Relationship between a plant-based ‘vegan’ pet food and clinical manifestation of multiple nutrient deficiencies in two cats

A topical subject in human nutrition is the steadily growing number of people choosing to limit or completely avoid all animal-derived food products either for moral dilemma, health concerns or both. To meet people's will of applying their dietary choices to their domestic animals, the pet food industry answered by launching on the market some plant-based diets. This leads to concerns about whether these diets are adequately formulated to satisfy the target species nutritional requirements, especially for cats which are still considered strict carnivores. This case report follows a 2-year-old male neutered Main Coon and a 1-year-old female spayed Domestic Shorthair cat, presented to the nutrition service of the University of Toulouse, France. Reason for consultation was lethargy with in anamnesis a recent dietary transition to a plant-based pet food. Dysorexia, lethargy and muscle waste were present at first consultation. Progressive weight loss developed during follow-ups. A macrocytic, non-regenerative anaemia with serum folates below reference were the main clinical features. Analysis of pet food showed multiple nutrients below minimum recommendation at the average daily intake of both cats. Folic acid supplementation improved dysorexia, and subsequent reintroduction of animal-derived ingredients in the diet restored appetite, weight and a normal mentation in both cases.     

南方早熟砂梨缺镁黄叶症诊断与矫治

通过对福建省德化县早熟砂梨“黄叶病株”及“正常植株”叶片及土壤的营养诊断分析：黄叶病株叶片平均含镁量0.131%,极显著低于正常植株0.328%;黄叶症较重的果园土壤交换态镁含量低12.6～24.5㎎/㎏及土壤酸性强pH3.6～4.5,诊断结论砂梨叶片黄化现象为镁素缺乏所致。矫治试验效果,叶面喷施1%硝酸镁3次,可以叶色转绿;12月份土壤基施钙镁磷肥株1.3 kg,翌年5月份后有明显矫治效果。     

Phosphorus saturation in soils and groundwaters

On average, crops require about 30 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹ of P in humid regions. in some regions fertilizer and manure are applied in amounts that exceed this. the surplus of P in agricultural areas is about 20-45 kg ha⁻¹ y⁻¹. This implies an accumulation of P. the surplus of P estimated from the balance of agricultural soils of industrialized countries in Europe in the last four decades is between 800 and more than 1500 kg ha⁻¹ although this distribution is not even. Phosphorus accumulation is more than one order of magnitude higher than average in areas with intensive livestock farming. Consequently, The application of high levels of manure exceed the capacity of the soil to store P. This implies that P saturation May, pose a problem. Indeed, about half of the Dutch sandy soils (approximately 300 000 ha) are currently considered to be saturated with P, meaning that there is a hazard of P leaching to groundwaters in the future. Assuming current phosphate application rates, phosphate leaching is a distinct possibility over a period of decades to a century. Vulnerable areas are soils with high inputs, low sorption capacities for P, high water-tables and a low retention time for water. the possible consequence is a time-delayed increase of eutrophication of surface waters (lakes, rivers and the sea) caused by a diffuse load of P in the few next decades. Modelling the influence of different agricultural strategies shows that accumulation of P would not increase further only if the use of P increases by an amount that compensates for the increased inputs. It is proposed to change the current support system of agriculture by installing a system of financial incentives and taxes which seek to promote nutrient balances for each farm.     

