Variation In Body Weight Research Articles

Body weight variability and the risk of cardiovascular outcomes in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

We investigated the association between body weight variability and the risks of cardiovascular disease and mortality in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) using large-scale, nationwide cohort data. We included 726,736 individuals with NAFLD who underwent a health examination between 2009 and 2010. NAFLD was defined as a fatty liver index ≥ 60, after excluding significant alcohol intake, viral hepatitis, and liver cirrhosis. Body weight variability was assessed using four indices, including variability independent of the mean (VIM). During a median 8.1-year follow-up, we documented 11,358, 14,714, and 22,164 cases of myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and all-cause mortality, respectively. Body weight variability was associated with an increased risk of MI, stroke, and mortality after adjusting for confounding variables. The hazard ratios (HRs) (95% confidence intervals) for the highest quartile, compared with the lowest quartile, of VIM for body weight were 1.15 (1.10–1.20), 1.22 (1.18–1.26), and 1.56 (1.53–1.62) for MI, stroke, and all-cause mortality, respectively. Body weight variability was associated with increased risks of MI, stroke, and all-cause mortality in NAFLD patients. Appropriate interventions to maintain a stable weight could positively affect health outcomes in NAFLD patients.

Relationship in dietary habits variations during COVID-19 lockdown in Kosovo: The COVIDiet study

Changes in dietary habits and association with lifestyle during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown in the Kosovo population have not been studied yet. Therefore, the intent of the present study was to determine whether if COVID-19 lockdown had any impact in lifestyle, including dietary habits and physical activity (PA) patterns of people from different areas of Kosovo. Dietary habits, PA, body weight and sociodemographic variables were measured through validated online survey started one week after lockdown decision and lasted for next two month (May and June 2020). Six hundred eighty-nine participants (women 79% and men 21%) aged between 20 and 65 years from the Kosovo territory participated in the research. Multivariate models showed that participants in family home residence, participants from Gjilan, participants female and participants with professional educations reported a higher likelihood of turning into a higher adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) (OR: 6.09, 5.25, 5.17, 4.19, respectively). The weight gained during the lockdown was positively associated with a higher cooking frequency (OR; 2.90, p < 0.01), lower meat and fish consumption (OR; 1.15, p = 0.02; OR; 1.04, p = 0.04, respectively), higher fast-food consumption (OR; 0.49, p = 0.02) and no physical activity performance (OR; 0.43, p = 0.02) during the COVID-19 lockdown. The dietary habits during COVID-19 lockdown could be related to the improvements in adherence to the MedDiet and physical activities that may minimize related health complications.

Effect of weight cycling on progression of knee joint degenerative disease in overweight and obese individuals: 4-year mri data from the osteoarthritis initiative

Purpose: Obesity is prevalent in approximately 39.8% of US adults (data from 2015/2016), and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and osteoarthritis (OA). Weight loss is frequently recommended for obese and overweight individuals to reduce the risk of obesity-related diseases, and has shown protective effects. However, sustained weight loss is often difficult to maintain, and an estimated 20-30% of individuals attempting weight loss experience episodic variation in body weight.

Association between variability in body mass index and development of type 2 diabetes: Panasonic cohort study

IntroductionContrasting results have been reported for the association between the variability in body weight and development of diabetes. In the present study, we evaluated the association between the variability in...

The ameliorative activity of Chrysobalanus orbicularis in streptozotocin-induced type II diabetes mellitus rat model

