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This paper reports on pathological and histopathological findings in the joints of male turkeys (B.U.T. Big 6) reared in two different housing systems. Pathological investigations were conducted on all animals which died between the 6th week of life and the end of fattening (585 birds, 1170 hip, knee and intertarsal joints) from four fattening periods with 3000 birds each. This study included 297 birds kept in a conventional housing system (barn 2) with a stocking density of 2.8 birds/m2, and 288 birds from a barn (1) from which the animals had access to an outdoor scratching area (stocking density 2.5 birds/m2). In all, 157 (26.5%) of the 585 fallen turkeys (barn 1:93; barn 2:70) showed at least one pathological joint alteration. and there were macroscopically detectable changes in 274 (7.8%) of the 3510 investigated joints: 152 (7.8%) of the 1728 joints from barn 1, and 122 (8.8%) of the 1782 from barn 2. In both housing systems the most frequent pathological alterations were in the intertarsal joint affecting 16% (188) of these 1170 joints (barn 1:106; barn 2:82); next most frequent were changes in the knee joint with 4.5% (53) of the 1170 joints affected (barn 1:26; barn 2:27). In both barns, synovial alterations occurred predominantly in the intertarsal and the knee joints. Bacteriological investigation of altered synovial fluids (83) most frequently showed an infection with Staphylococcus spp. (44) and E. coli (15). Macroscopic investigation showed alterations in 31 (2.7%) of the 1170 hip joints (barn 1:19; barn 2:12); 2% (22) of these showed cartilage degenerations of the femoral head (barn 1:15; barn 2:7). Histological investigation of these cartilage lesions showed that they were predominantly (70%) due to osteochondrosis with complete epiphyseolysis affecting 16 femoral heads (barn 1:10; barn 2:6). Partial epiphysiolysis was found in 24% (5) of the femoral heads (barn 1:4; barn 2:1). Furthermore, 43% (9) of the 22 femoral heads with cartilage degeneration also had osteomyelitis and osteochondritis, as well (barn 1:6; barn 2:3). Histological investigation of the 104 femoral heads with no macroscopic findings (barn 1:56; barn 2:48), revealed osteochondrosis in 11 cases (10.6%) (barn 1:6; barn 2:5). Osteomyelitis and osteochondritis were found in 17 (16.3%) of these femoral heads (barn 1:9; barn 2:8). There were no significant (p0.05) differences between the two housing systems in the incidence and frequency of joint alterations. It is to be assumed that these joint alterations were the cause of acute, chronic pain.

Target of this paper is to focus on the current knowledge about viscosupplementation in the management of osteoarthritis. The molecular structure and the effects of hyaluronic acid derivates on mechanical, biochemical and cellular level are described. Since the exogenously introduced hyaluronic acid derivates stay on average only 10 to 20 hour in the synovial fluid and yet its effect continues over months, an additional effect is postulated: modulation of the activity of the different cells in the development and progression of the osteoarthritis (synoviocytes, chondrocytes, inflammatory cells), probably by direct effect on their specific receptors. These receptors play an important role in the migration, adhesion and activation of inflammatory cells, as well as maturation and differentiation of the chondrocytes for synthesizing the cartilage matrix. In experimental studies in vitro and in vivo an analgetic and anti-inflammatory effect of hyaluronic acid derivates was proven. These results were confirmed in clinical studies. An amelioration of symptoms was shown and a delay of disease progression seems possible. This therapy is well tolerated and complications are few. Further studies to determine the optimal dosage and product (low or high-molecular preparation), the possible combination with other therapies in ideal sequence and the effect in the different subtypes of population are needed.

