Skip to Main Content

The University of Tennessee

The College of Veterinary Medicine

Frequently Used Tools:





Nicholas Frank, DVM, Ph.D., DACVIM


Associate Professor, Large Animal Medicine Section Chief
Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
The University of Tennessee
2407 River Drive
Knoxville, TN 37996
Phone: (865) 974-5701
FAX: (865) 974-5773
 
CEVR: Center for Equine Veterinary Reserach

Equine Medical Notebook (password required)

Equine Metabolic Syndrome: Obesity and Laminitis in Horses

Education

  • Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Veterinary Clinical Science - Purdue University
  • Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) - Purdue University

Training

  • Residency Large Animal Medicine - Purdue University

Board Certification

  • Diplomate - American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM)

Teaching

  • Endocrine diseases of the horse
  • Metabolic disorders of horses
  • Metabolic disorders of ruminants

Clinical Interests

  • Endocrinology, Metabolic Disorders, Neonatology, Geriatric Horse Medicine, Nutrition

Research Interests

  • Laminitis, insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome, equine Cushing's disease
  • Blood lipids, lipid metabolism, hyperlipemia, hepatic lipidosis, diabetes, obesity, hypothyroidism, calcium disorders, neonatology, and nutrition.

Professional Societies

  • American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)
  • American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM)

Peer Reviewed (past 5 years)

  • Carter RA, McCutcheon LJ, George LA, Smith TL, Frank N, Geor RJ. Effects of diet-induced weight gain on insulin sensitivity and plasma hormone and lipid concentrations in horses. Accepted for publication in the Am J Vet Res

  • Kalck KA, Frank N, Elliott SB, et al. Use of a low-dose oligofructose overload model to induce laminitis in horses and associated alterations in glucose dynamics. Accepted for publication in the Am J Vet Res

  • Geor R, Frank N. Metabolic syndrome - from human organ disease to laminar failure in equids. Vet Immunol Immunopathol 2008 available ahead of publication (doi:10.1016/j.vetimm.2008.11.012)

  • Frank N, Buchanan BR, Elliott SB. Effects of long-term oral administration of levothyroxine sodium on serum thyroid hormone concentrations, routine blood test results, and echocardiographic measurements in healthy adult mares. Am J Vet Res 2008; 69: 68-75.

  • Frank N, Elliott SB, Boston RC. Effects of long-term oral administration of levothyroxine sodium on glucose dynamics in healthy adult mares. Am J Vet Res 2008; 69: 76-81.

  • Tóth F, Frank N, Elliott SB, Geor RJ, Boston RC. Effects of an intravenous endotoxin challenge on glucose and insulin dynamics in mares. Am J Vet Res 2008; 82-88.

  • Nadeau JA, Frank N, Valipe SR, et al. Blood lipid, glucose, and insulin concentrations in Morgan horses and Thoroughbreds. J Equine Vet Sci 2006; 26:401-405.

  • Andrews FM, Frank N, Sommardahl C, et al. Effects of intravenously administrated omeprazole on gastric juice pH and gastric ulcer scores in adult horses. J Vet Intern Med 2006; 20:1202-1206.

  • Frank N, Andrews FM, Sommardahl C, et al. Evaluation of the combined dexamethasone suppression / thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test for the diagnosis of pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction in horses. J Vet Intern Med 2006; 20:987-993.

  • Coffer NJ, Frank N, Elliott SB, et al. Effects of dexamethasone and isoflupredone acetate on plasma potassium concentrations and other biochemical measurements in early lactation cows. Am J Vet Res 2006; 67:1244-1251.

  • Frank N, Elliott SB, Brandt LE, et al. Physical characteristics, blood hormone concentrations, and plasma lipid concentrations in obese insulin resistant horses. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2006; 228:1383-1390.

  • Frank N, Elliott SB, Allin SB, et al. Blood lipid concentrations and lipoprotein profiles in captive and wild American black bears (Ursus americanus). Am J Vet Res 2006; 67:335-341.

  • Frank N, Andrews FM, Elliott SB, et al. Effects of rice bran oil on plasma lipid concentrations, lipoprotein composition, and glucose dynamics in mares. J Anim Sci 2005; 83:2509-2518.

  • Frank N, Andrews FM, Elliott SB, et al. Effects of dietary oils on the development of gastric ulcers in mares. Am J Vet Res 2005; 66:2006-2011.

