Method of crop selection to generate millions in agribusiness.

Crop selection is very vital for success in agribusiness ,your choice of crop is dependent on factors such as adaptability, soil, light, temperature and market. These factors are key but selection is not limited to them, environment ,proper farming knowledge of crop and topography also plays a role. These tips will guide on selection of crops and also expand the study scope of farming techniques; 1) soil dynamics :The first step is to test your soil and identify which crops you plan to grow. The soil test report will give recommendations based on your soil and crop needs,you should always base plant nutrition decisions on a current soil test. Fertilizer is expensive, and soil tests are relatively cheap and the only indicator of true nutrient needs. Matching crops to the existing limitations of your soils is a smart step. Soil texture, compaction, cation exchange capacity and organic matter content are just a few of the variables that can impact the crop. Planting crops that are well-suited to your soil characteristics gives you a better chance of success. Growers can have an impact on soil characteristics through cultivation practices, by adding amendments, using certain planting methods, or employing techniques to alter factors such as soil temperature, moisture retention or compaction. However, working with a soil that already meets most of a given crop’s needs increases the chances of success. Mineral nutrition issues can be difficult to remedy and can have a major impact on certain crops. For example, boron is toxic to beans, but prevents hollow heart in brassicas. So if a soil is high in boron, grow brassicas. 2)Adaptability; Different varieties of the same species can have different nutrient requirements. Select varieties that are suited to your soil’s fertility levels, soil type and local climatic conditions. Using adapted varieties allows for increased disease resistance, and fewer inputs will be needed to reap a bountiful, healthy crop in an economically profitable manner. Most of the crops have hybrid seeds that have been locally adapted to different conditions across the country. Whether you are doing open field farming or greenhouse farming, knowing the suitable variety is a necessary step towards a good harvest. continue

The Virtue of Treating People Like Animals: Why Human Health Care Should Mirror Veterinary Health Care.

When Lily a 2 year old, began vomiting and refused her food and water, I took her to my veterinarian who, after a battery of X-rays and other tests, found nothing conclusive. The vet offered a preliminary diagnosis of gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining, and sent us home with medication to treat the condition. When twenty-four hours of the treatment yielded no improvement, we returned to the vet, who admitted Lily for observation overnight. The next evening, the vet phoned to say: “Lily is still vomiting and refusing food and water, so we ran a second set of X-rays and a comparison of the two sets revealed that her intestines are bunching as if something’s lodged inside. There’s an emergency veterinary clinic twenty miles away that has an ultrasound machine, which will enable us to see what’s inside. Please come pick up Lily and drive her there; we’ll notify them that you’re on your way.” The ultrasound revealed a large quantity of thread tangled in Lily’s digestive tract. Unbeknownst to me, she had extracted a bobbin of thread from my sewing kit and swallowed the contents. The condition required surgery, which the vet at the emergency clinic performed that night, removing the thread (which was lodged in Lily’s stomach, small intestine, and large intestine) without complications. Lily remained in intensive care for two days before the vet sent her home with a scar on her stomach, some antibiotics, and a list of instructions for postoperative care. She recovered fully and was back to mischief in short order. As this story indicates, the state of animal health care in America, in terms of the quality of the diagnostics and treatments available, is in many ways on par with that of human health care. And the fact that advancements in veterinary medicine have progressed in close parallel with those in human medicine should come as little surprise: Animals are important to us. They provide us with, among other things, food, labor, and companionship. To ensure that our animals are respectively tasty, reliable, healthy, and happy, we need the services of well-trained veterinarians equipped with the latest technologies. That demand is nicely satisfied. source.

Rapid test detects mobile resistance gene mcr-1.

Scientists have evaluated a rapid test that detects the dreaded colistin resistance gene within twenty minutes. It can therefore be used in hospitals and for livestock. Colistin is used as the "last-resort antibiotic" for dreaded multidrug-resistant pathogens, especially in hospitals. However, gut bacteria that have become insensitive to colistin now exist -- owing to the mobile resistance gene mcr-1. In early 2016, bacteria carrying this resistance gene were detected in Germany for the first time.The risk of a further spread of this colistin resistance is high because it takes place through so-called mobile genetic elements (plasmids) which are transferred between different types of bacteria relatively easily. For the evaluation of this rapid test, the scientists from the German center for research worked together with the company AmplexBiosystems GmbH which provided the testing kits free of charge. 104 bacterial isolates from animals, humans and the environment underwent testing with the molecular rapid test: the rapid test results were compared to those from complete genome sequencing or PCR, and demonstrated one hundred percent sensitivity and specificity. The test could clearly differentiate between common colistin resistance and mobile resistance located on plasmids and the test results become available in only twenty minutes.

The gizzard: the neglected poultry organ.

Things are changing in poultry production and how birds are managed: antibiotic-free broilers and intestinal health management, to name a few. In this context, the gizzard is an organ that typically does not get the attention it deserves in broilers. In the last decades, the focus has been on digestibility and yield. Dr. Kip Karges, director of technical service and research H.J. Baker & Bro. Inc.’s feed division, during IPPE last week, he said that we may need to shift the pH of the gut a little bit, to make it more environmentally friendly for fiber digesters and other microbial cultures. If gizzard works the way it should, it is easier in general terms to improve gut health. Karges said that we have forgotten the gizzard, because we did not need it. We had antibiotics. It’s an interesting point. All this seems to be a matter of feed particle size. We simply reduce the particle size of raw materials for a faster throughput. And what about the retention time in the small intestine? By maximizing passage, we maximize starch digestion. But we should not be concerned about predigesting starch. Karges says that it is, more or less, the gizzard’s function. Gizzards breaks up things. Let us remember it is a very strong muscle. Nowadays we have wonderful hammer mills to reduce particle size and leave the gizzard alone. But, if we need to shift the pH and microbial activity in the gut, we might need a bit larger grain size. But, we do not need this all production cycle long. We need it only for the first two weeks of age. Improving cultures in the gut in that period creates good conditions for the rest of the feeding period. source

US foundation works to end African poverty with chickens.

