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Not AvailableThe present research was conducted to evaluate the effect of curcumin supplement diet (CSD) on non-specific immunity, growth and disease resistance against Edwardsiella tarda infection in Cirrhinus mrigala. Fishes were fed with formulated diet containing curcumin in different graded levels as control (C) (0.00%), T1 (0.25%), T2 (0.5%), T3 (1.0%), T4 (1.5%), and T5 (2.0%) for 45 days. Treatments were maintained in triplicate and each tank was stocked with 20 fingerlings (10.5 g ± 1.4). Fishes were challenged with a virulent strain of E. tarda after 45 days of feeding and relative percentage survival was recorded over 14 days post challenge. The percentage weight gain (PWG), feed efficiency ratio (FER), feed conversion ratio (FCR), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) of fishes fed with curcumin enriched diet were found to be significantly (p < 0.05) better than the control group. Dietary curcumin at the level of 1.5% (T4) showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher RPS (62.5%) against E. tarda infection than control. Blood and serum samples were collected for non-specific immune parameters on 0, 15, 30, and 45 days interval and growth performance was evaluated at every 15 days period of the experiment. The results suggest that fishes feed with curcumin enriched diet (1-1.5%) showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher total immunoglobulin, serum protein, serum albumin, Immunoglobulin, respiratory burst activity and myeloperoxidase activity. Hence, this study revealed that CSD has a potential stimulatory effect on non-specific immunity along with improved growth performance and increased disease resistance against E. tarda infection in C. mrigalaNot Availabl

Auditory system dysfunction in patients with vitiligo: is it a part of a systemic autoimmune process?

Abstract Background and aim Association of vitiligo with ocular and auditory abnormalities and other autoimmune disorders suggests its systemic autoimmune origin. Therefore, this study was carried out in an attempt to evaluate the effect of melanin deficiency in patients with vitiligo, as regards the extent and duration of the disease on the auditory pathway and to study the associated other ocular and systemic abnormalities in them. Patients and methods Forty patients with vitiligo and 20 normal volunteers were examined. Audiological evaluation including pure-tone audiometry, extended high-frequency audiometry, transient evoked otoacoustic emissions, and auditory brainstem response was carried out. Ophthalmic evaluation including visual acuity, intraocular tension, and fundus examination was carried out. Laboratory investigations including hemoglobin level, random blood sugar, liver, kidney, and thyroid function tests, and autoimmune testing (antistreptolysin O titer, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, rheumatoid factor, and antinuclear antibodies) were carried out. Results Sensorineural hearing loss was found in 15 (37.5%) patients; 10 (66.67%) of them had bilateral hearing loss and at high frequencies (2–8 kHz) sensorineural hearing loss. Transient evoked otoacoustic emissions were absent or decreased in 67.5%. There were no statistically significant differences in all auditory brainstem response parameters in vitiligo patients compared with the control group. One-fourth (25%) of them had decreased visual acuity, 22.5% had anemia, 12.5% had thyroid dysfunction, 10% had raised random blood sugar, 2.5% had raised liver enzymes, 32.5% had raised rheumatoid factor, 20% had raised antinuclear antibody, and 15% had raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate