Serum Constituents Research Articles

Effect of dystocia on some hormonal and biochemical parameters in the one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius)

The present study compared some of the hormonal and biochemical constituents of serum from eutocic and dystocic one-humped camels (Camelus dromedarius). Sera were harvested from eutocic (n = 9) and dystocic (n = 20) camels within the first 15 minutes after delivery. Although there were no differences in the concentrations of estradiol-17β (E2) and prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) between the eutocic and the dystocic animals, the level of progesterone (P4) and cortisol was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in animals that experienced dystocia than those that had a normal birth. There were no differences between the concentrations of alkaline phosphatase, aspartate aminotransferase, calcium, cholesterol, creatine kinase, creatinine, or magnesium (Mg) in eutocic and dystocic animals. The nitric oxide concentration was significantly higher (P < 0.01) in the serum from animals with dystocia than those that had normal births. By contrast, the serum concentrations of glucose, phosphorus (P), and triglycerides were significantly lower (P < 0.01) in eutocic camels compared with dystocic camels. As the delayed decline of P4 is reported to be the major hormonal difference between eutocic and dystocic camels, we propose that the insensitivity of corpus luteum to luteolytic action may be a cause of dystocia. Moreover, stress and hormonal changes may affect the metabolic traits in dystocia camels.

Comparative evaluation of organic zinc supplementation as proteinate with inorganic zinc in buffalo heifers on health and immunity

Graded Murrah buffalo heifers (18) were randomly allotted to 3 dietary groups varying in source and level of Zn supplementation in concentrate mixture to study the effect of organic (O) Zn (Zn proteinate; Zn-prot) supplementation (80 or 140 ppm) compared to inorganic Zn (I) (ZnSO4) (140 ppm) on serum biochemical parameters, antioxidant status and ovarian folliculogenesis. Mineral and biochemical constituents in serum and antioxidant enzyme activities in haemolysate were measured on 90th d of experiment. Antibody titres (log2) against Brucella abortus S19 and chicken RBC antigens was measured in serum at 7, 14, 21 and 28th d post sensitization (humoral immunity) and cell mediated immunity was assessed (120 d) by in-vivo delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) against phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P). After 60 days of feeding, ovarian folliculogenesis study was made daily with ultrasound scanner in all the animals for next 60 days. Highest Zn concentration in serum without affecting the retention of other minerals (Cu, Mn and Fe) was observed with 140 ppm Zn supplementation as Zn-prot and mineral concentrations was comparable between 80 ppm Zn as Zn-prot and 140 ppm Zn as ZnSO4. Alkaline phosphatase, total protein, globulin, and glucose concentrations in serum increased with organic Zn supplementation. Organic Zn lowered lipid peroxidation (140O&lt;80O&lt;140I) and improved RBC catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase (140O&gt;80O&gt;140I) activities. Antibody titres against B. abortus and chicken RBC and in vivo DTH response improved with organic Zn supplementation. Similarly, irrespective of the dose, organic Zn supplementation significantly increased the number of large follicle with greater follicular size in ovary. The study indicated that 140 ppm Zn supplementation as Zn-prot resulted in better antioxidant status, immune response and folliculogenesis in ovaries than inorganic source and the Zn supplementation could be reduced from 140 to 80 ppm as Zn-prot without any adverse effect in buffalo heifers.

Oxidative stress during erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness anemia at end stage renal disease: Molecular and biochemical studies

