Leishmaniasis phytotherapy. Nature's leadership against an ancient disease.

The use of phytotherapy to treat human diseases has its roots in pre-historical times. Despite the modern advances achieved in the field of synthetic chemistry, the most efficient drugs available have their genesis directly or indirectly related with the vegetal kingdom. Indigenous communities have long used plant extracts to treat illnesses. Many of these extracts have shown effective action, with new bioactive compounds being extracted and screened every year. These extracts have also proven to be good sources of therapeutic agents to the treatment of Leishmaniasis. This work highlights some of these agents, while trying to emphasize the importance of plants as a source of new and powerful drugs against this widespread disease.     

An evaluation of the pesera soil erosion model and its application to a case study in Zakynthos, Greece

Abstract. The Pan‐European Soil Erosion Risk Assessment (pesera ) model was evaluated using existing soil erosion data collected under various types of climate, vegetation, landscape and soil conditions. The data used represent a variety of typical Mediterranean land uses such as winter wheat, vines, olives and bare, stony land prevailing in hilly areas. Using this data, the model was calibrated for sediment transport by overland flow and results compared to measured soil erosion values from runoff plots and a watershed on a monthly basis. The performance of the model was assessed statistically, showing that it can be satisfactorily used for predicting soil erosion rates under the conditions included in the study. The overall model estimate including all the available experimental data was 0.69 t ha^?1 yr^?1 with a maximum error of 1.49 t ha^?1 yr^?1. After validation, the model was applied to a small watershed (60 ha) of great ecological importance for the sea turtle Caretta caretta. For this purpose, soil and vegetation maps were compiled from all the necessary data for applying the model. The model was run for three years using daily data from an existing nearby meteorological station. The predicted and measured soil erosion rates for a 7‐month period were 0.31 t and 0.18 t, respectively. Application of the model to each mapping unit showed the over‐riding importance of land use for sediment generation under the given climatic conditions. Bare land, occupying 5.5% of the watershed area, generated up to 69% of the total sediments estimated for the watershed. It is concluded that the pesera model can be used as a regional diagnostic tool under a range of soil, topographic and climatic conditions for identifying the best land use type and vegetation cover to protect hilly areas from soil erosion. The calculated overall root mean square error for the model is 0.06 t ha^?1 yr^?1, compared to a soil erosion rate of 0.04 t ha^?1 yr^?1, which can be tolerated for protecting the area for the sea turtle.     

Evaluation of Corn Gluten Feed as a Dietary Ingredient for Pond-Raised Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus

Abstract.— This study was conducted to evaluate corn gluten feed as an alternative feedstuff in the diet of pond-raised channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus . Three 32%-protein diets containing 0%, 25%, or 50% corn gluten feed were tested. Channel catfish fingerlings (average weight: 57 g/fish) were stocked into 15 0.04-ha ponds at a rate of 18,530 fish/ha. Five ponds were used for each dietary treatment. Fish were fed to satiation once daily for a 147-d growing period. No differences were observed in feed consumption, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, survival, or fillet protein concentration among fish fed the test diets. Fish fed diets containing 25% and 50% corn gluten feed exhibited a lower level of visceral fat and a higher carcass yield than fish fed the control diet without corn gluten feed. The diet containing 50% corn gluten feed resulted in a lower level of fillet fat and a higher level of moisture than the control diet. There were no visible differences in the coloration of skin or fillet of channel catfish fed diets with and without corn gluten feed. Results from this study indicated that channel catfish can efficiently utilize corn gluten feed at levels up to 50%n without adverse effect on feed palatability, weight gain, or feed efficiency. Corn gluten feed may be beneficial in reducing fattiness of channel catfish and improving carcass yield by reducing the digestible energy to protein ratio of the diet.     

Flow cytometric analysis of intracellular complexity and CD45 expression for use in rapid differentiation of leukocytes in bovine blood samples.

