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Biomedical subjects

D S Dimski

Publications and source records attributed to D S Dimski.

13 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1999

Effects of oral administration of orotic acid on hepatic morphologic characteristics and serum biochemical variables in cats.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate orotic acid (OA) as a possible etiologic factor in cats with idiopathic hepatic lipidosis (HL). ANIMALS: 20 clinically normal adult female cats. PROCEDURE: Cats were fed a control diet or a diet containing less protein. On day 1 of the control period, blood, urine, and liver biopsy specimens were obtained. Each cat was given an oral dose of water daily. On days 8, 15, and 22, blood and urine specimens were collected as on day 1. On day 29, liver, blood, and urine samples were obtained as on day 1. After a resting period of 30 to 60 days, cats were treated with orotic acid. Serum biochemical analyses, urinary OA-to-creatinine ratios, and liver biopsy specimens were evaluated. Cats were given OA orally (suspension or capsules) for 29 days. Sample collection and data obtained were identical to those described for the control period. RESULTS: Urinary OA-to-creatinine ratios were significantly higher in all treated cats, but ratios were significantly higher in those receiving OA in capsules than in those receiving OA in suspension. Diet or treatment did not alter hepatic biochemical or histologic variables significantly. However, 7 cats given the highest dose of OA in capsules developed azotemia, urolithiasis, and renal changes. CONCLUSIONS: Most concentrations of OA used in this study did not induce HL in cats during a 29-day period, but the highest dosage used did result in renal disease. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Orotic acid does not appear to be involved in the genesis of HL in cats.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1999

Urinary orotic acid-to-creatinine ratios in cats with hepatic lipidosis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine urinary orotic acid (OA) concentration and evaluate the urinary OA-to-creatinine ratio (OACR) in cats with hepatic lipidosis (HL). ANIMALS: 20 cats with HL and 20 clinically normal cats. PROCEDURE: Hepatic lipidosis was diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs, results of serum biochemical analyses, exclusion of other concurrent illness, and cytologic or histologic evaluation of liver biopsy specimens. Urine samples were collected from each cat and frozen at -20 C until assayed. Urine creatinine concentrations were determined, using an alkaline picrate method followed by spectrophotometric assay. Urine OA concentration was determined, using high-performance liquid chromatography. Minimum amount of detectable OA in feline urine was 1 microg/ml. Because of small interfering peaks near the base of the OA peak, the minimum quantifiable concentration of OA was determined to be 5 microg/ml. Urinary OACR was compared in both groups of cats. RESULTS: Differences in urinary OACR were not detected between clinically normal cats and cats with HL. Peaks were not detected for urinary OA in any of the 20 clinically normal cats. Of the 20 HL cats, 14 did not have detectable peaks for urinary OA. Of the 6 HL cats that had detectable urinary OA peaks, 3 had values of <5 microg/ml. CONCLUSIONS: Apparently, OACR does not increase significantly in cats with HL. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Urinary OACR is not a useful diagnostic test for HL in cats.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Feline hepatic lipidosis.

Hepatic lipidosis occurs when lipid mobilized to the liver exceeds lipid leaving the liver via formation of very-low-density lipoproteins or by oxidation. Hepatic lipidosis in cats is associated with overt liver dysfunction. In affected cats, excess lipid is mobilized to the liver because of starvation. Removal of hepatic lipid may be impaired because of protein malnutrition, a relative carnitine deficiency, or oxidative damage to peroxisomes and other hepatic organelles. Hepatic lipidosis occurs in adult cats, and is manifest by signs of weight loss, depression, vomiting, and icterus. Diagnosis is achieved by evaluating laboratory and diagnostic imaging data, in conjunction with a liver biopsy. Aggressive tube feeding is the treatment of choice. With this treatment, survival rates are 60% to 80%.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Feline idiopathic hepatic lipidosis.

Feline IHL is a severe hepatopathy that can be treated by aggressive nutritional support. Until the underlying mechanisms of protein and lipid metabolism are understood in both healthy and ill cats, dietary therapy remains supportive. It is likely that the pathogenesis of IHL in cats is multifactorial, involving both increased fatty acid mobilization to the liver and a defect in oxidation of fatty acids or removal of VLDL. It is also possible that individual variation may play a role in the development of this disease in cats undergoing starvation. Continued studies will focus on the unique pathways of hepatic metabolism in the cat, and how these pathways are altered, leading to hepatic lipid accumulation and clinical disease. Hopefully, these studies can be applied to the prevention or treatment of IHL in cats.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Hepatic encephalopathy: clinical signs, pathogenesis, and treatment.

