富血小板血浆在马运动系统损伤中的应用研究进展

马属动物尤其是运动马常发生运动系统损伤,损伤一旦发生,均会导致不同程度的跛行,且受损组织难以完全修复,常导致马运动性能大幅下降和不良预后,是运动马提前结束运动生涯最主要的原因之一。富血小板血浆(PRP)是一种再生医学制剂,通过激活血小板释放大量生长因子促进组织修复和再生。许多研究和临床报道表明,PRP对运动损伤有一定治疗效果,最常用于治疗马属动物肌腱、韧带损伤和骨关节炎,在欧美等国家应用较多。另外,PRP还具有一定抗菌效果,有望用于治疗感染性骨关节炎。对蹄叶炎等目前缺乏有效治疗药物的疾病也表现出一定的治疗潜力。在马运动医学领域,国内对PRP作用机制和应用范围了解较少,临床实践方面缺乏有关运用PRP治疗马运动系统损伤的研究报道。笔者从PRP制备和分类、PRP在治疗马运动系统损伤中的临床应用及研究进展进行综述,总结PRP在治疗马运动系统损伤中的应用范围和发展趋势,以期为国内兽医及相关从业人员应用PRP提供参考。     

马、驴主要经济性状功能基因研究进展

马、驴是重要的草食家畜,在人类的历史变迁和生产生活中扮演重要角色。马、驴的初始功能主要以役用为主,多用于乘骑或驮运物品。随着机械化程度和交通方式的进步,其役用功能逐渐降低甚至消失。现代马产业主要以竞技、休闲娱乐及副产品加工为主,而驴产业则以皮、肉、乳及其生物制品的开发利用为主。马经济性状主要包括体型、毛色、竞赛能力、疾病、极端环境适应能力等,在驴上更关注生长、皮用和泌乳等性状。随着基因组学和生物信息学的发展,马、驴主要经济性状相关基因的发掘更为有效和精准：如与马体重、体尺相关的基因被定位于LCORL/NCAPG基因区域;MSTN基因与骨骼肌的发育相关,进而影响马竞赛性能;与设特兰矮马、德保矮马矮小性状相关的主要基因分别为HMGA2和TBX3基因;ACAN基因突变会导致设特兰矮马侏儒;DMRT3基因突变影响马的步态特征;KIT基因与白斑毛表型相关,MC1R基因是控制栗色毛的主要基因,ASIP基因与黑色毛相关;EDNRB基因突变会导致致死白色马驹综合征;EPAS1基因和线粒体NADH6基因在高原适应性进化中起重要作用。作者对马、驴主要经济性状相关功能基因的研究进展进行综述,并对功能基因组学研究进行展望,以期为今后开展马、驴分子遗传育种研究提供借鉴与参考。     

马、驴主要经济性状功能基因研究进展

马、驴是重要的草食家畜,在人类的历史变迁和生产生活中扮演重要角色。马、驴的初始功能主要以役用为主,多用于乘骑或驮运物品。随着机械化程度和交通方式的进步,其役用功能逐渐降低甚至消失。现代马产业主要以竞技、休闲娱乐及副产品加工为主,而驴产业则以皮、肉、乳及其生物制品的开发利用为主。马经济性状主要包括体型、毛色、竞赛能力、疾病、极端环境适应能力等,在驴上更关注生长、皮用和泌乳等性状。随着基因组学和生物信息学的发展,马、驴主要经济性状相关基因的发掘更为有效和精准:如与马体重、体尺相关的基因被定位于LCORL/NCAPG基因区域;MSTN基因与骨骼肌的发育相关,进而影响马竞赛性能;与设特兰矮马、德保矮马矮小性状相关的主要基因分别为HMGA2和TBX3基因;ACAN基因突变会导致设特兰矮马侏儒;DMRT3基因突变影响马的步态特征;KIT基因与白斑毛表型相关,MC1R基因是控制栗色毛的主要基因,ASIP基因与黑色毛相关;EDNRB基因突变会导致致死白色马驹综合征;EPAS1基因和线粒体NADH6基因在高原适应性进化中起重要作用。作者对马、驴主要经济性状相关功能基因的研究进展进行综述,并对功能基因组学研究进行展望,以期为今后开展马、驴分子遗传育种研究提供借鉴与参考。     

奇特的“马疗”

