Correlations of unfavorable movement characteristics in warmblood foals and mares with routinely assessed conformation and performance traits.

New movement traits reflecting unfavorable movement characteristics were defined on the basis of detailed movement evaluations (DME) of warmblood foals and mares performed in connection with regular breeding events of the Oldenburg horse breeding societies in 2009 and 2010. DME information was available for 3374 foals and 2844 mares and used for correlation analyses with conformation information on 1987 mares from studbook inspections (SBI) in 2009 and performance information on 2758 mares from mare performance tests (MPT) in 2000 to 2008. Analyses of variance revealed few significant differences between scores for SBI and MPT traits in mares without and with indications of imbalance (IMB) in general or specific findings like irregular tail tone or posture (TTP). SBI scores for general impression and development were significantly lower and MPT scores for trot under rider tended to be higher in IMB-positive mares. Genetic parameters were estimated in linear animal models with residual maximum likelihood. Additive genetic correlations and Pearson correlation coefficients between univariately predicted breeding values indicated unfavorable genetic correlations of IMB and TTP with dressage-related conformation and performance traits. For SBI and MPT traits, we found similarities between the correlation patterns for DME traits in foals and mares. The results implied that breeding of dressage horses may benefit from revision of current movement evaluation and consideration of specific movement characteristics.

Genetic analyses of new movement traits using detailed evaluations of warmblood foals and mares.

Detailed movement evaluations of warmblood foals and mares were performed in connection with regular breeding events of the Oldenburg horse breeding societies in 2009 and 2010. Unfavourable movement characteristics considered indicative for impaired balance were noted by a special judge (SJ) and the regular judges of the breeding events (RJ) and served as the basis for definition of new movement traits. Detailed movement information on 3374 foals and 2844 mares showed that more severe findings like irregular motion pattern in hind legs or irregularity in general motion pattern occurred only sporadically (prevalences of 1-2%). Irregular tail tone or posture was documented for 4% of the foals and 5% of the mares, resulting in prevalences of the comprehensive trait indications of imbalance (IMB) of 6.2% (foals) and 5.5% (mares). Binary coding was used for all traits, and genetic parameters were estimated bivariately in linear animal models with residual maximum likelihood. Comparative analyses between judges revealed that differences between trait definitions of SJ and RJ were larger in the mares than in the foals, but justified combined use of SJ and RJ information in both age groups. Heritability estimates for the movement traits ranged on the original scale from 0.02 to 0.26 in the foals and from 0.03 to 0.12 in the mares, with heritabilities for IMB on the underlying liability scale of 0.46 (foals) and 0.22 (mares). Comparative analyses between age groups indicated that common genetic factors may be responsible for findings of impaired balance in foals and mares. The results implied that horse breeding may benefit from using the early available information on the movement of foals obtained by detailed movement evaluations, although favourable combination of foal and mare data in future genetic evaluations may require refined recording of unfavourable movement characteristics in the adult horses.

Prevalence of endoparasites in stray and fostered dogs and cats in Northern Germany.

To get an overview of the current state of endoparasite prevalences in stray and not well-cared dogs and cats, faecal samples of 445 stray and foster dogs and 837 stray and foster cats were collected at their arrival at animal shelters in Lower Saxony (Germany). They were investigated for infections with endoparasites by the use of sedimentation-flotation method. Additionally, 341 canine and 584 feline samples were investigated by IDEXX SNAP® Giardia test. Stages of endoparasites were found coproscopically in 9.4 % (n = 42) of the canine samples, 4.0 % were positive for Toxocara canis, 0.9 % for hookworms, 0.4 % for Toxascaris leonina and 0.2 % for Hammondia-like oocysts. Giardia-coproantigen was detected in 11.4 % of the canine samples. In cats, 33.6 % (n = 281) were coproscopically positive for helminths and/or protozoa. Toxocara cati was found in 27.1 %, Isospora spp. in 7.5 %, Capillaria spp. 5.0 %, Taeniidae in 2.0 %, hookworms in 1.1 %, Giardia sp. in 0.7 %, Aelurostrongylus abstrusus in 1.0 % and Toxoplasma-like oocysts in 0.1 %. Coproantigen specific for Giardia sp. was detected in 6.8 % of the feline samples. Dogs and cats up to 1 year of age were more frequently infected with endoparasites than animals over 1 year of age (p < 0.001). Toxocara spp. and Isospora spp. were detected significantly more often in younger dogs and cats, respectively (p < 0.05 and p < 0.001). Stray dogs or cats older than 1 year were significantly more frequently infected with endoparasites than dropped off animals of the same age group (p < 0.05). Using the faecal egg count reduction test, the therapeutic efficacy of some anthelmintics was tested. All tested anthelmintics showed high efficacy and no suspected anthelmintic resistance was found. However, endoparasite-infected stray and free-roaming cats and dogs may contribute considerably to the contamination of public parks, playgrounds and sandpits with zoonotic parasites and therefore have to be considered a public health problem.