Inflammation and oxidative stress are two faces of one coin in end stage renal disease patients (ESRD) on maintenance hemodialysis. Their interconnection induces anemia complicated with erythropoietin hyporesponsiveness. The biochemical bases behind the resistance to erythropoietin therapy with frequent hemoglobinemia, oxidative stress and iron status have not been fully understood. Here two equal groups (40 patients each) of responders and non-responders to recombinant human erythropoietin therapy (higher than 300IU/kg/wk of epoetin) were investigated. Hematological and biochemical analyses of collected blood and serum samples were performed along with serum electrophoretic protein footprinting. The leukocytic DNA fragmentation was used to evaluate the degree of oxidative insult. The good responders showed lower erythrocyte malondialdehyde (E-MDA) level and less DNA fragmentation of circulating leukocytes than poor responders with elevated hemoglobin, albumin, A/G ratio, total iron, and ferritin levels. Contrariwise, lower erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (E-SOD) and catalase activities in EPO poor responder group were noticed. Neither other serum constituents nor electrophoretic protein pattern showed any difference between the two groups. There were higher levels of inflammatory markers, interleukin-6 (IL6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in EPO poor responder than good responder. The negative correlations between Hb and both IL6 and CRP levels in the present data remotely indicate a positive correlation between inflammatory markers and severity of anemia. A direct correlation between Hb and antioxidant enzymes (E-SOD and catalase) was noticed, while inverse correlation with E-MDA was recorded. The study proved that oral supplementation of vitamin C to ESRD patients might mitigate the previously elevated serum MDA level in these patients.

An integrated chinmedomics strategy for discovery of effective constituents from traditional herbal medicine.

Traditional natural product discovery affords no information about compound structure or pharmacological activities until late in the discovery process, and leads to low probabilities of finding compounds with unique biological properties. By integrating serum pharmacochemistry-based screening with high-resolution metabolomics analysis, we have developed a new platform, termed chinmedomics which is capable of directly discovering the bioactive constituents. In this work, the focus is on ShenQiWan (SQW) treatment of ShenYangXu (SYX, kidney-yang deficiency syndrome) as a case study, as determined by chinmedomics. With serum pharmacochemistry, a total of 34 peaks were tentatively characterised in vivo, 24 of which were parent components and 10 metabolites were detected. The metabolic profiling and potential biomarkers of SYX were also investigated and 23 differential metabolites were found. 20 highly correlated components were screened by the plotting of correlation between marker metabolites and serum constituents and considered as the main active components of SQW. These compounds are imported into a database to predict the action targets: 14 importantly potential targets were found and related to aldosterone-regulated sodium reabsorption and adrenergic signaling pathways. Our study showed that integrated chinmedomics is a powerful strategy for discovery and screening of effective constituents from herbal medicines.

Estimation of Salivary and Serum Biomarkers in Diabetic and Non Diabetic Patients - A Comparative Study.

Blood is the gold standard body fluid for diagnosis of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) but saliva offers an alternative to serum as a biological fluid for diagnostic purposes because it contains serum constituents. The study was conducted to estimate and compare serum and salivary glucose, amylase, proteins, calcium and phosphorus levels in DM and healthy subjects and to evaluate whether saliva can be used as a diagnostic fluid in DM patients. Study consisted of 120 subjects from OPD of Surendera Dental College, Sriganganagar, Rajasthan, India. The study groups were divided into Group I-60 DM patients (Type I & II) and Group II-60 healthy subjects. The saliva and serum samples were collected from each subject and levels of different biochemical parameters were estimated. Mean serum level of glucose (211.50 ± 43.82), amylase (79.86 ± 16.23), total proteins (6.65 ± 0.84), calcium (7.17 ± 0.91) and phosphorus (3.68±0.65) as observed in Group I while in Group II, glucose (88.81±11.29), amylase (77.67±14.88), total proteins (6.35±0.76), calcium (7.52±0.97) and phosphorus (3.96 ± 0.91) were noted. Mean salivary level of glucose (14.10±6.99), amylase (1671.42±569.86), total proteins (1.33±1.11), calcium (10.06±2.76) and phosphorus (13.75±4.45) as observed in Group I while in Group II, glucose (5.87± 2.42), amylase (1397.59 ±415.97), total proteins (1.36±0.81), calcium (7.73±2.78) and phosphorus (8.39 ± 1.95) were noted. On comparing values in saliva and serum, among two groups, an insignificant difference (p>0.005) was found between few of them. Values regarding blood and salivary biochemical parameters were distinctly different between two groups suggesting salivary parameters can be used as a diagnostic alternative to blood parameters for diabetes mellitus.

Standardization in laboratory medicine: Adoption of common reference intervals to the Croatian population.

