Myeloid Targeted Human MLL-ENL and MLL-AF9 Induces cdk9 and bcl2 Expression in Zebrafish Embryos.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) accounts for greater than twenty thousand new cases of leukemia annually in the United States. The average five-year survival rate is approximately 30%, pointing to the need for developing novel model systems for drug discovery. In particular, patients with chromosomal rearrangements in the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene have higher relapse rates with poor outcomes.

Psyllium supplementation is associated with changes in the fecal microbiota of horses.

Objective: Prophylactic supplementation of psyllium husk is recommended to enhance passage of ingested sand from the gastrointestinal tracts of horses. We hypothesized that psyllium supplementation would increase fecal sand passage and favorably alter bacterial populations in the hindgut. Six yearlings and six mature mares were fed a psyllium supplement in the diet daily for seven days.

Subjective and objective evaluations of horses for fit-to-compete or unfit-to-compete judgement.

At Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) competitions, horses undergo veterinary inspection for judgement of 'fit-to-compete'. However, FEI Veterinary Delegates (VDs) often differ in opinion. The aim of the present study was to evaluate intra- and inter-observer agreements of fit-to-compete judgement and compare these with objective gait analysis measurements.

Equine cervical intervertebral disc degeneration is associated with location and MRI features.

Morphology of the equine cervical intervertebral disc is different from that in humans and small companion animals and published imaging data are scarcely available. The objectives of this exploratory, methods comparison study were (a) to describe MRI features of macroscopically nondegenerated and degenerated intervertebral discs (b) to test associations between spinal location and macroscopic degeneration or MRI-detected annular protrusion and between MRI-detected annular protrusion and macroscopic degeneration, and (c) to define MRI sequences for characterizing equine cervical intervertebral disc degeneration. Ex vivo MRI of intervertebral discs was performed in 11 horses with clinical signs related to the cervical region prior to macroscopic assessment.

Caudal cervical vertebral morphological variation is not associated with clinical signs in Warmblood horses.

Background: Variation in equine caudal cervical spine morphology at C6 and C7 has high prevalence in Warmblood horses and is suspected to be associated with pain in a large mixed-breed group of horses. At present no data exist on the relationship between radiographic phenotype and clinical presentation in Warmblood horses in a case-control study.

Objectives: To establish the frequency of radiographically visible morphologic variation in a large group of Warmblood horses with clinical signs and compare this with a group without clinical signs.

Quantitative and qualitative aspects of standing-up behavior and the prevalence of osteochondrosis in Warmblood foals on different farms: could there be a link?

Background: Osteochondrosis (OC) is a common, clinically important joint disorder in which endochondral ossification is focally disturbed. Reduced blood supply to growing cartilage is considered an important cause of the condition, which has both genetic and environmental origins. Housing conditions can influence cartilage injury through peak-pressure changes during limb sliding.

EX VIVO COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC EVALUATION OF MORPHOLOGY VARIATIONS IN EQUINE CERVICAL VERTEBRAE.

Diagnostic imaging is one of the pillars in the clinical workup of horses with clinical signs of cervical spinal disease. An improved awareness of morphologic variations in equine cervical vertebrae would be helpful for interpreting findings. The aim of this anatomic study was to describe CT variations in left-right symmetry and morphology of the cervical and cervicothoracic vertebrae in a sample of horses.

Clinicopathological findings in horses with a bi- or tripartite navicular bone.

Background: Navicular bone partition is a rare condition reported in horses, which is during the evaluation of a lameness or prepurchase examination often misinterpreted for a parasagittal fracture. In this report, the clinicopathological findings of three cases of navicular bone partition are evaluated. The possible pathomechanisms underlying the condition are hypothesised, focusing on a potential origin of foetal vascular disturbance.

Axial osteitis of the proximal sesamoid bones and desmitis of the intersesamoidean ligament in the hindlimb of Friesian horses: review of 12 cases (2002-2012) and post-mortem analysis of the bone-ligament interface.

