Prevalence and predictive factors for early initiation of breastfeeding in Nigeria: Evidence from the Nigerian demographic and health survey (2003-2018).

Early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) is an essential first step in exclusive breastfeeding that is expected to commence within an hour after childbirth. This study examined the prevalence and the factors associated with EIBF among nursing mothers in Nigeria based on an analysis of the 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018 Nigerian Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) data. The prevalence of early breastfeeding initiation by women's demographic, socio-economic and reproductive characteristics were computed for each of the survey rounds. The differences in the prevalence estimates for early breastfeeding initiation between the last two survey periods were calculated. A crude and adjusted model to examine association between explanatory variables and early breastfeeding initiation were fitted using Poisson regression model. The mean age of respondents was 29 years (SD=7.3). The prevalence of EIBF increased from 31.5% in 2003 (95% CI 28.4-34.5) to 43.8% in 2018 (95% CI 42.6-45.0), with a decline to 35.3% in 2013 (95% CI 34.0-36.7). The identified risk factors associated with EIBF were being 35-39 years, having at least a primary education, lower wealth quintiles, multiparity, and delivery in a public hospital. EIBF was lower among women that had skilled occupation, access to media, decided to delay pregnancy, history of previous caesarean section, small size baby at birth, and women who received antenatal care. The results indicate that the proportion of women with EIBF in Nigeria is low. Addressing the barriers identified in this paper will help promote EIBF practices in the country.

Missed opportunities for HIV counselling and testing service delivery among pregnant women in Nigeria: Evidence from the 2018 National nutrition and health survey.

According to UNAIDS, the 90-90-90 strategy calls for 90% of HIV-infected individuals to be diagnosed by 2020, 90% of whom will be on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) and 90% of whom will achieve sustained virologic suppression. HIV counselling and testing (HCT) is an important entry point for effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. However, evidence abounds that HCT is often missed by pregnant women during antenatal care in Nigeria. We used secondary data from the 2018 Nigerian National Nutrition and Health Survey (NNHS) to determine the pattern of missed opportunities within the HCT algorithm and the factors associated with the missed opportunities. Of the 8,329 eligible women, 2,327 (27.9%) missed HCT because of lack of antenatal care; 1,493 (24.9%) missed HIV pre-test counselling; 180 (4.0%) missed HIV testing after participating in pre-test counselling, while 793 (18.2%) missed collection of HIV result and post-test counselling. Generally, most of the women that missed HCT were from the North West (43.3%) and had their antenatal care with traditional birth attendants. The odds of missing ANC were higher in women in the Northern and Southern regions. Concerning pre-test HIV counselling, the odds of missing it were higher among women in the Northwest and Southeast while the odds of missing post-test counselling of HIV test were higher among women in the Northeast and Southeast relative to other regions. Using TBA as a care provider was associated with higher odds of women missing pre-test and post-test counselling of HIV during ANC compared to those that used doctors or midwives or CHEWs. Missed opportunities are common in different stages of HIV counselling and testing pathway in Nigeria, particularly in the Northern regions. Future studies would need to identify the specific reasons for these missed opportunities, enabling the targeting of more specific policy reform and interventions.

Prevalence and patterns of anthropometric failure among under-five children in Nigeria: Evidence from the National nutrition and health survey, 2018.

Globally, malnutrition among under-five children remains a public health concern. There is increasing concern at research and policy levels about anthropometric failure and the double burden of child malnutrition across different groups of children. The objective of this study was to describe the magnitude and distribution of various forms of anthropometric failure (AF) among children under age five in Nigeria. We used the 2018 National Nutrition and Health Survey data collected among 19,471 under-five children in Nigeria. The most prevalent AF was stunting only (17.7%) followed by stunting and underweight (13.9%). Wasting, stunting and underweight was found among 3.5% of the sample. Wasting, stunting and underweight was most common in age 6-11 months (7.0%) and 12-23 months (6.9%). Overall, about 1 out of 5 under-five children has multiple anthropometric failure. The peak age group for multiple AFs was between six months and 35 months. Multiple AF was less likely among females compared to males (RR=0.74, CI: 0.69, 0.80). The risk of multiple AF was higher in both North East (RR=2.15, CI: 1.78, 2.59) and North West (RR=2.98, CI: 2.51, 3.55) relative to the North Central. In contrast, the risk was lesser in the South East (RR=0.75, CI: 0.59, 0.95) and other southern regions. The study showed that multiple anthropometric failure is a common problem among children in Nigeria. Programmes that will support prevention and early identification of different types of malnutrition among under-five children across States in Nigeria are recommended.

