Fouling resistance investigations of seaweed products.

Any solid, unprotected, and undefended surface in the aquatic environment will be fouled. Fouling, on the other hand, can affect a wide range of species that can tolerate some epibiosis. Several others, on the other hand, aggressively keep the epibionts off their body surface (antifouling). Antifouling defenses are built into marine plants like seaweed and seagrass. They do have a distinctive surface structure with tightly packed needle-like peaks and antifouling coverings, which may hinder settling bacteria's ability to cling. Chemical antifouling resistance is most probably a biological reaction to epibiosis' ecological drawbacks, especially for organisms capable of performing photosynthesis. The goal of this study was to see how effective natural compounds derived from littoral seaweeds were in preventing fouling. The brown mussel, an important fouling organism, was evaluated in laboratory bioassays against fifty-one populations' crude organic extracts including fort-two macroalgae species. Antifouling activity, exhibited a distinct phylogenetic pattern, with red macroalgae having the largest share of active species, subsequently brown macroalgae. Antifouling action in green seaweeds has never been significant. Seven species showed some level of induced antifouling defense. Our findings appear to back up previous findings about secondary metabolite synthesis in seaweeds, indicating that in the hunt for novel antifoulants, researchers should concentrate their efforts on tropical red macroalgae.

The Potential Benefits of Legumes Germ and Cereal Grains on Roosters' Reproductive Performance.

Vit E is known as one of the most important antioxidant. It has been previously approved that cereal grains and leafy plants are considered as the main source for α-tocopherol (Vit E). One of the recommended therapies for male infertility would be the Vit E therapy. Following Vit E consumption the semen parameters such as sperm concentration, ejaculation volume, sperm progressive motility, and in vitro function (zone binding assay) have been significantly improved. Therefore, present study was designed to investigate the effects of oral administration of cereal grain and seeds on reproductive performance of local cocks. During a period of 63 weeks, 100 local (Iraqi breed) rooster chicks were randomly divided into the five groups (n=20). Animals in group 1 served as control group and had not received any supplementations in their diet. The animals in the Groups 2-5 received diets which were fortified with 100, 200, 300, and 400 g of cereal grain and legume seeds pure germs. The results of the current study showed that the total number of spermatozoa and percentages of abnormal sperm were decreased by adding more amount of germ of cereal grain and seeds (P<0.01). Increased germ of cereal grain and seeds was not associated with pH volume, colour, consistency and motility of the sperm compared to corresponding rates in control group. Phospholipids content and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance of semen sample as well as density of ejaculate (sperm/µl) were decreased by adding increasing germ of cereal grain and seeds in diet of rosters. Weight of testis decreased by increasing levels of cereal grains and legume seeds germ in the diets (P<0.05).

Histological Study of the Effect of Aqueous Extract of the Beetle Cocoon on Liver Tissue of Male Mice.

Traditional medicine has been long used to prevent and/or treat diseases worldwide based on a wealth of experiences, principles, and beliefs in different cultures. Among the extracts used in traditional medicine, we can refer to the aqueous beetle cocoon extract of Larinus maculates popularly known as Tihan in Iraq. To determine the histological effect of this extract on mice liver tissue, the animals were assigned to four groups (n=5) treated with (150,200,400) mg/kg of Cocoon aqueous extract of Larinus maculates for 14 days, respectively. Histology and immunohistochemistry test was performed to evaluate changes in liver tissue and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) levels.The results showed various pathological dose-depended changes in the liver tissue, including infiltrations, congestion, and vacuolation, along with some dead cells; moreover, necrotic hepatocytes were observed in the liver of highly concentrated treatment group (400 mg kg-1). In addition, the TNF-α level in the liver tissue was elevated by the increased concentration of the extract. The immunohistochemistry result of positive reaction to TNF-α revealed high reaction in the liver tissue of mice treated with 200 mg kg-1 and 400 mg kg-1, as compared to the control group. Furthermore, as evidenced by the obtained results, changes in hepatocytes and the severity of pathological changes in the liver depends on the concentration of the extract of Larinus maculates.