ABSTRACT
This study was aimed to determine abundance and body distribution of PRM in laying hens of Arak. A total of 1400 laying hens were randomly examined from January to June 2008. Of those, 26 [92.86%] layer farms were found to be infested with Dermanyssus gallinae [39.3%]. There was significant association between prevalence and climatic conditions of the region. The most common predilection site of PRM was significantly cloak [52.7%] and the highest mixed infestation rate was 10.9% for wing-breast and cloak-breast of examined poultries. It was concluded that PRM infestation was low and predilection sites of infestation may affect egg laying capacity
ABSTRACT
Identification of rapid degradation of ecological resources requires effective environmental monitoring including ecological integrity assessment .Our first aim is to analyze ecological integrity in a landscape context while developing a method to assess integrity in spite of a dearth of historical data. We used a Spatial-Temporal Reference Framework for land cover maps for assessing ecological integrity change, emphasizing changes in patch types and configuration. Land cover is used as a surrogate for habitat. Habitat condition is the main point of this research in assessing ecological integrity. Our second aim is to recognize, through a case study of the above, the ecological integrity of the Miankale peninsula of Miankale Biosphere Reserve on Iran's Caspian Sea coast in the east latitude of 53, 24,50 and north altitude of 36,56,45. Land cover data were obtained from Landsat TM5 of 1985 and compared with current condition images from LandsatTM5 of 2010. Landscape metrics show that Minakale's natural semi-dense shrub lands are fragmented; with the number of patches increasing and average patch area decreasing. This implies a fall in habitat available to its dependent bird species. In conclusion, considering birds' habitat and its aggregation as a measure of integrity, landscape metrics show ecological integrity of Miankale has decreased and signals of habitat loss have appeared in study area. More detailed analysis in ecosystem scale is suggested as the complementary research to find the best indicator for assessing the integrity of the ecosystem
ABSTRACT
Background and Purpose: Variation and increase in the levels of inflammatory factors and glycemia are among the major problems of type 2 diabetics. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the effect of beta carotene-enriched carrot juice on CRP inflammatory indexes, IL-6 and FBS glucose in diabetics
Methods and Materials: This randomized double blind clinical trial was conducted on 44 type 2 diabetics. Participants based on gender and BMI were assigned into two groups [Group A receiving 200 ml carrot juice enriched with 10 mg beta carotene and Group B receiving normal carrot juice] by randomized stratified sampling. Both groups received 200 ml carrot juice for 8 weeks for lunch [instead of cereals]. A 24-hour recall was obtained for 3 consecutive and 6 concomitant days at the beginning and end of the study duration. Also, CRP, IL-6, FBS glucose and serum beta carotene levels were measured in FBS blood sample at the beginning and end of the study duration. The consumption data were fed into Nutritionist IV, and analyzed in SPSS 11.5
Results: Each group consisted of 22 [11 male and 11 female diabetics] participants. There was a significant increase in the levels of beta carotene in group A [111.9 +/- 64.9 at the beginning and 72 +/- 43.9 at the end] [p=0.02]. However, the reduction of CRP in Group A [-996.9 +/- 2172.6 at the beginning and -537.3 +/- 1412.4 at the end] was not significant [p=0.098]. Also, IL-6 reduction in Group A [-0.8 +/- 2.1 at the beginning and -0.6 +/- 2.4 at the end] was not significant [p=0.085]. FBS glucose was also not examined in the present study
Conclusion: Daily consumption of carrot juice enriched with 10 mg beta carotene for eight weeks caused an improvement in the levels of serum antioxidants including beta carotene in type 2 diabetics, with no significant effects on serum glucose and inflammatory indexes