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

Changes in composition of colostrum of Egyptian buffaloes and Holstein cows

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Changes in colostrum composition of Egyptian buffaloes and Holstein cows collected at calving, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 h and after 14 days of parturition were studied. Total solids, total protein, whey proteins, fat, lactose and ash contents were determined. Macro- and micro-elements, IgG, IgM, IGF-1, lactoferrin and vitamins (A and E) were also estimated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>At calving, the total protein and whey proteins concentration did not differ between buffalo and cow colostrum, while total solids, fat, lactose and ash concentrations were higher in buffalo than in cow colostrum. All components decreased gradually as the transition period advanced except lactose which conversely increased. On the fifth day post-partum, concentration of total protein, whey proteins, fat, ash and total solids decreased by 69.39, 91.53, 36.91, 45.58 and 43.85% for buffalo and by 75.99, 94.12, 53.36, 33.59 and 52.26% for cow colostrum. However, lactose concentration increased by 42.45% for buffalo and 57.39% for cow colostrum. The macro-and micro-elements concentration of both colostrums tended to decline slightly toward normality on the fifth day of parturition. Buffalo colostrum had a higher concentration of vitamin E than cow colostrum during the experimental period. At calving, the concentration of vitamin A in buffalo colostrum was found to be approximately 1.50 times lower than in cow colostrum. The concentrations of IgG, IgM, IGF-1 and lactoferrin decreased by 97.90, 97.50, 96.25 and 96.70% for buffalo and 76.96, 74.92, 76.00 and 77.44% for cow colostrum, respectively after five days of parturition.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>There is a dramatic change in buffalo and cow colostrum composition from the first milking until the fifth day of parturition. There are differences between buffalo and cow colostrum composition during the five days after calving. The composition of both colostrums approaches to those of normal milk within five days after parturition.</p

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

Hierarchies of trade in Yiwu and Dushanbe: the case of an Uzbek merchant family from Tajikistan

This article focuses on the trading trajectory of an Uzbek family of merchants from Tajikistan. This family runs businesses in both Tajikistan’s capital, Dushanbe, and China’s famous international trading city: Yiwu. The analysis is centred on the accounts placed by Tajikistan’s Uzbek merchants about their historically sustained experience, often across several generations, in trading activities. These merchants’ claims of belonging to a ‘historical’ trading community rather than being ‘newcomers’ to long-distance commerce are articulated in relation to notions of ‘hierarchies of trade’ as they evolve in a twofold relational model linking Yiwu’s Changchun neighbourhood and Dushanbe. I suggest that the forms of conviviality enacted in Yiwu’s Changchun neighbourhood need to be understood in terms of the historical, multinational and transregional contacts that have occurred within the spaces of the former Soviet Union, as well as along the China-Russia and China-Central Asian borders. Equally, the hierarchies of trade of Uzbek merchants from Tajikistan in Yiwu’s Changchun neighbourhood cut-across markers of identity that juxtapose the roles of Tajik and Uzbek communities in Tajikistan’s contemporary politics and economics

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

Sero-Evidence of Infectious Bursal Disease Transmission between Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) and Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)

This study was carried out to determine possibility of infectious bursal disease transmission between quail and chicken. In the study, non vaccinated cockerel chicks were put together with infectious bursal disease viral inoculated quails sharing the same feeders and drinkers. The two bird groups were monitored and observed for symptoms and clinical signs of infectious bursal disease (IBD). There was no clinical sign observed however, a strong positive serological evidence of IBD infection from the test result. In this work the chickens mixed with unexposed quail did not show any clinical sign of the disease (IBD) or any sign of infection serologically. As shown in this study serological means of diagnosis is one of the simple and accurate diagnostic procedures which can not only yield quick result but may even detect a subclinical infection among birds, which may ultimately lead to timely intervention in curtailing the disease spread.Keywords: Sero-evidence, infectious bursal disease, quail; chicke