Veterinary science and horses encompass the study and application of medical, surgical, and therapeutic practices to maintain and improve the health and welfare of equines. This field addresses a wide range of topics, including disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, as well as nutrition, reproduction, and behavior. Research in veterinary science for horses often involves understanding the pathophysiology of equine-specific diseases, developing advanced diagnostic techniques, and improving treatment protocols. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of veterinary science related to horses, providing insights into the latest advancements and methodologies in equine healthcare.
Willemen MA, Savelberg HH, Jacobs MW, Barneveld A.In many Western European countries rocker-toed shoes are applied routinely in sound horses. This is in contrast to most Anglo-Saxon countries where rocker-toed shoes are used almost exclusively for corrective or orthopaedic shoeing. The purposes of rocker-toed shoes are to hasten or facilitate breakover, or to encourage breakover to occur at the centre of the toe. This study compares the biomechanical effects of rocker-toed shoes with standard flat shoes in twelve sound Dutch warmblood horses, using a modified CODA-3 gait analysis system and a force plate. The variables analysed were speed of ...
Desmecht D, Linden A, Amory H, Art T, Lekeux P.Fifty-eight healthy horses were studied during five sporting events of various intensities and durations, namely show-jumping (n = 6), cross-country in a three-day event (n = 30), trotting races (n = 7), galloping races (n = 7) and endurance rides (n = 8). Venous blood samples were collected at rest and immediately after exercise and analysed for plasma cortisol (CORT) and lactate (LA) levels. The experimental procedure was the same throughout the investigation so as to permit a reliable comparison between the five types of exercise. The type of event significantly affected both the resting (p...
Fourie LJ, Kok DJ, Krugel L, Snyman A, Van Der Lingen F.Karoo paralysis, caused by feeding Ixodes rubicundus females, is a major disease of small stock in South Africa. Control methods currently practised are almost exclusively chemical based. To limit overdependance on chemicals, vegetation management was investigated as a possible method for control, to be incorporated in an integrated tick management system. Laboratory and field experiments were conducted to determine, firstly, the extent of vertical migration and survival of ticks on long and short copper rods which simulated grasses as questing substrates; secondly, the infestation burdens of ...
Back W, Schamhardt HC, Barneveld A.In purchase examinations or at studbook selection sales the locomotor apparatus of horses is judged both at walk and trot. To evaluate whether kinematics of the walk are related to the locomotion at the trot, fore and hind limb movements of a group of 24 26-month-old warmbloods were recorded at walk and trot on a treadmill (1.6 and 4 m/s) using a modified CODA-3 gait analysis system. The intralimb coordination patterns at walk and trot were compared, and temporal and spatial variables of these gaits were related. Stride and stance durations (s) were shorter at the trot, while the stance distan...
Davankar SP, Deane NJ, Davies AS, Firth EC, Hodge H, Parry DA.Since horses bred for the racing industry are subject to rigorous training procedures there is a real need to understand how the stresses experienced by their tendons and ligaments in vivo relate to the major load-bearing elements-the collagen fibrils. Consequently, an age-related study has been made of the collagen fibril diameter distributions of nine ligaments in and around the equine carpus. This is the first stage of a larger study aimed at understanding the ultrastructural changes that occur as a result of exercise. Most of the ligaments showed a bimodal diameter distribution at maturity...
Mizobe M, Kondo F, Kumamoto K, Terada T, Nasu H.Rapid and quantitative analytical methods for bilirubin using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection were developed for samples from equines at a meat inspection site. Sharp HPLC peaks for bilirubins, unconjugated bilirubin (UCBL) and conjugated bilirubin (CBL), were obtained using a simple mobile phase of methanol:0.5 M Tris-HCl buffer (65:35, v/v, pH 7.4). A variable wavelength detector set at 450 nm, 0.01 AUFS and a recorder set at 4 cm/min were used for detection. Peaks for UCBL and CBL occurred at 7.1 min and 4.9 min, the lower limits of detection ranged between 0...
