Animals : an open access journal from MDPI.
Publisher:
Molecular Diversity Preservation International,
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Start Year:2010 -
ISSN:
2076-2615 (Electronic)
2076-2615 (Linking)
2076-2615 (Linking)
Impact Factor
4.2
2022
| NLM ID: | 101635614 |
| (OCoLC): | 667255765 |
| LCCN: | 2012254619 |
Efficient Development of Gait Classification Models for Five-Gaited Horses Based on Mobile Phone Sensors. Automated gait classification has traditionally been studied using horse-mounted sensors. However, smartphone-based sensors are more accessible, but the performance of gait classification models using data from such sensors has not been widely known or accessible. In this study, we performed horse gait classification using deep learning models and data from mobile phone sensors located in the rider's pocket. We gathered data from 17 horses and 14 riders. The data were gathered simultaneously from movement sensors in a mobile phone located in the rider's pocket and a gait classification system ...
Equine Stomach Development in the Foetal Period of Prenatal Life-An Immunohistochemical Study. The study consisted of the immunohistochemical analysis of fundic and pyloric mucosa in the equine stomach between the 4th and 11th month of gestation. The accessible material was classified into three age groups using the CRL method. The adult reference group was used to define potential differences between foetal and adult populations of gastric APUD cells. The samples were preserved, prepared, and stained according to the standard protocols. The immunohistochemical reaction was assessed using the semi-quantitative IRS method. The results were documented and statistically analysed. The most ...
Nipah Virus Disease: Epidemiological, Clinical, Diagnostic and Legislative Aspects of This Unpredictable Emerging Zoonosis. Nipah virus (NiV) infection is a viral disease caused by a Henipavirus, belonging to the Paramyxoviridae family, responsible for a zoonosis. The course of the disease can be very serious and lead to death. NiV natural hosts are fruit bats (also known as megabats) belonging to the Pteropodidae family, especially those of the genus. Natural infection in domestic animals has been described in farming pigs, horses, domestic and feral dogs and cats. Natural NiV transmission is possible intra-species (pig-to-pig, human-to-human) and inter-species (flying bat-to-human, pig-to-human, horse-to-human)....
Galectinology of Equine Pregnancy. Galectins are a family of proteins that bind to glycans, acting in a cytokine-like manner throughout the body. In the majority of mammalians, galectins have been found to be involved in pregnancy maintenance, but few studies have evaluated this in the horse. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the expression of various galectins in pregnant and nonpregnant mares. Next-generation RNA sequencing was performed on the chorioallantois and endometrium of healthy pregnant mares at 120, 180, 300, and 330 days of gestation (n = 4/stage), as well as 45-day chorioallantois (n = 4), post...
Tracing Acid-Base Variables in Exercising Horses: Effects of Pre-Loading Oral Electrolytes. Oral electrolyte supplementation may influence acid-base state during exercise due to the intestinal absorption of administered water and electrolytes used to mitigating sweat losses. This study examined the effect of pre-exercise electrolyte supplementation (3 and 8 L) on plasma acid-base variables at rest, during moderate intensity exercise and during recovery. It was hypothesized that electrolyte supplementation will result in improved acid-base state compared to the alkalosis typical of prolonged exercise. In randomized crossover fashion, four horses were administered 3 L or 8 L of a hypot...
Binding of Equine Seminal Lactoferrin/Superoxide Dismutase (SOD-3) Complex Is Biased towards Dead Spermatozoa. Sperm-neutrophil binding is an important facet of breeding and significantly impacts fertility. While a specific seminal plasma protein has been found to reduce this binding and improve fertility (CRISP-3), additional molecule(s) appear to promote binding between defective sperm and neutrophils. Recent work has suggested one of these proteins is lactoferrin (LF), an 80 kDa iron-binding protein found throughout the body, but the purity of the protein was not confirmed. It is unknown if LF binds to sperm selectively based on viability, and if receptors for LF are located on equine sperm. To eval...
Equine Herpesvirus Type 1 Myeloencephalitis in the Brazilian Amazon. An investigative and epidemiological study was carried out for equine herpesvirus type 1 (HVE-1) in 10 outbreaks of neurological disease from different farms in the state of Pará, Brazil. 25 horses were studied: six male and 19 females, aged between one and 13 years. A necropsy of six horses was performed, and the others recovered either with or without treatment (T1-vitamin B1 + dexamentasone; T2-vitamin B1 + flunixim meglumine). Animals that received treatment recovered after eight days. The main clinical signs observed were motor incoordination, progressive paresis, thoracic and/or pelvic ...
