scholarly journals Age relationships with telomere length, body weight and body length in wild dugong (Dugong dugon)

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10319
Author(s):  
Phaothep Cherdsukjai ◽  
Kittisak Buddhachat ◽  
Janine Brown ◽  
Manthanee Kaewkool ◽  
Anocha Poommouang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Age Estimation ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Growth Status ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Basic Biology ◽  
Layer Groups ◽  
Free Ranging

The ability to estimate age and determine the growth status of free-ranging dugongs (Dugong dugon) is vital to providing insight into the basic biology of this endangered species. Currently, age estimation in dugong carcasses relies on counting dentin growth layer groups (GLGs) in tusks, but a disadvantage is they need to be intact. We explored whether measures of telomere length could be used as an alternative approach to age estimation in dugongs given that in other species, telomere length and age are inversely related. In this study, relative telomere length (rTL) was measured by qPCR in skin samples from 24 dugongs of varying ages determined by counts of GLGs. In addition, relationships between age by GLG counts and body weight and length and were examined. Our findings indicate that age estimated by GLGs was negatively correlated with telomere length using the logistic formula with a rate of telomere attrition of approximately 0.036 rTL/year between the ages of 5–20 years. By comparison, both body weight and length were positively correlated with GLG-based age, with growth rates of ~8.8 kg/year for weight and ~3.58 cm/year for length, respectively. After that, growth rates slowed substantially and then plateaued. The results suggest that physical maturity in dugongs occurs at 20 years of age and that measures of rTL might serve as a tool for age estimation in dugongs, living and deceased.

Age estimation by measurement of pouch young of the Quokka (Setonix brachyurus).

1961 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
JW Shield ◽  
P Woolley
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Age Estimation ◽  
Tail Length ◽  
Estimation Procedure ◽  
Full Term ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Young Growth

Removal of pouch young of Setonix can lead to the resumption of development of quiescent blastocysts. Thirty-six pouch young obtained in this way have been used in this study. As the time in days from resumption of development to parturition is known, accurate ages may be calculated without actual birth or copulation being observed. These 36 animals have been repeatedly measured during their pouch life, and body weight, pes length, and tail length over the full term of pouch occupancy are given as regressions of these measures versus age. Larger-scale regressions are given for the first 80 days of pouch life. A tabulation based on the three regressions and giving average measures at stated ages is also given. During pouch life there is no difference in growth rate between male and female pouch young. Growth proportions of field-reared and compound-reared animals of comparable nutritional status are also similar. It is therefore considered that growth rates are equal, and that the age-estimation procedure established on compound-reared animals is applicable to field animals.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Telomere Length and Its Effect on the Symptomatology of Parkinson’s Disease

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 137
Author(s):  
Tina Levstek ◽  
Sara Redenšek ◽  
Maja Trošt ◽  
Vita Dolžan ◽  
Katarina Trebušak Podkrajšek
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Repetitive Sequences ◽  
Housekeeping Gene ◽  
Cellular Aging ◽  
Brain Diseases ◽  
Motor Complications ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Significant Difference

Telomeres, which are repetitive sequences that cap the end of the chromosomes, shorten with each cell division. Besides cellular aging, there are several other factors that influence telomere length (TL), in particular, oxidative stress and inflammation, which play an important role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative brain diseases including Parkinson’s disease (PD). So far, the majority of studies have not demonstrated a significant difference in TL between PD patients and healthy individuals. However, studies investigating the effect of TL on the symptomatology and disease progression of PD are scarce, and thus, warranted. We analyzed TL of peripheral blood cells in a sample of 204 PD patients without concomitant autoimmune diseases and analyzed its association with several PD related phenotypes. Monochrome multiplex quantitative PCR (mmqPCR) was used to determine relative TL given as a ratio of the amount of DNA between the telomere and albumin as the housekeeping gene. We found a significant difference in the relative TL between PD patients with and without dementia, where shorter TL presented higher risk for dementia (p = 0.024). However, the correlation was not significant after adjustment for clinical factors (p = 0.509). We found no correlations between TLs and the dose of dopaminergic therapy when the analysis was adjusted for genetic variability in inflammatory or oxidative factors. In addition, TL influenced time to onset of motor complications after levodopa treatment initiation (p = 0.0134), but the association did not remain significant after adjustment for age at inclusion and disease duration (p = 0.0781). Based on the results of our study we conclude that TL contributes to certain PD-related phenotypes, although it may not have a major role in directing the course of the disease. Nevertheless, this expends currently limited knowledge regarding the association of the telomere attrition and the disease severity or motor complications in Parkinson’s disease.

scholarly journals Multi-species and multi-tissue methylation clocks for age estimation in toothed whales and dolphins

