Background: Surgical mortality data are collected routinely in high-income countries, yet virtually no low-or middle-income countries have outcome surveillance in place. The aim was prospectively to collect worldwide mortality data following emergency abdominal surgery, comparing findings across countries with a low, middle or high Human Development Index (HDI).Methods: This was a prospective, multicentre, cohort study. Self-selected hospitals performing emergency surgery submitted prespecified data for consecutive patients from at least one 2-week interval during July to December 2014. Postoperative mortality was analysed by hierarchical multivariable logistic regression.

This study was conducted in Nsukka, Nigeria to evaluate the effect of season of harvest (rain and dry) on the anti-nutrient and mineral components of four herbaceous legumes (Calapogonium mucunoides, Centrosema pubescens, Stylosanthes guyanensis and Pueraria phaseoloides) and four forage grasses (Panicum maximum, Pennisetum purpureum, Cynodon nlemfuensis and Andropogon gayanus). The grasses were analyzed separately from the legumes. A 2 × 4 factorial arrangement laid out in completely randomized design (CRD) was used. Species, season and their interaction significantly (P < 0.05) influenced the anti-nutrient and mineral concentrations in the forage grasses and legumes. The alkaloid, hydrogen cyanide (HCN), oxalate, phytate, saponin, tannin, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) contents of the grasses and legumes were significantly (P < 0.05) higher during the rainy than in the dry season. The concentrations of N, P and K varied significantly (P<0.05) among the legumes and between the grass species. C. mucunoides harvested during the rainy season significantly yielded higher percentage N compared with other legumes while P. phaseoloides harvested during the rainy season which had higher concentration of K than other legumes in any season. P. maximum harvested during the rainy season significantly produced higher N content compared with other grasses in any season while P. purpureum harvested in the rainy season significantly gave higher percentage of K and P compared with other grass species in any season.

The mutagenic effects of 0.2% aqueous solution of colchicine on gross and micromophological features of seedlings of Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp. and Cucumeropsis mannii (Naud.) were investigated. Terminal buds of two-week old seedlings were assaulted with 0.2% colchicine by the cotton plug and micro syringe methods and performances were monitored until maturity. Colchicine-treated V. unguicu-lata seedlings were observed to grow slower, had malformed leaves, flowered late and produced less number of seeds per pod than the control. Mean values of features like stomatal indices on both the abaxial and adaxial surfaces, terminal leaflet dimensions and trichome distribution between the treated and control were found to be significantly different. In contrast, treated seedlings of C. mannii flowered and fruited earlier than the case of control material. However, growth was also slowed down by the treatment while features like stomatal indices and trichome distribution were not significantly different. The results here have shown that apart from doubling of chromosomes, colchicine can also be used to induce other mutagenic changes which may be of agronomic utility.