Omneity® Pellets
All-In-One Vitamin & Mineral Pellet
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.
Screening of anti-human leukocyte monoclonal antibodies for reactivity with equine leukocytes. Three hundred and seventy-nine monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against various human CD molecules supplied to the HLDA8 animal homologues section (including four isotype controls) were analysed for cross-reactivity with equine leukocytes. First, flow cytometric identification of positively reacting mAbs was performed in one laboratory. Thereafter, a second round of flow cytometric evaluation was performed, involving three laboratories participating in the study. The first test-round indicated 17 mAbs as potentially positive. After the second round of flow cytometric analysis, 14 mAbs remained (di...
Non-HLDA8 animal homologue section anti-leukocyte mAbs tested for reactivity with equine leukocytes. In addition to the 379 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) tested in the animal homologues section of HLDA8, another 155 mAbs were screened at the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin for cross-reactivity with equine leukocytes. For this purpose, one colour flow-cytometric analysis was performed as screening test. This additional screening indicated further 16 mAbs as positive with staining homologous to human pattern, 1 mAb with weak (positive) reactivity, 11 mAbs with positive, but likely not valuable staining, 12 mAbs with alternate expression pattern from that expected from human immun...
The efficacy of a single chain recombinant equine luteinizing hormone (reLH) in mares: induction of ovulation, hormone profiles, and inter-ovulatory intervals. The objectives of this study were to determine the efficacy of recombinant equine luteinizing hormone (reLH) in shortening the time to ovulation in cycling mares and to determine the effects of treatment on endogenous hormones and inter-ovulatory intervals. In study 1, mares of light horse breeds (3-20 years) were treated with either a vehicle, various doses of reLH, or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). Cycling mares were examined by palpation and ultrasound per rectum daily or every 12h from the time of treatment to ovulation. In studies 2 and 3, jugular blood samples were collected daily o...
Are distributions of secondary osteon variants useful for interpreting load history in mammalian bones? In cortical bone, basic multicellular units (BMUs) produce secondary osteons that mediate adaptations, including variations in their population densities and cross-sectional areas. Additional important BMU-related adaptations might include atypical secondary osteon morphologies (zoned, connected, drifting, elongated, multiple canal). These variants often reflect osteonal branching that enhances toughness by increasing interfacial (cement line) complexity. If these characteristics correlate with strain mode/magnitude-related parameters of habitual loading, then BMUs might produce adaptive diffe...
[Diversity and dynamics of bacteriophages in horse feces]. The complex cellulolytic microbial community of the horse intestines is a convenient model for studying the ecology of bacteriophages in natural habitats. Unlike the rumen of the ruminants, this community of the equine large intestine is not subjected to digestion. The inner conditions of the horse gut are much more stable in comparison to other mammals, due to the fact that the horse diet remains almost unchanged and the intervals between food consumption and defecation are much shorter than the whole digestive cycle. The results of preliminary analysis of the structure and dynamics of the vi...
Temperament in preweanling horses: development of reactions to humans and novelty, and startle responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development and the stability across situations and over time of three temperament traits in young foals: propensity to react to humans, propensity to react to novelty, and propensity to react to suddenness. In a comparative study, we examined the reactions of animals in three independent groups (N = 27) tested at 3, 12, and 24 weeks of age, respectively. We observed that human avoidance and novel object approach behaviors are quasi inexistent in the group tested at 3 weeks, but are more and more present in the groups tested at subsequent ages. ...
Relevance of using a human microarray to study gene expression in heaves-affected horses. Environmental causes of heaves are well described, but the molecular mechanisms of the disease remain unclear. Previous studies have highlighted the implications of variations in gene expression, most using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This well-known technique limits the number of genes that can be studied in a single assay. Microarray appears to be a valuable tool to by-pass this limitation, but so far there has been no equine-specific microarray available on the market. The present study was performed to determine whether a human microarray could be used to stud...
