Concentrations of electrolytes, hormones, and other constituents in fresh postmortem blood and urine of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus)

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 438-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Kjeld
Keyword(s):  
Bottlenose Dolphins ◽  
Serum Triglyceride ◽  
Urine Osmolality ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
Serum Aldosterone ◽  
Urinary Potassium ◽  
Postmortem Blood ◽  
Fin Whales

Concentrations of various blood and urine constituents were measured on postmortem samples from 286 fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) caught off Iceland during the summers of 1981–1989. Measurements were carried out on both serum and urine from 21 whales so that results could be compared. The mean serum urea concentration in fin whales was similar to that in odontocetes but 5 times higher than in domesticated terrestrial mammals. Serum triglyceride concentrations were twice as high as in fasting man and showed no diurnal peaks. Serum cortisol concentrations were about 2 times lower than in domestic mammals and showed neither diurnal variation nor a significant correlation with chase time (time from sighting until killing). Serum aldosterone concentrations were similar to those in bottlenose dolphins and, as expected, showed a negative correlation with urinary Na+ concentration. Blood thyroxine levels correlated significantly (p < 0.003) with chase time. Mean urinary potassium concentrations were 6 times higher than average seawater levels, while sodium and chloride levels were about 2–3 times higher than in humans but never as high as those in seawater. Urinary magnesium levels were 4–5 times higher than in domestic animals but less than half those in seawater. Average urine osmolality was higher than in seawater.

scholarly journals Residual Corticosteroid Production in Autoimmune Addison Disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (7) ◽  
pp. 2430-2441
Author(s):  
Åse Bjorvatn Sævik ◽  
Anna-Karin Åkerman ◽  
Paal Methlie ◽  
Marcus Quinkler ◽  
Anders Palmstrøm Jørgensen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Disease Duration ◽  
Plasma Renin ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Addison Disease ◽  
Serum Aldosterone ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass

Abstract Context Contrary to current dogma, growing evidence suggests that some patients with autoimmune Addison disease (AAD) produce corticosteroids even years after diagnosis. Objective To determine frequencies and clinical features of residual corticosteroid production in patients with AAD. Design Two-staged, cross-sectional clinical study in 17 centers (Norway, Sweden, and Germany). Residual glucocorticoid (GC) production was defined as quantifiable serum cortisol and 11-deoxycortisol and residual mineralocorticoid (MC) production as quantifiable serum aldosterone and corticosterone after &gt; 18 hours of medication fasting. Corticosteroids were analyzed by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. Clinical variables included frequency of adrenal crises and quality of life. Peak cortisol response was evaluated by a standard 250 µg cosyntropin test. Results Fifty-eight (30.2%) of 192 patients had residual GC production, more common in men (n = 33; P &lt; 0.002) and in shorter disease duration (median 6 [0-44] vs 13 [0-53] years; P &lt; 0.001). Residual MC production was found in 26 (13.5%) patients and associated with shorter disease duration (median 5.5 [0.5-26.0] vs 13 [0-53] years; P &lt; 0.004), lower fludrocortisone replacement dosage (median 0.075 [0.050-0.120] vs 0.100 [0.028-0.300] mg; P &lt; 0.005), and higher plasma renin concentration (median 179 [22-915] vs 47.5 [0.6-658.0] mU/L; P &lt; 0.001). There was no significant association between residual production and frequency of adrenal crises or quality of life. None had a normal cosyntropin response, but peak cortisol strongly correlated with unstimulated cortisol (r = 0.989; P &lt; 0.001) and plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH; r = –0.487; P &lt; 0.001). Conclusion In established AAD, one-third of the patients still produce GCs even decades after diagnosis. Residual production is more common in men and in patients with shorter disease duration but is not associated with adrenal crises or quality of life.

scholarly journals Autumn movements of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from Svalbard, Norway, revealed by satellite tracking

