African Journal of Immunology Research

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 9431-5833 Vol. 3 (3), pp. 148-154, March, 2016. International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of the potential of applying different levels of thyme in comparison with an antibiotic growth promoter on performance

Majid Toghyani^1*, Mohsen Tohidi¹, Abas Ali Gheisari² and Sayed Ali Tabeidian¹

¹Department of Animal Science, Islamic Azad University, Khorasgan (Esfahan) Branch, Esfahan, Iran.

²Department of Animal Science, Esfahan Agricultural Research Center, Esfahan, Iran.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. Tel: +98 913 314 1302. Fax: +98 311 5354038.

Accepted 03 January, 2016

Abstract

A research study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary inclusion of thyme powder as an antibiotic growth promoter substitution on performance, immune responses, hematological and biochemical parameters in broiler chicks. In this study, 192 day old chicks (Ross 308) were allocated to four treatments with four replicates based on a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments included control, antibiotic (flavophospholipol), and 5 and 10 g/kg thyme powder. Supplementing the diet with antibiotic and 5 g/kg thyme resulted in a significant increase in body weight (P<0.05). Feed intake of broilers was not markedly influenced by treatments but birds fed diets containing antibiotic had the lowest FCR (P<0.05). None of the immune related parameters tested differed significantly among experimental treatments (P>0.05). Thyme powder at 10 g/kg level significantly (P<0.05) increased HDL-cholesterol concentration but protein, albumin, triglyceride, total and LDL cholesterol concen-trations were not influenced. Treatments also failed to induce any statistical impacts on hematological parameters of broilers including red and white blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit values. The obtained results suggest that supplementing broilers’ diet with 5 g/kg thyme can indicate favorable influences of antibiotic growth promoter on performance without any detrimental impacts on immune responses and blood parameters.

Key words: Broiler, thyme, growth performance, immunity, serum biochemistry, hematology.

African Journal of Immunology Research ISSN 9431-5833 Vol. 3 (1), pp. 119-127, January, 2016. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Expression of glucocorticoid receptors in nasal mucosa of patients with allergic rhinitis under local intranasal corticosteroid therapy

¹Samir Sorour Sorour, ²Nasser Nagieb Mohammed, ³Marian Asaad Gerges,⁴Boles Samir Sabry

¹Professor of Otorhinolaryngology, Otorhinolaryngology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt.

²Professor of Otorhinolaryngology, Otorhinolaryngology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt.

³Lecturer of Microbiology & Immunology, Microbiology & Immunology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt.

⁴Resident, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Al-Ahrar General Hospital, Zagazig, Egypt.

*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

Accepted 16 January, 2016

Abstract

The expression level of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) isoforms α and β might interfere with the response to exogenous glucocorticoids (GC) in different allergic disorders. No much data concerning allergic rhinitis (AR) currently exists. The aim of this study was to detect the change in the expression level of GRα in the nasal mucosa of AR patients, compared to healthy subjects, following 4 weeks of intranasal GC application, and whether this change was correlated to the clinical response of those patients. Twenty AR patients (mean age 31.3 ± 8.7) and 10 healthy volunteers (mean age 32.5 ± 17.7) were enrolled in this clinical trial. Intranasal mometasone furoate was applied for all participants for 4 weeks. The level of GRα expression, before and after treatment, was compared by quantitative real time PCR. Total nasal symptom score (TNSS) was used to assess the clinical response of AR patients. This study revealed that GRα was down-regulated in 85% of AR patients compared to 100% of healthy volunteers. Mann Whitney-Utest (MW) revealed insignificant difference in the mean fold change (FC) of GRα expression between AR patients and healthy subjects (0.8±1.1 compared to 0.4±0.2) (P0.1). Chi squared test revealed decreased GRα expression among higher ratio (92.3%) of patients with residual symptoms after treatment than those with total improvement (71.4%), which was insignificant statistically (P0.2). MW revealed more decrease in GRα expression in patients with residual symptoms (mean FC 0.8 ± 1.3), compared to patients that were totally improved (mean FC 0.9 ± 0.6), that was statistically insignificant (P0.2). The test also revealed a significant (P 0.0) decrease of TNSS of AR patients after treatment, though weakly correlated to the change in GRα expression with Spearman correlation coefficient of -0.2 (P0.3). Therefore, GRα expression in AR patients, following 4 weeks of intranasal GC, is variable and might not be a contributing factor determining the response of AR patients to exogenous GC.

Key words: Glucocorticoid receptors; Allergic rhinitis; Intranasal glucocorticoids.

African Journal of Immunology Research Vol.  2 (4) pp. 113-118, April, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Determining the relationship between the scar size of Bacille Calmette-Guérin  vaccination and Children suffering from asthma by assessing the level of T helper

