Canonical discriminant analysis for hematological and serum biochemical changes during pregnancy period in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciurea)

Hematological and serum biochemical data obtained from non-pregnant, pregnant and post-partum squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciurea) were analyzed by canonical discriminant analysis (discriminant analysis with reduction of dimensionality). All animals were of wild origin and had been maintained under uniform environmental conditions at Tsukuba Primate Center for Medical Science, N.I.H., Japan. Months were standardized by the day of parturition. The calculated arithmetic means and standard deviations were listed for each item of measurement performed. Items detected statistically significant difference (p less than 0.01) between months were as follows: red blood cell count (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), hematocrit value (Ht), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), white blood cell count (WBC), albumin concentration (ALB), blood urea nitrogen concentration (BUN), total cholesterol concentration (T-CHO), triglyceride concentration (TG), alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and calcium concentration (Ca). Results of canonical discriminant analysis showed that the value of the first canonical variate (Z1) decreased from the early period of pregnancy to the middle period, and that the second canonical variate (Z2) decreased from the middle period of pregnancy to the end of pregnancy. The meaning of their changes were discussed.