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Lydersen ◽  
Jade Vacquié-Garcia ◽  
Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen ◽  
Nils Øien ◽  
Christophe Guinet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Tracking ◽  
The Other ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
High Latitudes ◽  
Breeding Area ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Westerly Direction ◽  
Satellite Transmitters ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Insight into animal movements is essential for understanding habitat use by individuals as well as population processes and species life-history strategies. In this study, we instrumented 25 fin whales with ARGOS satellite-transmitters in Svalbard, Norway, to study their movement patterns and behaviour (Area Restricted Search (ARS), transiting or unknown) during boreal autumn/early winter. Ten of the whales stayed in the tagging area (most northerly location: 81.68°N) for their entire tracking periods (max 45 days). The other 15 whales moved in a south-westerly direction; the longest track ended off the coast of northern Africa (> 5000 km from the tagging location) after 96 days. The whales engaged in ARS behaviour intermittently throughout their southward migrations. During transit phases the whales moved quickly; one individual maintained an average horizontal speed of 9.3 km/h (travelling 223 km per day) for a period of a week. This study documents that: (1) some fin whales might remain at high latitudes during winter; (2) the whales that do migrate probably feed along the way; (3) they can maintain high transiting speed for long periods and; (4) one breeding area for this species is likely located in deep, warm water some 100 km west of Morocco.

The distribution, cellular structure, and metabolism of adipose tissue in the fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 534-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline M. Pond ◽  
Christine A. Mattacks
Keyword(s):  
Adipose Tissue ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Glucose Utilization ◽  
Significant Activity ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Fin Whale ◽  
Terrestrial Mammals ◽  
The North ◽  
Adipocyte Volume

The gross mass, mean adipocyte volume, and hexokinase and phosphofructokinase activities of blubber and internal adipose tissue were measured from fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) caught in the North Atlantic west of Iceland. Fin whale adipocytes are smaller but more numerous than predictions from allometric equations relating adipose tissue structure to body mass, but the deviations are no greater than those of some terrestrial mammals, including humans. Significant activity of the glycolytic enzymes was measured from all adipose tissue samples except those around the eyeball; the activities of hexokinase and phosphofructokinase measured at room temperature are only slightly lower in the blubber than in the internal adipose depots. There was little evidence for metabolic correlates of the site-specific differences in the structure and chemistry of blubber. The highest capacity for glucose utilization was measured in adipose tissue from depots in the neck and the thorax, both of which may contain thermogenic tissue in neonates.

Evidence of a calving ground of the resident population of fin whales ( Balaenoptera physalus ) in the Gulf of California

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Bernot‐Simon ◽  
Lorena Viloria‐Gómora ◽  
Alejandro Gómez‐Gallardo ◽  
Jorge Urbán R.
Keyword(s):  
Gulf Of California ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Resident Population ◽  
Fin Whales

Postnatal development of colonic electrolyte transport in rabbits

1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (3) ◽  
pp. G447-G453 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. V. O'Loughlin ◽  
D. M. Hunt ◽  
D. Kreutzmann
Keyword(s):  
Chloride Transport ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Serum Cortisol ◽  
Distal Colon ◽  
Proximal Colon ◽  
Transport Studies ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Serum Aldosterone ◽  
Group Transport

Postnatal changes in adrenal gluco- and mineralocorticoid secretion and colonic sodium and chloride transport were examined. New Zealand White rabbits, age 10-14, 18-22, and 25-30 days, and adult animals (6-10 wk) were studied. Serum cortisol, corticosterone, aldosterone, and mucosal Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activities were measured in each age group. Transport studies were performed in vitro under short-circuited conditions in distal colon at all age groups and in proximal colon in days 10-14 and 18-22 and in adult animals. Serum glucocorticoids varied little until after day 30 when they rose to adult levels. On the other hand, serum aldosterone levels were two- to threefold higher in days 10-14 and 18-22 animals but fell to adult levels by day 25. In distal colon, amiloride-inhibitable electrogenic Na+ absorption was present at all ages but was significantly greater (P less than 0.01) in days 10-14 (3.8 +/- 0.5 mu eq.cm-2.h-1) and 18-22 (4.2 +/- 0.4) rabbits compared with adults (1.9 +/- 0.4) but not day 25-30 (2.8 +/- 0.5). In proximal colon, Na+ absorption was significantly higher (P less than 0.05) in day 10-14 (1.6 +/- 0.5 mu eq.cm-2.h-1) compared with day 18-22 (-0.2 +/- 0.5) and adults (0.06 +/- 0.5) and was amiloride insensitive. Neither chloride transport nor mucosal Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase demonstrated significant age-related changes in either region of colon. These results indicate that both proximal and distal colonic Na+ transport undergoes postnatal changes. In distal but not proximal colon these changes appear to be regulated by circulating aldosterone probably by increasing apical membrane permeability to Na+.

