Effects of graded levels of cottonseed cake on performance, haematological and carcass characteristics of broilers fed from day old to 8 weeks of age

Cottonseed cake (CSC) has been used as a cheaper alternative to soyabean cake (SBC) in livestock feeding and a source of dietary protein. There is, however, paucity of information on its nutritive valuein chickens. This study evaluated the performance, haematological and carcass characteristics of chickens in which CSC replaced SBC in a nutritional experiment. One hundred and eighty day old chicks (DOC) were fed with 5 different diets, such that 0% (control), 25, 50, 75 and 100% of CSC replaced SBC from day old to 8 weeks of age. Average weekly gains (AWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and dressed weight (DWT) were monitored. Blood samples were collected and analyzed for differential white blood cell count (lymphocyte) and haemoglobin (Hb). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Values of AWG and DWT ranged from 0.1 to 0.4 kg and 1.1 to 1.8 kg, respectively, with 100% CSC and control having the least and the highest values among the treatments. FCR ranged from 1.6 to 4.9. Values of lymphocyte and Hb ranged from 35.2 to 54.0% and 8.5 to 11.1 g/dl, respectively. Birds on 75% CSC based diets had blood profile comparable to the control than those of other diets. CSC can replace up to 75% SBC without adverse effects on performance, haematological values and carcass quality of the birds. This reveals CSC as a potent source of protein for meeting the crude protein requirements of chickens

Foraging Behaviour Responses in the African Giant Land Snail Achatina Achatina

The study was carried out to determine the conditioning procedure of tentacle lowering to determine foraging behaviour responses in Achatina achatina. Snails were exposed to unripe fruit odour of paw paw and pear as conditioned stimuli (CS), while they ingested carrot as unconditioned stimulus (US). There were 4 treatments of 10 snails each replicated 3 times. During experimentation (conditioning), all snails ate carrot as US, but exposed to the odour of carrot in control treatment (T1); paw paw in T2; pear in T3; pair of paw paw and pear in T4 as CS respectively. Responses were measured through posterior tentacle lowering to sensory stimuli from experimental vegetable odour during feeding. Results indicated T1 with highest tentacle lowering; T2 indicated an acquisition effect; T3 indicated latent inhibition effect; T4 indicated over shadowing effect between paired odour. The A. achatina demonstrated at least 7 days of odour memory retention. The immediate significance of this study is that snail farmers should feed their stock with a diet in which snails will develop habituation and hence optimal performance.Key words: Land snail, tentacle lowering, foraging behaviou

Genetic variants in novel pathways influence blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

Blood pressure is a heritable trait influenced by several biological pathways and responsive to environmental stimuli. Over one billion people worldwide have hypertension (≥140 mm Hg systolic blood pressure or  ≥90 mm Hg diastolic blood pressure). Even small increments in blood pressure are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events. This genome-wide association study of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which used a multi-stage design in 200,000 individuals of European descent, identified sixteen novel loci: six of these loci contain genes previously known or suspected to regulate blood pressure (GUCY1A3-GUCY1B3, NPR3-C5orf23, ADM, FURIN-FES, GOSR2, GNAS-EDN3); the other ten provide new clues to blood pressure physiology. A genetic risk score based on 29 genome-wide significant variants was associated with hypertension, left ventricular wall thickness, stroke and coronary artery disease, but not kidney disease or kidney function. We also observed associations with blood pressure in East Asian, South Asian and African ancestry individuals. Our findings provide new insights into the genetics and biology of blood pressure, and suggest potential novel therapeutic pathways for cardiovascular disease prevention

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

A Meta-analysis of Gene Expression Signatures of Blood Pressure and Hypertension

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have uncovered numerous genetic variants (SNPs) that are associated with blood pressure (BP). Genetic variants may lead to BP changes by acting on intermediate molecular phenotypes such as coded protein sequence or gene expression, which in turn affect BP variability. Therefore, characterizing genes whose expression is associated with BP may reveal cellular processes involved in BP regulation and uncover how transcripts mediate genetic and environmental effects on BP variability. A meta-analysis of results from six studies of global gene expression profiles of BP and hypertension in whole blood was performed in 7017 individuals who were not receiving antihypertensive drug treatment. We identified 34 genes that were differentially expressed in relation to BP (Bonferroni-corrected p&lt;0.05). Among these genes, FOS and PTGS2 have been previously reported to be involved in BP-related processes; the others are novel. The top BP signature genes in aggregate explain 5%–9% of inter-individual variance in BP. Of note, rs3184504 in SH2B3, which was also reported in GWAS to be associated with BP, was found to be a trans regulator of the expression of 6 of the transcripts we found to be associated with BP (FOS, MYADM, PP1R15A, TAGAP, S100A10, and FGBP2). Gene set enrichment analysis suggested that the BP-related global gene expression changes include genes involved in inflammatory response and apoptosis pathways. Our study provides new insights into molecular mechanisms underlying BP regulation, and suggests novel transcriptomic markers for the treatment and prevention of hypertension

Causal effect of plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 on coronary heart disease

Background--Plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) plays an essential role in the fibrinolysis system and thrombosis. Population studies have reported that blood PAI-1 levels are associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). However, it is unclear whether the association reflects a causal influence of PAI-1 on CHD risk. Methods and Results--To evaluate the association between PAI-1 and CHD, we applied a 3-step strategy. First, we investigated the observational association between PAI-1 and CHD incidence using a systematic review based on a literature search for PAI-1 and CHD studies. Second, we explored the causal association between PAI-1 and CHD using a Mendelian randomization approach using summary statistics from large genome-wide association studies. Finally, we explored the causal effect of PAI-1 on cardiovascular risk factors including metabolic and subclinical atherosclerosis measures. In the systematic meta-analysis, the highest quantile of blood PAI-1 level was associated with higher CHD risk comparing with the lowest quantile (odds ratio=2.17; 95% CI: 1.53, 3.07) in an age- and sex-adjusted model. The effect size was reduced in studies using a multivariable-adjusted model (odds ratio=1.46; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.88). The Mendelian randomization analyses suggested a causal effect of increased PAI-1 level on CHD risk (odds ratio=1.22 per unit increase of log-transformed PAI-1; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.47). In addition, we also detected a causal effect of PAI-1 on elevating blood glucose and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. Conclusions--Our study indicates a causal effect of elevated PAI-1 level on CHD risk, which may be mediated by glucose dysfunction

Genetic associations at 53 loci highlight cell types and biological pathways relevant for kidney function.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate defines chronic kidney disease and is associated with cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We conducted a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), combining data across 133,413 individuals with replication in up to 42,166 individuals. We identify 24 new and confirm 29 previously identified loci. Of these 53 loci, 19 associate with eGFR among individuals with diabetes. Using bioinformatics, we show that identified genes at eGFR loci are enriched for expression in kidney tissues and in pathways relevant for kidney development and transmembrane transporter activity, kidney structure, and regulation of glucose metabolism. Chromatin state mapping and DNase I hypersensitivity analyses across adult tissues demonstrate preferential mapping of associated variants to regulatory regions in kidney but not extra-renal tissues. These findings suggest that genetic determinants of eGFR are mediated largely through direct effects within the kidney and highlight important cell types and biological pathways

Effect of aqueous Tetrapleura tetraptera (african porridge fruit) on performance and gut morphology of broiler chickens

A study was conducted for 8 weeks to determine the effect of administering varying levels of aqueous Tetrapleura tetraptera (African porridge fruit) on performance and gut morphology of broilers. A total of 150 day old broiler chicks (Abor acre) were randomly selected and alloted to 5 treatmentsand 6 replicates per treatment. The experimental ingredient was extracted and served to the birds in the 5 different treatments as follows; Control (water with no additive), Positive control (antibiotics), 3, 6 and 9 mls respectively. Total weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion efficiency were not (P&gt;0.05) significantly different across the varying levels of Tetrapleura tetraptera administered. There were also no differences in feed conversion ratio of birds administered with Tetrapleura tetraptera compared with those on antibiotics. Broiler’s gut parameters measured indicated that there were no significant differences (P&gt;0.05) across the varying levels of the Tetrapleura tetraptera extract administered on the broilers. The study demonstrated that administration of Tetrapleura tetraptera extract in water for broilers compared favorably with birds on antibiotics though no  significant differences were recordedKeywords: Tetrapleura tetraptera, Performance, Gut morphology, Broiler chicken

Potentials of ethanolic extracts of (Jatropha curcas) on the gut morphology of broilers

In a study conducted to evaluate the effect of Jatropha curcas leaf extract on the gut morphology of broiler chickens, one hundred and fifty day old Arbor Acre broiler chicks were randomly allocated to five treatments, each replicated five times, with six birds per replicate over a period of forty two days. The birds were allocated to the following treatments (T): T1 (Negative control, no antibiotics), T2 (positive control, with antibiotics), T3 (0.25g/100kg Jatropha curcas leaf extract), T4 (0.50g/100kg J. curcas leaf extract) and T5 (0.75g/100kg J. curcas leaf extract). Samples were collected from the ileum and duodenum for gut morphology assay, with the results of gut morphology revealing that J. curcas supplementation improved villi height in duodenum (p&lt;0.05), while significantly decreasing values for villi height in the ileum (p&lt;0.05). Crypt depth values were also significantly influenced by inclusion of antibiotics and 0.25% J. curcas extract.Keywords: Performance, Jatropha curcas leaf extract, Gut morpholog

VALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF VARIATION IN INGREDIENT COMPOSITION ON THE EATING QUALITIES OF SUYA

The semimembranous muscle from singed beef carcass was trimmed of all visible bones and connective tissue. The meat was sliced into thin sheet of 0.15 – 0.3cm thick and between 5.0 – 9.0 cm long. The experiment comprised of five treatments. Treatment one (T1) In served as the control, with all ingredients present while ginger, red pepper, curry and white pepper were absent in T2, T3, T4 and T5 respectively. A total of 30 sticks of suya with an average weight of 34.92 + 5.03gram of meat per stick were prepared for each treatment. The stick meat was properly coated with each respective ingredient mixture. The coated stick meat was roasted on a glowing, smokeless fire for 30 minutes with regular turning of the product. The result of the study showed that the least product yield was recorded where the percent loss was highest (