Renata Pilarczyk

Concentrations of toxic heavy metals and trace elements in raw milk of Simmental and Holstein-Friesian cows from organic farm.

Concentrations of toxic heavy metals (cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb)) and major nutritional and trace elements (Ca, Mg, P, Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn) were analyzed in the milk of Simmental (n = 20) and Holstein-Friesian (n = 20) cows from an organic farm. Elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma emission atomic spectrometry. The conducted research showed that the milk of Simmental cows was characterized by the more advantageous mineral composition and lower concentration of noxious heavy metals compared to the milk of Holstein-Friesian cows. In the milk of Simmental cows, significantly lower concentrations of Pb and Cd (P < 0.001) and Cu (P < 0.05) and significantly higher concentrations of Fe and Mg (P < 0.05) as well as nonsignificantly higher concentrations of Ca, Mn, and Se were found. In the milk of both breeds, very low Cu concentrations were recorded. The higher-than-recommended concentration of Pb in milk was also found. In the milk of both breeds, the significant positive correlations between concentrations of the following elements were observed: Pb–Cd, Pb–Se, Cd–Se, Cd–Mn, Zn–Cu, Zn–P, Ca–P, Ca–Mg, and Mg–P. The correlations between other elements within each of the analyzed breeds separately were also found.

Heavy metals and other elements in serum of cattle from organic and conventional farms.

Concentrations of cadmium, lead, iron, zinc, copper, chromium, nickel, aluminium and arsenium were analysed in blood serum of cattle from organic (n = 20) and conventional (n = 21) farms. The elements were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry using an Optima 2000 DV instrument (Perkin Elmer Inc.). Animals from the organic farm were characterised by significantly lower (P < 0.01) serum concentrations of Pb, Zn, Fe, Cu, Cr, Ni, As and Al compared to animals from the conventional farm. The concentration of Cd was similar in animals from both organic and conventional farms. The concentration of toxic elements in cattle from organic and conventional farms studied was very low. The trace essential elements were generally within the adequate ranges except Zn and Cu, which were deficient. In organically reared animals, also serum Fe content was below the critical level for diagnosing iron deficiency. Pb was significantly correlated with Cd, Zn, Fe, Cu and Ni. A significant positive correlation between the concentration of Cd and Zn, Cu and Ni concentrations was only observed in cows from the organic farm. The present results suggest that organically raised animals are less exposed to harmful environmental influences such as the environmental pollution with heavy metals. On the other hand, these animals are at a greater risk of mineral deficiency compared to animals kept on conventional farms.

The bioaccumulation of lead in the organs of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.), red deer (Cervus elaphus L.), and wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) from Poland

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of lead (Pb) in the livers and kidneys of free-living animals from Poland, with regard to the differences in tissue Pb content between the species. The research material consisted of liver and kidney samples collected from roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), red deer (Cervus elaphus), and wild boar (Sus scrofa) that had been hunted in 16 voivodeships of Poland. The concentration of lead had been measured using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) method. The results show that differences in lead concentration in the organs depended on the geographic location. In roe deer and red deer, the highest mean lead concentrations in the livers and kidneys, observed in the central region of Poland, were twice as high as the lowest concentration of Pb in these animals from the northeastern region of the country. In wild boar, the highest mean concentration of Pb was noted in the livers of animals from the central region of Poland and in the kidneys of animals from the northwestern region, while the lowest lead concentrations in both organs were typical for wild boar from the southeast part of the country. Our results show that areas located in the center and in the north of Poland carry most of the burden of lead bioaccumulation.

Concentrations of Toxic and Nutritional Essential Elements in Meat from Different Beef Breeds Reared under Intensive Production Systems

Concentrations of major nutritional and trace elements (Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Co, Cr, Ni, Sr, and Ba), as well as toxic heavy metals (Cd and Pb), were analyzed in the longissimus muscle of Charolais, Hereford, and Simmental bulls. The elements were determined using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. The study showed that the breeds differed in the concentrations of K, Mg, Zn, Cu, Fe, and Mn in meat. Meat from Charolais bulls had a significantly higher K (P < 0.01) content and significantly lower Cu, Zn (P < 0.001), and Mn (P < 0.05) contents compared to Hereford and Simmental meats. Meat from Charolais bulls also had a significantly lower Fe (P < 0.05) content in comparison with Hereford meat and a significantly lower Mg (P < 0.05) content compared to Simmental meat. Moreover, meat from Hereford bulls was characterized by a significantly higher Fe (P < 0.05) content and a lower Mg (P < 0.01) content than that from Simmental bulls. The Se and Fe contents in meat from bulls of breeds used in this study were lower than those previously reported. No breed differences were found in Pb and Cd contents. However, the Pb concentration in meat was higher than the recommended standards. In meat from bulls of all breeds, significantly strong positive correlations were observed between the contents of Pb and Ni, Cd and Ni, K and P, as well as Mg and P. Correlations between other elements within each of the breeds separately were also found.

