These results indicated that plasma creatinine, urea nitrogen, inorganic phosphate, packed cell volume and urine protein/creatinine ratio were associated with death within one month and urine protein/creatinine ratio was most likely to be associated with mortality in cats with chronic renal failure.

Leptin is a cytokine produced by adipocytes, and plays a key role in the regulation of energy balance. In the present study, we measured plasma leptin concentrations of 166 normal and obese dogs visiting veterinary practices, and clarified the influence of age, gender and breed on plasma leptin levels in dogs. Leptin levels were higher in the dogs with higher body condition scores. There was no noticeable influence of age, gender and breed, but those in optimal puppies and obese Miniature Dachshund tended to be lower than those in corresponding groups. We conclude that plasma leptin is a reliable marker of adiposity in dogs regardless of age, gender and breed variations, and thereby useful as a blood biochemistry test for health examinations and treatment of obesity.2

No abstract

ABSTRACT. To assess relationships between nucleotide polymorphisms of the prion protein (PRNP) gene and susceptibility to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), we investigated polymorphisms in the open reading frame (ORF) and 2 upper regions of the PRNP gene from 2 Japanese cattle breeds: 863 healthy Holstein cattle, 6 BSE-affected Holstein cattle, and 186 healthy Japanese Black (JB) cattle. In the ORF, we found single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at nucleotide positions 234 and 576 and found 5 or 6 copies of the octapeptide repeat, but we did not find any amino acid substitutions. In the upper region, we examined 2 sites of insertion/deletion (indel) polymorphisms: a 23-bp indel in the upper region of exon 1, and a 12-bp indel in the putative promoter region of intron 1. A previous report suggests that the 23-bp indel polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to BSE, but we did not find a difference in allele frequency between healthy and BSE-affected Holstein cattle. There were differences in allele frequency between healthy Holstein and JB cattle at the 23-and 12-bp indels and at the SNPs at nucleotide positions 234 and 576, but there was no difference in allele frequency of the octapeptide repeat. We identified a unique PRNP gene lacking a 288-bp segment (96 amino acids) in DNA samples stocked in our laboratory, but this deletion was not found in any of the 1049 cattle examined in the present study. The present results provide data about variations and distribution of the bovine PRNP gene.

ABSTRACT. Various canine breeds are remarkably different from each other not only in their sizes and shapes but also in behavioral traits, suggesting that some of them are under genetic control. Although dopaminergic neurotransmission system is considered to affect animal behavior, little is known about related genes in canine. Relations between specific alleles in polymorphic regions of the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) and personality or psychiatric disorders have been reported in humans, and we first found polymorphism in exon III region of the gene in 4 canine breeds. In this study we surveyed allele frequency distribution in 23 breeds including a total of 1,535 unrelated individuals. In exon III, 8 alleles including a novel allele were identified. A group of breeds in which the alleles 447b, 498 and 549 were frequent tended toward high scores in aggression-related behavioral traits than that with frequent alleles 435 and 447a. Moreover, a polymorphism based on 24 bp insertion/deletion was found in exon I region for the first time in dogs. This information may be of use for candidate gene studies of behavioral variation in dogs. KEY WORDS: canine, dopamine receptor D4 gene, exons III and I, polymorphism, variation among breeds.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 66 (7): [815][816][817][818][819][820] 2004 The dog (Canis familiaris) is one of the oldest domestic species [6]. Repeated selection for the various purposes, such as hunting, herding and guarding, has made dogs vary in size, shape and behavior. Consequently, more than 400 canine breeds currently exist, and behavioral traits as well as external morphology are different among breeds [2,9,19], suggesting that some of them are under genetic control.In humans, several candidate genes have been reported to have association between their polymorphisms and particular personality [1,8,12,17]. Dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4), which is one of the genes relevant to neurotransmitters, includes polymorphisms in several regions. Associations have been reported between these polymorphisms and personality or psychiatric disorders, such as 'Novelty Seeking' [1], attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) [11] and delusional disorder [4], although a considerable number of reports found no association [3,21]. The association between DRD4 and 'Novelty Seeking' is further supported by the study that DRD4 knock-out (DRD4-/-) mice are significantly less behaviorally responsive to novelty than are DRD4+/+ wild-type mice [7], suggesting that this association may be applied to other mammalian species.We previously investigated exon III region of DRD4 in dogs, demonstrated polymorphism as observed in humans, identified 7 alleles (396, 435, 447a, 447b, 486, 498 and 549) based on the number and order of the 12 and 39 bp units, and found that allele frequencies significantly varied among 4 breeds (Beagle, Golden Retriever, Shetland Sheepdog and Shiba) [14,15]. Moreover, we also found, among species in Carnivora, only Canidae (dog, wolf, and raccoon dog) had repeat structure and/or po...

The Noma horse is a Japanese breed from the Noma region of Imabari City, Ehime Prefecture. To obtain reference hematological and biochemical values, we performed examinations in 39 clinically healthy, mature Noma horses managed at the Imabari public ranch. Hematological and biochemical results of Noma horses were close to the normal ranges of horses in the U.S.A. The erythrocyte parameters and hepatobiliary enzyme levels in Noma and Kiso horses were lower than those in Japanese racehorses. Noma horses showed higher erythrocyte parameters and triglyceride concentrations and a lower creatinine concentration compared with those in Kiso horses. These data represent the first report of reference values for Noma horses and may be useful to improve their management.

The realization of a photonic band gap (PBG)—not only for transverse electric (TE), but also transverse magnetic (TM)-like polarization modes in two-dimensional photonic crystal slab—is of interest for various applications. Such a complete PBG has been investigated theoretically in two-dimensional structures of which thickness is infinity. However, a complete PBG has not been demonstrated in feasible two-dimensional slab structure. In this letter, we propose two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs consisting of a triangular lattice of triangular air holes to achieve a complete PBG, and report the transmission spectra of fabricated samples. The results indicate that the degeneracy between the first and second band at the J point for TM-like polarization mode is solved, and PBG for TM-like polarization mode is obtained. Finally, we confirm the overlap of PBG between TE- and TM-like polarization modes.

ABSTRACT. Benazepril (BP), an angiotensin convertive enzyme inhibitor, was administered orally once daily for 4 weeks to 31 dogs with mild to moderate (NYHA functional classes II and III) congestive heart failure caused from mitral insufficiency (MI). There were no significant changes in clinical signs, electrocardiogram findings, radiographical observations and plasma biochemical results in 11 dogs treated with placebo for 4 weeks. In 31 dogs treated with BP, appetite increased, and mean scores of heart failure signs, such as activity, exercise tolerance, cough and respiratory effort, were significantly improved. No dog displays signs suggesting systemic hypotension. One dog died suddenly on the 26th day of treatment with BP. This dog had good vigor and appetite till the evening before the death, and cough and exercise tolerance had been gradually improving. The heart rate and ECG parameters of BP treated dogs did not change significantly, but length of long axis of the heart decreased. In plasma biochemical tests, plasma urea nitrogen (UN) levels did not change significantly, and plasma creatinine (CRE) levels increased slightly within the normal ranges during BP trial. Two dogs had higher plasma UN levels with slightly higher plasma CRE levels, but had normal general condition and other biochemical results. Plasma ACE activity decreased to 57.3% of pre-treatment level at 4 weeks after BP treatment. It is concluded that BP monotherapy was efficacious at least in dogs with relatively low grade congestive heart failure caused by MI. -KEY WORDS: ACE inhibitor, benazepril, canine, congestive heart failure, mitral insufficiency.