Basic life sciencesJanuary 1, 1996
Volume 64 17-27 doi: 10.1007/978-1-4615-5847-7_2
Bacon GE.The familiar extremes of crystalline material are single-crystals and random powders. In between these two extremes are polycrystalline aggregates, not randomly arranged but possessing some preferred orientation and this is the form taken by constructional materials, be they steel girders or the bones of a human or animal skeleton. The details of the preferred orientation determine the ability of the material to withstand stress in any direction. In the case of bone the crucial factor is the orientation of the c-axes of the mineral content-the crystals of the hexagonal hydroxyapatite- and this...
Fraser DG, Bailey E.Single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing were used to characterize the second exon of the horse DRB homologue as well as to identify eight new DRB alleles. The SSCP gels presented a complex pattern, with phenotypes exhibiting between 4 and 13 bands. The DRB SSCP patterns were studied for two families (6 to 13 bands per pattern). For both families, the patterns showed simple Mendelian inheritance. The polymerase chain reaction products from two individuals possessing homozygous major histocompatibility complex (MHC) alleles by descent were cloned a...
Bucci TJ, Hansen DK, LaBorde JB.Two of five pregnant rabbits gavaged with purified fumonisin B1 at 1.75 mg/kg/day died, one after 9 and one after 13 doses. Microscopic examination revealed focal small hemorrhages in cerebral white matter in both animals, with malacia and hemorrhage also present in the hippocampus of one. The lesions were bilateral. Both animals also had marked degeneration of renal tubule epithelium and of hepatocytes. Apoptosis was the dominant degenerative change in kidney and liver. Fumonisin is known to cause leukoencephalomalacia and hemorrhage in equines, but CNS changes associated with exposure to fum...
Le Bars J, Le Bars P.Successful investigation and prevention of mycotoxic problems requires close collaboration between scientists from several disciplines ranging from agronomists and technologists required during production of food and feeds, to toxicologists and pathologists examining the effects of mycotoxins on animals and man. Zootoxic metabolites following fungal infection result from four general mechanisms: (i) secondary fungal metabolism (mycotoxins, eg, aflatoxins); (ii) bioconversion of vegetal compounds (eg, dicoumarol); (iii) plant reactions (phytoalexins, eg, coumestrol); and (iv) plant-fungus assoc...
Fujii T, Yamada S, Yamaguchi N, Fujimoto K, Suzuki T, Kawashima K.Various concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh) were detected in samples of bovine, goat, horse, porcine, rat and sheep blood and plasma using a specific, sensitive radioimmunoassay. The ACh levels in whole blood in bovine and horse samples were about 40- and ten-fold higher, respectively, than in humans, but levels comparable to those in humans were measured in porcine samples. Goat, rat and sheep samples had lower whole blood ACh concentrations than those of humans. When plasma samples were assayed, the ACh contents of bovine and porcine plasma were found to be about two- to five-fold those of...
Lund RJ, Guthrie AJ.This study determined the maximal O2 uptake (VO2max) of Thoroughbred horses acclimatised to mild hypobaric conditions using a standard exercise test on a treadmill inclined at a 7% slope. The O2 uptake (VO2) versus speed relationship was linear below the exercise intensity required to attain VO2max. The VO2max of individual horses ranged from 143.5 to 172.6 ml/kg/min. The proportion of total variance for the VO2 versus speed relationship was greater than 0.992, and the coefficients of variation in repeated tests in individual horses ranged between 0.07 and 1.54%. The VO2 versus speed relations...
Johnson PJ.Laboratory electrolyte and acid-base analyses are important for the characterization and assessment of the severity of disorders of fluid balance, and they enable the veterinarian to institute appropriate corrective therapeutic interventions. Abnormalities of electrolytes or acid-base rarely define the diagnosis, but certain diseases are characterized by predictable trends in these parameters. Important clinical situations in which assessment of electrolyte and acid-base status should be regarded as important to the equine practitioner include diarrhea, severe colic, peritonitis, pleuritis, dy...