The World Poultry Foundation (WPF) take a $21.4 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and, in four years, wants to improve incomes and nutrition for millions of smallholder chicken farmers in rural Africa. The team leading the World Poultry Foundation is working in rural Nigeria and Tanzania to empower smallholder farmers – especially women – to earn higher incomes and improve the nutrition of their families through poultry-growing enterprises. The foundation says the grant allows them to implement a strategy that gives rural farmers access to improved genetics, provides technical assistance and training, and allows access to new markets, with a goal of impacting 2.5 million households across Tanzania and Nigeria at the end of the four-year initiative. The goals are in alignment with the World Poultry Foundation’s mission, which has shifted from helping a trading partner out of self-interest (keeping the Russian market open to U.S. poultry) to helping people in underdeveloped nations where no gain is expected for the U.S. poultry industry. continue

Eat brown rice and live longer.

Eating brown rice could prevent an early death, research suggested . Experts at Harvard University found just one 16g serving per day of whole grain cuts the risk of dying from any cause, heart disease or cancer. And, they argued, the more whole grains people eat, the bigger the benefits. Their analysis of studies showed that for every single serving (16g) of whole grains, there was a 7 per cent drop in risk of death from any cause. source

Arsenic poisoning and method of rice cooking.

You may not think there's anything wrong with how you cook rice - but there probably is. If you're not using enough water then you're at risk of heart disease and cancer, a scientist has warned. Cooking the grains in excess water helps to flush out arsenic, preventing any possible chemical poisoning. While soaking rice overnight slashes levels of the industrial toxin by around 80 per cent, a contamination expert claims. Arsenic gets into the rice as a result of industrial contaminants and pesticides that were used in the past. It can remain in the flooded paddy fields where the rice is grown for decades, research has suggested. continue

Doctors find live cockroach in woman's skull after she reports experiencing 'crawling sensation'.

The 42-year-old Indian woman was in deep slumber last Tuesday night until she awoke around midnight to a “tingling, crawling sensation” in her right nostril. At first, the woman, a domestic worker named Selvi, brushed the feeling off, assuming she might be catching a cold, the Times of India reported. But she soon felt something move. She spent the rest of the night in discomfort, waiting for the sun to rise so she could go to the hospital. “I could not explain the feeling but I was sure it was some insect,” she told the New Indian Express. “Whenever it moved, it gave me a burning sensation in my eyes.” continue

Farmer makes a fortune in semi-arid Gilgil.

Gilgil sub-county in Nakuru county is mainly a semi-arid area, hence many residents shun agriculture. The area experiences low rainfall, which is not reliable while daytime temperatures are high. Still, one farmer has taken the bull by its horns after visiting Israel and China to learn about dry-land farming. Martin Gathogo, 36, has put over 30 acres under irrigation in Murindat ward. He says the venture is a move towards improving food security in the region while earning a living for his family at the same time. “Rainfall here is low and erratic but that is not a reason for us not to engage in farming. Several rivers criss-cross our land,” Gathogo said. continue

EMPOWERED WOMEN DRIVE ECONOMIES .

Did you know? In the regions of Gao and Segou in Mali, less than 5 percent of land managers are women, but more than 30 percent of these women are head of households, often widows, responsible for food, healthcare, and school fees for their children. The national gender policy in Mali, launched in 2011, indicates that in the region of Segou, 77 percent of female farm workers do not receive any compensation. Of these, only 18 percent work for themselves. In addition, the study shows that just 10 percent of female farm workers own working animals and plows, and only 20 percent can afford small farm equipment. Without their own land heritage as collateral, rural women have fewer opportunities to access funding for their activities through the traditional financial system. To mitigate these inequalities that hinder the country’s competitiveness internationally, the government of Mali calls for “solidarity with the most disadvantaged populations, particularly towards women and rural youth, through the principle of equity and the implementation of specific actions to fight against poverty.” Using this window of opportunity, 2SCALE initiated a series of actions to increase access to land for female vegetable growers involved in a vegetable partnership in Segou. continue

AGRIBUSINESS: How mobile technologies are helping small, rural farmers grow their businesses.

The soil needed salt. And not just a sprinkling, but up to two kilograms, applied in a shallow trench encircling each aging coconut tree where the outer leaves cast their shadow when the sun was overhead. Marcelina Lastimosa learned the technique from an agriculturalist, Joraphel Tingcayao, who shared advice as she collected data on her tablet. Within 30 minutes, Ms. Tingcayao had a complete picture of the farm itself and the farmer’s practices, finances, environmental conditions, and key vulnerabilities. That data will feed in to the FarmerLink program in the Philippines, an ambitious, digitally connected program to help rural coconut farmers overcome the obstacles that keep them poor despite their greatest efforts.continue

FG Seeks to Augment Petrol, Diesel Consumption With Biofuel.

The federal government will soon insist that a minimum of 10 and 20 per cent of biofuel be added to every litre of petrol and diesel, respectively in petrol stations across the country, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has disclosed. According to the PPPRA, a national policy on biofuel development, which would provide the incentive for the growth of biofuel consumption in the country was underway and could be passed into law soon.The policy, the PPPRA said, would ensure that bioethanol and biodiesel, which are blends of petroleum products and agricultural products, are readily available in Nigeria. It said the policy was part of efforts to diversify Nigeria’s energy sources and respect global convention on climate change with the inclusion of alternative clean options.continue

USDA strikes back against parasite with 101M sterile screwworms.

The USDA has released more than 101 million sterile New World screwworms since October in an effort to wipe out the parasite in the Florida Keys. The endangered Key deer population has lost 135 animals to the worms, whose larva feed on wounds in living flesh, but no new infestations have been found among deer since Jan. 7, marking the longest period without a new case since the start of the outbreak. Antiparasitic medicine for endangered Key deer and an abundance of sterile New World screwworm flies continue to help fight the screwworm situation in South Florida. More than 101 million sterile screwworm flies have been released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Marathon and the Lower Keys since October. In Homestead, where a stray dog was found with a screwworm infestation in December, nearly 2 million have been released. They help to drive down the number of fertile flies by mating with wild flies to produce eggs that never hatch. Screwworms feed inside the open wounds of any warm-blooded living animal, which has resulted in the deaths of 135 endanger Key deer found only in Monroe County. Some have had to be euthanized and others have died from their screwworm-inflicted conditions. source

Genomic testing and breeding success.

