Lactational performance and nutrients digestibility response of dairy buffaloes fed diets supplemented with probiotic (Streptococcus spp.) and fibrolytic enzymes.

The current study was conducted to explore the productive performance and health status of lactating buffaloes fed diets supplemented with probiotic and/or fibrolytic enzymes. Forty multiparous lactating Egyptian buffaloes (body weight 451 ± 8.5 kg) were equally assigned to four experimental groups: (1) the first group fed control diet, (2) second experimental group fed control diet plus 4 g of probiotic/kg dry matter (DM) (probiotic), (3) third experimental group fed control diet plus 4 g of fibrolytic enzymes/kg DM (enzymes) and (4) fourth experimental group fed control diet plus 2 g of probiotic + 2 g fibrolytic enzymes/kg DM (Mix), The experiment was extended for 63 days. Nutrients digestibility was estimated, daily milk yield was recorded and milk samples were analyzed for total solids, fat protein, lactose and ash. Blood serum samples were analyzed for glucose, total protein, albumin, urea-N, aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase and cholesterol concentrations. Results showed that adding probiotic and/or fibrolytic enzymes improved nutrients digestibility (p < 0.05). The probiotic, enzymes and mix groups did not affect (p > 0.05) concentrations of serum total protein, albumin (A), globulin (G), albumin/globulin (A/G) ratio and urea-N concentrations. An improvement in daily milk yield (p < 0.0001) and energy-corrected milk (p = 0.0146) were observed with the probiotic and mix groups compared with the control. In conclusion, this study suggests that supplementing lactating buffaloes' diets with probiotic alone or in combination with fibrolytic enzymes would improve their productive performance without adversely impacting their health.

Evaluation of Quality of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Abstracts for Pediatric Strabismus Therapies.

PURPOSE: This study investigates the quality of systematic review abstracts through evaluation of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) abstract guideline adherence, Assessment for Multiple Systematic Reviews Tool (AMSTAR) quality rating, spin, abstract word count, and abstract structure. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, and the CEV@US database for articles related to pediatric strabismus. Inclusion criteria regarding pediatric strabismus studies were required to be in English, systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses, and patients less than eighteen years of age. From the search records, two investigators independently screened titles and abstracts to locate eligible reviews and extract study characteristics using AMSTAR-2 and pilot-tested Google forms. RESULTS: Searches retrieved 545 studies, of which 14 were eligible for data extraction. We found one form of spin in 1 abstract (of 14, 7.14%) of our included studies. 11/13 (84.62%) of studies failed to mention risk of bias assessment. There was no significant association between abstract characteristics and quality of the study. We found a significant correlation between AMSTAR-2 rating and PRISMA completion. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, a positive finding was that no spin was found within the abstracts of articles for pediatric strabismus therapies. PRISMA-A adherence was strongly associated with higher quality studies and should be considered for all systematic reviews in ophthalmology. Clinical research of pediatric strabismus is significantly limited in the number of studies present, as evidenced by our data. To improve the quality of abstract reporting, efforts from authors and journals are needed.

Impact of Alpinia galanga and zinc on semen quality and some reproductive hormone constituents in California rabbit bucks.

The objective of the current study was to investigate the influence of synergism of the dry powder of Alpinia galanga rhizomes (AGR) and/or zinc sulfate in the diet on semen quality and reproductive traits of California rabbit bucks. The study was conducted in two stages. First stage: appreciation of semen characteristics, 36 California rabbit bucks (aged 5 months) with average body weights of 2980 g were divided randomly into six treatments (six individuals each). The treatment groups were: first group, control fed basal diet (C); second group, fed basal diet plus 1 g AGR/kg dry matter (DM) (AGR1); third group, fed basal diet plus 2 g AGR/kg DM (AGR2); fourth group, fed basal diet plus 200 mg Zn/litre drinking water (Zn); fifth group, fed basal diet plus 1 g AGR/kg DM and 200 mg Zn/litre drinking water (AGR1 + Zn); sixth group, fed basal diet plus 2 g AGR/kg DM and 200 mg Zn/litre drinking water (AGR2 + Zn). Second stage: the previous bucks were used to determine the efficiency of semen on reproductive fertility traits, 48 mature does (aged 6 months, nulliparous) with an average body weight of 3050 ± 20.7 g were divided randomly into six treatments and inseminated with previous groups of treated bucks. The results of the first stage, recorded high activity on gonadotropins hormones: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH), free testosterone (FT), progesterone (P4) and oestrogen (E217ß) concentrations for AGR1 + Zn and AGR2 + Zn compared with the control group. Groups AGR1, AGR2, AGR1 + Zn and AGR2 + Zn had significantly lowered concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and malondialdehyde (MDA), whereas high-density lipoprotein and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were increased significantly compared with the control group. The group supplemented with AGR with or without Zn had significantly improved ejaculate volume, advanced motility, sperm concentration, and cell integrity. Fertility rate and litter size were improved in all groups compared with the control. It was concluded that supplementing diets with Alpinia galanga and Zn significantly increased sperm percentage, motility and reproductive hormones (testosterone, FSH, LH, E217ß, P4). This suggested that this plant when used may be favourable for improved sperm quality and fertility parameters.

