Table 1.
Characteristics of free-ranging brown bears during hibernation and the summer active state.
| Hibernation winter | Active summer | p | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 15 | 15 | – |
| Sex (male/female) | 4/11 | – | |
| Age at winter sampling (years) | 3.2 (1.1) | – | |
| Body weight (kg) | 48 (24) | 49 (26) | 0.008 |
| Albumin (g/l) | 36.6 (3.4) | 30.5 (3.6) | < 0.001 |
| Total protein (g/l) | 74.0 (5.2) | 57.5 (4.6) | < 0.001 |
| Calcium (mmol/l) | 2.4 (0.1) | 2.3 (0.3) | 0.268 |
| Phosphate (mmol/l) | 1.5 (0.5) | 2.4 (0.9) | < 0.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/l) | 10.4 (5.8) | 6.6 (1.3) | 0.063 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/l) | 4.1 (1.4) | 2.1 (1.2) | < 0.001 |
| ALAT (U/l) | 12.0 (3.8) | 35.5 (18.0) | 0.002 |
| ASAT (U/l) | 52.5 (19.8) | 89.5 (51.5) | 0.002 |
| Creatinine (µmol/l) | 206 (50) | 84 (14) | < 0.001 |
| Urea (mmol/l) | 3.5 (5.0) | 13.6 (6.7) | < 0.001 |
| Uric acid (µmol/l) | 65 (16) | 128 (67) | < 0.001 |
| Glucose (mmol/l) | 6.9 (2.1) | 5.3 (3.4) | 0.064 |
| Insulin (mU/l) | 2.2 (0.9) | 1.5 (1.2) | 0.014 |
| Cystein (µmol/l) | 134.0 (69.3) | 149.4 (73.1) | 0.330 |
| CysGly (µmol/l) | 20.1 (7.4) | 24.6 (7.6) | 0.041 |
| Homocystein (µmol/l) | 16.0 (6.8) | 11.6 (12.6) | 0.229 |
| Betaine (ng/µl) | 47.7 (36.5) | 11.3 (6.2) | < 0.001 |
| Choline (ng/µl) | 4.0 (1.4) | 3.4 (0.6) | 0.009 |
| TMAO (ng/µl) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | – |
Characteristics of the free-ranging brown bears during hibernation and the active state, divided into winter (i.e. hibernation) and summer (i.e. active) blood samplings. ALAT, Alanine transaminase; ASAT, Aspartate transaminase; TMAO, Trimethylamine N-oxide. Values for median (interquartile range) or total number are shown. p values as assessed by non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test.