To better understand the relative importance of the multi-purpose functions of small ruminants for their urban owners and related breeding practices including selection criteria, we undertook a comparative analysis across the West African cities of Kano (Nigeria), Bobo Dioulasso (Burkina Faso) and Sikasso (Mali). Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect the required information from ...

Studies on daily rhythmicity in livestock under natural conditions are limited, and there is mounting evidence that rhythm patterns differ between chronobiological studies conducted in the laboratory and studies conducted under pronounced natural seasonality. Here, we investigated the influence of cold-dry (harmattan) and hot-dry seasons on daily rhythmicity of rectal (RT) and body surface temp...

Genetic polymorphisms of the milk protein genes are important because of their effects on quantitative traits and technological properties of milk manufacturing. In the present study we identified the polymorphism of the beta-casein gene in two local sheep breeds (Racka n=98 and Turcana n=111) in Romania. The most studied variants at the ovine beta-casein (CSN2) locus are: A and G variants. Gen...

A total of 146 Menz and Horro lambs of both sexes were serially slaughtered and dissected at 5 different stages of growth (i.e. at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age) to define the pattern of growth and partitioning of fat among body depots of indigenous Ethiopian Menz and Horro sheep breeds. The GLM procedure of SAS and an allometric growth equation were used to assess the effects of various fact...

BACKGROUND In recent decades many indigenous communities, policy makers and researchers worldwide have criticized the academic community for not being aware of the specific challenges these communities have faced and still are facing with regard to research. One result of the decades of discourse in indigenous communities is the development in many Western countries of indigenously sensitive et...

Indigenous people throughout the world suffer a higher burden of disease than their non-indigenous counterparts contributing to disproportionate rates of disability. A significant proportion of this disability can be attributed to the adverse effects of smoking. In this paper, we aimed to identify and discuss the key elements of individual-level smoking cessation interventions in indigenous peo...

Background Chewing the ‘amphetamine like’ khat leaf in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa communities emerges currently as a public health threat. It may impact health directly or through family dysfunction and alteration of agricultural practices. There is little information about khat chewing among Yemeni women. Understanding the context of khat chewing in women is important if preventive ...