Oil-in-Water Nanoemulsion Can Modulate the Fermentation, Fatty Acid Accumulation, and the Microbial Population in Rumen Batch Cultures.

In this study, three oil-in-water nanoemulsions were tested in two stages: In the first stage, three levels (on the substrate dry matter (DM)), namely 3%, 6%, and 9%, of three different oils, olive oil (OO), corn oil (CO), and linseed oil (LO), in raw and nanoemulsified (N) forms were used separately in three consecutive rumen batch cultures trials. The second stage, which was based on the first stage's results, consisted of a batch culture trial that compared the raw and nanoemulsified (N) forms of all three oils together, provided at 3% of the DM. In the first stage, NOO, NCO, and NLO preserved higher unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) and less saturated fatty acid (SFA) compared to OO, CO, and LO, respectively; noticeably, NCO had UFA:SFA = 1.01, 1.16, and 1.34 compared to CO, which had UFA:SFA = 0.66, 0.69, and 0.72 when supplemented at 3%, 6%, 9% of DM, respectively. In the second stage, UFA:SFA = 1.04, 1.12, and 1.07 for NOO, NCO, NLO, as compared to UFA:SFA = 0.69, 0.68, and 0.72 for OO, CO, and LO supplemented at 3% of DM. In conclusion, oil-in-water nanoemulsions showed an ability to decrease the transformation of UFA to SFA in the biohydrogenation environment without affecting the rumen microorganisms.

Lactating buffalos' productive performance, ruminal kinetics, nutrients digestibility and oxidative status as response to supplementing diets with alpinia galanga.

The current study investigated the effect of adding different doses of galangal rhizome powder (Alpinia galanga) to the diets of lactating buffaloes on milk production, composition and in vitro ruminal fermentation kinetics. Twenty buffaloes were divided into four groups: (T1) a control diet comprising of concentrates, corn silage and rice straw at 50: 35: 15 on a DM basis, (T2) a control diet plus 15 g of galangal/animal/day and (T3) a control diet plus 30 g of galangal/animal/day and (T4) a control diet plus 45 g of galangal/animal/day. Results showed that inclusion of galangal in diets decreased (p < 0.05) the concentrations of butyrate, ammonia-nitrogen, CO2, and total protozoa count as compared with T1. Acetate concentration was lower in T4 as compared with other groups (p < 0.05). While propionate concentration was lower (p < 0.05) in T2 as compared with T1. T3 and T4 lowered (p < 0.05) methane, CO2 productions, and protozoa count. T3 increased (p < 0.05) milk yield, energy corrected milk (ECM), yield of total solids, total protein, and solids not fat (SNF) than recorded for T1. While T4 recorded the lowest values (p < 0.05) of milk yield, ECM, total solids, fat, and total protein. The current results support the hypothesis that the inclusion of galangal in lactating buffaloes' diets at 30 g per animal daily improved feed intake and milk yield.

Feeding Corn Oil in a Nanoemulsified Form Alters the Unsaturated Fatty Acids in the Milk of Zaraibi Dairy Goats.

