Study on the effect of wormseed plants; artemisia cina L. and chamomile; matricaria chamomilla L. on Growth Parameters and Immune Response of African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus

A number of 420 fingerlings of catfish were used to examine the effect of wormseed plants and chamomile on the growth parameters and on non-specific immune response of the African catfish; Clarias gariepinus. Both types of herbs were used in rates of 1, 3 and 5% with 3 replicates per each of the 6 treatments. The 7th treatment was kept as a control group. The experimented catfish were fed with the 7 examined diets in the rate of 3% of fish biomass for 1 month. Different growth parameters as well as blood parameters were estimated to evaluate the growth performance and immune response of the experimented catfish. Results revealed that wormseed plants Artemisia cina L. in the rate of 3 and 5% and chamomile Matricaria chamomilla. L. in the rate of 1% showed the best figures of growth parameters as well as immune response parameters of the examined catfish

Evaluation of The Living Escherichia coli-O78 Deleted aroA Vaccine Against Homologous and Heterologous E. coli Challenge in Broiler Chickens

To determine whether the immunization using commercially available living Escherichia coli-O78 aroA deleted vaccine (Poulvac®E. coli) is protective against APEC challenges or not. Ninety chicks were divided into six groups (15 birds/each); two groups were vaccinated at day 1 by spray and drinking routes then challenged intratracheally with homologous E. coli O78 at day 21, the other two groups were similar to the previously mentioned groups but challenged with heterologous E. coli O1 in parallel with the four challenged-vaccinated groups there were two positive control (challenged-not vaccinated) groups; one challenged with O78 and the other one with O1 at day 21 using intratacheal route. The best obtained results were recorded to the vaccinated-challenged group with the homologous strain and vaccinated by spraying method which exhibited decreases in organ lesion scores in comparison to the other groups (non-vaccinated challenged chickens and groups of chickens either homologous challenged-vaccinated through drinking water or heterologous challenged-vaccinated groups). These findings suggest that vaccine is a suitable for minimizing lesion scores against homologous challenge using spraying method that could lead to minimizing the time for treatment and cases of condemnation in processing plants

Brain lateralization and self-reported symptoms of ADHD in a population sample of adults:A dimensional approach

Many clinical studies reported a compromised brain lateralization in patients with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) without being conclusive about whether the deficit existed in the left or right hemisphere. It is well-recognized that studying ADHD dimensionally is more controlled for comorbid problems and medication effects, and provides more accurate assessment of the symptoms. Therefore, the present study applied the dimensional approach to test the relationship between brain lateralization and self-reported ADHD symptoms in a population sample. Eighty-five right-handed university students filled in the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales and performed a lateralization reaction time task. The task consists of two matching conditions: one condition requires nominal identification for letters tapping left hemisphere specialization (Letter Name-Identity condition) and the other one requires physical and visuospatial identification for shapes tapping right hemisphere specialization (Shape Physical-Identity condition). The letters or shapes to be matched are presented in left or right visual field of a fixation cross. For both task conditions, brain lateralization was indexed as the difference in mean reaction time between left and right visual field. Linear regression analyses, controlled for mood symptoms reported by a depression, anxiety and stress scale, showed no relationship between the variables. These findings from a population sample of adults do not support the dimensionality of lateralized information processing deficit in ADHD symptomatology. However, group comparison analyses showed that subjects with high level of inattention symptoms close to or above the clinical cut-off had a reduced right hemisphere processing in the Shape Physical-Identity condition

The relationship between water activity and fish spoilage during cold storage : a review

This review paper presents clearer picture about the relationship between spoilage of cold stored fish and water activity. The paper was an attempt of presenting the recent existing information and the latest development in this regard. It covered the relationship between water activity and moisture content, water activity control, spoilage of fish and its different phases and the relationship between the spoilage and water activity. The paper revealed that during the initial period of storage some of the characteristics of the fish product reduce in intensity or are lost and in the later stage bacterial degradation of tissues became evident. The water activity (aw) played an important factor in fish spoilage and the growth of different microorganisms depends on its rate. If the aw reduced to 0.6, the growth of bacteria and moulds can be prevented. The detection of spoilage can be determined by controlling water activity and in the same time can be retarded by reducing the aw of the fish by either drying or freezing to keep the fish in good stage with high nutritional and organoleptic quality. The information presented in this study is very important and can assist in preventing spoilage of fishes and their products particularly when production and processing operations are applied

Chloride Resistance of Concrete Containing Palm Oil Fuel Ash

Experimental study was conducted to investigate the chloride resistance of concrete containing palm oil fuel ash (POFA). Ground POFA was used to partially replace Portland cement Type I, by 20% by weight of binder in order to prepare POFA concrete.  Water cement ratio of 0.28 was used and high water reducing admixture was added to maintain workability. POFA concrete was investigated and tested for compressive strength at ages of 7, 28 and 90 days. Rapid chloride penetration test (ASTM C1202) and salt ponding test (ASTM C1543) were conducted on standard concrete specimens to investigate the chloride resistance of concrete.  The results showed that the compressive strength of POFA concrete was improved comparing with plain concrete. The results of chloride penetration tests revealed that significant improvement in terms of chloride resistance could be obtained by using 20 % of ground POFA in concrete mix as cementing replacement material

