The present study investigated the nutritional and economic suitability of cashew reject meal (full fat and defatted) as replacement for groundnut cake (GNC) in the diets of laying chickens. A total of eighty four brown shavers at 25 weeks of age were randomly allotted into seven dietary treatments each containing 6 replicates of 2 birds each. The seven diets prepared included diet 1, a control with GNC at 220gkg−1 as main protein source in the diet. Diets 2, 3 and 4 consist of gradual replacement of GNC with defatted cashew reject meal (DCRM) at 50%, 75% and 100% on weight for weight basis respectively while diets 5, 6 and 7 consist of gradual inclusion of full fat cashew reject meal (FCRM) to replace 25%, 35% and 50% of GNC protein respectively. Each group was allotted a diet in a completely randomized design in a study that lasted eight weeks during which records of the chemical constituent of the test ingredients, performance characteristics, egg quality traits and economic indicators were measured. Results showed that the crude protein were 22.10 and 35.4% for FCRM and DCRM respectively. Gross energy of DCRM was 5035 kcal/kg compared to GNC, 4752 kcal/kg. Result of aflatoxin B1 revealed moderate level between 10 and 17 μg/Kg in DCRM and GNC samples respectively. Birds on control gained 10 g, while those on DCRM and FCRM gained about 35 g and 120 g respectively. Feed intake declined (P < 0.05) with increased level of FCRM. Hen day production was highest in birds fed DCRM, followed by control and lowest value (P < 0.05) was recorded for FCRM. No significant change (P > 0.05) was observed for egg weight and shell thickness. Fat deposition and cholesterol content increased (P > 0.05) with increasing level of FCRM. The cost of feed per kilogram decreased gradually with increased inclusion level of CRM. The prediction equation showed the relative worth of DCRM compared to GNC was 92.3% whereas the actual market price of GNC triples that of DCRM. It was recommended that GNC could be completely replaced by DCRM in layer’s diets in regions where this by product is abundant. However, FCRM should be cautiously used in diets of laying chickens.

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SummaryThe nutrient-rich defatted castor meal has been tested as a potential source of protein in diets of many livestock species but has limitation due to challenges of toxins. This review was conducted to compile the relevant research information on advances in the use of raw and differently processed castor seed meal in animal feed. In this article, distribution and uses of castor and its products were identified. Research findings on the nutrients profile, principal toxins, various detoxification strategies, nutritional value and toxicity on common livestock species were compiled and reviewed. The defatted seed meal had crude protein range of 32-48%, gross energy of about 3200 kcal/kg. Ricin content was 9.3 mg/g seed, and the average RCA content was 9.9 mg/g. The meal had high activity of lectin, which produced agglutination at about 4.70 mg/ml minimum assays. Reports of detoxification strategies showed varying degrees of success but high pH, moist heating and microbial techniques appeared to exert greater effect on deactivating ricin. Detoxification strategy for the allergen component is inconclusive. Tannins and the phenolic contents were present at trace level and did not constitute notable threat. It was concluded that castor seed holds great potential as feedstuff when upgraded but such upgrading must be safe, cost-effective and labour efficient for commercial acceptability.

Introduction:Erectile dysfunction (ED) has been associated with hypertension and some other chronic diseases. There are few studies on ED in Nigerian male hypertensives and ED appears to be under-reported. We sought to determine the prevalence of ED among hypertensive and normotensive men and to assess the association of demographics, hypertension, antihypertensive medications and other risk factors with erectile function.Methods:A comparative cross sectional study was conducted among male adult hypertensive and normotensive patients attending the outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital in South-West Nigeria. A systematic random sampling method was employed for the selection of respondents. Participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire to document socio-demographic data, medical history, social history and degree of ED. Demographic and anthropometric characteristics was obtained from all participants. The International Index of Sexual Health Inventory for men (SHIM) was used to determine the presence and severity of ED. Association between categorical independent variables and erectile function were tested using Chi square and the predictors of erectile dysfunction determined with binary logistic regression model at 5% level of significance.Results:A total of 202 male patients completed the study (101 with established hypertension and 101 normotensives who served as comparative group). The mean age of the respondents was 49.74 ± 16.6 years. A total of 133 (65.8%) respondents had ED in varying severities while 34.2% had normal erectile function. Mild to moderate ED occurred in 29.7% while 36.1% had severe ED. On bivariate analysis, prevalence of ED was higher among hypertensives (75%) than normotensives (56.9%) and this was statistically significant, p = 0.007. On multivariate analysis, the only significant risk factor for ED was age. The elderly aged ≥ 65 years (OR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.03–8.35; p = 0.04) and those aged 46–64 years (OR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.38–6.53; p = 0.006) were 3 times each more likely to have erectile dysfunction compared with those aged ≤ 45 years.Conclusion:This study revealed that erectile dysfunction was prevalent in both hypertensive and normotensive population studied and that this was significantly worse with increasing age. A higher proportion of hypertensives compared to normotensives had erectile dysfunction. We recommend that all men presenting to a physician should have routine evaluation for ED so as to recognise it early and reduce its effects.

Background: Reports on the association between hypertension and insulin resistance have been inconsistent even though most studies show a definite association. It is also not certain if the association between insulin resistance and hypertension applies to all populations. Objective: To determine the prevalence of insulin resistance in hypertensive Nigerians and to examine the association of insulin resistance with hypertension and some anthropometric indices. Methods: Thirty five adults with essential hypertension and thirty five normotensives were studied. Anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, fasting glucose and insulin were measured. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) was used to determine insulin resistance (IR). Results: The hypertensive subjects had significantly higher fasting insulin and HOMA-IR compared with normotensives (p =0.02 and 0.04) respectively. There were significant correlations between HOMA-IR, BMI, waist and hip circumference in subjects with hypertension. At multiple linear regression, hypertension and body mass index were found to be the only significant predictors of insulin resistance. Conclusion: The hypertensives we studied had a higher occurrence of insulin resistance compared to the normotensives. This makes it necessary for persons with hypertensive to have regular screening for diabetes and other categories of glucose intolerance as the increased insulin increases their risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.