Ex vivo evaluation of the soft tissue components of the equine stifle using 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging under flexion, extension, and loading.

High-field MRI of the equine stifle provides high-resolution information about soft tissues that is useful in the diagnosis of stifle lameness. The aim of this prospective anatomic study was to describe the appearance, position, size, and shape of the equine femorotibial ligaments, meniscal ligaments, and menisci using 3 Tesla MRI under extended, extended-loaded, and flexed conditions. Additionally, histologic examination of the collateral and cruciate ligaments (CLs) of a single stifle was performed to compare with MRI images.

Degradation of Proteoglycans and Collagen in Equine Meniscal Tissues.

Investigate meniscal extracellular matrix degradation. Equine menisci ( = 34 from 17 horses) were studied. Site-matched sections were cut and scored from three regions (ROIs; = 102) and stained for histology, proteoglycan (safranin O and fast green), aggrecan, and collagen cleavage (NITEGE, DIPEN, and C1,2C antibodies, respectively).

Vascularity evaluation of the equine tarsocrural and proximal intertarsal joint septum, and comparative analysis of two arthroscopic transection techniques.

Objective: To evaluate vascularity of the synovial membrane covered septum (SMS) separating the tarsocrural (TC) and proximal intertarsal (PIT) joints (Part 1) and compare two methods of transection, electrosurgical or Ferris Smith rongeur (FS rongeur) (Part 2).

Study Design: Experimental study.

Sample Population: Part 1, 10 SMS (n = 5 horses).

Characterization and quantification of in-vitro equine bone resorption in 3D using μCT and deep learning-aided feature segmentation.

High cyclic strains induce formation of microcracks in bone, triggering targeted bone remodeling, which entails osteoclastic resorption. Racehorse bone is an ideal model for studying the effects of high-intensity loading, as it is subject to focal formation of microcracks and subsequent bone resorption. The volume of resorption in vitro is considered a direct indicator of osteoclast activity but indirect 2D measurements are used more often.

Radiographic analysis in Thoroughbreds reveals morphological changes in healthy maturing stifle joints and possible association between subchondral lesions and femoral condyle width.

Objective: Assess femorotibial features in foals with and without medial femoral condyle (MFC) subchondral radiolucencies (SR+ and SR-).

Methods: 3 independent, sequential radiographic studies were performed. Study 1 retrospectively measured femorotibial morphological parameters in repository radiographs (SR- and SR+).

Micro-computed tomography reveals high-density mineralised protrusions and microstructural lesions in equine stifle joint articular cartilage.

Background: Stifle osteoarthritis (OA) lesions are most common in the medial femorotibial (MFT) compartment. Their characterisation and mapping will inform equine veterinarians towards an accurate diagnosis of OA.

Objectives: Investigate and map micro-CT (μCT) changes in the hyaline articular cartilage (HAC) in the medial femoral condyle (MFC) and medial tibial plateau (MTP).

A Comparative Investigation of Equine-Related and Bovine-Related Human Fatalities in Oklahoma.

This study examined 71 cases, where 45 cases were equine-related and 26 were bovine-related. Data for this study were collected by examining cases between 2000 and 2022 from the Oklahoma Office of the Chief Medical Examiner database.A majority of the equine-related fatality cases involved males aged 0 to 18 and 60 to 69 years, with sustained injuries of the head, neck, and thoracic regions while being mounted.

A persistent neutrophil-associated immune signature characterizes post-COVID-19 pulmonary sequelae.

Interstitial lung disease and associated fibrosis occur in a proportion of individuals who have recovered from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection through unknown mechanisms. We studied individuals with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after recovery from acute illness. Individuals with evidence of interstitial lung changes at 3 to 6 months after recovery had an up-regulated neutrophil-associated immune signature including increased chemokines, proteases, and markers of neutrophil extracellular traps that were detectable in the blood.

Cannabinoid receptors are expressed in equine synovium and upregulated with synovitis.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of equine lameness. Cannabinoid (CB) receptors are now considered to be promising therapeutic targets in human rheumatology for pain and inflammation, however, little is known about the equine endocannabinoid system.

Objectives: The primary goal was to assess the presence and expression pattern of CB1 and CB2 in the synovium of healthy joints.

An in vitro model for discovery of osteoclast specific biomarkers towards identification of racehorses at risk for catastrophic fractures.

Background: Focal bone microcracks with osteoclast recruitment and bone lysis, may reduce fracture resistance in racehorses. As current imaging does not detect all horses at risk for fracture, the discovery of novel serum biomarkers of bone resorption or osteoclast activity could potentially address this unmet clinical need. The biology of equine osteoclasts on their natural substrate, equine bone, has never been studied in vitro and may permit identification of specific biomarkers of their activity.

Microscale structural changes of individual fibrin fibers during fibrinolysis.

Fibrinolysis is the enzymatic digestion of fibrin, the primary structural component in blood clots. Mechanisms of fibrin fiber digestion during lysis have long been debated and obtaining detailed structural knowledge of these processes is important for developing effective clinical approaches to treat ischemic stroke and pulmonary embolism. Using dynamic fluorescence microscopy, we studied the time-resolved digestion of individual fibrin fibers by the fibrinolytic enzyme plasmin.

