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. 2025 Jul 23;23:439. doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-04231-7

Table 3.

Mean ± SEM or median (range) joint outcomes for umbilical cord (UC) or control (C) for 8 horses/site

Duration after injection (days)
Outcome Joint 0 1 3 5 10 21
Circumference (cm) C 29.2 ± 0.5 29.8 ± 0.4 26.9 ± 1.1 27.2 ± 0.8 28.5 ± 0.8 29.6 ± 0.2
UC 29.9 ± 0.4 30.1 ± 0.3 28.2 ± 1.1 27.5 ± 0.8 28.6 ± 0.7 29.4 ± 0.4
Pain of flexion (0–4)1 C 0 0 0 0 0 0
UC 0 0 0 0 0 0
Lameness score (0–4)2 C 0 0 0 0 0 0
UC 0 0 0 0 0 0
Synovial fluid TNCC3 C 137.5 ± 18.3 1850a ± 594.3 714.3a ± 281.5 1,450a ± 979.1 312.5 ± 100.8 187.5 ± 39.8
UC 171.4 ± 28.6 21,237.5a,b ± 5,980.7 712.5a ± 344.8 1,237.5a ± 244.2 328.6 ± 74.7 212.5 ± 47.9
Synovial fluid total protein4 C 1.2 ± 0.1 1.7a ± 0.4 1.4 ± 0.2 1.8 ± 0.2 1.3 ± 0.1 1.3 ± 0.1
UC 1.2 ± 0.1 3.3a,b ± 0.4 1.4 ± 0.2 1.8 ± 0.1 1.5 ± 0.1 1.3 ± 0.1

Synovial fluid

albumin4

C 0.7 ± 0.1 1.0a ± 0.2 0.8 ± 0.1 1.0 ± 0.1 0.8 ± 0 0.9 ± 0
UC 0.7 ± 0.1 1.6a,b ± 0.2 0.8 ± 0.1 1.1 ± 0 0.9 ± 0 0.9 ± 0.1

Synovial fluid

globulin5

C 0.5 ± 0 1.1a ± 0.4 0.6 ± 0.1 0.8 ± 0.2 0.6 ± 0.1 0.5 ± 0.1
UC 0.6 ± 0.1 1.3a ± 0.3 0.7 ± 0.1 0.8 ± 0.1 0.6 ± 0.1 0.6 ± 0.1

Synovial fluid

PMN (%)6

C 9.0 ± 7.2 52.6a ± 13.9 16.0a ± 9.6 16.1a ± 5.8 9.3 ± 4.3 2.8 ± 0.9
UC 4.3 ± 2.6 65.4a,b ± 6.3 18.6a ± 7.8 11.6a ± 6.8 3.7 ± 0.9 5.8 ± 1.4

Synovial Fluid Days 0,1,3 for the first four horses was not analyzed at the laboratory due to an error

1Pain scores: 0 = none, 1 = minimal, 2 = mild, 3 = moderate, 4 = marked

2Lameness classification: 0 = no lameness; 1 = intermittent lameness at trot; 2 = consistent lameness under special circumstances; 3 = consistent lameness at the trot; 4 = lameness at the walk; 5 = nonweight-bearing lameness

3TNCC = total nucleated cell count (cells/μL); normal range is < 1000 TNCC/μL

4Total protein values < 2.0 g/dL are within acceptable limits, however, typically are ≤ 1.5 g/dL in synovial fluid. Values ranging from 2.0 to 4.5 gm/dL reflect a transudate, and over 4.5 g/dL reflect an exudate

5Normal synovial fluid values for albumin are < 1.2 g/dL and for globulin are < 3.3 g/dL

5Normal PMN percentage is ≤ 10%

aSignificantly differs from baseline (P < 0.05)

bSignificantly differs between C and UC (P < 0.05)