Dietary Supplementation of Choline and Betaine in Heat-Stressed Broilers

A study was conducted to determine the effects of supplemental choline (CHO) and betaine (BET) on broiler performance, carcass characteristics, corticosterone levels, immune organ weights, intestinal morphology and choline metabolites under thermoneutral (TN: 23.9oC) and heat stress (HS: 28-36oC) conditions. Eight hundred day-old chicks (400 per temperature treatment) were assigned in groups of 10 to each of five dietary treatments: 1 (CON) the basal diet; 2 (CHO500), basal diet plus 500 ppm methyl equivalents added CHO; 3 (CHO1000), basal diet plus 1000 ppm methyl equivalents added CHO; 4 (BET500), basal diet plus 500 ppm methyl equivalents added BET and 5 (BET1000), basal diet plus 1000 ppm methyl equivalents added BET. Pen feed intake and body weights were recorded weekly. Foot pad dermatitis (FPD) was assessed and litter samples were collected on day 42. On days 22 and 45, blood samples were collected from eight birds per treatment to determine corticosterone and choline metabolites concentrations. On day 52, birds were processed, spleen, bursa and thymus were weighed. Liver and intestinal samples were collected for CHO and CHO metabolites determination and histology (intestine). Breast color was measured and drip loss evaluated 4 and 7 days post slaughter. Results showed that HS birds consumed 20.59% less feed, gained 23.35% less weight and had lower feed efficiency compared to TN birds (P \u3c 0.05) during days 22-49. Foot pad dermatitis was decreased (P = 0.003) by CHO500 and BET1000. Drip loss 4 days post slaughter was reduced (P = 0.04) by CHO500 (0.60%) in HS and BET1000 (0.83%) in TN birds. On day 45, HS increased (P = 0.02) corticosterone levels (3.61 ng/ml HS vs 2.16 ng/ml TN). Thymus and bursa weights were reduced (P = 0.03) by HS. There was a diet X temperature interaction for liver BET concentration (P = 0.03) whereas intestinal BET was increased only by diet (P = 0.02). Liver CHO and glycerophosphocholine were increased by temperature (P = 0.01). Dietary supplementation with CHO and BET did not negate the negative impacts of HS on broiler performance and immune system. However, they reduced FDP as well as drip loss

Best clinical nursing education practices in sub-saharan Africa: an integrative literature review

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nursing Johannesburg, 2015Background: Nursing is practice-based for that reason; nursing education is focused on clinical skills. Clinical nursing education (CNE) programmes in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are either Eurocentric or developed on nursing education tradition and therefore do not produce nurses that effectively meet the peculiar health need of SSA. Aim: The purpose of this study is to establish research evidence regarding best CNE practices in SSA and to describe the best CNE practices in the SSA. Methodology: An integrative review was conducted using Ganong‟s (1987) framework. Forty two (42) articles identified from Science Direct, EBSCO host, PubMed, Wiley Online Library and Google Scholar were included in this study. Results: The following best clinical nursing education themes were identified and described: synergy between Nursing Education Institution (NEI) and Clinical Facility; effective CNE programme in SSA; roles of institutions, clinical instructors and students in clinical teaching and learning; and Continuous Professional Development of the clinical instructor. Recommendations: It is recommended that NEI‟s in the SSA implement these best practices in CNE programmes to produce competent nurses that meet the peculiar health needs of the SSA region.MT201

Impacts des conditions pré-récolte sur l’efficacité des traitements sylvicoles dans la pessière à mousse de la ceinture d’argile du Québec