Chrysobalanus orbicularis is a medicinal plant present in West Africa in the Itsekiri speaking part of Nigeria. It is used conventionally in diabetes mellitus management. This research investigates the ameliorative activity of the aqueous leaf extract of C. orbicularis in a streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. Freshly prepared streptozotocin (40 mg/kg body weight [BW]) was administered intraperitoneally to induce diabetes. Three diabetic groups were placed on aqueous leaf extract of C. orbicularis at 11.076, 22.134, and 44.268 mg/kg BW respectively; a group was placed on metformin (44.28 mg/kg BW), and the other two groups were the diabetic control and normal control. The experiment lasted for 28 days, thereafter, fasting blood glucose levels and body weight variations were recorded. Also, glycogen level, antioxidant enzyme, hexokinase and glucose-6-phosphatase activities, malonaldehyde (MDA) as well as glucose transporters 2 and 4 levels were analyzed using standard procedures. Diabetic rats administered aqueous extract of C. orbicularis leaf significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the fasting blood glucose and MDA levels, and glucose-6-phosphatase activity. In addition, administration of aqueous extract of C. orbicularis leaf to diabetic rats demonstrated a momentous increase in liver glycogen level, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, glutathione transferase, and hexokinase activities as well as GLUT-2 and GLUT-4 levels. The data from this study suggest that the aqueous extract of C. orbicularis leaf may be beneficial in the management of diabetic mellitus and its secondary effects.

Effect of Dietary Phytogenic and Probiotic Supplementation on Productive Performance and Immune Response of Inshas Laying Hens.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of Pedicoccus acidilactici as probiotic (P), chicory as phytogenic (C) and their interactions between them (P x C) on productive performance and immune response of Inshas laying hens. A total number of 720 chickens, 26 weeks old with nearly similar initial average weight were used in this study. Hens were randomly distributed into twelve experimental groups each of 60 birds. A factorial arrangement design (3x4) with three levels of probiotic (0, 0.5 and 0.1 g/kg diet) and four levels of chicory leaves powder (0, 5, 10 and 20 g/kg diet) and their interaction were tested for 24 weeks. Results obtained showed highly significant variation (p < 0.01) in averages of feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg production rate (EPR) and egg mass at the most periods of the experiment and all over the experimental period due to all treatments applied, Insignificant variation were found in average body weight, feed intake and egg weight due to dietary levels of probiotic and chicory all over the experimental period, while the interaction between them showed highly significant variation (p < 0.01) in body weight and egg weight only. The best FCR (4.67. 4.64 and 4.03 g feed/g egg), EPR (53.35, 53.29 and 62.16 % hen/day) and egg mass (26.19, 26.22 and 30.10 g/hen/day) were found in birds fed diets supplemented with 1.0 g probiotic, 5 g chicory / kg diet and the interaction between (P2 x C1), respectively. Significant improvement (p < 0.05) in immune response toward antibody titers of Newcastle (ND) and Influenza (H9N2) due to dietary probiotic only. The highest values of relative economical efficiency were found 129.20, 281.39 and 270.14% were listed for diets containing 1.0 g probiotic, 5 g chicory /Kg diet and their interactions between the same levels, receptively. It could be recommended to use probiotic at a level of 1.0 g, chicory at level of 5 g /Kg diet and their interactions (1.0 g probiotic x 5 g chicory/Kg diet) to improve the productive performance, immune response and economical efficiency of Inshas laying hens.

Estimation of the net influx rate Ki and the cerebral metabolic rate of glucose MRglc using a single static [18F]FDG PET scan in rats

Since accurate quantification of 2-deoxy-2–18F-fluoro-D-glucose ([18F]FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) requires dynamic acquisition with arterial input function, more practical semi-quantitative (static) approaches are often preferred. However, static standardized uptake values (SUV) are typically biased due to large variations in body weight (BW) occurring over time in animal studies. This study aims to improve static [18F]FDG PET SUV quantification by better accounting for BW variations in rats. We performed dynamic [18F]FDG PET imaging with arterial blood sampling in rats (n = 27) with different BW (range 0.230–0.487 kg). By regressing the area under the curve of the input function divided by injected activity against BW (r2=0.697), we determined a conversion factor f(BW) to be multiplied with SUV and SUVglc to obtain ratSUV and ratSUVglc, providing an improved estimate of the net influx rate Ki (r = 0.758, p<0.0001) and cerebral metabolic rate of glucose MRglc (r = 0.906, p<0.0001), respectively. In conclusion, the proposed ratSUV and ratSUVglc provide a proxy for the Ki and MRglc based on a single static [18F]FDG PET SUV measurement improving clinical significance and translation of rodent studies. Given a defined strain, sex, age, diet, and weight range, this method is applicable for future experiments by converting SUV with the derived f(BW).