A clinical comparison of two anaesthetic protocols using lidocaine or medetomidine in horses. To compare the effects of two balanced anaesthetic protocols on end-tidal isoflurane (Fe'ISO), cardiopulmonary performance and quality of recovery in horses. Methods: Prospective blinded randomized clinical study. Methods: Sixty-nine client-owned horses, American Society of Anesthesiologists category I and II, undergoing elective surgery. Methods: The horses were premedicated with acepromazine (0.03 mg kg(-1)) IM 30-60 minutes before induction of anaesthesia and were randomly assigned to one of two treatments: in group L (37 horses) xylazine (1 mg kg(-1)) and in group M (31 horses) medetomidin...
Effects of hippotherapy on postural stability, in persons with multiple sclerosis: a pilot study. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the effectiveness of hippotherapy as an intervention for the treatment of postural instability in individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: A sample of convenience of 15 individuals with MS (24-72 years) were recruited from support groups and assessed for balance deficits. Methods: This study was a nonequivalent pretest-posttest comparison group design. Nine individuals (4 males, 5 females) received weekly hippotherapy intervention for 14 weeks. The other 6 individuals (2 males, 4 females) served as a comparison group. All participants we...
Comparison of ketamine and S(+)-ketamine, with romifidine and diazepam, for total intravenous anesthesia in horses. To compare the quality of induction and recovery, degree of muscle relaxation, clinically apparent potency and cardiopulmonary effects of racemic ketamine or S(+)-ketamine when used for total intravenous anesthesia in horses. Methods: Prospective randomized clinical trial Methods: Sixteen healthy stallions (323 +/- 99 kg), with a mean age of 6.2 years, undergoing castration. Methods: Horses were pre-medicated with romifidine IV, 15 minutes before induction of anesthesia. Each animal was then randomly allocated to receive either diazepam and ketamine (DK) or diazepam and S(+)-ketamine (DKS) at ...
Comparison of opioid receptor binding in horse, guinea pig, and rat cerebral cortex and cerebellum. To compare the density and binding characteristics of opioid receptor subtypes in horse, rat, and guinea pig cerebral cortex and cerebellum. Methods: Prospective receptor binding study. Methods: Whole brains were obtained from four neurologically normal adult horses during necropsy. Rat and guinea pig brains were obtained commercially. Methods: The cerebellum and cerebral cortex were dissected from each brain, and tissue homogenates prepared. A radioligand binding technique with the highly selective ligands [(3)H]-DAMGO, [(3)H]-U69593, and [(3)H]-DPDPE was used to identify the mu- (mu), kappa-...
Serum iron and plasma fibrinogen concentrations as indicators of systemic inflammatory diseases in horses. Detection of systemic inflammation, which is important for proper diagnosis and prompt treatment, can be challenging. Objective: Measurement of plasma iron concentration is a sensitive method for detecting systemic inflammation in horses compared with measurements of plasma fibrinogen concentration, a traditional marker for inflammation in the horse. Methods: Ninety-seven horses hospitalized with diseases causing systemic inflammation, 22 horses with localized inflammation, and 12 clinically normal horses were included in this study. Methods: A retrospective study was made on hospitalized hors...
Thoracic percussion to determine the caudal lung border in healthy horses. The application of equine thoracic percussion has been ignored because of the availability of modern imaging techniques. Ultrasonography is a reliable tool in determining the caudal lung border of horses. The aim of the study was to compare percussion with ultrasonography to determine lung borders in horses. Objective: That thoracic percussion can detect the caudal lung border and that its accuracy is comparable with thoracic ultrasonography. Methods: Fifteen randomly chosen, healthy, Warmblood horses. Methods: The caudal lung border was detected by percussion and ultrasonography at the end of...
Cytokine profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from septic and healthy neonatal foals. Septicemia initiates the production of pro-inflammatory (interleukin [IL] 1-beta [IL-1beta], interferon-gamma [IFN-gamma], IL-6), and anti-inflammatory (IL-4) cytokines. The transcription of some of these proteins (IL-8, IL-6) is linked to endotoxin-induced activation of the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Objective: Septic foals fail to increase gene expression of IFN-gamma. Nonsurviving septic foals exhibit distinctive cytokine profiles. Methods: Twenty-one septic and 20 healthy neonatal foals. Methods: Using real-time polymerase chain reaction, gene...
