Characterization of Eimeria Species in Commercial Broilers by PCR Based on ITS1 Regions of rDNA

Background: Coccidiosis is an intestinal disease of chickens caused by various species of proto­zoan parasites within the genus Eimeria. Diagnosis and genetic characterization of different spe­cies of Eimeria are central to the prevention, surveillance, and control of coccidiosis. The aim of this study was to detect different chicken Eimeria species from several areas in Khuzestan, south­west Iran.Methods: From February to September 2008, PCR assay as well as parasitological examinations was applied for the identification of field isolates of Eimeria parasites around Ahvaz, center of Khuzestan, southwest Iran. Data were analyzed by the Kappa statistic test.Results: Eimeria maxima, E. necatrix, E. tenella, E. acervulina and E. mitis were detected in this study. The prevalence of Eimeria spp. was 31.5% (126 of 400) and E. tenella was the most preva­lent species in Khuzestan. Based on the Kappa statistical test, a good correlation between the results of PCR and traditional biometrical methods was only observed for E. maxima.Conclusion: The present study is the first on the prevalence of Eimeria species in Khuzestan, based on the molecular findings. We believe that traditional methods are not sufficiently reliable for specific diagnosis of Eimeria species in chickens and PCR based amplification of DNA se­quence of parasite, could resolve this problem

Short communication: Jellyfish of Khuzestan coastal waters and their impact on fish larvae populations

One of the most valuable groups in the food chain of aquatic ecosystems is zooplankton. A large portion of them are invertebrate organisms with great variety of forms and structure, size, habitat and food value. The term ‘jellyfish’ is used in reference to medusa of the phylum Cnidaria (hydromedusae, siphonophores and scyphomedusae) and planktonic members of the phylum Ctenophora (Mills, 2001). Jellyfish medusa is a zooplankton which is frequently present in coastal ocean waters and all marine habitats. They are also primary predators of other zooplanktons which have significant impact on abundance and diversity of zooplankton communities that are one of the key parts of the marine food web. Most jellyfish include Hydromedusae, Siphonophora and Scyphomedusae and planktonic Ctenophora, especially in the productive warm months (Brodeur et al., 1999). In recent years, the frequency of the jellyfish in many ecosystems has increased (Xian et al., 2005; Lynam et al., 2006)

Optimization of UV/H2 O2 /Fe3 O4 process to remove aniline from aqueous solutions using central composite methodology

Aniline with a benzene ring in its structure is a toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic compound that causes many diseases in humans. Various methods have been developed to remove this pollutant from the environment among which the advanced oxidation has been successful in obtaining higher aniline removal efficiency. In this study, a UV light and Fe3O4 nano catalyst were used to remove aniline. In this study, the efficiency of aniline removal was studied as a dependent variable and aniline, hydrogen peroxide and iron nano catalyst concentrations, time and pH were investigated as independent variables. The concentration of aniline was measured by spectrophotometer. The optimization of the process was determined using the response surface method design and the central composite design model. Design Expert software was used to analyze the data. The results showed that the aniline removal efficiency decreased with increase in nano-catalyst concentration, hydrogen peroxide concentration and time and decreased with increasing pH and aniline concentration. To achieve maximum efficiency (78.1%), the optimal values for pH; initial concentration; time; nanoparticle content and H2O2 content were 3.2; 101 mg L–1; 50 min; 0.45 g L–1 and 31.08 mmol L–1. The results showed that the photo-Fenton process has a desirable ability to remove aniline from aqueous solution at pilot scale. Therefore, it was suggested to study the efficiency of this process as one of the clean and environmentally friendly methods at full scale on real wastewate

Synthesis, Characterization and Thermal Behavior of Four Arms Poly(L-lactide) via Ring Opening Polymerization

Four (4-arms, polyL-Lactide) were prepared by having different repeating units (10, 25, 50 and 100) from Erythritols and L-Lactide. The polymers were characterized by several methods as FT-IR, 1HNMR, 13CNMR, Gel Permission Chromatography and Scanning Electron Microscopy and finally their thermal stability was evaluated. The all characterization methods were confirmed the expected structure of prepared polymers, on the other hand the prepared polymers have a thermal stabilizing above 175° C, therefore, it is expected to be suitable for use in tissue engineering and drug release applications.   Keywords: poly L-Lactide, four arms, ring-opening polymerization, thermal behavior.

Detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae among Commercial Poultry in Khouzestan Province, Iran

Mycoplasmas are important  avian  pathogens,  which  can  cause  both  respiratory  disease  and  synovitis  in  poultry  that  result  in  considerable  economic  losses  to  the  poultry  industry  all  over  the  world.  The  aim  of  this  study  was  to  determine  the  prevalence  of  Mycoplasma  gallisepticum  and  Mycoplasma  synoviae  infections  among  commercial  poultry  flocks  in  Khouzestan  province,  Iran,  using  the  polymerase  chain  reaction  (PCR)  technique. Totally,  290  tracheal  swab  samples  were  collected  from  19  broiler  flocks  and  4  layer-breeder  flocks,  with or  without  respiratory  signs,  in  different  areas  of  Khouzestan  province  within  six  months.  The  PCR  tests  were  applied  for  the  specific  amplification  of  16S  rRNA  (185  bp)  and  vlhA  (392  bp)  genes.  Out  of  100  swab  samples  obtained  from  the  layer-breeder  flocks,  1  and  72  specimens  were  positive  for  M.  gallisepticum and M.  synoviae, respectively.  In  this  regard,  out  of  the  4  layer-breeder  flocks,  1  (25%)  and  4  (100%)  flocks  were  positive  for  M.  gallisepticum and  M.  synoviae,  respectively.  However, none of the studied broiler flocks were M.  gallisepticum- or  M.  synoviae-positive.  According  to  the  results,  the  PCR  technique  could  be  concluded  as  a  rapid  method  for  the  accurate  identification  of  M.  gallisepticum and  M.  synoviae infections  in  commercial  poultry  flocks.  The results were indicative of the low prevalence of M.  gallisepticum in  the  studied  flocks  in  Khouzestan  province.  On the other hand, M.  synoviae  was  widely  distributed  among  layer-breeder  flocks  in  this  province

Detection of Newcastle Disease, H9N2 Avian Influenza, and Infectious Bronchitis Viruses in Respiratory Diseases in Backyard Chickens in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2014-2015

Newcastle disease virus (NDV), avian influenza virus (AIV), and infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) are the most prevalent viral pathogens in the Iranian poultry industry. This study aimed to reveal the presence of these viruses in the backyard chickens in Ahvaz, located in the Southwest of Iran. A total of 100 chickens with respiratory signs and mortality were examined by taking the blood samples as well as tracheal and cloacal swabs. Most of the chickens had not received any vaccine. The blood samples were assessed for the antibodies against NDV and AIV by haemagglutination inhibition test, and against IBV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The swab samples were utilized for molecular detection using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Based on the results of the serologic test, 77%, 45%, and 38.4% of the birds were positive for NDV, AIV, and IBV, respectively. In the RT-PCR, 95% of the birds were positive for one of the three viruses. The detection rates of NDV, AIV, and IBV were 60%, 34%, and 55%, respectively. The coinfections of AIV/NDV, AIV/IBV, NDV/IBV, and AIV/NDV/ IBV were observed in 13%, 4%, 23%, and 7% of the sampled chickens, respectively. The results demonstrated that the Iranian backyard chickens were infected with NDV, AIV, and IBV. This could pose a threat to the commercial poultry; therefore, preventive measures need to be implemented in this regard

Biological aspects of Sepia pharaonis in the Bahrekan waters (NW Persian Gulf)

