The Effect of Flaxseed Oil Supplementation and Injection of Vitamins (A, D3, E) on the Performance and Blood Metabolites of Suckling Calves

Introduction: Proper nutrition management during calf rearing is one of the most important factors which influence herd profitability. Environmental stressors and immature immune system of calves, reduce the viability of the animal. Today, attempts are being made to increase immune system postnatal calf life in various ways. Supplying unsaturated fats, which have double bonds on their structure, in starter diet, is one of the suggested solutions to improve the calf’s immune system. Infant ruminants do not have the ability to biosynthesize fat-soluble vitamins (A, D3, E), while these vitamins play a major role in the animal's immune system and their performance. Supplying fat-soluble vitamins in the calves’ diets is critical for the normal growth of muscles and the body skeleton, as they have an improvement role to improve the immune system in animals. The common symptoms of a fat soluble vitamin deficiency in suckling calves are growth retardation, coarse hair, and susceptibility to infectious diseases.Materials and Methods: In this experiment, twenty eight Holstein female calves with an average weight of 37.74 kg (± 4/76) were used from birth to 56 days. After birth claves were separated from their dam and after weighing they transferred to individual pen. On the fourth day, the calves were randomly assigned to one of four treatments.  All calves received colostrum for the first 3 d and then whole milk at 8% of bodyweight in the two equal part in the morning (4.00 A.M) and evening (16 P.M) until weaning. The experimental treatments included: 1) control: whole milk with starter 2) control diet supplemented with flaxseed oil (0.3ml per kilogram of body weight) 3) control diet and weekly injection of 7 cc of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D3, E) 4) The control diet which supplemented with flaxseed oil (0.3ml per kilogram of body weight) plus weekly injection of 7 cc of fat-soluble vitamins.  Flaxseed oil was mixed into milk (morning feeding) until weaning. During the experiment period, calves had ad libitum access to chopped alfalfa hay and starter diet. Water from a plastic bucket (7 liters), filled twice a day, and was provided throughout the study. Composition of starter did not change throughout the experiment. Starter intake was recorded daily. Body weight gain determined weekly until the end of experiment. Fecal consistencies were scored twice a day. Blood sample were harvested from jugular vein for collection of blood serum. Blood metabolites, glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides were analyzed using commercially available colorimetric and enzymatic assay kits. Data were analyzed using SAS version 9.4 as a randomized completely randomized design experiment. For all results, significant differences between treatments were reported at P≤ 0.05 and tendencies were reported at 0.05 < P≤ 0.10. Least square means for each treatment are reported in the tables and were separated using Tukey’s test.Results and Discussion: The results of this study showed that the use of flaxseed oil and injection of fat-soluble vitamins during pre-weaning period had no significant effect on the starter feed intake, daily weight gain, rectal temperature and skeletal growth parameters of calves.Serum concentrations of total protein, triglyceride, creatinine and urea were not affected by experimental treatments. Claves received flaxseed oil and fat soluble vitamins injection tended to have the lowest serum glucose concentration (P<0.10). Calves received flax seed oil and fat soluble vitamins injection had the highest cholesterol concentration.Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that inclusion of flaxseed oil and injection of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E) had no any marked effects on weight gain, daily feed intake and skeletal bone growth

Optimal operation of stand-alone microgrid considering emission issues and demand response program using whale optimization Algorithm

Microgrids are new technologies for integrating renewable energies into power systems. Optimal operation of renewable energy sources in standalone micro-grids is an intensive task due to the continuous variation of their output powers and intermittant nature. This work addresses the optimum operation of an independent microgrid considering the demand response program (DRP). An energy management model with two different scenarios has been proposed to minimize the costs of operation and emissions. Interruptible/curtailable loads are considered in DRPs. Besides, due to the growing concern of the developing efficient optimization methods and algorithms in line with the increasing needs of microgrids, the focus of this study is on using the whale meta-heuristic algorithm for operation management of microgrids. The findings indicate that the whale optimization algorithm outperforms the other known algorithms such as imperialist competitive and genetic algorithms, as well as particle swarm optimization. Furthermore, the results show that the use of DRPS has a significant impact on the costs of operation and emissions

Bushehr Elderly Health (BEH) Programme, phase I (cardiovascular system)

