The role of diet and gut microbiota in lipid metabolism: implications for health outcomes using a mouse model.

The prevalence of non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) has now reached epidemic proportions, but the role of gene-lifestyle interactions in its pathogenesis remains poorly understood. While evidence for an inverse association between odd-chain length fatty acids (OCFA) and cardiometabolic diseases, suggests a possible link between OCFAs and NAFLD, little is known about the impact of diet, gut microbiota and peroxisomal biogenesis on the metabolism of OCFAs. We hypothesized that suboptimal diet, altered gut microbiota and peroxisomal biogenesis could promote the development of NAFLD by impairing the metabolism of OCFAs. This thesis aimed to understand the effect of dietary fat/protein on the genetic and metabolic regulation of lipids and OCFAs in relation to NAFLD, using a high fat diet (HFD) model, well established in the literature for inducing obesity and insulin resistance in mice within 4 weeks, and a low protein diet (LPD) model, known to promote NAFLD. Under specific pathogen free or normal husbandry conditions, a HFD reduced serum OCFA in mice after 4 and 12 weeks of feeding, and down-regulated the activity of several key enzymes in fatty acid metabolism (desaturases, lyase, elongase). Liver histology also showed deposition of lipid droplets and higher expression of peroxin 14 protein in HFD fed mice (Chapter 3). The characterisation of gut microbiota revealed an alteration in propionate-producing bacteria, Lachnospiraceae and Clostridiales, in HFD fed mice (Chapter 4). Mice fed with carbohydrate rich-LPD for 7 weeks resulted in lower levels of serum OCFA, increased CD36 mRNA and peroxin 14 expressions. However, OCFA did not change in the reduced and quality carbohydrate-LPD after 8 weeks (Chapter 5). In conclusion, these findings provide evidence that HFD and carbohydrate rich-LPD reduced OCFA via changes in gut microbiota and peroxisomal biogenesis in the liver and increases our understanding of how suboptimal diets contributes to NAFLD

Synthesis and Characterization of CdSe Nanocrystalline Thin Film by Chemical Bath Deposition Technique

A well adherent nanocrystalline thin film of cadmium selenide (CdSe) has been successfully deposited from chemical bath containing cadmium acetate, tartaric acid, ammonia and sodium selenosulphate, at a bath temperature of 85 0C and a pH of 9.5. The films were characterized using a variety of techniques. Powder X-ray diffraction revealed a cubic phase of CdSe nanocrystalline thin film with preferred orientation along the (111) plane. The SEM micrographs showed the film surface was composed of spherically shaped grains over the entire glass substrate. The elemental composition of the thin film was confirmed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The optical band gap energy was found to be 1.86 eV

Seroprevalence and risk factors of Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C infections among pregnant women in the Asante Akim North Municipality of the Ashanti region, Ghana; a cross sectional study.

Background: Viral hepatitis is a serious public health problem affecting billions of people globally with maternal-fetal transmission on the rise. Objectives: This study sought to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections among pregnant women in the Asante Akim North Municipality, in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Methods: In this cross-sectional study 168 pregnant women were recruited from the Agogo Presbyterian hospital. Blood samples were collected for the detection of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (HBsAg) and anti-HCV antibodies. A pretested questionnaire was used to obtain demographic data and identify the risk factors associated with the two infections. Results: Of the 168 participants studied, 16 (9.5%) tested positive for HBV and 13 (7.7%) tested positive for HCV representing 9.5% and 7.7% respectively. A participant tested positive for both HBV and HCV co-infection representing 0.6%. Undertaking blood transfusion, tattooing and sharing of needles were associated with hepatitis C infection (P=0.001). HBV was not associated with any of the risk factors (P>0.05). Conclusion: Our findings suggest a high prevalence of hepatitis B and hepatitis C among pregnant women; blood transfusion, tattooing and sharing of hypodermic needles were associated with hepatitis C nfection. Measures to reduce the disease and transmission burden must be introduced

Low protein diet and methyl-donor supplements modify testicular physiology in mice

