P-coumaric acid ameliorates fipronil induced liver injury in mice through attenuation of structural changes, oxidative stress and inflammation.

Fipronil is a broad-spectrum phenylpyrazole insecticide and has been used effectively in the agriculture. Due to its widespread use and bioaccumulation in the environment, it possesses significant threat to human and animals. P-coumaric acid is a natural dietary polyphenolic compound that has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory property. The present study was aim to investigate the ameliorative effect of p-coumaric acid on fipronil induced liver injury. The mice were divided into five groups (SHAM, FPN, FPN/PCA/50, FPN/PCA/100 and PCA/100) and challenged with fipronil @ 25 mg/kg bw (half of LD50). Haematological, liver function biomarkers (ALT, AST, ALP, GGT), biochemical parameters (MPO, oxidative, nitrosative stress and anti-oxidant enzyme activity), levels of serum and liver inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß and IL-10), histopathology were monitored. Fipronil administration caused a significant increase in liver enzymes with concomitant significant increase in inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-10) and myeloperoxidase activity. A significant increase in oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide) as well as down regulation of anti-oxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) along with histopathological changes such as microsteatosis, hypertrophy of the hepatocytes and necrosis were observed on fipronil administration. Administration of p-coumaric acid against fipronil caused decreased serum liver enzymes, inflammatory cytokines, myeloperoxidase activity and oxidative stress along with improvement in anti-oxidant enzyme levels and structural changes induced by fipronil. Thus p-coumaric acid ameliorates the FPN induced liver injury in mice through attenuation of structural changes, oxidative stress, and inflammation.

Transthoracic echocardiography study of congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries.

Congenitally corrected transposition of the great arteries (CCTGA) is a rare congenital heart defect, occurring in only 0.5% of patients exhibiting congenital heart defects. Because it is not seen in a routine transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) examination, CCTGA may be missed. The echocardiography diagnosis of CCTGA is difficult and not well explained in most textbooks. The present report provides key sonographic images that contribute to the diagnosis. In the present case, the patient had no prior history of heart disease. TTE revealed that the patient had CCTGA and early tricuspid regurgitation with right ventricle enlargement and hypertrophy. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:375-379, 2017.

Nitroglycerine, esmolol and dexmedetomidine for induced hypotension during functional endoscopic sinus surgery: A comparative evaluation.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Induced hypotension limits intra-operative blood loss to provide better visibility of the surgical field and diminishes the incidence of major complications during functional endoscopic sinus surgery (FESS). We aimed at comparing nitroglycerine, esmolol and dexmedetomidine for inducing controlled hypotension in patients undergoing FESS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred and fifty American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status I or II adult patients undergoing FESS under general anesthesia were randomly allocated to three groups of 50 patients each. Group E received esmolol in a loading and maintenance dose of 1 mg/kg over 1 min and 0.5-1.0 mg/kg/h, respectively. Group D received a loading dose of dexmedetomidine 1 µg/kg over 10 min followed by an infusion 0.5-1.0 µg/kg/h, and group N received nitroglycerine infusion at a dose of 0.5-2 µg/kg/min so as to maintain mean arterial pressure (MAP) between 60 and 70 mmHg in all the groups. The visibility of the surgical field was assessed by surgeon using Fromme and Boezaart scoring system. Hemodynamic variables, total intra-operative fentanyl consumption, emergence time and time to first analgesic request were recorded. Any side-effects were noted. The postoperative sedation was assessed using Ramsay Sedation Score. RESULT: The desired MAP (60-70 mmHg) could be achieved in all the three study groups albeit with titration of study drugs during intra-operative period. No significant intergroup difference was observed in Fromme's score during the intra-operative period. The mean total dose of fentanyl (µg/kg) used was found to be significantly lower in group D compared to groups E and N (1.2 ± 0.75 vs. 3.6 ± 1.3 and 2.9 ± 1.1 respectively). The mean heart rate was significantly lower in group D compared to groups E and N at all times of measurement (P < 0.05). The MAP was found to be significantly lower in group D compared to groups E and N after infusion of study drugs, after induction, just after intubation and 5 min after intubation (P < 0.05). The Ramsay Sedation Scores were significantly higher in group D (score 3 in 46%) when compared to group E (score 2 in 50%) and group N (score 2 in 54%) (P < 0.001). The emergence time was significantly lower in group E and group N compared to group D. Time to first analgesic request was significantly longer in group D. CONCLUSION: Dexmedetomidine and esmolol provided better hemodynamic stability and operative field visibility compared to nitroglycerin during FESS. Dexmedetomidine provides an additional benefit of reducing the analgesic requirements and providing postoperative sedation.