A Systematic Review of Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine in Sport and Companion Animals: Electrotherapy. Electrotherapy modalities are currently used in the treatment of animals, but the evidence base supporting their use has not yet been systematically reviewed. Cochrane guidelines, as adapted by the Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services, were followed for this systematic review. A literature search regarding all currently known electrotherapy modalities applied to horses, dogs, and cats was conducted for the years 1980-2020 using three databases: CABI, PubMed, and Web of Science Core Collection. Of the 5385 references found, 41 articles were included ...
Neutrophil Gelatinase-Associated Lipocalin in Synovial Fluid from Horses with and without Septic Arthritis. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) has been suggested to be a highly sensitive and specific marker of joint infection in humans. The aim of the study was to investigate NGAL concentrations in synovial fluid (SF) from horses with septic synovitis, horses without septic synovitis, and horses with uncertain status. NGAL was measured in 177 admission samples obtained from 152 horses. From a subset of horses ( = 35), additional samples obtained sequentially over the course of treatment were available. Concentrations of NGAL were significantly higher in septic synovitis ( = 47 samples...
The Lipidomics of Spermatozoa and Red Blood Cells Membrane Profile of Martina Franca Donkey: Preliminary Evaluation. Fatty acid-based lipidomic analysis has been widely used to evaluate health status in human medicine as well as in the veterinary field. In equine species, there has been a developing interest in fertility and sperm quality. Fatty acids, being the principal components of the membranes, play an active role in the regulation of the metabolic activities, and their role on spermiogenesis seems to be of great importance for the resulting quality of the sperm and, thus, fertility. With the application of widely used lipidomic techniques, the aim of this study was to evaluate: (a) the fatty acid cont...
Trialling Locally Made, Low-Cost Bits to Improve Bit-Related Welfare Problems in Cart Horses: Findings from a Study in Senegal. Bits used for cart horses in Senegal are typically made of recovered construction iron and often have defects related to design, shape, fit and metal quality. Consequently, there is widespread presence of bit-related oral injury amongst these equids. It was hypothesised that improving bit design would ameliorate bit-related welfare issues for working cart horses. This study aimed to develop locally made alternative bit prototypes and test their efficacy as less harmful to working horses, and their acceptability to their drivers. Eight animal-based welfare indicators (four physical and four beh...
Gene Expression Profiles of the Immuno-Transcriptome in Equine Asthma. Mild equine asthma (MEA) and severe equine asthma (SEA) are two of the most frequent equine airway inflammatory diseases, but knowledge about their pathogenesis is limited. The goal of this study was to investigate gene expression differences in the respiratory tract of MEA- and SEA-affected horses and their relationship with clinical signs. Methods: Clinical examination and endoscopy were performed in 8 SEA- and 10 MEA-affected horses and 7 healthy controls. Cytological and microbiological analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid were performed. Gene expression profiling of BAL fluid wa...
Application of QBA to Assess the Emotional State of Horses during the Loading Phase of Transport. To identify feasible indicators to evaluate animals' emotional states as a parameter to assess animal welfare, the present study aimed at investigating the accuracy of free choice profiling (FCP) and fixed list (FL) approach of Qualitative Behaviour Assessment (QBA) in horses during the loading phase of transport. A total of 13 stakeholders were trained to score 2 different sets of videos of mixed breed horses loaded for road transport, using both FCP and FL, in 2 sessions. Generalized Procustes Analysis (GPA) consensus profile explained a higher percentage of variation (80.8%) than the mean o...
Plasma Amino Acid Concentration in Obese Horses with/without Insulin Dysregulation and Laminitis. Laminitic horses commonly suffer from an endocrine disease such as equine metabolic syndrome. Hyperinsulinemia is considered a key factor in the pathogenesis of laminitis. Since insulin also affects protein turnover in the body, the resting plasma amino acid concentrations of obese horses that were presented for a combined glucose insulin test (CGIT) were determined. In total, 25 obese horses and two lean horses with recurrent laminitis underwent a CGIT. Of these, five were not insulin dysregulated (obese), 14 were insulin dysregulated (ID), and eight were insulin-dysregulated and laminitic (I...
Evaluation of Eosinopenia as a SIRS Biomarker in Critically Ill Horses. Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a very common finding in critically ill patients. To accurately identify patients with SIRS and those who need intensive care, several markers have been evaluated, including cortisol, WBC or lactate. It is widely known that a stress leukogram includes eosinopenia as one of its main markers (neutrophilia, eosinopenia, lymphopenia and mild monocytes). It is known that cortisol concentration in plasma is the main stress biomarker and is strongly correlated with the severity of disease in horses. However, it is not possible to measure this paramete...
