Effect of Three Housing Conditions on Osimi Lambs' Behaviour and Performance Under Upper Egypt Climatic Conditions

Improvement of sheep production became a global aim because of the good quality and cheap price of lamb meat. One of the most crucial goals for achieving optimum productivity in Upper Egypt is to protect farm animals from unfavorable climate conditions. Hence, the current study was planned to investigate the influence of three different housing constructions (semi-open, closed and semi-closed plus trees) on feeding behaviour, body weight, serum total protein and glucose levels, as well as faecal coliforms of male lambs under Upper Egypt temperate fall climate.  Eighteen lambs were randomly allocated into 3 equal groups (n=6); group I (raised in house 1; semi-shaded (SSB)), group II (raised in house 2; full-shaded (FSB)) and group III (raised in house 3; semi-shaded+ a number of high trees (SSB+T)).  The lambs were reared in these housings for 3 months; body weight and feeding behaviour were recorded bi-weekly.  In addition, blood total protein and glucose levels, as well as neutrophil\ lymphocyte (N\L) ratio were measured. At the 12th week fecal coliforms count was analyzed, the longest feeding time was associated with highest glucose level in lambs reared in SSB.  In addition, body gain was improved significantly in SSB and FSB that accompanied with the high total protein at the 8th week.  However, N\L ratio was the lowest in SSB.  Fecal coliform count was not affected by housing system. Thus, data suggested that the SSB house had lowest negative impacts on behaviour and performance of lambs followed by FSB and SSB+T housing conditions

Impact of hand lymphedema on pain and grip strength of the hand in women with breast cancer

Background: It is not clear to what extent signs and symptoms other than arm swelling, including pain, grip strength  differ between women with hand lymphedema and without hand lymphedema in breast cancer–related lymphedema (BCRL)Aim of Study: To estimate the extent to which the impairments associated with hand  lymphedema on pain and grip strength in women with breast cancer related lymphedema (BCRL) and to see the association between severity of hand edema and each of independent variables ( pain and hand grip strength )Methods: sixty women experiencing lymphedema after breast surgery participated in this study. They were recruited from Kasr Al-ainy , between 40: 60 years old were assigned into two equal groups, group (A) women with hand edema (HE+, n = 30) and without hand edema (HE−, n = 30) after breast cancer treatment .Pain and grip strength were evaluated Results: inter group difference showed that there is a there was significant difference in pain difference between the group A and group B (p = 0.04)And there was a significant increase in median value of strength difference of the group A compared with that of group B (p = 0.001)

The Efficiency Of Thyme-Celery Mixture (TCM) In Reducing Physiological Stress Of Pregnant Ewes Under Two Different Housing Systems

This study set out to look at the efficacy of using thyme - celery mixture (TCM) supplementation in mitigating stress and improving the performance and behavior of pregnant ewes housed under two different conditions. Forty (40) pregnant ewes were randomly distributed into four groups; two groups were housed in the semi-shaded house (SS), including one group that was provided with TCM supplemented in diet (SST), and the other received no supplementation (SSNT). Similar to the first two groups were housed in a fully shaded house (FS), including one group that was provided with the same TCM supplementation (FST) and the other that received no supplementation (FSNT). Ewe's performance including weekly feed intake was monitored during the late stage of pregnancy, stress indicators were measured in blood. Besides, feeding behavior was recorded. As a result full shaded houses succeed to protect pregnant ewes from environmental changes despite the decreased feed intake. TCM supplementation didn’t achieve success in mitigating the physiological stress of pregnancy in both housing conditions but resulted in a significant increase in the feed intake of semi-shaded housed ewes

The association of single nucleotide polymorphism of interleukin-21 gene and serum interleukin-21 levels with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common autoimmune disorder which commonly results from the combined effects of a large number of genes. Variations in the DNA sequence in the Interleukin-21 (IL-21) gene may lead to altered IL-21 production and/or activity which can affect an individual’s susceptibility to SLE. IL-21 is a novel class I cytokine produced by activated CD4+ T cells, natural killer T cells and T helper (Th) cells. There is increasing evidence that IL-21 contributes to the pathogenesis of SLE due to its biological activity. Aim of the study: To investigate the association between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of IL-21 rs2221903 gene and serum IL-21 levels with SLE and to detect the possible association between IL-21 serum levels and the pathogenesis of the disease. Subjects and methods: This study was conducted on 30 SLE patients and 20 age and sex matched healthy controls. Serum IL-21 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique and SNP of IL-21 rs2221903 gene was detected by genotyping assay, using real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: Serum Il-21 levels were significantly higher in patients compared with controls (p < 0.001). Patients with high activity index of SLE had significantly higher levels of serum IL-21 (p value < 0.001). A statistically significant association was found between the T allele of SNP rs2221903 and SLE, whereas; no association between SNP of IL-21 rs2221903 genotypes and SLE or serum IL-21 levels could be detected. Conclusion: IL-21 plays an important role in the immune-pathogenesis of SLE and could be used as a possible target for novel immunotherapy. The T allele of SNP rs2221903 suggests that the IL-21 gene may contribute to an inherited predisposition to SLE

Iron/Copper/Phosphate nanocomposite as antimicrobial, antisnail, and wheat growth-promoting agent

Abstract Background One of the current challenges is to secure wheat crop production to meet the increasing global food demand and to face the increase in its purchasing power. Therefore, the current study aimed to exploit a new synthesized nanocomposite to enhance wheat growth under both normal and drought regime. The effectiveness of this nanocomposite in improving the microbiological quality of irrigation water and inhibiting the snail’s growth was also assessed. Results Upon the employed one-step synthesis process, a spherical Fe/Cu/P nanocomposite was obtained with a mean particle size of 4.35 ± 1.524 nm. Cu2+, Fe2+, and P4+ were detected in the dried nanocomposite at 14.533 ± 0.176, 5.200 ± 0.208, and 34.167 ± 0.203 mg/ml concentration, respectively. This nanocomposite was found to exert antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. It caused good inhibition percent against Fusarium oxysporum (43.5 ± 1.47%) and reduced both its germination rate and germination efficiency. The lethal concentration 50 (LC50) of this nanocomposite against Lanistes carinatus snails was 76 ppm. The treated snails showed disturbance in their feeding habit and reached the prevention state. Significant histological changes were observed in snail digestive tract and male and female gonads. Drought stress on wheat’s growth was mitigated in response to 100 and 300 ppm treatments. An increase in all assessed growth parameters was reported, mainly in the case of 100 ppm treatment under both standard and drought regimes. Compared to control plants, this stimulative effect was accompanied by a 2.12-fold rise in mitotic index and a 3.2-fold increase in total chromosomal abnormalities. Conclusion The finding of the current study could be employed to mitigate the effect of drought stress on wheat growth and to enhance the microbiological quality of irrigation water. This is due to the increased efficacy of the newly synthesized Fe/Cu/P nanocomposite against bacteria, fungi, and snails. This methodology exhibits potential for promoting sustainable wheat growth and water resource conservation