Performance and nutrient utilization of cockerel finishers fed graded levels of rice milling waste

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of rice milling waste (RMW) on performance and nutrient utilization of cockerel finishers. One hundred and fifty 9-week old Black Harco cockerels were raised on five experimental diets where RMW replaced maize at graded levels and designated diet 1 (0% RMW); diet 2 (15% RMW without palm oil); diet 3 (30% RMW without palm oil); diet 4 (15% RMW with palm oil) and diet 5 (30% RMW with palm oil). The diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isoenergetic. Each diet was fed to a group of 30 birds for a period of ten weeks. Records were maintained on body weight gain, feed intake and mortality while digestibility trials were conducted at the end of the experiment. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in weight gain between treatments, however dietary treatments had significant (P<0.05) effect on feed intake, feed to gain ratio and feed cost. Apparent crude protein retention and digestibilities of dry matter, ether extract, crude fibre and ash were significant for ail dietary treatments. From the study it was concluded that RMW can he included in cockerel finisher diet at up to 30% level when the diet is supplemented with palm oil. Keywords: Cockerels, rice milling waste, utilizatio

Association of Dopamine Transporter Gene (DAT1) 40 bp 3′ UTR VNTR Polymorphism (rs28363170) and Cannabis Use Disorder

Introduction: Cannabis remains the most widely used illicit drug among Nigerians, often associated with psychiatric disorders. Since genetic predisposition has been implicated in substance use disorders, we, therefore, aimed at finding out the relationship between dopamine transporter gene (DAT1) polymorphism and cannabis use disorder. Methods: We recruited 104 patients from a tertiary psychiatric facility in Lagos, Nigeria, who were diagnosed with cannabis use disorder according to ICD-10 and 96 non-smokers as a comparative group. The smokers were screened with Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Test (CUDIT), and cannabis dependence was assessed with the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS). Genotyping was carried out for the 40 bp 3′ UTR VNTR of the DAT1 (rs28363170). Results: The frequencies of 9R/9R, 9R/10R, 10R/10R among non-smokers and smokers were 14 (14.3%), 25 (26.2%), 57 (59.5%) and 17 (16.3%), 54 (51.9%), 33 (31.7%) respectively. The genotype distribution was in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) only in the smokers’ population (χ² = 1.896, P  = .166). Individuals with the 10R allele were almost twice as likely as the 9R carriers to smoke cannabis (OR = 1.915, 95% CI: 1.225-2.995). However, this polymorphism was not associated with the quantity of cannabis smoked, age at onset of smoking, CUDIT, and SDS scores. Conclusion: The DAT VNTR polymorphism was associated with cannabis smoking but not cannabis use disorder