Search results for: blood parasites

Authors: Munruchi Kaur

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Agarics are the fruiting bodies of the fungi falling under Phylum Basidiomycota of class Agaricomycetes. North Western parts of India which comprises of mighty Himalayas decorated with snow cap mountains, forested areas, grassland and the Gangetic plains with the altitude varying between 196m to 3600m have a huge potential of naturally growing wild agarics. These mushrooms lavishly grow in wet humid weather conditions that prevail in these parts of India during the monsoon which hits in the early June and continue up to mid-October. In this area, a diverse form of mixed vegetation is available which is represented by coniferous and angiospermic trees, shrubs, herbs, epiphytes, parasites, climbers etc. The vegetation, topography and climate of this area is quite favorable for the growth of agarics. Cedrus deodara, Pinus longifolia, P. roxburghii, P. wallichiana, Abies pindrow, A. spectabilis, Picea smithiana, Taxus sp., Rhododendron sp. and Quercus sp. occur in pure formations or as scattered patches or as mixed forests, whereas the Gangetic plains are dominated by the angiospermic trees and shrubs, they commonly occur along roadsides or in conserved areas or are the avenues plantations, common amongst these are Shorea robusta, Dalbergia sissoo, Melia azadirachta, Acacia sp., Ficus benghalensis, Eucalyptus sp. and Butea monosperma. These agarics can be categorized on the basis of the habitat in which they grow they are usually foliocolous, lignicolous, humicolous, coprophilous or termitophilous. A number of fungal forays were undertaken to different parts of North West India from time to time during the monsoon season with an aim to decipher the agarics diversity of this part of India. Along with collecting the various agarics from diverse habitat, the ethnomycological data was also collected along with by interacting with the local inhabitants of those areas. Based upon the ethnomycological data collected over the years, cataloging of the edible and inedible agarics has been done and cultures of such potential edible agarics were raised with an aim to domesticate these selected taxa. With an aim to reduce the local pressure on these natural resources, a low-cost technology was developed to make it available to the public for cultivation. As a result, 104 taxa were found edible such as Amanita hemibapha var. ochracea, A. chepangiana, A. banningiana, A. vaginata, Agrocybe parasitica, Author: Professor & Dean Faculty of Life Sciences Punjabi University, Patiala. Punjab, India [email protected] Agaricus bisporus, A. andrewii, A. campestris var. campestris, A. silvicola, A. subrutilescens, A. bernardii, A. abruptibulbus, A. fuscovelatus, A. brunnescens, A. augustus, A. silvaticus, A. arvensis, Volvariella bakeri, V. terastia, V. bombycina, V. diplasia, Psathyrella candolleana, Volvopluteus gloiocephalus, Russula cyanoxantha, R. atropurpurea, R. aurea, Clitocybe gibba,Lentinus transitus, L. kashmirinus, L. crinitus, L. ligrinus, Lactarius rubrilacteus, Pleurotus sapidus, Pluteus subcervinus, Macrocybe gigantea, etc. Cultures of various taxa viz. Pleurotus sajor-caju, Macrocybe gigantea, Pluteus petasatus and Lentinus tigrinus were raised and a proper protocol for the domestication of Pleurotus sajor-caju, Macrocybe gigantea, and Lentinus tigrinus has been developed using the locally available agro-wastes.

Keywords: Agaric, culture, domestication, edible

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Authors: Soyeon Kang, Youn-Jee Chung, Jung Namkung

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Objective: This retrospective study investigated the association between uric acid level and bone mineral density (BMD) in the postmenopausal period. Methods: The study included 328 menopausal women (mean age, 57.3 ± 6.5 years; mean serum uric acid level, 4.6 ± 1.0 mg/dL). Patients were divided into three groups by tertile of serum uric acid level. Patients who used hormone treatment (HT), bisphosphonates, or lipid-lowering agents were included. Results: Blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine, and serum triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the upper uric acid tertiles. No significant difference was found in the mean uric acid levels between medication users and non-users. Distinct HT regimens showed different mean serum uric acid levels. In a cross-sectional analysis, higher serum uric acid levels showed a tendency toward increased BMD in the spine and femoral neck. Longitudinal analysis of 186 women who underwent follow-up examination at a mean interval of 14.6 months revealed a trend toward a smaller reduction in femoral neck BMD in women in the upper serum uric acid tertiles. Conclusion: A positive correlation exists between serum uric acid levels and BMD in menopausal women.

Keywords: menopause, antioxidant, uric acid, bone mineral density

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Authors: Sergey Kozlov, Juliya Kozlova