Retrospective Evaluation of the Most Frequently Observed Histological Changes in Duodenal and Rectal Mucosal Biopsies in Horses with Recurrent Colic. Colic, a condition affecting the gastrointestinal tract of horses, manifests as severe pain and may be a life-threatening condition. It is possible to distinguish between an acute, disposable process, as well as recurrent colic symptoms (abdominal pain) caused by an ongoing chronic inflammatory process. This paper presents a retrospective analysis of the histopathological findings of duodenal and rectal samples taken from horses with recurrent colic, with the aim to determine the frequency and extent of inflammation. The samples, i.e., duodenal biopsy (60 samples) and rectal biopsy (17 samples...
Reconstruction of the Major Maternal and Paternal Lineages in the Feral New Zealand Kaimanawa Horses. New Zealand has the fourth largest feral horse population in the world. The Kaimanawas (KHs) are feral horses descended from various domestic horse breeds released into the Kaimanawa ranges in the 19th and 20th centuries. Over time, the population size has fluctuated dramatically due to hunting, large-scale farming and forestry. Currently, the herd is managed by an annual round-up, limiting the number to 300 individuals to protect the native ecosystem. Here, we genotyped 96 KHs for uniparental markers (mitochondrial DNA, Y-chromosome) and assessed their genetic similarity with respect to other...
Garrano Horses Perceive Letters of the Alphabet on a Touchscreen System: A Pilot Study. This study aimed to use a computer-controlled touchscreen system to examine visual discrimination in Garrano horses (), an endangered breed of pony belonging to the Iberian horse family. This pilot study focused on the perceptual similarity among letters of the alphabet. We tested five horses in a one-male unit (OMU) living permanently in a semi-free enclosure near their natural habitat in Serra d'Arga, northern Portugal. Horses were trained to nose-touch black circles that appeared on the screen. Then, they were tested for discrimination of five letters of the Latin alphabet in Arial font, na...
Identification of Copy Number Variations in Four Horse Breed Populations in South Korea. In this study, genome-wide CNVs were identified using a total of 469 horses from four horse populations (Jeju horses, Thoroughbreds, Jeju riding horses, and Hanla horses). We detected a total of 843 CNVRs throughout all autosomes: 281, 30, 301, and 310 CNVRs for Jeju horses, Thoroughbreds, Jeju riding horses, and Hanla horses, respectively. Of the total CNVRs, copy number losses were found to be the most abundant (48.99%), while gains and mixed CNVRs accounted for 41.04% and 9.96% of the total CNVRs, respectively. The length of the CNVRs ranged from 0.39 kb to 2.8 Mb, while approximately 7.2% ...
Investigation of Thresholds for Asymmetry Indices to Represent the Visual Assessment of Single Limb Lameness by Expert Veterinarians on Horses Trotting in a Straight Line. Defining whether a gait asymmetry should be considered as lameness is challenging. Gait analysis systems now provide relatively accurate objective data, but their interpretation remains complex. Thresholds for discriminating between horses that are visually assessed as being lame or sound, as well as thresholds for locating the lame limb with precise sensitivity and specificity are essential for accurate interpretation of asymmetry measures. The goal of this study was to establish the thresholds of asymmetry indices having the best sensitivity and specificity to represent the visual single-lim...
Brazilian Horses from Bahia State Are Highly Infected with Sarcocystis bertrami. The protozoan (syn. ) infects horses and has dogs as definitive hosts. Herein we aimed to detect in Brazilian horses destined for human consumption and to determine the frequency of infection in the examined animals. Muscle fragments from 51 horses were collected in a slaughterhouse in Bahia State during three different seasons of the year. Samples from six tissues from each animal were prepared for macroscopic and microscopic evaluation, using tissue grinding, squash and histology. sp. was observed in 100% of the examined horses. Selected samples were processed for transmission electron mi...
The Role of Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Supporting Gut Health in Horses: An Updated Review on Its Effects on Digestibility and Intestinal and Fecal Microbiota. To support the overall health of horses, it is essential to maintain an optimal gut health (GH) status, which encompasses several physiological and functional aspects, including the balance and functionality of intestinal microbial populations and, accordingly, the effective digestion and absorption of nutrients. Numerous biotic and abiotic stressors can lead to an imbalance of GH, such as the quality of forages and the composition of diet, e.g., the inclusion of high energy-dense feeds to meet the energy requirements of performance horses. To support the digestive function and the intestinal ...