马是人类忠实的朋友。近年来,国外研究发现,人与马作伴或骑马可以治疗某些疾病,目前已出现一种新型的疾病疗法——马疗。巴西有50家马疗中心,已经治愈了1600多名病人的运动功能失调、自尊缺乏症等肉体和精神上的疾病。     

补喂肌酸对速步马运动性能、糖代谢及抗氧化能力的影响

本试验旨在通过研究补喂肌酸对速步马运动性能、糖代谢及抗氧化能力的影响,为肌酸在速步马训练、比赛中的应用提供参考数据。试验选取年龄4岁、平均体重为(457±50)kg、1 km速步比赛成绩相近且经过良好训练的伊犁马公马8匹,随机分为2组,分别为对照组、试验组,每组4匹,每天每匹马分别饲喂3 kg颗粒精料,干牧草自由采食,在此基础上试验组每天每匹马补喂38 g肌酸,进行为期38 d(预试期7 d,正试期31 d)的补饲试验及训练试验。结果表明:补喂肌酸可提高速步马1 km速步赛的比赛用时,试验组比赛用时比对照组缩短12.74%(P0.05);在血浆抗氧化指标方面,补喂肌酸可显著提高赛后30 min血浆中过氧化氢酶活力、总抗氧化能力及赛后24 h血浆中超氧化物歧化酶活力(P0.05);但对照组与试验组赛前、赛后心率及血浆中葡萄糖、乳酸、肌酸、肌酐、胰岛素、胰高血糖素及皮质醇含量差异不显著(P0.05)。由此得出,补喂肌酸能够提高速步马的运动成绩,增强速步马赛后抗氧化能力。     

呼伦贝尔某马术俱乐部马蹄裂发生状况调查

对马场或马术俱乐部来说,发生蹄裂带来的后果主要表现在马运动性能下降,发生严重的跛行,给生产管理带来诸多问题。蹄裂的诊断通过近距离观察和蹄部检查进行,确定蹄裂的位置、范围和类型。笔者对呼伦贝尔市某马术俱乐部123匹马进行蹄裂发生情况调查,分析了该马术俱乐部最常见蹄裂的发生率及其相关风险因素。结果表明：大多数观察到的蹄裂(94.31%)属于轻度蹄裂;在四种蹄裂类型中,最常见的蹄裂是蹄尖裂(46.34%)和蹄侧壁裂(39.03%),蹄踵裂(8.94%)和蹄支裂(7.32%)较少;马的年龄、性别、工作性质、工作时间、放牧时间等会显著影响蹄裂的发生;此外一些管理因素,如运动场地、马蹄护理与钉蹄质量、马运动情况和营养与蹄裂的发生有关。     

浅谈马麻痹性肌红蛋白尿病的发病机理和治疗体会

马麻痹性肌红蛋白尿病是马的糖代谢发生严重紊乱,所引起的特殊的肌红蛋白尿和某些肌肉群的变性、僵硬,从而导致马的麻痹性运动机能障碍的一种急性疾病.     

绵羊MHC基因的研究现状

MHC是高度多态的基因区,在所有脊椎动物的免疫应答中发挥重要的作用并与动物疾病的抗性密切相关。文章综述了绵羊MHC的结构特点、多态性及疾病抗性的一些相关研究情况。     

牛主要抗病候选基因的研究进展

牛抗病基因与其自身的抗病性和免疫能力有一定的相关性,因此研究相关抗病基因对提高牛自身免疫能力和选育优良后代有重要意义,文章着重介绍了国内外关于天然抗性相关巨噬细胞蛋白1（natual resistant macrophage protein 1,Nramp1）、主要组织相容性复合物（major histocompatibility complex,MHC）、甘露糖结合凝集素（maflnan binding lectin,MBL）、Toll样受体（Toll-like receptors,TLR）及干扰素基因（interferon,IFN）与牛某些疾病相关性的研究进展,及其是否可用于后代育种的分子标记,如MHC与奶牛的乳房炎密切相关;牛TLR4基因的外显子1760 C>T突变中的CC基因型可作为奶牛乳房炎抗性筛选中的分子标记等。笔者认为研究这些抗病基因可更深层次了解牛的抗病机制,同时借助先进的技术手段如分子标记、基因工程等,可更好的选育出抗病后代,抗病基因在育种中的应用将是未来研究抗病性和免疫能力的主要方向。     