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Introduction: The increased attention of researchers to an explosive trauma around the world is associated with a constant renewal of military weapons and a significant increase in terrorist activities using explosive devices. Explosive wave is a well known damaging factor of explosion. The most sensitive to the action of explosive wave in the human body are the head brain, lungs, intestines, urine bladder. The severity of damage to these organs depends on the distance from the explosion epicenter to the object, the power of the explosion, presence of barriers, parameters of the body position, and the presence of protective clothing. One of the places where a shock wave acts, in human tissues and organs, is the vascular endothelial barrier, which suffers the greatest damage in the head brain and lungs. The objective of the study was to determine the pathomorphological changes of the head brain followed the action of explosive wave. Materials and methods of research: To achieve the purpose of the study, there have been studied 6 male corpses delivered to the morgue of Municipal Institution "Dnipropetrovsk regional forensic bureau" during 2014-2016 years. The cause of death of those killed was a military explosive injury. After a visual external assessment of the head brain, for histological study there was conducted the 1 x 1 x 1 cm/piece sampling from different parts of the head brain, i.e. the frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital sites, and also from the cerebellum, pons, medulla oblongata, thalamus, walls of the lateral ventricles, the bottom of the 4th ventricle. Pieces of the head brain were immersed in 10% formalin solution for 24 hours. After fixing, the paraffin blocks were made from the material using the standard method. Then, using a microtome, there were made sections of 4-6 micron thickness from paraffin blocks which then were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Microscopic analysis was performed using a light microscope with x4, x10, x40 lenses. Results of the study: According to the results of our study, injuries of the head brain were divided into macroscopic and microscopic. Macroscopic injuries were marked according to the results of visual assessment of haemorrhages under the membranes and into the substance, their nature, and localisation, areas of softening. In the microscopic study, our attention was drawn to both vascular changes and those of neurons and glial cells. Microscopic qualitative analysis of histological sections of different parts of the head brain revealed a number of structural changes both at the cellular and tissue levels. Typical changes in most of the studied areas of the head brain included damages of the vascular system. The most characteristic microscopic sign was the separation of vascular walls from neuroglia with the formation of perivascular space. Along with this sign, wall fragmentation of these vessels, haemolysis of erythrocytes, formation of haemorrhages in the newly formed perivascular spaces were found. In addition to damages of the cerebrovascular system, destruction of the neurons, presence of oedema of the brain tissue were observed in the histological sections of the brain. On some sections, the head brain had a heterogeneous step-like or wave-like nature. Conclusions: The pathomorphological microscopic changes in the brain, identified in the study on the died of explosive traumas, can be used for diagnostic purposes in conjunction with other characteristic signs of explosive trauma in forensic and pathological studies. The complex of microscopic signs in the head brain, i.e. separation of blood vessel walls from neuroglia with the perivascular space formation, fragmentation of walls of these blood vessels, erythrocyte haemolysis, formation of haemorrhages in the newly formed perivascular spaces is the direct indication of explosive wave action.

Keywords: blast wave, neurotrauma, human, brain

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Authors: A. M. Almujalli, G. M. Al-Ghamdi

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Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis causes paratuberculosis, a chronic debilitating granulomatous enteritis, in camels as well as domestic and wild ruminants. The clinical manifestation of the disease in camel is not well characterized, therefore this study was aimed to investigate the clinical and pathological pictures of camels that are suffering from partuberculosis. Twelve young camels that were presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, King Faisal University were investigated. Clinical and pathological examination were performed. The results revealed highly significant increase in creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, magnesium, AST and ALT in diseased camels, while glucose, total protein and albumin were highly significantly decreased in diseased camels when compared to healthy ones. Post-mortem testing indicated thickening, corrugation of the intestinal wall, folded mucosa, enlarged and oedemated ileocaecal and mesenteric lymph nodes. The microscopic findings detected short, blunt and distorted intestinal villi with hyperactive goblet cells of the villi and the crypts of lieberkuhn contained mucin droplets. The lamina propria was heavily infiltrated with mononuclear cells mostly macrophages. This clinical picture of paratuberculosis may be used to initiate control strategy to limit the spread of the disease in camel herds.

Keywords: camel, partuberclosis, control, Saudi Arabia

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Authors: Masaki Yamaguchi, Daimei Sasayama, Shinsuke Washizuka

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The goal of this study was to examine the possibility of salivary cytokines for the screening of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. We carried out a case-control study, including 19 children with ADHD and 17 healthy children (controls). A multiplex bead array immunoassay was used to conduct a multi-analysis of 27 different salivary cytokines. Six salivary cytokines (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-8, IL12p70, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), interferon gamma (IFN-γ), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)) were significantly associated with the presence of ADHD (p < 0.05). An informative salivary cytokine panel was developed using VEGF by logistic regression analysis (odds ratio: 0.251). Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that assessment of a panel using VEGF showed “good” capability for discriminating between ADHD patients and controls (area under the curve: 0.778). ADHD has been hypothesized to be associated with reduced cerebral blood flow in the frontal cortex, due to reduced VEGF levels. Our study highlights the possibility of utilizing differential salivary cytokine levels for point-of-care testing (POCT) of biomarkers in children with ADHD.

Keywords: cytokine, saliva, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, child

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Authors: Dzatur Rizqi Fathienah Syarifuddin, Isharyah Sunarno, Eddy Hartono, Siti Maisuri T. Chalid

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Introduction: The potential impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the health of expectant mothers and fetuses has strained attention. Pregnant women are considered a vulnerable category to respiratory infections. Moreover, several inflammatory cytokines are 2-100 times more abundant in COVID-19 with cytokine storms than in normal individuals; interleukin 6 (IL-6) exhibits much higher elevations. Investigating potential relationships between IL-6 serum levels and the severity of COVID-19 symptoms in pregnant women is the aim of this study. Material and Methods: Sixty-two eligible pregnant women were divided into a positive COVID-19 group (n=31) and a negative COVID-19 group (n=31) in this cross-sectional study. The research subjects were selected using consecutive sampling. The IL-6 was measured from a vein blood specimen using ELISA methods. Results: The COVID-19 positive group had a higher median IL-6 serum level (45.35 (35.15- 153.99) vs. 38.86 ± 11.43 (15.02-59.52), p=0.03) than the negative group. On the other hand, the IL-6 serum level had comparable value according to the COVID-19 symptoms severity (88.35 ± 36.14 ng/mL vs. 51.09 ± 25.48 ng/mL vs. 56.02 ± 33.20 ng/mL in moderate symptoms, mild symptoms, and asymptomatic, respectively; p=0.152). Conclusion: Although the IL-6 serum levels are not related to COVID-19 symptoms severity, an elevated of this biomarker was found in pregnant women with affected diagnoses.

