Fatty Acid Composition of Muscle,Liver, and Adipose Tissue of Freshwater Fish from Lake Victoria,Uganda

Fish oils may differ in fatty acid (FA) composition depending on diet. Oils extracted from muscle, liver, and adipose tissue of Nile perch (Lates niloticus), Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), silver fish (Rastrineobola argentea), lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus), Victoria squeaker (Synodontis victoriae), and two catfishes (Clarias gariepinus and Bagrus docmac) from Lake Victoria, a tropical freshwater lake, were evaluated for FA composition. Oil contents of muscles, livers, and adipose tissues were in the range of 3.16 to 13.8%, 3.62 to 53.4%, and 28.8 to 42.4%, respectively. Omega-3 polyunsaturated FA, particularly alpha-linolenic (ALA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids, were found to be in substantial amounts in oils from all seven fish species. Ratios of polyunsaturated FA to saturated FA (0.79 to 1.18) were in the range considered adequate for normal health. Overall, the results show that the fish species studied are a rich source of omega-3 polyunsaturated FA.     

Epidemiological Description of Cystic Ovarian Disease in Argentine Dairy Herds: Risk Factors and Effects on the Reproductive Performance of Lactating Cows

To describe the epidemiology of cystic ovarian disease (COD), to find possible risk factors associated with the incidence of cysts and to analyse the impact of COD on the reproductive performance of dairy cows, databases from 22 dairy herds from the main dairy region in Argentina were retrospectively evaluated throughout a 3‐year period (2009–2011). A total of 248 COD cases over 9156 parturitions were recorded, resulting in a cumulative incidence rate of 2.7%. Cystic ovarian disease incidence density was lower during the first 100 days post‐partum (DPP) than during later stages of lactation. Seasonality had a significant influence on the disease presentation with higher incidence rates during winter and spring. Cows with a previous diagnosis of clinical mastitis showed 2.72 times more chances of developing ovarian cysts. Cystic cows had longer calving to first service and calving to conception intervals and lower conception rate than controls.