A potential pathological role for spirochaetes in bovine digital dermatitis (bovine DD) and severe virulent ovine foot rot (SVOFR) has been considered and a treponeme isolate obtained from each disease in the UK. In this work, we have investigated the hypothesis that the two diseases may have a shared (common) spirochaetal aetiology. Experiments were designed to identify serological similarities and differences between the two spirochaetes; an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect anti-treponeme antibodies in the sera of cows and sheep against the two-treponeme isolates. Sera were further tested for antigen reactivity by Western blotting. Cattle and sheep with bovine DD and SVOFR, respectively, had increased seropositivity rates to both treponeme isolates, with different patterns of reactivity between farms. In some cattle herds, significant correlations were shown between antibodies to bovine DD treponemes and SVOFR treponemes (P0.05); sheep showed strong evidence of reactivity to one or the other treponeme antigens, but never to both. Western blotting against both treponeme antigens showed that they frequently displayed different antigen epitopes, although some minor bands were common to both organisms. The data suggest that there are a number of spirochaetes in UK farms, which could be involved in the pathogenesis of either bovine DD or SVOFR. arabic 13 English 83
Abdulgader Dhawi Alfitouri Dhawi(1-2021)

Background: Patellar luxation (PL) is a common orthopedic affection among farm and pet animals with mostly congenital (environmental and/or genetic) background. Aim: We report here the first observation of lateral PL in Hejazi goats bred in Libya. Methods: Five Hejazi goats aged between 4 months and 2 years with severe hind limb lameness were admitted to Al-Sorouh veterinary clinic in Tripoli during the period from 2016 to 2018. The goats were thoroughly examined clinically and radiographically. Two goats were surgically treated, and the other three cases were not because of either the cost limitation or expected poor prognosis. The surgical intervention involved femoral trochlear sulcoplasty, medial joint capsule imbrication, and tibial tuberosity transposition. Results: The clinical examination showed grade III–IV lateral PL. Radiologically, there were unilateral or bilateral, ventrocaudal, and dorsal PLs. Two cases were referred to surgical correction. One case almost restored the normal movement of stifle joint together with a good general status 1 year postsurgery. However, the surgical treatment was not effective in correcting the luxated patella in the second case. Conclusion: Lateral PL is common among orthopedic affections in Hejazi goats in Libya, and its surgical treatment provided a quite convenient approach. An association between inbreeding and the PL was suggested in those cases. Keywords: Clinical and radiological findings, Hejazi goat breed, Inbreeding, Patellar luxation, Surgical treatment.
Mohamed Hamrouni S. Abushhiwa, Abdulrhman Mohamed Salah Alrtib, Taher N. Elmeshreghi, Mouna Abdunnabi Abdunnabi Abdunnabi, Mansur Ennuri Moftah Shmela, Emad M R Bennour(3-2021)

Understanding the publication output of a country’s biomedical research can provide information for strengthening its policies, economy, and educational systems. Yet, this is the first bibliometric study to date to analyze and provide an in-depth discussion of the biomedical research productivity from Libyan academic institutions. The biomedical research productivity of higher education institutes and affiliated hospitals from Libya, with a focus on the higher education sector, was analyzed and discussed for the period of 2003–13 using the PubMed database. A questionnaire online survey was also developed to obtain opinions of Libyan scientists on productivity status and quality of research output. A total of 345 peer-reviewed articles were included in the analysis and were authored by researchers in the cities of Benghazi (32%), Tripoli (29%), Al-Zawiya (9%), Al-Bayda (8%), Sabha (3%), Misrata (3%), and Al-Khoms (1%). The papers included co-authors and/or corresponding authors from over 40 other countries were published in 179 journals covering a broad range of biomedical topics. Questionnaire (44% response rate) indicated research is largely self-funded. Information along with accurate, comprehensive, and transparent metrics can be applied to aid governmental and nongovernmental institutions to develop stable infrastructures for academic communities to achieve effective research performance and innovation.
Mohamed O. Ahmed, Et Al.(10-2017)