Canine hyperadrenocorticism, a prevalent endocrine disorder characterized by excessive cortisol production. Notably, hypercoagulability leading to pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) poses a substantial concern. PTE may be underestimated because of the rapid dissolution of canine thrombi postmortem. However, traditional coagulation assays face challenges in early detection of hypercoagulability. Therefore, this study explored the use of thromboelastography (TEG) as a diagnostic tool for identifying hypercoagulability in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism. A total of 31 dogs visited the Gyeongsang Animal Medical Center between 2018 and 2022, comprising 21 dogs with hyperadrenocorticism and 10 controls who underwent clinical and coagulation analyses. Hyperadrenocorticism was diagnosed using a low-dose dexamethasone stimulation test or adrenocorticotropin hormone stimulation test, and conventional laboratory parameters and coagulation parameters, such as the prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastic time, fibrinogen, and TEG results, were compared between the groups. Clinical data revealed significantly elevated monocyte, platelet, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, triglyceride, and cholesterol concentrations in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism, which were attributed to excess cortisol secretion (p<0.05). TEG analysis demonstrated significantly decreased K values and increased α and MA values in hyperadrenocorticism dogs (p<0.05), indicating a shortened clotting time and enhanced clot strength, suggestive of hypercoagulability. TEG effectively highlights hypercoagulability in dogs with hyperadrenocorticism and provides valuable insights in predicting blood clot formation. Although predicting clot formation in dogs remains complex owing to multifactorial influences, this study underscores the potential utility of TEG in enhancing such predictions for dogs with hyperadrenocorticism.
UHI rises when urban area becomes warmer than its surrounding and is considered as one of the main reasons for cicada abundance in urban areas. Two cicada species, Cryptotympana atrata and Hyalessa fuscata, are more abundant in urban areas with high urban heat island intensities (UHI) than in areas with low UHI. Thermal responses are a measure of cicada adaptation to thermal conditions in the habitat. Hence, we hypothesized that cicadas inhabiting high UHI areas exhibited elevated thermal responses compared to those occupying in low UHI areas. We measured minimum flight temperature (MFT), maximum voluntary temperature (MVT), and heat torpor temperature (HTT) of C. atrata and H. fuscata in metropolitan Seoul. For each species, there were three treatments: high UHI, low UHI, and suburb populations. We discovered that MFT and MVT were similar across all thermal treatments for each species. There was no difference in HTT across three treatments in C. atrata, meanwhile the HTT estimate was significantly higher in H. fuscata with high UHI than in those with low UHI. These results may suggest that H. fuscata in areas of high UHI may have developed thermal adaptation to high temperatures.