The inertial sensor system was able to identify lameness at a lower level of sole pressure than the consensus of 3 equine veterinarians. The inertial sensor system may be an effective aid to lameness localisation in clinical cases.

TF-TEG using the described protocol may minimize variability in data obtained across institutions or users. However, due to the variability associated with different operators, it is recommended that each laboratory set up individual reference intervals with the personnel who will perform the assay, and that the assay protocols and data obtained are compared on a regular basis.

Horses are exquisitely sensitive to non-specific gastrointestinal disturbances as well as systemic and extraintestinal conditions related to gut health, yet minimal data are available regarding the composition of the microbiota present in the equine stomach, small intestine, and cecum and their relation to fecal microbiota. Moreover, there is minimal information regarding the concordance of the luminal and mucosal microbial communities throughout the equine gut. Illumina-based 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing of the luminal and mucosal microbiota present in seven regions of the gastrointestinal tract of nine healthy adult horses revealed a distinct compositional divide between the small and large intestines. This disparity in composition was more pronounced within the luminal contents, but was also detected within mucosal populations. Moreover, the uniformity of the gut microbiota was much higher in the cecum and colon relative to that in the stomach, jejunum and ileum, despite a significantly higher number of unique sequences detected in the colon. Collectively, the current data suggest that while colonic samples (a proxy for feces) may provide a reasonable profile of the luminal contents of the healthy equine large intestine, they are not informative with regard to the contents of the stomach or small intestine. In contrast to the distinct difference between the highly variable upper gastrointestinal tract microbiota and relatively uniform large bowel microbiota present within the lumen, these data also demonstrate a regional continuity present in mucosal microbial communities throughout the length of the equine gut.

The origin of brain mechanisms that support human language-whether these originated de novo in humans or evolved from a neural substrate that existed in a common ancestor-remains a controversial issue. Although the answer is not provided by the fossil record, it is possible to make inferences by studying living species of nonhuman primates. Here we identified neural systems associated with perceiving species-specific vocalizations in rhesus macaques using H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography (PET). These vocalizations evoke distinct patterns of brain activity in homologs of the human perisylvian language areas. Rather than resulting from differences in elementary acoustic properties, this activity seems to reflect higher order auditory processing. Although parallel evolution within independent primate species is feasible, this finding suggests the possibility that the last common ancestor of macaques and humans, which lived 25-30 million years ago, possessed key neural mechanisms that were plausible candidates for exaptation during the evolution of language.

Background: Coagulopathies in horses with gastrointestinal disease are frequently identified and associated with morbidity and fatality.Objective: Determine if thrombelastography (TEG) identifies abnormalities associated with lesion type, presence of systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), morbidity, and fatality more consistently than traditional coagulation testing.Animals: One-hundred and one horses examined for gastrointestinal disease and 20 healthy horses. Methods: TEG, tissue factor (TF)-TEG, and traditional coagulation panels parameters and percentages of horses with coagulopathies were compared for lesion type, presence of SIRS, complications, and survival.Results: Changes in individual parameters and increased incidence of coagulopathies were associated with fatality (R, P 5 .007; k-value [K], P 5 .004; clot lysis [CL]30, P 5 .037; CL60, P 5 .050; angle [Ang], P 5 .0003; maximum amplitude [MA], P 5 .006; lysis [Ly]30, P 5 .042; Ly60, P 5 .027; CI, P 5 .0004; ! 2 TEG coagulopathies, P 5 .013; ! 3 TEG coagulopathies, P 5 .038; TF-R, P 5 .037; TF-K, P 5 .004; TF-CL30, P o .0001; TF-CL60, P o .0001; TF-Ang, P 5 .005; TF-Ly30, P 5 .0002; TF-Ly60, P o .0001; TF-CI, P 5 .043; ! 1 TF-TEG coagulopathies, P 5 .003; ! 2 TF-TEG coagulopathies, P 5 .0004; prothrombin tme [PT], P o .0001; activated partial throboplastin time [aPTT], P 5 .021), inflammatory lesions (MA, P 5 .013; TF-CL30, P 5 .033; TF-CL60, P 5 .010; TF-Ly60, P 5 .011; ! 1 TF-TEG coagulopathy, P 5 .036; ! 2 TF-TEG coagulopathy, P 5 .0007; PT, P 5 .0005; fibrinogen, P 5 .019), SIRS (MA, P 5 .004; TF-CL30, P 5 .019; TF-CL60, P 5 .013; TF-Ly30, P 5 .020; TF-Ly60, P 5 .010; PT, P o .0001; aPTT, P 5 .032; disseminated intravascular coagulation, P 5 .005), and complications (ileus: aPTT, P 5 .020; diarrhea: TF-CL30, P 5 .040; TF-Ly30, P 5 .041; thrombophlebitis: ! 1 TF-TEG coagulopathy, P 5 .018; laminitis: MA, P 5 .004; CL60, P 5 .045; CI, P 5 .036; TF-MA, P 5 .019; TF-TEG CI, P 5 .019). Abnormalities in TEG and TF-TEG parameters were indicative of hypocoagulation and hypofibrinolysis.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: TEG identifies changes in coagulation and fibrinolysis associated with lesion type, SIRS, morbidity, and fatality in horses with gastrointestinal disease.

