Innovation strategies used by companies in Poland during the pandemic.

Since 2020, the global economy has been dominated by the global outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the disease COVID-19. The outbreak of the pandemic was an external threat to companies, which had an impact on their innovation strategy On the other hand, for some companies, the pandemic is an opportunity for development. The global crisis, dynamic socio-technological changes, combined with globalization, cause a dizzying pace of change, there is no permission for failure in enterprises - you have to act and to do so effectively. One of the possible ways is to adapt/implement an innovation strategy The basic hypothesis in this paper is the claim that during the pandemic, the surveyed companies did not significantly limit their innovative activities and used an offensive strategy. The aim of the article is to identify the innovation strategies used in enterprises before and during the pandemic. In order to achieve the assumed goal, the article uses deductive inference, critical analysis of the subject-related literature and the in-depth interview (IDI). The research results presented in the article enrich the knowledge about innovative activities of enterprises during the pandemic. Innovation strategies used by enterprises before the pandemic (in 2016-2019) and during its duration (2020-2022) were identified. To summarise the research carried out, it can be stated that before the pandemic, respondents most often pointed to the offensive strategy, independent and market creation, during the pandemic to the offensive strategy, recruitment and independent. Enterprises that were innovative before the pandemic and applied innovation strategies did not stop doing so during the pandemic.

Dietary Protected Butyrate Supplementation of Broilers Modulates Intestinal Tight Junction Proteins and Stimulates Endogenous Production of Short Chain Fatty Acids in the Caecum.

Short chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate has various beneficial effects on the gut microbiota as well as on the overall health status and metabolism of the host organism. The modulatory role of butyrate on gut barrier integrity reflected by tight junction protein expression has been already described in mammalian species. However, there is limited information available regarding chickens. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to monitor the effects of protected butyrate on claudin barrier protein and monocarboxylate transporter 1 abundance in different gastrointestinal segments of chickens as well as the growth performance of broiler chickens. The effect of protected butyrate on the caecal microbiota was monitored by quantifying the concentrations of total eubacteria and key enzymes of butyrate production. Furthermore, intestinal SCFA concentrations were also measured. Based on the data obtained, protected butyrate increased the overall performance as well as the barrier integrity of various gut segments. Protected butyrate also positively affected the SCFA concentration and composition. These findings provide valuable insight into the complex effects of protected butyrate on broiler gut health, highlighting the beneficial effects in improving intestinal barrier integrity and performance parameters.

Acetylcholinesterase secreted by Anisakis simplex larvae (Nematoda: Anisakidae) parasitizing herring, Clupea harengus: an inverse relationship of enzyme activity in the host-parasite system.

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) is a key enzyme involved in nerve impulse transmission in both vertebrates and invertebrates. In addition to neuromuscular AChE, many parasitic nematodes synthesize AChE in secretory glands and release the enzyme into their external environment. In this study, we evaluate the activities of both somatic and secreted AChE from larvae (L3) of the parasitic nematode Anisakis simplex, and compare these to the AChE activity in its host, herring, Clupea harengus. A. simplex larvae were obtained from a herring sampled in three areas of the southern Baltic. Enzyme kinetics were determined for excretory/secretory (E/S) products and somatic extracts of larvae as well as for herring muscle tissue. The results reveal that mean AChE activity is approximately fourfold higher in E/S products and eightfold higher in somatic extracts of post-secretory A. simplex larvae than in host muscle tissue. The level of AChE activity in nematodes is inversely related to the enzyme activity in their hosts, i.e. reduced AChE activity in herring was accompanied by increased enzyme activity in its parasites. The physiological function of AChE secreted by parasitic nematodes has been widely discussed in the literature, and numerous roles for this form of enzyme have been suggested. The results of our investigation indicate that AChE secretion by A. simplex larvae may constitute an adaptive mechanism that promotes survival under adverse environmental conditions. Larvae probably increase secretion of AChE in response to a direct and/or indirect effect of neurotoxic compounds. This is the first report of such a phenomenon in A. simplex.