BACKGROUND: Diagnosis and prognosis of inflammatory conditions based on acute phase proteins (APPs) level in blood has been exploited for a long time in human medicine and their changes in SARA condition is considered in veterinary medicine. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the variations of serum amyloid A (SAA) and haptoglobin (Hp) as main acute phase proteins in cow with normal pH or cows that experienced rumen pH ≤5.8 during first days after parturition. METHODS: A total of 106 multiparous Holstein dairy cows were randomly selected after parturition in two different seasons of winter and summer 2017. Cows were divided into 2 groups as normal cows with pH >5.8 or rumen pH ≤5.8. Ruminal fluid samples were collected through stomach tube for rumen pH and blood samples were taken from the coccygeal vein of cows concurrently once per day at days 4, 11 and 18 post-partum. SAA and Hp were determined in blood samples. The PROC MIXED of SAS (2003) was used for all determined variables with repeated measures. BCS, parity and milk yield were included as fixed and cows as random effect. The significant level was declared at P≤0.05, and tendency toward significance was considered at 0.05<P≤0.10 by the Tukey test. Correlation between rumen pH and APPs were surveyed using PROC CORRELATION of SAS (2003). RESULTS: The results of experiment showed that rumen pH was lower (P<0.05) in summer samples than winter (6.33 vs. 6.46). Rumen pH was lower (P<0.0001) in cows composed by subjects with rumen pH ≤5.8 than pH >5.8. For all examined cows, SAA concentration was greater in winter than summer (P<0.001), as well as at day 4 than days 11 and 18 after calving (P<0.05).Also, Hp concentration was greater for winter samples than summer (P<0.05), and at day 18 than days 4 and 11 after calving (333.33 vs. 299.3 and 300.1 respectively) (P<0.05). SAA and Hp concentrations were not affected by rumen pH. There was no significant correlation between rumen pH and APPs concentrations in both groups of pH ≤5.8 and pH >5.8. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that rumen pH ≤5.8 seems not to stimulate the APPs production

BACKGROUND: Hip Dysplasia is a frequent orthopedic disease that is characterized by early joint sublux- ation. The DARthroplasty technique is a two-part process that involves applying bone graft to increase the femoral head coverage with a low morbidity rate and the long term is known results. OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed to investigate the radiographic and clinical changes after transplanting the rib allograft impregnated with PRP and MSCs in the treatment of hip dysplasia in a dog. The current study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of modified DARthroplasty. METHODS:12 dogs were selected, all of them operated by the modified induced hip dysplasia. Afterward, an approximately 25 mm segment rib was harvested and transplanted at slot approximately 7 mm broad and 12.5 mm high, close craniodorsally to the joint capsule origin, and secured with a 2 mm cortical bone screw in each recipient dog. PRP and MSCs were injected into the gap around allograft. Subsequently, they were divided into 3 subgroups of 4 dogs in each group, control, PRP, and MSCs. 6 months after the surgery, all dogs were subjected to clinical and radiographic evaluations. RESULTS:Clinically, all dogs showed no sign of orthopedic disorder which was determined by Ortolani sign, and no muscle atrophy and pain were elicited in the hip joint. One dog showed a slight lameness degree about two weeks and one case had seroma but was immediately treated by aspiration and pressure bandage. Upon ra- diographic examination, no dislocation of the rib allograft could be detected. Bone proliferation was observed. Dogs in all groups showed NA and PC increase with MSCs (5.25 ± 0.3 and 22.5 ± 0.81), PRP group (6.5 ± 0.43 and 20.5 ± 0.12) and control group (6.5 ± 0.35 and 19 ± 1.23) at six months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that rib bone allograft with PRP and MSCs can be quite effective on joint congruency and stability in symptomatic dogs due to hip dysplasia.

BACKGROUND:Raw and roasted nuts are one of the most popular snacks consumed in Iran but mishandling and poor storage conditions and practices may lead to promote the growth of microorganisms and foodborne intoxications and infections. OBJECTIVES:The purpose of this study was to investigate the microbial quality of raw and roasted (salted and unsalt- ed) nuts, distributed in commercial markets in Mazandaran province, Iran. METHODS:The moisture content, total colony counts, total coliform, fecal coliform, Staphylococcusaureus, and fungal contamination were evaluated according to procedures of Iran national standards. RESULTS: The moisture content of raw and roasted hazelnut, pistachio, almond, and cashew nut samples were above the standard limits. The moisture content of the raw peanuts was within the standard approved limit (maximum 9%). But the moisture content of the roasted peanut was higher than the permissible limit of 5%. For yeasts and moulds, except for all almond samples and 56% of cashew nut samples, all products tended to be loaded with unsatisfactory limits. The total viable count was within the standard limits in hazelnut, almond, and cashew nut samples (less than 4log cfu/gr). Satisfactory limits of coliforms (lower than 1log cfu/gr) were observed in all almond samples, 91.6% of hazelnut, and 16.7% of pistachio samples. No fecal coliforms were detected in samples. S.aureus contamination was observed in 6.5% of hazelnut, 8% of almond, 25% of cashew nut, and 33% of peanut samples. CONCLUSIONS: According to the findings, almond and hazelnut showed the least, and pistachio and peanut samples showed the highest microbial contamination.

