The veterinary journal.
Publisher:
Ballière Tindall,. London : Balliere Tindall
Frequency: Bimonthly
Country: England
Language: English
Start Year:1997 -
ISSN:
1090-0233 (Print)
1532-2971 (Electronic)
1090-0233 (Linking)
1532-2971 (Electronic)
1090-0233 (Linking)
Impact Factor
2.2
2022
| NLM ID: | 9706281 |
| (DNLM): | SR0090528(s) |
| (OCoLC): | 35196731 |
| LCCN: | sn96-2143 |
| Classification: | W1 BR771 |
The mystery of fungal infection in the guttural pouches. Advances in the understanding of guttural pouch physiology and novel therapeutic approaches to mycotic infections in the horse are reviewed. It is suggested that the guttural pouches may contribute to the regulation of arterial blood temperature, cooling the circulation to the brain to below body temperature. Aspergillus spp. is the major organism found in a guttural pouch affected with mycosis but it is unclear why this agent becomes aggressive. Conventional therapy aims to prevent fatal haemorrhage and to treat any neurological lesions but it is desirable to try to prevent the disease. A tec...
Current research and theories on the pathogenesis of acute laminitis in the horse. A large number of studies have been undertaken in recent years aimed at furthering our understanding of the complex mechanisms underlying the common and debilitating condition of acute laminitis in the horse. Many of these studies have either reinforced or cast doubt on previously held theories on the pathogenesis of this disease, while others have suggested new mechanisms which may play a key role in its development. This review seeks to put the current hypotheses into the context of this recent body of evidence. While a unifying theory may not yet seem to be achievable, this review demonstra...
Efficacy and duration of immunity of a combined equine influenza and equine herpesvirus vaccine against challenge with an American-like equine influenza virus (A/equi-2/Kentucky/95). It has been recommended that modern equine influenza vaccines should contain an A/equi-1 strain and A/equi-2 strains of the American and European-like subtype. We describe here the efficacy of a modern updated inactivated equine influenza-herpesvirus combination vaccine against challenge with a recent American-like isolate of equine influenza (A/equine-2/Kentucky/95 (H3N8). The vaccine contains inactivated Influenza strains A-equine-1/Prague'56, A-equine-2/Newmarket-1/'93 (American lineage) and A-equine-2/ Newmarket-2/93 (Eurasian lineage) and inactivated EHV-1 strain RacH and EHV-4 strain V22...
Rehydration fluid temperature affects voluntary drinking in horses dehydrated by furosemide administration and endurance exercise. To determine whether temperature of rehydration fluid influences voluntary rehydration by horses, six 2-3-year-old horses were dehydrated (4-5% body weight loss) by a combination of furosemide administration and 30 km of treadmill exercise. For the initial 5 min following exercise, horses were offered a 0.9% NaCl solution at 10, 20, or 30 degrees C. Subsequently, after washing and cooling out, voluntary intake of water at 10, 20, or 30 degrees C from 20 to 60 min after exercise was measured. Fluid intake (FI) during the first 5 min of recovery was 9.8+/-2.5,12.3+/-2.1 and 9.7+/-2.0L (p>0.05) f...
Prevalence of gastric ulcers in endurance horses–a preliminary report. Gastric endoscopy was performed at the end of a 50 or 80 km endurance ride. Gastric ulceration was evident in 67% of the horses with ulcers on the squamous region of the stomach found in 57% of the horses and active bleeding of the glandular mucosa in 27%. Three horses (10%) had lesions only on the glandular mucosa. Values of albumin, creatinine and glucose were higher in horses without gastric lesions. We conclude that horses from endurance competitions have a high prevalence of gastric ulceration that is similar to that observed in performance horses. However the severity of ulceration is le...
Myosin heavy chain profiles and body composition are different in old versus young Standardbred mares. There are limited data on age-related changes in body composition or skeletal muscle in the horse. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate any differences in muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) and body composition associated with aging. Twenty-three young (4-8 years) and eight old (20+ years) unfit Standardbred mares were evaluated. Rump fat thickness was measured using B-mode ultrasound and per cent body fat (% fat) was calculated. Needle muscle biopsies were obtained from right gluteus medius muscle. MHC composition was determined via sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel e...
Horse injuries and racing practices in National Hunt racehorses in the UK: the results of a prospective cohort study. A prospective cohort study was conducted on horses starting in hurdle and steeplechase races on six UK racecourses in 2000 and 2001. Trainers or carers were questioned on the horses' pre-race routine and observational data were collected in the stables and parade ring. Some practices were common to many starters, such as withholding food and water before racing whereas other practices, such as schooling frequency, were more variable. There was a total of 2879 starts and a total of 83 injuries or medical events (28.8/1000 starts). The commonest types of injury were tendon/suspensory injuries an...
Standardization of transcranial magnetic stimulation in the horse. The influence of coil position on the peak-to-peak amplitude and onset latency of transcranial magnetic motor evoked potentials (MMEPs) in the extensor carpi radialis and cranial tibial muscles of horses was evaluated. Seven different stimulating coil positions were obtained by constructing a frame on the forehead. Two stimulation intensities (80% and 100% of maximal stimulator output) and two different coil currents (clockwise and counter-clockwise) were tested. For both recording sites MMEPs with the shortest onset latency and the largest peak-to-peak amplitude were detected when the coil wa...
