The effect of induced forelimb lameness on thoracolumbar kinematics during treadmill locomotion

Reasons for performing study: Lameness has often been suggested to result in altered movement of the back, but there are no detailed studies describing such a relationship in quantitative terms. Objectives: To quantify the effect of induced subtle forelimb lameness on thoracolumbar kinematics in the horse. Methods: Kinematics of 6 riding horses was measured at walk and at trot on a treadmill before and after the induction of reversible forelimb lameness grade 2 (AAEP scale 1-5). Ground reaction forces (GRF) for individual limbs were calculated from kinematics. Results: The horses significantly unloaded the painful limb by 11.5% at trot, while unloading at walk was not significant. The overall flexion-extension range of back motion decreased on average by 0.2° at walk and increased by 3.3° at trot (P<0.05). Changes in angular motion patterns of vertebral joints were noted only at trot, with an increase in flexion of 0.9° at T10 (i.e. angle between T6, T10 and T13) during the stance phase of the sound diagonal and an increase in extension of the thoracolumbar area during stance of the lame diagonal (0.7° at T13, 0.8° at T17, 0.5° at L1, 0.4° at L3 and 0.3° at L5) (P<0.05). Lameness further caused a lateral bending of the cranial thoracic vertebral column towards the lame side (1.3° at T10 and 0.9° at T13) (P<0.05) during stance of the lame diagonal. Conclusions: Both range of motion and vertebral angular motion patterns are affected by subtle forelimb lameness. At walk, the effect is minimal, at trot the horses increased the vertebral range of motion and changed the pattern of thoracolumbar motion in the sagittal and horizontal planes, presumably in an attempt to move the centre of gravity away from the lame side and reduce the force on the affected limb. Potential relevance: Subtle forelimb lameness affects thoracolumbar kinematics. Future studies should aim at elucidating whether the altered movement patterns lead to back and/or neck dysfunction in the case of chronic lameness

The effect of induced forelimb lameness on thoracolumbar kinematics during treadmill locomotion.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Lameness has often been suggested to result in altered movement of the back, but there are no detailed studies describing such a relationship in quantitative terms. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the effect of induced subtle forelimb lameness on thoracolumbar kinematics in the horse. METHODS: Kinematics of 6 riding horses was measured at walk and at trot on a treadmill before and after the induction of reversible forelimb lameness grade 2 (AAEP scale 1-5). Ground reaction forces (GRF) for individual limbs were calculated from kinematics. RESULTS: The horses significantly unloaded the painful limb by 11.5% at trot, while unloading at walk was not significant. The overall flexion-extension range of back motion decreased on average by 0.2 degrees at walk and increased by 3.3 degrees at trot (P<0.05). Changes in angular motion patterns of vertebral joints were noted only at trot, with an increase in flexion of 0.9 degrees at T10 (i.e. angle between T6, T10 and T13) during the stance phase of the sound diagonal and an increase in extension of the thoracolumbar area during stance of the lame diagonal (0.7degrees at T13, 0.8 degres at T17, 0.5 degres at L1, 0.4 degrees at L3 and 0.3 degrees at L5) (P<0.05). Lameness further caused a lateral bending of the cranial thoracic vertebral column towards the lame side (1.3 degrees at T10 and 0.9 degrees at T13) (P<0.05) during stance of the lame diagonal. CONCLUSIONS: Both range of motion and vertebral angular motion patterns are affected by subtle forelimb lameness. At walk, the effect is minimal, at trot the horses increased the vertebral range of motion and changed the pattern of thoracolumbar motion in the sagittal and horizontal planes, presumably in an attempt to move the centre of gravity away from the lame side and reduce the force on the affected limb. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Subtle forelimb lameness affects thoracolumbar kinematics. Future studies should aim at elucidating whether the altered movement patterns lead to back and/or neck dysfunction in the case of chronic lameness

Spinal kinematics in horses with induced back pain.

