Protein biomarker of cell proliferation determines survival to discharge in cases of equine large colon volvulus.
Abstract: Progenitor cells play critical roles in epithelial repair following ischaemic injury. Protein biomarkers have been used to identify intestinal progenitor cell subpopulations. This study aims to determine if a critical number of intestinal progenitor cells can predict tissue viability and survival to discharge of large colon volvulus (LCV) cases. Objective: The objectives were to 1) identify intestinal progenitor cell subpopulations using biomarkers: proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), sex determining region Y box 9 (SOX9), phospho-histone H3 (PHH3) and Ki-67, 2) define cut-off values for critical numbers of positive cells and 3) determine if survival to discharge is associated with cut-off values. Methods: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Adult horses admitted to the Farm and Equine Veterinary Medical Center at NC State's Veterinary Hospital and Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital between 2006 and 2016 that underwent an exploratory coeliotomy with a diagnosis of LCV of ≥360 degrees, had pelvic flexure biopsy and that recovered from general anaesthesia were selected for inclusion in the study. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed and positive cells were counted. Optimal cut-off values were determined using receiver operator curves. A Fisher's exact test was used to associate cut-off values with survival to discharge. Results: In this study, 23 cases of LCV ≥360° were included. Of 23 horses, 13 (57%) survived to discharge. A cut-off value of <2.1 PHH3 positive cells per crypt correctly predicted death with 100% sensitivity (95% CI; 69.15-100%) and 84.62% specificity (95% CI; 54.55-98.08%). LCV cases with <2.1 PHH3 positive cells per crypt were 96.6 times more likely to die (95% CI; 4.14-2255 and P < 0.0001). Biomarkers PCNA, SOX9 and Ki-67 did not predict short-term survival. Conclusions: The population size was small. Conclusions: PHH3 immunohistochemical analysis may assist in more accurate prediction of survival to hospital discharge of LCV cases. The summary is available in Spanish - see Supporting Information.
© 2017 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2017-11-27 PubMed ID: 29032573PubMed Central: PMC5899956DOI: 10.1111/evj.12767Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Adult Horses
- Biomarkers
- Cell Proliferation
- Clinical Pathology
- Clinical Study
- Colic
- Diagnosis
- Disease Diagnosis
- Disease Treatment
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Hospitalization
- Immunohistochemistry
- Intestinal Pathology
- Intestinal Surgery
- Mortality
- Post-Operative Period
- Prognosis
- Retrospective Study
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research investigates the role of intestial progenitor cells in determining the survival of horses suffering from a serious intestinal injury called large colon volvulus (LCV). The study specifically looks at certain biomarkers (proteins as an indicator of specific cell activity), and their ability to predict the survival of an inflicted animal.
Study Objectives
The research had three main objectives:
- Identify which subpopulations of intestinal progenitor cells are indicated by biomarkers: PCNA, SOX9, PHH3, and Ki-67.
- Establish critical numbers of these biomarker-positive cells that would predict the survival to discharge of LCV cases.
- Examine if survival to discharge is linked to the established cut-off values of these biomarker-positive cells.
Methods
The research was a retrospective cohert study, meaning it looked back at past cases to draw conclusions. The study consisted of adult horses that were admitted to two different hospitals suffering from LCV and underwent a specific surgery (an exploratory coeliotomy). All included horses recovered from general anaesthesia. The researchers performed immunohistochemical analyses (tests to identify particular molecules in cells of a tissue) where they counted cells that tested positively for the targeted biomarkers. Statitical methods were used to determine optimal cut-off values of biomarker-positive cells and to associate these values with the animals’ survival.
Results
The study was conducted on 23 cases of LCV. Among these, 13 horses, or 57%, managed to survive up to discharge. A specific cut-off value of less than 2.1 PHH3 positive cells per crypt (a part of the intestine) could predict death with very high certainty. On the contrary, PCNA, SOX9, and Ki-67 biomarkers did not seem to play a direct role in short-term survival.
Conclusion
Though the population size for the study was small, it suggested that the PHH3 biomarker analysis can aid in more accurate predictions of a horse’s survival chances after suffering from LCV. It is important to remember that while the findings suggest a correlation, the results do not prove causation, and further research may be necessary before this finding can be applied widely.
Cite This Article
APA
Kucera CR, Stranahan LW, Hughes F, Blikslager AT, Gonzalez LM.
(2017).
Protein biomarker of cell proliferation determines survival to discharge in cases of equine large colon volvulus.
Equine Vet J, 50(4), 452-456.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12767 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
- Peterson and Smith Equine Hospital, Ocala, Florida, USA.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Biomarkers
- Cell Proliferation / physiology
- Cohort Studies
- Colonic Diseases / veterinary
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation
- Horse Diseases / blood
- Horses
- Intestinal Volvulus / metabolism
- Intestinal Volvulus / pathology
- Intestinal Volvulus / veterinary
- Male
- ROC Curve
- Retrospective Studies
- Survival Analysis
Grant Funding
- K01 OD019911 / NIH HHS
- T35 OD011070 / NIH HHS
References
This article includes 20 references
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