In vivo studies involving horses refer to research conducted within living organisms to understand various biological processes, disease mechanisms, and therapeutic interventions in equine species. These studies provide insights into the physiological and pathological responses of horses under natural conditions. In vivo research encompasses a range of investigations, including pharmacokinetics, disease modeling, and the evaluation of treatment efficacy. It often involves the use of controlled environments to simulate real-life scenarios while observing the effects of specific variables on equine health. This page gathers peer-reviewed research articles and scholarly studies that explore the methodologies, findings, and implications of in vivo research in horses, contributing to the advancement of equine science and veterinary medicine.
Zakia LS, Olivo G, Basso RM, Mira J, Herman M, Araujo JP, Borges AS, Oliveira-Filho JP.Aural plaques are a dermatopathy associated with Equus caballus papillomavirus (EcPV). This disease affects horses of all ages, genders and breeds, and causes sensitivity of the ears. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of 5% imiquimod cream for the treatment of aural plaques and to compare the PCR detection of EcPV 3, 4, 5 and 6 before and after treatment. Methods: Eight horses diagnosed with aural plaques (14 ears) were used. Three mares with unilateral aural plaques were used as untreated controls. Methods: Imiquimod cream was applied every 48 h until comp...
Deeg CA, Amann B, Lutz K, Hirmer S, Lutterberg K, Kremmer E, Hauck SM.Müller glial cells are important regulators of physiological function of retina. In a model disease of retinal inflammation and spontaneous recurrent uveitis in horses (ERU), we could show that retinal Müller glial cells significantly change potassium and water channel protein expression during autoimmune pathogenesis. The most significantly changed channel protein in neuroinflammatory ERU was aquaporin 11 (AQP11). Aquaporins (AQP, 13 members) are important regulators of water and small solute transport through membranes. AQP11 is an unorthodox member of this family and was assigned to a thi...
Zhao J, Negussie H, Laval K, Poelaert KC, Nauwynck HJ.Equine herpesvirus 1 (EHV-1) and equine arteritis virus (EAV) induce respiratory problems and abortion in horses and are considered as two serious threats to equine industry. Both EHV-1 and EAV misuse patrolling leukocytes in the upper respiratory tract to breach the basement membrane (BM) and to migrate to blood vessels. So far, the behavior and impact of a double infection in the respiratory mucosa of a horse are unknown. In the present study, the outcome of double infections with EHV-1 and the low virulent EAV strain 08P187 (superinfection with an interval of 12h or co-infection) were compa...
Griffith OW, Brandley MC, Whittington CM, Belov K, Thompson MB.In oviparous amniotes (reptiles, birds, and mammals) the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) lines the inside of the egg and acts as the living point of contact between the embryo and the outside world. In livebearing (viviparous) amniotes, communication during embryonic development occurs across placental tissues, which form between the uterine tissue of the mother and the CAM of the embryo. In both oviparous and viviparous taxa, the CAM is at the interface of the embryo and the external environment and can transfer signals from there to the embryo proper. To understand the evolution of placental ...
Byrnes JF, Bush PJ.Forensic anthropologists are more often turning to nondestructive methods to assist with skeletal analyses, specifically for trace elemental analyses. Portable XRF (pXRF) instruments are versatile and are able to be used in diverse settings or for specimens of a shape and size that cannot be accommodated by laboratory-based instruments. Use of XRF requires knowledge of analysis parameters such as X-ray penetration and exit depth. Analysis depth was determined by examining pure elements through known thicknesses of equine bone slices. Correlation between the element's X-ray emission energy and ...
Kennedy R, Lappin DF, Dixon PM, Buijs MJ, Zaura E, Crielaard W, O'Donnell L, Bennett D, Brandt BW, Riggio MP.Equine periodontal disease is a common and painful condition and its severe form, periodontitis, can lead to tooth loss. Its aetiopathogenesis remains poorly understood despite recent increased awareness of this disorder amongst the veterinary profession. Bacteria have been found to be causative agents of the disease in other species, but current understanding of their role in equine periodontitis is extremely limited. The aim of this study was to use high-throughput sequencing to identify the microbiome associated with equine periodontitis and oral health. Subgingival plaque samples from 24 h...
Bolzon C, Joonè CJ, Schulman ML, Harper CK, Villagómez DA, King WA, Révay T.Disorders of sex development (DSD) have long been documented in domestic animal species including horses. However, there is only a single report of an androgen receptor (AR) mutation causative of such a DSD syndrome in a horse pedigree. Here, we present a new familial AR mutation in horses. A missense mutation (c.2042G>C) at AR exon 4 explains the segregation of the DSD in a Thoroughbred horse pedigree. The mutation, expected to affect the ligand-binding domain of the AR protein, led to complete androgen insensitivity of 64,XY SRY+, testicular DSD individuals. Additionally, the design of a ...