  • Morandi F, Frank N, Avenell J, et al. Quantitative assessment of hepatic function using plasma time-
    activity curves of 99mTc-Mebrofenin in healthy fed and feed-deprived horses. J Vet Intern Med 2005; 19:751-755.

  • Eiler H, Frank N, Andrews FM, et al. Physiologic assessment of blood glucose homeostasis via combined intravenous glucose and insulin testing in horses. Am J Vet Res 2005; 66:1598-1604.

  • Sommardahl C, Frank N, Elliott S, et al. Effects of oral levothyroxine sodium on serum thyroid hormone concentrations and responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) injection in healthy adult mares. Am J Vet Res 2005; 66:1025-1031.

  • Frank N, Sommardahl C, Eiler H, et al. Effects of oral levothyroxine sodium on plasma lipid concentrations, very low density lipoprotein concentration and composition, and glucose dynamics in healthy adult mares. Am J Vet Res 2005; 66:1032-1038.

Book Chapters (past 5 years)

  • Frank N. Insulin Resistance and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. In: Reed S, Bayly W, Sellon D eds. Equine Internal Medicine, 3rd edition, St. Louis, Elsevier (in press).

  • Frank N. Endocrinology. In: Equine Medicine and Surgery (in press).

  • Frank N. Hyperlipidemia. In: Brown CM, Bertone JJ eds. The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult - Equine, Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (in press).

  • Frank N. Equine metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. In: Brown CM, Bertone JJ eds. The 5-Minute Veterinary Consult - Equine, Philadelphia, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (in press).

  • Frank N. Insulin Resistance and Equine Metabolic Syndrome. In: Robinson NE ed. Current Therapy in Equine Medicine, 6th edition, St. Louis, Elsevier, 2009:727-731.

  • Frank N. Equine Metabolic Syndrome. In: Smith BP ed. Large Animal Internal Medicine, 4th edition, St. Louis, Mosby, 2009:1352-1355.

Abstracts & Proceedings (past 5 years)

  • Tóth F, Frank N, Geor RJ, et al. Effects of pretreatment with dexamethasone or levothyroxine sodium on endotoxin-induced insulin resistance in horses. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 26th Annual 2008 Forum, San Antonio, TX. June 2008. Published in J Vet Intern Med 2008; 22(3):735.

  • Tóth F, Frank N, Perdue K, et al. Urine glucose concentrations during intravenous glucose tolerance tests in horses. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 26th Annual 2008 Forum, San Antonio, TX. June 2008. Published in J Vet Intern Med 2008; 22(3):754.

  • Carter R, McCutcheon J, Burns T, Belknap J, Frank N, Geor R. Increased adiposity in horses is associated with decreased insulin sensitivity but unchanged inflammatory cytokine expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 26th Annual 2008 Forum, San Antonio, TX. June 2008. Published in J Vet Intern Med 2008; 22(3):735.

  • Kalck K, Frank N, Elliott SB. Glucose dynamics during the developmental phase of oligofructose-induced laminitis in horses. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 25th Annual 2007 Forum, Seattle, WA. June 2007. Published in J Vet Intern Med 2007; 21(3):581.

  • Tóth F, Frank N, Elliott SB, et al. Effects of an intravenous endotoxin challenge on glucose and insulin dynamics in mares. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 25th Annual 2007 Forum, Seattle, WA. June 2007. Published in J Vet Intern Med 2007; 21(3):602.

  • Tóth F, Frank N, Elliott SB, et al. Effects of an intravenous endotoxin challenge on glucose and insulin dynamics in mares. Havemeyer Equine Laminitis Workshop, Litchfield, SC. May 2007.

  • Frank N, Dhar M, Elliott SB, et al. Effects of long-term levothyroxine administration on adipose and skeletal muscle tissue glucose transporter gene expression in mares. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 24th Annual 2006 Forum, Louisville, KY. June 2006. Published in J Vet Intern Med 2006; 20:743.

  • Coffer N, Frank N, Elliott SB, et al. Effects of dexamethasone and isoflupredone acetate on milk production and serum biochemistry values in dairy cows. American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine 23rd Annual 2005 Forum, Baltimore, MD. June 2005. Published in J Vet Intern Med 2005; 19:411.