Epiglottic entrapment is a condition in racing horses, associated with abnormal respiratory noises and exercise intolerance. Epiglottic entrapment has been linked to both poor and superior athletic performance, leading to concerns regarding whether surgery is indicated, and whether surgical correction may have a deleterious effect on future race performance. The objective of the current study was to assess the race-day performance of horses racing with epiglottic entrapment and the effect of surgical correction on performance outcomes using an intra-oral technique in anaesthetised horses. A case-control study was conducted at the Singapore Turf Club from 2008 to 2011. Controls were selected 1:1 to cases, based on Malaysian Racing Authority number. The performance of horses racing with epiglottic entrapment was recorded and post-surgery race performance was described. Further, post-surgery race performance was compared between cases and with non-case controls. Twenty horses raced with epiglottic entrapment were retrospectively enrolled. There was a significant difference in racing performance in case horses racing with and without epiglottic entrapment (P
Understanding the fundamental processes involved in repairing the airway wall following injury is fundamental to understanding the way in which these processes are perturbed during disease pathology. Indeed complex diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have at their core evidence of airway wall remodeling processes that play a crucial functional role in these diseases. The authors sought to understand the dynamic cellular events that occur during bronchial airway epithelial repair in sheep. The injury was induced by endobronchial brush biopsy (BBr), a process that causes epithelial débridement and induces a consequential repair process. In addition, the current experimental protocol allowed for the time-dependent changes in airway wall morphology to be studied both within and between animals. The initial débridement was followed by evidence of dedifferentiation in the intact epithelium at the wound margins, followed by proliferation of cells both within the epithelium and in the deeper wall structures, notably in association with the submucosal glands and smooth muscle bundles. Seven days after injury, although the airway wall was thickened at the site of damage, the epithelial layer was intact, with evidence of redifferentiation. These studies, in demonstrating broad agreement with previous studies in small animals, indicate the wider relevance of this system as a comparative model and should provide a solid basis upon which to further characterize the critical cellular and molecular interactions that underlie both effective restitution and pathological repair.