Seasonal variations in furs of Gabaly and New Zealand white rabbits and their crossbred under Egyptian semi-arid conditions

[EN] The effect of breed and season on rabbits’ fur characteristics under Egyptian semi-arid conditions was studied in this research. Fifty-nine male rabbits aged 3-3.5 mo of Gabaly (GB, n=21) and New Zealand White (NZW, n=27) breeds and their crossbred (NZW×GB, n=11) were studied during two subsequent seasons; summer (n=31) and winter (n=28). Skin samples were taken pre-slaughtering to determine the histological parameters, skin layer thicknesses and physical traits of fur fibres. After slaughter, rabbits’ furs were chrome tanned to determine physical and chemical properties. Results showed that all histological parameters of follicle dimensions were affected (P<0.01) by season, breed and their interaction. In summer, primary follicles had larger follicle dimensions and produced coarser fibres than in winter, whereas opposite results were observed for the secondary follicles. Additionally, the uniformity of fibre diameter distribution and hair length of furs were higher (P<0.01) in summer than in winter. Results indicated the role of the seasonal variations in body coat to accommodate the climatic changes. NZW rabbits were superior (P<0.01) in most histological parameters of follicle dimensions, followed by NZW×GB crossbred and finally GB rabbits, while NZW×GB crossbred produced finer (P<0.01) fur fibre than NZW and GB rabbits. Otherwise, influence of season and breed were negligible on the skin layer thickness values and the physical and chemical fur properties. Consequently, the study concluded that tanned rabbit furs are suitable for manufacturing leather garments when used alone, while reinforcing the fur with textile padding may increase their utility for other leather manufacturing purposes.Nasr, A.; Taha, E.; Naglaa, S.; Essa, D. (2020). Seasonal variations in furs of Gabaly and New Zealand white rabbits and their crossbred under Egyptian semi-arid conditions. World Rabbit Science. 28(1):49-57. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2020.12779OJS4957281ASTM. 2014. American Society for Testing and Materials. Books of standards vol. 15.04.Barker J.R. 1958. Principles of biological technique. John Wiley. Bancroft, J.D., London, Meunchen, New York.BASF. 2007. Pocket book for leather technologist. 4th ed, 67056 Ludwigshafen, Germany.Boucher S., Thebault R.G., Plaissiart G.J., Vrillon L., de Rochambeau H. 1996. Phenotypical description of hairless rabbits appeared in three different herds. In Proc.: 6th World Rabbit Congr., 9-12 July, 1996, Toulouse, France. 1: 333-338.Drury R.A.P., Wallington E.A. 1980. Carlton's histological technique. 4th Ed. Oxford, New Yourk, Toronto, Oxford University Press.El-Ganaieny M., Azamel A., Abou-El-Ezz S., Khidr R. 1992. Heat tolerance of Saidi sheep in relation to wool shearing and some wool traits. Egyptian J. Anim. Prod., 29: 87-95.El-Ganaieny M, Khattab F. I., Abdou A. S., Hekal S. A. 2001. Hair coat characteristics in Baladi goats in relation with thermogulation during the yearly season. Egyptian J. Anim. Prod., 38: 111-127.El-Nahrawy M.A. 2011. Country pasture/forage resource profiles Egypt. World Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome, Italy.El-Sheikh T.M, Mona G.M., Selem T.S.T. 2011. Comparative studies on some productive capabilities among imported, endogenous and native rabbit breeds under Egyptian environmental conditions. Lucrări Ştiinţifice-Universitatea de Ştiinţe Agricole şi Medicină Veterinară, Seria Zootehnie, vol. 56: Universitatea de Ştiinţe Agricole şi Medicină, pp. 364-369.Fathi M., Abdelsalam M., AL-Homidan H., Ebeid T., EL-Zarei M., Abou-Emera O. 2017. Effect of probiotic supplementation and genotype on growth performance, carcass traits, hematological parameters and immunity of growing rabbits under hot environmental conditions. Anim. Sci. J., 88: 1644-1650. https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.12811Galal E.S.E., Khalil M.H. 1994. Development of rabbit industry in Egypt. CIHEAM - Options Mediterraneennes, 43-53.Govindiah M.G., Nagarcenker R. 1983. Seasonal studies on hair coat of Bos taurus x Bos indicus crossbred dairy cattle. Mysore J. Agric. Sci. 17: 371-377.Gupta N.P, Arora R.K., Verma G.K. 1981. An assessment of the characteristics of medullated and non-medullated wool fibers, Indian J. Text. Res., 6: 92-95.Guirgis R.A., El-Ganaieny M.M. 1998. Some observations on the coat of the small ruminants in the extreme south of Egypt. Egyptian J. Anim. Prod., 35: 417-428.Khalil B.A. 2018. Effect of season on Californian rabbit does performance. Curr. Sci. Int., 7: 79-82.Lebas F., Coudert P., de Rochambeau H., Thébault R.G. 1997. The rabbit husbandry, health and production. FAO, Rome, Italy.Lupton C. J. 1995. Standard deviation of fiber diameter and other characteristics of United States wool. Sheep and Goat Res. J. 11: 111-121.McNitt J.I., Patton N.M., Lukefahr S.D., Cheeke P.R. 2000. Rabbit production. 8th ed. Interstate Publishers, Danville, IL. Milling C.R.,Rachlow J.L., Chappell M.A., Camp M.J., Johnson T.R., Shipley L.A., Paul D.R., Forbey J.S. 2018. Seasonal temperature acclimatization in a semi-fossorial mammal and the role of burrows as thermal refuges. PeerJ, 6: e4511. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4511Oznurlu Y., Celik I., Sur E., Telatar T., Ozparlak H. 2009. Comparative skin histology of the White New Zealand and Angora rabbits; Histometrical and Immunohistochemical evaluations. J. Anim. Vet. Adv., 8: 1694-1701.Rafat S.A, de Rochambeau H., Brims M., Thébault R.G, Deretz S., Bonnet M., Allain D. 2007. Characteristics of Angora rabbit fiber using optical fiber diameter analyzer. J. Anim. Sci. 85: 3116-3122. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2007-0109Rafel O., Catanese B., Rodríguez P., Fuentes C., Llonch, P., Mainau E., Piles M., Velarde A., Ramón J., López-Béjar M., Dalmau A. 2012. Effect of temperature on breeding rabbit behaviour. In Proc.: 10th World Rabbit Congress, 3-6 September, 2012 Sharm El- Sheikh, Egypt, September 3-6.Rogers A.D., Lupton C.J., Lukefahr S.D. 2006. Fiber production and properties in genetically furred and furless rabbits. J. Anim. Sci., 84: 2566-2574. https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2006-106SAS. 2008. SAS/STAT User's Guide (Release 9.2). SAS Inst. Inc., Cary NC, USA.Souza M.L.R., Hoch A.L., Gasparino E., Scapinello C., Mesquita Dourado D. Claudino da Silva S.C., Lala B. 2016. Compositional analysis and physicochemical and mechanical testing of tanned rabbit skins. World Rabbit Sci., 24: 233-238. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2016.4037Stenn K.S., Paus R. 2001. Controls of hair follicle cycling. Physiol. Rev., 81: 450-481. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.2001.81.1.449Taha E. A, Hekal S.A., Nasr A.I. 2017. Evaluating skin quality of some rabbit breeds under Egyptian conditions. World Rabbit Sci., 25: 193-200. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2017.6652Tao Y.R. 1994. Studies on the quality of Rex rabbit fur. World Rabbit Sci., 2:21-24. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.1994.213Thébault R.G., Vrillon J.L. 1994. Seasonal effects on Angora rabbit production. In Hormonal Control of Fibre Growth and Shedding. European Fine Fibre Network Occasional Publication No. 2, pp. 51-60. Laker, JP and Allain, D, eds. Aberdeen: Macaulay Land Use Research Institute.Thorburn G. D., Casey H.B., Molyneux G. S. 1966. Distribution of blood flow within the skin of the rabbit with particular reference to hair growth. Circulation Res., 18: 650-659. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.RES.18.6.65

