Floods types in a mountain catchment: The Ochotnica River, Poland

This paper presents the results of a study on floods in the Ochotnica River catchment during forty years of hydrological observations (1972–2011). The Ochotnica River is located in the Gorce Mountains, in the Polish Western Carpathians. The characteristics of floods in the Ochotnica River channel were analyzed using limnigraphic records of water levels at the Tylmanowa gauging station and of precipitation based on data from the Polish Institute of Meteorology and the Water Management Station at Ochotnica Górna. Flood types were determined. The predominant type of floods in the Ochotnica River are normal floods with a discharge of 3.80 to 11.94 m³/s in winter and 4.74 to 16.40 m³/s in summer. The dominant recent process is incision, at an average speed of 3.2 cm/year. Similar results have been observed in other mountain rivers in Europe

Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) and Inhibitors of MMPs in the Avian Reproductive System: An Overview

Many matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are produced in the mammalian reproductive system and participate in the regulation of its functions. In birds, the limited information available thus far indicates that MMPs are significant regulators of avian ovarian and oviductal functions, too. Some MMPs and inhibitors of MMPs are present in the hen reproductive tissues and their abundances and/or activities change according to the physiological state. The intraovarian role of MMPs likely includes the remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during folliculogenesis, follicle atresia, and postovulatory regression. In the oviduct, MMPs are also involved in ECM turnover during oviduct development and regression. This study provides a review of the current knowledge on the presence, activity, and regulation of MMPs in the female reproductive system of birds

No 3-4 Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals

HRABIA A., SECHMAN A., RZ¥SA J. 2012. Independent, non-IGF-I mediated, GH action on estradiol secretion by prehierarchical ovarian follicles in chicken. In vitro study. Folia Biologica (Kraków) 60: 213-217. Information concerning the role of growth hormone (GH) in the local regulation of ovarian activity in birds is limited. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine whether in the domestic hen GH influences in vitro estradiol secretion by prehierarchical ovarian follicles. Moreover, the interaction between GH and IGF-I on estradiol secretion was examined. Small white (1-4 mm), large white (4-6 mm) and yellowish (6-8 mm) ovarian follicles were isolated at the stage of 2 h after ovulation. In the first experiment (n=8 hens), whole follicles (small white, n=6/dose/ovary; large white, n=1/dose/ovary and yellowish, n=1/dose/ovary) were incubated for 24 h at 38 o C in a medium supplemented with 0 (control), 1, 10 or 100 ng/ml of chicken GH (cGH). In the second experiment (n=6 hens), follicles were incubated in the same way in a medium with 0 (control), 10 ng/ml cGH, 25 ng/ml human IGF-I or cGH+hIGF-I (10 ng/ml+25 ng/ml). Following incubation the estradiol concentration was determined in media (RIA) and protein in the tissues of the follicular wall (Lowry). The secretion of estradiol was expressed per milligram of protein. The experiments revealed that both cGH and hIGF-I stimulated estradiol secretion by examined chicken ovarian follicles. The simultaneous addition of cGH and hIGF-I increased estradiol secretion by ovarian follicles as compare to the control. These hormones added together did not have an additive effect when compared to their separate actions. The results obtained suggest that both GH and IGF-I are important stimulators of estradiol production in chicken nonhierarchical ovarian follicles. We propose independent, non-IGF-I-mediated GH action on estradiol secretion

Variable Response to Hormonal Induction of Multiple Ovulation in Quail

Studies were conducted to induce multiple ovulation in Japanese quail. Laying quail were injected with 20I.U./quail of PMSG once a day for 5 successive days followed by a single treatment with 50μg/quail of oLH about 24hr after the last PMSG injection. The hens were decapitated 8 to 9hr later. Other quail received only oLH or vehicle 12hr before the predicted time of ovulation. All quail in the vehicle-injected control group ovulated at the expected time. The injection of oLH resulted in premature oviposition and ovulation. Within the PMSG-primed and oLH injected group, 10 out of 19 quail were induced to ovulate single or several follicles (ovulation rate, 53%), whereas 9 quail failed to ovulate. Daily egg laying during PMSG administration was without relationship with rate of multiple ovulation. Most of the PMSG-primed and oLH injected quail had heavier ovaries with many yellow follicles arranged in non-hierarchical way in contrast to ovaries of control and only oLH-treated birds. The results showed very variable responses of quail to oLH treatment in the PMSG-primed birds. Our method is not recommendable for common use because of inefficiency of egg collection after low rate of multiple ovulation which requires expense and labour