Growing pigs fed cassava peel based diet supplemented with or without Farmazyme® 3000 proenx: Effect on growth, carcass and blood parameters

36 growing pigs (average initial weight of 22.74 ± 0.88 kg) were allotted to three dietary treatment groups of 30%maize-based control diet and 30%cassava-peel based diet supplemented with or without Farmazyme® 3000 proenx. Each treatment had three replicates of 4 pigs/replicate (12 pigs/treatment) in a complete randomized design. The pigs were allowed ad libitum access to the diets and water throughout the 42-day duration of the trial. The replacement of the 30% maize in the control diet with cassava peel resulted in increased bulkiness and crude fiber contents of the cassava peel-based diets, hence, lowered energy content. There was also a reduction in the dry matter intake of the pigs and the cost of feed per kg intake by 19.6 and 23.5% for the cassava peel based diet with and without Farmazyme® inclusion, respectively. The replacement of the maize content of the control diet with cassava peel resulted in 23 to 24% reduction in the cost of feed per kg live weight gain of the growing pigs. Farmazyme® resulted in enhanced utilization (P < 0.05) of the cassava peel-based diet in terms of the daily and overall weight gains as well as the serum total protein, albumin, urea and cholesterol. While the heamoglobin and red blood cell (RBC) of the pigs were significantly positively influenced by the inclusion of the enzyme, it had no effect on the packed cell volume (PCV). The blood minerals (Na, Ca, Cl and P), relative organ weights and dressing percentage of the pigs were neither affected by the cassava peel replacement nor the enzyme inclusion but for the kidney, where lower values were obtained both for the control and Farmazyme® supplemented cassava peel based diets. It could therefore be concluded that, inclusion of Farmazyme® 3000 proenx enhanced utilization of the cassava peel-based diet thereby, resulting in performance results comparable to pigs fed the maize-based control diet.Keywords: Cassava peels, growing pigs, non-starch polysaccharides, exogenous enzyme, pig feedin

Utilization of sun-dried on-farm generated poultry litter as a feed resource for growing-finishing pigs

Forty eight (48) growing-finishing pigs (36.11 ± 1.26 kg) were allotted to three dietary treatment groups of 0, 33.33 and 66.67% sun-dried on-farm generated poultry litter (SOPL) as a replacement for 30% maize in diets of growing-finishing pigs on weight basis to assess its implication on the chemical composition of the feed, growth performance and blood chemistry of the pigs. Each treatment was replicated four times with 4 pigs/replicate in a completely randomized design. The diets were formulated to contain 16 - 19% crude protein and the pigs housed in concrete floored pens containing feeding and watering troughs for the duration of the study. The results obtained in this study revealed some numerical differences in the crude protein and fibre contents of the SOPL diets over the controldiet. Increases were also recorded in the acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) fractions of the diets as a result of the replacement levels of SOPL. Daily weight gains and the efficiency of feed utilization of the growing pigs were not significantly (P > 0.05) influenced by the graded levels of SOPL. Replacement of maize with 33 and 66% SOPL resulted in 10.4 -20.9% reduction in the cost of feed/kg. This in turn resulted in 15 - 25% reduction in the cost of feed required for an additional kg gain/pig when the graded levels of SOPL was fed to the pigs. An increased level of up to 66% SOPL resulted in a depression (P < 0.05) in the values of packed cell volume (PCV) and white blood cells (WBC) while the hemoglobin, serum glucose, urea, creatinine and glutamate pyruvate transaninase values of the pigs across the groups were unaffected (P > 0.05). However, variations recorded in the values of the red blood cells (RBC) and alkaline phosphatase did not follow any particular trend. The values of the serum total protein, albumin and cholesterol values increased significantly (P < 0.05)

Using antenatal care as a platform for malaria surveillance data collection: study protocol

BACKGROUND: While many malaria-endemic countries have health management information systems that can measure and report malaria trends in a timely manner, these routine systems have limitations. Periodic community cross-sectional household surveys are used to estimate malaria prevalence and intervention coverage but lack geographic granularity and are resource intensive. Incorporating malaria testing for all women at their first antenatal care (ANC) visit (i.e., ANC1) could provide a more timely and granular source of data for monitoring trends in malaria burden and intervention coverage. This article describes a protocol designed to assess if ANC-based surveillance could be a pragmatic tool to monitor malaria. METHODS: This is an observational, cross-sectional study conducted in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zambia. Pregnant women attending ANC1 in selected health facilities will be tested for malaria infection by rapid diagnostic test and administered a brief questionnaire to capture key indicators of malaria control intervention coverage and care-seeking behaviour. In each location, contemporaneous cross-sectional household surveys will be leveraged to assess correlations between estimates obtained using each method, and the use of ANC data as a tool to track trends in malaria burden and intervention coverage will be validated. RESULTS: This study will assess malaria prevalence at ANC1 aggregated at health facility and district levels, and by gravidity relative to current pregnancy (i.e., gravida 1, gravida 2, and gravida 3 +). ANC1 malaria prevalence will be presented as monthly trends. Additionally, correlation between ANC1 and household survey-derived estimates of malaria prevalence, bed net ownership and use, and care-seeking will be assessed. CONCLUSION: ANC1-based surveillance has the potential to provide a cost-effective, localized measure of malaria prevalence that is representative of the general population and useful for tracking monthly changes in parasite prevalence, as well as providing population-representative estimates of intervention coverage and care-seeking behavior. This study will evaluate the representativeness of these measures and collect information on operational feasibility, usefulness for programmatic decision-making, and potential for scale-up of malaria ANC1 surveillance