Considering the fact that the results of laboratory tests provide useful information about the state of health of patients, determination of reference value is considered an intrinsic part in the development of laboratory medicine. There are still huge differences in the analytical methods used as well as in the associated reference intervals which could consequently significantly affect the proper assessment of patient health. In a constant effort to increase the quality of patients' care, there are numerous international initiatives for standardization and/or harmonization of laboratory diagnostics in order to achieve maximum comparability of laboratory test results and improve patient safety. Through the standardization and harmonization processes of analytical methods the ability to create unique reference intervals is achieved. Such reference intervals could be applied globally in all laboratories using methods traceable to the same reference measuring system and analysing the biological samples from the populations with similar socio-demographic and ethnic characteristics. In this review we outlined the results of the harmonization processes in Croatia in the field of population based reference intervals for clinically relevant blood and serum constituents which are in accordance with ongoing activity for worldwide standardization and harmonization based on traceability in laboratory medicine.

Biochemical and Electron Microscopic Changes Induced by Giardia in Experimentally Infected Lambs

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Giardia on the biochemical serum constituents of experimentally infected lambs, in addition to studying the observed alterations accompanying Giardia infection in the intestinal mucosa using scanning electron microscopy. Twenty lambs were allotted into two equal groups, Group A ( non infected) was kept as control negative and Group B (infected) was orally inoculated by 104 Giardia cysts. The biochemical changes were assessed in both groups on 7th. 14th, 21th and 30th days post inoculation (dpi). The study disclosed that Giardia induced a significant drop in the levels of serum electrolytes (chloride,sodium, potassium and calcium), blood glucose, different enzymes (lipase, amylase and alkaline phosphatase). Furthermore, the levels of urea, liver enzymes (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase), inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) and oxidative stress marker (malondialdehyde) were elevated, but nitric oxide was declined by 30th dpi. The scanning electron microscopy of the intestinal mucosa of the infected lambs revealed a notable alteration which was fully explained. All the presented results interpret the pathophysiological effect of Giardia which adversely affects the health status of lambs.

Time Course and Size of Blood-Brain Barrier Opening in a Mouse Model of Blast-Induced Traumatic Brain Injury.

An increasing number of studies have reported blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction after blast-induced traumatic brain injury (bTBI). Despite this evidence, there is limited quantitative understanding of the extent of BBB opening and the time course of damage after blast injury. In addition, many studies do not report kinematic parameters of head motion, making it difficult to separate contributions of primary and tertiary blast-loading. Detailed characterization of blast-induced BBB damage may hold important implications for serum constituents that may potentially cross the compromised barrier and contribute to neurotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and persistent neurologic deficits. Using an in vivo bTBI model, systemic administration of sodium fluorescein (NaFl; 376 Da), Evans blue (EB; 69 kDa when bound to serum albumin), and dextrans (3-500 kDa) was used to estimate the pore size of BBB opening and the time required for recovery. Exposure to blast with 272 ± 6 kPa peak overpressure, 0.69 ± 0.01 ms duration, and 65 ± 1 kPa*ms impulse resulted in significant acute extravasation of NaFl, 3 kDa dextran, and EB. However, there was no significant acute extravasation of 70 kDa or 500 kDa dextrans, and minimal to no extravasation of NaFl, dextrans, or EB 1 day after exposure. This study presents a detailed analysis of the time course and pore size of BBB opening after bTBI, supported by a characterization of kinematic parameters associated with blast-induced head motion.

Preclinical Alterations in the Serum of COL(IV)A3(-)/(-) Mice as Early Biomarkers of Alport Syndrome.

The efficiency of the inhibition of the angiotensin converting enzyme, the most widely used therapy for the Alport syndrome, depends on the onset of the therapy-the earlier the better. Hence, early progressive biomarkers are urgently required to allow for preclinical diagnosis, an early start of possible therapy as well as the monitoring of this therapy. In the present study, an improved comprehensive and precise proteomic approach has been applied to the serum of juvenile Alport-mice, nontreated and treated, and wild-type controls of various ages to search for biomarkers. With a total of 2542 stringently altered proteins, the serum composition clearly shows a dependency on age, that is, stage, and therapy. Initially, the serum constituents indicate an enhanced extracellular matrix remodeling, cell damage, and the production of particular acute phase proteins. A panel of 15 potential biomarker candidates has been identified. In later stages, renal filtration failure and systemic acute phase reaction determine the composition of the serum; an effect that is well-known for manifested human Alport syndrome. With a small number of mouse urine samples, for example, the proteomic results for gelsolin could be verified using ELISA. Once verified in man, these early biomarkers would allow for a sensitive and specific diagnosis of the Alport syndrome in children as well as facilitate the monitoring of a possible therapy.