Broad TE, Forrest JW, Lewis PE, Pearce PD, Phua SH, Pugh PA, Stewart-Scott IA.A DNA repeat element, revealed initially by digestion of horse DNA with TaqI, was cloned and characterized by Southern and in situ hybridization studies and nucleotide sequencing. The clone, e4/1, consisted of 32 tandem reiteration of a unit repeat of 21-22 bp, and produced multilocus DNA fingerprinting profiles that were useful for parentage analysis in horses. The tandem repeat element was shown by in situ hybridization to be localized in the centromeres of the acrocentric but not metacentric classes of horse chromosomes.
Battelli G, Galuppi R, Pietrobelli M, Tampieri MP.Fecal examinations of horses (Equus caballus) from studs in the province of Udine (Friuli Venezia Giulia region, east-northern Italy), carried out during two periods of the year 1993, revealed coccidian oocysts in six foals, two stallions and one mare. The species was identified as Eimeria leuckarti. This species was reported only once in Italy, more than 20 years ago (1972). For this reason, the prevalence of the parasite and the description of immature and sporulated oocysts are given.
Sandoval JA, Gil F, Arencibia A, Ayala I, Vazquez JM.By using m-ATPase techniques, under alkaline and acid pre-incubations, as well as metabolic techniques (alpha-MGPDH and NADH-TR), sections from the lumbar and costal portions of diaphragm muscle in horse and dog were analysed. Fibre samples were exposed to image-analysis observations in order to determine the lowest fibre diameter and obtain statistical data. The findings revealed that the lumbar portion of horse diaphragm consists of fibre types I, IIA and IIB; in the costal portion, the fibre type I and IIA were present. In the dog, the lumbar and costal portions consisted of fibre types I, ...
Thomas PG, Ignotz GG, Ball BA, Brinsko SP, Currie WB.Adhesion of equine spermatozoa to homologous oviduct epithelial cells (OEC) in vitro results in specific changes in spermatozoa and OEC function. To test the hypothesis that adhesion of spermatozoa affects protein synthesis and secretion by OEC, the following treatment groups were established in culture: OEC with culture medium only; control spermatozoa in culture medium only; OEC in coculture with spermatozoa; and OEC and spermatozoa in coculture, but physically separated by a microporous membrane. The experiment was replicated within each of 4 ejaculates from 3 stallions. De novo protein sec...
McConaghy FF, Hales JR, Rose RJ, Hodgson DR.Five horses were exercised on a treadmill [to central blood temperature (Tcore) approximately 42.5 degrees C]. Three of those horses were heated at rest in a climate room (53 degrees C, 90% relative humidity) (to Tcore approximately 41.5 degrees C). Temperatures were measured in the rectum, hypothalamus (Thyp), cerebrum, and cavernous sinus (Tsinus), on the skin of the head and midside, and Tcore. When Tcore increased above 38.5 degrees C, Thyp remained 0.6 +/- 0.1 degree C (SE) lower during heat exposure and 1 +/- 0.2 degrees C lower during exercise. During heat exposure, Tsinus was 2.2 +/- 0...
Blikslager AT, Roberts MC.To assess the ability of clinicians to predict the site and type of lesion as well as outcome in horses with colic. Methods: Prospective case study. Methods: 139 horses admitted for evaluation of signs of colic. Methods: Six interns and residents examined horses with colic and predicted the segment of intestine that was affected, the type of lesion, and whether the horse would survive to discharge. Accuracy of prediction of site and type of lesion and survival prediction was compared between the first and second halves of the year, using chi 2 analysis and 95% confidence intervals on sensitivi...
