Glossary.
Terms from evidence appraisal, comparative physiology and nutrition science, each briefly defined and linked to the pages that use them.
A
B
- BioavailabilityShare of an ingested nutrient that actually reaches the circulation in a usable form.
- Blinding (single and double)A procedure hiding who was treated, so that expectation cannot colour judgement.
- Body condition score (BCS)Assessment of subcutaneous fat at defined anatomical sites, by sight and palpation.
- Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)Washing of one lung region to recover cells from the deep airways for cytology.
C
- C-reactive proteinThe reference inflammation marker in humans, weakly informative in horses.
- Caecal fermentationMicrobial breakdown of plant fibre in the caecum, at the start of the large intestine.
- ChelateMetal ion held at several points by an organic molecule, forming a claw-like ring.
- Chronic inflammationPersistent, often quiet inflammatory activity that keeps tissue remodelling going.
- ColicUmbrella term for abdominal pain in the horse: a clinical sign with many different causes.
- Confidence intervalA range of values showing how precise a measurement from a sample is.
- Confounding factorA third variable that falsely links a supposed cause with an outcome.
- Control groupA comparison group showing what would have happened without the treatment.
- CytokineSmall messenger protein through which immune cells instruct one another.
D
E
- ElectrolyteMineral that separates into charged particles in the fluids of the body.
- Equine asthmaUmbrella term for chronic non-infectious inflammation of the deep airways in horses.
- Equine grimace scaleAssessment of pain-related signs in horses from defined features of facial expression.
- Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)Metabolic picture combining insulin dysregulation with an increased risk of laminitis.
- External validityThe question of whether a result holds outside the study's own conditions.
G
H
I
L
- LamenessVisible disturbance of a horse's gait, usually pain related: a clinical sign, not a diagnosis.
- LeucineBranched-chain amino acid that signals the building of muscle protein.
- Level of evidenceA ranking showing how well a study design guards against a mistaken conclusion.
- Limiting amino acidIndispensable amino acid in shortest supply relative to the requirement.
M
N
O
P
- Pain ethogramCatalogue of strictly defined behaviours used to detect pain through structured observation.
- PharmacokineticsThe study of a substance's route through the body, from uptake to excretion.
- Pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID)Age-related pituitary disorder of the horse, long referred to as equine Cushing's disease.
- PlaceboA dummy treatment without the active component, identical in every other way.
- PreregistrationPublic lodging of the question and analysis plan before a study begins.
- Publication biasDistortion caused by striking results being published more often than null ones.
R
- Randomised controlled trialA study in which chance decides who receives the treatment and who does not.
- Reactive oxygen speciesHighly reactive oxygen compounds arising from normal cellular activity.
- Reference intakeValue published by expert bodies to cover the requirement of a defined group.
- Resolution of inflammationActively driven shutdown of an inflammatory response, not mere fading of the stimulus.
S
- Saddle pressure measurementMeasurement of force distribution between saddle and horse's back using a sensor mat.
- Selection biasDistortion arising when the subjects studied do not represent the target group.
- Serum amyloid AThe leading acute phase protein in the horse, with a very fast rise.
- Short-chain fatty acidsAcids formed by gut bacteria when they ferment plant fibre in the large intestine.
- Spinal kinematicsDescription of vertebral column movement in space and time, with forces left out.
- Statistical powerThe ability of a study to detect a difference that genuinely exists.
- Subclinical deficiencySupply below requirement that lowers stores before any visible sign appears.
- Superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT)Energy-storing tendon at the back of the cannon, a frequent site of overstrain injury.
- Surrogate endpointA stand-in measurement used in place of the outcome that truly matters.
- Systematic reviewA synthesis that seeks every study on one question under rules fixed in advance.
T
The evidence letter
Once a month: new syntheses, checked studies, and what has changed in the state of the evidence.