Body weight variations during toxicological testing can be one of the indicators of the test substance toxic effects. Data on food and water consumption are true indicators of the rate of growth of experimental animals (Stevens & Gallo, 1989). Daily recording of the food and water consumption was done during the acute toxicity testing of HEPALIP FORTE. The study was performed on Wistar rats. The active component of HEPALIP FORTE is EPL substance--essential phospholipids, a natural substance present in every living cell. Essential phospholipids in combination with vitamins have been used in the treatment of liver diseases, dyslipoproteinaemias and intoxications accompanied with liver failure. Statistical analysis of the body weight variations was performed separately, for males and females. The analysis failed to show any significant difference between the groups. There was a significant difference in water consumption between the male group 2M and female groups 3F and 2F in comparison with control groups. Statistical analysis of the variations of food consumption showed a significant difference in all male groups in comparison with control groups, and only in the 3F female group in comparison with a control group. Considering the absence of lethality and the lack of significant influence of the test substance on animal body weights, we concluded that the test substance was not acutely toxic in rats, if applied orally, in single doses of 300 mg/kg, 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg. Significant differences found in food and water consumption suggest a need of their during the future chronic toxicity testing.

Objective: The validation of dietary assessment methods is critical in the evaluation of the relation between dietary intake and health. The aim of this study was to assess the validity of a food frequency questionnaire by comparing energy intake with energy expenditure measured with the doubly labelled water method. Design: Total energy expenditure was measured with the doubly labelled water (DLW) method during a 10 day period. Furthermore, the subjects filled in the food frequency questionnaire about 18-35 days after the DLW phase of the study was completed. Subjects: Twenty-one healthy, non-pregnant females volunteered to participate in the study; only 17 subjects completed the study. Results: The group energy intake was on average 10% lower than the energy expenditure, but the difference was not statistically significant. However, there was a wide range in reporting accuracy: seven subjects were identified as acceptable reporters, eight as under-reporters and two were identified as over-reporters. The width of the 95% confidence limits of agreement in a Bland and Altman plot for energy intake and energy expenditure varied from -5 to 3 MJ. Conclusion: The data showed that there was substantial variability in the accuracy of the food frequency questionnaire at the individual level. Furthermore, the results showed that the questionnaire was more accurate for groups than individuals.

Anthracnose pathogen on mango fruit cv. Nam Dok Mai and Mahajanaka were isolated and screened for a virulent isolate. Among 6 isolates, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Ml1 showed the strongest pathogenic activity. The isolate was dual cultured with 11 isolates of microorganisms isolated from fermented pork sausage (CM-NM-1 CM-NM-2, CM-NM-3), preserved fish (CM-PF-1, CM-PF-2), natto (CM-TN), yoghurt (CM-YK), vinegar (SK-AV), nata decoco (CM-NA), ragi (CM-LP) and a laboratory contaminant (CON-1) for antagonistic detection. The results came out that CM-NM-3, CON-1, CM-NA and CM-LP exhibited greater inhibition percentages i.e., 66.82, 62.98, 37.02 and 34.18 percent, respectively. All 11 isolates were further tested for the prevention of C. gloeosporioides Ml1 infection on postharvest mango fruit. It was found that the fruit dipped in the cell suspension of CM-NA, CM-YK and CM-PF-2 after the inoculation had small lesion size which differed from the control group (not dipped), The efficacy of combined treatments using CM-NA in combination with 50 or 54 deg C hot water for 5 minutes were investigated on wounded mango fruit. The least size was found on the fruit treated with 54 deg C for 5 minutes either with or without dipping in the antagonistic cell suspension. The fruit dipping in cell suspension of CM-NA in combination with 54 deg C hot water for 5 minutes did not change in pulp color, flesh color, weight loss, texture, total soluble solid, titratable acidify and sensory quality.