The beef business is moving from a segmented industry to one that’s more united, and information is at the core of that shift. Genomic data is helping that transition as genomic data is a growing part of that information. The big paradigm shift is set to change with the incorporation of genomic data into calf value discovery, the growing use of genomic information in leveraging prediction accuracy of genetic merit. One of the stepping-stones along the way is the growing number of commercial producers utilizing genomic tests to identify replacement heifer, without using genomic tests, experience is showing that producers would choose 66-75% of the same heifers. This technology allows selection risk cut by 25-33%.

Oral administration of bacteria-killing viruses prevents cholera infection in animal models.

Oral administration of viruses that specifically target cholera bacteria prevents infection and cholera-like symptoms in animal model experiments.Oral administration of a cocktail of three viruses, all of which specifically kill cholera bacteria, prevents infection and cholera-like symptoms in animal model experiments, report scientists from Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) and the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences at Tufts in Nature Communications The findings are the first to demonstrate the potential efficacy of bacteria-killing viruses—known as bacteriophages, or phages—as an orally administered preventive therapy against an acute gastrointestinal bacterial disease. Camilli and colleagues searched for phages that are specific for Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera—a potentially lethal infectious disease marked by severe diarrhea and dehydration. While phages that kill V. cholerae are abundant in nature, the team identified three strains that uniquely retained the ability to kill V. cholerae within the small intestine, the site of infection in humans. These phages function by targeting bacterial surface receptors normally involved in infectiousness, making them ideal therapeutic candidates—to develop resistance, cholera bacteria must acquire mutations in these receptors, which cause the bacteria to become less infectious. The team carried out a series of experiments in small animal models of cholera to test the efficacy of these phages as a preventative treatment. Animals were given an oral dose of a cocktail containing all three phages, at time points ranging from three to 24 hours before infection with a standardized amount of V. cholerae bacteria. A preventative dose of the phage cocktail eliminated V. cholerae in the small intestines of over half of treated animals when given three hours before infection. In remaining animals, and for those treated up to 24 hours before infection, bacteria numbers were reduced 500-fold or more on average, compared to untreated controls. Overall, treatment was most effective in reducing bacterial load when given between three and 12 hours before infection. The team found no evidence of cholera-like diarrhea and no significant weight loss in treated animals.

RESEARCH: LED lighting could have major impact on wildlife.

RESEARCH: LED lighting could have major impact on wildlife. New research by the University of Exeter and published in global change biology shows that LED street lighting can be tailored to reduce its impacts on the environment. The UK-based study found predatory spiders and beetles were drawn to grassland patches lit by LED lighting at night, but the number of species affected was markedly reduced when the lights were dimmed by 50% and switched off between midnight and 4am. LEDs made up just 9% of the global lighting market in 2011, but forecasts suggest they will account for 69% by 2020. RESEARCH: LED lighting could have major impact on wildlife. The growth of LED lighting is an issue of global concern, and the number of documented impacts on the environment is growing rapidly. The research shows that local authorities might be able to manage LED lighting in a way that reduces its environmental impacts. There is a need to establish whether this is the case for a greater variety of species. The results suggest that the growing use of LED lighting will have impacts on the abundance of predatory invertebrates, potentially leading to knock on effects for other species in grassland food-webs.

Scientists develop 'lab on a chip' that costs 1 cent to make.

Scientists develop 'lab on a chip' that costs 1 cent to make. Microfluidics, electronics and inkjet technology underlie a newly developed all-in-one biochip that can analyze cells for research and clinical applications. Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a way to produce a cheap and reusable diagnostic "lab on a chip" with the help of an ordinary inkjet printer.A study describing the technology will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The inexpensive lab-on-a-chip technology has the potential to enhance diagnostic capabilities around the world, especially in developing countries. Where due to inferior access to early diagnostics, the survival rate of breast cancer patients is only 40% in low-income nations which is half the rate of such patients in developed nations. There are other diseases plaguing these nations such as malaria, tuberculosis and HIV, which also have high incidence and bad patient outcomes in developing countries. A better and easy access to cheap diagnostics could help turn this around, especially as most such equipment costs thousands of dollars. The chip is designed as a multifunctional platform, one of its applications is that it allows users to analyze different cell types without using fluorescent or magnetic labels that are typically required to track cells. The chip separates cells based on their intrinsic electrical properties: When an electric potential is applied across the inkjet-printed strip, cells loaded into the microfluidic chamber get pulled in different directions depending on their "polarizability" in a process called dielectrophoresis. This label-free method to analyze cells greatly improves precision and cuts lengthy labeling processes.

Artificial intelligence can spot skin cancer.

Computers can classify skin cancers as successfully as human experts, according to the latest research attempting to apply artificial intelligence to health. The US-based researchers say the new system, which is based on image recognition, could be developed for smartphones, increasing access to screening and providing a low-cost way to check whether skin lesions are cause for concern. According to the World Health Organisation, skin cancer accounts for one in every three cancers diagnosed worldwide, with global incidence on the rise. In the UK alone, 131,772 cases of non-melanoma skin cancer were recorded in 2014. In the same year there were 15,419 new cases of the deadliest skin cancer, melanoma, making it the fifth most common cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. As the disease is often initially spotted by a visual examination, Esteva teamed up with colleagues in fields ranging from dermatology to artificial intelligence to create a computer system that would aid screening. Their approach, described in the journal Nature, is based on deep learning – a class of algorithms used for artificial intelligence. When fed with a large set of ready-sorted data these algorithms pick out and “learn” patterns and relationships. Once trained, the algorithms can then be used to categorize new, unsorted data. To create the system, the team harnessed a deep learning algorithm built by Google that had already been presented with 1.28 million images of objects such as cats, dogs and cups.The researchers then fed the system more than 127,000 clinical images of skin lesions, each already labelled, encompassing many different skin diseases. Once trained, the team then tested the system’s ability to classify skin cancer by presenting it with just under 2,000 previously unseen images of skin lesions, whose nature had previously been determined by biopsy, and further compared the results for nearly 400 of the images against the judgement of at least 21 dermatologists. The results reveal that the system predicted the outcomes like the experts in telling apart carcinomas from common benign skin growths and melanomas from moles.

