title: Circadian and seasonal variability and influence of sex and race on eight clinical chemistry parameters in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus, Shaw 1805).
abstract: The aim of the study was to investigate if there is a clinically relevant influence of daytime or season and if there are sex-dependant differences in some frequently determined clinical chemistry parameters. The study was performed with 99 1.5- to 2-year old healthy budgerigars of three races. A harmonic regression analysis was performed taking into account linear and cyclic trends over the year. Correlations were investigated by the calculation of Spearman correlation coefficients. Summarizing, it can be said that some circadian, seasonal, as well as sex- and race-dependant influences have been shown. However, although the differences are statistically significant, they were too small to have an impact on clinical decision making. As clinical chemistry results are in practice independent from the influence factors investigated, their meaning and use as a diagnostic tool is further substantiated.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Poultry and Pet Birds, Veterinary University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, A-1210 Vienna, Austria. alexandra.scope@vu-wein.ac.at
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scope
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Frommlet
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schwendenwein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D046408:Melopsittacus / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012737:Sex Factors; D013045:Species Specificity; D014527:Uric Acid / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D001798:Blood Proteins; D014527:Uric Acid; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase; D005969:Glutamate Dehydrogenase; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D003402:Creatine Kinase; D002118:Calcium