Idris Ayodeji Azeez

Rumen impaction and tympany represent significant gastrointestinal disorders in ruminants, frequently associated with the ingestion of indigestible materials and low-quality feed materials. This case report describes the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and successful surgical management of the first reported case of sawdust-induced rumen impaction with concurrent rumen tympany in a Balami ram. A 3-year-old Balami ram weighing 37kg was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Jos, Nigeria, with a history of abdominal distention and inappetence. The owner had lost three rams two days prior, following ingestion of sawdust that was spread to insulate the cold floor where the rams were housed. Clinical findings included ventrally distended and doughy abdomen on palpation, bilaterally bloated abdomen with tympanic sound on percussion, polypnea, bruxism and reduced rumen motility. Rumen impaction associated with tympany was suspected based on the ram’s history and observed clinical findings. Ultrasonography (hyperechoic and hypoechoic areas) indicated foreign material and gas buildup in the rumen, which facilitated a definitive diagnosis of rumen impaction with concurrent rumen tympany. The impacted ram subsequently underwent an emergency rumenotomy to relieve the tympany and evacuate the impacted sawdust. A ruminal incision relieved the bloat, and approximately 7kg of the ingested sawdust was evacuated. The impacted ram showed stability following rumenotomy with notable improvement in respiratory rate and recovered uneventfully. This first case report of sawdust-induced rumen impaction with concurrent rumen tympany adds sawdust to the list of known causes of rumen impaction and highlights the need for prompt surgical intervention in similar cases.

The practice of burning waste tyres by the locals to obtain steel and rod is usually accompanied with the release of toxic fumes directly into the atmosphere or transport of leachate of particulate matters by the surface run-off into the aquatic environments where they impact serious ecotoxicological damage. This study was conducted to investigate the histomorphological changes in the visceral organs of Clarias gariepinus juveniles exposed to sub-lethal concentrations (SLCs) of water soluble fractions (WSFs) of waste burnt tyres (WBTRs). The SLCs of WBTRs were obtained by dividing LC50 of 11.22g/L by 1/3th, 1/6 th, 1/9 th , 1/12 th , 1/24 th and 1/48 th respectively. C. gariepinus juveniles of mixed sexes (Average weight: Male (M) - 46.9±0.3.44g; Female (F) - 26.69 ± 3.46g; Average length: M - 14.08±0.54cm; F -16.29±0.51cm) were exposed to SLCs (0.00, 0.23, 0.47, 0.94, 1.87 and 3.74g/L) of WBTRs for 58 days in duplicate. Sequel to the completion of the experiment, catfish were sacrificed using cervical dislocation method. The gills, liver, kidneys, testes, ovaries, brain and intestine were excised and routinely processed for histological studies. The sub lethal grades of WBTRs distinctly induced dose-dependant histo-architectural damages in the different organs including moderate to severe gill epithelial cell hypertrophy and lamellar venous congestion, hepatocellular degeneration and sinusoidal congestion, moderate cellular infiltration into the renal interstitium, reduced seminiferous tubular luminal contents, cerebellar Purkinje cell degeneration and gliosis. Waste burnt tyres demonstrated to be very toxic to fish and therefore, preventive measures should be taken to avoid the burning of waste tyres near riparian vegetation and aquatic ecosystems.

Introduction: Laboratory investigations are essential for diagnosing and managing diseases. The present study aimed to detect Rhizopus microsporus (R. microsporus) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) in a Russian shepherd dog using molecular, gross, and histopathology methods to confirm the disease entity in the clinical setting following treatment failure.Case report: A 4-month-old female Russian shepherd dog weighing 16 kilograms was presented to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Jos, Nigeria, with signs of haematuria, melena, ascites, and anorexia. The dog exhibited severe icterus in its mucous membranes with ascites. Blood samples were collected for parasitological and haematological examinations. Haematological evaluations revealed mild leukopenia and a mild babesiosis, which was effectively treated before the dog died. Immediate therapy was started using imidocarb, ceftriaxone, furosemide, lactated Ringer’s solution, B-complex, iron dextran, and piroxicam. Despite initial therapy, the dog died five weeks after treatment. In post-mortem examination, samples from the lung, heart, liver, kidney, and spleen were collected and fixed in neutral buffered formalin 10% and prepared for histological evaluation. The non-formalinized samples of liver and lung were processed for both bacteriology and mycology assessments. To determine the presence of mycotoxins, a urine sample was obtained. Aflatoxin B1 was also detected in the urine at a concentration of 10,000 ng/mL. Generalized icterus, pulmonary congestion, cardiomegaly, splenomegaly, multifocal nodular lesions on the liver, severe intestinal haemorrhages, and ascites were the gross lesions observed. Rhizopus microsporus and K. pneumoniae were detected in microbial cultures of liver and lung samples. The present findings were further supported by PCR and gene sequencing. These strains were genetically related, clustering with Asian strains on the phylogenetic trees. Conclusion: The present study illustrated challenges in the clinical diagnosis of uncommon mixed microbial infections in veterinary practice, where laboratory diagnosis, after post-mortem examination, was essential in the diagnosis of aflatoxicosis along with systemic R. microsporus and K. pneumoniae infections, which caused nodular hepatopathy, toxic nephropathy, myocardial necrosis, and interstitial pneumonia.

