Resveratrol Reverses Cadmium Chloride-induced Testicular Damage and Subfertility by Downregulating p53 and Bax and Upregulating Gonadotropins and Bcl-2 gene Expression

This study was performed to investigate the protective and therapeutic effects of resveratrol (RES) against CdCl₂-induced toxicity in rat testes. Seven experimental groups of adult male rats were formulated as follows: A) controls+NS, B) control+vehicle (saline solution of hydroxypropyl cyclodextrin), C) RES treated, D) CdCl₂+NS, E) CdCl₂+vehicle, F) RES followed by CdCl₂ and M) CdCl₂ followed by RES. At the end of the protocol, serum levels of FSH, LH and testosterone were measured in all groups, and testicular levels of TBARS and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were measured. Epididymal semen analysis was performed, and testicular expression of Bcl-2, p53 and Bax was assessed by RT-PCR. Also, histopathological changes of the testes were examined microscopically. Administration of RES before or after cadmium chloride in rats improved semen parameters including count, motility, daily sperm production and morphology, increased serum concentrations of gonadotropins and testosterone, decreased testicular lipid peroxidation and increased SOD activity. RES not only attenuated cadmium chloride-induced testicular histopathology but was also able to protect against the onset of cadmium chloride testicular toxicity. Cadmium chloride downregulated the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2 and upregulated the expression of pro-apoptotic genes p53 and Bax. Resveratrol protected against and partially reversed cadmium chloride testicular toxicity via upregulation of Bcl2 and downregulation of p53 and Bax gene expression. The antioxidant activity of RES protects against cadmium chloride testicular toxicity and partially reverses its effect via upregulation of BCl2 and downregulation of p53 and Bax expression.     

Participatory integrated watershed management: Evolution of concepts and methods in an ecoregional program of the eastern African highlands

This paper focuses on the conceptual evolution of watershed management within the context of an action research program operating in the highlands of eastern Africa, as informed by both theory and practice. Following a review of the watershed management literature, and brief program and methodological overviews, the paper explores in detail the concepts of “participation” and “integration” in watershed management. Conceptual and methodological dimensions of the terms are discussed in the context of a watershed implementation process, clarifying how “watershed issues” are defined by local users, how “stakeholders” are defined with respect to those issues, and how participation and integration may be operationalized in practice. Data are selectively chosen from different pilot sites to illustrate how concepts underlying watershed management have been refined, and methods improved. It is clear that “participation” in problem diagnosis and program implementation must move beyond community-level fora to socially-disaggregated processes and explicit management of trade-offs to diverse groups. Secondly, integration does not come about through implementation of parallel interventions, but rather through an explicit analysis of potential trade-offs and synergies of interventions to diverse system components, and strategies to define and reach systems-level goals. Each approach requires attention to ways to optimize returns to diverse social groups and system components while minimizing negative spin-offs. The paper concludes with a discussion of implications for agricultural research and development in the eastern African region.     

Evaluation of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genotypes for yield and related traits under drought stress conditions

ABSTRACT

Drought is a major factor threatening crop production worldwide. Developing wheat varieties that are adapted to drought prone environments is a sustainable strategy to improve wheat production and productivity. The aim of this study was to evaluate and select bread wheat genotypes for yield and yield components, and for stability under drought stress and non-stress conditions. One hundred and twenty genotypes were evaluated at five test sites in the 2018/19 cropping season using a 10 x 12 alpha lattice design with two replicates. The level of drought stress was imposed using different sowing dates (early planting representing non-stressed, while late planting as drought stressed conditions) following the onset of the main rain at each site. Grain yield and yield components were recorded, and drought indices were calculated for each genotype. Among the drought tolerance indices, GMP, MP, HM, STI and YI were found to be the most suitable for predicting drought tolerance because they had significant and positive correlations with yield under drought stress and non-stress conditions. Rank sum analysis identified the most drought tolerant genotypes as ‘YS-34', ‘YS-85' and ‘YS-82’. The selected wheat genotypes are useful genetic resources for future drought tolerance breeding programmes in Ethiopia or similar agro-ecologies.     

Use of waste water for aquaculture: an experimental field study at a sewage-treatment plant, Egypt

The primary and secondary treated waste effluents were successfully used to grow the Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (L.). The growth rate of fish reared in treated waste water was significantly higher than that of fish reared in the natural habitat. Bacterial loads in fish organs were higher in the gills followed by the intestine and the skin and finally the edible muscles. The total aerobic bacterial count was very low (9.3 × 10² g^?1) in the edible muscles of fish grown in secondary-treated effluent and complied with the WHO guidelines (less than 10⁵ g^?1). Salmonella, Shigella and Staphylococcus were completely absent in all fish samples examined. The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in liver tissues, followed by intestine and gills and then the muscles. Accumulation levels were within the acceptable limits when compared to the international legal standards for hazardous elements in fish and fishery products. In conclusion, chemical and bacterial analyses indicated that there is no evidence of any public health hazard associated with treated waste water reuse in aquaculture. However, the risks, if any, to the fish growers, processors and consumers should be evaluated, specially that related to viral pathogens.     

