Pathological, Bacteriological and Prevalence Studies Of Ovine Footrot

Ovine footrot, is a disease associated with infection by the bacterium Dichelobacter nodosus. It is a disease that limits the productivity or sheep-farming enterprises throughout the world. Both wool production and body weight are adversely affected during the clinical phase of the infection. Ovine footrot has become an important contagious disease in Malaysia. The first confirmed case of footrot was reported in a government sheep farm in mid-198Os. The disease is now present ill other farms throughout the country, and local vaccine is being used to reduce the disease. Previous studies have identified D. nodosus in three sheep farms ill Malaysia and only serogroup B was identified. The possible presence of other D. nodosus serogroups and scrotypes is unknown. This study attempts to isolate and identify the unknown serogroups and serotypes so as develop a better vaccine candidate using local isolates of D. nodosus. Eight sheep farms were investigated in this study. Four sheep farms were found to be infected with D. nodosus. Two hundred and ninety-three D. nodosus isolates were obtained from 741 foot samples. Five serogroups were identified in Malaysia. This is the first study where serogroups A, C, F and I with their serotypes AI, A2, CI, FI and F2 were identified in the infected sheep farms. Serogroup B was the predominant serogroup isolated (78.2%) while the isolation percentages for serogroups F, A, I and C were 7.9%, 7.5%, 3.8% and 2.7% respectively. The information on the pathogenesis of the disease is still lacking despite previous studies on ovine footrot. Interdigital cutaneous changes associate with footrot in sheep is not well documented. The disease was induced experimentally in sheep by topical application of bacterial isolates on the interdigital skin of the hoof, and light and electron microscopy studies of the lesions were conducted. Virulent footrot was observed by a gross progressive separation of the horny tissues from the soft tissues. On day 21 post inoculation (p.i.), a complete separation of the hoof from the underrunning structures and lameness were evident. The benign footrot was observed with mild interdigital dermatitis and all infected feet completely recovered on day 21 p.i.. Histopathological changes in virulent footrot were observed in the interdigital skin layers and hoof matrix. These ranged from acute dermatitis to hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis and acanthosis of the epidermis. Oedema and leukocytic infiltration with neutrophils, macrophages and scanty lymphocytes were also evident in the dennis. Furthermore, vasculitis and perivascular cuffing, lymphangitis and inflammation of the sweat glands were observed in the dermis. The histopathological changes of benign footrot were less severe than virulent form in the epidermis and there were no pathological changes in the dermis. In scanning electron microscopy, a severe zone of lysis appearing as a surface depression around bacteria in the horny layer of the interdigital skin of the hoof was detected in virulent footrot, while this lesion was less severe in the benign form. Transmission electron microscopy revealed degeneration in the epiderm is and dermis. Degeneration in the basal cell layer of the epidermis and the basement membrane in virulent form of footrot, which have not been reported previously was observed in this study. Dichelobacter nodosus was observed in the lesions of the epidermis and dermis of virulent footrot. Its' isolation from characteristic foot lesions indicated that it was associated with footrot. Immunohistochemistry observations validate the relationship between the lesions seen in footrot and virulent D. nodosus. Immunogold staining technique facilitates to detection and localisation of D. nodosus for electron microscopy. Specific reactions were labelled in components and the matrix of epidermis and dermis of the interdigital skin. Dichelobacter nodosus antigen labelled with 5 nm gold particles was observed in the intracellular and intercellular spaces of the epidermis. This is the first report where immunogold labelling technique have been used in the study of footrot lesions in sheep for electron microscopical observations. The total monthly rainfall and mean daily temperature have a relation to the prevalence rate of the disease. These conditions provide suitable environment propagation of D. nodosus. The overall prevalence of footrot in the eight farms investigated was 3.3%. The highest prevalence was recorded in April (0.8%), while the lowest in August (0.3%) in IHK farm by survey study. Observations described in this study were made to define the prevalence are related to seasonal conditions, but the effect of rainfall overrides all other factors for footrot to occur. Adults were more susceptible than weaners. No cases were detected in preweaners. The prevalence by sex which was 4.4% in the male and 7.7% in the female was significant (p=O.009). No significant difference in prevalence rates between breeds was detected

A Comparison of Two Anastomotic Techniques in the Jejunum of the Goat

This study was carried out to test two different anastomotic techniques to identify advantages and disadvantages of each technique in goats. All animals were under local infiltration anaesthesia. A five-cm length of jejunum was resected from the first part of the jejunum and end to end anastomosis using 3-0 Polygalactin-910 with one row of sero-submoucosal interrupted sutures (SSIS) group, and one row of horizontal mattress interrupted sutures (HMIS) group. Two animals from each group were euthanized on the 4th, 14th and 21st postoperative days. A 7-cm segment of jejunum including the anastomosed area was resected from each animal. There was no significant adhesion between anastomosis area and surrounded tissues observed in SSIS animals, while there was significant adhesion between anastomosis area and surrounded tissues which were observed in HMIS animals. Stenosis degree was lower in the SSIS than the HMIS group. The bursting pressure was higher in the SSIS than the HMIS group. Macroscopic evaluation indicated that the anastomotic line mucosa was abridged better with less local edema in the SSIS group. Histological evaluation in the SSIS group showed almost all parameters such as epithelial recovery and repair of submucosal-mucosal layer demonstrated better healing compared to the HMIS group