Williamson JA, Dascanio JJ, Christmann U, Johnson JW, Rohleder B, Titus L.Simulation in veterinary education offers a solution for bridging the gap between observation and performance of clinical skills. An equine neck model was created that allows repetitive practice of jugular phlebotomy, intramuscular (IM) injection, and intravenous catheterization. The aim of this study was to validate the model for jugular phlebotomy and IM injection. We surveyed experienced veterinarians on the model's realism and the comprehensiveness of its features. In a randomized experimental study, we compared the learning outcomes of first-year veterinary students trained on the model (...
Kilcoyne I, Dechant JE, Nieto JE.The objective of the article is to determine the synovial fluid concentrations of amikacin sulfate (AS) after performing an intravenous regional limb perfusion (IVRLP) with the tourniquet in place for 10 minutes and compare this with 30 minutes. This is a randomised crossover experimental design. Animals were seven healthy adult horses. Horses underwent two IVRLP procedures in a randomised, crossover design. The horses received IVRLP with 2 g AS diluted to 60 ml using 0.9% saline in the cephalic vein of alternate limbs with the tourniquet in place for either 10 or 30 minutes, with a ...
Ememe MU, Abdullahi US, Sackey AK, Ayo JO, Mshelia WP, Edeh RE.This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a supplement that contains resveratrol and hyaluronic acid (RH supplement) in aged lame horses. A total of 16 horses of both sexes, aged between 15 and 22 years, weighing between 350-450 kg and showing lameness due to arthritis of the knee, hock, stifle, and fetlock joints and stiffness owing to ageing were used for the study. They comprised eight horses that were administered the RH supplement for three weeks and eight others that served as controls and were given only a Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast strain used as carrier in the supplement. Blood ...
Velie BD, Shrestha M, Franҫois L, Schurink A, Tesfayonas YG, Stinckens A, Blott S, Ducro BJ, Mikko S, Thomas R, Swinburne JE, Sundqvist M....While susceptibility to hypersensitive reactions is a common problem amongst humans and animals alike, the population structure of certain animal species and breeds provides a more advantageous route to better understanding the biology underpinning these conditions. The current study uses Exmoor ponies, a highly inbred breed of horse known to frequently suffer from insect bite hypersensitivity, to identify genomic regions associated with a type I and type IV hypersensitive reaction. A total of 110 cases and 170 controls were genotyped on the 670K Axiom Equine Genotyping Array. Quality control ...
de Laat MA, van Haeften JJ, Sillence MN.Managing equine hyperinsulinemia is crucial for preventing laminitis, but our understanding of the mechanisms involved in insulin dysregulation in this species is incomplete. C-peptide is co-secreted with insulin but is resistant to hepatic metabolism and can be used to study insulin dysregulation. This study examined C-peptide secretion in serial blood samples collected after oral and i.v. dextrose (0.75 g/kg) administration to 9 ponies (BCS, 7.1 ± 0.5). The ponies were designated as hyperinsulinemic (HI) or normoinsulinemic (NI) responders before the study, using oral glucose tests and fast...
Durgam SS, Stewart AA, Sivaguru M, Wagoner Johnson AJ, Stewart MC.Tendinitis is a common and a performance-limiting injury in athletes. This study describes the value of intralesional tendon-derived progenitor cell (TDPC) injections in equine flexor tendinitis. Collagenase-induced tendinitis was created in both front superficial digital flexor (SDF) tendons. Four weeks later, the forelimb tendon lesions were treated with 1 × 10 autogenous TDPCs or saline. Tendinitis was also induced by collagenase in one hind SDF tendon, to study the survival and distribution of DiI-labeled TDPCs 1, 2, 4, and 6 weeks after injection. The remaining normal tendon was used...
Gracia-Calvo LA, Ezquerra LJ, Ortega-Ferrusola C, Martín-Cuervo M, Tapio H, Argüelles D, Durán ME.In order to know reproduction-related complications due to standing laparoscopic peritoneal flap hernioplasty, histological characteristics of the testicles from five stallions one year after surgery were compared with seven testicles from four healthy stallions. Moreover, the daily sperm output (DSO) was determined before (T0) and one year after surgery (T12). DSO did not show significant differences between T0 and T12. The diameter of the seminiferous tubules was significantly decreased in the samples from the hernioplasty group. The percentage of tubules with full spermatogenesis was smalle...
