Anthelmintic activity of Cocos nucifera L. against sheep gastrointestinal nematodes

The development of anthelmintic resistance has made the search for alternatives to control gastrointestinal nematodes of small ruminants imperative. Among these alternatives are several medicinal plants traditionally used as anthelmintics. This work evaluated the efficacy of Cocos nucifera fruit on sheep gastrointestinal parasites. The ethyl acetate extract obtained from the liquid of green coconut husk fiber (LGCHF) was submitted to in vitro and in vivo tests. The in vitro assay was based on egg hatching (EHT) and larval development tests (LDT) with Haemonchus contortus. The concentrations tested in the EHT were 0.31, 0.62, 1.25, 2.5 and 5 mg ml⁻¹, while in the LDT they were 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg ml⁻¹. The in vivo assay was a controlled test. In this experiment, 18 sheep infected with gastrointestinal nematodes were divided into three groups (n = 6), with the following doses administered: G1—400 mg kg⁻¹ LGCHF ethyl acetate extract, G2—0.2 mg kg⁻¹ moxidectin (Cydectin^®) and G3—3% DMSO. The worm burden was analyzed. The results of the in vitro and in vivo tests were submitted to ANOVA and analyzed by the Tukey and Kruskal–Wallis tests, respectively. The extract efficacy in the EHT and LDT, at the highest concentrations tested, was 100% on egg hatching and 99.77% on larval development. The parameters evaluated in the controlled test were not statistically different, showing that despite the significant results of the in vitro tests, the LGCHF ethyl acetate extract showed no activity against sheep gastrointestinal nematodes.     

Survey of Feeding Practices, Supplement Use, and Knowledge of Equine Nutrition among a Subpopulation of Horse Owners in New England

Nutrition is a critical component of equine health. Horse owners' knowledge of nutrition is likely to affect their feeding practices. The aim of this study was to survey feeding practices, dietary supplement use, and knowledge about equine nutrition in New England by surveying a subpopulation of horse owners (67/337 or 19.8%) who brought their horses to the Large Animal Hospital at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University between July and September 2008. All owners reported feeding hay, with the majority feeding grass or timothy hay. Most owners (96%) reported feeding a concentrate in addition to hay. Approximately 84% of owners reported including at least one dietary supplement in their horse's daily feeding. The most commonly used supplements were chondroprotectives, electrolytes, and multivitamins. Survey questions designed to assess the owner's knowledge of nutrition suggested that many owners may not have a basic understanding of principles of equine nutrition; less than 50% knew the daily water and hay requirements for a horse, and 69% lacked knowledge about the proper use of concentrates in a diet. Most of the surveyed owners consulted multiple sources of information concerning equine nutrition, including veterinarians (n = 36), trainers (n = 27), feed stores (n = 10), and the internet (n = 7). Although the major source of information was the veterinarian, it appears that the communication between horse owners and their veterinarian about optimal feeding practices could be enhanced. This survey demonstrated areas in the veterinarian–client dialog that need to be addressed when evaluating the health and well-being of the horse.     

Effect of plant trichomes on the vertical migration of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haemonchus contortus</Emphasis> infective larvae on five tropical forages

The influence of trichomes on vertical migration and survival of Haemonchus contortus infective larvae (L3) on different forages was investigated. Four different forages showing different distributions of trichomes (Brachiaria brizantha cv. Marandu, Brachiaria brizantha cv. Xaraes, Andropogon gayanus, and Stylosanthes spp.), and one forage species without trichomes (Panicum maximum cv. Tanzania), were used. Forages cut at the post-grazing height were contaminated with faeces containing L3. Samples of different grass strata (0–10, 10–20, >20 cm) and faeces were collected for L3 quantification once per week over four weeks. In all forages studied, the highest L3 recovery occurred seven days after contamination, with the lowest recovery on A. gayanus. In general, larvae were found on all forages’ strata. However, most of the larvae were at the lower stratum. There was no influence of trichomes on migration and survival of H. contortus L3 on the forages.     