Purpose: The main objective of the Bushehr Elderly Health Programme, in its first phase, is to investigate the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and their association with major adverse cardiovascular events. Participants: Between March 2013 and October 2014, a total of 3000 men and women aged ≥60 years, residing in Bushehr, Iran, participated in this prospective cohort study ( participation rate=90.2%). Findings to date: Baseline data on risk factors, including demographic and socioeconomic status, smoking and medical history, were collected through a modified WHO MONICA questionnaire. Vital signs and anthropometric measures, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, weight, height, and waist and hip circumference, were also measured. 12-lead electrocardiography and echocardiography were conducted on all participants, and total of 10 cc venous blood was taken, and sera was separated and stored at –80°C for possible future use. Preliminary data analyses showed a noticeably higher prevalence of risk factors among older women compared to that in men. Future plans: Risk factor assessments will be repeated every 5 years, and the participantswill be followed during the study to measure the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events. Moreover, the second phase, which includes investigation of bone health and cognition in the elderly, was started in September 2015. Data are available at the Persian Gulf Biomedical Research Institute, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran, for any collaboratio

Ergonomic evaluation of welders posture and biomechanical analysis of loads on spine by CATIA software in Iran Gas Transmission Company

Introduction: Nowadays, observational methods based on video recording of work processes and its analysis by using computers software are widely used. Therefore, the aim of this study is the assessment of welder&rsquo;s posture and its biomechanical analysis by using CATIA software. Methods: This research has been done on welders Iranian Gas Transmission Company. Evaluated postures, which include three postures were determined from photos and videos, which were recorded during the welding process. After determining the target postures, digital modeling of person posture was simulated in CATIA software. Then assessments using RULA method and biomechanical analysis of forces to human digital modeling were done. Results: The analytical results are directly extracted by CATIA software. The final score of three postures evaluated using RULA method indicated that for two postures, we need immediate corrective action and for one posture, the corrective action should be taken in near future. Also, biomechanical analysis of forces in one of those postures revealed excessive force higher than recommended limit by NIOSH. &nbsp;Conclusion: The results of this study show that we can provide a better assessment of workers conditions in workplaces using CATIA software. Analyzing according to RULA methods is a significant measure in evaluation and redesign of workstations

Effect of arginine and threonine in ovo supplementation on immune responses and some serum biochemical attributes in broiler chickens

This experiment was conducted to investigate effects of in ovo injecting arginine (Arg), threonine (Thr) and Arg + Thr on humoral immunity, serum differential leukocyte counts and serum biochemical attributes in broiler chickens. Four hundred fertile eggs were randomly assigned to five experimental treatments including: control (none injected), sham (0.5 ml of 0.5% saline), Arg (35 mg/egg), Thr (25 mg/egg) and Arg + Thr (35 + 25 mg/egg) which injected in the amniotic fluid on day 14 of incubation. After hatching, broiler chicks were fed a commercial corn–soya bean diet up to 42 days of age. Broilers received Arg and Thr had higher body weight (p < .05) and daily feed intake (p < .05) than those supplemented with control or sham. Antibody titre against sheep red blood cells increased in broilers in ovo supplemented with amino acids compared to the birds in control group (p < .05) while no beneficial effect of applied treatments observed on the antibody titre against influenza and Newcastle disease viruses. Moreover, in ovo injection of Arg significantly increased spleen and bursa of Fabricius relative weights compared to sham on day 11 of age (p < .05). In ovo administration of Thr resulted in higher serum glucose concentration than the other groups (p < .05). Furthermore, serum albumin concentration increased in response to Thr administration compared to chickens in control group (p < .05). In conclusion, Arg and Thr in ovo supplementation improved humoral immunity of broilers and increased proportional weight of their lymphoid organs in post-hatch period.Highlights In ovo injection of amino acids may improve immune responses in broiler chickens. Supplementation of amino acids during embryonic stage could increase growth performance of chickens. Meet the nutrient requirement of broiler embryo is important for its later growth and immunity

Chronic stress but not acute stress decreases the seizure threshold in PTZ-induced seizure in mice: role of inflammatory response and oxidative stress

