Introduced plants in the indigenous Pharmacopoeia of Northern South America

The intellectual property rights debate focuses on the flow of germplasm from developing tropical countries to developed temperate nations. Few investigators have addressed the converse. We discuss the abundance and importance of introduced plants in pharmacopoeias of northern South America. Introduced species commonly are employed as medicines throughout the region and include at least 216 Eurasian, North American, African, and Pacific species. Among the Shuar of lowland Ecuador, four introduced plants (Citrus aurantium, Cymbopogon citratus, Saccharum officinarum, and Zingiber officinale) are included in their most commonly prescribed remedies. The widespread use of introduced plants is due, in part, to the medicinal value of plants whose primary use is for food (e.g., Musa X paradisiacal Similarly, many introduced ornamentals also have therapeutic value (e.g., Hedychium coronarium). Other species have been introduced specifically as medicines (e.g., Aloe vera). Restrictions on the flow of germplasm and plant knowledge may protect the economic interests of governments and national industry. If applied bilaterally, however, constraints on the movement of plants will limit the continued evolution of traditional medicinal systems in areas where they are most needed.     

Detailed flow patterns in the nasal cavity.

The human nasal cavity filters and conditions inspired air while providing olfactory function. Detailed experimental study of nasal airflow patterns has been limited because of the complex geometry of the nasal cavity. In this work, particle image velocimetry was used to determine two-dimensional instantaneous velocity vector fields in parallel planes throughout a model of the nasal cavity that was subjected to a nonoscillatory flow rate of 125 ml/s. The model, which was fabricated from 26 computed tomography scans by using rapid prototyping techniques, is a scaled replica of a human right nasal cavity. The resulting vector plots show that the flow is laminar and regions of highest velocity are in the nasal valve and in the inferior airway. The relatively low flow in the olfactory region appears to protect the olfactory bulb from particulate pollutants. Low flows were also observed in the nasal meatuses, whose primary function has been the subject of debate. Comparison of sequentially recorded data suggests a steady flow.     

Castilleja chambersii (Scrophulariaceae), a new rare species from the northern Coast Range of Oregon

Castilleja chambersii is described from several collections made in the Coast Range of southwestern Clatsop County, Oregon. The new species is a member of subgenusCastilleja and is most closely related toC. parviflora andC. rupicola. This rare species is known from only three small and geographically restricted populations. Two new meiotic chromosome counts ofn=12 are reported for the new species.     

The relation between hip impact velocity and hip impact force differs between sideways fall techniques.

Fall techniques that reduce fall severity may decrease the risk of hip fractures. A fundamental variable for fall severity is impact force, but impact velocity is also used. The purpose of the study was to determine whether impact velocity is valid to determine differences in fall severity between different techniques. Five young adults with martial arts (MA) experience performed sideways falls from kneeling height using three techniques: Block with arm (Block) and MA techniques with and without use of the arm to break the fall. In addition, one subject also performed MA falls from standing height. Linear regression analysis showed a moderate relation between hip impact velocity and force, which was depended on technique. In falls with comparable impact velocities, forces in MA falls were lower than forces in Block falls. Hence, differences in impact force could not be predicted by velocity. In conclusion, hip impact velocity may be useful to make an approximate prediction of impact force within fall techniques. However, to determine differences between techniques it was not always a valid predictor. When direct impact force measurements are not possible, methods combining impact velocity with energy estimates before and after impact might be more valid.     

Haploid plant regeneration from unpollinated ovule cultures of niger (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Guizotia abyssinica</Emphasis> (L. f.) Cass.)

Haploid plants were regenerated in vitro from unpollinated ovules of niger (Guizotia abyssinica (L. f.) (Cass.) on Murashige and Skoog nutrient medium (MS) supplemented with 10 μM naphthaleneacetic acid or 10 μM NAA + 1.5 μM kinetin and 30 g/l sucrose. Gamborg (B5) medium was the best for plant regeneration (in comparison with MS, Nitsch and Nitsch (NN), and Chu (N6) media) from cultured ovules, and 6.66 and 7.33 ovules of JNC-6 and Ootacamund cultivars were involved in direct plant regeneration on this medium. Matured ovules (ovules collected one day before anthesis or on the day of anthesis) only responded to cultural regimes and involved in direct plantlet development. Cytological preparation of root tips and chloroplast counts in the guard cells of leaf stomata of regenerated plants confirmed their haploid nature. This text was submitted by the authors in English.     

