Actellic 2% dust as pesticide in feed ingredients: Effects on haematological and serum metabolites in growing rabbits

The study was designed to evaluate the tolerance, survivability, hematological and biochemical indices of weaner rabbits fed diet contaminated with varying levels of Actellic 2% dust. The effects of thepesticide on the clinical state of the animals were also appraised. A uniform diet was compounded from ingredients certified to be apparently pesticide residue-free. This diet was partitioned into 5 sub-diets.The first partition A had no residue, serving as control, while B, C, D, and E had 0.01, 0.02, 0.03 and 0.04% inclusion of the Actellic 2% dust, respectively. A total of 20 rabbits of mixed breeds and sexeswere used in the experiment. The animals were balanced for breed, sex and weight in a completely randomized design experiment. Four animals each were placed on each treatment diets for 45 days which were preceded by 3 weeks of acclimatization. Blood was collected and analysed at the end of the experiment. Haematological parameters (PCV, WBC, RBC, ESR, platelets, MCV, MCH, MCHC) andbiochemical parameters (urea, serum protein, ALP, SGOT, SGPT, K+) were comparable in all groups and found not to be statistically (p >0.o5) influenced. Whereas heamoglobin, monocyte, eosinophil, Na+ andcreatinine were statistically influenced (P < 0.05). Only one mortality was recorded in treatment group with the highest dose. The results generally showed that weaner rabbits can tolerate the presence ofActellic dust in feed up to 0.03%. At this dose, the Actellic dust does not have much adverse effect on haematological and biochemical parameters. Higher concentration of 0.04% can result in manifestationof toxicity symptoms and sometimes death, such values are rarely naturally present in feeds. However, animals which are able to tolerate high values hardly manifest poor performances

Comparative evaluation of inhibitory activity of Epiphgram from albino and normal skinned giant African land snail (Archachatina marginata) against selected bacteria isolates

A study was conducted on evaluation of inhibitory activity of epiphgram from albino and normal skinned giant African land snail (Archachatina marginata). After aestivation, epiphgram were collected from twenty snails (10, albino and 10 normal skinned). The epiphgram were washed, air dried and ground into powder form. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of epiphgram from both albino and normal skinned species were determined by standard broth micro-dilution method using four (4) clinical bacteria Isolates which include: Eschericia coli, Pasteurella species, Salmonella species and Staphylococcus aureus. Ciproflaxacin antibiotic was used as control. Result showed that epiphgram from both albino and normal skinned snails had higher microbial activity for both Eschericia coli and Salmonella species as shown by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC: 0.050 and 0.098 vs 0.098 and 0.049) compared to streptomycin (MIC: 78 and 1.95 vs 15.63 and 1.95) which is the control. However, normal skinned epiphgram had higher antimicrobial activity considering the MIC values for Salmonella species, Staphylococcus aureus and Pasteurella species. While MIC value recorded for Eschericia coli showed that albino snail epiphgram had higher antimicrobial activity in the elimination of this bacteria species better than the normal skinned. It can be concluded from this study that substance which eliminate bacteria especially the four bacteria isolates used in this study are present in the epiphgram of both normal and albino snails in varying proportion with the highest amount present in normal skinned snail’s epiphgram except for Eschericia coli.Keyword: Albino snail, Archachatina marginata, Inhibitory activity, Epiphgram, Bacteria isolat

Performance, proximate and mineral analyses of African giant land snail (Archachatina marginata) fed different nitrogen sources

The effect of different nitrogen sources in the diets offered to caged African giant land snail, Archachatina marginata, was investigated in a six months experiment. Four experimental diets I, II, III and IV containing soybean, fishmeal, poultry dropping and urea as the only nitrogen source, respectively were formulated. Diet V (Pawpaw leaves) served as the control. Growth parameters (weight gain, feed intake, shell length gain and shell circumference gain), hemolymph and flesh minerals and proximate composition of the snails were determined. Snails fed diet III (poultry droppings) recorded the highest weight gain while the snails fed diet IV recorded the least value. Snail fed diet I had the highest feed conversion ratio (FCR}. The least FCR value was recorded for snails on diet V. The feed intake of snail on diet V was significantly higher (

