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Microclimate parameters (ammonia, ambient temperature, heat index, and relative humidity) surrounding birds affect the production and health status of poultry. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of adding natural zeolite to the litter of Japanese quail on improving microclimate parameters and its reflection in growth performance, blood gases, and blood biochemical parameters. A total of 1152 chicks were obtained from the same hatch at the 20th selection generation. Chicks were allocated into two groups based on the litter composition: Group 1: wheat straw as litter (untreated group); Group 2: 80% wheat straw + 20% zeolite (treated group). Each group consisted of 576 chicks: 410 selected line chicks and 166 control line chicks. Significant and favorable effects of the treatment on microclimate parameters during tested periods were found to favor the treated group. Either the treated group or the selected line had significantly better growth performance than the untreated group and control line. Zeolite-treated quails had significantly desirable blood gases and lower blood acidity and serum total iron binding capacity compared to the untreated group. Thus, adding natural zeolite to the litter enhanced the microclimate parameters that improved growth performance, blood gases, and blood biochemical parameters and reduced ammonia emission.

Egg production data used in this work were obtained from records of Fayoumi chickens flock belongs to El-Takamoly poultry project at Al-Azab, Fayoum Governorate. Egg production records over a 52-wk egg laying period related to 1900 hens. All data was summarized on a weekly basis as eggs per hen per week on hen-day (survivor) basis. Regarding Wood and McNally models, (a) stands for initial egg production, (a) parameter value was very low (0.001) for both models. The increasing rate to the egg production peak (parameter b) was 2.90 for the Wood model and 2.19 for the McNally model. Similarly, parameter c, the decreasing rate of egg production from the peak, was estimated to be 0.08 for the Wood model and 0.06 for the McNally model. Depending on compartmental function m, n, p and q represent scale parameter, measure of persistency of egg production, sexual maturity rate, and age at first egg, respectively and estimated values for these parameters were 86.47, 0.01, 0.23 and 21.61 wks of age, respectively, Concerning the modified compartmental model the parameters A, B, C and D represent a scale parameter, the rate of decrease in laying ability, the reciprocal indicator of the variation in sexual maturity and the mean age of sexual maturity of the hens, respectively. In this work the estimated values of the abovementioned parameters were 75.26, 0.006, 1.14 wks and 24.96 wks of age for A, B, C and D respectively. According to goodness of fit criteria, modified compartmental model was the best model for describing the egg-laying pattern of Fayoumi layers which had the lowest Akaike information criterion and Bayesian information criterion values and the highest coefficient of determination. Moreover, the modified compartmental model showed correspondence with the actual hen day of egg production (age and percentage at peak were 29.44 weeks of age and 64.16%, respectively).

Throughout a selection experiment, which extended over five generations: the base and four generations of selection for augmenting early growth rate (GR) during the period from hatch to 21 days of age in Japanese quail, a total number of 8724 birds were used: 1726 in the base population, 5176 for the selected line (HGR1-21) and 1822 for the control line. The most important results obtained as follows: Genetically, heritability (h2) for all body weights (BW) showed moderate h2 ranged from 0.19 to 0.29. The GR1-21 positively correlated with all body weights weekly measured except BW at hatch (BW1) with genetic correlations (rg) ranged from 0.06 to 0.47, and a wide range of phenotypic correlation (rp ) ranged from 0.18 to 0.52. The GR during different periods of growth had medium h2 ranged from 0.17 to 0.28 and showed a wide range of moderate to high rg with the selection criterion (0.15 to 0.70) and had a broader range of rp ranged from 0.03 to 0.67. The HGR1-21 line in the 4th generation had the best growth performance for each of BW7, BW21, BW28, GR during the periods 1-7, 1-14, 1-28 and 1-35 days of age with significant differences. The realized cumulative response after four generations of selection was 0.063 (6.30%) for GR1-21, the cumulative correlated responses for BW s and GR s ranged from 1.19,g to 23.94,g and from 3.10% to 17.00%, respectively. So, the current study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the selection program through estimation of direct and correlated responses to selection for fast GR1-21, and determination of correlations between selection criterion and either body weights at different ages or GRs during different growth periods for Japanese quail.

