Diabetes in Danish Bank Voles (M. glareolus): Survivorship, Influence on Weight, and Evaluation of Polydipsia as a Screening Tool for Hyperglycaemia

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have concluded that the development of polydipsia (PD, a daily water intake ≥ 21 ml) among captive Danish bank voles, is associated with the development of a type 1 diabetes (T1D), based on findings of hyperglycaemia, glucosuria, ketonuria/-emia, lipemia, destroyed beta cells, and presence of autoantibodies against GAD65, IA-2, and insulin. AIM AND METHODS: We retrospectively analysed data from two separate colonies of Danish bank voles in order to 1) estimate survivorship after onset of PD, 2) evaluate whether the weight of PD voles differed from non-PD voles, and, 3), evaluate a state of PD as a practical and non-invasive tool to screen for voles with a high probability of hypeglycaemia. In addition, we discuss regional differences related to the development of diabetes in Scandinavian bank voles and the relevance of the Ljungan virus as proposed etiological agent. RESULTS: We found that median survival after onset of PD is at least 91 days (lower/upper quartiles = 57/134 days) with a maximum recording of at least 404 days survivorship. The development of PD did not influence the weight of Danish bank voles. The measures of accuracy when using PD as predictor of hyperglycaemia, i.e. sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value, equalled 69%, 97%, 89%, and 89%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The relatively long survival of Danish PD bank voles suggests potentials for this model in future studies of the long-term complications of diabetes, of which some observations are mentioned. Data also indicates that diabetes in Danish bank is not associated with a higher body weight. Finally, the method of using measurements of daily water intake to screen for voles with a high probability of hyperglycaemia constitutes a considerable refinement when compared to the usual, invasive, methods

Diabetic gastroparesis: functional/morphologic background, diagnosis, and treatment options.

The regulation of gastrointestinal motility mainly involves the smooth muscle, neural (extrinsic and intrinsic), and hormonal elements, the glial cells, and the interstitial cells of Cajal. An orchestrated function of all these components is required for the appropriate propulsive movement of the food in the gastrointestinal tract. Gastroparesis, a pathological slowing-down of gastric emptying, is a result of the damage to the tissue elements involved in the regulation of motility. Gastroparesis is one of the well-known complications of long-standing diabetes mellitus. Although it is rarely a life-threatening complication, it has a deteriorating effect on the quality of life, leads to unpredictable oscillation of the blood glucose level, and increases the time required for the absorption of food and medicines. This review describes the clinical characteristics of diabetic gastroparesis and summarizes the organic and functional motility abnormalities caused by this complication. Finally, the currently available and potential future therapeutic approaches are summarized

The “outer dimensions”: impulsivity, anger/aggressiveness, activation

The “outer” SVARAD dimensions, impulsivity, anger/aggressiveness, and activation, represent trans-diagnostic psychological and behavioural domains that span traditional categorical boundaries. At the neurobiological level, the fronto-limbic and the fronto-cerebellar circuitry, as well as molecular pathways involving dopamine, serotonin, testosterone, and inflammatory mediators, play a crucial role in mediating the biological underpinnings of these psychopathological dimensions. From a clinical perspective, as the combination of clusters of symptoms differs from patient to patient and gives rise to a wide variety of clinical pictures even among subjects with the same diagnosis, it is important that the clinical features related to impulsivity, anger, aggressiveness, and activation are specifically and multiparametrically investigated and treated. The aim of the present chapter is to discuss the psychopathological aspects, the neurobiological underpinnings, and the clinical implications related to the “outer dimensions” in clinical psychiatry