Giant mesocolic cystic lymphangioma: A treacherous prenatal presentation. Case report

International audienceCystic lymphangiomas are usually located in the neck region. Less frequently, they can be found in the abdomen. In those cases, pre and neonatal diagnosis is extremely difficult. We report on the case of a giant mesocolic cystic lymphangioma, diagnosed at birth, in a child who had been monitored during the prenatal period for what was believed to be a digestive dilatation. The progression was marked by excellent tolerance despite a complete lack of regression in the first 10 months of life. The authors discuss the prenatal signs that should suggest this diagnosis and an MRI, as well as management during the 1st year of life. (C) 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved

Farmyard manure improves phosphorus use efficiency in weathered P deficient soil

Crop production is limited by low soil fertility in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), particularly by P deficiency due to strong fixation by Fe and Al oxyhydroxides. Organic amendments are known to increase P availability in fertilizer and in such soils by different mechanisms. This study investigated the effect of adding farmyard manure (FYM) versus mineral triple super phosphate (TSP) fertilizer on P availability in different cropping systems. Field experiments were conducted in three succeeding summer seasons to compare two different upland cropping systems: a Bambara (Vigna subterranea)-rice rotation and a rice-rice system on a highly P deficient Ferralsol. Nine treatments including sole TSP at 0, 10, 20, 30 kg P ha(-1) year(-1), and sole FYM at 0, 10, 20, 30 kg P ha(-1) year(-1) (i.e. 100% FYM substitution), and combined FYM and TSP (FYM + TSP) at 20, 30 kg P ha(-1) year(-1) (i.e. 50% and 67% FYM substitution, respectively) were applied. Results showed that FYM treatments increased Bambara and rice grain yields compared to TSP treatment alone particularly in year three. Phosphorus uptake efficiency was higher in FYM treatments combined or not with TSP in year three of the experiment. The notable response to FYM was associated with increased agronomic efficiency resulting from additional C originating from the FYM with a low initial soil C content, (around 2%), and the effect of liming that reduced soil P sorption thereby improving P availability from FYM. Partial (67%) substitution of TSP by FYM increased grain yields of Bambara by 1.67 Mg ha(-1) and of rice by 1.01 Mg ha(-1) compared to TSP alone in year three at the highest P rate (30 kg P ha(-1)). The effect of FYM could be linked to inputs of C and nutrients from added FYM and to the indirect effect on soil physico-chemical properties including soil pH, soil moisture, soil biological activity, low P capacity sorption. This study confirms that application of FYM can help minimize rates of TSP applied in smallholder farms in SSA

Using the past to manage the future: the role of palaeoecological and long‐term data in ecological restoration

Global change in its various expressions has impacted the structure and function of ecosystems worldwide, compromising the provision of fundamental ecosystem services and creating a predicament for the societies that benefit from them. Restoration ecology plays a key role in securing ecological integrity and societal well-being, and hence represents a global priority. However, human perception seldom goes back to the beginning of significant ecosystem degradation, making ecosystem assessment and restoration practices difficult. Long-term data, historical records, and paleoecological information can increase our understanding of ecological responses to natural or anthropogenic impacts and can directly contribute to the understanding and design of effective restoration practices. Here, examples from different ecosystems (drylands, grasslands, shrublands, savannas, forests, coastal environments, and wetlands) brought together from around the world illustrate (1) how to develop appropriate restoration references under the current uncertain global change scenario; (2) how long-term perspectives on drivers of change can help to identify critical ecological elements, thus contributing to defining restoration goals; and (3) how to incorporate information from the past as guidance for present interventions and landscape management. The building of community and the specificity of paleoecological and historical records of ecological change over time will be key in facilitating the translation of long-term information into the living process of ecological restoration practice. © 2020 Society for Ecological Restoratio