Effects of aminoglycoside antibiotics on renal antioxidants, malondialdehyde levels, and some serum biochemical parameters

Effects of amikacin, gentamicin, kanamycin, and streptomycin on renal tissue superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione and malondialdehyde, serum creatinine, potassium, sodium, total protein, glucose, uric acid, and total bilirubin levels were investigated. All aminoglycoside antibiotics decreased renal tissue glutathione levels.     

Can treatment of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brachiaria decumbens</Emphasis> (signal grass) improve its utilisation in the diet in small ruminants?—a review

Brachiaria decumbens is an extremely productive tropical grass due to its aggressive growth habit and its adaptation to a varied range of soil types and environments. As a result of the vast availability, treated B. decumbens demonstrates as a promising local material that could be utilised as an improved diet for sheep and goats. Despite the fact that the grass significantly increases weight gains in grazing farm animals, there were many reports of general ill-thrift and sporadic outbreaks of photosensitivity in livestock due to the toxic compound of steroidal saponin found in B. decumbens. Ensiling and haymaking were found to be effective in removing toxin and undesirable compounds in the grass. Biological treatments using urea, activated charcoal, polyethylene glycol, and effective microorganisms were found to be useful in anti-nutritional factor deactivation and improving the nutritive values of feedstuffs. Besides, oral administration of phenobarbitone showed some degree of protection in sheep that fed on B. decumbens pasture. In this review, we aim to determine the effect of B. decumbens toxicity and possible treatment methods on the grass to be used as an improved diet for small ruminant.     

Egg production,fertility, hatchability and immune responses of some chicken strains under high ambient temperatures

This experiment was designed to investigate and compare the egg production, fertility, hatchability and immune responses of some local developed Egyptian chicken strains under high ambient temperatures. A total of 108 (26 weeks old) laying hens of Matrouh, Silver Montazah, Mandarah and Inshas (9 hens × 3 replicates × 4 strains) were used to evaluate the impact of thermal stress (24-34ºC) during summer season (June, July and August) on egg production, fertility, hatchability and immune responses. The obtained results revealed that final body weight (FBW/g) and body weight change (BWC/g) among different chicken strains were not affected. The daily feed consumption (FC/g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) for Silver Montazah and Inshas strains were significantly (p ≤ .05) higher than those of Matrouh and Mandarah strains. The mean egg production (EP/%) and egg mass (EM) for Silver Montazah and Inshas strains were significantly (p ≤ .05) higher than those of Matrouh and Mandarah strains. The highest percentages of hatchability of total eggs (HTE) and fertile eggs (HFE) were recorded in Inshas chickens, while the lowest value was recorded in Mandarah chickens. Also, the highest embryonic mortalities (p ≤ .05) and lowest chick weight at hatch (CWH/g) were recorded in Mandarah chickens compared with the other strains. The highest values for antibody titres against phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) were recorded in Mandarah chickens, while the least values were recorded in Inshas chickens.     

结合PCA和GWAS解析甘蓝型油菜株型相关性状的遗传调控位点

作物株型改良是提高收获指数和产量的重要途径,为了解其复杂的遗传调控机制,以373份甘蓝型油菜组成的自然群体为基础,对4个株型相关性状(株高、第一分枝高度、有效分枝数和主花序长度)进行多环境下表型鉴定,组合利用全基因组关联分析(GWAS)和主成分分析(PCA)方法对株型的遗传调控进行解析.研究表明,PCA可以合理地解释株...     

Thermal,swelling and stability kinetics of chitosan based semi-interpenetrating network hydrogels

The present study is focused on studying the swelling kinetics, thermal and aqueous stabilities, and determination of various forms of water in the chitosan (CS) and polyacrylonitrile (PAN) blend and semi-interpenetrating polymer network (sIPN). CS/PAN blend hydrogel films were prepared by solution casting technique. The blend film with optimum swelling properties was selected for the synthesis of sIPN. CS in the blend was crosslinked with the vapors of Glutaraldehyde (GTA) to prepare sIPN. The fabricated CS/PAN blend and sIPN hydrogels films were characterized with Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The kinetics of swelling, bound and unbound waters and aqueous stability were determined experimentally. FESEM showed good miscibility between CS and PAN, FTIR showed no chemical interaction between CS and PAN; however, it did show a doublet for the sIPN, TGA showed improved thermal stability and swelling kinetic followed second order kinetics. The degree of swelling of the sIPN hydrogels samples at room temperature varied from ~2200 % (with a fair degree of stability (~30 %)) to ~1000 % (with high degree of aqueous stability (43 %)) with increase in the crosslinking time. The calculated unbound water (W_UB) max., for the blend was 52.3 % whereas for the bound (W_B) the max., was 41.9 %. However, for sIPN hydrogel films, the W_UB water decreased (max. 21.0 %) where as the W_B increased (max. 52.0 %). The decrease in W_UB and increase in the W_B is attributed to the formation of a compact structure and increase in the contact area between the water and polymers in sIPN hydrogels due to the induction of new water contacting point in these hydrogel films, respectively.     

Effects of carbohydrate source and polyethylene glycol on maturation and germination of somatic embryos in walnut (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Juglans regia</Emphasis> L.)

Low efficiency of somatic embryo maturation, germination, and conversion to plantlets is a major problem in many species including J. regia L. Germination efficiency of somatic embryos is very low in walnut. In this study, effects of two carbohydrate sources, sucrose and maltose (each at 3% and 6%), and two kinds of PEG (4000 and 6000) (each at four levels of 1.5%, 3%, 5% and 7.5%) on maturation and germination of walnut embryos were tested. The number of somatic embryos increased conspicuously on medium containing PEG. Furthermore, higher levels of PEG-4000 (7.5%) could remarkably enhance the morphogenesis of somatic embryos and the number of embryos produced. PEG-4000 stimulated somatic embryo maturation of walnut. This stimulatory effect was dependent on the carbohydrate source used. Sucrose in combination with PEG-4000 produced 50% of cotyledonary and normal somatic embryos. Different concentrations of PEG were effective on the number of embryos with a shoot meristem. PEG-4000 7.5% and sucrose 3.0% produced the highest rate (50.0%) of normal shooting embryos. However, PEG (4000, 6000) and maltose caused an unfavorable effect and increased the frequency of abnormal shaped somatic embryos.     

Chemical Composition of Urban Wet Deposition in Amman,Jordan

Precipitation events were collected during the period from October 1996 to April 1997 from two sites in the city of Amman, Jordan. The samples were analyzed for major cations (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and NH4+), major anions (F-, Cl-, NO3- and SO42-), in addition to heavy metals (Cu2+, Cd2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+). High levels of Ca2+ and SO42- were observed. The results were comparable with some regional values and they indicate that about 58% of Na+ and Cl- are of marine origin, while Ca2+, K+ and a large fraction of SO42- are of soil dust origin. Heavy metals were detectable in most of the samples, zinc showed the highest concentrations. Significant correlation was obtained between zinc and lead, which may indicate automobile emission source.     

Metabolism, uptake and translocation of 14C-paraquat in resistant and susceptible biotypes of Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S. Moore

The metabolism, uptake and translocation of paraquat in resistant (R) and susceptible (S) biotypes of Crassocephalum crepidioides (Benth.) S. Moore (redflower ragleaf) at the 10-leaf stage was investigated. A study on the properties of leaf surface was carried out to examine the relationship between leaf surface characters and paraquat absorption. The extractable paraquat was not metabolized by the leaf tissue of either the resistant or susceptible biotypes. Differential metabolism, therefore, does not appear to play a role in the mechanism of resistance. Both biotypes did not show any significant difference in the amount of cuticle and trichome densities. Furthermore, both biotypes are identical in the structure of stomata, trichomes and epicuticular wax. The results of the leaf surface studies are in agreement with the findings of the uptake study. Both biotypes demonstrated no significant difference in absorption between the resistant and susceptible biotypes. However, 10% of the absorbed ¹⁴C-paraquat into the S biotype was translocated basipetally, but not in the R biotype. The results of this study suggest that in C. crepidioides , differential translocation may contribute to the mechanism of resistance at the 10-leaf stage.     

Behavioral hormoligosis in oviposition preference of Bemisia tabaci on cotton

The study on behavioral hormoligosis in oviposition preference in Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) on cotton was conducted, at Entomological Research Farm, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Punjab, India, during 2001 crop season and repeated in the same season. Multiple-choice test was followed for conducting the experiment. Quinalphos (250, 375, and 500), carbaryl (625, 938, and 1250), acephate (750, 1125, and 1500), endosulfan (438, 656, and 875), and fenvalerate (25, 38, and 50 g ai/ha) were repeatedly sprayed on potted plants of American cotton (var. LH-1556). The impact of these insecticides was evaluated in term of oviposition preference by B. tabaci to treated plants. Also, it investigated changes in biochemical components of treated cotton leaves and the correlation with oviposition preference. The results revealed that, fenvalerate treated plants were more preferred by whitefly for oviposition. Maximum number of eggs was observed on fenvalerate treated plants, 38, 50, and 25 g/ha (39.3, 37.3, and 36.1 eggs/leaf, respectively) followed by acephate 1500 g/ha (26.9 eggs/ leaf) compared with untreated control (14.1 eggs/leaf). Almost similar trend of results was observed in the repeated experiment. The results obtained from biochemical studies revealed that all the insecticidal treatments caused reduction in total sugars compared with untreated control except fenvalerate and low dose of quinalphos. All insecticides caused increase in total free amino acids and brought significant changes in total phenols and pH value of treated plants. These results have confirmed the behavioral hormoligosis in oviposition preference that induced by fenvalerate and acephate in B. tabaci, which may be one of the causes behind its resurgence on plants repeatedly treated with these insecticides.