A long term feed supplementation based on phosphate binders in Feline Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a very common disorder in elderly cats. A proper renal diet represents the most efficient therapeutic intervention to improve survival and life quality in feline patients with 3 and 4 International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stages. Twenty cats were selected in this study. Ten were administered the dietary supplementation for 360 days and the other ten, whose owners did not give consent for any supplemental therapies apart from the renal diet, were selected from a clinical database and used as control group. The present study is a long term study (360 days) aiming to evaluate the efficacy and palatability of a dietary supplementation containing calcium carbonate, calcium-lactate gluconate, chitosan and sodium bicarbonate in cats diagnosed with 3 and 4 IRIS stages of CKD. The owners were asked to fill in questionnaires to get information on the cat’s appetite, the palatability of the given supplement, the presence of vomit and/or diarrhoea, general health and vitality. Hematochemical, biochemical and urinary analyses were performed on day 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150,180 and 360. GraphPad Prism® software was used to perform statistical analysis. Our study shows that the given dietary supplement reduced serum phosphorus and increased serum bicarbonate values in cats with CKD. In turn, this supplement could be used as a support therapy in cats with advanced CKD improving their clinical conditions without any adverse reaction. Finally, it is important to underline that all the animals completed the study and the owners reported a good palatability of the feed supplement.     

Haematological,biochemical and organ changes in broiler chickens fed varying levels of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Morinda lucida</Emphasis> (brimstone) leaf meal supplementation in the diets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of Morinda lucida leaf meal (MLLM) on the haematology, biochemical and organ changes of broiler chickens. One hundred and ninety-eight day-old Marshall broiler chicks were completely randomised into 6 treatments in a 3?×?2 factorial arrangement of three levels of M. lucida leaf meal supplementation (0, 0.1 and 0.2 g/kg) with or without medication. The treatment consisted of both negative (without MLLM and routine medication) and positive (containing no MLLM but with routine medication) control groups while each treatment was replicated thrice. MLLM-supplemented diets and routine medication decreased (p?<?0.05) the white blood cell count compared to the negative control. Dietary supplementation with MLLM in combination with normal routine medication increased (p?<?0.05) total serum protein when compared with treatment group without MLLM and routine medication. Dietary supplementation with MLLM and routine medication reduced (p?<?0.05) serum creatinine concentration of the broiler chickens. Birds fed with 0.2 g/kg MLLM supplement coupled with medication and those on negative control had higher (p?<?0.05) creatinine values. Serum enzyme activities reduced (p?<?0.05) following supplementation. MLLM supplementation recorded no significant effect (p?>?0.05) on the liver, kidney, heart and gizzard. M. lucida leaf meal can be compared to routine medication for improved health status of broiler chickens. Dietary inclusion with 0.1 g/kg MLML combined with routine medication could be used in producing healthy and safe chickens.     

The Impact of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents and Extraction Method on the Co-Extraction of Trace Metals from Fucus vesiculosus

In recent years, natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have been widely investigated for the extraction of food and medicinal plants as well as seaweeds. However, the ability of NADES for trace elements co-extraction from natural sources is not well investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of common NADES for trace elements co-extraction from Fucus vesiculosus. All of the tested NADES did not recover As and Co (concentration <LOQ). Moreover, all of the tested NADES provided a low recovery (<9%) of Ba, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Sr, and Zn. The method of extraction had not shown a statistically significant effect on the co-extraction of all elements (excluding Ba and Ca). In contrast, the water content in NADES was significantly affected on the recovery of Ba, Ca, Mg, Mn, Sr, and Zn. The recovery of Al and Cr was relatively high and considerably varied (from 1.5 to 59.9%). NADES comprising lactic acid:glucose:H₂O (5:3:1) provided the lowest contents of all elements, and the highest extracted amounts were obtained employing water contents of 60–80%. The calculated daily intake of all the elements contained in NADES extracts were less than the daily dose risk estimators. The hazard quotients, hazard indexes, and carcinogenic risk calculated for all trace elements and their combination were considerably less than 1. This evidences no health risk, and carcinogenic risk after topical application of all studied NADES. For the first time, the results of the current study demonstrated that NADES extracts of F. vesiculosus contain a lower amount of trace metals and are safer than the extracts obtained with water and 70% acetone. This indicates a significant advantage for NADES compared with the other solvents.     