Swiderski CE, McClure JJ.The immune system is a complex interactive network. Defects in its function can be characterized broadly as being the result of actual deficiencies in the network or misdirection of normal immunologic functions. The assays that are available to detect deficiencies in the immunologic network barely scrape the surface of the possibilities. These assays primarily evaluate humoral immune function, but undetected defects in innate and cellular immunity are sure to exist. Although assays of humoral immunity have allowed the characterization of a number of immunodeficiency syndromes in horses, closer...
Galey FD.In most competent veterinary diagnostic laboratories, analytical findings are interpreted by the veterinary toxicologist to determine the significance of the finding in view of historic, clinical, and pathologic findings. A veterinary toxicologist also will provide consultation about possible toxic rule-outs for a case, treatment of affected animals, and prevention of additional cases. Once all of the information is available, a complete summary of the findings can be provided to the client. When the procedures outlined are followed, including a systematic approach to collecting all the eviden...
Panu R, Bo Minelli L, Sanna L, Zedda M, Acone F, Gazza F, Palmieri G.The retractor clitoridis muscle originates from the coccygeal vertebrae in the cow, ewe, goat and mare, and from the anal musculature in the sow. It terminates at the base of the clitoris. In all the species considered, a vegetative innervation was found. This was represented by isolated or grouped ganglion cells. Nervous sensitive supply was also present. This was represented by Pacinian, Pacinian-like and Golgi-Mazzoni's corpuscles, and by Krauses's end bulbs. A notable difference was found in the amount and type of these receptors. They were numerous in the sow, ewe and goat, and rare in th...
Ragle CA, Schneider RK.Eleven mares and four mules were ovariectomized by a ventral abdominal laparoscopic technique. This approach required tilting the operative table about 30 degrees elevating the pelvis to allow observation of the ovaries. A triangulation technique with a single laparoscopic portal and four instrument portals was used. The ovarian pedicles were ligated and the ovaries were removed through a single enlarged instrument portal. Females ranged in age from 5 months to 18 years. Mean operative time was 44 minutes (range 20 to 90 minutes); mean operative time of the last seven animals was 26 minutes. S...
Andrews FM, Geiser DR, White SL, Williamson LH, Maykuth PL, Green EM.Haematological and biochemical changes in horses competing in the Endurance Test (Phase T and D) of an advanced Horse Trial (HT, n = 22) and the Endurance Test (Phases A-D) of an advanced (CCI) 3-day-event (TD, n = 11) over a similar course on the same day were studied. Environmental conditions during the event were cool (5.5-11.1 degrees C). Blood samples were collected from the horses in each group the evening prior to the Endurance Test, within 60 s after, and 10 min after, completion of Phase D (cross-country jumping). The following were determined in the blood samples and compared between...
Van Huffel XM, Varner DD, Hinrichs K, Garcia MC, Strzemienski PJ, Kenney RM.A photomicrographic method for evaluation of stallion spermatozoal motility was developed, and spermatozoal image and velocity characteristics were defined. The photomicrographic method was compared with visual estimation of motility in the same semen sample over time. Using photomicrography, velocities and percentages of individual spermatozoal image characteristics were determined. Although there was a high correlation between results of the 2 methods, results of the photomicrographic method were more repeatable than were those of the visual method.
Ball BA, Altschul M, Freeman KP, Hillman RB.Trophoblastic vesicles have been used to study early embryonic development and maternal recognition of pregnancy in domestic animals. The purpose of this study was to characterize the formation of trophoblastic vesicles from Day-12 to Day-16 equine conceptuses. Conceptuses (n = 19) were collected nonsurgically from mares, the capsule was removed, and the conceptus (trophoblast and inner cell mass) was dissected into 2- to 4-mm fragments. Conceptus fragments were cultured in either Ham's F10 (HF10) or Minimum Essential Media (MEM) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) in 24-well plates. Plates were...