Dans l'écosystème forestier, les perturbations naturelles telles que les feux ont une grande influence sur la composition et la structure de la forêt. La ceinture d’argile du Québec est caractérisée par des cycles de feux relativement longs qui facilitent le processus de paludification réduisant la productivité du site à long terme sans l’intervention humaine. Ce n’est que suite à des feux sévères que la couche organique peut être diminuée et que la productivité des sites puisse se rétablir. L’aménagement forestier dans la ceinture d’argile vise donc à utiliser des traitements sylvicoles qui perturbent fortement la couche de sol. Ces traitements sylvicoles consistent à assurer à long terme la continuité des fonctions écologiques de l'écosystème forestier. Néanmoins, l'impact d’une perturbation sur le sol ne dépend pas seulement de la sévérité de la perturbation, mais aussi des conditions pré-perturbation. Cette étude examine comment 1) les conditions pré-récolte influencent la sévérité des traitements sylvicoles et 2) comment la composition du sous-bois répond à ces traitements. L'étude a été effectuée dans la région de la ceinture d’argile dans neuf (9) blocs expérimentaux, chacun d’au moins 20 ha. La récolte a été suivie par deux techniques de préparation mécaniques du sol (PMS). La herse forestière et le scarificateur T26 ont été assignés de façon aléatoire aux neuf sites traités. Le troisième traitement, qui a été perturbé uniquement par la récolte, a été considéré comme le témoin. Des données sur la composition et la couverture de plantes vasculaires et non vasculaires, ainsi que sur l’épaisseur des différentes couches de la matière organique (fibrique, mésique et humique) avant et après coupe, ainsi qu’après PMS ont été récoltées. Les résultats ont montré que l’épaisseur de la couche organique et l‘abondance des bryophytes pré-récolte avaient une relation avec la proportion de la couche organique réduite par la PMS ainsi que l’exposition des différentes couches de sol. Par ailleurs, le taux de décomposition était plus élevé dans les sites traités par rapport aux sites témoins. Bien que la herse ait causé un plus gros changement dans les concentrations des éléments nutritifs du sol que le traitement du T26, la concentration de l'azote et du phosphore disponible aux plantes n'a pas affectée. En outre, la fréquence et l’abondance de la composition des bryophytes et des graminoïdes ont été plus affectées par la herse que par le T26. En revanche, l’abondance de Kalmia angustifolia L. et Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) Kron & Judd n'a pas été affecté significativement différente entre les traitements. Cette étude suggère que même si les conditions pré-récolte ont affecté l’efficacité des traitements sylvicoles, les PMS ont pu créer plus de microsite de bonne qualité ainsi d’augmenter les taux de décomposition. En outre, il n'y avait pas de différence entre l'effet créé par les deux techniques de PMS suggérant que l'utilisation de l'une ou l’autre des techniques peut créer suffisamment de microsites favorables. Puisque l'objectif de ce projet est de réduire le taux de paludification et d’augmenter la productivité du site, des suivis seront nécessaires pour examiner à plus long terme l'effet des différents traitements sur la croissance des arbres, les éléments nutritifs et l’abondance des éricacées

Changes in physico-chemical characteristics and volatile flavour components of different yoghurt products made from soy, peanuts and cow milk

Milk blends from legumes are potential nutritional substitutes in cultures where cow milk is used for yoghurt production. Peanut and soy based products have been considered to have poor sensory characteristics due to the beany and off-flavours they generate in food products that contain them. The high polyunsaturated fatty acid content of legumes makes these products susceptible to lipid oxidation leading to rancidity and development of off-flavours. Acceptability ratings of these products have been significantly lower than the traditional dairy products. Nonetheless, food scientists are still faced with the challenge of formulating foods that are appealing and acceptable to consumers, but still contain significant amounts of these oilseed proteins for their health benefits. The development of a storage stable yoghurt product from these vegetable seeds has the potential to increase utilization and market for peanut and soy beans. The study investigated the keeping quality of Soy-peanut-cow milk yoghurt (SPCY), Defatted peanut-soy milk yoghurt (DPSY) and Cow milk yoghurt (CMY) refrigerated at 5°C over a period of 21 days during storage. Volatile flavor compounds in the different yoghurt samples were determined by static head space technique using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). Titratable acidity increased in all samples after one week of storage but was highest in CMY (1.2% - 2.60%) followed by DPSY (0.57% - 0.89%). SPCY had the least titratable acidity value (0.23% - 0.44%). CMY and DPSY were more susceptible to syneresis. Free fatty acid (FFA) and peroxide value (PV) were high in the full fat product compared to defatted product and cow milk yoghurt. Flavour analysis using GC-MS identified aldehydes, alcohols, organic acids and furans as the volatile flavour components in the yoghurts studied. The defatted vegetable milk yoghurt (DPSY) had better storage keeping qualities than the whole fat vegetable milk yoghurt (SPCY) and the control (CMY). Defatting of oilseeds prior to use in food formulations can enhance the storage stability of the products. Utilization of less expensive and available indigenous crops such as soy beans and peanut in yoghurt production will help reduce the cost of the product in some developing countries.Key words: Vegetable milk yoghurt, storage characteristics, volatile flavour compound

Sensory and Physicochemical Characteristics of Naturally Flavoured Borassus aethiopum Syrups for Potential Applications in Food Products

