ULTRASONOGRAPHIC FEATURES OF DIFFUSE HEPATOCELLULAR DISORDERS IN DAIRY CATTLE

Ultrasonography of the liver was performed in 200 Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle using a 3.5 MHz transducer with a linear array electronic scanner. Liver samples were taken, processed and examined microscopically and the fat occupying rate was calculated. The hepatic ultrasonograms were evaluated according to the presence of bright pattern, dark pattern, deep attenuation, vascular blurring and blurring of edges. Of the 200 animals, 96 had a normal liver, 63 had hydropic degeneration of the liver, 37 had fatty infiltration of the liver, 3 had liver dystrophy and I had hepatic amyloidosis, diagnosed through histopathological examination. Amyloidosis was characterized by bright pattern and blurring of edges. Liver dystrophy had higher percentages of bright pattern and blurring of edges than normal liver. Hydropic degeneration had higher percentages of dark pattern and blurring of edges than normal liver. Fatty infiltration had higher percentages of bright pattern, deep attenuation, vascular blurring and blurring of edges than normal liver. The present results suggest that different ultrasonographic patterns can be observed in various diffuse hepatocellular disorders in dairy cattle     

Effects of in ovo injection of chrysin,quercetin and ascorbic acid on hatchability,somatic attributes,hepatic oxidative status and early post‐hatch performance of broiler chicks

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of in ovo injection of chrysin, quercetin and ascorbic acid on hatchability, somatic attributes, hepatic antioxidant status and early post‐hatch growth performance of broiler chicks. Four hundred and eighty embryonated broiler breeder eggs containing live 18‐day‐old embryos were divided into six groups of 80 eggs each. One group remained intact and served as a control group (i), whereas the other five groups were injected with the prepared injection solutions as follows: (ii) 0.05 ml distilled water; (iii) 0.05 ml distilled water containing 6 mg ascorbic acid; (iv) 0.05 ml dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO); (v) 0.05 ml DMSO containing 4.5 mg quercetin; and (vi) 0.05 ml DMSO containing 4.5 mg chrysin. The hatchability rate, hatching weight, residual yolk sac weight, yolk sac‐free body weight, liver weight, hepatic glutathione peroxidase and total superoxide dismutase activities, as well as malondialdehyde concentrations, were not affected by the injected solutions. There were no differences between chicks hatched from the control and in ovo injected eggs in weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio from 0 to 11 days of age. However, the specific contrast performed between the in ovo injected groups and intact eggs revealed that in ovo injection significantly increased hatchability rate (p = .0493). This finding also implies that our injection procedure was harmless. In conclusion, the intra‐egg injection of chrysin, quercetin or ascorbic acid at the injection rates used in this study did not have a significant effect on hatchability, somatic characteristics, early growth performance and hepatic antioxidant status of broiler chicks. However, the overall hatchability was higher in the in ovo injected eggs as compared to non‐injected ones. These findings also confirmed the harmlessness of the procedure developed for in ovo injection in this study.     

Production of monoclonal antibody against recombinant bovine sex-determining region Y (SRY) and their preferential binding to Y chromosome-bearing sperm

Separation of X and Y chromosome-bearing sperm is an appropriate method for the selection of desired sex of offspring to increase the profit in livestock industries. The purpose of this study was the production of a monoclonal antibody against recombinant bovine sex-determining region Y protein for separation Y sperm. The hybridoma cells from splenocytes of immunized female's balb/C mice and Sp2/0 cells were made. The binding affinity of our monoclonal antibody (mAbSRY2) was compared with mouse monoclonal SRY-15. The Western blot method indicated that mAbSRY2 successfully detected the rbSRY protein. The specificity and sensitivity of mAbSRY2 is comparable to SRY-15 commercially ones. The SRY gene in 100% of bull semen contains the Y chromosome that had the strongest binding affinity to mAbSRY2 was synthesized. In other words, the binding affinity of semen contains the X sperms near the negative control. In general, this immunological method can help to separate X from Y sperms. However, the mAbSRY2 is bind to Y-bearing sexed sperm, but in the future; the sexed sperms need to apply in farms.     

