title: [Reference curves for assessing the physical growth of male Wistar rats].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Wistar rats are one of the most popular strains routinely used for research in the laboratory to serve as an important research tool, so it requires strict control of variables such as age, sex and body weight, and Thus to extrapolate the results to the human model.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop reference curves for assessing the physical growth of male Wistar rats according to chronological age and somatic maturation from a non-invasive.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects studied were 731 male Wistar rats transversely. We assessed age, body weight and body surface. LMS method was used to construct percentile curves based on weight and somatic maturation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proposed physical growth curves are used to track the physical growth and nutritional status diagnosis of male Wistar rats. Budgets by cutting points are: P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90 and P97.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that scientists from different areas can use such references, in order to extrapolate somatic growth phases of the laboratory rat and the human model is a non-invasive alternative to assess growth and nutritional status.
authors: Universidad Católica del Maule. Departamento de Ciencias de la Actividad física. Talca. Chile.. rossanagomez_c@hotmail.com.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Cossio-Bolaños
authors: Universidad Estadual de Campinas. Campinas. SP. Brasil..
authors: Rossana
authors: R
authors: Gómez Campos
authors: Universidad Católica del Maule. Departamento de Ciencias de la Actividad física. Talca. Chile..
authors: Rodrigo
authors: R
authors: Vargas Vitoria
authors: Universidad Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Biológicas. Departamento de Fisiologia. Curitiba. Brasil..
authors: Rosalvo Tadeu
authors: RT
authors: Hochmuller Fogaça
authors: Universidad Estadual de Campinas. Campinas. SP. Brasil..
authors: Miguel
authors: M
authors: de Arruda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth / Q000502:physiology*; D057238:Growth Charts; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar / Q000254:growth & development*; D012015:Reference Standards