Effect of Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa on alloxan induced early stage diabetic nephropathy in rats.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) has a complex pathogenesis and poor prognosis due to the lack of therapeutic interventions. The present study investigates the effect of A. marmelos leaf extract (AME) on early alloxan induced DN. The treatment with AME was found to significantly decrease the fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, blood urea, creatinine and renal TBARS and increased the levels of renal reduced glutathione and catalase significantly as compared to the diabetic control group. The maximum dose-dependent protection was observed at a dose of 200 mg kg(-1). Histological examination revealed marked reversal of the morphological derangements with AME treatment as indicated by a decrease in glomerular expansion, tubular dilatation and inflammatory cells. The present results conclude that AME treatment has a significant ameliorative effect on early changes induced in the kidneys by alloxan and improves the outcome of DN.

Interrelationship between viscosity and electrical properties for edible oils.

Electrical properties of edible oil depend upon its total polar component, temperature and the frequency of the applied voltage. Dielectric constant, dielectric loss tangent and electrical conductivity were measured for cottonseed (Gossypium sp.), ground nut (Apios americana), mustard (Brasicca compestriss) and sun flower (Helianthus annuus) oils in the temperature range of 20 to 100°C so as to assess the potential of their applicability for assessing the quality of oils. Viscosity of the oils is an other important physical property associated with their processing and quality control. Viscosity of these oils was experimentally measured. The correlation of viscosity with dielectric loss tangent and viscosity with electrical conductivity were tested. The best correlating relations along with correlation constants, valid for the temperature range of 20-100°C are presented. The regression equation developed relating viscosity with loss tangent and electrical conductivity had high correlation coefficient (R(2) > 0.96) for all the four oils within temperature range of 20-100°C.

Biochemical and physiological changes in Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum- graecum L.) leaves during storage under modified atmosphere packaging.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.), is a highly respiring leafy vegetable enriched with many nutrients and other active ingredients such as protein, vitamin C, niacin, potassium, alkaloids, lysine and L-tryptophan as well as steroidal saponins which are beneficial for human health. Both, quantitative and qualitative losses in this vegetable can be reduced by appropriate packaging and storage techniques which have not been applied hitherto. This study was taken upon to assess the potential of macro-perforated MAP for storage of fenugreek leaves. Packages (bag area: 0.075 m(2)) made from polypropylene (PP) film (Thickness: 35 µmm) were selected for the storage studies. The leaves were packaged in macro-perforated (2 perforations, perforation diameter: 0.3 mm each, with and without mustard seeds as natural absorbents) as well as in non-perforated PP film packages with and without mustard seeds. 10 g of mustard seeds were placed inside the packages to check water accumulation. The packaged samples were stored for 6 days at 75% relative humidity (RH) at 15°C to check water accumulation, if any. Different physiological and biochemical characteristics which generally affect the post-harvest life of the produce were monitored during the storage period. Results of the study suggested that among all the treatments, packaging of fenugreek in two perforation packets with mustard seeds resulted in best maintenance of chlorophyll, ascorbic acid, phenols and aroma. Water accumulation was also consoled due to mustard seeds after 6 days of storage.

Investigating the impact of fungicides and mungbean genotypes on the management of pod rot disease caused by Fusarium equiseti and Fusarium chlamydosporum.