蜜柚果实养分分配规律及与汁胞品质的关系

研究蜜柚果实中养分分配规律及与汁胞品质的关系,以期为改善蜜柚品质及柚园养分管理提供科学依据。随机取54个0.60-1.50 kg柚果,将果实分为黄皮层、白皮层、囊衣和汁胞等4个部位取样,分析各部位全氮（N）、全磷（P）、全钾（K）、可溶性氮（包括NH4+-N、NO3--N和氨基酸态氮（AA-N））和可溶性磷（SP）的浓度及汁胞中可溶性固形物（TSS）和可滴定酸（TA）的含量等指标。蜜柚果实中氮磷钾分配比例为（8.60±1.66）：（1.00±0.02）：（8.55±1.08）;其中,氮主要分配在黄皮层,磷主要分配在汁胞,钾在各部位分配相近。果实中可溶性N占TN的19.35% ± 2.67%,以AA-N为主;其中AA-N：NO3--N：NH4+-N分别为：15.45% ± 0.70%,2.55 ± 0.08%和1.35 ± 1.89%,并且NO3--N主要分配在白皮层,NH4+-N主要在汁胞,AA-N在各部位分配相近。果实中,SP含量约为全磷的10.63% ± 0.09%,主要分配在汁胞。相关分析发现,固酸比（TSS/TA）与SP极显著正相关,与NH4+-N显著负相关。果实中N、P、K及其可溶性形态在各部位分配的规律不同,建议遵循“高氮、低磷、高钾”的原则进行科学施肥。养分分配显著影响果实品质,其中SP浓度可能是影响汁胞固酸比的主要因素。     

氮磷不同配比施肥对加工番茄生长及产量的影响

配方施肥明显改善了加工番茄的生长,增加了植株分枝数、单株坐果数和单果重,对提高加工番茄的产量有显著效果;过多的氮肥投入反而影响番茄的产量.结果表明:N:P2O5=1:1,投肥总量为施纯N 1.073～1.38 kg/hm2,P2O50.981～1.38 kg/hm2,产量和效益最佳.     

日粮缺锌对猪血液生理生化指标及组织锌,铜含量的影响

用Ｃａ∶Ｚｎ为６０∶１、３３０∶１和５１６∶１的３种日粮分别饲喂３组仔猪１２０ｄ,对试验猪的临床症状和部分血液生理生化指标的变化进行了动态观察,并测定了试验猪１２种组织的锌、铜含量。结果表明,血液白细胞数和血清碱性磷酸酶,试验Ｂ组（Ｃａ∶Ｚｎ为５１６∶１）与对照组（Ｃａ∶Ｚｎ为６０∶１）之间有显著差异（Ｐ＜０．０５）;试验Ａ、Ｂ组猪（Ｃａ∶Ｚｎ为３３０∶１和５１６∶１）被毛锌含量、肝锌含量和肝铜锌比极显著低于对照组（Ｐ＜０．０１）。这些指标对于仔猪缺锌的早期诊断具有重要的诊断价值。     

高钙日粮对蛋鸡生产性能及出壳雏体内锌含量的影响

生长期日粮钙>3.11%,可使蛋鸡性成熟期明显延缓,开产日龄推迟;其蛋锌及子代出壳雏血锌和多数组织锌含量明显降低,但胚胎及出壳雏鸡未见畸变.出壳雏血锌含量能反映体内锌状态,可作为其评价指标.产蛋期高钙(6.11%)或低钙(0.83%)日粮均可使产蛋性能及孵化率降低.     

Canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency: presence of the Cys36Ser beta-2 integrin mutation in an affected US Irish Setter cross-breed dog and in US Irish Red and White Setters

Canine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (CLAD) is a primary immunodeficiency disease characterized by recurrent bacterial infections in the presence of marked leukocytosis. The disease was 1st described in the mid-1980s in a cross-breed Irish Setter Dog in the United States. It results from a defective beta-2 subunit of heterodimeric leukocyte adhesion proteins. The causative mutation for CLAD in Irish Setter Dogs from Europe has been identified as a missense mutation at base pair position 107 in the beta-2 integrin subunit gene (ITGB2) that results in an amino acid change from cysteine to serine at amino acid 36 (Cys36Ser) in the beta-2 integrin subunit protein. In the current work, the originally described dog with CLAD has been genetically tested and shown to have the same mutation as the European Irish Setters. This suggests that the mutation has been in the Irish Setter population for many generations spanning more than 2 decades. A related breed, the Irish Red and White Setter, has a history of interbreeding with Irish Setters and shares a common ancestry with the Irish Setter breed. DNA from Irish Red and White Setters residing in the United States was screened either by sequencing or by the newly developed restriction enzyme test for the Irish Setter Cys36Ser CLAD mutation. Seven of 54 dogs tested (13%) were found to be carriers of the Irish Setter CLAD mutation. Five of these were directly related to a sire from the UK, demonstrating the importation of an allele from another continent and establishing the need for genetic testing in this breed in the United States.     