Reprogrammed skin cells shrink brain tumors in mice.

Scientists have created personalized tumor-homing cells from adult skin cells that can shrink brain tumors to 2% to 5% of their original size. Although the strategy has yet to be fully tested in people, the new method could one day give doctors a quick way to develop a custom treatment for aggressive cancers like glioblastoma, which kills most human patients in 12–15 months. It only took 4 days to create the tumor-homing cells for the mice. Glioblastomas are nasty because they spread roots and tendrils of cancerous cells through the brain, making them impossible to remove surgically. They, and other cancers, also exude a chemical signal that attracts stem cells—specialized cells that can produce multiple cell types in the body. Scientists think stem cells might detect tumors as a wound that needs healing and migrate to help fix the damage. But that gives scientists a secret weapon—if they can harness stem cells’ natural ability to “home” toward tumor cells, the stem cells could be manipulated to deliver cancer-killing drugs precisely where they are needed.continue

VETERINARY MEDICINE : Why large dogs live fast—and die young.

VETERINARY MEDICINE : Why large dogs live fast—and die young. For most mammals, size is a significant factor as Large ones, such as elephants and whales, live far longer than small ones like rodents. This rule is reversed in the dog kingdom as the tiny Chihuahuas, for example, can live up to 15 years which is 8 years longer than their much larger cousins, Great Danes. Now, a team of undergraduates may be closer to figuring out why this is so and the most likely reason is the more harmful oxygen free radicals in fast-growing, fuel-burning puppies. When an organism grows, its cells break down food to make the molecular fuel they need. But generating this energy can also generate an unwelcome visitor: renegade molecules called oxygen free radicals. VETERINARY MEDICINE : Why large dogs live fast—and die young. These molecules are missing electrons, and as they try to poach them from other cells in the body, they can quickly damage cell membranes and eventually contribute to cancer and other diseases. Molecules known as antioxidants neutralize these free radicals. But ultimately, the more energy a body produces, the more free radicals it makes, and consequently, the more antioxidants it needs. Some scientists think that escaped free radicals contribute to aging, although this is hotly debated. VETERINARY MEDICINE : Why large dogs live fast—and die young. To find out whether that might be true in canines, undergraduates Josh Winward and Alex Ionescu from Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, asked veterinarians for the ear clips, dewclaws, and cut-off tails of puppies and the ear clips from old dogs that had recently died. Altogether, they collected about 80 samples from large and small breeds. Working with Colgate animal physiologist Ana Jimenez, the students isolated cells from those tissues, grew the cells in a lab dish for a few weeks, and then analyzed them. continue

Pet medication is sending kids to the emergency unit.

The flea medications and heartworm pills that millions of pet lovers give to their beloved pets pose poisoning risks to any children in the home, new research warns.The report was published online in the journal Pediatrics. The study authors said just one poison center in Ohio received more than 1,400 calls for poisoning from pet medications over the course of 15 years, with 87 percent of those calls involving children under the age of 5. Poisoning occurs in several ways, the researchers explained. Toddlers can pick up pills spit out by a pet or eat food containing medications left uneaten in a food bowl. Also, kids who pet an animal being treated with a lotion or cream can get it on their hands and then put their hands into their mouths. The drugs associated with poisoning included veterinary products that have no human equivalent (17 percent), antimicrobials to kill germs (15 percent), antiparasitics to kill parasites (15 percent) and analgesics to relieve pain (11 percent). Although most poisonings were among toddlers, teenagers were also exposed to medications intended for pets, many teens mistakenly took pet medication instead of human medication. Pet medications can be very dangerous,as some pets are on chemotherapy and other drugs that can be toxic to a child.

Easy techniques for handling dogs.

Dogs are cute and cuddly but when you need to handle them for a bath,a visit to the vet or just trying to clip nails or even groom them ,then the nasty nature springs out making a mess of your efforts. Here are some tips to help handle your pets better such as When its time for a bath; to begin with coax her to the tub with treats and praise instead of chasing her down the hallway and intercepting her attempt to hide under a bed. Do your best to avoid things that can create negative associations with bathing, like getting shampoo in your dog's eyes, pouring water over her face or tugging on matted fur in the tub. Instead, use warm water, speak to her in a calming voice, brush her fur gently before and after the bath and reward her cooperation with high-value treats. Just be sure that no more than 10 percent of your dog's daily calorie intake comes from treats. Reducing the negative elements of bath-time can help turn what was once a stressful experience into a sweet bonding activity for you and your pup. continue

USAID partners private sector on agriculture.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with Chi Farms and Niji Foods, has launched two new agribusiness partnerships Mission Director of USAID Nigeria, Michael T. Harvey, said: “With Nigeria’s increasing population, these programmes are vital to achieving food security and imports,” adding: “Public-private partnerships are a proven way of expanding investment in agriculture, improving both efficiency and productivity.” Through these partnerships, USAID aims to address development and business challenges to agricultural inputs and mechanisation by providing quality technical advisory services and expanded market opportunities for smallholder farmers.” These partnerships will also capitalize on the untapped potential of small-holder farmers and small processors to help grow agribusinesses, create secure jobs, and boost economic growth in Nigeria. According to operators of Chi Farms: “Recognising the need to increase Nigeria’s domestic fish production to meet growing demand and end reliance on imported fish, Chi Farms – under this partnership – will train 1,000 small-holder fish farmers in Lagos and Ogun States on new farming techniques, access to credit, and marketing skills to help raise incomes. Another partner in the agriculture project, Niji Foods, said that despite the volume of cassava processed in Nigeria and the commercial potential of cassava peel for livestock feed, there is virtually no commercially-available livestock feed made from cassava peel. Read Niji Foods, with the International Livestock Research Institute, and USAID support, is establishing three cassava peel processing centres to address this market gap, see Read more in the agriculture daily

Surgical and preoperative planning.

