TY - JOUR A1 - Plöntzke, Julia A1 - Berg, Mascha A1 - Ehrig, Rainald A1 - Leonhard-Marek, Sabine A1 - Müller, Kerstin-Elisabeth A1 - Röblitz, Susanna T1 - Model Based Exploration of Hypokalemia in Dairy Cows JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Hypokalemia, characterized by too low serum potassium levels, is a severe mineral disorder which can be life threatening. It is increasingly diagnosed in veterinarian healthcare and a topic of ongoing research. In this paper, we explore the different originating conditions of hypokalemia: reduced potassium intake, increased excretion, acid-base disturbances, or increased insulin, by using a dynamic mathematical model for potassium balance in non-lactating and lactating cows. Simulations are compared with literature. The results give insights into the network dynamics and point to scenarios on which experimental effort should be focused. Application of mathematical models can assist in experimental planning as well as the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal experiments. Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22596-0 VL - 12, 19781 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Omari, Mohamed A1 - Lange, Alexander A1 - Plöntzke, Julia A1 - Röblitz, Susanna T1 - Model-based exploration of the impact of glucose metabolism on the estrous cycle dynamics in dairy cows JF - Biology Direct Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1186/s13062-019-0256-7 VL - 15 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Berg, Mascha A1 - Plöntzke, Julia A1 - Siebert, Heike A1 - Röblitz, Susanna T1 - Modelling Oscillatory Patterns in the Bovine Estrous Cycle with Boolean Delay Equations JF - Bulletin of Mathematical Biology N2 - Boolean delay equations (BDEs), with their relatively simple and intuitive mode of modelling, have been used in many research areas including, for example, climate dynamics and earthquake propagation. Their application to biological systems has been scarce and limited to the molecular level. Here, we derive and present two BDE models. One is directly derived from a previously published ordinary differential equation (ODE) model for the bovine estrous cycle, whereas the second model includes a modification of a particular biological mechanism. We not only compare the simulation results from the BDE models with the trajectories of the ODE model, but also validate the BDE models with two additional numerical experiments. One experiment induces a switch in the oscillatory pattern upon changes in the model parameters, and the other simulates the administration of a hormone that is known to shift the estrous cycle in time. The models presented here are the first BDE models for hormonal oscillators, and the first BDE models for drug administration. Even though automatic parameter estimation still remains challenging, our results support the role of BDEs as a framework for the systematic modelling of complex biological oscillators. Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11538-021-00942-z VL - 83 IS - 121 SP - 1 EP - 25 ER -