Keywords: interleukin-6, pregnancy, COVID-19, several inflammatory

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Authors: Sipu Guo, Silin Huang

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Background: Most studies investigate the link between executive function and allostatic load (AL) among adults aged 18 years and older. Studies differed regarding the specific biological indicators studied and executive functions accounted for. Specific executive functions may be differentially related to allostatic load. We investigated the comorbidities of executive functions and allostatic load via network analysis. Methods: We included 603 adolescents (49.84% girls; Mean age = 12.38, SD age = 1.79) from junior high school in rural China. Eight biological markers at T1 and four executive function tasks at T2 were used to evaluate networks. Network analysis was used to determine the network structure, core symptoms, and bridge symptoms in the AL-executive function network among rural adolescents. Results: The executive functions were related to 6 AL biological markers, not to cortisol and epinephrine. The most influential symptoms were inhibition control, cognitive flexibility, processing speed, and systolic blood pressure (SBP). SBP, dehydroepiandrosterone, and processing speed were the bridges through which AL was related to executive functions. dehydroepiandrosterone strongly predicted processing speed. The SBP was the biggest influencer in the entire network. Conclusions: We found evidence for differential relations between markers and executive functions. SBP was a driver in the network; dehydroepiandrosterone showed strong relations with executive function.

Keywords: allostatic load, executive function, network analysis, rural adolescent

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Authors: Illyas Md Isa, Maryam Musfirah Che Sobry, Mohamad Syahrizal Ahmad, Nurashikin Abd Azis

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A single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) that has been modified with magnesium layered hydroxide 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid nanocomposite was proposed for the determination of uric acid and bisphenol A by square wave voltammetry. The results obtained denote that MLH-MPP nanocomposites enhance the sensitivity of the voltammetry detection responses. The best performance is shown by the modified carbon nanotube paste electrode (CNTPE) with the composition of single-walled carbon nanotube: magnesium layered hydroxide 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid nanocomposite at 100:15 (% w/w). The linear range where the sensor works well is within the concentration 1.0 10-7 – 1.0 10-4 and 3.0 10-7 – 1.0 10-4 for uric acid and bisphenol A respectively with the limit of detection of 1.0 10-7 M for both organics. The interferences of uric acid and bisphenol A with other organic were studied and most of them did not interfere. The results shown for each experimental parameter on the proposed CNTPE showed that it has high sensitivity, good selectivity, repeatability and reproducibility. Therefore, the modified CNTPE can be used for the determination of uric acid and bisphenol A in real samples such as blood, plastic bottles and foods.

Keywords: bisphenol A, magnesium layered hydroxide 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid nanocomposite, Nanocomposite, uric acid

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Authors: Murat Mert, Yusuf Ozer, Fatih Kolay

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Behaviour of giving harm to the body in literature has been named as “self-injury”, “self-mutilation” ve “self-harm”. “Self-injury”, or “self-mutilation” is generally used for the same meaning and mentioned as an action which is committed to the body itself directly. As is seen that alcohol and drug users have injured their bodies because of deprivation, whereas behaviour of self-injury in some societies is accepted as religious and cultural, it has nevertheless been diagnosed in people who have a borderline personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, psychotic personality disorder and mood disorder. There has not been any direct self-murder tendency in people having self-harmed. However, death cases can be seen together with loss of consciousness depending on loss of blood by exceeding the limit in the course of injury action. 34- year old – male person who was alcohol addicted, having had a psycological treatment beforehand, had mutilated his small intestine together with fatty tissue by cutting his body with a razor-blade at the thought of insects strolling around the body (delirium tremens) due to deprivation attack and had died in the result of various cuts. In this study, crime scene investigation and death mechanism of the person having had self-harmed in a result of abstinence syndrome will be explained. Relevant criteria which differentiate this case from homicide will be examined.

Keywords: self-injury, autopsy, abstinence syndrome, CSI

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Authors: I. L. Ibrahim, A. Mann, A. Ndanaimi

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The research involved phytochemical screening, antibacterial activities and mineral determination by flame photometry of the crude extract of Brysocarpus coccineus schum indeed were carried out. The result of Phytochemical screening reveal tha saponins, alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, and anthraquinones were present. This suggests that the plant extract could be used as anti-inflammatory and anti-bleeding agents. Estimation of mineral content shows that the crude extract of B. coccineus contains 0.73 (Na+), 1.06 (K+) and 1.98 (Ca+) which justifies its use to be safe for hypertensive patients and could be used to lower blood pressure. The antibacterial properties of aqueous and ethanol extract were studied against some bacteria; pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Bacilus subtilis, Klebsilla penmuoniae by disc diffusion method. The aqueous extract showed significant activity against the organisms while the ethanol at concentrations 5-10mg/ml ethanol extract showed significant zone of inhibition against the organisms, E. coli, (19 mm), B. cereus (12 mm), P. aeruginosa (11 mm), K. pnemuoniae (11 mm). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was carried with considerable effect of inhibition on the organisms. The MIC values observed were 1, 24, 16 and 19 mm against E. coli, B. cereus, P. aeruginosa and K. pnemuoniae respectively. Therefore, the plant could be a potential source of antibacterial agent although more pharmacological and clinical study may be recommended.