Materialise OrthoView planning software has been developed in conjunction with the orthopedic community and designed specifically for the needs of orthopedic surgeons. The software provides comprehensive digital templating and pre-operative planning solutions for joint reconstruction and orthopedic trauma, pediatric and spine surgeons. Use Materialise OrthoView for: 1) Hip, knee, shoulder or small joint arthroplasty. 2) Trauma and fracture management. 3) Pediatrics, including limb deformity.4) Spinal deformity. Try the software here

5 reasons to plan knee surgery digitally.

Planning is key to execution of any project in life as failure to plan is a sure way to fail. Surgical interventions are delicate and therefore optimal planning is key to success ,now with the advent of 3D printing ,planning is so much easier. The surgeon can actually prepare for the surgery by visualizing the sites and planning entry points,incision lengths and generally study the best way to carry out the procedure before the real surgery. Digitally planning a knee joint replacement procedure, or a revision, can make the surgical procedure quicker and easier to perform, and an increasing number of surgeons are using digital planning tools. Moreover, there are additional benefits for the hospital and the patient as well as the surgeon from planning knee and other orthopaedic procedures digitally. 1) Plan cases faster With software designed specifically for knee procedures, pre-operative planning becomes easier and faster because it provides everything you need in one package. Accessing the patient’s images on the PACS, selecting and sizing the prosthesis and even comparing options, takes a matter of minutes. The digital x-ray and prosthesis template library are a click away and the plan is easily saved back to the PACS for future reference during or after surgery, or to refer back to at a later date. 2) Plan cases more precisely In order to analyze the patient’s anatomy and select the most appropriate prosthesis size, the surgeon can correct the effects of x-ray magnification onscreen in various ways: with the use of a scaling marker or by selecting the known oversize of the x-ray image; but he can also zoom in to see defects and anatomical landmarks in more detail. 3) Save unnecessary costs As digital surgical planning makes it easier for the surgeon to analyze the patient’s anatomy and anticipate what they might find in surgery, it is possible to reduce the need for a huge implant inventory. By reducing the need for a large range of prosthesis options to be available in surgery, sterilization costs are reduced and there is also less potential inventory waste. 4) Improve team communication It is easy to share the pre-operative plans with the entire surgical team prior to surgery when it is on the PACS. The PACS system also allows surgeons to refer back to particular cases when the plan may be appropriate to replicate or to compare differences. Digital planning is also used extensively as a training tool for this same reason. 5) Improve patient communication Having a pre-operative plan that can be called up from the PACS and viewed on a screen during a consultation can help to clarify elements of the surgery for the patient. The doctor can discuss the surgical process with the patient, and set his/her expectations for the surgical outcome. In a worst-case scenario where complications arise post-operatively, the digital record of the surgical plan, along with notes from the surgery itself, can provide a useful reference.source

The Rise of 3D Technology for Patient Treatment in Brazil.

There is a rise of 3D Technology for Patient Treatment in Brazil because the brazil unit of Materialise a medical 3D printing company has started a lecture series tagged “Innovation in 3D technology for health”. The aim of the lectures is to create awareness about the possibilities of 3D Printing for healthcare professionals, and how our technology can help hospitals treat their patients more effectively. An interesting example on the use of medical 3D Printing in Brazil is the case of a 38-year-old man with an aorto-pulmonary window and a right aortic arch, meaning the aorta and pulmonary artery were connected. His aorta also led to the right side of his body instead of the left, which caused shortness of breath. To treat the defect, Dr Carlos A C Pedra (MD, PhD, FACC, FSCAI) at the Instituto Dante Pazzanese de Cardiologia decided to implant a double-disc device to close the connection. To visualize the defect clearly, the patient’s aorta and pulmonary artery were reconstructed in 3D, and printed out with two windows integrated into the heart model so the defect was clearly visible.source

3D printing as a resource tool for medical practice in Africa.

3Dprinting as a resource tool for medical practice in Africa will go a long way to improve health care services,provide jobs and production of medical devices that can generate wealth. 3D printing ,the use in medical sciences are inexhaustible and still evolving in Africa. 3D printing can be used for making new parts and even organs making transplant and orthopedic surgery rather easy,medical devices such as stethoscopes,microscopes,forceps,clamps,e.t.c can be produced easily with the proper technical know-how. This technology transfer is what a company is exploring to improve health and generate wealth. ReFab Dar began as a pilot project to determine if 3D printers could be made of e-waste in developing countries and then if we could build a machine that would use recycled plastic to make 3D printer filament. The recycled 3D printer filament then needs to have users to be able to complete the supply chain. The project examined four possible areas for exploration: medical, jewelry, spare parts, and customized gadgets. While pursuing all four areas through their mentorship programs, they have focused on the creation of medical devices as a first feasible product line that can save times, money, and lives. ReFab has set a course to making 3D printing technology of useful service to Africans. At present, we have 5 Retr3D e-waste 3D printers being made by STICLab under a New Frontier’s experimental grant by Jhpiego. The objective is to test the locally manufactured printers to prototype and make medical tools and equipment that will change the face of medicine in Africa in the next 5–10 years.continue

Mobile technology in healthcare creates productivity and satisfaction.