Abnormal synaptic protein expression in two Arabian horses with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Numerous swollen neurons and multiple dystrophic axons were observed in the gracillis and cuneatus nuclei of two male Arabian horses, aged six and 12 months of age, with equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy. Swollen neurons and dystrophic axons showed synaptophysin, synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa, syntaxin-1 and alpha-synuclein immunoreactivity. Moreover, dystrophic axons were strongly immunopositive against the ubiquitin protein and against the anti-phosphorylated 200 kDa neurofilament protein. Abnormal expression of integral synaptic vesicle, synaptic vesicle-associated presyna...
Axial compression generated by cortical and cancellous lag screws in the equine distal phalanx. Lag screw fixation using single 4.5 mm cortical bone screws is a recommended technique for repair of mid-sagittal plane fractures of the distal phalanx in adult horses. However, implant infection and technical difficulties in obtaining adequate interfragmentary compression have made this surgical procedure somewhat controversial. We hypothesized that use of larger diameter screws would result in increased axial compression and improved stability of this fracture. Paired distal phalanges from the forelimbs of 10 adult horses were collected at necropsy and divided in half in the midsagittal plan...
Articular chondrocyte apoptosis in equine osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disease in horses. Chondrocyte apoptosis has been implicated as a major pathological OA change in humans and experimental animals but no studies have been performed on equine OA. Articular cartilage was collected from three normal and five OA horses. Histopathological changes were scored by a modified Mankin grading system. A terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay was performed to identify chondrocyte apoptosis. Nitric oxide (NO) production from chondrocytes was indirectly evaluated by immunohistochemistr...
Transcranial magnetic stimulation: review of the technique, basic principles and applications. Transcranial magnetic stimulation is rapidly developing as a powerful, non-invasive tool for studying the descending motor tracts in humans. The applications of the test in animals are for the moment restricted to small animals. However, this non-invasive, sensitive and painless technique appears promising as a test of motor tract function in horses where the neurological examination is mainly restricted to clinical evaluation and some ancillary tests, such as radiography, cerebrospinal fluid analysis and electromyography. In this review, we want to discuss the history, basic principles, techn...
The effects of overtraining on blood volumes in standardbred racehorses. Red blood cell hypervolaemia has been used for diagnosis of overtraining in racehorses, and has been suggested as a mechanism of this cause of loss of racing performance. The effects of overload training (OLT) on the plasma, blood and red cell volumes were investigated in a prospective study in 12 Standardbred horses. Measurements of blood volumes were made after eight and 32 weeks of an exercise training study. Horses were randomly allocated to OLT and control groups (n=6) after 16 weeks of training. Training duration and intensity were increased more rapidly for the OLT group from week 16, u...
Chronic clenbuterol administration alters myosin heavy chain composition in standardbred mares. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition due to chronic clenbuterol administration with or without exercise in mares. Unfit Standardbred mares (aged 10+/-3 years) were divided into four groups: clenbuterol (2.4 micro/kg BW twice daily) plus exercise (3 days/week for 20 min at 50% VO(2max); CLENEX; n=6), clenbuterol only (CLEN; n=6), exercise only (EX; n=5), and control (CON; n=6). Muscle biopsies were obtained from gluteus medius muscle before and after the eight-week training/administration period. MHC composition was determined via SDS gel elec...
Comparative expression of liver cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenases in the horse and in other agricultural and laboratory species. The apoprotein expression and the catalytic activities of cytochrome P450s involved in the biotransformation of xenobiotics were investigated in horse liver microsomes and compared with those of food producing (cattle, pigs, broiler chicks, and rabbits) and laboratory species (rats). Western blot analysis revealed the presence of proteins immunorelated to rat CYP 1A, CYP 2B, CYP 2E, and CYP 3A subfamilies in hepatic microsomes from horses and from any other examined species. With the exception of the N-demethylation of N-nitrosodimethylamine in broiler chicks, all the recorded interspecies dif...
Overview of horse body composition and muscle architecture: implications for performance. Locomotion requires skeletal muscle to sustain and generate force. A muscle's force potential is proportional to its weight. Since the larger the muscle the larger its potential power output, a better understanding of the proportion of skeletal muscle a horse possesses may lead to a better understanding of horse performance. Several techniques exist to assess body composition, which include dual energy X-ray absorption, underwater (hydrostatic) weighing, derivation from total body water, bio-electric impedance, air displacement, body condition scoring, cadaver dissection and ultrasound. The re...
An equine model of chronic atrial fibrillation: methodology. We describe the development and the different features of an experimental model of chronic atrial fibrillation (AF) in equines. In four healthy ponies a dual-chamber pacemaker, with an adapted pacemaker program, was implanted transvenously in the standing animal. This adapted pacemaker induced episodes of AF by delivering a 2s burst of electrical stimuli (42 Hz) as soon as sinus rhythm was detected. Simultaneous with a surface electrocardiogram, the intra-atrial electrogram could be recorded to determine the atrial electrogram morphology. Programmed electrical stimulation (PES) was used to det...