Abstract: Avian coccidiosis remains one of the major parasitic diseases that threaten the global
poultry industry. Since prevention is superior to treatment, this study focuses on eliminating the
infection outside the host. To determine their effect on the viability of Eimeria tenella oocysts in vitro,
allicin and alcoholic garlic extract, which are natural, less toxic, and inexpensive products, were
compared to KOH 5% (chemical disinfectant) using an in vitro culture system. Three concentrations
of allicin (45, 90, and 180 mg/mL) and alcoholic garlic extract (90, 180, and 360 mg/mL, were used.
Subsequently, destructive and sporulation-inhibiting effects on Eimeria oocysts were detected using
light and electron microscopy. Young chickens were infected with treated sporulated oocysts to
determine their effect on infectivity. After 7 days pi, the percentage of excreted oocysts (oocyst
shedding) was determined, and the chickens were slaughtered for histopathological examination of
the cecal tissues. Under an electron microscope, allicin at a concentration of 180 mg/mL and alcoholicgarlic extract at a concentration of 360 mg/mL demonstrate a high oocysticidal activity with severe
destruction of the oocyst wall and the appearance of pores. In addition, both concentrations directly
affected the infectivity of sporulated oocysts by reducing the shedding of oocysts and the pathological
lesions of infected young chickens. We concluded that the ability of Allicin and alcoholic garlic extract
to eliminate Eimeria oocysts makes them superior to chemical disinfectants as a disinfectant.
Keywords: viability; infectivity; oocyst shedding; disinfectan

Background: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases. There is accumulating evidence that link gut microbiota to symptomatology and pathophysiology of PD. The aim of this study was to
describe the pattern of gut microbiota and its association with PD and identify the effect of environmental factors on
gut microbiota. This case–control study included 46 patients diagnosed as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and 31 healthy
volunteers age and sex matched. Detailed history including age of onset, duration of disease, environmental risk factors, diet data, treatment, Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) domain of
Non‐Motor Symptoms Scale (NMSS) were assessed. After extraction of bacterial DNA from the fecal samples, bacterial
abundance was quantified by qPCR using 16S rRNA group-specific primers.
Results: Significant high abundance of Clostridium cluster IV, Akkermansia, Bifidobacterium, and lactic acid bacteria
were found in the PD group compared with the control group (P < 0.001, 0.04, 0.02 and < 0.001, respectively), while
Firmicutes were significantly less abundant in the PD group (P < 0.001) compared with the control group. The naive
PD patients had significant abundance of Bifidobacterium, and lactic acid compared with control group. Interestingly,
Akkermansia was more abundant in treated than untreated patients. There were significant associations between
pesticide exposure and Bifidobacterium (P=0.002), while no significant correlations between different gut microbiota
and demographic, environment data, different rating scores or dominant type of PD. There was a significant negative
correlation between the Bifidobacterium with the duration of illness (P=0.012).
Conclusion: The present study highlighted a significant connection between PD and levels of certain types of gut
microbiota, in support of a possible link between gut microbiota and a neurodegenerative cascade of PD.
 

Objective: To assess by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) the excitability of various cortical circuits in akinetic-rigid and tremor-dominant subtypes of Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Methods: The study included 92 patients with PD according to UK Brain Bank criteria, with akinetic-rigid (n = 64) or tremor-dominant (n = 28) subtype. Cortical excitability study, including
resting and active motor thresholds (rMT and aMT), input—output curve of motor evoked potentials, contralateral and ipsilateral silent periods (cSP and iSP), short and long-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI and LICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF) were measured. The results
obtained were compared to a control group of 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects.
Results: The patients in the tremor group had significantly lower rMT and aMT compared to controls and akinetic-rigid patients and significantly shorter iSP duration compared to akinetic-rigid
patients, while iSP latency tended to be longer in akinetic-rigid patients compared to controls.
There were no significant differences between the two PD subgroups regarding other cortical
excitability parameters, including paired-pulse TMS parameters.
Conclusions: Only subtle differences of cortical excitability were found between patients with
akinetic-rigid vs. tremor-dominant subtype of PD.
Significance: The clinical heterogeneity of PD patients probably has an impact on cortical excitability measures, far beyond the akinetic-rigid versus tremor-dominant profile.
 

High frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF‑rTMS) over the left dorsolateral
prefrontal cortex (L‑DLPFC) is a widely applied treatment protocol for chronic smoking and major
depressive disorder. However, no previous study has measured the effects of rTMS on both nicotine
consumption and anxiety/depression in the same volunteers despite the relationship between
them. The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficacy of 10 daily sessions of HF‑rTMS over the
L‑DLPFC in chronic cigarette smokers’ addiction and investigate the possible beneficial effects of
this treatment procedure on symptoms of depression and anxiety in the same subjects. The study
included 40 treatment‑seeking nicotine‑dependent cigarette smokers. Onset/duration of smoking,
number of cigarettes/day, Fagerstrom Test of Nicotine Dependence (FTND), Tobacco Craving
Questionnaire‑Short Form (TCQ‑SF), Hamilton depression and anxiety scales (HAM‑D and HAM‑A)
were recorded. Participants were randomly assigned to the active or the sham treatment group. Those
in the active group received 10 trains of 20 Hz stimulation, at 80% of the resting motor threshold
(rMT) for 10 consecutive working days over L‑DLPFC. Participants were reassessed immediately
after treatment, and then 3 months later using all rating scales. There were no differences between
active and sham groups at baseline. The cigarette consumption/day, and scores on FTND, and TCQ
decreased significantly in both groups (p = 0.0001 for each) immediately after treatment. However,
improvement persisted to 3 months in the active group but not in the sham group. Moreover, there
was a significant reduction in HAM‑D and HAM‑A scores immediately after treatment in the active
but not the sham group. Subjects with a longer history of smoking had a lower percent improvement
in FTND (p = 0.005). Our findings revealed that HF‑rTMS over L‑DLPCF for 10 days reduced cigarette
consumption, craving, dependence, and improved associated symptoms of anxiety and depression.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03264755 registered at 29/08/2017.
 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The factors associated with recovery of language domains after stroke remain uncertain. We
described recovery of overall-language-ability, auditory comprehension, naming, and functional-communication across
participants’ age, sex, and aphasia chronicity in a large, multilingual, international aphasia dataset.
METHODS: Individual participant data meta-analysis of systematically sourced aphasia datasets described overall-language
ability using the Western Aphasia Battery Aphasia-Quotient; auditory comprehension by Aachen Aphasia Test (AAT) Token
Test; naming by Boston Naming Test and functional-communication by AAT Spontaneous-Speech Communication subscale.
Multivariable analyses regressed absolute score-changes from baseline across language domains onto covariates identified
a priori in randomized controlled trials and all study types. Change-from-baseline scores were presented as estimates of
means and 95% CIs. Heterogeneity was described using relative variance. Risk of bias was considered at dataset and metaanalysis level.
RESULTS: Assessments at baseline (median=43.6 weeks poststroke; interquartile range [4–165.1]) and first-follow-up
(median=10 weeks from baseline; interquartile range [3–26]) were available for n=943 on overall-language ability,
n=1056 on auditory comprehension, n=791 on naming and n=974 on functional-communication. Younger age (<55
years, +15.4 Western Aphasia Battery Aphasia-Quotient points [CI, 10.0–20.9], +6.1 correct on AAT Token Test [CI,
3.2–8.9]; +9.3 Boston Naming Test points [CI, 4.7–13.9]; +0.8 AAT Spontaneous-Speech Communication subscale
points [CI, 0.5–1.0]) and enrollment <1 month post-onset (+19.1 Western Aphasia Battery Aphasia-Quotient points
[CI, 13.9–24.4]; +5.3 correct on AAT Token Test [CI, 1.7–8.8]; +11.1 Boston Naming Test points [CI, 5.7–16.5];
and +1.1 AAT Spontaneous-Speech Communication subscale point [CI, 0.7–1.4]) conferred the greatest absolute
change-from-baseline across each language domain. Improvements in language scores from baseline diminished with
increasing age and aphasia chronicity. Data exhibited no significant statistical heterogeneity. Risk-of-bias was low to
moderate-low.
CONCLUSIONS: Earlier intervention for poststroke aphasia as crucial to maximize language recovery across a range of language
domains, although recovery continued to be observed to a lesser extent beyond 6 months poststroke
 

Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS) is a potentially fatal, immune-mediated disease of the
peripheral nervous system that is usually triggered by infection. Only a small number
of cases of GBS associated with COVID-19 infection have been published. We report
here five patients with GBS admitted to the Neurology, Psychiatry, and Neurosurgery
Hospital, Assiut University/Egypt from July 1 to November 20, 2020. Three of the five
patients were positive for SARS-CoV-2 following polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of
nasopharyngeal swabs on day of admission and another one had a high level of IgM
and IgG; all had bilateral ground-glass opacities with consolidation on CT chest scan
(GGO) and lymphopenia. All patients presented with two or more of the following:
fever, cough, malaise, vomiting, and diarrhea with variable duration. However, there
were some peculiarities in the clinical presentation. First, there were only 3 to 14 days
between the onset of COVID-19 symptoms and the first symptoms of GBS, which
developed into flaccid areflexic quadriplegia with glove and stocking hypoesthesia. The
second peculiarity was that three of the cases had cranial nerve involvement, suggesting
that there may be a high incidence of cranial involvement in SARS-CoV-2-associated
GBS. Other peculiarities occurred. Case 2 presented with a cerebellar hemorrhage
before symptoms of COVID-19 and had a cardiac attack with elevated cardiac enzymes
following onset of GBS symptoms. Case 5 was also unusual in that the onset began
with bilateral facial palsy, which preceded the sensory and motor manifestations of
GBS (descending course). Neurophysiological studies showed evidence of sensorimotor
demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, suggesting acute inflammatory polyneuropathy
(AIDP) in all patients. Three patients received plasmapheresis. All of them had either
full recovery or partial recovery. Possible pathophysiological links between GBS and
COVID-19 are discussed.
 

Purpose The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of primary trabeculectomy (PT) with mitomycin C (MMC) in uveitic glaucoma (UG) and primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). Design This is a retrospective, case–control study. Patients and methods We compared the outcomes of PT with 0.02% MMC for 2 min in 60 adult patients with POAG and 60 adult patients with UG, who underwent surgeries between January 2010 and January 2014 at two major hospitals in Birmingham, UK, and were followed up for 5 years. Trabeculectomy in both groups was performed by fornix-based conjunctival dissection. Results The patients’ age was 53.6±5.4 years in POAG patients compared with 48.3±9.45 years in UG patients, with a statistically significant difference (P=0.046). The rates of qualified success, complete success, and failure at the first, third, and fifth year postoperatively did not differ significantly between the two groups (P=0.73, 0.71, and 0.37, respectively). The maximum postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction was observed in the first year, followed by a slow rise in IOP, and the number of antiglaucoma medications until the fifth year postoperatively. The 5-year postoperative IOP differed significantly between the two groups (18.33±2.98 vs. 19.88±3.41 mmHg in the POAG vs. UG, respectively, P=0.009). Conclusion The success rate of PT with MMC in UG was not inferior to that in POAG. One-year posttrabeculectomy with MMC, the qualified success rate mildly increased at the expense of the complete success rate while the failure rate remained largely constant, indicating a constant need for additional antiglaucoma medications.