Dim blue light colour reduces the activities and improves the performance of Indian River broilers under Egyptian conditions

Poultry producers accustomed to use light colours in broiler production as atrial to increase their productivity, especially in the developing countries to cover the animal protein gap. This experiment was planned to study the effect of different blue light colour intensities (high, medium and dim) on a recently imported Indian River (IR) broilers to Egypt. In this study, 270 one-day old Indian River broiler chicks were used. The birds were exposed to high blue light intensity (HBLI), medium blue light intensity (MBLI) and dim blue light intensity (DBLI), through a monochromatic lighting system that was installed in different rooms for 24 hours daily. The birds were randomly divided and housed into three well controlled pens of 5.46 m2 with three replicates of 30 each using a density of 17 birds/m2 in the room. The results showed that the broilers reared under DBLI had a significantly (p< 0.05) higher body weight, body weight gain, Newcastle disease virus antibody titer and foot pad dermatitis with obviously, economic Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and low activities and heterophyil/lymphocyte ratio in comparing with (MBLI) and (HBLI). In conclusion, poultry producer can use dim blue light in their farms to reduce the activities and increase the productivity of the birds.

Convalescent plasma therapy for COVID-19

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 in China represents a significant threat to global health. Unfortunately, effective therapeutic drugs and vaccines to cure SARS-CoV-2 are still lacking. Convalescent Plasma therapy which induces passive immunization seems a successful treatment for COVID-19 patients and also proves to be of huge value in terms of saving the severely ill patient. Plasma therapy acts by Blocking the Virus (Neutralization), Enhancing Phagocytosis (Opsonization), Immune System Activation (Complement Activation), and finally killing Virus (Antibody-Dependent Cell-mediated Cytotoxicity). Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States was also given the stamp of approval for use of plasma therapy on 23 August 2020. In this review, we introduced the effective level of antibodies, potential mechanisms of CPT, WHO criteria for donating the plasma as well as future uncertainties of convalescent plasma therapy in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Persistence of robust humoral immune response in COVID-19 convalescent individuals over 12 months after infection

SARS-CoV-2 infection elicits varying degrees of protective immunity conferred by neutralizing antibodies (nAbs). Here we report the persistence of nAb responses over 12 months after infection despite its decreasing trend noticed from 6 months. The study included sera from 358 individuals who had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 between January and May 2020. Samples were collected at 6 and 12 months after onset. The titers of IgG to the viral nucleocapsid protein (NP) and receptor-binding domain of the spike protein (RBD) were measured by CLEIA. The nAb titer was determined using lentivirus-based pseudovirus or authentic virus. Antibody titers of NP-IgG, RBD-IgG, and nAbs were higher in severe and moderate cases than in mild cases at 12 months after onset. While the nAb levels were likely to confer adequate protection against wild-type viral infection, the neutralization activity to recently circulating variants in some of the mild cases (~30%) was undermined, implying the susceptibility of reinfection to the variants of concerns (VOCs). COVID-19 convalescent individuals have robust humoral immunity even at 12 months after infection albeit that the medical history and background of patients could affect the function and dynamics of antibody response to the VOCs.

Barriers of Linkage to Hepatitis C Care and Treatment Among People Who Inject Drugs in Georgia

Background: People who inject drugs (PWID) in Georgia have a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus antibody (anti-HCV). Access to care among PWID could be prioritized to meet the country’s hepatitis C elimination goals. This study assesses barriers of linkage to hepatitis C care among PWID in Georgia.Methods: Study participants were enrolled from 13 harm reduction centers throughout Georgia. Anti-HCV positive PWID who were tested for viremia (linked to care [LC]), were compared to those not tested for viremia within 90 days of screening anti-HCV positive (not linked to care [NLC]). Participants were interviewed about potential barriers to seeking care.Results: A total of 500 PWID were enrolled, 245 LC and 255 NLC. LC and NLC were similar with respect to gender, age, employment status, education, knowledge of anti-HCV status, and confidence/trust in the elimination program (p>0.05). More NLC (13.0%) than LC (7.4%) stated they were not sufficiently informed what to do after screening anti-HCV positive (p<0.05). In multivariate analysis, linkage to care was associated with perceived affordability of the elimination program (adjusted prevalence ratio=8.53; 95% confidence interval: 4.14-17.62). Conclusions: Post testing counselling and making hepatitis C services affordable could help increase linkage to care among PWID in Georgia.