Biomarkers for joint ailments and uses thereof
AssigneeNovus International, Inc.
InventorsJuxing Chen, Karen Wedekind, Mercedes Vazquez-Anon
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Abstract
The present invention relates to biomarkers that are associated with joint disorders, and methods of using the biomarkers diagnose joint ailments, monitor the progression of joint ailments, determine when treatments is indicated, and monitor the efficiency of treatment. Also provided are methods for treating joint ailments, which comprise administering chelated trace minerals to animals diagnosed with or predisposed to having joint ailments.
Claims8
A method for treating mild, naturally-occurring lameness in a pig, the pig having a gait score of about 1 or less on a 5 point scale, the method comprising:
- (a) determining the level of at least two biomarkers in a blood sample from the pig, the at least two biomarkers comprising C-terminal telopeptide of type II collagen (CTX-2) and type II collagen cleavage (C2C);
- (b) comparing the level of the at least two biomarkers of the pig to a non-lame pig having a gait score of about 0 on a 5 point scale to determine whether the pig is mildly lame, wherein the pig is mildly lame if the level of CTX-2 and C2C is increased compared to the non-lame pig;
- and,
- (c) administering an effective amount of a metal chelate to the pig if the pig is determined to be mildly lame, wherein the administering results in a decrease of the level of C2C and CTX-2.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.