Preliminary effects of fertilization on ecochemical soil condition in mature spruce stands experiencing dieback in the Beskid Śla̧ski and Żywiecki Mountains, Poland

In recent years, there has been the phenomena of spruce dieback in Europe. Significant areas of spruce low mortality now cover both sides of the Polish southern border. We evaluated ecochemical parameters influencing the heavy dieback occurring in mature spruce stands in the Polish Carpathian Mountains. Dolomite, magnesite and serpentinite fertilizers were applied to experimental plots located in 100-year-old stands in the autumn of 2008. The experimental plots were located in the mid-elevational forest zone (900-950 m) on two nappes of the flysch Carpathians: Magura (Ujsoły Forest District) and Silesian (Wisła Forest District). The saturation of the studied soils demonstrates moderate resilience of soils in Wisła Forest District in relation to acid load and high flexibility of the Ujsoły soils. After application of the fertilizers, an increase of Mg, Ca and Mb was noted in the soil solution, determined in the overlaying highly acidic organic horizons through the ion-exchange buffering mechanism of highly protonated functional groups with high buffering capacity. Magnesium concentration increased following fertilization, presenting a potential improvement of forest growth capacity without the hazard of adverse side effects of liming. Aluminium stress in old spruce is unlikely, while trees in the control plots in Wisła Forest District may already be sensitive to aluminium stress. Serpentinite fertilization improved the supply of soils in magnesium without causing significant changes in the pH of the soil. Such changes in the pH were found in dolomite and magnesite fertilizer. © The Author(s) 2014

Modulation of Mucin Secretion in the Gut of Young Pigs by Dietary Threonine and Non-Essential Amino Acid Levels

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of threonine (Thr) and non-essential amino acid (NEAA) levels on mucin secretion and sugar composition of digesta and crude mucin preparations analyzed in different segments of the gut in young pigs. A two-factorial experiment was conducted on 72 pigs using the following factors: Thr level (5.1, 5.7, 6.3 and 6.9 g standardized ileal digestible(SID) Thr/kg) and wheat gluten (WG) level used as a source of NEAA (20.4, 40.4 and 60.4 g WG protein in WG20, WG40 and WG60 diets, respectively). Mucin content was affected only by WG level. Tissue mucin content in the duodenum was higher in WG60 pigs than in WG20 and WG40 pigs, whereas in the middle jejunum was higher in WG40 and WG60 pigs than in WG20 pigs. In contrast, luminal crude mucin content in the proximal colon was lower in WG60 pigs compared to WG40 pigs. The lowest and highest Thr levels reduced arabinose and xylose contents and increased glucose content in ileal digesta. The highest WG level reduced arabinose and xylose contents and increased glucose content in ileal digesta. The lowest WG level increased mannose content in ileal digesta. WG60 level decreased the content of arabinose and galactose compared to lower WG levels in colonic digesta. Arabinose content was higher, while glucose and galactose contents were lower in crude mucin preparations isolated from colonic digesta in pigs fed diets containing the highest Thr level. The content of tissue mucin was higher in the ileum and proximal colon and lower in the duodenum than in the middle jejunum, whereas luminal mucin content was lower in the proximal colon than in the ileum. Ileal digesta contained less arabinose and glucose and more galactose as compared to colonic digesta. In conclusion, no effect of dietary Thr levels on mucin secretion in the gut of young pigs was found. Wheat gluten added to the diet with adequate Thr content positively affected mucin secretion only in the duodenum and middle jejunum

Influence of farming technology on bioaccumulation of calcium, magnesium and sodium in muscle tissue of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) / Wpływ technologii chowu na biokumulację wapnia, magnezu i sodu w tkance mięśniowej pstrąga tęczowego (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum)