The main objectives of this study were to estimate genetic parameters for the survival, longevity and evaluate risk factors for the occurrence of mortality in a Japanese quail line selected for high growth rate during the period from hatch to 21 days of age (GR

Introduction: Public attitudes towards stuttering have been shown to reflect negative stereotypes and stigma around the world, and especially so in several Middle Eastern studies. Nevertheless, att...

Since prehistoric times, medicinal plants and their extracts had been used as prolific sources of medications. Pomegranate is a symbol of life, longevity and in Aurvedic medicine; pomegranate is considered a pharmacy up to itself. Despite several previous studies centered to the phytochemistry and pharmacological actions of all Punica granatum L. components, however, to date, few reports about the variety nana, which implies that this species is yet under-investigated. Punica granatum L. var. nana is a dwarf variety of Punica granatum popularly planted as an ornamental plant in gardens. This study aims to determining the biomedical potentiality of the methanolic extract of Punica granatum L. var. nana leaves as source of botanical hepatoprotective and hepatocurative agents. The methanolic extract exhibited hepatoprotective and curative effects against CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in rats and both effects were preventive and curative. The histopathological studies support the hepatoprotective and curative effects by restoring the normal tissue architecture. Furthermore, this extract was found to be safe by using experimental albino rats suggesting that it may be utilized as a potential source of some beneficial bioactive compounds.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of stridor in infants. The exact pathophysiology is still not well understood. Our objective was to investigate whether laryngomalacia is an inflammatory disease, focusing on the possible role of vitamin D. STUDY DESIGN Case-control study. METHODS Sixty Egyptian infants and 60 mothers were included in this study. They were divided into four equal groups (n = 30 for each): infants with laryngomalacia (LM-infants), control infants (C-infants), mothers of the infants with laryngomalacia (LM-mothers), and mothers of the control infants (C-mothers). Laryngoscopy was performed and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]-vitamin-D) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) were estimated. RESULTS Significant increase of serum IL-6 associated with a significant decrease in serum 25(OH)-vitamin D was observed in the LM-infants compared to the C-infants (P < .001 for both). LM-mothers had significantly lower 25(OH)-vitamin D status compared to C-mothers (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Deficiency of 25(OH)-vitamin D in LM-infants may result in dysregulation of the immune responses with elevation of a proinflammatory cytokine (IL-6). Laryngomalacia could be an inflammatory disease due to 25(OH)-vitamin D deficiency as evidenced by the high level of IL-6. This finding may open the door to the appropriate prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, especially for moderate to severe laryngomalacia. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3b Laryngoscope, 130:448-453, 2020.

Six new (1, 2, 6, 8, 13, and 20) and twenty previously isolated (3&ndash, 5, 7, 9&ndash, 12, 14&ndash, 19, and 21&ndash, 26) steroids featuring thirteen different carbocycle motifs were isolated from the organic extract of the soft coral Sinularia polydactyla collected from the Hurghada reef in the Red Sea. The structures and the relative configurations of the isolated natural products have been determined based on extensive analysis of their NMR and MS data. The cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic, and neuroprotective activity of compounds 3&ndash, 7, 9&ndash, 20, and 22&ndash, 26, as well as their effect on androgen receptor-regulated transcription was evaluated in vitro in human tumor and non-cancerous cells. Steroids 22 and 23 showed significant cytotoxicity in the low micromolar range against the HeLa and MCF7 cancer cell lines, while migration of endothelial cells was inhibited by compounds 11, 12, 22, and 23 at 20 &micro, M. The results of the androgen receptor (AR) reporter assay showed that compound 11 exhibited the strongest inhibition of AR at 10 &micro, M, while it is noteworthy that steroids 10, 16, and 20 displayed increased inhibition of AR with decreasing concentrations. Additionally, compounds 11 and 23 showed neuroprotective activity on neuron-like SH-SY5Y cells.

