Co-impairment of autonomic and glucagon responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in dogs with naturally occurring insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

This study aimed to investigate the contributions of two factors potentially impairing glucagon response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia (IIH) in insulin-deficient diabetes: ) loss of paracrine disinhibition by intra-islet insulin and ) defects in the activation of the autonomic inputs to the islet. Plasma glucagon responses during hyperinsulinemic-hypoglycemic clamps ([Formula: see text]40 mg/dL) were assessed in dogs with spontaneous diabetes ( = 13) and in healthy nondiabetic dogs ( = 6). Plasma C-peptide responses to intravenous glucagon were measured to assess endogenous insulin secretion.

Curricular Revision and Reform: The Process, What Was Important, and Lessons Learned.

Beginning in 2005, the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the University of California underwent major curricular review and reform. To provide information for others that follow, we have documented our process and commented on factors that were critical to success, as well as factors we found surprising, difficult, or problematic. The review and reform were initiated by the Executive Committee, who led the process and commissioned the committees.

Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy for Removal of Unilateral Noninvasive Pheochromocytomas in 10 Dogs.

Objective: To report the surgical technique and outcome of dogs undergoing laparoscopic adrenalectomy for removal of unilateral noninvasive pheochromocytoma.

Study Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: Dogs with unilateral noninvasive adrenal tumors (n=10).

Evaluation of total dietary fiber concentration and composition of commercial diets used for management of diabetes mellitus, obesity, and dietary fat-responsive disease in dogs.

Objective: To determine total dietary fiber (TDF) concentration and composition of commercial diets used for management of obesity, diabetes mellitus, and dietary fat-responsive disease in dogs.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Sample: Dry (n = 11) and canned (8) canine therapeutic diets.

Comparison of perioperative morbidity and mortality rates in dogs with noninvasive adrenocortical masses undergoing laparoscopic versus open adrenalectomy.

Objective: To describe the clinicopathologic features of a cohort of dogs with adrenocortical masses that underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy and to compare perioperative morbidity and mortality rates in these dogs with rates for dogs that underwent open adrenalectomy for resection of similarly sized (maximal diameter, ≤ 5 cm) adrenocortical masses.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 48 client-owned dogs that underwent laparoscopic (n = 23) or open (25) adrenalectomy for noninvasive tumors (ie, tumors that did not invade the vena cava or other surrounding organs).

Animal models of disease: classification and etiology of diabetes in dogs and cats.

Diabetes mellitus is a common disease in dogs and cats. The most common form of diabetes in dogs resembles type 1 diabetes in humans. Studies suggest that genetics, an immune-mediated component, and environmental factors are involved in the development of diabetes in dogs.

Total dietary fiber composition of diets used for management of obesity and diabetes mellitus in cats.

Objective: To determine total dietary fiber (TDF) composition of feline diets used for management of obesity and diabetes mellitus.

Design: Cross-sectional survey.

Sample: Dry veterinary (n = 10), canned veterinary (12), and canned over-the-counter (3) feline diets.

Serum 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone concentrations during the reproductive cycle in healthy dogs and dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.

Objective: To determine concentrations of 17alpha-hydroxyprogesterone (17OHP) in serum of healthy bitches during various stages of the reproductive cycle and in bitches with hyperadrenocorticism and to compare the dynamics of 17OHP with those of progesterone.

Design: Prospective evaluation study.

Animals: 15 healthy sexually intact bitches and 28 spayed bitches with hyperadrenocorticism.

Evaluation of six portable blood glucose meters for measuring blood glucose concentration in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate accuracy of 6 portable blood glucose meters (PBGMs) by comparing results of these meters with results obtained with a reference chemistry analyzer.

Design: Evaluation study.

Animals: 49 dogs (158 blood samples).

Evaluation of urine specific gravity and urine sediment as risk factors for urinary tract infections in cats.

Background: It has been suggested that diseases that promote isosthenuria predispose to urinary tract infections because of a lack of the common bacteriostatic properties present in concentrated urine.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the clinicopathologic risk factors for positive urine culture outcome in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD), diabetes mellitus (DM), uncontrolled hyperthyroidism (HT), or lower urinary tract disease (LUTD).

Methods: For this retrospective study, medical records of all cats in which a urinalysis and aerobic bacterial urine culture were performed between January 1995 and December 2002 were reviewed.

Evaluation of twice-daily, low-dose trilostane treatment administered orally in dogs with naturally occurring hyperadrenocorticism.

Objective: To evaluate the effects of twice-daily oral administration of a low-dose of trilostane treatment and assess the duration of effects after once-daily trilostane administration in dogs with naturally occurring hyperadrenocorticism (NOH).

Design: Prospective study.

Animals: 28 dogs with NOH.

Serum insulin-like growth factor-I concentration in cats with diabetes mellitus and acromegaly.

Background: Serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) has been used in place of serum growth hormone quantification for identifying acromegaly in diabetic cats. The utility of IGF-I as a screening test for acromegaly has not been critically evaluated. This retrospective study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of serum IGF-I concentration for identifying acromegaly.

Clinical features and heritability of hypoadrenocorticism in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers: 25 cases (1994-2006).

Objective: To evaluate the clinical features and heritability of naturally occurring hypoadrenocorticism in Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers (NSDTRs).

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 25 NSDTRs with hypoadrenocorticism.

Adrenalectomy and caval thrombectomy in a cat with primary hyperaldosteronism.