Pooled analysis of WHO Surgical Safety Checklist use and mortality after emergency laparotomy

Background The World Health Organization (WHO) Surgical Safety Checklist has fostered safe practice for 10 years, yet its place in emergency surgery has not been assessed on a global scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate reported checklist use in emergency settings and examine the relationship with perioperative mortality in patients who had emergency laparotomy. Methods In two multinational cohort studies, adults undergoing emergency laparotomy were compared with those having elective gastrointestinal surgery. Relationships between reported checklist use and mortality were determined using multivariable logistic regression and bootstrapped simulation. Results Of 12 296 patients included from 76 countries, 4843 underwent emergency laparotomy. After adjusting for patient and disease factors, checklist use before emergency laparotomy was more common in countries with a high Human Development Index (HDI) (2455 of 2741, 89.6 per cent) compared with that in countries with a middle (753 of 1242, 60.6 per cent; odds ratio (OR) 0.17, 95 per cent c.i. 0.14 to 0.21, P <0001) or low (363 of 860, 422 per cent; OR 008, 007 to 010, P <0.001) HDI. Checklist use was less common in elective surgery than for emergency laparotomy in high-HDI countries (risk difference -94 (95 per cent c.i. -11.9 to -6.9) per cent; P <0001), but the relationship was reversed in low-HDI countries (+121 (+7.0 to +173) per cent; P <0001). In multivariable models, checklist use was associated with a lower 30-day perioperative mortality (OR 0.60, 0.50 to 073; P <0.001). The greatest absolute benefit was seen for emergency surgery in low- and middle-HDI countries. Conclusion Checklist use in emergency laparotomy was associated with a significantly lower perioperative mortality rate. Checklist use in low-HDI countries was half that in high-HDI countries.Peer reviewe

Global variation in anastomosis and end colostomy formation following left-sided colorectal resection

Background End colostomy rates following colorectal resection vary across institutions in high-income settings, being influenced by patient, disease, surgeon and system factors. This study aimed to assess global variation in end colostomy rates after left-sided colorectal resection. Methods This study comprised an analysis of GlobalSurg-1 and -2 international, prospective, observational cohort studies (2014, 2016), including consecutive adult patients undergoing elective or emergency left-sided colorectal resection within discrete 2-week windows. Countries were grouped into high-, middle- and low-income tertiles according to the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Factors associated with colostomy formation versus primary anastomosis were explored using a multilevel, multivariable logistic regression model. Results In total, 1635 patients from 242 hospitals in 57 countries undergoing left-sided colorectal resection were included: 113 (6·9 per cent) from low-HDI, 254 (15·5 per cent) from middle-HDI and 1268 (77·6 per cent) from high-HDI countries. There was a higher proportion of patients with perforated disease (57·5, 40·9 and 35·4 per cent; P < 0·001) and subsequent use of end colostomy (52·2, 24·8 and 18·9 per cent; P < 0·001) in low- compared with middle- and high-HDI settings. The association with colostomy use in low-HDI settings persisted (odds ratio (OR) 3·20, 95 per cent c.i. 1·35 to 7·57; P = 0·008) after risk adjustment for malignant disease (OR 2·34, 1·65 to 3·32; P < 0·001), emergency surgery (OR 4·08, 2·73 to 6·10; P < 0·001), time to operation at least 48 h (OR 1·99, 1·28 to 3·09; P = 0·002) and disease perforation (OR 4·00, 2·81 to 5·69; P < 0·001). Conclusion Global differences existed in the proportion of patients receiving end stomas after left-sided colorectal resection based on income, which went beyond case mix alone

Oestrus synchronization, artificial insemination and early rebreeding in Yankasa sheep

No abstract

The ratio of roughage to concentrate on milk secretion rate in goats fed Stylosanthes hamata hay