*Reza V. Rafsanjani, Majid farhadi and omidyar E. O

Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 12 March, 2014

Abstract 

The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine is used more than any other vaccines in the world, whereas a lot of studies have spoken about allergy and its relationship with the BCG vaccine. It is believed that many factors can influence this relationship and its symptoms, can be observed via the occurred scar following BCG vaccination. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the levels of T helper 1 (INF-gamma) / T helper 2 (IL-4, IL-13) in children suffering from Asthma and the scar size of BCG in them. In this case-control study, 100 children who have got scar, 60 of them suffered from asthma and 40 did not suffer from it, were studied. Subjects with no BCG scar are excluded from the study. The Chi-square test revealed that the frequency of cases with scar size larger than 5 mm, is 43% in Asthmatic patients and 70% in control group that the observed difference was statistically significant (P = 0.01). T test also revealed that the average of INF-gamma is considerably lower in patients suffering from Asthma than the control group.(6.95 ± 3.83 (pg/ml) in asthmatic group compared with 10.75 ± 6.98 (pg/ml) in control group) (P = 0.001) whereas the average of IL-4 (30.90 ± 16.51 (pg/ml) in asthmatic group compared with 9.95 ± 7.44 (pg/ml) in control group) (p < 0.001) and IL-13 (48.85 ± 13.66 (pg/ml) in asthmatic group compared with 10.49 ± 12.44 (pg/ml) in control group) (p < 0.001) is higher. Therefore, it was demonstrated that the average of the proportion of INF-gamma/IL-13(0.3054 in asthmatic group compared with 1.9334 in control group) in patients suffering from asthma, is lower. The size of BCG scar in Asthmatic patients was, significantly, smaller than the control group. Moreover, the average of T helper 1 (INF-gamma) was lower and the average of T helper 2 (IL- 4, 13) was higher in asthmatic patients. Therefore, there is a correlation between the size of BCG scar and the levels of T helper 1 (INF-gamma) and T helper 2 (IL- 4, 13) with asthma; thus, there could also be a correlation between the scar size of BCG, T helper 1 and 2.

Key words: Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), Vaccine, Asthma, BCG scar, T helper 1 and 2.

African Journal of Immunology Research Vol.  2 (3) pp. 108-112, March, 2015.  © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Assessment of some Medicinal plants utilized as a part of customary injury recuperating arrangements for antibacterial property against some pathogenic microorganisms

*Ranbir V. Raman, Moham E. Khan and Anushka Rai

Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, India.

E-mail: [email protected]

Accepted 26 February, 2015

Abstract 

A total of sixteen extracts of four plants (Acacia nilotica, Annona squamosa, Azadirachta indica, and Ocimum sanctum) used in traditional formulation in India were investigated for their antibacterial property. Different concentrations (0.5 – 10 mg/ml) of extracts (by the extraction in different organic solvents and water) of plant parts were tested for growth inhibitory activity against infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. The aqueous extract of A. indica (MIC; 0.07 and 0.5 mg/ml) against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa; methanolic extracts of A. nilotica, A. indica, and A. squamosa against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and E. coli (MIC; < 0.5 mg/ml); chloroform extracts of A. indica (MIC; 0.5 and 0.3 mg/ml) against S. aureus and E. coli; and petroleum ether extracts of A. indica and O. sanctum (MIC; 0.5 - 0.79 mg/ml) against P. aeruginosa and E. coli were found more efficacious. The results revealed that all investigated plants exhibited antibacterial activity against at least one of the screened pathogens. The study also supports the use of above mentioned plants in wound healing formulations.

Key words: Wound, plants extract antibacterial, traditional medicine

African Journal of Immunology Research Vol.  2 (3) pp. 106-107, March, 2015. © International Scholars Journals

Case Report

An uncommon presentation of pneumonic Koch's with various splenic ulcer

Priyanka V. Kareena

Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science, University of Mumbai, Mumbai, India.

Email: [email protected]

Accepted 15 February, 2015

Abstract 

Job’s syndrome is an immunodeficiency disorder with defect in leukocyte chemotaxis in some patients. It is also called hyper IgE recurrent infection syndrome. Major manifestations are pruritic dermatitis, recurrent Staphylococcal pneumonias, mucocutaneous candidiasis, restrictive lung disease, scoliosis with other various features. A 20 year old boy who was presented to us with heart failure, abdominal pain and pyoderma was later diagnosed as having job’s syndrome and tuberculosis.

Key words: Job’s syndrome, hyper immunoglobin E syndrome, Buckly syndrome, immunodeficiency.

African Journal of Immunology Research Vol.  2 (3) pp. 099-105, March, 2015.  © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Cytokine levels connected with experimental trial of malaria pathology during Plasmodium berghei ANKA disease in a mouse

Jomo V. Awori

Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.

Email: [email protected]

Accepted 5 February, 2015

Abstract 

Successful recovery from malaria involves striking a balance between counteracting cytokines. The cytokine imbalance contributes to pathological features, but their exact levels have not been elucidated. This study aimed at investigating the role played by circulating cytokines in pathophysiology of cerebral malaria using experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) model by profiling four serum cytokines using cytometric bead array. 72 BALB/c mice were intraperitoneally inoculated with 0.2 ml 1×10⁴ parasitized red blood cells at day 0 and randomized into six groups (six mice/group). The mice were sacrificed at day 4, 6, 8, 11 and 20 post-infection. Significantly higher systemic levels (P<0.05) of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) were observed between day 8 and 20 post inoculation (p.i), while tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels were significant at days 4, 8 11, 14 and 20, respectively in BALB/c mice that survived until day 20 post-infection with a higher parasitemia (up to 52.6%±0.8). Significant concentrations (P<0.05) of interleukin-4 (IL-4) were observed between day 4 and 8. IL-5 levels had significant differences at days 11 and 20 p.i. T-cell pathology was revealed by fragmentation of whole genomic DNA during the infection which coincided with elevated IFN-γ and TNF-α responses further accelerating the severity of cerebral malaria (CM). This study has demonstrated the correlation between T-lymphocyte pathology and elevated levels of T-helper 1 (Th1) cytokines concentrations in the brain and spleen.

Key words: Experimental malaria, Plasmodium berghei, pathology, cytokine levels, fragmentation.