Viability of Equine Chondrocytes After Exposure to Mepivacaine and Ropivacaine In Vitro.

Chondrocyte health is altered when exposed to local anesthetics, raising concerns as to the long-term effects of local anesthetics intra-articularly for diagnosis and analgesia. To investigate the drug with the lowest toxic potential, the effect of ropivacaine and mepivacaine on chondrocytes was evaluated. Articular cartilage from normal metacarpophalangeal joints of five equine cadaver specimens was used to establish chondrocyte cultures. Following seven days, chondrocytes were exposed to standard culture medium (DMEM), ropivacaine 7.5 mg/ml (ROP7.5), ropivacaine 10 mg/ml (ROP10), mepivacaine 20 mg/ml (MEP20), mepivacaine 30 mg/ml (MEP 30), and 0.9% saline solution (SAL). Chondrocyte viability was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion, MTT, and flow cytometry via cellular staining with propidium iodide. No differences were observed between treatments following trypan blue exclusion assay. A difference was observed between DMEM and all other treatment groups (P < .0001) with a significant viability drop using the MTT assay. Mepivacaine 20 mg/ml and MEP30 exposure between showed greatest decrease in cellular viability compared to SAL, ROP7.5, and ROP10 (P < .0001). Cellular viability decreased as measured by flow cytometry in all groups compared to DMEM and ROP7.5 (P < .02). Interestingly, the trypan blue, MTT, and flow cytometry assays yielded different results. Although there was no difference using trypan blue, MTT demonstrated that ropivacaine-treated cells had lower viability than DMEM, and cytometry found that ROP7.5 did not differ from DMEM. Results in vitro suggest that short-term exposure to ropivacaine may result in less chondrotoxicity than mepivacaine. In vivo studies are warranted investigating long-term effects of local anesthetics on equine articular cartilage.

Aspectos ultrassonográficos, anatômicos e histológicos normais da articulação metacarpofalangeana equina / Normal ultrasonographic, anatomical and histological aspects of the equine metacarpophalangeal joint

O objetivo deste estudo foi descrever e caracterizar as estruturas que compõem a articulação metacarpofalangena equina por meio de análise ultrassonográfica, anatômica e histológica. Membros torácicos equinos (=70), obtidos em instalações frigoríficas, foram submetidos a exame ultrassonográfico post mortem. Destes, 30 membros apresentaram imagens ultrassonográficas consideradas sem alterações. Posteriormente foi realizada a dissecação dos mesmos e o estudo anátomo-histológico. Critérios como tamanho, forma, arquitetura e ecogenicidade foram observados a fim de caracterizar as imagens ultrassonográficas, anatômicas e histológicas normais das estruturas ligamentares, tendíneas, capsulares e cartilaginosas da articulação metacarpofalangeana equina.(AU)

The purpose of this study was to describe and characterize the equine metacarpophalangeal joint structures through ultrasonographic, anatomical and histological analysis. Seventy forelimb specimens were obtained from a slaughterhouse and submitted to ultrasonographic evaluation. Thirty specimens without ultrasonographic detectable lesions were selected for dissection and subsequent anatomical and histological evaluation. Criteria such as size, shape, architecture and echogenicity were observed in order to characterize normal ligaments, tendons, joint capsule and articular cartilage of the metacarpophalangeal joint.(AU)

Epidural analgesia with morphine or buprenorphine in ponies with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced carpal synovitis.

This study evaluated the analgesia effects of the epidural administration of 0.1 mg/kg bodyweight (BW) of morphine or 5 µg/kg BW of buprenorphine in ponies with radiocarpal joint synovitis. Six ponies were submitted to 3 epidural treatments: the control group (C) received 0.15 mL/kg BW of a 0.9% sodium chloride (NaCl) solution; group M was administered 0.1 mg/kg BW of morphine; and group B was administered 5 µg/kg BW of buprenorphine, both diluted in 0.9% NaCl to a total volume of 0.15 mL/kg BW administered epidurally at 10 s/mL. The synovitis model was induced by injecting 0.5 ng of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the left or right radiocarpal joint. An epidural catheter was later introduced in the lumbosacral space and advanced up to the thoracolumbar level. The treatment started 6 h after synovitis induction. Lameness, maximum angle of carpal flexion, heart rate, systolic arterial pressure, respiratory rate, temperature, and intestinal motility were evaluated before LPS injection (baseline), 6 h after LPS injection (time 0), and 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, and 24 h after treatments. Although the model of synovitis produced clear clinical signs of inflammation, the lameness scores in group C were different from the baseline for only up to 12 h. Both morphine and buprenorphine showed a reduction in the degree of lameness starting at 0.5 and 6 h, respectively. Reduced intestinal motility was observed at 0.5 h in group M and at 0.5 to 1 h in group B. Epidural morphine was a more effective analgesic that lasted for more than 12 h and without side effects. It was concluded that morphine would be a valuable analgesic option to alleviate joint pain in the thoracic limbs in ponies.

