Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and unspayed female dogs. The Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a process involved in embryogenesis, carcinogenesis, and metastasis. The Transforming Growth Factor- Beta (TGF-β) pathway and its associated transcription factors are crucial for EMT induction, during which epithelial cells lose their defining characteristics and acquire mesenchymal properties. EMT has been implicated as a driver of metastasis as it allows cells to migrate and invade different organs. Recent evidence indicates that cancer stem cells are required to establish metastatic tumours at distant sites, and that EMT may promote development of cancer cells with stem-cell characteristics, thus, the EMT pathway may be an important molecular determinant of tumour metastasis. The main objective of this project was to characterise TGF-β-induced EMT in breast cancer models. EMT was induced by TGF-β in human, canine and feline breast cancer cell lines, and confirmed by morphological changes and molecular changes at the protein level by Western blot analysis. Changes at the mRNA level were confirmed in human and canine mammary carcinoma cell lines by qRT-PCR; migratory properties were assessed by invasion assays in vitro in feline and canine mammary carcinoma cells. Importantly, we observed that feline and canine mammary carcinoma cells stimulated by TGF-β acquired stem cell characteristics including sphere-forming ability, self-renewal, and resistance to apoptosis, and also enhanced migration potential. Canine cells showed resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs after TGF-β stimulation. These data suggests a link between EMT and cancer stem-cells. Moreover, global changes in microRNA expression were mapped during TGF-β-induced EMT of canine mammary carcinoma cells. This gave significant insight into the regulation of EMT in canine cancer cells and identified several potential targets, which require further investigation. During EMT cells acquire migratory properties and cancer stem-cell characteristics, suggesting that EMT and the stem-cell phenotype are closely related during cell migration and metastasis, therefore making the TGF-β pathway a potential target for the development of novel therapies against cancer and its progression.

Cette étude explore la figure du compagnon imaginaire créé durant l'enfance dans son articulation à la métapsychologie du double psychique et à la clinique d’orientation psychanalytique. La revue de la littérature sur le thème des compagnons imaginaires permet de dégager un continuum du phénomène allant de l’objet transitionnel « virtuel » de l’enfant qui joue, à la manifestation d’une structuration pathologique où le compagnon imaginaire se confond avec le fantôme porteur de trauma transgénérationnel voire avec le persécuteur hallucinatoire. Le motif du double psychique, schème organisateur de la dynamique en jeu dans la création d'un compagnon imaginaire, forme le cœur de notre étude qui vise à mettre en lumière le processus de subjectivation lui-même tel qu’il s’exprime à travers la formation des doubles (compagnons imaginaires entre autres). Trois cas cliniques issus de ma pratique clinique de thérapies individuelles sont proposés pour présenter différentes modalités de travail autour des doubles psychiques dans le cadre analytique. Les deux observations de terrain faisant l’objet d’une étude quantitative (38 enfants au total) et statistique proviennent d'un protocole projectif inédit mis en place en collaboration avec le milieu scolaire. A travers ces cliniques diverses nous proposerons de penser le double comme un fantasme originaire, un organisateur psychique qui s’enracine dès l’expérience pré-natale dans la filière de la relation d’objet virtuelle et plus précisément de la relation d’objet placentaire. Le compagnon imaginaire se définit en dernier terme comme un médium malléable, intermédiaire et transitionnel support de créativité et d’élaboration psychique. / An imaginary companion is a frequently encountered childhood fantasy, but also sometimes in adolescent or even adults day dreams. Imaginary companions refer to real object or invisible characters attributed with human feelings by the subjet.In spite of the incidence of this psychical manifestation and the number of studies on this subjet there is still a large divergence between interpretations of the phenomenon. A first school of thought (Freud, Nagera, Bach, Benson and Pryor) consider that imaginary companions is very curent and play a specific positive role in the development of the child. At the opposite, more recents authors (Pirlot, Dewulf & Potencier, Pirlot & Lefrançois, Sirois) analyse this fantasy as a symptoma of psychic disorder relevant to dedicated trauma : the psychological effect of both mourning and secret on the intergeneration relation and child development. For them imaginary companion is a defense mechanism (a cleavage angainst depression and depersonalisation) indicative of psychotic psychopathology. Such companions allow children to master creatively a variety of narcissistic mortifications suffered in reality and to displace unacceptable affects. These studies leads me to make the hypothesis that such companions allow children to master creatively a variety of narcissistic mortifications suffered in reality and to displace unacceptable affects. As a projective test or a moldable medium the way a child create his imaginary companion is a personification of the ability of children to fantasize and, as a dream or a play, are a useful source of information about the inner difficulties, struggles, developmental stresses and conflicts.

