Development of cashew-alginate microbeads and powdered dose forms: prospects for oral vaccine delivery in chickens.

Conventional oral vaccine delivery in poultry is challenging due to vaccine degradation in the gastrointestinal (GI) environment and the need for cold-chain storage. Microencapsulation offers a solution by protecting vaccines from GI degradation and improving stability. Natural polymers like alginate and cashew gum have mucoadhesive properties, making them promising candidates for oral vaccine delivery. This study developed cashew-alginate microbeads and a powdered dose form for oral vaccine delivery in chickens. The microbeads were created using ionotropic gelation, while the powdered form was obtained via freeze-drying. These formulations were characterized for size, shape, and stability using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), light microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX). Peak adhesion time (PAT) was determined using chicken intestinal and esophageal tissues, and antigenicity was assessed with in-vitro hemagglutination (HA) and hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays. The microbeads exhibited a spherical shape with a porous structure, suggesting enhanced antigen accommodation. Hemagglutination Inhibition tests indicated that the experimental vaccine remained effective without cold-chain storage for three months. These findings suggest that cashew-alginate microbeads are promising for oral vaccine delivery in poultry.

Prevalence and associated risk factors of burnout amongst veterinary students in Ghana.

This study was designed as a cross-sectional study to find out the prevalence and associated risk factors of burnout among veterinary students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi-Ghana. A total of 74 veterinary students served as the respondents and were given online questionnaires which comprised questions on emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and reduced personal accomplishment (RPA). Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and regression analysis. Results indicated that on average, the EE and RPA were low with mean score of 12.72 ± 4.46 and 27.96 ± 7.94 whilst DP was high with a mean score of 20.72 ± 6.5 among veterinary students. The year of study had a significant effect (p = 0.000) on burnout with levels of high RPA (80%) and DP (70%) being more in the preclinical students as compared to the clinical students (RPA = 20%, DP = 30%). There was also a significant effect (p = 0.028) of the year of study and type of residence of the students on the high level of DP and RPA. Daily sleep hours of students had Daily sleep hours of the veterinary students were also indicated as a significant associated risk factor of burnout among veterinary students in this study as more less sleep hours (<6hours), causes high levels of DP and RPA. Age, gender and marital status, working status, exercise hours and weekly study hours of students did not count as significant predictive factors (p>0.05) of burnout.