Four edible mushroom species (Pleurotus ostreatus, Agaricus bisporus, Volvariella volvacea, Ganoderma lucidum) from different locations of Bangladesh, were analysed for their protein and metal content profile (K, Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cr, Pb, As and Cd). Trace metals were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometer, Na and K by flame emission spectrophotometer and protein by micro Kjeldhal method. All element concentrations were determined on a dry weight basis. The protein content of mushrooms varied from 13.8%–34.3% and the metal content of samples ranged from 0.54–2.25% for K and 12.6–81.6, 69.5–626.2, 39.2–163.4, 30.1–75.5, 52.9–104.5, 0.20–0.30, 0.13–0.59 ?g g-1 for Na, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Cd, Pb, respectively.  Arsenic and cadmium concentrations were below the detection limit of the method used. The detection limits of the method for As and Cd are 0.01 ?g g-1 for each element. In general, K and Fe content were higher than other metals in all mushroom species. The levels of Cu and Zn in some mushroom samples were found to be higher than legal limits.Asian J. Med. Biol. Res. December 2015, 1(3): 495-501

Fertility of Red Chittagong bulls (RCB) using Non-Return Rate (NRR), reproductive efficiency of Red Chittagong cows (RCC) using pregnancy rate and number of services per pregnancy and parasitic infestation of two different ages and sexes were studied. The NRR ranged from 53.1% to 70.6% with an overall mean of 63.9%. Overall pregnancy rate was 65.8% and about 1.4 services were required per pregnancy. Overall 47.7% animals were infested with parasites. Five species of parasites were detected in the faeces: Balantidium coli (40%), Paramphistomum spp (47.7%), Fasciola spp (5.8%), Coccidia spp (4.5%), and Moniezia spp (1.9%). The prevalence of parasites in animals over four years age was higher (P<0.05) than in animals below four years of age: the prevalence was higher in female than in male hosts (P>0.05). (Bangl. vet.

Semen production from breeding bulls used in Artificial Insemination (AI) program is of great importance in cattle breeding. Good quality semen has positive effect on the fertility of cows and heifers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and assessed as the freezing ability of Red Chittagong Cattle (RCC) bull with fresh-diluted semen and frozen semen. The parameters of semen characteristics included were volume per ejaculate (ml), percentage of mass motility, normal and abnormal sperm, and sperm concentration (million/ml). The highest mass motility was found in bull ID No. 4 and the lowest in bull ID No. 1 but the highest sperm concentration was found in bull ID No. 3 with lowest in bull ID No. 2 in fresh semen. Highly significant (p<0.001) positive correlation was found between mass motility and sperm concentration in bulls of ID No. 3 and 4, a negative significant (p<0.05) correlation was found between mass motility and normal sperm percentage. Two freezing techniques were followed in frozen semen production: Cork sheet freezing and Cryobath freezing with two freezing times 15 and 30 minutes were also applied. Variations in the motility of frozen semen by Cork sheet freezing with two different times were found significant (p<0.05) between bulls. Furthermore, highly significant (p<0.01) difference of motility by Cryobath freezing was found between the bulls. The highest motility after both 15 and 30 minutes Cork sheet freezing and Cryobath freezing was found in bull ID No. 4 and lowest in bull ID No. 3.  In the present study, variability in the potentiality of bulls (semen volume and sperm concentration) was observed and found lower than crossbred bulls due to small size of Red Chittagong, an indigenous zebu cattle of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Journal of Animal Science. 51(1):25-30