Oil in water nanoemulsion represents a new and unstudied form of oil supplementation to the ruminant diet; that is why the aim was to evaluate the potential of nanoemulsified corn oil in dairy goats' diets on milk productivity and fatty acid proportion. Twenty-four lactating Zaraibi goats in early lactation were randomly allocated to the following treatments: control-a basal diet without any supplementation, CO-the control diet + corn oil supplied at 3% on a dry matter basis (DM), NCO-the control diet + nanoemulsified corn oil provided at 3% on a DM basis. A completely randomized design that lasted 30 days (25 days of adaptation + 5 days of sampling) was used with eight goats in each treatment. The control diet consisted of 50% concentrate and 50% Egyptian berseem clover. The NCO increased the milk production, fat percentage, and yield compared to the CO and the control. The proportions of oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids were higher in the NCO compared to the control and CO. The NCO had less effect on the biohydrogenation intermediates' profile than the CO; noticeably, higher proportions of unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) were associated with the NCO. In conclusion, the NCO increased milk production and decreased the transformation rate of UFA to saturated fatty acids in the biohydrogenation environment.

Effect of Cellulase Enzyme Produced from Penicilliumchrysogenum on the Milk Production, Composition, Amino Acid, and Fatty Acid Profiles of Egyptian Buffaloes Fed a High-Forage Diet.

The experiment was conducted to study the effects of supplementing a cellulase enzymes cocktail to lactating buffaloes' diet, on the nutrient intake, nutrient digestibility, and milk production performance and composition. Twenty-four lactating Egyptian buffaloes were assigned into one of the following treatments: CON-control consisted of a total mixed ration, CENZ-the total mixed ration supplemented by a commercial source of cellulase enzyme, FENZ-the total mixed ration supplemented with cellulase enzyme cocktail produced in-farm. Supplementing the diet with the in-farm source of cellulase (FENZ) had a significantly higher impact on crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber digestibility. However, FENZ tended to increase the EE digestibility compared to CENZ. FENZ showed significantly higher nutrient digestibility percentages compared to other groups. Supplementing the diet with cellulase enzymes (CON vs. ENZ) significantly increased the daily milk yield and the fat correct milk yield; both yields were significantly higher with FENZ than all groups. Oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acid concentration were significantly higher with cellulase enzymes supplementation (CON vs. ENZ) and the conjugated linoleic acid concentration. Supplementing fungal cellulase enzyme produced on a farm-scale has improved milk productivity, fat yield, and milk fat unsaturated fatty acids profile in lactating buffaloes.

Evaluation of spin in the abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses focused on cataract therapies.

PURPOSE: Spin-the misrepresentation of study findings such that the beneficial effects of an intervention are magnified beyond what the results actually show-is a reporting practice that has been shown to influence perceptions of treatment efficacy and clinical decision making. We evaluated the extent of spin in the abstracts of systematic reviews of cataract surgery and its complications. We also evaluated whether particular study attributes were associated with spin. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE and Embase for systematic reviews and meta-analyses relating to cataract treatment. From these search records, screening for eligible studies was done in duplicate. Using a previously developed classification system for spin, we assessed the systematic reviews that met our eligibility criteria for the occurrence of the 9 most severe forms of spin. We performed the evaluation of spin, extracted study characteristics, and appraised the methodological quality of each study using the 16-question AMSTAR-2 scale in duplicate. RESULTS: Searches retrieved 2,059 studies, of which 110 were eligible for data extraction. We found at least 1 form of spin in 30.0% of included systematic reviews (33/110). Six of the 9 types of spin were identified in our sample, the most common being type 3 in 18.2% (20/110) of abstracts. We found no significant association between spin in abstracts, AMSTAR-2 appraisal, and any of the extracted study characteristics. CONCLUSION: Spin was evident in approximately one-third of the abstracts of evaluated systematic reviews and meta-analyses of cataract surgery and associated complications.

Adherence to the RIGHT statement in Society of Interventional Radiology guidelines.

