Kenyan medicinal plants used as antivenin: a comparison of plant usage

The importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare practices, providing clues to new areas of research and in biodiversity conservation is now well recognized. However, information on the uses for plants for medicine is lacking from many interior areas of Himalaya. Keeping this in view the present study was initiated in a tribal dominated hinterland of western Himalaya. The study aimed to look into the diversity of plant resources that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Questionnaire surveys, participatory observations and field visits were planned to illicit information on the uses of various plants. It was found that 35 plant species are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases. In most of the cases (45%) under ground part of the plant was used. New medicinal uses of Ranunculus hirtellus and Anemone rupicola are reported from this area. Similarly, preparation of "sik" a traditional recipe served as a nutritious diet to pregnant women is also not documented elsewhere. Implication of developmental activities and changing socio-economic conditions on the traditional knowledge are also discussed.     

Conception et exécution de bases de données intégrées pour l'analyse des rapports spatiotemporels des artefacts du Paléolithique

The archaeologists excavate the historic site and analyze data from the excavation site. Therefore, they study about the past affairs and circumstances unknown to the world. These data are composed of stones, plants, bones and geological features, which are stored in separate files according to the fields of study. It is important to mention that this information become the first step toward the solution of some hypothesis in Archaeology. Therefore, we need the system that can not only support integrated environment to find clues of the past, but also manage existing artifact data systematically and grasp relationships among the data. In this paper, we modeled the time, which is used in archaeology and geology, and built an entity relationship database to store Paleolithic data excavated in Jungwon region site of the Republic of Korea as one resource, which seem to give a base for integrated research and relationships in archaeology. In addition, we developed the Graphic User Interface that allows various users to connect to the established system through the web.     

云南鹤庆白依人植物染料的民族植物学研究

植物染料有绿色环保、安全性高等优势,但其资源量少、成本高、色牢度低等缺点限制了植物染料在工业化的应用。云南鹤庆白依人有植物染色的传统习俗,当地有丰富的染料植物资源和传统染色工艺。为调查、记录和研究白依人植物染色和相关传统知识,拓展植物染料资源并促进植物染料的开发利用,该研究对大理州鹤庆县六合彝族乡白依人植物染色及相关传统知识进行了民族植物学调研。2019年9月至2020年3月,对大理州鹤庆县六合彝族乡4个村落的288位信息报告人进行半结构式访谈,对当地植物染料进行实地调研,以参与式观察法记录传统植物染色技艺,通过定量分析法对传统植物染色知识(f值、CII_s值、ICF值)进行分析研究。结果表明:(1)鹤庆白依人使用11种植物染料,分属10科11属。(2)不同地区、年龄、性别的白依人对传统植物染色知识的认知有差异。(3)水红木和密蒙花的使用频率和文化重要性指数较高,并且白依人对蓝染的植物染料认知高度一致。(4)白依人常用植物染料给本民族服饰火草衣染色。该文揭示了鹤庆白依人有较完整的传统植物染色知识体系,但随着时代的发展而逐渐流失。该研究结果为植物染料资源的开发和传统植物染色工艺的研究提供科学线索,促进少数民族植物染料的产业化应用,对少数民族地区的经济发展有重要意义和应用价值。     

The Challenge of Race to American Historical Archaeology

Historical archaeologists should be leaders in examining the archaeological dimensions of race and racism in the United States. With few exceptions, though, this has not been the case, as most archaeologists have conflated race and ethnicity. American historical archaeologists have a great opportunity to provide new insights to the anthropological investigation of race and racism if they choose to take this course of action,     

Research Development of Food Plant Ethnobotany—Bibliometric and Mapping Knowledge Domains Analysis Based on Web of Science

This study, with the purpose of summarizing the large aggregation of Food Plant Ethnobotany studies to find research history, current status and probable future trend, is based on the following questions: (1) What have been studied on traditional food plants previously? (2) What are studying on traditional food plants at present, and how? (3) What will be studied on traditional food plants in future? To conduct this survey, we searched for papers in Web of Science databases, using combinations of keywords, and the survey was limited to the studies published before June 30th, 2014. CITESPACE software was used to analyze the cited references of these papers. Nine hundreds and fifty four papers published from 1991 to 2014 were found. Analyzing these 954 papers and their cited references, we discovered that documentation of traditional food plants uses is the main study field in past and at present. Quantitative methods, dissemination of traditional knowledge, proper management of local plants resources, and nutritional and pharmaceutical components of food plants will be studied more in future. This paper will help to get a clue of Food Plant Ethnobotany.     

