-This study aimed to provide baseline data for the serum biochemical parameters of Brazilian sport horses undergoing physical training for eventing to be used as a practical guide. A total of 139 blood samples were collected by vacuum venipuncture of the jugular vein from healthy horses in training. Tubes without anticoagulant were used for biochemical analysis. Means and standard deviations were determined for aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (306.27±84.66 U/L), creatine kinase (CK) (181.06±80.38 U/L), urea (29.51±5.82 mg/dL), creatinine (1.44±0.20 mg/dL), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) (14.58±6.55 U/L), calcium (13.22±0.59 mg/dL), and albumin (2.86±0.16 g/dL). The specific reference ranges were: AST, 197-454 U/L; CK, 116-290 U/L; urea, 22-42 mg/dL; creatinine, 1.2-1.8 mg/dL; GGT, 9-26 U/L; calcium, 12.2-14.2 mg/dL; and albumin, 2.6-3.1 g/dL. Beneficial effects of the training program on the horses were observed and these effects did not lead to any changes in the biochemical parameters studied. The environment may influence the serum biochemical parameters, particularly AST and CK, of Brazilian sport horses.

-This study aimed to evaluate, in a practical manner, the use of linear and angular measurements and different animal-performance indices in a study on the breed-specific conformation of Brazilian Sport Horses training for eventing. These data can form the basis for the development of future studies based on the parameters evaluated and the calculations made. Seventeen Brazilian Sport Horses training for eventing were selected. Morphometric evaluations were made of all animals using linear and angular measurements. The linear measurements were withers, croup, and barrel heights; body, croup, shoulder, neck, and head lengths; head, chest, and hip widths; distance from the elbow to the ground and from the sternum to the ground (empty substernal); and thorax, forearm, knee, fetlock, and fore cannon girths. The angular measurements were shoulder-ground, shoulder-humerus, humerus-radius, metacarpus-phalanx, coxae-ground, coxae-femur, femur-tibia, and tibiametatarsus angles. Thirteen animal-performance indices were calculated to have a better understanding of the conformation of the animals and their proportions: the relationship between the withers and croup heights, chest index, dactyl-thoracic index, estimated weight, body index, thoracic index, conformation index, load index 1, load index 2, relative body index, compactness index 1, compactness index 2, and meloscopic index. Brazilian Sport Horses in eventing training were within the expected conformation for an athletic horse, but the animal-performance indices differed among them because they are heterogeneous horses resulting from crossing among various different breeds. The use of linear and angular measurements allows the correct characterization of racial forms of Brazilian Sport Horses undergoing training for eventing. Animal-performance indices can be useful in a study of a breed-specific conformation of athletic horses.

The objective of this study was to determine and confirm the percentage of type I and type II muscle fibers that comprise the Gluteus Medius muscle in male and female canines of the German Shepherd breed, with standardized care, in different age groups, using the enzyme histochemical method. Muscle samples were collected from the Gluteus Medius muscles of forty clinically healthy dogs of the German Shepherd breed using the technique of percutaneous needle muscle biopsy. The samples were evaluated using histological and enzyme histochemical methods. The percentages of type I and II fibers and the ratio between the quantity of type I fibers/quantity of type II fibers were evaluated using the parameters of weight, age group, correlation between sex and age group, and between the sexes. It was found that there was no significant difference in relation to the types of fibers for the parameters of weight, age group, and age of the females. The correlation between the ages of the males suggested an increase in the percentage of type I fibers, a decrease in the percentage of type II fibers, or an increase in the ratio during the aging process. It was concluded that there was a decrease in the percentage of type II fibers with advancing age in male dogs, but without significant difference in the percentage of type I and type II fibers in relation to the weight. Anat Rec, 299:1540-1547, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

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Polymorphisms in MSTN have previously been associated with equine performance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify variants in MSTN intron 1 in 16 Brazilian Sport Horses selected for competition in eventing and their possible effects of selection on performance. Among the nine variants identified, eight had already been reported in previous studies or genomic databases, although they showed differences in frequencies when compared with other horse breeds. Moreover, a new mutation was identified in two horses, both in heterozygous form. Considering the absence of molecular studies in this valuable Brazilian breed, these findings represent an important contribution to the characterization of its genetic profile and may possibly aid in further genotype-phenotype association studies.

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