Effects of different levels of sugar beet roots based concentrates on the performance of Tagger male kids

    High meat demand in the Sudan enhanced improvement of goat meat production. Tagger is a promising meat breed due to good conformation and high meat quality. Nutrition is a main constraint for goat meat production. Sugar beet is introduced into the Gezira State with no information on effects of dried sugar beet roots (DSBR) based concentrates level on Tagger kids performance, carcass characteristics and meat composition. Twelve Tagger males of 6 months old were housed in individual pens, divided into 3 groups, each with 4 animals and allocated at random to the experimental diets. They were weighed weekly for 8 weeks with a two weeks preliminary period. They were fed groundnut haulm (GNH) ad lib. in two equal meals at 8.0 am and 4.0 pm and refusals were collected and weighed daily. The animals were fed different levels of DSBR based concentrates: 0 (control), 150g and 300g, in two equal parts before GNH meals. The concentrates contained 68% DSBR,15% groundnut cakes, 15% sunflower cakes, 1% salt and 1% oyster shell. Samples of feeds and refusals were stored for laboratory analysis.  Resultd showed that groundnut haulm (30% CP, 8.8% CF, 4.8% ash and 48.2% NFE) had better proximate analysis than refusals which generally improved with concentrates levels. Dried sugar beet had 12.9% CP, 11.0% CF and 59.25% NFE and the concentrates had 42.25% CP, 2.0% CF and 49.5% NFE. Overall mean BW generally increased with concentrates level (10.78, 10.9 and 12.19kg at 0, 150 and 300g, respectively), but  not significantly different. Overall mean daily feed intakes varied with concentrates level and were 1550.89, 1187.46 and 1545.67g at 0, 150 and 300g concentrates, respectively, and were significantly least in animals fed 150g concentrates. Weekly weight gain generally increased with concentrates level in all weeks and was highest in animals fed 150g concentrates with no significant effects for concentrates level. It was 0.55, 0.68 and 0.60 kg at 0, 150 and 300g concentrates, respectively. It is recommended to use DSBR based concentrates in fattening Tagger kids.     حفز ارتفاع الطلب  على اللحوم وأسعارها في السودان تحسين لحوم الماعز. تعتبر التقر سلالة واعدة لإنتاج اللحوم لجودة القوام ونوعية اللحم.  إلا أن التغذية من المعوقات الرئيسة لإنتاج لحوم الماعز.  أدخل بنجر السكر لولاية الجزيرة ولا تتوفر معلومات عن أثر مستوى جذر البنجر الجاف) ج ب ج (على أداء جديان التقر وصفات الذبيحة  وتركيب اللحم.  وضعت 12 من ذكور جديان التقر بعمر 6 أشهر في حظائر فردية  وقسمت الى 3 مجموعات بكل منها 4 حيوانات  ووزعت عشوائيا على أعلاف الدراسة. وزنت الحيوانات أسبوعيا لمدة 8 أسابيع منها أسبوعين فترة إعدادية. أعلفت الحيوانات تبن الفول السوداني )ت ف س) حسب الرغبة في وجبتين متساويتين عند الثامنة صباحا والرابعة مساء وجمع ووزن العلف المتبقي.  كما أعلفت الحيوانات مستويات مختلفة من عليقة مركزة ترتكز على )ج ب ج  (عند صفر( الشاهد), 150 و300جم في جزئين متساويين  قبل وجبتي ت ف س. احتوت العليقة المركزة على 68% ج ب ج و15%  امباز فول سوداني و15%  تبن زهرة الشمس و1% ملح و 1% صدف  حفظت عينات من  الأعلاف والعلف المتبقي للتحليل المعملي.  حُللت المعلومات إحصائيا باستخدام تحليل التباين واستخدم اختبار دنكن لفصل اختلافات المتوسطات. كان  ت ف س (  30% بروتين خام ، 8.85 ألياف خام، 4.8% رماد و 48.2% جزء خالي من النتروجين) أحسن في التحليل التقريبي من المتبق.والذي تحسنت نوعيته بارتفاع مستوى العليقة المركزة. كان تركيب  ج ب ج 12.95 % بروتين خام ، 11% الياف خام و 59.25% جزء خالي من النتروجين .وتركيب العليقة المركزة  42.25 % بروتين خام ، 2% ألياف خام و 49.5% جزء خالي من النتروجين .  زاد متوسط الوزن الكلى مع زيادة العليقة المركزة (10.78 ،  10.9 و 12.19عند صفر و 150 و 300 جم عليقة مركزة على التوالي بدون فروقات معنوية . (P>.05)  تباين متوسط المتناول من العلف تبعاً لمستوي المركزات وكان 1550.89 و 1187.46 و 1545.67 جم عند صفر و 150 و300 جم عليقة مركزة ، علي التوالي وكان أقل معنوياً للحيوانات التي غُذيت علي  150عليقة مركزة.  تباينت زيادة الوزن الأسبوعي بزيادة مستوي العليقة المركزة في كل الأسابيع وكانت الأعلى للحيوانات عند 150 جم بدون زيادة معنوية. وكانت 0.55 و0.68 و 0.60 كجم عند صفر و 150 و300 جم عليقة مركزة، علي التوالي. يوصي باستخدام علائق جذور بنجر السكر المجففة لتسمين جديان التقر