CONTEXT: The Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Health Care (RIGHT) Statement was developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts to improve reporting quality and transparency in clinical practice guideline development. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of reporting in clinical practice guidelines put forth by the Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) and their adherence to the RIGHT statement checklist. METHODS: In March 2018, using the 22 criteria listed in the RIGHT statement, two researchers independently documented adherence to each item for all eligible guidelines listed by the SIR by reading through each guideline and using the RIGHT statement elaboration and explanation document as a guide to determine if each item was appropriately addressed as listed in the checklist. To qualify for inclusion in this study, each guideline must have met the strict definition for a clinical practice guideline as set forth by the National Institute of Health and the Institute of Medicine, meaning they were informed by a systematic review of evidence and intended to direct patient care and physician decisions. Guidelines were excluded if they were identified as consensus statements, position statements, reporting standards, and training standards or guidelines. After exclusion criteria were applied, the two researchers scored each of the remaining clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) using a prespecified abstraction Google form that reflected the RIGHT statement checklist (22 criteria; 35 items inclusive of subset questions). Each item on the abstraction form consisted of a "yes/no" option; each item on the RIGHT checklist was recorded as "yes" if it was included in the guideline and "no" if it was not. Each checklist item was weighed equally. Partial adherence to checklist items was recorded as "no." Data were extracted into Microsoft Excel (Microsoft Corporation) for statistical analysis. RESULTS: The initial search results yielded 129 CPGs in the following areas: 13 of the guidelines were in the field of interventional oncology; 16 in neurovascular disorders; five in nonvascular interventions; four in pediatrics; 25 in peripheral, arterial, and aortic disease; one in cardiac; one in portal and mesenteric vascular disease; 37 in practice development and safety; three in spine and musculoskeletal disorders; 14 in venous disease; five in renal failure/hemodialysis; and five in women's health. Of the 46 guidelines deemed eligible for evaluation by the RIGHT checklist, 12 of the checklist items showed less than 25% adherence and 13 showed more than 75% adherence. Of 35 individual RIGHT statement checklist items, adherence was found for a mean (SD) of 22.9 items (16.3). The median number of items with adherence was 21 (interquartile range, 7.5-38). CONCLUSION: The quality of reporting in interventional radiology guidelines is lacking in several key areas, including whether patient preferences were considered, whether costs and resources were considered, the strength of the recommendations, and the certainty of the body of evidence. Poor adherence to the RIGHT statement checklist in these guidelines reveals many areas for improvement in guideline reporting.

Ovarian activity and antioxidant indices during estrous cycle of Barki ewes under effect of thyme, celery and salinomycin as feed additives.

This research aimed to examine the effects of thyme, celery and salinomycin on ovarian sex hormones, reproductive traits and antioxidant status during the estrous cycle. Seventy-five mature Barki ewes aged 2-3 years with an average weight of 40 ± 1.5 kg were assigned randomly into five groups (15 head/group). Group 1 was kept as the control; groups 2 and 3 received 20 g/head/day thyme (T) and celery (C) as dried herbs, respectively. Group 4 (T×C) received 10 g thyme + 10 g celery/head/day, and group 5 was treated with salinomycin 1 g/head/day. Blood samples were collected during follicular and luteal phases of the estrous cycle. Thyme and celery and the mixture of T×C increased (P < 0.01) estradiol-17ß (E2) during the follicular phase of the estrous cycle, while only the celery group showed a marked (P < 0.001) increase in progesterone (P4) during the luteal phase compared with the control. Salinomycin supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) E2 concentrations during the follicular and luteal phases of the estrous cycle. Supplementation with thyme and celery enhanced (P < 0.001) antioxidant capacity in the luteal phase compared with the follicular stage. The salinomycin group showed increased (P < 0.01) levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels compared with the control group throughout luteal phase. For the interaction between estrous phases and treatments, thyme, celery, and T×C supplementation revealed an increase (P < 0.05) in superoxide dismutase (SOD), GSH, and glutathione disulfide (GSSG) levels compared with the control group during the follicular and luteal phases. Thyme and celery supplementation improved the number of services per conception and fertilization from 1st and 2nd inseminations, respectively. In conclusion, the applied treatment had significant effects on reproductive performance and antioxidant status in ewes throughout the estrous cycle.

Public Speaker Characteristics at Meetings of the Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drug Advisory Committee and the Ophthalmic Devices Panel.

PURPOSE: We investigated meetings of the Dermatologic and Ophthalmic Drug Advisory Committee (DODAC) and the Ophthalmic Devices Panel (ODP) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to determine whether a relationship exists between receipt of industry payments by speakers of the Open Public Hearing (OPH) portion and the nature of their recommendations regarding treatment approval. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: We reviewed publicly available transcripts of all DODAC and ODP meetings from February 2009 to December 2019. For each meeting, information about each public speaker including presence of conflict of interest (COI) and whether their testimony regarding the drug or device was positive, negative, or neutral toward treatment approval was extracted in a blinded fashion using a pilot-tested Google Form. RESULTS: Of the 86 speakers, 66 (76.7%) included a COI disclosure statement and 41 (47.7%) disclosed a COI. Regarding classification of the speakers' testimonies, 70 (81.4%) of 86 were positive, 9 (10.5%) of 86 were negative, and 7 (8.1%) of 86 were neutral. Each one of the 41 speakers with a COI gave a positive testimony. Speakers who disclosed a COI were significantly more likely to give a positive testimony than speakers who did not (P < .001). CONCLUSION: We recommend the DODAC and ODP require full disclosure of COI information and introduce stricter policies to manage COIs, allowing the committee to fully understand the context of the public speakers' comments, including the possible influence of COI on these comments.