番茄灰霉病分子诊断方法研究

为提供番茄灰霉病的早期诊断技术,应用其病原菌灰葡萄孢种特异片段P729分子标志,建立了PCR检测方法,并进行了实验室和大田现场标本的评价。结果显示番茄灰霉病的分子诊断方法在实验室具有特异、稳定和可靠的特点。比较6种抽提基因组DNA的方法,方法B效果理想。应用建立的分子诊断方法可从0.2μg灰葡萄孢菌丝中获得阳性扩增,具有相当高的灵敏性;大田样本的检测结果说明该方法可用于番茄灰霉病的早期诊断。     

Degradation of ioxynil by a soil fungus, Fusarium solani

A fungus, Fusarium solani, isolated from the soil, degraded ioxynil (3,5-diiodo-4-hydroxyben-zonitrile) in pure culture into at least eight products. Five products were detected in the organic fractions extracted from a culture grown in [¹⁴C]cyano-labeled ioxynil. Three additional products were separated by ion-exchange chromatography of the acidified aqueous phase. Cultures grown in the presence of [¹⁴C]ring-labeled ioxynil produced the same products in the organic extract and four to five products in the aqueous phase. The cyano-carbon of ioxynil was released as CO₂ at a faster rate than that of ring-carbons and was released after the initial ring cleavage. Two of the metabolites were identified as 3,5-diiodo-4-hydroxybenzamide and 3,5-diiodo-4-hydroxybenzoic acid.     

Colonization by Rhizobia of the seed and roots of legumes in relation to exudation of phenolics

A study of the colonization pattern of Rhizobium inoculated either in the soil or on to the seeds of green gram (Phaseolus aureus Roxb.), black gram (P. mungo L.) and sun hemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) revealed a significant reduction of Rhizobium in the spermosphere of sun hemp which was attributed to excretion of phenolic compounds by the seed. As the plants aged, the quantity of phenolics exuded by the roots was reduced and there was a parallel increase in the Rhizobium population in the rhizospheres of the three plant species.     

Effects of repeated use of an area of heather Calluna vulgaris (L.) hull moor at Kindrogan,Scotland, for teaching purposes

A triangular plot of heather moor at Kindrogan was used for teaching botanical analysis for eight years, using the same set of random coordinates to locate sample points. Because of the method of point location, there was a gradient of trampling pressure across the plot, and there were also parts of the plot that were never analysed. At the end of the eight-year period heather cover and mean height were found to have declined with increasing levels of trampling. Mean numbers of species/m² did not however decline, and were actually minimal on untrampled ground. With moderate levels of trampling, quadrats that had been analysed for eight years contained more heather litter than those that had not been analysed before. No decline in species frequencies was found in previously analysed quadrats. The value of the plot for teaching purposes does not seem to have declined, and may have actually increased over the period of use.     

A comparison of continuous grazing systems for milk production

In two experiments conducted with Ayrshire dairy cows in 1974 and 1975 on swards of S23 perennial ryegrass, four systems of continuous grazing were investigated. The leys received 345 and 370 kg ha^-1 fertilizer nitrogen in 1974 and 1975 respectively and were stocked at the rate of five cows per ha. In 1974, a comparison was made between two systems which either integrated silage making with, or separated it from, the continuous grazing. The provision of a silage aftermath in late July increased milk yield after that time, but had no significant effect on milk yield over the 19-week experimental period. In 1975, a comparison between weekly and monthly applications of fertilizer N showed no significant differences between milk yields in a 20-week period. The feeding of supplementary concentrates from late July onwards significantly increased milk yield. The treatments in both years had only small and mainly non-significant effects on milk composition. On average, excluding the concentrate treatment, the annual output of milk was 10,800 kg ha^-1 using spring-calved cows.     

Inoculation of pines with mycorrhizal fungi in natural soils—III: Effect of soil fumigation on rate of infection and response to inoculum density

Pinus radiata seedlings were inoculated with basidiospores of Rhizopogon roseolas and Suillus granulatus, and with chlamylospores of two unidentified but highly effective mycorrhizal fungi in undisturbed cores of natural soil fumigated with methyl bromide. Fumigation stimulated mycorrhizal infection rate and enhanced the response of seedlings to increasing concentrations of both inoculum types, but the effect of chlamydospore inoculum was more favoured by fumigation than that of basidio-spores. Chlamydospore inocula appear more sensitive to competitive and antagonistic soil microorganisms than basidiospores. Soil fumigation appears a necessary adjunct to the use of chlamydospores as inoculants in nurseries and is discussed in relation to nursery culture of pines.