Tubers from leaf-bud cuttings: A tool for potato seed certification and breeding programs

The use of leaf-bud cuttings as a tool for rapid clonal increase was studied in 6 cultivars. Small tubers were obtained directly from leaf-bud cuttings maintained for 7 weeks in sand-filled pots or benches. The tubers ranged in size up to 1 1/4 inches (3cm) in diameter. The number of leaf-bud cuttings ranged from 37 to 288, depending on size of mother plant. They averaged 114 cuttings. Almost all of the leaf-bud cuttings produced tubers. The procedure is fast, simple, and provides for rapid increase of selected stocks.     

Deaths and years of life lost due to suboptimal breast-feeding among children in the developing world: a global ecological risk assessment

OBJECTIVE: We estimate attributable fractions, deaths and years of life lost among infants and children < or = 2 years of age due to suboptimal breast-feeding in developing countries. DESIGN: We compare actual practices to a minimum exposure pattern consisting of exclusive breast-feeding for infants < or = 6 months of age and continued breast-feeding for older infants and children < or = 2 years of age. For infants, we consider deaths due to diarrhoeal disease and lower respiratory tract infections, and deaths due to all causes are considered in the second year of life. Outcome measures are attributable fractions, deaths, years of life lost and offsetting deaths potentially caused by mother-to-child transmission of HIV through breast-feeding. SETTING: Developing countries. SUBJECTS: Infants and children < or = 2 years of age. RESULTS: Attributable fractions for deaths due to diarrhoeal disease and lower respiratory tract infections are 55% and 53%, respectively, for the first six months of infancy, 20% and 18% for the second six months, and are 20% for all-cause deaths in the second year of life. Globally, as many as 1.45 million lives (117 million years of life) are lost due to suboptimal breast-feeding in developing countries. Offsetting deaths caused by mother-to-child transmission of HIV through breast-feeding could be as high as 242,000 (18.8 million years of life lost) if relevant World Health Organization recommendations are not followed. CONCLUSIONS: The size of the gap between current practice and recommendations is striking when one considers breast-feeding involves no out-of-pocket costs, that there exists universal consensus on best practices, and that implementing current international recommendations could potentially save 1.45 million children's lives each year.