BACKGROUND: Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus is an important tick, which can transmit parasites and bacteria to cattle. It can also cause hides damage, growth reduction and sometimes paralysis. So, the tick infestation can be regarded as a major problem in the livestock industry. Different control methods including the chemical ones are used to fight ticks, but because of developing resistance to chemical treatments, researchers try to find some immunogenic proteins for vaccine production. Investigating these tick proteins could be an important step in the identification of biological molecules for the purpose of developing control strategies. OBJECTIVES: The aims of present study were to evaluate and analyze Boophilus annulatus larval extract proteins by 2- dimensional gel electrophoresis patterns (proteomic profiling) and identification of some its immunogenic proteins by two dimensional immunoblotting and  MALDI TOF/TOF mass spectrometry  referred to as Mazandaran strains. METHODS: The steps followed here were: tick preparation and culture, 1-D electrophoresis, and then 2-D electrophoresis, Western blotting and Mass spectrometry and then Mass data were analyzed by Mascot software. RESULTS: Analysis of the produced 2D image identified approximately 80 protein spots with different Molecular weight and PI by Coomassi blue staining. Based on immunogenicity (through Western blotting) and high concentration, 10 protein spots (between 14 and 97 kDa) candidates for MALDI TOF and MALDI TOF - TOF MS.  Among the 10 proteins spots, Vitellogenin, Vitellogenin-2 precursor, tropomyosin, hypotethical protein ISCW001652 were identified proteins with immunogenic properties. Also, quantification analysis showed some proteins had more quantity in soluble larvae protein extract and some such as vitellogenin had some isoforms. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study could be a preliminary step towards selecting proteins candidated to develop vaccines against ticks.

BACKGROUND: Aflatoxin contamination in animal and poultry and its carry over to human beings is important in causing different diseases like Hepatitis and Liver Cirrhosis and finding methods to lessen toxin adsorption in animal and poultry tissues has a direct impact on health of animal products. OBJECTIVES: Evaluating the impact of natural toxin binder in broilers contaminated with aflatoxin B1 on performance, immunity and morpholgy of intestine. METHODS: 400 day-old broiler chicks under 4 treatments, 5 replicates and 20 chicks per replicate in completely randomized design manner were studied for 42 days. Experimental treatments were: 1- negative control (basal diet with out aflatoxin contamination); 2- positive control (basal diet + 0.6 mg/kg aflatoxin B1; 3- basal diet along with 1g/kg natural toxin binder and 4- basal diet + 1g/kg natural toxin binder. RESULTS: Presence of aflatoxin in diet reduced all performance indexes significantly (p

