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Vive the vole!
April 01, 2008The gathering of data for research involving an animal usually involves invasive procedures or death for the experimental animals. But critical data may now be collected through a nonlethal procedure, according to a new paper for the forthcoming issue of Physiological and Biochemical Zoology.
In the paper "Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorbtiometry (DXA) Can Accurately and Non-Destructively Measure the Body Composition of Small, Free-Living Rodents," Kalb Stevenson and Dr. Ian G. van Tets reveal that they have discovered that they can take a wide range of measurements accurately with a portable DXA device. These body composition measurements in small rodents-water, protein, minerals, lean, and fat-are critical for dietary and environmental research. Previous measurements taken in the field, though not lethal, relied on length and body mass calculations, which are often inaccurate; methods used on laboratory animals are often lethal, precluding longitudinal research. Differing methods used in fieldwork and in the laboratory limited scientific collaboration. Legal and/or ethical barriers against invasive research on endangered species further hampered crucial studies. "We needed a way to accurately and consistently measure the body condition of small mammals recaptured at different times of the year and could not do so using traditional means" said Dr. van Tets "so we decided to test whether DXA analysis could solve this problem".
In their NSF-funded study of the northern redbacked vole (Clethrionomys rutilus), Stevenson and van Tets took a broad set of measurements accurately by employing DXA, using X-rays and mathematical formulas to noninvasively measure body content. Even transponder tags used to track the rodents in the wild did not interfere with their measurement of fat mass, lean mass, bone mineral content, bone mineral density, and fat-free mass. "DXA worked better than we expected" Stevenson said "The measurements were consistent with those obtained via chemical (proximate) analysis and required nothing more than the machine itself, a laptop, and a power source. As subjects are not harmed, we can use this technology to track changes in individual animals over time and already have DXA-based projects underway studying the effects of season and/or hibernation on the body composition of animals as diverse as voles, ground squirrels, and black bears."
Portable DXA devices provide the opportunity for quick measurements in the field and the ability to take measurements over time, allowing researchers to account for environmental factors. And, finally, field researchers and laboratory researchers will be able to collaborate using comparable data, allowing an increased degree of scientific rigor in comparative physiological studies.
University of Chicago Press Journals
Portable DXA devices provide the opportunity for quick measurements in the field and the ability to take measurements over time, allowing researchers to account for environmental factors. And, finally, field researchers and laboratory researchers will be able to collaborate using comparable data, allowing an increased degree of scientific rigor in comparative physiological studies.
University of Chicago Press Journals
Body Composition News and Current Body Composition Events RSSChildren's calorie expenditure, heart rate increase during active video games
Children burn more than four times as many calories per minute playing an active video game than playing a seated game, and their heart rate is also significantly higher with the active game.
Growth hormone treatment for HIV patients improves abdominal fat, but worsens glucose level
For human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients with treatment-related abdominal obesity and growth hormone deficiency, receiving low-dose growth hormone resulted in improvement in fat and blood pressure measurements but worsened glucose levels.
Common cooking spice shows promise in combating diabetes and obesity
Turmeric, an Asian spice found in many curries, has a long history of use in reducing inflammation, healing wounds and relieving pain, but can it prevent diabetes?
Lifestyle can alter gene activity, lead to insulin resistance
A Finnish study of identical twins has found that physical inactivity and acquired obesity can impair expression of the genes which help the cells produce energy.
Developmental changes in adolescence raise men's heart disease risk
Normal developmental changes during the teenage years leave young adult men at higher risk of heart disease than their female counterparts, researchers report in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Genetic variants of USF1 are associated with the increased risk for cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are major contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Several interacting environmental, biochemical, and genetic risk factors can increase disease susceptibility.
Fabled 'Freshman 15' pound gain more often only 5, report researchers
The "freshman 15" - the rapid weight gain believed to afflict many new college students when they begin school - appears to be a bit of an urban legend: a cautionary tale often told but not well substantiated.
Journal SLEEP: Short, long sleep duration is associated with future weight gain in adults
Both short and long sleeping times predict an increased risk of future body weight and fat gain in adults, according to a study published in the April 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
Normal weight obesity: An emerging risk factor for heart and metabolic problems
More than half of American adults considered to have normal body weight in America have high body fat percentages -- greater than 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women -- as well as heart and metabolic disturbances, new Mayo Clinic research shows.
The ABCs of childhood z's: Snoring may be chronic despite surgery
Children who gain weight rapidly after having their tonsils and adenoids removed to treat sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) may improve in the short-term, but over time they may relapse or even worsen. African-American children also tend to relapse, according to new research from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
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