Transgenesis techniques and its application in poultry production

The advent of DNA recombinant technology and the possibility of gene transfer between organisms of different species have presented a wide range of possibilities for the improvement of livestock production. This is demonstrated by the recent progress in gene transfer, animal cloning and assisted reproductive techniques in the field of livestock transgenesis. The ability to introduce foreign DNA into the genome of an organism has proven to be one of the most efficient tools in animal breeding and modern biology. Transgenesis is applied in production of therapeutic proteins, improvement of economic traits such as meat quality, disease resistance, feed conversion efficiency; as well as protection of humans from zoonotic diseases. Thus, transgenic technologies may revolutionalize the production of poultry birds with improved meat quality, low fats, low cholesterol as well as disease resistance in addition to production of biopharmaceutical products with efficiencies far greater than any conventional breeding methods.KEYWORDS: Gene transfer, usefulness, poultry production, techniques

Genetic differentiation between the black skinned and white skinned snails (Archachatina marginata) using random amplified polymorphic DNAs

The study investigates the genetic differentiation between the black skinned and white skinned ectotypes of the giant African land snails (Archachatina marginata) from Cross River State in Niger Delta region of Nigeria. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was employed in this study. Five (5) oligonucleotide primers (OPAD-09, OPAE-04, OPAE-05, OPAF-07 and OPAF-09) were used to amplify DNA from five samples of A. marginata constituting black skinned and white skinned ectotypes. A total of 58 RAPD bands with 24 polymorphic bands (40.18%) with size range of 150 to 5,500 bp, were scored from the populations. The black skinned ectotype had mean percentage polymorphism of 34.50%, while the white skinned ectotype recorded mean percentage polymorphism of 41.40%. Genetic similarity coefficient ranged from 60 to 63%, while the genetic distance ranged from 0.37 to 0.40. The genetic similarity between the two ectotypes of A. marginata from Cross River State is high and depicted low genetic differences. This reveals that the genetic variability of the species (A. marginata) from Cross River State is gradually eroding. Efforts should be made to conserve the genetic pool of this species, as the erosion of genetic variability is dangerous and could continue unnoticed till extinction is imminent.Keywords: Genetic, differentiation, snail, ectotypes, Niger Delta.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(32), pp. 5035-503

Phytochemical analysis and bioactivity of selected South African medicinal plants on clinical isolates of Helicobacter pylori

Medicinal plants have been used as traditional medicine in the treatment of numerous human diseases for thousands of years in many parts of the world. In the developing world, especially in rural areas, herbal remedies continue to be a primary source of medicine. Scientifically, medicinal plants have proven to be an abundant source of biologically active compounds, many of which have already been formulated into useful therapeutic substances or have provided a basis for the development of new lead molecules for pharmaceuticals. Antibiotic resistance, undesireable side effects and expences associated with the use of combination therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infections have generated a considerable interest in the study of medicinal plants as potential sources of new drugs against this organism. The high complexicity of bioactive compounds accumulated in plants coupled with their broad antimicrobial activity may make it difficult for pathogenic organisms, including H. pylori to acquire resistance during treatment. This study therefore evaluates the antimicrobial potential of selected South African medicinal plants employed in the treatment of H. pylori-related infections, and the subsequent isolation of the plant active principles. An ethnobotanical survey of plants used in the treatment of H. pylori-related infections was conducted in the study area. Crude extracts of Combretum molle, Sclerocarya birrea, Garcinia kola, Alepidea amatymbica and 2 Strychnos species were screened against 30 clinical strains of H. pylori and 2 standard control strains (NCTC 11638 and ATCC 43526). In the preliminary stages of this study, ethyl acetate, acetone, ethanol, methanol and water extracts of the plants were tested against H. pylori by agar well diffusion and micro broth dilution methods. The plant crude extracts that exhibited anti-H. pylori activity with a iv percentage susceptibility of 50 percent and above were considered for the rate of kill assays and the most active crude extracts selected for bio-assay guided isolation of the active ingredient. Preliminary fractionation of the crude extract was achieved by thin layer chromatography (TLC) using different solvent combinations; hexane/diethylether (HDE), ethyl acetate/methanol/water (EMW) and chloroform/ethyl acetate/formic acid (CEF) in order to determine the most suitable combination for column chromatography (CC) and subsequent testing by indirect bioautography. The extract was then fractionated in a silica gel column using previously determined solvent combinations as eluent. Active fractions obtained from column chromatography separations were further fractionated and the compounds identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. All the plants exhibited antimicrobial activity against H. pylori with zone of inhibition diameters ranging from 0 - 38 mm and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 0.06 - 5.0 mg/mL. The most active plant extracts were the acetone extract of C. molle with a percentage susceptibility of 87.1 percent, acetone and aqueous extracts of S. birrea (71 percent each) and the ethanolic extracts of G. kola (53.3 percent). Except for the aqueous extract, these extracts also exhibited a strong bactericidal activity against H. pylori at different concentrations. TLC analysis revealed the presence of 9 components in the acetone extract of S. birrea with the EMW solvent system as opposed to 5 and 8 with HDE and CEF respectively. Bioassay-guided isolation led to the identification of 52 compounds from the acetone extract of S. birrea with n-octacosane being the most abundant (41.68 percent). This was followed by pyrrolidine (38.91 percent), terpinen-4-ol (38.3 percent), n-eicosane (24.98 percent), cyclopentane (16.76 percent), n-triacontane (16.28 percent), aromadendrene (13.63 percent) and α-gujunene (8.77 percent). Terpinen-4-ol and pyrrolidine demonstrated strong antimicrobial activity against H. pylori at all concentrations tested. These results may serve as preliminary scientific validation of the ethnomedicinal uses of the above mentioned plants in the treatment of H. pylori-related infections in South Africa. Terpinen-4-ol and pyrrolidine could be considered for further evaluation as therapeutic or prophylactic agents in the treatment of H. pylori-related infections. However, further investigations would be necessary to determine their toxicological properties, in-vivo potencies and mechanism of action against H.pylor