玉树地区赛马急性病的预防及救治

赛马是玉树藏族自治州民族传统体育竞技项目.在全州各种赛马赛事中,赛马因急性病而中途退赛、赛程生变的情况也较为常见.为了有效预防和治疗赛马在参赛过程中突发运动急性病,笔者经过对300余匹玉树赛马多年全程跟踪调查,摸清了玉树赛马急性病的范围、特点、发病规律,并通过救治试验与诊治实践,确立了有效的预防、救治手段.经多年实践证明,利用一系列针对性预防、急救(治疗)技术,可有效降低玉树赛马运动急性病发病率和死亡率,救治马主价值不菲的赛马,促进本地区赛马赛事的深入发展,示范引领、壮大赛马保健(执业)兽医队伍,对激励民族竞技赛马运动发展、促进赛马经济繁荣和玉树地区和谐稳定有积极意义.     

Effects of pulmonary abscesses on racing performance of horses treated at referral veterinary medical teaching hospitals: 45 cases (1985-1997)

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether results of physical or radiographic examination or biochemical analyses in adult racehorses with primary lung abscesses were associated with ability to race following treatment. DESIGN: Multiple-center retrospective study. ANIMALS: 25 Standardbreds and 20 Thoroughbreds. PROCEDURE: Medical records of horses with a primary lung abscess that were admitted to any of 4 veterinary teaching hospitals were reviewed. Results of physical examination, laboratory testing, and thoracic radiography were reviewed. Racing performance after treatment was compared with performance before illness and with performance of the general population of racehorses of similar age, sex, and breed. RESULTS: 23 of 25 Standardbreds and 13 of 20 Thoroughbreds raced after diagnosis and treatment of a lung abscess. Most horses had a solitary abscess in the dorsal to caudodorsal lung fields. Results of initial physical examination, biochemical analyses, and culture and identification of the microbial isolate were not associated with whether a horse returned to racing. For horses that had raced prior to the illness, race performance after treatment of the lung abscess was not significantly different from performance before the illness. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: On the basis of racing performance in those horses that resumed racing after treatment, long-term residual lung damage did not develop in horses with primary lung abscesses that were treated appropriately. It is not known whether horses that recovered would be more likely to bleed from the site of a prior infection when resuming strenuous exercise and whether lung abscesses contributed to a failure to resume racing.     

Inheritance of racing performance of Thoroughbred horses

Horse racing is a contest between horses, usually held for the purpose of betting. Thoroughbred horse racing is the most diffused form of horse racing throughout the world. Thoroughbred is one of the most versatile of horse breeds and has influenced the development of many other breeds. Thoroughbred horses served as a foundation stock for the development of the light horse breeds. The two types of horse racing are flat racing and jumping races/steeplechases. The measures of racing performance are broadly classified into three categories. They are time and its several variations, handicap or similar performance ratings and earnings. One common measure of the performance of racehorses evaluated genetically is racing time or final time. The heritability estimates differed according to method of estimation, age, sex, track and distance. Time measure generally had a heritability in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 with the higher values for shorter races. For handicap and earning measures the heritabilities reported were generally higher in the range of 0.3 to 0.4; hence these may be considered in genetic evaluation of racing performance of Thoroughbred horses. The average generation interval of Thoroughbred horses was 11.2 ± 4.5 and 9.7 ± 3.8 years for males and females respectively, which limits the genetic progress in racing horses. However, the major advantage is that the racing performance may be evaluated in both males and females and repeated observations can be obtained on the same animal in relatively short periods. These factors coupled with the reasonable heritability of some measures of racing performance, suggest that mass selection based on performance tests would be the selection procedure of choice to improve the racing performance of Thoroughbred horses. In general, the inbreeding at the rate that is usually practised in Thoroughbred population does not enable much gene fixing. However, practice of close inbreeding may be avoided, even though it still fascinates breeders at subconscious level.     