Due to unavoidable, prolonged irrigation with marginal quality water, secondary salinization of irrigated soils in Pakistan has necessitated to a need for better understanding of the water management alternatives

Due to unavoidable, prolonged irrigation with marginal quality water, secondary salinization of irrigated soils in Pakistan has necessitated to a need for better understanding of the water management alternatives. Although H2SO4 and gypsum have far been recognized for their benefits in treating brackish water but during field trials, their relative performance still remains controversial for counteracting the Na-hazards in soil/water system. As alternative sulfur burners are also being marketed but up till now there is not even a single field study published in some journal about their efficiency and economical viability for the treatment of brackish water. Therefore a field study was carried out to compare the effectiveness of sulfurous acid generator (SAG) and other water/soil applied amendments on a normal, calcareous, well drained, sandy loam soil. Rice 2001, wheat 2001-02, and rice 2002 were planted in rotation during the experimentation period with a total of 54 treated and 8 untreated irrigations (each of 7.5 cm). Tube well water used had EC = 3.24 dS m-1, SAR=17.23 and RSC = 5.44 mmolc L-1. The treatments were: T0) Brackish tube well water without any amendment; T1) All irrigation with water passed through SAG; T2) Alternate irrigation-one of SAG treated and one of tube well water, T3) One irrigation with SAG treated water and two with untreated tube well water; T4) FYM @ 15 t ha-1yr-1; T5) Soil applied gypsum to each crop equivalent to affect a decrease in WRSC of tube well water treated with SAG, and T6) H2SO4- fertigation at each irrigation equivalent to affect a decrease in RSC of tube well water with SAG. Water analysis after treatment with SAG (an average of 20 irrigations) revealed that SAG treatment affected only one parameter i.e. water RSC from 5.44 to 3.55, and had no beneficial effect on SARiw and ECiw. After three crops, a minor decrease (up to 2.5%) and increase (up to 5.3%) in soil pHs over initial values was noted at 0-15 & 15-30 cm depth. After three crops the soil ECe and SAR were maintained below the threshold levels and the treatments had non-significant differences. On the basis of three crops, net benefit was maximum, from T4 followed by T5, T3, T0, T2, T6 and T1. The use of sulfur burner/ sulfuric acid was found to be 5 times costlier than gypsum in our study. It is concluded that soil application of gypsum and/or farmyard manure to counter the sodic hazards of irrigation water will be useful as well as economical for rice-wheat rotation on a normal, calcareous well drained soil. However, for fine textured soils with low infiltration rates, to expect similar situation might not be correct for which additional studies are imperative.

In sub-Saharan Africa, urban and peri-urban food production has been identified as an important resource for meeting the challenges of rapidly growing cities, and the positive aspects of such production have been well documented in the literature. This paper examines some of the health and environmental concerns associated with urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA). Empirical evidence from the city of Kano in northern Nigeria suggests that there is currently much reason for concern as industrial and domestic toxins are reaching dangerously high levels. As soils and water channels become increasingly polluted, the sustainability of urban and peri-urban food production is questioned. Since the health implications of long-term exposure to toxins are unclear, it is suggested that coordinated longitudinal research involving urban planners, agricultural scientists and health specialists is urgently needed. In addition, it remains crucial that government and institutional actors effectively monitor and enforce both environmental and zoning by-laws, if the health and environmental constraints of UPA are to be overcome, and the future sustainability of production is to be assured.

The feeding habits of several fish species in a water reservoir of the Ria Formosa, Portugal, that has similar ecological characteristics to the outside tidal channels, were studied and compared with food availability. The gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), the most abundant fish species, mainly selected gastropods and bivalves, although occasionally fish and small crustaceans such as tanaids, ostracods, and cumaceans were also selected. Polychaetes, although abundant in the environment, were not particularly selected by any of the fish species studied. The diets of all the species studied were characterized by a large variety of prey, allowing them to survive in environments of low diversity and poor stability, such as coastal lagoons. These fish are largely benthic feeders, essentially eating the epimacroinvertebrates and endomacroinvertebrates and, occasionally, fish. Diplodus vulgaris and Diplodus annularis preferentially selected gastropods and small crustaceans. Spondyliosoma cantharus generally preyed on crustaceans, including the highly mobile epifauna, the mysids, and decapods. Halobatrachus didactylus and Anguilla anguilla, had very diversified diets that included fish. Mullus barbatus were found to have selected all groups of crustaceans and also bivalves. Wrasses, gobies, and Diplodus sargus, all small-sized fish, singled out small crustaceans, gastropods, and bivalves. The Sparids were the least specialized predators, with broader niches than the other species. They preferentially selected molluscs, which were abundant in the environment. A large overlap of diets was observed and competition may be important when fish biomass is high.