Echocardiographic, morphometric and biomarker changes in female cats followed from 6 to 24 months of life.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate cardiac size and early growth through echocardiographic, body weight (BW), body condition score (BCS), morphometric and biomarker changes in cats followed from 6 to 24 months of age.

Methods: Twenty-four female European shorthair colony cats were evaluated at birth for BW and at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of age for BW, BCS, head length (HL) and head width (HW), N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and echocardiographic measurements.

Results: BCS, HW, left ventricular free wall in diastole, left atrium diameter and aortic diameter increased significantly between 6 and 12 months, while BW, HL and interventricular septum in diastole increased significantly between 6, 12 and 18 months, and BW decreased significantly between 18 and 24 months.

Determination of optimal sampling times for a two blood sample clearance method using (51)Cr-EDTA in cats.

Estimation of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is a useful tool in the evaluation of kidney function in feline medicine. GFR can be determined by measuring the rate of tracer disappearance from the blood, and although these measurements are generally performed by multi-sampling techniques, simplified methods are more convenient in clinical practice. The optimal times for a simplified sampling strategy with two blood samples (2BS) for GFR measurement in cats using plasma (51)chromium ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid ((51)Cr-EDTA) clearance were investigated.

Thyroid stimulation with recombinant human thyrotropin in healthy cats, cats with non-thyroidal illness and in cats with low serum thyroxin and azotaemia after treatment of hyperthyroidism.

This study investigated the recombinant human thyrotropin (rhTSH) stimulation test in healthy cats (group 1), cats with non-thyroidal illness (group 2) and cats with low serum total T(4) (TT(4)) and azotaemia after (131)I treatment (group 3). Serum TT(4) responses and thyroidal pertechnetate uptake after administration of 25 microg rhTSH IV were assessed. Baseline serum TT(4) was significantly lower in group 3 compared with group 1, but not between other group pairs.

Comparison of plasma clearance of exogenous creatinine, exo-iohexol, and endo-iohexol over a range of glomerular filtration rates expected in cats.

The study investigated plasma clearance of exogenous creatinine (PECCT), exo-iohexol (PexICT) and endo-iohexol (PenICT) in six healthy cats, four cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and six hyperthyroid (HT) cats to assess potential differences in glomerular filtration rate (GFR) measurement over a wide range of GFR values. The PECCT, PexICT and PenICT were performed in a combined protocol. There was a significant difference between PexICT and PenICT and PECCT in healthy cats.

Effect of recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone on serum thyroxin and thyroid scintigraphy in euthyroid cats.

This study investigated the thyroidal response to administration of recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone (rhTSH) by means of serum total thyroxine (TT(4)) concentration and pertechnetate uptake by the thyroid gland in six healthy euthyroid spayed female cats. A pertechnetate scan was performed on day 1 to calculate thyroid/salivary gland (T/S) uptake ratio. On day 3, 25 microg rhTSH was injected intravenously.