Changes in the fish community of the Czarna Hańcza River (NE Poland) after a fish kill caused by a wastewater treatment plant failure

Mass fish kills caused by wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) failure are uncommon. In this study, we analyzed the recovery of the fish community in the Czarna Hańcza River after a fish kill caused by a WWTP incident in Suwałki in 2018. The research focused on brown trout, the dominant fish species in this river. The incident lasted about six hours and accounted for 7% of the mean river’s flow during the accident. The fish population recovered quickly, and ten months after the fish kill, the number of fish species and their abundance were similar to the pre-incident state, but the species structure was different. In subsequent years, fish species richness decreased conspicuously, while their numbers remained at a high, relatively constant level. Species that are more resistant to difficult environmental conditions, such as white bream and European perch, returned to the river first. Concurrently with the improvement of environmental conditions, more demanding species, including brown trout, began to dominate in the river. Fulton’s condition factors decreased significantly as the river self-purified and the density of the brown trout population increased (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that the brown trout population was able to recover relatively quick, presumably because of stocking. Other species that were not stocked required more time to recover

Effects of Physical Rehabilitation on Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters and Ground Reaction Forces of Patients with Intermittent Claudication

Chronic ischemia of the lower extremities often presents as intermittent claudication characterized by lower limb pain which subsides after a short break. This study aimed to provide an assessment of the spatiotemporal parameters of gait and ground reaction forces in patients with PAD participating in three forms of supervised physical training. A total of 80 subjects completed a three-month supervised physical rehabilitation program with three sessions per week. The subjects were assigned to one of three programs: group 1&mdash;standard walking training on a treadmill (TT); group 2&mdash;Nordic walking (NW) training; group 3&mdash;strength and endurance training comprised of NW with isokinetic resistance training (NW + ISO). Gait biomechanics tests (kinematic and kinetic parameters of gait) and a six-minute walk test were carried out before and after three months of physical training. Nordic walking training led to the greatest improvements in the gait pattern of patients with PAD and a significant increase in the absolute claudication distance and total gait distance. Combined training (NW + ISO) by strengthening the muscles of the lower extremities increased the amplitude of the general center of gravity oscillation to the greatest extent. Treadmill training had little effect on the gait pattern. Nordic walking training should be included in the rehabilitation of patients with PAD as a form of gait training, which can be conducted under supervised or unsupervised conditions

Effect of Feed Texture and Dimensions, on Feed Waste Type and Feeding Efficiency in Juvenile <i>Sagmariasus verreauxi</i>

The “messy” feeding behaviour of spiny lobsters remains an obstacle for formulated feed development. This study examined the relationship between feeding efficiency and feed waste by juvenile spiny lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi, fed different formulated pellet diameters or lengths across two separate experiments. Feed texture (hard and dry pellet, HDP; soft and moist pellet, SMP) was also examined. Juvenile lobsters were fed experimental feeds at 0.5% BW daily over a 6 h duration. The resulting feed waste was categorised as either feeding-related waste (FRW) or non-feeding-related waste (NFRW). For all feed types, the FRW increased with increasing pellet diameter and pellet length. The increase in FRW corresponded with a decrease in NFRW, particularly for HDP, resulting in no difference in total feed waste in any treatment investigated. Thus, even with improved feeding efficiency with small feed dimensions, feed intake was not improved. Feed leaching rate decreased with increasing pellet size, suggesting a more rapid decline in feed attractiveness for smaller pellets. This finding indicates that currently a counteractive interaction exists between pellet size and feed attractiveness and suggests improving attractiveness would further enhance feeding. Future research should aim at optimising feed dimensions simultaneously to support efficient feeding whilst enhancing attraction/gustatory stimulations

Influence of the Physical Training on Muscle Function and Walking Distance in Symptomatic Peripheral Arterial Disease in Elderly

Introduction. A typical symptom of chronic lower-limb ischaemia is lower-limb pain, which occurs during walking forcing the patient to stop, intermittent claudication (IC). Exercise rehabilitation is the basic form of treatment for these patients. Aim. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of three types of physical training programmes conducted over a 12-week period in patients with chronic lower-limb arterial insufficiency. Materials and Methods. Ninety-five people qualified for the 3-month supervised motor rehabilitation programme, conducted three times a week. The respondents were assigned to three types of rehabilitation programmes using a pseudo-randomization method: Group I (TW), subjects undertaking treadmill walking training; Group II (NW), subjects undertaking Nordic walking training; Group III (RES+NW), subjects undertaking resistance and Nordic walking training. Treadmill test, 6 Minute Walk Test (6MWT), and isokinetic test were repeated after 3 months of rehabilitation, which 80 people completed. Results. Combined training (RES+NW) is more effective than Nordic walking alone and supervised treadmill training alone for improving ankle force-velocity parameters (p<0.05) in patients with intermittent claudication. Each of the proposed exercise rehabilitation programmes increased walking distance of patients with intermittent claudication (p<0.05), especially in 6MWT (p=0.001). Significant relationships of force-velocity parameters are observed in the maximum distance obtained in 6MWT, both in Group III (RES + NW) and in Group II (NW) at the level of moderate and strong correlation strength, which indicates that if the lower limbs are stronger the walking distance achieved in 6MWT is longer. Conclusions. Given both the force-velocity parameters and the covered distance, the training RES + NW gives the most beneficial changes compared to training TW alone and NW alone. All types of training increased walking distance, which is an important aspect of the everyday functioning of people with IC