Introduction: Mungbean is a vital pulse crop in India that can thrive in dry-land conditions and is grown in three seasons, with the added benefit of being used as green manure due to its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Recently, pod rot disease has emerged as a serious threat to mungbean cultivation in India. Methods: In this study, morpho-molecular identification of associated pathogens and the bio-efficacy of systemic and non-systemic fungicides as well as genotype screening was performed during the years 2019 and 2020. The pathogens associated with this disease were confirmed on the basis of morphological and molecular characterization. For the molecular characterization, the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (tef-1) gene sequences were amplified by using primers (EF1 and EF2). Results: Under in vitro conditions, trifloxystrobin + tebuconazole 75% WG was found to be the most effective against Fusarium equiseti (ED50 2.39 µg ml-1) and Fusarium chlamydosporum (ED50 4.23 µg ml-1) causal agents of pod rot of mungbean. Under field conditions, three applications of trifloxystrobin + tebuconazole 75% WG at 0.07% as a foliar application at fortnightly intervals starting from the last week of July proved to be the most effective against pod rot disease on mungbean cultivars, i.e., ML 2056 and SML 668. To identify the potential resistance sources, 75 interspecific derivative and mutant lines of mungbean were screened for disease reaction to pod rot under natural epiphytotic conditions for the years 2019 and 2020. Genotypic differences were observed for resistance to pod rot disease. The study revealed that among the tested genotypes, ML 2524 exhibited resistance to pod rot disease, with a disease incidence of 15.62% and disease severity of 7.69%. In addition, 41 other genotypes were found to be moderately resistant (MR) to the disease. Conclusion: Altogether, the identified management options will offer an immediate solution to manage this disease under recent outbreak conditions and pave a path for futuristic disease management using identified resistant sources in breeding programs.

Synthetic approaches to a chiral 4-amino-3-hydroxy piperidine with pharmaceutical relevance.

Four synthetic strategies were evaluated towards the preparation of (-)-(3R,4R)-1-benzyl-4-(benzylamino)piperidin-3-ol (1), which was constructed with control over the relative and absolute stereochemistry of the 4,3-amino alcohol moiety. The first strategy employed a novel Rh(I) catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation, while two other strategies exploited the existing stereochemistry in 2-deoxy-D-ribose, and the fourth explored both biocatalytic and classical resolution techniques as a means to impart enantioenrichment to racemic intermediates en route to targeted structure (-)-1.

Karyotypic findings in chronic myeloid leukemia cases undergoing treatment.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative expansion of primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, CML samples were collected from various hospitals in Amritsar, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. RESULTS: Chromosomal alterations seen in peripheral blood lymphocytes of these treated and untreated cases of CML were satellite associations, double minutes, random loss, gain of C group chromosomes and presence of marker chromosome. No aberrations were observed in control samples. Karyotypic abnormalities have also been noted in the Ph-negative cells of some patients in disease remission. CONCLUSION: This is a novel phenomenon whose prognostic implications require thorough and systematic evaluation.

Coverage vs Utilization of integrated child services scheme (ICDS): A community based study in urban block of Patiala, Punjab (India).

Introduction: Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme provides a wide range of health, nutrition and education services to children, women and adolescent girls. Maternal satisfaction usually influences service uptake and utilization. Therefore, in addition to coverage, the quality of services provided and end-user satisfaction need to be assessed. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional community-level study was conducted in the urban block of the Patiala district in Punjab. A total of 54 AWCs were selected from a sample frame of 222 by applying a systematic random sampling technique. From each selected AWC, 20 mothers of registered beneficiaries (0-6 years) were randomly selected for interview. The data collected was entered and analysed using SPSS version 22. Results: The present study revealed that most of the Anganwadis (87.19%) were regularly open for the provision of various ICDS services. However, only 48.02% of children received supplementary nutrition from AWC regularly. Only 32.36% of children who were sick were referred by AWW. Satisfaction with quantity and quality of food served was found to be 61% and 45.90% among mothers, respectively. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is a need to improve the quality of services to overcome the problem of under-utilisation of services despite the wide coverage of ICDS services; regular orientation and training courses for AWWs should be conducted to ensure better service delivery to all beneficiaries.

Sorption isotherm characteristics of aonla flakes.

The equilibrium moisture content was determined for un-osmosed and osmosed (salt osmosed and sugar osmosed) aonla flakes using the static method at temperatures of 25, 40,50, 60 and 70 °C over a range of relative humidities from 20 to 90%. The sorption capacity of aonla decreased with an increase in temperature at constant water activity. The sorption isotherms exhibited hysteresis, in which the equilibrium moisture content was higher at a particular equilibrium relative humidity for desorption curve than for adsorption. The hysteresis effect was more pertinent for un-osmosed and salt osmosed samples in comparison to sugar osmosed samples. Five models namely the modified Chung Pfost, modified Halsey, modified Henderson, modified Exponential and Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) were evaluated to determine the best fit for the experimental data. For both adsorption and desorption process of aonla fruit, the equilibrium moisture content of un-osmosed and osmosed aonla samples can be predicted well by GAB model as well as modified Exponential model. Moreover, the modified Exponential model was found to be the best for describing the sorption behaviour of un-osmosed and salt osmosed samples while, GAB model for sugar osmosed aonla samples.

Ameliorative effect of the cinnamon oil from Cinnamomum zeylanicum upon early stage diabetic nephropathy.

The current study was designed to evaluate the ameliorative effect of the cinnamon oil upon early stage diabetic nephropathy owing to its antioxidant and antidiabetic effect. Cinnamon oil was extracted by hydro-distillation of the dried inner bark of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume. Further characterization of the extracted oil was carried out using IR, (1)H-NMR, and (13)C-NMR techniques. Early stage of diabetic nephropathy was induced by administration of alloxan (150 mg/kg, I. P.). Cinnamon oil was administered at varying doses (5, 10, 20 mg/kg; I. P.) while the level of fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein, urea, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, reduced glutathione, and catalase were determined. These parameters in cinnamon oil treated groups were compared with those of standard (glipizide; 10 mg/kg) and vehicle treated groups in order to investigate if cinnamon oil confers a significant protection against diabetic nephropathy. Histological studies of the kidney proved the protective effect of cinnamon oil by reducing the glomerular expansion, eradicating hyaline casts, and decreasing the tubular dilatations. Our results indicate that the volatile oil from cinnamon contains more than 98 % cinnamaldehyde and that it confers dose-dependent, significant protection against alloxan-induced renal damage, the maximum decrease in fasting blood glucose having been achieved at the dose of 20 mg/kg.

Thymic amyloidoma mimicking sclerosing thymoma in a triple vessel disease patient: An incidental finding.

A 65 year old man who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for triple vessel disease was found to have enlarged thymus. Biopsy of the thymic mass revealed localised amyloid deposits demonstrating strong apple green birefringence on polarised microscopy. Localized thymic amyloidosis is an extremely rare finding with present case as the seventh in the world and the first in India. Review of literature of thymic amyloidoma and its close differential sclerosing thymoma is hereby described.

MicroRNA expression profiling in PBMCs of Indian water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) infected with Brucella and Johne's disease.

BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs play key roles in host-pathogen-interactions and disease pathogenesis. Our aim was to characterize the differentially expressed miRNAs in the blood cells of diseased (Brucellosis-positive, Johne's disease-positive) and healthy- water buffaloes. The pooled small-RNA samples of each group were sequenced on Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM) sequencer and the data were analyzed for differential expression. RESULTS: Here we identified 274 known miRNAs with bovine homologs and 36 novel mature-star miRNAs from the sequnces of small RNA libraries. Overall 195 miRNAs were common to all the three groups. Certain miRNAs such as bta-miR-21-5p, -26a, -29a/b, -30d - 103, - 140, - 150, - 191, - 374, - 1434-5p,-1260b, - 2484 and let-7 members were abundantly expressed in diseased groups. Bta-miR-1434-5p, - 188, -200c were up-regulated (> 1.5 folds) while bta-miR-27a-5p, -34b and -2285x were down-regulated (> 100 folds) in Brucellosis group. In Johne's Disease group, only 3 miRNAs (bta-miR-1434-5p, - 2340 and - 2484) were up-regulated (> 1.5 folds). The functional classification of miRNA target genes into gene ontology (GO) terms indicated their involvement in innate immunity and cellular process of disease pathogenesis. Expression profile of four differentially expressed miRNAs (bta-miR-9-5p, - 677, - 331-3p and - 2440) and eight predicted target-genes were validated through reverse transcriptase qPCR. CONCLUSION: This study provides a valuable frame of reference for elucidation of regulatory roles of miRNAs associated with disease pathogenesis in water buffaloes as well as identification of miRNA biomarkers for disease diagnosis and treatment.

