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Topic:Clinical Study
Clinical studies in equine research involve the systematic investigation of health and disease in horses through structured scientific methods. These studies aim to evaluate the safety and efficacy of treatments, understand disease mechanisms, and improve veterinary care practices. Clinical studies can include randomized controlled trials, observational studies, and case-control studies. They may focus on various aspects such as pharmacokinetics, therapeutic interventions, and diagnostic techniques. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the design, implementation, and findings of clinical studies in equine medicine, providing insights into their impact on horse health and veterinary practices.
Endothelin 1 in healthy foals and in foals affected by neonatal diseases. In newborn babies, endothelin 1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor, increases during septicemia and severe respiratory syndromes. Because equine neonatal sepsis (ENS) and perinatal asphyxia syndrome (PAS) are major causes of morbidity and mortality in newborn foals and because no information on the concentration of ET-1 in healthy and sick foals has been reported yet, the aims of this study were (1) to define the serum concentration of Big ET-1 in healthy neonatal foals during the first week of age; (2) to preliminarily explore the diagnostic and prognostic role of Big ET-1 during ENS and PAS. S...
Equine platelet lysate as an alternative to fetal bovine serum in equine mesenchymal stromal cell culture – too much of a good thing? Multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are often culture-expanded in vitro. Presently, expansion medium (EM) for MSC is supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS). However, increasing cost, variable composition and potential risks associated with bovine antigens call for alternatives. Platelet lysate (PL) has shown promise as an alternative supplement. Objective: To determine how equine umbilical cord blood (CB) MSC proliferate in EM enriched with PL or FBS at various concentrations. Methods: Randomised dose escalation study. Methods: Platelet concentrate was generated from 5 equine whol...
Cardiovascular effects of pimobendan in healthy mature horses. Pimobendan is an inodilator used in dogs for the management of heart failure due to myxomatous valve disease or dilated cardiomyopathy. The lack of data regarding the effects of pimobendan in horses prevents the rational use of this drug. Objective: To determine the cardiovascular effects of pimobendan in healthy mature horses. Methods: Randomised experimental study. Methods: Five horses were fasted overnight prior to receiving i.v. pimobendan (0.25 mg/kg bwt), intragastric (i.g.) pimobendan (0.25 mg/kg bwt) or i.g. placebo with a washout period of one week between each administration. Horses ...
Clinical and pharmacokinetic evaluation of S-ketamine for intravenous general anaesthesia in horses undergoing field castration. Intravenous anaesthetic drugs are the primary means for producing general anaesthesia in equine practice. The ideal drug for intravenous anaesthesia has high reliability and pharmacokinetic properties indicating short elimination and lack of accumulation when administered for prolonged periods. Induction of general anaesthesia with racemic ketamine preceded by profound sedation has already an established place in the equine field anaesthesia. Due to potential advantages over racemic ketamine, S-ketamine has been employed in horses to induce general anaesthesia, but its optimal dose remains und...
Effects of preoperative administration of hypertonic saline or pentastarch solution on hematologic variables and long-term survival of surgically managed horses with colic. To compare the effects of preoperatively administered pentastarch (10% concentration in isotonic saline [0.9% NaCl] solution) and hypertonic saline (7.2% NaCl) solutions on PCV and circulating total protein (TP) concentration in horses with colic undergoing emergency exploratory laparotomy and to assess survival rates of horses that received each treatment. Methods: Prospective, randomized study. Methods: 100 horses with signs of abdominal pain and PCV ≥ 0.46 L/L. Procedures-Horses received a 4 mL/kg (1.8 mL/lb) dose of pentastarch solution (n = 50) or hypertonic saline solution (50) over a ...
Neutrophil function in healthy aged horses and horses with pituitary dysfunction. Immunosuppression leading to opportunist bacterial infection is a well-recognized sequela of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). The mechanisms responsible for immune dysfunction in PPID however, are as of yet poorly characterized. Horses with PPID have high concentrations of hormones known to impact immune function including α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) and insulin. α-MSH and related melanocortins have been shown in rodents and people to impair neutrophil function by decreasing superoxide production (known as oxidative burst activity), migration and adhesion. T...