Factors influencing the prevalence of subclinical mastitis in lactating dromedary camels in Riyadh Region,Saudi Arabia

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of subclinical mastitis in camels in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the factors influencing its incidence. A total of 740 quarter milk samples were collected from 47 camel herds belonging to Majahim, Maghatir, Shu’l, and Sufer breeds. California mastitis test (CMT) was used as a screening test for subclinical mastitis. Samples giving negative or trace CMT scores (0) were assigned to healthy quarters, while those giving positive scores of 1+ to 3+ were assigned to subclinically affected quarters. Logistic regression was used to assess the association of breed, parity, and stage of lactation with the prevalence of subclinical mastitis. Milk fat, protein, lactose, solid nonfat percentages and Na, Ca, and K concentrations were compared in CMT-positive versus healthy quarters. One third (33%) of tested quarters had subclinical mastitis based on CMT. The estimated probability of subclinical mastitis with the combined effects of breed, parity, and stage of lactation ranged from 15.8% to 54.6%. The risk of subclinical mastitis increased significantly with parity and with the early stage of lactation. The Shu’l breed had significantly higher prevalence of subclinical mastitis than other breeds. Significant decreases in protein, lactose, and solid nonfat, Ca and K concentrations and increase in Na concentrations were associated with subclinical mastitis. In conclusion, subclinical mastitis is prevalent in Saudi camels, and its incidence is influenced by breed, parity, and stage of lactation.     

Fish meal as a protein supplement in ruminant diets: a review

Fish meal (FM) as a protein supplement in ruminant diets is presented to illustrate production responses to FM supplementation and to explain the possible factors that may affect the magnitude of these responses. Positive responses are consistently detected when FM is fed to nonruminants, but the responses when fed to ruminants have lacked consistency. Research indicates that ruminal protein degradation of FM is affected by processing factors including type and freshness of fish, addition of preservatives, stabilization of fat, type of dryer used, temperature and duration of heating, and the amount of fish solubles added back to the meal. Performance data published in the last two decades have been categorized into body weight gain and milk yield and composition. Fish meal was more effective in improving body weight gain in young than in finishing ruminants and in males than in females or castrated males. Daily gains and feed efficiencies were higher when FM supplemented medium- or poor-quality silages than when it was added to high-quality silages. No significant advantage was found for replacing protein sources that were highly ruminally degradable with FM in high-corn diets fed to growing ruminants. Milk yield and milk protein concentration were improved by FM supplementation of low-concentrate diets fed to cows in early lactation. However, milk fat percentage was negatively affected by FM supplementation. Reproduction data indicated that body gain and conception rates of high-producing cows were improved by supplementing their diets with FM during early lactation. Results suggest a significant advantage of FM supplementation to ruminant diets if the physiological status of the animal and the quality of the dietary ingredients are taken into account.     

Fish meal as a protein supplement in finishing lamb diets

An in situ protein degradation trial and two growth trials were conducted to evaluate the use of fish meal (FM) as a protein supplement in feeder lamb diets. Finn cross and Hampshire lambs were given ad libitum access to corn diets, minerals, and water. In Growth Trial 1, four isonitrogenous (12.6% CP on a DM basis) and isocaloric (77% TDN) diets were supplemented with the following: a) 100% soybean meal (SBM); b) 70% SBM + 30% FM; c) 40% SBM + 60% FM; and d) 100% FM on a DM basis. Diets were fed to 144 lambs for 56 d in a randomized complete block (initial BW) design. In Growth Trial 2, four diets were fed to 80 lambs for 42 d in a completely randomized design with treatments arranged as a 2 x 2 factorial. Main effects in Growth Trial 2 were dietary CP level (13.3 or 14.9%) and source (SBM or SBM + FM). Alfalfa hay was used as the roughage part of each diet. In situ CP degradation (determined in cattle) of SBM, FM, and corn fed in both growth trials were 77.8, 52.3, and 56.8%, respectively. In neither growth trial was ADG affected (P greater than .05) by dietary CP source. Lambs gained faster (P less than .05) when the CP level was increased from 13.3 to 14.9% in Growth Trial 2. In both trials, protein efficiency ratio (grams of gain/grams of protein intake) and energy efficiency ratio (grams of gain/kilograms of TDN intake) were not different (P greater than .05) among diets. Because of the low ruminal degradation of corn protein, the relative value of SBM and FM in full-fed, high-corn diets was comparable.     

Assessment of Genetic Variability in the Coding Sequence of Melatonin Receptor Gene (MTNR1A) in Tropical Arid Sheep Breeds of India

Seasonal behaviour in sheep, which varies in tropical and temperate environmental conditions, is a matter of study, because it can provide a clue to address the problem of seasonality in sheep. Melatonin receptor is the membrane‐bound G‐coupled receptor, sensing the message of photoperiodic cues thorough melatonin. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) studies were carried out to assess the variability of gene at G612A and C606T SNPs in MTNR1A gene, which have been studied to be markers for out‐of‐season breeding. Allelic frequency distribution corresponded to higher frequency of GG and CC genotype, in tropical arid sheep breed in comparison with temperate region sheep breed. PCR amplification of MTNR1A gene of 30 animals was performed and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identification was carried out using Lasergene software. Seven SNPs/mutations were identified, but most of them were synonymous, except the one G706A, leading to substitution of valine by isoleucine. Polyphen‐2 analysis of G706A mutation revealed that it is a benign mutation. Two important SNPs C426T and G555A, which were identified in temperate sheep breeds, could not be traced in Magra and Marwari breeds of sheep. Thus, the Magra and Marwari breeds of tropical, arid region demonstrated the presence of both polymorphic SNPs markers G612A and C606T, associated with out‐of‐season breeding. GG and CC genotypes were having a higher prevalence in the studied population.