The thrombotic profile of treatment-naive HIV-positive Black South Africans with acute coronary syndromes.

BACKGROUND: Patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection on protease inhibitors (PIs) have a heightened risk of arterial thrombosis but little is known about treatment-naive patients. METHODS/RESULTS: Prospective study from South Africa comparing thrombotic profiles of HIV-positive and -negative patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). A total of 30 treatment-naive HIV-positive patients with ACS were compared to 30 HIV-negative patients with ACS. Patients with HIV were younger; and besides smoking (73% vs 33%) and low high-density lipoprotein (HDL; 0.8 ± 0.3 vs 1.1 ± 0.4), they had fewer risk factors. Thrombophilia was more common in HIV-positive patients with lower protein C (PC; 82 ± 22 vs 108 ± 20) and higher factor VIII levels (201 ± 87 vs 136 ± 45). Patients with HIV had higher frequencies of anticardiolipin (aCL; 47% vs 10%) and antiprothrombin antibodies (87% vs 21%). CONCLUSION: Treatment-naive HIV-positive patients with ACS are younger, with fewer traditional risk factors but a greater degree of thrombophilia compared with HIV-negative patients.

Acute coronary syndromes in treatment-naïve black South africans with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

BACKGROUND: HIV patients on protease inhibitors have greater risk of acute coronary syndromes (ACS) but little is known about treatment-naïve patients. METHODS AND RESULTS: Authors conducted a prospective single-center study from Soweto, South Africa, comparing the clinical and angiographic features of treatment-naïve HIV positive and negative patients with ACS. Between March 2004 and February 2008, 30 consecutive treatment-naïve HIV patients with ACS were compared to the next HIV-negative patient as a 1:1 control. HIV patients were younger (43 +/- 7 vs. 54 +/- 13, P = 0.004) and, besides smoking (73% vs. 33%, P = 0.002), had fewer risk factors than the control group with less hypertension (23% vs. 77%, P = 0.0001), diabetes (3% vs. 23%, P = 0.05), LDL hyperlipidemia (2.2 +/- 0.9 vs. 3.0 +/- 1.2, P = 0.006), and other coronary risk factors (7% vs. 53%, P = 0.0001). HDL was lower in the HIV group (0.8 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.1 +/- 0.4, P = 0.001). Atherosclerotic burden was lower in the HIV group with more normal infarct-related arteries (47% vs. 13%, P = 0.005) but a higher degree of large thrombus burden (43% vs. 17%, P = 0.02). Stents were used to a similar degree in HIV and control patients (30% vs. 37%, P = 0.78) with more target lesion revascularization in the HIV group (56% vs. 0%, P = 0.008). CONCLUSION: Treatment-naïve HIV patients with ACS are younger and have fewer traditional risk factors than HIV-negative patients. HIV patients have less atherosclerotic but higher thrombotic burden which may imply a prothrombotic state in the pathogenesis of ACS in these patients.

Early predictors of success of Kasai operation in children with biliary atresia.