Keywords: phytochemicals, microorganisms, screenings, mineral ions

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Authors: Amal Yamani, Jaber Elgtou, Aziz Mohammed, Lazaar Jamila, Elachouri Mostafa

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Peganum harmala used traditionally as an emenagogue and abortifacient agent in Morocco phytotherapy. Even thought its benefits effects, Peganum harmala remained severely toxic for the organism especially in strong doses. The present study was initiated to evaluate the nephrotoxic effects of aqueous extract of Peganum harmala seeds (PHS). The solution containing aqueous extract of PHS was administered orally by gavage at the dose of 2g/kg body weight during twenty days. Rats were used in this study, two groups were considered, a treated group received an extract of PHS at dose 2g/kg bodyweight and control group received an amount of tap water equivalent to the volume of the vehicle used for the dose of PHS extract. The data we collected showed that aqueous extracts of PHS administered during twenty days induced a significant changes in renal function expressed in decreases of diuresis (from 10 ± 0,58 to 5,33 ± 0,33 ml/24 hours) and the same profile for mean arterial blood pressure (from 125 ± 2,89 to 96,67 ± 6,01 mmHg). The histopathological study showed an alteration of kidney cells in treated group with regard the control group which is not affected. In conclusion: our results indicate that the aqueous extract of PHS induces toxicity may affect severely kidney function and causes renal histopathology.

Keywords: peganum harmala seeds, nephrotoxic, diuresi, histpathology, kidney

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Authors: Muhammad Abdullah, Asma Rashid Butt, Nauman Raza

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Biomagnetic fluids like blood play key role in different applications of medical science and bioengineering. In this paper, the magnetohydrodynamic flow of a viscous fluid with magnetic particles through a cylindrical tube is investigated. The fluid is electrically charged in the presence of a uniform external magnetic field. The movement in the fluid is produced due to the cylindrical tube. Initially, the fluid and tube are at rest and at time t=0⁺, the tube starts to move along its axis. To obtain the mathematical model of flow with fractional derivatives fractional calculus approach is used. The solution of the flow model is obtained by using Laplace transformation. The Simon's numerical algorithm is employed to obtain inverse Laplace transform. The hybrid technique, we are employing has less computational effort as compared to other methods. The numerical calculations have been performed with Mathcad software. As the special cases of our problem, the solution of flow model with ordinary derivatives and flow without magnetic particles has been procured. Finally, the impact of non-integer fractional parameter alpha, Hartmann number Ha, and Reynolds number Re on flow and magnetic particles velocity is analyzed and depicted by graphs.

Keywords: viscous fluid, magnetic particles, fractional calculus, laplace transformation

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Authors: Nasib Zaman, Maneesha Kour, Muhammad Rizwan, Fazal Akbar

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Abstract: Chikungunya fever is a re-emerging rapidly spreading mosquito-borne disease cause by Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquito vectors. Currently, it is affecting millions of people globally. Objective: This study's main objective was to find the incidence of chikungunya fever in the Swat region and the factors associated with the spread of this infection. Method: This study was carried out in different areas of Swat. Blood samples and data were collected from selected patients, and a questionnaire was filled for each patient. 3-5ml of the specimen was taken from the patient's vein and serum, or plasma was separated by centrifugation. Chikungunya tests were performed for IgG and IgM antibodies. The data was analyzed by SPSS and Graph Paid Prism 5. Results: A total of 169 patients were included in this study, out of which 103 (60.9%) having age less than 30 years were positive for chikungunya infection and 66 (39.1%) having more than 30 years were negative for this infection. Only 1 (0.6%) were positive for both IgG and IgM antibody. About 15 (8.9%) patients have diagnosed with positive IgG antibodies, and 25 (26.6%) patients were positive for IgM positive antibodies. The infection rate was significantly higher in males compared to females 71 (59.6%) vs. 14 (38%) P value=0.088, OR=1.7. Conclusion: This study concludes clinical knowledge and awareness that are necessary for a diagnosis of chikungunya infection properly. Therefore it is important to educate people for the eradication of this infection. Recommendation: This study also recommends investigating the other risk factors associated with this infection.

Keywords: Chikungunya, risk factor, Incidence, antibodies, mosquito

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Authors: Jma Hannan, Prawej Ansari, Yasser H. A. Abdel-Wahab, Peter R. Flatt

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Spirulina platensis (SP, Blue-green algae) have been accepted as a supplement for the treatment of pre and post-diabetes. The present study investigated the effects of butanol fraction from ethanol extract of S. platensis on insulin release from BRIN BD11 cells, isolated mouse islets, and perfused rat pancreas, as well as glucose homeostasis in type 2 diabetic rats and their molecular pathways. In a dose-dependent manner, S. platensis increased insulin release from mouse islets and pancreatic β-cells. The extract also elevated insulin release in perfused rat pancreas. Glucose, isobutylmethylxanthine, tolbutamide, and a depolarizing concentration of KCl significantly potentiated insulin release from BRIN BD11 cells. The effect of diazoxide and verapamil, as well as the absence of extracellular Ca2+ showed a reduction in insulin secretion. When administered orally together with glucose (2.5g/kg bw), S. platensis extract improved fasting and postprandial blood glucose in type 2 diabetes. These data suggest that the anti-diabetic activity of S. platensis is partly mediated by insulin secretion via the KATP channel-dependent pathway/the intracellular cAMP pathway.