Uptake of modern and traditional contraceptive methods in Nigeria: Lessons from a nationwide initiative on programming for results (2015-2018).

In general, family planning uptake promotes healthy living among couples and their children, in addition to aiding national development. This study was a secondary analysis of data collected from two nationally representative data - 2015 and 2018 National Nutrition and Health Surveys (NNHS) - aimed at measuring the uptake of modern and traditional contraceptive methods among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. The data were analysed by presenting differentials in prevalence of modern and traditional contraceptives between 2015 and 2018. The results showed that during the periods modern contraceptive uptake in Nigeria ranged between 10% and 17%. By contrast, the prevalence of the traditional methods was 8.3% and 10.0%. Within four years (2015-2018), the average national modern contraceptive uptake among women increased by 7%, while the traditional contraceptive uptake reduced by 2%. The uptake of both modern and traditional contraceptive methods varied by ages group of women, geo-political regions, and State of residence. We conclude that the uptake of modern contraception is below expectation in all regions in Nigeria. The uptake is worse in the northern regions as compared to the southern regions. Government needs to invest more to increase access to and utilization of modern contraceptive methods.

Individual and ecological analyses of antenatal care: Prospects for delivery assistance and use of modern family planning in Nigeria.

Despite the availability of healthcare centres for the provision of antenatal care (ANC) services in Nigeria, the services are still underutilized by pregnant women. ANC services not only reduce maternal mortality and birth defects, but also have a strong link to many causes of maternal deaths. This study explored the individual and ecological relationships between antenatal care, skilled birth assistance during delivery, and family planning use across states in Nigeria. This study was a secondary analysis of data from the 2018 National Nutrition and Health Survey (NNHS) carried out among 24,985 women aged 15-49 years in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria. Analysis was carried out at the level of individual women and at the ecological level. Only 68.3% visited a health professional (doctors, nurses, midwives, community health extension workers, and community health officers) for ANC in the most recent pregnancy before the survey. At delivery, 44.9% were assisted by delivery attendants with about half (50.1%) assisted by non-professional (traditional birth attendants, relatives and friends) during delivery. There was a significant variation in use of modern family planning (FP) across types of ANC provider. There was a strong positive correlation between ANC utilisation and skilled birth attendance (SBA) (r=0.706, p <0.001), and between SBA and FP (r=0.730, p <0.001). These results have implications for the design of appropriate interventions for strengthening the role of healthcare providers to enhance ANC patronage, utilization of safe delivery services and sustained use of reproductive health services.

Hierarchical modelling of factors associated with anaemia among under-five children in Nigeria.

This study used a nationally representative cross-sectional data from 2018 Nigeria Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with anaemia in children aged less than five years in Nigeria. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin level <11.0g/dl, while explanatory variables included parental profile, social and environmental factors. Descriptive analyses and multivariable Poisson regression models were fitted using Stata 15 software. Associated factors were quantified using Prevalence Ratio (PR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). Of the 5834 children aged 6-59 months, 51.9% were male. The prevalence of anaemia among under-five children was 71.6% (95% CI: 69.9-73.2). Childhood anaemia was associated with history of maternal anaemia (PR 1.06; CI 1.05-1.08); having underweight mothers (PR 1.02; CI 1.00-1.05); being a Muslim (PR 1.05; CI 1.02-1.08), Igbo (PR 1.07; CI 1.01-1.14) and Hausa (PR 1.04; CI 1.01-1.07) ethnic group. Further, children from South-South (PR 1.09; CI 1.06-1.13) and South-West (PR 1.06; CI 1.02-1.10) and those currently breastfeeding (PR 1.06; CI 1.04-1.07) had higher risk of anaemia. However, children from middle (PR 0.94; CI 0.91-0.97), or higher wealth indices were less likely to have anaemia. Maternal socio-economic and nutritional characteristics were identified as key predictors of under-five anaemia. Strategies are needed to mitigate the effect of poverty and tweak new and existing nutritional intervention programs to make them responsive to socio-cultural peculiarities across the various geo-political regions of Nigeria.

Comparative evaluation of three histidine-rich Protein-2 based rapid diagnostic tests, microscopy and PCR for guiding malaria treatment in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (mRDTs) are the preferred option for programmatic deployment. AIMS: There are numerous mRDTs on the Nigerian market and there is a need to guide practitioners on the relative performance of the commonly used brands of mRDT in Nigeria. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The performance of three commonly used Histidine-Rich-Protein-2-based mRDTs (SD-Bioline™, Carestart™ and Paracheck-Pf™) against microscopy of Giemsa stained blood and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was evaluated among 190 febrile under-5 children in Ibadan, Nigeria. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, accuracy, and agreements. RESULTS: There were 53.2% males. The prevalence of malaria parasite by microscopy was 46.8% and 57.9% by PCR. Malaria parasite detection by SD-Bioline™ was 60.5%, Carestart™: 60.0% and Paracheck-Pf™ 60.0%. Using microscopy as the gold standard, the sensitivities of SD-Bioline™, Carestart™ and Paracheck-Pf™ mRDT were 97.8%, 96.7% and 97.8% respectively while the specificities were 73.0%, 72.0% and 74.0% respectively. Using PCR as the gold standard, the sensitivity for both SD-Bioline™ and Paracheck-Pf™ was 85.5% and for CareStart was 84.6% while the specificity of SD-Bioline™, Carestart™, and Paracheck-Pf™ was 73.8%, 72.4%, and 75.0% respectively. The test accuracy was 81.0% for both SD-Bioline™ and Paracheck-Pf™ and 80.0% for Caresatrt™. The kappa coefficient of agreement between PCR and each of SD-Bioline™, Carestart, ParaCheck™ and microscopy was 0.597, 0.578, 0.609 and 0.739 respectively. CONCLUSION: The performance of the three mRDTs is a proof that any of the three is suitable for use in the diagnosis of malaria in the southwest of Nigeria.

Assessment of the Holistic Model of Neurosurgical Patient Care at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

BACKGROUND: Holistic ward round (HWR) is a polyadic, multiphasic, holistic model of neurosurgical patient care. It is a multidisciplinary ward round where all healthcare providers involved in patients care, the patients, the relations, as well as clergymen (depending on the patients' faith and need) collectively work to review patient's condition and make decisions in the patient's best interest. OBJECTIVES: The study assessed the effectiveness of the holistic model of care and identified the challenges facing this model of healthcare delivery. METHODS: The study was qualitative in design and In-depth Interviews (IDIs) were conducted with eighteen (18) participants who were purposively selected. They include neurosurgeons, nurses, medical social workers and physiotherapists. The data were thematically content analysed with the help of ATLAS.ti (v.7) software. RESULTS: The study found that patients and relations have immensely benefitted from the model of care through psychosocial support. The major challenges facing HWR were logistic, timing and common problems found in the Nigerian healthcare system. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that for HWR to effectively help spinal cord injured patients further, the healthcare providers, patients and their families require support in different forms from outside the hospital.

Virgin coconut oil extract mitigates testicular-induced toxicity of alcohol use in antiretroviral therapy.

