EVALUATION OF LIPASE AND AMYLASE LEVELS IN THE DIAGNOSTIC INVESTIGATION FOR THE EQUINE ACUTE ABDOMEN.

Lipase and amylase enzymes are mainly produced by the pancreas in horses. Increased lipase and amylase levels occur with acute pancreatic damage. Perturbation of the pancreatic microvascular perfusion is an important pathogenic factor in cases of pancreatitis. Our objective was to investigate the relationship between lipase and amylase levels and disease categories that cause acute abdominal pain in horses. Medical records were reviewed for horses with acute colic between 2011 and 2013. Lipase and amylase levels were measured in 96 cases. Diagnosis was based on clinical signs, rectal examination, abdominal ultrasonography and when appropriate surgical or pathological findings. Using these diagnostic methods primary acute pancreatitis (AP) and proximal enteritis (PE) could not be differentiated in all cases. Twenty-five horses (26%) showed increased lipase or amylase values. Six of them (24%) was diagnosed with AP/PE. All horses with lipase level higher than 1000 IU/l belonged to this group. Six horses (24%) had right dorsal displacement (RDD) of the large colon with average lipase and amylase levels of 623.8 IU/l and 53.5 IU/l respectively and 13 cases had diverse causes of acute abdominal pain with average lipase level of 194.4 IU/l and amylase level of 13.5 IU/l, all with high standard deviations. Fisher’s exact test was used to verify that the lipase and amylase levels are useful in separating AP/PE from RDD or either of these from other diseases. The data suggest that extreme values could be very strong predictors, but larger sample would be needed for quantitative results in this direction

Cerebrospinal fluid parameters of horses with West Nile virus encephalomyelitis

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic arbovirus transmitted in natural cycles between mosquitoes and wild birds. Horses and humans are incidental, dead-end hosts, but can develop severe neurological disorders. By its close contact with the extracellular fluid of the brain, analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition can reflect biological central nervous system (CNS) impairments enabling the diagnosis and understanding of various neurodegenerative CNS disorders. Fifteen CSF samples were collected from horses with acute neurologic symptoms and positive WNV IgM ELISA on their sera. CSF samples of twenty healthy horses without any neurologic disease were used as controls. Biochemical and cytological parameters were evaluated and compared. Most of the data obtained from the WNV affected horses did not seem to follow a normal distribution, but protein, creatine-kinase, aspartate-aminotransferase, lactate-dehydrogenase, alkaline-phosphatase, magnesium, glucose, and lactate showed abnormal levels in a number of cases. None of the 6 horses with elevated glucose levels survived (<=0.36, modified Wald method with 90% CI). Opposite to previous equine studies we have found neutrophilic pleocytosis in 54% of cases. Measured data also indicates that CSF neutrophilia is more likely to be found parallel with high protein content (Fisher exact test, two tailed, p = 0.1026). The CSF findings with WNV neuroinvasive disease are nonspecific and variable. Neutrophils are likely play a role in the development of inflammatory response and brain damage. Increased enzyme levels reflect rather CNS injury than blood-brain barrier damage. Elevated glucose levels might be secondary to increased plasma levels and predict outcome

