Substitution Value of toasted Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) seed meal for Soybean meal and Maize in Broiler Starter Diets

One hundred and eighty 7-day old broilers were used in a 28-day feeding trial to determine the substitution value of toasted pigeon pea seeds meal (TPSM) for soybean meal and maize in boiler starter diet. The brown coat coloured pigeon pea seeds were toasted at 100oC for 15minutes and milled. The inclusion levels of TPSM were 0, 20, 30, 40 and 50% replacing 40, 60, 80 and 100% of soybean meal and 20, 30, 40 and 50% of maize, respectively in the diet. Data on weight gain, feed intake were recorded and used to calculate the feed conversion ratio. Results showed that birds on 0% TPSM (control) performed significantly (

Effect of cooked pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) seed meal on the performance of broiler chicks

Two hundred seven day old broilers were used to determine the effect of cooked pigeon pea seed meal (CPSM) on the performance of broiler chicks. The brown coat coloured pigeon pea seeds were cooked for one hour, sun-dried and milled. CPSM was included in the broiler starter diets 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 at 0, 20, 30, 40 and 50% levels respectively to replace maize and soybean meal. Data on weight gain, feed intake were recorded and used to calculate the feed conversion ratio. Feed cost and cost of feed per kg weight gain was also determined. The results of this study indicated a slight reduction in crude protein content of pigeon pea seed meal after cooking. CPSM significantly (P0.05) difference in weight gain. Birds on diet 1 recorded the highest feed intake, which was significantly (

Starter broiler feed brand preferences by small scale poultry farmers versus performance of broiler chickens fed the preferred feed brands in Owerri zone, Imo State, Nigeria

The production and sale of 28 day-old broiler chicks, a business known locally as “brood and sell” is rapidly growing among small scale poultry  farmers in Owerri zone, Imo state, South East Nigeria. Feed however, is a major budget item that affects profit in the business. This study therefore, evaluated the preferences of farmers for the different starter broiler feed brands versus the performance of such broilers on these feed brands. A purposively structured questionnaire was designed and administered to forty eight small scale poultry farmers in seven local government areas in the zone. Based on the responses from the farmers, a 28-day feeding trial was carried out at our station using 210, one-day old Marshal broiler chicks to determine their performance on feed brands preferred by the farmers. Results of the survey indicated that five feed brands coded TF, VF, AF, HF and ZF were actively distributed in the zone. VF brand was the most preferred (49.10%) and TF second most preferred (29.07%) while HF brand was the least preferred (3.66%). Results of the feeding trial indicated that TF recorded the best body weight gain (495.22g), feed conversion ratio (FCR), 2.53 and 0.00% mortality while HF recorded the least body weight gain (214.29g), poorest FCR (5.57) and highest mortality rate (14.28%). The VF brand mostly preferred by the farmers from our survey recorded 469.04g body weight gain, 2.87 FCR and 0.00% mortality. TF which  outperformed other brands however, cost much more per kg. Preference of feed brand by small scale poultry farmers in Owerri zone, from the results obtained is influenced by cost but the quality of such feed brand was also a major consideration. Keywords: Small scale, poultry farmers, feed brand, starter broilers, Owerr

Spinal Burkitts lymphoma in a 60-year-old Nigerian male: A case report

Burkitts Lymphoma (BL) typically involves extranodal sites, though its involvement of the extradural, intraspinal space is rare. A 60-year-old man presented with inability to move the lower limbs of two days duration. MRI showed extensive, fairly lobulated, dome shaped paravertebral soft tissue mass. He underwent T4 - T9 laminectomy and excision biopsy of the extradural component of the tumour. Based on tissue histology, diagnosis was concluded to be BL. Spinal BL should be an important differential diagnosis in an adult with no prior history of malignancy presenting clinically with lower limb weakness, paraplegia and a spinal mass on imaging

Evaluation of graded levels of raw and cooked turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) on performance of starter broiler chicks

This study was designed to evaluate the effect of different levels of raw and cooked turmeric rhizome (Curcuma longa) on the performance of starter broiler chicks in a complete randomised design. Turmeric rhizome was washed with water and divided into two batches of 20kg each. The first batch was crushed, then sundried for 3 days. The second batch was cooked for an hour, crushed with a roller and sundried for 3 days. Both the  raw and cooked sundried turmeric rhizomes were then ground using a hammer mill to produce raw and cooked turmeric rhizome meal and were bagged respectively. Seven (7) broiler starter diets were formulated to contain raw or cooked turmeric rhizome meal at 0% (control diet), 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% levels, respectively. The diets were offered ad libitum to 189 Cobb broilers which were randomly divided into 7 dietary treatment groups,  each containing 3 replicates of 9 birds per replicate. The experiment lasted for 21days. All the routine management practices were duly observed. Daily weight gain, daily feed intake, mortality and feed conversion ratio were used as criteria of response. The results indicated that addition of  turmeric rhizome meal had no significant (p>0.05) effect on daily weight gain, daily feed intake, mortality and feed conversion ratio as compared with the control. It was evident that the different processing methods and the dietary levels used had no effect on broiler performance based on the results obtained in this study and within the circumstances of the experiments. It can be concluded that sun-dried raw and cooked turmeric rhizome meal at the dietary levels used did not significantly affect broiler starter performance. Keywords: raw and cooked turmeric rhizome meal, broiler chicks, performance

The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator: development and validation of a tool for identifying African surgical patients at risk of severe postoperative complications

Background: The African Surgical Outcomes Study (ASOS) showed that surgical patients in Africa have a mortality twice the global average. Existing risk assessment tools are not valid for use in this population because the pattern of risk for poor outcomes differs from high-income countries. The objective of this study was to derive and validate a simple, preoperative risk stratification tool to identify African surgical patients at risk for in-hospital postoperative mortality and severe complications. Methods: ASOS was a 7-day prospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing surgery in Africa. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator was constructed with a multivariable logistic regression model for the outcome of in-hospital mortality and severe postoperative complications. The following preoperative risk factors were entered into the model; age, sex, smoking status, ASA physical status, preoperative chronic comorbid conditions, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. Results: The model was derived from 8799 patients from 168 African hospitals. The composite outcome of severe postoperative complications and death occurred in 423/8799 (4.8%) patients. The ASOS Surgical Risk Calculator includes the following risk factors: age, ASA physical status, indication for surgery, urgency, severity, and type of surgery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.805 and good calibration with c-statistic corrected for optimism of 0.784. Conclusions: This simple preoperative risk calculator could be used to identify high-risk surgical patients in African hospitals and facilitate increased postoperative surveillance. © 2018 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Medical Research Council of South Africa gran