Genetic parameters for uniformity of harvest weight in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

BackgroundUniformity of body weight is a trait of great economic importance in the production of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). A necessary condition to improve this trait through selective breeding is the existence of genetic variability for the environmental variance of body weight. Although several studies have reported such variability in other aquaculture species, to our knowledge, no estimates are available for shrimp. Our aim in this study was to estimate the genetic variance for weight uniformity in a farmed population of shrimp to determine the potential of including this trait in the selection program. We also estimated the genetic correlation of weight uniformity between two environments (selection nucleus and commercial population).MethodsThe database contained phenotypic records for body weight on 51,346 individuals from the selection nucleus and 38,297 individuals from the commercial population. A double hierarchical generalized linear model was used to analyse weight uniformity in the two environments. Fixed effects included sex and year for the nucleus data and sex and year-pond combination for the commercial data. Environmental and additive genetic effects were included as random effects.ResultsThe estimated genetic variance for weight uniformity was greater than 0 (0.06 ± 0.01) in both the nucleus and commercial populations and the genetic coefficient of variation for the residual variance was 0.25 ± 0.01. The genetic correlation between weight and weight uniformity was close to zero in both environments. The estimate of the genetic correlation of weight uniformity between the two environments (selection nucleus and commercial population) was 0.64 ± 0.06.ConclusionsThe existence of genetic variance for weight uniformity suggests that genetic improvement of this trait is possible. Selection for weight uniformity should not decrease weight, given the near zero genetic correlation between these two traits. The strong genetic correlation of weight uniformity between the two environments indicates that response to selection for uniformity in the nucleus will be at least partially transmitted to the commercial population if this trait is included in the breeding goal.

Comparison of testing load cell sensor data sampling method based on the variation of time delay

Load Cell Sensors are transducers (transducers, electronic components that can measure physical quantities into electrical signals) that can convert the pressure by the load into an electrical signal. IC HX711 is a weighing module, which has a working principle of converting the measured changes in resistance changes and converting them into voltage quantities through the existing circuit. Load cell and HX7411 are used to obtain data of weight which will be compared with a commercial digital weight scale that the accuracy has been verified. In collecting data of weight, there are several calculation methods including the mean, modus, and median method. This study aims to provide test results for the three methods with different variations in delay. Delay is used to avoid errors in taking data from the sensor directly and also to provide pauses for the sensor in real time data collection. The test was conducted with four human subjects who have differences in body weight. The variation of delay used is 250ms, 500ms, 750ms, and 1000ms. The test results show that when testing variations in body weight with a delay time of 250ms, the mean method has the best results with a value of nmean = 2. In the 500ms delay test, the median method has the best results with the value nmedian = 3. In the 500ms delay test, the mean and median methods have the same good results with values of nmean = 2 and nmedian = 2. In the 1000ms delay test, the median method has the best results with a value of nmedian = 2. The results of the whole test show that the values of Nmean = 6, Nmedian = 8, and Nmodus = 2 which indicate that the median method is the method that has the best level of precision.

