@article{bayless_cooper_sheats_2024, title={Extracted Plasma Cell-Free DNA Concentrations Are Elevated in Colic Patients with Systemic Inflammation}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2306-7381"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11090427}, DOI={10.3390/vetsci11090427}, abstractNote={Colic is a common and potentially life-threatening condition in horses; in many cases, it remains challenging for clinicians to determine the cause, appropriate treatment, and prognosis. One approach that could improve patient care and outcomes is identification of novel diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a biomarker that shows promise for characterizing disease severity and predicting survival in humans with acute abdominal pain or requiring emergency abdominal surgery. In horses, we recently determined that extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations are elevated in colic patients compared to healthy controls. For this current study, we hypothesized that extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations would be significantly higher in horses with strangulating or inflammatory colic lesions, in colic patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), and in non-survivors. Cell-free DNA concentrations were measured in extracted plasma samples using a compact, portable Qubit fluorometer. Colic patients that met published criteria for equine SIRS had significantly higher median extracted plasma cfDNA compared to non-SIRS colic patients. There were no significant differences in extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations between other groups of interest. Our data offer early evidence that extracted plasma cfDNA concentration may provide information about systemic inflammation in colic patients, and additional research is warranted to expand on these findings.}, number={9}, journal={VETERINARY SCIENCES}, author={Bayless, Rosemary L. and Cooper, Bethanie L. and Sheats, M. Katie}, year={2024}, month={Sep} }
 @article{hobbs_davis_cooper_ueda_burke_sheats_2024, title={Hemadsorption extracorporeal therapy removes cytokines ex vivo in horses}, volume={85}, ISSN={["1943-5681"]}, DOI={10.2460/ajvr.24.01.0022}, abstractNote={Plasma cytokine adsorption has shown benefit as an adjunctive therapy in human sepsis but has yet to be investigated in horses. We hypothesized that ex vivo filtration of equine plasma with a novel cytokine adsorption device would significantly reduce concentrations of lipopolysaccharide-stimulated cytokines. We also hypothesized that the device would adsorb medications commonly used to treat sepsis.}, number={6}, journal={AMERICAN JOURNAL OF VETERINARY RESEARCH}, author={Hobbs, Kallie J. and Davis, Jennifer L. and Cooper, Bethanie L. and Ueda, Yu and Burke, Megan J. and Sheats, Katie}, year={2024}, month={Jun} }
 @article{hobbs_cooper_dembek_sheats_2024, title={Investigation of Extracted Plasma Cell-Free DNA as a Biomarker in Foals with Sepsis}, volume={11}, ISSN={["2306-7381"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci11080346}, DOI={10.3390/vetsci11080346}, abstractNote={Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is fragmented extracellular DNA that is released from cells into various body fluids. Previously published data from adult horses supports cfDNA as a potential disease biomarker, but also shows that direct measurement in plasma is inaccurate due to matrix effect. It is currently unknown whether a similar matrix effect exists in foal plasma. Given this, the objectives of the current study were to investigate foal plasma for potential matrix effect during fluorescence measurement of cfDNA using a Qubit fluorometer, and to determine whether neat and/or extracted plasma cfDNA concentrations are significantly different in healthy, sick non-septic (SNS) or septic foals. We hypothesized that matrix effect would interfere with accurate fluorescent measurement of cfDNA in foal plasma. Further, we hypothesized that mean extracted cfDNA concentrations, and/or extracted cfDNA:neutrophil ratio, would be elevated in plasma of septic foals compared to healthy or SNS foals. Cell-free DNA was measured in neat plasma, and following DNA extraction with a commercial kit, from 60 foals. Foal plasma exhibited both autofluorescence and non-specific dye binding, confirming matrix effect. However, even with extraction, no significant difference was found in cfDNA concentrations, or cfDNA:neutrophil ratios, between healthy (sepsis score ≤ 5), SNS (sepsis score 6–11 and negative blood culture), or septic (sepsis score ≥ 12 ± positive blood culture) foals. Our data show that matrix effect interferes with accurate Qubit measurement of cfDNA in foal plasma and supports previous findings that plasma cfDNA concentrations are not associated with sepsis diagnosis in foals. Further research is needed to better understand neutrophil function and dysfunction in foal sepsis.}, number={8}, journal={VETERINARY SCIENCES}, author={Hobbs, Kallie J. and Cooper, Bethanie L. and Dembek, Katarzyna and Sheats, M. Katie}, year={2024}, month={Aug} }
 @misc{woodrow_sheats_cooper_bayless_2023, title={Asthma: The Use of Animal Models and Their Translational Utility}, volume={12}, ISSN={["2073-4409"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12071091}, DOI={10.3390/cells12071091}, abstractNote={Asthma is characterized by chronic lower airway inflammation that results in airway remodeling, which can lead to a permanent decrease in lung function. The pathophysiology driving the development of asthma is complex and heterogenous. Animal models have been and continue to be essential for the discovery of molecular pathways driving the pathophysiology of asthma and novel therapeutic approaches. Animal models of asthma may be induced or naturally occurring. Species used to study asthma include mouse, rat, guinea pig, cat, dog, sheep, horse, and nonhuman primate. Some of the aspects to consider when evaluating any of these asthma models are cost, labor, reagent availability, regulatory burden, relevance to natural disease in humans, type of lower airway inflammation, biological samples available for testing, and ultimately whether the model can answer the research question(s). This review aims to discuss the animal models most available for asthma investigation, with an emphasis on describing the inciting antigen/allergen, inflammatory response induced, and its translation to human asthma.}, number={7}, journal={CELLS}, author={Woodrow, Jane Seymour and Sheats, M. Katie and Cooper, Bethanie and Bayless, Rosemary}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }
 @article{bayless_cooper_sheats_2022, title={Investigation of plasma cell-free DNA as a potential biomarker in horses}, volume={2}, ISSN={["1943-4936"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1177/10406387221078047}, DOI={10.1177/10406387221078047}, abstractNote={ Plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a biomarker of ischemia, systemic inflammation, and mortality in humans with gastrointestinal disease. Cell-free DNA has not been investigated as a biomarker for equine colic, to our knowledge. We hypothesized that cfDNA could be measured accurately in neat equine plasma using a benchtop fluorometer and that plasma cfDNA would be elevated in emergency patients compared to healthy horses. Plasma was obtained from blood collected in Roche DNA stabilizing tubes. We used the Qubit 4 fluorometer and 1× dsDNA HS assay kit to measure cfDNA concentration in neat patient plasma and following DNA extraction of plasma with a commercial kit. Assay precision and linearity of dilution were satisfactory for neat plasma cfDNA, but DNA spike and recovery results were variable. Further, cfDNA concentrations in paired neat plasma and extracted-plasma samples ( n = 66) were not correlated. Median extracted-plasma cfDNA was higher in emergency patients ( n = 50) and a subgroup of colic patients ( n = 36), compared to healthy horses ( n = 19). Our results with extracted-plasma samples provide proof of concept for further investigation of plasma cfDNA as a biomarker in horses. }, number={3}, journal={JOURNAL OF VETERINARY DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATION}, publisher={SAGE Publications}, author={Bayless, Rosemary L. and Cooper, Bethanie L. and Sheats, M. Katie}, year={2022}, month={Feb} }