Detection of difficult calvings in the Polish Holstein-Friesian Black-and-White heifers

The aim of this study was to check the effectiveness of classification and regression trees (CART), support vector machines (SVM) and generalized linear model (GLZ) in the detection of difficult calvings in the Polish Holstein-Friesian Black-and-White heifers and to identify the most influential predictors of such calvings with special regard to oestrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and cytochrome P450 (CYP19) aromatase genotypes. A total of 529 calving records containing four continuous and four categorical predictors were analysed. Calving category (difficult vs. easy) was a dependent variable. The most significant predictors were as follows: gestation length, body condition score index and calving age (for CART), as well as ERα genotype (for GLZ). Sensitivity (percentage of correctly diagnosed difficult calvings) and specificity (percentage of correctly diagnosed easy calvings) on a test set were 70.0% and 94.7% (for CART) as well as 50.0% and 99.0% (for SVM and GLZ), respectively. The studied models were characterized by good detection performance and high specificity and reliability of predictions.

The PRNP ins/del and octapeptide repeat polymorphisms in Jersey cattle and their associations with production traits

So far the studies on the prion protein (PRNP) gene have mainly been focused on the search for an association between detected polymorphisms in this gene and the susceptibility of cattle to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The PRNP gene location on chromosome 13 suggests that the polymorphisms within this gene can be potential quantitative trait locus (QTL) markers for milk production traits. The aim of this study was the analysis of the potential effect of the insertion/deletion polymorphisms within the promoter region (23 bp) and intron 1 (12 bp) of the PRNP gene on milk production traits in Jersey cattle. The study material consisted of 171 Jersey cows. The following milk production traits were analysed: milk yield, milk fat and protein yield, milk fat and protein content. Statistically significant differences were found in milk fat content in the second lactation between animal groups representing the ins/del and del/del genotypes for the 23 bp polymorphism (P≤0.05). The ins/del 12 bp polymorphism was found to have significant (P≤0.05) and highly significant (P≤0.01) effects on milk yield.

Selenium status in sea ducks (Melanitta fusca, Melanitta nigra and Clangula hyemalis) wintering on the southern Baltic coast, Poland

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the status of selenium in sea ducks wintering in coastal areas of northwestern Poland. The experimental material included samples of liver, kidney, lung and heart obtained from three species of ducks: Melanitta fusca, Melanitta nigra and Clangula hyemalis. Selenium concentrations in the organs were determined using a spectrofluorometric method. The highest Se concentrations were observed in the liver. The average Se liver concentrations in M. fusca, M. nigra and C. hyemalis were 5.3±0.7, 7.2±0.8 and 6.6±0.7 µg/g dry weight (dw), respectively. In M. fusca Se concentration in the examined organs was observed to occur in the following descending order: liver > kidney > heart > lung, and in M. nigra and C. hyemalis it was liver > lung > kidney > heart. Statistical analysis of the results showed differences in Se concentrations in analogous organs between the investigated species of ducks. In all the organs of M. nigra Se concentration was significantly higher compared to M. fusca.

Relationship between serum Se concentration in dogs and incidence of some disease conditions

The aim of the study was to determine if there is a relationship between serum selenium concentration in dogs and their health, and to assess the relationship between selenium concentration and morphological parameters of blood. Mean serum selenium concentration in dogs ranged from 0.169 to 0.273 mg/ml. Dogs diagnosed with malignant neoplasm had a significantly lower mean concentration of serum selenium compared to healthy dogs and those from the groups studied. The present study showed no statistically significant differences in Se serum content according to sex, age, and food type. Dogs diagnosed with malignant neoplasm had a significantly lower mean serum selenium concentration compared to healthy dogs and those from the other groups analysed, namely with hip dysplasia, allergy and fractures and with non-malignant tumour. Healthy dogs were characterized by the highest mean serum selenium concentration, significantly higher compared to dogs with non-malignant tumour, malignant neoplasm, allergy and fractures. Low levels of selenium contribute to the incidence of neoplasms and allergies and increase the risk of bone fractures in dogs. Additional laboratory tests should be conducted when certain diseases are diagnosed to determine Se concentration in dogs, thus making it possible to take preventive measures or therapeutic action.

