Assessment of Broiler Breeder Cocks Under Selection for Semen Quality as Influenced by Age and Body weight Changes

The study was conducted to assess the semen quality characteristics of broiler breeder cocks under selection at young (22 - 29weeks) and adult (30 - 40weeks) ages in a pedigreed population. Data were collected on a weekly interval for body weight and semen quality characteristics (sperm volume, semen colour, sperm motility, semen pH, sperm concentration and live cell) and semen morphological defects (detached head, coiled tail, bent tail and full head) and were analyzed using the SAS statistical package. Sequel to semen collection, body weights of each cock were taken and recorded. Results obtained for body weight at the two age groups showed a significant (p <0.05) difference with the adult cocks been heavier as the age advanced. The semen quality showed a highly significantly (p<0.01) difference at all ages with the exception of live cells for the adult breeder cocks’ group where the trait showed no significant (p>0.05) difference across weeks. The semen morphological defect of young breeder cocks showed a progressive significant (p<0.01) increase with the highest defect of 21.20% at 27 weeks, while for the adult cocks, the highest defect was recorded at 30 weeks with 23% defect. It can therefore be recommended that for optimum reproductive performance of the broiler breeder cocks under selection, cocks should be introduced into hen pens or used for artificial insemination at about 26weeks of age under favourable conditions that promote optimum quality semen, which can enhance fertility and hatchability for pedigree hatchin

Prevalence of Ocular Trauma among Paediatrics and Geriatrics: A Hospital based Study in Abia State Nigeria

Ocular trauma, one of the leading causes of monocular loss of visions especially in children and the elderly, poses a significant public health challenge. This study found the epidemiological characteristics of patients hospitalized in a private eye clinic and a tertiary eye centre in Umuahia, Abia State through a hospital based survey. The study reviewed over 172 injured eyes from 172 patients over a period of 5 years from January 2010 to December 2015. Of the 172 cases of trauma reviewed, 77 (44.8%) closed globe, 39 (19.8%) open globe, 50 (29.1%) lacerations, 5 (2.9%) chemical injuries, 6 (3.5%) thermal injuries were seen. The mean ages of the paediatric and geriatric patients were 9±4.15 and 72±4.27 respectively. The most frequent types of injuries were school-related in paediatrics and domestic-related in geriatrics. The majority (55 cases) of injuries in males and females occurred in the age group of 6-12 in paediatrics and (23 cases) 71-75 in geriatrics respectively. The relationship between final visual acuity (VA) and initial VA was tested using Chi-square test at 5% level of significance (α = 0.05), and there was no significant difference in the initial VA and final visual outcome after trauma since (X2cal = 137.96) is greater than (X2 tab = 28.85). The study reveals the need for adopting proper prevention measures especially for the age group that is mostly affected by ocular trauma. Also more studies are needed to further investigate the effectiveness of the current ocular trauma prevenve or management strategies.Keywords : Paediatrics, Geriatrics, Trauma, injurie