Natriuretic Peptide Expression and Function in GH3 Somatolactotropes and Feline Somatotrope Pituitary Tumours.

Patients harbouring mutations in genes encoding C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP; ) or its receptor guanylyl cyclase B (GC-B, ) suffer from severe growth phenotypes; loss-of-function mutations cause achondroplasia, whereas gain-of-function mutations cause skeletal overgrowth. Although most of the effects of CNP/GC-B on growth are mediated directly on bone, evidence suggests the natriuretic peptides may also affect anterior pituitary control of growth. Our previous studies described the expression of and in a range of human pituitary tumours, normal human pituitary, and normal fetal human pituitary.

Long-term effect of neutering on plasma luteinising hormone concentration in cats.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to validate a commercially available luteinising hormone (LH) cat ELISA, to determine whether the increases in plasma LH concentration that occur after neutering are maintained throughout cats' lives and if other factors such as calendar seasons in both intact and neutered cats, and neutering age in neutered cats, influence plasma LH concentrations.

Methods: Stored plasma samples from client-owned cats were used for the measurement of LH concentrations. Clinical data, including age, sex, age at neutering and medical history, were reviewed.

Pituitary Pathology and Gene Expression in Acromegalic Cats.

The prevalence of GH-secreting pituitary tumors in domestic cats () is 10-fold greater than in humans. The predominant inhibitory receptors of GH-secreting pituitary tumors are somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) and D dopamine receptor (DRD2). The expression of these receptors is associated with the response to somatostatin analog and dopamine agonist treatment in human patients with acromegaly.

Vitamin D toxicity of dietary origin in cats fed a natural complementary kitten food.

Case Series Summary: This case series describes two young sibling cats and an additional unrelated cat, from two separate households, that developed hypercalcaemia associated with hypervitaminosis D. Excessive vitamin D concentrations were identified in a natural complementary tinned kitten food that was fed to all three cats as part of their diet. In one of the cases, there was clinical evidence of soft tissue mineralisation.

Feline coronavirus quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on effusion samples in cats with and without feline infectious peritonitis.

Objectives The aim of the study was to determine whether feline coronavirus (FCoV) RNA in effusion samples can be used as a diagnostic marker of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP); and in FCoV RNA-positive samples to examine amino acid codons in the FCoV spike protein at positions 1058 and 1060 where leucine and alanine, respectively, have been associated with systemic or virulent (FIP) FCoV infection. Methods Total RNA was extracted from effusion samples from 20 cats with confirmed FIP and 23 cats with other diseases. Feline coronavirus RNA was detected using a reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay (qRT-PCR), and positive samples underwent pyrosequencing of position 1058 with or without Sanger sequencing of position 1060 in the FCoV spike protein.