The study explored the possibility of using sap from the fruit pulp of Borassus aethiopum in developing a fruit syrup with acceptable sensory, nutritional and physicochemical properties for technological application in food products. B. aethiopum syrup with its original flavour was developed alongside 2 other B. aethiopum syrup products infused with the flavouring agents- ginger and tamarind. Although sensory evaluation of the three syrup products by 98 untrained panelist showed non-significant difference (P>0.05), they were all rated highly. The flavoured products were rated slightly higher than the unflavoured syrup for all sensory attributes. Proximate and physicochemial analysis of the highly rated B. aethiopum syrup product obtained through sensory evaluation indicated that the syrup has a protein content of 1.17, fat content of 4.67, carbohydrate content of 72.93, ash content of 2.19, moisture content of 17.71, pH of 4.56 and titratable acidity of 0.87. This suggests that underutilized tropical fruits from B. aethiopum can be used for the manufacture of syrups to impart desirable natural sweetness, flavours and colours to food products. Keywords: Borassus aethiopum, syrup, sensory, physicochemica

The legal determinants of health (in)justice

The mutual influences of social epidemiology and ideas of justice, each on the other, have been seminal in the development of public health ethics and law over the past two decades, and to the prominence that these fields give to health inequalities and the social—including commercial, political, and legal—determinants of health. General and political recognition of injustices in systematised health inequalities have further increased given the crushingly unequal impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic; including impacts of the legal and policy responses to it. However, despite apparent attention from successive UK governments to injustices concerning avoidable inequalities in health opportunities and outcomes, significant challenges impede the creation of health laws and policy that are both effective and ethically rigorous. This article critically explores these points. It addresses deficiencies in a UK health law landscape where health care contexts and medico-ethical assumptions predominate, to the great exclusion of broader social and governmental influences on health. The article explains how a public health framing better serves analysis, and engages with a framework of justice-oriented questions that must be asked if we are to understand the proper place and roles of law and regulation for the public’s health

Antioxidant and physicochemical properties of Chrysophyllum albidum fruit at different ripening stages

Chrysophyllum albidum (African Star Apple) fruit is an indigenous African fruit. The African Star Apple plant popularly referred to as the “alasa” tree grows widely in tropical Africa. Ripening influences biochemical processes and subsequently affects the nutritional and bioactive characteristics of the fruits. This study sampled Chrysophyllum albidum fruit of three maturity stages and determined the colour, proximate, total phenol and antioxidant characteristics of the fruits. Spectrophotometric methods were used in the determination of total antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl- 2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, 2,2-azinobis,3- ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and Ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) assay. Significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in the colour of the fruit across all the ripening stages. The ripe stage of the fruit recorded the highest extent of lightness among all the other ripening stages. Both the ripe and over-ripe fruits appeared reddish in colour with the ripe fruit demonstrating a higher red intensity than the over-ripe fruit. The calculated metric chroma of the Chrysophyllum albidum fruits were in the range of 2.33-21.67 for the three ripening stages. Hue angle values recorded were in the range 46.46-92.00. Browning and colour indices for fruits of all the stages of development were of range 6.40-80.30 and -14.30-16.96, respectively. Proximate analysis of the three fruit categories showed that the unripe fruits had higher carbohydrate (69.27 %), crude protein (8.17 %), and crude fat (7.99 %) content relative to fruits which were ripe and over-ripe. The over-ripe fruit had higher crude fibre (7.36 %) and ash (3.86 %) content. Total phenolic content for the unripe fruit (20μg GAE/mg) was also higher than fruits of the other ripening stages. The antioxidant ability of the Chrysophyllum albidum fruit showed that the unripe stage recorded the highest DPPH (29.24 %) and ABTS (99.09 %) radical scavenging activity. The ferric reducing antioxidant potential of the fruit at different ripening stages was significantly different (p<0.05) with the unripe stage recording the highest potential. The unripe fruits demonstrated higher proximate and antioxidant composition than the ripe and over-ripe fruits. Extracts from the unripe fruit can serve as useful nutraceuticals in functional food formulations

Pectin isolation and characterization from six okra genotypes

Pectin was isolated by aqueous extraction at pH 6.0 from the pods of six different okra genotypes (Abelmoschus esculentus L.). Genetic diversity was determined using fragment length analysis (FLA) of ten simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Physical and chemical evaluation of pectin was performed by means of FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy, sugar composition analysis (GC-MS), size exclusion chromatography coupled to multi-angle laser light scattering (SEC-MALLS), dilute solution viscometry and steady shear rheology assisted by principal component analysis (PCA). Each of the SSR markers detected on average 4.1 alleles and revealed unique genotypes for each sample. Extraction yield was between 11 and 14% resulting in pectin with galacturonic acid content between 43 and 63%, low degree of methyl-esterification (17–25%) and high degree of acetylation (20–40%). All samples were of high weight-average molar mass (Mw) (700–1700 × 103 g mol−1) and sugar composition analysis revealed the structural diversity of samples with HG/RG-I ratios ranging between 1.3 and 3.1. The present work shows that individual okra genotypes provide pectin with different structural properties that could potentially provide a new source of functional pectin for the food or pharmaceutical industries

