Effect of Age and Weight on Laying Performance and Egg Weight among Harco Hens

This study was designed to determine the effect of age and weight on laying performance and egg weight among Harco hens. Laying performance and egg weight were compared between three weight ranges of beak trimmed commercial Harco hens in conventional battery cages. Seventy two Harco hens, age 32 weeks were divided into three groups corresponding to 3 weight ranges; 1.35 – 1.59kg (WRI), 1.60 – 1.80kg (WR2) and 1.81 – 2.20 kg (WR3). The hens were fed a commercial layers ratio for three months (12 weeks) during which the average egg weight and hen day egg laying performance of each weight range was determined. The average monthly production of WR3 layers was 295 eggs per 24 layers, whereas, those in WR2 range and WR1 laid 283 and 232 eggs per 24 layers respectively. WR3 hens laid 63 eggs more than WR1 hens per month, while age significantly (P < 0.05) affected laying performance. The effect of body weight on laying performance was significantly different (P <0.05). The average weight of eggs laid by WR1, WR2 and WR3 hens were 53.20 – 60.4g, 53.50 – 64.6g and 56.5 – 63.2g. There were therefore, significant differences (P < 0.05) in weights of eggs laid by hens in three weight ranges. The results therefore, show that laying performance and egg size are positively affected by age and body weight in Harco breed

Acute Oral Toxicity Studies of the Crude Extract of Endophytic Fungi Isolated from Annona senegalensis Pers

Establishment of safety and toxicity profiles of metabolites of endophytic organisms from known medicinal plants are crucial in their pharmacological and biological applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral acute toxicity (LD50) of crude extract of endophytic fungi isolated from Annona senegalensis Pers. The endophytic fungal metabolite was extracted with ethyl acetate. The LD50 was estimated following the method described by Lorke. Three dose levels (10, 100, and 1000 mg/kg) of the crude extract were administered to three mice each for the first phase using oral gavage needle in a single dose disposable syringe. The animals were observed for possible deaths or other side effects of the test substance in each group within 24 hours of the treatment. In the second phase, which was deduced from the first phase, eight mice were sub-divided into four groups of two mice each and they were treated with doses of 1200, 1600, 2900 and 5000 mg/kg orally. They were also observed within 24 hours and final LD50 value was determined. Results showed that the endophytic fungal extract exhibited no mortality or any histological defect in the liver tissues of the mice. More so, the immunological parameter tested showed significant increase in neutrophils and lymphocytes relative to the control in all the fungal isolates. Additionally, the LD50 for the crude metabolites was > 5000 mg/kg. This study has revealed that crude extract of endophytic fungi isolated from Annona senegalensis Pers did not show oral acute toxicity in mice. Further studies will evaluate long term-toxicity of the crude extract. Keywords: Endophytes, LD50, Annona senegalensis, Metabolites, Fung

Comparison of the microbial composition of African fermented foods using amplicon sequencing

Fermented foods play a major role in the diet of people in Africa, where a wide variety of raw materials are fermented. Understanding the microbial populations of these products would help in the design of specific starter cultures to produce standardized and safer foods. In this study, the bacterial diversity of African fermented foods produced from several raw materials (cereals, milk, cassava, honey, palm sap, and locust beans) under different conditions (household, small commercial producers or laboratory) in 8 African countries was analysed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing during the Workshop “Analysis of the Microbiomes of Naturally Fermented Foods Training Course”. Results show that lactobacilli were less abundant in fermentations performed under laboratory conditions compared to artisanal or commercial fermentations. Excluding the samples produced under laboratory conditions, lactobacilli is one of the dominant groups in all the remaining samples. Genera within the order Lactobacillales dominated dairy, cereal and cassava fermentations. Genera within the order Lactobacillales, and genera Zymomonas and Bacillus were predominant in alcoholic beverages, whereas Bacillus and Lactobacillus were the dominant genera in the locust bean sample. The genus Zymomonas was reported for the first time in dairy, cereal, cassava and locust bean fermentations

Mucin-Grafted Polyethylene Glycol Microparticles Enable Oral Insulin Delivery for Improving Diabetic Treatment

In this study, different ratios of mucin-grafted polyethylene-glycol-based microparticles were prepared and evaluated both in vitro and in vivo as carriers for the oral delivery of insulin. Characterization measurements showed that the insulin-loaded microparticles display irregular porosity and shape. The encapsulation efficiency and loading capacity of insulin were >82% and 18%, respectively. The release of insulin varied between 68% and 92% depending on the microparticle formulation. In particular, orally administered insulin-loaded microparticles resulted in a significant fall of blood glucose levels, as compared to insulin solution. Subcutaneous administration showed a faster, albeit not sustained, glucose fall within a short time as compared to the polymeric microparticle-based formulations. These results indicate the possible oral delivery of insulin using this combination of polymers.Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND)–National Research Fund (NFR)Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidade

Natural heterocycles as antifertility agents

Natural products have shown an unflinching promise as antifertility agents. Interestingly, most of them are heterocyclic in nature. The extraordinary capability of these compounds to mimic the activity of estrogenic compounds imparts them a remarkable characteristic of being able to regulate female fertility. Nitrogen and oxygen heterocycles form the majority of these compounds of which, in majority of cases, the pharmacologically active part of the molecule is non-aromatic, thus non planar, just as is the steroid ring system. This fact may be responsible for their steroid mimicking activity. This review presents the activecompounds identified and pharmacologically evaluated till date

Microbial quality of some commercially available brands of toothpaste marketed in Eastern Nigeria

No Abstract. Bio-Research Vol. 5 (2) 2007: pp. 244-24

Equilibrium Studies of Some Metal Ions onto Modified Orange Mesocarp Extract in Aqueous Solution

This paper examines the equilibrium removal of Zinc, Copper, Nickel and Cobalt ions from aqueous solutions by cation exchange resins synthesized using orange mesocarp extract. The percentage metal ion exchange of Carboxylated-Toluene Di-isocyanate Orange Mesocarp Extract Resin (CTOR) increased with increase in pH of the solution phase, while that of Sulphonated-Toluene Di-isocyanate Orange Mesocarp Extract Resin (STOR) was relatively uniform with increase in solution pH. The results also showed maximum ion exchange of 61.48%, 67.24%, 69.82% and 78.96% for Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Co2+ ions respectively for CTOR, while 78.10%, 83.98%, 88.00% and 93.80% for Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Co2+ ions respectively for STOR using 50mg/L metal ion solution at 29°C. It was found that the uptake of Zn2+, Cu2+, Ni2+ and Co2+ ions by CTOR and STOR is related to the dissociation power of the exchangeable hydrogen and in sequence similar to the ionic radii of the metal ions. Thermodynamic parameters were evaluated and values obtained show that the ion exchange process was spontaneous, exothermic and of low entropy value, suggesting strong interaction between the metal ions and the exchange sites. These findings can serve as parameters for designing ion exchange treatment systems for heavy metal-contaminated wastewater