Gambini A, De Stéfano A, Jarazo J, Buemo C, Karlanian F, Salamone DF.The low efficiency of interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) makes it necessary to investigate new strategies to improve embryonic developmental competence. Embryo aggregation has been successfully applied to improve cloning efficiency in mammals, but it remains unclear whether it could also be beneficial for iSCNT. In this study, we first compared the effect of embryo aggregation over in vitro development and blastocyst quality of porcine, bovine, and feline zona-free (ZF) parthenogenetic (PA) embryos to test the effects of embryo aggregation on species that were later used as en...
Careddu GM, Evangelisti MA, Columbano N, Masala G, Manunta ML, Passino ES.Progressive ethmoid hematoma is frequently reported among the pathologies of the upper airways in horses. While several hypotheses have been proposed such as repeated trauma, inflammatory processes and/or chronic infections, congenital phenomena, complication of hemangiomas, and neoplastic processes, the aetiology of this condition is yet unknown. Clinical symptoms are non-specific and includes haemorrhagic nasal discharge, respiratory noise not related to physical exercise and, in most severe cases, phenomena of coughing. The purpose of this case report is to contribute to a correct diagnosti...
Mort JS, Beaudry F, Théroux K, Emmott AA, Richard H, Fisher WD, Lee ER, Poole AR, Laverty S.To characterize the initial events in the cleavage of type II collagen mediated by cathepsin K and demonstrate the presence of the resulting products in human and equine articular osteoarthritic cartilage. Equine type II collagen was digested with cathepsin K and the cleavage products characterized by mass spectrometry. Anti-neoepitope antibodies were raised against the most N-terminal cleavage products and used to investigate the progress of collagen cleavage, in vitro, and the presence of cathepsin K-derived products in equine and human osteoarthritic cartilage. Six cathepsin K cleavage sit...
Lee B, Kang HY, Lee DO, Ahn C, Jeung EB.Claudins, which are known as transmembrane proteins play an essential role in tight junctions (TJs) to form physical barriers and regulate paracellular transportation. To understand equine diseases, it is helpful to measure the tissue-specific expression of TJs in horses. Major equine diseases such as colic and West Nile cause damage to TJs. In this study, the expression level and distribution of claudin-1, -2, -4, and -5 in eight tissues were assessed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry methods. Claudin-1 was primarily identified in the lung, duodenum, and uterus, claudin-2 was evenl...
Orsztynowicz M, Pawlak P, Podstawski Z, Nizanski W, Partyka A, Gotowiecka M, Kosiniak-Kamysz K, Lechniak D.Predicting male fertility on non-invasive sperm traits is of big importance to human and animal reproduction strategies. Combining the wide range of parameters monitored by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) with some molecular traits (e.g. mtDNA content) may help to identify markers of the male fertility. The aim of this study was to characterize variation in the mtDNA copy number in equine sperm and to investigate whether mtDNA content is correlated with quality traits of stallion spermatozoa and the age of the male. Ejaculates collected from 53 fertile stallions were divided into four ...
Ardanaz N, Vázquez FJ, Romero A, Remacha AR, Barrachina L, Sanz A, Ranera B, Vitoria A, Albareda J, Prades M, Zaragoza P, Martín-Burriel I....Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) transplantation has become a promising therapeutic choice for musculoskeletal injuries. Joint-related disorders are highly prevalent in horses. Therefore, these animals are considered as suitable models for testing MSC-based therapies for these diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical and inflammatory responses to intra-articular single and repeat dose administration of autologous or of pooled allogeneic MSCs in healthy equine healthy joints. Six horses were intra-articularly injected with a single autologous dose of bone marrow derived MSCs...
Trencart P, Alexander K, De Lasalle J, Laverty S.To measure the minimal joint space width (mJSW) in caudocranial radiographic views of orthopedically normal femorotibial joints of horses, to compare the accuracy of measurements with those of a software program designed for humans, and to identify the ideal caudocranial radiographic projection angle for mJSW measurement. ANIMALS 12 healthy mares (22 femorotibial joints) and 3 equine cadavers (6 stifle joints). Methods: Caudocranial views of femorotibial joints were acquired in the proximodistal plane at 5°, 10°, and 15° (caudo-5°-proximal-craniodistal oblique, 10°, and 15°) and laterome...
Holcombe SJ, Jacobs CC, Cook VL, Gandy JC, Hauptman JG, Sordillo LM.Endotoxemia models are used to study mechanisms and treatments of early sepsis. Repeated endotoxin exposures induce periods of endotoxin tolerance, characterized by diminished proinflammatory responses to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and modulated production of proinflammatory cytokines. Repeated measure designs using equine endotoxemia models are rarely performed, despite the advantages associated with reduced variability, because the altered responsiveness would confound study results and because the duration of equine endotoxin tolerance is unknown. We determined the interval of endotoxin toler...
