Mild gestational diabetes in pregnancy and the adipoinsular axis in babies born to mothers in the ACHOIS randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Mild gestational diabetes is a common complication of pregnancy, affecting up to 9% of pregnant women. Treatment of mild GDM is known to reduce adverse perinatal outcomes such as macrosomia and associated birth injuries, such as shoulder dystocia, bone fractures and nerve palsies. This study aimed to compare the plasma glucose concentrations and serum insulin, leptin and adiponectin in cord blood of babies of women (a) without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), (b) with mild GDM under routine care, or (c) mild GDM with treatment. METHODS: 95 women with mild GDM on oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) at one tertiary level maternity hospital who had been recruited to the ACHOIS trial at one of the collaborating hospitals and randomised to either Treatment (n = 46) or Routine Care (n = 49) and Control women with a normal OGTT (n = 133) were included in the study. Women with mild GDM (treatment or routine care group) and OGTT normal women received routine pregnancy care. In addition, women with treated mild GDM received dietary advice, blood glucose monitoring and insulin if necessary. The primary outcome measures were cord blood concentrations of glucose, insulin, adiponectin and leptin. RESULTS: Cord plasma glucose was higher in women receiving routine care compared with control, but was normalized by treatment for mild GDM (p = 0.01). Cord serum insulin and insulin to glucose ratio were similar between the three groups. Leptin concentration in cord serum was lower in GDM treated women compared with routine care (p = 0.02) and not different to control (p = 0.11). Adiponectin was lower in both mild GDM groups compared with control (Treatment p = 0.02 and Routine Care p = 0.07), while the adiponectin to leptin ratio was lower for women receiving routine care compared with treatment (p = 0.08) and control (p = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Treatment of women with mild GDM using diet, blood glucose monitoring and insulin if necessary, influences the altered fetal adipoinsular axis characteristic of mild GDM in pregnancy

Storage and Organoleptic Qualities of Clarias Gariepinus Smoked with Woods from Oil Bean and Oil Palm Trees

Two weeks comparative studies were conducted on the efficacy of smoking Clarias gariepinus with Pentaclethra macrophylla and Elaeis guineensis using organoleptic indices as parameters. Twenty-four specimens of C. gariepinus, with mean body weight of 320±20 g were divided into two groups of twelve. Each batch was smoked with Pentaclethra macrophylla and Elaeis guineensis respectively for 5 hours and thereafter withdrawn and kept under room temperature for 2 weeks. A group of trained panelist subjected the processed fish to organoleptic tests every two days throughout the storage period. The results revealed that Pentaclethra macrophylla gave a better quality smoked fish with higher shelf life than Elaeis guineensis.&nbsp

Extent of Information and Communication Technology Usage among Agriculture Undergraduates, Implications for Agricultural Development

Agriculture undergraduates are the bedrock of future agricultural development. It is therefore pertinent examine how they are aligning with the wave of information and communication technology and communication technology in contemporary times in Nigeria. This study focused on determining the extent of information and Communication Technology usage among agriculture undergraduates and the implications for agricultural and rural transformation. Data were collectedwith the aid of structured questionnaire from 112 randomly selected undergraduates of the School of Agricultural technology of the federal University of technology, Owerri, Nigeria. Data analysis was by the use of descriptive statistics. Finding of the study revealed that usage level of ICT among respondents was high in E-mail {mean score =2.41}. The web {mean score = 2.34} and computer operation {mean score = 1.77}, but low in CD-ROM {mean score =1.09} and chartroom {mean score=1.41}. it was also found that respondents use ICT for handling assignments {mean score =2.61}, project work {mean score =2.27}, scholarship information {mean score {= 1.70}, project work {meanscore = 2.27}, general agricultural information {mean score =2.22}, seminar {mean score =1.55}. It was found that respondents use ICT tools in commercial business centres and a large proportion of the respondents spent 5 hours weekly on average on ICT and spent up to N200. it was alsorecommended that the university should provide agriculture  undergraduates with cyber café and some hours of grace should be given to them in order to reduce financial burden on them. The implications of the findings are that agriculture undergraduates are well informed aboutcontemporary agricultural information and are adequately prepared for transforming agricultural development in Nigeria. in view of this extension education policy should be developed to ensure that agriculture undergraduates are provided skills that will foster more interest in the use of information and communication technology. This will make them more relevant to national development

Nutritional Evaluations and the Effects of Ensiled and Sun-Dried Cassava Peel Meals on the Performance of Finisher Broilers

A 28-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of ensiled cassava peel meal (ECPM) and sun-dried cassava peel meal (SCPM) on the performance of finisher broilers. Three treatment diets were formulated such that 50% of the maize in diet 1 (control) was replaced in diet 2 with ensiled cassava peel meal (ECPM) and in diet 3 with sun-dried cassava peel meal (SCPM). Each diet was fed to a group of 20 finisher broilers for four weeks. The birds fed on SCPM diet recorded significantly (p<0.05) depressed body weight. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the control birds and birds fed the ECPM diet in terms of body weight gain and growth rate. The feed conversion ratio of the groups followed similar trend. There was however significant difference (p<0.05) between the average feed intake of the control birds and those on sun dried cassava peel meal. Cost of feed was reduced by about 20% by replacing 50% of the maize in the control diet with either ECPM or SCPM in the finisher diets