scholarly journals Heightened Cardiovascular Risk in Hypertension Associated With Renin‐Independent Aldosteronism Versus Renin‐Dependent Aldosteronism: A Collaborative Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinbo Hu ◽  
Hang Shen ◽  
Peiqi Huo ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Peter J Fuller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collaborative Study ◽  
Challenge Test ◽  
Plasma Renin ◽  
Excretion Ratio ◽  
Aldosterone Secretion ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
Baseline Serum ◽  
Plasma Renin Concentration ◽  
Serum Aldosterone ◽  
Urinary Potassium

Background While both renin‐dependent and renin‐independent aldosterone secretion contribute to aldosteronism, their relative associations with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk has not been investigated. Methods and Results A total of 2909 participants from the FOS (Framingham Offspring Study) with baseline, serum aldosterone concentration, and plasma renin concentration who attended the sixth examination cycle and were followed up until 2014 and who were free of CVD were included. We further recruited 2612 hypertensive participants from the CONPASS (Chongqing Primary Aldosteronism Study). Captopril challenge test was performed to confirm renin‐dependent or ‐independent aldosteronism in CONPASS. Among 1433 hypertensive subjects of FOS, when compared with those with serum aldosterone concentration <10 ng dL −1 (normal aldosterone), participants who had serum aldosterone concentration ≥10 ng dL −1 and plasma renin concentration ≤15 mIU L −1 (identified as renin‐independent aldosteronism) showed a higher risk of CVD (hazard ratio, 1.40 [95% CI, 1.08–1.82]), while those who had serum aldosterone concentration ≥10 ng dL −1 and plasma renin concentration >15 mIU L −1 (identified as renin‐dependent aldosteronism) showed an unchanged CVD risk. In CONPASS, renin‐independent aldosteronism carried a significantly higher risk of CVD than normal aldosterone (odds ratio, 2.57 [95% CI, 1.13–5.86]), while the CVD risk remained unchanged in renin‐dependent aldosteronism. Elevation of the urinary potassium‐to‐sodium excretion ratio, reflective of mineralocorticoid receptor activity, was only observed in participants with renin‐independent aldosteronism. Conclusions Among patients with hypertension, renin‐independent aldosteronism is more closely associated with CVD risk than renin‐dependent aldosteronism.

scholarly journals Impacts of Whale-Watching on the Short-Term Behavior of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in a Marine Protected Area in the Southeastern Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Macarena Santos-Carvallo ◽  
Fernanda Barilari ◽  
María José Pérez-Alvarez ◽  
Laura Gutiérrez ◽  
Guido Pavez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Protected Area ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Movement Patterns ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Observation Point ◽  
Behavioral Patterns ◽  
Whale Watching ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Fin Whales ◽  
Response Variables

Whale-watching (WW) is an activity which has been increasing worldwide due to the great interest of tourists and the economic benefits it provides to local communities. However, it has been reported that this activity affects the behavioral patterns of some cetaceans, although for some species such as the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) this has not been extensively studied. To identify the effects of WW on the behavioral patterns of this species, we studied its traveling and resting behaviors in a locality of north-central Chile from 2015 to 2018. Using a theodolite, we calculated the response variables of swim speed, directness index, and reorientation for each behavior. We used the number of WW boats and the WW scenarios of “before”, “during”, and “after” the presence of boats as possible factors to explain the differences in the response variables of the whales, along with the factors of year, month, group size, and distance from the observation point. Reorientation increased significantly and the directness index decreased significantly for both traveling and resting behaviors from “before” to “during” WW scenarios, indicating more erratic and sinuous movements in the presence of boats. These changes in movement patterns are a commonly reported evasion response of cetaceans to the presence of WW boats. For traveling behavior, the swimming speed significantly increased, and trends showed increased reorientation and a decrease in the directness index in the “after” WW scenario, which suggests perturbation of the whales potentially associated with the speed and the direction in which the boats left. During resting behavior, the trajectories of the fin whales became straighter (decrease in reorientation) as the number of boats increased, thus evasion (more erratic and sinuous movements) is a behavior used less by fin whales as the number of boats increases. Notwithstanding the fact that tourism development in the study area is small in scale, we found that WW generates adverse effects that are reflected in changes in the whales’ movement patterns. This kind of information is valuable to the adjustment and/or design of management strategies for the species, which is fundamental for WW to continue to be a sustainable activity.

Occurrence of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus) Between Vancouver Island and Continental North America

2018 ◽  
Vol 99 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared R Towers ◽  
Mark Malleson ◽  
Christie J McMillan ◽  
Jane Cogan ◽  
Susan Berta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
Balaenoptera Physalus ◽  
Fin Whales
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