Nemoto M, Bannai H, Tsujimura K, Yamanaka T, Kondo T.A Getah virus strain isolated during an outbreak in racehorses in Japan in 2014 (14-I-605) was compared with the vaccine strain isolated in 1978 (MI-110). A comparison of the genome sequences of these strains revealed seven amino acid substitutions in non-structural protein 3, and one or two substitutions in each of other non-structural proteins. In contrast, the structural proteins were highly conserved (99.8-99.9 % amino acid sequence identity). Horse antisera raised against the MI-110 strain showed similar virus-neutralization titers against both MI-110 and 14-I-605 strains (512 and 256, r...
Natali AN, Carniel EL, Frigo A, Pavan PG, Todros S, Pachera P, Fontanella CG, Rubini A, Cavicchioli L, Avital Y, De Benedictis GM.What is the central question of this study? Prostheses for treatment of urinary incontinence elicit complications associated with an inadequate mechanical action. This investigation aimed to define a procedure addressed to urethral mechanical characterization. Experimental tests are the basis for constitutive formulation, with a view to numerical modelling for investigation of the interaction between the tissues and a prosthesis. What is the main finding and its importance? Horse urethra, selected for its histomorphometric similarity to human urethra, was characterized by integrated histologic...
McElhone RL, Meakin GE, French JC, Alexander T, Morgan RM.A study was designed to investigate the effects of external variables, including blood type, flooring surface, footwear tread depth and blood dryness, on the appearance of blood-based footwear marks, with particular reference to simulating a specific casework scenario. Results showed that footwear marks left in human blood tended to be of greater quality than those in equine blood, highlighting a potential issue in applying data generated with equine blood to human bloodstains in casework. Footwear tread effects were also dependent on blood type, but the type of flooring surface did not affect...
Duan H, Gao JF, Su X, Fu X, Yue DM, Gao Y, Qiu JH, Wang CR.Triodontophorus spp. parasitizes the large intestine of equine, causing strongylid diseases. The present study assessed genetic variation in five gene regions within and between Triodontophorus brevicauda and Triodontophorus nipponicus from Heilongjiang Province and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous region. The five gene markers were three mitochondrial (mt) genes, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (cox1), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (nad5), cytochrome b (cytb); and two ribosomal RNA genes, the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2). Partial (p) sequences o...
Crawley JA, Chapman SN, Lummaa V, Lynsdale CL.Parasite infection status, intensity and resistance have traditionally been quantified via flotation techniques, but the need for immediate analysis following defecation imposes limitations and has led to the use of several faecal storage techniques. However, their effect on nematode egg counts has not been systematically validated and is often generalised across taxa despite evidence of differences between species. Here, we take the domestic horse Equus ferus caballus as a model to examine the impact of commonly used storage techniques on egg recovery: 1) high and low concentrations of ethano...
Van de Water E, Oosterlinck M, Duchateau L, Pille F.The purpose of this study was to determine whether the scil Vet abc Plus(+) (SCIL Animal Care Company, Altorf, France), an impedance hematology analyzer, can accurately quantify and differentiate nucleated blood cells (NBCs) in equine synovial fluid. Synovial fluid samples (n=242) in different stages of experimentally induced inflammation were analyzed with and without hyaluronidase pretreatment and compared to manual hemocytometer counts and smear reviews. No significant effect of hyaluronidase pretreatment was observed. Total nucleated cell counts of the scil Vet abc Plus(+) were significant...
Spaas JH, Gomiero C, Broeckx SY, Van Hecke L, Maccatrozzo L, Martens A, Martinello T, Patruno M.Several cytokines and growth factors play an essential role in skin regeneration and epithelial-like stem cells (EpSCs) have beneficial effects on wound healing in horses. However, there are no reports available on the expression of these growth factors and cytokines after EpSC therapy. Methods: Wounds of 6 cm(2) were induced in the gluteus region of 6 horses and treated with (i) autologous EpSCs, (ii) allogeneic EpSCs, (iii) vehicle treatment or (iv) untreated control. Real time polymerase chain reaction was performed on tissue biopsies taken 1 and 5 weeks after these treatments to evaluate...
Peters AE, Watts AE.Point-of-care kits to concentrate bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are used clinically in horses. A maximal number of MSCs per milliliter of marrow aspirated might be desired prior to use of a point-of-care system to concentrate MSCs. Our objective was to test a method to increase the number of MSCs per milliliter of marrow collected. We collected two BM aspirates using two different collection techniques from 12 horses. The first collection technique was to aspirate BM from a single site without advancement of the biopsy needle. The second collection technique was to asp...
