Objective gait analysis provides valuable information about the locomotion characteristics of sound and lame horses. Due to their high accuracy and sensitivity, inertial measurement units (IMUs) have gained popularity over objective measurement techniques such as force plates and optical motion capture (OMC) systems. IMUs are wearable sensors that measure acceleration forces and angular velocities, providing the possibility of a non-invasive and continuous monitoring of horse gait during walk, trot, or canter during field conditions. The present narrative review aimed to describe the inertial sensor technologies and summarize their role in equine gait analysis. The literature was searched using general terms related to inertial sensors and their applicability, gait analysis methods, and lameness evaluation. The efficacy and performance of IMU-based methods for the assessment of normal gait, detection of lameness, analysis of horse–rider interaction, as well as the influence of sedative drugs, are discussed and compared with force plate and OMC techniques. The collected evidence indicated that IMU-based sensor systems can monitor and quantify horse locomotion with high accuracy and precision, having comparable or superior performance to objective measurement techniques. IMUs are reliable tools for the evaluation of horse–rider interactions. The observed efficacy and performance of IMU systems in equine gait analysis warrant further research in this population, with special focus on the potential implementation of novel techniques described and validated in humans.

Background: Ticks are increasingly acknowledged as significant vectors for a wide array of pathogens in urban environments with reports of abundant tick populations in recreational areas. The study aims to contribute to a better knowledge of the abiotic and biotic factors which impact the ecology of hard ticks in urban and peri-urban habitats in Romania.Methods: Questing ticks were collected by flagging in seven recreational locations, from four types of habitats in Cluj-Napoca, Romania: parks; gardens; a cemetery; and peri-urban forests. Hedgehogs, birds and micromammals were also sampled and searched for ticks, using standard methods (i.e. torch-based searches, ornithological mist nets, snap-traps, etc.), while vegetation was evaluated on surveyed areas. Data on questing ticks were converted to abundance indices. Moodʼs median tests were used to assess the relationship between the abiotic and biotic factors and the abundance of questing ticks.Results: Two species of questing ticks were found:Ixodes ricinus(96.8%) andHaemaphysalis punctata(3.2%).Ixodes ricinuswas also the predominant engorged tick collected from urban wildlife. ForI. ricinusthe highest mean total abundance index/location (total no. of ticks/100 m²) was recorded in the urban gardens (3.79, 95% CI: ± 1.59) and parks (2.68, 95% CI: ± 0.75), whereas the lowest mean total abundance index was noted in the peri-urban forests (0.06, 95% CI: ± 0.03) and the urban cemetery (0.04, 95% CI: ± 0.02). The adults and nymphs ofI. ricinusdisplayed a bimodal activity pattern, while the larvae showed a unimodal questing behaviour with an autumnal peak. Positive correlations were found between the mean total abundance index and the rise in the daily mean temperature and relative humidity, and between the global abundance of questing ticks and the presence of hedgehogs in the respective locations (P < 0.01).Conclusions: Ticks were collected in all the recreational sites surveyed in Cluj-Napoca.Ixodes ricinuswas the dominant questing and engorged tick species. Several abiotic and biotic factors shape the ecology of ticks in Cluj-Napoca city, with climate and the local presence of suitable hosts being the most important.

The immunomodulatory effect of a novel biomaterial obtained through electrospinning, based on polylactic acid (PLA) and nano-hydroxyapatite (nano-HAP), loaded with doxycycline (doxy) was evaluated in an animal model. The treatment capabilities as a local non-surgical treatment of periodontitis was investigated on the lower incisors of Wistar rats, after the induction of localized periodontitis using the ligature technique. Following the induction of the disease, the non-surgical treatment of scaling and root planing was applied, in conjunction with the application of the new material. The results of the treatment were evaluated clinically, using the tooth mobility and gingival index scores, as well as histologically. The salivary concentrations of matrix metalloproteinase 8 (MMP-8) and plasmatic concentrations of interleukin 1 (IL-1), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) were also monitored. Two weeks after the ligature application, the periodontal disease was successfully induced in rats. The application of the novel biomaterial obtained through electrospinning was proven to be more effective in improving the clinical parameters, while decreasing the salivary MMP-8 and plasmatic IL-1 and TNF-α concentrations, compared to the simple scaling and root planing. Thus, the novel electrospun biomaterial could be a strong candidate as an adjuvant to the non-surgical periodontal therapy.

In recent years, the use of acupuncture and electroacupuncture has been increasing as more clinical research has been conducted showing positive results in the treatment of animals, particularly dogs. Electroacupuncture is a more complex and specific acupuncture technique that involves electrical stimulation on acupuncture needles. Most of the studies have shown that the beneficial effects of electroacupuncture are more evident than in acupuncture alone. This review included studies focused only on dogs with spinal cord injury. Research facility animals (mice, rats, and rabbits) were avoided. Titles and abstracts of identified articles were read, and outlines were made to be better understood. Clinical applications are discussed and suggested in each section. When specialists use this method, electroacupuncture can be an excellent complementary therapy for veterinary patients’ pain control.

The silver content of the skin regeneration ointments can influence its regeneration process but in the meantime, it can take the benefit of the antibacterial properties of silver by avoiding the bacterial infection of an open wound. In the current study, the skin healing and regeneration capacity of bioactive glass with spherical gold nanocages (BGAuIND) in the Vaseline ointments were evaluated in vivo comparing the bioactive glass (BG)-Vaseline and bioactive glass with spherical gold (BGAuSP)-Vaseline ointments. Spherical gold nanocages are stabilized with silver and as a consequence the BGAuIND exhibits great antibacterial activity. Histological examination of the cutaneous tissue performed on day 8 indicates a more advanced regeneration process in rats treated with BGAuSP-Vaseline. The histopathological examination also confirms the results obtained after 11 days post-intervention, when the skin is completely regenerated at rats treated with BGAuSP-Vaseline compared with the others groups where the healing was incomplete. This result is also confirmed by the macroscopic images of the evolution of wounds healing. As expected, the silver content influences the wound healing process but after two weeks, for all of the post-interventional trials from the groups of rats, the skin healing was completely.

Both as an aid for less experienced clinicians and to enhance objectivity and sharp clinical skills in professionals, quantitative technologies currently bring the equine lameness diagnostic closer to evidence-based veterinary medicine. The present paper describes an original, inertial sensor-based wireless device system, the Lameness Detector 0.1, used in ten horses with different lameness degrees in one fore- or hind-leg. By recording the impulses on three axes of the incorporated accelerometer in each leg of the assessed horse, and then processing the data using custom-designed software, the device proved its usefulness in lameness identification and severity scoring. Mean impulse values on the horizontal axis calculated for five consecutive steps above 85, regardless of the leg, indicated the slightest subjectively recognizable lameness, increasing to 130 in severe gait impairment. The range recorded on the same axis (between 61.2 and 67.4) in the sound legs allowed a safe cut-off value of 80 impulses for diagnosing a painful limb. The significance of various comparisons and several correlations highlighted the potential of this simple, affordable, and easy-to-use lameness detector device for further standardization as an aid for veterinarians in diagnosing lameness in horses.