Vegetation analysis in the Rawdhat Om Al-Khefas, Central Saudi Arabia

Abstract: Rawdhats are unique habitats in the hyper-arid region of Central Saudi Arabia. However, its vegetation is under constant threat of heavy anthropogenic activities. The present study identifies the major plant communities and gradients of plant compositional change within the Rawdhat Om AlKhefas. Classification and of vegetation data by TWINSPAN displayed seven clear vegetation groups, each with specific indicator species. The seven vegetation groups were confirmed by detrended correspondence analysis (DCA). The direct canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was used to assess the vegetation-soil relationships. The main soil variables controlling the separation of the vegetation groups on the first two axes of CCA are soil texture, pH and CaCO 3 . However, these factors contributed not more than 30.5% of total species data variances along the three axes of CCA. The tree layer represented by Acacia tortilis subsp. tortilis and Ziziphus nummularia is positively correlated with the proportion of soil silt and clay, while the communities characterized by Rhazya stricta, Lasiurus scindicus and Lycium shawii are positively correlated with the proportion of soil sand. The findings of this study suggests that the further research are needed to evaluate the human impact on the vegetation dynamics within the rawdhats

PHARMACOGNOSY AND NEW TRENDS OF B. PHARM SYLLABI

Objective: The Pharmacy profession has evolved from its conventional drug focused basis to an advanced patient focused basis over the years. Accordingly, many universities worldwide are modifying their Curricula in order to reflect this change.Methods: This paper investigates and compares the syllabi of B. Pharm for different Universities in Africa and Asia. Pharmacy Syllabi of the included Universities is presented in the form of Sectors, i.e. Pharmaceutical Sciences, Clinical Pharmacy, Biomedical, Training and University Requirements. Percentage analysis of credit hours allotted to courses of each Sector performed with special emphasis on courses of Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical Science in comparison to courses of Clinical Pharmacy.There is a substantial decrease in teaching hours of Pharmaceutical Sciences, particularly Pharmacognosy within the B. Pharm Curricula of some of the included Universities at the expense of including more courses in Clinical Pharmacy.Results: Pharmacists are scientists as well as clinicians, and basic science knowledge such as pharmaceutical sciences, give pharmacy graduates critical scientific foundations, in this regard, the reduction in pharmaceutical sciences content in a pharmacy curriculum may compromise the competence of pharmacy graduates, as the drug experts from the basic science level to the clinical level.Conclusion: The impact of reducing pharmaceutical science content, may compromise the Pharmacist ability to assume certain duties in the countries included in the study. This in consideration that Clinical Pharmacy is not widely practiced in the investigated countries and its application is limited compared to other job opportunities available for Pharmacy graduates of these countries such as Community Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Industries, marketing and sales and utilization of natural resources of medicinal plants by research and development units.Recommendations on how to avoid such decrease in teaching hours of Pharmaceutical Courses and fulfil the job requirements in the above countries are given

Cardiovascular, endocrine and behavioural responses to suckling and permanent separation in goats

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Suckling can be a peaceful or vulnerable event for goats and kids, whereas, separation is suggested as stressful. The aim of this study was to investigate physiology and behaviour in these two different situations in dairy goats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Four studies were performed with seven goats kept with their first-born kid in individual boxes. The goats were videotaped and heart rate and arterial blood pressure were recorded every minute by telemetry from parturition until 24 hours after separation. One to two days after parturition, Study 1 was performed with analyses of heart rate and blood pressure around a suckling. In Study 2, performed 3-5 days after parturition, blood sampling was done before, during and after suckling. Study 3 was performed 4-6 days post partum, with blood sampling before and after a permanent goat and kid separation. In addition, vocalisations were recorded after separation. Blood samples were obtained from a jugular vein catheter and analysed for plasma cortisol, β-endorphin, oxytocin, and vasopressin concentrations. Study 4 was performed during the first (N1) and second nights (N2) after parturition and the nights after Study 2 (N3) and 3 (N4). Heart rate, blood pressure and time spent lying down were recorded.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The kids suckled 2 ± 0.2 times per hour and each suckling bout lasted 43 ± 15 s. In Study 1, heart rate and blood pressure did not change significantly during undisturbed suckling. In Study 2, plasma cortisol (P ≤ 0.05 during suckling and P ≤ 0.01 five minutes after suckling) and β-endorphin (P ≤ 0.05) concentrations increased during suckling, but oxytocin and vasopressin concentrations did not change. In Study 3, the goats and kids vocalised intensively during the first 20 minutes after separation, but the physiological variables were not affected. In Study 4, heart rate and arterial blood pressure declined gradually after parturition and were lowest during N4 (P ≤ 0.05) when the goats spent longer time lying down than during earlier nights (P ≤ 0.01 during N1 and N3 and P ≤ 0.05 during N2).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Suckling elevated plasma cortisol and β-endorphin concentrations in the goats. The intensive vocalisation in the goats after separation, earlier suggested to indicate stress, was not accompanied by cardiovascular or endocrine responses.</p