Introduction: Guinea fowls have sophisticated seasonal mechanisms that make them an excellent model for studying reproductive activities. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of exogenous melatonin and artificial light on testicular morphometry in sexually mature guinea fowls.Materials and methods: A total of 65 mature male guinea fowls, with an average weight of 1-2 kg, were randomly selected for the present study. Five guinea fowls were utilized for the primary evaluation study on day 0. Sixty guinea fowls were divided into six groups with 10 guinea fowls in each group. The first group (SD) was exposed to 8 hours of light and 16 hours of darkness (8L:16D). The second group (SD-Mel) was exposed to 8L:16D with an additional melatonin injection. The third group was the control group (CTL) with 12L:12D. The fourth group was maintained on CTL with an additional injection of melatonin (CTL-Mel). The fifth group (LD) was exposed to 16L:8D, and the sixth group was exposed to 16L:8D with an injection of melatonin (LD-Mel). Melatonin was administered intramuscularly at 1 mg/kg body weight 2 hours before the end of each light cycle. The entire study was conducted in 60 days. Body weight (BW), testicular weight, and gonado-somatic index (GSI) were recorded at days 0, 30, and 60 of the study.Results: There was a consistent increase in the BW, testicular weight, and GSI from days 0 to 60 in all groups. The results of BW, testis weight, and GSI were statistically significant on days 0, 30, and 60 across all groups. The testicular weight was higher in SD and LD-Mel, while the lowest weight was in SD-Mel. The GSI was higher in SD and LD-Mel, while the lowest was in SD-Mel. In the LD-Mel and LD groups, there was a strong positive correlation between testes and GSI.Conclusion: Melatonin exposure, particularly under long-day conditions, enabled guinea fowl to improve reproductive potential by day 30 of light treatment.

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Neural stem cells (NSCs) are immature progenitor cells that are found in developing and adult brains that have the potential of dividing actively and renewing themselves, with a complex form of gene expression. The generation of new brain cells in adult individuals was initially considered impossible, however, the landmark discovery of human neural stem cells in the hippocampus has been followed by further discoveries in other discreet regions of the brain. Investigation into the current state in Africa of the research and use of NSCs shows relatively limited activities on the continent. Information on the African application of NSCs for modelling disease mechanisms, drug discovery, and therapeutics is still limited. The International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)-African Regional Committee (ARC), with support from the Company of Biologists, and the Movement Disorder Society, sponsored the first African Basic School on NSC in Ibadan, Nigeria, with the vision of bringing together young neuroscientists and physicians across different fields in neuroscience to learn from leaders who have applied NSCs in stem cell research, the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, neuroanatomy, and neurotherapeutics. Twenty early-career researchers in academic institutions at junior and senior faculty cadres were selected from South Africa, Uganda and Nigeria. The students and organizer of the school, who wrote this review on the state of NSCs research in Africa, recommended the following: (1) other African countries can take a cue from South Africa and Nigeria in probing the phenomena of adult neurogenesis in unique animal species on the continent; (2) Africa should leverage the expertise and facilities of South African scientists and international collaborators in scaling up NSC research into these unique species and (3) Centers of Excellence should be established on the continent to serve as research hubs for training postgraduate students, and facilities for African scientists who trained overseas on NSCs.

The heron species, Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis) can be found all over the world. In the South-Western region of Nigeria, they are colonial, white in colour, and are seen in open lands and around water bodies. Morphometric data are important parameter in the assessment of functional morphology, hence we here present for the first time, data on the craniofacial indices of cattle egret. The cranium, nasal, orbital and beak morphometric indices and correlation data of the cattle egret were investigated on the fresh specimen and macerated skull of the male cattle egrets, using the GraphPad Prism. The height of the cranium was 33.92±0.970 cm, while the cranium length and breadth were 52.92±1.800 and 34.48±1.714, respectively. The right eye socket length, 36.17±5.636 and breadth, 31.67±2.160 were slightly greater than the left eye socket length, 35.92±4.128 and breadth, 31.00±2.757. There was a strong positive correlation between the right eye socket breadth and the left eye socket breadth (r=0.940), and also, a very strong positive correlation was found between the right and the left eye socket length (r=0.981). Results showed the foramen magnum length and breadth to be 19.17±0.753 and 18.83±0.753, respectively, however, a low positive correlation was recorded between the foramen magnum length and breadth (r=0.059). A strong positive correlation was observed between the upper beak length and the lower beak length (r=0.901), while similar values were recorded for the nasal breadth and length, respectively. Data generated from this study will prove useful in comparative, regional and clinical anatomy and could also help in identifying archaeological remains of the cattle egrets.

Neuroscience research in Africa remains sparse. Devising new policies to boost Africa’s neuroscience landscape is imperative, but these must be based on accurate data on research outputs which is largely lacking. Such data must reflect the heterogeneity of research environments across the continent’s 54 countries. Here, we analyse neuroscience publications affiliated with African institutions between 1996 and 2017. Of 12,326 PubMed indexed publications, 5,219 show clear evidence that the work was performed in Africa and led by African-based researchers - on average ~5 per country and year. From here, we extract information on journals and citations, funding, international coauthorships and techniques used. For reference, we also extract the same metrics from 220 randomly selected publications each from the UK, USA, Australia, Japan and Brazil. Our dataset provides insights into the current state of African neuroscience research in a global context.