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The aim of this study was to understand the bone response against the exercise adaptations to reduce the occurrence of orthopedic injuries in endurance horses. To this end, the objective of the present work was to investigate how the bone adaptation on adult equines that were trained for 4–5 yr to endurance races responds to the long-term exercise of moderate intensity by comparing to non-athlete horses. For this purpose, 14 Arabian horses were selected and divided equally into two groups; a control group formed by animals that had never practiced physical activity nor been tamed and an exercise group formed by athlete animals. Radiographs were obtained using a digital radiography system and penetrometer. The radiographs were stored and later processed to determine cortical bone thickness using the ProgRes® Capture Pro 2.5 (Jenoptik, Germany), cortical bone density using Adobe Photoshop CS6 (version 6.0, Adobe Systems Inc., San Jose, CA), and trabecular bone density using the Image-Pro Plus 4.1 (Media Cybernetics Inc. Silver Springs, MD). The EG presented an increase in cortical bone density and thickness compared to the control. This adaptation of the cortical bone in the exercised horses is an important factor in increasing bone resistance to exercise. These structural changes are related to a morphofunctional response by the bone tissue as a whole.

BackgroundThe cranial cruciate ligament rupture (CCLR) is the most commonly encountered orthopedic condition in dogs. Among the various techniques to treat this condition, tibial tuberosity advancement (TTA) has been used to obtain rapid recovery of the affected knee. The objective of this study was to evaluate the viability of the use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) implanted in the osteotomy site obtained by TTA in nine dogs diagnosed with CCLR.MethodsThe MSC were isolated from the adipose tissue of the dogs and cultured for eight days, the animals were divided into two groups. Animals from the treated group (GT) received cell transport medium containing about 1.5 millions MSC, and the animals from the control group (GC) received only the cell transport medium. The study was performed in a double-blind manner using radiographs acquired on days 15, 30, 60 and 120 after the procedure. Evaluations of the density of the trabecular bone were performed using image analysis software. The results were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis, followed by the normality test, Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney test and Tukey’s multiple comparison test for p ≤ 0.05.ResultsAfter 30 days of the procedure, the animals of the GT presented an ossification mean 36.45% greater (p ≤ 0.033) than the GC, and there were no statistical differences for the other periods.ConclusionsDespite the total bone ossification within the expected period, there was no minimization of the estimated recovery time with the application of MSC, and inflammatory factors should be considered for reassessment of the therapeutic intervention time.

In order to understand the physiological demands and possible changes resulting from effort in horses and

Given the importance of the thymus to the immune system and the limited knowledge about its development and involution processes, this study evaluated the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor, a key angiogenic factor for the formation of vascular tissue bed and modulation of functions related to cell proliferation and migration, hormone synthesis, and immunomodulation. In this study, thymus samples of dog fetuses (30, 40, 50 and 60 days old), and young (180 days old) and adult (365 days old) dogs were submitted to real-time PCR and Western blot. Timedependent changes were observed for proteins and genes associated with the development of the vascular system, such as VEGF-A, VEGF-C, Flt-1, KDR, FLT-4, and EG-VEGF. This result demonstrates that these system components play different roles during development and involution of the thymus. Possible functions, such as the modulatory effect on vasculogenesis and microenvironment, influence the proliferation and differentiation of thymocytes, T cells maturation, cell-cell interaction and hormone secretion.

Considering the spleen great importance for the immune system and the role of this organ in response to Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) infection in response to Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) infection, the objective of this study was to evaluate spleen histomorphometric changes, as well as its weight and volume. Furthermore, lymphocytes were quantified and the VEGF system expression was analyzed, especially its VEGF-A protein, which is part of physiological angiogenesis in different body organs. Spleens of infected and non-infected cats of six months to three years old were collected and used for confection of histological slides, which passed through the coloration process and immunohistochemistry technique. We observed state of splenomegaly, however, there were no statistically significant histomorphometric changes. Presence of lymphocytes was significantly reduced in the diseased group when compared with the control. On the other hand, there was a statistically significant increase in the VEGF-A protein expression.

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