Serum bile acids concentrations in healthy and clinically ill neonatal foals. Reference ranges for serum bile acids (SBA) concentration are well established in healthy adult horses. Increased values are indicative of hepatic disease. Objective: SBA concentrations are significantly greater in the neonatal period compared with mature horses, and illness in the neonatal period will further increase SBA. Methods: Ten healthy mature horses, 12 healthy foals, and 31 clinically ill foals. Methods: Prospective cross-sectional study. Blood samples were obtained once from the mature horses, from healthy foals immediately after birth, at 2 days, and at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks of a...
Fluorescent in situ hybridization mapping of the epidermal growth factor receptor gene in donkey. The physical localization of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene was performed on donkey chromosomes. Bacterial artificial chromosome DNA containing the equine EGFR gene was used to map this gene by fluorescent in situ hybridization on donkey metaphase chromosomes. The gene was mapped on donkey 1q21.1 region.
The mechanisms determining the nucleolar-organizing regions inactivation of domestic horse chromosomes. Cytogenetic investigations of the nucleolar-organizing regions (NORs) show that there is variation in the transcriptional activity of rDNA in many organisms. As a consequence, genetic polymorphism of these regions has been detected. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hypothetic genetic mechanisms determining the NORs polymorphism of the domestic horse chromosomes. Molecular cytogenetic analyses were carried out on Hucul horses and the following techniques were used: fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), telomere primed in situ synthesis (PRINS), in situ nick-translation with...
Possibility of selecting racehorses on jumping ability based on their steeplechase race results in France, the United Kingdom and Ireland. The aim of this study was to detect Thoroughbred mare families and sire lines, in France, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, whose offspring may be successful in steeplechase races and can be recommended therefore for sport horse breeding. Race results were collected from all steeplechase races in these countries between 1998 and 2003, which contained the results of 17,355 horses from 12,861 dams and 2452 sires. In France, non-Thoroughbred horses were also included in the analysis because they race and mate together with Thoroughbreds. Performance was measured with two criteria: earnings and r...
Molecular characterization of the equine herpesvirus 1 strains RacL11 and Kentucky D. The pathogenicities of RacL11 and Kentucky D strains of equine herpesvirus 1 in the hamster infection model are different from those of Ab4p and the Japanese isolates. Virus genome restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and sequence comparison of an intergenic region, glycoproteins and tegument genes showed higher conservation but with some strain-specific differences. These results indicate that point nucleotide differences in RacL11 and Kentucky D might be responsible for their pathogenicity in rodent models.
Negative effect of estradiol on luteinizing hormone throughout the ovulatory luteinizing hormone surge in mares. The negative effect of estradiol-17beta (E2) on LH, based on exogenous E2 treatments, and the reciprocal effect of LH on endogenous E2, based on hCG treatments, were studied throughout the ovulatory follicular wave during a total of 103 equine estrous cycles in seven experiments. An initial study developed E2 treatment protocols that approximated physiologic E2 concentrations during the estrous cycle. On Day 13 (ovulation = Day 0), when basal concentrations of E2 and LH precede the ovulatory surges, exogenous E2 significantly depressed LH concentrations to below basal levels. Ablation of all f...
Genome-wide search for microsatellite markers associated with radiologic alterations in the navicular bone of Hanoverian warmblood horses. The aim of this study was to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for pathologic changes in the navicular bone in Hanoverian warmblood horses. Seventeen paternal half-sib groups comprising 192 individuals were analyzed in a whole-genome scan. These families included 144 progeny and grandchildren, which were randomly chosen from the Hanoverian warmblood. Three different traits were considered: deformed canales sesamoidales and radiographic changes in the contour and in the structure of the navicular bone. The genome scan included in total 214 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers. The pu...
A comparison of duck and chicken egg yolk for cryopreservation of stallion sperm. Duck and chicken egg yolk were compared for their protective effects against cold shock during the cryopreservation of stallion sperm in a lactose-EDTA-glycerol cryodiluent. Methods: A completely randomised design was used. Procedure Ejaculates from five stallions (n = 14 ejaculates) were split and diluted to either 20 or 200 x 10(6) sperm/mL in a lactose-EDTA extender containing either duck or chicken egg yolk. The extended semen was then frozen in liquid nitrogen. The percentage of sperm total motility and forward progressive motility were assessed before freezing and at 0 and 1 hr after tha...
