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This study was conducted to examine the effect of Jatropha tanjorensis leaf meal as a natural feed supplement on the internal organs and histology of the kidney and liver of broiler chickens. One hundred and thirty-two (132) unsexed broiler chicks were randomly divided into 4 different groups (T1, T2, T3 and T4) of 33 birds, with 3 replicates of 11 birds per replicate. The experimental diets were formulated to contain 0%, 1.5%, 3.0% and 3.5% dietary supplementation of Jatropha tanjorensis leaf meal, respectively. The internal organs dynamics were determined. The kidney and liver were processed for histopathological examination. Results showed that Jatropha tanjorensis leaf meal at 1.5%, 3.0% and 3.50% in broiler diets significantly (p<0.05) increased the weights of the large intestine (T1 0.49 - T3 0.67), small intestine (T1 1.43 - T3 2.93), kidney (T1 0.42 - T4 0.61) and reduced the crop (T1 0.61 - T2 0.51). The supplementation of Jatropha tanjorensis leaf meal at 1.5%, 3.0% and 3.5% had multifocal hepatocellular necrosis with marked infiltration of the phagocytes of the histoarchitecture of the liver; while the supplementation up to 3.0% and 3.5% on the broiler diets showed a mild multifocal tubular necrosis with marked aggregation of phagocytes on the histo-architecture of the kidney. These deleterious effects on the liver and kidney increased as the level of supplementation increased. Therefore, care should be taken when increasing Jatropha tanjorensis leaf meal in broiler chicken diets above 1.5%, and when consuming Jatropha tanjorensis leaf at higher doses because of its deleterious consequences on the histo-architecture of the kidney and liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Melatonin is the main neurohormone synthesized and released by the pineal gland. It stimulates several antioxidative enzymes which increase its efficiency as an antioxidant and enhance the maturation of oocytes and the development of follicles in animals. Artificial lighting on the other hand improves bird's performance especially reproductive performance and behavior. By providing artificial light, growers can manipulate this natural cycle to their advantage and increase the egg laying. Therefore, this current study was aimed to evaluate the effect of melatonin and increased lighting on the welfare of laying birds. Methods: In November 2018 to December 2019, a total 162 sixteen weeks Isa Brown hens were used for the experiment which was grouped into 9 treatments. Melatonin and lighting at three levels (0mg, 5mg, 10mg and 12hrs, 15hrs and 18hrs) were administered orally to the birds four times weekly within a day interval for 30 weeks from 16 weeks to 46 weeks. Data on rectal temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate were collected and analysed. Blood samples were also collected and analysed for haematological parameters Result: Results showed that rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HT) were significantly (p<0.05) influenced by both melatonin and lighting. Melatonin at 5mg significantly (p<0.05) reduced the rectal temperature (40.55°C), respiratory rate (139.44bpm) and heart rate (320bpm) while lighting at 18 hours significantly (p<0.05) increased the rectal temperature, respiratory rate and heart rate due to heat stress among the parameters. The haematological profiles were influenced (p<0.05) by the administration of melatonin. Treatments levels on melatonin administration (5mg and 10mg) had increased circulating packed cell volume of 28.00% and 28.11% respectively compared to the control group which had 25.66%. The results indicates that melatonin at 5mg and 10mg improved the welfare of the birds but increased lighting beyond 12 hours compromised immunity of the birds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Objectives: This study was performed to identify and characterize circulating Plasmodium species in three provinces of Mindanao approaching malaria elimination., Methods: Rapid diagnostic tests (RDT), microscopic examination, and PCR were used to detect malaria parasites. PCR-positive isolates were genotyped for polymorphisms in loci of interest., Results: A total of 2639 participants were surveyed in Mindanao between 2010 and 2013. Malaria prevalence by PCR was 3.8% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.7-5.2%) in Sarangani, 10% (95% CI: 7.7-12.7%) in South Cotabato, and 4.2% (95% CI: 3.2-5.6%) in Tawi-Tawi. P. falciparum and P. vivax were identified in all three provinces, and there was one case of P. malariae in South Cotabato. RDT was inferior to PCR for detecting asymptomatic P. falciparum and P. vivax. In Tawi-Tawi, microscopy failed to identify 46 PCR-positive malaria infections. The presence of pfcrt haplotypes CVMNK, CVIET, and SMNT (codons 72-76), pfmdr1 haplotype NFSND (codons 86, 184, 1034, 1042, 1246), and pvmdr1 haplotype NFL (codons 91, 976, 1076) was confirmed in Mindanao., Conclusions: Asymptomatic Plasmodium infections persisted in local communities between 2010 and 2013. PCR successfully identified subpatent malaria infections, and can better characterize malaria epidemiology in communities seeking malaria control and elimination at the local level., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest None., (Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae infections are scarcely studied in sub-Saharan Africa, where the Plasmodium falciparum species predominates. The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of P. ovale and P. malariae infections and their relationship with common red blood cell