The role of phytogenic feed additives in stress mitigation in broiler chickens.

The increase in global temperature and consumers' welfare has increased the use of phytogenic feed additives (PFA) to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress on chickens in recent years. Various bioactive compounds capable of improving the thermotolerance of broiler chickens during exposure to thermal challenges have been identified in different plant species and parts. This review is an overview of the roles of bioactive compounds of different PFA, such as polyphenols and flavonoids, antioxidants, growth-promoting and immune-modulating agents, in heat stress management in broiler chickens.

Quality of life among patients with epilepsy in Nigeria: predictors and barriers to routine clinical use of QOLIE-31.

Purpose: To determine the factors predicting poorer quality of life (QOL) among patients with epilepsy attending an out-patient clinic in a Nigerian tertiary hospital, and reflect on the barriers to successful adoption of a structured QOL instrument into routine clinical practice.

Methods: Two-hundred and seventy patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy attending the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Abeokuta, Nigeria were recruited. Sociodemographic and clinical information were collected using a proforma.

Correlates of depression and quality of life among patients with epilepsy in Nigeria.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Major Depressive Disorders (MDD) and its relationship to Quality of life.

Design: A cross-sectional observational study.

Setting: Out-Patient Clinic of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Self-stigma and decision about medication use among a sample of Nigerian outpatients with schizophrenia.

Objective: Self-stigma is a common barrier to maintenance therapy and recovery in schizophrenia. We investigated the prevalence of the decision not to use medication as prescribed and describe the multidimensional relationship of self-stigma with such a decision in 370 adults with schizophrenia.

Method: A multivariate binary logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship between specific aspects of self-stigma (alienation, perceived discrimination, stigma resistance, stereotype endorsement and social withdrawal) and the decision not to take medication, while controlling for other clinical variables.

Flavonoids and type 2 diabetes: Evidence of efficacy in clinical and animal studies and delivery strategies to enhance their therapeutic efficacy.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 (T2DM) is a metabolic disorder develops due to the overproduction of free radicals where oxidative stress could contribute it. Possible factors are defective insulin signals, glucose oxidation, and degradation of glycated proteins as well as alteration in glutathione metabolism which induced hyperglycemia. Previous studies revealed a link between T2DM with oxidative stress, inflammation and insulin resistance which are assumed to be regulated by numerous cellular networks such as NF-κB, PI3K/Akt, MAPK, GSK3 and PPARγ.

Major cereal carbohydrates in relation to intestinal health of monogastric animals: A review.

Type, quality, and origin of cereals in diets of poultry and pigs could influence gut microbes and affect their diversity and function, thereby impacting the intestinal function of the monogastric animal. In this review, we focus on the major carbohydrates in cereals that interact directly with gut microbes and lead to the production of key metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and discuss how cereal fiber impact intestinal health of poultry and pigs. An overview of how the cereals and cereals-derived carbohydrates such as beta-glucans, resistant starch, cellulose, and arabinoxylans could promote intestinal health and reduce the use of in-feed antibiotics in animal production are presented.

Effects of dietary alpha-ketoglutarate on bacteria profiles in the faeces of lactating sows and their suckling piglets.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of dietary alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) on the faecal bacteria composition of suckling piglets after supplementation of AKG to the diet of lactating sows. After farrowing, the sows were assigned to either a normal lactation diet (control group, = 12) or a diet supplemented with 0.25% AKG (AKG group, = 12) based on body weight (BW) and parity.

Comparative assessment of quality of life of patients with schizophrenia attending a community psychiatric centre and a psychiatric hospital.

Background: Over the past few decades, there has been an emphasis on the de-institutionalisation of psychiatric care with a focus on community care. With Quality of Life (QoL) as an outcome measure, this study compared the QoL of patients with schizophrenia attending a psychiatric hospital and a community psychiatric centre.

Design: This was a cross-sectional study in two psychiatric facilities.

