected using electrocardiography. The dog was tentatively diagnosed with congestive heart failure (CHF) secondary to grain-free diet-induced DCM, and its diet changed to contain grain. Digoxin and diltiazem were prescribed for the atrial fibrillation, and pimobendan, enalapril, and furosemide for CHF. Significant improvements in echocardiographic indices were confirmed after 3 months.

Alzheimer’s disease has recently been classified using three biological markers (amyloid [A], tau [T], and neurodegeneration [N]) to help elucidate its progression. We aimed to investigate whether there were differences between cognitive function and the clinical dementia symptoms over time relative to the ATN classification in the amyloid-negative group. In the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) cohort, 310 participants who underwent all the tests required for ATN classification were enrolled. The cognitive function score differences (Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale 13 [ADAS-Cog 13], Clinical Dementia Rating Sum of Boxes [CDR-SOB], and Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE]) between the groups were analyzed using the analysis of covariance and score changes over time with a linear mixed-effects model. In the cross-sectional analysis, ADAS-Cog 13 scores were higher for A-T-N+ and A-T+N+ than for A-T-N- (p＜0.001) and A-T+N- (p＜0.001). In the longitudinal analysis, CDR-SOB scores for A-T+N+ deteriorated faster than A-T-N- (p＜ 0.001), A-T+N- (p＜0.001) and A-T-N+ (p＜0.001). Hippocampal atrophy progressed faster in A-T-N+ (p＜0.001) and A-T+N+ (p=0.02) than in A-T-N-. Through this study, we discovered that even in individuals classified as amyloid negative, neurodegeneration with tau deposition exacerbates cognitive decline and worsens clinical symptoms, underscoring the need for continuous monitoring and observation.

Hyperthyroidism, characterized by elevated thyroid hormone levels and thyroid gland hyperplasia or adenoma, is a prevalent endocrinopathy in older cats. Treatment options include antithyroid drugs, surgical thyroidectomy, and radioiodine therapy (RAIT), which is non-invasive treatment option that can achieve complete remission. However, efficacy and safety of RAIT in hyperthyroid cats have not been investigated in South Korea. This study includes 10 hyperthyroid cats with RAIT. Initial assessments comprised history, physical examination, blood analysis, and serum total T4 (tT4) concentration. Thyroid scintigraphy revealed hyperactivity and enlargement of thyroid gland at 24 hours before the RAIT. Radioiodine (RAI) was injected subcutaneously with 2 to 6 mCi, determined by the fixed dose or the scoring system based on severity of clinical signs, tT4 concentration, and thyroid size individually. After RAIT, the concentration of serum tT4 and liver enzymes were significantly decreased at discharge. However, no significant differences were noted in blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, symmetric dimethylarginine, hematocrits, and white blood cell counts pre- and post-treatment. Although 4 cats received RAI twice, clinical signs disappeared and tT4 levels decreased following the RAIT. All 10 cats achieved complete remission after 6 months without critical adverse effect. The safety and the effectiveness of RAIT was confirmed based on protocols reported other countries. Therefore, RAIT could be considered the treatment option and prevent adverse effects from medication or surgery. This preliminary study presents the first evaluation of RAIT for hyperthyroid cats using locally produced RAI in South Korea and provide valuable insight for clinicians and further studies.

Background: and Purpose: The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) has been known as a screening test for detecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI) better than Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). However, in previous domestic studies, no significant difference was found in the discriminability between MoCA and MMSE. Researchers have suggested that this might be because older Koreans are less educated than older Westerners. This study was conducted to examine the effect of education on the discriminability of MoCA compared to the MMSE. Methods: Participants were 123 cognitively normal elderly, 118 with vascular MCI, 108 with amnestic MCI, 121 with vascular dementia, and 113 with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.The Korean-MoCA (K-MoCA) and Korean-MMSE (K-MMSE) were administered. Multiple regression analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. Results: In all participants, education significantly affected both K-MoCA and K-MMSE scores along with age. The effect of education was re-examined by subgroup analysis after dividing subjects according to the level of education. Effect of education on K-MoCA and K-MMSE was only shown in the group with <9 years of education. ROC curve analyses revealed that the discriminability of K-MoCA to differentiate between vascular MCI and normal elderly was significantly higher than that of K-MMSE. When re-examining subgroups divided by education level, however, this higher discriminability of K-MoCA disappeared in the group with <9 years of education. Conclusions These results indicate no difference in discriminating cognitive deficits between K-MoCA and K-MMSE in Korean elderly with <9 years of education.

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) of the urinary bladder is an uncommon disease in young patients that presents with gross hematuria. However, IMT should be cautiously diagnosed because of its similarities with malignant spindle cell sarcoma. In this case, the tumor was successfully removed by transurethral resection of the bladder tumor and a final diagnosis of IMT was established conclusively.

A 12-year-old intact male Dalmatian dog presented hyporexia and vomiting for 1 week. Blood analysis revealed increased liver enzyme activity. Histopathological examination of the liver confirmed chronic hepatitis with fibrosis and necrosis. Copper staining revealed marked copper accumulation (2,770 ppm; normal range, 200 to 400 ppm), prominent in the centrilobular region, and compatible with copper-associated chronic hepatitis. However, copper metabolism domain containing 1 (COMMD1) mutation predisposing to copper accumulation in the liver tissue was not identified. The dog received medications but died 1 month after first visit. This is the first case of primary copper-associated hepatitis without COMMD1 mutation in a Dalmatian dog in South Korea.