Assisting Psychiatric Nurses in Managing Work Stress and Decreasing Callouts and Absenteeism

Management and reduction of work stress is important in promoting nurses\u27 well\u27being. Understanding how to decrease stress levels may allow nurses to provide better care, improve patient outcomes, and experience increased job satisfaction. The focus of this project was to empower psychiatric nurses to manage work-related stress and decrease callouts and absenteeism. Person-environment fit theory, job demand-control (support) theory, the job demands-resources model, and the effort-reward imbalance model were used to inform the project. Pretest and posttest data were collected from 61 nurses using the Perceived Stress Scale. Deidentified retrospective and prospective data of the number of callouts were also obtained from the nursing administrative office. The educational intervention was a stress management program used to reduce stress, improve employee well-being, and improve patient outcomes. After the educational intervention, the number of nurse callouts per month decreased from 253 to 51. The t-test showed that the stress mean score before and after educational intervention was 33.57 and 17.80 respectively, and the number of callouts before and after the educational intervention was 3.87 and 0.84 respectively which is a statistically significant difference. The use of effective stress management practices can translate into more positive nursing experiences for the nurse and patient, thereby promoting a better life balance among psychiatric nurses, enhancing their well-being, and improving the quality of patient care

Inhibitory and Bactericidal Potential of Crude Acetone Extracts of Combretum molle (Combretaceae) on Drug-resistant Strains of Helicobacter pylori

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with a number of gastroduodenal pathologies. Antimicrobial resistance to commonly-used drugs has generated a considerable interest in the search for novel therapeutic compounds from medicinal plants. As an ongoing effort of this search, the susceptibility of 32 clinical strains of H. pylori and a reference strain—NCTC 11638—was evaluated against five solvent extracts of Combretum molle, a plant widely used for the treatment of gastric ulcers and other stomach-related morbidities in South Africa. The extracts were screened for activity by the agar-well diffusion method, and the most active one of them was tested against the same strains by micro-broth dilution and time kill assays. Metronidazole and amoxicillin were included in these experiments as positive control antibiotics. The solvent extracts all demonstrated anti-H. pylori activity with zone diameters of inhibition between 0 and 38 mm. The most potent anti-H. pylori activity was demonstrated by the acetone extract, to which 87.5% of the clinical strains were susceptible. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90) values for this extract ranged from 1.25 to 5.0 mg/mL while those for amoxicillin and metronidazole ranged from 0.001 to 0.94 mg/mL and from 0.004 to 5.0 mg/mL respectively. The acetone extract was highly bactericidal at a concentration of 2.5 and 5.0 mg/mL, with complete elimination of the test organisms in 24 hours. Its inhibitory activity was better than that of metronidazole (p<0.05) as opposed to amoxicillin (p<0.05). The results demonstrate that C. molle may contain therapeutically-useful compounds against H. pylori, which are mostly concentrated in the acetone extract

The Long-Term Health-Related Outcomes of Breast Ironing in Cameroon

Breast ironing (BI) practice is a common practice in Cameroon. Most villages and towns continue with BI because they believe it constitutes a positive cultural lifestyle. However, public health officials and other advocates have branded BI as a harmful traditional practice because of the traumatic impact it has on the women who experience it. The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to examine the perceived long-term health-related outcomes of BI and the quality of life changes on these women. Underpinning this study was the betrayal theory of trauma. A survey was used to collect data from 230 women. Descriptive analysis of the data showed, BI was more prevalent in some regions of Cameroon and among some ethnic groups more than others. A chi-square test revealed a strong relationship that women who experienced BI perceived long-term physical, psycho-social, and emotional health-related outcomes and negative quality of life changes during and after the practice. A multiple logistic regression model was conducted to examine the relative odds of exposure of other independent predictors on the outcome variable. The chi-square test on severe pain and marital/ family health; breast scars and frequent pain; stress and feeling inferior; sadness and pain, revealed a P-value \u3c .001. The odd ratio (OR) of the confounding predictors breast scars, frustration, shame, depression, self-esteem; burns; abscesses revealed an Exp(B)/ O

Consumer acceptability and antidiabetic properties of flakes and crackers developed from selected native Australian plant species

Type 2 diabetes, linked to an unhealthy diet, is increasing in Australia. This study aimed to evaluate the acceptability of potential antidiabetic food preventatives followed by phyto-component detection by high-performance liquid chromatography analysis and glycaemic index (GI) estimation by in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis. Five flakes and a cracker were developed from Acacia longifolia seeds, Typha orientalis rhizomes and Rhagodia candolleana berries. Samples were tested for consumer acceptability against a commercially available flake and cracker (as controls) by 44 participants using a 9-point hedonic scale. Overall acceptability of 86.4% and 54.5%–65.9% was recorded against control and test flakes, while control and test crackers recorded 84.1% and 70.5%, respectively. The test cracker contained gallic acid (GA) and ρ-coumaric acid (PCA) with GI, 47.7 ± 1.3, whereas control cracker contained GA and had GI, 70.3 ± 2.5. These results indicate that the test cracker may have potential as an antidiabetic food preventative

Inhibitory and Bactericidal Potential of Crude Acetone Extracts of Combretum molle (Combretaceae) on Drug-resistant Strains of Helicobacter pylori

Infection with Helicobacter pylori is strongly associated with a number of gastroduodenal pathologies. Antimicrobial resistance to commonly-used drugs has generated a considerable interest in the search for novel therapeutic compounds from medicinal plants. As an ongoing effort of this search, the susceptibility of 32 clinical strains of H. pylori and a reference strain-NCTC 11638-was evaluated against five solvent extracts of Combretum molle , a plant widely used for the treatment of gastric ulcers and other stomach-related morbidities in South Africa. The extracts were screened for activity by the agar-well diffusion method, and the most active one of them was tested against the same strains by micro-broth dilution and time kill assays. Metronidazole and amoxicillin were included in these experiments as positive control antibiotics. The solvent extracts all demonstrated anti-H. pylori activity with zone diameters of inhibition between 0 and 38 mm. The most potent anti-H. pylori activity was demonstrated by the acetone extract, to which 87.5% of the clinical strains were susceptible. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC90) values for this extract ranged from 1.25 to 5.0 mg/mL while those for amoxicillin and metronidazole ranged from 0.001 to 0.94 mg/mL and from 0.004 to 5.0 mg/mL respectively. The acetone extract was highly bactericidal at a concentration of 2.5 and 5.0 mg/mL, with complete elimination of the test organisms in 24 hours. Its inhibitory activity was better than that of metronidazole (p&lt;0.05) as opposed to amoxicillin (p&lt;0.05). The results demonstrate that C. molle may contain therapeutically-useful compounds against H. pylori, which are mostly concentrated in the acetone extract

Potential of dual-purpose organic amendment for enhancing tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum M.) performance and mitigating seedling damage by mole cricket (Gryllotalpa africana spp.)

Pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers are scarce and expensive for smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) coupled with potential negative externalities. This research tested the efficacy of locally produced dual-purpose organic amendment for improving tomato protection and yield, compared with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. Conclusion: The dual- purpose organic amendment is an effective sustainable alternative for improving tomato protection and yield compared to inorganic inputs. Treatment was negatively correlated with tomato seedling damage by mole cricket (r = −0.86), with 100% efficacy in the organic treatment compared to 90% in the inorganic treatment and 80% in the control (P = .05

In Vitro Anti-Listerial Activities of Crude n-Hexane and Aqueous Extracts of Garcinia kola (heckel) Seeds

We assessed the anti-Listerial activities of crude n-hexane and aqueous extracts of Garcinia kola seeds against a panel of 42 Listeria isolates previously isolated from wastewater effluents in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and belonging to Listeria monocytogenes, Listeria grayi and Listeria ivanovii species. The n-hexane fraction was active against 45% of the test bacteria with zones of inhibition ranging between 8–17 mm, while the aqueous fraction was active against 29% with zones of inhibition ranging between 8–11 mm. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were within the ranges of 0.079–0.625 mg/mL for the n-hexane extract and 10 to >10 mg/mL for the aqueous extract. The rate of kill experiment carried out for the n-hexane extract only, revealed complete elimination of the initial bacterial population for L. grayi (LAL 15) at 3× and 4× MIC after 90 and 60 min; L. monocytogenes (LAL 8) at 3× and 4× MIC after 60 and 15 min; L. ivanovii (LEL 18) at 3× and 4× MIC after 120 and 15 min; L. ivanovii (LEL 30) at 2, 3 and 4× MIC values after 105, 90 and 15 min exposure time respectively. The rate of kill activities were time- and concentration-dependant and the extract proved to be bactericidal as it achieved a more than 3log10 decrease in viable cell counts after 2 h exposure time for all of the four test organisms at 3× and 4× MIC values. The results therefore show the potential presence of anti-Listerial compounds in Garcinia kola seeds that can be exploited in effective anti-Listerial chemotherapy