Signaling pathways regulated by Brassicaceae extract inhibit the formation of advanced glycated end products in rat brain

Background: The goal of this study was identification signaling molecules mediated the formation of AGEs in brain of rats injected with CdCl2 and the role of camel whey proteins and Brassicaceae extract on formation of AGEs in brain.Methods: Ninety male rats were randomly grouped into five groups; Normal control (GpI) and the other rats (groups II-V) were received a single dose of cadmium chloride i.p (5 μg/kg/b.w) for induction of neurodegeneration. Rats in groups III-V were treated daily with whey protein (1g/kg b.w) or Brassicaceae extract (1mg/kg b.w) or combined respectively for 12 weeks.Results: It was found that whey protein combined with Brassicaceae extract prevented the formation of AGEs and enhance the antioxidant activity compared with untreated group (p &lt;0.001). Serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) and interleukine (IL-6) levels were significantly decreased (p&lt;0.01) in rats treated with whey protein and Brassicaceae extract formation compared with untreated. The combined treatment showed a better impact than individual ones (p&lt;0.001). The level of cAMP but not cGMP were lowered in combined treatment than individual (p&lt;0.01).Conclusion: it can be postulated that Whey protein + Brassicaceae extract formation could have potential benefits in the prevention of the onset and progression of neuropathy in patients.Keywords: Whey protein- Brassicaceae extract -neurodegeneration -rat