The consumption of alcohol by people living with HIV/AIDS is associated with a graver prognosis. Long-term use of antiretrovirals may have certain health challenges that may be aggravated by concomitant alcohol use. This study investigated virgin coconut oil (VCO) as an adjuvant to the deleterious effects of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and alcohol on the cyto-architecture and functioning of the testis. Forty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 165~176 g, were divided into eight groups and treated according to protocol. Testicular histology, stereological parameters, seminal fluid, testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, the antioxidants marker malondialdehyde (MDA), and antioxidant glutathione (GSH) were examined. The use of ethanol alone and ethanol + HAART showed extensive degeneration in the seminiferous epithelium, decreased semen quality, disorganized basement membrane and widened, hypocellular interstitium. GSH was significantly decreased in the ethanol alone treated group with no significant effect on testosterone, LH, and MDA levels. Adjuvant treatment with VCO at low dose (2.5 mL/kg/bw) improved sperm motility with a partial restoration of the histopathological alterations. High doses of VCO (5.0 mL/kg/bw) showed greater improvement with respect to sperm counts, increased FSH hormonal and GSH antioxidant levels, and a well-preserved testicular cyto-architecture.

Adjuvant potential of virgin coconut oil extract on antiretroviral therapy-induced testicular toxicity: An ultrastructural study.

The effects of Virgin coconut oil as an adjuvant to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) were investigated on the testicular ultrastructure and biochemical markers in rats. Twenty male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 153-169 g were divided into four groups and treated as follows: control A (distilled water), B (HAART), C (HAART+Virgin coconut oil 10 ml/kg) and D (Virgin coconut oil [VCO] 10 ml/kg). Testicular segments were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy. Serum was assayed for testosterone, luteinising hormone, follicle stimulating hormone and testicular tissue for malondialdehyde and glutathione. Ultrastructure of basement membrane (Bm), mitochondria and spermatocytes was normal in the control group. HAART-treated group showed significant increase (p < .01) in Bm thickness with significant decrease in Leydig cell nuclear diameter (p < .05) and volume (p < .01) when compared with control group. Mitochondrial cristae appear collapsed, and Sertoli cells showed cytoplasmic vacuolations. HAART+VCO group showed improved ultrastructural details in Bm, and Sertoli cell and Leydig cells show abundant lipid droplets. Virgin coconut oil-treated group showed thinning of Bm with otherwise normal ultrastructural features of organelles. HAART-treated group showed significant increase (p < .01) in testosterone levels. There was no significant effect on malondialdehyde and glutathione levels. Virgin coconut oil improved testicular morphology and reversed HAART-induced ultrastructural alterations. Further studies on putative mechanism are required.

Naringenin attenuates highly active antiretroviral therapy-induced sperm DNA fragmentations and testicular toxicity in Sprague-Dawley rats.

Highly active antiretroviral therapy has evolved over the years, leading to a boost in the quality of life in people living with HIV and AIDS. However, growing evidence has shown that highly active antiretroviral therapy has deleterious effects on the testes and the overall reproductive capacity. Therefore, this study is to determine the adjuvant potential of Naringenin on highly active antiretroviral therapy-induced perturbations in fertility of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Thirty adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups viz - Control; H: 30 mg/kg of highly active antiretroviral therapy (EFV, 600 mg + FTC, 200 mg + TDF, 300 mg); N40: Naringenin, 40 mg/kg; N80: Naringenin, 80 mg/kg; HN40: highly active antiretroviral therapy + Naringenin, 40 mg/kg; HN80: highly active antiretroviral therapy + Naringenin, 80 mg/kg. The rats were euthanized after 4 weeks. Results showed that there was a significant decrease in sperm count (p < 0.001), spermatozoa with normal morphology (p < 0.001) and progressive sperm motility (p < 0.05) of H compared to the control and the HN groups. Likewise, fragmentations increased (p < 0.05) in tail lengths of sperm DNA in H compared to control. HN40 and HN80 decreased tail lengths compared to H (p < 0.001). There was also a decrease in %tail DNA and tail moment in HN40 (p < 0.001) compared to H. Luteinizing hormone significantly increased (p < 0.05) in HN40, HN80, and N40 (p < 0.001) but decreased in H (p < 0.05) compared to control. The diameter of the seminiferous tubules also decreased (p < 0.05) in H compared to control, N80, and HN40. Likewise, the area of the seminiferous tubules in group H decreased (p < 0.05) compared to N80 and HN80. The seminiferous tubules epithelium increased (p < 0.05) in N40 and HN40 compared to H. This study establishes that highly active antiretroviral therapy has deleterious effects on the testicular microanatomy, sperm parameters, and sperm DNA of Sprague-Dawley rats, which may impair fertility but Naringenin is a potential complimentary adjuvant.

