Ameliorative Effects of Honey, Propolis, Pollen, and Royal Jelly Mixture against Chronic Toxicity of Sumithion Insecticide in White Albino Rats.

Sumithion (Fenitrothion) (SUM) is an organophosphorus insecticide used to combat a wide variety of plant pests. Exposure to SUM causes significant toxicity to the brain, liver, kidney, and reproductive organs through, for example, binding to DNA, and it induces DNA damage, which ends with oxidative stress. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the protective role of bee products: a mixture of honey, propolis, palm pollen, and royal jelly (HPPJ) against SUM-induced toxicity. Twenty-four male albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) were classified into four groups, each containing six rats: control (corn oil), SUM (85 mg/kg; 1/20 LD50), HPPJ, and SUM + HPPJ once daily for 28 consecutive days. Blood samples were gently collected in sterilized ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tubes for blood picture analyses and tubes without anticoagulant for serum isolation. Serum was used for assays of enzymatic and biochemical characteristics. The results revealed that SUM increased the weights of the liver, kidney, and brain as well as the enzymatic activity of glutathione peroxidase (GP), serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST). Additionally, SUM significantly increased the activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) and glucose, uric acid, and creatinine contents, while decreasing the acetylcholine esterase (AChE) activity and total lipids and total protein content. Furthermore, because of the inclusion of phenolic, flavonoids, terpenoids, and sugars, the HPPJ mixture counteracted the hematological, renal, and hepatic toxicity of SUM exposure.

The effect of salinomycin on the immune response of chicks.

The effect of salinomycin drug on the immune system of chickens was investigated. By using the recommended dose 60 mg/kg feed salinomycin was given as anticoccidial drug continuously for 49 days. There was no noticeable significant effect on the humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) Vaccine. A drastic immunosuppressive effect was manifested by using a dose of 120 mg/kg and characterized by lowered titers of antibodies to NDV, decrease in the relative weight of lymphoid organs, lowered mitogenic response of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) with reduction of heterophils percentage, as well as reduced protection rate to intramuscular challenge with the velogenic viscerotropic (VV) strain of NDV.

Otomycosis: a common problem in north Iraq.

Otomycosis is a common disease in North Iraq. Of the 219 cases diagnosed clinically in Mosul Teaching Hospital seen during a 15 month period, 179 were due to fungus infection. The disease was more frequently encountered in young adults whose age was range from 16-30 years. The incidence of the disease was significantly higher in females (65.4 per cent), mainly housewives, than in males. Aspergillus species were the dominant isolated fungi (92.1 per cent).