Social Media Use and Community-Based Cardiovascular Health-care Professionals: Perception versus Reality.

Social media use has dramatically increased in the past two decades. This growth has been seen in the health-care field as well. Social media is being used for a variety of activities including networking, education, public health, and marketing. Health-care professionals in cardiology participate in social media to varying degrees and in different ways. Current studies have focused primarily on physicians who have an established presence on social media. To learn more about the social media habits of community-based cardiology providers, we queried attendants at a cardiovascular conference held by our health-care system. The purpose of this article is to: Highlight the social media habits of a range of community-based cardiology providers and distinguish between producing and consuming social media. There is a predominance of social media content consumers compared to producersOutline important considerations when assessing the risks and benefits of social media use and the perceived concerns of cardiology health-care professionalsEmphasize the need to incorporate guidelines for social media use into institutional policies and provide training on social media use to the health-care community.

Providing skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care to the poor through partnership with private sector obstetricians in Gujarat, India.

PROBLEM: India has the world's largest number of maternal deaths estimated at 117,000 per year. Past efforts to provide skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care in rural areas have not succeeded because obstetricians are not willing to be posted in government hospitals at subdistrict level. APPROACH: We have documented an innovative public-private partnership scheme between the Government of Gujarat, in India, and private obstetricians practising in rural areas to provide delivery care to poor women. LOCAL SETTING: In April 2007, the majority of poor women delivered their babies at home without skilled care. RELEVANT CHANGES: More than 800 obstetricians joined the scheme and more than 176,000 poor women delivered in private facilities. We estimate that the coverage of deliveries among poor women under the scheme increased from 27% to 53% between April and October 2007. The programme is considered very successful and shows that these types of social health insurance programmes can be managed by the state health department without help from any insurance company or international donor. LESSONS LEARNED: At least in some areas of India, it is possible to develop large-scale partnerships with the private sector to provide skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care to poor women at a relatively small cost. Poor women will take up the benefit of skilled delivery care rapidly, if they do not have to pay for it.

A population-based cross-sectional study to determine the practices of breastfeeding among the lactating mothers of Patiala city.

INTRODUCTION: The present study was undertaken to study the breastfeeding practices and the influence of literacy and prevailing cultural factors on different aspects of breastfeeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted at Badungar, a semi-urban area in Patiala city including a total of 370 mothers. Mothers were interviewed using pre-formed, semi-structured Performa. The participant's demographic information, awareness and practices regarding breastfeeding were recorded by paying house to house visits. Data were analyzed using SPSS ver. 21. RESULTS: Only 27.30% of the mothers knew that breastfeeding should be initiated within 1 hour of birth. A total of 51.62% mothers considered prelacteal feed to be the right practice while 55.95% considered colostrum bad for the baby. Only 53.78% of the lactating mothers knew the correct meaning of exclusive breastfeeding. Only 24.86% mothers started breastfeeding within an hour after birth. Colostrum was not given by 57.29% of the lactating mothers while Prelacteal feeds were given by 50.81% mothers. Exclusive breastfeeding till 6 months was given by 45.67% mothers. A significant association was observed in high mother's education, high socio-economic status, nuclear status of family, history of antenatal care registration, and hospital delivery with exclusive breastfeeding (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Study concluded that breastfeeding practices were not optimum; hence promotion of knowledge regarding the right practices of breastfeeding and focus on the factors affecting them is highly warranted in this area.

Synthesis and application of molecular probe for detection of hydroxyl radicals produced by Na(125)I and gamma-rays in aqueous solution.