Right atrial and right ventricular ultrasound-guided biopsy technique in standing horses. Endomyocardial biopsies could be a valuable tool in equine cardiology for diagnosing myocardial disease, which is probably underdiagnosed in horses because of lack of specific diagnostic measures and limitations of currently available diagnostic methods. Objective: To describe a technique for serial right atrial and right ventricular endomyocardial biopsy in standing horses using a percutaneous approach through the jugular vein. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: Biopsy was performed in 10 healthy standing horses sedated with detomidine, under continuous electrocardiography monitoring. A 10 ...
Proteomics of endometrial fluid after dexamethasone treatment in mares susceptible to endometritis. Corticotherapy is a common treatment in mares susceptible to endometritis. Isoflupredone improves pregnancy rates and affects the protein profile of endometrial fluid in comparison to untreated mares. Dexamethasone decreases postbreeding fluid accumulation and uterine edema; however, its effects on the protein profile of the endometrial fluid have not yet been studied. The aim of the present study was to verify the effect of dexamethasone on the protein profile of endometrial fluid, in the presence or absence of infection, from mares susceptible to persistent postbreeding endometritis. Nine su...
Suspected malignant transformation of B lymphocytes in the equine cornea from immune-mediated keratitis. To describe clinical, in vivo confocal microscopic, histopathologic, polymerase chain reaction assay for antigen receptor rearrangement (PARR) and immunohistochemical features of a horse with suspected malignant transformation of corneal B lymphocytes in immune-mediated keratitis (IMMK) and to also report surgical management and adjunctive treatment including topical and radiation therapies. Methods: A 15-year-old Oldenburg gelding was examined for presumptive progressive stromal IMMK of the right eye which became refractory to medical management. Corneal in vivo confocal microscopy revealed...
High density infill in cracks and protrusions from the articular calcified cartilage in osteoarthritis in standardbred horse carpal bones. We studied changes in articular calcified cartilage (ACC) and subchondral bone (SCB) in the third carpal bones (C3) of Standardbred racehorses with naturally-occurring repetitive loading-induced osteoarthritis (OA). Two osteochondral cores were harvested from dorsal sites from each of 15 post-mortem C3 and classified as control or as showing early or advanced OA changes from visual inspection. We re-examined X-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT) image sets for the presence of high-density mineral infill (HDMI) in ACC cracks and possible high-density mineralized protrusions (HDMP) from the ACC...
Clinical investigation on Theileria equi and Babesia caballi infections in Italian donkeys. Interest in the welfare and diseases of donkeys is constantly increasing in several countries. Despite this, clinical research into donkeys needs to be in continual development since they show different reactions compared to horses in many conditions, including infectious diseases, and need specific clinical and therapeutic approaches. No reports are currently available on clinical and clinical pathology data regarding donkeys with natural piroplasms infection. Results: Venous blood samples were taken from one hundred and thirty eight donkeys and underwent indirect fluorescent antibody test (I...
Tiludronate concentrations and cytologic findings in synovial fluid after intravenous regional limb perfusion with tiludronate in horses. Anecdotal accounts of tiludronate administration via intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) exist despite a lack of information regarding safety for synovial structures in the perfused area. The objective of this study was to determine whether tiludronate concentrations in synovial structures after IVRLP with low dose (0.5 mg, LDT) or high dose (50 mg, HDT) tiludronate remain below a value demonstrated in vitro to be safe for articular cartilage (<19,000 ng/ml), and to determine effects of tiludronate on synovial fluid cytology variables compared to saline perfused control limbs. Using...
Expression of oxytocin receptors is greatly reduced in the placenta of heavy mares with retained fetal membranes due to secondary uterine atony. Fetal membrane retention can be a life-threatening condition and its incidence exceeds 50% in heavy draught mares. Although fetal membrane retention is commonly treated with repeated injections of oxytocin, based on the suggestion that it is caused mainly by secondary atony of the uterus, this treatment sometimes fails. This led us to ask if expression of oxytocin receptors differs in mares that retain fetal membranes due to secondary uterine atony. Objective: To determine whether expression of oxytocin receptors in equine placental tissues differs when heavy draught mares expel fetal membrane...
Temporal and concentration effects of isoflurane anaesthesia on intestinal tissue oxygenation and perfusion in horses. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of duration of anaesthesia and concentration of isoflurane on global perfusion as well as intestinal microperfusion and oxygenation. Nine Warmblood horses were premedicated with xylazine; anaesthesia was induced with midazolam and ketamine, and maintained with isoflurane. Horses were ventilated to normocapnia. During 7 h of anaesthesia, mean arterial blood pressures (MAP), heart rate, central venous pressure, pulmonary artery pressure, expiratory isoflurane concentration (ETIso) and cardiac output using lithium dilution were measured; cardiac in...
