Plants as de-worming agents of livestock in the Nordic countries: historical perspective, popular beliefs and prospects for the future.

Preparations derived from plants were the original therapeutic interventions used by man to control diseases (including parasites), both within humans and livestock. Development of herbal products depended upon local botanical flora with the result that different remedies tended to develop in different parts of the world. Nevertheless, in some instances, the same or related plants were used over wide geographic regions, which also was the result of communication and/or the importation of plant material of high repute. Thus, the Nordic countries have an ancient, rich and diverse history of plant derived anthelmintic medications for human and animal use. Although some of the more commonly used herbal de-wormers were derived from imported plants, or their products, many are from endemic plants or those that thrive in the Scandinavian environment. With the advent of the modern chemotherapeutic era, and the discovery, development and marketing of a seemingly unlimited variety of highly efficacious, safe synthetic chemicals with very wide spectra of activities, herbal remedies virtually disappeared from the consciousness--at least in the Western world. This attitude is now rapidly changing. There is a widespread resurgence in natural product medication, driven by major threats posed by multi-resistant pest, or disease, organisms and the diminishing public perceptions that synthetic chemicals are the panacea to health and disease control. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the depth of historical Nordic information available on herbal de-wormers, with emphasis on livestock and to provide some insights on potentially rewarding areas of "re-discovery" and scientific evaluation in this field.     

烟草生产全程机械化作业研究

为了探索烟叶生产过程中各机械的性能及工作效率,2013年在福建省建阳市莒口镇河坝新村开展了烟叶生产全程机械化作业试点研究。结果表明,起垄环节,碎土率方面邵武华友履带式起垄机表现最好(89.9%),沟底积土方面松溪永顺表现最好;覆膜环节,各测试机型表现中等,在效率方面优于人工覆膜;移栽环节,漏栽率上江苏久泰移栽机高于江苏井关移栽机;培土环节,漳州南冠培土机操作简便,掉头灵活,单人操作,单行双侧作业,深受烟农喜爱;拔杆环节,龙岩诚德拔杆机单人操作,操作简便,动力较足,拔杆顺畅,拔杆带土较少,效果较好,适应性较强。     

Flavanol and bound phenolic acid contents in different barley varieties

Different barley varieties, consisting of hulled and hull-less types, of normal, waxy, and high amylose starch, as well as two-rowed and six-rowed types, were analyzed for their main proanthocyanidins and bound phenolic acids. Variations in proanthocyanidin and phenolic acid contents were studied in different barley types as well as inter-relationships between the phytochemicals and polysaccharides. The main flavanols found in the analyzed barley varieties were two dimeric as well as four trimeric forms in addition to catechin. The total amount of flavanols ranged from 325 to 527 microg/g of fresh weight of barley flour. No evident associations were found between variations in proanthocyanidin levels and different barley types. The total amount of phenolic acids ranged from 604 to 1346 microg/g of fresh weight of barley flour, with ferulic acid as the dominating acid. The amount of phenolic acids varied according to occurrence or lack of hull, with significantly higher levels in the hulled varieties.     

Treatment of cereal products with a tailored preparation of trichoderma enzymes increases the amount of soluble dietary fiber

Nutritionists recommend increasing the intake of soluble dietary fiber (SDF), which is very low in most cereal-based products. Conversion of insoluble DF (IDF) into SDF can be achieved by chemical treatments, but this affects the sensorial properties of the products. In this study, the possibility of getting a substantial increase of SDF from cereal products using a tailored preparation of Trichoderma enzymes is reported. Enzymes were produced cultivating Trichoderma using durum wheat fiber (DWF) and barley spent grain (BSG) as unique carbon sources. Many Trichoderma strains were screened, and the hydrolysis conditions able to increase by enzymatic treatment the amount of SDF in DWF and BSG were determined. Results demonstrate in both products that it is possible to triple the amount of SDF without a marked decrease of total DF. The enzymatic treatment also causes the release of hydroxycinnamic acids, mainly ferulic acid, that are linked to the polysaccharides chains. This increases the free phenolic concentration, the water-soluble antioxidant activity, and, in turn, the phenol compounds bioavailability.     

