Consensus Statements of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) provide the veterinary community with up-to-date information on the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of clinically important animal diseases. The ACVIM Board of Regents oversees selection of relevant topics, identification of panel members with the expertise to draft the statements, and other aspects of assuring the integrity of the process. The statements are derived from evidence-based medicine whenever possible and the panel offers interpretive comments when such evidence is inadequate or contradictory. A draft is prepared by the panel, followed by solicitation of input by the ACVIM membership which may be incorporated into the statement. It is then submitted to the Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, where it is edited prior to publication. The authors are solely responsible for the content of the statements. This report offers a consensus opinion on the diagnosis of spontaneous canine hyperadrenocorticism. The possibility that a patient has hyperadrenocorticism is based on the history and physical examination. Endocrine tests should be performed only when clinical signs consistent with HAC are present. None of the biochemical screening or differentiating tests for hyperadrenocorticism are perfect. Imaging can also play a role. Awareness of hyperadrenocorticism has heightened over time. Thus, case presentation is more subtle. Due to the changes in manifestations as well as test technology the Panel believes that references ranges should be reestablished. The role of cortisol precursors and sex hormones in causing a syndrome of occult hyperadrenocorticism remains unclear. Diagnosis of Spontaneous

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a common disease encountered in canine and feline medicine. The 2018 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats revise and update earlier guidelines published in 2010. The 2018 guidelines retain much of the information in the earlier guidelines that continues to be applicable in clinical practice, along with new information that represents current expert opinion on controlling DM. An essential aspect of successful DM management is to ensure that the owner of a diabetic dog or cat is capable of administering insulin, recognizing the clinical signs of inadequately managed DM, and monitoring blood glucose levels at home, although this is ideal but not mandatory; all topics that are reviewed in the guidelines. Insulin therapy is the mainstay of treatment for clinical DM. The guidelines provide recommendations for using each insulin formulation currently available for use in dogs and cats, the choice of which is generally based on efficacy and duration of effect in the respective species. Also discussed are non-insulin therapeutic medications and dietary management. These treatment modalities, along with insulin therapy, give the practitioner an assortment of options for decreasing the clinical signs of DM while avoiding hypoglycemia, the two conditions that represent the definition of a controlled diabetic. The guidelines review identifying and monitoring patients at risk for developing DM, which are important for avoiding unnecessary insulin therapy in patients with transient hyperglycemia or mildly elevated blood glucose.

Differential display was used to identify a newThe gene was also identified in mouse heart, brain, liver, and kidney and furthermore was induced in these tissues after Dex treatment. The deduced protein shows regions of homology characteristic of members of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases. Highest homology (36% identity, 57% positives) was found with human Rap-2b, followed closely by a number of other Ras subfamily members, suggesting that Dexras1 is probably a member of the Ras subfamily of GTPases (members include Ras and Rap). Dexras1 is the first Ras superfamily member identified that is induced in response to steroids. The function of this gene is unknown; however, its wide distribution and rapid induction by Dex suggests the possibility of a role in glucocorticoid action in a variety of tissues.The intracellular mechanism mediating glucocorticoid inhibition of stimulated corticotropin (ACTH) 1 release from the corticotrophs in the anterior pituitary gland in the early time domain is unknown. Exposure of corticotrophs to glucocorticoids for periods ranging from approximately 10 min to 3 h (early time domain) inhibits ACTH secretion induced by a variety of secretagogues, including corticotropin-releasing hormone and arginine vasopressin (1). Results of several studies indicate that the inhibitory effect in this time domain is mediated through induction of new protein synthesis, because this suppression can be blocked by inhibitors of transcription and translation (1, 2). Several proteins have been proposed as mediating feedback (1); however, it is presently unclear if they are involved in the process.Differential display is a method for identifying and cloning induced genes (3). The method involves synthesis of cDNA from mRNA by reverse transcription followed by PCR amplification of 3Ј-termini of the cDNA fragments using combinations of downstream (oligo(dT)) and upstream arbitrary primers. The labeled, amplified fragments are separated on polyacrylamide gels, and induced fragments are identified by comparison with bands originating from RNA isolated from noninduced cells or tissues.In an attempt to identify the gene(s) and protein(s) mediating early feedback, we used differential display to isolate dexamethasone (Dex)-induced genes in AtT-20 cells. These mousederived corticotroph tumor cells have been shown to be an appropriate model for study of feedback regulation of ACTH secretion (2, 4). EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURESDifferential Display-Total RNA was collected from AtT-20/D16 -16 cells cultured using standard methods (4). Cells were cultured in 75-cm 2 flasks and treated either with Dex at 100 nM for 2-24 h or with an equivalent volume of ethanol (vehicle). RNA was collected using phenol/ guanidine isothiocyanate (TRIzol, Life Technologies, Inc.) and was treated with DNase I to remove chromosomal DNA. Differential display was performed using the RNAimage system (GenHunter, Nashville, TN) using combinations of three one-base-anchored oligo(dT) primers (-G, -A, and -C) and 80 upstream primers for PCR.33 P-...

Results suggest that excision followed by electron beam irradiation may be beneficial for treatment of cats with vaccine-associated sarcomas. Extent of excision prior to radiotherapy did not seem to be associated with recurrence rate.

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The accepted cut-off value for adrenal gland maximum diameter of 0.74 cm to distinguish adrenal gland enlargement in dogs regardless of body weight may not be appropriate for small to medium breed dogs. The purpose of the current retrospective study was to examine adrenal gland dimensions as a function of body weight in healthy dogs in three weight categories (< 10 kg, 10-30 kg, and > 30 kg) representing small, medium, and large breeds, respectively, to establish greater confidence in determining if adrenal gland size is abnormal. The measurements of length (sagittal plane), cranial and caudal pole thickness (sagittal and transverse planes), and caudal pole width (transverse plane) of both adrenal glands were obtained ultrasonographically in clinically healthy dogs (n = 45) with 15 dogs in each weight group. Findings support our hypothesis that adrenal gland size correlates with body weight in normal dogs, and more precise reference intervals should be created for adrenal gland size by categorizing dogs as small, medium, or large breed. The caudal pole thickness of either adrenal gland in a sagittal plane was the best dimension for evaluating adrenal gland size based on low variability, ease, and reliability in measurement.

Because of the diverse nature of endocrine organs, and their vast range of physiologic functions, endocrine tumors encompass a wide range of origination sites and disease entities. The clinical picture of affected individuals is highly dependent on the tissue of origin, and the presence or absence of functional hormone secretions. Identification, localization, and therapeutic strategies, as well as prognosis can vary greatly. Many endocrine tumors have been described in human as well as veterinary patients. This article focuses on endocrine tumors of dogs and cats. Various tumors affecting the pancreas, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands are described, including insulinoma, gastrinoma, glucagonoma, and thyroid carcinoma, as well as parathyroid hormone- and growth hormone-secreting tumors. The syndrome of multiple endocrine neoplasia is also described.

Older horses have higher ACTH concentrations in several fall and winter months and higher insulin concentrations in September than do younger horses. Seasonally specific reference ranges are required for α-MSH and insulin concentrations, with significantly higher concentrations detected in the fall. Practitioners should be advised to submit samples only to local laboratories that can provide such reference ranges for their local geographic region.