Ginther OJ.The estrous cycles of heifers and mares are used for illustrating pitfalls at the animal level in research in reproductive biology. Infrequent monitoring for characterizing the change in hormone concentrations or for detecting a reproductive event can be a pitfall when the interval for obtaining data exceeds the interval between events. For example, hourly collection of blood samples has shown that the luteolytic period (decreasing progesterone) encompasses 24 hours in heifers and mares. Collection of samples every 6-24 hours results in the illusion that luteolysis requires 2-3 days, owing to ...
Schusser GE, White NA.To determine the number of myenteric plexuses and neurons in the large colon of clinically normal horses and whether the number was decreased in the large colon of horses with colon disease. Methods: Prospective study. Methods: Colon samples from 15 clinically normal horses and 31 horses with colon disease. Methods: Samples were obtained, fixed, and stained with H&E. The number of myenteric plexuses and neurons and longitudinal muscle thickness were determined in each segment of colon for clinically normal horses. Counts for segments were compared with each other and with counts in the sam...
Ganiev I, Alexandrova N, Aimaletdinov A, Rutland C, Malanyeva A, Rizvanov A, Zakirova E.One of the major problems observed in veterinary practice is articular cartilage injuries in animals. In terms of agriculture, it leads to their culling from the herd, even if they are highly productive animals. With companion animals, owners usually have to decide between euthanasia or long-term sometimes lifelong treatment of the injury by a veterinarian. The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for the treatment of cartilage injury in veterinary medicine is based on the good results observed in preclinical studies, where large animals have been used as experimental models to study the regen...
Kania M, Mikołajewska D, Marycz K, Kobielarz M.The aim of this research was to assess the effect of diet supplementation with zinc and copper, in different chemical forms (organic and inorganic), on the mechanical properties of the hair of healthy English thoroughbred horses. Hairs were taken from 18 horses which had been fed with oats and hay for a period of 110 days. Twelve of the horses had been additionally given a daily dose of 700 g of highquality 44-ingredients Fohlengold St-Hippolyt muesli made by Muhle Ebert Dilheim. Six of them had received the muesli-containing organic zinc and copper (OS), while the other six horses had receive...
Fock U, Jockusch BM, Schubert WD, Hinssen H.The actin-binding protein gelsolin is highly conserved in vertebrates and exists in two isoforms, a cytoplasmic and an extracellular variant, generated by alternative splicing. In mammals, these isoforms differ only by an N-terminal extension in plasma gelsolin, a short sequence of up to 25 amino acids. Cells and tissues may contain both variants, as plasma gelsolin is secreted by many cell types. The tertiary structure of equine plasma gelsolin has been elucidated, but without any information on the N-terminal extension. In this paper, we present topographical data on the N-terminal extension...
Väihkönen LK, Pösö AR.To study in standardbred horses interindividual variation in the influx of lactate into red blood cells, venous blood samples were collected from 89 horses from 2 wk to 9 yr of age. For 62 horses, the rate of influx was normally distributed with a mean rate of 4.09 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1 at a lactate concentration of 10 mM, and the respective value for the other 27 horses was 0.58 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1. At 30 mM of lactate, the rates were 8.71 and 1.97 nmol.mg protein-1.min-1, respectively. This bimodal distribution was independent of age. In horses with high transport activity, the monocar...
Sancler-Silva YFR, Silva-Junior ER, Fedorka CE, Scheeren VFC, Cavalero TS, Papa PM, Alvarenga MA, Dell'Aqua JA, Papa FO.The aim of this report is to describe a new methodology to successfully treat stallions diagnosed with urethral rent. Four stallions of ages ranging from 7 to 12 years (median 9) with hemospermia were admitted for clinical evaluation, breeding soundness examination, and urethroscopy for inspection of the urethra and vesicular glands. Once the presence of urethral rent was identified and/or other sources of hemorrhage were excluded, a topical treatment was performed with 4% Policresulen solution (Albocresil). The treatment was carried out by infusing 100 mL of the solution into the lumen of t...
