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Topic:Comparative Study
Comparative studies in equine research involve the systematic analysis of different horse breeds, management practices, or physiological responses to identify variations and similarities. These studies are instrumental in understanding how different factors influence health, performance, and behavior in horses. Common areas of comparison include genetic traits, nutritional requirements, disease resistance, and response to training. By evaluating these differences, researchers can develop targeted strategies for breeding, healthcare, and training. This page aggregates peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that focus on the methodologies, findings, and implications of comparative studies in the context of equine science.
Brother of CDO (BOC) expression in equine articular cartilage. Brother of CDO (BOC) is a cell surface receptor that derives its name from the structurally related protein, cell adhesion molecule-related/down-regulated by oncogenes (CDO, sometimes CDON). High levels of BOC mRNA and protein expression have been described in embryonic tissues with active cell proliferation and ongoing cellular differentiation(1,2). A microarray-based screen of RNA isolated from 11 different adult equine tissues unexpectedly identified BOC as having an expression pattern restricted to articular cartilage. The objective of this study was to further investigate BOC expression i...
Specific antibody responses to West Nile virus infections in horses preimmunized with inactivated Japanese encephalitis vaccine: evaluation of blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay. West Nile virus (WNV) and Japanese encephalitis (JE) virus are distributed separately in the world with some exceptions. There is a concern that WNV may invade into Asia where JE virus exists. On and after such invasion, any differential diagnosis could be complicated by serological crossreactivities. We previously demonstrated experimentally using horses infected with WNV that preimmunization with inactivated JE vaccine considerably affected the ability of neutralization tests and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to diagnose WNV infection. Here...
Athletic humans and horses: comparative analysis of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in trained and untrained subjects at rest. Horses and humans share a natural proclivity for athletic performance. In this respect, horses can be considered a reference species in studies designed to optimize physical training and disease prevention. In both species, interleukin-6 (IL-6) plays a major role in regulating the inflammatory process induced during exercise as part of an integrated metabolic regulatory network. The aim of this study was to compare IL-6 and IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) mRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in trained and untrained humans and horses. Results: Nine highly trained male swimmers (...
Assessment of the impact of collection temperature and sampler design on the measurement of exhaled breath condensate pH in healthy horses. The pH measurement of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) may provide a non-invasive method of assessing the lower airways of horses but the methodology used may influence findings. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of two sampling devices and three methods of condensation surface cooling (ethanol slush, -100°C; dry ice, -75°C; water ice, 0°C) on EBC pH. Each method was tested 30 times using six healthy ponies. Sample pH was determined before and after de-aeration with argon for 10 min. Sampler design was found to significantly affect pH. Samples collected as a liquid had a si...
Factors influencing equine chorionic gonadotrophin production in the mare. An opportunity to monitor equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG) production during 61 pregnancies in 25 Thoroughbred mares mated to the same Thoroughbred stallion was utilised in order to further knowledge regarding factors involved in the production of this hormone. Objective: To examine the effects of maternal body condition, exercise and parity on eCG production. Methods: In the first experiment, maiden mares were fed either a moderate (n = 9) or an excessive (n = 10) food intake throughout gestation. In the second experiment, 5 mares were exercised daily during pregnancy and eCG production r...
Comparison of three diagnostic methods to identify subclinical endometritis in mares. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of a uterine swab (US), a cytological brush (CB) and an endometrial biopsy (EB) to detect subclinical endometritis in mares. Cytological and bacteriological results of all three techniques were related to histological occurrence of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) in the stratum compactum, commonly known as 'best standard'; to diagnose endometritis. Samples were taken from 55 mares of different breeds without clinical signs of endometritis. Samples for US, CB and EB were collected, smeared on a microscopic slide and cultured for bacte...
Arthrodesis of the equine proximal interphalangeal joint: a biomechanical comparison of 3-hole 4.5 mm locking compression plate and 3-hole 4.5 mm narrow dynamic compression plate, with two transarticular 5.5 mm cortex screws. To compare the biomechanical characteristics of 2 arthrodesis techniques for the equine proximal interphalangeal joint (PIP) using either a 3-hole 4.5 mm locking compression plate (LCP) or 3-hole 4.5 mm narrow dynamic compression plate (DCP), both with 2 transarticular 5.5 mm cortex screws. Methods: Experimental. Methods: Cadaveric adult equine forelimbs (*n=6 pairs). Methods: For each forelimb pair, 1 limb was randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment groups and the contralateral limb by default to the other treatment group. Construct stiffness, gap formation across the PIP joint, and rotation ab...