The use of mobile technology in the healthcare sector is making a positive impact on the productivity and job satisfaction of employees, according to research conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). 59% of workers report being more productive in their jobs as a result of mobile technology, while 48% are more satisfied in their job if they perceived their employer to be a good provider of mobile working practices. The healthcare sector has always been one of innovation and curiosity, noted for being at the forefront of the mobile technology revolution, with wearable devices and personal fitness apps offering unprecedented insight into patient health and at the other send of the spectrum, a clear demand for a better mobile practice for its employees. continue

Half lion, half tiger: Meet Liger cub Tsar

Tsar the liger cub, born from an extremely rare lion-tiger romance, is proving a hit for a traveling Russian zoo. Tsar has a tawny fur of a lion cub but covered in black stripes, was born while the zoo was on tour in southern Russia’s Rostov-on-Don region. Tsar's mother Princess, the zoo’s only tigress, had a difficult birth and has been unable to suckle him. She has given birth to a total of three liger cubs, but only Tsar has survived. Tsar is fed with goats milk about one litre a day. According to a researcher at Moscow’s Darwin Museum of natural history,hybrids like this are extremely rare – and generally they are weaker than lion cubs or ordinary young tigers, but if you take good care of them, they can grow up and live a long time although that male ligers are born sterile. Ligers, like tigons – cubs born to a lioness and a male tiger – can only be born in captivity. source

Saudi revolutionizes ear surgery with hag needle invention.

There is a revolution in the way ear surgery is performed courtesy of the invention of the hag needle. Dr. Abdul Karim Reza Fidaa, the nose, ear, throat and facial plastic surgery consultant, is the brain behind the needle.The idea was to create a technique with minimal medical intervention. Fidaa thought of using laparoscopic surgery, to help those who have congenital abnormalities in the ear and nose. The idea is based on how to conduct a surgery without full anesthesia, and carving the cartilage skin without a large opening and this was the beginning of the innovation for making the hag needle.

AGRIBUSINESS: How to get more milk from cows..

AGRIBUSINESS: How to get more milk from cows.Dairy business is a hot venture now with alot of farmers leaning on genetics,improved nutrition and better farm management practices. The role of technology in harnessing the profit in agribusiness cannot be overemphasized and the wise farmers and investors are tapping it. Watch.

How phytobiology Can Improve Your Health.

Photobiology is the therapeutic use of light to improve health while heliotherapy is the therapeutic use of sunlight.Light has been used therapeutically for thousands of years. Humans have not only evolved to adapt to sunlight, but also to the influence of fire — near-infrared and mid-infrared radiation that is very low in in the blue range wavelengths — which is also emitted by incandescent light sources. In ancient Egypt, we know that sunlight was used for hygienic purposes, and once humans began manufacturing glass, it also became possible to produce colored light using the colored glass as filter technology. Watch the video and learn how to use phytobiology.

Taiwan bans euthanasia of stray animals, but agriculture council warns of risks.

Taiwan bans euthanasia of stray animals, but agriculture council warns of risks.Taiwan has banned euthanising animals in shelters, which follows the tragic suicide last year of a vet burdened with the task of putting down animals. The law came into effect Saturday, two years after it was passed by parliament – a period meant to prepare shelters for the ban.But during the wait, animal lover Chien Chih-cheng took her own life with euthanasia drugs, reportedly upset at having to kill animals at the shelter she worked at. Reports at the time said Chien was called a “butcher” by activists. Her death sparked calls for authorities to improve conditions for animals and staff at shelters. An animal welfare group, Life Conservationist Association, estimated more than 1.2 million animals not adopted from shelters have been put down since 1999. “Animal protection in Taiwan has moved towards a new milestone,” the association’s executive director Ho Tsung-hsun said in a statement. But Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture warned the ban would lead to a deterioration in the quality of shelters through a surging intake or it may discourage the capture of strays. “It’s impossible for there to be no problems,” said Wang Chung-shu, deputy chief of the animal husbandry department, according to The China Times. He said Taiwan’s ban was “quite idealised”, adding that manpower was a problem because the vet’s suicide had had a “chilling effect” on the sector, according to the report. continue

Children bond more with their pets than siblings.

A new research has shown that children bond more with their pets than siblings.Children get more satisfaction from relationships with their pets than with their brothers or sisters and appear to get on even better with their animal companions than with siblings. The study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology shows that household pets may have a major influence on child development, and could have a positive impact on children's social skills and emotional well-being. The research was carried out by a survey involving 12 year old children from 77 families with one or more pets of any type and more than one child at home. Children reported strong relationships with their pets relative to their siblings, with lower levels of conflict and greater satisfaction in owners of dogs than other kinds of pets. The researchers found out that the fact that pets may not fully understand or respond verbally, the level of disclosure to pets was no less than to siblings and the fact that pets cannot understand or talk back may even be a benefit as it means they are completely non-judgmental.

Farmers dictate market prices with mobile phones.

A mobile phone revolution is redefining how small holder farmers buy and sell their produce, and shielding them from the unscrupulous middlemen who fix prices for their own benefit, with farmers recording tripling of yields by accessing market and comparing market prices on their own.

 The mobile phones send market prices information from different markets allowing farmers to compare and target the ripe time to dispose their produce. 

This has also meant that farmers can time when the supply of certain commodities is scarce, and cash in on the scarcity to sell their produce earning a decent income.continue

World Cancer Day: W.H.O Calls For Support To Fight Disease.

World Cancer Day: W.H.O Calls For Support To Fight Disease. In a statement by the W.H.O Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, “The W.H.O says February 4, 2017 is a day to reflect on how cancer affects everyone in different ways, and how everyone can be part of the effort to reduce the impact on individuals, families and communities. He adds that it is urgent to do so because cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, with approximately 8.8 million cancer-related deaths in 2015. This figure is expected to double within the next 20-30 years, and African countries are likely to be the most affected.source

How to Practice Self-Love and Be Happier.

