Introduction: Effective and safe anesthesia for rodents has long been a leading concern among biomedical researchers. Intraperitoneal injection constitutes an alternative to inhalant anesthesia.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify a safe, reliable, and effective anesthesia and postoperative analgesia protocol for laboratory rats exposed to painful procedures.

Material and methods: Twenty-seven female Wistar rats in an ongoing study that required surgery were randomized into groups for three different intraperitoneal anesthesia protocols and three different analgesia regimens. The anesthesia groups were (1) medetomidine + ketamine (MK), (2) ketamine + xylacine (KX), and (3) fentanyl + medetomidine (FM). Three analgesia groups were equally distributed among the anesthesia groups: (1) local mepivacaine + oral ibuprofen (MI), (2) oral tramadol + oral ibuprofen (TI), and (3) local tramadol + oral tramadol + oral ibuprofen (TTI). A core was assigned to measure anesthesia (0-3) and analgesia (0-2) effectiveness; the lower the score, the more effective the treatment.

Results: The mean MK score was 0.44 versus 2.00 for FM and 2.33 for KX. Mean score for analgesia on the first postoperative day was TTI (4.66) TI (9.13), and MI (10.14). Mean score 48 hours after surgery was TTI (3.4), TI (6.71), and MI (9.5). These differences were statistically significant.

Conclusion: MK was shown to be a reliable, safe, and effective method of anesthesia. The TTI analgesia regimen is strongly recommended in light of these results.

Early castration of male small ruminants is regarded as a risk factor for urolithiasis, although the underlying correlations are still unclear. One possible reason is a deferred development of the penis and the urethra after castration. Therefore, we examined the penis and urethra of castrated and intact lambs by ultrasonography to determine the correlation between urethral area and pe- nile cross-sectional area. Ultrasonography was performed in 6-month-old Lacaune crossbred lambs (early castrated, late castrated, and intact; each group, n = 11). Sectional images at 5 loca- tions (glans penis, penile urethra, distal and proximal sigmoid flexure, and ischial arch) were ob- tained to determine the urethral and penile diameters. Urethral and penile cross-sectional areas were calculated. Grey-scale analysis of ultrasound images was performed to evaluate possible differences in the penile texture between the groups. Correlation analyses between both cross-sectional areas showed a significant general correlation for location 2 in all lambs (R = 0.52; P = 0.003), for location 3 in late-castrated lambs, and for location 5 in early-castrated lambs. Statistically significant correlations between the penile and the urethral area of castrated and intact lambs were not evident. Therefore, measurement of the penile cross-sectional area alone does not allow for accurate estimation of urethral size. Statistically significant differences con- cerning the grey-scale analysis between the groups were also not detectable. Thus, simplification of the formerly presented ultrasonographic examination of the urethra is not recommended. In animals at a risk of obstructive urolithiasis, complete urethral examina- tion is essential.

Potrzeba zabezpieczenia zapotrzebowania na pierwiastki ziem rzadkich stała się podstawą do zaliczenia ich w ustawie o nowelizacji Prawa geologicznego i górniczego w 2018 r. do kopalin, które są objęte własnością górniczą przysługującą Skarbowi Państwa. Wprowadzona została opłata za ich wydobywanie (opłata eksploatacyjna) w wysokości 500 zł/kg. Oba rozwiązania zamiast sprzyjać wykorzystaniu ziem rzadkich ze źródeł krajowych stanowić będą dla niego barierę. Termin „pierwiastki ziem rzadkich” jest nieprecyzyjny i może rodzić nieporozumienia. Ich kopaliny mieszczą się w zakresie pojęcia „rudy metali”, które są objęte własnością górniczą. Pierwiastki ziem rzadkich występują też jako składniki towarzyszące w innych kopalinach i ich odzysk jest możliwy dopiero w trakcie przetwarzania tych kopalin poza zakładem górniczym. Wówczas obciążanie ich wydobycia opłatą eksploatacyjną staje się wątpliwe. Ustalona opłata eksploatacyjna jest niewspółmiernie wysoka w stosunku do kosztów pozyskania kopalin ziem rzadkich i korzyści finansowych z ich wydobycia.

Ocena skutków nowelizacji Pgg skłania do:

- postulowania wymieniania w nim kopalin, których użytkowanie przysługuje właścicielowi nieruchomości gruntowej, a nie wymienionych jako przysługujących Skarbowi Państwa,

- głębszej refleksji przy stanowieniu przepisów Pgg, wstępne ich formułowanie przez osoby kompetentne w dziedzinie geologii i górnictwa i dopiero następnie ich kształtowanie zgodnie z zasadami doktryny i praktyki prawniczej.

The influence of the chill on the AlSi7Mg alloy properties after the heat treatment T6, was realised in the system of the horizontally cast plate of dimensions 160x240 mm and thickness of 10 and 15 m. The cooling course in individual casting zones was recorded, which allowed to determine the solidification rate. Castings were subjected to the heat treatment T6 process. Several properties of the alloy such as: hardness BHN, density, tensile strength UTS, elongation %E were determined. The microstructure images were presented and the structural SDAS parameter determined. The performed investigations as well as the analysis of the results allowed to determine the influence zone of the chill. The research shows that there is a certain dependence between the thickness of the casting wall and the influence zone of the chill, being not less than 2g, where g is the casting wall thickness. The next aim of successive investigations will be finding the confirmation that there is the dependence between the casting wall thickness and the influence zone of the chill for other thicknesses of walls. We would like to prove that this principle is of a universal character.