Provides a novel and unique approach to the treatment of human diseases based on the study of natural animal models. This book shows how medical scientists can take advantage of the "research" that nature has already performed over billions of years in biological problem solving through animal design testing and selection. Acknowledgements xi Introduction xiii Diabetes Mellitus 1(39) Introduction 1(1) Blood Glucose Values in Birds 2(3) Do Birds Suffer Adverse Consequences from a High Blood Glucose Concentration 5(1) Anatomic and Physiologic Design Features 6(20) Concluding Remarks and Future Research 26(5) References 31(9) Chronic Renal Failure 40(38) Introduction 40(2) Metabolic Rate and Renal Function 42(2) Nitrogen and Urea Metabolism and Protein Turnover 44(12) Additional Aspects of Renal Failure 56(1) Natural Animal Model 57(7) Bear and Small Mammal Hibernators 64(2) Concluding Remarks and Future Directions 66(4) References 70(8) Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease 78(29) Introduction 78(1) Atherosclerosis in Mammals 79(4) Biology of the Arterial System: Implications for the Genesis of Atherosclerosis in Mammals 83(5) Genesis of Atherosclerotic Lesions 88(1) Natural Animal Model: The Fish 89(1) Fish Coronary Circulation 90(1) Fish Coronary Artery Thickenings 91(3) Genesis of Fish Lesions 94(1) Biomechanical Factors in Fish 94(2) Dietary Influences and Role of Cholesterol in Fish 96(3) Biology of the Vascular Smooth Muscle in Fish 99(1) Concluding Remarks: What Can We Learn From the Fish as a Natural Model? 99(3) References 102(5) Disuse Osteoporosis and Disuse Muscle Atrophy 107(42) Disuse Osteoporosis 108(18) Disuse Muscle Atrophy 126(17) References 143(6) Ammonia Toxicity 149(41) Ammonia Tolerance and Metabolism 149(8) Brain Ammonia Metabolism 157(2) Glutamatergic Neurons 159(1) Glutamate, a Neurotransmitter and the ``Glutamate-Glutamine'' Cycle 160(4) Mechanism of Ammonia Neurotoxicity 164(5) Effects on Brain Energy Metabolism 169(2) Effects on Glutamatergic Synapses 171(4) Ammonia and the Fish Central Nervous System 175(6) Summary 181(2) References 183(7) Hypoxia/Ischemia 190(71) Cerebral Blood Flow: Its Regulation 191(4) Brain Energy Metabolism 195(4) Oxygen and Oxygen/Glucose Deprivation and the Brain 199(31) Natural Animal Models 230(15) Concluding Remarks and Future Directions 245(9) References 254(7) Epilogue 261(5) References 266(1) Index 267