2026-10-14T09:37:03Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33937787 2026-09-18T17:27:40Z category_7 category_272 category_39 category_45 category_734 portal_5 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

<p>Rawdata.</p> Nari Kim (141370) Jacqui Esteban (25073156) Sorphea Phorn (25073159) Vi Le Tuong (25073162) Mengxiong Wangnengxiong (25073165) Zachary A. David (25073168) Matt Hunt (6383444) Dong-Hyuk Jeong (22537904) Medicine Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified Ecology Sociology Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified ursus thibetanus </ sun bear (< retrospective study aimed practical radiographic tool helarctos malayanus </ div >< p common health concern although cardiovascular disease 13 ‒ 12 evaluate interspecific differences despite distinct differences sun bears (< body condition score >; sb ), 90 ‒ 11 73 ‒ 1 19 ‒ 11 82 ± 0 65 ± 0 59 ‒ 0 18 ± 0 cardiac size assessments vhs remained consistent 68 ± 0 cardiac size significant differences captive bears body weight >; abb 73 v thoracic radiographs thoracic morphology thoracic depth thoracic conformation significantly associated right lateral reference ranges quantified using objective screening morphometric variables morphometric parameters longitudinal monitoring evaluated within currently lacking corresponding values clinical management <div><p>This retrospective study aimed to establish vertebral heart score (VHS) reference ranges for Asiatic black bear (<i>Ursus thibetanus</i>; ABB) and sun bear (<i>Helarctos malayanus</i>; SB), and to evaluate interspecific differences and the effects of biological variables on VHS measurement. Although cardiovascular disease is a common health concern for these species in captivity, objective radiographic reference ranges for cardiac size assessments are currently lacking. Thoracic radiographs from 46 clinically healthy sanctuary bears (22 ABBs, 24 SBs) were reviewed. VHS was measured on right lateral (RL) and dorsoventral (DV) views, and thoracic conformation was quantified using the thoracic depth-to-width (D/W) ratio. The influence of sex, age, and morphometric parameters (body weight, body condition score, and chest circumference) on VHS was evaluated within each species. In ABBs, the mean VHS was 10.65 ± 0.48 vertebrae (v) (95% range, 9.90 ‒ 11.67) on RL view and 10.82 ± 0.73 v (95% range, 8.90 ‒ 11.96) on DV views. Corresponding values in SBs were 10.68 ± 0.62 v (RL) (95% range, 9.19 ‒ 11.68) and 11.18 ± 0.67 v (DV) (95% range, 10.13 ‒ 12.28). No significant differences in VHS were observed between the two species, despite distinct differences in thoracic conformation; D/W ratio was 0.73‒1.00 (95% range) in ABBs and 0.59‒0.77 (95% range) in SBs. Sex, age, and morphometric variables were not significantly associated with VHS in either species. Despite significant interspecific variations in thoracic morphology, the VHS remained consistent between species and robust across various biological traits. These species-specific VHS reference ranges provide a practical radiographic tool for objective screening of cardiomegaly and longitudinal monitoring of cardiac size in captive bears, enhancing the clinical management and welfare of captive bears.</p></div> 2026-09-18T17:27:37Z Dataset Dataset 10.1371/journal.pone.0356816.s001 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/_p_Rawdata_p_/33937787 CC BY 4.0