Reported in this paper are methods for spectrophotometric determination of the activities of lactatedehydrogenase (LDH) and aspartate-aminotransferase (AspAT) and for colorimetric determination of the activity of N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG) in the synovial fluid of farm animals. Optimum conditions are suggested, as a result of these studies, for reactions of those enzymes in synovial fluid. The behaviours of these enzymes in synovial fluid were compared to those in the blood serum of domestic animals and man and exhibited close agreement. The test-kits at present commercially available for applications in human medicine and used in the determination of LDH and AspAT activities are suitable also for the determination of enzyme activities in synovial fluid. Enzymes in synovial fluid are highly responsive and, even smallest amounts of synovial fluid, therefore, are sufficient for positive findings in laboratory diagnosis.

The paper presents the results of study of 28 synovial exudations in which the uricase method was used for uric acid determination with simultaneous pyrophosphatase and cathepsin C and D activity determination. The presence of crystals in these exudations was investigated as well. From the study follows that a higher uric acid level and higher pyrophosphatase activity coincide with the finding of urate and pyrophosphate crystals. The reported method of examination applies also to other identifications of microcrystals or crystalline split of urates or calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate in the exudation. The activity of cathepsin D permits to conclude on potential participation of peptides and/or polypeptides in the formation of crystals in the exudation.

Even if you use very refinded methods of investigation, there might be some difficulties in the estimation of praearthrotic and arthrotic conditions in the knee joint, especially under the aspect of differential diagnostical considerations. In those cases all the diagnostical measures available should be applied. In this paper the value and power of evidence of cytological investigations with arthrotic alterations of the knee joint are checked. For this purpose some synovial liquid was punctured in 25 cases--chosen out of a total number of 140--of operations (mostly on behalf of suspectes meniscopathy). The liquid was worked up in the method found by Vojtisek and analysed. It was possible to correlate the thus found results (analysis of the differential cell formation) with the findings which were objectively gained during the operation. Thereby you could see that the macroscopically visible changes of the synovialis, the menisci and the cartilage, which were divided into 5 groups regarding their form and their degree of significance, allowed a comparison with the findings of the differential cell formations. It is possible to attach certain forms of the differential cell formation to varying macroscopic-anatomic changes of the knee joint. The results are thoroughly discussed.

Interactions between C1q and collagen are thought to be due to the similarity in the structure of collagen and part of C1q. In the present paper immunological and biochemical aspects of this similarity were explored. It was found that one of nine rabbit anticollagen sera studied showed a clearcut reactivity with C1q, while anticollagenantibody-positive sera and synovial fluids of patients with rheumatoid arthritis did not display any cross-reactivity with C1q. Eleven of twenty collagen-immunized guinea pigs, however, demonstrated cellular cross-reactivity with CLF, the collagen-like fragment of C1q. Gel filtration studies indicated the formation of complexes between CLF and collagen, simulating immunological inhibition of anti-C1q-antibody by collagen. Human RA synovial collagenase was found capable of splitting C1q at a position within its collagen-like fragment. The importance of the interactions between collagen and C1q for the pathological events characterizing RA is discussed.

In 1972 the thermostabile antigen of granulocytes was for the first time isolated by Thoss and Abendroth from punctates of the joint of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Its origin from mature neutrophil granulocytes was ascertained by fluorescence-microscopic investigations. In the present paper the existence of thermostabile antigen of granulocytes in neutrophil granulocytes could be confirmed. The fluorescence pattern of neutrophil granulocytes of healthy persons did not show any differences in comparison to patients with inflammatory or myeloproliferative diseases as well as granulocytes from punctates of the joint or sternal marrow. With the help of punctates of the lymph-nodes the presence of thermostabile antigens of granulocytes in cells of the lymphatic system could be excluded. In smears of the sternal marrow positive fluorescence could be proved in the myelopoesis in neutrophil metamyelocytes. Quantitative investigations in inflammatory and myeloproliferative diseases as well as in granulocytopenias showed that the TSGA -serum values of the numbers of granulocytes go parallel. In punctates of the joint of patients with rheumatoid arthritis we found concentrations of thermostabile antigens of granulocytes which up to 50-fold were above the normal values of the serum. There was a close correlation to the number of granulocytes in the synovial fluid and to the cytological local activity. The TSGA -level can be regarded as indicator of granulocytic activation.