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd R. Robeck ◽  
Zhe Fei ◽  
Ake T. Lu ◽  
Amin Haghani ◽  
Eve Jourdain ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Age Estimation ◽  
Species Conservation ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Epigenetic Aging ◽  
Highly Correlated ◽  
Methylation Patterns ◽  
Cg Dinucleotides ◽  
Free Ranging ◽  
Unique Species

AbstractThe development of a precise blood or skin tissue DNA Epigenetic Aging Clock for Odontocete (OEAC) would solve current age estimation inaccuracies for wild odontocetes. Therefore, we determined genome-wide DNA methylation profiles using a custom array (HorvathMammalMethyl40) across skin and blood samples (n = 446) from known age animals representing nine odontocete species within 4 phylogenetic families to identify age associated CG dinucleotides (CpGs). The top CpGs were used to create a cross-validated OEAC clock which was highly correlated for individuals (r = 0.94) and for unique species (median r = 0.93). Finally, we applied the OEAC for estimating the age and sex of 22 wild Norwegian killer whales. DNA methylation patterns of age associated CpGs are highly conserved across odontocetes. These similarities allowed us to develop an odontocete epigenetic aging clock (OEAC) which can be used for species conservation efforts by provide a mechanism for estimating the age of free ranging odontocetes from either blood or skin samples.

scholarly journals Growth and zinc homeostasis in the severely Zn-deficient rat

1984 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 545-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Giugliano ◽  
D. J. Millward
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Control Diet ◽  
Rate Of Change ◽  
Zinc Homeostasis ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Zn Deficiency ◽  
Control Groups ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Cyclic Changes

1. Male weanling rats were fed on diets either adequate (55 mg/kg), or severely deficient (0.4 mg/kg) in zinc, either ad lib. or in restricted amounts in four experiments. Measurements were made of growth rates and Zn contents of muscle and several individual tissues.2. Zn-deficient rats exhibited the expected symptoms of deficiency including growth retardation, cyclic changes in food intake and body-weight.3. Zn deficiency specifically reduced whole body and muscle growth rates as indicated by the fact that (a) growth rates were lower in ad lib.-fed Zn-deficient rats compared with rats pair-fed on the control diet in two experiments, (b) Zn supplementation increased body-weights of Zn-deficient rats given a restricted amount of diet at a level at which they maintained weight if unsupplemented, (c) Zn supplementation maintained body-weights of Zn-deficient rats fed a restricted amount of diet at a level at which they lost weight if unsupplemented (d) since the ratio, muscle mass:body-weight was lower in the Zn-deficient rats than in the pair-fed control groups, the reduction in muscle mass was greater than the reduction in body-weight.4. Zn concentrations were maintained in muscle, spleen and thymus, reduced in comparison to some but not all control groups in liver, kidney, testis and intestine, and markedly reduced in plasma and bone. In plasma, Zn concentrations varied inversely with the rate of change of body-weight during the cyclic changes in body-weight.5. Calculation of the total Zn in the tissues examined showed a marked increase in muscle Zn with a similar loss from bone, indicating that Zn can be redistributed from bone to allow the growth of other tissues.6. The magnitude of the increase in muscle Zn in the severely Zn-deficient rat, together with the magnitude of the total losses of muscle tissue during the catabolic phases of the cycling, indicate that in the Zn-deficient rat Zn may be highly conserved in catabolic states.

scholarly journals Growth and body weight of free-range reindeer in western Alaska

Rangifer ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 20 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg L. Finstad ◽  
Alexander K. Prichard
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Total Body Weight ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Reproductive Females ◽  
Average Body

Total body weight of 9749 reindeer calves and 4798 adult reindeer were measured from 1984 to 1999 on the Seward Peninsula, western Alaska, USA. Growth rates of male and female calves, and annual growth patterns of adults were determined. Male calves grew faster than female calves. Reproductive females were lighter than non-reproductive females during summer but there was no effect of reproduction on average body weights the following winter. Adult males age 3-5 were heavier during summer than winter. Castrated males weighed the same as uncastrated males in summer, but were significantly heavier in winter, and did not display the large annual fluctuations in weight typical of reproductive males and females. Growth rates were higher and body weights greater in this herd than many other cir-cumpolar reindeer populations. We suggest these kinds of physiological indices should be used to monitor the possible effects of spatial and temporal variation in population density and to evaluate changes in herding practices.