The suitability of some blood gas and biochemical parameters as diagnostic tools or early indicators of ascites syndrome in broiler sire lines

In recent few years, there have been some attempts to find a reliable indicator trait as a selection criterion against susceptibility to ascites syndrome (AS). Blood parameters were of great interest as they could be measured in live animals without implementing an ascites‐inducing challenge (AIC). In this work, the suitability of some blood parameters was evaluated for diagnosing AS‐susceptible chicks in later steps of the disease in trial 1 as well as their early predictive ability in trial 2. In the first trial, one hundred 1‐day‐old chicks from two pure broiler lines namely S₁ and S₂ and, in the second trial, 226 1‐day‐old chicks from line S₂ were subjected to AIC. Saline drinking water (1200 mg/l) and lower‐than‐standard ambient temperatures were the implemented AICs in trials 1 and 2 respectively. The blood parameters including pH, partial pressure of O₂ (pO₂), partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO₂), bicarbonate ion concentration (BIC), percentage of haematocrit (HCT) and saturated haemoglobin (SaO₂) were measured twice per each bird at days 28 and 35 in trial 1 and once in trial 2 at day 21. The results of the first trial revealed that in line S₂ some of the blood parameters differed significantly between the ascitic and non‐ascitic groups following exposure to AIC. In this line, the incidence of AS was accompanied by a lower pO₂, SaO₂ and BIC, while with higher pCO₂ and HCT values. In the second trial, however, although almost all of the parameters showed meaningful differences between the ascitic and non‐ascitic broilers, only mean difference of BIC parameter was statistically significant. The general conclusion of this study is that the blood parameters can somewhat have diagnostic ability in the condition in which the AIC is already present, whereas the results did not approve their usefulness as early predictors of AS.     

Eosinophilic leukaemia in a cat

A 14-year-old female domestic shorthair cat was presented to Tehran University Veterinary Teaching Hospital for a persistent fever, anorexia, intermittent vomiting, weight loss and weakness. The main clinical signs were pale mucous membranes, dehydration and splenomegaly. The complete blood count and serum biochemistry tests revealed non-regenerative anaemia, thrombocytopenia and increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test for feline leukaemia virus was negative. Blood film and bone marrow examination revealed a large number of immature eosinophils with variable sizes and numbers of faintly azurophilic granules. Cytochemical staining of blood film demonstrated 70% positive cells for ALP activity. Four percent CD34 positive cells were detected by flow cytometry. As eosinophilic leukaemia is difficult to identify by light microscopy, well-defined diagnostic criteria and the use of flow cytometry and cytochemical staining can improve the ability to correctly diagnose this type of leukaemia in cats.     

Calibration of Hargreaves–Samani equation for estimating reference evapotranspiration in semiarid and arid regions

The Penman–Monteith (FAO-56 PM) equation is suggested as the standard method for estimating evapotranspiration (ET₀) by the International Irrigation and Drainage Committee and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). On the other hand, the Hargreaves–Samani (HS) equation is an alternative method compared with the FAO-56 PM equation. In the present study, the original coefficient C of the HS equation is calibrated based on the FAO-56 PM equation for estimating the reference ET₀ from 15 meteorological stations in central Iran (about 170,000 km²) under semiarid and arid conditions. After calibration, the new values for C are ranged from 0.0018 to 0.0037. The mean bias error (MBE), the root mean square error (RMSE), and the ratio of average estimations of ET₀ (R) values for all stations are ranged from 0.12 to 5.38, ?5.35 to 1.15 mm d^?1 and 0.64 to 1.28 for the HS equation and from 0.12 to 2.48, ?2.2 to 0.60 mm d^?1, and 1.00 to 1.05 for the calibrated Hargreaves–Samani equation (CHS), respectively. Results indicate that the average RMSE and MBE values are decreased by 40% and 66%, respectively. Relationships for calibrating the C coefficient on the basis of annual average of daily temperature range (ΔT) and wind speed (V) are proposed, calibrated, and validated. Hence, the CHS equation can be used for ET₀ estimates with acceptable accuracy instead of the FAO-56 PM method.     