Effect of Nasogastric Tube Placement, Manipulation, and Fluid Administration on Transcutaneous Ultrasound Visualization and Assessment of Stomach Position in Healthy Unfed and Fed Horses. Knowledge of the effects of feeding and nasogastric tube placement and manipulation on gastric ultrasound is limited. Given the variability in duration since feeding and the ubiquitous use of nasogastric tubes in horses with colic, the interpretation of gastric ultrasound in horses with colic requires an understanding of these effects. Cranial to caudal and dorsal to ventral ultrasonographic dimensions of the stomach were obtained in 10 unfed horses and five fed horses, before and after nasogastric tube placement, after checking for reflux and after administration of 6 L of water in unfed hors...
Training Effects on the Stress Predictors for Young Lusitano Horses Used in Dressage. The purpose of this study was to investigate stressful responses during a 6-week training protocol in young Lusitano horses used for dressage. The hypothesis was that the proposed training protocol would improve fitness and ensure the welfare of the animals by reducing stress predictors. Nine 4-year-old horses were evaluated before (M1) and six weeks after (M2) beginning a training protocol. The training program was performed six times per week and included 40−80 min of individually intensity-adjusted preparatory exercises for dressage. For both moments, the horses were examined before (T0) ...
Effects of Starch Overload and Cecal Buffering on Fecal Microbiota of Horses. Starch overload in horses causes gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders that are associated with microbiota changes. Therefore, we identified the fecal microbiota and hypothesized that intracecal injection of alkaline solution (buffer; Mg(OH)2 + Al(OH)3) could stabilize these microbiota and clinical changes in horses submitted to corn starch overload. Ten crossbred horses (females and geldings) were allocated to group I (water−saline and starch−buffer treatments) and group II (water−buffer and starch−saline treatments). Clinical signs, gross analysis of the feces, and fecal microbiot...
Transcutaneous Detection of Intramural Microchips for Tracking the Migration of the Equine Large Colon: A Pilot Study. Colic remains the number one cause of mortality in horses, and large colon displacement including colonic volvulus is one of the leading causes for equine hospitalization and surgery. Currently, there is not an adequate model to study the pathophysiology of this condition. The objective of this proof-of-concept study was to determine if subserosal implantation of bioinert microchips in the large intestine would be detectable by a RFID (radio-frequency identification) receiver when the implanted microchips were adjacent to the body wall, thus identifying the location of the colon within the abd...
ProAKAP4 Concentration Is Related to Sperm Motility and Motile Sperm Subpopulations in Frozen-Thawed Horse Semen. ProAKAP4 is the precursor of AKAP4 (A-kinase Anchor protein 4), the main structural protein of the fibrous sheath of sperm. The amount of proAKAP4 reflects the ability of spermatozoa to maintain the flagellum activity and functionality up to the site of fertilization and is positively correlated with progressive motility in several mammalian species. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between proAKAP4 concentration with horse sperm motility descriptors and spermatic motile subpopulations. For this purpose, a total of 48 ejaculates from 13 different stallions were analyze...
Review of the Foundational Knowledge Required for Assessing Horse Welfare. A detailed understanding of what is usual for a species under optimal conditions is critical for identifying and interpreting different features of body function that have known impacts on animal welfare and its assessment. When applying the Five Domains Model to assess animal welfare, the key starting point is therefore to acquire extensive species-specific knowledge relevant to each of the four physical/functional Domains of the Model. These Domains, 1 to 4, address areas where objective information is evaluated and collated. They are: (1) Nutrition; (2) Physical environment; (3) Health; and...
Populations of NK Cells and Regulatory T Cells in the Endometrium of Cycling Mares-A Preliminary Study. Endometrial immune cells are essential to support uterine functions across the estrous cycle and in preparation for pregnancy. It has been acknowledged that changes in phenotype and/or numbers of lymphocytes, such as regulatory T cells (Tregs) and NK cells, might result in lower fertility in women and mice. Little is known about equine endometrial immune cells across the estrous cycle. Here, we compared the populations of endometrial Tregs and NK cells in estrus and diestrus in mares. Endometrial biopsy and blood samples were taken in estrus and diestrus from 11 mares ages 4-12 years. Flow cyt...
Rider Variables Affecting the Stirrup Directional Force Asymmetry during Simulated Riding Trot. Riders’ asymmetry may cause back pain in both human and equine athletes. This pilot study aimed at documenting in a simple and quick way asymmetry in riders during a simulation of three different riding positions on wooden horseback using load cells applied on the stirrup leathers and identifying possible associations between riders’ asymmetry and their gender, age, level of riding ability, years of riding experience, riding style, motivation of riding, primary discipline and handedness. After completing an interview to obtain the previously mentioned information, 147 riders performed a st...