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Background: Schistosoma mansoni infection is associated with hepatic fibrosis and portal hypertension. Previous studies reported that blocking some components of rennin angiotensin system can ameliorate the liver pathology induced by S. mansoni infection. Aim: The present study investigated the potential effect of losartan, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, and enalapril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, on hepatic fibrosis caused by S. mansoni in a murine model. Materials and Methods: S. mansoni-infected mice were treated at week 5 after infection with losartan, enalapril, or their combination. A group of infected mice was treated with the reference drug praziquantel (PZQ) as controls. Parasitological and histological parameters were investigated. Results: Our results showed that when compared with enalapril, treatment with losartan alone caused a considerable decrease in liver index (28.92% versus 25.09%), spleen index (47.19% versus 37.08%), worm burden (38.7% versus 24.8%), hepatic tissue egg load (62.7% versus 54%), granuloma size (40.4% versus 29.4%) and fibrosis (48.7% versus 29.4%). The combination of losartan and enalapril did not produce a more pronounced effect than those of losartan. Conclusion: Our results suggest the promising effect of enalapril and losartan in amelioration of hepatic pathology but further studies to determine their effects in combination with other antischistosomal agents such as praziquantel are recommended.

The present study was carried out to investigate the hematological and immunological effects of acrylamide on immature male and female rats. The roles of honey and/or nigella sativa oil treatment against these effects of ACR were also investigated. Acrylamide (ACR) is a well-known industrial toxic chemical that produces neurotoxicity, which is characterized by progressive central and peripheral neuronal degeneration. There was significant decrease in the hemoglobin content (p < 0.05) and RBCS counts (p < 0.05) and significant increase in WBCS (p < 0.05) and platelets counts (p < 0.01) due to acrylamide toxicity. At recovery period, there was significant increase in the hemoglobin content and RBCS counts of honey and/or Nigella sativa oil-treated groups as compared to those of the untreated rats but they were still significantly lower than those of the control rats. Moreover, there was significant decrease in the WBCs and platelets counts of honey and/or Nigella sativa oil -treated groups of animals as compared to those of the untreated toxicated rats. In addition, there were significant decreases in the levels of both tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and Interleukin-17 (IL-17) in this study due to ACR toxicity. At recovery period, there were significant increases in the in the levels of both TNF-alpha and IL-17 of honey and/or Nigella sativa oil -treated groups of animals as compared to those of the untreated toxicated rats. In the current study, the treatments with honey and/or Nigella sativa oil enhance the hematological and immunological parameters of the treated animals that can participate in the neuroprotective effect of Acrylamide on Wistar rats.

Highly pathogenic influenza A virus subtype H5N1 causes significant poultry mortality in the six countries where it is endemic and can also infect humans. Egypt has reported the third highest number of poultry outbreaks (n=1,084) globally. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to identify putative risk factors for H5N1 infections in backyard poultry in 16 villages in Damietta, El Gharbia, Fayoum, and Menofia governorates from 2010–2012. Cloacal and tracheal swabs and serum samples from domestic (n=1242)and wild birds (n=807) were tested for H5N1 via RT-PCR and hemagglutination inhibition, respectively. We measured poultry rearing practices with questionnaires (n=306 households) and contact rates among domestic and wild bird species with scan sampling. Domestic birds (chickens, ducks, and geese, n = 51) in three governorates tested positive for H5N1 by PCR or serology. A regression model identified a significant correlation between H5N1 in poultry and the practice of disposing of dead poultry and poultry feces in the garbage (F = 15.7, p< 0.0001). In addition, contact between domestic and wild birds was more frequent in villages where we detected H5N1 in backyard flocks (F= 29.5, p< 0.0001).