Survival and growth responses of Jatropha curcas L. to three restoration techniques on degraded soils in Burkina Faso

Land degradation is a major problem in the Sahelian countries. Erosion control through establishment of vegetation cover is at important strategy to reverse the trend. Our research objective was to analyse the e-ffects of three restoration techniques on Jatropha curcas L. seedlings growth and survivorship. Were conducted two separate field trials, involving the sowing and planting of J. curcas, in which several different soil restoration techniques were applied. The trial was monitored using a ran-domized block study design over a period of two years. The design included ten different treatments, six in the sowing trial and four in the planting trial, each with three replicates. In the first experiment, growth rate was found to be significantly higher in the Sub-Soiling treatment, that received additional organic matter than other treatments. However, overall survival rate was low (18%). In the second experiment, the Half-moon treatment yielded a significantly higher growth both in height (df = 3, F = 56.74, p < 0.05) and diameter (df = 3, F = 31.76, p < 0.05) and survival rate compared to those of the other treatments (df = 3, F = 50.4, p < 0.05). In conclusion, planting seedlings produced a greater survival rate than sowing seeds. Among tested the soil restoration and water conservation techniques the Half-moon technique was found as the most effective. This is recommended to be used for improving the revegetation of J. curcas in the future

Hypertensive disorders in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy: insights from the ESC EORP PPCM Registry

Aims: Hypertensive disorders occur in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). How often hypertensive disorders co-exist, and to what extent they impact outcomes, is less clear. We describe differences in phenotype and outcomes in women with PPCM with and without hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Methods: The European Society of Cardiology PPCM Registry enrolled women with PPCM from 2012-2018. Three groups were examined: 1) women without hypertension (‘PPCM-noHTN’); 2) women with hypertension but without pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-HTN’); 3) women with pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-PE’). Maternal (6-month) and neonatal outcomes were compared. Results: Of 735 women included, 452 (61.5%) had PPCM-noHTN, 99 (13.5%) had PPCM-HTN and 184 (25.0%) had PPCM-PE. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had more severe symptoms (NYHA IV in 44.4% and 29.9%, p&lt;0.001), more frequent signs of heart failure (pulmonary rales in 70.7% and 55.4%, p=0.002), higher baseline LVEF (32.7% and 30.7%, p=0.005) and smaller left ventricular end diastolic diameter (57.4mm [±6.7] and 59.8mm [±8.1], p&lt;0.001). There were no differences in the frequencies of death from any cause, re-hospitalization for any cause, stroke, or thromboembolic events. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had a greater likelihood of left ventricular recovery (LVEF≥50%) (adjusted OR 2.08 95% CI 1.21-3.57) and an adverse neonatal outcome (composite of termination, miscarriage, low birth weight or neonatal death) (adjusted OR 2.84 95% CI 1.66-4.87). Conclusion: Differences exist in phenotype, recovery of cardiac function and neonatal outcomes according to hypertensive status in women with PPCM