Unraveling the Complexity to Observe Associations Between Welfare Indicators and Hair Cortisol Concentration in Dairy Calves

Using levels of the stress hormone cortisol as an indicator for welfare is a common, but debated practice. In this observational study, hair cortisol concentration (HCC) of samples from 196 dairy calves from 7 to 302 days of age collected from 12 Swedish farms was determined using a commercially available ELISA. An assessment of animal welfare, assessed using animal-based indicators, was performed on the day of sampling. First, methodological factors with the potential to impact HCC and the effect of age were analyzed using generalized additive models. This revealed a significant peak in hair cortisol in young calves (around 50 days of age) and an association between fecal contamination of hair samples and the level of cortisol extracted. Second, associations between welfare indicators and HCC were explored using cluster analysis and regularized regression. The results show a complex pattern, possibly related to different coping styles of the calves, and indicators of poor welfare were associated with both increased and decreased hair cortisol levels. High cortisol levels were associated with potential indicators of competition, while low cortisol levels were associated with the signs of poor health or a poor environment. When running the regularized regression analysis without the contaminated hair samples and with the contaminated samples (including a contamination score), the results did not change, indicating that it may be possible to use a contamination score to correct for contamination.

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Correlation analysis of cortisol concentration in hair versus concentrations in serum, saliva and urine.

10.21203/rs.2.24006/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lukasz Cieszynski ◽

Jaroslaw Jendrzejewski ◽

Piotr Wisniewski ◽

Przemyslaw Klosowski ◽

Krzysztof Sworczak

Keyword(s):

Clinical Practice ◽

Salivary Cortisol ◽

Serum Cortisol ◽

Individual Characteristics ◽

Cortisol Concentration ◽

Reference Ranges ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Free Cortisol ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Cortisol Levels

Abstract Background: Cortisol concentration is measured in blood, urine, and saliva samples. It has been recently proven that cortisol could be also detected in hair samples. Cortisol measurements in different samples have their own individual characteristics and clinical utility. We aimed to investigate the correlation between hair cortisol concentration and standard cortisol measurements used in clinical practice. Methods: Fifty adult volunteers with a negative history of endocrine disorders were enrolled into the study. Morning serum cortisol (MSC), evening serum cortisol (ESC), evening free salivary cortisol (EFSC), urine free cortisol (UFC) and hair cortisol were analyzed in all participants. Eventually, 41 volunteers were included into the study, whose cortisol concentration in the 1 mg overnight dexamethason suppression test (1mgONDST) were <50 nmol/l, and cortisol levels in serum, saliva and urine were within reference ranges. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was performed for 20 mg of hair strands of the proximal 1 cm hair segments. Results: HCC ranged from 0.3036 to 2.65 nmol/l/mg, and the average value was 0.8125±0.4834 nmol/l/mg. No significant correlations were found between HCC and MSC (rho=0.04419, p=0.7838), HCC and ESC (rho=-0.2071, p=0.1938), HCC and EFSC (rho=0.1005, p=0.532), and HCC and UFC (rho = 0.1793, p = 0.262). Conclusions : This work is another step in the discussion on the application of HCC determinations in clinical practice. Our results have showed no correlations between HCC and single point cortisol assessment in blood, saliva and urine in patients with reference cortisol levels. Keywords: Hair cortisol, Serum cortisol, Salivary cortisol, Urine cortisol, Cortisol assessment, Cortisol correlation

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Association between hair cortisol concentration and metabolic syndrome

Open Medicine ◽

10.1515/med-2021-0298 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 873-881

Author(s):

Eglė Mazgelytė ◽

Asta Mažeikienė ◽

Neringa Burokienė ◽

Rėda Matuzevičienė ◽

Aušra Linkevičiūtė ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Metabolic Syndrome ◽

Blood Serum ◽

Salivary Cortisol ◽

High Performance ◽

Cortisol Concentration ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Lower Social Support ◽

Cortisol Levels

Abstract Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a highly prevalent disorder defined as a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors including obesity, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. It is believed that excessive cortisol secretion due to psychosocial stress-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation might be involved in the pathogenesis of MetS. We sought to explore the association between MetS and psychosocial risk factors, as well as cortisol concentration measured in different biological specimens including saliva, blood serum, and hair samples. The study was conducted on a sample of 163 young and middle-aged men who were divided into groups according to the presence of MetS. Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) was determined using high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection, while blood serum and salivary cortisol levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Lipid metabolism biomarkers were determined using routine laboratory methods. Anthropometric and lifestyle characteristics, as well as self-reported psychosocial indicators, were also examined. Significantly higher HCC and lower social support level among participants with MetS compared with individuals without MetS were found. However, no significant differences in blood serum and salivary cortisol levels were observed between men with and without MetS. In conclusion, chronically elevated cortisol concentration might be a potential contributing factor to the development of MetS.