Abnormal Imaging Findings of the Femoral Third Trochanter in 20 Horses. Injuries involving the femoral third trochanter are an uncommon but important source of equine lameness; however, clinical localization can be challenging. The purpose of this retrospective study was to describe ultrasonographic and scintigraphic findings in a group of horses with presumed third trochanter injury. Medical records of an equine referral hospital were searched from 2004-2014, and 20 horses met the inclusion criteria. Lesions consistent with third trochanter fracture were identified with ultrasound in 14/20 horses. Onset of lameness was acute (11), insidious (2), or unknown (1). A...
Development of a new laparoscopic Foramen Epiploicum Mesh Closure (FEMC) technique in 6 horses. Epiploic foramen entrapment (EFE) is, based on the number of reports in the literature, a relatively important life-threatening cause of colic in horses that could be prevented by closing the epiploic foramen (EF) in horses at risk of developing EFE. Objective: To describe the laparoscopic foramen epiploicum mesh closure (FEMC) technique and its outcome. Methods: Descriptive experimental study. Methods: The EF of 6 horses was closed with the FEMC technique. A diabolo-shaped constructed mesh was introduced into the omental vestibule through the EF under laparoscopic visualisation in the standin...
Risk factors for recurrence of atrial fibrillation in horses after cardioversion to sinus rhythm. Although atrial fibrillation (AF) can be successfully treated in horses, recurrence occurs frequently. In humans, atrial function after cardioversion can predict recurrence. Objective: To examine the prognostic value of atrial mechanical function at 24 hours after cardioversion and other potential predictor variables for AF recurrence in horses. Methods: 117 horses treated for AF at 4 referral centers. Methods: Retrospective study. Inclusion criteria were successful cardioversion, echocardiography at 24 hours after cardioversion and ≥4 months follow-up. To determine factors associated with A...
Ultrasonographic detection of early atrophy of the intrinsic laryngeal muscles of horses. To describe the ultrasonographic changes in the cricoarytenoideus dorsalis (CAD) and cricoarytenoideus lateralis (CAL) muscles of horses before and at various times during the 32 weeks after unilateral neurectomy of the right recurrent laryngeal nerve. Methods: 28 healthy Standardbreds. Methods: For each horse, the appearance of the CAD and CAL muscles on the right (neurectomized) and left (control) sides was serially monitored ultrasonographically by percutaneous (CAD and CAL) and transesophageal (CAD) approaches. The ultrasonographic images were assessed to determine the mean pixel intensity...
Evaluation of a thyrotropin-releasing hormone solution stored at room temperature for pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction testing in horses. To determine whether plasma ACTH concentrations vary following administration of a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) solution prepared for research purposes and stored at -20°C (rTRH) or prepared by a compounding pharmacy and stored at room temperature (approx 22°C; cTRH). Methods: 34 adult horses. Methods: The study consisted of 2 experiments. In experiment 1, each horse underwent 2 TRH stimulation tests separated by 24 hours; 10 horses were administered cTRH for the first test and rTRH for the second test (group 1), 10 horses were administered rTRH for the first test and cTRH for the sec...
Animal-related activities as risk factors for injuries among youth on agricultural operations. Working with animals on agricultural operations is hazardous for youths. This study evaluated the associations between activities and injuries related to specific animal types. A case-control study within the Regional Rural Injury Study II included 425 youths (less than 20 years of age) with injuries related to their operation and 1,886 controls (randomly selected youths). Exposures of interest were collected for the months prior to injury events for cases and randomly selected months for controls, based on an injury incidence algorithm. Multivariate logistic regression characterized associati...
Efficacy of Mechanical versus Non-Mechanical Sterile Preoperative Skin Preparation With Chlorhexidine Gluconate 4% Solution. To compare the efficacy of sterile preoperative skin antisepsis using either a 5-minute mechanical preparation or 5-minute non-mechanical preparation with chlorhexidine gluconate 4% solution. Methods: Matched design, ANOVA. Methods: Healthy adult Thoroughbred horses (n = 30). Methods: Each horse had both surgical preparation methods randomly assigned to identical sites on the left or right upper thigh. Prepared sites were sampled and cultured for bacteria after each preparation step. Results: Mechanical and non-mechanical preparation techniques significantly reduced bacteria isolated from ...
