Evaluation of cereal forage grasses and forages from them according to the content of protein insoluble in acid detergent

The nitrogen content was determined in acid-detergent fiber (ADF) isolated from awnless rump, meadow fescue and meadow timothy, depending on the phase of their the same phases are for silage and haylage. Samples for analyzes were dried at a temperature of 60-65 ° C. As the grasses grew, an increase in the content of CDC in them was observed, which was also accompanied by an increase in ADF from the phase of entering the tube to flowering in timothy grass - from 1.18 to 1.36%, in meadow fescue - from 0.96 to 1.58 5%. When preserving grasses, an increase in the content of CDC is observed in all phases of their growth as compared to the original grass, but the mass fraction of ADF in the dry matter of silage and haylage was no more than in the original grass. If the technology of harvesting silage and haylage is observed, the level of thermal damage to these forages does not increase. With the growth of grasses from the vegetative phase to flowering, the content of SP in grasses and forages from them decreases, while the proportion of ADF in it increases. The inverse relationship between these indicators had correlation coefficients of 0.83, 0.88 and 0.92 for grasses, silage and haylage, respectively. The need to harvest them in earlier phases of growth is noted.

The most prevalent allergenic airborne pollens among Egyptian patients with respiratory allergy

Background Allergy symptoms occur when the immune system overreacts to environmental allergens, such as pollen or dust, which are typically harmless to most individuals but induce a potentially severe reaction to those who are sensitive to them. Pollen is one of the main reasons to cause seasonal allergic respiratory diseases and it is influenced by multiple risk factors. Objective To determine the most prevalent types of allergenic pollens by skin prick testing among Egyptian patients with respiratory allergy (asthma and/or allergic rhinitis). Methods 200 adult patients, all were subjected to the following: full detailed medical history, clinical examination, asthma severity grading according to the GINA Guidelines, allergic rhinitis severity grading according to ARIA Guidelines, pulmonary Function tests for asthmatic patients. (PFTs), CBC with differential for detection of eosinophilic count, Skin prick testing (SPT) to common environmental allergens and common food allergen. Results The present study proved that the grass pollens; timothy grass and maize were the most prevalent pollens among Egyptian respiratory allergy patients. Conclusion Difference in results of SPT performed to patients across different countries is explained by the difference in climates, which affects pollination, Egypt is considered to have a dry, desert-like climate in addition to its coastal regions. Our results revealed that both timothy grass and maize pollens were the most prevalent among Egyptian respiratory allergy patients.

Pollen Sensitization in Association with Allergic Rhinitis in preschool asthmatic Children

Background Grass pollens are significant elicitors of IgE-mediated allergic disease in the world and timothy grass (Phleum pratense) is an important pollen in allergy induction. Objective We sought to determine the rate of pollen sensitization in group of Egyptian asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis using timothy grass pollen as a potential triggering factor for allergic rhinitis. Patients and Methods This analytical cross sectional study was conducted on a group of preschool children following up at the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Clinic, Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University during the period from December 2018 to April 2019. We enrolled 52 asthmatic children with concomitant allergic rhinitis sampled in a consecutive manner. They were subjected to skin prick testing for timothy grass pollen, positive histamine control and negative control. Results The study revealed high frequency of timothy grass pollen(TGP) sensitization occurring in 60.3% of patients with concomitant allergic rhinitis .wheal diameters pointed to sensitization only rather than actual allergy to TGP. TGP sensitization showed no significant correlation to disease duration. Children with rhinosinsuitis had comparable rates of TGP sensitization to those without rhinosinsuitis. Conclusion It is concluded from our results that sensitization to timothy grass pollen (TGP) is common in allergic rhinitis. The findings are limited by the sample size and consecutive manner of sampling. Wider scale studies are needed to accurately evaluate the frequency of timothy grass pollen (TGP) sensitization in our country.

How important is proper dosing for subcutaneous and sublingual allergy immunotherapy?

Background: Results of surveys report that allergists use a wide range of doses for allergy immunotherapy; however, results of randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled studies suggest that the range of the optimum effective dosing is relatively narrow. Objective: To review studies that established effective or less than fully effective doses for allergy immunotherapy. Methods: Studies were reviewed that established effective and ineffective subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapy doses. Only those studies that expressed dosing in terms of the content of a major allergen in the maintenance doses were included in defining effective and ineffective doses. Results: Studies were identified that showed effective doses for subcutaneous injection, established in randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trials, for short ragweed, timothy grass, house-dust mites, cat and dog dander, birch, and Alternaria. For short ragweed, timothy grass, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, and cat and dog dander, less-effective doses were determined, along with effective doses; the less-effective doses were only one-fifth to one-tenth less in allergen content than were the effective doses. Effective doses of cockroach and all fungal extracts except Alternaria have not been established. Information is available on the mean major allergen content of U.S. standardized and a few nonstandardized extracts, which allows the information on effective and ineffective dosing to be used in prescribing subcutaneous allergy immunotherapy. With sublingual allergy immunotherapy, all the approved tablets had multidose studies that determined the optimal dose. For the U.S. liquid extracts, to my knowledge, there are no studies to define effective doses except for ragweed. Conclusions: Although a wide range of doses are prescribed by U.S. allergists, analysis of available data suggests that effective doses fall within a narrow range and that use of doses one-fifth or one-tenth of the effective doses may sacrifice most or all of the potential efficacy of the treatment.