requires precise coordination between 34 pairs of muscles in just over one second. The rapid sequential and overlapping motions characterizing adult human swallowing behavior were better appreciated with the introduction of radiography, and especially video radiography. There are data suggesting that women swallow liquids at a lower flow rate and ingest smaller volumes in each swallow than men. Aim of the work: To assess the physiological difference between males and females in oropharyngeal and esophageal phases of swallowing in normal middle-aged individuals. Patients and Methods: Cross sectional study, included 30 healthy volunteers (15 males & 15 females) with normal swallowing, whose age ranged from 18-45 yrs. This study was conducted in SohagUniversityHospital, Phoniatric Unit. All volunteers were subjected to Video-Fluroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS) in sitting position. Oral transit time (OTT), Pharyngeal transient time (PTT), Oropharyngeal transient time, Esophageal transit time (ETT), Total swallow time (TST) were measured. Also, hyoid peak was calculated. Results: There were nosignificant difference between males and females swallowing in both fluid and solid boluses. Conclusion: This study provided insights into normal swallowing physiology and defines measurement alternatives for evaluation of the dysphagic patients

Introduction: A child with hearing loss is facing certain problems arising from deficits in spoken language abilities. Deficient language commonly leads to reading problems, limits academic performance. Many studies have demonstrated that children with severe-to-profound hearing loss understand and produce spoken language better when they have a cochlear implant at younger age, rather than hearing aids. Aim of the work: To compare the outcomes of auditory and language rehabilitation in hearing-impaired children who have received cochlear implant before age of 4 years to those who have been implanted after age of 4years. Patients and Methods: Comparative study, include 30 hearing Impaired children underwent cochlear implantation. Ten children (Group I) underwent CI before age of 4 years, mean age (±SD) was 3.02 (±0.91) and twenty children (Group II) were implanted after age of 4 years, mean age (±SD) was 4.58 (±0.62). All implants used by the children in this study were programmed and mapped in Audiology unit, Sohag university hospitals. Both groups have received post-cochlear auditory and language rehabilitation in Phoniatrics unit, Sohag university hospitals. Assessment was done for four language parameters (receptive language, expressive language, vocabulary size and word class) pre-therapy and after 3, 6 and 9 months. Results: There is no significant differences between both groups on language development.