Evaluation of Compass as a comparative mapping tool for ESTs using horse radiation hybrid maps. Loci for 9322 equine expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were predicted using the Comparative Mapping by Annotation and Sequence Similarity (Compass) strategy in order to evaluate the programme's ability to make accurate locus predictions in species with comparative gene maps. Using human genome sequence information from Build 35 (May 2004) and published marker information from the radiation hybrid (RH) maps for equine chromosomes (ECA) 17 and X, 162 ESTs were predicted to locations on ECA17 and 328 ESTs to locations on ECAX by selection of the 'top blast hit'. The locations of 30 ESTs were assesse...
Exercise and injury increase chondroitin sulfate chain length and decrease hyaluronan chain length in synovial fluid. (1) To investigate the effects of exercise and osteochondral (OC) injury on synovial fluid (SF) chondroitin sulfate (CS) and hyaluronan (HA) concentration and chain length, (2) to compare SF and cartilage CS data from joints with OC fragmentation, and (3) to compare SF CS and HA profiles with those seen in serum from the same horses. Methods: Serum and SF were obtained from (1) normal horses after 8 weeks rest, (2) the same horses after 9 months treadmill training, and (3) horses with OC injury from racing. Articular cartilage was also collected from group 3 horses. Concentrations and chain le...
Measuring the effects of wildlife contraception: the argument for comparing apples with oranges. There are few wildlife populations existing today that can be supported without some form of management. Wildlife fertility control, as one option, has moved from the research stage to actual application with a number of species, including wild horses, urban deer, captive exotic species and even African elephants, but this approach remains controversial in many quarters. Strident debate has arisen over the possible effects of contraception on behaviour, genetics, stress and even management economics, among other parameters. Part of the debate arises from the fact that critics often fail to rec...
Comparison of mandibular motion in horses chewing hay and pellets. Previous studies have suggested that temporomandibular joint (TMJ) kinematics depend on the type of food being masticated, but accurate measurements of TMJ motion in horses chewing different feeds have not been published. Objective: The temporomandibular joint has a larger range of motion when horses chew hay compared to pellets. Methods: An optical motion capture system was used to track skin markers on the skull and mandible of 7 horses as they chewed hay and pellets. A virtual marker was created on the midline between the mandibles at the level of the 4th premolar teeth to represent the ove...
Equine embryology: an inventory of unanswered questions. Carl Hartman's title of 47 years ago is invoked in tribute to his first recovery of a bovine embryo 30 years before that, and his legacy of an emphasis on the value of descriptive and comparative studies in reproductive biology. The horse's qualification as a farm animal has waned since those times but, in a conference understandably dominated by research in ruminants and pigs, there are lessons to be learned from some peculiarities of equine embryonic development. Morphological and physiological features of the conceptus and its interaction with its environment during the first month of pregn...
Clinical evaluation of the CA530-VET hematology analyzer for use in veterinary practice. The CA530-VET is a completely automated impedance cell hematology analyzer, which yields a 16-parameter blood count including a 3-part leukocyte differential. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the operational potential of the CA530-VET and its value for use in veterinary practice. Methods: The analyzer was tested for blood carry-over, precision, and accuracy. Comparison methods included the CELL-DYN 3500, microhematocrit centrifugation, manual platelet (PLT) counting for feline and equine species, and a 100-cell manual WBC differential. Blood samples for comparison of the methods...
In search of clinical truths: equine and comparative studies of anatomy. The importance of correlating anatomical studies with diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in practice has long been recognised. Such studies in the horse have, until recently, lagged behind this discipline in human medicine and surgery. Clinical techniques by which this correlation is achieved include radiography, ultrasound, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. This review presents published literature on the subject and, in addition, describes the part played by plastination, a recently developed technique for the preservation of biological specimens. In this, tissue fluids ...