BACKGROUND: Phenobarbital is one of the most commonly used drugs to treat epilepsy and other seizure disorders in dogs and cats. Hepatotoxicity following phenobarbital administration is dose-dependent. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to evaluate the protective action of silymarin on phenobarbital-in- duced hepatotoxicity in cats. METHODS: For this purpose, twenty-four healthy adult cats were randomly allotted to four equal groups. Cats in group A were given phenobarbital with dosage 16 mg/kg orally for 28 days; group B received silymarin (30 mg/kg/day for twenty-eight days) orally concurrent with phenobarbital; groups C and D were treated like group B, but silymarin was administered 3 and 48 h after administration of phenobarbital, respectively, and continued up to twenty-eight days. The serum concentrations of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate amino- transferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, total and direct bilirubin, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were measured before administration of phenobarbital and after 24 h, 72 h and 28 days. RESULTS:Phenobarbital elevated significantly serum concentrations of liver enzymes (in all cases), and total and direct bilirubin in two cats of group A, after 24 h (P <0.001). In groups, B and C, levels of serum enzyme activities and total and direct bilirubin remained within the normal range up to 28 days (P>0.05), while in group D, levels of serum enzyme activities (in 4 cases) were higher than the normal values (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that silymarin can protect liver tissue against oxidative stress in cats with phenobarbital intoxication especially in the first 3 h post-exposure.

reducing production and death. The disease in endemic areas would be mild or subclinical in indigenous cattle and clinically acute in exotics. OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the resistance of indigenous cattle in comparison with Holstein and crossbred cattle against Theileria annulata through assessment of clinical signs and response to treatment. METHODS: For this purpose, the data history and clinical examination were observed on 51 naturally affected cattle with T. annulata (17 Holstein, 17 crossbred and 17 indigenous cows). Examination of blood smears was used for diagnosis. Detection of schizonts in lymph node punctured smears confirmed validity of the suspect samples. All three groups of cows were treated with buparvaquone along with oxytetracycline. Their clinical signs and the results of blood smear examinations were recorded before and 48 hours after treatment. The severity of clinical signs, parasitemia rates and response to treatment were compared among the groups. RESULTS: The results showed significant difference (p <0.05) in severity of fever, intense and abnormal lung sounds, mucosal changes (pallor, jaundice, petechiae) and ruminal hypomotility among the groups. There was no significant difference in parasitemia rate and response to treatment among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that Iranian indigenous cattle in comparison with Holsteins and crossbreeds had milder clinical manifestations and no significant difference in response to treatment for tropical theileriosis.

BACKGROUND: Fat-tailed sheep breeds have a  unique  ability  to  tolerate  periods  of  negative  energy  balance  due to seasonal changes in feed availability. This ability is attributed to presence  of  fat-tail  as  a  body  energy  reserve, however the exact underlying  mechanisms  controlling  the  response  of adipose  tissue  depots  to variations in energy balance in fat-tailed breeds are not well understood. OBJECTIVES: As definition of a set of stable reference gene is an absolute prerequisite of any gene  expression study, therefore the current research was conducted to define the most  stable  reference  genes  in  adipose  tissue  depots and muscle of fat-tailed Lori-Bakhtiari lambs during periods of negative and positive energy balances. METHODS: Eighteen fat-tailed Lori-Bakhtiari male lambs were divided into 3 groups according to their  body- weight. The experiment was consisted of an adaptation  period  (2  weeks),  negative  energy  balance  period  (3  weeks), followed by positive energy balance  period  (3  weeks).  The  3  groups  of  lambs  were  randomly  selected and slaughtered at the  beginning  and  end  of negative  energy  balance  and  at the end of positive energy balance to collect samples of muscle and adipose tissue depots. RESULTS: The stability of the reference genes  differed  among  different  tissues  and also between  various  depots  of adipose tissue. Average of ranking by different software programs showed that glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH),  B-actin  and  peptidylprolyl  isomerase  A  (PPIA)  were  the  3  most  stable  reference genes in mesenteric adipose tissue, whereas in fat-tail adipose tissue, PPIA, tyrosine 3-monooxygenase/tryptophan 5-monooxygenase activation protein, zeta polypeptide (YWHAZ) and RNA polymerase  II  subunit  A  (POLR2A) were considered as genes with least expression variability during periods of negative and positive energy balance. B-actin, YWHAZ and phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1) were defined as the most stable reference genes in longissimus dorsi muscle tissue of Lori-Bakhtiari lambs. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the current study demonstrate that the stability of the reference  genes  varied  between mesenteric and fat-tail adipose tissues and the level  of energy  balance  affects  the  stability  of the  refer-  ence genes. In addition,  ranking  of  the  reference  genes  differs  among  different  software  programs  possibly  due to different mathematical algorithms used by different programs.