Nitrate leaching in a silage maize field under different irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer rates

Quantification of the interactive effects of nitrogen (N) and water on nitrate (NO₃) loss provides an important insight for more effective N and water management. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of different irrigation and nitrogen fertilizer levels on nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃-N) leaching in a silage maize field. The experiment included four irrigation levels (0.7, 0.85, 1.0, and 1.13 of soil moisture depletion, SMD) and three N fertilization levels (0, 142, and 189 kg N ha⁻¹), with three replications. Ceramic suction cups were used to extract soil solution at 30 and 60 cm soil depths for all 36 experimental plots. Soil NO₃-N content of 0-30 and 30-60-cm layers were evaluated at planting and harvest maturity. Total N uptake (NU) by the crop was also determined. Maximum NO₃-N leaching out of the 60-cm soil layer was 8.43 kg N ha⁻¹, for the 142 kg N ha⁻¹ and over irrigation (1.13 SMD) treatment. The minimum and maximum seasonal average NO₃ concentration at the 60 cm depth was 46 and 138 mg l⁻¹, respectively. Based on our findings, it is possible to control NO₃ leaching out of the root zone during the growing season with a proper combination of irrigation and fertilizer management.     

Polyvinylidene fluoride nanofiber coated polypropylene nonwoven fabric as a membrane for lithium-ion batteries

Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) membranes in spite of having many critical properties necessary for lithium-ion batteries, do not have satisfying thermal and mechanical resistance. The goal of this study was to combine the good mechanical and thermal properties of PP nonwoven fabric with the excellent electrochemical properties of PVdF nanofibers to exploit a high-performance membrane for lithium-ion batteries. This work reports the preparation of PVdF nanofiber membranes using electrospinning on a polypropylene (PP) spunbonded nonwoven fabric and an aluminum foil followed by a hot-pressing treatment. The morphology and size of the membranes were studied by the scanning electron microscopy. The tensile strength of the membrane with the PP support was superior to the PVdF membrane. Thermal stability of the prepared membranes was determined using the TGA method and the dimensional stability was investigated by measuring the shrinkage ratio at 105 °C. The results have shown that the PVdF/PP membrane was thermally more stable than the PVdF and the commercial Celgard 2325 membranes. The batteries using PVdF/PP membrane exhibited higher electrochemical oxidation limit, better cycling performance and less discharge capacity fading during 100 cycles compared to PVdF and Celgard membranes. The results of this study showed that PVdF/PP membrane is a promising advanced membrane in lithium-ion batteries.     

Flavan-3-ols and procyanidins in grape seeds: biodiversity and relationships among wild and cultivated vines

Flavan-3-ol monomers and polymers composition of seeds from wild (17) and autochthonous (8) Vitis vinifera grapes growing in northern Tunisia were evaluated. Wild grape seeds were spherical with a small beak and relatively a high seed/berry ratio (~ 18.1%w/w). Local cultivars developed pyriform-shaped seeds with a well-developed beak representing on average 2.2% of total weight of the berry. Flavanol concentrations ranged between 40.9 and 67.5 mg/g FW in seeds from wild accessions and between 48.9 and 96.7 mg/g FW in seeds from cultivated grapes. Differences between accessions were highly significant (p < 0.01) and seeds from cultivar ‘Boukhasla’ showed the highest polyphenols content. Among flavan-3-ol monomers, (+)-catechin was predominant for all ecotypes and generally their abundance was: (+)-catechin (Cat) > (?)-epicatechin (Ec) > (?)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate (EcG). The Cat/Ec ratio was approximately 1.7 for wild grapes while it was about 2.5 for cultivated grapes. Procyanidins in wild seeds differed from cultivated ones by a lower mDP and higher proportions of galloylated derivatives, likely to affect fruit bitterness and astringency. (?)-epicatechin was the main extension subunit in grape seed procyanidins, reaching on average 52% in wild and 58% in cultivated seeds. Hierarchical cluster analysis based on seeds morphometry and procyanidin profile indicated close proximity between some wild and cultivated grapes suggesting that some cultivars derived from ancestral events of local domestication or cross hybridization with native wild plants.