An ethnobotanical survey of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants used by the traditional healers of the Lwamondo area,Limpopo province,South Africa

The use of medicinal plants in the treatment and prevention of diseases is attracting the attention of scientists worldwide. Approximately 3000 plant species are currently used by an estimated 200,000 indigenous traditional healers in South Africa. The specific part of the plant used for medicinal applications varies from species to species, and from one traditional healer to another. This study was carried out to explore and record those plants and plant parts used for treating various human ailments by the traditional healers of the Lwamondo area in the Limpopo province, South Africa for medicinal purposes. Ethnobotanical data were collected from 30 traditional healers (24 females and 6 males) in the Lwamondo area of Venda, by means of a data capture questionnaire focusing on the local names of the medicinal plants, their medicinal uses, the plant parts used, and methods of preparation and of administering treatments to patients. The survey identified 16 medicinal plants from 7 families, with 14 genera, used to treat a range of ailments in the Lwamondo area. The Fabaceae family was the most commonly used plant family representing 43.8% of all the medicinal plants species recorded by this study, followed by the Varbenaceae family at 18.8%. The plant parts most frequently used were the roots (44.5%), followed by the leaves (25.9%), bark (14.8%), the whole plant (11%), and flowers (3.7%). Most of the traditional healers obtained their extracts by boiling the medicinal plants. The most often recurring ailment treated by healers was stomach problems, using 31.3% of all the medicinal plants reported in this study for preparing such treatments. The following medicinal plants were covered by this study: Annona senegalensis, Schkuhria pinnata, Diospyros mespiliformis, Piliostigma thonningii, Senna obtusifolia, Bauhinia galpinii. The rural communities of the Lwamondo area possess a wealth of information on medicinal plants and their applications. This ethnobotanical survey can help scientists identify for further research those plants whose medicinal properties may be useful in the development of new drugs.     

抗抑郁药用植物研究进展

近年来,虽然药用植物被用于临床治疗精神紊乱和行为异常等相关性疾病,如:抑郁、焦虑、癫痫、记忆力衰退、失眠、老年痴呆和药物中毒等,但是,有关药用植物抗抑郁作用的研究性报道较少,且不够系统。本综述主要归纳和总结了具有抗抑郁作用的药用植物及其活性提取物,包括药用植物粗提物和单体活性成分等天然产物,为充分开发利用我国药用植物资源以及民间传统用药提供科学依据,促进高效安全抑郁症治疗方法的研究。     

Metabolite Profiling Based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS and the Biological Evaluation of Medicinal Plants of Chinese Dichocarpum (Ranunculaceae)

The genus Dichocarpum is endemic to East Asia, and many species have been used to treat various diseases. However, phytochemical researches of this genus have been limited to date. In the present study, a metabolomic approach based on UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS was used to explore the phytochemical profiles of 10 Chinese Dichocarpum species, and cannabinoid receptor (CB1/CB2) agonistic activities evaluation of these plants was performed. A total of 128 features were putatively annotated, belonging to alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenes saponins, phenolic acids, and others. Semi-quantitative statistics demonstrated that alkaloids and flavonoids were widely distributed, with the former the most abundant, whereas triterpenes saponins were mainly distributed in D. fargesii and D. wuchuanense. The phylogenetic results obtained from DNA sequencing assigned the 10 species to three groups. Further results of in silico annotation revealed three chemical families and helped determine the characteristic features of the three groups. In addition, the plant extracts of nine species from this genus showed agonistic activity on CB2 receptors. This comprehensive analysis revealed the chemotype distribution and pharmacophylogenetic relationship, to provide clues for the prospective resource utilization of the medicinal plants from the genus Dichocarpum.     

