Background:This study evaluated the antioxidant potential of a polyherbal formulation (Phytocee™) in the rodent model.Materials and Methods:Four groups of rats (n = 6) were pretreated with Vitamin C (20 mg/kg) or Phytocee™ (20, 100, and 200 mg/kg), respectively for 10 days. Oxidative stress in rat liver was induced by administration of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) at 2 ml/kg as a single dose orally to all groups except the vehicle control group. After 24 h of administration of CCl4, hepatic levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels were evaluated.Results:Phytocee™ administered groups at all the dose levels significantly reduced the hepatic MDA, serum ALT and AST levels with a marked increase in hepatic SOD and catalase as compared with CCl4 treated group.Conclusion:The findings suggest that Phytocee™ markedly reversed the effects of CCl4 induced oxidative stress and can be used as an antioxidant feed supplement.

| New Duck disease or infectious serositis or anatipestifer syndrome, an epizootic infectious disease of poultry, caused by Riemerella anatipestifer is responsible for severe mortality in ducks world-wide. The present study reveals the molecular characterization of outer membrane protein A gene (ompA) of R. anatipestifer isolated from ducks of Kerala as well as its application for developing control and diagnostic strategies for New Duck disease. Outer membrane protein A gene of three isolates of R. anatipestifer from ducks of Kerala were amplified by PCR and cloned in T/A vector. After sequencing of the amplicons, the sequence similarity analysis was done using selected software. The sequence analysis of the gene showed that no much variation of ompA existed among the isolates and that all the isolates were similar to a Taiwanese strain of R. anatipestifer. The results emphasise that the ompA gene of R. anatipestifer could be utilised for developing diagnostic and control strategies for New Duck disease.

Lactoferrin, an iron-binding glycoprotein, primarily present in milk, has been shown to be involved in various physiological and protective function including roles in iron homeostasis, cell proliferation, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant, immunomodulatory and anticancer activities. The present study focused on the isolation and purification of lactoferrin of Malabari goats, an indigenous goat b reed of Kerala. Lactoferrin is isolated from colostrum samples by cation exchange chromatography using CM Saphadex C-50 column. The isolated protein was identified and confirmed by SDS-PAGE in terms of its molecular weight. A single 80 kDa Coomassie Brilliant Blue-stained band observed in the electrophoretic profile ascertained the purity of the protein isolated. The results of the study point to a simple one step method to obtain pure lactoferrin from goats.

In the present study, a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay targeting the ompA gene of R. anatipestifer was standardised using three freeze dried isolates of the organism. The reaction could be completed in a short time i.e. approximately an hour, as compared to PCR which requires about 3 h for completion. The whole isothermal reaction was performed in a simple water bath and the positive reaction could be detected with naked eye, thereby confirming that no expensive equipment is needed for the diagnosis of the pathogen effectively. This technique could be mastered by veterinarians and laboratory technicians very easily compared to PCR; thereby reducing the time lag in reaching a confirmative diagnosis. This assay could be carried out in a local laboratory without any special equipment and high edge facilities.Once properly standardized, the LAMP assay serves as a very simple, rapid and effective pen-side diagnostic technique. It has the potential to revolutionize the field of human and veterinary disease diagnosis, thereby aiding in adopting prompt control and therapeutic strategies.

Lactoferrin (Lf), an iron binding glycoprotein mainly found in the secretions of the body like milk, tears, saliva, pancreatic juice, bile, genital fluids etc is well noted for its role in innate immunity as well as biological functions like antibacterial, antifungal, anti-tumorigenic, antiviral and other metal binding properties. The present study unveils the molecular characterization of coding region of lactoferrin (Lf) gene of Malabari and Attappady Black goat breeds of Kerala, which are reputed for their sturdiness and resistance to diseases. Thirty minutes post milking milk samples from early lactating goats of both the breeds were collected for RNA isolation followed by cDNA synthesis and subsequent amplification of partial coding region of Lf gene. The amplicons were sequenced and the sequences were analyzed using various bioinformatics tools. A 1914 bp long partial coding region encoding 638 amino acids was obtained for Malabari goats while that of Attappady Black goat yielded 1975 bp encoding 657 amino acids. The sequences of both the breeds were 94-99% similar to Lf gene of other ruminant species. Eight nucleotide variations were observed in Malabari whereas ten variations were seen in the nucleotide sequences of Attappady Black when compared with