The process of self-awareness includes loving ourselves enough to live our dreams and create our own reality. We are “pure love” when we are born. Early conditioning and life experiences cause us to believe we are unlovable; there is something wrong with us. The more we work on integrating past experiences and improving our self-esteem, the stronger our self-concept becomes. The more we love ourselves, the more enthusiastic we become about life. We develop the courage to be authentic and true to our ideals. And yet, self-love is one of our biggest challenges. Loving ourselves has negative connotations because people often confuse it with selfishness, self-absorption and egocentric behavior. It is often easier to love another person than our self. We don’t realize that, when we take care of ourselves and treat ourselves in a loving manner, we have more love to give. The biblical expression “my cup runneth over,” means I have more than enough for my needs. We love our self in some of the following ways: 1) Accept and own all parts of ourselves. Being true to ourselves, and living our lives authentically, includes recognizing our strengths and weaknesses; our good qualities and faults; our suffering and joy; our fears and courageous acts; etc. These dualities coexist in all of us. Recognizing and accepting them helps us integrate them into the totality of who we are. 2) Believe we have the ability to change any aspect of ourselves. self-awareness means taking an inventory of our personalities, behaviors, attitudes and principles we live our lives by. We have the ability to change any aspect that does not conform to our self image. We empower ourselves by making the commitment to do so, having patience for our process, and looking at ourselves with the eyes of understanding and love. continue

AGRIBUSINESS: Veggies for livestock.

AGRIBUSINESS: Veggies for livestock. AGRIBUSINESS: Veggies for livestock. These cattle get a home delivery three times a week from the local supermarket, fruit, vegetables and breads that don't make the grade for two legged customers.Turning waste to food for cattle.source

Yellow fever killing people and monkeys in Brazil.

Brazil has ramped up an emergency yellow fever vaccination campaign as the worst outbreak in decades spreads towards major population centres, killing dozens of people and decimating wild monkey populations. The uptick comes exactly a year after the Zika virus – another mosquito-borne disease – was declared a global health emergency, and as during the previous epidemic Brazilian authorities are struggling to calibrate an appropriate response. Because there is a vaccine, yellow fever should, in theory, not cause as much of a panic but global vaccine stocks are dwindling, and the disease is far more deadly than Zika. Of the 107 confirmed cases in the state of Minas Gerais, 40 ended in death. Three patients have also died in São Paulo state and one in Espírito Santo. Although the disease has a more than 200-year history in Brazil, concern has picked up steadily in recent months as it moved to areas of the south-east, such as Espírito Santo, where it is not normally found. As a precaution, the health ministry has expanded production of vaccines and administered 3.3m doses in Minas Gerais, where the outbreak is concentrated. So far, it has been spread by Haemagogus and Sabethes mosquitoes in rural areas. Monkeys have also suffered. More than 400 were found dead in Espírito Santo after farmers reported an unusual silence in the forest. Biologists warn that endangered species, such as the muriqui, could be wiped out as the vaccination only works on humans. continue

Clean energy, air-powered bike.

Meet the 14-year-old girl from Odisha who has invented a fuel-free bike. The increasing levels of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the air, big cities in India have been suffocating with harmful pollutants. In these times, 14-year-old Odisha girl Tejaswini Priyadarshini has invented an ‘air bike’ which runs at up to 60 km per hour. A cylinder with 10 kg of compressed air is mounted to the back of a bicycle with no pedals. Tejaswini got this thought when she was visiting a cycle-repair shop. Fascinated by how the mechanics made use of air guns to remove the knots in the tyres, she applied the same concept of an air gun which runs on air pressure continue

Low socioeconomic status reduces life expectancy and should be counted as a major risk factor in health policy.

A study published in the Lancet that evaluated 1.7 million people shows that low socioeconomic status is linked to significant reductions in life expectancy and should be considered a major risk factor for ill health and early death in national and global health policies. The study, using data from the UK, France, Switzerland, Portugal, Italy, USA and Australia, is the first to compare the impact of low socioeconomic status with other major risk factors on health, such as physical inactivity, smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity and high alcohol intake. Although socioeconomic status is one of the strongest predictors of illness and early death worldwide, it is often overlooked in health policies.In the study, researchers compared socioeconomic status against six of the main risk factors defined by the World Health Organisation in its Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases. The plan aims to reduce non-communicable diseases by 25% by 2025, but omits socioeconomic status as a risk factor for these diseases. The study included data from 48 studies comprising more than 1.7 million people. It used a person's job title to estimate their socioeconomic status and looked at whether they died early.When compared with their wealthier counterparts, people with low socioeconomic status were almost 1.5 times (46%) more likely to die before they were 85 years old. Among people with low socioeconomic status, 55,600 (15.2% of men and 9.4% of women) died before the age of 85, compared with 25,452 (11.5% of men and 6.8% of women) of people with high socioeconomic status. Socioeconomic status is important because it is a summary measure of lifetime exposures to hazardous circumstances and behaviours, that goes beyond the risk factors for non-communicable diseases that policies usually address

Survey reveals low awareness on cause of cervical cancer among Kenyan women .

As Kenya joins the world in marking World Cancer Day , a new survey has revealed that majority of Kenyan women are not aware of the main cause of cervical cancer, despite the disease being a top killer. The survey, involving women in Kenya’s major cities of Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu indicates that 97 per cent are not aware of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) - the sexually transmitted virus that has been established to cause virtually all cases of cervical cancer. Instead, the survey reveals widespread misconceptions about the causes of the disease with many women attributing it to frequent abortions. The survey, conducted in October 2016, was commissioned by Lancet Group of Labs and Alison Productions, and was conducted by the research firm Consumer Options Limited. It involved 327 women in the three cities aged 18 to 60 years. continue

Sedative in dog food; Evanger’s issues recall after dog dies.

At least five dogs have been sickened and one has died after eating Evanger’s “Hunk of Beef” canned food. A barbiturate, Pentobarbital, has been confirmed in one lot of the food and the company is concerned people may still have unused cans in their homes. Recalled Evangers dog food canEvanger’s Dog & Cat Food of Wheeling, IL, is recalling five lots of 12-ounce cans of “Hunk of Beef” dog food that have expiration dates of June 2020, according to the recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration The barbiturate Pentobarbital is a sedative and if ingested by animals it can cause drowsiness, dizziness, excitement, loss of balance, nausea and, in extreme cases, death. The implicated beef was not used in any other Evanger’s products. continue

Bird flu sensitization seminar and new compensation scheme.

The bird flu virus ravaging many nations is a wake up call for strict biosecurity protocols and surveillance strategies. Poultry keeping is a money spinner and a source of employment, and raw materials for many companies,but a breech in bio security measures will make a mess of the business and loss of products. In line with the go back to agriculture initiative, all hands must be on deck to support farmers,agribusiness' and feed millers to ensure there ventures are profitable to provide wholesome products for the people thus contributing to food security. The Lagos state avian influenza office is organizing a sensitization seminar on bird-flu and how to stop the virus. The scope of seminar will be ; 1) Biosecurity. 2) New compensation scheme . The seminar will hold at Johnson Agiri Complex,Oko Oba Agege on the 15/2/2017 @ 9am prompt. This is an open invite for farmers ,live-poultry-dealers,veterinarians,feed-millers and other members of the poultry value chain. Products will be on display, for your education and purchase.

First NI bird flu case found in County Derry wild swan.

The first case of bird flu has been confirmed in Northern Ireland. The avian influenza strain H5N8 was discovered in a dead wild swan near Lough Beg, County Londonderry. The swan was reported by a member of the public as part of the Department of Agriculture's dead wild bird surveillance programme. Initial testing has indicated the presence of the H5N8 strain of bird flu. However, the department has said the risk to the public is very low.Officials have been on alert for the disease since cases were confirmed in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. source

Top benefits of Greencoat wax-free boxes.

During IPPE 2017, Interstate Container highlighted the eight main reasons driving the evolution to wax-free coated poultry packaging. The company is the creator Greencoat wax-free corrugated boxes. Eight reasons to evolve with Greencoat wax-free boxes are as follows; 1) 100% recyclable and re-pulpable. Traditional wax-coated boxes are unrecyclable and end up in landfills, taking over a century to decompose. FBA-certified Greencoat wax-free boxes significantly reduce environmental impact. Since transitioning entirely to Greencoat wax-free boxes in 2010, Mountaire Farms, a leading U.S. poultry processor, has annually contributed to a carbon savings of 150,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions. This equates to the removal of 31,685 passenger vehicles from the road for one year or 48,000 tons of waste recycled instead of landfilled. 2) Customized box aizes. These boxes are not one size fits all. Poultry producers can choose the “right size” packaging that builds strength and reduces waste and costs for customers. 3) Proven quality and performance. Greencoat boxes are field-tested and customer approved. Interstate Container has partnered with poultry, meat and seafood producers, as well as Global Green USA, to continuously test Greencoat boxes under long, damp and difficult transport routes across the country. Every month, the company produces and ships over 12 million Greencoat boxes to some of the largest poultry processors in the country. 4) As strong as traditional wax boxes. With a powerful combination of eco-friendly impregnation and wax-free coating, Greencoat boxes withstand the challenges of the cold-storage supply chain, enduring tremendous exposure to moisture, rough handling, and long storage. continue

Tips for effective flea control.

1) Use Veterinarian Approved Products There have been some very safe and very effective products developed in the last several years, but they’re only available from your veterinarian. Generics and outdated technologies purchased from big box stores, feed stores, and online vendors may cost less, but do not provide the same level of effectiveness and safety as those purchased from your veterinarian. Veterinary staff members can also provide you with information and assistance if you have questions about the products you’re using while the same may not be true from online vendors or big box stores. Many manufacturers guarantee their products’ safety and effectiveness, but these guarantees may only available if purchased through your vet. 2)Be Consistent Consistency is important to getting flea infestations under control and keeping them that way. Most products are designed to be given every 30 days. If you are skipping doses or not administering a product on schedule, you are giving fleas an opportunity to continue their life cycle which guarantees you will continue to have problems. continue

Free range eggs may have to be renamed because of bird flu restrictions.

Free range eggs may have to be renamed because of bird flu restrictions. UK egg producers have warned that the future of the premium free range sector is at risk should the eggs lose their prized status because of the ongoing threat of bird flu. Flocks of free range hens are being housed indoors because of the bird flu outbreak and if they are unable to go back outside by the end of February the eggs will be downgraded to “barn produced”, the British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) has said. continue

Animal rights activists compromise birds’ health.

When activists trespass on farms, they are violating the law as well as biosecurity protocols. During the 2017 International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), Hannah Thompson-Weeman, vice president of communications for the Animal Agriculture Alliance, talked about some of the tactics that animal rights activists use in hopes of getting their message out that they believe animals are harmed in agricultural production. But whether they realize it or not, they could be doing more harm to poultry. One animal rights group, Direct Action Everywhere, has started to conduct what it refers to “stealth visits” to turkey and layer farms, Thompson-Weeman said. What is a stealth visit? Well, it’s not exactly on the up-and-up. In layman’s terms, it is trespassing in order to obtain photographs, video footage and to free birds they think are suffering. “They go in after hours, get access to a barn, and bring in their video crew, bring in their open rescue volunteers,” she said. continue

RESEARCH: Emotional fever in fish.

RESEARCH: Emotional fever in fish. A research by a team of scientists has shown that the zebra fish are sentient and as such are capable of exhibiting emotional fever. A paper published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the team describes their experiments with stressing zebra fish, how the fish reacted, and why they believe it should now be added to the list of organisms labeled as sentient beings. RESEARCH: Emotional fever in fish. Earlier research has shown that mammals and birds and a species of lizard respond to stress by experiencing an increase in body temperature on the order of 1- 2 C°—a reaction that some have suggested indicates that the creature is a sentient being—one that is able to perceive or feels things, whether emotional or physically. The study was conducted by placing 72 zebra fish in a net in water that was 1 C° colder than was normal for them. They also had a control group that was left alone with no changes to their environment. RESEARCH: Emotional fever in fish. All of the fish were then transferred to a tank that had sections heated to different levels, which the fish could access freely if they wished. The team watched to see which section the fish would swim to, and noted that those fish that had been stressed spent more time in the sections that were slightly warmer than normal, than did the control fish. This caused the body temperature of the fish to rise from 2 to 4 C°, which the team claims showed the fish experienced elevated body temperatures in response to stress, demonstrating emotional fever, and therefore they should qualify as sentient beings.