Caetano AR, Bowling AT.Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) regulates growth and metabolic functions in vertebrates. A dinucleotide repeat sequence located at the promoter region of the IGF1 gene has been reported in several vertebrate species and may affect the control of the transcriptional activity of this gene. The genotypes of animals from seven horse breeds were determined in order to study the potential association of allelic forms of this microsatellite with adult body size differences found in domestic horses. Among these breeds, five alleles were found. Breed-specific differences in adult body size could no...
Condon V, Wilson B, Fleming PJS, Kennedy BPA, Keeley T, Barwick J, McGreevy P.Feral horses, also known as brumbies, are widely distributed across Australia with some populations being managed largely by human intervention. Rehoming of suitable feral horses following passive trapping has wide community acceptance as a management tool. However, there is little information about the number and relative economic value of feral horses compared with cohorts in the riding horse market. We examined 15,404 advertisements of horses for sale in 53 editions of Horse Deals, published from February 2017 to July 2022. Despite the considerable media attention and public scrutiny surrou...
Slater MR, Hood DM, Carter GK.A descriptive and matched case-control study of laminitis was conducted in 7 private practices and at the Texas Veterinary Medical Centre (TVMC) between May 1992 and July 1993. Out of 108 horses with laminitis, 19 acute (49%) and 20 chronic (51%) cases were seen in private practice and 16 acute (23%) and 53 (77%) cases at the TVMC. Gastrointestinal disease was the most common problem in 19/35 horses (54%), occurring just prior to the onset of acute laminitis in all hospitals. Among all horses in the study, most commonly used drugs were phenylbutazone (68%), acepromazine (34%), dimethyl sulphox...
Colas C, Popot MA, Garcia P, Bonnaire Y, Bouchonnet S.LC/ESI-MS n methods have been previously set up to detect the administration of (i) Harpagophytum and (ii) preparations containing a plant capable of anti-stress properties: Eleutherococcus senticosus. Harpagoside has been found to be the main indicator of Harpagophytum administration in the horse. These methods have been applied to a large number of horse urine samples of various origins. Regarding the detection of Harpagophytum administration, harpagoside, harpagide and 8-para-coumaroyl harpagide were detected together in only one sample out of 317. Eleutheroside E was found to be the main i...
Grossi B, Canals M.We analyzed the morphology and the walk-trot and trot-gallop transition velocities of nine juvenile horses and compared them with their mothers. We also compared the relative stride length and the duty factor of the juveniles with respect to adults at three equivalent trotting speeds (Froude numbers 0.5, 0.75, and 1.0), to determine dynamic similarity. Juveniles had a negative allometry in their leg bones, mainly because of little size changes of the distal portions. The negative allometry of extremities allows juveniles to increase stride length without increasing step frequency, which can be...
Turek B, Potyński A, Wajler C, Szara T, Czopowicz M, Drewnowska O.Diaphyseal fractures of the III metacarpal bone represent 22% of all fractures of the long bones in horses. Treatment of such cases is difficult. The most popular solution used in these types of fractures is two plates applied directly to the bone surface, but they are not applicable on contaminated and infected fractures. External fixators are quite commonly used in human medicine, although in veterinary practice there is no typical stabilizer designed for the treatment of diaphyseal fractures of the III metacarpal bone so far. In this study, an external semicircular fixator of our own design...
Lawler DF, Brazil TJ, Dagleish MP, Watson ED.This study investigated the chemotactic activity of equine CL at different stages of the oestrous cycle. The purpose of this was to ascertain whether luteal tissue itself contributes to the massive influx of leucocytes around the time of natural and induced luteal regression. Corpora lutea were collected at different stages of dioestrus and after treatment with PGF2alpha. Culture medium harvested after incubation of luteal tissue for 20 h was chemotactic for both polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells in late dioestrus (before functional regression) as well as after natural and induced luteal...