Immunohistochemical distribution of laminin-332 and collagen type IV in the basement membrane of normal horses and horses with induced laminitis. The basement membrane (BM) is a thin layer of extracellular matrix that regulates cell functions as well as providing support to tissues of the body. Primary components of the BM of epithelial tissues are laminin-332 (Ln-332) and collagen type IV. Equine laminitis is a disease characterized by destruction and dislocation of the hoof lamellar BM. Immunohistochemistry was used to characterize the distribution of Ln-332 and collagen type IV in the organs of normal horses and these proteins were found to be widespread. Analysis of a panel of tissue samples from horses with experimentally-induced l...
Energy availability from livestock and agricultural productivity in Europe, 1815–1913: a new comparison. This article explores the proposition that a reason for high agricultural productivity in the early nineteenth century was relatively high energy availability from draught animals. The article is based on the collection of extensive new data indicating different trends in draught power availability and the efficiency of its use in different countries of Europe. This article shows that the proposition does not hold, and demonstrates that, although towards the end of the nineteenth century England had relatively high numbers of draught animals per agricultural worker, it also had low number of w...
Isolation of an equine coronavirus from adult horses with pyrogenic and enteric disease and its antigenic and genomic characterization in comparison with the NC99 strain. A new equine coronavirus was isolated from the feces of adult horses with pyrogenic and enteric disease. The disease outbreak was mainly observed among 2- to 4-year-old horses living in stables of a draft-horse racetrack in Japan. On comparing the isolated virus (isolate Tokachi09) with the equine coronavirus NC99 strain, no significant differences were observed in several biological properties such as hemagglutinating activity, antigenicity (in indirect immunofluorescence and neutralization tests), and one-step growth (in cell culture). The sequences of the nucleocapsid and spike genes of iso...
Comparison of ketamine and alfaxalone for induction and maintenance of anaesthesia in ponies undergoing castration. To compare alfaxalone with ketamine for total intravenous anaesthesia in ponies undergoing castration. Methods: Prospective, randomised, blinded clinical study. Methods: Forty-two, 12-month-old Welsh Mountain ponies. Methods: Ponies were assigned randomly to receive ketamine or alfaxalone. After administration of romifidine 100 μg kg(-1) and butorphanol 50 μg kg(-1) intravenously (IV), sedation and response to tactile stimulation were scored. If sedation was insufficient, romifidine 30 μg kg(-1) was administered IV. Anaesthesia was induced with ketamine 2.2 mg kg(-1) or alfaxalone 1 mg kg(-...
Association between navicular bone fragmentation and shape in Belgian Warmblood horses. To investigate whether in navicular bones (NB) from warmbloods, distal border fragmentation is associated with the shape of the proximal articular border or other radiological findings. Methods: Radiographs of the front feet of 325 normal, subadult horses presented for admission as breeding stallions were reviewed. Results: The proximal articular border of the total of 650 NB was classified as straight (n = 278), convex (n = 184), undulating (n = 147) or concave (n = 41). Distal border fragments were present in 57 NB (8.8%). They were significantly more prevalent in NB with a concave (9/41; 22...
Evaluation of gastric pressures as an indirect method for measurement of intraabdominal pressures in the horse. To develop an indirect method for measurement of intraabdominal pressures in the standing horse using measurement of gastric pressures as a less invasive technique, and to compare this method with direct intraabdominal pressures obtained from the peritoneal cavity. Methods: Prospective, experimental study. Methods: University-based equine research facility. Methods: Ten healthy adult horses, 7 geldings and 3 mares. Methods: Gastric pressures were measured using a nasogastric tube with a U-tube manometry technique, while intraperitoneal pressures were measured with a peritoneal cannula. Measure...
Establishing reference genes for use in real-time quantitative PCR analysis of early equine embryos. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) is invaluable for investigating changes in gene expression during early development, since it can be performed on the limited quantities of mRNA contained in individual embryos. However, the reliability of this method depends on the use of validated stably expressed reference genes for accurate data normalisation. The aim of the present study was to identify and validate a set of reference genes suitable for studying gene expression during equine embryo development. The stable expression of four carefully selected reference genes and one developmentally regula...