Effects of meat consumption and vegetarian diet on risk of wrist fracture over 25 years in a cohort of peri- and postmenopausal women

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggesting that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may be beneficial to bone health has sparked interest in the potential benefit of a vegetarian diet. However, other studies have raised a question regarding the adequacy of protein in such a diet. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to take a whole foods approach in examining the effects of foods high in protein on the risk of wrist fracture (WF) in a cohort with a significant proportion consuming a meat-free diet. DESIGN: A cohort study of women who completed two lifestyle surveys 25 years apart. SUBJECTS: One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five peri- and postmenopausal women at the time of the first survey. RESULTS: There was a significant interaction between meat consumption and foods high in vegetable protein. Among vegetarians, those who consumed the least vegetable protein intake were at highest risk for fracture. However, increasing levels of plant-based high-protein foods decreased WF risk, with a 68% reduction in risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.13-0.79) in the highest intake group. Among those with lowest vegetable protein consumption, increasing meat intake decreased the risk of WF, with the highest consumption decreasing risk by 80% (HR = 0.20, 95% CI 0.06-0.66). CONCLUSIONS: The finding that higher consumption frequencies of foods rich in protein were associated with reduced WF supports the importance of adequate protein for bone health. The similarity in risk reduction by vegetable protein foods compared with meat intake suggests that adequate protein intake is attainable in a vegetarian diet.     

Eco‐efficiency as a strategy for optimizing the sustainability of pest management

Agricultural industrialization and the subsequent reliance on pesticides has resulted in numerous unintended consequences, such as impacts upon the environment and by extension human health. Eco‐efficiency is a strategy for sustainably increasing production, while simultaneously decreasing these externalities on ecological systems. Eco‐efficiency is defined as the ratio of production to environmental impacts. It has been widely adopted to improve chemical production, but we investigate the challenges of applying eco‐efficiency to pesticide use. Eco‐efficiency strategies include technological innovation, investment in research and development, improvement of business processes, and accounting for market forces. These components are often part of integrated pest management (IPM) systems that include alternatives to pesticides, but its implementation is often thwarted by commercial realities and technical challenges. We propose the creation and adoption of an eco‐efficiency index for pesticide use so that the broad benefits of eco‐efficient strategies such as IPM can be more readily quantified. We propose an index based upon the ratio of crop yield to a risk quotient (RQ) calculated from pesticide toxicity. Eco‐efficiency is an operational basis for optimizing pest management for sustainability. It naturally favors adoption of IPM and should be considered by regulators, researchers, and practitioners involved in pest management. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry     

Host preference of adult Caligus elongatus Nordmann in the laboratory and its implications for Atlantic cod aquaculture

The sea louse Caligus elongatus utilizes a range of marine fish species as hosts, and it has been suggested that fish farms are infected with adult C. elongatus from wild fish hosts. We assessed experimentally whether dislodged lice return to their original host species. Adult lice from wild lumpfish and saithe were presented to lumpfish, sea trout, Atlantic cod, saithe and European plaice. All fish species became infected. Lumpfish and cod were strongly preferred, followed by saithe, trout and plaice. Lice from wild saithe showed a preference for saithe and lumpfish, followed by cod, sea trout and plaice. The mtCO1 gene was used to determine the genotypes of the lice. Lice from lumpfish were genotype 1. Lice from saithe were mainly genotype 2. The two genotypes of C. elongatus differed slightly in their host preferences: lice from saithe were less discriminating. The data support the hypothesis that adult C. elongatus may transfer between different host species. Cod is an attractive host for lice from both lumpfish and saithe, which suggests that C. elongatus may become a serious pest of farmed cod.     

Effects of structure and xylanase treatment of brewers’ spent grain on performance and nutrient availability in broiler chickens

1.?A factorial (2 × 3) feeding trial was set up to investigate the effects of coarse or finely ground brewers’ spent grain (BSG) and xylanase treatment, either with no xylanase, top-dressed with xylanase or pre-treated with xylanase.

2.?The experimental diets shared the same basal formulation and were fed to male broiler chickens (Ross 308) housed in individual cages from 12 to 29 d of age.

3.?Xylanase pre-treatment reduced the dietary concentration of arabinoxylan by 15–30%. Pellet durability increased when BSG was ground.

4.?Feed utilisation was significantly higher (6%) when the birds were given coarse BSG rather than ground BSG, whereas there was no significant effect of enzyme treatment. Apparent metabolisable energy was unaffected by the dietary treatments.

5.?The overall starch digestibility was high (99%), with no dietary differences, whereas ileal protein digestibility was low (57%). Xylanase top-dressing tended to improve ileal protein digestibility but, in general, xylanase treatment had no major effect on overall performance in male broilers given diets with BSG.