The study of cat personality and behaviour can help minimize potential problems in the relationship between cats and their tutors and decrease relinquishment or maltreatment. Personality in animals is a promising area dedicated to studying characteristics of individuals that describe and account for temporally stable patterns of affection, cognition and behaviour traits. In general, people adopt cats according to their appearance, age or sex. Personality assessments can promote successful adoptions by identifying ideal animals for potential tutors. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) has implemented a program called Meet Your Match® (MYM) which assesses the personality of shelter cats and the life style of adopters. With a better match between cat and tutor, the rate of animals being returned to shelters tend to decrease and cats welfare and adaptation in new homes tend to improve. To evaluate physiological stress and personality dimension, faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) levels were measured and a modified MYM protocol was applied in two localities: a shelter and the tutors home. Our main goals were: 1) verifying the validity of personality dimensions used in a modified MYM assessment in a Brazilian cat shelter sample through an exploratory study of the psychometric properties of the protocol, as well as an exploratory factor and a cluster analysis; 2) verifying the correlation between personality and faecal cortisol levels; 3) checking if MYM assessment is consistent through change of localities; and 4) finding out how moving from the shelter to the tutors home affects faecal cortisol metabolites levels. We found evidence of validity of the modified MYM assessment based on internal structure to personality dimensions in this sample, although it presented a factorial structure that differs from the original assessment. No correlation was found between personality dimensions and FCM levels, corroborating the literature. There was a slight decrease of FCM levels in homes, but most subjects maintained their FCM levels, showing that cats can cope with stress in both environments the shelters and the tutors home. MYM personality assessment was consistent throughout the change of localities, which indicates that it is a good instrument to assess cat personality / O estudo sobre comportamento e personalidade dos gatos pode ajudar a minimizar possíveis problemas na relação entre gatos e seus tutores e diminuir o abandono e os maus tratos. A personalidade em animais é uma área promissora, que estuda características dos indivíduos que descrevem e representam padrões temporais estáveis de afeto, cognição e comportamento. Em geral, as pessoas adotam um gato de acordo com a aparência, idade ou sexo do animal. As avaliações de personalidade podem promover adoções bem-sucedidas, identificando animais ideais para potenciais tutores. A American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) implementou um programa chamado Meet Your Match® (MYM), que avalia a personalidade dos gatos e o estilo de vida de futuros tutores. Com uma melhor combinação entre gato e tutor, a taxa de devolução desses animais para abrigos pode diminuir e o bem-estar e a adaptação em novas residências tendem a melhorar. Para avaliar o estresse fisiológico e as dimensões da personalidade, metabólitos fecais de cortisol (MFC) foram medidos e a avaliação MYM foi aplicada em duas localidades: um abrigo e a residência do tutor. Nossos principais objetivos foram: 1) verificar a validade das dimensões de personalidade utilizadas na avaliação do MYM em uma amostra de abrigo brasileiro, por meio de um estudo exploratório das propriedades psicométricas do protocolo, uma análise de fator exploratório e uma análise de cluster; 2) verificar a correlação entre os tipos de personalidade e o cortisol fecal; 3) verificar se a avaliação do MYM foi consistente após mudança de localidades (abrigo e casa); e 4) verificar como a mudança do abrigo para a casa do tutor afeta os níveis de cortisol fecal. Encontramos evidências de validade da avaliação MYM modificada, baseadas na estrutura interna das dimensões da personalidade nesta amostra, embora a estrutura fatorial tenha sido diferente da avaliação original. Não foi encontrada correlação entre as dimensões de personalidade e os níveis de MFC, corroborando a literatura. Houve uma discreta diminuição dos níveis de MFC nas casas, mas a maioria dos indivíduos manteve seus níveis de MFC, mostrando que os gatos lidam bem com o estresse nos dois ambientes o abrigo e a casa do tutor. A avaliação de personalidade do MYM foi consistente na mudança de localidades, o que indica que ela é um bom instrumento para avaliar a personalidade de gatos