Choi YH, Harding HD, Hartman DL, Obermiller AD, Kurosaka S, McLaughlin KJ, Hinrichs K.The reported patterns of trophectodermal expression of POU5F1 protein in blastocysts vary among species, and are possibly related to the differences in placental growth and function. This study investigated the pattern of embryonic POU5F1 expression in the horse, a species with delayed placental formation. Immature equine oocytes expressed POU5F1 protein in the cytoplasm and nucleus. Staining for POU5F1 protein in in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos decreased to day 5 of culture, then the nuclear staining increased to day 7. IVP day-7 to -11 blastocysts showed POU5F1 staining in nuclei throughout ...
Stanley RL, Goodship AE, Edwards B, Firth EC, Patterson-Kane JC.The injury-prone, energy-storing equine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) of the mature performance horse has a limited ability to respond to exercise in contrast with the noninjury-prone, anatomically opposing common digital extensor tendon (CDET). Previous studies have indicated low levels of cellular activity in the mature SDFT, but in foal tendons the tenocytes may still have the ability to adapt positively to increased exercise. Objective: To measure tenocyte densities and types in histological sections from the SDFT and CDET of horses from controlled long-term, short-term and foal...
Anderson GS, Belton P, Jahren E, Lange H, Kleider N.Immunotherapy was used to treat horses in British Columbia for Culicoides hypersensitivity. This is a severe, chronic, recurrent allergic disease of horses that results in severe irritation, large lesions, hair loss and secondary infection in the ventral midline, mane, and proximal region of the tail. A crude Culicoides extract was injected subcutaneously, in increasing doses, into 10 horses that were affected severely by the disease. Weekly doses reduced the clinical signs in 9 of the 10 horses in the 1st yr. Eight horses were treated with a maintenance dose during a 2nd yr. After the 2nd yr,...
Dykgraaf S, Dechant JE, Johns JL, Christopher MM, Bolt DM, Snyder JR.To determine the effect of intrathecal amikacin administration and repeated tenovaginocentesis on the total nucleated cell count (TNCC), total protein (TP) concentration and cytologic characteristics of synovial fluid of the equine digital flexor tendon sheath (DFTS). Methods: Randomized, cross-over experimental design. Methods: Adult horses (n=8). Methods: Synovial fluid was aseptically collected from the DFTS and either 1 mL amikacin sulfate (250 mg/mL) or lactated Ringer's solution (LRS) was injected into the DFTS. Serial synovial fluid samples were obtained at 0, 12, 24, 48, and 72 hours. ...
Grosche A, Morton AJ, Graham AS, Sanchez LC, Blikslager AT, Polyak MM, Freeman DE.Ultrastructural changes in the epithelium can provide information on early changes in barrier properties, repair and inflammation in equine colon after ischaemia and reperfusion (I/R). Objective: To describe the morphology and ultrastructure of the epithelium in equine large colonic mucosa after I/R, and the response of inflammatory cells to injury. Methods: Ischaemia was induced for 1 h followed by 4 h of reperfusion in a 40 cm segment of the pelvic flexure in 6 horses. Mucosal biopsies before and after ischaemia, and after 1, 2 and 4 h of reperfusion were fixed in glutaraldehyde/paraformalde...
McMichael M, Smith SA, McConachie EL, Lascola K, Wilkins PA.In several species, there is a strong correlation between indicators of red cell mass (RCM) and thromboelastometry results. The horse has a reliable, temporary, polycythemia in response to phenylephrine infusion. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of an in-vivo increase in circulating RCM on thromboelastometry results in an equine model of transient polycythemia. Six healthy research horses had whole blood thromboelastometry with contact activator and tissue factor initiation after recalcification of citrated samples. Additional samples were frozen for thrombin-antithrombin (TAT). Compl...
Carmalt JL, Bell CD, Tatarniuk DM, Suri SS, Singh B, Waldner C.To investigate the relationship between inflammatory responses of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) and the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint in clinically normal horses. Methods: 7 mature horses. Methods: In each horse, 1 TMJ and 1 MCP joint were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.0025 μg). The contralateral TMJ and MCP joint were injected with saline (0.9% NaCl) solution. Synovial fluid samples were collected from all 4 joints over 24 hours after injection. Concentrations of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, transforming growth factor-β, and total protein were measured via immun...
Olsen CW, McGregor MW, Dybdahl-Sissoko N, Schram BR, Nelson KM, Lunn DP, Macklin MD, Swain WF, Hinshaw VS.Two fundamentally different approaches to vaccination of BALB/c mice with the hemagglutinin (HA) of A/Equine/Kentucky/1/81 (H3N8) (Eq/KY) were evaluated, that is, administration of HA protein vs administration of HA-encoding DNA. Each vaccine was tested for its immunogenicity and ability to provide protection from homologous virus challenge. HA protein was synthesized in vitro by infection of Sf21 insect cells with a recombinant baculovirus. Intranasal administration of this vaccine induced virus-specific antibodies, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but did not induce ...