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Hair cortisol-a method to detect chronic cortisol levels in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome

10.21203/rs.3.rs-31626/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hasanain Hamid Shukur ◽

Yolanda B de Rijke ◽

Elisabeth FC van Rossum ◽

Laith Hussain-Alkhateeb ◽

Charlotte Höybye

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Regression Model ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Linear Regression Model ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Prader Willi Syndrome ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Cortisol Levels

Abstract Background: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a multisymptomatic, rare, genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder in adults mainly characterized by hyperphagia, cognitive dysfunction, behavioral problems and risk of morbid obesity. Although endocrine insufficiencies are common, hypocortisolism is rare and knowledge on long-term cortisol concentrations is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term cortisol levels in PWS by measurements of hair cortisol. Methods: Twenty-nine adults with PWS, 15 men and 14 women, median age 29 years, median BMI 27 kg/m2, were included. Scalp hair samples were analyzed for cortisol content using liquid-chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. In addition, a questionnaire on auxology, medication and stress were included. For comparison, 105 age- and sex-matched participants from the population-based Lifelines Cohort study were included as controls. The mean hair cortisol between the groups were compared and associations between BMI and stress were assessed by a generalized linear regression model. Results: In the PWS group large variations in hair cortisol was seen. Mean hair cortisol was 12.8±25.4 pg/mg compared to 3.8±7.3 pg/mg in controls (p=0.001). The linear regression model similarly showed higher cortisol levels in patients with PWS, which remained consistent after adjusting for BMI and stress (p=0.023). Furthermore, hair cortisol increased with BMI (p=0.012) and reported stress (p=0.014). Conclusion: Long-term cortisol concentrations were higher in patients with PWS compared to controls and increased with BMI and stress, suggesting an adequate cortisol response to chronic stress. Hair cortisol demonstrate promising applications in the context of PWS treatment and disease management.

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Scalp hair sweating as a predictor of hair cortisol level in human compared to obesity and other confounders

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-02223-0 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Darya S. Abdulateef

Keyword(s):

Cortisol Level ◽

Scalp Hair ◽

Positive Association ◽

Stressful Events ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Significant Positive Association ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Cortisol Levels ◽

Study Participants

AbstractInconsistent results were found throughout the literature regarding factors affecting hair cortisol levels. Hair cortisol level in humans was not studied for its associations to scalp hair sweating or hair wash frequency in a patient-based way. Factors affecting hair cortisol levels must be precisely known in order to interpret the results correctly. The aims of the study are to assess if BMI, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), hair wash frequency, and sweating with scalp hair affect hair cortisol levels. It will assess which of these factors are more significant predictors of hair cortisol levels. In a study on healthy adults, information about history, socio-demographics, PSS, hair wash frequency, hair treatment, and scalp hair sweating were collected, and hair samples were taken and analyzed for their hair cortisol level. Associations of hair cortisol levels with each of the variables were investigated and significant predictors of hair cortisol levels among the variables were found. Mean hair cortisol level in the study participants was 16.84 pg/mg hair. Hair cortisol has a significant positive association with weight, BMI, PSS, and scalp hair sweating, p < 0.05. Scalp hair sweating significantly predicts hair cortisol levels by 12.3%, while other variables did not significantly predict hair cortisol levels, p < 0.05. Scalp hair sweating significantly predicts hair cortisol levels. Age, hair wash frequency, hair treatment, and stressful events have no associations with hair cortisol levels. Although BMI and PSS are associated with hair cortisol levels, they do not significantly predict it. Obesity is significantly associated with profuse sweating, thus the increase in hair cortisol levels in obese individuals could partly be the result of a higher incidence of sweating in these individuals. Thus, scalp hair sweating should be taken into consideration during the study and interpretation of hair cortisol levels.

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Hair cortisol-a method to detect chronic cortisol levels in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome

10.21203/rs.3.rs-31626/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hasanain Hamid Shukur ◽

Yolanda B de Rijke ◽

Elisabeth FC van Rossum ◽

Laith Hussain-Alkhateeb ◽

Charlotte Höybye

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Regression Model ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Linear Regression Model ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Prader Willi Syndrome ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Cortisol Levels

