Andrea Bertuglia

Gambling on putative biomarkers of osteoarthritis and osteochondrosis by equine synovial fluid proteomics.

Osteoarthritis (OA) and osteochondrosis (OC) are two of the main challenges in orthopedics, whose definitive diagnosis is usually based on radiographic/arthroscopic evidences. Their early diagnosis should allow preventive or timely therapeutic actions, which are generally precluded from the poor relationships occurring between symptomatologic and radiographic evidences. These limitations should be overcome by improving the knowledge on articular tissue metabolism and on molecular factors regulating its normal homeostasis, also identifying novel OA and OC biomarkers suitable for their earlier diagnoses, whenever clinical/pathological inflammatory scenarios between these joint diseases seem somewhat related. To identify proteins involved in their aetiology and progression, we undertook a differential proteomic analysis of equine synovial fluid (SF), which compared the protein pattern of OA or OC patients with that of healthy individuals. Deregulated proteins in OA and OC included components related to inflammatory state, coagulation pathways, oxidative stress and matrix damage, which were suggestive of pathological alterations in articular homeostasis, plasma-SF exchange, joint nutritional status and vessel permeability. Some proteins seemed commonly deregulated in both pathologies indicating that, regardless of the stimulus, common pathways are affected and/or the animal joint uses the same molecular mechanisms to restore its homeostasis. On the other hand, the increased number of deregulated proteins observed in OA with respect to OC, together with their nature, confirmed the high inflammatory character of this disease. Some deregulated proteins in OA found a verification by analyzing the SF of injured arthritic joints following autologous conditioned serum treatment, an emergent therapy that provides positive results for both human and equine OA. Being the horse involved in occupational/sporting activities and considered as an excellent animal model for human joint diseases, our data provide suggestive information for tentative biomedical extrapolations, allowing to overcome the limitations in joint size and workload that are typical of other small animal models.

Epidemiology of musculoskeletal injuries in a population of harness Standardbred racehorses in training

BackgroundThere is a substantial paucity of studies concerning musculoskeletal injuries in harness Standardbred racehorses. Specifically, little is known about the epidemiology of exercise-related musculoskeletal injuries. Most studies on this subject involve Thoroughbred racehorses, whose biomechanics and racing speed differ from Standardbred, making comparisons difficult. Here, a population of Standardbred racehorses trained at the same racecourse was studied over four years and a classification system for exercise-related musculoskeletal injuries was designed. The incidence rates of musculoskeletal injuries causing horses’ withdrawal from training for 15 days or longer were investigated. A mixed-effects Poisson regression model was used to estimate musculoskeletal injury rates and to describe significance of selected risk factors for exercise-related injuries in this population.ResultsA total of 356 trotter racehorses from 10 different stables contributed 8961 months at risk of musculoskeletal injuries. Four-hundred-and-twenty-nine injuries were reported and classified into 16 categories, based on their aetiology and anatomical localisation. The overall exercise-related injury rate was 4.79 per 100 horse months. When considering risk factors one by one in separate univariable analyses, we obtained the following results: rates did not differ significantly between genders and classes of age, whereas one driver seemed to cause fewer injuries than the others. Racing speed and racing intensity, as well as recent medical history, seemed to be significant risk factors (p < 0.001), while being shod or unshod during racing was not. On the other hand, when pooling several risk factors in a multivariable approach, only racing intensity turned out to be significant (p < 0.001), since racing speed and the racing intensity were partially confounded, being strongly correlated to one another.ConclusionCharacterizing epidemiology of exercise-related musculoskeletal injuries in trotter racehorses provides baseline incidence rate values. Incidence rates of stress fracture are lower in Standardbreds compared to Thoroughbreds, whereas the opposite is true for tendon and suspensory ligament injuries. In addition to identification of risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries among Standardbred racehorses, results suggest that racing intensity seems to be a protective predictor of risk and recent medical history could be used to identify horses at risk of injury.

Central vestibular syndrome due to a squamous cell carcinoma in a horse.

A. D’Angelo, DVM, PhD, A. Bertuglia, DVM, PhD, M. T. Capucchio, DVM, PhD, F. Riondato, DVM, PhD, R. Zanatta, DVM, PhD, Department of Animal Pathology, University of Turin, Via L. Da Vinci 44, 10095 Grugliasco, Torino, Italy G. Gandini, DVM, PhD, DipECVM, Internal Medicine Section, Veterinary Clinical Department, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064 Ozzano Emilia, Bologna, Italy Central vestibular syndrome due to a squamous cell carcinoma in a horse

Identification of surgically-induced longitudinal lesions of the equine deep digital flexor tendon in the digital flexor tendon sheath using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography: an ex-vivo pilot study