Youth and Nigeria’s Internal Security Management

One of the major challenges confronting Nigeria is insecurity which hinders national development. The problem of insecurity includes menace of ethnic militias across the country, insurgency in the north, militancy in the Niger Delta, kidnapping, armed robbery and cultism all over the country. The government and other partners recognise that national security is a precondition for maintaining the survival, growth and development of a State. It is also well known that the army of unemployed and idle youth population of the country is the major group perpetrating these security problems across the country. Given the realisation of the government that the problem of insecurity needs to be tackled as panacea to the socio-economic development of the country, several solutions have been applied. The option of youth empowerment is believed to possess the capacity of not only keeping the youth busy but putting food on their table and thereby making incentive to engage in actions that promote insecurity unattractive. The youth empowerment programmes including the Amnesty Programme, YouWin and N-Power, among others, were some of the programmes implemented. What is the impact of these programmes as a strategy of managing insecurity in the country? To what extent are these programmes impacting on the socio-political and economic development of the country? What are the challenges in the implementation of these programmes? This chapter attempts to provide answers to these questions. The data used in this chapter were collected largely from documentary materials and analysed using descriptive analysis

First report of Theileria annulata in Nigeria : findings from cattle ticks in Zamfara and Sokoto States

Background: Ticks and tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) represent a significant economic burden to cattle farming in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria. However, in the northern part of this country, where the largest livestock population resides, little is known about the contemporary diversity of ticks and TBPs. This area is particularly vulnerable to climate change, undergoing marked transformation of habitat and associated flora and fauna that is also likely to include ticks. This study aimed to document the occurrence of tick species and Apicomplexan TBPs in cattle from north-western Nigeria. Methods: In 2017, ticks were collected from cattle in Zamfara and Sokoto States and identified morphologically. Additionally, a subset of ticks was screened molecularly for the detection of apicomplexan DNA. Results: A total of 494 adult ticks were collected from 80 cattle in Zamfara and 65 cattle in Sokoto State. Nine tick species were encountered, among which the presence of one, Hyalomma turanicum, had not previously been recorded in Nigeria. Hyalomma rufipes was the most prevalent tick infesting cattle in Zamfara State (76%), while Hyalomma dromedarii was the most prevalent in Sokoto State (44%), confirming the widespread transfer of this species from camels onto livestock and its adaptation to cattle in the region. Of 159 ticks screened, 2 out of 54 (3.7%) from Zamfara State and 29 out of 105 (27.6%) from Sokoto State harboured DNA of Theileria annulata, the agent of tropical theileriosis. Conclusions: This study confirms the presence of a broad diversity of tick species in cattle from north-western Nigeria, providing the first locality records for Zamfara State. The occurrence of H. turanicum indicates a distribution of this tick beyond northern Africa. This study provides the first report for T. annulata in Nigerian ticks. Given its enormous burden on livestock farming in north Africa and across Asia, further investigations are needed to better understand its epidemiology, vector transmission and potential clinical significance in cattle from northern Nigeria and neighbouring Sahelian countries

Design and methods for a quasi-experimental pilot study to evaluate the impact of dual active ingredient insecticide-treated nets on malaria burden in five regions in sub-Saharan Africa

Background Vector control tools have contributed significantly to a reduction in malaria burden since 2000, primarily through insecticidal-treated bed nets (ITNs) and indoor residual spraying. In the face of increasing insecticide resistance in key malaria vector species, global progress in malaria control has stalled. Innovative tools, such as dual active ingredient (dual-AI) ITNs that are effective at killing insecticide-resistant mosquitoes have recently been introduced. However, large-scale uptake has been slow for several reasons, including higher costs and limited evidence on their incremental effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. The present report describes the design of several observational studies aimed to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dual-AI ITNs, compared to standard pyrethroid-only ITNs, at reducing malaria transmission across a variety of transmission settings. Methods Observational pilot studies are ongoing in Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Rwanda, leveraging dual-AI ITN rollouts nested within the 2019 and 2020 mass distribution campaigns in each country. Enhanced surveillance occurring in select study districts include annual cross-sectional surveys during peak transmission seasons, monthly entomological surveillance, passive case detection using routine health facility surveillance systems, and studies on human behaviour and ITN use patterns. Data will compare changes in malaria transmission and disease burden in districts receiving dual-AI ITNs to similar districts receiving standard pyrethroid-only ITNs over three years. The costs of net distribution will be calculated using the provider perspective including financial and economic costs, and a cost-effectiveness analysis will assess incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for Interceptor® G2, Royal Guard®, and piperonyl butoxide ITNs in comparison to standard pyrethroid-only ITNs, based on incidence rate ratios calculated from routine data. Conclusions Evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the dual-AI ITNs from these pilot studies will complement evidence from two contemporary cluster randomized control trials, one in Benin and one in Tanzania, to provide key information to malaria control programmes, policymakers, and donors to help guide decision-making and planning for local malaria control and elimination strategies. Understanding the breadth of contexts where these dual-AI ITNs are most effective and collecting robust information on factors influencing comparative effectiveness could improve uptake and availability and help maximize their impact

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes