Effect of different protein levels on the growth performance of African giant land snail (Achatina achatina) fed soybean meal based diets

The effect of different protein levels on the growth performance of African giant land snail (Achatina achatina) fed soybean meal based diets was investigated at the Snail Teaching and Research Unit of the Department of Animal Science Teaching and Research Farm, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Sixty four (64) snails of 4 weeks old African giant land snail (Achatina achatina) with initial average weight of 1.71-1.84g, were randomly divided into four groups of 16 snails each. The groups were randomly assigned to diets at four crude protein levels (16, 18, 20 and 22%) in a completely randomized design (CRD). Treatments were replicated twice with 8 snails per replicate placed in plastic baskets measuring 30cm in diameter and 13cm in height with hot water-treated loamy soil at 5cm depth. Feed andwater were provided ad libitum for 16 weeks. Results showed that there were significant (P<0.05) differences among treatments in feed intake, final body weight, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, average shell length and average shell width. Snails fed diets containing 16, 18, 20 and 22% crude protein had FBW of 8.35g, 8.36g, 8.98g and 10.04g, respectively; weight gain of 6.51g, 6.55g, 7.18g and 8.33g, respectively and feed intake of 12.61g, 12.14g, 8.09g and 14.16g, respectively. There were no significant differences (P.0.05) among treatments in initial body weight, protein efficiency ratio, average shell weight, average visceral weight, average edible weight and feed cost per kg weight gain. The results obtained in this study show that dietary protein level of about 22% is adequate for the growth of African giant land snails (Achatina achatina) in the humid tropics

Effects of raw bambara nut (Voandzeia subterranea l) waste and enzyme complex on growth performance and apparent nutrient retention in broiler chickens

The effects of graded levels of raw bambara nut (Voandzeia subterranea L) waste and supplementary enzyme (Roxayzme G) on performance of broiler chicks were investigated. One hundred and twenty 14-day old unsexed commercial broiler chicks (Anak strain) were randomly divided into eight groups of 15 birds each. The groups were randomly assigned to eight energetic (9.24 to 11.68 MJ of ME/kg) and nitrogenous (21.12 to 22.12% crude protein) diets in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement involving four levels (0, 10, 15 and 20%) of raw bambara nut waste and 2 enzyme levels (0 and 0.02%). Each treatment was replicated three times with five birds per replicate. Results show that increasing levels of raw bambara nut waste in the diets increased (P < 0.05) average daily feed intake and feed cost per kg weight gain, but decreased (P < 0.05) final body weight, average daily weight gain, feed conversion efficiency and protein efficiency ratio. Increasing raw bambara nut waste levels also depressed (P < 0.05) nutrient absorption as evidenced by significant reduction in the retention of dry matter, nitrogen, crude fibre, ether extract, nitrogen-free extract and gross energy. However, supplementation with enzyme improved (P < 0.05) final body weight and average daily weight gain at 0% raw bambara nut waste level, feed conversion ratio at the 10, 15 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels, and reduced average daily feed intake and feed cost per kg weight gain at all the raw bambara nut waste (RBW) inclusion levels. Enzyme supplementation also improved (P < 0.05) the retention of dry matter at the 0, 15 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels, nitrogen at 0% raw bambara nut waste level, ether extract and nitrogen-free extract at 0 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels, and gross energy at 10 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels. There was no incidence of chicks’ mortality in all the treatments. The results of the study indicate that 10% raw bambara nut waste can be included in enzyme supplemented broiler starter diet without adverse effects on broiler chicks and also to reduce cost of production.Keywords: Raw bambara nut waste, enzyme, diets, broiler chicks, growth performanc

Dietary effect of rice milling waste and supplementary enzyme on performance of broiler chicks