Medicinal and ethnoveterinary remedies of hunters in Trinidad

BACKGROUND: Ethnomedicines are used by hunters for themselves and their hunting dogs in Trinidad. Plants are used for snakebites, scorpion stings, for injuries and mange of dogs and to facilitate hunting success. RESULTS: Plants used include Piper hispidum, Pithecelobium unguis-cati, Bauhinia excisa, Bauhinia cumanensis, Cecropia peltata, Aframomum melegueta, Aristolochia rugosa, Aristolochia trilobata, Jatropha curcas, Jatropha gossypifolia, Nicotiana tabacum, Vernonia scorpioides, Petiveria alliacea, Renealmia alpinia, Justicia secunda, Phyllanthus urinaria,Phyllanthus niruri,Momordica charantia, Xiphidium caeruleum, Ottonia ovata, Lepianthes peltata, Capsicum frutescens, Costus scaber, Dendropanax arboreus, Siparuma guianensis, Syngonium podophyllum, Monstera dubia, Solanum species, Eclipta prostrata, Spiranthes acaulis, Croton gossypifolius, Barleria lupulina, Cola nitida, Acrocomia ierensis (tentative ID). CONCLUSION: Plant use is based on odour, and plant morphological characteristics and is embedded in a complex cultural context based on indigenous Amerindian beliefs. It is suggested that the medicinal plants exerted a physiological action on the hunter or his dog. Some of the plants mentioned contain chemicals that may explain the ethnomedicinal and ethnoveterinary use. For instance some of the plants influence the immune system or are effective against internal and external parasites. Plant baths may contribute to the health and well being of the hunting dogs

Survey on camel husbandry in Qassim region, Saudi Arabia : herding strategies, productivity and mortality

A small survey was carried out on 38 camel herds in Qassim region of Saudi Arabia to study production and reproduction parameters, herding strategies, offtake and constraints to camel production. The study also recorded the rate and causes of mortality in the surveyed herds over one year. Four distinct herding strategies were discovered. Type one herders were companies or merchants who kept large herds (mean = 1260 camels) in semi-intensive operations and who marketed milk, meat and young camels on a regular basis. Type two herders were unspecialized merchants who kept medium-sized herds (mean = 86 camels) for family use without apparent commercial benefit. The third type of herders consisted of pastoralists or agropastoralists who kept smaller herds (mean = 14 camels) always with other animals (mainly sheep and goats, and occasionally cattle). Type four herders were classical camel merchants who also kept a relatively small group of camels (mean = 17 camels) in a feedlot for sale at a profit at the first opportunity. The calving rate was 68%, the mean age at first calving was four years and four months and the mean intercalving interval was 20 months. The highest mortality was recorded in the period from birth to one year of age and averaged 17% in all the data. In large commercial herds, an additional age group with high mortality was the two- to three-year-old females in which up to 9% mortality was recorded. Most of the male camels were sold for meat at around one year of age and only 4.3% males remained in the herds

Evaluation of Drugs Used in the Control of Stressful Stimuli in Domestic Animals: a Review

