206 research outputs found
ECONOMICS OF PRODUCTIVE TRAITS OF SOME EGG-LAYER STRAINS UNDER EGYPTIAN CONDITIONS
University College of North Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW Wales, Inited KingdomAverage Cost Curve, Profitabilityu, Mortality Rate, Eggs Yield per Hen Housed Per Month, Feed Consumption, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,
Use of procalcitonin, neopterin, haptoglobin, serum amyloid A and proinflammatory cytokines in diagnosis and prognosis of bovine respiratory disease in feedlot calves under field conditions
Bovine respiratory diseases (BRD) have long been considered a serious problem that causes major economic losses in feedlot calves (FC). This study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic effect of selected biological markers including, procalcitonin (PCT), neopterin (NP), proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α, IF-γ), haptoglobin (HP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) on FC with BRD under field conditions. Sixty-nine FC that were identified to be infected with Mannheimia haemolytica and Histophilus somni and had different clinical respiratory signs (diseased group) were selected for this study. In addition, 20 healthy FC have been selected as a control group. We have detected higher serum levels of PCT, NP, HP, SAA, IL-1β, IL-8, TNF-α, IF-γ, in diseased FC group compared with the control group. All tested markers revealed a high level of discrimination between BRD infected FC and healthy ones (AUC > 0.90). Moreover, the obtained data showed a high degree of prognostic accuracy for PCT, NP, IL-8, HP, IF-γ and IL-1β in predicting treatment response of FC with BRD at the selected thresholds (AUC = 0.99, 0.99, 0.97, 0.93, 0.88 and 0.82 respectively). Significant inhibition was observed for the selected biochemical markers in treated FC 7 days post-treatment. In conclusion, this study showed that BRD in FC was associated with significant alterations in serum APPs, proinflammatory cytokines, PCT and NPT levels. Furthermore, it demonstrated that these serum biomarkers are much higher in FC with BRD compared to recovered ones. Our data suggest that the measurement of PCT, NPT, APPs and cytokines together with the clinical examination may be a useful diagnostic and prognostic tool for assessment of FC naturally infected with M. haemolytica and H. somni
Effects of leptin on sperm count and morphology in Sprague‐Dawley rats and their reversibility following a 6‐week recovery period
Altered epididymal sperm count and morphology following leptin treatment has been reported recently. This study examined the effects of 42 days of leptin treatment on sperm count and morphology and their reversibility during a subsequent 56‐day recovery period. Twelve‐week‐old male Sprague‐Dawley rats were randomised into four leptin and four saline‐treated control groups (n = 6). Intraperitoneal injections of leptin were given daily (60 μg Kg−1 body weight) for 42 days. Controls received 0.1 ml of 0.9% saline. Leptin‐treated animals and their respective age‐matched controls were euthanised on either day 1, 21, 42 or 56 of recovery for collection of epididymal spermatozoa. Sperm concentration was determined using a Makler counting chamber. Spermatozoa were analysed for 8‐hydroxy‐2‐deoxyguanosine and DNA fragmentation (Comet assay). Data were analysed using anova. Sperm concentration
Prevalence of intestinal parasites among the population of the Gaza Strip, Palestine
Intestinal parasitic diseases in Gaza Strip are a significant health problem. The main aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of parasitic infection among patients in the five governorates of the Gaza Strip. A crosssectional parasitological survey was conducted on 600 patients. Stool specimens were examined microscopically for the presence of parasite eggs or larvae/cysts per wet amount by the saline iodine and formol-ether concentration method. Of 600 subjects examined, 245 (40.8%) were infected with one or more intestinal parasites. Entamoeba histolytica/dispar and Giardia lamblia were the most prevalent parasites amongst the population (28.8%),(9.5%). Female patients demonstrated a higher prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (42.7%) than males (39.0%). However, this difference was not significant (p> 0.05). According to occupation, the rate of infection was highest among farmers (56.0%), followed by employers (44.2%) with laborers showing the lowest rate (30.17%). These differences in occupational prevalence were found to be statistically significant (p< 0.05). The present study demonstrates that intestinal protozoan infections are still a public health problem in the Gaza strip, with Entamoeba and Giardia infections being most common. Therefore, it is necessary to develop effective prevention and control strategies, including health education and environmental sanitation improvement
Haptic-Enhanced Virtual Reality Simulator for Robot-Assisted Femur Fracture Surgery
In this paper, we develop a virtual reality (VR) simulator for the Robossis
robot-assisted femur fracture surgery. Due to the steep learning curve for such
procedures, a VR simulator is essential for training surgeon(s) and staff. The
Robossis Surgical Simulator (RSS) is designed to immerse user(s) in a realistic
surgery setting using the Robossis system as completed in a previous real-world
cadaveric procedure. The RSS is designed to interface the Sigma-7 Haptic
Controller with the Robossis Surgical Robot (RSR) and the Meta Quest VR
headset. Results show that the RSR follows user commands in 6 DOF and prevents
the overlapping of bone segments. This development demonstrates a promising
avenue for future implementation of the Robossis system.Comment: This paper is submitted to the IEEE Haptic Symposium 202
Design and Experimental Evaluation of a Haptic Robot-Assisted System for Femur Fracture Surgery
In the face of challenges encountered during femur fracture surgery, such as
the high rates of malalignment and X-ray exposure to operating personnel,
robot-assisted surgery has emerged as an alternative to conventional
state-of-the-art surgical methods. This paper introduces the development of
Robossis, a haptic system for robot-assisted femur fracture surgery. Robossis
comprises a 7-DOF haptic controller and a 6-DOF surgical robot. A unilateral
control architecture is developed to address the kinematic mismatch and the
motion transfer between the haptic controller and the Robossis surgical robot.
