The current study investigated the morphological, histochemical, and immunohistochemical characteristics of alarm cells and their precursors in ruby-red-fin shark (rainbow shark), Epalzeorhynchos frenatum (Teleostei: Cyprinidae). Precursor alarm cells were shown to be small, cuboidal, pyramidal, or round in shape, with eosinophilic cytoplasm, resting on the basement membrane of the epidermis. The cells later elongated to become columnar in shape. Subsequently, they enlarged and became large oval-shaped cells. They then underwent shrinkage and vacuolation. The superficial alarm cells were collapsed. Alarm cells were found to have an affinity for different histochemical stains, including bromophenol blue, iron hematoxylin, Sudan black, Mallory triple trichrome, Crossman's trichrome, Safranin O, and Weigert's stains, as well as lipase and alkaline phosphatase. Endocrine properties of the alarm cells were …
This study was designed to investigate the effect of berberine (BBR) on diclofenac sodium-induced testicular impairment in mice.
Eighteen male mice were divided randomly and equally into three groups for three weeks. One group was kept as control, the second group was injected intraperitoneally with diclofenac sodium (DS) at a dose of 10 mg/kg BW daily during the second and third weeks. The third group received daily oral administration of BBR at a dose of 50 mg/kg BW throughout the whole period of the experiment in parallel with the injection of the above-mentioned dose of DS during the second and third weeks. Plasma testosterone as well as testicular lipid peroxides (LPO), nitric oxide (NO), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were evaluated. In paraffin-embedded testicular tissues, histological examination, immuno-expression of glutathione reductase (GR), and TUNEL assay were carried out.
Testosterone levels were within the normal range in all groups. BBR decreased testicular LPO and induced SOD and GSH without marked changes in CAT and NO. The histology of testis was improved and, regularity and integrity of seminiferous tubules basement membranes, and distribution and amount of peritubular collagen fibers were normalized. BBR treated group showed few positive GR immuno-expression in spermatogenic cells and negative GR immuno-expression in interstitial cells of Leydig along with a few apoptotic spermatogenic cells.
BBR is effective in protecting against DS-induced testicular dysfunction by improving oxidant/anti-oxidant balance and blocking the apoptotic cascade.
This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with Spirulina platensis (SP) on the productive performance, carcass characteristics, behavior, blood serum metabolites, hematological indices, and economic efficiency of Fayoumi broiler chickens for a 56-day. In total, 120 one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly distributed among four dietary treatments with three replicates (n = 10/group) for 8 weeks. The dietary treatments were a control basal diet without SP and the same basal diets supplemented with 0.25, 0.5, or 1.0% SP. Birds fed 1% Spirulina-supplemented diets recorded significantly (p < 0.05) higher body weight, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio and less overall feed intake and feeding behavior than those in the control group. No significant changes (p > 0.05) were recorded in the dressing percentage or the relative weights of internal organs among the different experimental groups, except for the thymus. Diets containing 0.5 or 1.0% SP saw an increase (p < 0.05) in serum total protein and globulin and a reduction (p < 0.05) in serum cholesterol concentration. The lymphocyte percentage in birds fed SP diets was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in birds fed the control diet. These results suggest that adding SP up to 1% to the broiler diets could positively affect some important blood biochemical parameters, enhance their immunity response, and improve their growth performance. However, from an economic point of view, supplementation with 0.25% of SP is recommended for Fayoumi broiler chickens
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of dried distillers grain with solubles (DDGS) and red osier dogwood (ROD) extract on in vitro fermentation characteristics, nutrient disappearance and microbial profiles using the rumen simulated technique. The experiment was a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments and 4 replicates per treatment. A basal diet (10% barley silage, 87% dry-rolled barley grain and 3% vitamin and mineral supplement, dry matter [DM] basis) and a DDGS diet (as per basal with 25% wheat DDGS replacing an equal portion of barley grain) were supplemented with ROD extract at 0 and 1% (DM basis). The experimental period consisted of 10 d of adaptation and 7 d of data and sample collection. The substitution of wheat DDGS for barley grain did not affect gas production, disappearances of DM, organic matter and crude protein, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, and microbial protein production. However, replacing barley grain with wheat DDGS increased (P = 0.01) fermenter pH and molar proportion of branched-chain VFA, and tended (P = 0.06) to switch the fermentation pattern to more acetate production due to increased (P = 0.01) NDF disappearance, and tended (P = 0.08) to decrease CH4 production. In the basal barley diet, ROD extract tended to increase A:P ratio (P = 0.08) and to decrease starch disappearance (P = 0.06) with no effect on other variables. No effects of ROD in the DDGS diet were observed. Numbers of OTUs and Shannon diversity index of the microbial community did not differ among treatments. Taxonomic analysis revealed no effect of adding …