Impaired expression of testicular androgen receptor and collagen fibers in the testis of diabetic rats under HAART: the role of Hypoxis hemerocallidea.

INTRODUCTION: Wide spectrum of alterations associated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has been reported. The current study aimed at evaluating the role of Hypoxis hemerocallidea (HH) aqueous extract on the testosterone levels, expression of androgen receptors and collagen fibers in the testes of streptozoto-cin-nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats under HAART regimen. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty two adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (189.0 ± 4.5 g) were divided into eight groups (8 animals in each treatment groups and 6 rats in the control group). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperi-toneal injection of nicotinamide (110 mg/kg bw) followed by streptozotocin (45 mg/kg bw) and the animals were then subjected to various treatments with HAART, HH extract or melatonin. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected to measure serum testosterone levels. Testes were fixed in buffered formaldehyde and paraffin processed. The expression of androgen receptor (AR) was assessed by immunohistochemistry and collagen fibers were visualized by Masson trichrome staining. RESULTS: Serum testosterone level was drastically (p < 0.0001) reduced in all rats with induced diabetes. In the testis of diabetic rats increased collagen fibers deposition with varying derangements in germinal epithelium of spermatogenic layers were observed. Intertubular hemorrhages and absence of spermatozoa were also noted in the testes of diabetic rats subjected to HAART. Reduced immunoexpression of ARs was found in the nuclei of Sertoli cells and the cytoplasm of spermatogonia and spermatocytes in III-IV stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle of diabetic animals treated with different dosages of HH alone and those treated with HAART concomitantly with melatonin and HH. The expression of ARs was almost negative in the testes of rats treated with HAART alone. CONCLUSIONS: Concomitant treatment of rats with aqueous HH extract during the HAART did not change se-rum testosterone level nor mitigate the altered expression of collagen fibers and androgen receptor resulting from STZ-nicotinamide-induced diabetes. Therefore, anti-diabetic properties of Hypoxis extract require further investigation.

Effect of co-administration of Hypoxis hemerocallidea extract and antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the histomorphology and seminal parameters in Sprague Dawley rats.

Although the successful introduction and rollout of antiretroviral therapy has impacted positively on morbidity and mortality of HIV-positive patients, its interaction with plant-based adjuvants remain sparsely investigated. We report the interaction and effects of adjuvant treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and Hypoxis hemeocallidea (HH) extracts on testicular structure of rats. A total of 63 pathogen-free adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into nine groups and treated according to protocols. HAART cocktail predisposed to significant negative testicular parameters of sperm count, motility and seminiferous tubular epithelial height (quantitatively) (p < .03) and also altered the histomorphology of tubules with diffuse hypoplasia in seminiferous tubules. The higher dose of HH showed a better ability to mitigate the altered parameters and compares favourably with vitamin C in this protocol. While HH did not show any deleterious impact on morphometric data, its role as adjuvant did not significantly reduce the negative impact of HAART on morphometric indices especially with the lower dosage. Further investigations are warranted on the interactions between HAART and Hypoxis.

Growth, nutrient digestibility, ileal digesta viscosity, and energy metabolizability of growing turkeys fed diets containing malted sorghum sprouts supplemented with enzyme or yeast.

