Performance and serum biochemistry of broiler chicken fed dietary supplemental methionine, choline and inorganic sulphate

An experiment was conducted to examine the sparing effect of choline and/or sulphate on methionine in serum biochemical indices of broiler chickens in a 21-days feeding trial. Two hundred (200) unsexed one-day old Arbor Acre broiler birds were randomly distributed into five dietary treatments consisting 5 replicates of 8 birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. Diet 1 was the control, a basal diet without any of the supplements (methionine, choline or sulphate, diet 2 had the basal diet with methionine (0.30%) only, diet 3 was the basal diet with 0.30% methionine + 0.10% choline, diet 4 was the basal diet with 0.10% choline+ 0.25% sulphate and diet 5 was the basal diet with 0.30% methionine+ 0.10%choline+ 0.25% sulphate. On day 21, two birds per replicate were bled at the jugular vein into heparin bottles for serum biochemical indices. Results showed that feed intake of birds fed methionine, methionine+choline and  methionine+choline+sulphate supplemented diets were similar but significantly higher than those fed diets supplemented with  choline+sulphate and the control diet. Similar trend was observed in the final body weight gain of birds on experimental diets. Improved feed conversion ratio was recorded for birds fed methionine, methionine+choline and methionine+choline+sulphate supplemented diets. Diets had significant (P<0.05) effect on glucose, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglyceride, cholesterol, albumin and globulin but liver enzymes were not significant. Supplementation of methionine with the combination of choline and sulphate resulted in overall  improvement of broiler biochemical parameters when compared with control and birds fed combination of choline and sulphate alone. Supplementing methionine with choline and sulphate also spares methionine in improving the health status of the broiler birds by regulating the serum lipids

Vesico-uterine fistula associated with secondary infertility: A case of successful repair

Genitourinary fistulas usually have devastating consequences on a woman's reproductive health. vesicouterine fistulae though uncommon variant of genitourinary fistula, are usually due to iatrogenic etiologies. The case reported was diagnosed after second caesarean section when she was being evaluated for secondary infertility. Keywords: Youseff 'syndrome, Amenorrhea, Caesarean Section, Fistula

The impact of spirituality and resilience on mental distress among inmates in a northern state, Nigeria

The burden of mental illness of inmates in low and middle income countries (LMICs) prisons was higher than in the developed ones. Positive interventions common in reversing the increasing prevalence of inmates’ mental distress in developed countries are rare in Nigeria, a LMICs. This study contributed to initiate mental health promotion in Nigerian prisons through studying mediating effect of positive interventions, specifically spirituality and resilience on inmates’ mental wellbeing. Mental distress of 63 male inmates of Bida prison, North-centre Nigeria was assessed with GHQ-12. The impact of resilience and spirituality on mental distress was measured by Resilience Scale and brief Spirituality Involvement and Beliefs Scale respectively. The mean age of participants was 27.27years (SD = 1.43years) and 70% of them had mental distress. Variables with statistically significant experience of mental distress were being single and having high mean resilience score. The study demonstrated the impact of marital status, resilience and spirituality on the mental wellness of the participants. This will aid mental health promotion of inmates in Nigeria prisons

Effect of Different Sowing Media on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of (Golden Shower Tree) Senna fistula L

This study investigated the effect of sowing media on the seed germination and subsequent seedling growth of Senna fistula L. Treatments were T1 (Top soil), T2 (River sand), T3 (Grinded coconut husk) and T4 (weathered sawdust), replicated two times for seed germination. The treatments were arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and the data generated was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of significance, while mean separation where appropriate was done using Least Significant Difference (LSD). The different sowing media used had positive effect on the seed emergence, the seeds planted in river sand had the highest emergence percentage of 70%. The different sowing media used did not have any significant effect on the vegetative growth parameters, statistically, they had same effect on the parameters measured. Nonetheless, seedlings from river sand produced highest number of leave (20.4), seedlings from topsoil produced highest plant height and largest leaf area of l0.62 cm and 37.l4 cm2 respectively. The seedlings from weathered sawdust produced the highest stem diameter of 0.79 mm, while seedlings from grinded coconut husk had lowest values for all the growth parameters measured. Therefore, it is recommended that river sand or weathered sawdust can be used to propagate Senna fistula seeds

