Table 4.
Growth measurements and concentrations of plasma biomarkers during the first 50 d of age in calves born to cows classified according to normal body condition score (BCS) (≤ 3.25, NormBCS; n = 30) or high BCS (≥ 3.75, HighBCS; n = 19) at 4 weeks prior to parturition
| Itemc | Maternal BCS | SEM | P-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HighBCS | NormBCS | BCS | Day | BCS × Day | ||
| Body weight, kg | 59.6* | 63.3 | 1.33 | 0.04 | < 0.01 | 0.20 |
| Hip height, cm | 85.5 | 86.1 | 0.61 | 0.49 | < 0.01 | 0.70 |
| Hip width, cm | 19.7 | 20.0 | 0.23 | 0.28 | < 0.01 | 0.94 |
| Wither height, cm | 82.6 | 83.1 | 0.52 | 0.42 | < 0.01 | 0.36 |
| Body length, cm | 124 | 125 | 1.0 | 0.86 | < 0.01 | 0.46 |
| Starter intake, kg/d | 1.09 | 1.03 | 0.03 | 0.15 | < 0.01 | 0.16 |
| Average daily gain (ADG), kg/d | 0.66 | 0.69 | 0.04 | 0.49 | – | – |
| Plasma biomarkers | ||||||
| Energy metabolism | ||||||
| BHBA, mmol/L | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.01 | 0.13 | < 0.01 | 0.25 |
| Creatinine, μmol/L | 89.7 | 91.9 | 1.75 | 0.33 | < 0.01 | 0.34 |
| Glucose, mmol/L | 6.52 | 6.48 | 0.17 | 0.85 | < 0.01 | 0.63 |
| NEFA, mmol/L | 0.17 | 0.17 | 0.01 | 0.94 | < 0.01 | 0.66 |
| Urea, mmol/L | 4.43 | 4.52 | 0.11 | 0.53 | < 0.01 | 0.06 |
| Liver function | ||||||
| AST/GOT, U/L | 74.7 | 71.2 | 2.08 | 0.17 | < 0.01 | 0.26 |
| Cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.75* | 1.77 | 0.05 | 0.78 | < 0.01 | 0.04 |
| GGT, U/L | 86.5 | 96.6 | 8.11 | 0.35 | < 0.01 | 0.24 |
| Total bilirubin, μmol/L | 3.42* | 4.22 | 0.22 | 0.01 | < 0.01 | 0.11 |
| Inflammation | ||||||
| Albumin, g/L | 31.4 | 34.5 | 0.36 | 0.89 | < 0.01 | 0.23 |
| Ceruloplasmin, μmol/L | 2.32 | 2.39 | 0.11 | 0.64 | < 0.01 | 0.52 |
| Haptoglobin, g/L | 0.32 | 0.33 | 0.02 | 0.59 | < 0.01 | 0.06 |
| Myeloperoxidase, U/L | 310 | 340 | 20.19 | 0.26 | < 0.01 | 0.90 |
| Oxidative stress | ||||||
| Paraoxonase, U/mL | 46.0* | 40.5 | 2.02 | 0.04 | < 0.01 | 0.37 |
| FRAP, μmol/L | 150 | 160 | 4.30 | 0.10 | < 0.01 | 0.07 |
| NOx, μmol/L | 84.7 | 85.8 | 7.44 | 0.91 | < 0.01 | 0.94 |
| Nitrites, μmol/L | 5.07 | 5.10 | 0.33 | 0.94 | < 0.01 | 0.09 |
| Nitrates, μmol/L | 76.2 | 78.8 | 7.52 | 0.79 | < 0.01 | 0.97 |
| ROM, mg H2O2/100 mL | 12.0 | 11.9 | 0.48 | 0.86 | < 0.01 | 0.38 |
| Retinol, μg/100 mL | 16.1 | 15.3 | 0.83 | 0.47 | < 0.01 | 0.44 |
| Tocopherol, μg/mL | 2.73* | 2.55 | 0.20 | 0.50 | < 0.01 | 0.03 |
cAST aspartate aminotransferase, BHBA betahydroxybutyrate, GGT γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, FRAP ferric reducing ability of plasma, NEFA nonesterified fatty acids, NOx nitric oxide, ROM reactive oxygen metabolites
*Means differ P < 0.05 between groups due to BCS or BCS×Day