Identification of Estrogenic Constituents in Serum after Oral Administration of Tu-Si-Zi Extract Using HPLC–ESI/Q–TOF MS/MS

To identify the estrogenic constituents in Tu-Si-Zi extracts. Estrogen activity of Tu-Si-Zi extracts was assayed by the method of uterotrophic assay and MTT. Chemical ingredients in the serum were confirmed by HPLC/MS-Q-TOF. Ethanol (95%, v/v) extract of Tu-Si-Zi could significantly increase the uterine coefficient of minor mice and the proliferation of MCF-7 cell lines at the dosage of 24 g · kg−1 · d−1(p < 0.05). Nine constituents in the serum, including five prototype ingredients (kaempferol-3-O-coffeeacyl glucoside, apigenin, hyperin, quercetin, and Kaempferol) and four metabolic ingredients (Shikimic acid, Chlorogenic acid Metabolite I, Isorhamnetin glucuronide, and 4-caffeoyl-5-coumaroyl quinic acid Metabolite I) were identified or tentatively characterized based on their MS data, respectively. It is for the first time to identify the estrogenic constituents in Tu-Si-Zi by HPLC/MS. And this finding could be valuable for the further research of Tu-Si-Zi.

Suppression of fibrogenic signaling in hepatic stellate cells by Twist1-dependent microRNA-214 expression: Role of exosomes in horizontal transfer of Twist1.

A hallmark of liver fibrosis is the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSC), which results in their production of fibrotic molecules, a process that is largely regulated by connective tissue growth factor (CCN2). CCN2 is increasingly expressed during HSC activation because of diminished expression of microRNA-214 (miR-214), a product of dynamin 3 opposite strand (DNM3os) that directly suppresses CCN2 mRNA. We show that an E-box in the miR-214 promoter binds the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, Twist1, which drives miR-214 expression and results in CCN2 suppression. Twist1 expression was suppressed in HSC of fibrotic livers or in cultured HSC undergoing activation in vitro or after treatment with ethanol. Furthermore, Twist1 decreasingly interacted with DNM3os as HSC underwent activation in vitro. Nanovesicular exosomes secreted by quiescent but not activated HSC contained high levels of Twist1, thus reflecting the suppression of cellular Twist1 during HSC activation. Exosomal Twist1 was intercellularly shuttled between HSC and stimulated expression of miR-214 in the recipient cells, causing expression of CCN2 and its downstream effectors to be suppressed. Additionally, the miR-214 E-box in HSC was also regulated by hepatocyte-derived exosomes, showing that functional transfer of exosomal Twist1 occurs between different cell types. Finally, the levels of Twist1, miR-214, or CCN2 in circulating exosomes from fibrotic mice reflected fibrosis-induced changes in the liver itself, highlighting the potential utility of these and other constituents in serum exosomes as novel circulating biomarkers for liver fibrosis. These findings reveal a unique function for cellular or exosomal Twist1 in CCN2-dependent fibrogenesis.

Biochemical and hormonal analysis of follicular fluid and serum of female dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius) with different sized ovarian follicles