Porcellato I, Modesto P, Cappelli K, Varello K, Peletto S, Brachelente C, Martini I, Mechelli L, Ferrari A, Ghelardi A, Razzuoli E.In horses, squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) are the most common malignant tumors developing on non-pigmented skin, muco-cutaneous areas, like external genitalia, and, less frequently, in the stomach. Growing evidence suggests Equus caballus papillomavirus type 2 (EcPV2) as causative agent of genital SCCs. Our case report describes a 20-year-old, female, mixed-breed pony with co-occurring vulvar papilloma and in situ carcinoma and gastric SCC. Both lesions were positive for the same EcPV2, as confirmed by DNA sequencing. E6 mRNA expression was observed both in vulvar lesions and gastric SCC, whi...
Holdstock NB, Allen VL, Bloomfield MR, Hales CN, Fowden AL.At birth, the endocrine pancreas must assume a glucoregulatory role if the neonate is to survive the transition from parenteral to enteral nutrition. In species like the horse, neonatal hypoglycaemia is common, which suggests that the glucoregulatory mechanisms are not always fully competent at birth. Hence, this study examined pancreatic beta cell function in newborn foals during nutritional adaptation over the first 10 days post partum. Over a 48 h period at three time intervals after birth (days 1-2, 5-6 and 9-10 post partum), the beta cell responses to suckling and to intravenous administr...
Murray RC, Birch HL, Lakhani K, Goodship AE.It was hypothesized that cartilage macro-molecular characteristics are influenced by exercise intensity and by location within a joint. Objective: To determine the macromolecular characteristics of carpal articular cartilage at common and uncommon sites of pathology in horses undergoing high or low intensity exercise, and to compare this composition between exercise groups. Methods: Twelve horses (19.3+/-0.9 years) were assigned to exercise groups. Each group underwent 19 weeks high-intensity treadmill training (N=6) or low-intensity exercise (N=6). Dorsal and palmar test sites were identified...
Coomer RP, Fowke GS, McKane S.To report the technique and results of cheek teeth repulsion in standing, sedated horses. Methods: Case series. Methods: Horses (n = 12), ponies (6). Methods: Medical records (2006-2009) of horses that had cheek tooth repulsion while standing were reviewed. Inclusion criteria included: maxillary or mandibular cheek tooth disease diagnosed by clinical and radiographic examination where attempted oral extraction failed necessitating repulsion. Horses were sedated and a local nerve block performed. Intraoperative radiographs facilitated instrument positioning and ensured repulsion of all dental r...
Schulman FY, Krafft AE, Janczewski T, Reupert R, Jackson K, Garner MM.Five camelid mucocutaneous fibropapillomas with histologic features similar to equine sarcoids were diagnosed. They were characterized by a dermal fibroblastic proliferation and overlying, often ulcerated hyperplastic epidermis with thin rete pegs extending down into the dermis. Two of the tumors came from llamas and three from alpacas. Four of the animals were 6-year-old females. The fifth was a 6-year-old castrated male. The fibropapillomas were located on the nose, lip, and cheeks. One of the llama tumors waxed and waned before surgery and recurred and spread after surgery. None of the othe...
Gim JA, Ayarpadikannan S, Eo J, Kwon YJ, Choi Y, Lee HK, Park KD, Yang YM, Cho BW, Kim HS.Physical exercise induces gene expression changes that trigger glucose metabolism pathways in organisms. In the present study, we monitored the expression levels of LDHA (lactate dehydrogenase) and GYS1 (glycogen synthase 1) in the blood, to confirm the roles of these genes in exercise physiology. LDHA and GYS1 are related to glucose metabolism and fatigue recovery, and these processes could elicit economically important traits in racehorses. We collected blood samples from three retired thoroughbred racehorses, pre-exercise and immediately after 30 min of exercise. We extracted total RNA and ...
Cuming RS, Abarca EM, Duran S, Wooldridge AA, Stewart AJ, Ravis W, Babu RJ, Lin YJ, Hathcock T.To determine in vitro release profiles, transcorneal permeation, and ocular injection characteristics of a voriconazole-containing thermogel suitable for injection into the subconjunctival space (SCS). In vitro release rate of voriconazole (0.3% and 1.5%) from poly (DL-lactide-co-glycolide-b-ethylene glycol-b-DL-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA) thermogel was determined for 28 days. A Franz cell diffusion chamber was used to evaluate equine transcorneal and transscleral permeation of voriconazole (1.5% topical solution, 0.3% and 1.5% voriconazole-thermogel) for 24 hours. Antifungal activit...