Seizure is paroxysmal abnormal electrical discharges in the cerebral cortex. Inflammatory pathways and oxidative stress are involved in the pathophysiology of seizures. Stress can induce an oxidative stress state and increase the production of inflammatory mediators in the brain. We investigated the effects of acute and chronic stresses on the seizure threshold in pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures in mice, considering oxidative stress and inflammatory mediators in the prefrontal cortex. In this study, 30 male Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were divided into 3 groups, including acute stress, chronic stress, and control groups. PTZ was used for the induction of seizures. The gene expression of inflammatory markers (IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, NLRP3, and iNOS), malondialdehyde (MDA) level, nitrite level, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were assessed in the prefrontal cortex and serum. Our results showed that stress could increase the expression of inflammatory cytokines genes and oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex of the brain and serum following PTZ-induced seizures, which is associated with increased seizure sensitivity and decreased the seizure threshold. The effects of chronic stress were much more significant than acute stress. We concluded that the effects of chronic stress on seizure sensitivity and enhancement of neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are much greater than acute stress

Possible role of NO/NMDA pathway in the autistic-like behaviors induced by maternal separation stress in mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder. Maternal separation (MS) stress is an established model of early-life stress associated with autistic-like behaviors. Altered glutamatergic and nitrergic neurotransmissions may contribute to the pathophysiology of ASD. However, the specific mechanisms underlying these alterations and their relationship to MS-induced autistic-like behaviors remain unclear. Addressing this knowledge gap, this study aims to elucidate the involvement of the nitric oxide (NO)/ N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) pathway in MS-induced autistic-like behaviors in mice. This knowledge has the potential to guide future research, potentially leading to the development of targeted interventions or treatments aimed at modulating the NO/NMDA pathway to ameliorate ASD symptoms. Ninety male Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were assigned to six groups (n = 15) comprising a control group (treated with saline) and five groups subjected to MS and treated with saline, ketamine, NMDA, L-NAME, and L-arginine. Behavioral tests were conducted, including the three-chamber test, shuttle box, elevated plus-maze, and marble burying test. Gene expression of iNOS, nNOS, and NMDA-R subunits (NR2A and NR2B), along with nitrite levels, was evaluated in the hippocampus. The findings demonstrated that MS induced autistic-like behaviors, accompanied by increased gene expression of iNOS, nNOS, NR2B, NR2A, and elevated nitrite levels in the hippocampus. Modulation of the NO/NMDA pathway with activators and inhibitors altered the effects of MS. These results suggest that the NO/NMDA pathway plays a role in mediating the negative effects of MS and potentially contributes to the development of autistic-like behaviors in maternally separated mice

Resuming Breast Imaging Services in the Aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Safety and Beyond

As the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic begins to stabilize, different medical imaging facilities not directly involved in the COVID-19 epidemic face the dilemma of how to return to regular operation. We hereby discuss various fields of concern in resuming breast imaging services. We examine the concerns for resuming functions of breast imaging services in 2 broad categories, including safety aspects of operating a breast clinic and addressing potential modifications needed in managing common clinical scenarios in the COVID-19 aftermath. Using a stepwise approach in harmony with the relative states of the epidemic, health care system capacity, and the current state of performing breast surgeries (and in compliance with the recommended surgical guidelines) can ensure avoiding pointless procedures and ensure a smooth transition to a fully operational breast imaging facility

Anticonvulsant effect of quercetin in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in male mice: The role of anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-oxidative stress

Background: Epilepsy is one of the major neurological disorders. The inflammatory process and oxidative stress are closely related to seizure progression. Quercetin is a flavonoid with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties as well as neuroprotective effects. We aimed to evaluate the effect of quercetin on pentylenetetrazole- (PTZ-) induced seizures in male mice focusing on its possible anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-oxidative stress. Methods: In this study, 50 male NMRI mice were divided into five groups (n = 10) and given the following treatments: normal saline, quercetin at doses of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg, and diazepam at a dose of 10 mg/kg. In order to induce seizures, PTZ was administered intravenously. Drugs were administered intravenously 60 min before the seizure induction. The seizure threshold was measured, and finally, malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and the gene expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, NLRP3, and iNOS were determined in the prefrontal cortex. Results: It was confirmed that quercetin increased the seizure threshold. And quercetin increased TAC, and decreased levels of MDA as well as gene expression of TNF- α, NLRP3, IL-1β, and iNOS in the prefrontal cortex at the time of seizure induction. Conclusion: It was suggested that the anticonvulsant effect of quercetin in PTZ-induced seizures in mice may be due to the reduction of inflammatory responses and oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex