SummaryThere is a growing need to increase productivity in poultry. Growth hormones and antibiotics have the ability to improve health, weight gain and feed efficiency in meat-producing animals. The growth-promoting antibiotics are administered to poultry to improve the general performance of the chicken. However, the use of the xenobiotic drugs in food-producing animals has been a concern and a sensitive issue of debate for several decades in the EU and many other regional blocks of the world. Consequently, the use of hormones in animal production has been banned in Italy, Denmark and Germany for over 4-5 decades, while Belgium and Greece had never permitted its use for livestock fattening purposes. Bioactive phytochemicals exhibit antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal, antifungal and anti-inflammatory properties and consequently have several beneficial effects on appetite, growth and the immune status of the animal. In South Africa, different species of pumpkin are produced for food due to their high nutrient content. The flesh serves as a traditional food, while the seeds and peels are commonly discarded. Pumpkin seed extract is reported to be useful for immunomodulation, reproductive health, therapeutics over a wide range of disease conditions and stimulates metabolism of accumulated fats. Studies have also shown that pumpkin seeds are a valuable source of protein and fat. Their complexity and extent of bioactivity offers sustainable prospects for natural control of pathogenic/parasitic organisms, stimulate nutrition or enhance resistance to disease infections, and reduce abdominal fat and serum levels of harmful lipids, while increasing serum levels of beneficial lipids.

This review provides an overview of the biological activities, natural occurrences, and the silver tetrafluoroborate- (AgBF4-) mediated synthesis of proanthocyanidins, glycosides, N-heterocyclic alkaloid analogues (of pyrrole, morphine, quinoline, isoquinoline, and indole), furan analogues, and halocompounds. AgBF4has been reviewed as an effective reaction promoter, used extensively in the synthesis of relevant biologically active compoundsviacarbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bonds formation. The literatures from 1979 to April 2014 were reviewed.

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Umesiobi, D.O. 2006. Effect of oral administration of Clomiphene citrate on sperm viability and fertility of boar semen. J. Appl. Anin. Res., 30: 167-170. In order to improve semen characteristics of boars with poor quality semen, 24 (2.0 years old) Large White boars and 120 cycling non-lactating Large White sows (aged 2.5 years) were used in this study. TWO groups of eight boars each were randomly administered with oral doses of either 50 mg or 100 mg Clomiphene citrate daily for 5 days and a control group of 8 boars was administered with normal saline for the same period. Semen characteristics were examined twice a week for 16 weeks. Semen from each' boar was randomly inseminated into five sows following sperm viability tests. It was observed that total semen volume, sperm motility, per cent live sperm, total sperm /ejaculate, sperm with normal apical ridge and serum testosterone levels improved with increasing levels of Clomiphene citrate. Sows inseminated with semen from such boars resulted in higher furrowing rates with larger litter size. It is concluded that 100 mg Clomiphene citrate given orally for 5 days resulted in significant improvement in the performance of breeding boars.