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Introduction. Traditionally, mammalian adipose tissue is divided into white (white adipose tissue – WAT) and brown (brown adipose tissue – BAT). While the functions of WAT are well known as the triglyceride depot, the role of BAT in mammalian physiology has been under close investigation. The first description of the role of BAT in maintaining thermogenesis dates back to 1961. This article offers a review of structural and functional specificity of white, beige and brown adipose tissue. Results and discussion. The differences and descriptions of adipocytes and their impact on the maintenance of the main functions of the mammalian body are described in this manuscript. In particular, thermogenesis, stress response, obesity, type II diabetes. In addition to WAT and BAT, an intermediate form was also detected in the body – beige fat (BeAT or Brite). The opposite opinions regarding the presence of three types of adipose tissue in the human and animal bodies are presented. Studies on the identification of uncoupling proteins 1 and 3 and their role in the transformation of white fat into beige/brown are considered. Basically, the data on the factors of endogenous and exogenous nature on their formation are given on the example of the human body. Conclusion. With an abundance of publications on the keywords: “white, brown fat”, these studies, in the overwhelming majority, are devoted to the role of these fats in the formation of human thermogenesis, the assessment of the impact on obesity. Pigs have also been suggested to lack functional BAT, which is a major cause of neonatal death in the swine industry, therefore the focus on investigating role of different types of adipose tissue in pigs seems very promising in order to understand whether there is a compensating mechanism of thermogenesis.

The role of natural antioxidants in preventing of age-relating diseases is evident. The vegetable industry generates a large amount of waste, which is a good source of antioxidants. The aim of the study was the investigation of the antioxidant effect of long-term consumption of ethanolic yellow onion husk extract in ageing laboratory rodents. Twenty male Wistar albino rats were divided randomly into two groups (n = 10): a control group and an experimental group that received ethanolic yellow onion husk extract (2 mL/rat diluted with distilled water; activity of 4.44 µmol-equiv. quercetin) for 188 days. Oxygen radical absorbance capacity and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays were used to determine the total antioxidant capacity of the extract, which amounted to 941.4 ± 32.7 µmol equiv. Trolox/g raw material and 167.4 ± 16.4 µmol-equiv. quercetin/g raw material, respectively. Oral intake of the onion husk extract affected the indicators of the antioxidant system of the liver and the brain but not of the blood and plasma, mainly due to elevations in the activity of catalase and superoxide dismutase in the liver by 44.4% and 79.1%, respectively, and in the brain by three-fold and 79.1%, respectively. The availability, cheapness and high antioxidant potential of onion waste qualifies it a good source of functional ingredients and bioactive substances applicable in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

The research has been conducted in 3 biggest cemeteries of Chisinau city: Central (“Armenian”), “Saint Lazarus” (“Doina”) and Jewish. We found 9 species of small mammals (7 species of rodents and 2 shrews). Species of rodents were Clethrionomys glareolus, Microtus rossiaemeridionalis, Apodemus flavicollis, A. sylvaticus, A. uralensis, Rattus norvegicus and Mus musculus and 2 shrew species – Sorex araneus and Crocidura suaveolens. A.sylvaticus was dominant species, followed by M. rossiaemeridionalis and A. flavicollis.

Background The most effective learning occurs during sensitive periods. Olfactory plasticity to main social olfactory cues is limited to a critical period to a large degree. The objective was to evaluate the influence of early olfactory experience on the behavioral and neuronal responses of males to con- and heterospecific odors of receptive females in two species, M. musculus (subspecies musculus, wagneri) and M. spicilegus, and thus to determine the potential role of epigenetic contribution in the formation of precopulatory isolation. Results Males were reciprocally cross-fostered shortly after the birth and were tested for response to con- and heterospecific urine odors of estrus females using two-choice tests at 70–85 days of age. Neuronal activity of non- and cross-fostered males was evaluated at 90–110 days of age in the MOB and AOB to con- and heterospecific female odor using fMRI (MEMRI). Non-cross-fostered males of three taxa demonstrated a strong preference for odor of conspecific females compared to odor of heterospecific ones. Spicilegus-nursed musculus preferred odor of heterospecific females. Wagneri-nursed spicilegus and spicilegus-nursed wagneri did not demonstrate significant choice of con - or heterospecific female odor. The level of MRI signal obtained from the evaluation of manganese accumulation in AOB neurons was significantly higher when the odor of conspecific estrus females was exposed, compared to urine exposure of heterospecific females. The response pattern changed to the opposite in males raised by heterospecific females. Response patterns of neuronal activity in the MOB to con- and heterospecific female odors were different in cross-fostered and control males. Conclusion The maternal environment, including odor, had a greater effect on the level of MRI signal in the AOB than the genetic relationships of the recipient and the donor of the odor stimulus. Behavioral and neuronal responses to con- and heterospecific odors changed in closely related Mus taxa as a result of early experience. We demonstrated the importance of early learning in mate choice in adulthood in mice and the possibility of epigenetic contribution in the formation of precopulatory reproductive isolation.