Cí·¯ord D, Woodhead A, Muirhead R.The potential of short-cutting cycle, high temperature-dried alfalfa as a source of calcium for horses was determined by means of a 4 x 4 Latin square digestibility trial using four thoroughbred horses (mean liveweight 531 kg). The four dietary treatments were timothy hay alone, 33 per cent alfalfa and 67 per cent timothy hay, 67 per cent alfalfa and 33 per cent timothy hay, and alfalfa alone. Significantly more calcium and magnesium were absorbed from the alfalfa than from the hay. Phosphorus absorption appeared to be unaffected by treatment. Alfalfa calcium was more available than timothy ha...
Dumasia MC, Houghton E.1. Isomers of 3,17-dihydroxyandrostan-16-one, 3,16-dihydroxyandrostan-17-one and androstane-3,16,17-triol have been identified as urinary metabolites of testosterone in the horse. 2. Following XAD-2 extraction of urine samples, Sephadex LH-20 chromatography was used to separate the extract into conjugate groups. Metabolites obtained after hydrolysis of the conjugates have been investigated by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry. 3. Testosterone, 3,17-dihydroxyandrostan-16-one and 3,16-dihydroxyandrostan-17-one were found only in the sulphate fraction. 5 alpha-Androstane-3 beta,17 beta-diol, and two isome...
Hagen J, Brouwer J, Lux S, Weiske F, Jung FT.The aim of the current in vivo, observational study was to investigate the effects of different hoof manipulations on landing duration (LandD), location (IC) and angle of initial contact (IC) in the front feet of horses. A novel, hoof-mounted, inertial measurement unit sensor system (IMU) was used. Ten sound, crossbred horses were fitted with an IMU sensor at the dorsal hoof wall and examined barefoot and after trimming. Additionally, the application of 120 g lateral weights and 5° medial side wedges as well as steel, aluminium, egg bar, and lateral extension shoes were tested. Horses were gu...
de Rezende MPG, de Souza JC, Carneiro PLS, Bozzi R, Jardim RJD, Malhado CHM.Evaluating phenotypic diversity makes it possible to identify discrepancies in aptitudes among animals of different genetic bases, which is an indicator of adaptive or selective differences between populations. The objective of this work was to evaluate the morphofunctional diversity of 452 male and female adult equines (Arabian, Quarter Mile, Pantaneiro, and Criollo breeds, and undefined crossbreeds of horses and mules) raised in the Pantanal biome (Brazil). Linear measurements were performed to estimate conformation indexes. Initially, a discriminant analysis was performed, regardless of the...
Combarnous Y, Salesse R, Garnier J.Pregnant mare serum gonadotropin exhibits a dissociation at acid pH as shown by the drop of s20,w values from 3.52 S at pH 8.1 to 2.52 S at pH 2.0. The dissociation is accompanied by an absorbance change with a maximum at 287 nm and a parallel loss of both follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) activities as followed by radioreceptor assays. The apparent pKa of the acid transition is 3.45 with an extremely slow and temperature-dependent rate at pH 2.0 (1.8 . 10(-4) s-1 at 37 degrees C). By gel filtration the molecular weight of the active hormone is estimated to be 45 ...
Siegel RC, Cathou RE.Complexes of IgM equine anti-dansyl antibodies and different dansyl substituted carriers were tested for their ability to fix complement (C). Only dansyl92-Ficoll and dansyl12-poly-L-lysine were found to be effective. Dansyl13-bovine serum albumin, dansyl127-keyhole limpet hemocyanin, and reduced and alkylated dansyl10-ribonuclease were all ineffective. Lack of C fixation by the dansyl-ribonuclease was not due to lack of antibody-antigen complex formation, since binding at the concentrations employed for C fixation was established. However, in contrast, polymerized dansyl-ribonuclease (polydis...
Smith DF.The future of veterinary medicine is best understood in the context of history. What began as a profession rooted in urban centers in proximity to horses, physicians, and medical schools, was transformed into a land grant-based agricultural profession with the arrival of the internal combustion engine in the early twentieth century. Most of the United States' current veterinary colleges are still located in towns or small cities in the middle section of the country, outside the largest metropolitan areas where most veterinarians practice companion-animal medicine. Throughout veterinarian histo...