Study of performance, combustion, and emissions parameters of DI-diesel engine fueled with algae biodiesel/diesel/n-pentane blends

Biodiesel extracted from Scenedesmus obliquus algae through transesterification was used in the current study. Due to the disadvantages of using pure biodiesel in engines, it was used as B50 (a blend of 50% diesel and 50% biodiesel). To enhance engine performance, n-pentane was used in different extents of 5, 10, and 15 ml per liter as an enhancer additive. Through performance tests, it was found that 15 ml of n-pentane per liter was the best addition as it caused an increase in the brake thermal efficiency of 7.1% and a decrease in brake specific fuel consumption of 6.4% compared to the elegant B50. Whereas for exhaust gases, there was an increase in nitrogen oxides, which was associated with the significant increase in exhaust temperature and the high oxygen content present in B50. In comparison, hydrocarbons emission decreased by 7.2% compared to B50 in contrast to carbon dioxide which increased by 22.3% over B50. The carbon monoxide and oxygen concentrations of the exhaust gases also decreased by 17.35% and 9.5%, respectively compared to B50. The results obtained indicated that there are a significant improvements in pressure evolution and heat release data, which depend on the role of the mixed fuel addition of n-pentane.Scopu

Pregnancy rates and clinical outcomes among women living with HIV enrolled in HPTN 052

HPTN 052 was a multi-country clinical trial of cART for preventing heterosexual HIV-1 transmission. The study allowed participation of pregnant women and provided access to cART and contraceptives. We explored associations between pregnancy and clinical measures of HIV disease stage and progression. Of 869 women followed for 5.70 (SD = 1.62) years, 94.7% were married/cohabitating, 96% initiated cART, and 76.3% had >2 past pregnancies. Of 337 women who experienced pregnancy, 89.3% were from countries with lower contraceptive coverage, 56.1% first started cART with PI-based regimens and 57.6% were 25–34 years old. Mean cART duration and condom use were similar among pregnant and nonpregnant individuals. Adjusting for confounders, viral load suppression (VLS) was not (aHR(CI) = 0.82(0.61, 1.08)) and CD4 was slightly associated with decreased rates of first pregnancy over time (aHR(CI) = 0.9(0.84, 0.95)); baseline VLS was associated with increased (aRR(CI) = 2.48(1.71, 3.59)) and baseline CD4 was slightly associated with decreased number of pregnancies (aRR(CI) = 0.9(0.85,0.96)) over study duration. Partner seroconversion was univariably associated with higher rates of first pregnancy (HR(CI) = 2.02(1.32,3.07)). Despite a background of higher maternal morbidity and mortality rates, our findings suggest that becoming pregnant does not pose a threat to maternal health in women with HIV when there is access to medical care and antiretroviral treatment

Risk profiles and one-year outcomes of patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation in India: Insights from the GARFIELD-AF Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Global Anticoagulant Registry in the FIELD-Atrial Fibrillation (GARFIELD-AF) is an ongoing prospective noninterventional registry, which is providing important information on the baseline characteristics, treatment patterns, and 1-year outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF). This report describes data from Indian patients recruited in this registry. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 52,014 patients with newly diagnosed AF were enrolled globally; of these, 1388 patients were recruited from 26 sites within India (2012-2016). In India, the mean age was 65.8 years at diagnosis of NVAF. Hypertension was the most prevalent risk factor for AF, present in 68.5% of patients from India and in 76.3% of patients globally (P < 0.001). Diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) were prevalent in 36.2% and 28.1% of patients as compared with global prevalence of 22.2% and 21.6%, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). Antiplatelet therapy was the most common antithrombotic treatment in India. With increasing stroke risk, however, patients were more likely to receive oral anticoagulant therapy [mainly vitamin K antagonist (VKA)], but average international normalized ratio (INR) was lower among Indian patients [median INR value 1.6 (interquartile range {IQR}: 1.3-2.3) versus 2.3 (IQR 1.8-2.8) (P < 0.001)]. Compared with other countries, patients from India had markedly higher rates of all-cause mortality [7.68 per 100 person-years (95% confidence interval 6.32-9.35) vs 4.34 (4.16-4.53), P < 0.0001], while rates of stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were lower after 1 year of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Compared to previously published registries from India, the GARFIELD-AF registry describes clinical profiles and outcomes in Indian patients with AF of a different etiology. The registry data show that compared to the rest of the world, Indian AF patients are younger in age and have more diabetes and CAD. Patients with a higher stroke risk are more likely to receive anticoagulation therapy with VKA but are underdosed compared with the global average in the GARFIELD-AF. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION-URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01090362