BackgroundLongitudinal tears in the lateral aspect of the deep digital flexor tendon are the most common causes of pain localised to the equine digital flexor tendon sheath. However conventional ultrasonographic techniques provide limited information about acute lesions. Ultrasonographic contrast agents are newly developed materials that have contributed to advancement in human diagnostic imaging. They are currently approved for intravenous use in human and animal models. In this study we described intrathecal use in the horse. This study was undertaken to evaluate the reliability of standard and angle contrast-enhanced ultrasonography to detect and characterize surgically-induced longitudinal lesions in the deep digital flexor tendons.In this pilot study surgically-induced lesions were created in the lateral aspect of the deep digital flexor tendon within the digital flexor tendon sheath in 10 isolated equine limbs to generate a replicable model for naturally occurring lesions. Another 10 specimens were sham operated. All the limbs were examined ultrasonographically before and shortly after the intrasynovial injection of an ultrasound contrast agent containing stabilised microbubbles. The images were blindly evaluated to detect the ability to identify surgically-created lesions. The deep digital flexor tendons were dissected and a series of slices were obtained. The depth of longitudinal defects identified with contrast-enhanced ultrasound scans was compared to the real extent of the lesions measured in the corresponding gross tendon sections.ResultsContrast-enhanced ultrasonography with both angle and standard approach provided a significant higher proportion of correct diagnoses compared to standard and angle contrast ultrasonography (p < 0.01). Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography reliably estimated the depth of surgically-induced longitudinal lesions in the deep digital flexor tendons.ConclusionContrast-enhanced ultrasound of the digital flexor tendon sheath could be an effective tool to detect intrasynovial longitudinal tears of the deep digital flexor tendon, although an in vivo study is required to confirm these results for naturally occurring lesions.

Two Multicenter Surveys on Equine Back-Pain 10 Years a Part

Despite back-pain being a common cause of poor performance in sport horses, a tailored diagnostic workflow and a consolidated therapeutic approach are currently lacking in equine medicine. The aim of the study was to assess the evolution in the veterinarian approach to diagnose and treat back-pain over a 10 years period. To investigate this topic, two surveys were addressed to equine veterinarians working in practice throughout Europe 10 years apart (2006 and 2016). The answers were organized in an Excel dataset and analyzed. There were 47 respondents in 2006 and 168 in 2016, from 8 European Countries. The main reasons for examining horses with back-pain were poor performance (76%), behavioral issues (68%), and lameness (50%). When assessing back pain, 97% of respondents applied careful digital pressure over paravertebral muscles, 90% of them used digital back mobilization, and 69% was detecting areas of localized heat. The use of diagnostic analgesia to confirm the source of pain was rarely employed. Radiography and ultrasonography were the most frequent diagnostic imaging modalities used to investigate the causes of back-pain in both surveys. Obtaining a definitive diagnosis in horses with back-pain is considered challenging due to the reduced accessibility of the area and the variability in the pain manifestations. Corticosteroids injections were used for local treatments by 80% of respondents in 2006 and 92% in 2016. Recently, ultrasonography has been extensively used during the injections of the vertebral articular facets and sacroiliac joints region. The use of complementary therapies was restricted to a low percentage of respondents in the first survey (20%) but it increased over the decade. In 2016, a wider percentage of respondents considered osteopathy (40%), kinesiotherapy (29%), and acupuncture (22%) when treating back disorders compared to 2006. The structural differences of the two surveys did not enable a direct data comparison. Based on the results of this surveys, however, veterinarians should be sensitized to the back-pain problems and seek to integrate findings from clinical research studies in their daily practice.

A simple technique to repair a hand fracture in a captive Siamang.

A 5‐year‐old female Siamang (Hylobates syndactilus) in captivity sustained a displaced closed fracture of the proximal phalanx of the middle digit, resulting in finger deformity and hand functional disability. Anatomical reduction and stabilization of the fracture were obtained surgically using two multifilament wire sutures. The primate had a successful functional recovery.

Post-traumatic fetlock osteoarthritis in Standardbred racehorses: The culprit of long-term progression to degenerative joint disease?

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) begins many years before structural changes are detectable, since DJD spans over a lifetime in man. In racehorses progression from post-traumatic OA stage to DJD seems much shorter. The purpose of this study was to assess changes in inflammatory and structural biomarkers in serum (S) and synovial fluid (SF) in a cohort of STBRs diagnosed with post-traumatic fetlock OA over the racing career of the animals. We hypothesised that biomarkers assay could demonstrate the progression of degenerative status in the joints after post-traumatic OA, better than clinical and radiographic assessment.

MINIMALLY INVASIVE METATARSAL FRACTURE REPAIR WITH LOCKING PLATES IN A GUANACO (LAMA GUANICOE)

Abstract:  An open grade I transverse diaphyseal fracture of the metatarsal bone in a 5-yr-old female guanaco (Lama guanicoe) was successfully stabilized with a locking plate system, which is a minimally invasive approach. A conical coupling screw-plate locking system with 3.0-mm-thick plates and 3.5-mm locking head screws was applied, after closed and indirect reduction of the bone segments, with an orthogonal configuration of the plates. The implants were protected postoperatively with a splinted bandage. The fracture healed without complications, the limb function was successfully recovered, and no major complications were observed at the 2-yr follow-up. The surgical procedure was carried out with biologic internal fixation supports and an adequate functional union within a time period similar to that reported for this species following other fracture fixation methods. This case highlights the potential benefit of combining minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis and plate-locking systems for fracture repair in camelids.