Effect of Different Sowing Media on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth of (Golden Shower Tree) Senna fistula L

This study investigated the effect of sowing media on the seed germination and subsequent seedling growth of Senna fistula L. Treatments were T1 (Top soil), T2 (River sand), T3 (Grinded coconut husk) and T4 (weathered sawdust), replicated two times for seed germination. The treatments were arranged in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) and the data generated was subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) at 5% level of significance, while mean separation where appropriate was done using Least Significant Difference (LSD). The different sowing media used had positive effect on the seed emergence, the seeds planted in river sand had the highest emergence percentage of 70%. The different sowing media used did not have any significant effect on the vegetative growth parameters, statistically, they had same effect on the parameters measured. Nonetheless, seedlings from river sand produced highest number of leave (20.4), seedlings from topsoil produced highest plant height and largest leaf area of l0.62 cm and 37.l4 cm2 respectively. The seedlings from weathered sawdust produced the highest stem diameter of 0.79 mm, while seedlings from grinded coconut husk had lowest values for all the growth parameters measured. Therefore, it is recommended that river sand or weathered sawdust can be used to propagate Senna fistula seeds

Melatonin and Vitamin C modulate cholinergic neurotransmission and oxidative stress in scopolamine-induced rat model of memory impairment

Background: Cognitive dysfunction which characterizes dementia is reportedly caused by multiple factors including oxidant-antioxidant imbalance, inflammation, alteration in synaptic neurotransmission. Despite the arrays of drugs available in managing dementia, it appears no single drug can effectively treat dementia. Since it is multifactorial, combining potential drugs may provide neuroprotective impact. As such, this study investigated the neuroprotective effects of melatonin and vitamin C on scopolamine model of cognitive impairment in rats and the possible mechanism of action. Methods: Thirty male Wistar rats were divided to receive either normal saline (5 ml/kg, p.o), scopolamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.), donepezil (2 mg/kg, p.o), melatonin (10 mg/kg, p.o), vitamin C (100 mg/kg. p.o) or melatonin plus vitamin C. Cognitive impairment was induced by daily injection of scopolamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.), after which different treatment regimen were administered for 15 days. Spatial memory was assessed using Morris Water Maze and modified light and dark box. The brain was processed for malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity. Results: Scopolamine-treated rats with no intervention showed impaired learning and memory as depicted by a significant (p<0.05) increase in escape latency, reduction in the frequency of visit to the escape aperture, increased MDA, decreased GSH and elevated acetylcholinesterase activity when compared to other groups. Interventions with melatonin or/and vitamin C reversed these responses respectively. The melatonin plus vitamin C treated group compared favorably with donepezil (reference group). Conclusion: Melatonin and vitamin C show neuroprotective effect in attenuating cognitive impairment in scopolamine-induced model by modulating oxidative stress pathway and enhancing cholinergic neurotransmission. Keywords: Dementia, Melatonin, Vitamin C, Memory, Scopolamine

Seminal fluid profile of male partners of infertile couples at Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso: a three year review

Background: Infertility, according to the World Health Organization, has been defined as a disease of the reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a clinical pregnancy after twelve (12) months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Studies around the world have proven that at the very least, fifty (50) million couples worldwide suffer from infertility and these figures vary from one part of the world to the other. Male factor contribution to infertility remains significant and semen analysis is a major way to determine its contribution. Materials and Methods: This study involved retrieval of the case files of infertile couple attending gynaecology and urology clinics at the Bowen University Teaching Hospital, Ogbomoso over a three year period. The seminal fluid analysis results were retrieved from the case files and relevant information checked, reviewed and inputted in a tabular form in Microsoft Excel. Result: A total of 194 couples were managed for infertility between January 2018 and December 2020. Out of this number, seminal fluid analysis was requested for 125 couples, of which only 69 results were returned and 56 seminal fluid analysis results were not returned to the clinic. Conclusion: It was observed that 36% of infertility cases had no evidence to show that seminal fluid analysis was requested for during the course of management of these infertile couple. The implication of this is that there may be an oversight factor on the part of the requesting physician. Other possible reasons is because the female partners of infertile couples often make the trip to the infertility clinics alone hence the physician may have no choice but to investigate the female partner alone. Azoospermia (36%) was the major contributing factors for to male infertility