Inhibition of GSK-3β Rescues the Impairments in Bone Formation and Mechanical Properties Associated with Fracture Healing in Osteoblast Selective Connexin 43 Deficient Mice

Connexin 43 (Cx43) is the most abundant gap junction protein in bone and is required for osteoblastic differentiation and bone homeostasis. During fracture healing, Cx43 is abundantly expressed in osteoblasts and osteocytes, while Cx43 deficiency impairs bone formation and healing. In the present study we selectively deleted Cx43 in the osteoblastic lineage from immature osteoblasts through osteocytes and tested the hypothesis that Cx43 deficiency results in delayed osteoblastic differentiation and impaired restoration of biomechanical properties due to attenuated β-catenin expression relative to wild type littermates. Here we show that Cx43 deficiency results in alterations in the mineralization and remodeling phases of healing. In Cx43 deficient fractures the mineralization phase is marked by delayed expression of osteogenic genes. Additionally, the decrease in the RankL/ Opg ratio, osteoclast number and osteoclast size suggest decreased osteoclast bone resorption and remodeling. These changes in healing result in functional deficits as shown by a decrease in ultimate torque at failure. Consistent with these impairments in healing, β-catenin expression is attenuated in Cx43 deficient fractures at 14 and 21 days, while Sclerostin (Sost) expression, a negative regulator of bone formation is increased in Cx43cKO fractures at 21 days, as is GSK-3β, a key component of the β-catenin proteasomal degradation complex. Furthermore, we show that alterations in healing in Cx43 deficient fractures can be rescued by inhibiting GSK-3β activity using Lithium Chloride (LiCl). Treatment of Cx43 deficient mice with LiCl restores both normal bone formation and mechanical properties relative to LiCl treated WT fractures. This study suggests that Cx43 is a potential therapeutic target to enhance fracture healing and identifies a previously unknown role for Cx43 in regulating β-catenin expression and thus bone formation during fracture repair.     

Promotion by phloroglucinol of micropropagation of Minuartia valentina, an endangered and endemic Spanish plant

Tissue culture techniques for the propagation and conservation of endemic or threatened plants can be used to complement the methods usually applied in ex situ conservation. Thus, Minuartia valentina (Caryophyllaceae), an endangered plant species endemic to the Valencia Community (Eastern Spain), was successfully regenerated through shoot proliferation from wild plants growing in their natural area. Nodal segments, 10~mm long, were cut from rametes of adult material, sterilised and established in vitro. Equally successful shoot multiplication was achieved on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with 80 mg l-1 phloroglucinol in combination with either 1 mg l-1 6-benzylaminopurine or 1 mg l-1 kinetin. Excised shoots were rooted in MS medium supplemented with an auxin (indole acetic acid, indole-3-butyric acid, or napththalene acetic acid). Shoots rooted well (96–100%) within three weeks in all auxin treatments. However, the use of napththalene acetic acid was discarded because this auxin delayed root differentiation, and induced adventitious root malformation. Rooted plantlets were transferred to pots and 85% of them acclimatized successfully four weeks after transfer to greenhouse conditions, where they exhibited normal morphology and growth.     

Genetic and evolutionary relationships among Asian Macaques

Published gene frequency data, checked for consistency of allele definitions across laboratories and for comparability of geographically identical samples, were pooled into a data set containing frequencies at nine loci for each of 20 populations that encompassed 10 macaque species. Genetic distances were calculated by the methods of Kidd and Cavalli-Sforza (1974). These distances were used to construct phylogenetic trees and to evaluate the relationships between divergence times and effective population sizes. Inter-and intraspecific genetic distances and the groupings defined by phenetic tree analyses support Fooden’s (1976) classification of the genus Macacainto four species groups. A paleozoogeographical model of Asia including the known times of major sea-level changes allows us to explain Macacainto four species groups. A paleozoogeographical model of Asia including the known times of major sea-level changes allows us to explain qualitatively the inferred evolutionary relationships among macaque species. Many assumptions are required in order to estimate the variables necessary in the quantitative prediction of genetic differences for a comparison between any two populations. Examination of those assumptions demonstrates the need for more accurate genetic as well as paleozoogeographic information. An erratum to this article is available at .