Assessment of enzyme supplementation on growth performance and apparent nutrient digestibility in diets containing undecorticated sunflower seed meal in layer chicks.

Six hundred and forty one-day-old layer chicks were used to investigate the effect of replacing soybean meal with undecorticated sunflower seed meal protein for protein at 0, 25, 50, and 75% levels. Diets were without enzyme supplementation or with enzyme supplementation with four replications of twenty birds. Growth performance and nutrient utilization were determined. Proximate composition of the undecorticated sunflower seed meal used revealed that undecorticated sunflower seed meal contained 925.9, 204.5, 336.2, 215.1, 52.0 and 192.2g/kg dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, ash and soluble carbohydrates, respectively. Results showed that the final weight of 484.4 g/bird was obtained for birds on 75% undecorticated sunflower seed meal diet, while the lowest value of 472.2g/bird was obtained for birds on 25% undecorticated sunflower seed meal diet. Weight gain per bird per day was not significantly (P > 0.05) affected as the level of undecorticated sunflower seed meal increased in the diets. Feed intake per bird per day increased (P < 0.05) across the treatment as a result of increased undecorticated sunflower seed meal inclusion in the diet. However, enzyme supplementation of the diets showed marked (P < 0.05) improvements in feed intake, weight gain, and final weight as well as the feed to gain ratio. Survivability was not affected by the treatments imposed. Dry matter digestibility were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced due to high undecorticated sunflower seed meal inclusion in the diet while crude protein digestibility progressively reduced (P < 0.05) as the level of undecorticated sunflower seed meal increased in the diet. Ash digestibility values were, however, increased (P < 0.05) as the level of undecorticated sunflower seed meal increased in the diets. Birds on enzyme-supplemented diets consistently showed superior (P < 0.05) digestibility values than those on diets without enzyme supplementation. However ether extract digestibility was not affected by enzyme supplementation. The results indicated that higher inclusion levels of undecorticated sunflower seed meal in the diets of layer chicks showed a similar body weight gain/bird/day with the control. Undecorticated sunflower seed meal used in this study is a good source of crude protein, ether extract, and amino acids and had the potential to serve as feeding stuffs as replacement for soybeans. The nutritive value of undecorticated sunflower seed meal was improved for layer chicks with exogenous enzyme supplementation.

Anterior cervical corpectomy: review and comparison of results using titanium mesh cages and carbon fibre reinforced polymer cages.

Different types of cages have recently become available for reconstruction following anterior cervical corpectomy. We review the results using titanium mesh cages (TMC) and stackable CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced polymer) cages. Forty-two patients who underwent anterior cervical corpectomy between November 2001 and September 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Pathologies included cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM), cervical radiculopathy, OPLL (ossified posterior longitudinal ligament), metastasis/primary bone tumour, rheumatoid arthritis and deformity correction. All patients were evaluated clinically and radiologically. Outcome was assessed on the basis of the Odom's criteria, neck disability index (NDI) and myelopathy disability index (MDI). Mean age was 60 years and mean follow-up was 1½ years. Majority of the patients had single-level corpectomy. Twenty-three patients had TMC cages while 19 patients had CFRP cages. The mean subsidence noted with TMC cage was 1.91 mm, while with the stackable CFRP cage it was 0.5 mm. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant correlation noted between subsidence and clinical outcome (p > 0.05) or between subsidence and post-operative sagittal alignment (p > 0.05) in either of the groups. Three patients had significant subsidence (> 3 mm), one of whom was symptomatic. There were no hardware-related complications. On the basis of the Odom's criterion, 9 patients (21.4%) had an excellent outcome, 14 patients (33.3%) had a good outcome, 9 patients (21.4%) had a fair outcome and 5 patients (11.9%) had a poor outcome, i.e. symptoms and signs unchanged or exacerbated. Mean post-operative NDI was 26.27% and mean post-operative MDI was 19.31%. Fusion was noted in all 42 cases. Both TMC and stackable CFRP cages provide solid anterior column reconstruction with good outcome following anterior cervical corpectomy. However, more subsidence is noted with TMC cages though this might not significantly alter the clinical outcome unless the subsidence is significant (>3 mm).

