Evaluation of the occurrence of canine congenital sensorineural deafness in puppies of predisposed dog breeds using the brainstem auditory evoked response

Canine congenital sensorineural deafness (CCSD) affects predisposed breeds of dogs and is primarily caused by an atrophy of the stria vascularis of the organ of Corti. The analysis of the brainstem auditory evoked response (BAER) is a reliable method for the evaluation of hearing in animals as it allows an accurate detection of unilateral or bilateral deafness. The occurrence of unilateral and bilateral deafness using the BAER was determined in a representative group of dogs in Poland, including Bull Terriers (n = 117), Australian Cattle Dogs (n = 62), English Setters (n = 32) and the Dogo Argentino (n = 32). Overall deafness, deafness in each dog breed and an association between deafness and phenotype were studied. Among the 243 dogs tested, 156 (81%) had a normal BAER, 27 (11%) were unilaterally deaf, and 12 (5%) were bilaterally deaf. The amplitudes and latencies of waves I, II, III, V, the V/I wave amplitude ratio, and wave I–V, I–III and III–V inter-peak intervals were recorded for each dog. Unilaterally and bilaterally deaf dogs were present in all the dog breeds studied. There were 17 (14.5%) deaf Bull Terriers, three (4.8%) deaf Australian Cattle Dogs, seven (21.9%) deaf English Setters, and 12 (37.5%) deaf Dogos Argentinos. Preventive BAER screening should be routinely performed in these four breeds to prevent the spread of genes responsible for deafness

Equine Asthma Does Not Affect Circulating Myostatin Concentrations in Horses

(1) Background: The number of horses suffering from chronic respiratory diseases, resembling human asthma, is increasing but there is still a lack of reliable and accurate methods to detect these disorders. Numerous studies have found elevated plasma concentrations of one of the myokines, namely, myostatin (MSTN), in people suffering from severe asthma. MSTN normally inhibits myoblast proliferation and differentiation through autocrine or paracrine signals. Therefore, given the pathogenesis of asthma, we hypothesize that MSTN could be a useful biomarker of equine asthma. Thus, this study aimed to compare the concentration of MSTN in the blood plasma of fully healthy and asthmatic horses. (2) Methods: A total of 61 horses were clinically examined to confirm or exclude the occurrence of equine asthma, including bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid cytology performed on 49 horses. This study included three groups of horses, two of which were clinically healthy, and one of which was asthmatic. (3) Results: The mean circulatory MSTN concentration determined using the ELISA method in asthmatic horses was significantly higher than that in clinically healthy young Thoroughbred racehorses (p < 0.05), but it did not differ as compared to the group of healthy, adult leisure horses. (4) Conclusions: The obtained results did not unambiguously support our original hypothesis that MSTM may be a reliable marker for the early diagnosis of equine asthma. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze the plasma MSTN concentration in equine asthma patients, and therefore further studies are needed to confirm our novel findings

Results of two-factor ANOVA.

<p>Results of two-factor ANOVA.</p

Serum amyloid A concentration in different types of injuries and in healthy horses.

<p>Median (IQR; range)</p><p>* SAA concentration significantly higher than in the rest of groups (p<0.001)</p><p>Serum amyloid A concentration in different types of injuries and in healthy horses.</p

Number of injured horses blood sampled on the 1^st and 3^rd day.

<p>Number of injured horses blood sampled on the 1^st and 3^rd day.</p