Nutritional reference values for Opuntia ficus‐indica determined by means of the boundary‐line approach

Optimum concentrations and/or sufficiency ranges of nutrients are useful for a correct diagnosis and improvement of nutrient status of cultivated plants. To develop boundary‐line approach (BLA) standards for Opuntia ficus‐indica L., a database of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg concentrations in 1‐year‐old cladodes and cladodes fresh‐matter yield was used. The BLA optimum concentrations (associated with estimated maximum yield) for O. ficus‐indica were: N = 13.1 g kg^–1, P = 3.2 g kg^–1, K = 44.4 g kg^–1, Ca = 38.1 g kg^–1, and Mg = 17.3 g kg^–1. The BLA sufficiency ranges at 95% yield were 8.4–20.3 g kg^–1 for N, 2.4–4.2 g kg^–1 for P, 38.2–50.8 g kg^–1 K, 31.8–45.2 g kg^–1 for Ca, and 14.3–20.9 g kg^–1 for Mg. The BLA standards are comparable to those obtained in a previous study using compositional‐nutrient‐diagnosis (CND) approach.     

Multiple causes of high extinction risk in large mammal species

Many large animal species have a high risk of extinction. This is usually thought to result simply from the way that species traits associated with vulnerability, such as low reproductive rates, scale with body size. In a broad-scale analysis of extinction risk in mammals, we find two additional patterns in the size selectivity of extinction risk. First, impacts of both intrinsic and environmental factors increase sharply above a threshold body mass around 3 kilograms. Second, whereas extinction risk in smaller species is driven by environmental factors, in larger species it is driven by a combination of environmental factors and intrinsic traits. Thus, the disadvantages of large size are greater than generally recognized, and future loss of large mammal biodiversity could be far more rapid than expected.     

Migration of nonylphenol from plastic containers to water and a milk surrogate

Nonylphenol (NP) is used as an antioxidant and plasticizer in some plastic products. After the discovery of its endocrine-disrupting potential, concern over human exposure to this chemical has increased. Recently, a group in Germany estimated the average daily intake of NP from food (7.5 microg/day), excluding water. In the present study, NP, octylphenol (OP), and their respective ethoxylates (1-5) were measured in spring water bottled in three different types of plastic (HDPE, PET, and PVC). NP was present in water from HDPE and PVC containers, at 180 and 300 ng/L respectively, which represent 4.8% and 8% of the value calculated by the German group assuming a consumption of 2 L of water per day. OP was found in water from HDPE extracts in lower amounts, 12 ng/L, and neither the NP- nor the OP-ethoxylates were detected in any of the samples. Attempts to measure these compounds in tap water were unsuccessful, probably because reaction with residual chlorine results in the formation of chlorinated byproducts. Migration of NP from HDPE containers to a milk surrogate was also evaluated; results indicate that the amounts of NP leaching into milk might be similar to those in bottled water.     

Study of enrofloxacin depletion in the eggs of laying hens using diphasic dialysis extraction/purification and determinative HPLC-MS analysis

A study of the depletion of enrofloxacin residues in eggs was carried out using a diphasic dialysis procedure for the extraction of fluoroquinolone residues from the matrix. Enrofloxacin was administered to laying hens through the intramuscular route (15 mg/day) and orally (12 mg/day). After daily collection, the egg albumen and the egg yolk were separated, and the residue levels were determined using an HPLC-MS (API-ESI) method. The enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin peaks gradually increased until the fifth day, because the drug was employed for 5 days. However, differences were observed in the depletion curves of enrofloxacin and its metabolite when both parts of the egg and the mode of administration were considered.     

Procarbazine as adjunctive therapy for treatment of dogs with presumptive antemortem diagnosis of granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis: 21 cases (1998-2004)

BACKGROUND: Granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis (GME) is an idiopathic inflammatory disease of the central nervous system. Remission often is short-lived in dogs treated with glucocorticoids. Procarbazine is T cell-specific and crosses the blood-brain barrier. HYPOTHESIS: Dogs with presumptive antemortem diagnosis of GME given procarbazine as adjunctive therapy to prednisone will have improved long-term outcome compared with dogs given no treatment or glucocorticoids alone. ANIMALS: Two groups were studied: (1) Dogs with presumptive antemortem diagnosis of GME treated with procarbazine and prednisone (n = 21); (2) Dogs that had a histologic diagnosis of GME at postmortem examination and received no treatment (n = 11). METHODS: Dogs with presumptive GME treated with procarbazine were identified retrospectively from medical records of 2 veterinary referral hospitals. Selection criteria required all dogs have a neurologic examination, blood work, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, and brain imaging (MRI or CT). RESULTS: Median survival time for all dogs studied was 5.0 months. Median survival time for dogs treated with procarbazine was 14.0 months and for untreated dogs, 0.73 months. Treatment with procarbazine was significantly correlated with survival time (P < .001). Procarbazine was the only independent predictor of survival. Prednisone was reduced in dosage or discontinued in 17 dogs. Adverse reactions to procarbazine therapy included myelosuppression in 7 dogs and hemorrhagic gastroenteritis in 3 dogs. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that procarbazine treatment of presumptive GME may result in greater improved long-term outcome than has been previously reported for glucocorticoid treatment alone and may complement other immunomodulatory therapies. Procarbazine-treated dogs must be monitored for adverse reactions.     