The current study aimed to compare some biochemical and hormonal constituents in follicular fluids and serum of female dromedary camels with different sized ovarian follicles. Therefore, follicular fluids from follicles sized 1.1–1.5cm (n=10), 1.6–2.1cm (n=10) and 2.2–2.5cm (n=10) and sera were harvested from 20 female camels. The concentrations of ascorbic acid, glucose, cholesterol and activities of acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were not changed significantly neither in follicular fluids of all follicle sizes nor in sera of female camels with different sized follicles. The concentrations of estradiol-17β (E2) in the follicular fluid of follicles sized 2.2–2.5cm were significantly lower (P<0.01) than its corresponding value in follicular fluid of other follicle sizes. The concentrations of progesterone (P4), tri-iodothyronine (T3), thyroxin (T4), cortisol and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) remained comparable in follicular fluids of all examined different sized follicles. The concentrations of E2, P4, T3, T4, cortisol and IGF-1 were similar in the serum of camels with different sized follicles. Interestingly, mean concentrations of P4 and IGF-1 in follicular fluids were higher than their corresponding values in sera of camels with different sized follicles and the mean concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, ALP and cortisol in sera were higher than their corresponding values in follicular fluids of the examined camels. With the exception of E2, there were no significant differences in biochemical and hormonal constituents between follicular fluids from different sized follicles.

Identification of the biologically active liquid chemistry induced by a nonthermal atmospheric pressure plasma jet.

The mechanism of interaction of cold nonequilibrium plasma jets with mammalian cells in physiologic liquid is reported. The major biological active species produced by an argon RF plasma jet responsible for cell viability reduction are analyzed by experimental results obtained through physical, biological, and chemical diagnostics. This is complemented with chemical kinetics modeling of the plasma source to assess the dominant reactive gas phase species. Different plasma chemistries are obtained by changing the feed gas composition of the cold argon based RF plasma jet from argon, humidified argon (0.27%), to argon/oxygen (1%) and argon/air (1%) at constant power. A minimal consensus physiologic liquid was used, providing isotonic and isohydric conditions and nutrients but is devoid of scavengers or serum constituents. While argon and humidified argon plasma led to the creation of hydrogen peroxide dominated action on the mammalian cells, argon-oxygen and argon-air plasma created a very different biological action and was characterized by trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide only. In particular, for the argon-oxygen (1%), the authors observed a strong negative effect on mammalian cell proliferation and metabolism. This effect was distance dependent and showed a half life time of 30 min in a scavenger free physiologic buffer. Neither catalase and mannitol nor superoxide dismutase could rescue the cell proliferation rate. The strong distance dependency of the effect as well as the low water solubility rules out a major role for ozone and singlet oxygen but suggests a dominant role of atomic oxygen. Experimental results suggest that O reacts with chloride, yielding Cl2(-) or ClO(-). These chlorine species have a limited lifetime under physiologic conditions and therefore show a strong time dependent biological activity. The outcomes are compared with an argon MHz plasma jet (kinpen) to assess the differences between these (at least seemingly) similar plasma sources.

IMPACTS OF USING YEAST, IODINE AND THYROXIN IN SEA BREAM (SPARUS AURATA) DIETS ON FISH PERFORMANCE

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of adding either brewer yeast as a probiotic, iodine or thyroxin with yeast as synbiotics to sea bream (Sparus aurata)fingerlings diets on; growth performance, feed utilization, body composition, biometric measurements indices and some serum constituents of sea bream. Acclimatized fish were randomly distributed in 12 glass aquaria and stocking density was 15 fish per aquarium with an average weight 1.9±0.1 g/fish as triplicate groups per treatment. The 1st group was considered as a control which fed on the basal diet (C). Three tested diets are formulated by adding 2g yeast/kg diet (Y), 2g yeast+0.01g potassium iodide/kg diet (YI) and 2g yeast+0.05 g thyroxin /kg diet (YT4) respectively for second, third and fourth groups. In the present work, addition of yeast with thyroxin followed by yeast alone to sea bream (Sparus aurata) fingerlings diets significantly improve growth performance, feed utilization efficiency and the fish biochemical composition comparing with the control one. The lowest growth performance and feed utilization values were recorded in fish fed diet supplemented with iodine when compared with corresponding values in fish of control group. Results of biometric measurements showed that adding iodine to fish diet significantly reduced gut length. Adding either iodine or thyroxin significantly increased serum lipase and decreased amylase contents.

Ultra high performance liquid chromatography with synapt high-definition mass spectrometry and a pattern recognition approach to characterize chemical constituents and rat metabolites after the oral administration of Phellinus igniarius.