A four- week study was conducted to determine the effects of feeding rice milling waste (RMW) and supplementary enzyme (Roxazyme G2®) on the performance of broiler chicks. One hundred and twenty (120) 7-day old broiler chicks of Anak strain were randomly divided into eight groups of 15 birds each. The groups were randomly assigned to 8 isocaloric (2.85 Mcal of ME/kg) and isonitrogenous (22.00% crude protein) diets in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement involving a control (0%), three levels (10, 15 and 20%) of RMW and two enzyme levels (0 and 0.02%). Each treatment was replicated three times with five birds per replicate. Results show that feed intake, average daily weight gain, protein efficiency ratio, costs of daily feed intake and feed cost per kg weight gain were significantly (P<0.05) different among the treatment diets. Haematological values such as Haemoglobin concentration (Hb), mean cellular volume (MCH), mean cellular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and mean cell volume (MCV) were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the treatments. Enzyme supplementation resulted in a significant (P<0.05) reduction in feed intake and enhanced significantly (P<0.05), the performance of birds that consumed such enzyme supplemented diets. It was concluded that up to 20% RMW can be included in broiler starter diet without any adverse effect on growth performance of birds. However, the significant increase in feed cost per kg weight gain emanating from the inclusion of enzyme in some of the diets may negate the positive effect that Roxazyme G2®enzyme had on growth performance of the broiler chicks.Keywords: Rice milling waste, enzyme, diets, broiler chicks, growth performance.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(34), pp. 5326-533

An Audit of Uterovaginal Prolapse in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

Abstract A retrospective study of utero-vaginal prolapse to determine the frequency and determinants of uterovaginal prolapse, degrees and its complications at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, Nigeria between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2009. The prevalence of uterovaginal prolapse was 3.4%. Thirty three (66%) of them were postmenopausal. Multiparity was a significant determinant as 74% of them were grandmultiparous. The commonest symptom was "something coming down the vagina" in 96% of the study subjects. Second degree prolapse was the commonest type of presentation (48%) and the definitive treatment modality was vaginal hysterectomy with pelvic floor repair (44%). Multiparity, prolonged labour and unsupervised deliveries are significant determinants. Uterovaginal prolapse is primarily a common gynaecological condition of the parous and elderly postmenopausal women associated with a decreased body image and quality of life. Education of women, women empowerment, effective antenatal care, supervised hospital deliveries, and limiting the family size by efficient contraception deserve priority attention to prevent this social malady

Electronic States and Light Absorption in a Cylindrical Quantum Dot Having Thin Falciform Cross Section

Energy level structure and direct light absorption in a cylindrical quantum dot (CQD), having thin falciform cross section, are studied within the framework of the adiabatic approximation. An analytical expression for the energy spectrum of the particle is obtained. For the one-dimensional “fast” subsystem, an oscillatory dependence of the wave function amplitude on the cross section parameters is revealed. For treatment of the “slow” subsystem, parabolic and modified Pöschl-Teller effective potentials are used. It is shown that the low-energy levels of the spectrum are equidistant. In the strong quantization regime, the absorption coefficient and edge frequencies are calculated. Selection rules for the corresponding quantum transitions are obtained

Prognostic model to predict postoperative acute kidney injury in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery based on a national prospective observational cohort study.

Background: Acute illness, existing co-morbidities and surgical stress response can all contribute to postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery. The aim of this study was prospectively to develop a pragmatic prognostic model to stratify patients according to risk of developing AKI after major gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This prospective multicentre cohort study included consecutive adults undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection, liver resection or stoma reversal in 2-week blocks over a continuous 3-month period. The primary outcome was the rate of AKI within 7 days of surgery. Bootstrap stability was used to select clinically plausible risk factors into the model. Internal model validation was carried out by bootstrap validation. Results: A total of 4544 patients were included across 173 centres in the UK and Ireland. The overall rate of AKI was 14·2 per cent (646 of 4544) and the 30-day mortality rate was 1·8 per cent (84 of 4544). Stage 1 AKI was significantly associated with 30-day mortality (unadjusted odds ratio 7·61, 95 per cent c.i. 4·49 to 12·90; P < 0·001), with increasing odds of death with each AKI stage. Six variables were selected for inclusion in the prognostic model: age, sex, ASA grade, preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate, planned open surgery and preoperative use of either an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Internal validation demonstrated good model discrimination (c-statistic 0·65). Discussion: Following major gastrointestinal surgery, AKI occurred in one in seven patients. This preoperative prognostic model identified patients at high risk of postoperative AKI. Validation in an independent data set is required to ensure generalizability

