2015 - 84 (1)

Atypical myopathy (AM) is a frequently fatal pasture myopathy that emerges in Europe. Outbreaksare of an acute and unexpected nature and practitioners and owners should be prepared to handle thecritically ill patients of this disease. Different hypotheses concerning the etiology and pathogenesishave been described. In this review, the most important hypotheses are summarized, and treatmentplans and preventive measures are suggested. At this moment, maple seeds are thought to be thecause of AM. These seeds contain a toxin, hypoglycin A, which may lead to multiple acyl-CoAdehydrogenase deficiency (MADD). Treatment is often limited to supportive care. Since treatment isoften unsuccessful, the main emphasis is currently still on prevention.

 Penetrating injuries to the sole of the hoof are common in horses. Prognosis and treatmentdepend on the structures involved. In this report, nine horses are described with a penetratinginjury to the sole of the hoof that then underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination.The radiographic examination performed in seven of these horses provided information about thebone involvement and an MRI examination was performed in all cases to obtain information aboutthe affected soft tissues. MRI has excellent soft tissue contrast and can provide detailed images inany anatomical plane. For all nine horses, the MRI examination provided a clear guidance towardprognosis and a treatment plan. For two of the horses, the MRI examination confirmed that onlysuperficial debridement was required. In seven of the horses, the MRI findings indicated that amore invasive approach was needed, such as navicular bursoscopy or street-nail procedure.This study illustrates that an MRI examination can provide useful additional informationleading to an appropriate therapy and prognosis, and shows a good correspondence between MRIobservations and surgical findings. 

Penetrating injuries to the sole of the hoof are common in horses. Prognosis and treatmentdepend on the structures involved. In this report, nine horses are described with a penetratinginjury to the sole of the hoof that then underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination.The radiographic examination performed in seven of these horses provided information about thebone involvement and an MRI examination was performed in all cases to obtain information aboutthe affected soft tissues. MRI has excellent soft tissue contrast and can provide detailed images inany anatomical plane. For all nine horses, the MRI examination provided a clear guidance towardprognosis and a treatment plan. For two of the horses, the MRI examination confirmed that onlysuperficial debridement was required. In seven of the horses, the MRI findings indicated that amore invasive approach was needed, such as navicular bursoscopy or street-nail procedure.This study illustrates that an MRI examination can provide useful additional informationleading to an appropriate therapy and prognosis, and shows a good correspondence between MRIobservations and surgical findings.

In the present study, the effect was investigated of administering an oral electrolyte solution(Glutellac®) to newborn Belgian blue calves on their vitality, the acid-balance in the blood, andtheir passive immunity. Twenty newborn calves were incorporated in the study, of which ten wereadministered a placebo and ten were administered Glutellac®. Only three calves showed metabolicacidosis. The group, which was administered Glutellac®, showed a significant higher base excess at twohours (p < 0.05), six hours (p < 0.001) and twelve hours (p < 0.001) after birth. Clinically and in termsof IgG absorption capacity, there were no significant differences between both groups. In conclusion,it can be stated that the administration of Glutellac® to Belgian blue calves without metabolic acidosisimmediately following birth by caesarean section beneficially influences the base excess.

Primates are frequently used lab animals in biomedical research, due to their close relationship tohumans. Especially, the genus Callithrix jacchus (common marmoset) and the genus Macaca mulatta(rhesus monkey) are commonly used in scientific research. In this article, a systematic overview isgiven of the main bone pathologies of primates. Bone pathologies may occur spontaneously, but canalso be induced experimentally for research into human diseases. Knowledge about these pathologiesis not only important for the prevention and treatment of human and primate bone diseases, it alsocontributes to choosing the correct animal models. The historically most important bone pathologiesbelong to the group of metabolic disorders, among which rickets/osteomalacia and osteoporosis arethe best known. Congenital disorders, developmental pathologies, intoxications and deficiencies witheffects on the skeleton are also discussed. Finally, bone tumors are described, which do not occurfrequently, but which should not be neglected.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease that affects more than one million people every year. Inparticular in economically transitioning countries with progressing industrialization and urbanization,an increase in incidence has been observed, as such underlining the importance of environmentalfactors in the pathogeneses of CRC. One of these factors is the consumption of fresh and processedred meat.Although decennia ago, a link was discovered between the consumption of red and processedmeat and the development of CRC, there is still controversy surrounding this topic. The results ofepidemiologic studies are often inconsistent and recommendations made about the negative impact ofmeat consumption may have big consequences for the meat industry.An important step to make scientifically based recommendations about het consumption of redand processed meat, is the identification of the underlying mechanisms that may explain the harmfuleffects of meat. Several different hypotheses have been put forward and examined recently.