Larson EM, Babasyan S, Wagner B.IL-8 is a potent chemokine that recruits neutrophils and basophils to promote inflammation in many species. IL-8 is produced by many cell types, including monocytes. In this study, we report a novel role for IgE-binding monocytes, a rare peripheral immune cell type, to promote allergic inflammation through IL-8 production in a horse model of natural IgE-mediated allergy. We developed a mAb with confirmed specificity for both recombinant and native equine IL-8 for flow cytometric analysis. Equine IL-8 was produced by CD14/MHC class II/CD16 monocytes, including a subpopulation of IgE-binding mon...
Kraus MS, Kaufer BB, Damiani A, Osterrieder N, Rishniw M, Schwark W, Gelzer AR, Divers TJ.To date, no information is available on the true biological elimination half-life (T(1/2) ) of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) in the equine species. Such data are required to better evaluate the optimal time to acquire the cTnI sample following acute myocardial injury. Objective: To determine the T(1/2) of equine cTnI. Methods: Four healthy ponies received i.v. injections of recombinant equine cTnI. Plasma cTnI concentrations were measured with a point-of-care cTnI analyser at multiple time points after injection. Standard pharmacokinetic analysis was performed to establish the T(1/2) of cTnI. Resu...
Satoh M, Fujinaga T, Okumura M, Hagio M.To measure the concentration of serum amyloid A (sAA) protein in horses, a sensitive and highly reproducible sandwich (ELISA) was established, using affinity purified SAA antibody. Results of the ELISA were found to have a high correlation (r = 0.95) with those of the single radial immunodiffusion test. Equine SAA concentration was measured by use of this ELISA. In clinically normal horses, the concentration of SAA was high immediately after birth to 2 weeks of age. After that, SAA concentration had periodic fluctuations in the range of approximately 1.0 to 30 micrograms/ml. Mean (+/- SD)) con...
Depuydt E, Broeckx SY, Chiers K, Patruno M, Da Dalt L, Duchateau L, Saunders J, Pille F, Martens A, Van Hecke L, Spaas JH.The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of equine tendon disease is widely investigated because of their regenerative and immunomodulatory potential. However, questions have been raised concerning the immunogenic properties of allogeneic MSCs. Therefore, two studies were conducted to assess the safety of equine allogeneic peripheral blood-derived tenogenic primed MSCs (tpMSCs). The objective was to evaluate if a single and repeated tpMSC administration induced a cellular and humoral immune response in horses suffering from tendon injuries. Horses enrolled in the first study ...
Klier J, Lindner D, Reese S, Mueller RS, Gehlen H.Potential triggers for equine asthma are allergens from hay and straw dusts, mold spores and storage mites. The contribution of these environmental trigger factors to equine asthma is still largely uncertain. The aim of this study was to compare results of four allergy tests from healthy and asthma-affected horses, and to evaluate the clinical relevance of allergens tested positive via specific inhalation provocation test. Fifteen horses were classified using a clinical scoring system as asthmatic (n = 9) or control (n = 6). Four different allergy tests (functional in vitro test, intraderm...
Sobczak N, Kantyka M.The saliva of medicinal leeches, e.g., Hirudo medicinalis and Hirudo verbana commonly used in hirudotherapy, contains more than 100 bioactive substances with various therapeutic effects, including anticoagulant, vasodilator, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic properties. Recently, leeches have been used very successfully in veterinary medicine to treat many diseases of animals, especially dogs, cats and horses. The most common indications for the use of leeches are hip and elbow dysplasia, acute and chronic arthritis, diseases associated with inflammation of tendons, ligaments, an...
Elfenbein JR, Sanchez LC, Robertson SA, Cole CA, Sams R.To evaluate the effects of detomidine on visceral and somatic nociception, heart and respiratory rates, sedation, and duodenal motility and to correlate these effects with serum detomidine concentrations. Methods: Nonrandomized, experimental trial. Methods: Five adult horses, each with a permanent gastric cannula weighing 534 +/- 46 kg. Methods: Visceral nociception was evaluated by colorectal (CRD) and duodenal distension (DD). The duodenal balloon was used to assess motility. Somatic nociception was assessed via thermal threshold (TT). Nose-to-ground (NTG) height was used as a measure of sed...
Taira T, Fujinaga T, Okumura M, Yamashita K, Tsunoda N, Mizuno S.Haptoglobin (Hp) was isolated from equine serum by ammonium sulphate precipitation, anion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Equine Hp which migrated to the alpha 2-globulin region in electrophoresis, contained 2 fractions with molecular weights (NW) of 108,000 and 105,000, and each fraction consisting of 2 subunits. Quantitative measurement of Hp in equine serum was performed by the single radial immunodiffusion method using anti-equine Hp serum. In clinically normal horses, the highest concentration of serum Hp was found in newborn foals and a high value was maintained until 12 mont...