Background: Axial osteitis of the proximal sesamoid bones and desmitis of the intersesamoidean ligament has been described in Friesian horses as well as in other breeds. The objectives of this study were to review the outcome of clinical cases of this disease in Friesian horses and analyse the pathology of the bone-ligament interface. Case records of Friesian horses diagnosed with axial osteitis of the proximal sesamoid bones and desmitis of the intersesamoidean ligament in the period 2002-2012 were retrospectively evaluated.

Quantitative motor unit action potential analysis in 2 paraspinal neck muscles in adult Royal Dutch Sport horses.

Background: Reference values for quantitative electromyography (QEMG) in neck muscles of Royal Dutch Sport horses are lacking.

Objective: Determine normative data on quantitative motor unit action potential (QMUP) analysis of serratus ventralis cervicis (SV) and brachiocephalicus (BC) muscle.

Animals: Seven adult normal horses (mean age 9.

The propagation of induced tendon lesions in the equine superficial digital flexor tendon: an ex vivo study.

Reasons For Performing Study: Clinical tendon lesions usually enlarge during the first days to weeks after sustaining the injury due to enzymatic and biomechanical influences. Limiting this enlargement would positively influence prognosis related to lesion size.

Objectives: To investigate the effect of cyclic loading on the propagation of enzymatically and physically induced tendon lesions and to assess the effect of immobilisation thereon in an ex vivo model.

Prevalence of various radiographic manifestations of osteochondrosis and their correlations between and within joints in Dutch warmblood horses.

Reasons For Performing Study: Osteochondrosis (OC) is the most important orthopaedic developmental disorder in horses and may manifest in several different forms. No detailed study on the prevalence and/or interrelation of these forms is available, even though these data are a prerequisite for conclusive genetic studies.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence of the various manifestations of OC as detected radiographically and to evaluate possible relationships between their occurrence within the same joint and between different joints.

Subclinical hypocalcaemia in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus).

The hypothesis that hypocalcaemia may play a role in dystocia in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) was investigated. The objectives of the study were to measure the total calcium concentration in elephant plasma; assess the changes in parameters of calcium metabolism during a feeding trial; investigate a possible relationship between calcium metabolism and dystocia; and assess bone mineralisation in captive Asian elephants in vivo. The following parameters were measured: total and ionised calcium, inorganic phosphorous and magnesium, the fractional excretions of these minerals, intact parathyroid hormone, 25-OH-D(3) and 1,25-OH-D(3).

Phenotypic diagnosis of dwarfism in six Friesian horses.

An extreme form of abnormal development, dwarfism, is common in man and some animals, but has not been officially reported in horses. Within the Friesian horse breed, congenital dwarfism has been recognised for many years, but no detailed report exists on its phenotype. The most salient feature of the dwarf syndrome is the physeal growth retardation in both limbs and ribs.

Movement characteristics of persons with prader-willi syndrome rising from supine.

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to: 1) determine if previously published descriptors of the supine to stand rising task in healthy individuals could be applied to the movements of persons with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS); and 2) assess upper extremity (UE), axial region (AX), and lower extremity (LE) movements among subjects with PWS compared with controls.

Methods: Nine subjects with PWS (seven-36 years of age) and matched controls were videotaped performing 10 rising trials. The UE, AX, and LE movements were classified using published descriptors.

The role of electromyography in clinical diagnosis of neuromuscular locomotor problems in the horse.

Reasons For Performing Study: Systematically performed EMG needle examination of muscles provides essential information about the functional aspects of the motor unit. However, clinical studies in which information is given on the diagnostic and discriminative values of electromyography (EMG) in the horse are scarce.

Objectives: To determine to what extent inclusion of EMG analysis in clinical examination contributes to determination of type and localisation of abnormality.

Fixed dose subcutaneous low molecular weight heparins versus adjusted dose unfractionated heparin for venous thromboembolism.

Background: Low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) have been shown to be effective and safe in preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE), and may also be effective for the initial treatment of VTE.

Objectives: To determine the effect of LMWH compared with unfractionated heparin (UFH) for the initial treatment of VTE.

Search Strategy: Trials were identified from the Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group's Specialised Register, CENTRAL and LILACS.

Identification and phenotyping of leukocytes in bovine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid.

A method is proposed to identify leukocyte subpopulations in bovine bronchoalveolar lavage fluid by dual-laser flow cytometry. The technique uses several parameters, i.e.