Optimizing the growth of forage and grain legumes on low pH soils through the application of superior Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae strains

Climate variability and current farming practices have led to declining soil fertility and pH, with a heavy reliance on fertilizers and herbicides. The addition of forage and grain legumes to farming systems not only improves soil health but also increases farm profitability through nitrogen (N) fertilizer cost offsets. However, the formation of effective symbioses between legumes and rhizobia can be unreliable and is considered at risk when combined with dry sowing practices such as those that have been designed to obviate effects of climate change. This research was initiated to improve the robustness of the legume/rhizobia symbiosis in low pH, infertile and dry soils. Production from two cultivars of field pea (Pisum sativum) and two species of vetch (Vicia spp.), and symbiotic outcomes when inoculated with a range of experimental rhizobial strains (Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae), was assessed in broad acre field trials which simulated farmer practice. New rhizobia strains increased nodulation, N fixation, produced more biomass and higher seed yield than comparator commercial strains. Strain WSM4643 also demonstrated superior survival when desiccated compared to current commercial strains in the laboratory and on seed when delivered as inoculant in peat carriers. WSM4643 is a suitable prospect for a commercial inoculant in Australia and other agricultural areas of the world where growing peas and vetch on soils generally considered problematic for this legume/rhizobia symbiosis. A particular advantage of WSM4643 may be that it potentiates sowing inoculated legumes into dry soil, which is a contemporary response by farmers to climate variation.     

Modifications of organic matter and enzymatic activities in response to change in soil use in semi‐arid mountain ecosystems (southern Spain)

Soil organic matter composition and biochemical properties were determined in mountain calcimorphic Mediterranean soils under different vegetation (cultivated soils, secondary bush, high mountain bush, juniper, evergreen oak and pine) to assess the impact of soil use on the size and activity of microbial communities. Our results indicated that clearing forest leads to a general decline in the performance of soil organic carbon sequestration and associated enzymatic activities. However, when soil enzymatic activities (dehydrogenase, catalase, phosphodiesterase, β‐glucosidase, urease and casein‐protease) were expressed as ratios to total organic carbon (specific activities), a conspicuous increase in their activities was observed in cleared soils as compared with forest soils, suggesting enhanced hydrolytic potential in the former. In addition, the negative correlation observed between qCO₂ (metabolic quotient) and water retention at ?1500 kPa, could be interpreted as an adaptive strategy against low soil moisture by microbial communities in cleared soils. This indicates the importance of describing soil quality in terms of long‐term soil organic C sequestration and/or resistance of the organic matter to microbial transformation. These features were reflected in the visible and infrared spectra of humic acids, which suggested humification mechanisms involving mainly an alteration of plant macromolecules with poor incorporation of characteristic microbial metabolites in the forest soils whereas the opposite effect was observed in cleared soils.     

Growth performance and expression of immune‐regulatory genes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) juveniles fed extruded diets with varying levels of lupin (Lupinus albus), peas (Pisum sativum) and rapeseed (Brassica napus)

Varying levels of lupin (Lupinus albus), peas (Pisum sativum) and rapeseed (Brassica napus) meals were evaluated as partial replacements for fishmeal in extruded diets for rainbow trout, with particular emphasis on the effect on growth performance and the expression of three genes associated with immune response. A series of 10 isonitrogenous (450 g kg^?1 crude protein) and isolipidic (17 g kg^?1 crude lipid) diets were formulated to contain different levels of lupin (150 g kg^?1, 250 g kg^?1 and 350 g kg^?1), rapeseed cake (100 g kg^?1, 200 g kg^?1 and 300 g kg^?1) and pea (50 g kg^?1, 150 g kg^?1 and 250 g kg^?1) meals. The control diet was prepared with fish meal as the sole source of protein. Triplicate groups of fish (37.08 ± 3.58 g) were assigned to each experimental diet. The feeding experiment was conducted for 9 weeks at 14.3 ± 0.4 °C. The fish were hand fed three times per day, 6 days per week to apparent satiation level. Growth performance, feed utilization and immunological response were significantly affected by the type of plant protein as well as level of inclusion. Hepatosomatic index (HSI) increased in all groups of fish fed diets with pea and rapeseed cake meal. Dietary inclusion of lupin did not affect the expression of Mx‐1 gene. Our results suggest that fish meal can be replaced by lupin in the diet of rainbow trout without any apparent adverse effects on key innate immunological genes.