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The aim of this study has been to determine the effect of a diet containing β-carotene and omega-3 fatty acids on the biochemical and nonspecific humoral immunity indicators and on the results of rearing calves to day 60 of life. The study was conducted in 2011-2012, on a herd of Polish Holstein- Friesian cows. 54 calves from the herd were divided into 3 groups, 18 animals in each: CTR, TRT1 and TRT2. During the colostral period lasting for 5 days after birth, calves were drinking the mother's colostrum. From 6 to 60 days, calves were watered milk replacer formulation. The control group (CTR) consisted of calves after the colostral period given milk replacer formulation without any supplementation. In the two other groups, calves received milk replacers with the supplementation of β-carotene (TRT1 group) in the amount of 25 mg/calf/day or a suspension of liver omega-3 oil (TRT2 group) in the amount of 5 g/calf/day. All calves received solid feed ad libitum. The research showed that the parameters of the metabolic profile of calves (ALT, ASP, CHOL, GLU, UREA, ALP, TG, CRE) were within the normal range, indicating good health of the calves. Moreover, the supplementation had a positive impact on the chosen immunological parameters, including a higher IgG concentration, especially at the end of the milk drinking period. The result of β-carotene in a diet was the highest daily gain in the period from 30 to 60 days of life among the analysed groups of calves. No such effect was achieved in the TRT2 group of calves, as their body weight was the lowest. However, noteworthy is the beneficial impact of beta-carotene and omega-3 oil on the non-specific humoral immunity parameters, which was manifested by fewer cases of clinical diarrhoea and upper respiratory tract diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of 20 minerals in the whole raw milk from Holstein dairy cows in the province of Alberta, Canada. A total of 156 milk samples were collected from 26 dairy farms (n = 6 per farm) and analyzed with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for five macrominerals (Ca, Mg, P, K, and Na), ten microminerals (Bo, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ru, Se, St, and Zn), and five heavy metals (Al, As, Cd, Cr, and Pb). Calculated means were compared with their recommended daily intakes (RDIs) or minimal risk levels (MRLs) obtained from several food safety agencies and with data obtained from a world meta-analytical study we conducted previously. Results of the present study showed differences in the concentrations of multiple minerals between the Alberta farms involved and world averages (WA) and within Alberta farms. Concentrations of macrominerals, including Ca, Mg, P, K, and Na, in the raw milk were greater in Alberta dairy farms than the WA (p < 00.5; except Ca). Of note, concentrations of Ca showed the highest variability among Alberta farms, with 11 farms having lower milk Ca than WA. The other macrominerals were higher than WA in more than 88% of Alberta farms. Data demonstrated that concentrations of microminerals, including Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Mo, in Alberta raw milk were lower compared with WA (p < 0.05). Selenium was the only element in raw milk that was found to have higher concentrations in all farms in Alberta vs. WA. High variability was observed for B, Sr, and Zn, which were lower in multiple locations around the province. Concentrations of heavy metals in the Alberta raw milk, including Al, As, Cd, and Pb, were lower than WA, whereas concentrations of Cr were higher. Most importantly, all heavy metals were below their respective MRLs in all analyzed samples. Overall, data from this study showed that raw milk from Holstein dairy cows in Alberta has concentrations of most mineral elements below their MRLs and some of them different from WA. Of note, although concentrations of Se and Zn in the raw milk were higher in Alberta compared with WA, their concentrations were still below their respective MRLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of our study was to investigate the amount of 110 pesticide residues in cereals and foodstuff from Poland as a part of official control. A total of 89 samples were collected in 2009-10. In 84.2% of the samples no residues were found: 15.8% of samples contained pesticide residues below the maximum residue limit. Pirimiphos-methyl was the most frequently found pesticide. The results show that occurrence of pesticide residues in cereals and feeding stuff could not be considered serious threats to human and animal health. Nevertheless, an investigation into continuous monitoring and tighter regulation of pesticide residues in food and feed is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyse milk yield, milk composition and other performance indicators in Czech Pied cows raised in the Czech Republic as compared with Polish Holstein-Friesian, Simmental and Czech Pied cows raised in Poland. The experimental materials comprised cows enrolled in the milk recording scheme in 2011, of the following breeds: Polish Holstein-Friesian (PHF) (438 376 cows), Simmental (SIM) (9 559 cows), Czech Pied tested in Poland (CP-P) (34 cows), Czech Pied tested in the Czech Republic (CP-Cz) (110 436 cows). The following parameters were determined: yield [kg] of milk, fat and protein, content [%] of fat and protein in 305-day lactations: the first lactation (L-I), the second and subsequent lactations (L-IIS), the length of: inter-pregnancy interval (IPI), inter- calving interval (ICI), gestation period and dry period, as well as artificial insemination efficiency and conception rates on selected days of IPI. PHF cows produced the highest yields of milk and milk components in the analysed lactations, in comparison with the other cattle breeds. Milk fat content was relatively high in all cattle breeds, exceeding 4% in both L-I and L-IIS. Milk protein content was highest in CP-Cz and CP-P cows, at 3.53-3.54% in L-I and 3.46% in L-IIS. PHF cows calved at the youngest age, had the longest IPI, ICI and lactation periods, and the shortest gestation period, compared with the other cattle breeds. Over a three-year period, SIM cows produced 25% less milk than PHF cows. The average lifetime productivity of the highest-yielding CP-Cz cows was 108342 kg milk (3.39% protein content and 3.79% fat content) and 7038 kg fat and protein. The highest number of CP-Cz cows conceived at 120 days or more (41.6%) and within 90 days (39.9%) of calving, which testifies to the success at first insemination. High