Effects of Ethrel, packaging and waxing on degreening, quality and shelf life of sweet oranges

     Post harvest handling practices of sweet oranges are very poor in the Sudan and result in great losses. Oranges grown in central Sudan reach the ripe stage while they are still green in colour. The lack of orange colour development is due to the relatively high temperatures in this region. Therefore, the objective of this research was to find out the effects of Ethrel, packaging and waxing on sweet orange degreening, quality and shelf life. Experiments were conducted at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, Sudan, during the seasons of 2013-2014. Ripe, green oranges were treated with Ethrel at two concentrations: 1ml/l, 2ml/l or left untreated as a control. Packaging treatments consisted of wrapping oranges in intact or perforated polyethylene film, waxed or left unpackaged as control. Treatments were arranged in a completely randomized design with two replicates. Results showed that treatment of oranges with Ethrel at both concentrations significantly resulted in degreening of oranges and development of a uniform orange colour as compared to the control. Oranges packaged in intact polyethylene film or waxed recorded the minimum weight loss followed by those wrapped in perforated film, whereas the highest weight loss was recorded for the unpackaged and unwaxed oranges. Also, packaging in intact film or waxing of oranges resulted in the longest shelf life compared to the other treatments. Total soluble solids and vitamin C contents were highest in oranges packaged in intact film or waxed, whereas the least contents were recorded for the control. Ethrel treatment had no significant adverse effects on orange chemical composition. It is recommended to degreen oranges using Ethrel at 2ml/l and package them in intact polymeric film or coat them with wax.   معاملات ما بعد الحصاد للبرتقال في السودان غير متطورة وينتج عنها خسائر كبيرة. يصل البرتقال المنتج في أواسط السودان إلى طور النضج وهو أخضر اللون. يعزى عدم تلوين البرتقال إلى ارتفاع درجات الحرارة في هذه المنطقة.  الهدف من هذه الدراسة هو معرفة أثر مادة الأثرل على تلوين البرتقال وتأثير التغليف والتشميع على جودة وفترة صلاحية البرتقال. أجريت التجارب في كلية العلوم الزراعية، جامعة الجزيرة واد مدني السودان خلال موسمي 2013-2014م. تمت معاملة ثمار البرتقال الأخضر بمادة الأثرل 1 و 2 ملم/لتر أو ترك كشاهد. معاملات التغليف اشتملت على تغليف البرتقال في أكياس البولي إيثلين السليمة أو المخرمة أو التشميع أو بدون تغليف كشاهد. صممت التجارب نسق التصميم العشوائي الكامل بمكررين. أوضحت النتائج أن معاملة البرتقال بمادة الأثرل أدت إلى زوال اللون الأخضر وتلوين البرتقال بلون برتقالي جميل بالمقارنة مع الشاهد. تغليف البرتقال في أكياس البولي إثيلين السليمة أو تشميعه أدى إلى أدنى فقدان الوزن، يليه التغليف في أكياس مخرمة، بينما كان أعلى فقدان الوزن في الشاهد. محتوى المواد الصلبة الذائبة وفيتامين "ج" كان أعلى في البرتقال الذي تم تغليفه في أكياس البولي إيثلين السليمة أو التشميع، بينما كان أدنى محتوى في الشاهد. معاملة البرتقال بمادة الأثرل لم يكن لها أي تأثير ضار على التركيب الكيميائي للبرتقال. لذلك يوصي بمعاملة البرتقال الأخضر بمادة الأثرل لتلوينه وتغليف الثمار في أكياس البولي إيثلين السلمية أو التشميع للحفاظ على الجودة وزيادة فترة الصلاحية أو العمر التخزينية للبرتقال.   &nbsp

Supplementation of fermented sorghum bread (kisra) with dehulled and defatted sesame flour

    In this study, dehulled sesame seeds obtained from Mamoun Elberier factory were defatted by solvent extraction to produce a dehulled and defatted sesame flour (DDSF). Proximate analyses were determined on both the dehulled sesame flour and dehulled and defatted sesame flour. The results indicated that there was an increase in the contents of protein, moisture, fiber and carbohydrates due to the defatting process. Flour obtained from the dehulled and defatted sesame seed was used to supplement staple Sudanese baked product sorghum kisra, in the ratios of 10%, 20% and 30%. The various replacement ratios resulted in an increase in the protein content of the kisra from 12.25% in control kisra to about 15.75%, 19.49%, and 23.20%, respectively. The above replacement ratios also resulted in a concomitant increase in the in-vitro protein digestibility of kisra breads. The sensory analysis indicated that there were no significant difference between kisra bread made from the various blends of sorghum and DDSF. However, panelists gave higher scores to the 10% sesame/sorghum supplemented kisra than the kisra made from the other ratios. Nutritional value of kisra can be enhanced by the addition of DDSF at a level of up to 30%