The biological aspects of Sepia pharaonis was studied during years 2006-07. The studied area restricted to the Bahrekan in Khouzestan province covering the depths of 2 up to 25m. The sampling methods were gillnet and bottom trawl. A total of 310 specimens collected, of which there wasn’t found any cuttlefish in the study area from July to October (5 months). The collected samples were transferred to the laboratory ashore for further biological measurements consist of: Mantle length, Body weight, sex determination. Gonado-Somatic Index, and determination of Spermatophoric Index, Spawning season, Food preference, Maturity stages and chemical analysis for food value determination. The results showed that the overall sex ratio is about M:F= 2:1 with percentage of 67.41% for males and 32.50% for females. Males are significantly bigger than females with average mantle length (ML) of 233.3 and 269.3 mm for female and male, respectively; with body weight of 1102.3 and 1450.6 g. The mantle length body weight relationship was found W=0.001 ML 2.540 (R2= 0.92) Female as: W= 0.0015 ML 4797 (R2= 0.93) male From point of feeding, the food preferences results indicated that fish is considered as main food, crabs as minor food and other marine organisms such as bivalvia and gastropods as random food. The highest vacuity Index (CV) and empty stomachs was determined for March-April and the lowest value was is December. Also, the maximum GSI was estimated for March-April months in which showing coherrances with the lowest food preference. The maximum spermatophoricfilaments were 856 and 45 for male pharaoh cuttlefish with mantle length of 300 and 185 mm, and on the other hand this values for fecundity were estimated 1589 and 53 for female specimens with 254 and 198 mm mantle length. The spawning season occurs in April- March in which accompany with migration of pharaoh cuttlefish towards shallow waters. The fishing season would be in this period in w

PVDF membrane for oil-in-water separation via cross-flow ultrafiltration process

The objective of this study is to investigate the potential of ultrafiltration polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)-titanium dioxide (TiO2) membrane for oil-in-water separator. PVDF polymeric matrix membrane is excellent in term of chemical and thermal stabilities, which make it very promising to be used as a membrane matrix for water separation. However, poor hydrophilic property of the PVDF has led to the severe fouling during operation. Thus, current work was performed to investigate the effect of incorporation of two additives i.e. polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) in PVDF-TiO2 membrane, which fabricated using dry/wet phase inversion technique. Membranes characterizations were performed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle and UV-vis spectrophotometer. Accordingly, modified PVDF membrane possessed good hydrophilicity property when the additives were added into PVDF-TiO2 membrane matrix. In term of filtration performance, the experimental results showed that oil rejection using PVDF-TiO2/PVP membrane were ~99.7%, which met the requirement for discharge. On the other hand, PVDF-TiO2/PEG membrane was shown more enhancement in terms of permeate flux by given over 64 (L/m2h) at pressure of 2 bar gauge

Investigation of non red tide occurrence causes in Khuzestan coastal waters

The monitoring of the harmful Alga blooms (Red tide) in the Khuzestan coastal waters Provinces was carried out monthly at 5 stations during 2010 to 2011. The results revealed that, Coclodinum polykrikoides blooms was not occurred during investigation times, Phytoplankton composition species were included of 45 species of diatoms (%91), 9 species of Dinoflgellates (7. 52%) and Cyanophytes with one species (1.88%). Furthermore significant different values of nutrients were recorded. Different values of NH4 were measured for different months. In total, the measured ratio of N: P in all months were lower than Redfield Ratio (16:1) in which subsequently the environmental condition was not suitable for bloom of C. polykrikoides

Difficulty in detecting discrepancies in a clinical trial report: 260-reader evaluation

Background: Scientific literature can contain errors. Discrepancies, defined as two or more statements or results that cannot both be true, may be a signal of problems with a trial report. In this study, we report how many discrepancies are detected by a large panel of readers examining a trial report containing a large number of discrepancies. Methods: We approached a convenience sample of 343 journal readers in seven countries, and invited them in person to participate in a study. They were asked to examine the tables and figures of one published article for discrepancies. 260 participants agreed, ranging from medical students to professors. The discrepancies they identified were tabulated and counted. There were 39 different discrepancies identified. We evaluated the probability of discrepancy identification, and whether more time spent or greater participant experience as academic authors improved the ability to detect discrepancies. Results: Overall, 95.3% of discrepancies were missed. Most participants (62%) were unable to find any discrepancies. Only 11.5% noticed more than 10% of the discrepancies. More discrepancies were noted by participants who spent more time on the task (Spearman’s ρ = 0.22, P < 0.01), and those with more experience of publishing papers (Spearman’s ρ = 0.13 with number of publications, P = 0.04). Conclusions: Noticing discrepancies is difficult. Most readers miss most discrepancies even when asked specifically to look for them. The probability of a discrepancy evading an individual sensitized reader is 95%, making it important that, when problems are identified after publication, readers are able to communicate with each other. When made aware of discrepancies, the majority of readers support editorial action to correct the scientific record