Using light and melatonin in the management of New Zealand White rabbits

Lighting system is a stimulant for reproduction in some species (Horses) and an inhibitor for others (Sheep). This study started on September 1st and planned to study the effects of different lighting regimes and melatonin treatment on the receptivity and performance of 78 (60-does and 18-bucks) New Zealand White rabbits, which were reared in a private Rabbitary in Menuofia Governorate, Egypt. These rabbits were randomly assigned to six treatment groups of 10 does and three bucks for each (8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 hours light (HL) and melatonin- treated). Ejaculate traits, sexual activity of bucks, sexual receptivity and reproductive performance of does were recorded. Results revealed that exposure of rabbits to long photoperiods (14 and 16HL) or treatment with melatonin improved the quantity and quality of ejaculate traits and buck sexual activity. Moreover, does sexual receptivity, feed intake, litter size and weight at birth and weaning were increased by long photoperiods (14 and 16HL) or treatment with melatonin. On the other hand, gestation period and pre-weaning mortality rate were decreased. It can be concluded that application of long photoperiods is beneficial to rabbit producers and 14 HL : 10 hours dark is optimal for satisfying the biological requirements of the rabbits. Finally, the light schedules can be used for biostimulation instead of melatonin

Influence of some chemicals and solvents on the lytic activity and the adsorption of bacteriophages on Pectobacterium carotovoroum Subsp. carotovorum

Recently, bacteriophages have been used to control hazardous bacterial soft rot disease on crops. However, agricultural plants are frequently treated with different chemicals (fertilizers, pesticides and solvents), so we assessed the effect of some commonly used chemicals and solvents on the lytic activity of tested bacteriophages and their adsorption potential. This study reports the isolation of three specific phages against the Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum DSM 30170 strain, designated as ?PC1, ?PC2 and ?PC3, then partially characterized using electron microscopy and genome size. The 3 isolated phages belong to the Myoviridae family. The results obtained were based on the plaque-forming unit observed after incubation. By increasing the chemical concentrations (from 0.1 to 0.5 mM), calcium chloride (CaCl2) and potassium chloride (KCl) showed a significant increase in the lytic activity of the phages. Copper sulphate (CuSO4) and copper chloride (CuCl2) showed a substantial decrease in the activity of ?PC3; however, such a decrease was insignificant for ?PC1 and ?PC2. By increasing the solvent concentrations (from 30 % v/v to 70 % v/v), propanol, ethanol and methanol showed a significant decrease in the count of the three isolated phages, ?PC1, ?PC2 and ?PC3, compared to the control. Chloroform was the only solvent that did not reduce the phage titer. Our findings offer significant information for developing a strategy to combat the P. carotovorum subsp. carotovorum caused bacterial soft rot disease. avoiding copper compounds and alcoholic solvents such as propanol, ethanol and methanol in plots where phages are applied seems advisable

Coliform Bacteria and Hatching Egg Disinfectants

(This study aimed to monitoring the microbial status of broiler breeder hatching eggs through isolation of coliform bacteria, especially Salmonella and E coli from eggs and hatched chicks and identification of isolated microorganism by PCR. Besides, the reduction of the contamination rate by using different egg disinfectants. A total of 600 broiler breeder Saso fertile eggs was purchased from a commercial broiler breeder flock aged 27 wk, which reared on a deep litter system at a private farm in Gharbiya Governorate, Egypt. The eggs were allocated randomly into four equal treatment groups (n?150) according to the disinfectant used. The eggs in the first group were kept as a control without treatment. While, the eggs in the second group were disinfected by 1.4% H2O2. The eggs in the third group were disinfected by 0.5

Impact of Boiler Breeders Hatching Eggs Disinfection Time on Some Hatchability Parameters

(Control of microorganisms on hatching eggshell surface requires an effective disinfectant to kill the pathogens without injury to the live chick embryo. The present experiment was carried out to study the effect of hatching egg sanitization time by different disinfectants on some hatchability parameters

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

Detection of Ralstonia solanacearum phylotype II, sequevar 1 in seasonal weed plants associated with potato cultivations in Egypt

