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A 12-year-old, castrated male cat with diabetes mellitus was diagnosed with acromegaly and examined with magnetic resonance imaging (enlarged pituitary gland, 8 mm); serum hormone concentrations were measured. After the first course of radiation therapy (4 Gy, 12 fractions), insulin administration was not required from day 420 after diagnosis. Enlarged pituitary tumor (8 mm) recurred, and insulin dosage amount of the cat was increased on day 1,065. The second course of radiation therapy (6 Gy, 4 fractions) was performed on day 1,201 and insulin administration was again discontinued. However, the cat died from lymphoma on day 1,397. Postmortem examination revealed pituitary adenoma. Most tumor cells were positive for chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and growth hormone immunohistochemistry. The pancreatic islet cells revealed diffuse hyperplasia. We achieved long-term successful management of an acromegalic cat with two courses of RT. However, a protocol for a second course of RT for feline recurrent pituitary tumor should be further discussed.

Insulin degludec (IDeg) is a new insulin formulation that facilitates long-term control of glucose level in humans. In this study, we investigated the effects of IDeg on glycemic control in dogs. Its time-action profiles were monitored in healthy dogs using an artificial pancreas apparatus under euglycemic conditions. At 9.0-13.5 hr post-IDeg injection, an indistinct peak of glucose level was detected. Moreover, the action of IDeg was persistent for >20 hr. Both IDeg and neutral protamine Hagedorn insulin (NPH) lowered blood glucose concentrations in diabetic dogs, but IDeg caused postprandial hyperglycemia and a somewhat lower preprandial glucose level than that caused by NPH. IDeg might be ineffective in concurrently preventing postprandial hyperglycemia and preprandial hypoglycemia in a single-agent administration.

Measurements of glycated proteins such as serum fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin, and glycated albumin (GA) are increasingly used to complement serum glucose concentration for better management of diabetes mellitus. For example, the degree of glycemic control in diabetic cats can be determined by evaluating fructosamine concentration. Unfortunately, fructosamine tests are currently not performed in Japan, and as such, the measurement of GA may serve as a replacement test. The objectives of the current study were 2-fold. First, serum GA and fructosamine level were evaluated for positive correlation in cats as a preliminary gauge on whether serum GA use is applicable. Second, a GA percentage reference range was determined from healthy control cats for possible future diagnostic use. A positive correlation was determined for fructosamine and GA in both normal and diabetic cats. Moreover, the serum GA percentage reference interval based on control cats was determined to be 7.5-13.9% (95% nonparametric interfractile interval). Interestingly, no significant difference in serum GA percentages was observed between samples from diabetic cats with excellent glycemic control and control cats. However, good, fair, and poor glycemic control diabetic cats resulted in a significant increase in serum GA percentages in comparison to control cats. Therefore, these results indicate that serum GA may be a useful glycemic control indicator that could substitute for fructosamine to monitor glycemic control in diabetic cats.

Measurements of serum fructosamine, glycated hemoglobin, and glycated albumin (GA) are increasingly used to complement serum glucose concentration for better management of diabetes mellitus. Fructosamine tests are currently not performed in veterinary medicine in Japan. As such, the measurement of GA may serve as a replacement test. Therefore, in the current study, serum GA and fructosamine were evaluated for a positive correlation in dogs, and, depending on the correlation, a reference range of GA percentage would also be determined from healthy control dogs. The degree of glycemic control in diabetic dogs was determined by fructosamine concentration. A positive correlation between GA and fructosamine was observed with both normal and diabetic animals. In addition, the reference interval of serum GA percentage in control dogs was determined to be 11.4-11.9% (95% confidence interval). Interestingly, no significant difference in serum GA percentages was observed between samples from diabetic dogs with excellent glycemic control and control dogs. However, good, fair, and poor glycemic control diabetic dogs resulted in a significant increase in serum GA percentages in comparison with control dogs. These results suggest that serum GA may be a useful diagnostic indicator, substituting for fructosamine, to monitor glycemic control in diabetic dogs.

The article presents a study which aims to investigate whether the changes in the metabolism of the peripheral leukocyte can reflect the intensive use of insulin for the treatment of dogs with type 1 diabetes mellitus that leads to tight glycemic control. It mentions the use of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect the changes in insulin that indicates the levels of insulin receptor substrates (IRS)-1, IRS-2 and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) in leukocytes. Results show that the changes in the activity of insulin signaling pathway and the energy metabolism in cell reflect the features of amelioration through insulin activity.