Meat technological processing has a significant effect on the dynamics and depth of the oxidative processes. The study on the antioxidative activity of the extracts, obtained from the salted meat samples before and after the thermal treatment, was carried out in order to establish a mechanism of action of the main technological processes (meat salting and thermal treatment) on the oxidative changes. The subjects of the research were the samples of pork Longissimus dorsi muscles, which were minced and salted with sodium chloride in the amount of 0.0, 2.0, 3.5 and 5.0%. The antioxidative activity was determined by the rate of oxidation of reduced by oxygen form of 2.6-Dichlorophenolindophenol. The catalase activity was measured spectrophotometrically by the rate of hydrogen peroxide decomposition; the superoxide dismutase activity was measured by the rate of inhibition of the pyrogallol autoxidation; the glutathione peroxidase activity was measured by the rate of NADPH decomposition. The research was carried out at V.M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS (Russia). According to the study results, meat salting initiated a decrease in the meat antioxidative activity by 9.2-18.0% depending on the sodium chloride concentration. Meat salting with sodium chloride in the amount of 5.0% led to a decrease in the activity of glutathione peroxidase by 24.6%, catalase by 60.1% and superoxide dismutase by 33.7%. The correlation dependence between the antioxidative activity and catalase activities, as well as between superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity was revealed: the absolute values of the correlation coefficients were 0.97, 0.99 and 0.94 respectively. In the conducted research a decrease in the meat antioxidative activity by 22.9-28.3% (р < 0.05) was recorded under the action of high temperatures (72 ± 2°С) as a result of catalase inactivation and catalase partial inactivation of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase. The thermal treatment neutralized the sodium chloride negative effect on the antioxidative activity and activity of the meat antioxidative enzymes (р > 0.05). The obtained results on a decrease in the antioxidative activity in the meat salting process justify the necessity to develop approaches that allow reducing the sodium chloride content in meat products in order to retard the oxidative changes without deterioration of product consumer characteristics

The comparative study of Sus scrofa muscle tissue with different defects of quality was carried out. Such analysis methods as determination of water-binding capacity (WBC) and pH values, microstructural studies, proteome methods, mass spectrometric methods, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and determine the concentration of cathepsin D, calpain 3 and myoglobin were applied in current study. DFD meat was characterized by high pH (6.2) and WBC (93.18%), while PSE - low pH (5.5) and WBC (79.19%). pH and WBC values in NOR pork was medium and averaged 5.9 and 92.05%, respectively. Microstructural studies revealed that fiber in exudative pork was the least and averaged 39.7 µm, normal pork was characterized by diameter of muscle of 45.5 µm, while DFD pork ‑ 48.3 µm. Protein composition of Sus scrofa muscle tissues were also investigated by one-dimensional and two-dimensional electrophoresis. 6 protein fractions were identified by mass spectrometry and confirmed as potential biomarkers of pork quality defects in meat and processes meat product. It also has been shown that PSE pork contains 8 characteristic peptides, NOR - 14, DFD - 18. Cathepsin D, calpain 3 and myoglobin content were measured in pork of different categories. The highest content of cathepsin D, calpain 3 and myoglobin was noticed in PSE pork and averaged 82.16 ±3.30 ng.mL-1; 1.280 ±0.082 ng.mL-1; 3.973 ±0.506 ng.mL-1, respectively. Since the study was carried out on samples of meat 24 hours after slaughter, this work had the prospect to further study of meat with different defects of quality during long-term autolysis.