Biological Resolution of Virulence Genes of Salmonella Species from different Microbiomes

The pathogenic promiscuity of virulence associated macromolecules in Salmonella infection is a key driver to their wide epidemiology and curtailing  such distribution is contingent upon proper clarification of these virulence genes. This study was therefore aimed at determining the virulence  genes of Salmonella species from different microbiomes. To achieve this, a total of three hundred (300) biological specimens were aseptically  collected and processed for Salmonella presence using the BAM USFDA technique prior to their genotypic characterization while virulence gene  detection was carried out in a primer specific polymerase chain reaction. Results obtained depict the distribution of the following Salmonella species  viz; Salmonella gallinarum 19(26.39%), Salmonella heidelberg 19(26.39%), Salmonella enteritidis 18(25%) and Salmonella typhimurium  16(22.22%) while the occurrence of the virulence genes (InvA, SopE, AgfA and SpvC) were Salmonella enteritidis ( 7(38.8), 6(33.3), 9(50), 3(16.7),  Salmonella typhimurium ( 5(26.3), 3(15.8), 2(10.5), 7(36.8)), Salmonella heidelberg (0(0), 8(50), 4(25), 4(25), and Salmonella gallinarum (12(63.2),  6(31.6), 2(10.5), 7(36.8)) respectively. It was however found that the different microbiomes analyzed were ubiquitously rich in virulence genes  associated Salmonella species.   La promiscuité pathogène des macromolécules associées à la virulence dans l’infection à Salmonella est un facteur clé de leur large épidémiologie  et la réduction de cette distribution dépend de la clarification appropriée de ces gènes de virulence. Cette étude visait donc à déterminer les gènes  de virulence des espèces de Salmonella de différents microbiomes. Pour ce faire, un total de trois cents (300) échantillons biologiques ont été  collectés et traités de manière aseptique pour la présence de Salmonella à l’aide de la technique BAM USFDA avant leur caractérisation génotypique  tandis que la détection du gène de virulence a été effectuée dans une réaction en chaîne par polymérase spécifique à l’amorce. Les résultats  obtenus décrivent la distribution des espèces de Salmonella suivantes, à savoir ; Salmonella gallinarum 19(26,39%), Salmonella heidelberg  19(26,39%), Salmonella enteritidis 18(25%) et Salmonella typhimurium 16(22,22%) alors que la présence des gènes de virulence (InvA, SopE, AgfA et  SpvC) était Salmonella enteritidis ( 7(38,8), 6(33,3), 9(50), 3(16,7), Salmonella typhimurium ( 5(26,3), 3(15,8), 2(10,5), 7(36,8)), Salmonella heidelberg (0(  0), 8(50), 4(25), 4(25) et Salmonella gallinarum (12(63.2), 6(31.6), 2(10.5), 7(36.8)) respectivement. différents microbiomes analysés étaient  ubiquitairement riches en gènes de virulence associés aux espèces de Salmonella  &nbsp

Grain and seed protein functionality

Editado por Jiménez-López, José Carlos (CSIC

Evaluation of the contribution of National Housing Fund scheme towards housing delivery in Nigeria

One of the three most important basic needs of mankind which has not been adequate for the citizenry right from the independence in 1960 till date is Housing. Finance has been fingered as one of the predicaments towards its actualization because housing provision requires huge capital outlay. The National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme was considered relative to the number of contributors, accessibility of the fund when required and how it has affected the provision of housing in Nigeria. Data for this work were obtained from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) which is the apex bank for mortgage institutions. The study revealed that few mortgagors have benefitted from the scheme,funds are locked up without disbursing adequate amount to the contributors as there is wide gap between the amount that mortgagors actually applied for and the amount so approved for the provision of housing in Nigeria. The paper recommended that contributors should be allowed to benefit from NHF scheme, while funds locked up should be adequately disbursed to the loan applicants by ensuring that there is reduction in the wide margin between amount applied for and the amount so approved to allow for effective utilization of the fund