A real-time motion control pipeline is designed to address the motion transfer
and evaluated through experimental testing. The analysis illustrates that the
Robossis surgical robot can adhere to the desired trajectory from the haptic
controller with an average translational error of 0.32 mm and a rotational
error of 0.07 deg. Additionally, a haptic rendering pipeline is developed to
resolve the kinematic mismatch by constraining the haptic controller (user
hand) movement within the permissible joint limits of the Robossis surgical
robot. Lastly, in a cadaveric lab test, the Robossis system assisted surgeons
during a mock femur fracture surgery. The result shows that Robossis can
provide an intuitive solution for surgeons to perform femur fracture surgery.Comment: This paper is to be submitted to an IEEE journa
Pediatric Chest Ultrasound for Bedside Diagnosis of Pneumonia: A Validation Study for Diagnostic Options in Developing Countries
Background: Pneumonia remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in childhood with a higher burden in developing countries. Diagnosis relies on clinical findings with supporting evidence from chest X-ray (CXR) and occasionally chest computed tomography (CT).
Aim of the work: The aim of this study was to assess the role of lung ultrasonography (LUS) for bedside diagnosis of pediatric pneumonia in comparison to chest CT as a gold standard. Methods: The study was performed on 50 children admitted to Cairo University Children’s Hospitals. All children presented with the classical clinical picture of pneumonia and did CXR, LUS and chest CT.
Results: Radiological findings demonstrated lung consolidation in 48 patients (96%) by CXR, 49 (98%) patients by LUS and all 50 patients (100%) by CT chest. Pleural effusion was found in 8 (16%) patients by CT chest, all of which were detected by LUS (100%), but only 5 were correctly detected by CXR (specificity 62.5%) in addition to 3 false positive cases. LUS detected pleurisy in 29 children (58%) (specificity 100%) while X-rays did not. Also 70% of children needed sedation before CT scanning as compared to none for LUS.
Conclusion: Lung ultrasound is a sensitive, specific, safe and available tool that can be used by clinicians in cases of suspected pneumonia. It is more reliable than CXR, does not require sedation, and can be repeated at the patient's bedside with no risk of irradiation
Cinnamon and ginger extracts attenuate diabetes-induced inflammatory testicular injury in rats and modulating SIRT1 expression
The current study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of simultaneous administration
of Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Cinnamomum cassia
(cinnamon) extracts in mitigating testicular changes associated with diabetes
mellitus in rats and to investigate its molecular mode of action. After induction
of diabetes using streptozotocin, 36 male rats were divided to six groups namely
control, diabetic, metformin-treated, cinnamon-treated, ginger-treated and
combined, each group having 6 rats. Fasting blood glucose, serum insulin,
testosterone was measured. Expression of inflammatory mediators; tumor necrosis
factor-alpha (TNF-α), Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) and
Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) was assessed in the testicular tissue. Histopathological
changes in the testis were observed and spermatogenesis and apoptosis were
assessed immunohistochemically. The histological and biochemical studies
of the untreated group confirmed structural changes in testes induced by
diabetes. Oral administration of ginger and cinnamon increased insulin level
significantly increased while the blood glucose level significantly decreased in
diabetic rats, improving structural testicular changes considerably. Joint intake
of ginger and cinnamon increased antihyperglycemic, antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory effects markedly improving the testicular injury compared to
the administration of either of them. SIRT1 expression in the testis
significantly increased in ginger plus cinnamon-treated rats. These results
indicate that when administrated together, ginger and cinnamon synergistically
enhanced antioxidant, antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects and induced
antihyperglycemic effect comparable to metformin. The combination of ginger and
cinnamon also upregulated SIRT1 in the testis
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