Bogdan Janicki

Content of selected heavy metals in the organs of fish from Znin Duze Lake

Fish species constituting the majority of the fish population ofnin Du?e Lake were selected for the investigations. They included: roach, white bream, common bream and perch. The largest amounts of detected metals accumulated in the liver and gills, and the lowest amounts occurred in muscle, except copper which had the lowest concentration in the gills. A bifactor analysis of variance revealed that the average concentrations of the elements in different organs differed significantly, but only in a few cases the average contents of mineral components in the same organ for different species differed significantly. The analysis of the dependence of the content of elements in different organs and the fish body length indicated a positive correlation for Cu, Fe and Ni, and a negative correlation for Zn and Mn in muscle. The analysis of the bioaccumulation coefficient revealed that the largest tendency to accumulate in muscle is displayed by zinc and iron, manganese and copper accumulate the least.

Impact of Different Fishing Seasons on the Fatty Acids Profile, Cholesterol Content, And Fat in the Muscles of Perch, Perca Fluviatils L. from the Włocławski Reservoir (Central Poland)

Impact of Different Fishing Seasons on the Fatty Acids Profile, Cholesterol Content, And Fat in the Muscles of Perch, Perca Fluviatils L. from the Włocławski Reservoir (Central Poland) The aim of the study was to compare the fatty acids profile, fat content, and total cholesterol in the muscles of female perch, Perca fluviatilis L., caught in fall and spring. The group of fish examined was comprised of perch caught in the Włocławski Reservoir in December 2005 and June 2006. Analysis indicated that the muscles of the fish caught in fall had higher total cholesterol and fat content (53.91 mg 100 g-1 and 2.17%, respectively) in comparison with the level of these parameters in the muscles of perch caught in spring (44.74 mg 100 g-1 and 1.94%, respectively). In both seasons, the main saturated fatty acid (SFA) was C16:0, the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were dominated by C18:1 n-6, and the highest percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was of C20:5 n-3. The total SFA and PUFA was higher in the muscles of perch caught in fall at 47.53 and 28.65%, respectively, in contrast to the values of these acids in spring, which were 43.02% and 21.73%, respectively. Total MUFA in fall (23.83%) was lower than in spring (32.24%). Wpływ Różnych Sezonów Odłowu na Profil Kwasów Tłuszczowych, Zawartość Cholesterolu Oraz Tłuszczu w Mięsie Okonia (Perca Fluviatils L.) ze Zbiornika Włocławskiego (Centralna Polska) Celem badań było porównanie profilu kwasów tłuszczowych, zawartości tłuszczu i cholesterolu całkowitego w mięsie samic okoni, Perca fluviatilis L. pomiędzy wiosną i jesienią. Grupę badawczą stanowiły okonie ze Zbiornika Włocławskiego pozyskane w grudniu 2005 roku i czerwcu 2006 roku. Analiza wykazała, że w mięsie ryb odłowionych jesienią było większe stężenie cholesterolu całkowitego (53,91 mg 100 g-1) i tłuszczu (2,17%), w porównaniu z poziomem tych parametrów w mięsie okoni pozyskanych wiosną, kiedy zawartość cholesterolu całkowitego wynosiła 44,74 mg 100 g-1, a tłuszcz stanowił 1,94%. W obu sezonach głównym kwasem spośród nasyconych kwasów tłuszczowych (SFA) był C16:0, w grupie monoenowych kwasów tłuszczowych (MUFA) dominował C18:1 n-6, a spośród polienowych kwasów (PUFA) największy procent stanowił C20:5 n-3. Suma SFA i PUFA była wyższa w mięsie okoni pozyskanych jesienią i stanowiła odpowiednio 47,53 i 28,65%, w przeciwieństwie do wartości tych kwasów u ryb odłowionych wiosną, u których SFA stanowiło 43,02%, a PUFA 21,73%. Suma MUFA jesienią (23,83%) była niższa niż wiosną (32,24%).