Com mais de 50 milhões de cães de companhia, o Brasil é o segundo maior mercado mundial para este segmento, com uma grande variedade de produtos e serviços, sendo alguns deles tipicamente humanos, revelando um movimento de antropomorfização dos animais de companhia. A antropomorfização permite um estreitamento dos laços entre o homem e o animal, mas gera expectativas irreais sobre o comportamento deste, o que pode trazer graves consequências, como o abandono. Isto pode ocorrer tanto com animais comprados ou recebidos de presente quanto com adotados, mas há diferenças entre estes modos de aquisição. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar semelhanças e diferenças no processo de aquisição de cães e investigar a vinculação entre o homem e o cão. Foi utilizado um questionário disponibilizado na Internet para compreender a aquisição e uma escala para avaliar o vínculo (Dog Attachment Questionnaire), aplicados em até um ano da aquisição e um ano depois. A maioria dos animais é adotada (61,3%), seguido por 26,3% de cães comprados e 12,1% de animais recebidos de presente. Adotar esteve relacionado a aquisições sem planejamento, pessoas divorciadas, com menor escolaridade, animais esterilizados, mais velhos, oriundos da rua, sem raça definida, escolhidos pela própria pessoa, que residem em casas, com maior número de cães. Comprar esteve mais associado a maior renda, pós-graduação, morar em apartamento, pessoas mais jovens, casadas ou solteiras, aquisições planejadas, animais de porte pequeno, de raça. Ganhar um cão de companhia esteve mais associado a menor escolaridade, menor renda, morar em chácara/sítio/fazenda, animais esterilizados, de porte grande. O vínculo é favorecido pela pessoa ser do sexo feminino, jovem, solteiro ou divorciado, com escolaridade e renda médias, que escolhem seus próprios animais e são inteiramente responsáveis por eles, os quais são esterilizados, pegos da rua, sem planejamento e residem em casas com mais animais. O vínculo é desfavorecido pela pessoa ser do sexo masculino, mais velho, casado, com alta escolaridade e renda, que mora em apartamento ou chácara/sítio/fazenda, sem outros animais, cuja responsabilidade por eles é dividida, tendo o animal sido escolhido por terceiros e de uma raça específica. Não houve relação direta entre o vínculo e o modo de aquisição, mas diversas relações indiretas indicam que o vínculo é maior para quem adotou um cão de companhia do que para quem comprou um cão. No passar de um ano, o valor do vínculo diminuiu. Para evitar que este quadro se perpetue, é importante incentivar a adoção em detrimento da compra de cães de companhia, além de educar as crianças sobre o real valor dos animais e alterar a forma com que animais são representados na cultura e na mídia / With more than 50 million companion dogs, Brazil is the second largest world market for this segment, with a broad variety of products and services, including some that are typically human, revealing the anthropomorphic view of companion animals. Anthropomorphism allows the bonding between humans and animals, but it creates unreal expectations regarding the behavior of animals, which may cause grave consequences, such as abandonment. This may happen to purchased animals or animals received as gifts as well as to adopted animals, but there are differences between these types of acquisition. This research intended to identify similarities and differences in the process of acquiring a companion dog and to investigate the human-animal bond. Two Internet-based questionnaires were used, one to understand the acquisition process and one to measure the strength of the attachment to companion dogs (Dog Attachment Questionnaire). They were applied until one year of the acquisition of the dog and one year later. Most dogs are adopted (61.3%), followed by 26.3% of purchased dogs and 12.1% of dogs received as gifts. Adopting was associated with unplanned acquisitions, divorcees, lower education, older and neutered animals, taken as strays, mongrels, and chosen by the owner, residents at houses with more than one dog. Purchasing was associated with higher income, post-graduation, living in an apartment, younger people, married or single, planned acquisition, small animals and breed dogs. Receiving a dog as a gift was associated with lower education and income, living in a country house or farm, big and neutered animals. The human-animal bond is strengthened by the following factors: being young, female, single or divorced, with medium education and income, that chooses its own pet and is solely responsible for it, neutered dogs, strays, unplanned acquisition, living in a house, with more dogs. The human-animal bond is weakened by older, male, married owners, with high education and income, living in apartment or country house or farm, without other animals, shared responsibilities regarding the dog, animal chosen by others and having a specific breed. No direct association was found between bond and type of acquisition; however, several indirect associations indicate that the bond is stronger for those who adopted their companion animal than for those who purchased it. In one year period, the bond weakened. In order to avoid that this scenario perpetuates itself, its imperative to incentive adoption opposed to purchase of companion dogs, to educate children about the real value of animals and change the way they are represented culturally and in the media.

Com mais de 50 milhões de cães de companhia, o Brasil é o segundo maior mercado mundial para este segmento, com uma grande variedade de produtos e serviços, sendo alguns deles tipicamente humanos, revelando um movimento de antropomorfização dos animais de companhia. A antropomorfização permite um estreitamento dos laços entre o homem e o animal, mas gera expectativas irreais sobre o comportamento deste, o que pode trazer graves consequências, como o abandono. Isto pode ocorrer tanto com animais comprados ou recebidos de presente quanto com adotados, mas há diferenças entre estes modos de aquisição. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar semelhanças e diferenças no processo de aquisição de cães e investigar a vinculação entre o homem e o cão. Foi utilizado um questionário disponibilizado na Internet para compreender a aquisição e uma escala para avaliar o vínculo (Dog Attachment Questionnaire), aplicados em até um ano da aquisição e um ano depois. A maioria dos animais é adotada (61,3%), seguido por 26,3% de cães comprados e 12,1% de animais recebidos de presente. Adotar esteve relacionado a aquisições sem planejamento, pessoas divorciadas, com menor escolaridade, animais esterilizados, mais velhos, oriundos da rua, sem raça definida, escolhidos pela própria pessoa, que residem em casas, com maior número de cães. Comprar esteve mais associado a maior renda, pós-graduação, morar em apartamento, pessoas mais jovens, casadas ou solteiras, aquisições planejadas, animais de porte pequeno, de raça. Ganhar um cão de companhia esteve mais associado a menor escolaridade, menor renda, morar em chácara/sítio/fazenda, animais esterilizados, de porte grande. O vínculo é favorecido pela pessoa ser do sexo feminino, jovem, solteiro ou divorciado, com escolaridade e renda médias, que escolhem seus próprios animais e são inteiramente responsáveis por eles, os quais são esterilizados, pegos da rua, sem planejamento e residem em casas com mais animais. O vínculo é desfavorecido pela pessoa ser do sexo masculino, mais velho, casado, com alta escolaridade e renda, que mora em apartamento ou chácara/sítio/fazenda, sem outros animais, cuja responsabilidade por eles é dividida, tendo o animal sido escolhido por terceiros e de uma raça específica. Não houve relação direta entre o vínculo e o modo de aquisição, mas diversas relações indiretas indicam que o vínculo é maior para quem adotou um cão de companhia do que para quem comprou um cão. No passar de um ano, o valor do vínculo diminuiu. Para evitar que este quadro se perpetue, é importante incentivar a adoção em detrimento da compra de cães de companhia, além de educar as crianças sobre o real valor dos animais e alterar a forma com que animais são representados na cultura e na mídia / With more than 50 million companion dogs, Brazil is the second largest world market for this segment, with a broad variety of products and services, including some that are typically human, revealing the anthropomorphic view of companion animals. Anthropomorphism allows the bonding between humans and animals, but it creates unreal expectations regarding the behavior of animals, which may cause grave consequences, such as abandonment. This may happen to purchased animals or animals received as gifts as well as to adopted animals, but there are differences between these types of acquisition. This research intended to identify similarities and differences in the process of acquiring a companion dog and to investigate the human-animal bond. Two Internet-based questionnaires were used, one to understand the acquisition process and one to measure the strength of the attachment to companion dogs (Dog Attachment Questionnaire). They were applied until one year of the acquisition of the dog and one year later. Most dogs are adopted (61.3%), followed by 26.3% of purchased dogs and 12.1% of dogs received as gifts. Adopting was associated with unplanned acquisitions, divorcees, lower education, older and neutered animals, taken as strays, mongrels, and chosen by the owner, residents at houses with more than one dog. Purchasing was associated with higher income, post-graduation, living in an apartment, younger people, married or single, planned acquisition, small animals and breed dogs. Receiving a dog as a gift was associated with lower education and income, living in a country house or farm, big and neutered animals. The human-animal bond is strengthened by the following factors: being young, female, single or divorced, with medium education and income, that chooses its own pet and is solely responsible for it, neutered dogs, strays, unplanned acquisition, living in a house, with more dogs. The human-animal bond is weakened by older, male, married owners, with high education and income, living in apartment or country house or farm, without other animals, shared responsibilities regarding the dog, animal chosen by others and having a specific breed. No direct association was found between bond and type of acquisition; however, several indirect associations indicate that the bond is stronger for those who adopted their companion animal than for those who purchased it. In one year period, the bond weakened. In order to avoid that this scenario perpetuates itself, its imperative to incentive adoption opposed to purchase of companion dogs, to educate children about the real value of animals and change the way they are represented culturally and in the media.

No description available.

Rising temperatures all over the world has correlated with more frequent heat stroke related injuries and death. This statistic not only applies to humans, but to canines as well, who have similar body temperature thresholds. Recent studies have demonstrated that serum histones, released after cell death from heat stroke, play a role in heat stroke related injuries and death. This proposal aims to determine the severity of the effects caused by serum histone release after heat stroke by exposing selected canine cell lines to cell lysate and purified histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4, which have been found to be associated with heat stroke injuries. Effectiveness of the histones will be determined by measuring the levels of apoptosis, NETosis, and necrosis in the cells, as well as the expression levels of heat shock proteins. Further research will also be done to determine whether toll-like receptors present on the cell surface are responsible for the mechanism utilized by serum histones to damage tissue in the body.