Background Neurocutaneous syndromes (NCS) are a broad term for a group of neurologic disorders that involve the nervous system and the skin. The most common examples are neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) and type 2 (NF-2), tuberous sclerosis (TS), Sturge–Weber syndrome (SWS), ataxia telangiectasia (AT), and Von Hippel Lindau disease (VHL). These disorders are characterized clinically by neurological manifestations such as convulsions, mental retardation and learning disabilities in addition to cutaneous manifestations, and lastly tubers (benign growths found in different organs of the body). Aim of the study This study aimed to identify clinical, imaging, and neurophysiological profiles of neurocutaneous disorders. Children presented to the Pediatric neurology and Dermatology clinics, Sohag University Hospital who fulfilled the criteria for diagnosis of specific neurocutaneous syndromes were eligible for this study. Patients and methods All studied patients were subjected to thorough clinical history, full clinical examination, developmental assessment, and dermatological examination. Computed tomography of the brain (CT) and electroencephalography (EEG), ophthalmic, and phoniatric evaluation were also done for all children. Echocardiography was done for only twenty children. Results During the period of the study we diagnosed 27 cases with neurocutaneous disorders, tuberous sclerosis represented the majority of cases as it was detected in 12 cases (44.45%). The main complaint was convulsions in 19 cases (70.37%), whereas skin pigmentation was detected in 18 cases (66.66%). Developmental assessment showed that global developmental delay was found in 20 cases (74%). CT of the brain showed that 15 cases (55.55%) had intracranial calcifications and abnormal EEG findings were detected in 23 cases (85.2%). 85% of the studied children had various degrees of mental retardation. Echocardiography showed that three cases (15%) had ventricular wall tumor mostly rhabdomyoma. Conclusion Neurocutaneous disorders had multiple clinical presentations and required a team work approach including various specialties in their evaluation and management.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an autosomal recessive metabolic genetic disorder character- ized by a mutation in the gene for the hepatic enzyme phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH). The dis- ease may present clinically with seizures, albinism (excessively fair hair and skin), and a ''musty odor'' to the baby's sweat and urine. In the untreated classic case, mental retardation is severe, pre- cluding speech and toilet training. Seizures are common in the more severely retarded, usually start before 18 months of age. This study aimed to identify clinical profile and impacts of newly diag- nosed (untreated) PKU on children. Children presented to the Pediatric Department, or Pediatric Neurology Clinic, Sohag University Hospital in whom the diagnosis of Pheylketonuria was estab- lished based on measuring phenylalanine level in blood samples were eligible for this study. All studied patients were subjected to thorough history, full examination, and developmental assess- ment. Electroencephalography (EEG), computed tomography of the brain (CT), phoniatric and audiologic evaluations were also done. During the period of the study we diagnosed 24 cases with phenylketonuria, the main clinical presentations were global developmental delay, hyperactive symptoms, seizures, and autistic features. CT of the brain showed that 58.3% of cases had atrophic changes. EEG showed that 58.3% of cases had abnormal findings as generalized epileptic dis- charges, focal epileptic discharges, and hypsarrhythmia. We concluded that untreated phenylketon- uria still represents a significant burden on children development and mental function in Upper Egypt. So we recommend establishment of national screening programs and pushing it forward as well as immediate development of specific metabolic centers in various universities and research institutes.

Baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, is a key component in bread baking. Total of 12 commercial baker's yeast and 2 hybrid strains were compared using traditional quality parameters. Total of 5 strains with high leavening power and the 2 hybrid strains were selected and evaluated for their alpha-amylase, maltase, glucoamylase enzymes, and compared using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD). The results revealed that all selected yeast strains have a low level of alpha-amylase and a high level of maltase and glucoamylase enzymes. Meanwhile, the Egyptian yeast strain (EY) had the highest content of alpha-amylase and maltase enzymes followed by the hybrid YH strain. The EY and YH strains have the highest content of glucoamylase enzyme almost with the same level. The RAPD banding patterns showed a wide variation among commercial yeast and hybrid strains. The closely related Egyptian yeast strains (EY and AL) demonstrated close similarity of their genotypes. The 2 hybrid strains were clustered to Turkish and European strains in 1 group. The authors conclude that the identification of strains and hybrids using RAPD technique was useful in determining their genetic relationship. These results can be useful not only for the basic research, but also for the quality control in baking factories.

Bioactivity-guided separation of the aqueous methanolic extract of Yucca desmettiana leaves, which in a preliminary screening exhibited significant molluscicidal activity, led to the isolation and structure elucidation of two new steroidal saponins (1 and 2). The structures of desmettianosides A and B, identified as bisdesmosidic furostanol glycosides with six and five sugar units, respectively, were established by detailed spectroscopic analyses of their NMR and MS data. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited high molluscicidal activity against Biomphalaria alexandrina snails with LC100 values of 6 and 11 mg/L, respectively.

as sources of biologically active secondary metabolites including pesticides because of their eco-friendly nature. The present study indicated that the ethylacetate extract of the Acacia saligna leaves exhibited acaricidal activity against the phytophagous twospotted spider mite ( Tetranychus Urticae Koch ). The chromatographic separation methods led to isolation of a pure compound from Acacia saligna leaf ethylacetate extract which exerted acaricidal action against the tested mite with LC50 value of 74.13 mg.l-1 after 48 h. Based on chemical (acid hydrolysis) and spectroscopic (1H, C13- NMR and MS) methods, the isolated compound was identified for the first time from plants as 2-hydroxymethyl-9-hydroxy-9-methyl-undecanyl (O-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-β-D-galactopyranoside.