The link between male diet and sperm quality has received significant investigation. However, the impact diet and dietary supplements have on the testicular environment has been examined to a lesser extent. Here, we establish the impact of a sub-optimal low protein diet (LPD) on testicular morphology, apoptosis and serum fatty acid profiles. Furthermore, we define whether supplementing a LPD with specific methyl donors abrogates any detrimental effects of the LPD. Male C57BL6 mice were fed either a control normal protein diet (NPD; 18% protein; n = 8), an isocaloric LPD (LPD; 9% protein; n = 8) or an LPD supplemented with methyl donors (MD-LPD; choline chloride, betaine, methionine, folic acid, vitamin B12; n = 8) for a minimum of 7 weeks. Analysis of male serum fatty acid profiles by gas chromatography revealed elevated levels of saturated fatty acids and lower levels of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids in MD-LPD males when compared to NPD and/or LPD males. Testes of LPD males displayed larger seminiferous tubule cross section area when compared to NPD and MD-LPD males, while MD-LPD tubules displayed a larger luminal area. Furthermore, TUNNEL staining revealed LPD males possessed a reduced number of tubules positive for apoptosis, while gene expression analysis showed MD-LPD testes displayed decreased expression of the pro-apoptotic genes Bax, Csap1 and Fas when compared to NPD males. Finally, testes from MD-LPD males displayed a reduced telomere length but increased telomerase activity. These data reveal the significance of sub-optimal nutrition for paternal metabolic and reproductive physiology

Assessing the effect of employee welfare and compensation on organizational performance: a case of Sahel Sahara Bank Ghana limited

AbstractThe employee rewards policy of any organization shapes behavior and work patterns, playing a significant role in organizational development. This is because such policies dictate the level of motivation necessary to achieve both individual and corporate objectives. The primary asset of any organization is its human resources. In assessing an organization’s overall performance, placing emphasis on retaining a skilled and productive workforce is crucial. Highly motivated employees contribute value to the organization by effectively accomplishing their goals and objectives. This article aims to determine the presence of a relationship between these variables and assess the extent to which compensation and employee welfare influence the organization’s performance. The research adopted a descriptive research approach, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data to provide a comprehensive depiction of the specific details pertaining to the selected organizations. For this research, the entire population of 30 respondents from the organization was sampled using a stratified random sampling technique to ensure that the desired conclusions could be drawn. This research employs a correlational design as its research design. Data collection involved gathering information from both primary and secondary sources, with the administration of questionnaires for the acquisition of primary data. The findings derived from the research indicated that an effective compensation and employee welfare system is the backbone of all policies concerning the acquisition and utilization of human resources which in the long run influences the performance of the organisation. The study recommended the need for management to employ positive techniques to encourage high performance from staff and management to ensure equity in the distribution in employee welfare and compensation packages

Managerial strategies and entrepreneurial thinking within Non-Government Organizations : A model for lokal NGOs capacity development in developing self-sustain projects in East Africa

In several countries, the contributions of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in promoting the livelihood of the communities can clearly be identified. As a matter of fact, international development agencies increase their trust to NGOs in running development projects because they have proven capable of running these projects at a lower cost while reaching the huge number of poor communities. However, several factors have influenced the development of NGOs had little participation, contribution, and impact in undertaking the more structurally-entrenched causes and indicators of poverty. In addition, in most of the countries in Africa, local NGOs are weak with regards to the implementation of development projects. Consequently, there are ongoing questions towards these challenges faced by NGOs, especially at the local level. Most of the research focus on the external factors such as corruption, political instability, climatic unreliability, inadequate resources as the main reasons for less performance of the projects. Additionally, other researchers pinpoint the issue of upward accountability from sponsors and donors, but still they do not tell us the full story, therefore, realizing the gap of internal factors that have been overlooked by many researchers in the successful implementation of projects in Africa. This research seeks to explore the concept of leadership within local NGOs that conduct Economic Empowerment Projects, in East Africa. Through the qualitative study, our research findings would be analyzed to provide an insight to management team on how managerial and entrepreneurial thinking may influence the performance of the community development projects. In this study, the capacity development model will be identified and proposed as a guideline for organizational leaders in the capacity building interventions. This would support development practitioners of NGO sector in tackling the ongoing practical challenges in developing countries. In several countries, the contributions of Non-government Organizations (NGOs) in promoting the livelihood of the communities can clearly be identified. As a matter of fact, international development agencies increase their trust to NGOs in running development projects because they have proven capable of running these projects at a lower cost while reaching the huge number of poor communities. However, several factors have influenced the development of NGOs had little participation, contribution, and impact in undertaking the more structurally-entrenched causes and indicators of poverty. In addition, in most of the countries in Africa, local NGOs are weak with regards to the implementation of development projects. Consequently, there are ongoing questions towards these challenges faced by NGOs, especially at the local level. Most of the research focus on the external factors such as corruption, political instability, climatic unreliability, inadequate resources as the main reasons for less performance of the projects. Additionally, other researchers pinpoint the issue of upward accountability from sponsors and donors, but still they do not tell us the full story, therefore, realizing the gap of internal factors that have been overlooked by many researchers in the successful implementation of projects in Africa. This research seeks to explore the concept of leadership within local NGOs that conduct Economic Empowerment Projects, in East Africa. Through the qualitative study, our research findings would be analyzed to provide an insight to management team on how managerial and entrepreneurial thinking may influence the performance of the community development projects. In this study, the capacity development model will be identified and proposed as a guideline for organizational leaders in the capacity building interventions. This would support development practitioners of NGO sector in tackling the ongoing practical challenges in developing countries

