Serum activities of two bone markers in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at different ages

The influence of sex and age on bone turnover markers in the adult to geriatric Kangal shepherd dogs

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this research was to learn more about bone metabolism in intact female and male Kangal shepherd dogs during the aging process following skeletal maturity. It also evaluated the potential application of biochemical bone indicators in veterinary clinical practice.

METHODS

Bone markers were determined as bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP), osteocalcin (OC), C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), and cross-linked C-telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) in this study. Kangal shepherd dogs of different age (adult, senior, and geriatric) and sex (male and female) groups were split into six groups of equal numbers (n = 8/group).

RESULTS

In this study, the effect of age was observed on serum BALP, OC, CTX, and ICTP concentrations. Specifically, BALP was highest in geriatric female Kangal shepherd dogs, while serum OC, CTX, and ICTP concentrations were highest in geriatric male Kangal shepherd dogs. However, no effects of sex and age-sex interactions were identified. Moreover, the effects of age, sex, and age-sex interactions had no significant effect on serum creatinine, CK, LDH, Mg, and P concentrations or ALT activities. However, only sex was found to affect serum AST activities and gradually decreased with age in females. The effect of age and age-sex interactions on serum Ca concentrations was significant (the lowest serum Ca concentrations were in geriatric females), but the effect of sex was not.

CONCLUSIONS

These results show the effect of age and sex on bone turnover in Kangal shepherd dogs and provide information about bone biomarkers.

The serum activities of alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes measured using two approved methods in zoo-managed Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

The approved Japanese measurement method of circulating alkaline phosphatase (ALP) has changed from that of the Japan Society of Clinical Chemistry (JSCC) to that of the International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC). We measured the serum levels of total ALP (t-ALP) and those of the isoenzymes ALP2 and ALP3 in 50 Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) specimens using both methods. The activities determined by the IFCC method were roughly one-third lower than those determined by the JSCC method. We present conversion formulae. Our results enable comparisons of historical and current data on serum ALP activities in endangered, zoo-managed Asian elephants.

Prepartum measurement of serum biomarkers reflecting osteoclastic and osteoblastic bone metabolism for predicting the risk of milk fever in dairy cows

We investigated whether prepartum levels of serum bone biomarkers are related to the degree of parturient hypocalcaemia and risk of milk fever (MF) in dairy cows with advancing parity. A total of 58 late-pregnant cattle were assigned to four groups: nulliparous, primiparous, multiparous in the 2nd lactation and multiparous in the 3rd-5th lactation. The multiparous cows were further assigned to MF and non-MF groups according to the onset of MF. Serum samples were obtained from the cows during the 3 weeks prepartum to 5 d postpartum period for the measurement of serum calcium (Ca) and three bone biomarkers: tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRAP5b), osteoprotegerin (OPG) and bone isoenzyme of alkaline phosphatase (ALP3). The ratios of OPG to TRAP5b (O/T ratio) and ALP3 to TRAP5b (A/T ratio) were calculated. The data from all cattle showed that the severity of hypocalcaemia at parturition increased with advancing parity/age. The MF cows had elevated serum TRAP5b activity and a decreased O/T ratio after parturition, suggesting an increased number of osteoclasts due to osteoclastogenesis, in response to severe hypocalcaemia. The MF cows showed lower serum ALP3 activity during the 3 weeks prepartum than the non-MF cows, therefore, prepartum osteoblast function was likely weak in the MF cows. During the 2-3 weeks prepartum, serum ALP3 activity and the A/T ratio had moderate associations with the serum Ca concentration at day 0 (day of calving) in the multiparous cows, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed that ALP3 activity had excellent ability to predict MF. In conclusion, prepartum serum ALP3 activity is a promising biomarker to predict MF in multiparous cows.

Anthropometric and blood data on a hand-reared captive Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) calf: A retrospective case report

The anthropometric and blood data of an unsuccessfully hand-reared Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) calf were retrospectively compared with the data for calves raised by their real mothers or allomothers, to identify potential reasons for poor outcomes in the hand-reared case. The hand-reared calf grew normally in terms of body weight and withers height. However, blood biochemical data suggested reduced bone metabolism, low immune status, and malnutrition during its life. Blood bone markers were measured to determine whether a skeletal disorder was present in the Asian elephant calf, which was not clear from the anthropometric data. Monitoring these parameters in hand-reared Asian elephant calves, with the aim of keeping them within the normal range, may increase the success rate of hand-rearing of Asian elephant calves.

Determination of serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme activity in captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) using an agarose gel electrophoresis method

The bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (ALP) isoenzyme activity was measured in 51 serum samples from four captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) using a conventional method with wheat germ lectin precipitation and a commercial agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) kit; the isoenzymes were designated as bone-specific ALP (BAP) and ALP isoenzyme 3 (ALP3), respectively. This study examined the suitability of the AGE kit for analyzing blood biochemistry in Asian elephants. The serum ALP3 and BAP activities were strongly positively correlated and met the evaluation criteria for agreement using Bland-Altman analysis. The results indicate that the AGE kit can be used to examine the blood biochemistry in Asian elephants instead of the conventional method.