Abstract Background: Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a multisymptomatic, rare, genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder in adults mainly characterized by hyperphagia, cognitive dysfunction, behavioral problems and risk of morbid obesity. Although endocrine insufficiencies are common, hypocortisolism is rare and knowledge on long-term cortisol concentrations is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term cortisol levels in PWS by measurements of hair cortisol.Methods: Twenty-nine adults with PWS, 15 men and 14 women, median age 29 years, median BMI 27 kg/m2, were included. Scalp hair samples were analyzed for cortisol content using liquid-chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. In addition, a questionnaire on auxology, medication and stress were included. For comparison, 105 age- and sex-matched participants from the population-based Lifelines Cohort study were included as controls. The mean hair cortisol between the groups were compared and associations between BMI and stress were assessed by a generalized linear regression model.Results: In the PWS group large variations in hair cortisol was seen. Mean hair cortisol was 12.8±25.4 pg/mg compared to 3.8±7.3 pg/mg in controls (p=0.001). The linear regression model similarly showed higher cortisol levels in patients with PWS, which remained consistent after adjusting for BMI and stress (p=0.023). Furthermore, hair cortisol increased with BMI (p=0.012) and reported stress (p=0.014).Conclusion: Long-term cortisol concentrations were higher in patients with PWS compared to controls and increased with BMI and stress, suggesting an adequate cortisol response to chronic stress. Hair cortisol demonstrate promising applications in the context of PWS treatment and disease management.

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Longitudinal Associations between Hair Cortisol, PTSD Symptoms, and Sleep Disturbances in a Sample of Firefighters with Duty-related Trauma Exposure

10.1101/2021.08.22.21262402 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Marie Roxanne Sopp ◽

Tanja Michael ◽

Johanna Lass-Hennemann ◽

Shilat Haim-Nachum ◽

Miriam J. J. Lommen

Keyword(s):

Sleep Disturbances ◽

Secondary Outcome ◽

Secondary Outcome Measure ◽

Ptsd Symptoms ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Trauma Severity ◽

Work Related ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Average Work ◽

Cortisol Levels

Several studies have found evidence of altered cortisol levels in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Based on these findings, it is assumed that these patients may show signs of cortisol dysregulation after trauma. Posttrauma cortisol levels are thus considered a potential biomarker of PTSD. However, longitudinal studies using indicators of long-term cortisol secretion (such as hair cortisol concentrations; HCC) are scarce. The current study investigated prospective associations between HCC and PTSD symptoms in a sample of Dutch firefighters taking into account varying levels of work-related trauma severity. In addition, we assessed posttraumatic sleep disturbances as a secondary outcome measure to investigate whether effects generalize to this frequent comorbidity of PTSD. Three hundred seventy-one Dutch firefighters with a mean of 14.01 years of work experience were included in the analyses. Baseline assessment included the collection of hair samples and the measurement of work-related trauma severity, PTSD symptoms, and sleep disturbances. PTSD symptoms and sleep disturbance were re-assessed after six and twelve months. Multilevel analyses indicate a significant positive correlation between HCC and baseline PTSD symptoms in those with average or above-average work-related trauma severity. A similar pattern was evident for posttraumatic sleep disturbances at baseline. Moreover, higher HCC predicted more posttraumatic sleep disturbances after 6 months in participants with above-average work-related trauma severity. No other associations emerged for PTSD symptoms or posttraumatic sleep disturbances at six or twelve months. As such, our study supports the existence of a cross-sectional association between HCC and trauma symptoms, which may vary for different levels of subjective trauma severity. The longitudinal stability of this association should be reinvestigated by future research.

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Hair cortisol-a method to detect chronic cortisol levels in patients with Prader-Willi syndrome

BMC Endocrine Disorders ◽

10.1186/s12902-020-00646-w ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hasanain Hamid Shukur ◽

Yolanda B. de Rijke ◽

Elisabeth F. C. van Rossum ◽

Laith Hussain-Alkhateeb ◽

Charlotte Höybye

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Regression Model ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Linear Regression Model ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Prader Willi Syndrome ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Cortisol Levels

Abstract Background Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a multisymptomatic, rare, genetic, neurodevelopmental disorder in adults mainly characterized by hyperphagia, cognitive dysfunction, behavioral problems and risk of morbid obesity. Although endocrine insufficiencies are common, hypocortisolism is rare and knowledge on long-term cortisol concentrations is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate long-term cortisol levels in PWS by measurements of hair cortisol. Methods Twenty-nine adults with PWS, 15 men and 14 women, median age 29 years, median BMI 27 kg/m2, were included. Scalp hair samples were analyzed for cortisol content using liquid-chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry. In addition, a questionnaire on auxology, medication and stress were included. For comparison, 105 age- and sex-matched participants from the population-based Lifelines Cohort study were included as controls. The mean hair cortisol between the groups were compared and associations between BMI and stress were assessed by a generalized linear regression model. Results In the PWS group large variations in hair cortisol was seen. Mean hair cortisol was 12.8 ± 25.4 pg/mg compared to 3.8 ± 7.3 pg/mg in controls (p = 0.001). The linear regression model similarly showed higher cortisol levels in patients with PWS, which remained consistent after adjusting for BMI and stress (p = 0.023). Furthermore, hair cortisol increased with BMI (p = 0.012) and reported stress (p = 0.014). Conclusion Long-term cortisol concentrations were higher in patients with PWS compared to controls and increased with BMI and stress, suggesting an adequate cortisol response to chronic stress. Hair cortisol demonstrate promising applications in the context of PWS treatment and disease management.

