Good day, Ma’am. Thank you for your positive feedback on our report.
Here are our answers to your questions.
1. How can the data obtained from this study be used to predict congenital malformations in horses?
Equine radiographic images are used as a standard in veterinary medicine, where they serve as a diagnostic tool by providing a starting point for assessment (Gee et al., 2020). These radiographs enable us to better visualize musculoskeletal development, thereby providing us with information we can use to detect congenital deformities. They provide standard results for normal equine development, thus any deviation from the normal may mean the occurrence of malformations in developing horse embryos. Specifically, congenital deformities that are mainly associated with the developmental orthopedic disease (DOD) complex (O’Donohue et al.,1992), deformities that stem from external factors (i.e. environment), or those that result from intrauterine malposition during the gestational period may be detected. For example, in a study by Mayhew et al. (1993), semi-quantitative radiographic indicators, in the form of cervical vertebral malformation (CVM) scores, were used to predict and diagnose the presence of CVM in Thoroughbred foals.
Given that there are still several unclear aspects in musculoskeletal organogenesis (i.e. bone, muscle, and cartilage development), the study conducted by Barreto et al. (2016) may provide information that may pinpoint causes of congenital malformations by filling the gaps in such areas. Moreover, a complete and detailed description of the development of the musculoskeletal system during the early stages of intrauterine development may supplement existing radiographic standards, further enhancing its power as a diagnostic tool.
2. How much of this study can be projected to musculoskeletal development in human embryos?
This study can be greatly projected to musculoskeletal development in human embryos due to the similarities in growth and development between the two organisms. Although different in orientation, size, and proportions, the horse skeleton overall resembles those of humans. According to Rogers et al. (2021), the bone growth and development of equines follow the same general pattern as that of humans. It is said that growth in mammals and horses alike follow a similar pattern to a sigmoid curve. However, due to their different ecological niches, the relative time of the growth phases and process of maturation of their musculoskeletal systems are not the same (Rogers et al., 2021). Barreto et al. (2016) also highlight how general ossification in horses starts at the first trimester of gestation, which is found to be similar to other large animals and humans. Particularly, in horses, the phases of growth are heavily confined to the first two years of life. At this age, it is thought that the horse has reached most measures of maturity that are also used to measure human growth. Such measures of maturity include the vertical height plateaus, growth plates closure, and adult ratios of back length: wither height and limb length: wither height (Rogers et al., 2021). More specifically, in terms of development, the findings of Barreto et al. (2016) showed several similarities with humans. Such similarities include demonstrating an endochondral type of ossification during embryogenesis, the presence of notochord nucleus pulposus, and the need for mesenchymal condensation prior to bone formation (Barreto et al., 2016). Given all these striking similarities with minimal differences, it can then be said that a bulk of the paper’s findings can be projected to human musculoskeletal development.
References:
Gee, C., Small, A., Shorter, K., & Brown, W. Y. (2020). A Radiographic Technique for Assessment of Morphologic Variations of the Equine Caudal Cervical Spine. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 10(4), 667. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10040667
Mayhew, I.G., Donawick, W.J., Green, S.L., Galligan, D.T., Stanley, E.K. And Osborne, J. (1993). Diagnosis and prediction of cervical vertebral malformation in Thoroughbred foals based on semi-quantitative radiographic indicators. Equine Veterinary Journal, 25: 435-440. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1993.tb02986.x
O’Donohue DD, Smith FH, Strickland KL. (1992). The incidence of abnormal limb development in the Irish thoroughbred from birth to 18 months. Equine Vet J 24:305–309
Rogers, C.W.; Gee, E.K.; Dittmer, K.E. (2021). Growth and Bone Development in the Horse: When Is a Horse Skeletally Mature? Animals, 11, 3402. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123402
