s Vol 30, No 2 (2010) 101 (range)] and terminal elimination half-life was 8.5 (7.113.3) h. After PO gabapentin Cmax was 3.75 (1.9-5.8) mg/ml, and terminal elimination half-life was 7.7 (6.711.9) h. The fractional absorption was 16.2 2.8%. There was no significant effect on cardiovascular parameters. Sedation scores were increased during the first hour after IV infusion (P < 0.05). DISCUSSION There were no major adverse effects noted after single dose IV or PO gabapentin. Bioavailability was only16% following PO administration. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Inability to control pain and subsequent euthanasia is the most common cause of treatment failure in laminitis cases. Gabapentin may be a useful analgesic agent in the treatment of laminitis. CONCLUSION Gabapentin was safe and well tolerated. Further research is required to establish a dosage that will provide effective analgesia in horses with laminitis and to determine if combinations with other agents create an enhanced effect. 1. Jones E, et al. Neuropathic changes in equine laminitis pain. Pain 2007;132(3):321–331. The Laminitis Discovery Database Hannah Galantino-Homer, Rebecca Carter, Susan Megee, Julie Engiles, James Orsini, and Christopher Pollitt, Laminitis Institute, Department of Clinical Studies/New Bolton Center and Department of Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Kennett Square, PA, Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit, School of Veterinary Science, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Queensland, Australia TAKE HOME MESSAGE The Laminitis Discovery Database is a collaborative tissue bank and information resource. INTRODUCTION 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 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 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 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 Understanding laminitis pathophysiology is essential for the rational development of an evidence-based approach to this disease. CONCLUSION Banked tissue from clinical cases of laminitis is needed to validate research based on experimental models of laminitis.
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