Over 71% of American homeless individuals are adults over 25 years of age, and the numbers are increasing. Approximately 25% of homeless individuals own a companion animal (CA). Because most service providers do not allow CAs within their facilities, the current $60.2 billion dollar national budget for homeless resources may be underutilized or forfeited altogether by homeless adults with a CA. The purpose of this study was to explore community service utilization by homeless adults with a CA through the lens of attachment theory. The research question addressed the lived experiences and perceptions of homeless adults who own CAs regarding community service utilization. This is a qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study in which 11 participants were interviewed individually from a semi-structured, researcher created questionnaire. Participants were homeless adults at an emergency shelter in Texas or Oklahoma where their CAs were allowed. Through coding and thematic analysis, 3 themes developed: familial attachment to a CA, a willingness to forego services that do not accommodate their CA, and false belief in their CA as a necessary service provider. The results of this study builds upon the existing body of knowledge regarding homelessness, CAs, and community services as well as informs service provision, education, and policy. Positive social change implications include awareness of the perceptions and beliefs provided by this unique unsheltered sub-population who experienced physical illnesses, trauma, and a close familial bond with their CA. Their lived experiences are key indicators for community service providers and governmental organizations consideration in reference to budgeting allocations and future research.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are currently more than 60 million pet dogs in the United States. This is an increase of nearly eighteen percent since 1991, coinciding with a growing area of research on human’s relationships with companion animals and companion animals’ place in society. For years dogs have been thought of as “man’s best friend” because of their loyalty and faithfulness. The increasing popularity of activities such as canine daycare and puppy school suggests that dogs have become more than a best friend to some and even an integral part of the American family unit. The bond and emotional connection between humans and canines is a unique relationship, yet the depth of that relationship is not fully understood academically. In order to contribute to our understanding of this special bond, I conducted seven in-depth interviews with canine companions. My research allowed me to explore how contemporary Americans understand their relationship with their companion dogs. Not only was I able to shed more light on how people think about and treat their canine companions, but I also investigated what benefits are reaped from relationships with dogs. Based on my informants’ reflections and stories, it became clear that their canines were more than just pets. The people in my study described dogs as their best friends, babies and even sons. My interviewees described canine companions who are active participants in their families and in human social life in general. Those who hope to understand this life cannot afford to ignore the canine companion’s changing and important contributions to society.

<p>Syftet med denna deskriptiva litteraturstudie var att beskriva vilken inverkan sällskapsdjur har på äldre personers hälsa och välbefinnande. Totalt 18 vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades dessa återfanns i databaserna Cinahl, Science Direct och Academic Search Elite samt via andra artiklars referenslistor. Studierna som gjorts om djurens inverkan på äldre personer som bor i det egna hemmet genomfördes med enkäter och intervjuer. Resultatet visade att djurägarna var mindre missnöjda med sin sociala och emotionella situation än de som inte ägde djur. Hos hemmaboende personer med Alzheimers sjukdom visade det sig att interaktioner med sällskapsdjur minskade humör- och psykomotoriska störningar såsom aggression, hyperaktivitet, hallucinationer och känslor av oro. Även en påverkan på den fysiska hälsan hos djurägare återfanns då de fick mer motion än vad icke djurägare fick. Djurägarnas ADL förmåga bibehölls i större utsträckning över tid i jämförelse med de äldre som inte ägde något djur. De flesta studier som gjorts om sällskapsdjurens påverkan på äldre personer inom äldreomsorgen har varit av experimentell karaktär. Sällskapsdjuren hade flera effekter på de äldre; det sociala samspelet och de verbala interaktionerna ökade, känslan av depression och ensamhet minskade. En klar fysisk förbättring kunde påvisas i form av minskade muskelspänningar och trötthet, ökat nutritionsintag och lägre blodtryck. Bland äldre dementa personer påvisades en markant minskning av oro och aggressivitet då de deltog i djurterapi.</p> / <p>The aim of this descriptive literature review was to describe the impact of pets on the health and well being of elderly persons. A total of 18 studies were included which were found in Cinahl, Science Direct and Academic Search Elite and from other article references. Questionnaires and interviews were used to asses the impact of pets on elderly persons living at home. The result showed that pet owners were more satisfied with the social and emotional situation compared to non-pet owners. Persons with Alzheimer’s disease living at home and interacted with pets showed a lesser degree of aggression, hyperactivity, hallucinations and anxiety than non-pet owners. Pets also had an influence on the physical health of the pet owners. They took longer walks more frequently than non-pet owners. Pet owners preserved their ADL to a greater extent compared to non-pet owners. Most studies exploring the impact of pets on elderly living in nursing homes were experimental. Pets had several effects on the elderly; the social connection and the verbal interactions increased, depression and loneliness decreased. Pets also affected the physical condition of the elderly; they had less muscle tensions and fatigue, higher nutritional intake and lower blood pressure. Among the elderly with dementia the anxiety and aggression decreased when they participated in animal assisted therapy.</p>