تم أخذ عينات عشوائية من نباتات الحشائش من حقول البطاطس المختلفة الموجودة&nbsp; ببعض&nbsp; القرى المصرية وفحصها لمعرفة&nbsp; مدى وجود المسبب المرضي Ralstonia solanacearum &nbsp;بها .&nbsp; كان إجمالي عدد العينات (1609 ) عينة&nbsp; &nbsp;على مدار موسمين(2017 /2018 ( و (2018/2019( .&nbsp; تضمنت هذه الحشائش حوالى (50) نوع نباتي تابعين لحوالي (20) عائلة نباتية، اخذت هذه العينات من حقول البطاطس الموجودة ببعض القرى&nbsp; التابعة لمحافظات القليوبية ،البحيرة ، الجيزة ، الغربية ، الاسماعيلية والمنوفية (دجوى، السعدنى ، الرفاعى ، كفر يعقوب ، أبوصوير وطاليا) على الترتيب. تم عزل المسبب المرضى من (272) عينه من الحشائش وتضمن هذا العدد &nbsp;حوالى (25) نوع نباتي&nbsp; تابعين ل (13) عائلة نباتية. تم تجميع هذه الحشائش على عمر 70 يوم من زراعة البطاطس ولم تكن الحشائش بها أي أعراض تدل على اصابتها بالبكتريا المسببة لمرض العفن البنى في البطاطس. بصفة عامة كان معدل اصابة هذه الحشائش بالبكتريا المسببة لمرض العفن البنى قليلا اذ وصل الى حوالى (16.9%). انتمت جميع عزلات ال R. solanacearum المعزولة من الحشائش الى phylotype II, sequevar 1 (race 3, biovar 3). أوضحت النتائج ان أعلى نسبة إصابة للحشائش بالبكتريا كانت في محافظتي الغربية والقليوبية حيث بلغت (44.7) و (31.7%) على الترتيب تلاهم في الاصابة محافظة البحيرة حيث بلغت نسبة الاصابة الى (16,1%) &nbsp;بينما سجلت محافظة المنوفية اقل نسبة إصابة (11,5%). علاوة على ذلك فقد سجلت كلا من محافظتي الجيزة والاسماعيلية تقريبا نفس نسبة الاصابة في الحشائش اذ بلغت (12,7و13,9% ) على الترتيب. كانت الحشائش الشتوية الحولية هي الأكثر إصابة وتضمنت (11 ) نوعاً Chenopodium album L., &nbsp;Chenopodium mural L., Cichorium pamilum, Malva parviflora L., Medicago polymorpha L., Rumex dentatus L., Sisymbrium irio L., Sonchus oleraceus L. and&nbsp; Urtica urens L.. تلاهم في الاصابة&nbsp; الحشائش الصيفية الحولية والتي شملت (7) انواع من الحشائش المختلفة : &nbsp;Arachis hypogaea, Conyza aegyptiaca L., Cyperus difformis L., Dactyloctenium aegyptium L, Polypogon monspeliensis L.,Portulaca oleracea L.and Solanum nigrum L. بينما تضمنت الحشائش المعمرة على (4) أنواع من الحشائش: Convolvulus arvensis L., Cyperus rotundus L., Cynodon dactylon L., Dichanthium annulatum. علاوة على ذلك فقد اشتملت الحشائش ذات الحولين على (2) فقط من الحشائش وهما: Centaurea calcitrapa L.and Beta vulgaris L تشير النتائج إلى أن الحشائش الخالية من الأعراض قد تكون مصدرًا خطيرًا للإصابات الكامنة لكلا من الحشائش أو محصول البطاطس المعد للتصدير ويمكن اعتبارها من عوائل بكتيريا ال R. solanacearum &nbsp;Weed plants were randomly sampled from different potato fields in some Egyptian villages and were examined for the presence of&nbsp;Ralstonia solanacearum. A total of (1609) plants were sampled over two year's period (2017/2018 and 2018/2019). These weeds were found belonging to almost (50) species affiliated to (20) families associated more or less with the potato fields near Al-Kalubeiah, El-Behira, El-Giza, El-Gharbeya, El-Ismailia and El-Menofiya governorates at different village (Digwa, El-Saadany, Al-Rifai, Kafr-Yaqoub, Abu Sawyer and Talia, respectively). The pathogen&nbsp;was successfully recovered from the crown area of 272 plant weeds belonging to 25 plant species of 13 families. The weeds in concern, 70 days after planting potato, were found latently infected and mostly symptomless at the time of sampling. The rates of positive isolation from these weeds were generally low, and account for 16.9%. All isolates of&nbsp;R. solanacearum&nbsp;from weeds were confirmed as phylotype II, sequevar 1 (race 3, biovar 2) via PCR. Data revealed that, the highest infection percentage of weed plants were shown from El-Gharbeya and Al-Kalubeiah, governorates (44.7 and 31.7 % respectively) followed by El-Behira governorate (16.1%), whereas the lowest percentage (11.5%) was observed in El-Menofiya governorate. On the other hand, both El-Giza and El-Ismailia governorates showed almost similar percentage of infected weeds (12.7 and 13.9% respectively). The winter annual weeds were the most affected weeds and included 11 different species of weeds (e.g. Amaranthus ascendens Lois, Amaranthus cruentus, Chenopodium album and Chenopodium mural) followed by the summer annual weeds that included 7 different species (e.g. Portulaca oleracea L. and Solanum nigrum L.). While the perennial weeds included 4 species (e.g. Convolvulus arvensis and Dicanthium annulatum), the biennial, however, weeds included only two species of infected weeds (Beta vulgaris L. and Centaurea calcitrapa L.). The results denoting that symptomless weeds might be a serious masked source of latent infection for either weeds or exported potato crop and it may be considered as an attractive overwintering hosts of&nbsp;R. solanacearum