FŰBETEGSÉG MAGYARORSZÁGI ELŐFORDULÁSÁNAK JELLEGZETESSÉGEI

Bevezetés: A lovak fűbetegsége (equine grass sickness, dysautonomia), egy polyneuropathia, ami elsősorban a gyomor-bél traktus beidegzését érinti, de elváltozásokat okozhat a centrális és perifériás idegrendszer más területein is. A betegség hátterében a Clostridium botulinum C egy toxinját feltételezik, és elsősorban legelőn tartott lovakat veszélyeztet. A gyakran halálos kimenetelű betegség egyre több európai országban jelenik meg, köztük 2001-ben Magyarországon. Cél: Jelen tanulmány célja, hogy a megállapított magyarországi fűbetegség esetek jellegzetességeit leírjuk. Módszer: 2001 óta Magyarországon fűbetegséggel diagnosztizált esetek klinikai és kórbonctani adatainak összegyűjtése. A betegség területi előfordulásának nyomon követése. Eredmény: Hazánkban eddig 50 esetben került a fűbetegség megállapításra. A betegség megjelenésétől 2009-ig az esetek 97%-a május és szeptember között fordult elő, 2010 óta az esetek 90% a november-februári időszakra esett. Hazánkban a fűbetegséget mostanáig csak egyetlen ménes, különböző földrajzi régiókban fekvő legelőin észlelték. A 49/50 eset lipicai, 1/50 gidrán fajtájú volt, 23/50 kanca, 27/50 mén és mindegyik az 1-3 éves korcsoportba tartozott. 2013-ban 3 olyan ló pusztult el, melyeket botulizmus ellen féléven belül kétszer oltottak. Az esetek többsége akut vagy szubakut lefolyású volt, csak 6 esetben láttunk tipikus krónikus lefolyást, a betegség kimenetele 96%-ban euthanasiára vagy elhullásra vezetett. A klinikai tünetek között gyakori volt az emelkedett testhőmérséklet, a paralytikus ileus és a ptosis. Következtetés: A betegség előfordulásának földrajzi változása alátámasztja a feltételezést, hogy egy, a lovak béltraktusában hordozott baktérium lehet felelős a megbetegedésekért. A legelők fertőződését a hordozó egyedek mozgatása okozhatja. A 3 évesnél idősebb kancáknál és az 1 évesnél fiatalabb csikóknál nem jelenik meg a betegség, ez igazolja a korhoz kötött, illetve a maternális immunitás jelenlétét. A szezonális előfordulás változása feltételezhetően a globális időjárási viszonyokat tükrözi. A klinikai tünetek nagy része megegyezik a nemzetközi szakirodalomban leírtakkal, de heveny esetekben gyakrabban észleljük a testhőmérséklet emelkedését, és ritkább a dysphagia vagy a tipikus foltszerű izzadás. A korábban használt vakcina hatástalansága alapján, egy újfajta botulizmus vakcina kísérleti felhasználásával, megváltoztatott alapimmunizálási stratégiával, 2015-ben széleskörű megelőzésre teszünk kísérletet

Cerebrospinal fluid parameters of horses with West Nile virus neuroinvasive disease

Objective: To compare biochemical and cytological findings of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples in horses with acute neuroinvasive West Nile virus (WNV) infections with those of control healthy horses. Design: Retrospective case-control study. Samples: Fifteen CSF samples from horses with acute WNV neuroinvaisve disease (WNVND)and twenty from healthy horses. Procedures: WNVND was diagnosed based on acute neurologic symptoms and positive IgM ELISA results. CSF samples were collected either from the atlanto-occipital or the lumbosacral sites. Results: CSF results of the WNV affected group did not follow normal distribution. Protein,creatine-kinase, aspartate-aminotransferase, lactate-dehydrogenase, alkaline-phosphatase,magnesium, glucose, and lactate concentrations showed abnormal levels in a number of WNV cases. None of the 6 horses with elevated glucose concentrations survived (<=0.36, modified Wald method). Opposite to previous equine studies we have found neutrophilic pleocytosis in 54% of cases. Measured data also indicates that CSF neutrophilia is more likely to be found parallel with high protein content (Fisher exact test, p = 0.1026). Conclusions and clinical relevance: The CSF findings with WNVND are nonspecific and variable. Neutrophils likely play a role in the development of inflammatory response and brain damage. Increased enzyme activities and changes in the electrolyte concentrations reflect CNS cellular injury rather than blood-brain barrier leakage. Although elevated glucose levels reliably predicted outcome, these results might be the consequences of increased plasma levels and reflectgeneral stress rather than any CNS pathophysiology. Examination of CSF is most useful when the results are correlated with history, clinical findings and ancillary laboratory studies

Conservation of the Biocatalytic Activity of Whole Yeast Cells by Supported Sol – Gel Entrapment for Efficient Acyloin Condensation

In this study, an efficient and generally applicable 2nd generation sol&nbsp;–&nbsp;gel entrapment method was developed for immobilization of yeastcells. Cells of Lodderomyces elongisporus, Candida norvegica, Debaryomyces fabryi, Pichia carsonii strains in admixture with hollow silica microspheres support were immobilized in sol&nbsp;–&nbsp;gel matrix obtained from polycondensation of tetraethoxysilane. As biocatalysts in theselective acyloin condensation of benzaldehyde catalyzed by pyruvate decarboxylase of the yeast, the novel immobilized whole-cell preparations were compared to other states of the cells such as freshly harvested wet cell paste, lyophilized cells and sol&nbsp;–&nbsp;gel entrapped preparations without hollow silica microspheres support. Reusability and storability studies designated this novel 2nd generation sol&nbsp;– gel method as a promising alternative for solid formulation of whole-cells bypassing expensive and difficult downstream steps while providing easy-to-handle and stable biocatalysts with long-term preservation of the biocatalytic activity