Therapeutic Efficacy of Zinc Sulphate Used in Clustered Model Treatment in Alleviating Zinc Deficiency in Cattle and Its Effect on Hormones,Vitamins and Production Parameters

A survey was conducted in 10 districts of northern India. Significant deficiency of zinc was observed in soil, fodders and (cattle) serum samples. The animals showed typical signs of zinc deficiency, namely stiff gait, swelling of hocks and knees, subcutaneous fluid accumulation, rough coat, etc. of variable intensity. A clustered model therapeutic trial was conducted and zinc-deficient cattle were divided into three groups. Group A was provided with mineral mixture containing zinc sulphate. Group B was given mineral mixture without zinc sulphate and group C was given no mineral mixture. Significant improvement (p < 0.01) was observed in the haemoglobin (Hb), total white blood cells (WBC) and total erythrocyte count (TEC) levels at the 7th day of treatment in the animals of group A. Significant improvement in enzyme serum alkaline phosphatase (SAP) was observed in group A animals at the 7th day, while improvement in asparatate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and ceruloplasmin (Cp) was observed after 21 days of treatment. Regarding hormones, significant improvement was observed in thyroxine (T₃) and triiodothyronine (T₄), oestrogen and progesterone in group A animals within 14 days of treatment. The values of vitamin A showed a highly significant (p < 0.01) improvement within 7 days of treatment in group A animals and that of vitamin E on the 21 st day of treatment. The milk yield of lactating cattle and body weight of growing calves in group A showed highly significant (p < 0.01) increases at about 14 and 30 days, respectively. It is concluded that zinc sulphate supplementation is highly effective in alleviating zinc deficiency and improving various biochemical and production parameters in cattle. The clustered model treatment provides a better indicator of the most limiting element under field conditions where simultaneous deficiency of various minerals is prevalent.     

Mass balanced based LCA of a common carp-lettuce aquaponics system

An aquaponics system (AS) is an integrated system that combines a recirculating aquaculture system and a hydroponics system (HS). It is designed to recover nutrients released from fish and transfer them to plants to provide a system more environmentally-friendly than the two systems working separately. As a result, several AS are under development, but little information is available about their overall performances. The aim of this study was to assess nutrient-use efficiency and environmental impacts of an AS, specifically a common carp-lettuce AS located in a greenhouse. Nutrient budgets of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were calculated and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was performed for the AS and for a lettuce Individual Hydroponics System (IHS), similar to the HS of the AS, operating in the greenhouse at the same time. The experiment was performed over a 52-day cycle, which corresponds to the growing time required to harvest marketable lettuce. The nutrient budgets were well balanced, with 24.6% of the N unaccounted-for, most likely due to N2 gas emission, and 6.6% of the P unaccounted-for, most likely due to having underestimated the quantity of sediment. At the beginning of the experiment, N represented 55.9%, 37.1% and 0.1% of the total N input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, N represented 47.6% and 0.4% of the total N input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. At the beginning of the experiment, P represented 56.94%, 40.20% and 0.03% of the total P input in the formulated feed, stocked fish and lettuce seedlings, respectively. At the end of the experiment, P represented 51.52% and 0.42% of the total P input in the harvested fish and lettuce, respectively. LCA clearly indicated two environmental impact hotspots: the origin of nutrients and energy use. One kg of lettuce growth in the AS clearly had lower environmental impacts than that in the IHS for climate change, acidification, eutrophication, land competition and cumulative energy demand; however, a decrease in water dependence was not observed. The indicator for net primary production use highlighted the dependence of the AS on natural resources, especially fish meal and fish oil. Compared to the use of chemical nutrients in the IHS, the use of nutrients from formulated feed in the AS decreased climate change impact but increased the use of natural resources.