Aims: The high sugar and lipid content of the Western diet (WD) is associated with metabolic dysfunction, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and it is an established risk factor for neuropsychiatric disorders. Our previous studies reported negative effects of the WD on rodent emotionality, impulsivity, and sociability in adulthood. Here, we investigated the effect of the WD on motor coordination, novelty recognition, and affective behavior in mice as well as molecular and cellular endpoints in brain and peripheral tissues.Main methods: Female C57BL/6 J mice were fed the WD for three weeks and were investigated for glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, liver steatosis, and changes in motor coordination, object recognition, and despair behavior in the swim test. Lipids and liver injury markers, including aspartate-transaminase, alanine-transaminase and urea were measured in blood. Serotonin transporter (SERT) expression, the density of Iba1-positive cells and concentration of malondialdehyde were measured in brain.Key findings: WD-fed mice exhibited impaired glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, a loss of motor coordination, deficits in novel object exploration and recognition, increased helplessness, dyslipidemia, as well as signs of a non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)-like syndrome: liver steatosis and increased liver injury markers. Importantly, these changes were accompanied by decreased SERT expression, elevated numbers of microglia cells and malondialdehyde levels in, and restricted to, the prefrontal cortex.Significance: The WD induces a spectrum of behaviors that are more reminiscent of ADHD and ASD than previously recognized and suggests that, in addition to the impairment of impulsivity and sociability, the consumption of a WD might be expected to exacerbate motor dysfunction that is also known to be associated with adult ADHD and ASD.

The aim of the study was to investigate the functional properties of extracts and utrafiltrates prepared from pig aorta tissues using Guinea pigs with an experimental atherosclerosis model to determine the possibility of their implementation against cardiovascular disorders. Serum total cholesterol content, atherogenic index (AI), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and residual cholesterol (VLDL, IDL) reduction was noted (44.1%, 43.7%, 43.7% and 79.5%, respectively) in animals treated with low-molecular weight ultrafiltrate (LMU). Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations declined by 34.0% and 58.3% on average, respectively in animals treated with LMU.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of aorta and heart tissues obtained from cattle and pigs on atherosclerosis disorders. Atherosclerosis model rats were provided with the respective diets consisting of aorta and heart tissues. Administration of each tissue suppressed body weight gain as compared to that of the control. In particular, the aorta tissues of pigs and cattle demonstrated significant suppressions in body weight gain in the model rats. The aorta tissues of pigs and cattle showed a significant increase and decrease in the serum high-density lipoproteins and atherogenic index, respectively, which was correlated with the increase in apolipoprotein A1. Hematological analysis revealed that aorta tissues of pigs and cattle clearly reduced the ratio of granulocytes/lymphocytes in the atherosclerosis rats. Serum vascular cellular adhesion molecule-1 levels in the atherosclerosis rats, which were administered these aorta tissues, were also significantly reduced. Additionally, there was an increase in von Willebrand factor in the rat serum. Based on the results obtained, the aorta tissues of pigs and cattle, in particular, demonstrated positive effects in the atherosclerosis rats due to the alteration of lipid metabolism and reduction in inflammation related to atherosclerosis.

Quantitative scores for 4 behavioural patterns, especially those of an antagonistic nature, were recorded from wild individual of Mus musculus musculus Linnaeus, 1758 living in semi-confinement in an outdoor enclosure divided into four pens. The enclosure was "permeable", in that mice were able to move between pens and between the enclosure and the outside. The population was monitored by the capture-mark-recapture method. In the spring of 1988 and 1989 the behaviour of mice trapped in the enclosure was studied in unisexual encounters in a neutral arena. There were no significant differences in scores for behaviour in relation to the degree of spatial separation of the places of capture of individuals paired together (except in the number of attempts to escape noted for females in 1989 and the total activity noted for males in 1988). Males and females did not differ significantly in scores for aggressive behaviour, but mice were more aggressive and more active in 1989 when the population in the enclosure was smaller, than in 1988, when it was larger.

To analyse craniological parameters of M. m. musculus and M. hortulanus, 14 measurements were taken, two indices were calculated, and three qualitative traits were considered. The material comprised 169 skulls of M. m. musculus captured in the European part of the U.S.S.R., in the central Ukraine, and in Poland, and 225 skulss of M. hortulanus captured in central and south-eastern Ukraine and Moldova.

Karyotypes of males of house mice were studied in European and Asiatic areas of USSR. They are differentiated according to Y‐chromosome morphology, two variants of which are discussed with respect to species‐diagnostic differences. A ≪large≫ variant regards the 19th pair of autosomes, most common in indoor as well as outdoor samples, including biochemically tested Mus musculus and M. m. domesticus. A substantially ≪small≫ variant was found , in wild short‐tailed mice only. The miniature Y‐chromosome was also detected during analysis of karyograms of M. spretus from the western Mediterranean. The three taxa with unique miniature Y‐chromosome seem to correspond to three subspecies, which were considered to be united in a separate species, Mus spicilegus. The possibility of using the new simple cytogenetic marker for diagnosis of. sympatric mice populations of two presumably distinct species, M. musculus and M. spialegus, and for historic reconstructions of their man‐related distribution is discussed.