Factors influencing pre-race serum concentration of total carbon dioxide in Thoroughbred horses racing in California

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Many racing jurisdictions monitor pre-race serum concentration of total carbon dioxide (TCO2) among racing horses. To our knowledge, factors influencing concentration of TCO2 among horses participating in racing have not been systematically evaluated and reported. OBJECTIVES: To determine if characteristics of horses and racing conditions routinely recorded were significantly associated with pre-race concentration of TCO2, while accounting for and estimating effects of trainer and horse. METHODS: Pre-race serum TCO2 concentrations from 5028 starts made by 2,349 horses trained by 287 trainers at 2 racetracks in California during 2005 were examined. Data regarding characteristics of starters and race conditions obtained from a commercial database were recorded for each start. Data were analysed using mixed-effects, with TCO2 concentration as the dependent variable, and trainer and horse nested within trainer as random effects. RESULTS: Sex, class and distance of race, frusemide administration and cloudy weather conditions were significantly (P<0.001) associated with pre-race TCO2 concentration. Horses that finished in the top 3 positions had values that were slightly (0.2 mmol/) but significantly (P<0.001) greater than horses not finishing in the top 3. There were significant effects of trainer on pre-race TCO2 concentration. CONCLUSIONS: A variety of factors may influence pre-race TCO2 concentration in horses. Horses with better performance tend to have higher pre-race TCO2 concentrations. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: TCO2 concentration is associated with improved performance although the magnitude of effect was quite small. Regulatory programmes based on monitoring should consider the influence of other factors on TCO2 concentration.     

Epidemiologic analysis of factors influencing exertional rhabdomyolysis in Thoroughbreds

OBJECTIVE: To determine incidence, effect on performance, and management practices associated with exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) in Thoroughbreds. SAMPLE POPULATION: Medical records for 984 Thoroughbreds and a survey of trainers of horses with and without ER. PROCEDURES: Medical records for 984 Thoroughbreds stabled at a midwestern racetrack were examined to determine the incidence of ER during the 1995 racing season. A retrospective questionnaire was administered to trainers to determine management practices associated with ER in 59 Thoroughbreds with ER and 47 control Thoroughbreds in training. Multiple logistic regression was used to determine management factors associated with ER. RESULTS: ER affected 48 of 984 (4.9%) Thoroughbreds. Two-year-old females were most frequently affected, and 36 of 96 (37.5%) trainers had > or = 1 horse with ER. Horses with ER were more likely not to race during the racing season, compared with control horses. For horses that raced, differences were not found with respect to racing performance between ER and control horses. Exertional rhabdomyolysis developed frequently in susceptible horses that had > or = 1 day of rest prior to exercise and that galloped during exercise. Horses with ER were commonly fed > 4.5 kg of grain daily. Nervous and extremely nervous horses were 5.4 times more likely, and horses with some form of lameness were 4.2 times more likely, to have ER. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Exertional rhabdomyolysis is common in Thoroughbreds, and ER can be affected by temperament, sex, age, diet, exercise routines, and lameness. Management that minimizes excitability, particularly when tailored to each horse, may be most effective for controlling ER.     

Disorders of the larynx.

The upper respiratory tract is a frequent cause of exercise intolerance in horses, particularly in racing horses. There are a myriad of laryngeal abnormalities that may restrict airflow at the rima glottidis. Careful endoscopic examination is a crucial part of the examination of any racing horse suffering from poor performance. There has recently been interest in spectrum analysis of respiratory sounds. It has been determined that laryngeal hemiplegia and dorsal displacement of the soft palate have unique sound patterns. Therefore, spectrum analysis of respiratory sounds may prove to be useful in the diagnosis of laryngeal disorders in horses. Accurate diagnosis and appropriate surgical intervention are necessary to provide the horse the best chance of returning to its full athletic potential.     