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of roughage to concentrate ratio (R:C) on milk secretion rate (g/h) in goats using a cross-over design in which each goat passed sequentially through all the treatments in random order. The treatments (R: C) were: A = 70 percent roughage : 30 percent concentrate; B = 50 percent roughage : 50 percent concentrate e and C = 30 percent roughage : 70 percent concentrate. In the experiment, seven goats were milked once a day, from the 2nd to 8th week of lactation, thrice per week for 2 weeks per treatment. The animals were fed at 4 percent body weight (DM basis). The feed consisted of Stylosanthes hamata hay (S. hamata hay) and a 17.2 percent CP concentrate ration. Data were analysed using the treatments as main effect with live weight and week of lactation as covariates. There was no significant treatment effects on milk secretion rate (P&gt;0.05). Overall milk secretion rate was 5.23g/h. Week of lactation also had no significant effect (P&gt;0.05). However, live weight of doe at time of milking had a highly significant effect (P&gt;0.001) with milk secretion rate increasing by 0.41g/h per kilogram live weight. The R2 values for the predictive mathematical relationship for goats fed Stylosanthes hamata hay at 4 percent body weight in the dry season was R2 = 0.888. It can therefore be deduced that for a lactating doe in the 5th week of lactation at 20kg body weight fed at 4 percent with Stylosanthes hamata hay to concentrate ratio at 70 percent roughage : 30 percent concentrate would give a milk secretion rate of 6.717g/h while at 50 percent roughage : 50 percent concentrate it would give 6.662g/h and 30 percent roughage : 70 percent concentrate level would give 7.054g/h. Keywords: Stylosanthes hamata hay, concentrate, goats, milk secretio

Environmental factors affecting birth weight and litter size in Yankasa sheep

No Abstract

Research Note: The Occurrence and Inheritance of Wattles in Yankasa Sheep

No Abstrac

Physiological and haematological responses of broiler chickens offered cold water and vitamin C during hot-dry season

The effects of cold water and vitamin C on broilers’ rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and haematological parameters were evaluated during dry season. Two hundred and sixteen 4-week-old Anak 2000 broilers fed ad libitum were offered either water at ambient temperature (29.5oC; ORD) or cold water (8.0oC; COLD) to which either 0 (-C) or 500 mg vitamin C per litre water (+C) was added to give four treatment groups (ORD-C, ORD+C, COLD-C and COLD+C) from week 5 to 8 of age. There were 3 replicates with 18 birds per replicate. RT and RR were taken for three days weekly at 16.00 h. Blood was sampled weekly for haematological, plasma biochemical and triiodothyronine analyses. Data on RT, RR, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), white blood cell (WBC), heterophil (HET), lymphocyte (LYM), eosinophil (EOS), monocyte (MON), heterophil:lymphocyte ratio (H:L), plasma K+, Na+, glucose (GLU), protein (PRO) and tri-iodothyronine (T3) were subjected to ANOVA using least squares method. Water temperature had significant (P&lt;0.01) effect on RT and RR. Cold water lowered RT and RR of the birds compared with water at ambient temperature. Similarly, vitamin C in drinking water caused decrease in RT (P&lt;0.001) and RR (P&lt;0.01) compared to ordinary water. Water temperature had no significant (P&gt;0.05) effect on MCHC, MCH, MCV, LMY, EOS, plasma K+, Na+, GLU, PRO and T3. But cold water significantly lowered MON (P&lt;0.05) and increased PCV (P&lt;0.001), RBC (P&lt;0.001), Hb (P&lt;0.001), WBC (P&lt;0.001), HET (P&lt;0.01) and H: L (P&lt;0.05) when compared with water at ambient temperature. Addition of vitamin C significantly increased LYM (P&lt;0.05) and H:L (P&lt;0.05) but decreased HET (P&lt;0.05) when compared with birds that received no vitamin C. Vitamin C had no significant (P&gt;0.05) effect on PCV, RBC, Hb, WBC, MCHC, MCH, MCV, plasma K+, Na+, GLU, PRO and T3. There were significant (P&lt;0.01) interactions between water temperature and vitamin C on HET, LYM and H: L. Broiler chickens offered ORD+C had significantly lower HET and H: L than those offered ORD-C, COLD-C and COLD+C. However, the LYM was highest in ORD+C birds. High HET and H:L, and low LYM are indicators of heat stress in poultry. In conclusion, cold water and vitamin C were effective in reducing broilers’ RT and RR in the afternoon during hot-dry season. Either of the two may improve the well-being of broilers during dry season.Keywords: cold water; vitamin C; rectal temperature; respiratory rate; broiler