Background: Systemic inflammation in horses with heaves is poorly characterized. Objectives: To assess acute phase proteins (APP) and inflammatory cytokine profiles in serum of healthy horses and horses with heaves.Animals: Six healthy horses and 6 heaves-affected horses belonging to the University of Montreal. Methods: Prospective, observational study. Healthy and heaves-affected control horses were exposed to a 30-day natural challenge with hay and straw to induce clinical exacerbation of heaves. Serum samples were obtained by venipuncture before (T0) as well as after 7 (T7) and 30 days (T30) of stabling. Serum APP (haptoglobin, serum amyloid A protein [SAA] and C-reactive protein [CRP]) and cytokines (IL-2, IL-4, IFN-a, IL-10, IFN-c, and CCL-2) were measured using singleplex or multiplex ELISA.Results: Serum haptoglobin concentrations were significantly higher in heaves-affected horses at all time points with no overlap with those of healthy controls. They were also significantly increased by antigen challenge in both controls (T7) and horses with heaves (T7 and T30). Serum SAA was detected more frequently in heaves-affected horses compared with healthy controls at T7. There was no difference in serum concentrations of CRP, IL-10, IFN-c, and CCL-2 between groups, whereas IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-a remained undetectable in all samples.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: In heaves, haptoglobin is a marker of both acute and chronic systemic inflammation, whereas high concentrations of SAA indicate acute inflammation.

The consequences on lung function and inflammation of alterations in the extracellular matrix affecting the peripheral airway wall in asthma are largely unknown. We hypothesized that remodeling of collagen and elastic fibers in the peripheral airway wall leads to airway obstruction and contributes to neutrophilic airway inflammation. Animals used were six heaves-affected horses and five controls. Large peripheral lung biopsies were obtained from horses with heaves in clinical remission (Baseline) and during disease exacerbation and from age-matched controls. The area of collagen and elastic fiber content in the lamina propria was measured by histological staining techniques and corrected for airway size. Collagen type 1 and type 3 content was further assessed from additional horses after postmortem lung samples by immunohistochemistry. The collagen breakdown products proline-glycine-proline (PGP) and N-acetylated-PGP (N-α-PGP) were also measured in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALF) by mass spectrometry. Compared with controls, heaves-affected horses had an increase in collagen (P = 0.05) and elastic fiber contents (P = 0.04) at baseline. Collagen types 1 and 3 content was also significantly increased in diseased horses (P = 0.015) when both collagen types were combined. No further change in collagen content was observed after a 30-day antigenic challenge. Airway collagen at baseline was positively correlated with pulmonary resistance in asthmatic horses (r(2) = 0.78, P = 0.03) and elastic fiber content was positively associated with pulmonary elastance in controls (r(2) = 0.95, P = 0.02). No difference between groups was appreciated in PGP and N-α-PGP peptides in BALF. Increased airway wall collagen and elastic fiber content may contribute to residual obstruction in the asthmatic airways.

Administration of budesonide with the Respimat based inhaler provided dose-dependent relief of airway obstruction in horses with severe asthma, but also a suppression of serum cortisol.

III Halicephalobus gingivalis (H.deletrix) no cérebro de um eqüino ABSTRACT A 10-year-old Mangalarga gelding with rhabditiform nematode infection in the brain

This study was carried out to assess the influence of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) alone or associated with antioxidants on the male reproductive system in newborn rats, emphasizing the implications of oxidative stress and hormonal balance during prenatal and early postnatal periods. Wistar females were exposed by oral route to DEHP alone or associated with antioxidants from gestational day 7 to lactational day 2 according to the following treatment regimens: (C) vehicle control (canola oil + 1% Tween-80); (V) vitamin C (200 mg/kg) + canola oil; (R) resveratrol (10 mg/kg) + canola oil; (D) DEHP (500 mg/kg) + 1% Tween-80; (DV) DEHP (500 mg/kg) + vitamin C (200 mg/kg); and (DR) DEHP (500 mg/kg) + resveratrol (10 mg/kg). Two male pups per litter were randomly selected and necropsied on postnatal day 2. The brain and liver were removed and weighed and anogenital distance (AGD) was measured. Additionally, the testes were removed for assessment of intratesticular testosterone levels and histopathology; the liver was used to measure biomarkers of oxidative stress. Vitamin C and resveratrol alone did not affect the reproductive end points and did not induce oxidative stress. Exposure of dams to DEHP alone and associated with antioxidants resulted in hepatomegaly in offspring and significantly increased the incidence of multinucleated gonocytes in seminiferous cords. Testosterone and AGD presented a trend to decrease in DEHP-exposed groups. Catalase activity increased only in groups exposed to DEHP associated with antioxidants, although GST (gluthatione-S-transferase) activity decreased in all DEHP-exposed groups. The levels of hydroperoxides increased only in group exposed to DEHP associated with vitamin C. These results indicate that the association of DEHP with antioxidants was unable to ameliorate DEHP-induced reproductive changes, and the coadministration of DEHP and these antioxidants might even contribute to an overall increase in oxidative stress.