The production characteristics of the indigenous Imroz and Kivircik sheep breeds in Turkey

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 ◽  
pp. 57-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Yilmaz ◽  
M. Ozcan ◽  
B. Ekiz ◽  
A. Ceyhan ◽  
A. Altine
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Milk Production ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Survival Rates ◽  
Growth Characteristics ◽  
Marmara Region ◽  
Sheep Breeds ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Production Characteristics

SummaryThis study was carried out to investigate the fertility, milk production and body weight of ewes and the survival and growth characteristics of lambs of the indigenous Imroz and Kivircik sheep breeds. The Imroz and Kivircik sheep breeds are included among the genetic resources in the project for the conservation of the indigenous breeds in Turkey.Conception rates for Imroz and Kivircik ewes were 57.6% and 81.7% respectively, litter sizes were 1.2 and 1.2 respectively, milk yields were 89 kg and 62 kg respectively and average live weights (2–7 years of age) were 43 kg and 55 kg, respectively. Imroz and Kivircik lambs had survival rates at weaning (90th day) of 98% and 96%, birth weights of 3.3 kg and 4.1 kg and weaning weights of 19.8 kg and 28.0 kg, respectively.The results showed that the Kivircik sheep were heavier and the lambs had a better growth rate until weaning than the Imroz breed. However, the milk production of the Imroz ewes was higher than that of Kivircik. The lambs of both breeds had a satisfactory survival and growth rates until weaning and these results might be regarded as a desired adaptation of the Imroz and Kivircik lambs to the environmental conditions of the Marmara Region.

scholarly journals Telomere Length as a Biomarker of Biological Aging in Shift Workers

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Ledda ◽  
Carla Loreto ◽  
Venerando Rapisarda
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Biological Aging ◽  
Work Schedule ◽  
Shift Workers ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Occupational Physicians ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Health Advice ◽  
Basic Biology ◽  
Biology Of Aging

Shift work (SW) comprises a work schedule that involves recurring times of nonstandard work hours balanced to a fixed daily work plan with regular day work times and has been evaluated as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A) by IARC. SW may result in increased age acceleration. This systematic review aims to elucidate the usefulness of telomere length as a biomarker of biological aging in shift workers. All studies analyzed underline a shortening of telomere length in SW, and aging in shift workers and duration of work. Methodologies to measure biological aging are possible to advance efforts to clarify the basic biology of aging and provide clinicians an instrument to communicate complex health advice to workers. Telomere length measures can also give an instrument for precision medicine, useful for occupational physicians in age-related screening conditions.

scholarly journals Telomere length and age-dependent telomere attrition: the blood-and-muscle model

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirna N. Chahine ◽  
Simon Toupance ◽  
Sandy El-Hakim ◽  
Carlos Labat ◽  
Sylvie Gautier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Telomere Length ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Muscle Model ◽  
Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Telomere Attrition ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Age Dependent ◽  
Muscle Biopsies

Short telomere length (TL) is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ACVD) and other age-related diseases. It is unclear whether these associations originate from having inherently short TL or a faster TL attrition before or during disease development. We proposed the blood-and-muscle model to assess TL dynamics throughout life course. Our objective was to measure TL in leukocytes (LTL) and in skeletal muscle (MTL), which served as a proxy of TL at birth. The delta (MTL–LTL) represented life-long telomere attrition. Blood draws and skeletal muscle biopsies were performed on 35 Lebanese individuals undergoing surgery. Following DNA extraction, LTL and MTL were measured by Southern blot. In every individual aged between 30 and 85 years, MTL was longer than LTL. With age, MTL and LTL decreased, but the delta (MTL–LTL) increased by 14 bp/year. We validated the blood-and-muscle model that allowed us to identify TL, TL at birth, and lifelong TL attrition in a cross-sectional study. This model can be used in larger cross-sectional studies to evaluate the association of telomere dynamics with age-related diseases onset and progression.

Effect of Growth Rate on Mineral Retention and Body Composition of Growing Lambs

1988 ◽  
Vol 1988 ◽  
pp. 102-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Wan Zahari ◽  
J K Thompson ◽  
D Scott
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Composition ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Calcium Carbonate ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Fast Rate ◽  
Basal Diet ◽  
Primary Objective ◽  
The Body ◽  
Secondary Objective

The effects of plane of nutrition on the body composition of growing sheep are very apparent when animals are compared at the same age following different nutritional histories. These differences are, however, less obvious when animals of the same breed and sex are compared at the same body weight and at present there is some conjecture whether composition is affected by growth rate. This uncertainty is not limited to fat and protein but includes the bone and ash, fraction and the ash composition.The primary objective of this trial was to study the effects of different growth rates achieved by feeding different amounts of the same concentrate diet on the composition of empty-body gain and on the retention of minerals by growing lambs. A secondary objective was to examine the effect of adding supplementary calcium carbonate to the basal diet at the fast rate of growth.

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