Pharmacokinetics of thymoquinone in layer chickens following oral and intravenous administration

Thymoquinone (TQ) is the major constituent of Nigella sativa and known to possess a variety of pharmacological effects. This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profile of TQ following oral (PO) and intravenous (IV) administration in layer chickens. The layer chickens were equally divided into two groups (six chickens in each group, total 12 chickens), and TQ was administered via PO and IV routes. For PO route, the dose was 20 mg/kg b.w. and for IV route, 5 mg/kg b.w. was administered, respectively. A sensitive and accurate High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique was validated for the quantification of TQ from plasma. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.02 µg/ml and 0.05 µg/ml, respectively with >80% recovery. Maximum plasma concentration (C_max) following PO and IV administration was 8.805 and 4.497 µg/ml, respectively, while time to reach at maximum concentration (T_max) was 1 and 0.1 hr, respectively. The elimination half‐lives were recorded as 1.02 and 0.978 hr, whereas the mean residence times were 1.79 and 1.036 hr following both PO and IV administration, respectively. The 85% PO bioavailability was indicative that TQ could be used for various therapeutic purposes in layer chickens.     

小五台山亚高山草甸的群落特征及物种多样性

采用样带和样方相结合的方法沿海拔梯度取样,利用数量生态学方法对小五台山国家级自然保护区亚高山草甸群落进行分析。结果表明,1)双向指示种分析(TWINSPAN)将该区的草甸群落分为9个类型;2)RDA排序结果较好地反映出群落分布格局与环境梯度的关系,各个群落类型在前两轴分异明显;第一轴反映了群落分布格局与坡向、土壤温度、海拔、土壤厚度极显著相关(P0.01),与土壤湿度显著相关(P0.05);第二轴反映了群落分布格局与坡度、土壤厚度极显著相关(P0.01);3)环境因子的蒙特卡罗随机置换检验表明,坡向、海拔、坡度显著影响群落分布(P0.05),对植被类型的形成具有关键作用;4)草甸群落Patrick丰富度指数随着海拔的升高呈下降趋势,随着坡向值的增加、土壤温度的升高呈逐渐上升趋势;Shannon-Wiener多样性指数随土壤厚度的增大呈微小下降趋势;Pielou均匀度指数随着海拔的升高、土壤湿度的增大呈上升趋势,随着坡向值的增加、土壤温度的升高呈逐渐下降趋势;Simpson优势度指数随着坡度的增大表现出微小的下降趋势,随土壤厚度的增大呈上升趋势。     

Dynamics of organic carbon and nitrogen in deep soil profile and crop yields under long-term fertilization in wheat-maize cropping system

Soil organic carbon(SOC) and nitrogen(N) are two of the most important indicators for agricultural productivity. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the changes in SOC and N in the deep soil profile(up to 100 cm) and their relationships with crop productivity under the influence of long-term(since 1990) fertilization in the wheat-maize cropping system. Treatments included CK(control), NP(inorganic N and phosphorus(P) fertilizers), NPK(inorganic N, P and potassium fertilizers),...     

Interaction of soil microbial communities and phosphorus fractions under long-term fertilization in paddy soil

Understanding the impact of biological activities on the soil phosphorus (P) distribution under long-term fertilizer application can facilitate better soil P fertility management. Therefore, the primary objectives of this study were to investigate the effect of long-term (since 1981) fertilizer application on the soil P fractions and microbial community and to evaluate correlations between the microbial community structure and P distribution. The following treatments were implemented in a long-term field trial: no fertilization (CK), inorganic N and K (NK), inorganic P and K (PK), inorganic N, P and K (NPK) and manure+NPK (MNPK) fertilization. The study showed that the soil pH, soil organic carbon and total and available N and P concentrations were considerably higher in the MNPK treatment than in the CK treatment. The soil microbial biomass C, N and P concentrations were also significantly higher in the MNPK treatment than in the CK treatment. Among fertilization treatments, the β-1,4-glucosidase, α-1,4-glucosidase, urease, acid phosphatase and phosphodiesterase activities were the highest in the MNPK treatment. Compared to inorganic fertilization, the MNPK treatment increased the labile soil P fractions and decreased the residual soil P concentration. Continuous fertilization significantly affected the soil microbial composition. The total phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) concentrations in the NK, PK, NPK and MNPK treatments were 23.3, 43.1, 48.7 and 87.7% higher, respectively, than in the CK treatment. A significant correlation was observed between the microbial community and soil P fractions. Moreover, the aggregated boosted tree (ABT) model showed that among the various soil biochemical properties, the total PLFA concentration was the factor that most influenced the active P pool, accounting for 35.4% of the relative influence of all soil biochemical properties examined. These findings reveal that combined manure and inorganic fertilizer application is a better approach than applying inorganic fertilizer alone for sustaining long-term P fertility by mediating soil biological activity.     

Tillage practices improve rice yield and soil phosphorus fractions in two typical paddy soils

Journal of Soils and Sediments - This research was undertaken (I) to evaluate the status of phosphorus fractions in paddy soils in response to different tillage management practices under different...