Keywords: Insulin, glucose, S. platensis, type 2 diabetes, medicinal plants

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Authors: Fateme Afkhami, Mohsen Ehsanpour, Majid Afkhami, Maryam Ehsanpour

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Normal reference ranges of biochemical parameters are considered important for assessing and monitoring the health status of sea turtles. For this means, serum biochemistry determinations were analyzed in normal adult nesting and foraging hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata). Blood samples were collected in March–April during nesting season and December-November in the foraging season. Plasma biochemistry values, except for creatinine and lipase were significant between the two periods. FBS, cholesterol, triglycerides, ALP (alkaline phosphatase), AST (aspartate aminotransferase), bilirubin, total protein, LDH (lactate dehydrogenase), CK (creatine kinase) and amylase were significantly higher in nesting season than foraging season (P<0.05). On the other hand urea, ALT (alanine aminotransferase) and albumin in the nesting season were significantly lower than foraging season (P<0.05). It was concluded that the nesting E. imbricata showed significant variation in their biochemical profile due to reproductive output. This study has produced working reference intervals useful for hawksbill turtles for future conservation and rehabilitation projects in the Persian Gulf and may be of assistance in similar programs worldwide.

Keywords: plasma biochemistry, nesting, foraging, hawksbill turtles, Persian Gulf

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Authors: Kye Gilder, Kevin Shan, Amy Halseth, Steve Smith

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This study assessed the effect of prolonged-release naltrexone 32 mg/bupropion 360 mg (NB) on cardiovascular (CV) events in overweight/obese participants at elevated CV risk. Participants must lose ≥2% body weight at 16 wks, without a sustained increase in blood pressure, to continue drug. Only serious adverse events (SAE) and adverse events leading to discontinuation of study drug (AELDSD) were collected. The study was terminated early after second interim analysis with 50% of all CV events. Data on CV endpoints has been published. Current analyses focused on AEs in participants on antidepressants at baseline, as these individuals were excluded from Phase 3 trials. Intent-to-treat (ITT) population (placebo [PBO] N=4450, NB N=4455) was 54.5% female, 83.5% white, mean age of 61 yrs, mean BMI 37.3 kg/m2, 22.8% with a history of depression, 23.1% on antidepressants, including 15.4% on an SSRI. SAEs in participants receiving antidepressants was similar between NB (10.7%) and PBO (9.9%) and also similar to overall population (9.5% NB, 8.1% PBO). SAEs in those on SSRIs were similar, 10.1% NB and PBO 9.4%. For those on SSRIs or other antidepressants, AELDSDs were similar to overall population and were primarily GI disorders. Obesity increases the risk of developing depression. For participants taking NB and antidepressants, including SSRIs, there is a similar AE profile as the overall population and data revealed no evidence of an additional health risk with combined use.

Keywords: antidepressant, Contrave, Mysimba, obesity, pharmacotherapy

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Authors: Seyed Mehrzad Pahlavani, Mozaffar Haji Jafari Anaraki, Sayma Mohammadi

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A total of 34700 day-old broilers were exposed to green, blue and yellow light using a light-emitting diode system for 6 weeks to investigate the effects of light wave length on antibody responses to Newcastle disease by HI test and the correlation with ELISA. 3 poultry house broiler farms with the same conditions was selected and the lightening system of each was set according to the requirement. Blood samples were taken from 20 chicks on days 1, 24 and 46 and the Newcastle virus specific antibody was titered in serum using HI an ELISA test. On day 24, the probability value of more than 0/05 was observed in HI and ELISA tests of all groups while at the end of breeding period, the average HI serum antibody titer was more in the green light than the yellow one while the blue light was not significantly different from both. At the last titration, the green light has got the highest titer of Newcastle antibodies. There were no significant differences of Newcastle antibody titers between all groups and ages in broiler pullets in ELISA. According to the sampling and analysis of HI and ELISA serum tests, there were no significant relationships between all broiler pullets breeding in green, blue and yellow light on days 24 and 46 and the P-value was more than 0/05. It is suggested that the monochromatic light is effective on broilers immunity against Newcastle disease.

Keywords: monochromatic light, Newcastle disease, HI test, ELISA test

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Authors: I. L. Ibrahim, A. Mann, B. A. Adam

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This project involved screening for antibacterial activity, phytochemical and mineral properties of Leptadenia hastata by flame photometry. The result of phytochemical screening reveals that the presence of flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, steroidal, and anthraquinones while the cardiac glycoside was absent. This justifies the plant been used as anti-bleeding and anti-inflammatory agents. The result of flame photometry revealed that 1.85 % (Na), 0.65% (K) and 1.85 % (Ca) which indicates the safe nature of the plant extract as such could be used to lower high blood pressure. The antibacterial properties of both the aqueous and ethanolic extract were studied against some bacteria, Escherichia coli, Bacillus Cercus, Pseudomonas aeruginas, and Enterobacter aerogegens, by disc diffusion method and the result reveals that there are very good activities against the organism while the ethanolic extract at concentration 1.0 – 1.2 mg/ml. the ethanolic extract showed in considerable zone inhibition against bacteria’s; Escherichia coli, Bacillus Cercus, pseudomonas aeruginosa andklebsellapnemuoniae. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum Bacterial concentration (MBC) were conducted with fairly good significant effect of inhibition on the organism, therefore, plant extract could be a potential source of antibacterial agent.

