Evaluation of Clinical and Biochemical Traits in Egyptian Barki Sheep with Different Growth Performances.

The Barki sheep industry is becoming increasingly important in Egypt because of the high quality of their meat and wool. This sheep breed is also commonly known for its resistance to arid and harsh environmental conditions. Such characteristics can be exploited in solving the problematic situation of inadequate animal protein for human consumption, particularly under climatic changes. However, very few studies have investigated aspects of breeding, nutrition, and susceptibility to infectious or non-infectious diseases in Barki sheep. Herein, we propose to unravel the differences in the clinical and biochemical profiles among Barki sheep of different growth rates. We measured clinical and biochemical parameters in stunted (n = 10; test group) and in good body condition (n = 9; control group) Barki sheep. Animals subjected to this experiment were of the same sex (female), age (12 months old), and housed in the same farm with similar conditions of feeding, management practice, and vaccination and deworming regimens. Regarding clinical examination, stunted/tested sheep showed a significantly higher pulse and respiratory rate compared to sheep with a good body condition/control group. The appetite, body temperature, and digestion processes were the same in both groups. In biochemical investigations, nutritional biomarkers were reduced markedly in stunted sheep compared with the control sheep, including total protein (p = 0.0445), albumin (p = 0.0087), cholesterol (p = 0.0007), and triglycerides (p = 0.0059). In addition, the Barki sheep test group suffered from higher levels of urea and blood urea nitrogen than the control group. Consistently, growth and thyroid hormone levels were lower in stunted sheep than the control sheep, although the differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). No significant differences were detected in both groups for serum levels of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, and zinc (p > 0.05). To detect the reasons for emaciation, certain debilitating infections were tested. All tested sheep showed negative coprological tests for gastrointestinal parasites, and had no obvious seropositivity to brucellosis, toxoplasmosis, neosporosis, or Q fever. This study demonstrates the useful biochemical markers for monitoring growth performance in Egyptian Barki sheep and unravels the usefulness of this breed in nationwide breeding and farming.

Impact of polyherbal formulation oral administration on the estrus response, luteal activity, and oxidative stress in postpartum dairy cows with ovarian subfunction.

Background and Aim: The reproductive performance of dairy cows is of a high economic value to maintain efficient and sustainable productivity. Postpartum anestrus is one of the major infertility problems that cause limitation of dairy cow reproductive performance and productivity. The previous studies have reported using a polyherbal formulation for different purposes, including reproductive performance. This study was conducted to examine the efficacy of polyherbal formulation administration on the reproductive performance of cows and to establish the oral administration of polyherbal formulations as a safe, effective, and economic treatment for dairy cows with postpartum anestrus due to nutritional disorders, negative energy balance, high milk production, and/or heat stress. Materials and Methods: A total of 14 dairy cows with postpartum anestrus were randomly divided into two groups, which were subjected to oral administration of distilled water that served as the control (Ctrl; n=5) or polyherbal treatment (polyherbal treated; n=9) for two shots of treatment (each for 3 successive days) with a 10-day interval. Blood sampling and ultrasonography were performed before treatment and after the first and second shots of treatment. Progesterone (P4) assay was also performed. Results: The estrus induction rate was 66.7% after the first shot of treatment in the polyherbal-treated group, which increased significantly to 88.9% after the second shot of treatment, compared with the Ctrl group (20%). The estrus response was confirmed by ultrasonography and P4 hormone assay, wherein the polyherbal treatment significantly increased the P4 concentration in the polyherbal-treated group after the second shot of treatment compared to that before treatment and in the Ctrl group at all time points. On pregnancy diagnosis, the treated dairy cows showed conception rates of 66.7% and 20.0% in the polyherbal-treated and Ctrl groups, respectively. In contrast, the concentration of malondialdehyde, an oxidative stress marker, and the total antioxidant capacity remained unchanged between both groups before and after treatment. Conclusion: The polyherbal formulation containing tubers of C. rotundus, M. pterygosperma, rhizome of Z. officinale, and A. cepa has the potential to induce estrus response and luteal activity in dairy cows and is a possible treatment for ovarian inactivity in dairy farms.

