Bob, I have sent you the reference list on human and rat hormonal cancers
and melatonin cycle disruption.  Given how full your e-mail mailbox tends
to be, a second copy by snail mail should be reaching you about now; I used
both.  There's a MARVELOUS overview in the Oct 17th edition of Science News
and I know you'll have that around.  At least one study was missed because
the one involving light used on the backs of the knees and the effects seen
was not mentioned, but I don't know if any other studies were missed since
chrononeurophysiology is certainly not something I follow avidly.
 
Have to say that I agree with Bob on most of his points but not all.  I
personally suspect that there are multiple possible triggers, some of which
might work in synchrony so I don't think an exclusionary approach would be
the best.  I therefore think each of ALL the possible triggers need to be
studied.  I also think that it's important to find out how many
asymptomatic adrenals might exist, and to determine if those pose a hazard
so people know if they are looking at a problem of eliminating something
which might push a common situation over the edge, or at stopping the
growths from scratch, or both.  (Remember that in humans something like 25%
have slipped discs but most of those never cause a problem; sometimes
degree matters a great deal.)
 
Like Bob I also become very frustrated by people here who treat care
questions as if they are fashions, and hypotheses as if they are
automatically facts or impossibilities.  Good, solid research takes time,
money, ability, and substantiation.  For many health advances a decade is a
blink of an eye.  It may not seem that way when people hear news broadcasts
but those don't get down to the nitty gritty like preliminary work,
preliminary studies, testing, making measurements, sometimes having to
develop new equipment or techniques, the searching and searching and the
debating and debating, and so on.  There's not a researcher out there who
doesn't get shot down with objections and then have to assess which are
valid objections (and why, plus why the others are not) and how to work
those challenges into the research and interpretation.  That is what builds
the strongest projects -- the problems encountered and dealt with, not any
lack of challenges.  It's not a "pat on the back" type of endeavor, and it
is anything BUT fast.  As a result those who mention hypotheses have to let
it be known that they are just that.  This is what Judi did in the letter
on her observations; she was very up front that she has suspicions which
make her think in a certain direction right now but that the studies don't
yet exist.  She was very clear that she has wanted to study the topic for
some time but the funding wasn't there; i.e. there is not yet even one
actual hard study.  This is the SAME problem encountered by the other
interesting hypotheses, together or separately.  I also mentioned that the
studies which do exist and are tantalizing are early  (Everything in the
field of chrononeurophysiology is early since it's so new, and these
multiple studies go back only about 8 years.) non-ferret studies on
melatonin cycle disruption in relation to hormonal cancers.  No one has
said that for our ferrets this WILL work, or that it WON'T work, or that it
will ALWAYS work -- just that it MIGHT work in at least some cases, so
since a dark enclosure (whether a sack of blackout material lined with
fleece, or a box, or such) is something which ferrets ENJOY it's worth a
try making some.  (You wouldn't believe the number of letters I have gotten
asking, "Well, does it work or not?" or something similar, or asking for
specifics which just plain aren't known.  This is very frustrating so I
figured maybe I'd help people understand that even after the funding,
equipment, staff, and so-forth for a study are gotten -- which can
sometimes take years in themselves -- there's still a HUGE amount of work
ahead, and that is true for ANY of the hypotheses of possible adrenal
growth triggers.) For EACH AND EVERY ONE of the hypothesized triggers we
have talked about (genetics, food, virus, early neutering, etc.), these
remain only interesting DIRECTIONS to look in, folks, NOT about either-or
in ANY way, NOT about something firm yet, and certainly not about fashions.
 
A dear friend (May I say who?) mentioned that no one has brought up the
current (and again -- new) work on environmental pseudoestrogens such as
those found in some plasticizers, and that this could have bearing on such
investigations as well as on whether we really want to use a lot of certain
types of plastics for ferret equipment.
 
It's very interesting hearing that there may be a number of ferrets in the
Netherlands which have been exposed to lights at night and have not gotten
adrenal growths.  It would be interesting to compare rates and to compare
veterinary tendency to recognize adrenal growths.  If, in fact, there are
similar proportions of ferrets there exposed to similar night lighting
levels inside the homes and they are diagnosed as well (and US ones aren't
over-diagnosed) then that could be useful info.
 
Similarly, it is useful to know how many whole animals and late neuters get
adrenal growths.  I've been told by both British and New Zealand breeders
that they don't see adrenal growths in their ferrets at home, but the
siblings of these same ferrets come to the U.S.  and are neutered late and
they DO get adrenal growths.  Whether the proportion is the same as early
neuters, who knows?  Again, numbers would be needed, and if there's one
thing lacking it's the numbers on even the most simple and basic aspects of
the adrenal question.
 
As was also pointed out, we might be dealing with different illnesses, or
somewhat different ones in adrenal growths which happen in youth as opposed
to those in elderly ferrets.  It may even be that at any age there are
variations in adrenal hyperplasias which can not yet be told apart so the
questions might be about typeS of growths rather than one type and that
could influence the researches whenever they begin.
 
Again, EVERY suggestion and suspicion out there is ONLY that at this point
and nothing more due to the lack of testing (which in turn is partly
because so few ferret people are helping to support veterinary research to
help ferrets).  Many basics just are not known at all.  Zip, Zero, Blank,
Nada... Also, folks don't know if there is only one trigger or multiple
triggers, or if any multiple triggers may have to act together in cases
where the animal isn't compromised.  Complicated problems, yes.  Unusual
problems, no.
 
I'm with Bob in thinking that if something looks potentially useful and
isn't harmful, especially if the ferrets enjoy it, then it's worth a try
just in case.  Ferret ENJOY sleeping in dark places; it's natural to them
so we figure we'll try it when I get the time to construct things -- just
in case, AND for their sheer pleasure.  I don't really care WHAT the
triggers turn out to be; I just care that the most likely suspects are
found and tested, so that KNOWLEDGEABLE actions can eventually be taken by
all.  (Heck, you knew that from the amount of money Steve and I put into
veterinary research each year even though we're only middle class.)
 
Sukie
[Posted in FML issue 2513]