Effect of Foeniculum Vulgare Aqueous and Alcoholic Seed Extract against Zoonotic Cutaneous Leishmaniasis.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is considered one of the major neglected tropical diseases. Drug resistance, limitary efficacy, and severe side effects remain a challenge for treatment. Foeniculum vulgare is known as a medicinal plant belonging to the Apiaceae, and anti-microbial properties of this plant have already been confirmed. The F.vulgare sterile aqueous and alcoholic extracts were prepared. In vitro has used RAW 264.7 cell line and L. major parasite (MRHO/IR/75/ER). Cytotoxicity assay on macrophages (CC50), cytotoxicity assay on promastigotes (IC50), and cytotoxicity assay on infected macrophages (EC50) were accomplished with both extracts by MTT and light microscopy methods. Four in vivo were allocated in four groups and five BALB/c mice each group. Stationary phase promastigotes were inoculated into the base of mice tails subcutaneously (SC). Measurement of the body weight, lesion size, parasite burden of the lesion, and spleen after 4 weeks for evaluation effects of the alcoholic extract on CL was done. The results of in vitro revealed that the optimal concentrations of both extracts reducing the promastigotes and amastigotes growth. Alcoholic extract no harmful side effects for the host macrophages, while were indicated has a potent action against L. major. In vivo results after 4 weeks did not show any variation in lesion size and body weight. Also, lesion size and spleen parasite burden decreased in comparison to no treatment group. The alcoholic extract could be a new alternative treatment for cutaneous leishmaniasis. However this extract needs more investigation for novel herbal drugs against CL.

Capital-income breeding in wild boar: a comparison between two sexes

Organisms differ in the strategy adopted to fuel reproduction by using resources either previously acquired and stored in body reserves (capital breeding) or, conversely, acquired during their reproductive activity (income breeding). The choice of one or the other strategy is related to several internal and external factors which are counteractive in wild boar. Based on a large dataset of culled wild boar, we investigated individual body weight variability throughout the period of 1st September–31st January, which included the main part of the mating season, among different sex and age classes to determine their position along the capital-income breeding continuum. Though food resources were abundant during the rut, adult males lost body weight suggesting they adopted a predominantly capital breeding strategy, likely owing to the high intra-sexual competition entailed by the peculiar mating system of the species. On the contrary, subadult males seemed to behave as income breeders, likely enhancing the reproductive flexibility of wild boar populations. During the rut, females stored reserves, thus suggesting that they substantially relied on them to cover future reproductive costs.

Variance Component Decomposition for Growth Traits of the Bay Scallop (Argopecten irradians irradians)

The bay scallop (Argopecten irradians irradians) is one of the most important shellfish species in China. Since their introduction into China, only mass selection has been used in bay scallop breeding. With its gradual expansion and shortage of mate selection, population homozygosity increased, and fitness decreased. To investigate the effects of inbreeding and provide reference for improving breeding strategies and mating management, the variance components of the growth traits of the bay scallop were decomposed with genomic relationship matrices. The results indicated that the genetic variations in shell height and length were mainly accounted for by the additive effects. The genetic variation in shell width was mainly caused by dominance or dominance-by-dominance epistasis. The genetic variation in body weight was accounted for by dominance. No significant directional dominances were detected for all growth traits. Cross-validation for genomic prediction showed that including insignificant inbreeding in the genomic prediction model is not necessary, and we suggest that the genomic prediction model should be optimized with both likelihood ratio tests and cross-validation before utilization in practice.

Clinical Benefit-Risk Assessment of Nivolumab 240 mg Every 2 Weeks in Chinese Patients With Advanced and Metastatic Solid Tumors.

Nivolumab 240 mg every 2 weeks is approved in China by the National Medical Product Agency for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and gastric cancer, based on population pharmacokinetic (PPK) analyses and benefit‐risk assessment of safety/efficacy in solid tumors, including Chinese and global populations. The aim of this assessment was to investigate exposure and risk for adverse events (AEs) with flat dosing compared with weight‐based dosing. Nivolumab 240‐mg and 3‐mg/kg every‐2‐week exposures in Chinese patients were simulated using PPK modeling, and AEs in Chinese and pooled global populations were compared by dosing regimen, exposure, and weight. The 10‐mg/kg every‐2‐week regimen was included because it is known to be well tolerated. Predicted nivolumab exposure in Chinese patients receiving 240 mg every 2 weeks was ∼25% higher versus 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks, but ∼60% lower versus 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Grade 3/4 AE incidence in Chinese patients receiving nivolumab 3 mg/kg every 2 weeks was similar with 240‐mg every‐2‐week dosing and with patients from global populations treated with 3 or 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. There was no trend toward increased AE incidence with high versus low nivolumab exposure or in global patients of varying body weight receiving 3 or 10 mg/kg every 2 weeks. Objective response rates were similar in Chinese and global patients with squamous and nonsquamous NSCLC. Results showed that benefit‐risk profiles with nivolumab 240 mg every 2 weeks were similar to those of the 3‐mg/kg every‐2‐week regimen in Chinese patients and global populations, providing an alternative treatment option to Chinese patients.