The effect of Aqueous Olive Leaves Extract on the Pancreatic Islets of Streptozotocin Induced Diabetes Mellitus in mice

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of the aqueous crude extract of Olea europaea on serum glucose level and histopathological changes in islets of Langerhans in an induced-diabetic mellitus in mice. The experimental recommended 60 male mice were divided into three groups contained 20 mice each. The fi rst group was the control and they were given normal saline pH 7.0. The second group was intraperitoneally injected by a dose of 100mg/Kg of STZ and 10% glucose instead of normal drinking water over the 24 hours followed the treatment. The third group was injected intraperitoneally with 100mg/kg STZ and orally given 0.33g/ Kg aqueous extract of olive leaves everyday for four weeks. Blood specimens were collected, and the serum separated and stored at 4OC until it is used. The animals were dissected and the pancreatic tissues were obtained, the tissue specimens were fi xed in the Boun’s solution for 24 hr, and processed for histological studies. There was a signifi cant increase in blood glucose level of the STZ- diabetic mice by the fi rst week of injection with STZ in comparison with control group. A signifi cant decrease in blood glucose level occurred in the STZ-diabetic group treated with Olea europaea aqueous extract. Islets of langerhans are hypertrophied in the STZ-diabetic group and this hypertrophy showed a signifi cant increased in the average of islets size at the last week, while the treatment with Olea europaea aqueous extract showed a reduction of the islet size compared with the islets of the STZ –diabetic Mic

Knowledge of Malaysian university students towards swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus: A qualitative study

Introduction: The study was aimed to explore the knowledge towards swine flu among university students.Methods: An in-depth interview was conducted among 40 Students chosen randomly and asked to participate. The interviewers followed a standardized protocol to ensure that all the participants’ interviews were conducted in a similar manner and that an identical set of questions were discussed.  Due to the small sample size, the data was analyzed manually.Results: The majority of the participants were aware that H1N1 is a disease caused by Influenza A virus subtype H1N1. In terms of transmission, the majority of participants believed that the H1N1 might be transmitted from an infected person to a susceptible person; 12 out of 40 students thought that people might be infected by eating pork meat. Few students reported that the pig farmers and those in close contact with pigs were at high risk of the infection. Regarding preventions, half of the participants reported that H1N1 infection might be prevented by wearing face-masks, washing hands and avoiding close contact with infected patients.Conclusion: Despite majority of the participants had the basic knowledge regarding H1N1 and its preventions measures such as wearing face-masks, washing hands and avoiding close contact with infected patients, some of them had some misconceptions about the infection, such as the infection might be transmitted by eating pork meat.Â

Identification of adipogenesis and osteogenesis pathways of differentiated bone marrow stem cells in vitro in rabbits

Transdifferentiation is a process whereby a cell type committed to and progressing along a specific developmental lineage switches into another cell types. The objective of this study was to assess whether rabbit mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs) precommitted to give mesenchymal cell lineage transdifferentiate in response to inductive extracellular cues to expand adult MSCs. Bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) obtained from ilium of adult male rabbit comprised heterogeneous groups of cells after seeding and growing in culture plates. After initial plating, the adherent cells exhibited small rounded, spindle-shaped and exhibited fibroblast-like morphology in reaching confluence. Rabbit BMSCs differentiated into adipocytes and osteocyte as a accumulation of intracellular lipid droplets and calcium deposition throughout the culture after 21 days

Comparative Study Using WEKA for Red Blood Cells Classification

Red blood cells (RBC) are the most common types of blood cells and are the most intensively studied in cell biology. The lack of RBCs is a condition in which the amount of hemoglobin level is lower than normal and is referred to as "anemia". Abnormalities in RBCs will affect the exchange of oxygen. This paper presents a comparative study for various techniques for classifying the RBCs as normal, or abnormal (anemic) using WEKA. WEKA is an open source consists of different machine learning algorithms for data mining applications. The algorithm tested are Radial Basis Function neural network, Support vector machine, and K-Nearest Neighbors algorithm. Two sets of combined features were utilized for classification of blood cells images. The first set, exclusively consist of geometrical features, was used to identify whether the tested blood cell has a spherical shape or non-spherical cells. While the second set, consist mainly of textural features was used to recognize the types of the spherical cells. We have provided an evaluation based on applying these classification methods to our RBCs image dataset which were obtained from Serdang Hospital-alaysia, and measuring the accuracy of test results. The best achieved classification rates are 97%, 98%, and 79% for Support vector machines, Radial Basis Function neural network, and K-Nearest Neighbors algorithm respectively