Polska należy do krajów o ograniczonych zasobach wodnych, w których wskazana jest oszczędność wody m.in. poprzez doskonalenie metod produkcji rybackiej o zmniejszonym zużyciu wody. Celem pracy było określenie wpływu jakości wody oraz technologii chowu na biokumulację wapnia, magnezu i sodu w tkance mięśniowej pstrąga tęczowego. Badania przeprowadzono wiosną i jesienią 2011 roku w 2 gospodarstwach pstrągowych z województwa pomorskiego stosujących odmienne technologie chowu: z jednokrotnym przepływem wody oraz z systemem recyrkulacji wody. W badanych obiektach technologia chowu miała istotny wpływ na stężenie magnezu i sodu w wodach odpadowych, natomiast nie miała wpływu na zawartość badanych metali w tkance mięśniowej pstrąga tęczoweg

The Effect of a Diet Containing Extruded Faba Bean Seeds on Growth Performance and Selected Microbial Activity Indices in the Large Intestine of Piglets

The study investigated the effect of replacing soybean meal with extruded faba bean seeds on piglet growth performance and selected microbial activity indices in the large intestine. In total, 24, 35-day-old, healthy, castrated piglets of similar body weight were divided into four groups with six replicates. Animals in the control group (C) were fed with soybean meal without extruded faba bean seeds. In other experimental groups, pigs were fed diets with the addition of 20 (FB20), 25 (FB25) or 30% (FB30) extruded faba bean seeds instead of soybean meal and wheat starch. Growth performance, histology of the large intestine, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and ammonia concentration, as well as the activity of bacterial enzymes in digesta samples, were analyzed. The intake of the FB25 diet resulted in an increased feed:gain ratio in comparison to the FB30 group. Feeding the FB30 diet increased tunica muscularis thickness in the caecum as compared to other groups. Moreover, dietary inclusion of extruded faba bean seeds had no effect on SCFA and ammonia concentration. In addition, feeding diets with a different level of extruded faba bean seeds did not affect the activity of bacterial enzymes in the colon

Mineral content of muscle tissue of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum)

Fish are most often considered as a rich source of valuable fat, although sometimes the high quality of fish meat protein is also emphasized, but there is comparably little information on the mineral composition of fish meat. Chemical composition, caloric value and health safety of fish as food depend on many factors, of which the rearing conditions are most influential. Aside from environmental conditions, production technology is a major determinant of the quality and nutritional value of trout. In this study, the influence of a farming technology on the content of minerals in the muscle tissue of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) netted in various Polish regions has been assessed. Fish were caught in autumn 2010 and 2011 and spring 2011, at 3 farms with a water flow-through system and 3 farms with water recirculation. The trout muscle tissue contained: 188.4 - 518.4 mg kg-1 of calcium, 306.9 - 338.1 mg kg-1 of magnesium, 464.0 - 718.2 mg kg-1 of sodium, 4.5 - 6.9 mg kg-1 of zinc, 2485.7 - 2823.6 mg kg-1 of phosphorous, 4261.2 - 4615.4 mg kg-1 of potassium, 3.0 - 9.4 mg kg-1 of iron and 0.09 – 11.74 mg kg-1 of copper. The farming technology influenced the content of calcium, sodium, zinc, iron and copper but had no effect on the content of magnesium, phosphorous and potassium in rainbow trout muscle tissue. Trout farmed in water recirculation systems contained higher amounts of most elements than the fish reared in water flow-through systems. The season of sample collection (date of netting) also affected the content of sodium, zinc, phosphorus, iron and copper. The fish farming site (localization of the farm) determined the content of most of the minerals except magnesium. Rainbow trout is a good source of phosphorous and potassium in a human diet, significantly covering the daily demand for the elements

Przydatność rezonansu magnetycznego z zastosowaniem sekwencji SWI (susceptibility-weighted imaging) w rozpoznaniu hemosyderozy mózgu : opis przypadku

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine whether the SWI sequence may improve the MRI evaluation of hemosiderin deposits in the brain. Case Report: We report a case of a 7-year-old girl after a total resection of a large tumor mass (ependymoma G II) located in the left hemisphere. Late complication of surgery was hemosiderosis of the brain diagnosed with SWI sequence. Conclusions: SWI sequence is very sensitive in diagnosing hemosiderin deposits. It allowed us to recognize cerebral hemosiderosis in this case. We suggest to include this sequence in routine MRI examinations of the brain, especially in cases of potential and suspected intracranial bleeding