Selection for social genetic effects in purebreds increases growth in crossbreds

BackgroundAverage daily gain (ADG) in pigs is affected by both direct and social genetic effects (SGE). However, selection for SGE in purebreds has not conclusively been shown to improve ADG in crossbreds, and it is unknown whether SGE in purebreds are equal to those in crossbreds. Moreover, SGE may reflect dominance related behaviour, which is affected by the variation in body weight within a group. Therefore, we hypothesized that (a) there is a positive effect of parent average SGE estimated in purebred pigs on phenotypic ADG in crossbred offspring, and (b) there is an interaction between SGE on ADG and standard deviation in starting weight of pigs within the group. We also hypothesized that (c) social genetic variance for ADG exists in crossbred pigs, and (d) there is a favourable genetic correlation between SGE on ADG in purebred and crossbred pigs.ResultsWe found a statistically significant interaction between the standard deviation in starting weight and SGE within groups, and conditioning on the mean standard deviation in starting weight, we found a favourable regression coefficient (0.37 ± 0.21) of ADG in crossbreds on SGE in purebreds. Variances for SGE were small in both Landrace (L) and Yorkshire (Y), and higher for SGE in both the dam and sire component of crossbred YL. The genetic correlations between SGE in purebreds and the dam or sire component of SGE in crossbreds were also favourable (0.52 ± 0.48 and 0.34 ± 0.42, respectively), although not significantly different from 0.ConclusionsWe confirmed that there is a positive effect of SGE estimated using purebred information on phenotypic ADG in crossbreds, and that the largest effect is achieved when the within-group variation in starting weight is small. Our results indicate that social genetic variance in crossbreds exists and that there is a favourable genetic correlation between social genetic effects in purebreds and crossbreds. Collectively, our results indicate that selection for SGE on ADG in purebreds in a nucleus farm environment with little competition for resources can improve ADG in crossbreds in a commercial environment.

Efek Diet Tinggi Protein, Rendah Karbohidrat, Rendah Lemak pada Tikus Wistar Jantan terhadap Perubahan Berat Badan, Kadar Glukosa dan Kolesterol

&lt;p class="AbstractTitle"&gt;&lt;em&gt;One of the most popular diets today recommends a high protein- low carbohydrate diet as a weight loss strategy in obese patients. Diets high in protein appear to reduce appetite, energy intake, weight gain, and fat accumulation. The application of a high-protein diet has an impact on reducing the portion of other macronutrients, namely carbohydrates and fats. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of a high protein, low carbohydrate and low fat (TPRKRL) diet on body health. With the focus of the analysis on changes in body weight, serum glucose and cholesterol levels in 22 male Wistar rat samples who were given the standard diet and the TPRKRL diet for 8 weeks. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the variables of body weight, serum glucose and cholesterol levels between the TPRKRL diet group and the control group (standard diet). In fact, the rats in the TPRKRL group experienced a relatively constant increase in body weight and glucose and cholesterol levels were susceptible to normal.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class="AbstractTitle"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Keywords: high protein; body weight; glucose; cholesterol&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Associations of the modified STarT back tool and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) with gait speed and knee pain in knee osteoarthritis: a retrospective cohort study