genotypic diversity was noted in CP-Cz cattle, which contributed to a considerable increase in milk yield in cows containing 87% or more CP-Cz genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of cattle breed (Holstein-Friesian -- HF, Jersey -- JE, HF x JE) and lactation stage (days 160, 220 and 280) on nutrient concentrations in milk and the fatty acid profile of milk fat. An analysis of lactation stage on the chemical composition of milk revealed that the concentrations of dry matter, protein and fat tended to increase until day 220. The content of dry matter, ash and fat in milk increased further until day 280. Cattle breed had a significant effect on the levels of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in milk fat. The concentrations of long-chain fatty acids (LCFA) in bovine milk were considerably higher (66.26% on average), compared with short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) (9.11% on average). SCFA content tended to decrease with the progress of lactation. The differences among the analyzed stages of lactation were significant at p ≤ 0.05 for C4:0 and C10:0 fatty acids. In the group of LCFA, the content of C12:0 and C 18:0 fatty acids was higher on day 160 of lactation, and the content of C14:0 iso and C16:0 fatty acids was higher towards the end of lactation, on day 280. The average concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in milk fat were 21.97% and only 2.79%, respectively. The highest MUFA (C10:1, C12:1, C 14:1, C18:1 cis9) content of milk was noted in HF cows, and the lowest in HF x JE crossbreeds. HF x JE cows were characterized by the highest content of only trans-isomers of monounsaturated fatty acid C18:1 t6+t9+t10+t11. The concentrations of n-3 fatty acids were highest in HF cows. HF cows had also a desirable n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio, at 3.92. The difference between this value and those noted in the other breeds was significant at p ≤ 0.01. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Brachytherapy is a great alternative for restrictive surgical procedures in facial cancers. Moreover, dose distribution is more beneficial compared with teleradiotherapy during treatment of lesions located on anatomical curves. However, repetitiveness of application is the main issue associated with using commercial applicators. The risk of its displacement is very unfavorable due to large dose gradients in brachytherapy. The aim of this study was to develop a process of preparation of applicators using 3D printing technology., Material and Methods: In planning system, circular volumes near the nose, eye, and ear were determined on transverse layers of an anthropomorphic phantom. Next, boluses with a thickness of 5 mm and 10 mm were designed for each of the layers. Channels in the 10 mm bolus were designed in such a way to place the catheters into the layers. Prepared applicators were printed using polylactic acid (PLA) filament. Plans to irradiate the films for their calibration and plans for treatment prepared in the treatment planning system were conducted. A special phantom was created to calibrate the radiochromic films. Dose distribution around the designed applicators was measured in an anthropomorphic phantom using films within the layers of phantom. Comparison of doses was performed with two-dimensional gamma analysis using OmniPro I'mRT software., Results: The obtained results confirmed compliance of the planned and measured doses in 92%; the analysis of gamma parameter showed 1%/1 mm for acceptability level of 95%. Moreover, the initial dosimetric analysis for gamma criteria with 2%/2 mm showed compliance at 99%., Conclusions: The results of the present study confirm potential clinical usefulness of the applicators obtained with the use of 3D printing for brachytherapy., Competing Interests: The authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Termedia.)

This paper compares the isotopes (60)Co and (192)Ir as radiation sources for high-dose-rate (HDR) afterloading brachytherapy. The smaller size of (192)Ir sources made it the preferred radionuclide for temporary brachytherapy treatments. Recently also (60)Co sources have been made available with identical geometrical dimensions. This paper compares the characteristics of both nuclides in different fields of brachytherapy based on scientific literature. In an additional part of this paper reports from medical physicists of several radiation therapy institutes are discussed. The purpose of this work is to investigate the advantages or disadvantages of both radionuclides for HDR brachytherapy due to their physical differences. The motivation is to provide useful information to support decision-making procedures in the selection of equipment for brachytherapy treatment rooms. The results of this work show that no advantages or disadvantages exist for (60)Co sources compared to (192)Ir sources with regard to clinical aspects. Nevertheless, there are potential logistical advantages of (60)Co sources due to its longer half-life (5.3 years vs. 74 days), making it an interesting alternative especially in developing countries.

Purpose: One of the main causes of treatment failures in brachytherapy is incorrect source strength specification in planning system or treatment delivery console. Source strength control is the only scheme to avoid such mistakes. The main aim of this work was to present results of three years of HDR and PDR sources activity control., Material and Methods: Study was based on data from 14 192 Ir HDR and PDR sources exchanges. Sources were checked three times: at the exchange day and after one and two months. Measurements were performed twice with thimble chamber (PMMA phantom), and well chamber. The source strength were measured as air - kerma and recalculated to activity., Results: Source activities measured using well chamber and thimble chamber, as well as activities provided by planning system, were presented for PDR and HDR, respectively. Differences between results obtained using each chamber and activities from planning system were presented graphically. The calculated and measured activities differed less than 5%. Wilcoxon test was performed as well, no statistically significant differences were observed among HDR or PDR activities., Conclusions: Checking of source parameters is one of the most important parts of quality control system in brachytherapy facilities. Well chamber and thimble chamber based dosimetry systems are fast and reliable tools for 192 Ir source parameters checking in working brachytherapy department conditions.