McGreevy PD, McLean AN, Keay KA, Thomson PC.Trained responses are said to be under stimulus control when they appear reliably and exclusively on cue. The SMART system is a conceptual, three-dimensional graphic that uses four quadrants to chart a horse's responsiveness to various cues from two reins and the trainer's legs and seat. The current plots have been designed for ridden horses. The models assume that the trainer's cues are bilaterally equivalent, unless the intention is to signal a turn or a lateral movement. The extent to which 'go' signals manifest as straight, forward locomotion reflect the bilateral balance of the horse's re...
Szalai G, Bailey E, Gerber H, Lazary S.The genetic diversity at the ELA DQ beta locus was investigated using polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. Based upon serological methods 16 class II homozygous animals were selected and their genomic DNA was used. A DQ beta gene from an equine cDNA library was also sequenced. Our methodology and the similarity between the genomic and the cDNA sequences suggest that the studied locus is expressed on equine lymphocytes. In the predicted amino acid sequence the most extensive variation is located at residues 56-60. The pattern of these five amino acids is strongly correlated to the sero...
D'Arcy-Moskwa E, Weston L, Noble GN, Raidal SL.Mucosal integrity may be objectively assessed by determination of the absorption of exogenous substances such as sucrose. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS) have been reported for the accurate quantification of low concentrations of sucrose in serum. LC/MS offered the advantage of high sensitivity and mass selectivity without the need for extensive sample derivatization required for GC/MS methods. However, the high polarity and non-volatile nature of the sucrose molecule renders LC/MS techniques challenging. Previously published rep...
Gandini M, Giusto G, Iotti B, Valazza A, Sammartano F.Stapled jejunocecal anastomoses are commonly performed in equine abdominal surgery. They carry higher complication rates compared to handsewn techniques. In human surgery various causes likely to lead to failure of stapled techniques have been evaluated, including staple line failure. Recently Freeman proposed a technique to perform a stapled jejunocecal anastomosis in horses while avoiding blind pouch formation. The aim of this study is to describe a method for stapled side-to-side jejunocecal anastomosis in horses and to compare it with other techniques with computed tomography to assess sto...
McKeever KH, Hinchcliff KW, Schmall LM, Reed SM, Lamb DR, Muir WW.Six untrained mares were subjected to incremental treadmill exercise to examine exercise-induced changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone (ALDO) and plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) concentrations. Plasma renin activity, ALDO and AVP concentrations, and heart rate (HR) were measured at each step of an incremental maximal exercise test. Mares ran up a 6 degree slope on a treadmill set at an initial speed of 4 m/s. Speed was increased 1 m/s each minute until HR reached a plateau. Plasma obtained was stored at -80 C and later was thawed, extracted, and assayed for PRA and AL...
Schryver HF, Millis DL, Soderholm LV, Williams J, Hintz HF.The effect of dietary aluminum on the absorption, retention and pathways of excretion of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, iron and copper was studied in balance trials in mature ponies in a three by three latin square experiment. A basal diet consisting of one third each of oats, beet pulp and a commercial pelleted, complete horse ration and containing 336 ppm aluminum was supplemented with AlC1(3) . 6H2O. The middle and high level aluminum diets contained 1370 and 4500 ppm aluminum respectively. There was little difference in effect between the middle level aluminum and basal diets. The ...
Houghton E.1. The metabolism of 19-nortestosterone in a cross-bred horse has been studied using 14C-labelled material. 2. Two neutral metabolites isolated from urinary extracts by column chromatography were identified as isomers of 3-hydroxyestran-17-one and estrane-3,17-diol by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry. 3. The stereochemistry of the two metabolites has been investigated by comparison of the retention times of their trimethylsilyl derivatives with those of standard steroids of known configuration.