The larynges of 30 unmated, mature female albino mice were examined histologically and histochemically after injecting them with 19-nandrolone phenylpropionate. Permanent irreversible changes, in the form of parakeratosis and squamous metaplasia of the epithelium, and hypertrophy of the muscle fibers, were observed together with persistence of increased alkaline phosphatase enzyme intensity in the endothelium of capillaries and increased activity of nonspecific esterase in the muscles. Similar changes may be responsible for the alteration in the human female's voice after prolonged treatment with anabolic steroids.

The diagnosis of patients with cystic echinococcosis (CE) by means of serology has a limited support in clinical practice due to cross-reactivity with other helminthes leading to overestimation of the parasite's true prevalence. A wealth of reports on the diagnostic performance of antigen B (AgB) has been produced. This study was designed to comparatively assess the diagnostic efficacy of crude sheep hydatid cyst fluid (HCF), AgB and its subunit (12 KDa) to detect IgG or IgG4 antibodies in CE patients' sera using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).The best diagnostic performance was obtained with anti-HCF IgG ELISA which gave 92.4% sensitivity and 92.6% specificity. Despite the low sensitivity of anti AgB IgG ELISA (84%), it gave the best specificity (94.4%) with less cross-reaction with sera of subjects infected with other parasites. In conclusion, it is recommended to use anti-HCF IgG ELISA for initial screening in large seroprevalence studies. Further analysis of positive serum samples with anti AgB IgG ELISA would allow the confirmation of true positives. Specific IgG4 ELISA may represent a complementary assay, useful as secondary confirmatory tests for patients with suspected CE and negative for total IgG ELISA.

Background Natural feed additives play an important role in poultry production due to their safety and potential properties as an antioxidant and antimicrobial, as well as a growth stimulant. The present research was designed to assess the influence of dietary supplementation of either garlic, lemon essential oil, or their mixture on performance, nutrient digestibility, plasma constituents, immunity, and oxidative status, as well as intestinal development assessed by microbiota—histomorphology development in broilers under environmental heat stress. Methods A total of 480 broiler chicks (Ross 308) at one-day-old were randomly divided into four groups (120 chicks/ group). The control group received the basal diet (CON), while the other three groups received the basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg garlic essential oil (GEO), 200 mg/kg lemon essential oil (LEO), and their mixture (GLO) 200 mg/kg diet, respectively for 35 days. Results The obtained results revealed that broilers fed essential oils as a mixture or individually had an improvement in average body weight, feed conversion ratio, carcass dressing, and an increase in digestive enzymes activities compared to the control group, furthermore, there was a reduction in the mortality rate and abdominal fat content. Adding essential oils as a mixture or individually led to a decrease in (P < 0.05) blood plasma triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and an increase in high-density lipoprotein. Broilers fed diets supplemented with essential oils as a mixture or individually had higher values of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase; while plasma malondialdehyde was lower (P < 0.05) compared to the control diet. Moreover, there was a significant enhancement in intestinal microbial content, and intestinal histological status of chickens fed with essential oils. Conclusions Conclusively, including the mixture of essential oils improved performance, nutrient digestibility, and digestive enzymes activities. It also enhanced immunity, antioxidant state, and lipid profile, and gut microbiota— histomorphology in broilers. It was proposed that the broilers diet be supplemented with a mixture of essential oils to a mitigation of the effects of heat stress.

Arbovirus transmission by Aedes mosquitoes has long been a significant problem in Africa. In West Africa, Aedes vector management faces significant challenges; lack of recent Aedes distributional data and potential distributional modeling hinder effective vector control and pose serious public health issues. In this study, larval and adult mosquitoes were collected from four study sites in Enugu State, Nigeria every other month between November 2017 and September 2018. A total number of 2997 Aedes mosquitoes were collected and identified, and 59 positive field occurrence points for both Aedes adult and larvae were recorded. A total of 18 positive occurrence points were used for modeling. Ecological Niche Models (ENMs) were used to estimate the current geographic distribution of Aedes species ( spp. ) in Enugu State, south-east Nigeria, and mosquito presence was used as a proxy for predicting risk of disease transmission. Maximum Entropy distribution modeling or “MaxEnt” was used for predicting the potential suitable habitats, using a portion of the occurrence records. A total of 23 environmental variables (19 bioclimatic and four topographic) were used to model the potential geographical distribution area under current climatic conditions. The most suitable habitat for Aedes spp. was predicted in the northern, central, and southeastern parts of Enugu State with some extensions in Anambra, Delta, and Edo States in the west, and Ebonyi State in the east. Seasonal temperature, precipitation of the wettest month, mean monthly temperature range, elevation, and precipitation of the driest months were the highest estimated main variable contributions associated with the distribution of Aedes spp. We found that Aedes spp. prefer to be situated in environmental conditions where precipitation of wettest month ranged from 265 to 330 mm, precipitation of driest quarter ranged from 25 to 75 mm while precipitation of wettest quarter ranged from 650 to 950 mm. Aedes mosquitoes, such as Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus, pose a significant threat to human health, hence, the results of this study will help decision makers to monitor the distribution of these species and establish a management plan for future national mosquito surveillance and control programs in Nigeria.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of using different levels of olive pulp in broiler diets on productive performance, carcass traits, protein fractions, lipids profile and antioxidant activity. One hundred eighty one-day old chicks were divided into four experimental groups (three replicates of 15 birds per treatment). Four experimental diets were used as follow: control, 5, 10, or 15% of olive pulp (OP) and fed up to five weeks of age. At 35 d of age, results showed that body weight and feed conversion ratio were declined (P < 0.05) in groups fed OP10 and OP15compared with the control group. Moreover, feed intake decreased in group OP15 compared to other groups. Abdominal fat was decreased (P < 0.05) in groups fed OP15 and OP10,, also gizzard weight was decreased in all treatment groups except the OP15 group. Thymus gland weight was increased in groups fed OP15 and OP10.Blood plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) content increased linearly with increasing OP levels, while total protein, albumin, and triglycerides content decreased linearly. OP increased malondialdehyde (MDA) level but had no effects on other antioxidant traits (total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). It seems that the addition of OP at 5% in broiler diets had the highest relative economic efficiency without detrimental effects on their biological performance. However, OP can be used safely in broiler diets up to 10%.