The effect of lime and mineral fertilizers on agrochemical characteristics of soil and productivity of birdsfoot trefoil and timothy grass mixture

The article presents the results of three-year (2017-2019) field studies on changes in agrochemical characteristics of soil and formation of productivity of birdsfoot trefoil and timothy grass mixture in dependence of the liming (hydrolytic acidity 0.25) and application of mineral fertilizers, phosphorite meal in particular. The soil is sod-podzolic, medium loamy, strongly acidic, with intermediate concentration of mobile phosphorous and metabolizable potassium, humus content is 1.9 %, and mobile aluminum – from 4.27 to 5.24 mg/kg of soil. It has been established that application of finely ground lime at a dose of 3 tons per hectare prior to sowing of birdsfoot trefoil and timothy grass mixture decreased soil acidity in the layer of 0-10 cm from 4.2 to 5.6 pH units by next autumn. Application of phosphorite meal (1t/ha) led to an increase in the concentration of mobile phosphorous in the layer of 0-10 cm by 135-163 %. The highest productivity of birdsfoot trefoil and timothy mixture during 3 years was obtained by means of combined application of lime and mineral fertilizers, and for 3 years on the average the yield of metabolic energy exceeded 50 GJ/ha, which is over 35 % higher than in the control variant without fertilizers. The use of mineral fertilizers increased grass mixture productivity only during the first two years. The applied dosage of phosphorite meal (1t/ha) promoted the increase in grass productivity on strongly acidic soil only in the year of sowing. Additional treatment with ammonium nitrate (N30) together with phosphorous and potassium fertilizers (Р60К60), as well as potassium chloride (К60) with phosphorite meal did not result in significant rise in metabolizable energy yield.

Bipolaris victoriae (Victoria blight of oats).

A disease almost unknown prior to 1944 (Romanko, 1957), Bipolaris victoriae is a potentially destructive disease of oats (it reduced the Iowa oat crop by 32% in 1947) (Anon, 1965) that currently has a limited host range and geographical spread. It has been reported from several continents and associated with several crops, however its status as a pathogen on crops could be questioned in all cases with the exception of oats, timothy grass and switch grass. It is seedborne and thus any trade in seed both for cultivation or for livestock feed is a potential means of spread. The virulence of the fungus is due to the production of a peptide often called a host-specific toxin 'victorin'. The disease has generally been controlled through the use of genetically resistant lines but the resistance gene which confers resistance to victorin actually causes plants to become susceptible to crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata (Lorang et al., 2007).

High Histamine Control Concentration Leads to False Negative Allergy Skin Testing

Background Allergy skin test reliability depends on the reagents and controls selected. Histamine is used at 1 mg/ml and 6 mg/ml concentration but few studies address the rationale for selecting one versus the other and how this may impact diagnostic accuracy. Objective To determine the rate of false negative allergen skin tests responses between UniTest PC (using the 1 mg/mL histamine) and Quintip devices (using 6 mg/mL) for 4 common aeroallergens. Methods Subjects aged 18-65 with symptoms of allergy to cat and/or ragweed received skin testing with 4 aeroallergens (dust mite mix, timothy grass, ragweed, cat), histamine and control diluent. Those individuals who tested positive to cat or ragweed with one skin prick test (SPT) device but not the other then proceeded to nasal allergen challenge (NAC). The primary outcomes were the aeroallergen false negative rates and sensitivities of the skin test devices followed by nasal allergen (NAC). Results Twenty-five individuals were recruited and underwent a total of 300 SPTs. SPT to allergens (ragweed, dust mite, cat, and timothy grass) resulted in a statistically significant difference in wheal size among the two skin testing devices ( p value <0.0001, 0.0001, 0.0006, and 0.0053 respectively). Six NAC procedures were performed to cat/ragweed and 5 of 6 (83% were positive). The overall allergen sensitivity rate for UniTest and Quintip were 97% and 78% respectively with most false negatives due to the use of 6 mg/ml histamine control reagent. Conclusion Our study shows that 6 mg/ml concentration of histamine control reagent may contribute to a false interpretation of aeroallergen skin prick test results.

Bipolaris victoriae (Victoria blight of oats).

A disease almost unknown prior to 1944 (Romanko, 1957), Bipolaris victoriae is a potentially destructive disease of oats (it reduced the Iowa oat crop by 32% in 1947) (Anon, 1965) that currently has a limited host range and geographical spread. It has been reported from several continents and associated with several crops, however its status as a pathogen on crops could be questioned in all cases with the exception of oats, timothy grass and switch grass. It is seedborne and thus any trade in seed both for cultivation or for livestock feed is a potential means of spread. The virulence of the fungus is due to the production of a peptide often called a host-specific toxin 'victorin'. The disease has generally been controlled through the use of genetically resistant lines but the resistance gene which confers resistance to victorin actually causes plants to become susceptible to crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata (Lorang et al., 2007).