Keywords: antibacterial activity, Leptadenia hastata, infectious diseases, phytochemical screening

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Authors: Rachid Mosbah, Aziez Chettoum, Zouhir Djerrou, Alberto Mantovani

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Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) are a class of molecules used in treating depression, anxiety, and mood disorders. Paroxetine (PRT) is one of the mostly prescribed antidepressant which has attracted great attention regarding its side effects in recent years. This study was planned to assess the adverse effects of PRT on the biochemical parameters and reproductive system. Fourteen male Wistar rats were randomly allocated into two groups (7 rats or each): control and treated with PRT at dose of 5mg/kg.bw for two weeks. At the end of the experiment, blood was collected from retro orbital plexus for measuring the biochemical parameters, whereas the reproductive organs were removed for measuring semen quality and the histological investigations. Results showed that PRT induced significant changes in some biochemical parameters and alteration of semen quality including sperm count, spermatids number and sperm viability, motility, and abnormalities. The histopathological examinations of testis and epididymis revealed an alteration of spermatogenesis, cellular disorganization and vacuolization, enlargement of interstitial space, shrinkage and degenerative changes in the epithelium of seminiferous and epididymal tubules with few to nil numbers of spermatozoa in their lumen. In conclusion, PRT treatment caused changes in some biochemical parameters and sperm profile as well as histopathologic effects of reproductive organs.

Keywords: antidepressant, biochemical parameters, reproductive function, paroxetine

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Authors: Nursel Koyuncu, Nihal Ata Tutkun

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Frailty model is a survival model that takes into account the unobserved heterogeneity for exploring the relationship between the survival of an individual and several covariates. In the recent years, proposed survival models become more complex and this feature causes convergence problems especially in large data sets. Therefore selection of sample from these big data sets is very important for estimation of parameters. In sampling literature, some authors have defined new sampling schemes to predict the parameters correctly. For this aim, we try to see the effect of sampling design in semi-parametric frailty model. We conducted a simulation study in R programme to estimate the parameters of semi-parametric frailty model for different sample sizes, censoring rates under classical simple random sampling and ranked set sampling schemes. In the simulation study, we used data set recording 17260 male Civil Servants aged 40–64 years with complete 10-year follow-up as population. Time to death from coronary heart disease is treated as a survival-time and age, systolic blood pressure are used as covariates. We select the 1000 samples from population using different sampling schemes and estimate the parameters. From the simulation study, we concluded that ranked set sampling design performs better than simple random sampling for each scenario.

Keywords: frailty model, ranked set sampling, efficiency, simple random sampling

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Authors: Bilal Ahmad

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Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative illnesses. However, how Gut-microbiota plays a role in the pathogenesis of AD is not well elucidated. The purpose of this literature review is to summarize and understand the current findings that may elucidate the gut microbiota's role in the development of AD. Methods: A literature review of all the relevant papers known to the author was conducted. Relevant articles, abstracts and research papers were collected from well-accepted web sources like PubMed, PMC, and Google Scholar. Results: Recent studies have shown that Gut-microbiota has an important role in the progression of AD via Gut-Microbiota-Brain Axis. The onset of AD supports the ‘Hygiene Hypothesis’, which shows that AD might begin in the Gut, causing dysbiosis, which interferes with the intestinal barrier by releasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and making its way up to the brain via the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Molecular mechanisms lipopolysaccharides and serotonin kynurenine (tryptophan) pathways have a direct association with inflammation, the immune system, neurodegeneration, and AD. Conclusion: The studies helped to analyze the molecular basis of AD, other neurological conditions like depression, autism, and Parkinson's disease and how they are linked to Gut-microbiota. Further, studies to explore the therapeutic effects of probiotics in AD and cognitive enhancement should be warranted to provide significant clinical and practical value.

Keywords: gut-microbiota, Alzheimer’s disease, second brain aging, lipopolysaccharides, short-chain fatty acids

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Authors: Sarah Misplon, Wim Marneffe, Johan Helling, Jana Missiaen, Inge Decock, Dries Myny, Steve Lervant, Koen Vaneygen

Abstract:

The aim of this study was twofold. First, we investigated whether the current funding from the national health insurance (NHI) of home hospitalization (HH) for oncological patients is sufficient in Belgium. Second, we compared patient’s experiences and preferences of HH to the standard of care (SOC). Two HH models were examined in three Belgian hospitals and three home nursing organizations. In a first HH model, the blood draw and monitoring prior to intravenous therapy were performed by a trained home nurse at the patient’s home the day before the visit to the day hospital. In a second HH model, the administration of two subcutaneous treatments was partly provided at home instead of in the hospital. Therefore, we conducted (1) a bottom-up micro-costing study to compare the costs and revenues for the providers (hospitals and home care organizations), and (2) a cross-sectional survey to compare patient’s experiences and preferences of the SOC group and the HH group. Our results show that HH patients prefer HH and none of them wanted to return to SOC, although the satisfaction of patients was not significantly different between the two categories. At the same time, we find that costs associated to HH are higher overall. Comparing revenues with costs, we conclude that the current funding from NHI of HH for oncological patients is insufficient.

Keywords: cost analysis, health insurance, preference, home hospitalization

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Authors: Darsh N. Patel, Eric Olson

Abstract:

Fractals can be found everywhere, whether it be the shape of a leaf or a system of blood vessels. Fractals are used to help study and understand different physical and mathematical processes; however, their artistic nature is also beautiful to simply explore. This project explores fractals generated by a cubically convergent extension to Newton's method. With this iteration as a starting point, a complex plane spanning from -2 to 2 is created with a color wheel mapped onto it. Next, the polynomial whose roots the fractal will generate from is established. From the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra, it is known that any polynomial has as many roots (counted by multiplicity) as its degree. When generating the fractals, each root will receive its own color. The complex plane can then be colored to indicate the basins of attraction that converge to each root. From a computational point of view, this project’s code identifies which points converge to which roots and then obtains fractal images. A zoom path into the fractal was implemented to easily visualize the self-similar structure. This path was obtained by selecting keyframes at different magnifications through which a path is then interpolated. Using parallel processing, many images were generated and condensed into a video. This project illustrates how practical techniques used for scientific visualization can also have an artistic side.

Keywords: fractals, cubic method, Julia programming language, basin of attraction

Procedia PDF Downloads 250

Authors: Federica Verna, Alessandra Pautasso, Maria Caramelli, Cristiana Maurella, Walter Mignone, Cristina Casalone

Abstract:

Mosquito-Borne Diseases (MBDs) are dangerously increasing in prevalence, geographical distribution and severity, representing an emerging threat for both humans and animals. Interaction between multiple disciplines is needed for an effective early warning, surveillance and control of MBDs, according to the One Health concept. This work reports the integrated surveillance system enforced by IZSPLV in Piedmont, Liguria and Valle d’Aosta regions (Northwestern Italy) in order to control MDBs spread. Veterinary services and local human health authority are involved in an information network, to connect the surveillance of human clinical cases with entomological surveillance and veterinary monitoring in order to implement control measures in case of outbreak. A systematic entomological surveillance is carried out during the vector season using mosquitoes traps located in sites selected according to risk factors. Collected mosquitoes are counted, identified to species level by morphological standard classification keys and pooled by collection site, date and species with a maximum of 100 individuals. Pools are analyzed, after RNA extraction, by Real Time RT-PCR distinctive for West Nile Virus (WNV) Lineage 1 and Lineage 2, Real Time RT-PCR USUTU virus (USUV) and a traditional flavivirus End-point RT-PCR. Positive pools are sequenced and the related sequences employed to perform a basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) in the GenBank library. Positive samples are sent to the National Reference Centre for Animal Exotic Diseases (CESME, Teramo) for confirmation. With particular reference to WNV, after the confirmation, as provided by national legislation, control measures involving both local veterinary and human health services are activated: equine sera are randomly sampled within a 4 km radius from the positive collection sites and tested with ELISA kit and WNV NAT screening of blood donors is introduced. This surveillance network allowed to detect since 2011 USUV circulation in this area of Italy. WNV was detected in Piedmont and Liguria for the first time in 2014 in mosquitoes. During the 2015 vector season, we observed the expansion of its activity in Piedmont. The virus was detected in almost all Provinces both in mosquitoes (6 pools) and animals (19 equine sera, 4 birds). No blood bag tested resulted infected. The first neuroinvasive human case occurred too. Competent authorities should be aware of a potentially increased risk of MBDs activity during the 2016 vector season. This work shows that this surveillance network allowed to early detect the presence of MBDs in humans and animals, and provided useful information to public authorities, in order to apply control measures. Finally, an additional value of our diagnostic protocol is the ability to detect all viruses belonging to the Flaviviridae family, considering the emergence caused by other Flaviviruses in humans such as the recent Zika virus infection in South America. Italy has climatic and environmental features conducive to Zika virus transmission, the competent vector and many travellers from Brazil reported every year.

Keywords: integrated surveillance, mosquito borne disease, West Nile virus, Zika virus

Procedia PDF Downloads 361

Authors: Mallem Leila, Aiche Mohamed Amine, Boulakoud Mohamed Salah

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A number of chemical compounds are being used to protect agricultural crops from diseases. Residues of these chemicals lead to environmental pollution and pose some threat to non target organisms, human and animal. The aim of this study is to detect the toxicity of these fungicides and their mixtures in the fertility and biochemical’s parameters in the rat. The male of rats (28) were used, they were divided in four groups (7 rats of each group) and one group was used as control. Rats were dosed orally with propiconazole (60 mg/kg body weight/day), propinebe (100 mg/Kg body weight/day) and their mixture (50:50) for 4 weeks. Animals were observed for clinical toxicity. At the end of treatment period, animals of all groups were scarified and samples of different organs were fixed in the formol 10% for histopathological study, and blood was collected for hematological and biochemical’s analysis. The results indicated that the fungicide and their mixture of fungicides were toxic in the treated animals. The semen study showed a decrease in the count, mobility and speed of spermatozoa in all treated group especially those dosed with the mixture and Propiconazole, it was also a decrease in the weight of the testis and epidydimis in the treated group as compared with control. Remarquable histological changes were observed in the testis and epidydimis and liver in the group treated with mixture.

Keywords: fungicides, mixture, fertility, hematological, biochemical's parameters

Procedia PDF Downloads 569

Authors: Muhammad Younus, Muhammad Sajid, Muti-ur-Rehman Khan, Aftab Ahmad Anjum, Muhammad Asif Idrees, Iahtasham Khan, Aman Ullah Khan, Sajid Umar, Raheela Akhtar

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The present study was conducted to investigate the hazardous effects of lead on health and edible organs of Lohi sheep. The adult Lohi sheep (n=48) were randomly divided into two equal groups. The first group was administered lead acetate at dose of 70 mg/kg live body weight daily as 10% solution by oral route for a period of 90 days and the second group served as a negative control. Blood and tissue samples were collected at day 0, 30, 60 and 90 and analyzed for lead concentration by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The kidney showed the highest lead concentration (p < 0.05) followed by liver and then muscle. Lead acetate treated sheep showed structural and behavioral changes during the last month of trial. Liver showed necrosis, hemorrhages and hyperactivation of macrophages. Kidney showed degenerative and necrotic changes in glomeruli and tubules and the characteristic intranuclear inclusion bodies in tubular epithelial cells on H and E staining. It was concluded that Lohi sheep is affected by lead intoxication at low dose for longer period and hence exhibits lead accumulation in edible tissues.

