Table 2.

Inflammatory biomarkers (haptoglobin, ceruloplasmin, albumin, and cholesterol), index of liver function (paraoxonase and bilirubin), oxidative stress (ROM and FRAP), creatinine, and LFI in plasma of dairy cows with varying dry period lengths (0, 30, 60, or 0 → 30* d) and fed either a glucogenic (G) or a lipogenic (L) ration categorized according to UHS (LSM ± pooled SEM)

	UHS†			SEM	Dry period length, d					P ‡
Item	HU	RU	NRU	SEM	0	30	60	0 → 30*	SEM	UHS	D	R	P	W	D × P	D × W	P × R	UHS × R
Cows, n = 91	17	31	43		12	29	36	14
Haptoglobin, g/L	0.41b	0.44ab	0.56a	0.04	0.48	0.46	0.47	0.46	0.05	0.01	0.99	0.78	0.84	<0.01	0.87	0.35	0.93	0.25
Ceruloplasmin, µmol/L	2.00	1.86	1.97	0.09	2.09	1.83	1.95	1.91	0.10	0.39	0.38	0.85	0.28	<0.01	0.11	0.03	0.43	1.00
Albumin, g/L	37.22ab	37.28b	35.62a	0.54	36.44	36.70	36.39	37.30	0.62	0.01	0.65	0.88	0.26	<0.01	0.03	0.48	0.02	0.04
Cholesterol, mmol/L	2.90	2.97	2.78	0.15	3.25	2.86	2.75	2.68	0.17	0.50	0.22	0.37	<0.01	<0.01	0.82	0.73	0.89	0.71
Bilirubin, µmol/L	1.22	1.25	1.27	0.15	0.73a	1.22a	1.17a	1.86b	0.18	0.98	<0.01	0.39	0.35	<0.01	0.69	<0.01	0.08	0.40
Paraoxonase, U/mL	59.83a	52.40a	43.30b	2.73	50.38	51.92	48.24	56.83	3.14	<0.01	0.15	0.06	0.12	<0.01	0.10	0.49	0.73	0.07
ROM, mg H2O2/100mL	15.69	15.22	15.85	0.36	16.70	15.13	15.27	15.25	0.41	0.28	0.13	0.53	0.03	<0.01	0.18	0.08	0.57	0.11
FRAP, μmol/L	157.35	148.03	145.87	3.49	152.55	147.75	152.86	148.51	4.01	0.09	0.57	0.34	<0.01	<0.01	0.18	0.58	0.41	0.64
Creatinine, µmol/L	104.40ab	106.84b	100.45a	1.95	101.49ab	105.57a	98.80b	109.73a	2.25	0.02	<0.01	0.53	0.52	<0.01	0.46	0.31	0.02	0.60
LFI	1.19a	1.32a	−0.34b	0.22	1.91a	0.36b	0.58b	0.04b	0.26	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01	NA	<0.01	NA	<0.01	0.26

^a,bValues within dry period length in the same row with different superscripts differ (P < 0.05).

*In the second subsequent lactation, 19 cows, which were planned to have a 0-d dry period, had a milk production of <4 kg/d for at least 30 d before the expected calving date and were allowed to go dry.

^†HU = healthy uterine environment: vaginal discharge (VD) score = 0 or 1 in both week 2 and 3; RU = a recovering uterine environment: VD score = 2 or 3 in week 2 and score = 0 or 1 in week 3; NRU = Non-recovering uterine environment: VD score: 2 or 3 in week 3.

^‡D = dry period; R = ration; P = parity; NA = not applicable; D × R, UHS × W and UHS × P are included in the model, but not significant. UHS × D are excluded from the model because of fewer animals in the group.