Neurobiological observations of bone mesenchymal stem cells in vitro and in vivo of injured sciatic nerve in rabbit

The PKH26 is a fluorescent lipophilic dyes used for the study of Asymmetric cell Divisions (ASDs) and efficiently purifies the stem cell fraction. The aim of this study was to explore the neurobiological characteristics in vitro and in vivo and tracking fate of the transplanted rabbit Bone Marrow-Mesenchymal Stem Cells (rBM-MSCs). A fluorescent microscope was used to determine the changes in cell size, fluorescence intensity during tissue culture, track cell divisions and the distribution of PKH26 dye between daughter cells. The results showed the identification of ASDs based on fluorescence intensity of the PKH26 dye was distributed equally between daughter cells at each division in vitro. The labeling BMSCs with PKH26 showed within the wall of the neurons in the dorsal root ganglia in vivo. Labeled BMSCs which are fibroblastic-like cells in P4 showed oval shaped and less density than P2. Direct examine of the labeled BMSCs in the cryosections at 16 weeks post operation showed the BMSCs were differentiated and appeared as like Schwann cells in an anastomosed sciatic nerve in the Local Treated Group (LTG). In the Systemic Treated Group (STG) sections, the labeled BMSCs were migrated to the anastomosed sciatic nerve, ipsilateral lumber dorsal root ganglia resembling glial and stellate cells and some of the labeled cells migrated to the anterior horn of spinal cord (motor neuron). In conclusion, the biological behaviors of BMSCs in vitro and in vivo showed highly mitosis at P2, activated fibroblast-like cells, differentiated to functional myelinating Schwann-like cells in LTG. The BMSCs in STG migrated and engrafted at the dorsal root ganglia as a neuron and glial cell, glial cells and satellite in the spinal cord

Distribution of Blood Groups and Rhesus factor among selected sample of Iraqi Students

Background: There exists ignorance of blood groups among many people and surprisingly even among the literates. Despite the importance of this health parameter in blood transfusion, it is also one of the requirement of obtaining driving license and national identity card. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the frequency of the blood grouping (ABO) and Rhesus (Rh) factor of the blood groups and to determine the awareness on the importance of blood grouping among the study′s population Subjects and methods: The total number of sample size of this study was 278 students were selected randomly. The study was carried out among two cohort of student′s population. First cohort was 168 medical students from Faculty of Medicine, while second cohort included 110 non-medical students from Baquba Technical Institute′ students. The study samples have their blood groups determined according to that documented before. While those who don′t know their ABO & Rh blood grouping marked as DK. Results: The result of this study shows that the rate of blood grouping were 25.5%, 22.3%, 32.0%, 6.1%, and 16.9 %, for blood group A, B, O, AB, and DK respectively ;while for Rhesus factor blood grouping the results revealed that the rates were 77.0%, 6.1% and 16.9%, for positive, negative and DK respectively. Conclusion: The blood group O with Rh positive was the most common prevalent among the selected groups, Knowledge of blood group distribution is important for clinical studies, for reliable geographical information and for forensic studies in the population

Perceptions and opinions regarding human papilloma virus vaccination among young women in Malaysia

Objective: The objective of this study is to explore the perceptions and opinions of young women about human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccination and associated barriers. Methodology: This qualitative in-depth interview study was conducted in January 2010 with 30 university students from different faculties, i.e.:International Medical School (IMS), Faculty of Health and Life Sciences (FHLS), Faculty of Business Management and Professional Studies (FBMP) and Faculty of Information Sciences and Engineering (FISE) of the Management and Science University (MSU), Shah Alam, Malaysia. After consent was obtained from all participants, the interviewer wrote down the conversations during the interview sessions. The data obtained were classified into various categories and analyzed manually. Results: The majority of participants 25 (83%) had heard about cervical cancer, while 16 (53.3%) have never heard of HPV. Only five participants (17%) mentioned that HPV is the cause of cervical cancer. Ten participants (33.3%) did not know any causes. The majority 16 (53.3%) did not know the mode of HPV transmission. The majority of participants 22 (73.3%) mentioned that they had not been vaccinated against HPV. Out of 22, 16 (53.3%) agreed to be vaccinated in the future to protect themselves from cervical cancer and five (17%) participants mentioned they are not willing because of the uncertain safety of the available vaccines and their side effects. Conclusion: This study showed relatively poor knowledge about HPV and its vaccines, pointing to urgency of educational campaigns aimed at students in the public and government universities to promote HPV vaccination among this highly eligible population