Factors influencing total carbon dioxide concentrations in plasma of thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses.
Abstract: Horse racing authorities impose a limit on the concentration of plasma 'total carbon dioxide' (TCO2), typically 36 mM with action taken above 37 mM, as measured by an electrochemical gas analyzer. It is of interest to understand the distribution of TCO2 in a 'normal' population of racehorses and determine probabilities of members of this population exceeding these current regulatory and action limits. TCO2 levels in equine plasma samples have been modelled for 12 months (2011-2012) of thoroughbred (3076 measurements) and standardbred (3788 measurements) data in Australia. The two populations have a common seasonal pattern, while the non-seasonal distributions differ. A single Gaussian distribution about the seasonal pattern explains the thoroughbred data, but there is evidence for a second Gaussian component for the standardbred horses. A Gaussian mixture model for standardbred horses gave a main component that matched the thoroughbred distribution, which was centred about 30.2 mM, and a smaller (about 20 % of the total density) Gaussian centred at 32.3 mM. The existence of a second, higher-meaned population of standardbred horses points to increased use of alkalinizing salts among a minority of trainers, whom still, however, maintain mostly legal levels of TCO2. Identification of this group can be used to direct intelligence-based testing with a view to limiting use of these products. Probabilities of exceeding limits are affected by seasonality, but the current rules remain conservative.
Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Publication Date: 2014-02-24 PubMed ID: 24574021DOI: 10.1002/dta.1600Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The study investigates the factors that impact total carbon dioxide concentrations in the plasma of two types of racehorses, thoroughbred and standardbred. Through their data modeling, they’ve discovered a unique seasonal pattern as well as a higher concentration of plasma carbon dioxide in a minority of standardbred racehorses, possibly linked to increased use of alkalinizing salts.
Study Overview
- In this research, plasma samples were collected from thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses in Australia from 2011 – 2012.
- A total of 3076 measurements from thoroughbreds and 3788 from standardbreds were included.
- The aim was to study the distribution of Total Carbon Dioxide (TCO2) in these samples to understand any patterns or differences.
Findings
- The study found that the TCO2 concentrations showed a common seasonal pattern in both types of horses.
- Amidst the thoroughbred data, a single Gaussian distribution pattern was observed around the seasonal pattern.
- In contrast, the standardbred data suggested the existence of a second Gaussian component. This implies there’s a variation in the TCO2 levels among these horses that’s not seen in the thoroughbreds.
Implications
- A Gaussian mixture model used for standardbred horses indicated a primary component that aligned with the thoroughbred distribution (centered around 30.2 mM).
- Interestingly, there was a smaller Gaussian component centered at 32.3 mM, which comprised about 20% of the standardbreds’ data density.
- The presence of this smaller, higher-mean population among standardbreds appears indicative of the use of alkalinizing salts by some trainers, most of whom, however understandably, still maintain legal levels of TCO2.
Conclusion
- The probability of racehorses exceeding legal TCO2 limits is affected by seasonality.
- The current rules regarding TCO2 limits remain conservative, but the identification of the higher TCO2 concentration group among standardbreds calls for targeted testing to limit the use of alkalinizing salts.
Cite This Article
APA
Sutton GJ, Cawley A, Murphy C, Lau ML, Hibbert DB.
(2014).
Factors influencing total carbon dioxide concentrations in plasma of thoroughbred and standardbred racehorses.
Drug Test Anal, 6(9), 936-943.
https://doi.org/10.1002/dta.1600 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Australia
- Carbon Dioxide / blood
- Doping in Sports / statistics & numerical data
- Horses / blood
- Models, Statistical
- Seasons
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- Dirikolu L, Waller P, Waguespack ML, Andrews FM, Keowen ML, Gaunt SD. The effect of sodium bicarbonate and validation of beckman coulter AU680 analyzers for measuring total carbon dioxide (TCO(2)) concentrations in horse serum. Vet Med Sci 2017 Nov;3(4):263-269.
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