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Efficient methodology for the preparation and fabrication of cation exchange membranes using trichloroacetic acid and cellulose biopolymer

This article presents a new method for preparing enhanced cation exchange membrane (CEM) for water treatment using cellulose biopolymer. The preparation methodology of CEM membranes was performed in two steps; functionalization followed by fabrication. Firstly, cellulose powder was functionalized with trichloroacetic acid at different reaction times to prepare carboxymethyl tricellulose (CMTC). In the second step, the exchange memberane was fabricated via phase inversion technique using the functionalized cellulosic material and polyethylene glycol as a pore former. The prepared CEM was fully characterized using FTIR, SEM, mechanical properties, and degree of substitution (DS) determination. The morphological microstructure of the CEM membrane was investigated and discussed. The microstructural analysis by FTIR confirmed the functionalization process. The tensile values obtained at different reaction times showed the effectiveness of using trichloroacetic acid in the carboxymethylation and consequently, the stability of the obtained functionalized cellulose. The obtained DS values are higher than that of the commercial CMC and also the published values. It has been observed that the prepared CEM have an average DS value of 1.5 and therefore much higher than the DS value of commercial CMC whose DS ranges between 0.7 and 1.2. The prepared CEM membranes were morphologically investigated by SEM. The SEM photos showed homogeneously distributed small pores on the entire surface of the membrane, and its cross-section is a multilayer with large pores

The T cell-specific CXC chemokines IP-10, Mig, and I-TAC are expressed by activated human bronchial epithelial cells.

Recruitment of activated T cells to mucosal surfaces, such as the airway epithelium, is important in host defense and for the development of inflammatory diseases at these sites. We therefore asked whether the CXC chemokines IFN-induced protein of 10 kDa (IP-10), monokine induced by IFN-gamma (Mig), and IFN-inducible T-cell alpha-chemoattractant (I-TAC), which specifically chemoattract activated T cells by signaling through the chemokine receptor CXCR3, were inducible in respiratory epithelial cells. The effects of proinflammatory cytokines, including IFN-gamma (Th1-type cytokine), Th2-type cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, and IL-13), and dexamethasone were studied in normal human bronchial epithelial cells (NHBEC) and in two human respiratory epithelial cell lines, A549 and BEAS-2B. We found that IFN-gamma, but not TNF-alpha or IL-1 beta, strongly induced IP-10, Mig, and I-TAC mRNA accumulation mainly in NHBEC and that TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta synergized with IFN-gamma induction in all three cell types. High levels of IP-10 protein (&amp;gt; 800 ng/ml) were detected in supernatants of IFN-gamma/TNF-alpha-stimulated NHBEC. Neither dexamethasone nor Th2 cytokines modulated IP-10, Mig, or I-TAC expression. Since IFN-gamma is up-regulated in tuberculosis (TB), using in situ hybridization we studied the expression of IP-10 in the airways of TB patients and found that IP-10 mRNA was expressed in the bronchial epithelium. In addition, IP-10-positive cells obtained by bronchoalveolar lavage were significantly increased in TB patients compared with normal controls. These results show that activated bronchial epithelium is an important source of IP-10, Mig, and I-TAC, which may, in pulmonary diseases such as TB (in which IFN-gamma is highly expressed) play an important role in the recruitment of activated T cells

Effect of cultivation parameters and heat management on the algae species growth conditions and biomass production in a continuous feedstock photobioreactor

The sunshine heat flux is having an essential impact on the photobioreactor system temperature. However, optimal algae growth rates have gained if the algal growth media temperature located between 25 and 30 °C, for most of the kind of the algae. However, there is no available data in the previous literature concerning the environmental conditions, such as the sunshine intensity and the air temperature during the day, and its effect on the cultivation media temperature. In the present study, the continuous photobioreactor has been designed to obtain biomass and Esterified fatty acids (EFA) from the green algal. Therefore, the Optimum pH and Na2CO3 concentrations are 7.5 and 5 g, respectively. While the optimum productivity of S. Obliquus algae can be reached to 1.12 (gm. L-1 Day-1) and EFA yield is 377.6 (gm. L-1 Day-1) by optimization the cultivations conditions. Also, the solar thermal radiation effect on the cultivation medium temperatures has investigated. Those have been achieved using mechanical flipping for the cultivation medium and applying a new Air-Bubble-Generation (ABG) system. The used technique in the current study can enhance the sunlight heat and temperature stability of the cultivation media within the optimum range despite the variation on the ambient air temperature.This work was supported by the Tanta University Research Fund under the research grant code: cod-tu; 03-15-02 .Scopu