I am looking forward to learning more about the references on ferrets
and carbohydrates, and insulinoma and carbohydrates. Bibliographies
rock.

The most recent write-up that I have read on work on the insulinoma
hypothesis for ferrets by highly respected ferret veterinary expert:
Dr Mark Finkler, JEMM&S, volume 2.2, Dec 2004. 

Although he does tend to believe it he is very fair, very professional,
and makes a strong point of letting people know how and why the
various components are (or were -- if knowledge on some of them has
significantly improved in the last two years) hypothetical. He also
pointed out that the chain of hypotheses given began with diabetes
work in cats, not insulinoma in ferrets.

I have since read multiple articles calling into question the effect of
carbohydrates in relation to diabetes on-set. That is a question which
is being highly debated. Heck, it is being hotly debated. In fact, I
know that some of those more recent articles (and at least two backing
the hypothesis which I also shared) are in the archives so those who
want to can find them there.

There were two very recent diabetes breakthroughs, BTW. So, in case
either of these are useful here you are. One was released on my
birthday and is from a Canadian led team ( which turned the standard
"diabetes causes neural damage" concept on its head and investigated
whether some of the neural damage seen might itself be the cause of
diabetes. They were able to reverse diabetes in mice.

Here are a few sentences from the AFP write-up on their work:
>The group discovered that abnormal nerve endings in insulin- producing
>pancreas islet cells sparked a chain of events that caused Type 1
>diabetes in mice.
>
>When they removed the sensory neurons, it prevented inflammation of
>the cells and the mice did not develop the disorder.
>
>An injection also cleared islet cell inflammation in afflicted mice
>within a day and normalized the elevated insulin resistance normally
>associated with the disease.

That work was done at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, the
University of Calgary, and the Jackson Laboratory in Maine and can
be found in the journal, Cell.

Also recent was a press release from the University of Bonn which
included:

>Linchpin discovered in insulin metabolism
>
>Chemists and biologists find gene which might -- if defect --
>contribute to the development of Type II diabetes
>
>Scientists from the new interdisciplinary LIMES (Life & Medical
>Sciences) Centre at the University of Bonn have identified a new gene
>which could play an important role in the development of diabetes.

I didn't make a note where that is published, but I think that it also
is in Cell. I recall two diabetes articles being in that issue.

Of course, FML members already are waiting to see what arises from the
genetic vulnerabilities work currently being done at UC Davis. Those of
us who had ferrets back decades ago when adrenal disease and insulinoma
were very uncommon, despite the foods being worse are especially
curious to see which genetic vulnerabilities may be present, and may
have increased in the ferret population between then and now.

The more time passes the more is learned. Look at it as compensation
for getting older. I do. VBG! (But just as am a lumper rather than a
splitter in taxonomy, I also tend to require a lot of hard proof and
formal research challenges before I personally consider something to be
sufficiently verified rather than hypothetical. people vary in their
personal requirements on that score, and that is just a difference
among people which needs to be tolerated, like so many other
differences.

Sukie (not a vet) and hoping to get to today's FML before tonight!
Current FHL address:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth
People can join there or can send a blank mail to the automated 
joining address:
[log in to unmask]
and then follow the directions.
(The second is recommended for those having problems with Yahoogroups
web settings, and afterward send a blank mail from your subscribed
address to
[log in to unmask]
to get the digest instead of individual mails. )
Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/

[Posted in FML 5466]