Variations in cancer mortality among local authority areas in England and Wales: relations with environmental factors and search for causes.

Geographical variations in specific causes of mortality among the 1366 local authority areas of England and Wales as defined at 1971 were studied by examining extracts from death certificates held on computer tape. Five items of information on each death--year of death, age at death, sex, local authority area of residence, and the underlying cause of death, during the 11 years 1968-78--permitted a more detailed investigation than had been possible before. Analysis of some early results of the study--including maps of mortality for pleural mesothelioma, nasal cancer and bladder cancer--suggested that, despite the known limitations of death certification, systematic study of the mortality of small areas may give clues to aetiological factors in the environment. Analyses relating mortality to the distribution of environmental factors and examining disease profiles of each area may also provide clues. These will be followed up by other methods of study, such as case-control techniques.     

Polymorphism and methylation of four genes expressed in salivary glands of Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae)

DNA methylation is a general epigenetic mechanism for plants, animals, and fungi to adapt to environmental variation. Two biotypes of the Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia), Biotype 1 and Biotype 2, have different virulence to host plants. In this study, in addition to a high polymorphism, DNA methylation at cytosines were observed in genomic fragments of four genes in Biotype 1 and Biotype 2, after the genomic DNA was treated with sodium bisulfite. These genes presumably encode proteins and enzymes in salivary glands of aphids. The two Biotype 1 showed different methylation levels, that is, Biotype 1 showed a higher methylation on the four genes. Two thirds of methyl cytosines were in a sequence context of CHH (H = A, C, or T). Some polymorphism and methylation sites were located at important positions in terms of enzyme function, such as close to catalytic residues or inhibitor binding residues. These findings may provide clues to explore the evolutionary mode between Russian wheat aphid virulence and resistance genes of host plants.     

云南锦斑蛾幼虫体表分泌物氰苷类成分的分离与鉴定及其对黑头酸臭蚁的生物活性

为研究云南锦斑蛾Achelura yunnanensis幼虫的化学防御策略, 利用硅胶柱色谱和HPLC制备色谱等色谱学方法对其毒性分泌液进行了化学成分的分离, 并通过核磁共振和质谱学方法对分离到的成分进行了结构鉴定。从其毒性分泌液中分离得到了两个神经毒性氰苷类化合物, 经鉴定分别为linamarin和lotaustralin。取食试验表明, linamarin对黑头酸臭蚁Tapinoma melanocephalum有明显的拒食活性。我们推测, 云南锦斑蛾体内的神经毒性物质氰苷是通过摄取宿主植物冬樱花Prunus cerasoides和云南樱花P. majestic而获得的, 并在体内转化形成毒液, 用于防御其天敌。本研究为云南锦斑蛾和宿主植物的协同进化提供了化学依据。     

Control of stem cell fate by engineering their micro and nanoenvironment

Stem cells are capable of long-term self-renewal and differentiation into specialised cell types, making them an ideal candidate for a cell source for regenerative medicine. The control of stem cell fate has become a major area of interest in the field of regenerative medicine and therapeutic intervention. Conventional methods of chemically inducing stem cells into specific lineages is being challenged by the advances in biomaterial technology, with evidence highlighting that material properties are capable of driving stem cell fate. Materials are being designed to mimic the clues stem cells receive in their in vivo stem cell niche including topographical and chemical instructions. Nanotopographical clues that mimic the extracellular matrix(ECM) in vivo have shown to regulate stem cell differentiation. The delivery of ECM components on biomaterials in the form of short peptides sequences has also proved successful in directing stem cell lineage. Growth factors responsible for controlling stem cell fate in vivo have also been delivered via biomaterials to provide clues to determine stem cell differentiation. An alternative approach to guide stem cells fate is to provide genetic clues including delivering DNA plasmids and small interfering RNAs via scaffolds. This review, aims to provide an overview of the topographical, chemical and molecular clues that biomaterials can provide to guide stem cell fate. The promising features and challenges of such approaches will be highlighted, to provide directions for future advancements in this exciting area of stem cell translation for regenerative medicine.     