Assessment of synovial fluid biomarkers in healthy foals and in foals with tarsocrural osteochondrosis. Although alterations in biomarkers of cartilage turnover in synovial fluid (SF) have been demonstrated in horses with osteochondrosis (OC), there have been few investigations of such alterations in animals <1 year old. In this study tarsocrural SF samples from foals aged 18, 22 and 52 weeks of age were assessed for: (1) 'turnover' biomarkers of type II collagen (CPII and C2C) and proteoglycan (CS846 and glycosaminoglycans [GAG]); (2) matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity; (3) insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1; (4) transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1; (5) prostaglandin (PG) E(2...
Longitudinal study of the renin angiotensin aldosterone system in purebred Spanish broodmares during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the coordinated interaction of the components of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a vital role in accommodating the cardiovascular, haemodynamic and haematological needs imposed by foetal development and the placenta. This significantly influences the birth weight of the neonate and foetal viability. Although the evolution of each of the components of this system has been widely described in various species, it has not yet been clarified in the mare. Thus, the objectives of the present research were: 1) to establish reference values for renin (REN), angio...
In vivo-derived horse blastocysts show transcriptional upregulation of developmentally important genes compared with in vitro-produced horse blastocysts. In vitro-produced (IVP) equine blastocysts can give rise to successful pregnancies, but their morphology and developmental rate differ from those of in vivo-derived equine blastocysts. The aim of the present study was to evaluate this difference at the genetic level. Suppression subtractive hybridisation (SSH) was used to construct a cDNA library enriched for transcripts preferentially expressed in in vivo-derived equine blastocysts compared with IVP blastocysts. Of the 62 different genes identified in this way, six genes involved in embryonic development (BEX2, FABP3, HSP90AA1, MOBKL3, MCM7 a...
Histopathologic features of distal tarsal joint cartilage and subchondral bone in ridden and pasture-exercised horses. To determine whether histopathologic characteristics of the osteochondral units of equine distal tarsal joints were associated with exercise history in horses without lameness. Methods: 30 cadaver tarsi from horses without lameness and with known exercise history were separated into 3 groups: nonridden, pasture exercise (group P); low-intensity, ridden exercise (group L); and high-intensity, elite competition exercise (group E). Methods: Standardized sites from the centrodistal and tarsometatarsal joints under went histologic preparation. A grading system was adapted to describe location, dept...
Evaluation of equine peripheral blood apheresis product, bone marrow, and adipose tissue as sources of mesenchymal stem cells and their differentation potential. To evaluate effects of apheresis on mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and compare those MSCs with MSCs obtained from adipose tissue or bone marrow (BM). Methods: Samples obtained from 6 adult horses. Methods: Samples of blood from a peripheral vein, adipose tissue, and BM aspirate were obtained from each horse. Samples were processed via apheresis of blood and techniques reported elsewhere for adipose tissue and BM. Cultures were maintained until adherence and subsequently were subjected to differentiation protocols to evaluate adipogenic, osteoblastogenic, and chondrogenic potential. Results: Aph...
Transcriptional profiling of equine conceptuses reveals new aspects of embryo-maternal communication in the horse. Establishment and maintenance of pregnancy are critically dependent on embryo-maternal communication during the preimplantation period. The horse is one of the few domestic species in which the conceptus-derived pregnancy recognition signal has not been identified. To gain new insights into the factors released by the equine conceptus, transcriptional profiling analyses of conceptuses retrieved 8, 10, 12, and 14 days after ovulation were performed using a whole-genome microarray. Selected array data were confirmed using quantitative PCR, and the expression of proteins of interest was confirmed...
Core decompression of the equine navicular bone: an in vitro biomechanical study. To determine the effect of core decompression surgery and bone mineral density (BMD) on the mechanical properties of equine navicular bones. Methods: Experimental, in vitro study. Methods: Fore limb navicular bones (n=36 pairs) from sound 2-5-year-old horses with no radiographic abnormalities of the distal aspect of the forelimbs. Methods: Navicular BMD was measured using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. One randomly assigned navicular bone from each pair served as control. The contralateral test specimen was allocated to 1 of 6 treatment groups defined by drill bit size (3.2 versus 2.5 mm di...
Mediolateral hoof balance in relation to the handedness of apprentice farriers. Horses that had been trimmed and shod by apprentice farriers were sourced from the Royal School of Military Engineering, Melton Mowbray (37 horses) and from the Household Cavalry, Knightsbridge (54 horses). The lateral and medial hoof wall angles of both forelimbs were measured using a Ruidoso hoof gauge by the same operator. The difference between the lateral and medial hoof wall angles for each horse was calculated and the results were compared between right-handed and left-handed farriers using the Mann-Whitney U test (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in the mediolateral hoof bal...
