Fraser of cryptophthalmosis syndrome: A case report

Fraser or cryptophthalmos syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by major features such as cryptophthalmos, syndactyly, and abnormal genitalia. Consanguinity is reported in 15-24.8% of the cases. The diagnosis of this syndrome can be made on clinical examination; therefore we present the clinical findings of a rare case of Fraser syndrome in a female infant

Thermoregulatory and Physiological Responses of Najdi Sheep Exposed to Environmental Heat Load Prevailing in Saudi Arabia

The objective of this study was to evaluate the thermoregulatory and physiological responses of Najdi rams raised under hot summer conditions prevailing in Kingdom Saudi Arabia. The core temperature (Tcore) showed circadian rhythm characterized by biphasic achrophases, which were associated with the feeding times during both seasons. Average daily Tcore was significantly (P<0.05) higher under hot summer conditions. However, the amplitudes of the rhythmic oscillation during winter and summer seasons were 0.85 and 0.56C, respectively. Rectal (Tre) and skin temperatures (Tsk) were significantly (P<0.05) higher under hot summer conditions and exhibited similar patterns during both seasons concurrent with the pattern of temperature humidity index (THI), reaching the maximum values late in the afternoon and the minimum values early in the morning. Respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR) showed the same pattern of the thermal parameters and were significantly (P<0.05) higher under hot summer conditions. Serum concentrations of total protein, globulin, glucose, sodium and chloride were significantly (P<0.05) increased while those of albumin and calcium were decreased under hot summer conditions. The results obtained from this study indicate that hot summer conditions of Saudi Arabia is thermally stressful to Najdi rams. Therefore, Najdi sheep production under such conditions would require environmental and/or nutritional modification to alleviate the impact of heat stress

Sensitivity Analysis of Stream Water Quality and Land Cover Linkage Models Using Monte Carlo Method

Sensitivity analysis might be considered as one of inevitable steps in modelling since it would help to determine the behaviour of model, which was developed for further application. Sensitivity analysis was not paid much attention in studies that have been conducted for modelling the relationship between stream water quality and land cover except machine learning techniques such as artificial neural networks was applied for specifying the possible relationship between alteration in area (%) of land cover types and changes in water quality variable. Two linkage models for predicating stream water total nitrogen (r2= 0.70, p<0.01) and total phosphorus (r2=0.47, p<0.01) concentrations were developed using multiple regression approach in twenty-one river basins in the Chugoku district of west Japan. Application of Monte Carlo method-based sensitivity analysis indicated that TN regression model would be able to predict stream water concentration between 0.4-3.2 mg/L without any possibility for generation of negative value. For the TP regression model, predicting capacity would vary between 0.04, 0.32 mg/L. The results revealed that the Monte Carlo method-based sensitivity analysis would provide reliable information for determining output space in which the model would accurately respond

Nanosporous silicon as drug delivery system for cancer therapies

Porous silicon nanoparticles have been established as excellent candidates for medical applications as drug delivery devices, due to their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high surface area. The simple fabrication method by electrochemical anodization of silicon and its photoluminescent properties are some of the merits that have contributed to the increasing interest given to porous silicon. This paper presents the methods of fabrication, which can be customized to control the pore size, various chemical treatments used for the modification of silicon surfaces, and the characterization and pore morphology of silicon structures. Different approaches used for drug loading and the variety of coatings used for the controlled released are revised. The monitoring of the toxicity of silicon degradation products and the in vivo release of a drug in a specific site are described taking into account its significance on medical applications, specifically on cancer therapy

Folic acid delivery device based on porous silicon nanoparticles synthesized by electrochemical etching

Folic acid insufficiency has long been related to the occurrence of various diseases. However, the loss of integrity of folic acid has led to the investigation of strategies to improve the vitamin stability and controlled release. Porous silicon nanoparticle is an attractive inorganic material for drug delivery applications due to its biocompatibility and tunable degradation behavior. The aim of this work is to produce porous silicon nanoparticles with suitable dimensions for loading folic acid. Porous silicon was fabricated by anodic electrochemical etching in a Teflon cell containing a 1:4 (v/v) solution of 49% aqueous HF in ethanol. Pores between 15 and 20 nm in diameter were obtained and the highly degradable porous silicon was stabilized to SiO2 structures by thermal oxidation. Folic acid was loaded into these structures by simple adsorption and the release was examined by UV absorption spectroscopy. The surface morphology of porous silicon delivery device in each stage of the fabrication was characterized by FE-SEM, X-ray spectrometer, FTIR, and XRD and the drug loading confirmed based on the comparison with pure folic acid spectra. pSi nanoparticles showed optimal folic acid delivery capabilities (60 % released after 6 h) and due to its simple fabrication method and its intrinsic optical properties have the potential to be used as a diagnostic and therapeutic point of care too

Amniotic band syndrome (Case report)

Amniotic band syndrome is a collection of congenital abnormalities caused by early amnion rupture. It occurs in approximately 1:1200 to 1:15000 live births. The infant we are reporting was as result of dizygotic twins pregnancy of 34-years old woman in first delivery than born by cesarean section. In clinical examination there were multiple defects such as: Anencephaly, anophthalmia, cleft lip-palate, nose malformation and limb anomalies. Involved infant died an hour after birth, because of severity of anomalies. This case was reported because of rarity and severity signs of this syndrome and its occurrence in one twin from dizygotic twins

Diminishing Water-Intake may have Pragmatic Aspects in Lambs Fed on Pelleted Complete Diet and Reared under Thermo-Neutral Condition

Some basic questions regarding sheep’s ability to tolerate different levels of water intake (WI), especially when fed on a pelleted-complete diet (PCD) and reared under comfortable climatic conditions, are still open. To investigate the direct influence of different levels of WI in sheep fed PCD and reared under such conditions on the lambs' physiological (performance, thermal, blood and urine) status, 24 healthy male growing Najdi lambs were exposed under thermo-neutral conditions to three levels of WI (100%, 67%, and 33% of their ad libitum WI or water requirement) for 6 weeks. Meteorological, production performance, thermo-physiological, as well as blood and urine biochemical measurements, were all determined. The obtained findings clearly substantiate that reducing the level of water intake (p&lt;0.05) produced tangible effects in both 67-WI and 33-WI lamb groups. However, 67-WI lambs showed resilience to limited water availability by inducing proportional physiological responses in their production performances, body temperatures, blood metabolites, and renal function but within the homeostatic ranges similar (p&gt;0.05) to 100-WI lambs. Results collectively signify that diminishing WI up to 33% in lambs (fed on PCD and reared under comfortable conditions) would ensure that water is adequately conserved under prevailing water scarcity and can be implemented without compromising their homeostatic functions. Such applied approaches can consequently have a pragmatic aspect through improving water management approaches required for PCD-based sheep production under water scarcity conditions, which is crucial to economical animal production and responsible animal stewardship. Feasibility studies are thereby highly recommended