Chemometric analysis of fatty acids profile of bream (Abramis brama), ruffe (Gymnocephalus cernua) and perch (Perca fluviatilis) meat from Lake Gopło and Włocławski Dam Reservoir

The 18 fatty acid profiles have been determined in 63 samples of muscles from three freshwater fish species: bream, ruffe and perch by gas chromatography method. The fish were collected in natural condition from two reservoirs located in central Poland: Lake Goplo and Wloclawski Reservoir. A chemometric study with the use of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), principal component (PCA) and stepwise linear discrimination analysis (LDA) was applied to characterize, classify and differentiate collected samples. The chemometric techniques by using fatty acids content as descriptors allow clearly distinguish 6 groups according to fish species and their geographical origin.

Heavy Metals Bioaccumulation in Tissues of Spiny-Cheek Crayfish (Orconectes limosus) from Lake Gopło: Effect of Age and Sex

The aim of the present work was to assess the concentrations of metals in the abdominal muscle and exoskeleton of 3-year-old males and 4-year-old females and males of spiny-cheek crayfish (Orconectes limosus) collected from Lake Gopło. A total of 93 males and 35 females were collected in autumn (October 2014). The analyzes of heavy metals were conducted by means of atomic absorption spectroscopy with a PU9100X spectrometer. The content of mercury was determined using AMA 254 mercury analyser. As analyses indicated heavy metals accumulated in the muscle and exoskeleton in the following sequence: Znu2009>u2009Cuu2009>u2009Pbu2009>u2009Mnu2009>u2009Niu2009>u2009Hg and Mnu2009>u2009Pbu2009>u2009Znu2009>u2009Niu2009>u2009Cuu2009>u2009Hg, respectively. Statistically significant differences between 3- and 4-year-old males were found for all analyzed metals. Gender dependent differences were calculated only for Ni in the muscle tissue and for Mn and Hg in the exoskeleton. In comparison with the study carried out 2 years ago notably higher concentrations of Pb were found in the muscle and a higher content of Zn, Pb, Mn and Ni was determined in the exoskeleton.

Insulin resistance in the horse: a review

ABSTRACT Insulin resistance (IR) is a state in which the tissues show a reduced sensitivity to insulin despite its normal or even increased concentration in blood. IR causes inability of peripheral tissues to respond to the hormone and to increase the glucose uptake from blood nor to raise the metabolism rate. The tissues resistance to insulin may refer to the prereceptor malfunctions, which reduce the concentration of insulin or decrease the number of insulin receptors; however, in most cases changes in signal transduction after insulin binding to the receptor are observed. The development of IR is determined by a number of genetic and environmental factors. One of the most relevant causes is obesity, which develops into a growing problem among the horse population all over the world. The accumulation of lipids in the tissues (lipotoxicity) and a mild inflammation caused by the release of proinflammatory adipokines and cytokines from the fat tissue are a common denominator that links obesity with IR. Both IR and obesity seem to cause metabolism malfunctions in horses and are the key components of equine metabolic syndrome; moreover, both may be the reason for endocrinological laminitis. The methods of prevention and treatment of IR include feeding the animals with low glycemic index food and increasing physical activity as well as pharmacological treatment, where levothyroxine sodium and metformin are of the highest importance.

Assessment of performance traits in breeding horses in the context of the operation of Training Stations in Poland

Breeders and horse trainers have long been concerned with the problem of assessing the utility value of young horses, in particular their suitability for breeding, sport and recreational uses. The purpose of use is determined by physiological, genetic and morphological factors, as well as the resulting performance traits. The actual value of the horse is reflected in many characteristics such as health status, conformation, constitution, origin, performance, and value of offspring. Therefore, extensive performance tests play a crucial role in horse breeding and methods of performance evaluation are still a subject of considerable research. Training Stations give horses a good start in their sport career. Horse training arouses the characteristics and instincts that are beneficial for the rider while suppressing others that are often unfavourable. The purpose of breaking is to make the horse acquire new behaviours and to produce the required mental state. Research to date has clearly shown that the mental characteristics of horses used for recreation and sport (and evaluated in performance tests) are highly correlated to their performance results because they are highly heritable.