There is no universal agreement on what constitutes a stressful stimulus in animals, methods of quantifying the animal response, or the ways by which stress can be ameliorated or prevented. The effect of certain drugs on the clinical, biochemical, hormonal and other changes induced by various stressful stimuli in domestic animals is evaluated. The drugs reviewed include: sedatives that are adrenergic agonists and antagonists (such as xylazine, prazosin and acepromazine) dopamine, benzodiazepines (such as diazepam), opioid agonists (such as morphine), central nervous depressants (such as barbiturates), drugs with hormonal effects (such as metyrapone) and dietary substances (such as magnesium aspartate, tyrosine and ascorbic acid). Most of these drugs are effective, to different degrees, in ameliorating some aspects of the changes induced by the stressful stimuli. Despite their different and often opposing mechanisms of action, they appear to antagonise one or more of the various aspects of the stress response. This is a reflection of the complexity of the stressful responses. The use of drugs to ameliorate or prevent animal stress is ethically important, and may also be of use in improving our understanding of the complex physiological and behavioural aspects of stress. However, from a welfare point of view, the use of vitamins, amino acids and other dietary substances may provide a less expensive, and thus more readily available, alternative to other anti-stress drugs, if they can be shown to remove or, at least, mitigate a harmful consequence of the stress response. There may be also fewer side effects. Animal stress, anti-stressor drugs, welfare aspects The welfare of animals during periods that can inflict stress (such as transport, crowding, extreme ambient temperatures) has recently been highlighted (e.g. Warr is 1995

Tissue and intracellular distribution of rhodanese and mercaptopyruvate sulphurtransferase in ruminants and birds

Cyanide detoxification is catalysed by two enzymes: rhodanese [thiosulphate: cyanide sulphurtransferase, E.C. 2.8.1.1], and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulphurtransferase [3-MST, EC. 2.8.1.2]. In the present work, the activity of the two enzymes in the crude extracts of different tissues and in the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions of tissues from some ruminants (camels, cattle and sheep) and birds (chickens and pigeons) have been compared. Rhodanese activity was almost exclusively present in the mitochondrial fraction. In ruminants and chickens the highest activity of rhodanese was found in the liver, followed by the kidney. In pigeons, however, the enzyme activity was the highest in the kidneys. In camels' tissues, the rhodanese activity was significantly ($P < 0.05$) lower than in cattle or sheep, and the enzyme activities in the two latter species were similar. The activity of 3-MST in the crude extract of tissues from camels was similar to that in sheep, but higher than that in cattle. The enzyme activity was equally distributed between the mitochondrial and cytosolic fractions in the liver and kidneys of camels, cattle and sheep.Distribution tissulaire et intracellulaire du rhodanese et du mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransférase chez les ruminants et les oiseaux. La détoxication du cyanure est catalysée par deux enzymes : le rhodanese [thiosulfate : sulfurtransférase de cyanure, E 2.8.1.1], et le 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransférase [3-MST, EC. 2.8.1.2]. Dans cette étude, l'activité de deux enzymes dans les extraits bruts de différents tissus, et dans les fractions mitochondriales et cytosoliques de tissus provenant de ruminants (chameaux, bovins et moutons) et d'oiseaux (poulets et pigeons) a été comparée. L'activité du rhodanese était presque exclusivement présente dans la fraction mitochondriale. Chez les ruminants et les poulets, la plus forte activité du rhodanese a été trouvée dans le foie, suivi par le rein. Cependant, chez le pigeon, l'activité enzymatique la plus forte a été détectée dans le rein. Dans les tissus du chameau, l'activité du rhodanese était significativement ($P < 0,05$) plus faible que chez le bovin et le mouton, et les activités enzymatiques chez ces deux dernières espèces étaient similaires. L'activité du 3-MST dans les extraits bruts de tissus de chameaux était similaire à celle trouvée chez le mouton, mais plus élevée que chez le bovin. L'activité enzymatique était distribuée de façon équivalente entre les fractions mitochondriales et cytosoliques dans le foie et le rein des chameaux, bovins et moutons