Prevalência dos tumores cutâneos de equinos diagnosticados no Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul / Prevalence of equine skin tumors diagnosed at the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology of the Federal University Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Este estudo teve como objetivo determinar a prevalência das dermatopatias tumorais de equinos diagnosticadas no Laboratório de Patologia Veterinária (LPV) da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Rio Grande do Sul. Para isso, foram revisados os protocolos de biópsia de pele de equinos, arquivados no LPV-UFSM, entre janeiro de 1999 e dezembro de 2009. Em todos os casos, foram considerados os diagnósticos morfológicos que constavam nos protocolos. Durante esse período foram submetidas ao LPV-UFSM 139 amostras cutâneas de equinos. Dessas 139 amostras, 108 (77,6 por cento) eram de tumores cutâneos, neoplásicos ou não; os outros 31 casos consistiam de dermatoses não tumorais. Dos 108 equinos, 53 (49,1 por cento) eram fêmeas e 37 (34,2 por cento por cento) eram machos, em 18 (16,7 por cento) casos não estava descrito no protocolo o sexo. Quanto à raça, 66 (61,1 por cento) eram de raça pura e 13 (12 por cento) não tinham raça definida; em 29 (26,9 por cento) protocolos não havia a descrição da raça. A raça mais prevalente foi a Crioula (44/108 [40,7 por cento]), o restante dos 22 equinos de raça pura pertencia a outras sete raças diferentes. Quanto à idade, as categorias mais prevalentes em ordem decrescente foram a de 1-5 anos (47/108 [43,5 por cento]) e a de 6-14 anos (21/108 [19,5 por cento]), cavalos com 15 anos ou mais representaram 11,1 por cento (12/108). Apenas um cavalo tinha menos de um ano de idade. Em 27 protocolos não constava a idade. Os tumores mais prevalentes incluíram: sarcoide (62/108 [57,4 por cento]); carcinoma de células escamosas (11/108 [10,2 por cento]); pitiose (9/108 [8,3 por cento]); tecido de granulação (7/108 [6,5 por cento]; e o granuloma eosinofílico (4/108 [3,8 por cento]). Os outros tumores contaram com aproximadamente 14 por cento dos casos.

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of the equine skin tumors diagnosed at the Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology (LPV) of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM). Cases of equine skin biopsies diagnosed between January 1999 and December 2009 and filed at the LPV-UFSM were reviewed. In all cases the morphological diagnosis considered was the one written in the filed biopsy report. During the period studied 139 equine skin biopsies were submitted to the LPV-UFSM. Out of those, 108 (77.6 percent) were skin tumors, neoplastic or otherwise and 31 cases were non-tumoral dermatosis. Fifty three of the 108 horses were females (49.1 percent), 37 (34.2 percent percent) were males and in 18 cases (16.7 percent) the sex was not stated in the report. Sixty six affected horse (61.1 percent) were purebreds, 13 (12 percent) were crosses and in 29 instances (26.9 percent) the breed was not stated in the report. The Crioulo was the most prevalent breed (44/108 [40.7 percent]) and the remaining 22 purebreds horses were distribute among seven different breed. The most prevalent age categories affected in decreasing order were 1-5 year-old (47/108 [43.5 percent]) and 6-14 year-old (21/108 [19.5 percent]); 12 horses (11,1 percent) were 15 year-old or above .Only one horse was less than 1year-old. In 27 reports the age was not mentioned. More prevalent tumors included equine sarcoid (62/108 [57.4 percent]); squamous cell carcinomas (11/108 [10.2 percent]); pythiosis (9/108 [8.3 percent]); granulation tissue ("proud flesh") (7/108 [6.5 percent]) and eosinophilic granuloma (4/108 [3.8 percent]). The remaining tumors accounted for approximately 14 percent of the cases.

Equine protease inhibitor system as a marker for the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

The protease inhibitor system (PI) was investigated to ascertain if it can be used as a marker of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in thoroughbred horses. Serum samples were taken from healthy thoroughbreds (n = 13) and those diagnosed as having COPD (n = 24) or inflammatory airway disease (IAD, n = 38) as well as from 3,600 undiagnosed thoroughbred horses. PI allelic and genotypic frequencies were estimated using protein electrophoresis on starch and polyacrylamide gels. The four groups of horses showed high genotypic similarity and none of the observed alleles or genotypes of the equine PI system were found to be associated with COPD.