CYTOMEGALOVIRUS IgG AND IgM ANTIBODIES AMONG SUDANESE PATIENTS WITH ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA: RELATION TO HEMATOLOGICAL PROGNOSTIC MARKERS

Background: Viral oncogenesis has remained an area of interest in cancer biology. Viruses have been great tutors of cancer biology, helping researchers to uncouple many signaling pathways and identifying critical therapeutic targets. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and its impact on hematological prognostic markers of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) among Sudanese populations. Method: The seroprevlance of CMV infection in AML patients was assessed in 100AML and 100 age and gender-matched controls. The associations of total white cell count and absolute blast count with the seroprevlance were examined. Results: The prevalence of CMV infection was 81% in patients and 17% in control subjects. Total white cell count and blast count were higher in AML CMV positive patients than AML CMV negative patients. Conclusion: Our findings indicate a high incidence of CMV infections in AML and its worse association with hematological markers could emphasize the role of CMV in the progression of AML. KEYWORDS: Acute myeloid leukemia; Cytomegalovirus

Doctor-Patient Communication A Requisite for Better Medication History Taking: Insight from Sudan

Despite the awareness of doctors about the significance of obtaining a comprehensive medication history for patients, they often neglect this in their practice, resulting in an incomplete patient medication list. The study aimed to investigate the role of communication skills as a crucial part of optimal pharmacotherapy. An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out at internal medicine department in a tertiary hospital, Wad Medani, Sudan.  The research instrument was a form involved a checklist rating a doctor’s performance during the medical encounters. Among 94 medical doctors, 51% were males and 6.15 (SE) was the average years of experience. About 13% of participants received under-graduation training in communication skills, while 21% had it after post-graduation. Concerning communication skills evaluation, 61% of specialists, 29% of registrars, and 7% of house officers reported an excellent performance. Gender and doctors’ ranking in a medical team had a significant role in communication skills (P-value <0.05) with an overall adjusted R2 of 0.339. Specialists were the most knowledgeable and skillful in obtaining structured medication history; 67% reported an excellent performance. Communication skills had a remarkable impact in getting patient medication history (P-value: <0.05) with an overall adjusted R2 of 0. 763.The study concluded that; gender and doctors’ ranking in the medical team were the main predictors for doctors to be a good communicator. Communication skills have a significant role in medication history taking. There was a gap in knowledge and training in communication skills among internal medicine doctors specifically, “house officers.” This gap negatively contributed to obtaining a comprehensive patient medication history

Production of Self-healing Concrete using Gum Arabic for Immobilizing of Bacterial Spores on Sand

This paper studies the feasibility of producing self-healing concrete by immobilization of bacteria on the sand. In this study, the Gum Arabic (Acacia Senegal) was used to immobilize bacterial spores and its nutrient (Calcium lactate) on sand surface as a novel technique. Due to its availability and environment-friendly character, Bacillus subtilis bacteria have been selected and prepared. To achieve the aim of this study, three concrete mixes were made with 10%, 5%, and 2.5% of gum-capsulated sand with bacteria. The ability of self-healing of cracks was monitored using stereomicroscope and digital image camera. The experiments have shown that the proposed technique is efficient in healing of cracks without impairing the prisms' strength for mixes with 2.5% and 5% of gum-capsulated sand with bacteria. The results give a proof-of-concept to use Gum Arabic as an adhesion to immoblize the bacteria and its nutrient on sand to produce self-healing concrete

Gum Arabic in renal disease (GARDS Study): Clinical evidence of dietary supplementation impact on progression of renal dysfunction

Administration of Gum Arabic (GA) was associated with an increase in estimated Glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at three months (pre 24.64 ± 8.89 vs 26.20 ± 10.1p = 0.02). Subsequently there was no significant fall in eGFR. This translated to positive change in Δ eGFR within quarter at three months, (Δ eGFR 4.89 ml/min/year p=<0.001 vs pre) and six months (Δ eGFR 0.79 ml/min/year, p < 0.001 vs pre) compared to pre-intervention values. At 9 and 12 months although the mean Δ eGFR in quarter was negative, this rate of decline in renal function remained significantly less than prior to intervention (9 months Δ eGFR −1.27 ml/min/year, p= <0.001 vs pre, 12 months delta Δ eGFR −1.54 ml/min/year, p < 0.001 vs pre). Similarly, mean reciprocal creatinine, declined by 11% in the pre-intervention period but was no different to the pre-intervention values for the duration of intervention. In conclusion oral administration of Gum Arabic attenuates the rate of decline in renal function