Keywords: Lohi sheep, lead acetate, edible tissue, histopathology

Procedia PDF Downloads 455

Authors: Yousry El-Sayed Elbolkiny, Mohamed Labib Salem

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Background: Rosemary (ROLE) and costus (SLRE) have been established to show antioxidant effects. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the ameliorating effects of ROLE and SLRE on the side effects induced by cisplatin (CIS) in tumor-bearing mice. Materials and Methods: Extracts of ROLE and SLRE were examined for their phytochemical activities. To evaluate their anti-tumor effects, mice were inoculated intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 2.5x105 Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) and then treated i.p. with CIS at days 3-7 and with ROLE (dose) or SLRE (dose) at days 3-14. Mice were sacrificed on day 14 for CBC and T-cell analyses. Results: Phytochemical analysis revealed that both ROLE and SLRE showed similar antioxidant activities. Treatment of EAC-bearing mice with CIS-induced antitumor efficacy of about 90%. Treatment with CIS in combination with ROLE or SLRE did not further enhance the antitumor activity of CIS. However, co-administration of ROLE or SLRE with CIS significantly increased the antitumor efficacy of CIS. Flow cytometric analysis showed that the numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were decreased in EAC-bearing mice after treatment with CIS. Treatment with both ROLE and SLRE improved the number of these cells. Conclusion: Combinatorial treatment with rosemary and costus can enhance the antitumor activity of CIS

Keywords: CBC, cisplantin, costus, rosemary

Procedia PDF Downloads 46

Authors: Dewi Tristantini, Jason Jonathan

Abstract:

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is one of the deathliest diseases which is caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a disease that plaque builds up inside the arteries. Plaque is made up of fat, cholesterol, calcium, platelet, and other substances found in blood. The current treatment of atherosclerosis is to provide antiplatelet therapy treatment, but such treatments often cause gastrointestinal irritation, muscle pain and hormonal imbalance. Mimusops elengi L.’s leaves can be utilized as a natural and cheap antiplatelet’s source because it contains flavonoids such as quertecin. Antiplatelet aggregation effect of Mimusops elengi L.’s leaves’ wet extract was measured by bleeding time on DDY strain mice with the test substances were given orally during the period of 8 days. The bleeding time was measured on first day and 9th day. Empirically, the dose which is used for humans is 8.5 g of leaves in 600 ml of water. This dose is equivalent to 2.1 g of leaves in 350 ml of water for mice. The extract was divided into 3 doses for mice: 0.05 ml/day; 0.1 ml/day; 0.2 ml/day. After getting the percentage of the increase in bleeding time, data were analyzed by analysis of variance test (Anova), followed by individual comparison within the groups by LSD test. The test substances above respectively increased bleeding time 21%, 62%, and 128%. As the conclusion, the 0.02 ml/day dose of Mimusops elengi L.’s leaves’ wet extract could increase bleeding time better than clopidogrel as positive controls with 110% increase in bleeding time.

Keywords: antiplatelets, atheroschlerosis, bleeding time, Mimusops elengi

Procedia PDF Downloads 264

Authors: Yen-Hsia Lin, Ya-Fang Cheng, Hui-Zhu Chen, Chi-Hui Tiao

Abstract:

This is a case study of a 70-year-old man suffering from Type 2 diabetes mellitus and hyperglycemia hyperosmolarity state. He was admitted into the intensive care unit from the 20th to 26th of October, 2015. After receiving relevant information through open-ended conversations, observation, and physical assessment, as well as the psychological, social and spiritual holistic nursing assessment, several clinical health problems such as unstable blood sugar, impaired skin integrity and lack of self-care management knowledge were identified by the author. During the period of care, the patient was encouraged to share and express his feelings, an active listening and initiating approach from the nursing team had led to the understanding of why the patient refused to use insulin. This knowledge enabled the nursing team to manage patient care by educating the patient with self-care management skills, such as foot wound care and insulin injection skills to slow the deterioration of complications. Also, the implementation of appropriate diet and exercise routine to improve patients’ style. By enhancing self-care ability in diabetic patients, they are able to return home with the skill to improve better quality life style.

Keywords: hyperglycemia hyperosmolar state, type2 diabetes Mellitu, diabetes Mellitu foot care, intensive care

Procedia PDF Downloads 145

Authors: Bahareh Khakifirooz, Arian Shojaei, Amirhossein Hajialigol, Bahare Abdolahi

Abstract:

Laceration of the inner layer of the myometrium can cause massive bleeding during and after childbirth, which can lead to the death of the mother if it is not diagnosed in time. We studied a rare case of massive intrapartum bleeding following myometrial laceration that was diagnosed correctly, and the patient survived with in-time treatments. The patient was a 26 years-old woman who was under observation for term pregnancy and complaint of rupture of membranes (ROM) and vaginal bleeding. Following the spontaneous course of labor and without receiving oxytocin, during the normal course of labor, she had an estimated total blood loss of 750 mL bleeding, which, despite the normal fetal heart rate and with the mother's indication for cesarean section, was transferred to the operating room and underwent cesarean section. During the cesarean section, the amniotic fluid was clear; after the removal of the placenta, severe and clear bleeding was flowing from the posterior wall of the uterus, which was caused by the laceration of the inner layer of the myometrium in the posterior wall of the lower segment of the uterus. The myometrial laceration was repaired with absorbable continuous locked sutures, and hemostasis was established, then, the patient used uterotonic drugs, and after monitoring, the patient was discharged from the hospital in good condition.

Keywords: intrapartum hemorrhage, inner myometrial laceration, labor, Increased intrauterine pressure

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