RESUMO
In recent years, diseases caused by pathogenic bacteria have profoundly impacted chicken production by causing economic loss in chicken products and by-product revenues. MBL (mannose-binding lectin) is part of the innate immune system (IIS), which is the host's first line defense against pathogens. The IIS functions centrally by identifying pathogen-specific microorganism-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) with the help of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs). Studies have classified mannose-binding lectin (MBL) as one of the PRR molecules which belong to the C-type lectin family. The protective role of MBL lies in its ability to activate the complement system via the lectin pathway and there seems to be a direct link between the chicken's health status and the MBL concentration in the serum. Several methods have been used to detect the presence, the level and the structure of MBL in chickens such as Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) among others. The concentration of MBL in the chicken ranges from 0.4 to 35 µg/mL and can be at peak levels at three to nine days at entry of pathogens. The variations observed are known to depend on the bacterial strains, breed and age of the chicken and possibly the feed manipulation strategies. However, when chicken MBL (cMBL) becomes deficient, it can result in malfunctioning of the innate immune system, which can predispose chickens to diseases. This article aimed to discuss the importance and components of mannose-binding lectin (MBL) in chickens, its mode of actions, and the different methods used to detect MBL. Therefore, more studies are recommended to explore the causes for low and high cMBL production in chicken breeds and the possible effect of feed manipulation strategies in enhancing cMBL production.
RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Computer related musculoskeletal disorders affect millions of computer users yearly in developed nations as reported in the literature. With proliferation of computer systems in the developing nations, the associated musculoskeletal pain has yet to be investigated. This serves as impetus for this study. METHODS: A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from computer users across six federal university campuses in Nigeria. The questionnaire contained two sections of 35 items each. The questions requested the respondents to provide information on age, sex, years of computer usage, hour spent on computer per week, associated musculoskeletal pain, pain severity and knowledge of preventive measures. 1041 questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULT: Low back pain and neck pain were found to be the highest pain complaint with 74% and 73% respectively. 67% of the respondents complained of wrist pain, followed by finger pain (65%), shoulder pain 63% and general body pain 61%. The knee and foot pains were the least reported complaints with 26% and 25% respectively. In terms of pain severity, low back pain, finger pain, neck pain and shoulder pain are rated to be moderate, while all other joints were said to be of mild pain. DISCUSSION: The results of this study indicated that low back pain, neck pain and upper limbs are the common disorders complaints among the users. The cause of the pain may be attributed to bad ergonomics among the users.
