Veterinary Sciences

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Comparative Aspects of Human, Canine, and Feline Obesity and Factors Predicting Progression to Diabetes

by Margarethe Hoenig

Vet. Sci. 2014, 1(2), 121-135; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci1020121 - 21 Aug 2014

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Obesity and diabetes mellitus are common diseases in humans, dogs and cats and their prevalence is increasing. Obesity has been clearly identified as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes in humans and cats but recent data are missing in dogs, although there is evidence that the unprecedented rise in canine obesity in the last decade has led to a rise in canine diabetes of similar magnitude. The insulin resistance of obesity has often been portrayed as major culprit in the loss of glucose control; however, insulin resistance alone is not a good indicator of progression to diabetes in people or pets. A loss of beta cell function is necessary to provide the link to impaired fasting and post-prandial plasma glucose. Increased endogenous glucose output by the liver is also a prerequisite for the increase in fasting blood glucose when non-diabetic obese humans and pets develop diabetes. This may be due to decreased hepatic insulin sensitivity, decreased insulin concentrations, or a combination of both. While inflammation is a major link between obesity and diabetes in humans, there is little evidence that a similar phenomenon exists in cats. In dogs, more studies are needed to examine this important issue. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Models of Disease)

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Feasibility Study of a Standardized Novel Animal Model for Cervical Vertebral Augmentation in Sheep Using a PTH Derivate Bioactive Material

by Karina Klein, Jason Schense, Peter W. Kronen, Nathalie Fouche, Mariano Makara, Katharina Kämpf, Thomas Steffen and Brigitte Von Rechenberg

Vet. Sci. 2014, 1(2), 96-120; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci1020096 - 4 Aug 2014

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 7549

Abstract

Prophylactic local treatment involving percutaneous vertebral augmentation using bioactive materials is a new treatment strategy in spine surgery in humans for vertebral bodies at risk. Standardized animal models for this procedure are almost non-existent. The purpose of this study was to: (i) prove the efficacy of PTH derivate bioactive materials for new bone formation; and (ii) create a new, highly standardized cervical vertebral augmentation model in sheep. Three different concentrations of a modified form of parathyroid hormone (PTH) covalently bound to a fibrin matrix containing strontium carbonate were used. The same matrix without PTH and shams were used as controls. The bioactive materials were locally injected. Using a ventral surgical approach, a pre-set amount of material was injected under fluoroscopic guidance into the intertrabecular space of three vertebral bodies. Intravital fluorescent dyes were used to demonstrate new bone formation. After an observation period of four months, the animals were sacrificed, and vertebral bodies were processed for µCT, histomorphometry, histology and sequential fluorescence evaluation. Enhanced localized bone activity and new bone formation in the injected area could be determined for all experimental groups in comparison to the matrix alone and sham with the highest values detected for the group with a medium concentration of PTH. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Models of Disease)

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Long-Term Changes in Pain Sensitivity in an Animal Model of Social Anxiety

by Alessandra Berry, Veronica Bellisario, Sara Capoccia, Nadia Francia, Enrico Alleva and Francesca Cirulli

Vet. Sci. 2014, 1(2), 77-95; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci1020077 - 2 Jul 2014

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 7899

Abstract

Animal models with an eco-ethological relevance can help in identifying novel and reliable stress-related markers. To this end, 3-month-old C57BL/6J male mice were exposed to social defeat (SD) stress for 10 days as this stressor shows good face and predictive validity for several models of human affective disorders including depression, social phobia and post-traumatic stress disorder. Social avoidance and pain threshold were assessed 24 h and 4 weeks after the end of SD stress, while corticosterone was assayed at the beginning and at the end of the stressful procedure (days 1 and 10). SD subjects were characterized by increased corticosterone levels (30 min following stress exposure), increased latency to approach the social target in the short-term as well as increased emotionality in the long-term. Moreover, an increase in nociceptive threshold (stress-induced analgesia) was found both in the short-term and 4 weeks after the end of stress. These data indicate that the SD paradigm is able to induce emotional changes associated with a stressful/traumatic event. In addition, they indicate that variations in the nociceptive threshold might represent a physiological marker of both short- and long-term effects of stress. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Models of Disease)

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Vet. Sci., Volume 1, Issue 2 (September 2014) – 3 articles , Pages 77-135

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