Ethical equitation: Capping the price horses pay for human glory

Ethical equitation is nowadays coming into sharp focus in equestrian culture. Concerns surround the ethics of sports based on controlling an animal's locomotory responses and in using animals such as horses in sport in general. Anthropomorphically labeled misinterpretations of the responses of trained horses, such as the use of terms like “mad,” “lazy,” “keen,” and “stubborn,” may be detrimental to optimal equine welfare. Similarly, the concept of the “equine athlete” may imply an ill-informed teleological explanation of the motives of the horse in sport. Despite problems in identifying the happy horse, rewarding optimal welfare and the absence of critical stress responses in performance horses is an important step forward.Horse racing is the source of many welfare concerns because of the use of the whip and the physical dangers to horses involved in hurdle racing and steeplechasing. The use of the whip in racing is controversial and, because it does not always lead to acceleration, problematic. There is a pressing need for learning theory to be adopted in all equestrian pursuits, because such an approach would obviate the need for whips, punishment, and the use of fear in escape learning. In other disciplines, practices such as hyperflexion and soring have a significant potential to compromise the welfare of the horse in sport.The future of horse sports should involve abandoning the mandatory use of primitive control devices, such as curb bits, that have a real potential to cause harm. International governing bodies and national equestrian federations ought to proceed with removing any requirements to use curb bits and judges should reward riders who use the most humane control devices at the higher levels of competition.Finally, horse breeding should also be scrutinized under an ethical spotlight. Selecting horses on the basis of temperament has inherent risks, including lowered motivation of riders and trainers to refine their training skill set, which may also lead to significant wastage. Pure breeding risks the health and welfare of horses owing to increases in homozygous deleterious genes expressing themselves.     

Candidate genes for physical performance in the horse

Intense selection for speed, endurance or pulling power in the domestic horse (Equus caballus) has resulted in a number of adaptive changes in the phenotype required for elite athletic performance. To date, studies in humans have revealed a large number of genes involved in elite athletic performance, but studies in horses are rare. The horse genome assembly and bioinformation tools for genome analyses have been used to compare human performance genes with their equine orthologues, both to retrieve pathways for these genes and to investigate their chromosomal distribution. In this review, 28 candidate genes for equine performance are presented that have polymorphisms associated with human elite athletic performance and may have impact on athletic performance in horses. A significant accumulation of candidate genes was found on horse chromosomes 4 and 12. Genes involved in pathways for focal adhesion, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, and calcium signalling were over-represented. Genome-wide association studies for athletic performance in horses may benefit from the strong conserved synteny of the chromosomal arrangement of genes in humans and horses.     

Benefits and risks of barefoot harness racing in Standardbred trotters

There is a lack of research on the benefits and risks of shoeing conditions in harness racing. Thus, our objectives were to: (a) investigate whether velocity times (VT; s/km) are affected by racing unshod (N = 76,932 records on 5,247 horses); (b) determine the potential risks of galloping, being penalized, and disqualification when competing unshod (N = 111,755 records on 6,423 horses); and (c) identify additional environmental factors that affect VT and risks. VT was found to be significantly influenced by shoeing condition (e.g., unshod, shod front, shod hind, or fully shod), but also by sex, age, season, track, track condition, start method, start position, distance, and driver‐horse performance level (p < 2e‐16). The risks of galloping and disqualification were significantly influenced by shoeing condition, sex, age, season, track, start method, start position, or driver‐horse performance level (p ≤ .05). Horses racing unshod had 0.7 s/km lower VT than fully shod horses and showed better performance when racing on neutral tracks during the late summer than horses with other shoeing conditions during the same period. However, racing unshod increased the relative risks of galloping and disqualification by 15%–35% in all seasons. Horses shod only on the hind hooves showed better performance than fully shod horses, without higher risks associated with competing unshod.     

The distribution of whipping of Australian Thoroughbred racehorses in the penultimate 200 m of races is influenced by jockeys’ experience

Animal welfare issues associated with whip use during Thoroughbred races in Australia are of increasing importance as the racing industry seeks to promote the well-being of its equine athletes. Recent data have questioned the justification of whip use as either an accelerator or for steering. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between whip use and prerace variables, including jockey experience, starting price, weight carried, and barrier drawn. If the whip is genuinely used in response to a given horse’s performance, there should be no consistent predictors of whip use. We explored the influence of these variables on official whip counts for the race section 400-200 m from the finish (S2), and the section 200 m to the finish (S1), and found that, for S1 alone and when whip use in S1 and S2 was summed (i.e., to summarize the final 400 m of a race), there were no significant predictors on whipping. However, in S2, apprentice jockeys whipped horses on average >3 times as compared with the non-apprentice jockeys (1.48 vs. 0.45; P = 0.022). These findings suggest that rider inexperience in Thoroughbred racing influences the distribution of whippings imposed on horses as they tire in the penultimate 200 m section and may contribute to the growing debate surrounding whip use in the sport of horse racing. This preliminary report involved only small numbers of horses and jockeys and thus should be viewed as a trigger for larger scale investigation of the prerace predictors of whip use in Thoroughbred racing.