Non-human primates produce a diverse repertoire of speciesspecific calls and have rich conceptual systems. Some of their calls are designed to convey information about concepts such as predators, food, and social relationships, as well as the affective state of the caller. Little is known about the neural architecture of these calls, and much of what we do know is based on single-cell physiology from anesthetized subjects. By using positron emission tomography in awake rhesus macaques, we found that conspecific vocalizations elicited activity in higher-order visual areas, including regions in the temporal lobe associated with the visual perception of object form (TE͞TEO) and motion (superior temporal sulcus) and storing visual object information into long-term memory (TE), as well as in limbic (the amygdala and hippocampus) and paralimbic regions (ventromedial prefrontal cortex) associated with the interpretation and memory-encoding of highly salient and affective material. This neural circuitry strongly corresponds to the network shown to support representation of conspecifics and affective information in humans. These findings shed light on the evolutionary precursors of conceptual representation in humans, suggesting that monkeys and humans have a common neural substrate for representing object concepts.auditory ͉ brain ͉ evolution ͉ vocalizations ͉ concepts S tudies of the evolution of animal signaling systems reveal specializations of the peripheral and central nervous systems for producing and perceiving signals linked to survival and reproduction. These signals can be represented, both within and between species, in various modalities, including visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile, and are often designed to convey considerable information about the signaler and its socioecological context. In particular, non-human primates have evolved complex auditory communication systems that can convey information about a variety of objects and events, such as individual identity (1), motivational state (2), reproductive status (3), body size (4), types of food (5), and predators (6). It has been argued that many of these calls are functionally linked to rich conceptual representations (5-8).In humans, evidence from behavioral (9), neuropsychological (10), and functional brain-imaging (11) studies suggests that conceptual representations are directly grounded in perception, action, and emotion. For example, functional brain-imaging studies have shown that tasks probing knowledge of animate things and social interactions activate a well defined network that includes regions in the posterior cortex associated with perceiving their visual form (including the fusiform face area) (12) and biological motion [superior temporal sulcus (STS)] (13), as well as limbic and paralimbic cortical areas involved in perceiving and modulating affect (especially the amygdala and medial prefrontal cortex) (11,14). Neural responses in these regions are elicited by a variety of input modalities, such as visual (12, 15) or auditory (16,...

Summary Although large intestine impactions are commonly treated with i.v. fluids combined with the osmotic laxative MgSO4, enteral fluids are less expensive and also appear to be efficacious for impactions. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the systemic and gastrointestinal effects of enteral fluids with the changes produced by i.v. fluids combined with MgSO4. Four horses with a fistula in the right dorsal colon alternately received both treatments in 2 periods one week apart. Sixty litres of fluids were administered continuously (10 l/h) through a venous catheter or a nasogastric tube. Magnesium sulphate (1 g/kg bwt) was administered via nasogastric tube before i.v. fluid therapy. Two horses had mild abdominal discomfort at the end of enteral fluid therapy. Pollakiuria, hypostenuria, increased bodyweight, increased faecal and ingesta hydration, and decreased PCV, plasma protein and plasma magnesium were produced by both treatments. Abdominal distention and more pronounced changes in bodyweight and ingesta hydration were seen with enteral fluids. Intravenous fluids plus MgSO4 produced hypocalcaemia and more pronounced changes in plasma protein. These results indicate that enteral fluid therapy is more effective in promoting ingesta hydration and produces less pronounced systemic effects than i.v. fluid therapy plus MgSO4.

Results of lameness evaluation of horses with an inertial sensor system and via subjective lameness examinations were significantly correlated but did not have strong agreement. Inertial sensor-based evaluation may augment but not replace subjective lameness examination of horses.