Growth, apparent nutrient digestibility, ileal digesta viscosity, and energy metabolizability of growing turkeys fed diets containing malted sorghum sprouts (MSP) supplemented with enzyme or yeast were investigated using 120, 28-day-old male turkeys. Six treatments were laid out in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with three dietary inclusion levels of MSP (0, 50, and 100 g/kg) and supplemented with 200 mg/kg yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) or 200 mg/kg of a commercial enzyme. The experiment lasted for the starter (day 28-56) and grower phases (day 57-84) of the birds. Each treatment group consisted of 20 turkeys replicated four times with five birds each. Data were analysed using analysis of variance while polynomial contrast was used to determine the trends (linear and quadratic) of MSP inclusion levels. Irrespective of dietary supplementation with enzyme or yeast, final body weight (BW), total BW gain, and feed intake for turkey poults from day 29-56 was reduced (p < 0.05) with increasing inclusion level of MSP. Dietary supplementation with yeast resulted in increased (p < 0.05) feed intake while enzyme supplementation improved (p < 0.05) feed conversion ratio of the poults. Turkeys fed enzyme-supplemented MSP diets had higher (p < 0.05) BW gain than their counterparts fed yeast-supplemented MSP diets. Apparent ash digestibility reduced linearly (p < 0.05) with increasing inclusion levels of MSP. Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) did not vary significantly (p > 0.05) with MSP inclusion levels. Enzyme supplementation reduced (p < 0.05) ileal viscosity but had no effect (p > 0.05) on AME. Inclusion of MSP resulted in poor growth performance. This confirms earlier studies that utilization of MSP by poultry is rather poor. Supplementation with enzyme or yeast did not lead to any appreciable improvement in performance of turkeys in this study.

Prevalence and family structures related factors associated with crown trauma in school children resident in suburban Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Multiple risk factors have been identified for traumatic dental injuries, including crown fractures, in various age groups and various populations. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, risk factors and family related factors for crown trauma among 8 to 16 year-old children in a suburban population, Nigeria. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a data of 2107 children collected through a school-based survey. Study participants were 8 to 16 year-old resident in suburban Nigeria. The independent variables for the study were age, sex, socioeconomic status, and birth rank, family size and parenting status (one parent, step parent, both parents, and guardians). Details were collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Intraoral examination was conducted to identify presence of crown fracture. The independent variables associated with and predictors of crown trauma were determinedusing chi-square and logistic regression analysis respectively. RESULTS: Only 167 (7.9 %) of the 2107 study participants had crown trauma. The teeth level prevalence of crown trauma was 0.33 %. Children with middle socioeconomic status had reduced odds of having crown trauma when compared with children with low socioeconomic status (AOR 0.50; CI 0.32-0.80). The odds of having crown traumawas more than doubled in males when compared with females (AOR 2.41; CI 1.72-3.39) and almost doubled in children living with single parents when compared with children living with both parents (AOR 1.94; CI 1.29-3.05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of crown traumawas low in this study population. Being a female and having lowsocioeconomic status significantly reduced the risk factors for crown traumawhile living with single parents increased risk for crown trauma.

Bioavailability of Cu, Zn and Mn from Mineral Chelates or Blends of Inorganic Salts in Growing Turkeys Fed with Supplemental Riboflavin and/or Pyridoxine.

An 84-day feeding trial was conducted in growing turkeys to measure the bioavailability of Cu, Zn and Mn from a commercial mineral chelate and corresponding inorganic salts in composite feeds containing supplemental riboflavin (B2) and/or pyridoxine (B6). A total of 320, 28-day-old British United Turkeys (BUT) were assigned to eight dietary treatments in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement comprising two trace mineral sources: chelated trace mineral blend (CTMB) and its corresponding inorganic trace minerals blend (ITMB) fed solely or with supplements of vitamin B2 (8 ppm) or B6 (7 ppm) or 8 ppm B2 + 7 ppm B6. Each treatment was replicated four times with 10 turkeys each. It was observed that turkeys fed with diets supplemented solely with ITMB elicited higher (P < 0.05) Zn excretion than their counterparts fed with diets containing ITMB with supplements of vitamins B2 and/or B6. Manganese retention was lower (P < 0.05) in turkeys fed with diets supplemented solely with ITMB than those fed with diets containing vitamins B2 and/or B6 additives. Combination of CTMB or ITMB with B6 improved (P < 0.05) the concentration of Mn in the liver and Cu in the bone. It was concluded that the minerals in CTMB were more available to the animals than ITMB. Furthermore, vitamins B2 and/or B6 supplementation improved the bioavailability of the inorganic Cu, Zn and Mn in growing turkeys and tended to reduce the concentration of these trace elements in birds' excreta.

Red Palm Oil Attenuates Lead Acetate Induced Testicular Damage in Adult Male Sprague-Dawley Rats.

