system
Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: BACKGROUND, OBJECTIVE, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Animal Feed, Animals, Eating, Gastric Emptying, Horses, Male, Radionuclide Imaging, Random Allocation, Starch, Stomach, Technetium Tc 99m Disofenin.
user
Do meal size and starch content affect gastric emptying in horses? Context: Feeding practices have been associated with colic in horses. If meal size and composition have an effect on gastric emptying, this could be one of the mechanisms by which feeding practices are related to the occurrence of colic. To evaluate the effect of meal size and starch content on solid phase gastric emptying. Solid phase gastric emptying of 3 different radiolabelled meals, small low-starch (SmLS), small high-starch (SmHS) and large high-starch (LgHS) meals, was measured in 5 horses by scintigraphy using 99mTc-disofenin. Data were compared among meals using nonlinear mixed-effects models and paired t tests. On a percentage basis, SmHS emptied significantly faster than LgHS and SmLS emptied significantly faster than SmHS meals. However, when meals of unequal size were compared by emptying rate in g/min and Kcal/min, LgHS emptied significantly faster than SmHS.
assistant
Meal size and composition affect gastric emptying. Final Decision: yes