This study investigated the effect of kernel hardness, processing method, and their interaction on particle size, dry matter (DM) disappearance (DMD), and fermentation characteristics of wheat grain in batch cultures. The study was a completely randomized design with 3 wheat classifications (soft, medium, hard) × 3 processing methods (grinding, dry- and temper-rolling). Fifty-five wheat samples were characterized for chemical traits and classified for kernel hardness. Samples were either ground through 1-mm screen, dry-rolled or temper-rolled to a constant processing index (PI) of 0.80. In vitro gas production (GP) kinetics, fermentation characteristics and DMD at 6, 24 and 48 h of incubation were measured. Crude protein (CP) (g/kg) was lower and starch (g/kg) was higher for soft than medium and hard wheat. The PSD of rolled wheat was affected (P < 0.01) by a wheat hardness × processing interaction. With dry
The study objective was to evaluate the effects of fennel seeds (Foeniculum vulgare) as a dietary additive on some behaviors, fear response, performance, carcass traits, serum metabolites and economic efficiency of male fayoumi chickens. For this purpose, 60 birds of 28 days of age were divided into control group and three treatment groups. Each group (5 birds x 3 replicates). The fennel seeds were added to the treatment diets at concentrations of 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2%, respectively. Result showed that, fennel seeds treated groups had significant difference (P<0.05), and showed higher feed intake, ingestive and comfort behavior, production efficiency index, body weight, weight gain, relative economic efficiency, serum total protein and globulin. While, had lower aggressive behavior and fear response than birds on fennel free diet. On the other hand, no changes in feed conversion, relative growth rate, dressing percentage and internal organ relative weight, serum calcium and phosphorus levels due to fennel addition. It could be concluded, that fennel seeds have a growth stimulatory effect, improving behavior, fear response, economic efficiency and general health
Background: Evaluation of mineral profiles including essential and toxic elements in dairy cows provides fundamental information for bovine practitioners during regular herd supervision and monitoring. The present research was designed to investigate the variations of mineral profiles in different blood specimens of dairy cows at different lactation stages.
Methods: This study was divided into two parts: the first included 32 cows, which were classified into four groups according to their lactation stages, and the second involved 10 cows at mid-lactation. The concentrations of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), barium (Ba), strontium (Sr), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), total phosphorous (P), sulfur (S), cobalt (Co), silicon (Si), lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), thallium (Tl), boron (B), aluminum (Al), uranium (U), and arsenic (As) were measured in serum, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) plasma, heparin plasma, and EDTA whole blood samples.
Results: The concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ba, and Sr showed significant variations among the dairy cows of different lactation stages (p < 0.05). Strong regressions were determined between the mineral concentrations in individual and pooled samples (R2 = 0.991, p = 0.000). In comparison to other blood sample types, the concentration of Cu, Ba, and Sr was higher in EDTA plasma (p < 0.000). In addition, the values of Zn, Se, Fe, and Mn were significantly increased in heparin and EDTA whole blood samples. Concentrations of Ca and Mg, and P were higher in EDTA plasma, and EDTA whole blood samples, respectively. Furthermore, the mean values of Si, Li, Ni, and Tl showed significant increases in EDTA plasma, while S values were higher in EDTA whole blood samples (p < 0.000). Concentrations of Al and U exhibited significant increases in serum samples (p < 0.000).
Conclusion: Concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ba, and Sr undergo physiological variations among dairy cows at different lactation stages. Therefore, caution should be taken during assessment of these minerals. The concentrations of essential and toxic elements, as well as Ca, P, Mg, and S, varied among the different blood sample specimens, indicating their interpretations should be based on this regard. During dairy herd supervision, the use of pool sample, instead of individual ones, for determination of mineral status may be promising to minimize the costs of individual sample measurements. In general, EDTA plasma may be more suitable for measurements of Ca, Mg, P, and S. It seems that EDTA plasma and heparinized plasma are suited for the estimation of Se and Fe, respectively.
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an economically important viral disease of goats and sheep. The
disease is confused clinically with other infections such as the mild strain of rinderpest in small ruminants. Effective control measures for PPR need that a proper and rapid diagnostic technique of disease. Therefore, the use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect suspected field samples collected from diseased goats and sheep in Dammam city, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia (KSA) has helped to give an effective diagnosis that was needed to control measure of the spread of the disease. This assay is based on the rapid purification of RNA on glass beads followed by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR). The primers (NP3/NP4) were used to amplify specifically a fragment of about 350 bp, that technique has a more specific and sensitive method for rapid diagnosis of disease.
