Search

Alpha smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) localization was investigated in the utero-vagina of the one-humped camel during the follicular and luteal phases. A total of 86 dromedary she-camels brought to the Maiduguri municipal abattoir for slaughter were used for this study. Blood was collected prior to slaughter, and the corresponding genitalia was also collected immediately after slaughter. The ovarian structures and serum progesterone levels were evaluated and used to categorize the animals into the follicular (FP) and luteal phases (LP). The utero-vaginal tissues were also subjected to immunohistochemistry for the localization of alpha smooth muscle actin. The serum P4 levels ranged from 0.6 to 2.5 ng/ml with means of 0.89 ± 0.16 and 1.61 ± 0.81 ng/ml for camels in the follicular and luteal phases, respectively. Immunohistochemistry result demonstrated the localization of α-SMA in the smooth muscle cells of the uterus and vagina during both reproductive phases. Alpha-SMA reactions were intense in the tunica muscularis and the smooth muscles of the blood vessels, with mild evidence of α-SMA localization within the epithelial linings of the vagina and uterine glands. There were no differences (p > 0.05) in the distribution of high positive, low positive, and negative percentages in both uterine and vaginal sections. However, there were differences (p

The present study was conducted to investigate the calcium metabolism-related hormonal changes in layers experimentally infected with Salmonella Gallinarum. A total of 20 18-week-old ISA brown layers were purchased from a commercial poultry farm in Kujama farm, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The birds were allowed to acclimatize for a period of 4 weeks prior to commencement of the experiment. On the day of infection with Salmonella Gallinarum, the birds were randomly divided into two groups, infected and control, of 10 birds each. To establish the infection, each bird in the infected group was orally administered 0.5 ml of the inoculum containing 9 × 108 CFU/ml. Similarly, birds in the control group were each administered 0.5 ml normal saline only. Following the inoculation, all experimental birds were closely monitored for clinical signs of fowl typhoid. Blood samples were collected from each group and was dispensed into heparinized bottles for plasma separation at day zero (day 0), 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, and 42 post-infection (pi) and was used for determination of hormones and electrolyte parameters. By day 7 post-infection, all birds in the infected group showed clinical signs typical of fowl typhoid, namely weakness, ruffled feathers, huddling together, somnolence, greenish-yellow diarrhea, weight loss, drop in egg production, decrease in feed and water consumption, and mortality rate (50%). There were, however, significant decrease in plasma calcium and phosphorus concentrations and significant increase in plasma estrogen and parathyroid hormone concentration in the Salmonella Gallinarum-infected layers. In conclusion, the decrease in plasma calcium and phosphorus concentrations observed in the Salmonella Gallinarum experimentally infected layers was a consequence of hepatic, renal, and gastrointestinal lesions and not due to endocrine dysfunction as plasma levels of the hormones did not suggest so.

The exfoliative cytology of the uterus and vagina area was evaluated in one-humped camel during the follicular and luteal phases. This was carried out using intact genitalia collected from camels immediately after slaughter. A total of 86 genitalia and blood samples were collected and processed. The mean serum progesterone (P4) profile was determined and used to categorize the animals into the follicular (n=51) and luteal phases (n=35). The result of the differential cell counts of the exfoliated vaginal epithelial cells showed mean basal, superficial cells and leucocytes of 27.0%, 25.4% and 14%, respectively being the most prominent during the follicular phase, while the uterine smears were characterized by mean basal (25.6%) , intermediate cells (24.6%) and leucocytes (9.6%) respectively. During the luteal phase, the vaginal smears were characterized majorly by the intermediate (27.4%), parabasal cells (26.6%) and leucocytes (11.6%, while the uterine smears were predominantly characterized by intermediate (22.8%), superficial cells (22.6%) and leucocytes (17.8%) respectively. The result showed that the exfoliative cytology of the uterus and vagina are similar during both the follicular and luteal phases in camels, and so cannot be used alone to characterize these reproductive period. However, this finding has a significant potential application in the use of vaginal cytology alone to assess uterine cellular changes without necessarily invading the uterus under field conditions in camel. Keywords: Camels, Exfoliative cytology, Follicular, Utero-vagina, Luteal, Progesterone

Objective: Phytochemical and in vitro antimicrobial activity of the n-butanol seed extract of Garcinia kola was investigated against some bacterial isolates. Methods: Six (6) bacterial isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella. typhi, E. coli and P. aeroginosa were use to investigate the anti bacterial activity, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Results: The phytochemical analysis of the n-butanol seed extract indicates the presence of carbohydrates, alkaloids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and tannins. The extract exhibited significant inhibitory action against Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis. The zone of inhibition exhibited by the extract against the tested organisms ranged between 7 and 19 mm while zone of inhibition exhibited by tetracycline as the standard antibiotics ranged between 19 and 32 mm. On the other hand, MIC against the bacterial isolates (Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis) was 100 and 200 mg/ml, while MBC was 100, 200 mg/ml. Conclusion: The n-butanol extract of Garcinia kola has antibacterial activity hence validating the folkloric claims and application of the decoction of Garcinia kola in the management of some bacterial infections especially of the oral cavity and dental caries by traditionalists and herbalists in Africa especially in Nigeria.