To study the protective effect of Red Palm Oil (RPO) on testicular damage induced by administration of lead acetate on male Sprague-Dawley rats, 28 rats divided into four groups of 7 animals each were used. They were administered orally with RPO (1 mL and 2 mL) and lead acetate (i.p.) 6 mg/kg body weight/day, respectively. Treatment was conducted for 8 weeks, and 24 hrs after the last treatment the rats were sacrificed using cervical dislocation. Sperms collected from epididymis were used for seminal fluid analyses; while the testes sample was used for ROS and oxidative enzyme activities assessment. Statistical analysis was carried out using GraphPad Prism 5.02 statistical analysis package. Administration of lead acetate increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly (p < 0.05) as evidenced by the elevated value of H2O2 and LPO and decreased GSH level. Also there was reduced epididymal sperm count, poor grade of sperm motility, and lower percentage of normal sperm morphology significantly. Coadministration with RPO, however, has a protective effect against lead toxicity by decreasing H2O2 production, increased GSH level, and increased sperm qualities especially. This shows that RPO has a potential to attenuate the toxic effect of lead on testicular cells preventing possible resultant male infertility.

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.

Perception and attitude towards Ebola Virus Disease among traditional healers in Ibadan, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Nigeria experienced her first outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in the second-half of 2014. Since its first occurrence in Zaire and Sudan in 1976, most studies on EVD were clinically based and were carried out using biomedical approaches. No empirical social science/behavioural-oriented study exists on the deadly EVD in Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the traditional healers' perception and attitude towards Ebola virus disease in Ibadan metropolis. STUDY DESIGN: Purposive sampling method was used to select a total of 23 traditional healers who specialized in different areas of traditional medicine (such as herbs selling, faith healing, divination, and general practice). In-depth interview (IDI) method was employed in the study. RESULTS: The study found some misconceptions about the disease while the dominant attitude among the healers was that of avoidance and caution on safety. CONCLUSION: The healers' interpretations of the disease rested on the culture and individual experiences. There is thus a need to take the local cultural perceptions of the Ebola Virus Disease into consideration when controlling the disease in the future.

Effect of dosage and application mode of L-carnitine on plasma lipid and egg-yolk cholesterol of turkeys, hatchability of eggs and post-hatch growth of their offsprings.

The effect of dosage and application mode of L-carnitine on plasma lipid and egg-yolk cholesterol of breeder turkeys, hatchability of eggs and post-hatch growth response was investigated using 180 breeder hens. The hens were assigned to six dietary treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangements of two application modes of L-carnitine (diet and drinking water) supplemented at 0, 50 and 100 ppm (mg/kg or mg/l) levels, respectively. Each treatment was replicated five times with six hens per replicate. Dietary inclusion of 50 ppm L-carnitine showed the lowest (p < 0.01) plasma total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein concentration (LDL). Breeder hens offered 50 ppm L-carnitine with no regard to application mode recorded the highest (p < 0.01) plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL). Hens offered 50 and 100 ppm L-carnitine irrespective of application mode also showed reduced (p < 0.01) egg-yolk TC concentration at 32 weeks of age. Dietary supplementation of 50 ppm L-carnitine for breeder turkeys recorded the lowest (p < 0.01) egg-yolk triglyceride (TG) at 40 weeks of age. Hens offered 50 ppm L-carnitine irrespective of application mode recorded the highest (p < 0.05) hen-day egg production. Incidence of dead-in-shell also reduced (p < 0.05) with increasing dosage of L-carnitine. Dietary supplementation of 50 ppm and oral application in drinking water of 100 ppm L-carnitine for breeder turkeys resulted in highest (p < 0.05) egg fertility. Offsprings from breeder hens fed diets supplemented with L-carnitine recorded no post-hatch mortality. Highest (p < 0.05) post-hatch final live weight and weight gain was obtained with poults obtained from hens fed diet supplemented with 50 ppm L-carnitine. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 50 ppm L-carnitine for turkey hens showed improved serum lipid profile, egg fertility, reduced dead-in-shell, egg-yolk cholesterol and resulted in improved post-hatch growth performance.