Hair Allopregnanolone in Mares and Foals as a Retrospective Biomarker of Predicting Feto-Maternal Well-Being.

Assay of steroid hormones in hair has become an attractive alternative for studies focusing on the perinatal period in equine medicine. The aim of the present study was to evaluate mares' and foals' hair ALLO concentrations and their ratio in relation to clinical conditions and selected clinical parameters. The 37 mare-foal pairs were categorized into healthy (group H; = 15) and sick (group S; = 22) groups.

Findings and Prognosis in 149 Horses with Histological Changes Compatible with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic disease characterized by different cell infiltrates in the intestine. The aims of this study were to report the clinical and clinicopathological findings in horses with histological changes compatible with IBD in the duodenum. Further, the clinical progression of IBD and survival were investigated.

Changes in Management Lead to Improvement and Healing of Equine Squamous Gastric Disease.

Equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) is common in horses and poses a serious welfare problem. Several risk factors have been identified and ESGD is routinely treated with omeprazole. Fourteen mares, previously used as embryo recipients and diagnosed with ESGD, were selected.

Companion animal organoid technology to advance veterinary regenerative medicine.

First year medical and veterinary students are made very aware that drugs can have very different effects in various species or even in breeds of one specific species. On the other hand, the "One Medicine" concept implies that therapeutic and technical approaches are exchangeable between man and animals. These opposing views on the (dis)similarities between human and veterinary medicine are magnified in regenerative medicine.

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome in adult horses.

Many domesticated horses have gastric ulcers which can be diagnosed and graded during gastroscopy. A distinction should be made between equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD), which is caused by exposure of the mucosa to acid, and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD), thought to occur when mucosal defence mechanisms are compromised. Horses with gastric ulcers may, but do not always, show clinical signs such as poor appetite, mild colic, discomfort during girthing, behavioural changes and reduced performance.

Hair cortisol concentration is inversely related to the severity of equine squamous gastric disease.

Equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) is common in horses and many factors, including stress, may play a role in lesion development. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) provides a measure of medium to long-term stress and therefore, the relationship between HCC and ESGD was examined in this study. Hair samples were collected from 25 horses and gastroscopy was performed to determine the presence and severity of ESGD.

Intradermal testing of horses with and without insect bite hypersensitivity in The Netherlands using an extract of native Culicoides species.

Intradermal tests using a Culicoides nubeculosus extract have proven unreliable for diagnosis of equine insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) in the Netherlands. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of an extract derived from the Dutch species C. obsoletus and C.

Identification of factors associated with the development of insect bite hypersensitivity in horses in The Netherlands.

An Internet-based questionnaire among horse owners was carried out to identify factors affecting the incidence of insect bite hypersensitivity (IBHI) among horses in the Netherlands. Information was obtained for 794 horses of various breeds, but the breed distribution was not representative for the Dutch horse population. Of the horses for which information was available, 56% suffered from IBH and 44% did not.

Culicoides species attracted to horses with and without insect hypersensitivity.

The aims of this study were to determine (1) which species of Culicoides is most commonly attracted to horses, (2) whether horses suffering insect hypersensitivity attract more Culicoides spp. than unaffected horses, and (3) the times when Culicoides spp. are most active.

Assessment of the effects of age and joint disease on hydroxyproline and glycosaminoglycan concentrations in synovial fluid from the metacarpophalangeal joint of horses.

Objective: To assess the effects of age and joint disease on hydroxyproline and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentrations in synovial fluid from the metacarpophalangeal joint of horses and evaluate the association of those concentrations with severity of osteoarthritis and general matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity.

Sample Population: Synovial fluid was collected from the metacarpophalangeal joints of foals at birth (n = 10), 5-month-old foals (10), 11-month-old foals (5), and adult horses (73).

Procedure: Hydroxyproline and GAG concentrations were determined in synovial fluid samples.

Transforming growth factor-beta levels during second- intention healing are related to the different course of wound contraction in horses and ponies.

Wound healing in horses is often complicated by wound infection, exuberant granulation tissue, and hypertrophic scars, especially when wounds are located on the limbs. Wound healing in ponies is less problematic, characterized by a greater degree of wound contraction and a more intense initial inflammatory response. Because both processes are influenced by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), it was hypothesized that the better wound healing in ponies was associated with different TGF-beta profiles.