Erratum to "Serum chemistry and gut morphology of two strains of broiler chickens to varying interval of post hatch feeding" [5C (June 2018) 20-25].

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2017.12.001.].

Serum chemistry and gut morphology of two strains of broiler chickens to varying interval of post hatch feeding.

This trial was carried out to determine the responses of two broiler strains of chicken to different post-hatch access to feed. 180-day old chicks (Arbor acre and Marshal strains) with initial weight range of 39.36-42.24 g were used for this study. Each strain was divided on weight equalization into three treatment groups consisting of three time-periods with access to feeds (4 h, 24 h, 48 h) post hatch in a 2 × 3 factorial experiment after which they were fed ad-libitum. Thirty (30) birds were assigned to each treatment which comprised of three replicates of ten birds. Data collected on serum biochemical constituents and gut morphology were measured and subjected to analysis of variance in a randomized design. The Marshal strain recorded a higher (p < 0.05) final live weight (2420.00 g/bird) than the Arbor acre strain (2218.30 g/bird). Birds fed at 4 h and 24 h post-hatch recorded higher (p < 0.05) final live weights (2402.00 and 2391.00 g/bird) than those fed at 48 h post-hatch (2133.00 g/bird). Interaction effects showed that the Marshal strain fed at 4 h post-hatch had the highest (p < 0.05) final live weight (2594.00 g/bird). Highest (p < 0.05) serum total protein and albumin (37.3 and 22.8 g/l) were recorded in birds fed at 4 h post-hatch when assessed at 4 weeks of age. Furthermore, birds fed at 4 h and 24 h post-hatch recorded higher (p < 0.05) serum total protein and albumin than those fed at 48 h post-hatch. Birds fed at 4 h post-hatch recorded the highest (p < 0.05) duodenal villus height at 4th and 8th week of age and highest (P < 0.05) jejunal villus height when assessed in the 2nd week of age. It was concluded that Marshal strain fed at 4 h post-hatch elicited the highest growth performance and the most developed gut morphological features.

Proximate and phytochemical of Cola nitida and Cola acuminata.

The aim of the research was to examine Cola nitida and Cola acuminata for their phytochemical and proximate compositions. Presence of secondary metabolites do provide information about the plants for their potentials as a lead candidates for the novel drug discovery. The proximate analysis was done using the method of Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) and the phytochemical analysis was done using methods of Markkar and Goodchild for tannin, Brunner for saponin, Harbone for alkaloid and Bohm and Koupai-Abyazani for flavonoid. The proximate results showed that the moisture content of Cola acuminata and Cola nitida were in the range of 9.73-9.81%, ash 2.72-2.21%, fat 3.02-2.20%, protein 19.14-15.24%, crude fiber 7.30-4.18% and carbohydrate 58.09 66.45%. Cola acuminate has more protein content, ash and fat than Cola nitida. The result of phytochemical analysis showed that Cola acuminata has more alkaloids (2.22%), tannin (6.46%) and saponin (8.06%) than Cola nitida. The phenol contents of the two kola nuts were the same range 0.27%, the flavonoid were in the range of 0.12-0.14%. The presence of secondary metabolites in these plants are indications that if well researched, novel bioactive compounds can be discovered in them as there are worldwide efforts by scientists looking for new bioactive compounds to combat various ailments which have developed high resistant to already known antibiotics.

Liver cell hyperplasia: on the suitability of using the metaphase-arrest technique.

This study has explored the possibility of applying the metaphase-arrest method with colchicine to two models of induced liver growth in the rat, regenerative growth and phenobarbital-induced growth. At a dosage of 0.5 mg/kg body weight (BW), colchicine caused a linear accumulation of mitoses for up to 90 min when administered at 3 days after the start of phenobarbital treatment; however these mitoses included a number of anaphases and telophases. No anaphase escape was seen when this dose of colchicine was given at various times after partial hepatectomy, though the arrested mitoses were invariably more fragmented and some may have even degenerated beyond recognition as early as 90 min after injection. It is concluded that the optimal dose of stathmokinetic agent is heavily dependent on the relative liver weight, and thus would change continuously during compensatory hyperplasia.