Objective The association of the modified STarT Back Tool (mSBT) psychosocial measure with gait speed and knee pain in knee osteoarthritis is not well defined. This study aimed to, in patients with knee osteoarthritis, (i) examine the convergent validity of mSBT with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and (ii) compare the predictive validity of mSBT and HADS with gait speed and knee pain. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of mSBT, HADS, gait speed, and knee pain outcomes data collected from 119 patients who received outpatient physical therapy. Of these patients who were evaluated at their first (baseline) physical therapy visit, 55 had available data at the Week-16 follow-up visit. Results mSBT and HADS showed moderately strong pairwise correlations (Spearman correlation > 0.57; p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, body weight, and knee impairment variables in multivariable linear mixed-effects analyses, mSBT was associated with gait speed (p < 0.001) and knee pain intensity (p < 0.001) and it had comparable strength of association as HADS. In within-patient regression analyses, change in mSBT was associated with changes in gait speed (p = 0.04) and knee pain (p = 0.01) over 16 weeks. Conclusion The mSBT had convergent validity with HADS and it showed predictive validity with gait speed and knee pain in knee osteoarthritis. Although broader validation is required, the 5-item mSBT psychosocial measure may be applied as part of routine clinical care to assess psychological distress in patients with knee osteoarthritis. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION The 5-item psychosocial subscale of the modified STarT Back tool (mSBT) showed good convergent validity with the 14-item Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The mSBT psychosocial subscale showed predictive validity, at both cross-sectional and longitudinal levels, with gait speed and knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The mSBT can potentially be used in the busy clinical setting to assess psychological distress in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Behavioral and Molecular Effects Induced by Cannabidiol and Valproate Administration in the GASH/Sal Model of Acute Audiogenic Seizures.

Despite evidence that supports cannabidiol (CBD) as an anticonvulsant agent, there remains controversy over the antiseizure efficacy, possible adverse effects, and synergistic interactions with classic antiepileptics such as valproate (VPA). The genetic audiogenic seizure hamster from the University of Salamanca (GASH/Sal) is a reliable experimental model of generalized tonic–clonic seizures in response to intense sound stimulation. The present study examines the behavioral and molecular effects of acute and chronic intraperitoneal administrations of VPA (300 mg/kg) and CBD (100 mg/kg) on the GASH/Sal audiogenic seizures, as well as the coadministration of both drugs. The GASH/Sal animals were examined prior to and after the corresponding treatment at 45 min, 7 days, and 14 days for seizure severity and neuroethology, open-field behaviors, body weight variations, and various hematological and biochemical parameters. Furthermore, the brain tissue containing the inferior colliculus (so-called epileptogenic nucleus) was processed for reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis to determine the treatment effects on the gene expression of neuronal receptors associated with drug actions and ictogenesis. Our results indicated that single dose of VPA helps prevent the animals from getting convulsions, showing complete elimination of seizures, whereas 7 days of chronic VPA treatment had few effects in seizure behaviors. Acute CBD administration showed subtle attenuation of seizure behaviors, increasing seizure latency and decreasing the duration of the convulsion phase, but without entirely seizure abolition. Chronic CBD treatments had no significant effects on sound-induced seizures, although some animals slightly improved seizure severity. Acute and chronic CBD treatments have no significant adverse effects on body weight, hematological parameters, and liver function, although locomotor activity was reduced. The combination of VPA and CBD did not alter the therapeutic outcome of the VPA monotherapy, showing no apparent synergistic effects. As compared to sham animals, chronic treatments with CBD caused abnormal mRNA expression levels for Trpv1, Adora1, Slc29a1, and Cnr1 genes, whereas no differences in gene expression were found for Htr1a and Sigmar1. Our study shed light on the behavioral and molecular effects of CBD and VPA on the GASH/Sal model and constituted the basis to develop further studies on the pharmacological effects of CBD and its interactions with other anticonvulsants.

Impact of heat stress on broilers with varying body weights: Elucidating their interactive role through physiological signatures.

