Alius Pockevičius

In dairy cattle, abomasal ulcers are a serious but sometimes disregarded ailment that can have detrimental effects on health and cause financial losses. Due to inconclusive clinical symptoms, abomasal ulcers are typically misdiagnosed and treated improperly. Specialized diagnostic methods should be considered to ensure a correct diagnosis and the well-being of cattle. This report focuses on a 4-year-old Holstein-Friesian cow which began her third lactation two weeks before she started showing general clinical signs of an elevated fat–protein ratio in the milk and was diagnosed with an abomasum displacement. The clinical signs can also be mistaken for other conditions such as traumatic reticuloperitonitis and left dislocated abomasum. The patient was brought to the LUHS Large Animal Clinic, and after a short while, sudden death occurred. The autopsy concluded that death had occurred due to hypovolemic shock caused by abomasal ulcer perforation, which caused bleeding into the abomasum and intestines. Also, the type 3 ulcer caused severe peritonitis and anemia, and feed and fibrin could be seen on the outside of organs in the abdomen. Blood clots mixed with feed had formed in the inside of the abomasum and intestinal tract. Based on the work of previous scientific studies, it has been established that the occurrence of ulcers is more frequent in dairy cows during the first four to six weeks of lactation. And the most probable cause could be intensive feeding and dietary changes. Ulcers in the abomasum are very difficult to diagnose, because they require special diagnostic equipment such as an ultrasound or surgical interventions. Due to the similarity with other diseases, this pathological condition of the abomasum is most frequently only identified in post-mortem examinations.

Wooden breast (WB) myopathy is a pathology of the pectoralis major muscle. Wooden breast is caused by multiple factors. The exact etiopathogenesis of this myodegenerative pathology is still unclear. Fast-growing commercial lines of broilers that are selected for high breast muscle yields are more susceptible to this myopathy. The biochemical analysis of blood is used to diagnose pathologies and understand disease processes. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine and compare the changes in the blood serum biochemical parameters of Ross 308 chicken broilers without myopathy and those affected by WB myopathy. Blood samples were collected from male and female Ross 308 broilers that were 43 days old, with an average live weight of 2.98–3.09 kg. Representative blood samples were selected from broilers with WB (n = 33) and without WB (n = 33). In the laboratory, the blood was centrifugated, and biochemical tests were performed with an automated computerized biochemistry analyzer. The research results showed that broilers with WB had elevated blood serum levels of creatine kinase (CK) (p = 0.018), potassium (p = 0.010), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (p = 0.012). In conclusion, elevated serum levels of CK and potassium indicated that skeletal muscle cells were damaged. Moreover, increased ALT levels suggested a possible association between WB myopathy and liver damage. Additionally, these research findings underscore the diagnostic significance of CK and hint at its potential as a WB biomarker.

Background and Objectives: To date, the therapeutic potential of skeletal muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells (MDSPCs) for acute kidney injury (AKI) has only been evaluated by our research group. We aimed to compare MDSPCs with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and evaluate their feasibility for the treatment of AKI. Materials and Methods: Rats were randomly assigned to four study groups: control, GM (gentamicin) group, GM+MDSPCs, and GM+BM-MSCs. AKI was induced by gentamicin (80 mg/kg/day; i.p.) for 7 consecutive days. MDSPCs and BM-MSCs were injected 24 h after the last gentamicin injection. Kidney parameters were determined on days 0, 8, 14, 21, and 35. Results: MDSPCs and BM-MSCs accelerated functional kidney recovery, as reflected by significantly lower serum creatinine levels and renal injury score, higher urinary creatinine and creatinine clearance levels (p < 0.05), lower TUNEL-positive cell number, and decreased KIM-1 and NGAL secretion in comparison to the non-treated AKI group. There was no significant difference in any parameters between the MDSPCs and BM-MSCs groups (p > 0.05). Conclusions: MDSPCs and BM-MSCs can migrate and incorporate into injured renal tissue, resulting in a beneficial impact on functional and morphological kidney recovery, which is likely mediated by the secretion of paracrine factors and an anti-apoptotic effect. MDSPCs were found to be non-inferior to BM-MSCs and therefore can be considered as a potential candidate strategy for the treatment of AKI.

The aim of this research was to determine the impact of pectoralis major myopathies on the physical parameters, fatty acid (FA) profile, and volatile organic compound (VOC) composition of chicken breast meat. Samples were collected from pectoralis major of broilers with varying severity scores (normal, mild, and severe) of wooden breast (WB) and white striping (WS) myopathies. Chicken breast meat affected by severe myopathies expressed higher cooking loss, drip loss (p < 0.001), and yellowness (p < 0.05) compared to those of samples that were taken from broilers without myopathies (normal). The amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) was significantly higher in samples affected by mild and severe myopathies than in those without myopathies (p < 0.05). There was significantly more aldehyde hexanal in muscles affected by mild and severe myopathies than in muscles without myopathies (p < 0.05). In conclusion, WB and WS myopathies of the breast muscle not only affected the physical parameters of broiler meat but also may have influenced its FA profile and VOC composition. Additionally, an elevated amount of hexanal in muscles affected by WB together with WS suggests that oxidative stress could be important in the etiopathogenesis of WB and WS myopathies. Therefore, poultry meat affected by myopathies have the potential to alter breast meat flavor and composition.