拟南芥、水稻和杨树JMJC家族全基因组分析

采用HMMER与BLAST相结合的方法确定拟南芥,水稻和杨树三种模式植物全基因组JMJC蛋白基因个数分别为21,20,24,并对其染色体定位,基因结构,保守功能域进行了系统分析,在系统进化分析基础上,将JMJC家族分为11个亚家族,内含子外显子结构分析与MPSS表达模式分析结果也进一步支持了进化关系研究.本研究有助于揭示植物JMJC基因家族的进化历史,为后续JMJ基因家族的功能提供线索,为进一步研究植物JMJC基因家族提供理论基础。     

Strigolactones as small molecule communicators

Originally identified as an allelochemical involved in plant host-parasite interactions, strigolactones have more recently been shown to have much broader communication roles. Strigolactones function as a symbiotic communicator in plants and mycorrhizal fungi interactions and have also been shown to have hormonal roles in higher plants. This ability to act as both an exogenous and an endogenous signal has interesting implications with respect to the constraints on strigolactone structures. Probing the hormonal function of strigolactones using chemical biology and genetics is beginning to provide clues as to how strigolactones were co-opted as an allelochemical signal by parasitic plants.     

In vivo chloroplast protein synthesis by the chromophytic alga Olisthodiscus luteus

Information on the ctDNA protein coding profile of the Chlorophyta, Rhodophyta, and Chromophyta might provide clues to the evolutionary mechanism(s) by which plants diverged into these three phylogenetic groups. The purpose of this study was to examine the ctDNA protein coding profile of the chromophytic plant Olisthodiscus luteus. Whole cells were labeled in the presence of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of cytoplasmic protein synthesis. Control experiments demonstrate that the chloroplast proteins labeled in vivo by this technique form a distinct subset of the total proteins synthesized by the cell. Approximately 50 plastid proteins (35 soluble, 15 membrane) were detected after two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and fluorography. Three ctDNA-coded proteins, the large subunit of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase, the apoprotein of the P700-chlorophyll a-protein complex, and the "photogene" were identified. These proteins are also coded by chlorophytic ctDNA. Unexpectedly, the ctDNA of Olisthodiscus was shown to code for the small subunit of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase. The gene for this enzyme subunit is nuclear coded in all chlorophytic plants that have been analyzed.     

四川沙湾区重点药用植物资源调查研究

目的:调查研究四川沙湾区的药用植物资源,全面掌握沙湾区重点中药资源的分布以及利用现状。方法:通过野外调查和内业整理以及文献查阅工作,重新明确该地区现有的重点药用植物。结果:沙湾区内药用植物有135科527种,重点药用植物100种,其中沙湾区国家Ⅰ级野生保护植物有1种,Ⅱ级野生保护植物10种,Ⅲ级野生保护植物6种;2015年版中国药典收载的基原植物有85种,人工栽培药用植物有23种。结论:沙湾区中药资源较为丰富但利用率低,其中药材产业发展具有较大潜力,此次调查结果为沙湾区中药资源的中药材产业化发展提供新的基础数据与方向。     

Reconstructing the oaks’ growth patterns in Greece with the use of historical timber: Case studies from Western Peloponnese