A 13-year-old, castrated male, domestic longhaired cat was diagnosed with primary hyperaldosteronism from an adrenal gland tumor and a thrombus in the caudal vena cava. Clinical signs included cervical ventriflexion, lethargy, weakness, inappetence, and diarrhea. Laboratory tests revealed hypokalemia, normonatremia, hyperglycemia, hypophosphatemia, and elevated creatine kinase activity.

Comparison of serologic evaluation via agar gel immunodiffusion and fungal culture of tissue for diagnosis of nasal aspergillosis in dogs.

Objective: To compare the sensitivity and specificity of serologic evaluation and fungal culture of tissue for diagnosis of nasal aspergillosis in dogs.

Design: Prospective study.

Animals: 58 dogs with nasal discharge and 26 healthy dogs.

Relative adrenal insufficiency in dogs with sepsis.

Background: A syndrome of relative adrenal insufficiency has been identified in septic humans, and is associated with hypotension and death. Relative adrenal insufficiency is generally associated with basal serum cortisol concentration within or above the reference range and a blunted cortisol response to adrenocorticotropic hormone administration. It is unknown whether relative adrenal insufficiency occurs in septic dogs.

Incidence of and risk factors for diabetes mellitus in cats that have undergone renal transplantation: 187 cases (1986-2005).

Objective: To compare incidence of diabetes mellitus in cats that had undergone renal transplantation with incidence in cats with chronic renal failure, compare mortality rates in cats that underwent renal transplantation and did or did not develop diabetes mellitus, and identify potential risk factors for development of posttransplantation diabetes mellitus (PTDM) in cats.

Design: Retrospective case series.

Animals: 187 cats that underwent renal transplantation.

Comparable myelinated nerve pathology in feline and human diabetes mellitus.

The occurrence of diabetic neuropathy in cats provides an opportunity to study the development and treatment of neurological complications not present in diabetic rodent models, where few pathological alterations are evident. The present study further defines pathological alterations in nerve biopsies from 12 cats with spontaneously occurring diabetes mellitus. Peroneal nerve biopsies displayed concurrent injury to both Schwann cells and axons of myelinated fibers that was remarkably similar to that present in human diabetic neuropathy.

Inhaled flunisolide suppresses the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, but has minimal systemic immune effects in healthy cats.

Feline bronchial disease is commonly treated with oral glucocorticoids (OGC), which might be contraindicated in cats with certain infectious, endocrine, renal, or cardiac diseases. Inhalant GC (IGC) maximize local efficacy and minimize systemic bioavailability. We evaluated systemic endocrine and immune effects of IGC (flunisolide, 250 microg/puff q12h) versus OGC (prednisone, 10 mg/d PO) and placebo.

Comparison of ultrasonographic characteristics of the thyroid gland in healthy small-, medium-, and large-breed dogs.

Objective: To determine ultrasonographic characteristics of the thyroid gland in healthy small-, medium-, and large-breed dogs and evaluate the relationships of thyroid gland size and volume with body weight and body surface area (BSA).

Animals: 72 dogs of small (6 Toy and 6 Miniature Poodles), medium (12 Beagles), and large breeds (12 Akitas and 36 Golden Retrievers).

Procedure: Each dog's thyroid gland was examined ultrasonographically with a 10- to 5-MHz multifrequency linear-array transducer.

Evaluation of serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone concentration after administration of ACTH in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.

Objective: To evaluate serum 17-hydroxyprogesterone (17-OHP) concentration measurement after administration of ACTH for use in the diagnosis of hyperadrenocorticism in dogs.

Design: Prospective study.

Animals: 110 dogs.

Pretreatment clinical and laboratory findings in dogs with primary hyperparathyroidism: 210 cases (1987-2004).

Objective: To evaluate pretreatment clinical and laboratory findings in dogs with naturally occurring primary hyperparathyroidism.

Design: Retrospective study.

Animals: 210 dogs with primary hyperparathyroidism and 200 randomly selected, age-matched control dogs that did not have primary hyperparathyroidism.

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the thyroid gland in healthy, hypothyroid, and euthyroid Golden Retrievers with nonthyroidal illness.

Ultrasound evaluation of the thyroid gland was performed in healthy, hypothyroid, and euthyroid Golden Retriever dogs with nonthyroidal illness (NTI) to determine the diagnostic usefulness of ultrasound for differentiating between euthyroid and hypothyroid dogs. Thirty-six healthy, 11 hypothyroid, and 35 euthyroid dogs with NTI were evaluated. Each thyroid lobe was examined ultrasonographically for size, shape, echogenicity, and homogeneity.

Secretion of sex hormones in dogs with adrenal dysfunction.

Objective: To evaluate adrenal sex hormone concentrations in response to ACTH stimulation in healthy dogs, dogs with adrenal tumors, and dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH).

Design: Prospective study.

Animals: 11 healthy control dogs, 9 dogs with adrenal-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (adenocarcinoma [ACA] or other tumor); 11 dogs with PDH, and 6 dogs with noncortisol-secreting adrenal tumors (ATs).

Factors affecting the frequency of value-focused health activities and policies by employers.

Objective: We sought to gather employer perspectives about value-focused activities (VFAs), intentions to make decisions based on value, and other factors affecting decisions.

Methods: Health decision-makers (n = 174), both American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine members and corporate HR/benefits directors, responded to an Internet-based questionnaire.

Results: Of a total of 32 listed VFAs, companies reported, on average, performing 5.