In vitro Anti-Leishmania Activity and Safety of Newly Synthesized Thiazolo Pyrimidine Derivatives Augmented with Interleukine-12 (IL-12) in BALB/c Mice Experimentally- Infected with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis

Purpose: To synthesize a series of novel thiazolo pyrimidine derivatives and evaluate them in vitro and in vivo for their safety and anti-leishmanial activity using BALB/c mice.Methods: Substituted pyrazolopyrimidine and pyrazolopyrazole were synthesized by reacting amino group of 2-amino-4-cyano-pyrazol]naphthalino[1,2-d]thiazole with a variety of formamide or hydrazine hydrate. The synthesized compounds were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMR) and mass spectroscopy (MS). The purity of the compounds was determined by elemental analysis. Safety and anti-leishmanial activity of the compounds were determined in vitro by i) viability assessment of leishmania-infected macrophages, relative abundance of IL-12p40 mRNA gene expression and levels of IL10 /IL-12 determination in supernatants of cultured macrophages treated with 2.5 and 10 μM of the compounds, using microscope cell counting, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. ii) cytotoxicity of the compounds evaluated by determination the safety index as IC50 of the compound in macrophages/IC50 of the compound in amastigotes. iii) bioassay at 16 weeks post-infection of mice treated with the reference drug, the tested compound alone and both the compound with IL-12. Disease progression and footpad thickness were evaluated regularly during treatment.Results: Compound 4 emerged as the most active anti-protozoal compound of the series against Leishmania viability (activity 60 %) compared with the reference drug (activity 65 %). When it was combined with IL-12, the activity reached 90 %.Conclusion: Compound 4 can serve as a lead molecule for further development to a clinically useful novel class of agents.Keywords: Thiazolopyrimidine, Synthesis, Leishmaniasis, Mice, Immunotherap

Protective role of flaxseed oil against lead acetate induced oxidative stress in testes of adult rats

Even though the toxic effects of lead compounds had been studied over many years, inconsistent results have been obtained about their oxidative stress in the testes of adult rats. Lead acetate (20 mg/kg) alters the histology of testes as well as enhances lipid peroxidation and nitric oxide production in both serum and testes with concomitant reduction in glutathione (GSH) and antioxidant enzymes as catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Moreover, lead acetate induced DNA fragmentation in testes of rats. Treatment of rats with flaxseed oil (1000 mg/kg) resulted in marked improvement in all studied parameters. On the basis of the aforementioned results, it can be hypothesized that flaxseed oil is a promising natural product to protect against lead acetate induced oxidative stress and toxicity in rats.Key words: Lead, flaxseed oil, oxidative stress, testes, rat

Protective effect of camel milk as anti-diabetic supplement: biochemical, molecular and immunohistochemical study

Background: Diabetes is a serious disease affects human health. Diabetes in advanced stages is accompanied by general weakness and alteration in fats and carbohydrates metabolism. Recently there are some scientific trends about the usage of camel milk (CM) in the treatment of diabetes and its associated alterations. CM contains vital active particles with insulin like action that cure diabetes and its complications but how these effects occur, still unclear.Materials and Methods: Seventy-five adult male rats of the albino type divided into five equal groups. Group 1 served as a negative control (C). Group 2 was supplemented with camel milk (CM). Diabetes was induced in the remaining groups (3, 4 and 5). Group 3 served as positive diabetic control (D). Group 4 served as diabetic and administered metformin (D+MET). Group 5 served as diabetes and supplemented with camel milk (D+CM). Camel milk was supplemented for two consecutive months. Serum glucose, leptin, insulin, liver, kidney, antioxidants, MDA and lipid profiles were assayed. Tissues from liver and adipose tissues were examined using RT-PCR analysis for the changes in mRNA expression of genes of carbohydrates and lipid metabolism. Pancreas and liver were used for immunohistochemical examination using specific antibodies.Results: Camel milk supplementation ameliorated serum biochemical measurements that altered after diabetes induction. CM supplementation up-regulated mRNA expression of IRS-2, PK, and FASN genes, while down-regulated the expression of CPT-1 to control mRNA expression level. CM did not affect the expression of PEPCK gene. On the other hand, metformin failed to reduce the expression of CPT-1 compared to camel milk administered rats. Immunohistochemical findings revealed that CM administration restored the immunostaining reactivity of insulin and GLUT-4 in the pancreas of diabetic rats.Conclusion: CM administration is of medical importance and helps physicians in the treatment of diabetes mellitus.Keywords: Camel milk, Diabetes, Gene expression, Immunohistochemistr