Southern Greece is a region where available oak reference chronologies are still missing, making dendroarchaeology and dating of historical buildings rather challenging, if not impossible. In the current study we performed wood identification and dendroarchaeological analysis on timber from three historical buildings: the castles of Androusa and Koroni and the Church of Agios Dimitrios, in Western Peloponnese. The three monuments represent buildings of different uses covering different periods, but also sharing a common characteristic: oak was the only timber used in their construction, while the number of preserved timber elements is very limited. A dendroarchaeological examination of these three historical buildings, together with radiocarbon and wiggle-matching analysis, provided valuable chronological information for the local archaeologists, historians, and other scientists. Application of dendrochronological techniques has helped place the three buildings under study into the Ottoman period. Our results also show that timber was acquired most probably from local non-managed forests, which suggests that oak forests were present in the broader area at least from the late 15th to the first half of the 18th centuries. The discordance between dendrochronological and radiocarbon dates in one of the three cases highlights the need for further exploration of the study area through a combined implementation of both dendrochronological and radiocarbon dating analyses in order to develop well-replicated local oak chronologies. Our study also shows that dendroarchaeology can contribute significantly to the cultural and landscape history of Western Peloponnese even with an examination of limited number of preserved timber elements from historical buildings.     

离散增量结合二次判别分析预测人类DNA甲基化位点

DNA甲基化作为直接作用于DNA序列的一种表观遗传修饰,能够在不改变DNA分子一级结构的情况下影响基因表达,在生命活动中扮演着重要的角色.在哺乳动物中,DNA甲基化主要发生在C_pG二核苷酸的胞嘧啶上,并且在基因组中呈现不均匀分布.准确预测DNA甲基化位点有助于阐明DNA甲基化对基因表达的调控作用,并为肿瘤的早期诊断及治疗提供新的依据.本文应用离散增量结合二次判别分析的方法,对人类的C_pG二核苷酸甲基化状态进行了识别.5折交叉检验的整体准确率超过了80%,受试者操作特性曲线面积也达到了0.86.与现有方法相比,预测成功率显著提高.这说明离散增量结合二次判别分析方法适用于甲基化位点的预测;基因组序列中甲基化位点具有序列依赖性.     

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Wayu Tuka District,East Welega Zone of Oromia Regional State,West Ethiopia

Background

Himalayan forests are the most important source of medicinal plants and with useful species for the local people. Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) is situated in the interior part of the Garhwal Himalayan region. The presented study was carried out in Madhmeshwar area of KWLS for the ecological status of medicinal plants and further focused on the ethnomedicinal uses of these plants in the study area.

Methods

Ecological information about ethnomedicinal plants were collected using random quadrats in a random sampling technique along an altitudinal gradient in the KWLS. Information on medicinal properties of plants encountered in the present study was generated by questionnaire survey and was also compared with relevant literature.

Results

A total of 152 medicinally important plant species were reported, in which 103 were found herbs, 32 shrubs and 17 were tree species which represented 123 genera of 61 families. A total of 18 plant species fell into the rare, endangered (critically endangered) and vulnerable status categories.

Conclusion

The present study documented the traditional uses of medicinal plants, their ecological status and importance of these plants in the largest protected area of Garhwal Himalaya. This study can serve as baseline information on medicinal plants and could be helpful to further strengthen the conservation of this important resource.     

Ethnobotanical Survey of Medicinal Plants at Periodic Markets of Autonomous County of Gongcheng Yao in Guangxi

Gongcheng is the second largest county in Guangxi with about 163000 Yao population. Periodic Markets are important places for trading of medicinal plants harvested by Gongcheng Yao villagers. The study aimed to look into the marked traded medicinal plants that are used by local people for curing various ailments. Ethnobotanical market survey methods, interviews, Participatory Action Research (PAR) and field visits were planned to elicit information on the uses of various medicinal plants. It was found that 71 plant species in the market which belong to 41 families are commonly used by local people for curing various diseases, all species are wild plants. A total of 133 records of medical uses in 52 herbal recipes for the treatment some common diseases. In most of the recipes recorded, digestion diseases, respiratory system diseases, infectious diseases,rheumatological diseases and surgery are used. The traditional knowledge about the number of medicinal plants available in that area and used by interviewees was positively correlated with the threats on medicinal plants in the wild habitats of the research area, which indicating that the diversity of wild medicinal plants and the associated traditional knowledge trends to disappear in the area.