Effects of maternal alpha-ketoglutarate supplementation during lactation on the performance of lactating sows and suckling piglets.

The aim of the study was to investigate if dietary alpha-ketoglutarate (AKG) supplementation may improve the performance of lactating sows and their suckling piglets. After farrowing, 24 lactating sows (Large White × Landrace) with similar body weight (BW) were assigned to the control and AKG groups based on parity, and their lactation diets were supplemented with 0.00 or 0.

Erratum to "Effect of High Dietary Tryptophan on Intestinal Morphology and Tight Junction Protein of Weaned Pig".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2016/2912418.].

Effect of High Dietary Tryptophan on Intestinal Morphology and Tight Junction Protein of Weaned Pig.

Tryptophan (Trp) plays an essential role in pig behavior and growth performances. However, little is known about Trp's effects on tight junction barrier and intestinal health in weaned pigs. In the present study, twenty-four (24) weaned pigs were randomly assigned to one of the three treatments with 8 piglets/treatments.

Correlates of conduct disorder among inmates of a Nigerian Borstal Institution.

Background: Juvenile delinquency has become a significant global problem. Conduct disorder (CD), among other psychiatric disorders, has assumed prominence in its association with juvenile offending as well as criminality in adulthood. Despite this knowledge, little attention is given to this problem especially as it affects adjudicated adolescent offenders in developing countries.

Stress and Minor Psychiatric Morbidity among Nigerian Executives: Some Socio-demographic and Biological Correlates.

Background: Stress among "the executives" often arises from the demands of leadership and other social responsibilities.

Aim: This study aims to determine factors associated with stress and minor psychiatric morbidities among Nigerian executives.

Subjects And Methods: A total of 337 management cadre staff attending a health workshop, from various private organizations and belonging to different professional groups participated in this study.

The impact of a psychiatry clinical rotation on the attitude of Nigerian medical students to psychiatry.

Objective: Undergraduate medical students have ingrained and often negative attitudes towards psychiatry as a field and as a career. This in turn has affected recruitment of graduate medical students into the specialty. Little is known about the impact of psychiatry rotations during undergraduate medical training on students' attitudes about psychiatry and eventual specialty choice in developing countries.

Demographic and clinical correlates of sexual dysfunction among Nigerian male outpatients on conventional antipsychotic medications.

Background: In psychotic disorders, early intervention with antipsychotic medications increases the likelihood of favourable long-term course. However, the pharmacologic management especially with conventional antipsychotic medications is complicated by a high rate of adverse effects including sexual dysfunction. This study aims to determine the demographic and clinical factors associated with sexual dysfunction among male psychiatric outpatients on conventional antipsychotic medications in South-western Nigeria.

Medication adherence and quality of life among Nigerian outpatients with schizophrenia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine medication adherence among outpatients with schizophrenia in relation to their subjective quality of life and other sociodemographic, clinical and service related factors.

Methods: Three hundred and thirteen consecutive outpatient clinic attendees with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) diagnosis of schizophrenia confirmed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Diagnosis were recruited for the study. Respondents were interviewed using a questionnaire evaluating sociodemographic, medication, illness and clinic attendance related variables.

Depression among medical outpatients with diabetes: a cross-sectional study at Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria.

Background: Clinical depression is a common problem among patients who seek medical care, and diabetic patients with comorbid depression tend to have higher health care cost. A dearth of literature exists on depression among diabetics in Nigeria. The objectives of the study were to determine the prevalence of depression among diabetic patients and to determine the sociodemographic correlates of depression among diabetics.

Beliefs and knowledge about aetiology of mental illness among Nigerian psychiatric patients and their relatives.

A survey of 70 insightful clinically stable out-patients with functional psychotic disorders and 70 accompanying relatives was carried out. They were interviewed about their beliefs concerning the cause of the illness, and their awareness of other possible aetiological factors. Relevant sociodemographic and clinical information were also elicited.