Interactions between corticotropin releasing factor signaling and prophylactic antibiotics on measures of intestinal function in weaned and transported pigs

The study objective was to evaluate the interaction between corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) receptor signaling and prophylactic antibiotic administration on intestinal physiology in newly weaned and transported pigs. Pigs (n = 56; 5.70 ± 1.05 kg) were weaned (20.49 ± 0.64 d), a blood sample was taken, and then pigs were given an intraperitoneal injection of saline (SAL; n = 28 pigs) or a CRF receptor antagonist (CRFA; n = 28 pigs; 30 μg/kg body weight; Astressin B), and then were transported in a livestock trailer for 12 h and 49 min. A second and third intraperitoneal injection was given at 4 h 42 min and 11 h 36 min into the transport process, respectively. Following transport, 4 SAL and 4 CRFA pigs were blood sampled and euthanized. The remaining 48 pigs were individually housed and given dietary antibiotics [AB; n = 12 SAL and 12 CRFA pigs; chlortetracycline (441 ppm) + tiamulin (38.6 ppm)] or no dietary antibiotics (NAB; n = 12 SAL and 12 CRFA pigs) for 14 d post-transport. Blood was collected at 12 h and on d 3, 7, and 14, and then pigs were euthanized on d 7 (n = 24) and d 14 (n = 24) post-weaning and transport. Circulating cortisol was reduced (p = 0.05) in CRFA pigs when compared to SAL pigs post-weaning and transport. On d 7, jejunal villus height and crypt depth was greater overall (p < 0.05) in AB-fed pigs versus NAB-fed pigs. On d 14, ileal crypt depth was reduced (p = 0.02) in CRFA pigs when compared to SAL pigs. Jejunal CRF mRNA abundance tended to be reduced (p = 0.09) on d 7 in CRFA pigs versus SAL pigs. On d 14, jejunal tumor necrosis factor-alpha was reduced (p = 0.01) in AB-fed pigs versus NAB-fed pigs. On d 7, change in glucose short-circuit current tended to be increased (p = 0.07) in CRFA pigs fed the AB diet when compared to CRFA pigs fed the NAB diet. In conclusion, CRFA pigs and pigs fed AB had some similar biological intestinal function measures post-weaning and transport

The role of community engagement toward ensuring healthy lives: a case study of COVID-19 management in two Ghanaian municipalities

IntroductionCommunity engagement is one of the important requirements for strengthening health delivery in communities in a bid to achieve sustainable development goal 3, target 3.3 (SDG 3.3). The World Health Organization has strongly encouraged the use the five levels of community engagement, which are informing, consulting, planning, collaborating, and empowering communities in order to build resilience and to enable them contribute to the fight against diseases and for the uptake of health interventions. This study sought to explore and describe from the view of government institutions in Ghana how they engaged communities in COVID- 19 management and vaccine acceptance and how the communities within two municipalities also perceived the engagement process as well as the lessons that can be learned in engaging communities to deal with other health challenges and interventions toward the attainment of SDG 3 target 3.3.Materials and methodsThis case study qualitative research project employed in-depth interviews among 36 respondents composed of government officials (the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Information Services Department (ISD), the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) and two Municipal Assemblies), and community leaders and 10 focus group discussions among 87 men and women most of whom were natives and some migrants in two administrative municipalities in Ghana. Data were collected from June to September 2021. Audio interviews were transcribed and uploaded to Nvivo 12 to support triangulation, coding, and thematic analysis. Ethical approval was obtained from the University of Health and Allied Sciences’ Research Ethics Committee and all COVID-19 restrictions were observed.ResultsThe findings revealed that all the four government institutions educated and informed the communities within their municipalities on COVID-19 management and vaccine acceptance. However, the Ghana Health Service was the most effective in the engagement spectrum of the other four; consulting, involving, collaborating, and empowering communities in the process of COVID-19 management and vaccine acceptance. The GHS achieved that through its CHPS program, which ensured a decentralized health service provision system with multiple programs and leveraging on its multiple programs to reach out to the communities. Government institutions such as the NCCE and the ISD faced challenges such as limited funding and support from the government to be able to carry out their tasks. Additionally, they were not involved with the communities prior to the pandemic and for that matter, they did not have access to community systems such as committees, and existing groups to facilitate the engagement process.DiscussionUsing communities to support Ghana’s attainment of the SDG 3 target 3.3 is possible; however, the government needs to provide funds and resources to the institutions responsible to enable them to carry out community engagement effectively. Also, promoting decentralization among institutions can strengthen community engagement processes. It is important that state institutions continue to strategize to empower communities in order to promote their participation in healthcare interventions and in the fight against infectious diseases in Ghana