A nóniusz fajta marmagasságának vizsgálata (1877-1936, Mezőhegyes)

Dolgozatomban a nóniusz lófajtával, annak marmagasságbeli alakulásával foglalkoztunk, és próbáltunk következtetéseket levonni a Mezőhegyesen őrzött méneskönyvekben található információk alapján. Több olyan kérdésre kerestük a választ, ami a mai napig még mindig nem tisztázott. A fő kutatási irány a kis és a nagy nóniusz létezésének és miben létének meghatározása volt. Az általam gyűjtött adatok, és az olvasott szakirodalom alapján azt állapítottuk meg, hogy a vizsgált időszakban tényleg létezett Mezőhegyesen két méretváltozata a lófajtának. A vizsgált értékek között, a tanulmányozott intervallumban szignifikáns különbségek voltak, így a két besorolása valóban megállta a helyét. Fontos hangsúlyozni, hogy Mezőhegyesen, egy helyen, egy időben létezett a fajta két változata. El kell ugyanis különíteni két fogalmat: az egyik a mezőhegyesi kis nóniusz, a másik a sziki nóniusz, amit szintén szokás kis nóniuszként aposztrofálni. Bár kétségtelen tény, hogy a Hortobágyon tenyésztett állatok marmagassága a mezőhegyesi kis nóniuszéhoz hasonló, ám azt inkább egy, a környezeti hatások által erősen befolyásolt, tájjellegű típusnak lehet nevezni, és a mezőhegyesi kis nóniusztól megkülönböztetve kell kezelni. További bizonyítékul szolgált erre, hogy a sziki nóniusz hagyományosan pej színű, állományunkban azonban semmilyen összefüggést nem találtunk a szín és a magasság között, a kis nóniuszok között közel ugyanannyi fekete egyedet találtunk, mint ahány pejt a nagy lovak között. Vizsgáltuk továbbá a nemek közti különbséget, és várakozásainknak megfelelő eredményként könyveltük el, hogy a mének a kancáknál átlagosan magasabbak voltak, bár a különbség nem minden kategória esetén volt szignifikáns. Külön érdekességképpen néztük az anyai életkor hatását a csikó magasságára, amiből azt a következtetést vontuk le, hogy a 6-15 éves kor a legalkalmasabb kor a kanca életében a csikózásra, ekkor születtek a legnagyobb egyedek. A dolgozatommal szerettem volna mélyebb betekintést nyerni e különleges fajta történetébe, és közelebb kerülni az általunk megfogalmazott kérdés megoldásához. Fontosnak tartom értékeink őrzését, ápolását, mely lehetetlen azok mélyreható ismerete nélkül. Mindannyiunk feladata, hogy jövőt biztosítsunk ennek a fajtának, mely megjelenésében is kuriózum, igazi „ hungarikum”, és ennek alapja a tudás. Winston Chuchill szerint: „ Minél messzebbre nézel hátra, annál messzebbre látsz előre! „The main aims of my study were the Nonius horses and they height at withers, according to informations that can be found in the breeding books of the pure bred Nonius horses in Mezőhegyes. We were looking for answers for several questions, which have not clarified till this very day. Our main research directions were the existance of the small, and the large horses of the breed. According to the data I have gathered, we can make the statement, there were two size variants of this breed in the examined time period at Mezőhegyes. There were significant differences between the examined values, so the two variants were existed indeed. It is important to emphasize that at Mezőhegyes, at one place and at one time existed the two variants. The two categories must be separated: the small Nonius horse is not the same as the „sziki” Nonius, however this latter called commonly as small Nonius either. It is a fact, that the height at withers of the horses bred in Hortobágy is similar to the small Nonius horses, but the former is more like an endemic type, and should be distinguished from the small Nonius. Further proof is the fact that the „sziki” Nonius is traditionally brown, but we could not find any connection between the colors and the heights of the horses; there were the same amount of black horses amongst the small Nonius ones as many brown horses could be found amongst the large ones. We were studying the differences between the genders, and as we expected the stallions were taller than the mares, but the difference was not significant in every categories. We examined as a curiosity, that the most optimal time to make a foal are the years between six and fifteen. With my study I would like to look deeper to the history of this special breed and get closer to the answer of our main question. In my opinion, it is highly important to keep our values, and this is impossible without knowing them perfectly. It is a common goal, to establish a future to this breed, what is a real speciality, a real „hungaricum” and the success can be reached through knowledge. According to Winston Churchill: „The farther backwards you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.