Hepatic encephalopathy is a metabolic encephalopathy that is completely reversible if treated early and appropriately. It is seen most commonly in dogs and cats with portosystemic portal hypertension. Antibiotics, lactulose, and dietary manipulation should be initiated as soon as hepatic encephalopathy is suspected. The prognosis of hepatic encephalopathy is complex and is not completely understood.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Renal autotransplantation in the loin pain-hematuria syndrome: a cautionary note.

The current literature suggests that renal autotransplantation is nearly uniformly effective in controlling the severe and debilitating pain of the loin pain-hematuria syndrome (LPHS). However, we report two patients thought to have this syndrome in whom renal autotransplantation did not result in long-term control of pain. In case 1, autotransplantation resulted in immediate cessation of pain; however, the flank pain recurred 7 1/2 months later. The recurrent pain was also severe and debilitating, requiring narcotic medications for control. In case 2, autotransplantation of the left kidney resulted in chronic pain in the left pelvic area, the site of the autotransplanted kidney. In addition, the patient continued to experience chronic discomfort in the left flank and along the flank incision. One year after autotransplantation, the patient still requires multiple daily doses of narcotic medications for pain control. Our two patients represent the 13th and 14th reported patients subjected to renal autotransplantation for management of LPHS. They represent only the third and fourth reported patients with recurrence of pain after renal autotransplantation. Because studies with negative results are less likely to be reported in the literature than studies with positive results, it is possible that the literature overestimates the effectiveness of renal autotransplantation in the LPHS. To assess the true effectiveness of renal autotransplantation in LPHS, a survey of patients with LPHS who have undergone renal autotransplantation needs to be performed.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Serum lipoprotein concentrations and hepatic lesions in obese cats undergoing weight loss.

Serum lipoprotein concentrations, routine serum biochemical values, and morphologic changes of the liver were evaluated in cats undergoing weight loss. Food was withheld from 6 obese and 6 control cats for 3 days (days 0 to 2), followed by feeding 50% of previous food intake for 26 days (days 3 to 28). Percutaneous liver biopsy specimens were obtained from all cats on days 0, 7, 14, and 28. Blood samples for serum biochemical analysis and lipoprotein profiles were obtained on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28. All cats lost weight throughout the study, and none developed signs of clinical illness, including those of idiopathic hepatic lipidosis syndrome. Serum total cholesterol concentrations decreased initially in all cats, but rapidly returned to normal after day 3 in obese cats, suggesting altered cholesterol metabolism during dietary restriction. Low-density lipoprotein concentrations decreased throughout the study in control cats, but were unchanged in obese cats. Examination of liver biopsy specimens from each cat revealed minimal lipid accumulation in all specimens, although some specimens contained hydropic degeneration.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed1991

Tracheal obstruction caused by tree needles in a cat.

Tracheal obstruction was suspected in a 1-year-old female domestic shorthair cat. Clinical signs consisted of inspiratory and expiratory dyspnea and cyanosis. The cat did not improve when treated with oxygen, epinephrine, prednisolone sodium succinate, and aminophylline. Bronchoscopy revealed obstruction of the trachea and carina by a 2.5-cm twig and needles from a Douglas fir tree. Needles had migrated into distal airways. The cat was euthanatized at the owner's request.

Airway Obstruction↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Ammonia metabolism and the urea cycle: function and clinical implications.

Disposal of waste products accumulated during metabolic processes is integral to the health of any living organism. Disposal of excess nitrogen and ammonia is no exception. Although nitrogen is essential for growth and maintenance in animals, an excess of some nitrogenous compounds can quickly lead to toxicity and death. Because of the correlation between ammonia accumulation and clinical disease, it is important for veterinary clinicians to understand the physiological mechanisms used to dispose of nitrogen and ammonia. Therefore, the purposes of this article are to review ammonia metabolism, the urea cycle, and the clinical implications of urea cycle dysfunction in diseases of companion animals.

Acid-Base Equilibrium↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of a saliva test kit for feline leukemia virus antigen.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test kit for the detection of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) antigen in saliva was evaluated in 150 cats. Saliva and blood samples from all cats were tested for FeLV using the saliva ELISA kit and a plasma ELISA kit, respectively. These results were compared with indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) testing of blood smears also obtained from each cat. The proportion of cats that tested positive were 10%, 7%, and 8% for each test, respectively. Using the IFA test as the gold standard, the saliva FeLV test had a sensitivity of 91.7% and specificity of 97.1%, while the plasma ELISA test had a sensitivity of 91.7% and specificity of 100%.

Animals↗