Managerial strategies and entrepreneurial thinking within Non-Government Organizations : A model for lokal NGOs capacity development in developing self-sustain projects in East Africa

In several countries, the contributions of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in promoting the livelihood of the communities can clearly be identified. As a matter of fact, international development agencies increase their trust to NGOs in running development projects because they have proven capable of running these projects at a lower cost while reaching the huge number of poor communities. However, several factors have influenced the development of NGOs had little participation, contribution, and impact in undertaking the more structurally-entrenched causes and indicators of poverty. In addition, in most of the countries in Africa, local NGOs are weak with regards to the implementation of development projects. Consequently, there are ongoing questions towards these challenges faced by NGOs, especially at the local level. Most of the research focus on the external factors such as corruption, political instability, climatic unreliability, inadequate resources as the main reasons for less performance of the projects. Additionally, other researchers pinpoint the issue of upward accountability from sponsors and donors, but still they do not tell us the full story, therefore, realizing the gap of internal factors that have been overlooked by many researchers in the successful implementation of projects in Africa. This research seeks to explore the concept of leadership within local NGOs that conduct Economic Empowerment Projects, in East Africa. Through the qualitative study, our research findings would be analyzed to provide an insight to management team on how managerial and entrepreneurial thinking may influence the performance of the community development projects. In this study, the capacity development model will be identified and proposed as a guideline for organizational leaders in the capacity building interventions. This would support development practitioners of NGO sector in tackling the ongoing practical challenges in developing countries. In several countries, the contributions of Non-government Organizations (NGOs) in promoting the livelihood of the communities can clearly be identified. As a matter of fact, international development agencies increase their trust to NGOs in running development projects because they have proven capable of running these projects at a lower cost while reaching the huge number of poor communities. However, several factors have influenced the development of NGOs had little participation, contribution, and impact in undertaking the more structurally-entrenched causes and indicators of poverty. In addition, in most of the countries in Africa, local NGOs are weak with regards to the implementation of development projects. Consequently, there are ongoing questions towards these challenges faced by NGOs, especially at the local level. Most of the research focus on the external factors such as corruption, political instability, climatic unreliability, inadequate resources as the main reasons for less performance of the projects. Additionally, other researchers pinpoint the issue of upward accountability from sponsors and donors, but still they do not tell us the full story, therefore, realizing the gap of internal factors that have been overlooked by many researchers in the successful implementation of projects in Africa. This research seeks to explore the concept of leadership within local NGOs that conduct Economic Empowerment Projects, in East Africa. Through the qualitative study, our research findings would be analyzed to provide an insight to management team on how managerial and entrepreneurial thinking may influence the performance of the community development projects. In this study, the capacity development model will be identified and proposed as a guideline for organizational leaders in the capacity building interventions. This would support development practitioners of NGO sector in tackling the ongoing practical challenges in developing countries