BACKGROUND: Medicinal herbs are used in poultry production to improve carcass quality, immunity and also lessen the use of antibiotics. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of adding coriander seed and ginger root powders to diet on performance, carcass traits, intestinal E.coli count and some serum biochemical parameters of broiler chickens. METHODS: One-hundred-sixty Cobb500 chicks were divided into four treatment groups with four replicates. Treatments as a completely randomized design were 1) basal diet (control), 2) basal diet plus 1.5% of coriander seed, 3) basal diet plus 0.75 %of ginger root powder, and 4) basal diet plus 1% coriander seed+ 0.5% of ginger root powder. At the end of the study, one bird from each replicate was slaughtered for blood sampling and carcass analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that the effect of treatments on feed conversion ratio of chickens was significant at during days 1-28 (p<0.05). The lowest feed conversion ratio was observed in coriander+ginger. Carcass analysis showed that the effect of treatments on abdominal fat weight, bourse and gizzard weights of chickens were significant (p<0.05). The greatest gizzard relative weight was in ginger+coriander group while the lowest abdominal fat and bourse relative weights were in ginger group. The treatments had significant effect on blood cholesterol and HDL concentrations (p<0.05). The lowest cholesterol level was observed in ginger group but the greatest HDL level was in coriander+ginger group. Effect of treatments on intestinal E.coli count was significant (p<0.05). Coriander+ginger treatment had the lowest E.coli in the ileum. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the level 0.75 ginger powder in broiler diets has positive effects on reduction of abdominal fat, bourse, cholesterol and also reduces the intestinal E.coli population. Ginger+coriander in the diet by reducing feed conversion ratio and population of E.coli caused an improvement in growth performance of broiler chickens.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, disorder in lipid metabolism has been increased markedly in companion animal’s population. Hyperlipidemia is a common sign of obesity in dogs, which is characterized by hypercholesterolemia or hypertriglycemia. OBJECTIVES:  The purpose of the present survey is to determine the effect of obesity on blood lipid profile changes (including triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-C and LDL-C) and comparing the decisive indicators of obesity in dogs in Ahvaz district. METHODS: Three groups of thirty dogs  referred to Veterinary Hospital of Ahvaz were studied between  2012-2014. The dogs in group A (control), had good body condition score (BCS= 4 to 5). The dogs were all thin (BCS= 1 to 3) in group B, and all obese in group C (BCS= 6 to 9). All of the studied dogs were selected from small breeds (Terrier, Spitz, Pekingese and Shih Tzu), of both sexes and ranging from 1 to 7 years old. Fasting blood samples were collected from all dogs and lipid profiles including serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL were measured using commercial kits. RESULTS: Hyperlipidemia was confirmed in dogs of group A (normal) in 4 cases (13.33%), group B (thin) one case (3.33%), and group C (obese) in 19 cases (63.33%). Data analysis showed that there was a significant difference between group C (224.83±74.34) with groups A (149±39.66) and B (131.80±24.37) for triglyceride level (p<0.001), as well  a significant difference was seen between group C (229.40±60.36) with groups A (178.80±50.17) and B (151.47±23.45) and between group A with B for cholesterol level (p<0.05). The difference was significant for LDL-C between group C (67.10±22.83) with groups A (47.97±13.01) and B (43.07±13.08) (p<0.001), but there was no difference between various groups for HDL-C (p>0.05). The effects of age, gender and breed on the measured values did not show a significant difference between three groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present survey showed that there was a correlation between obesity and hyperlipidemia in dogs. Determination of body condition score (BCS) can be as a predictive agent in characterization of lipid profile status. Modification of diet and weight loss is necessary in obese dogs.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have demonstrated the important role of hippocampal serotonergic receptors in the emotional memory formation. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the possible role of hippocampal serotonergic receptors in emotional memory formation in several animal model tasks. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of ventral hippocampal (CA3) 5-HT4 receptors in emotional memory formation of rats in elevated plus-maze task. METHODS: 102 male Wistar rats were divided to 16 groups  (n=7), randomly. Two guide cannulae were implanted bilaterally, into the left and right hippocampi, using stereotaxic apparatus. At the test time and following the injections of saline, 5-HT4 receptor’s agonist and/or antagonist, the elevated plus-maze was used for evaluation of the emotional memory. RESULTS: A pre-test intra-CA3 injection of competitive agonist (RS67333; 1.2 µg/rat) and competitive antagonist (RS23597-190; 1.2 µg/rat) of 5-HT4 receptor, increased OAT% and OAE% by themselves while only the RS23597-190 decreased the closed arm entries, indicating that these drugs impaired the memory formation. Also, a pre-retest intra-CA3 injection of RS67333 and RS23597-190 (1.2 µg/rat) increased OAT% and OAE% by themselves, indicating that these drugs prevented the recall of the memories that formed on first day. CONCLUSIONS: The results revealed that the hippocampal 5-HT4 serotonergic receptor have an important role in memory formation and memory recall, at the time of emotional arousal and stressful situations.

BACKGROUND: Neospora caninum is a protozoanintracellular parasite which is considered as one of the main factors forrecurrent abortions of dairy cattle in various countries such as Iran. Thisparasite leads to negative economic impacts such as decline in reproduction,reduced amount of milk, and long calving intervals. OBJECTIVES: Therehave been numerous tests to determine the cause of abortion. PCR test isconsidered as a suitable method to specify Neospora caninum DNA and itcan determine the DNA in tissue samples and body fluids of the aborted fetus.This study aims to use PCR to evaluate parasites in the tissues of abortedfetuses so as to detect the best tissue for determining the parasite. METHODS:In this study, 82 aborted fetuses in the first six months of 2015 were studied.The tissues were selected from brain, liver, lungs, spleen, kidneys and rennetfluids. The NP21plus primer was used to detect the presence of Neosporacaninum in samples. After conducting the PCR Test, samples with 340bp bandin Gel electrophoresis were considered as positive. Statistical data from thesurvey of Neospora caninum’s presence in selected tissues were evaluatedby SAS (version 9.2) software. RESULTS: Contamination with this parasitewas found in 34 brain samples (41.5%) of aborted fetuses. In 2 (2.4%) and 4(4.9%) of the aborted fetuses, parasite DNA was found in lung and liver tissuesalong with brain tissues, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Due to significantdifference of infection of brain tissues in comparison to other tissues, ourstudy considers brain tissue as the most appropriate sample for detecting Neosporacaninum infection in aborted fetuses in PCR method

