Prospective use of collected fog water in the restoration of degraded burned areas under dry Mediterranean conditions

A mountainous plot located in the interior of the Valencia region (east coast of the Iberian Peninsula) was identified for reforestation using the fog-water collection potential prevailing in the area. Fog data were obtained by means of an instrument ensemble consisting of a passive cylindrical fog-water collector, a rain gauge, a wind direction and velocity sensor and a temperature and humidity probe. Preliminary results gave rise to the additional deployment of a low-cost 18-m² flat-panel collector connected to three 1000-l tanks for larger scale fog-water collection and storage. The 2007 annual rate of fog water that could be derived from the instrument ensemble amounted to 3.3 l/m²/day, which turn out to fill up the storage tanks completely in only 5 months, even though the flat-panel collector could not be operative 100% of the time. The study made use of the in situ stored water and a micro-irrigation network to irrigate a plot of reforestation seedlings through small water pulses localized deep in the planting hole during the summer dry period. Until the present, this forest location had always shown a difficult self-recovery due to the high level of land degradation resulting from recurrent forest fires in the past. Results indicate that survival rates and seedling performance of the two species planted, Pinus pinaster and Quercus ilex, improved with the use of small timely waterings and additional treatments with composted biosolid.     

Atypical ocular Chelonoid herpesvirus manifestations in a captive Loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)

A captive loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) of unknown sex, 3 years of age, presented with bilateral mucoid secretions, severe chemosis, conjunctival hyperemia, and globe retraction. The animal was evaluated ophthalmologically and systemically, and hematological, microbiological, and conjunctival cytological and biopsy samples were collected for complementary diagnosis. The histopathological examination showed amphophilic intranuclear inclusions associated with severe inflammatory infiltrate. The diagnosis of Chelonid alphaherpesvirus 5 (ChAHV 5) was confirmed with end point PCR. Following systemic treatment with L‐lysine, acyclovir and vitamin A, the ocular signs resolved. No amphophilic intranuclear inclusions were seen in a follow‐up biopsy 5 months later, and there has been no recurrence of clinical ophthalmic signs during a 4‐year follow‐up. It is suggested that ChAHV 5 be considered as a differential diagnosis in captive marine turtles that present for conjunctival disease other than fibropapillomatosis.     

In Vitro Colonic Fermentation and Glycemic Response of Different Kinds of Unripe Banana Flour

This work aimed to study the in vitro colonic fermentation profile of unavailable carbohydrates of two different kinds of unripe banana flour and to evaluate their postprandial glycemic responses. The unripe banana mass (UBM), obtained from the cooked pulp of unripe bananas (Musa acuminata, Nanicão variety), and the unripe banana starch (UBS), obtained from isolated starch of unripe banana, plantain type (Musa paradisiaca) in natura, were studied. The fermentability of the flours was evaluated by different parameters, using rat inoculum, as well as the glycemic response produced after the ingestion by healthy volunteers. The flours presented high concentration of unavailable carbohydrates, which varied in the content of resistant starch, dietary fiber and indigestible fraction (IF). The in vitro colonic fermentation of the flours was high, 98% for the UBS and 75% for the UBM when expressed by the total amount of SCFA such as acetate, butyrate and propionate in relation to lactulose. The increase in the area under the glycemic curve after ingestion of the flours was 90% lower for the UBS and 40% lower for the UBM than the increase produced after bread intake. These characteristics highlight the potential of UBM and UBS as functional ingredients. However, in vivo studies are necessary in order to evaluate the possible benefic effects of the fermentation on intestinal health.     

Nodular trombiculinosis caused by Apolonia tigipioensis, Torres and Braga (1938), in an ostrich (Struthio camelus) and a house sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Nodular trombiculinosis has been reported in Brazil in chickens [Torres, S., Braga, W., 1939. Apolonia tigipioensis, g. e sp. n. (Trombiculinae) parasito de Gallus gallus dom. Chave para determinação de gêneros. Boletim da S.A.I.C. 4, 37–44] and humans [Carneiro, L.S., 1952. Uma nova acaríase humana—Contribuição ao seu estudo. Imprensa Industrial, Recife. Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Recife, Tese Livre Docência, p. 56]. In this report, a juvenile ostrich and a house sparrow, both originating from a riverside property in the town of Petrolina in the state of Pernambuco, presented 87 and eight nodules, respectively, on various locations of their bodies. Physical expression of the nodules liberated parasites that were morphologically identified as mites from the family Trombiculidae. The mites were further identified as Apolonia tigipioensis by the presence of an elongated body form and transversely striated, three pairs of long legs each with seven segments, primary coxae with a single seta, each tarsus terminating with three claws, and a scutum with an anteromedian projection and paired anteromedian setae. Histopathologic examination of skin biopsies from these birds, stained with hematoxilin–eosin, revealed acute parasitic cystic lymphoplasmacytic dermatitis.