AIM: Aim of the study was the evaluation of early predictive parameters of event-free survival (not listed for liver transplantation, not transplanted, no death) in children suffering from biliary atresia after hepatoportoenterostomy (Kasai procedure) in order to optimize pretransplant management. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-seven infants were treated with the Kasai operation at our institution over a 20-year period from 1978 until 1998. Median age at time of operation was 51 days after birth (range 19 - 180 days). Of these 67 infants, 24 children with complete datasets and an observation time of at least one year were evaluated retrospectively using a Cox regression model. The response variable was event-free survival after a median observation time of 4.9 years (1.11- 10.37 years). Six variables were entered as covariates: alanine aminotransferase (ALAT), cholinesterase activity, bilirubin, age at the time of Kasai operation and tracer excretion and uptake during hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBSS). All variables were evaluated six weeks after operation. For subsequent cut-off determination, a receiver operating analysis (ROC analysis) was carried out. RESULTS: Tracer excretion shown by HBSS showed the highest prognostic power to predict event-free survival after Kasai operation (log rank 18.68, p < 0.0001) followed by bilirubin and ALAT as further significant parameters in the first univariate step of the Cox regression model. In the subsequent multivariate step, the prognostic power of HBSS was improved only by bilirubin (log rank 24.6, p < 0.0001). The ROC analysis determined a cut-off for bilirubin concentrations of 57 micromol/l for event-free survival with a sensitivity of 80 % and a specificity of 78.6 %. The five-year event-free survival-rate was 100 % in the group with good tracer excretion and a bilirubin concentration of 57 micromol/l and 27 % for the other group (log rank test, p < 0. 0001). CONCLUSION: Early predictors of success of the Kasai operation in children with biliary atresia are free tracer excretion as shown by HBSS and a serum bilirubin concentration < 57 micromol/l six weeks after the operation. Thus, children with bilirubin concentrations above this level should be carefully and frequently monitored with regard to a transplantation requirement in order to optimize pretransplant management.

Direct detection of a microlens in the Milky Way.

The nature of dark matter remains mysterious, with luminous material accounting for at most approximately 25 per cent of the baryons in the Universe. We accordingly undertook a survey looking for the microlensing of stars in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) to determine the fraction of Galactic dark matter contained in massive compact halo objects (MACHOs). The presence of the dark matter would be revealed by gravitational lensing of the light from an LMC star as the foreground dark matter moves across the line of sight. The duration of the lensing event is the key observable parameter, but gives non-unique solutions when attempting to estimate the mass, distance and transverse velocity of the lens. The survey results to date indicate that between 8 and 50 per cent of the baryonic mass of the Galactic halo is in the form of MACHOs (ref. 3), but removing the degeneracy by identifying a lensing object would tighten the constraints on the mass in MACHOs. Here we report a direct image of a microlens, revealing it to be a nearby low-mass star in the disk of the Milky Way. This is consistent with the expected frequency of nearby stars acting as lenses, and demonstrates a direct determination of a lens mass from a microlensing event. Complete solutions such as this for halo microlensing events will probe directly the nature of the MACHOs.

Effect of topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa on upper airway mechanics in exercising horses.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of desensitization of the laryngeal mucosal mechanoreceptors on upper airway mechanics in exercising horses. ANIMALS: 6 Standardbreds. PROCEDURE: In study 1, videoendoscopic examinations were performed while horses ran on a treadmill with and without topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa. In study 2, peak tracheal and nasopharyngeal pressures and airflows were obtained from horses during incremental treadmill exercise tests, with and without topical anesthesia of the laryngeal mucosa. A nasal occlusion test was performed on each horse while standing during an endoscopic examination for both trials. RESULTS: In study 1, horses had nasopharyngeal collapse while running on the treadmill when the laryngeal mucosa was anesthetized. In study 2, inspiratory upper airway and nasopharyngeal impedance were significantly higher, and peak tracheal inspiratory pressure, respiratory frequency, and minute ventilation were significantly lower in horses when the laryngeal mucosa was anesthetized, compared with values obtained when horses exercised without topical anesthesia. Peak inspiratory and expiratory airflows were lower in horses when the laryngeal mucosa was anesthetized, although differences did not quite reach significance (P = 0.06 and 0.09, respectively). During a nasal occlusion test, horses had episodes of nasopharyngeal collapse and dorsal displacement of the soft palate when the laryngeal mucosa was anesthetized. Upper airway function was normal in these horses without laryngeal mucosal anesthesia. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Receptors within the laryngeal mucosa may be important in maintaining upper airway patency in exercising horses.