Physiological determinants of different body weight (BW) broiler chickens under heat stressed conditions were investigated to compare the performance at market age considering medium body weight group as standard. At 5 weeks, broilers were categorized randomly into 3 treatments (N=24 per group) as high (HBW) (>1050g), medium (MBW) (900-1050g) and low (LBW) (<900g) followed by simultaneous exposure to normal and heat stress (HS) conditions at 40 ± 1°C and 45 ± 5% RH for 4h/day for a period of 7 days (D) and sample collection was employed at D0, D3 and D7. Physiological and stress responses, haematological and biochemical profile, intestinal gross and histological aspects were estimated using standard protocols. Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure were significantly (P=0.000) higher in HBW broilers followed by low and medium ones. Heat stress exposure indicated significant (P=0.000) increase in heart rate, arterial blood pressure, respiration rate and comb temperature while cloacal temperature remained unaffected. Lymphocytes, eosinophils, total red blood cell count, haemoglobin, and haematocrit were reduced (P=0.000) whereas mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin, heterophil count and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio were increased (P=0.000) in response to HS. Circulating corticosterone and tri-iodothyronine concentrations showed inverse relationship with respect to BW variation and HS duration respectively with significant interaction (P=0.000). Higher protein in LBW was observed on D3. Serum triglycerides remained unaffected till D3 exposure but significantly (P=0.017) reduced on D7 with lowest content in HBW group. Serum alkaline phosphatase increased in LBW group with significant heat stress interaction (P=0.000) on D3. HS reduced villi length and crypt depth; but their corresponding ratio increased. In conclusion, HBW broilers are more affected than MBW or LBW groups. This study established interactive roles of BW and HS on physiological responses in broilers.

SELECTION OF THE NIGERIAN INDIGENOUS FOWL FOR 12-WEEK BODY WEIGHT

A FOUNDATION stock of 1171 male and 1210 female indigenous fowl supplied a breeding population which increased from 858 — 1627 over a period of seven generations (about 71 years) During the first three generations 30-38 % of males and females and subsequently about 2.4 — 2.7% males and 25 % females were selected positively for 12 weeks body weight. A non-selected flock mated population of 455 — 615 females and 53 — 70 males per generation provided basis for determining the response to selection. This amounted to 40.1 ± 0.37g, 36.9 ± 0.37g and 39.4 ± 0.37g per generation for male, female and the sexes combined respectively. The realised heritability estimates 0.27 ± 0 03 — 0.28 ± 0.03 appeared close to values obtained by within generation hierachial classification and suggested, no sex-linked effects for the selected trait in this population. The relatively low ultimate male and female mean weights, 760.0 ± 63.1g and 673.5 1 ± 79.0g respectively combined with the marked reduction in the variation of body weight that occurred as selection progressed indicate that the Nigerian indigenous fowl is not a potential broiler strain.

Contribution of social genetic effects in variance components estimation for body weight in Nigerian indigenous chickens raised in a tropical humid location.

Social interactions among chickens can have a great unfavourable effect on economic returns in a poultry farm. The purpose of this study was to use four models to examine the influence of social genetic influences on the variation in body weight of Nigerian indigenous chickens. Sex was treated as the fixed effect within the models. Direct additive genetic, social genetic, and family effects and covariance between direct and social genetic effects were used as random effects. Data were analysed using single-trait animal models which include or exclude social genetic effects. Model comparison revealed that inclusion of full-sib family effect in model 3 did not cause any change in residual and additive genetic variances relative to estimates obtained with model 2. In general, social genetic variance was lower than the estimate for additive genetic variance, but substantially added to the overall heritable variance. For direct hereditary, full-sib family, and residual effects, accounting for heritable social effect in model 4 had a marginal effect on the size of the variances measured. All the estimated residual, additive genetic, social genetic effect, and family variances increased in comparison with model 3. The relationship between direct and social additive effects was positive and not significantly different from 0 (P > 0.05), suggesting autonomy between the direct and social breeding values. In conclusion, the use of models that account for direct effect and social genetic effect of the individual on its group members would entail an optimal individual selection scheme to increase the body weight of chickens.