Assessment of Selenium Concentration in Selected Organs of Farmed Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes Procyonoides)

Assessment of Selenium Concentration in Selected Organs of Farmed Raccoon Dogs (Nyctereutes Procyonoides) The aim of the study was to determine selenium concentrations in the liver, kidneys, lungs, heart and muscles of farmed raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) and to evaluate their impact on hair coat quality. Selenium concentration was determined using the modified Watkinsons spectrofluorometric method. Subjects were 20 farmed raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) at the age of 8-9 months, which were kept on a farm in south-eastern Poland. The results show that liver selenium content averaged 0.23±0.10 μg/g w.w. (wet weight). The concentrations ranged from 0.04 to 0.49 μg/g w.w. Kidney selenium concentration (0.49±0.17 μg/g w.w. on average) was over twice that of liver concentration. Animals with higher scores for hair coat quality had lower selenium concentrations in the kidneys and liver, and higher selenium concentrations in muscles, but the differences were not significant. When relating Se concentrations determined in the liver of raccoon dogs to the biochemical criteria, it is concluded that 80% of the analysed raccoon dogs were deficient in this element and 20% had marginal levels. The results obtained in our study suggest that the food used on the farm did not fully meet the Se requirement of the raccoon dogs. Ocena stężenia selenu w wybranych narządach jenotów hodowlanych (Nyctereutes procyonoides) Celem pracy było określenie stężenia selenu w wątrobie, nerkach, płucach, sercu oraz mięśniach jenotów hodowlanych (Nyctereutes procyonoides) oraz ocena jego wpływu na jakość pozyskiwanych skór. Stężenie selenu oznaczano zmodyfikowaną metodą spektrofluorymetryczną Watkinsona. Materiał badawczy stanowiło 20 jenotów hodowlanych (Nyctereutes procyonoides) w wieku 8-9 miesięcy, utrzymywanych na fermie w Polsce południowo-wschodniej. Z uzyskanych danych wynika, że średnia zawartość selenu w wątrobie jenotów wyniosła 0,23±0,10 μg/g m.m. (mokrej masy). Odnotowane koncentracje wahały się w zakresie od 0,04 do 0,49 μg/g m.m. W wątrobie odnotowano ponad dwukrotnie niższą zawartość selenu niż w nerkach, średnio w nerkach 0,49±0,17 μg/g m.m. Osobniki, które otrzymały wyższą ocenę jakości okrywy włosowej charakteryzowały się niższym stężeniem selenu w nerkach i wątrobie, natomiast wyższym w mięśniach. Różnice te nie były jednak statystycznie istotne. Odnosząc oznaczone koncentracje Se w wątrobie jenotów do biochemicznych kryteriów należy stwierdzić, że u 80% badanych jenotów hodowlanych występuje niedobór tego pierwiastka, u 20% poziom marginalny. Uzyskane wyniki mogą sugerować, że stosowana na fermie karma nie pokrywała w pełni zapotrzebowania jenotów na selen.

Comparison of DDT and its metabolites concentrations in cow milk from agricultural and industrial areas

The risk of pesticidal intoxication in humans is severe, especially because of the strongly negative impact on human health. The consequences of the exposure to these substances may include cancerogenesis or endocrine abnormalities resulting for example in decreased fertility. Therefore, the aim of our study was to evaluate the content of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites in cow milk from two regions of Poland, varying by level of industrialization. Samples were collected from agricultural (n = 25) and industrial (n = 25) areas, and the concentrations of DDT and its metabolites were evaluated by gas chromatography. Residues of DDT were detected in all the milk samples tested, mostly in the samples from the agricultural area, where a total DDT median concentration reached 0.336 μg L−1. In the milk samples from the industrial area, the median concentration was lower, at 0.131 μg L−1. 4,4′-DDT was the main metabolite, constituting 83% of total DDT metabolites. Although none of the samples exceeded the level above which they should be considered dangerous, the results showed that the problem of DDT had not diminished and so should be constantly monitored.