Back problems are important contributors to poor performance in sport horses. It has been shown that kinematic analysis can differentiate horses with back problems from asymptomatic horses. The underlying mechanism can, however, only be identified in a uniform, experimental setting. Our aim was to determine if induction of back pain in a well-defined site would result in a consistent change in back movement. Back kinematics were recorded at a walk and trot on a treadmill. Unilateral back pain was then induced by injecting lactic acid into the left longissimus dorsi muscle. Additional measurements were done subsequent to the injections. Data were captured during steady state locomotion at 240 Hz using an infrared-based gait analysis system. After the injections, the caudal thoracic back was more extended at both gaits. The back was also bent more to the left at both gaits. However, at the walk, there was a reversed pattern after a week with bending of the back to the unaffected side. Horses with identical back injuries appear to show similar changes in their back kinematics, as compared to the asymptomatic condition. Unilateral back pain seems to result in an increased extension of the back, as well as compensatory lateral movements. Back movements are complex and subtle, and changes are difficult to detect with the human eye. Present-day gait analysis systems can identify changes in the back movement, and knowledge of the relationship between such changes and the site of injury will be of help in better localising and diagnosing disorders of the equine back

The effect of induced forelimb lameness on thoracolumbar kinematics during treadmill locomotion.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Lameness has often been suggested to result in altered movement of the back, but there are no detailed studies describing such a relationship in quantitative terms. OBJECTIVES: To quantify the effect of induced subtle forelimb lameness on thoracolumbar kinematics in the horse. METHODS: Kinematics of 6 riding horses was measured at walk and at trot on a treadmill before and after the induction of reversible forelimb lameness grade 2 (AAEP scale 1-5). Ground reaction forces (GRF) for individual limbs were calculated from kinematics. RESULTS: The horses significantly unloaded the painful limb by 11.5% at trot, while unloading at walk was not significant. The overall flexion-extension range of back motion decreased on average by 0.2 degrees at walk and increased by 3.3 degrees at trot (P<0.05). Changes in angular motion patterns of vertebral joints were noted only at trot, with an increase in flexion of 0.9 degrees at T10 (i.e. angle between T6, T10 and T13) during the stance phase of the sound diagonal and an increase in extension of the thoracolumbar area during stance of the lame diagonal (0.7degrees at T13, 0.8 degres at T17, 0.5 degres at L1, 0.4 degrees at L3 and 0.3 degrees at L5) (P<0.05). Lameness further caused a lateral bending of the cranial thoracic vertebral column towards the lame side (1.3 degrees at T10 and 0.9 degrees at T13) (P<0.05) during stance of the lame diagonal. CONCLUSIONS: Both range of motion and vertebral angular motion patterns are affected by subtle forelimb lameness. At walk, the effect is minimal, at trot the horses increased the vertebral range of motion and changed the pattern of thoracolumbar motion in the sagittal and horizontal planes, presumably in an attempt to move the centre of gravity away from the lame side and reduce the force on the affected limb. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE: Subtle forelimb lameness affects thoracolumbar kinematics. Future studies should aim at elucidating whether the altered movement patterns lead to back and/or neck dysfunction in the case of chronic lameness

Spinal kinematics in horses with induced back pain.

Back problems are important contributors to poor performance in sport horses. It has been shown that kinematic analysis can differentiate horses with back problems from asymptomatic horses. The underlying mechanism can, however, only be identified in a uniform, experimental setting. Our aim was to determine if induction of back pain in a well-defined site would result in a consistent change in back movement. Back kinematics were recorded at a walk and trot on a treadmill. Unilateral back pain was then induced by injecting lactic acid into the left longissimus dorsi muscle. Additional measurements were done subsequent to the injections. Data were captured during steady state locomotion at 240 Hz using an infrared-based gait analysis system. After the injections, the caudal thoracic back was more extended at both gaits. The back was also bent more to the left at both gaits. However, at the walk, there was a reversed pattern after a week with bending of the back to the unaffected side. Horses with identical back injuries appear to show similar changes in their back kinematics, as compared to the asymptomatic condition. Unilateral back pain seems to result in an increased extension of the back, as well as compensatory lateral movements. Back movements are complex and subtle, and changes are difficult to detect with the human eye. Present-day gait analysis systems can identify changes in the back movement, and knowledge of the relationship between such changes and the site of injury will be of help in better localising and diagnosing disorders of the equine back

Prognostic histological markers in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma patients treated with (chemo)radiotherapy

Abstract Treatment of oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) frequently includes surgery with postoperative radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Resistance to RT or CRT remains a major clinical challenge and highlights the need to identify predictive markers for it. We included 71 OTSCC patients treated with surgery combined with RT or CRT. We evaluated the association between tumor budding, tumor–stroma ratio (TSR), depth of invasion (DOI), tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) expression, octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (OCT4) expression, high-endothelial venules (HEVs), and disease-free survival (DFS) using uni- and multivariate analyses. No significant association was observed between the different histological and molecular markers (TSR, DOI, TILs, HEV, HIF-1alph, OCT4) and DFS. However, an associative trend between DOI, budding, and DFS was noted. Further studies with larger cohorts are needed to explore the prognostic value of DOI and budding for OTSCC patients treated with postoperative RT or CRT