Ten blue-neck male ostriches (Struthio camelus) were fed Prosopis farcta beans throughout a 30-day experiment. Blood samples were collected from ostriches on days 0 and 30 to measure levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglyceride, total serum protein, albumin, globulin, cholesterol, calcium, inorganic phosphorus, the activity of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and γ-glutamyl transferase (γ-GT). From days 0 to 30, HDL cholesterol, total protein, and globulins levels increased significantly whereas LDL cholesterol, inorganic phosphorus, and γ-GT activity decreased significantly.

Changes in lipid metabolism have been shown to occur during pregnancy. The thyroid hormones affect lipid metabolism. The present study was carried out to find out whether the last trimester of pregnancy affects thyroid hormones, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), lipid, and lipoprotein profile in healthy dromedary camels. Twenty clinical healthy dromedary camels aged between 4-5 years were divided into two equal groups: (1) pregnant camels in their last trimester of pregnancy and (2) non-pregnant age-matched controls. Thyroid function tests were carried out by measuring serum levels of TSH, free thyroxin (fT4), total thyroxin (T4), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and total triiodothyronine (T3) by commercially available radio immunoassay kits. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were analyzed using enzymatic/spectrophotometric methods while low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and total lipid (TL) were calculated using Friedewald's and Raylander's formula, respectively. Serum levels of TSH and thyroid hormones except fT4 did not show any significant difference between pregnant and non-pregnant camels. fT4 level was lower in the pregnant camels (P < 0.05). Serum levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, total lipid, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and VLDL did not show significant difference between pregnant and non-pregnant camels. All of these variables in pregnant camels were higher than non-pregnant. Based on the results of this study, the fetus load may not alter the thyroid status of the camel and the concentrations of thyroid hormones were not correlated with TSH and lipid profile levels in the healthy pregnant camels.

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This study investigated the effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and milk thistle seed (MTS) on some apparent ileal morphology and digestibility variables in the small intestines of broilers. A total of 216 Ross 308 male broiler chickens were allocated in a 3 3 factorial arrangement of the treatments with three concentration of AFB1 (0, 250, and 500 ppb) and three levels of MTS (0, 5, and 10 g kg -1 ). On day 35, the birds that received diets with 500 ppb of AFB1 alone (main effect) showed significant decrease in apparent ileal digestibility [dry matter (DM; 72.46±0.27) and ratio of VL to crypt depth (VL/CD; 4.74±0.07)] in their ileum segments (P<0.01). However, the mean nitrogen (N; 61.39±0.48) and crypt depth (CD; 173.5±9.87), in the ileum were significantly greater for the birds that were fed with 500 ppb AFB1 alone in their diets when compared with the control (P<0.01). Also, thistle seeds can ameliorate the toxic effects of AFB1 on some ileal digestibility factors, that is, DM, N, Ca, and CP, in broiler chicks. Nevertheless, ileum morphology of VW and goblet cell numbers were not affected negatively by the AFB1 plus MTS in diets. The results of this study indicated that the use of MTS independently reduced the toxic effects of AFB1, facilitated the absorption of nutrients, and reduced the metabolic demands of the intestinal tract in broiler chickens.