Regulation of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone secretion from the pars intermedia of domestic cats

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors regulating secretion of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) from the pars intermedia (PI) of the pituitary gland of cats. ANIMALS: 28 healthy adult cats. PROCEDURE: Indwelling catheters were placed in 1 jugular vein of each of 7 to 10 cats, depending on treatment group. Sixteen hours later, 3 blood samples were collected for determination of baseline plasma hormone concentrations, and saline solution or a test substance (haloperidol, corticotropin-releasing hormone, bromocriptine, isoproterenol, insulin, or dexamethasone) was administered via the catheter. Subsequent blood samples were collected at regular intervals for up to 240 minutes after injection. Concentrations of ACTH, cortisol, and alpha-MSH were measured in plasma by use of specific radioimmunoassays. Cats were rested for at least 3 weeks between experiments. RESULTS: Administration of haloperidol and isoproterenol resulted in increased, and bromocriptine and insulin in decreased, circulating concentrations of alpha-MSH from baseline. ACTH and plasma cortisol concentrations increased after administration of all test substances except dexamethasone. Dexamethasone injection resulted in decreased plasma concentrations of ACTH and cortisol. CONCLUSIONS: Secretion of alpha-MSH from the PI of cats appears to be inhibited by dopaminergic activity and stimulated by beta-adrenergic influences. Activation of secretion of alpha-MSH from the PI can be dissociated from activation of secretion of other pro-opiomelanocortin-derived peptides, such as ACTH, arising from the pars distalis. Regulation of secretory activity of the PI of cats resembles that of rats.     

Pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism in a cat

Pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism was diagnosed in a 9-year-old, male castrated cat that had polyuria, polyphagia, pendulous abdomen, truncal hair loss, congestive heart failure, and insulin-resistant diabetes mellitus. Results of pituitary-adrenal function testing revealed inadequate serum cortisol suppression following dexamethasone administration, exaggerated serum cortisol responses after exogenous ACTH stimulation, and high plasma ACTH concentrations. The pathologic findings of bilateral adrenocortical hyperplasia and a pituitary adenoma that immunostained well for ACTH-related peptides confirmed pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism.     

Heinz Body Formation Associated With Ketoacidosis in Diabetic Cats

Oxidative damage plays an important role in the pathophysiology of diabetes and diabetic complications. Feline hemoglobin is uniquely susceptible to oxidative denaturation; therefore, Heinz body formation is a highly sensitive indicator of in vivo oxidative stress in this species. Heinz bodies also contribute to anemia. We investigated hematological and clinical biochemical changes in 30 cats with spontaneous diabetes mellitus (as compared to 15 healthy control cats) and evaluated the relationship of these changes to erythrocyte oxidative damage. Cats were categorized as ketoacidotic or nonketoacidotic based on their clinical presentation and the presence of urine ketones. Ketoacidotic cats had significantly ( P = .0009) more Heinz bodies (28.3% ± 9.1 %) than nonketotic diabetic cats (6.5% ± 1.60%) and healthy control cats (0.6% ± 0.2%). Percent Heinz bodies in diabetic cats directly correlated with plasma β-hydroxy-butyrate concentration ( r = .622; P = .0002), as well as with serum chloride concentration ( r = -0.576; P = 0.0009) and the number of monocytes ( r = .536; P = .0023). Percent Heinz bodies were negatively correlated with erythrocyte glutathione concentrations. Erythrocyte membrane lipid peroxidation was slightly but not significantly increased in diabetic cats. There were no significant associations between percent Heinz bodies and degree of anemia, hyperglycemia, or glycohemoglobin. These data indicate that ketones are associated with oxidative hemoglobin damage in cats, and suggest that ketone metabolism, ie by cytochrome P450 2E1, may be a potential source of in vivo oxygen radical generation in animals with ketosis.     

