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Volume 30, Issue 2, Page 101 (February 2010)


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Article Outline

Take Home Message

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Results

Discussion

Clinical Relevance

Conclusion

Copyright

Take Home Message 

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The Laminitis Discovery Database is a collaborative tissue bank and information resource.

Introduction 

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Establishment of a centralized laminitis tissue bank was identified as a top priority at the first AAEP Foundation Equine Laminitis Research Workshop. Initiated in 2008, the purpose of the Laminitis Discovery Database is to collect and provide well-documented tissue samples from non-laminitic and experimental and natural laminitic horses for collaborative research.

Materials and Methods 

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Samples collected: ante-mortem serum and plasma, gross specimen images and lamellar length measurements, liquid nitrogen snap frozen, formalin-fixed/paraffin-embedded, and paraformaldehyde-fixed/OCT-embedded frozen tissue collected from five regions along the dorsal dermal-epidermal interface: skin, coronary, proximal, mid, and distal lamellar tissues, and frozen mixed cells. Tissue and horse information stored in a master catalog and freezer log. A mid-lamellar sample from each foot is submitted for histopathological evaluation.

Results 

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Currently, samples have been banked from 78 horses, including 48h hyperinsulinemia model (4, plus matched controls), 24h oligofructose model (5), fetuses (6), foals (3), non-laminitic horses (32), and laminitic horses (16) including supporting limb (3), retained placenta (1), PPID (4), chronic (6), and acute (2) laminitis. Various ages (non-laminitic: 9.2 ± 5.7 (mean ± S.D.) years; and laminitic: 14 ± 10 years) and breeds are represented.

Discussion 

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Major challenges of tissue banking include case recruitment, timing and technical difficulty of tissue retrieval, and proper archiving. More samples are needed for age/breed/sex-matched case-control studies.

Clinical Relevance 

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Understanding laminitis pathophysiology is essential for the rational development of an evidence-based approach to this disease.

Conclusion 

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Banked tissue from clinical cases of laminitis is needed to validate research based on experimental models of laminitis.

1 Laminitis Institute, Department of Clinical Studies/New Bolton Center and Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA

2 Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia

PII: S0737-0806(10)00017-1

doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2010.01.016


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