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Preventing ectoparasite infestations reduces glucocorticoid concentrations in the hair of cows – short communication

Acta Veterinaria Hungarica ◽

10.1556/004.2018.035 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 66 (3) ◽

pp. 390-393

Author(s):

Sreten Nedić ◽

Danijela Kirovski ◽

Ivan Vujanac ◽

Radiša Prodanović ◽

Ljubomir Jovanović ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Short Communication ◽

Treated Group ◽

Holstein Cows ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Cortisol Levels

The aim of this study was to compare hair corticosteroid concentrations in ectoparasiticide-treated (n = 10) and non-treated (n = 12) Holstein cows. Animals in the treated group received cyfluthrin three times, on days 0, 28 and 56 of the experiment. Hair samples were collected from all cows on days 0, 21, 42, 63, and 84 of the experiment for the determination of cortisol and corticosterone concentrations using immunoassays. The respective hair cortisol concentrations in the treated group averaged 209.78, 165.10, 260.78, 177.44 and 183.11 ng/g, while in the non-treated group hair cortisol concentrations averaged 172.58, 243.58, 309.73, 199.75 and 207.09 ng/g. These results indicate that the control of ectoparasites reduced hair cortisol levels in dairy cows. The respective hair corticosterone concentrations in the treated group averaged 19.06, 22.95, 21.95, 21.60 and 24.84 ng/g and in the non-treated group the hair corticosterone concentrations averaged 17.28, 21.94, 34.05, 26.27 and 26.91 ng/g. The results suggest that longterm stress can be estimated better by the determination of hair cortisol rather than corticosterone concentrations.

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Hair cortisol- a novel method to explore Prader-Willi syndrome.

10.21203/rs.3.rs-31626/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Hasanain Hamid Shukur ◽

Yolanda B de Rijke ◽

Elisabeth FC van Rossum ◽

Laith Hussain-Alkhateeb ◽

Charlotte Höybye

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Regression Model ◽

Behavioral Problems ◽

Linear Regression Model ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Prader Willi Syndrome ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Cortisol Levels

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Welfare assessment in dairy cows using hair cortisol as a part of monitoring protocols

Journal of Dairy Research ◽

10.1017/s0022029920000588 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 87 (S1) ◽

pp. 72-78

Author(s):

Urška Vesel ◽

Tea Pavič ◽

Jožica Ježek ◽

Tomaž Snoj ◽

Jože Starič

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cows ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Cortisol Concentration ◽

Hair Cortisol ◽

Welfare Assessment ◽

Assessment Protocol ◽

Potential Marker ◽

Hair Samples ◽

Welfare Quality ◽

Monitoring Protocols

AbstractWelfare of dairy cows can be assessed using welfare assessment protocols consisting of resource, management and animal-based measures. Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol is one of the best-known protocols, which depends almost entirely on animal-based measures. To gain more objective and rapid welfare assessment, new techniques have been developed to measure welfare of animals, such as hair cortisol concentration. As cortisol is released in response to stress, it has long been used as a biomarker of stress in animals. While the precise mechanism of cortisol incorporation into hair is unknown, hair cortisol concentration seems to be a marker of long-term systemic cortisol concentration. Hair cortisol is, therefore, a potential marker of chronic stress and is not likely to be affected by acute stress. Studies on cattle show connections between hair cortisol concentration and factors such as pregnancy, parity, diseases, ectoparasites, body condition score, environmental changes, stocking density and milk yield. Hair cortisol concentration appears to be affected by time of sampling, cow age and breed, UV radiation, season, body region of sampled hair and hair colour. Its concentration also depends on sampling and analytical methods. Hair cortisol is a promising non-invasive tool to evaluate welfare of dairy cows, however, more research is needed to determine the extent of effects on its concentration and the appropriate method of sampling and analysis. Correlations between Welfare Quality® Assessment Protocol scores and pooled hair cortisol concentrations have not yet been found, and more research is needed with larger sample size, a standardized protocol of hair sampling, processing and analysis. With proper attention to detail, hair cortisol levels in pooled hair samples might come to be used as a reliable indicator of dairy animal welfare.

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