Rapid and accurate identification of Streptococcus equi subspecies by MALDI-TOF MS. Streptococcus equi includes very important animal and human pathogens. S. equi subsp. equi (SEE) is a highly pathogenic equine specific subspecies, while S. equi subsp. zooepidemicus (SEZ) and S. equi subsp. ruminatorum are opportunistic pathogens of various animal species and humans. Due to great phenotypic and sequence similarity between three subspecies their discrimination remains difficult. In this study, we aimed to design and validate a novel, Superspectra based, MALDI-TOF MS approach for reliable, rapid and cost-effective identification of SEE and SEZ, the most frequent S. equi subspec...
Mechanoreceptors in the Anterior Horn of the Equine Medial Meniscus: an Immunohistochemical Approach. Lameness due to stifle and especially meniscal lesions is frequent in equine species. In humans, mechanoreceptors involved in proprioceptive function are well studied. Given the high incidence of meniscal injuries in horses, and the lack of information concerning them in equine menisci, our objective was to study these corpuscles in six healthy anterior horns of the equine medial meniscus, which is the most common localisation reported for equine meniscal injuries. Immunohistochemical stainings were performed using antibodies against high molecular weight neurofilaments and glial fibrillary ac...
scAAVIL-1ra dosing trial in a large animal model and validation of long-term expression with repeat administration for osteoarthritis therapy. A gene therapeutic approach to treat osteoarthritis (OA) appears to be on the horizon for millions of people who suffer from this disease. Previously we described optimization of a scAAVIL-1ra gene therapeutic vector and initially tested this in an equine model verifying long-term intrasynovial IL-1ra protein at therapeutic levels. Using this vector, we carried out a dosing trial in six horses to verify protein levels and establish a dose that would express relevant levels of therapeutic protein for extended periods of time (8 months). A novel arthroscopic procedure used to detect green fluore...
Equid herpesvirus type 1 activates platelets. Equid herpesvirus type 1 (EHV-1) causes outbreaks of abortion and neurological disease in horses. One of the main causes of these clinical syndromes is thrombosis in placental and spinal cord vessels, however the mechanism for thrombus formation is unknown. Platelets form part of the thrombus and amplify and propagate thrombin generation. Here, we tested the hypothesis that EHV-1 activates platelets. We found that two EHV-1 strains, RacL11 and Ab4 at 0.5 or higher plaque forming unit/cell, activate platelets within 10 minutes, causing α-granule secretion (surface P-selectin expression) and pl...
Effect of a probiotic on prevention of diarrhea and Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens shedding in foals. Up to 60% of foals develop diarrhea within 6 months after birth. Preventive measures are limited but potentially probiotics could be used. Objective: To evaluate the effect of a newly designed probiotic on the incidence of foal diarrhea in a randomized field trial. Methods: Seventy-two healthy neonatal foals. Methods: Randomized, placebo-controlled field trial. Foals were administered a placebo or probiotic for 3 weeks and monitored for an additional week. A total of 3 fecal samples were taken from each foal at biweekly intervals. Statistical modeling was applied for comparison of incidence an...
Allergen-Specific Cytokine Polarization Protects Shetland Ponies against Culicoides obsoletus-Induced Insect Bite Hypersensitivity. The immunological mechanisms explaining development of an allergy in some individuals and not in others remain incompletely understood. Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is a common, seasonal, IgE-mediated, pruritic skin disorder that affects considerable proportions of horses of different breeds, which is caused by bites of the insect Culicoides obsoletus (C. obsoletus). We investigated the allergen-specific immune status of individual horses that had either been diagnosed to be healthy or to suffer of IBH. Following intradermal allergen injection, skin biopsies were taken of IBH-affected an...
Post-exercise dynamics of serum amyloid A blood concentration in thoroughbred horses classified as injured and non-injured after the race. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum amyloid A (SAA) concentration in horses with orthopedic injuries acquired during racing and in healthy ones after completing the race. Injuries of bone and tendon did not cause radical increase in SAA concentration observed in other inflammatory conditions. SAA concentration correlated positively with white blood cell count (WBC) on the 3rd-4th days after race being significantly higher in the injured horses than in the control group in that time. It was suggested that racing effort may cause increase in SAA level, more pronounced in horses manifesti...
