Response to Insulin Treatment and Survival in 104 Cats with Diabetes Mellitus (1985–1995)

Medical records of 104 cats with diabetes mellitus were reviewed. Information from 54 cats that had multiple blood glucose concentrations evaluated at least 5 times over a minimum of 3 months, beginning at the time insulin treatment was initiated, was used to evaluate the efficacy of insulin in treating diabetes mellitus. Fourteen of 54 cats were treated with protamine zinc insulin (PZI), 26 with ultralente insulin, and 14 with lente insulin. Six, 29, and 19 cats had good, mediocre, and poor glycemic control, respectively, based on mean blood glucose concentrations, whereas 31, 21, and 2 owners thought clinical response was good, mediocre, and poor, respectively. No significant difference was found in glycemic control among cats treated with PZI, ultralente, or lente insulin. Glycemic control was significantly (P < .05) better in 33 cats without than in 21 cats with concurrent disease. All 104 cats were used to calculate survival data. Fifty-one of 104 cats were alive at the time of the study. Mean (± standard deviation [SD]) and median survival times were 24 (± 16) and 20 months, respectively, in the 51 cats still alive at the end of the evaluation, and 25 (± 4) and 17 months, respectively, in the 53 cats that had died during the period of evaluation. Pancreatic abnormalities identified in 37 cats that underwent necropsy included chronic pancreatitis (n = 17), acute to subacute pancreatitis (n = 2), exocrine pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n = 7) and adenoma (n = 1), islet cell atrophy and vacuolar degeneration (n = 27), and islet amyloidosis (n = 8). No association was found between glycemic control and islet amyloidosis or exocrine pancreatic neoplasia, or between survival time and chronic pancreatitis, islet amyloidosis, or exocrine pancreatic neoplasia. In conclusion, diabetic cats evaluated in this study showed a variable response to exogenously administered insulin, ranging from excellent to poor. By maintaining mean blood glucose concentrations under 300 mg/dL, clinical signs were improved, and owners were satisfied with insulin treatment. Concurrent potentially insulin-antagonistic diseases were common and deleteriously affected glycemic control and survival time.     

Right Dorsal Colitis

Moderate to severe ulcerative colitis of the right dorsal colon was diagnosed by necropsy or by exploratory celiotomy and biopsy in 13 horses with a primary clinical complaint of either colic, diarrhea, or weight loss. Clinical signs varied from acute fulminating diarrhea (possibly with fever), colic, dehydration, endotoxic shock and death, to a chronic condition manifested by mild intermittent colic up to several months in duration, and weight loss with or without mild diarrhea. In a large percentage of the horses, those affected had been hypovolemic and received nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) or had received inappropriately high doses of phenylbutazone before the onset of illness. Experimental treatment of two horses with high doses of a phenylbutazone oral paste preparation (6 gm once daily for 5 days) and limitation of their water intake to approximately one half of maintenance requirement (for 5 days) resulted in reproduction of ulcerative colitis involving only the right dorsal colon, which was apparent at necropsy examination 11 and 15 days after initiation of drug use. It was concluded that localized ulcerative lesions in the right dorsal colon may be a previously unreported manifestation of toxicity due to the administration of NSAID.     

Genetic implications of a simulation model of litter size in swine based on ovulation rate, potential embryonic viability and uterine capacity: I. Genetic theory

A simulation model of litter size in swine based on ovulation rate, uterine capacity and potential embryo viability was compared to three genetic models to clarify its genetic characteristics. The simulation model is equivalent to independent culling based on fixed levels of potentially viable embryos and uterine capacity. Litter size also can be described by a combination of additive, additive x additive, mean environment x additive, random environment and additive x random environment effects. A third genetic model that can describe the simulation model is the associative effects model, in which litter size is the result of grouping two genotypes. The fixed independent culling levels model predicts that genetic parameters will change as the component means change. This genetic model also predicts that selection on an index of ovulation rate and uterine capacity would improve selection response for litter size. This genetic model predicts asymmetry of correlated responses in ovulation rate and uterine capacity when selecting for high and low litter size. The nonadditive genetic model predicts covariances among relatives that are different from their additive relationships; however, simulated results did not detect any differences. The nonadditive genetic model also predicts that heterosis for litter size will differ among crosses based on the mean environment and on additive x additive genetic interaction. The associative effects model predicts that selection for litter size will always lead to a positive response in litter size.     

Performance of ponderosa pine seedlings under four herbicide regimes in northeast Oregon

The herbicide, hexazinone, was applied four ways over ponderosa pine, 2–0 seedlings planted in northeast Oregon. The four treatments were two broadcast applications, a single broadcast application, a large spot application, and a small spot application. Seedling survival and growth were monitored for five growing seasons. Results indicate that survival more than doubled with either large or small spot applications compared to no application, and either one or two broadcast applications can increase survival an additional 30% over spot applications. Differences in stem volume were substantial, with two broadcast applications yielding more than twice the volume of a single broadcast treatment and more than five times the volume of seedlings treated with spot applications. Trees in small spots were still three times bigger than surviving seedlings in the control. These results are consistent with the concept of competition threshold. Management implications were considered in terms of cost of established seedlings. Although broadcast applications cost more per acre than spot applications, gains in seedling survival, growth and quality offset the additional cost and translate into lower established seedling costs. The cost effectiveness of broadcast applications also may be seen in the elimination of replanting or in-planting requirements and increases in long-term growth potential of the established trees.     

Long-term ecology of native pinewood communities in East Glen Affric, Scotland

Fossil pollen, stomata and charcoal were examined from a lakesedimentary sequence in the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve,one of the largest areas of remnant native pine woodland inScotland, in order to assess ecosystem dynamics over the last11 000 years. Results reveal that pinewood communities havebeen continuously present in East Glen Affric for the last 8300years. Pinus sylvestris first arrived in the area around 9900cal. BP, but occurred in only low abundance for the subsequent1600 years. Pine populations expanded around 8300 cal. BP andremained in relatively constant abundance throughout the remainderof the Holocene. There is no evidence of a hypothesized regionalmid-Holocene ‘pine decline’ at the site. Charcoalresults reveal that pinewood communities in East Glen Affricdo not appear to have been dependent on fire for either theirestablishment or their maintenance as has previously been suggested.     

光肩星天牛对干旱胁迫下复叶槭挥发物的嗅觉反应

对干旱胁迫下3a生复叶槭的挥发物进行了鉴定。当复叶槭受到干旱胁迫时，9种化合物释放量升高(包括：丁醇、戊醇、反—2—己烯—1—醛、顺—3—己烯—1—醇、戊醛、戊酸、己醛、己酸、苯乙酮)，而长叶烯释放量降低：复叶槭复水后苯乙酮升高，但其他挥发物释放量降低。通过GC—EAD检测了光肩星天牛对其中某些化合物的触角电位反应，并使用诱捕器和人工合成单体进行了田间生测实验。丁醇、戊醇和顺—3—己烯—1—醇能引起光肩星天牛的触角反应，这一结果在田间实验中得到了证实。这表明干旱胁迫在光肩星天牛选择寄主植物方面起着重要作用。