Coexistence of diverse heavy metal pollution magnitudes: Health risk assessment of affected cattle and human population in some rural regions, Qena, Egypt.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to measure the mean concentrations of heavy metals including aluminum (Al), arsenic, nickel (Ni), mercury, lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd) and to assess the health hazards due to the exposure of cattle/human population to a distinct or the mixture of heavy metals through various sources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 180 samples including water sources, animal feed, and raw cows' milk from rural regions in Qena, Egypt, were examined using the inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometer (ICP; iCAP 6200). RESULTS: The data highlighted heavy metal pollution with variable concentrations among most of the investigated regions. All concentrations of Al, Ni, and Cd detected in the feeding stuff showed a strong correlation to their respective levels in milk rather than those detected in water (R 2= 0.072 vs. 0.039, 0.13 vs. 0.10, and 0.46 vs. 0.014, respectively) (p < 0.05). Anisocytosis and poikilocytosis with a tendency to rouleaux formation were evident, and basophilic stippling was a pathognomic indicator for heavy metal toxicity, especially Pb. Leukopenia and macrocytic anemia were shown in 50% and 65% of examined cattle, respectively. The target hazard quotients values were more than one (>1) for all heavy metals from water intake for both children and adults and Al and Cd in milk for children, and the hazard index values were indicated higher for noncarcinogenic health hazards. The target cancer risk values predispose people in the surveyed villages to higher cancerous risks due to exposures to the mixture of heavy metal through the consumption of water and milk. CONCLUSION: The bioaccumulation and transmission of heavy metal mixtures from water sources and feeding material have detrimental influences on milk pollution and cattle health which seem to be a serious issue affecting public health in those rural communities.

Conventional intensive versus LED intensive phototherapy oxidative stress burden in neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia of haemolytic origin.

Background: Phototherapy causes oxidative stress which is of particular importance in neonates because of the increased susceptibility of neonatal red blood cell membranes to oxidative damage.Aim: To evaluate the oxidant/antioxidant status in neonates with haemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia before and after exposure to two different intensive phototherapy light sources.Patients and Methods: A randomised controlled study was undertaken in 54 full-term neonates with indirect haemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit in the first week of life. They were randomly divided into two equal groups. Group 1 infants were exposed to intensive conventional phototherapy (Bilisphere 360) and Group 2 were exposed to an intensive light-emitting diode (LED) phototherapy device (Bilitron bed 3600). Total serum bilirubin (TSB), total oxidative stress (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and the oxidative stress index (OSI) were measured before and 48 hours after initiation of phototherapy.Results: There was a significant decrease in TSB after phototherapy in both groups (p < 0.001). The TOS and OSI were significantly increased after phototherapy in both groups (p < 0.001) but more so in Group 1 with conventional phototherapy (p = 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). TAC was significantly decreased after phototherapy in both groups (p < 0.00) but more so in Group 1 (p = 0.03).There were significant increases in the incidence of dehydration, hyperthermia and skin rash in the conventional compared with the LED phototherapy group (p = 0.02, 0.01 and 0.02, respectively). However, there was a significant increase in the incidence of hypothermia in the LED compared with the conventional phototherapy group (p = 0.001).Conclusion: Both intensive conventional and LED phototherapy are equally effective in decreasing TSB, but intensive LED phototherapy is safer than intensive conventional phototherapy with regard to oxidative stress and oxidant/antioxidant imbalance.Abbreviations: DSB: direct serum bilirubin; G6PD: glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase enzyme; LED: light-emitting diode; OSI: oxidative stress index; TAC: total antioxidant capacity; TOS: total oxidative stresses; TSB: total serum bilirubin.