Phellinus igniarius has antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative, antitumor, and antimutagenic effects. In this study, an integrative pattern recognition approach using principal component analysis and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis was successfully applied for the rapid analysis of natural compounds in traditional Chinese medicine. An ultra high performance liquid chromatography with synapt high-definition mass spectrometry method and MassLynx software was used. This method employed gradient elution to rapidly analyze and characterize chemical constituents and metabolites after the oral administration of a P. igniarius ethanol extract. There were 24 peaks within 10 min of the analysis time and 20 of these were identified or tentatively characterized on the basis of their fragmentation behaviors. In the S-plot of the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis, 27 ions were extracted to make the serum. Among them, nine absorbed the prototype components and 18 metabolites were identified in vivo. Glucuronidation, oxidation, and methylation were the major metabolic reactions. This study is the first systematic analysis and characterization of the chemical constituents and metabolites in an ethanol extract of P. igniarius. This method can be applied to the rapid analysis and characterization of constituents in rat serum after the oral administration of other compounds used in traditional Chinese medicines.

Chinmedomics: a new strategy for research of traditional Chinese medicine

Syndrome and formulae (or prescription) are two key issues in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the premise research for material basis of TCM. However, vagueness of syndromes and complexity of formulae greatly limited the evaluation to syndromes and effective substance basis of prescription. Therefore, how to solve the evaluation of syndromes, confirming the efficacy material basis in prescription are the current hot issues of international concern. To solve these problems, establishing chinmedomics by integrated serum pharmacochemistry of TCM with metabolomics technology, that is a unique method of TCM research, made outstanding contributions in solving international concerns such as the effectiveness and security aspects of TCM. On the basis of the biological characterization of syndrome, the metabolic profiling of animal models of TCM syndrome, and related metabolic fingerprints as well as metabolic biomarkers were established to evaluate the overall effects of TCM formulae and corresponding relationship of syndrome-formulae. The active constituents were screened using the plotting of correlation between (endogenous) marker metabolites and (exogenous) serum constituents (PCMS), and is ongoing verification by further biological experiments. Correlation analysis between the ingredients in the body after oral formulae and endogenous markers in vivo can be used to clarify the active ingredients and synergistic properties. This method was successfully applied for rapid discovery of potentially bioactive components and metabolites from TCM, and through a series of studies on the chinmedomics, it proved that the established method could help to explore the effective substance for further research of TCM. As a new research approach, Chinmedomics is the best method to fit the holistic concept of TCM, and it can not only interpret the essence of syndrome but also elucidate the scientific connotation of Chinese medical formulae.

Preserved Expression of mRNA Coding von Willebrand Factor-Cleaving Protease ADAMTS13 by Selenite and Activated Protein C.

In sepsis, the severity-dependent decrease of von Willebrand factor (VWF)-inactivating protease, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs 13 (ADAMTS13), results in platelet aggregation and consumption, leading to sepsis-associated thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA) and organ failure. Previous reports assessing its functional deficiency have pinpointed involvement of autoantibodies or mutations to propagate thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). However, mechanisms of acquired ADAMTS13 deficiency during host response remain unclear. To enhance understanding of ADAMTS13 deficiency in sepsis, we evaluated changes in expression of mRNA coding ADAMTS13 during septic conditions using primary cellular sources of the protease. We hypothesized that proinflammatory cytokines and constituents of serum from septic patients affect the transcriptional level of ADAMTS13 in vitro, and previously recommended therapeutic agents as adjunctive therapy for sepsis interact therewith. Cultured hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), endothelial cells (HMEC) and human precision-cut liver slices as an ex vivo model were stimulated with sepsis prototypic cytokines, bacterial endotoxin and pooled serum obtained from septic patients. Stimulation resulted in a significant decrease in ADAMTS13 mRNA between 10% and 80% of basal transcriptional rates. Costimulation of selenite or recombinant activated protein C (APC) with serum prevented ADAMTS13 decrease in HSCs and increased ADAMTS13 transcripts in HMEC. In archived clinical samples, the activity of ADAMTS13 in septic patients treated with APC (n = 5) increased with an accompanying decrease in VWF propeptide as surrogate for improved endothelial function. In conclusion, proinflammatory conditions of sepsis repress mRNA coding ADAMTS13 and the ameliorating effect by selenite and APC may support the concept for identification of beneficial mechanisms triggered by these drugs at a molecular level.