Drug residues in food animals. III. Plasma and tissue kinetics of potassium penicillin G in young cross-bred swine

Twenty-two young cross-bred swine were treated either intravenously or orally with potassium penicillin G. The pharmacokinetics of penicillin G were determined in plasma and tissues. The plasma half-life of penicillin G in swine was found to be 19.45±1.69 min, and the distribution and elimination kinetics were found to fit a classical two-compartment model. The volume of distribution was found to be 0.53±0.12 1/kg, and the body clearance was found to be 19.06±5.06 ml/min/kg which exceeded the effective renal plasma flow of 16.50±2.73 ml/min/kg, suggesting that the drug was eliminated both by tubular excretion and glomerular filtration. The elimination rate constants (Beta) for the major organs were as follows: muscle, 0.00343 min^-1; lung, 0.0310 min^-1; fat, 0.0394 min^-1; and kidney, 0.0213 min^-1, which compared favorably with the elimination rate constant found in plasma (0.0320 min^-1). These values were found to be significantly similar at the level of P < 0.005 in muscle, spleen and fat, and at a level of P < 0.025 in lung tissue. The data indicates that blood plasma would be a satisfactory body fluid for estimating this drug in tissue.     

Heavy metals in fluids and tissues of fetal calves and in young calves of nursing cows exposed or not exposed to anaerobically digested wastewater sludge

Fetal fluid, diaphragm muscle, heart, kidney, and liver from 14 four- to five-month-old calf fetuses were analyzed for Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Fe. The same tissues and bone were examined from postparturient calves 30, 60, and 120 days of age. Weaned calves (8 to 9 months old) were necropsied and diaphragm muscle, heart, kidney, liver, brain, and bone were analyzed. Additional calves from cows exposed or not exposed to anaerobically digested sludge were placed in a feed yard at weaning for a feeding period of 150 days and then were killed and necropsied. Heavy metal content of the aforementioned tissues was compared with the same tissues obtained from peer calves weaned, killed, and necropsied 150 days earlier. Zinc, Cu, and Fe were up to 11 times higher in fetal livers than in control or exposed postparturient calves. These concentrations declined after birth and stabilized at approximately the concentrations observed in adult cattle at about 12 to 14 months of age. Cadmium accumulated to a greater extent in kidneys and livers of exposed calves than in control calves. However, the accumulation did not produce a detectable effect upon the functional or morphologic characteristics of the organs examined. Other metals were present at low levels and were generally not remarkably different in control and exposed animals.     

Hypoglycemia associated with nonislet cell tumor in 13 dogs

Hypoglycemia associated with nonislet cell tumor was found in 13 dogs. In each dog, clinical signs were related directly to adrenergic and neuroglucopenic effects of hypoglycemia and included collapsing episodes, tremors, restlessness, weakness, and grand mal seizures that were responsive to glucose administration. Eight of the dogs had hepatocellular carcinoma; surgical resection of the tumor achieved remission of clinical signs in 3 of these dogs. Other hepatic tumors associated with hypoglycemia included leiomyosarcoma and hemangiosarcoma involving solitary lobes of the liver. Nonhepatic tumors included splenic hemangiosarcoma, diffuse metastatic melanoma, and salivary gland adenocarcinoma.     

The Value of a Net‐Cage as a Fish Aggregating Device in Southern California

There is an urgent need for primary data that can be used to quantify the value of marine aquaculture facilities that also describe influences on the surrounding natural ecosystem and its wild fish communities. Divers completed 360 transect replicates below a net‐cage and at nearby and distant rocky reefs off Catalina Island, California, estimating the species abundance and size class of all conspicuous fishes in the water column. We observed 10,234 fishes aggregating below the net‐cage with a mean annual density of 142 (SE ± 30) per 100 m² and diversity H′ 2.29. At the adjacent reference reef, we counted 8452 fishes with a mean annual density of 117 (SE ± 20) and H′ 1.45 and at Reference Reef 2, located 500 m away, there were 8958 fishes with a density of 124 (SE ± 20) and H′ 1.13. The total density of fishes was the same between the study sites (ANOVA; P = 0.24); however, the spatial density of fishes in the water column was different between the net‐cage and reference reefs. Additionally, the density of juvenile fish was significantly lower at the net‐cage (ANOVA; P = 0.02), while the density of subadult and adult fishes was higher (ANOVA; P = 0.03). Feeding guild analysis ranked the net‐cage highest (3507), while Reference Reef 1 (2149), and Reference Reef 2 (2241), had lower values, a relationship often found between artificial and natural reefs. This suggests the importance of available trophic resources to the adult population of wild fishes, and has implications in the artificial reef attraction–production debate. The results of this study not only reproduce a pattern of fish attraction to net‐cages in the marine environment reported in previous studies but also demonstrate a relative habitat value compared in both time and space, of the fish community at a net‐cage compared with vibrant kelp bed communities.     