Interleukin-4 -590C/T gene polymorphism in Egyptian children with acute lower respiratory infection: A multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) is the leading cause of child mortality, especially in the developing world. Polymorphisms in the interleukin 4 (IL-4) gene have been linked to a variety of human diseases. OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the IL-4 -590C/T (rs2243250) polymorphism could be a genetic marker for susceptibility to ALRIs in young Egyptian children. METHODS: This was a multicenter study conducted on 480 children diagnosed with pneumonia or bronchiolitis, and 480 well-matched healthy control children. Using PCR-RFLP analysis, we genotyped a -590C/T (rs2243250) single nucleotide polymorphism of the IL-4 gene promoter, meanwhile the serum IL-4concentration was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: The frequency of the IL-4 -590 T/T genotype and T allele were overrepresented in patients with ALRIs in comparison to the control group (OR = 2.0; [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38-2.96]; for the T/T genotype) and (OR: 1.3; [95%CI: 1.07-1.56]; for the T allele; P < 0.01). The IL-4 -590 T/T genotype was associated with significantly higher mean serum IL-4 concentration (58.7 ± 13.4 pg/mL) compared to the C/T genotype (47.6 ± 11 pg/mL) and the C/C genotype (34.8 ± 9.6 pg/mL); P < 0.01. CONCLUSION: The IL-4 -590C/T (rs2243250) polymorphism may contribute to susceptibility to ALRIs in young Egyptian children.

Association of vitamin D receptor gene FokI polymorphism and susceptibility to CAP in Egyptian children: a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is the leading cause of child deaths around the world. Recently, the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene has emerged as a susceptibility gene for CAP. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the association of the VDR gene Fok I polymorphism with susceptibility to CAP in Egyptian children. METHODS: This was a multicenter case-control study of 300 patients diagnosed with CAP, and 300 well-matched healthy control children. The VDR Fok I (rs2228570) polymorphism was genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), meanwhile serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25D) level was assessed using ELISA method. RESULTS: The frequencies of the VDR FF genotype and F allele were more common in patients with CAP than in our control group (OR = 3.6; (95% CI: 1.9-6.7) for the FF genotype; P = 0.001) and (OR: 1.8; (95% CI: 1.4-2.3) for the F allele; P = 0.01). Patients carrying the VDR FF genotype had lower serum (25D) level (mean; 14.8 ± 3.6 ng/ml) than Ff genotype (20.6 ± 4.5 ng/ml) and the ff genotype (24.5 ± 3.7 ng/ml); P < 0.01. CONCLUSION: The VDR gene Fok I (rs2228570) polymorphism confers susceptibility to CAP in Egyptian children.

Interleukin-1ß and interleukin-1receptor antagonist polymorphisms in Egyptian children with febrile seizures: A case-control study.

Febrile seizure is the most common seizure disorder of childhood. Of the pro-inflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1 is defined as the first endogenous pyrogen.We designed this study to investigate single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) situated at positions -31 (C/T), and -511 (C/T) of interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß) gene promoter and interleukin-1receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) gene variable number of tandem repeats in intron 2 (VNTR); to determine whether these polymorphisms could be a marker of susceptibility to febrile seizures in Egyptian children and we also measured the serum level of IL-1ß to assess its relation to such polymorphisms.This was a case-control study included 155 patients with febrile seizure, and matched with age, sex, ethnicity 155 healthy control subjects. IL-1ß promoter at positions -31 (C/T), -511 (C/T), and IL-1RA gene VNTR polymorphisms were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP), while the serum IL-1ß levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.The frequency of the IL-1ß-511 TT genotype and T allele at the same position were observed to be increased in patients with febrile seizures (FS) compared with the control group (odds ratio [OR]: 3.96; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.68-9.5; P = 0.001 for the TT genotype and OR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.18-2.3; P = 0.003 for the T allele, respectively). The IL-1 RA II/II homozygous variant and IL-1 RA allele II were overrepresented in patients with FS than control group (OR: 4.02; 95% CI: 1.78-9.15; P = 0.001and OR: 1.73; 95% CI: 1.24-2.4; P = 0.001, respectively). We found a significant positive association between the IL-1 RA II/II genotype and susceptibility to FS in sporadic cases as did allele II at the same position (OR: 5.04; 95% CI: 2.1-12.5 for the IL-1 RA II/II genotype; P = 0.001) and (OR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.3-2.8 for the allele II; P = 0.001, respectively). Carriers of the IL-1RA II/II homozygous variant and allele II had significantly higher serum levels of IL-1ß compared with those with other genotypes and alleles.We demonstrate for the first time that the presence of a T allele or TT genotype at -511 of IL-1ß promoter and IL-1RA II/II genotype constitute risk factors for developing FS in Egyptian children.