Anaesthesia–related complications in horses – results of the last few years - Literature review

SUMMARY In this article the authors review the literature concerning mortality associated with general anaesthesia in horses and assess whether there is evidence for a reduction in mortality over the 20 years. There were a lot of developments over the past 20 years in the field of veterinary anaesthesia- drugs: new induction agents, isoflurane or sevoflurane instead of halothane, equipment, knowledge- but the surgical interventions became also longer and more complex.The anaesthesia-associated mortality rate in horses is much higher than in other companion animals. In healthy horses it is approximately 1% but can be as high as 7, 8% in emergency cases. There are a lot of circumstances that can influence the risk factor and outcome of GA: ASA status, age, body weight, type and length of surgery, position during anaesthesia, other underlying disease, equipment, drugs, knowledge and experience of the anaesthetist and whether or not it was performed as an after-hours emergency procedures. In this paper the authors demonstrate the most common causes of death and complications based on the literature of the past few years. Intraoperative cardiac arrest tended to occur in association with the application of halothane and the number of cases decreased after the widespread use of isoflu-rane and sevoflurane. Long bone fractures during induction and recovery can lead to instant death or euthanasia. Geriatric patients, older brood mares, horses after fracture repair act for risk group. Myopathies and neuropathies also can be fatal due to the size and basic nature of the equine patients. There are a lot of components- position, padding, hypoxemia, type and duration of surgery, size and weight of the horse, other muscle diseases which can contribute this condition but the hypotension during GA is the most important risk factor. Therefore arterial blood pressure measurement and intervention is particularly important. Peripheral neuropathies affect most commonly the radial, femoral and facial nerves. These are painful conditions with loss of function potentially increasing the likelihood of bone fractures. Post- anaesthesia respiratory obstruction (PARO) includes nasal mucosal congestion, dorsal displacement of the soft palate, nostril occlusion, laryngospasm, bilateral laryngeal paresis or paralysis. Post- anaesthetic colic, thrombophlebitis, pneumonia, ophthalmic problemsalso can occur.All patients need a customized protocol based on a variety of risk factors, medical issues and the habit of the animal

Torsion of the left lateral liver lobe in a Shagya Arabian mare - Case report

SUMMARY Background: Liver lobe torsion is a very remarkable disorder in equine patients. It is diagnosed infrequently, as only eight cases have been reported so far in the literature. Its clinical signs are non-specific, definitive diagnosis is usually reached through exploratory laparotomy. The resection of the affected lobe via stapler device was successful in five cases. Materials and Methods: the aim of the current article is to report clinical his-tory and necropsy findings in a horse with torsion of the left lateral liver lobe, and also to review the characteristics of the mentioned condition.Results and Discussion:this case report presents a 9 years old, Shagya Ara-bian mare (6 months pregnant) with a history of inappetence, lethargy, mild colic signs, and tachycardia. At admission the horse showed signs of lethargy. Physi-cal evaluation revealed tachycardia (80 beats/min), tachypnoe (30 breaths/min.)and dirty red mucous membranes with petechial haemorrhages (CRT: 3 sec.). There was total absence of gut sounds. No reflux was obtained. Findings on rectal examination were within normal limits. The peritoneal fluid collected via abdominocentesis was grossly serosanguineous (WBC count: 10.53 G/l; total pro-tein: 34 g/l; lactate: 6.8 mmol/l). Blood haematological and biochemical analysis was performed. The PCV was moderately elevated (55.56%), thrombocytopenia (35 G/l), mild leucocytosis (13.07 G/l) with neutrophilia, decreased total protein (50 g/l) and critically elevated lactate concentration (13.1 mmol/l) was evident. Exploratory laparotomy was performed. The pre-operative treatment included intravenous fluid therapy and parenterally administered flunixin-meglumine (1.1mg/kg) and butorphanol (20 mg). The mare could not tolerate general anaesthe-sia and died soon after the surgical incision. Serosanguineous peritoneal fluid, petechial haemorrhages on the visceral and on the parietal peritoneum indicat-ing endotoxin shock was found post mortem. The necropsy revealed that the left lateral lobe of the liver was twisted. The twisted lobe was diffusely necrotic and congestion was also evident. No other possible causes of endotoxin shock could be revealed