Evaluation of Spin in the Abstracts of Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses of Treatments for Glaucoma.

PURPOSE: Spin - the misrepresentation of the study's actual findings - carries the ability to distort a reader's perception of a treatments' full benefits and risks. Recent studies have suggested that spin is common in abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews focused on treatments for a variety of medical disorders. Therefore, our primary objective was to evaluate the prevalence of spin in the abstracts of systematic reviews and meta-analyses related to glaucoma treatments. We further assessed whether specific study characteristics were associated with spin, including the methodological quality of a study. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We used a cross-sectional study design searching MEDLINE and Embase databases all for systematic reviews and meta-analyses focused on glaucoma treatments. Each abstract was assessed for the nine most severe - severity determined by likelihood of distorting a reader's perception - types of spin that occur in systematic review abstracts. The screening and data extraction was performed in a duplicate, masked fashion. The methodological quality of each review was assessed using A MeaSurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR-2) instrument. To evaluate relationships between spin, AMSTAR-2 appraisals, and other study characteristics, we used unadjusted odds ratios and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: Only three of the 102 abstracts contained spin, with spin type 5 being the most prevalent. No abstracts contained spin types 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, or 8, and no association was found between the presence of spin in an abstract and any particular study characteristic. Using the AMSTAR-2 quality appraisal instrument, 35 (34.3%) of the studies received a methodological quality rating as high, 42 (41.2%) as moderate, 11 (10.8%) as low, and 14 (13.7%) as critically low. CONCLUSIONS: We found that's pin is present in only a small proportion of systematic reviews and meta-analyses covering the treatment of glaucoma. In comparison to studies in other fields of medicine, ophthalmology appears to be a leader in publishing systematic reviews and meta-analyses with low rates of spin occurring in the abstract.

Effects of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid as a Supplement on Animal Performance, Iron Status, and Immune Response in Farm Animals: A Review.

Efforts directed toward enhancing animals' productivity are focused on evaluating the effects of non-traditional feed additives that are safer than antibiotics, which have been banned because of their health hazards. Many studies used an amino acid that contributes to heme biosynthesis, known as 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), to promote the productivity of farm animals. However, these studies demonstrate inconsistent results. In order to develop a clear understanding of the effects of 5-ALA in farm animals, we comprehensively searched PubMed and Web of Science for studies evaluating 5-ALA effects on the performance, iron status, and immune response of different farm animals. The search retrieved 1369 publications, out of which 16 trials were relevant. The 5-ALA-relevant data and methodological attributes of these trials were extracted/evaluated by two independent researchers, based on a set of defined criteria. Samples were comprised of pigs, chickens, and dairy cows. The 5-ALA doses ranged from 2 mg to 1 g/kg of feed, and treatment duration ranged from 10 to 142 days. Overall, 5-ALA improved iron status in most studies and increased white blood cells count in 3 out of 10 studies, in addition to improving animals' cell-mediated immune response following immune stimulation with lipopolysaccharide. Inconsistent findings were reported for growth performance and egg production; however, a combination of 10 mg/kg of 5-ALA with 500 mg/kg of vitamin C promoted the highest egg production. In addition, 5-ALA improved milk protein concentration. In conclusion, 5-ALA can enhance farm animals' iron status and immune response; however, the heterogeneity of the reviewed studies limits the generalizability of the findings. Standard procedures and outcome measures are needed to confirm the benefits of 5-ALA. Attention should also be paid to any adverse effects.

Feed utilization and lactational performance of Friesian cows fed beet tops silage treated with lactic acid bacteria as a replacement for corn silage.