Brain abscesses as a metastatic manifestation of strangles: symptomatology and the use of magnetic resonance imaging as a diagnostic aid.

Reasons For Performing Study: The occurrence of unexpectedly high numbers of horses with neurological signs during two outbreaks of strangles required prompt in-depth researching of these cases, including the exploration of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as a possible diagnostic technique.

Objectives: To describe the case series and assess the usefulness of MRI as an imaging modality for cases suspected of space-occupying lesions in the cerebral cavity.

Methods: Four cases suspected of suffering from cerebral damage due to Streptococcus equi subsp.

Relationships of age and shape of the navicular bone to the development of navicular disease: a radiological study.

Estimating the shape of the proximal articular border of the navicular bone and grading the radiological navicular bone condition (grades 3 and 4 representing the most severe changes), the aim of this study was to assess potential age-related implications of the previously reported shape predisposition to navicular disease in 746 normal and 174 clinically affected Dutch Warmbloods age 3-19 years. A significant, age-independent, shape-grade association found in normal and affected horses emphasises the fundamental character of the shape predisposition to navicular disease. A significant age-related increase of the least susceptible shape prevalence was found in elderly normal horses.

The radiographic development of the distal and proximal double contours of the equine navicular bone on dorsoproximal-palmarodistal oblique (upright pedal) radiographs, from age 1 to 11 months.

The aim of this study was to monitor the postnatal radiographic development of the proximal and distal double contours and the modelling of the shape of the proximal articular border. In mature horses, the proximal and distal contours of the navicular bone on dorsopalmar dorsoproximal-palmarodistal oblique (upright pedal) radiographs are commonly visualised as 2 lines, one being the articular border and the second representing the border of the cortex facing the deep digital flexor tendon (flexor border). The shape of the proximal articular border may be concave, undulating, straight or convex in the mature animal.

Transmodulation of epidermal growth factor receptor mediates IL-1 beta-induced MMP-1 expression in cultured human keratinocytes.

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation causes human skin aging and skin cancer through the activation of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) which are responsible for the degradation of collagen and tumor progression in human skin. The molecular mechanisms of UV-induced MMPs are yet to be defined. Our previous studies and others suggest that i) the transient activation of cell surface receptors and subsequent activation of MAP kinase cascade contributes to the transcriptional up-regulation of MMPs; and ii) UV-induced expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha may also account for the expression of MMPs.

Duration of oral anticoagulant treatment in patients with venous thromboembolism and a deficiency of antithrombin, protein C or protein S--a decision analysis.

Patients with a first venous thromboembolic event and a deficiency of the coagulation inhibitors antithrombin, protein C or protein S have an increased risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism compared to patients without such a deficiency. A decision analysis was performed to assess the effect of continuing treatment with vitamin K antagonists on mortality by a reduction in fatal recurrent pulmonary embolism and an induction of fatal haemorrhages associated with their use. The treatment decision involves continuation or discontinuation of vitamin K antagonists in patients with a first spontaneous or secondary venous thromboembolism and an antithrombin, protein C or S deficiency.

Fixed dose subcutaneous low molecular weight heparins versus adjusted dose unfractionated heparin for venous thromboembolism.

Background: Low molecular weight heparins have been shown to be effective and safe for prevention of venous thromboembolism. There is accumulating evidence that these new anticoagulants are also effective and safe for treatment of venous thromboembolism.

Objectives: The objective of this review was to determine the effect of fixed-dose, subcutaneous low molecular weight heparins compared with adjusted-dose, intravenous or subcutaneous, unfractionated heparin for initial treatment of acute deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.

The nuclear transcription factor NF-kappaB mediates interleukin-1beta-induced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in human myometrial cells.

Objective: Up-regulation of prostaglandin production by gestational tissues in the setting of intrauterine infection has been implicated as an important contributor to preterm labor and parturition. In this study we investigated the possible role of the nuclear transcription factor NF-kappaB in interleukin-1 signaling, leading to the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 and prostaglandin production in human myometrial cell cultures.

Study Design: Human myometrial smooth muscle cells from an immortalized line were used as a model system between passages 20 and 35.