Highly athletic terrestrial mammals: horses and dogs. Evolutionary forces drive beneficial adaptations in response to a complex array of environmental conditions. In contrast, over several millennia, humans have been so enamored by the running/athletic prowess of horses and dogs that they have sculpted their anatomy and physiology based solely upon running speed. Thus, through hundreds of generations, those structural and functional traits crucial for running fast have been optimized. Central among these traits is the capacity to uptake, transport and utilize oxygen at spectacular rates. Moreover, the coupling of the key systems--pulmonary-cardio...
Understanding the equine cecum-colon ecosystem: current knowledge and future perspectives. Having evolved as a grazing animal, a horse's digestive physiology is characterized by rapid gastric transit, a rapid but intense enzymatic digestion along the small intestine, and a long and intense microbial fermentation in the large intestine. The process of understanding and describing feed degradation mechanisms in the equine digestive system in general, and in the hindgut ecosystem in particular, is essential. Regardless of its importance for the nutritional status of the host, the significance of the cecum-colon ecosystem has not yet been fully understood, and few reports have focused d...
Evaluation of the effects of the R- and S-enantiomers of salbutamol on equine isolated bronchi. Equine obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as heaves or recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is a common equine pulmonary disease with some similarities to human asthma and COPD, which represents a major cause of morbidity and loss of lung performance. Salbutamol has been widely used for the treatment of human airway diseases and has usually been prepared as the racemic form of the drug. However, recently the R-enantiomer of salbutamol has been introduced into clinical practice in the treatment of asthma in humans and this has been suggested to be an improvement on the racemic form of the ...
Markers of stemness in equine mesenchymal stem cells: a plea for uniformity. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are a very promising subpopulation of adult stem cells for cell-based regenerative therapies in veterinary medicine. Despite major progress in the knowledge on adult stem cells during recent years, a proper identification of MSC remains a challenge. In human medicine, the Mesenchymal and Tissue Stem Cell Committee of the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) recently proposed three criteria to define MSC. Firstly, cells must be plastic-adherent when maintained under standard culture conditions. Secondly, MSC must express CD73, CD90 and CD105, and lac...
Comparison of equine bone marrow-, umbilical cord matrix and amniotic fluid-derived progenitor cells. The aim of the study was to compare in vitro the stemness features of horse progenitor cells derived from bone marrow (BM-MSCs), amniotic fluid (AF-MSCs) and umbilical cord matrix (EUC-MSCs). It has been suggested that there may be a stem cell population within both umbilical cord matrix and amniotic fluid. However, little knowledge exists about the characteristics of these progenitor cells within these sources in the equine species. This study wanted to investigate an alternative and non-invasive stem cell source for the equine tissue engineering and to learn more about the properties of thes...
Finite element analysis of a novel pin-sleeve system for external fixation of distal limb fractures in horses. The transfixation pin cast (TPC) is an external skeletal fixation technique used to treat horses with distal limb fractures, but its use is often associated with pin-loosening and an increased risk of treatment failure. To address implant loosening, the pin sleeve cast system (PSC) was recently designed and consists of a pin-sleeve unit inserted into the bone. Each pin runs through a sleeve placed in the bone, making contact at two fixed points only within the sleeve. Each pin is attached to a ring embedded in a resin cast. In this report, the mechanical performance of a traditional TPC pin ar...
Characterization of spinal ganglion neurons in horse (Equus caballus). A morphometric, neurochemical and tracing study. Spinal ganglion (SG) neurons have been widely described in rodents, and classified according to various criteria. On the basis of such studies, many features of rodent SG neurons have become benchmarks to classify these cells. However, these traits cannot be confirmed in all other species. In the present study, horse SG neurons were morphometrically and neurochemically characterized by detecting the neuronal markers calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P (SP), neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and isolectin B4 (IB4) from Griffonia simplicifolia. Moreover, spinal cord staining ...
Lactate-driven equine conditioning programmes. Equine conditioning programmes are rarely driven by science. Indeed, the scientific literature on conditioning responses often refers to conventional technique rather than physiological driving parameters. This, alongside poor classification of conditioning protocols, has reduced the possibility of comparative data analysis. Recent interest into lactate-driven conditioning programmes has driven this review which provides a summary of equine protocols used to date and their responses. Key areas identified for further standardisation and/or investigation include (1) the treadmill acclimation pro...
