Nutritive value of Atriplex deserticola and Salicornia forage for ruminants

Two experiments using lambs were conducted to obtain additional information on the potential nutritional value of halophyte forages for ruminants. In experiment one, Salicornia bigevolii Torr. planted in mid-March and harvested at three dates (July, August and September) replaced wheat straw (30%) in a 65% forage diet. Nutrient composition and digestibility of Salicornia forage declined with advancing maturity. Forage from the July cutting was superior to wheat straw, while that from later cuttings was approximately equal to straw. In experiment two, digestion coefficients were lower when Atriplex deserticola replaced 50% of the alfalfa hay in a 70% roughage diet. Even when all of the alfalfa hay was replaced using a mixture of 85% Atriplex barclayana and 15% Atriplex deserticola consumption by lambs was not adversely affected. It is concluded that Salicornia bigevolii and Atriplex deserticola have potential as feedstuff for ruminants, especially in geographical areas where conventional feedstuffs are not available

A comparison of fruit removal in Ficus colubrinae between birds and Ectophylla alba (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) in a Costa Rican rain forest

Ectophylla alba almost exclusively feeds on the fruits of Ficus colubrinae therefore significantly contributing to dispersal of its seeds. The objective of this research was to quantify the fruit removal of F. colubrinae by E. alba and compare it with that of birds in a F. colubrinae tree at the La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We established seven quadrats randomly at different heights of the tree. We took photographs of each quadrat, quantified the fruits in each photograph, and compared the number of fruits removed during periods of high and low activity. The on-site persistence time of birds (9:05 min) was higher than that of E. alba (0.32 s). Birds removed more fruits (46) than E. alba (41). Birds defecated on site more times (13.08 feces per day) than E. alba (7.5 feces per day). Thus, E. alba is a more important seed disperser of F. colubrinae than are birds, because it persisted a short time at the feeding site, and consumed food beyond the individual trees’ canopies. Most importantly, by defecating during flight or away from the fruiting tree, E. alba disperse seeds some distance from the F. colubrinae tree, thereby contributes more effectively toward seed dispersal.Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Costa Rica.Universidad Estatal de Portland, Estados Unidos.Universidad Técnica Nacional, Costa Rica.Instituto Internacional en Conservación y Manejo de Vida Silvestr

Mexican registry of pediatric cardiac surgery. First report

Background: Currently, there is a spreading worldwide tendency to characterize health issues and to propose alternative solutions via the creation of computerized databases. The aim of this study was to present the results in a computerized database of pediatric cardiac surgeries developed under the auspices of the Mexican Association of Specialists in Congenital Heart Diseases (Asociación Mexicana de Especialistas en Cardiopatías Congénitas A.C) and coordinated by the collegiate group of Pediatric Cardiology and Surgery as petitioned by the National Institutes of Health and High Specialty Hospitals Coordinating Commission. Methods: We analyzed all cases registered in the database during a 1-year observation period (August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2012) by all major Health Ministry-dependent institutes and hospitals offering surgical services related to pediatric cardiopathies to the non-insured population. Results: Seven institutions participated voluntarily in completing the database. During the analyzed period, 943 surgeries in 880 patients with 7% reoperations (n = 63) were registered. Thirty-eight percent of the surgeries were performed in children <1 year of age. The five most common cardiopathies were patent ductus arteriosus (n = 96), ventricular septal defect (n = 86), tetralogy of Fallot (n = 72), atrial septal defect (n = 68), and aortic coarctation (n = 54). Ninety percent of surgeries were elective and extracorporeal circulation was used in 62% of surgeries. Global mortality rate was 7.5% with the following distribution in the RACHS-1 score categories: 1 (n = 4, 2%), 2 (n = 19, 6%), 3 (n = 22, 8%), 4 (n = 12, 19%), 5 (n = 1, 25%), 6 (n = 6, 44%), and non-classifiable (n = 2, 9%). Conclusions: This analysis provides a representative view of the surgical practices in cardiovascular diseases in the pediatric population at the national non-insured population level. However, incorporating other health institutions to the national registry database will render a more accurate panorama of the national reality in surgical practices in the population <18 years of age