A comparative study on some biological constituents in serum during normal and sub-oestrous cycles of crossbred cows of Asom

A total of ten normal cyclic and ten confirmed sub-oestrous cows yielding 10 – 20 liters of milk were selected at random for this study. Blood samples were collected from each animal on day 0, 5 ,10, 15 and 20 ( day 0 of the next cycle ) and each sample was analyzed for estimation of calcium, inorganic phosphorus, sodium, potassium, total protein, glucose, cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase, iron, magnesium, copper and zinc by using quality kits when cobalt was determined with the help of Atomic Absorption Spectrophometer. The result revealed that the mean serum concentrations of sodium, iron, copper and zinc, glucose, cholesterol and alkaline phosphatase varied significantly ( P

Effects of Aloe Vera Leaf Extract on Growth, Clinical Chemistry and Histology of Selected Organs in Turkey Poults Challenged withEscherichia coli

A 6-weeks feeding trial was carried out to elucidate the effect of different levels of aloe vera leaf extract on the performance and health of turkey poults challenged with Escherichia coli. Sixty (60) turkey poults were randomly grouped into five treatments which were further replicated three times in a completely randomized design. The first group of poults was without infection and fed on the basal diet alone, and served as the positive control (P-CON). Out of the rest four infected groups, one was fed the basal diet alone to serve as the negative control (N-CON), while the others were fed the basal diet with tetramycin (ANT), or aloe vera at 2-mL (ALV2) and 3-mL (ALV3) per litre of water. The response of turkey poults to the challenge were assessed in terms of their growth performance, histology, haematology and serum constituents. The growth parameters, such as survival, weight gain, feed conversion efficiency were significantly (P<0.05) higher in poults given ALV3. Histological results of the organs (breast muscle, liver, spleen and ileum) showed normal morphological pattern for poults subjected to ALV2 while those kept on ALV3 showed normal for breast muscle, spleen and ileum but not for the liver. Similarly, birds raised on ANT showed normal organ morphology compared with the positive control. However, the birds challenged with E. coli without (N-CON) showed abnormal morphological pattern for all the organs investigated. There were also no adverse effects of aloe vera leaf extract on turkey poults health, as determined from the analysis of various haematological parameters and serum metabolites. The results indicated that Aloe vera leaf extract inclusion at 2mL (ALV2) in drinking water could successfully replace antibiotics in the rearing of turkey poults.

Effect of Whole Inedible Date and Amino Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance of Ross 308 Broiler Chicks

This work aims to assess the potential of discarded date meal (DDM) as an alternative ingredient in broiler diets. The effect of substituting 5 or 10% of corn and soybean meal (SBM) with DDM on performance, carcass characteristics, serum constituents and nutrients retention of broilers from 12 to 35 d of age was evaluated. A total of 150 chicks were randomly distributed in a factorial arrangement (3x2) into six treatments. Three levels of DDM (0, 5 and 10%) and 2 levels of AAs (normal and high) were utilized. A significant interaction was detected for BWG (P<0.01) and FCR (P<0.001). Birds which had received 0% and 5% DDM and high AAs converted feed more efficiently when compared to those which had received low AAs. When examining the main effects for FCR, both DDM and AAs showed a significant effects on FCR (P<0.01 and 0.05, respectively). Birds received 5% DDM converted feed more efficiently as compared to 0 and 10%. Also, birds received the high AAs level converted feed more efficiently as compared to the normal level. On the other hand, breast muscle yield and abdominal fat were affected by DDM and AAs (P<0.01 and 0.05, respectively). Birds on the 0% DDM had higher breast muscle yield as compared to 5 or 10% DDM. Also, high AAs increased breast yield by 1.5% as compared to normal AAs. The results revealed that birds received 5% DDM performed better than the control or 10%. Also, supplementing diets with higher AAs level improved the performance. Based on presented evidences, it is recommended to substitute 5% of corn and SBM with DDM.