Osteoclast density is not increased in bone adjacent to radiolucencies (cysts) in juvenile equine medial femoral condyles.

Background: There is a knowledge gap about how equine MFC subchondral radiolucencies (SR) arise and evolve. Osteoclasts are believed to have a role but have not been studied in situ.

Objectives: To measure and compare osteoclast density and the percentage of chondroclasts in healthy and MFC SR specimens from juvenile Thoroughbreds.

Microstructural features of subchondral radiolucent lesions in the medial femoral condyle of juvenile Thoroughbreds: A microcomputed tomography and histological analysis.

Background: The aetiology of equine medial femoral condyle (MFC) subchondral bone radiolucencies (SR) is unknown.

Objectives: Characterise the microstructural structural features of MFC SR in juvenile Thoroughbreds with microcomputed tomography (μCT) and histology.

Study Design: Cross-sectional post-mortem study.

Educational Intervention Reduced Family Medicine Residents' Intention to Request Diagnostic Tests: Results of a Controlled Trial.

Objective: Dealing with uncertainty is a core competence for physicians. To evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on family medicine residents' (FMRs') intention to request diagnostic tests and their attitudes toward uncertainty.

Methods: Nonrandomized controlled trial.

Development of a computer-based quantification method for immunohistochemically-stained tissues and its application to study mast cells in equine wound healing (proof of concept).

Background: There is a growing interest in the scientific community to use computer-based software programs for the quantification of cells during physiological and pathophysiological processes. Drawbacks of computer-based methods currently used to quantify immunohistochemical staining are the complexity of use, expense of software and overly-simplified descriptions of protocol thereby limiting reproducibility. The precise role of mast cells in equine cutaneous wound healing is unknown.

Maturation of the equine medial femoral condyle osteochondral unit.

Objective: The juvenile equine medial femoral condyle (MFC) is frequently affected with radiographic changes (sclerosis and subchondral lucencies) that arise at a similar site to juvenile osteochondritis dissecans (JOCD) in children. There is little information on maturation of the MFC. To describe the normal development of the equine MFC osteochondral unit from birth to 2 years.

Abundant osteoclasts in the subchondral bone of the juvenile Thoroughbred metacarpus suggest an important role in joint maturation.

Background: The administration of bisphosphonate medications, which target osteoclastic-bone remodelling, to juvenile and adult racehorses is a matter of debate owing to concerns that these molecules remain bound to the bone-mineralised matrix and may interfere with subsequent bone growth, adaptation to exercise and healing of bone microdamage in equine athletes. Osteoclasts participate in endochondral ossification, subchondral bone remodelling and bone repair. There is a knowledge gap on the role of equine osteoclast biology in the growth and maturation of joint surfaces and this information is important to inform judicious bisphosphonate use.

Maturation of the Meniscal Collagen Structure Revealed by Polarization-Resolved and Directional Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy.

We report Polarization-resolved Second Harmonic Generation (P-SHG) and directional SHG (forward and backward, F/B) measurements of equine foetal and adult collagen in meniscus, over large field-of-views using sample-scanning. Large differences of collagen structure and fibril orientation with maturation are revealed, validating the potential for this novel methodology to track such changes in meniscal structure. The foetal menisci had a non-organized and more random collagen fibrillar structure when compared with adult using P-SHG.

Tick species establishment in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, U.S.A., identified by seasonal sampling in residential and non-residential sites.

In recent years, human tick-borne disease occurrence has risen in Oklahoma, U.S.A.

Short link N acts as a disease modifying osteoarthritis drug.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative joint disease characterised by a progressive degradation of articular cartilage and underlaying bone and is associated with pain and disability. Currently, there is no medical treatment to reverse or even retard OA. Based on our previous reports, where we establish the repair potential of short Link N (sLN) in the intervertebral disc, a cartilage-like tissue, we hypothesise that sLN may hold similar promises in the repair of articular cartilage.

DNA barcoding Brooklyn (New York): A first assessment of biodiversity in Marine Park by citizen scientists.

DNA barcoding is both an important research and science education tool. The technique allows for quick and accurate species identification using only minimal amounts of tissue samples taken from any organism at any developmental phase. DNA barcoding has many practical applications including furthering the study of taxonomy and monitoring biodiversity.

Synovial nerve fiber density decreases with naturally-occurring osteoarthritis in horses.

Objective: To measure the nerve fiber density in synovial membranes from healthy and OA equine joints and to investigate the relationship between synovial innervation and OA severity, synovial vascularity and synovitis.

Design: Twenty-five equine metacarpophalangeal joints were collected post-mortem. The joints were dissected and the macroscopic lesions of the articular cartilage were scored.

Differences in third metacarpal trabecular microarchitecture between the parasagittal groove and condyle at birth and in adult racehorses.

Background: The aetiology of equine metacarpal condylar fractures is not completely understood and a developmental cause has been postulated.

Objectives: To investigate the subchondral bone trabecular microarchitecture of the lateral parasagittal groove and condyle in equine neonates and its adaptation with maturation and athletic activity.

Study Design: Ex vivo observational study.