The Effect of Repeated Blood Harvesting from Pregnant Mares on Haematological Variables.

Studies have been carried out on the effect of large-volume blood harvesting from horses, but they were performed on nonpregnant horses of various breeds other than Icelandic horses. This study aimed to investigate the effect on the haematological variables indicating erythropoiesis of repeated blood harvesting from pregnant mares. To account for regional variation, two herds of mares were chosen, both kept under free-range conditions.

Haematological reference intervals for pregnant Icelandic mares on pasture.

Background: Few studies have been conducted on haematological reference intervals (RIs) in Icelandic horses. Reference intervals have been published for Icelandic horses in Austria and a preliminary study in Iceland compared haematological values in riding horses to published RIs for other breeds as well as Icelandic horses abroad. Haematological parameters can vary greatly due to factors such as breed, gender, age, reproductive status, and training, as well as feeding, prior exercise and management method.

Temporal trends of contaminants in cod from Icelandic waters.

Contaminants have been analyzed in cod (Gadus morhua) since 1990 as part of the national monitoring program for the environmental conditions in the sea around Iceland. The aim of this study was to determine the temporal trends of persistent organic pollutants (POPs: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), p,p'-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethene (p,p'-DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), chlordanes (CHLs) and toxaphenes (Tox)) and trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Se and Zn) in cod over the last two decades at two different locations in the Arctic Ocean north of Iceland. The relationship between the contaminant concentrations and biological covariates was also determined.

Spatial and temporal trends of contaminants in mussel sampled around the Icelandic coastline.

Contaminants have been determined in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) at 11 locations around the Icelandic coastline from 1990 to 2010. The aim of the present study was to investigate if there has been a change in concentration of contaminants around the Icelandic coastline for the last two decades and if the concentrations and changes, if present, were consistent between locations. Concentrations of the persistent organic pollutants, p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (p,p'-DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), α-hexachlorocyclohexane (α-HCH), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB-153) and trans-nonachlor, have decreased at most of the sampling locations in Iceland in recent years.