BACKGROUND: Animal breeds are often recognized through their specific characteristics, nevertheless, the breeds' anatomical and biochemical characteristics have not considered yet in many of the researches done on one-humped camels. There are some particular differences in camel breeds due to different climate conditions and rearing necessity. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to compare differences in anatomical and plasma biochem- ical parameters of two Iranian one-humped camels, the Jammaz (racing) and Balouchi (dual-purpose) breeds. METHODS: Anatomical parameters were body length (BL), neck length (NL), chest girth (CG), barrel girth (BG), hump circumference (HC), fore limb length (FLL), hind limb length (HLL), height at hump (HH), fore limbs interval (FLI), hind limbs interval (HLI), fore hoof circumference (FHC), hind hoof circumference (HHC), abdominal circumference (AC), shank circumference (SC) and leg circumference (LC). Moreover, concentra- tions of Glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, cholesterol, total bilirubin (Bili-T), direct bilirubin (Bi- li-D), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), total protein (TP), albumin (Alb), triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) were measured as plasma biochemical parameters. Data analysis was conducted through t-test statistics. RESULTS: Results revealed significant differences between body type traits of breeds, especially in organs related to running ability, while the Jammaz breed has more height and longer limbs than the Balouchi breed. Some blood parameters (glucose, LDH, BUN, cortisol and T4) are considerably higher in Jammaz breed, too. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the current study suggest some anatomical (especially fore and hind limb lengths, neck length and body height at hump) and physiological characteristics (lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, cortisol, glucose and T4) of Iranian racing and dual purpose camels as breed markers.

BACKGROUND: Hemolytic anemia is a disorder characterized by the premature erythrocytes destruction. Phenylhydrazine (PHZ) induces oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation, which causes hemolytic anemia. Cynara scolymus due to its antioxidant compounds, has been used for various therapeutic purposes in traditional medicine. OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of Cynara scolymus extract on PHZ -induced anemia in male rats. METHODS: Hemolytic anemia was induced by intraperitoneal injection of PHZ (40 mg/kg) for 2 days. Thirty male Wistar rats were divided into five groups. Group 1 (normal control). Group 2 (anemic control) received only PHZ. The groups 3 to 5 were injected with 100, 200, 400 mg/kg of the Cynara scolymus by gavage, respectively, daily from day 2 to day 15 after PHZ administration. At the end of the treatment period, blood samples were collected to assess hematological parameters, malondialdehyde (MDA) level and antioxidant enzymes activity, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the serum and erythrocytes. RESULTS: In anemic rats, serum and erythrocytes MDA level increased, but SOD and TAC activity de- creased significantly when compared with control group (p ≤ 0.05). These changes were ameliorated by treat- ment with Cynara scolymus at different doses (p ≤ 0.05). Also, improvement in several hematological param- eters was observed in anemic rats after administration of Cynara scolymus (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Cynara scolymus extract exhibits protective property against PHZ-induced oxidative stress presumably due to antioxidative activity.

BACKGROUND: Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) is a gram-negative facultative intracellular bacterium with the ability to infect a wide range of hosts. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to provide a snapshot of the immune responses against ST challenge in primary chicken monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) by evaluating the transcriptional changes in inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-1β. METHODS: After preparing blood MDMs, cell monolayers were challenged with ST at a multiplicity of infection of 50. Transcriptional analyses of inflammatory cytokine IL-1β were performed by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction using SYBR Green dye. RESULTS: The results indicated that wildtype ST challenge in avian MDMs favors the differentiation of macrophages toward the alternatively activated M2-like cells through downregulating inflammatory IL-1β. CONCLUSIONS: The findings demonstrated the preferential differentiation of chicken macrophages toward the alterna-tively activated M2-like cells upon ST infection. Further improvement of the existing control measures, such as vaccination and molecular-based immunotherapeutic strategies against poultry salmonellosis requires a better understand-ing of mechanisms involved in the immunomodulatory actions of Salmonella in immune cells in future studie

BACKGROUND: Members of the genus Mycoplasma are known as pathogens causing respiratory disease in cattle world-wide. OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate mycoplasmal infection in the lung tissue of cattle slaughtered in Hamadan industrial abattoir, Iran, using molecular and histopathological methods. METHODS: A total of 108 tissue samples were collected from the cranioventral parts of the cattle lung during March 2015-February 2016. The specimens were subjected to a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and histopathological examinations. The PCR-positive samples were tested subsequently for Mycoplasma bovis and Mycoplasma dispar using nested PCR assay. RESULTS: Nine (8.33%) samples contained the DNA of genus Mycoplasma, among which, five and one showed the DNA sequences of M. bovis and M. dispar, respectively. Pathological changes, such as caseonecrotic lesions, interstitial pneumonia, lobar bronchopneumonia, and bronchial atelectasis were observed in 24 (22.22%) tissue samples. All the PCR-positive lungs demonstrated at least one pathological manifestation. However, not every pathognomonic tissue changes were concomitant with the presence of the DNA of Mycoplasma spp. CONCLUSIONS: It could be concluded that M. bovis and to a lesser extent M. dispar are relatively common in the cattle population of the western part of Iran. Therefore, these pathogens should be taken into consideration whenever respiratory problems are evident in cattle