Fractionation of phosphorus in soils amended with poultry manure co-composted with sugarcane and cabbage wastes / Fracionamento de fósforo em solos corrigidos com esterco de aves co-compostado com resíduos de cana de açúcar e repolho

Organic waste recycling is a viable option for reducing energy usage, volume of landfills, air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and preserving natural resources for future use. Composting is an easy and natural bio-degradation process that converts organic wastes into available nutrients for plants. We studied the changes in phosphorus (P) fractions in soils amended with poultry manure co-composted with sugarcane and cabbage wastes. The compost was applied to sandy clay and silt loam soils at 10 and 20 t ha-1. Soils were then incubated at room temperature for 8 weeks when mineralization was expected and analyzed for extractable P fractions. The P fractions in the soils varied in the order HCl-P (Ca+Mg-bound) > H2O-P (water soluble) > NaHCO3-P (readily plant-available P) > NaOH-P (Fe+Albound) and the fractions increased significantly as compost application rates increased and decreased as the amount of sugarcane and cabbage wastes in the compost increased. Phosphorus was less concentrated in the compost containing CW than that containing SW and was higher in sandy clay than silty loam soil. The overall results showed that composting reduced the bio-availability of P from poultry litter and would be beneficial for optimizing P fertility in soil and minimizing losses to the environment.

A reciclagem de resíduos orgânicos é uma opção viável para reduzir o uso de energia, o volume de aterros sanitários, a poluição do ar e da água, as emissões de gases de efeito estufa e a preservação dos recursos naturais para uso futuro. A compostagem é um processo fácil e natural de biodegradação que converte resíduos orgânicos em nutrientes disponíveis para plantas. Estudamos as alterações nas frações de fósforo (P) em solos alterados com esterco de aves de capoeira co-compostada com resíduos de cana de açúcar e repolho. O composto foi aplicado em solos arenosos, argilosos e limosos com 10 e 20 t ha-1. Os solos foram então incubados à temperatura ambiente durante 8 semanas quando a mineralização era esperada e analisada para as frações de P extraíveis. As frações de P nos solos variaram na ordem HCl- P (Ca + Mg-bound) > H2O-P (solúvel em água) > NaHCO3-P ( P prontamente disponível para a planta) > NaOH-P (Fe + Al-bound) e as frações aumentaram significativamente à medida que as taxas de aplicação de composto aumentaram e diminuíram à medida que aumentou a quantidade de resíduos de cana de açúcar e de repolho na compostagem. O fósforo estava menos concentrado no composto contendo CW do que o que continha SW e era mais alto em argila arenosa do que o solo limoso. Os resultados globais mostraram que a compostagem reduziu a biodisponibilidade do P vindo do lixo de aves de capoeira e seria benéfica para otimizar a fertilidade do P no solo e minimizar as perdas para o meio ambiente.

Phytochemistry of Daphne oleoides.

Genus Daphne belongs to the Thymelaeaceae family and consists of 70 species. Its various species exist in Europe, Philippine Islands, temperate and subtropical Asia, North Africa, Australia and Pacific. In Pakistan, Daphne is represented by three species. Our focused Daphne oleoides is widely found in diverse climatic conditions from northern cold to central hot regions which creates a rich diversity and novelty in biosynthetic levels of its chemical constituents and hence is a great opportunity. Daphne oeloides is a proven rich source of a variety of unique and interesting nature-made skeletons with a wide range of therapeutic properties. D. oleoides possesses effective therapeutic properties, therefore, has been used in herbal medicines and is still being used to treat various diseases. The modern research by various groups, including ourselves, has resulted in the isolation of a number of natural molecules including some novel tris- and bis- coumarins, daphnane diterpenoids and lignoids. Therefore, due to novelty and richness of the nature-made molecules, and their therapeutic potential combined with our significant work on D. oleoides, this report covers chemical constituents isolated from D. oleoides. The pharmacological activities of the isolated compounds and use of this species in folk medicine have also been reviewed.

Prevalence of asthma and allergic rhinitis among school children of Karachi, Pakistan, 2007.

In recent times, the incidence of allergic diseases, particularly bronchial asthma, has been increasing worldwide. However, there appears to be no published data on the prevalence of allergic diseases among school children (3 to 16 years of age) in Karachi, Pakistan, with only limited data available among few age groups under one ISAAC study. The objective of this project was to investigate the prevalence of allergic diseases among school children (3 to 16 years of age) in the city of Karachi. The questionnaire that was used for data collection had previously been used for a similar study in neighboring Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. In 2007, a total of 3,000 surveys were distributed in various schools of Karachi, of which 2,325 completed surveys were obtained. SPSS was used to perform statistical analysis on the collected data. Survey results showed that the frequency of diagnosed (previously seen by physicians) cases of asthma stood at 15.8%, while the frequency of allergic rhinitis was found to be 28.50% among these children. Other parameters that were analyzed included dry cough (20.1%), wheezing (11.7%), breathlessness (15.40%), and eczema (21.8%). Furthermore, smoking by family members was found to be associated with asthma (p value less than 0.05), allergic rhinitis (p value less than 0.05), breathlessness (p value less than 0.05), dry cough (p value 0.002), and wheezing (p value less than 0.05). This study reveals that there is a significant number of school children in the metropolitan city of Karachi who have various allergic symptoms. It also sheds light on the fact that exposure to indoor environmental factors as well as family atopy can play a key role in increasing the chances of an individual to experience asthma and other allergy symptoms.