Applicability of RFQIMT and RFQAS techniques in healthy dogs

• Grant number: 24/09048-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Marcus Antônio Rossi Feliciano
• Grantee: Andriele Pires Suppi
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The sharing of human environments and food resources suggests a genetic, metabolic, and neurological evolution in dogs, with similarities even in the manifestation of vascular disorders such as atherosclerosis, induced scientifically, aided by the aging process, or resulting from pathological processes. It is believed that vascular studies applied in humans can be employed in dogs, increasing the likelihood of detecting early organ damage, refining therapeutic interventions, and establishing correlations with left ventricular alterations and heart failure. Therefore, this project aims primarily to standardize the application of RFQIMT and RFQAS techniques in healthy dogs and obtain reference values for intima-media thickness and stiffness of the carotid, aorta, and femoral arteries in animals. Additionally, data behavior will be evaluated according to age group, body condition score, weight, exercise practice, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, sex, blood pressure, echocardiographic results, and Doppler flowmetry findings. The study will encompass a total of 72 dogs (n=72), divided into two experimental groups, each consisting of 36 animals: Group 1 (G1) of healthy adults (1 to 6 years old) and Group 2 (G2) of healthy elderly dogs (7 to 15 years old). For data analysis, R software, T-Student or Mann-Whitney test, and Spearman or Pearson correlation test will be used. Significance for all tests will be set at p < 0.05, and data will be presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD), along with 95% confidence intervals and overall intervals.