Zoobiquity: The Astonishing Connection Between Human and Animal Health

Zoobiquity: What Animals Can Teach Us About Health and the Science of Healing by cardiologist Natterson Horowitz and journalist Kathryn Bowers 

The authors share real clinical cases and further imply how the disease processes in humans and the animal kingdom have commonality. The authors believe that understanding disease processes in animals will benefit humans, as well as animals.

About Cancer
Peto's Paradox:
the incidence of cancer does not appear to correlate with the number of cells in an organism. For example the incidence of cancer in humans is much higher than the incidence of cancer in whales. Evidence suggests that large organisms such as elephants have more cancer suppressor genes. (From Wikipedia). 
Too much drinking, excess sunlight and also obesity might alter the DNA sequences and further  yield various types of cancer.

About Cardio

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy :
a type of non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy in which there is a sudden temporary weakening of the myocardium. Because this weakening can be triggered by emotional stress, such as the death of a loved one, a break-up, or constant anxiety, it is also known as broken heart syndrome. (From Wikipedia)

Capture myopathy:

or Shock Disease, is a little-studied condition observed in wild animals such as hares and birds that have been captured or handled.[2] The condition is usually lethal and stress has been identified as the single most determining factor, exacerbated by muscle exertion. (From Wikipedia)

使動物加速逃離威脅的是一種強有力的神經化學反應：兒茶酚胺大量釋放(Catecholamine dump) 。然而如果過度催逼，超過了安全界限，兒茶酚胺有可能會徹底擊垮骨骼與心肌，造成他們陷入癱瘓。等到相當數量的骨骼肌損傷，會有大量的肌肉蛋白被釋放、進入血液中。這些蛋白質會傷害腎臟功能，最終導致腎臟完全停工。這種肌肉損傷醫學名詞叫做「橫紋肌溶解」(rhabdomyolysis , abb. rhabdo). 腎臟無法濾除的有毒肌肉酵素會使尿液呈紅褐色。
Note: 同樣情況也會發生在屠宰場的動物身上，因此如何在屠宰時減輕動物的壓力，在部分畜牧業者體認到這點。

Note: 在QT 延長症候群中，由於離子通道功能異常，導致心臟活動的QT節段時間過度延長。這種病會讓患者容易產生致命的心律不整。該症候群可能是遺傳亦或是後天。許多藥物(包括某些抗生素、抗憂鬱藥物和抗組織胺)和某些電解質失衡(如嚴重嘔吐或腹瀉），都有可能引起QT延長症候群。
溫哥華動物園曾有四頭斑馬死魚捕捉性肌病。可是他們並沒有被追殺。實際上壓力源是被安置在斑馬圍欄裡兩隻駭人的南非水牛(Cape Buffalo)，而柵欄和壕溝讓動物無法逃脫。

About Obesity

Firmicutes :
The abundance of Firmicutes was observed to be proportionate to the obesity levels in the mice, with the obese, conventional mice carrying significantly more Firmicutes than the lean germ free mice . Along with increased fatty acid absorption, more energy was also found to be efficiently obtained from diet in the obese mice compared to the lean mice, illustrating the connection between Firmicutes and improved efficiency in energy harvesting.

The study shows that obese people have greater numbers of firmicutes (Gram - positive bacteria) in their interstine
; whereas thin people have greater bumbers of bacteroidetes there (gram-negative).

* circadian rhythmz, diurnal rhythm

人類身體的所有細胞，從表面的頭皮細胞到體內深處的心臟細胞，全部都包含了由Clock gene打造的計時器。這些計時器決定了一切。從你能燃燒多少卡路里到你何時想吃東西。科學家不止在動物細胞中找到這些計時器，也在植物、細菌、真菌和酵母菌的細胞中找到這些遠古的跨物種計時器。

Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences上的一向嚙齒動物研究顯示，住在一直有光的地方的老鼠，其BMI和血糖濃度都高於住在標準光案循環下的老鼠。

About Euphoria
Chapter Five - Addiction
David J. Linden, Autor of "The Compress of Pleasure"
他將人類在學習與訓練中體會到的快樂與其他成癮的神經生物連結在一起。

他寫道，學習跟賭博、購物與性等行為「能引發神經訊號，匯聚在名為“Medial forebrain pleasure circuit”的一小塊互相連結的大腦區域」。成功的犬隻訓練在愉悅迴路的驅使下，會製造出我們可以稱為“學習成癮”的狀態。Linden寫道，這些迴路也可能被像是古柯鹼、尼古丁、海洛因或酒精等人工活化劑所徵用。
note: 成隱性在個體間存在異質性，即每一生物個體對於相同的化學物質的反應皆有些微不同。

青春期的大腦俱有高度可塑性。若恰巧在大腦試圖校準整個系統是注入大量外來的強力報償化學物質到腦內，可能會造成終身的影響。他可能會影響耐受程度即反應的敏感度，綜觀不同的物種會發現，延遲第一次使用藥物的年紀，能有效防止成癮。