Prevalence of Nematodes of Domesticated Guinea Fowl in Maiduguri, Nigeria

Abstract:A study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of nematodes of domesticated guinea fowls slaughtered at the Maiduguri central market. Postmortem examinations of 100 samples each of trachea and gastrointestinal tracts revealed an overall prevalence of 90%. Male guinea fowls had a higher prevalence of infection 35.6% compared to the females 64.4% (p >0.05). Parasites identified were Heterakis gallinarum with 20%, Ascaridia galli 6.7%, Subulura brumpti 13.3% Strongyloides avium 11.1% and Capillaria bursata 2.2%. Mixed infections were those by Ascaridia galli and S. avium 15. 6%, H. gallinarum and S. avium 15.6%, H. gallinarum and Subulura brumpti 6.6%, A. galli and H. gallinarum 6.6 % and S. avium and Sub. brumpti and A. galli and Syngamus trachea with 2.2%. These findings indicate that guinea fowls harbor nematodes that are parasitic, and the effect of these parasites on the productivity of the guinea fowls is discussed. Some factors of these parasites are also considered

Sect and House in Syria: History, Architecture, and Bayt Amongst the Druze in Jaramana

This paper explores the connections between the architecture and materiality of houses and the social idiom of bayt (house, family). The ethnographic exploration is located in the Druze village of Jaramana, on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus. It traces the histories, genealogies, and politics of two families, bayt Abud-Haddad and bayt Ouward, through their houses. By exploring the two families and the architecture of their houses, this paper provides a detailed ethnographic account of historical change in modern Syria, internal diversity, and stratification within the intimate social fabric of the Druze neighbourhood at a time of war, and contributes a relational approach to the anthropological understanding of houses

Preclinical emergence of vandetanib as a potent antitumour agent in mesothelioma: molecular mechanisms underlying its synergistic interaction with pemetrexed and carboplatin

BACKGROUND: Although pemetrexed, a potent thymidylate synthase (TS) inhibitor, enhances the cytoytoxic effect of platinum compounds against malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), novel combinations with effective targeted therapies are warranted. To this end, the current study evaluates new targeted agents and their pharmacological interaction with carboplatin-pemetrexed in human MPM cell lines. METHODS: We treated H2052, H2452, H28 and MSTO-211H cells with carboplatin, pemetrexed and targeted compounds (gefitinib, erlotinib, sorafenib, vandetanib, enzastaurin and ZM447439) and evaluated the modulation of pivotal pathways in drug activity and cancer cell proliferation. RESULTS: Vandetanib emerged as the compound with the most potent cytotoxic activity, which interacted synergistically with carboplatin and pemetrexed. Drug combinations blocked Akt phosphorylation and increased apoptosis. Vandetanib significantly downregulated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/Erk/Akt phosphorylation as well as E2F-1 mRNA and TS mRNA/protein levels. Moreover, pemetrexed decreased Akt phosphorylation and expression of DNA repair genes. Finally, most MPM samples displayed detectable levels of EGFR and TS, the variability of which could be used for patients' stratification in future trials with vandetanib-pemetrexed-carboplatin combination. CONCLUSION: Vandetanib markedly enhances pemetrexed-carboplatin activity against human MPM cells. Induction of apoptosis, modulation of EGFR/Akt/Erk phosphorylation and expression of key determinants for pemetrexed and carboplatin activity contribute to this synergistic interaction, and, together with the expression of these determinants in MPM samples, warrant further clinical investigation