polymorphisms in a cohort of 509 individuals from Uganda., Methods: Three cross-sectional surveys were conducted in individuals of 1-10 and >20 y of age from the Apac district at baseline and 6 and 16 weeks after drug treatment. Malaria infections were assessed by polymerase chain reaction and genotyping was performed for the sickle-cell allele, α-thalassaemia and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase., Results: At baseline, the prevalence of infection was 7.5%, 12.6% and 57.4% for P. ovale, P. malariae and P. falciparum species, respectively. Co-infections were present in 14.1% of individuals, all including P. falciparum parasites. In children 1-5 y of age, the prevalence of P. ovale mono-infections increased significantly from 1.7% to 7.3% over time (p=0.004) while the prevalence of P. malariae and P. falciparum infections declined significantly during this study. After adjusting for confounding and multiple testing, only α-thalassaemia had a statistically significant increase in the odds of P. falciparum infections (odds ratio 1.93 [95% confidence interval 1.26 to 2.94])., Conclusions: Common red blood cell polymorphisms do not show strong effects on mild Plasmodium infections in this Ugandan population. To understand the extent of this result, similar studies should be carried out in other populations using larger cohorts., (© The Author(s) 2019. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the creatinine assay on the ABL800 FLEX© blood gas analyzer for the screening of pre-existing renal impairment before radiographic contrast administration in the emergency department (ED), by comparing it with standard practice using central laboratory blood testing., Methods: The evaluation comprised two elements. The first, conducted in the central laboratory, focused on the analytical performance of the ABL800 creatinine assay. This included assessment of imprecision and accuracy by comparison with central laboratory standard creatinine assay. We also compared ABL 800 estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and 99m Tc-DTPA measured GFR (mGFR). The second part, conducted in ED sought to determine the impact that implementation of the creatinine at the point-of-care (POC) has on the timeframe in which ED patients are submitted for computed tomography scan (CT)., Results: The ABL800 enzymatic creatinine assay met the National Kidney Disease Education Program acceptance criteria for imprecision and showed good agreement with the isotope dilution mass spectrometry-traceable Roche enzymatic assay used in the central laboratory. Furthermore, ABL800 eGFR was in total agreement with mGFR by a reference method. The implementation of POC testing creatinine in the ED significantly reduced patient waiting times for contrast enhanced CT (1.73[0.75-3.01] vs 2.57 [1.53-3.48] hours, for period with and without ABL800 respectively, p=0.04)., Conclusion: The ABL800 assay is comparable with central laboratory reference method in terms of analytical performance and superior in terms of turnaround time. Implementation of creatinine at POC reduces delay results, potentially allowing ED clinical staff to make more rapid clinical decisions and reduce patient waiting time., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: The use of antimalarial drugs for prevention and treatment is a major strategy in the prevention of malaria in pregnancy. Although sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) is currently recommended for intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy in Nigeria, previously used drugs for prophylaxis such as chloroquine (CQ) and pyrimethamine are accessible as they are purchased over the counter. This study describes the markers of absence or presence of resistance to quinoline (Pfcrt and Pfmdr 1) and type 1 antifolate antimalarial medicines (Pfdhfr)., Methods: Plasmodium falciparum-positive dried blood spots from pregnant women attending antenatal clinics for the first time during current pregnancy were investigated for the presence of mutations at codons 72-76 of Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (Pfcrt) gene by real time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using haplotype-specific probes. PCR followed by sequence analysis was used to identify mutations at codons 86, 184, 1034, 1042 and 1246 of P. falciparum multi-drug resistance-1 (Pfmdr1) gene; and codons 16, 50, 51, 59, 108, 140 and 164 of Pfdhfr gene., Results: Two haplotypes of Pfcrt (n = 54) were observed: CVMNK 13(24.2%) and CVIET 41 (75.9%) of the samples. The SVMNT haplotype was absent in this population. The Pfmdr1 (n = 28) haplotypes were NYSND 15(53.6%), YYSND 5(17.9%), NFSND 6(21.4%) and YFSND 2(7.1%). The Pfdhfr (n = 15) were ACNCSVI 4(26.7%), and ACICNSVI 1(6.7%) and ACIRNVI 10 (66.7%). The rate of occurrence of Pfcrt 76T, Pfdhfr108N, Pfmdr186Y and 184F were 75.9%, 73.3%, 25% and 28.1% respectively. The Pfmdr1 86Y was associated with low parasitaemia (median = 71 parasites/μl, P = 0.024) while Pfcrt 76T was associated with young maternal age (mean 24.1 ± 4.5 years; P = 0.006). The median parasitaemia were similar (P>0.05) in wild and mutant strains of Pfcrt 76, Pfmdr1 184 and Pfdhfr 108. There was no association between gravidity or gestational age of the women and presence of mutations in the Pfcrt, Pfmdr1 or Pfdhfr genes (P>0.05)., Conclusion: Markers of resistance to chloroquine and pyrimethamine were high, whereas cycloguanil-resistance marker was not present in the studied population. The low level of mutations in the Pfmdr1gene indicates likely efficacy of amodiaquine against malaria in pregnancy.

Adequate clinical and parasitologic cure by artemisinin combination therapies relies on the artemisinin component and the partner drug. Polymorphisms in the Plasmodium falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter (pfcrt) and P. falciparum multidrug resistance 1 (pfmdr1) genes are associated with decreased sensitivity to amodiaquine and lumefantrine, but effects of these polymorphisms on therapeutic responses to artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artemether-lumefantrine (AL) have not been clearly defined. Individual patient data from 31 clinical trials were harmonized and pooled by using standardized methods from the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network. Data for more than 7,000 patients were analyzed to assess relationships between parasite polymorphisms in pfcrt and pfmdr1 and clinically relevant outcomes after treatment with AL or ASAQ. Presence of the pfmdr1 gene N86 (adjusted hazards ratio = 4.74, 95% confidence interval = 2.29 - 9.78, P < 0.001) and increased pfmdr1 copy number (adjusted hazards ratio = 6.52, 95% confidence interval = 2.36-17.97, P < 0.001 : were significant independent risk factors for recrudescence in patients treated with AL. AL and ASAQ exerted opposing selective effects on single-nucleotide polymorphisms in pfcrt and pfmdr1. Monitoring selection and responding to emerging signs of drug resistance are critical tools for preserving efficacy of artemisinin combination therapies; determination of the prevalence of at least pfcrt K76T and pfmdr1 N86Y should now be routine., (© The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.)

Objective: To evaluate the comparative efficacy and safety of artemether-lumefantrine (AL), artesunate-amodiaquine (ASAQ) and artesunate-amodiaquine-chlorpheniramine (AQC) for the treatment of acute uncomplicated malaria among Southwest Nigerian children., Subjects and Methods: One hundred and sixty children aged 6 months to 14 years with acute uncomplicated malaria were randomized to AL (n = 53), ASAQ (n = 53), or AQC (n = 54). Enrollees were seen daily on days 0-3 and then on days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 for clinical and parasitological evaluations. Paired samples of genomic DNA at enrolment and at the time of recurrent parasitaemia were genotyped using nested PCR to distinguish between reinfection and recrudescence. Detailed haematological and biochemical evaluations were carried out in a subset of enrollees on days 0, 7 and 28 as part of a safety evaluation., Results: Of the 160 children, 144 (90%) completed the study. The mean fever clearance times and parasite clearance times for AL, ASAQ and AQC were comparable (p = 0.94 and p = 0.122, respectively). On day 14, the adequate clinical and parasitological response (ACPR) for AL and AQC was 100% and for ASAQ it was 90% (p = 0.39). The PCR-uncorrected results on days 28 and 42 and the ACPR-corrected results on day 42 were similar for all drugs (p = 0.62 and p = 0.56, respectively). AQC resulted in the best parasite clearance and haematological recovery on day 2 (p = 0.022 and p = 0.018, respectively). Biochemical parameters were not adversely affected by the three artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) and these were well tolerated., Conclusion: The three ACTs were efficacious and safe, but AQC resulted in a better haematological recovery on day 2 and higher cure rates throughout the study period., (© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: Malaria in humans is caused by apicomplexan parasites belonging to 5 species of the genus Plasmodium. Infections with Plasmodium ovale are widely distributed but rarely investigated, and the resulting burden of disease is not known. Dimorphism in defined genes has led to P. ovale parasites being divided into classic and variant types. We hypothesized that these dimorphs represent distinct parasite species., Methods: Multilocus sequence analysis of 6 genetic characters was carried out among 55 isolates from 12 African and 3 Asia-Pacific countries., Results: Each genetic character displayed complete dimorphism and segregated perfectly between the 2 types. Both types were identified in samples from Ghana, Nigeria, São Tomé, Sierra Leone, and Uganda and have been described previously in Myanmar. Splitting of the 2 lineages is estimated to have occurred between 1.0 and 3.5 million years ago in hominid hosts., Conclusions: We propose that P. ovale comprises 2 nonrecombining species that are sympatric in Africa and Asia. We speculate on possible scenarios that could have led to this speciation. Furthermore, the relatively high frequency of imported cases of symptomatic P. ovale infection in the United Kingdom suggests that the morbidity caused by ovale malaria has been underestimated.