Projecting the bird community response resulting from the adoption of shelterbelt agroforestry practices in Eastern Nebraska

Evolving agricultural policies have influenced management practices within agroecosystems, impacting available habitats for many species of wildlife. Enhancing wildlife habitat has become an explicit objective of existing agricultural policy. Thus, there is renewed focus on field borders and the use of shelterbelt agroforestry systems to achieve conservation goals in the Midwest. Two Representative Farms – a 283-ha dryland and 510-ha irrigated farm were created in Saunders County, Nebraska. The Habitat Analysis and Modeling System (HAMS) was used to describe the composition and spatial pattern of the existing farms and surrounding landscape, as well as for the landscapes surrounding selected Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes. Simulated land use changes resulting from the implementation of two shelterbelt scenarios, Agricultural and Wildlife, were incorporated on each Representative Farm and surrounding landscape. Landscape variables which influence breeding bird species richness and community composition as determined from BBS routes were measured on simulated farm landscapes. A more heterogeneous landscape results from implementing either scenario. The percent total woods was a significant determinant of bird species richness on the BBS routes and was important in influencing bird communities at the farm- and landscape-level. Other landscape metrics which influenced the bird community composition on BBS routes were woody edge percentages and edge density values. Policies promoting shelterbelts create edge habitats which ultimately favor birds within the Forest-edge/generalist guild while bird species in need of conservation such as grassland-field species would potentially be negatively affected. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Survival of tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) and Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii) seedlings in forests of southwestern Oregon

Survival of tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) and Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii) seedlings was studied in order to interpret succession in conifer hardwood forests and to determine ways to suppress establishment of these species. Seed protected from rodents and birds, and unprotected seed was sown in clearcuts and in conifer stands 40 to 200+ years old. Second-year survival rates of tanoak seedlings were high (50–70%) in exposed clearcuts and conifer stands. Seed predators appear to be of prime importance in limiting tanoak establishment. Survival rates of Pacific madrone seedlings on the same sites as the tanoak were low (0–8%), and many factors caused mortality. Seedlings of both species grew slowly; after 3 years, average tanoak height was only 6.0 to 14.0 cm, average madrone height 2.0 to 6.0 cm.     

THYROID SCINTIGRAPHY FINDINGS IN 2096 CATS WITH HYPERTHYROIDISM

Thyroid scintigraphy is currently the reference standard for diagnosing and staging cats with hyperthyroidism, but few studies describing the scintigraphic characteristics in a large number of cats have been reported. The objective of this study was to better characterize thyroid scintigraphy findings by evaluating 2096 consecutive cats with hyperthyroidism that were referred over a 3.5‐year period. Of these cats, 2068 (98.7%) had a high thyroid‐to‐salivary ratio (>1.5), whereas 2014 (96.1%) were found to have a high thyroid‐to‐background ratio (>6.1). When the patterns of the cats’ thyroid disease were recorded, 665 (31.7%) had unilateral disease, 1060 (50.6%) had bilateral‐asymmetric disease (two thyroid lobes unequal in size), 257 (12.3%) had bilateral‐symmetric disease (both lobes similar in size), and 81 (3.9%) had multifocal disease (≥3 areas of increased radionuclide uptake). The number of areas of ^99mTcO^?₄ uptake in the 2096 cats ranged from 1 to 6 (median, 2), located in the cervical area in 2057 (98.1%), thoracic inlet in 282 (13.5%), and in the thoracic cavity in 115 (5.5%). Ectopic thyroid tissue (e.g. lingual or mediastinal) was diagnosed in 81 (3.9%) cats, whereas thyroid carcinoma was suspected in 35 (1.7%) of the cats. The results of this study support conclusions that most hyperthyroid cats have unilateral or bilateral thyroid nodules, but that multifocal disease will develop in a few cats that have ectopic thyroid disease or thyroid carcinoma. Both ectopic thyroid disease and thyroid carcinoma are relatively uncommon in hyperthyroid cats, with a respective prevalence of ～4% and ～2% in this study.