Van Der Vekens N, Decloedt A, Ven S, De Clercq D, van Loon G.Different cardiac troponin I (cTnI) assays give different results. Only 1 manufacturer has marketed troponin T (cTnT) assays. Therefore, cTnT often is preferred for detection of myocardial infarction in human patients. Studies of cTnT in horses are limited. Objective: To compare a cTnI and a high-sensitive cTnT assay (hs-cTnT) in horses. Methods: Cardiac troponin I and cTnT were determined in 35 healthy horses (group 1), 23 horses suspected to have primary myocardial damage (group 2a), and 41 horses with secondary myocardial damage caused by structural heart disease (group 2b). Methods: All cT...
Zhu Y, Jiang W, Holyoak R, Liu B, Li J.The objective of this study was to investigate the oral microbial composition of the donkey and whether basic dental treatment, such as dental floating, would make a difference to the oral microbial environment in donkeys with dental diseases using high-throughput bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Oral swab samples were collected from 14 donkeys with various dental abnormalities on day 0 (before treatment) and day 20 (twenty days after treatment). It is the first report focusing on the oral microbiome in donkeys with dental diseases and the impact of common dental procedures thereon. Identif...
Pereira GR, Lorenzo PL, Carneiro GF, Bilodeau-Goeseels S, Kastelic JP, Esteller-Vico A, Lopez-Bejar M, Liu IK.Immature oocytes synthesize a variety of proteins that include the enzyme glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH). Brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) is a vital blue dye that assesses intracellular activity of G6PDH, an indirect measure of oocyte maturation. The objective was to evaluate the BCB test as a criterion to assess developmental competence of equine oocytes and to determine if equine growth hormone (eGH) enhanced in vitro maturation (IVM) of equine oocyte. Cumulus-oocytes complexes (COCs) were recovered by aspirating follicles 0.05). Maturation was not affected significantly by BCB class...
Johnson JA, Prescott JF, Markham RJ.The intragastric inoculation of a suspension of Corynebacterium equi on five consecutive days induced severe ulcerative colitis, typhlitis, and lymphadenitis of colonic and cecal nodes in two ponies necropsied three weeks after infection. No gross lesions were observed in two ponies necropsied ten days after infection. A single inoculum of equivalent size failed to induce gross lesions in four ponies killed at ten or 20 days after infection. Microscopic lesions consistent with early C. equi infection of Peyer's patches were seen in two of the ponies killed ten days after infection. Only one sm...
Tanaka J, Leeb T, Rushton J, Famula TR, Mack M, Jagannathan V, Flury C, Bachmann I, Eberth J, McDonnell SM, Penedo MCT, Bellone RR.Mushroom is a unique coat color phenotype in Shetland Ponies characterized by the dilution of the chestnut coat color to a sepia tone and is hypothesized to be a recessive trait. A genome wide association study (GWAS), utilizing the Affymetrix 670K array (MNEc670k) and a single locus mixed linear model analysis (EMMAX), identified a locus on ECA7 for further investigation ( = 2.08 × 10). This locus contained a 3 Mb run of homozygosity in the 12 mushroom ponies tested. Analysis of high throughput Illumina sequencing data from one mushroom Shetland pony compared to 87 genomes from horses of var...
Varloud M, Fonty G, Roussel A, Guyonvarch A, Julliand V.Our knowledge of the microflora of the stomach of the horse is still limited, although some data indicate its important role in nutrition. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the microbial and biochemical profiles in the stomach of the horse and to quantify the disappearance of dietary starch. Total anaerobic bacteria, lactate-utilizing bacteria, lactobacilli, and streptococci were determined, and biochemical characteristics (pH, and DM, D- and L-lactate, D-glucose, NH3, and VFA concentrations) were measured in chyme collected from 4 horses by naso-gastric intubation aided by e...
Shepard EM, Heggem H, Juda GA, Dooley DM.Potential inhibitory effects of the clinically utilized monoamine oxidase inhibitor tranylcypromine (TCP) on mammalian, plant, bacterial, and fungal copper-containing amine oxidases have been examined. The following enzymes have been investigated: human kidney diamine oxidase (HKAO), bovine plasma amine oxidase (BPAO), equine plasma amine oxidase (EPAO), pea seedling amine oxidase (PSAO), Arthrobacter globiformis amine oxidase (AGAO), and Pichia pastoris lysyl oxidase (PPLO). Only BPAO, EPAO, and AGAO were found to lose significant levels of activity when incubated with varying amounts of TCP....
