Humic substances: Structure,function and benefits for agroecosystems—a review

The increasing global demand for food production, often causing excessive use of chemical fertilizers, has led to the deterioration of soil health. Immediate action is required to restore soil health in a sustainable manner. This review advocates switching to use of organic matter(manure and compost) that contains vital nutrients for plant growth and helps restore soil health. Humic substances(HSs), derived from degraded plant remains and found ubiquitously in nature,are an important source of o...     

Feline Endometrial Adenocarcinoma in Females <1 Year Old: A Description of Four Cases

Uterine neoplasms of epithelial origin are rare in cats and most often are described in older females. Yet, in less than 2 years, four ovariohysterectomy specimens were submitted from different practices to the Laboratory of Histology and Anatomical Pathology, at UTAD (Vila Real, Portugal), that emitted a diagnosis of feline endometrial adenocarcinoma. Untypically, all the females were aged <1 year old at the surgery. Access to the clinical files was requested to document the clinical features of the four cases, including any complementary data available, to construct the present case reports. The clinical situation developed with discrete signs, but vulvar discharge was present in three cases, ranging from bloody to brownish or colourless, and from purulent to mucous. The females were in dioestrus, although the oestrus remained unperceived in most cases. In this study, the four clinical situations are described and discussed on the basis of available literature, highlighting the aspects that may impair an early diagnosis and that may favour the progression of the disease and also that age should not be an excluding criteria when analysing the differential diagnosis list.     

Extradural haematoma secondary to brown snake (Pseudonaja species) envenomation

A 4-year-old Siberian Husky dog was treated with brown snake antivenom by his regular veterinarian after a witnessed episode of brown snake envenomation. The dog was discharged 5 hours post presentation despite an ongoing coagulopathy. The dog was presented to the emergency centre 2 hours later because the owner believed the dog to be in pain. Initial examination revealed an ambulatory but neurologically normal patient with thoracolumbar pain and laboratory evidence of a coagulopathy. Despite correction of the coagulopathy, the signs progressed to bilateral hind limb paresis after approximately 3 hours of hospitalisation, and continued to deteriorate over the next 56 hours to loss of deep pain perception in the right hind limb. Computed tomography imaging identified the presence of an extradural haematoma which was subsequently removed via a hemilaminectomy. Surgical decompression was successful in treating the spinal compression and the dog recovered with minimal complications. To our knowledge this is the first report of extradural haematoma secondary to coagulopathy induced by brown snake envenomation.     

Toxicity in three dogs from accidental oral administration of a topical endectocide containing moxidectin and imidacloprid

Three dogs were presented with a history of oral administration of a topical endectocide containing imidacloprid and moxidectin. They were diagnosed with imidacloprid and moxidectin intoxication, having ingested doses ranging from 7.5 to 1.4 mg/kg of imidacloprid and 1.9 to 2.8 mg/kg of moxidectin. The three dogs were affected to different degrees of severity, but all displayed signs of ataxia, generalised muscle tremors, paresis, hypersalivation and disorientation. Temporary blindness occurred in two cases. The three dogs were tested for the presence of the multi-drug resistance 1 gene deletion, which can cause an increased sensitivity to the toxic effects of moxidectin, and were found to be negative. Treatment included gastrointestinal decontamination, intravenous fluid therapy and benzodiazepines to control muscle tremors. All three dogs made a complete recovery within 48 h of ingestion.     

Factors Impacting Marketplace Success of Community Forest Enterprises: The Case of TIP Muebles, Oaxaca, México

In most developing countries where local community ownership is common, successful forest conservation initiatives must be adapted to engage and train rural communities. Decentralization of decision-making and stewardship by the State is required to maintain forests as a common good with extended benefits to society. Despite a tendency to operate in isolation, three Oaxacan community forest enterprises (CFEs), Textitlán, Ixtlán and Pueblos Mancomunados, have vertically integrated from forest management to retailing furniture through a company: TIP Muebles. This exploratory study aims to provide insight and outline the factors impacting the ability of CFEs to succeed in the marketplace given the fact that each deals with the same regulation structure of public forest policy. The results of this research suggest that the main challenges are related to human capital, regulatory challenges and centralized forest policy for forest product production, the taxation system for timber production, and endogenous factors such as the forest quality and the decisions based on tradition rather than efficiency. In this context, the integration of chains of production is a fact in only a few cases and financial success continues to be slow. The studied CFEs are resilient and slightly surpassing the profitability threshold despite the challenges identified. Adaptation of their decision-making structure allows them to face the changing dynamics of the market. More democratic approaches to decentralization of Mexican forest policy, trust development between social and private enterprises, and an improvement in internal CFEs systems could offer opportunities for improved competitiveness for CFEs. CFE strategies need to be understood as part of a complex rural livelihood where diversification of income generating activities often conflicts with competitive and specialized production.     

Yolk and serum cholesterol and production traits,as affected by incorporatinga supraoptimal amount of copper in the diet of the leghorn hen

1. An experiment was conducted to investigate the possibility of lowering the yolk cholesterol of the egg by supplementing the diet with supraoptimal amounts of copper (50, 150 or 250 mg/kg) as sulphate or acetate. 2. A significant reduction in egg production and a negative effect on food conversion was found when 250 mg/kg of copper was added compared to the control (no added copper). Acetate seemed significantly less harmful in both cases. 3. A significant linear reduction was found in plasma and yolk cholesterol (20% and 14%) and in plasma and yolk triglycerides (24% and 30%) as the dietary copper content was increased from 0 to 250 mg/kg. 4. Regardless of type or quantity of copper, cholesterol and lipids were decreased linearly as birds remained longer on the treatments. A significant interaction between quantity and period showed a greater reduction at a later time. 5. If slightly lower egg production can be accepted, the addition of 250 mg/kg copper might be beneficial in reducing the cholesterol content of the yolk.