Abstract
This study compares corn silage (CS) with an orange pulp-wheat straw mixture (OW) ensiled with either sugar beet pulp (SBP), wheat bran (WB), or urea in terms of intake, chemical ...composition, phenolic compounds, silage fermentation characteristics, digestibility, in vivo rumen variables and biochemical blood variables in 48 Shall male sheep, and in vitro methane (CH4) production. In addition to CS, five other silages: OW (i.e., 87.5% fresh orange pulp + 12.5% wheat straw); OWU (OW + 1% urea); OWS (87.5% fresh orange pulp + 8.6% wheat straw + 3.9% SBP); OWSU (87.5% fresh orange pulp + 8.6% wheat straw + 1% urea + 3.9% SBP); and OWB (87.5% fresh orange pulp + 8.6% wheat straw + 3.9% SBP) were ensiled for 90 days. All diets, which contained a mineral-vitamin premix (10 g/kg of dry matter DM), were each randomly assigned to five sheep (live weight 40 ± 2.5 kg) using a completely randomized design, and the SAS software MIXED method was used for data analysis. Among all silages, OWU and OWSU had the highest (P < 0.01) ammonia-N concentration, but there were no differences in other fermentation characteristics. Animals fed on the CS diet had higher DM intake (P = 0.01) and DM (P = 0.01), organic matter (P = 0.01), and neutral detergent fiber (P = 0.02) digestibilities compared with other diets. However, sheep receiving OWU and OWSU diets had higher (P < 0.01) crude protein digestibility than those fed on other diets. The OWU and OWSU-fed sheep had the highest (P = 0.04) ruminal ammonia-N concentration. Sheep fed on CS had higher (P = 0.03) ruminal total short-chain fatty acids, acetate concentration (P = 0.02), total protozoa (P < 0.01), and cellulolytic bacteria numbers (P < 0.01), but had a lower (P = 0.03) propionate concentration compared with the other sheep. In vitro CH4 production was higher (P = 0.01) with the CS diet compared to the orange pulp diets. Estimated microbial protein supply was lower (P = 0.05) with CS compared to all orange silages. In conclusion, the variation in the nutritive quality among the OWS, OWSU, and OWB is relatively small, and the OWB, which is most comparable to CS, was judged to be nutritionally the best among the diets.
• Ensiled orange pulp produced good-quality silage that compared with well corn silage.
• The nutrient digestibilities of ensiled orange pulp diets are comparable to corn silage, and it has no adverse effects on ruminal and blood variables.
Lay Summary
Changing climate conditions leading to lower rainfall and subsequently less water for irrigation may result in a shortage of conventional animal feedstuffs such as corn (Zea mays) for silage. The use of cheap agro-industrial byproducts, such as ensiled orange pulp is a useful way of overcoming this problem. This study compares the nutritional quality of an orange pulp-wheat straw mixture ensiled with either sugar beet, wheat bran, or urea compared with corn silage in sheep rations. The results showed that the OWSU and OWB silages were the most comparable to corn silage in terms of nutritional quality.
Near isogenic F
2
(NIF
2
) population frequently developed by conventional backcross has dramatically contributed to QTL identification in plants. Developing such a NIF
2
population is ...time-consuming. Thus, it is urgent to rapidly produce a NIF
2
population for QTL cloning. Here, we proposed a rapid QTL cloning strategy by generating a Pseudo-near isogenic F
2
population (Pseudo-NIF
2
), which segregates at the target QTL but is fixed at other QTLs for the target trait. Nineteen QTLs for GL, GW, and TGW were detected in the F
2
population from the cross between Zhenshan 97 and Egy316. To verify the efficiency of Pseudo-NIF
2
in QTL quick cloning, the novel moderate QTL
qGL10.1
which explained 9.1% and 5.6% of grain length variation in F
2
and F
2:3
populations was taken as an example. An F
2
plant (F
2
-120), which segregated at
qGL10.1
but fixed at other 8 QTLs for grain length, was screened to generate a Pseudo-NIF
2
population by selfing cross. In the Pseudo-NIF
2
population, the segregation ratio of plants with long grains to short grains fits 3:1, indicating that one gene controlled the variation of grain length. Based on the Pseudo-NIF
2
and its progeny,
qGL10.1
was fine mapped to a 19.3-kb region, where a gene
OsMADS56
was verified as the candidate by functional polymorphism between parental alleles. Pseudo-NIF
2
strategy is a rapid way for QTL cloning, which saves 3 to 4 cropping seasons compared to the conventional way. Applying the method for cloning QTL with moderate or major effects is promising.
Background
Infant anemia has a significant impact on physical and cognitive development, not only in infancy but also throughout their life.
Objective
The study aimed to estimate the prevalence, ...types, and risk factors of anemia in infancy.
Patients and Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 498 infants aged 6-23 months who attended five primary healthcare centers in Kafr-el Sheikh governorate, Egypt, for vaccination and follow-up.
Results
The prevalence of anemia among the study infants was 44%, with the highest in those aged 6-12 months. Maternal anemia in pregnancy, low birth weight infant, and lack of adherence to iron supplementation were the significant risk factors for anemia.
Conclusion
Infant anemia in Egypt resembles a complicated multifactorial severe health issue with a long-run burden. Health policy interventions such as early screening at 6 months old, more adherence to iron supplements for infants, maternal nutrition education, family planning, and birth spacing between siblings should be accessed to overcome and manage this health problem.
Prolonged sitting during driving is linked to neck pain, uncomfortable body positions, and repetitive motions. Recognizing these challenges, this study aimed to investigate Cervical Health Parameters ...in Car Drivers.
The sample consisted of 160 car drivers between 25 and 45 years. This subject was then divided into two groups based on neck pain. Participants met the required criteria, such as being between 25-45 years of age, maintaining a BMI of 18-24, and driving for at least 2 hours each day for at least 3-5 years. To evaluate the results, we employed a clinometer and compass app on a smartphone to measure the Cervical Range of Motion (CROM). We used Surgimap software to estimate the Craniovertebral Angle (CVA), and a (Cervical range of motion) CROM device was used for proprioception assessment.
The result shows the participants in neck pain group displayed lower Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) values than without neck Pain Group. Similarly, the Craniovertebral Angle (CVA) was smaller in the neck Pain Group (mean difference of -6.3°), indicating a more forward head posture. Neck pain resulted in a mean difference of -4.5° in proprioception accuracy. This indicates that neck pain affects CROM, CVA, and proprioception in car drivers.
Car driving significantly impacts cervical parameters in individuals with neck pain, reducing cervical range of motion, altered craniovertebral angle, and diminished proprioceptive accuracy. These findings emphasize the need for ergonomic interventions and proprioceptive training tailored for drivers. Future research should broaden demographic parameters and consider potential confounders to provide a holistic understanding of the relationship between car driving and neck health.
Prognosis of metastatic melanoma has undergone substantial improvement with the discovery of checkpoint inhibitors. Immunotherapies and targeted therapies have improved the median overall survival ...(OS) of metastatic melanoma from 6 months to more than 3 years. However, still about half of the patients die due to uncontrolled disease. Therefore, multiple strategies are currently being investigated to improve outcomes. One such strategy is intralesional/intratumoral (IT) therapies which can either directly kill the tumor cells or make the tumor more immunogenic to be recognized by the immune system. Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), an oncolytic virus, is the first FDA approved IT therapy. This review focuses on the current status of IT agents currently under clinical trials in melanoma. Reviewed therapies include T-VEC, T-VEC with immune checkpoint inhibitors including ipilimumab and pembrolizumab or other agents, RP1, OrienX010, Canerpaturev (C-REV, HF10), CAVATAK (coxsackievirus A21, CVA21) alone or in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, oncolytic polio/rhinovirus recombinant (PVSRIPO), MAGE-A3-expressing MG1 Maraba virus, VSV-IFNbetaTYRP1, suicide gene therapy, ONCOS-102, OBP-301 (Telomelysin), Stimulation of Interferon Genes Pathway (STING agonists) including DMXAA, MIW815 (ADU-S100) and MK-1454, PV-10, toll-like receptors (TLRs) agonists including TLR-9 agonists (SD-101, CMP-001, IMO-2125 or tilsotolimod, AST-008 or cavrotolimod, MGN1703 or lefitolimod), CV8102, NKTR-262 plus NKTR-214, LHC165, G100, intralesional interleukin-2, Daromun (L19IL2 plus L19TNF), Hiltonol (poly-ICLC), electroporation including calcium electroporation and plasmid interleukin-12 electroporation (pIL-12 EP), IT ipilimumab, INT230-6 (cisplatin and vinblastine with an amphiphilic penetration enhancer), TTI-621 (SIRPαFc), CD-40 agonistic antibodies (ABBV-927 and APX005M), antimicrobial peptide LL37 and other miscellaneous agents.
Bronchial asthma is a persistent inflammatory respiratory condition that restricts the passage of air and causes hyperresponsiveness. Chronic asthma can be classified into three categories: mild, ...moderate, and severe. Remodeling took place as the extracellular matrix accumulated in the walls of the airways. Inflammation occurs as a result of the damage caused by matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) to basement membrane type IV collagen. The severity of asthma may be associated with miR-196a2. The objective of our study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms and clinical relevance of miR-196a2 and MMP-2 serum levels in relation to the severity of asthma.
This study recruited 85 controls and 95 asthmatics classified as mild, moderate, or severe. Expression of miR-196a2 was measured by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), MMP-2, IL-6, and total immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels in the serum of asthmatics of various grades were compared to a control group. MMP-2's diagnostic and prognostic potential was determined using ROC curve analysis. This study also measured blood Eosinophils and PFTs. We examined MMP-2's connections with IgE, blood Eosinophils, and PFTs.
The current investigation found that miR-196a2 expression was significantly higher in the control group than in asthmatic patients as a whole. The study found that severe asthmatics had higher MMP-2, IL-6, and IgE serum levels than healthy controls. We identified the MMP-2 serum concentration cutoff with great sensitivity and specificity. Significant relationships between MMP-2 serum level and miR-196a2 expression in the patient group with severe asthmatics were found. The MMP-2, IL-6, and IgE serum levels were considerably higher in mild, moderate, and severe asthmatics than controls. The miR-196a2 expression and MMP-2 serum concentration correlated positively with IgE and blood eosinophils % and negatively with all lung function tests in the asthmatic patient group.
Conclusion: the study revealed that the elevated miR-196a2 expression and serum concentration of MMP-2, IL-6, and IgE associated with elevated blood eosinophils % is associated with pathophysiology and degree of asthma severity. The miR-196a2 expression and MMP-2 serum concentration have a promising diagnostic and prognostic ability in bronchial asthma.
Enterobacteriaceae is a large family of Gram-negative bacteria that are considered as normal gut flora. They are the most common human pathogens. The main objective of this study was to investigate ...the carbapenemase genes in clinical isolates of Enterobacteriaceae resistant to carbapenem antibiotics and determine their clonal relationship using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
In the present study, bacteria were isolated and identified via conventional biochemical tests and API 20NE. Antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated by using the disc diffusion method and MIC was carried out using the E-test. Phenotypic determination of carbapenemases was performed by employing a modified Hodge test (MHT). Carbapenemase genes including IMP, VIM, KPC, NDM and OXA-48 were amplified by PCR. The relationships between their clonal types with l restriction enzyme were examined using PFGE.
Out of 40 isolates that were resistant or moderately susceptible to carbapenem antibiotics, 29 (72.5 %) strains were positive for carbapenem enzymes phenotypically. Moreover, six isolates contained carbapenemase genes including IMP, VIM, NDM and OXA-48, but the KPC gene was not found in any of the isolates. PFGE results showed that E. coli strains in our area were clustered into eight pulsotypes (A-H), Klebsiella spp. isolates five pulsotypes (A-E) and Proteus spp. had two pulsotypes (A, B). The high resistance to antimicrobial agents in the A, B and F pulsotypes was attributed to E. coli clinical isolates.
Our results could reflect some hospital multidrug-resistant strains in nosocomial infections. The widespread emergence of carbapenem-resistant isolates has caused increasing concern in recent years. Therefore, specific strategies should be designed and evaluated for the control of resistant strains.
In this paper we discuss the multistage sequential estimation of the variance of the Rayleigh distribution using the three-stage procedure that was presented by Hall (Ann. Stat. 9(6):1229–1238, ...1981). Since the Rayleigh distribution variance is a linear function of the distribution scale parameter’s square, it suffices to estimate the Rayleigh distribution’s scale parameter’s square. We tackle two estimation problems: first, the minimum risk point estimation problem under a squared-error loss function plus linear sampling cost, and the second is a fixed-width confidence interval estimation, using a unified optimal stopping rule. Such an estimation cannot be performed using fixed-width classical procedures due to the non-existence of a fixed sample size that simultaneously achieves both estimation problems. We find all the asymptotic results that enhanced finding the three-stage regret as well as the three-stage fixed-width confidence interval for the desired parameter. The procedure attains asymptotic second-order efficiency and asymptotic consistency. A series of Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to study the procedure’s performance as the optimal sample size increases. We found that the simulation results agree with the asymptotic results.
Disabled people are facing many difficulties communicating with others and involving in society. Modern societies have dedicated significant efforts to promote the integration of disabled individuals ...into their societies and services. Currently, smart healthcare systems are used to facilitate disabled people. The objective of this paper is to enable two-way communication of deaf individuals with the rest of society, thus enabling their migration from marginal elements of society to mainstream contributing elements. In the proposed system, we developed three modules; the sign recognition module (SRM) that recognizes the signs of a deaf individual, the speech recognition and synthesis module (SRSM) that processes the speech of a non-deaf individual and converts it to text, and an Avatar module (AM) to generate and perform the corresponding sign of the non-deaf speech, which were integrated into the sign translation companion system called Saudi deaf companion system (SDCS) to facilitate the communication from the deaf to the hearing and vice versa. This paper also contributes to the literature by utilizing our self-developed database, the largest Saudi Sign Language (SSL) database-the King Saud University Saudi-SSL (KSU-SSL). The proposed SDCS system performs 293 Saudi signs that are recommended by the Saudi Association for Hearing Impairment (SAHI) from 10 domains (healthcare, common, alphabets, verbs, pronouns and adverbs, numbers, days, kings, family, and regions).
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