Tectona grandis canopy cover predicted by remote sensing

The phytosanitary status of Tectona grandis plantations are monitored conventionally with periodic data collection in the field, which is often costly and has low efficiency. The objective of this research was to develop a methodology to predict the canopy cover of T. grandis plantations using multispectral images of the Sentinel-2 (S2) satellite and photographic imagery. The study was carried out in a T. grandis plantation of seminal origin, in Cáceres, Mato Grosso state, Brazil. Hemispherical photographic (HP) images of the plant canopy were obtained with a digital camera coupled to a “fisheye” lens fixed at 1.3 m high at two dates in the rainy and the dry season. Cloudless and no shadow images of the S2 satellite bands were concurrently obtained with the field images. Multivariate permutative analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR) were used to predict canopy cover percentage. The accuracy of the predicted T. grandis canopy cover (%) by the PLSR model approach was 77.8?±?0.09%. The results indicate that a PLS model calibrated with 28 HP sample images can accurately estimate the percentage canopy cover for a continuous area of T. grandis plantations and facilitate mapping of canopy heterogeneity to monitor threats of diseases, mortality, fires, pests and other disturbances.

     

Mineral Nitrogen Associated Changes in Growth and Xylem-N Compounds in Amazonian Legume Tree

In nodulated young Inga edulis plants, nodule and plant growth, nitrogen (N) in xylem sap and tissues total contents of amino acid, ureide, and nitrate were determined in response to nutrition with nitrate, ammonium, or no mineral N. Additionally, the amount of soluble sugars in the different plant tissues was quantified. It was found that mineral N improved plant growth in height and diameter especially with ammonium. However, nitrate dramatically reduced nodule dry weight on a root dry weight basis and impaired N organic transport by xylem sap. Additionally, a higher amount of amino acids was observed in the roots and nodules of plants fed with mineral N but sugar levels remained constant. Although nitrate inhibited symbiosis, data support the idea that I. edulis is able to use both molecular and mineral nitrogen during the life cycle.     

Nitric oxide stimulates progesterone and prostaglandin E2 secretion as well as angiogenic activity in the equine corpus luteum

Cytokines and nitric oxide (NO) are potential mediators of luteal development and maintenance, angiogenesis, and blood flow. The aim of this study was to evaluate (i) the localization and protein expression of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthases (eNOS and iNOS) in equine corpora lutea (CL) throughout the luteal phase and (ii) the effect of a nitric oxide donor (spermine NONOate, NONOate) on the production of progesterone (P4) and prostaglandin (PG) E(2) and factor(s) that stimulate endothelial cell proliferation using equine luteal explants. Luteal tissue was classified as corpora hemorrhagica (CH; n = 5), midluteal phase CL (mid-CL; n = 5) or late luteal phase CL (late CL; n = 5). Both eNOS and iNOS were localized in large luteal cells and endothelial cells throughout the luteal phase. The expression of eNOS was the lowest in mid-CL (P < 0.05) and the highest in late CL (P < 0.05). However, no change was found for iNOS expression. Luteal explants were cultured with no hormone added or with NONOate (10(-5) M), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα; 10 ng/mL; positive control), or equine LH (100 ng/mL; positive control). Conditioned media by luteal tissues were assayed for P4 and PGE(2) and for their ability to stimulate proliferation of bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). All treatments stimulated release of P4 in CH, but not in mid-CL. TNFα and NONOate treatments also increased PGE(2) levels and BAEC proliferation in CH (P < 0.05). However, in mid-CL, no changes were observed, regardless of the treatments used. These data suggest that NO and TNFα stimulate equine CH secretory functions and the production of angiogenic factor(s). Furthermore, in mares, NO may play a role in CL growth during early luteal development, when vascular development is more intense.     

Comparison of humic acids derived from city refuse with more developed humic acids

Abstract

The humic acids (HA) from composted and uncomposted city refuse (CR) were characterized by degradative (oxidation with persulphate and permanganate) and non-degradative techniques (FT-IR and ¹³C-NMR) in order to analyze the effect of the composting process on these HA. They were also compared with commercial HA extracted from leonardite. The carboxyl and carbonyl group content of the HA from CR increased slightly during composting. Since the HA from the composted CR showed a lower N and H content, the FT-IR spectra showed a lower intensity in the bands corresponding to peptides and carbohydrates. Differences were revealed when the HA from both CR were compared with those from leonardite which showed a much lower N and H content and a less aliphatic character. The percentage of degraded products by persulphate was higher for the HA from uncomposted CR. For the HA from both CR the major components among the oxidation products were dicarboxylic acids and normal fatty acids. In the leonardite HA, the major components consisted of benzene polycarboxylic acids. ¹³C-NMR revealed an attenuation of the aliphatic character of the HA from CR with composting.