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A hierarchical superhydrophobic surface is prepared via a two-step boiling water immersion process and anodization of the treated aluminum substrate in a novel hydrophobic electrolyte of aluminum nitrate and stearic acid mixture at room temperature. The immersion time in boiling water had a significant influence on the morphology and durability of the sample. A pseudoboehmite coating is created on the aluminum surface during the boiling process, as revealed by the field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometer results. The energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of hydrophobic coating surface after anodization. Also, the FE-SEM images and the atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigation proved the hierarchical nano-and microstructure stem from boiling and anodizing procedures, respectively. The successively boiled and anodized surface exhibited contact angle of about 155˚, sliding and hysteresis contact angles of <5˚ and 2˚, respectively. It also demonstrated a self-cleaning property and remarkable durability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of supplementing a corn-soybean meal-based diet with bee pollen (BP) on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune response and selected blood metabolites. A total of 160 Ross 308 male broiler chicks were assigned to 4 dietary treatments (0, 10, 15 and 20 g kg-1 of BP feed inclusion), consisting of 4 pens of 10 birds each, and were fed experimental diets from 1 to 21 d of age. Then, all birds received a common finisher diet from 22 to 35 d of age. The antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was measured at 35 d. In general, average daily feed intake, relative weight of gizzard, phosphorus concentration in serum and morphometric indices of duodenum were not affected by the dietary groups compared to the control birds (P> 0.05). Dietary supplementation increased (P< 0.01) body weight, average daily gain (ADG) and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR), whereas total serum cholesterol and triacylglycerides levels were minimized (P< 0.01) at 20 g kg-1 of BP. Addition of BP to the diets increased (P< 0.01) relative weight of bursa, villus length, crypt depth and villus length to crypt depth ratio compared with the control diet. Relative pancreas, liver, intestine and spleen weights were significantly increased (P< 0.01) at 20 g kg-1 of BP. Inclusion of 20 g kg-1 of BP in the diet significantly increased (P< 0.01) antibody response against SRBC at 35 d of age. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that dietary supplementation with BP improved broiler growth performance, morphometric indices and immunity. Thus, BP may be used as alternative feed additives in the poultry industry to improve immune response of young broiler chicks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary citric acid (CA) on productive performance, gut morphometry, and nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens. In Experiment 1, 200 7-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were used to examine the effects of 0, 10, 20, and 30 g/kg CA up to day 42 of age in 5 replicates of 10 birds each. In Experiment 2, 90 7-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were used to investigate the effects of 0, 30, and 60 g of CA per kg of diet in 3 replicate of 10 birds each up to day 42 of age. In both experiments, inclusion of 30 g/kg of CA increased proventriculus, gizzard, and ileum weight percentage and villus length, crypt depth, and goblet cell number in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum compared to control birds. Ileal digestibility of crude protein (CP), apparent metabolizable energy (AME), and total phosphorus (tP) were improved. In Experiment 2, administration of CA at 60 g/kg of the diet significantly reduced ileal digestibility of CP, AME, and tP at 30 d of age (P < 0.01). Data obtained from these experiments demonstrated that addition of 30 g/kg of CA to the diet improved almost all zootechnical indices as well as nutrient retention in broiler chicken. In contrast, an increased level of CA up to 60 g/kg resulted in retarded growth and suppressed nutrient digestibility despite the stimulatory effect on gut morphometry and absorbing surface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was undertaken to examine the effects of citric acid (CA) supplementation on performance, nutrient retention, intestinal enzyme activities and tissue biogenic amine (BA) content in broiler chickens. Two hundred male chicks were randomly allotted to 5 dietary treatments: a nutritionally balanced basal diet supplemented with 0, 15, 30, 45 and 60 CA g kg-1 of feed from 7 to 42 d of age. The results indicated that final body weight (linear, P< 0.05), average daily gain and average daily feed intake (linear and quadratic, P< 0.05) were significantly improved by the diets containing 30 g kg-1of CA but were suppressed as CA increased to 60 g kg-1.Feed efficiency was improved in the birds fed on diets containing 15 g kg-1of CA (linear, P< 0.05). The specific activities of intestinal hydrolases such as maltase, sucrase and leucine amino-peptidase were not affected by the dietary groups. Citric acid supplementation did not have a significant effect on the retention of DM and crude fat, although CP and P retention, and apparent metabolizable energy corrected to zero nitrogen retention (AMEn) increased linearly and quadratically on increasing CA addition reaching a maximum at 30 g kg-1 diet. Dietary acidification reduced linearly and tended to reduce quadratically total BA (TBA) content of raw chicken breast and thigh. In conclusion, these findings demonstrate that the CA supplementation at 30 g kg-1 of the diet resulted in optimal growth performance and nutrient retention, whereas inclusion of 60 g kg-1 of CA reduced the BA content in raw breast and thigh meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is a viral zoonotic disease with a high mortality rate in humans. The CCHF virus (CCHFV) is transmitted to humans through the bite of Ixodid ticks or by contact with blood or tissues of infected livestock. In addition to zoonotic transmission, CCHFV can be spread from person to person and is one of the rare haemorrhagic fever viruses able to cause nosocomial outbreaks in hospitals. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever is a public health problem in many regions of the world such as Eastern Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In addition to clinical symptoms, the diagnosis of CCHF is based on the use of serological tests for the detection of immunoglobulin M and immunoglobulin G antibodies and on the use of molecular tools such as RT-PCR. From 1970 to 1978, serological and epidemiological studies were performed in humans and in livestock of Iran. After two decades and observations of CCHF in some provinces of Iran, a CCHF surveillance and detection system was established in 1999, leading to a dramatically decreased mortality rate from 20% (year 2000) to 2% (year 2007). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]