OBJECTIVE: To develop an efficient and reliable method that accurately differentiates bovine lymphocytes from monocytes in leukograms. SAMPLE POPULATION: Blood samples from 30 healthy cows and 1 calf with bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency. PROCEDURE: Flow cytometric analysis of intracellular complexity and CD45 expression on bovine leukocytes was compared with results for conventional light microscopy methods. Verification of leukocyte subpopulations determined by intracellular complexity and CD45 expression was conducted, using 2-color phenotypic analysis with selected monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: The CD45 and side-scatter properties of bovine leukocytes clearly differentiated cell types, including neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This is a rapid assay that is simple to use. More importantly, it is more accurate than the conventional method that involves the use of blood slides and light microscopy, because of the ability of the assay to readily distinguish bovine monocytes and lymphocytes. Rapid preparation of samples and short analysis times allow for efficient and reliable examination of a large number of samples, and the task of viewing slides by light microscopy is eliminated. The labor-savings benefit of this procedure is most apparent in research environments that require frequent processing of batches of blood samples.     

Long-term variation in brown trout, Salmo trutta L., stocking success in a large lake: interplay between availability of suitable prey and size at release

Abstract –  Factors affecting long-term variation in brown trout, Salmo trutta L., stocking success were examined in a large lake, Lake Oulujärvi, in central Finland. Brown trout were stocked in spring (late May to early June) in 1974–1991 and in summer (late June to early July) in 1992–2001. The biomass of the vendace, Coregonus albula (L.), population (prey) at release time had the largest positive effect on stocking success within both periods: biomass of adult vendace in spring and both 0+ and adult vendace in summer. Increasing the size of stocked fish had a positive effect if the vendace available at release were only adults. The increasing trend of predator-catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) [combined CPUE of northern pike Esox lucius L., burbot Lota lota (L.), and pike-perch Stizostedion lucioperca (L.)] through the study period and its negative effect on trout stocking success suggested an increasing effect of predation within the entire time series.     

Fate of Escherichia coli and Escherichia coli O157 in soils and drainage water following cattle slurry application at 3 sites in southern Scotland

Abstract. Slurry from farm animals may contaminate water supplies, rivers and bathing waters with faecal coliforms, such as Escherichia coli . Where animals harbour the O157 strain the hazard to human health is particularly high, but both the hazard level, and the low incidence and sporadic nature of the excretion of E. coli O157 make it difficult to study this strain under field conditions. The survival of total E. coli and of E. coli O157 were compared in the laboratory for two soils under controlled temperature and moisture. E. coli O157 die-off rate was the same as or quicker than for total E. coli . This result meant that field experiments studying the fate of total E. coli should give a satisfactory evaluation of the risk of water contamination by the O157 strain. In four field experiments at three sites, slurry containing total E. coli numbers of 2.2 × 10⁴ to 5.7 × 10⁵ colony forming units per mL (c.f.u. mL^–1) was applied to drained field plots. Field die-off was faster than expected from laboratory experiments, especially in one experiment where two weeks dry weather followed application. In all but this experiment, the first drain flow events after slurry application led to very high E. coli concentrations in the drains (10³ to 10⁴ c.f.u. mL^–1). E. coli O157 was present in the slurry used for two of the experiments (33 c.f.u. per 100 mL in each case). However the proportion of E.coli O157 was very low (about 1 in 10⁵) and it was not detected in the drainage water. After the first week E. coli drainage water numbers decreased rapidly but they were 1–10 c.f.u. mL^–1 for much of the sampling period after slurry application (1–3 months).     

Vaccination of the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) against Mycobacterium bovis infection with bacille Calmette-Guérin: the response to multiple doses.

In New Zealand, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) is the principal wildlife vector of bovine tuberculosis. Control of infected possum populations contributes to the control of tuberculosis in domestic livestock. Vaccination is potentially a complementary strategy to population control, but to be cost-effective, administration of the vaccine to possums would need to be from an appropriately designed automatic vaccinator. Possums themselves would activate the vaccinator so that it would deliver an aerosol spray of vaccine. There would be no direct way to prevent possums receiving multiple doses of vaccine. This study examined the effect on protective immunity of repeated vaccination. Captive possums were vaccinated with BCG strain pasteur 1173P2 either 12 times at weekly intervals, twice at 6-weekly intervals, or once. Vaccination was by a combination of intranasal aerosol and conjunctival instillation. Eight weeks after the last dose of vaccine, all possums were challenged intratracheally with Mycobacterium bovis strain 83/6235. Vaccination induced a significant immune response as measured by the lymphocyte proliferation assay (LPA). A significant level of protection, as measured by the response to challenge, developed in all the vaccinated possum groups, but protection was greatest in the group vaccinated 12 times. It was concluded that protection would be enhanced if vaccinations were repeated at short intervals (weekly), but no benefit or detriment resulted from revaccination after longer intervals (1-2 months).