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the use of biofloc has been considerable as a culture method to protect water quality and reduce the cost of food in the environment cultured shrimp. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of biofloc on water quality, growth performance and survival of Litopenaeus vannamei post larvae reared with no water exchange. METHODS: Post larvae with weight of 7.48 ± 0.85 mg and length of 9.23 ± 0.49 mm were reared in fifteen tanks with volume of 40-L and stocking density of 10 PL/L. Different levels of biofloc were added to tanks’ water as food sources: B0 (100% concentrate); B75 (75% biofloc +25% concentrate); B50 (50% biofloc +50% concentrate); B25 (25% biofloc +75% concentrate) and B100 (100% biofloc). The experiment was carried out for twenty=eight days. Results: Total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) level was lower in B25 than other treatments (P<0.05). The levels of Nitrate (mg NO3–N L−1) were significantly lower in B25 and B50 in 28 days of the experiment than in other treatments (P<0.05). At the end of the experiment, results showed that shrimp growth and survival were higher in B25 (301.23± 32.20 g and 81.56%, respectively) than in other treatments (P<0.05). The concentration of TSS tended to increase in the treatments during the experiment. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this study suggest that replacement of 25% biofloc (B25) with food concentrate can improve growth performance and water quality of the cultured shrimp.

BACKGROUND: Barley cultivars contain different anti-nutritional factors that have negative effects on the intestinal ecosystem and reduce blood cholesterol concentration. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the effect of processing barley cultivars on the intestinal morphology, enzyme activity and volatile fatty acids of the small intestine and serum lipid levels of broiler chickens. Methods: The experiment was carried out using a factorial experiment with a completely randomized design. Factors were barley cultivars (Fajr, Reyhaneh, and Yosef), diet form (mash or pellet) and enzyme level (0 and 0.05 g/kg dry matter). Around 927 one day of old Ross 308 broiler chickens were assigned into 12 treatments, 3 replicates and 27 chickens in each replicate. Results: Pancreatic amylase, lipase enzyme activity and digesta pH are affected by main (except for cultivar) and interaction effects (P< 0.05). Feed Processing (pelleting, adding enzyme or combination of pelleting and enzyme) of barley cultivars, especially diets containing Ryhaneh barley cultivar reduced digesta viscosity and increased the concentration of volatile fatty acids and relative percentage of acetic acid and butyric acid (P<0.05). Diets containing Fajr barley cultivars, enzyme or pelleted diets significantly decreased blood glucose, cholesterol and HDL concentration (P<0.05). Conclusions: Due to lower amount of soluble NSP compared with the other barley cultivars, Ryhaneh cultivar resulted in a better response to processing as well as enzyme addition, and improved the morphological characteristics of the small intestine

BACKGROUND: Honey is an excellent food product with health-giving characteristics. On the other hand, the honey quality can change based on various factors. OBJECTIVES: Physicochemical experiments intend to investigate the honey quality in four geographic directions of Kurdistan province shelf-life and the containers the honey is placed in. METHODS: In this research, totally 96 samples from 4 apiaries in various parts of the province were prepared and maintained in various dishes/containers and various (time) periods at 25.5±3.5 °C. After preparing the samples, some factors including moisture, reducing sugars, sucrose, pH, acidity, the ratio of fructose to glucose, ash, diastase, hydroxyl methyl furfural were evaluated. RESULTS: The result showed the moisture total average, reducing sugars, sucrose, pH, acidity, the ratio of fructose to glucose, and ash were 13.79%, 77.67%, 2.22%, 3.86, and 21.39 of meq/kg, 1.09% and 0.13%, respectively. Qualitative examinations showed, there was the distance in all samples but no HME. With the increase in shelf-life time, metabolites in the ratio of fructose to glucose and acidity increased significantly, but the factors, moisture, pH were reduced significantly (P<0.05). Various containers had no significant impact on physicochemical characteristics of honey. CONCLUSIONS: Generally, one can say that the comparison between the obtained amounts with the current standards, quality of the honey samples were standard and favorable. According to the results of this study, honey can remain at room temperature in different containers for 9 months and maintain anacceptable quality.

BACKGROUND: Ascites is a metabolic disease that has negative effects on broiler chickens. OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to investigate the effect of cold induced ascites on performance, meat quality and quantity indices and some blood indices of broiler chickens with cold induced ascites. METHODS: Three hundred one-day-old female chicks (Ross 308) were used in a completely randomized design with two treatments of control (under normal temperature) and ascitic (under cold stress) with five replicates and 30 birds per each replicate. RESULTS: The results showed that cold-induced ascites caused the lower performance, carcass weight and thigh and breast meat (P<0.05). Furthermore, ascites caused the increased anus temperature and thigh lightness (L) and redness (a) at day 42 of age (P<0.05). Cold induced ascites decreased the enzymes of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase, uric acid, albumen and malondihaldehyde in blood at day 42 of age (P<0.05). The higher blood hematocrit and hemoglobin were observed in ascetic birds (P<0.05). CONLUSIONS: In conclusion, cold induced ascites increase the meat lightness through the increased peroxidation and decreased antioxidants of the body. Moreover, ascites cause the higher anus temperature by increasing the body basal metabolism.