Thirty multiparous lactating Friesian cows were used to study the effect of partial or complete replacement of corn silage with lactic acid bacteria (LAB), molasses and calcium carbonate ensiled sugar beet tops for 3 months in a complete randomized experimental design with repeated measures. A week after parturition, cows were grouped into three treatments of 10 cows each and fed a control treatment containing corn silage at 300 g/kg DM. In the other treated diets, 50% or 100% of the control corn silage was substituted with beet tops silage treated with LAB included at 150 g or 300 g per kg diet. Ensiling of beet tops with LAB decreased its contents of oxalic acid and neutral detergent and acid detergent fibers but increased its contents of non-structural carbohydrate and calcium. Without affecting daily milk production and feed efficiency, beet tops silage treated with LAB diets decreased (p < 0.05) feed intake, total ruminal volatile fatty acids, acetate and propionate concentrations, energy-corrected milk yield and concentrations of milk total solids, fat, protein and energy. In conclusion, beet tops silage treated with LAB can replace corn silage in diets of lactating cows. An inclusion rate of 15% of beet tops silage treated with LAB (replacing 50% of corn silage) in the diet was the most suitable level for lactating cows under the current experimental conditions.

The effect of diet supplemented with vegetable oils and/or monensin on the vaccenic acid production in continuous culture fermenters.

Studies have shown that supplementing ruminant diets with vegetable oils modulated the rumen biohydrogenation and increased polyunsaturated fatty acid in their products. These positive values are often accompanied by a marginal loss of supplemented unsaturated fatty acids and rise in the concentrations of saturated fatty acids. This study were carried out mainly to investigate the effect of supplementing diets with sunflower oil, olive oil with or without monensin on the production and accumulation of vaccenic acid (VA) in continuous culture fermenters as a long term in vitro rumen simulation technique. Eight dual-flow continuous culture fermenters were used in an 8 replication experiment lasted 10 days each (first 7 days for adaptation and last 3 days for samples collection). Supplementing diets with plant oils and monensin in the present experiment increased VA and conjugated linoleic acids (P > 0.05) in ruminal cultures. The results suggest that supplementing diets with both olive oil and sunflower oil and monensin increased VA accumulation compared to plant oils supplemented alone without affecting the rumen dry matter and organic matter digestibility.

Improvement of Physico-mechanical Properties of Partially Amorphous Acetaminophen Developed from Hydroalcoholic Solution Using Spray Drying Technique.

OBJECTIVE(S): This study was performed aiming to investigate the effect of particle engineering via spray drying of hydroalcoholic solution on solid states and physico-mechanical properties of acetaminophen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Spray drying of hydroalcoholic solution (25% v/v ethanol/water) of acetaminophen (5% w/v) in the presence of small amounts of polyninylpyrrolidone K30 (PVP) (0, 1.25, 2.5 and 5% w/w based on acetaminophen weight) was carried out. The properties of spray dried particles namely morphology, surface characteristics, particle size, crystallinity, dissolution rate and compactibility were evaluated. RESULTS: Spray drying process significantly changed the morphology of acetaminophen crystals from acicular (rod shape) to spherical microparticle. Differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) and x-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) studies ruled out any polymorphism in spray dried samples, however, a major reduction in crystallinity up to 65%, especially for those containing 5% w/w PVP was observed. Spray dried acetaminophen particles especially those obtained in the presence of PVP exhibited an obvious improvement of the dissolution and compaction properties. Tablets produced from spray dried samples exhibited excellent crushing strengths and no tendency to cap. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study revealed that spray drying of acetaminophen from hydroalcoholic solution in the presence of small amount of PVP produced partially amorphous particles with improved dissolution and excellent compaction properties.

Enrichment of milk with conjugated linoleic acid by supplementing diets with fish and sunflower oil.

There is an increase interesting in enrichment of milk with Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) due to its anti-oxidative and anti-carcinogenic properties. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of supplementing diets fed to lactating goats with sunflower, fish oil and its blend. Eight lactating Nubian goats were fed a base diet (T1), diet supplemented with 2% sunflower oil (on dry matter (DM) basis) (T2), diet supplemented with 2% fish oil (T3) and diet supplemented with 2% sunflower and fish oil (T4) for 84 day. Milk composition milk fat, protein (%) decreased in T2, T3 and T4 compared with control (T1) while there was no significant differences between treatments in milk lactose content. CLA content in milk fat was higher in response to fish oil or sunflower and fish oil blend compared with control (T1). The results indicated that supplementing diets fed to lactating goats with sunflower, fish oil increased CLA contents in the milk 2-4 times than control.