A New Route for the Synthesis of CdS Thin Films from Acidic Chemical Baths

Well adherent nanocrystalline cadmium sulphide thin films have been successfully deposited from acidic chemical baths by employing tartaric acid and hydrazine as complexing agents for the first time. The pH of the bath was about 2.35 and the depositions were carried out at bath temperatures of 60 °C and 70 °C. The films were characterized by a variety of techniques. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns of the films exhibited a well crystallized hexagonal structure with a preferred orientation along the (002) plane. Scanning electron microscope investigation showed that the films are formed from spherically shaped grains. The EDAX result revealed that the deposited films had very good stoichiometry. The band gap of the thin films obtained by optical absorption spectroscopy, were 4.12 eV for the films deposited at 60 °C and 3.89 eV for films deposited at 70 °C. This unusual large band gap could be attributed to size quantization effects obtained by this new synthesis route

Dietary protein insufficiency – an important consideration in fatty liver disease?

Dietary protein insufficiency has been linked to excessive triglyceride storage (TG) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in developing countries. Hepatic TG accumulation following a low-protein diet may be due to altered peroxisomal, mitochondrial and gut microbiota function. Hepatic peroxisomes and mitochondria normally mediate metabolism of nutrients to provide energy and substrates for lipogenesis. Peroxisome biogenesis and activities can be modulated by odd (OCFA) and short-chain (SCFA) fatty acids that are derived from gut bacteria e.g. propionate and butyrate. Also produced during amino acid metabolism by peroxisomes and mitochondria, propionate and butyrate correlate with reduced risk of obesity, insulin resistance and NAFLD. In this horizon-scanning review, we have compiled available evidence on the effects of protein malnutrition on OCFA production, arising from loss in mitochondrial, peroxisomal and gut microbiota function, and its association with lipid accumulation in the liver. The methyl donor amino acid composition of dietary protein is an important contributor to liver function and lipid storage; the presence and abundance of dietary branched chain amino acids can modulate the composition and metabolic activity of the gut microbiome and on the other hand, can affect protective OCFA and SCFA production in the liver. In preclinical animal models fed with low protein diets, specific amino acid supplementation can ameliorate fatty liver disease. The association between low dietary protein intake and fatty liver disease is underexplored and merits further investigation, particularly in vulnerable groups with dietary protein restriction in developing countries

Effect of dietary vegetable oil consumption on blood glucose levels, lipid profile and weight in diabetic mice: an experimental case—control study

BACKGROUND: Free fatty acids have been reported to impair insulin action; Dietary fat composition has been implicated in the development of insulin resistance as well as fasting glycaemia and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This work was designed to determine the benefits of consuming vegetable oils on the management of diabetes in diabetic mice. METHODS: Forty eight (48) maledb/db diabetic mice were randomly divided into eight groups of six. The first four groups were fed on chow (control), 10 % Red palm oil feed, 10 % groundnut oil feed, and 10 % coconut oil feed. The second four groups were fed similar to the first four groups but in addition were administered glibenclamide (2 mg/kg -wt i.p) daily at 8. AM. RESULTS: Plasma glucose in the diabetic mice was significantly reduced after consuming diets fortified with 10 % palm oil, groundnut oil and coconut oil and also in mice additionally treated with glibenclamide. In mice that were not treated glibenclamide, treatment with groundnut oil reduced total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol and raised plasma HDL. Plasma triglycerides were unchanged. Palm oil and coconut oil had no effect on any of the plasma lipids. In mice that were treated glibenclamide, the control and palm oil treatment significantly reduced total cholesterol (p < 0.05). The control, groundnut oil, palm oil and coconut oil significantly (p < 0.05) reduced plasma LDL-cholesterol. HDL-cholesterol was raised in groundnut oil, and coconut oil. Plasma triglycerides were raised in only on groundnut oil. CONCLUSION: Ten percent fortified vegetable oil feeds (red palm oil, groundnut oil and coconut oil) significantly improved lipid profile and significantly reduced blood glucose in diabetic mice. Groundnut oil raised HDL and lowered LDL even in mice given glibenclamide but it did not lower total cholesterol in mice given glibenclamid