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The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of hempseed cake on production traits, metabolic profile and antioxidant status of lambs. The research was conducted on 20 Merinolandschaf lambs of similar live body weight (24.03 kg ± 2.22 and 24.06 ± 1.84 kg in control and experimental group, respectively). The experiment started after the weaning of lambs at their average age of 70 days. Lambs were divided by gender (50% male: 50% female) and then allocated in two groups. The research lasted for 30 days during the fattening period. Lambs in the control group were fed with feed mixtures, where main protein source was soybean meal and extruded soybean (SB), while lambs in the experimental group were fed feed mixtures in which soybean was replaced by hempseed cake (HSC) at 12% of dry matter. Higher values of daily weight gain (P<0.05) compared to SB lambs were observed from the 15th to 30th day. HSC lambs showed no significant differences in hematology and biochemical blood parameters, except for lower (P<0.001) urea concentrations on days 15th and 30th, as well as higher (P<0.05) Mg concentrations in serum on the 30th day. Hempseed cake in lambs′ diets did not influence (P>0.05) activity of the enzymes, like AST, ALT, ALP, GGT and CK, as well as SOD and GPx enzymes, thus not affecting the antioxidant status of lambs′ blood. Concentrations of DHA and n-3 fatty acids were higher (P<0.05) in HSC group than in SB group. The present study confirmed that the inclusion of HSC as soybean replacement up to 12% in the lambs’ diet is justified when considering production traits, metabolic profile and antioxidant status of Merinolandschaf lambs.

The aim of the present research was to determine the hematological and biochemical parameters of the Travnik pramenka ewes during lactation. Thirty‐six ewes in average age of 3-5 years were included in the research. They were monitored in three stages of lactation: early, medium, and late stage. The WBC and RBC, HGB concentration, HCT and MCH values increased significantly as lactation progressed, while significant decrease of MCV and MCHC was determined in blood. HCT was slightly higher in the early compared to late stage, and the MCH in the medium compared to the late stage of lactation. A significant increase in the concentrations of Ca, P, Mg, Na and Cl, as well as a decrease of the Fe concentration was determined. As lactation progressed, the concentrations of urea, total proteins, albumin, globulin and BHB increased, as well as ALT activity. Contrary, concentrations of glucose and NEFA decreased, as well as GGT activity. Obtained results may help in monitoring the health and nutritional status of Travnik ewes. The effect of lactation stage needs to be included in the model when preparing the reference values for the blood parameters of Travnik pramenka ewes, particularly for RBC profiles, energy, and protein metabolites as well as liver enzymes.

The aim of this research was to determine the influence of dietary replacement of n-6 with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cellular immunity and oxidative stress in the transition period dairy cows. The experiment was conducted on 20 dairy Holstein cows from 3 ± 1 weeks before parturition until the 6 th week of lactation. Both groups were fed an iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous diet. Soybean meal from control (C) group was replaced with linseed in the experimental (LS) group. Cellular immunity and oxidative stress were measured on days −10, 1, 21 and 42 relative to parturition. During the entire experimental period, the proportion of CD45 + cells was lower ( P < 0.05) in LS group compared with the C group. The phagocytosis ability and phagocytosis index of cows fed with n-3 fatty acids were significantly reduced ( P < 0.05) compared with the group of cows fed with n-6 fatty acids. The most severe decrease in phagocytosis ability was on day −10 and 1 relative to parturition. The activity of superoxide dismutase ( P < 0.05) and plasma glutathione peroxidase ( P < 0.05) increased around calving, although activities were not influenced by dietary treatment. Increased malondialdehyde concentration ( P < 0.05) was influenced by dietary n-3 fatty acids and the time relative to parturition. The immune suppression was most pronounced during periparturient period. In that matter we can conclude that not only dietary n-3 fatty acids but also oxidative stress, which reached peak at time of parturition, contributed to the reduced cellular immunity during the periparturient period.

ŠATROVIĆ, K. STARČEVIĆ: Estimation of red deer (Cervus elaphus) post mortal interval based on the biochemical parameters of vitreous fluid using linear regression analyses. Vet. arhiv 88, 511-519, 2018. ABSTRACT Vitreous fluid is a stable biological fluid, which is well-protected from contamination and post mortem degradation, which makes it suitable in forensic pathology for determination of the post mortem interval (PMI). The present study was conducted to discover the correlation between increasing PMI and levels of various vitreous biochemical parameters (sodium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, potassium, phosphor, AST, urea, creatinine, total protein, glucose, total cholesterol). The estimation of PMI in red deer is of great interest in cases of illegal hunting. The vitreous humour samples were collected from six red deer carcasses. The eyes were enucleated, covered by parafilm and aluminium foil, packed in a small container and maintained at +4 ºC. Sampling of vitreous fluid was done again at 8, 10 and then regularly each 10 hours until finally 90 hours after death. A significant linear correlation was found for potassium, sodium and chloride (P<0.0001). The present study revealed that biochemical analysis of vitreous fluid could be used to determine post mortem interval in red deer.