Variabilidade da frequência cardíaca em mulheres com hipermobilidade articular

A hipermobilidade é a capacidade de desempenhar movimentos articulares com amplitude maior que o normal. A prevalência possui variações determinadas pela etnia, sexo, idade, atividade física e variações nos critérios de caracterização. Aproximadamente 30% dos adultos são portadores e apresentam feedback proprioceptivo, sensorial diminuído e espacial alterado da articulação levando a maior frequência de ativação e deformação dos mecanorreceptores nos músculos esqueléticos e na pele. O aumento dos impulsos aferentes dos mecanorreceptores sobre a área cardiovascular no bulbo altera o controle autonômico sobre o coração. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar o balanço simpatovagal durante manobra de ortostatismo em mulheres com hipermobilidade. Participaram do estudo 27 voluntárias, com 19,97±1,79 anos, índice de massa corpórea abaixo de 25 kg/m², sedentárias e sem uso de medicação. Após diagnóstico da hipermobilidade articular, segundo o escore de Beighton, foram divididas em 2 grupos: 12 hipermóveis (GH) e 15 não hipermóveis (GC). O eletrocardiograma foi realizado durante 10 minutos em supino e em pé para análise da variabilidade da frequência cardíaca. A banda de alta frequência (un) apresentou diminuição da atividade vagal no GH, pJoint hypermobility is the ability to make joint movements greater than normal. The prevalence has large variations determined by race, sex, age, physical activity and variations in characterization criteria. Approximately 30% of adults are considered carriers and present proprioceptive feedback and sensory decreased and joint space positioning altered leading to greater frequency of activation and deformation on the mechanoreceptors in the skeletal muscles and skin. The increase of afferent impulses of the receptors on the bulb cardiovascular area alters the autonomic control on the heart. The objective of the study was to evaluate sympathovagal balance during orthosthatic maneuver in women with hipermobility. Twenty-seven sedentary volunteers participated in this study, with mean age of 19.97±1.79, body mass index below 25 kg/m² and without medication. After the joint hipermobility diagnosis according to Beighton score, they were divided into 2 groups: 12 with hipermobility (HG) and 15 without hipermobility (CG). The electrocardiogram was performed during 10 minutes at supine position and stand for analysis of heart rate variability. The band of high frequency (un) presented reduction in vagal activity in HG, p<0.03. The low frequency increment (un) was higher in HG when compared to CG in orthosthatic maneuver with increased sympathetic activity, p<0.03. The joint hypermobility volunteers presented autonomic cardiac response altered with low vagal responsiveness

General and abdominal adiposity and hypertension in eight world regions: a pooled analysis of 837 population-based studies with 7•5 million participants

Background: Adiposity can be measured using BMI (which is based on weight and height) as well as indices of abdominal adiposity. We examined the association between BMI and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) within and across populations of different world regions and quantified how well these two metrics discriminate between people with and without hypertension. Methods: We used data from studies carried out from 1990 to 2023 on BMI, WHtR and hypertension in people aged 20–64 years in representative samples of the general population in eight world regions. We graphically compared the regional distributions of BMI and WHtR, and calculated Pearson's correlation coefficients between BMI and WHtR within each region. We used mixed-effects linear regression to estimate the extent to which WHtR varies across regions at the same BMI. We graphically examined the prevalence of hypertension and the distribution of people who have hypertension both in relation to BMI and WHtR, and we assessed how closely BMI and WHtR discriminate between participants with and without hypertension using C-statistic and net reclassification improvement (NRI). Findings: The correlation between BMI and WHtR ranged from 0·76 to 0·89 within different regions. After adjusting for age and BMI, mean WHtR was highest in south Asia for both sexes, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. Mean WHtR was lowest in central and eastern Europe for both sexes, in the high-income western region for women, and in Oceania for men. Conversely, to achieve an equivalent WHtR, the BMI of the population of south Asia would need to be, on average, 2·79 kg/m2 (95% CI 2·31–3·28) lower for women and 1·28 kg/m2 (1·02–1·54) lower for men than in the high-income western region. In every region, hypertension prevalence increased with both BMI and WHtR. Models with either of these two adiposity metrics had virtually identical C-statistics and NRIs for every region and sex, with C-statistics ranging from 0·72 to 0·81 and NRIs ranging from 0·34 to 0·57 in different region and sex combinations. When both BMI and WHtR were used, performance improved only slightly compared with using either adiposity measure alone. Interpretation: BMI can distinguish young and middle-aged adults with higher versus lower amounts of abdominal adiposity with moderate-to-high accuracy, and both BMI and WHtR distinguish people with or without hypertension. However, at the same BMI level, people in south Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa, have higher WHtR than in the other regions. Funding: UK Medical Research Council and UK Research and Innovation (Innovate UK)