PURPOSE: To synthesize N-(3-(3-aminopropylamino)propyl)-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carboxamide (7), a novel DNA-binding, coumarin-based, fluorescent hydroxylradical ((*)OH) indicator and to assess its quantum efficiency compared with that of coumarin-3-carboxylic acid (1) and N1,N12-bis[2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbonyl]- 1,12-diamine-4,9-diazadodecane (9). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using computer-generated molecular modeling, 7 and 9 and their respective 7-hydroxylated derivatives 8 and 10 were docked onto DNA dodecamer d(CGCGAATTCGCG)2, the ligand-DNA complexes were energy minimized, and binding free energies and inhibition constants were calculated. Compound 7 was judged an appropriate target molecule and was synthesized. Compounds 1, 7, and 9 were incubated with Na(125)I or irradiated with (137)Cs gamma-rays, and the influence of pH, dose, type of radiation, and the concentration of indicator on fluorescence yield were determined. RESULTS: Non-fluorescent 7 and 9 are converted to fluorescent, 7-hydroxylated derivatives 8 and 10 after interaction with (*)OH in aqueous solution. For 1, 7, and 9, hydroxylation yield increases linearly with both Na(125)I dose (0-700 x 10(6) decays) and (137)Cs dose (0-11.0 Gy). Fluorescence induction is significantly reduced at acidic pH and the fluorescent quantum yield of 8 is approximately 3 times that of 2 or 10 at pH 7.0. With Na(125)I incubation and gamma-ray irradiation, the fluorescence signal of 7 increases linearly with concentration and saturates at approximately 50 microM. CONCLUSION: Compound 7 quantifies lower concentrations of (*)OH than do 1 and 9. This detector is therefore likely to be a good reporter of (*)OH produced within a few nanometers of DNA.

Molecular characterization of field isolates and vaccine strains of infectious bursal disease virus.

The present investigation was conducted to study the genetic heterogenicity and molecular polymorphism among the field isolates and vaccine strains of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Samples of bursa of Fabricius from 15 suspected outbreaks of infectious bursal disease (IBD) were subjected to agar gel precipitation test (AGPT), virus isolation and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) combined with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Nine out of 15 samples were found positive in AGPT while 14 were found positive both by virus isolation and RT-PCR. PCR amplified 474bp fragment from the variable region of VP2. Sac I, Stu I, Alu I, Ssp I and Mbo I restriction enzymes were used for characterization of all the 14 IBDV isolates and four reference vaccine strains. Sac I, Stu I, Alu I and Ssp I could differentiate classical virulent IBD (cvIBD) vaccine virus strains from very virulent IBD (vvIBD) field isolates by their varying restriction patterns. Based on above results two field isolates (VPL and VMK) were placed in cvIBD virus group and 12 field isolates were placed in vvIBD virus group. Virus neutralisation test (VNT) using rabbit raised Georgia strain anti-serum, however, could not differentiate between cvIBD virus and vvIBD virus. It was concluded that RT-PCR combined with RFLP assay using restriction enzymes Sac I, Stu I, Alu I and Ssp I can be used for rapid differentiation and classification of field isolates of IBDV.

Fowl adenovirus (FAdV) serotype 4 causes depletion of B and T cells in lymphoid organs in specific pathogen-free chickens following experimental infection.

In the present investigation flow cytometric analysis and immunohistochemistry were applied together for the first time to gain new insights into the interaction between virulent fowl adenoviruses (FAdV) and the immune system of chickens. As a model for virulent FAdV infections a FAdV-4 strain was used, known as the aetiological agent of Hepatitis-Hydropericardium syndrome (HHS) in broilers sometimes also named Angara Disease. Specified pathogen-free chickens (SPF) were divided into three different groups. Group I was infected at first day of life with an attenuated form of the virus obtained through continuous cell culture passage with the virulent virus and then re-infected 3 weeks later with the virulent progenitor virus. Group II was solely infected with the virulent virus at 3 weeks and group III served as a negative control. Following infection with the virulent virus a decrease of CD3+, CD4+ and CD8+ cells was noticed in the spleen. This was accompanied by a decrease of CD4+ and CD8+ T-lymphocytes in the thymus. Those birds infected with the attenuated virus in first instance and challenged with the virulent virus did not show these pathological effects in the thymus. In the bursa of Fabricius a severe depletion of lymphocytes was observed by immunohistochemistry in birds, infected with the virulent virus. Taken together it can be concluded that an infection with FAdV-4 has profound effects on cells, of the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses. The effects are much more severe in the birds infected with the virulent virus only indicating that the preceding infection with the attenuated virus reduces significantly the adverse effects induced by the virulent virus.